Important Dates

Four years ago today, our miracle child was born and we held her in our arms for the very first time. What a thrilling memory, the first of countless precious moments with our angel. Happy Birthday, Liliana! We adore you!

I'm happy to announce that another important date is finally on the books! Less than three weeks from today--October 14th--is Leila's TPR hearing, after which she will officially be a part of our family. Although the adoption won't be final until April (yes, three months longer than originally expected--long story), the wait is mostly a formality. More hoops to jump through, thanks to Missouri law. And it'll be worth every moment.

God willing, everything will go smoothly between now and then. If so, Leila's baptism will take place on October 19th. We are really looking forward to celebrating her life and our faith with our friends, church family, her birth family and our extended family...all of the people who love Leila and have prayed for this adoption.

All in all, lots of good things going on. We are exceedingly blessed!

Two Blessings

I'm in love with my girls. Here are some highlights of this week. Above, Liliana recites a Bible verse and sings "Amazing Grace." She is such an independent, loving 3.99 year old...and I'm proud to be her mommy!

Below, Leila displays her growing repertoire of expressions and vocalizations. She's such a sweet, happy girl...and I feel blessed by her presence in our family.

Tribute to Liliana

This is Liliana's birthday week (we celebrate for a full week in our family). Last night, we went to Dave and Buster's to kick off the celebration. Here's Liliana with the prize pony she chose at the end of game time. Big surprise--it's pink--perfect for her new bedroom in Mississippi.

As soon as we got home, she jumped on Bubble Gum (it's new name) as started riding around. All of the sudden, she jumped off, grabbed her yellow hard hat from the toy basket and put it on her head. She climbed back on the pony and started swinging the hat around, yelling, "Yeeeee-haw! Yeeee-haw!"



























Not only does Liliana have serious equestrian skills, but she has also become quite the little artist. Above is a drawing of "Miss Shelly," our Parents As Teachers specialist, who came to visit earlier that morning. Notice the curly hair and earrings. Miss Shelly will be so proud! Even at almost four years old, Liliana is still ambidextrous. She writes and plays equally well with both hands. It's actually very cool to see. I hope she will continue down this road. The opponents won't know what hit 'em when she bats or dribbles with her south paw! And, she so active that she's bound to break a hand at some point!



Speaking of which, watch our little monkey in action on the elliptical machine. She uses it for exercise, climbing and gymnastics!

Who Needs A Pool?

Liliana is hilarious. Every day, she has us laughing out loud at her silly antics. A couple days ago, I was on the sofa feeding Leila, while listening to Liliana play on the deck. When it got quiet, I quickly got up to check on her. This is what I found: princess Liliana seated on a plastic throne in the middle of her sandbox, which was filled with rainwater and toys.

She looked so pleased with her perch as she poured water all over her legs and arms (dispite Mommy's one request that she NOT get her dress wet). So much for that! You'll see her tough, independent side in the video that follows. I love parenthood!

And The Plot Thickens...

Great news! It looks like we're less than four weeks away from our big day in court. The TPR hearing has been tentatively set for the morning of October 14th. This waiting period has been long and emotionally challenging, and we look forward to the glorious day when we know that Leila is home to stay!

As our adoption drama unfolds, we find ourselves in the midst of another unexpected, life-changing situation. About three weeks ago, Wade received an impressive (and very unexpected) job offer. He was asked to become the Director of Business Operations for the behavioral health division of a major hospital in Mississippi--in the town where Wade grew up & his parents still reside.

Initially, we were stunned. Then, we protested. After that, excitement began to build. And after careful and prayerful consideration, we are now confident that God is calling us to accept this position and begin the next season of our lives.

This is a bittersweet time for us. We absolutely adore our lives in St. Louis—especially our church family, our neighborhood, Liliana’s school and our summer pool community. Yet, we are also thrilled to be with family and close to the beach! Most importantly, we desire to be faithful to God’s plan for our family. As we furiously prepare our home for the move, we are also preparing our hearts and minds for the changes ahead and grieving the impending separation from the people we love.

Although the timeline is still uncertain, we estimate that Wade will begin the job in late October. We want to maximize Liliana’s academic experience, honor prior commitments and spend more time with friends before we leave. Once in Mississippi, Wade will have a couple weeks to prepare our new home (the house that belonged to Wade’s paternal grandparents) before he starts the new job. We plan to keep our St. Louis home and transform it into a rental property...so, if you know a family in need of a good home, let us know!

Of course, we will visit St. Louis often and nurture our beloved relationships from afar (thank goodness for modern technology). Although we’ll be living elsewhere, our ties to St. Louis will always remain strong. We are so thankful for our years here and the lifelong friendships and memories we’ve made. We truly appreciate your support, encouragement and prayers as we make this transition.

Much love from our family to yours,
Wade, Ramona , Liliana and Leila

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Leila "talks" to me...

Liliana talks to God...

The Longing in Our Hearts

Today was our first formal photo session as a family. Seeing our family of four in a portrait really moved me. I didn't expect it, but a whole host of feelings arose. One of the images was so beautiful that it almost brought me to tears. The photographer captured it as I held Leila in my arms and we all looked at her with adoring expressions. (The company seemed to appreciate our story & even asked permission to submit the photo in a portrait competition.) It seems that every day brings an experience like this--a situation that reflects Leila's permanent place in our hearts and our aching desire to have it secured in the courts. God willing, we'll be able to set the hearing date this week.

Praying that our sweetheart is home to stay!

The Wisdom of Children

Teacher Debbie Moon's first graders were discussing a picture of a family. One little boy in the picture had a different hair color than the other members. One of her students suggested that he was adopted.

A little girl said, 'I know all about adoption. I was adopted..'

'What does it mean to be adopted?', asked another child.

'It means', said the girl, 'that you grew in your mommy's heart instead of her tummy!'

Two Months

One of the things we often hear is how Leila Madeline fits right in with our family, and how she resembles Liliana as a baby. Here's Liliana when she was Leila's age. Although Liliana refused to show her sweet dimples, it's clear to see the similarity between the girls. One major difference: Liliana had a three-pound head start!

Yesterday was Leila's 2-month well-baby visit. Our pumpkin weighed in at 10 lbs., 13 oz., despite the recent increase in projectile vomiting. Due to a concern that Leila may have pyloric stenosis, the doc ordered an ultrasound at St. John's Mercy. Just three hours after her exam (and four painful shots), poor Leila had to undergo another round of poking and prodding.

Suffice it to say that there was a great deal of crying and screaming. And that was just my part! Seriously, though, Leila raged so hard at the hospital that we almost took her to the ER. After an hour of trying every soothing trick in the book, she finally calmed down enough to take her home. Sweet girl was so exhausted...and so were we!

Throughout the rest of the evening, Liliana held Leila's hand and kissed her on the head while saying, "It's alright, baby Leila. You'll feel better soon." Oh, they're so adorable together! I think they're going to be the best of friends!

I digress. So, a day of drama to determine that Leila has severe acid reflux and a spasming pylorus (no stenosis, praise the Lord). We had the opportunity to watch her organs function as the doc performed the ultrasound...which was pretty cool, but not worth a moment of our sweetie's suffering. We are now waiting to hear from the pediatrician to discuss how to proceed with Leila's treatment. We're praying for an effective strategy to alleviate all pain and discomfort.

Well, that's our Monday. Hope your week is terrific!
Blessings,

Leila at Two Months

Leila is two months old! She smiles all of the time, and she is an absolute delight! Now, if only her acid reflux would disappear--the symptoms increased dramatically this week, and (despite the changes we've made to help decrease it) the poor baby has been throwing up after almost every meal. We're praying that the doctor can give us a solution Monday morning.

Here's Leila Madeline in all her glory. She is so very loved!

Frustrated By the Process

Well, what was originally supposed to be a 60-day process has now stretched to 100+, and I am frustrated! While I haven't forgotten that we are blessed to have an adoption in progress, I find this process to be less than palatable. We've experienced delay after disappointing delay--and it feels like our risk period will never end. At this point, our court hearing will be around October 15th. When every day seems like a week, that date appears to be far in the distance. Please pray that this adoption will be protected and that we will have patience and strength as we wait for God's perfect timing.

Labor Day Weekend in St. Louis

My mom, brother & nephews joined us in the STL for Labor Day weekend. Although it was a whirlwind, we had a terrific time together. We spent an afternoon at the City Museum on Saturday, along with half of metro St. Louis. If you've never been there, GO! What an amazing & total indescribable place. Here we are at the entrance, ready to tackle every square foot of the attraction. (L to R: Leila, Mona, Luke, Russell, Liliana, Wade, Clayton. Mom was behind the camera.)

The kids enjoyed climbing all of the crazy structures, creating masterpieces, watching the sealife and sliding down the 10-story slide (no, that's not a typo). Here they are in the craft section, showing off their painting skills. The City Museum was so exhausting that everyone went to bed early--including yours truly. I broke my adult record and zonked out at 7:45pm.

After church on Sunday, the kiddos had plenty of playtime at our house. Liliana, Luke and Clayton blew bubbles, drove motorized vehicles and played on the playground while Leila slept. When Leila was awake, the boys were enamored with their baby cousin. They studied her every move and tried to be near her as much as possible. In fact, I frequently had to remind them to give her room to breathe!

Liliana and Leila are the only girls on my side of the family, and there's only one other on Wade's side...so we're happy to have added a girly girl to the family.


Below: four little cousins hang out in one chair. Luke and Liliana wore matching jammies. Darling!

Smiling Faces

Today was Liliana's 2nd day of school. And, yes, I did get her to school on time (thank you very much). She loves her teacher and her classmates, and I'm so thankful. Today I picked her up as the students were lining up to leave. As she walked away from the group, I heard at least seven little voices yell, "Bye, Liliana!" That was the highlight of my day.

The rest of our day was meltdown city. Chalk it up to adjustment. After all, this is her first week of school.

Yesterday I met with Leila's birthmother at Bethany's office. It was wonderful to spend some time with her, and it seemed like she enjoyed spending time with Leila & me. Leila showed off her superb eating and pooping skills. Two of the nastiest diapers ever. At least she was true to form!

Leila Madeline has been smiling at me A TON today. She's been alert and interactive for two-hour stretches, which makes life more interesting.

Here are some photos from earlier today. Enjoy!

Ramona in '08

Check this out (or click on the video)...and cast your vote for me!



I'm Ramona Lisa, and I approved this message.

My Baby Is All Growed Up

Today was Liliana's first day of school! Here she is at the door, ready as ever. What an exciting occasion for Liliana, and what a bittersweet time for me. I'm so proud of the little person she has become and thrilled to see what God has planned for her. Yet, it's also sad to experience the first step toward the day when she flies away from our comfy little nest.

I thought, for sure, that I would bawl my eyes out. Fortunately for me--and unfortunately for her--my emotional connection was quickly thwarted when I realized that we were, indeed, not 10 minutes early for a 9:00am start, but rather 20 minutes tardy for an 8:30am start! I was mortified! How I could have made that mistake, I'll never know. But I will certainly not forget that I made my daughter late for her first ever day of school.

Award for Loving School on the First Day: Liliana
Award for Untimely & Socially Aloof Mommy: Ramona

Welcome to my world.

Wedding Belle

Liliana is always beautiful to me, but she especially melted my heart Friday night. Here is my darling as we added the final touches for the wedding. We both agreed that she looked just like a princess.

The wedding ceremony and reception took place at the Butterfly House in Chesterfield. What a gorgeous setting for the event. We were so thankful for great (but humid) weather, instead of the thunderstorms that were predicted. Left: Liliana gazes at the lily pads on the pond.

This is one of my favorite photos of Liliana. Although she's probably thinking about creepy, crawly bugs or climbing on the playground, I prefer to think she's pondering how much she loves her mommy. Oh, she's gorgeous!

Liliana walks down the brick path, preparing for her big debut. She was so enamored with her surroundings that we didn't need toys to entertain her between photo sessions and the main event.

My little flower girl. Beneath this girly exterior is a well-rounded child who loves digging in the dirt as much as playing with dolls. Throughout the evening, she took a dozen adults by the hand and said "I have to show you something." At some point during each conversation she said, "Look! You cannot believe your eyes..."

When it was time to shine, Liliana knew exactly what to do...until the father of the bride handed her a crisp one dollar bill. Suddenly, the flower girl abandoned the plan and became the "dollar girl." She left the ring bearer and ran down the aisle (forgetting to sprinkle rose petals), saying, "Mommy, mommy! Look at my dollar!"

During the ceremony, Liliana was handsomely rewarded with Skittles (which were also a strategic move to keep her quiet for the nuptials). After the wedding, Liliana smiled through yet another photo session, and then she was free to eat, drink and be merry. Here we are with Cindy as we danced the night away.

Above, Liliana holds Kristen's train for a professional photo. As soon as the photographer was distracted, Mommy snapped one, too.

The event wasn't complete until we got our beloved family photo.

Congratulations, Kristen and Steven!

A Few Notes

Woo-hoo!!! Leila slept from midnight to 8:00am, and I feel like a new woman. I know it may not happen again for several days...but there's now light at the end of the sleepy tunnel. Hooray for Leila!

Our lives have been a bit hectic these days with planning for the start of school, preparing for a friend's wedding and spending time with my BFF Cindy (who is in town for 6 weeks)...not to mention plenty of preschooler antics and an unpredictable newborn. It's definitely a good kind of busy, but crazy nonetheless.

Here's Cindy, Kristen (the bride) and me at Kobe Tuesday night.

Liliana will be the flower girl in Kristen's wedding tomorrow. I can't wait to share a photo of her in the most gorgeous & glamorous get-up. Last night was the rehearsal, and Liliana did a wonderful job. I was so proud of her, especially since children of this age tend not to cooperate when all eyes are on them. She was the life of the party, hanging out with all of the adults--and saying the funniest things. I wish I had recorded her interactions throughout the night.

Oh, how I love parenthood and it's many unexpected rewards!
Blessings,

My Growing Girls

Okay, who's injecting my children with growth hormones? Kids are supposed to "grow like weeds," but this is insane!

Leila had a well-baby visit today. She's 5.5 weeks old and already weighs 9 lbs. 6 oz. (2 ounces less than Liliana was a birth)! Since little Leila started at only 6 lbs. 14 oz., I'd say she is growing by leaps and bounds.

Leila was so good for the doctor, who indicated that she's a perfectly healthy baby. Next visit, shots!

Liliana is, as usual, off the charts for height and weight. In addition, her shoe size increased from a 10 to a 12.5 over the summer. So much for the size 11 spring styles I bought on clearance last year. Looks like Liliana and I will be sharing shoes by the time she's in the 3rd grade (and I'm a size 10). Unbelievable!

What am I going to do with these girls? Gymnastics is out. Swimming and soccer are definitely in. Maybe basketball, too.

Wade the Olympian

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My Aunt Jules sent this to me, and I HAD to share it with you. This is funny for so many reasons. First and foremost, I've had an extensive (and intense) relationship with diving, including a connection with Olympic diving. Second, Wade's powerhouse dives include the cannonball, watermelon and belly-flop. Third, this has got to be the most unflattering image of my husband. Enjoy!

The Moods of Leila Madeline

Pure happiness. (My fave)

Sheer contentment.

Rare laughter.

All-too-common crying.