Big Change Today

We've been home for 10 months and Acer has always been with one of us, or occassionally a few hours with Mum or my brother. I would go to work at 6 PM, and Bill would meet me there and take Acer home with him. I would work three short nights a week and full days on the weekends and Bill would work full days during the week. It worked for us, but now, after my winter off, I'm back at work full time and Grannie Pat, Mum, is watching him (for pay of course, this would be way to much to ask for free)
It was tough to scoot out the door this morning with Mum and her sheet of notes there to take care of Acer. Monday is our longest day, Both Bill and I work from Morning 'til evening and then come home. So on her first day, Mum had Acer for 10 hours. She got him to school and found his teachers. she fed him, snuggled with him on the bed with a book, and even did laundry and dishes. Go Mum!
Acer was reasonably well behaved today but was really in need of some parental snuggling tonight. Bill even broke the not on BaBa's lap while eating rule just to get in some extra snuggles before bed.
Wednesday will be Mum's next day, a little shorter because I'll work the 1-9 shift, but again it's a school day, so I'll get him ready and then she'll drive him to school at 10:30. I wouldn't be able to be back from school with him before I'd have to leave for work, so that's why she'll be taking him.
Friday Mum will come over at Noon so I can leave for work, another 1-9 shift.
Prayers that this continues to go well, it seems to be a good set up for all involved.
Heather

Last Story hits the paper today

Howdy,
The last paper published the story today here http://www.sourcenewspapers.com/stories/033008/loc_story1001.shtml
When we get the TV segment U Tubed, we'll ppost that, but for now this is is about the Easter Egg Story.
Heather BT

PS, Sorry you'll have to copy & paste until Bill fixes it on his PC, I just don't have that ability on my computer.

Easter Photos (finally)

Yes, Here he is! Our Little Man complete with tie. Then he's on the hunt for his egg and wearing his beloved fleece, Climbing on NaiNai's (Grandma's) exercise bike, and enjoying NaiNai and YeYe's (Grandpa's) Easter present to him - Rody.

Another Story, different paper

There were 3 total newspapers at the beeping egg conference. The second one, the Sentry posted their article here

So Thankful.

When we started the process for Little Miss, we prayed alot and then we got together and talked over what we felt our answers were. One question Bill asked me was, are you sure we can afford this? and How are we going to raise the money? I felt such peace from God about the money issue that I assured Bill that I would work more hours, and we would run a couple other different fundraisers that I knew about, The Shades of Us fundraiser and the ChipIn fundraiser. I thought I was nuts or something to think that people would want to help me, but I did it and I sent out emails expaining what was going on and asking for help.
People have responded, one woman who was adopting her son the same time we were adopting Acer, chipped in and let me know that it was okay to ask for help. That was huge, not only was she giving, but she also made me feel a heck of a lot better.
Another woman ordered bookmarks, but also sent us a check in the mail. Yes, the bookmarks were nice, but she just really wanted to help more than anything.
Today, one of our travel group decided that she would give up her anniversary gift this year. She told her husband that this is what she wanted, she wanted to help us bring Little Miss home.
It made me cry, when you are walking on faith, you have no idea where the next bit of help is coming from and this one was perfect timing. Just Tuesday, when Bill received a little check for something odd out of nowhere, I told Bill, See God will provide. And He Did. Thank you Theresa, Thank You Tiffany, Thank You Sharon.
I also started my etsy business. The idea of an dual ribbon bookmark, so you can mark in both the Old Testament and New Testament at the same time, just came to me one night. We've now sold enough bookmarks in person and on line to have paid for all the supplies. From now on, everything we sell is profit.
My friend and former Mandarin professor got together with her prayer group and have taken my idea, prayed about it and are running with it. I was overwhelmed, they bought sample bookmarks and prepared flyers to hand out among their friends and at church and one even open an account for donations for Little Miss under the auspices of her own company. Thank you Qin!
Another Family that traveled with us donated jewelry and bookmarks, different but similar in style, for us to sell. They'd made this to sell to help finance the adoption of their daughter last year. When they heard about Little Miss, they boxed it all up and sent it to us. I've put it up on the etsy site with our stuff, grateful with each word I wrote into the descriptions. Thank you Diggins Family.
I am just so Thankful to friends and co-workers and even strangers who've bought the bookmarks, to those who've encouraged us all along, and tho those of you I've never met, who I've never even emailed with who have prayed for us.
Thank YOU!

I, I, I I

Yes! Acer correctly identified the letter 'I' off his fridge magnets this evening. I did a Happy Dance with tears in my eyes. This is HUGE, it means he has identified the shapes from his singing leapfrog bus, which are small even if they do tell you what they are, and translated them into the bigger sized fridge blocks. Now if he translates the braille bumps on the letters into the same letter, we're on our way to literacy!



BTW
(sing this title out loud and you'll get the pun)

Now more products on our Etsy Site

Howdy!
Want to send out a Huge Thank You to The Diggins Family. We were in China with them last year while we picked up our respective children. We enjoyed meals, tours and Chinese beer together and enjoyed each other's company. Aleda is an artist who specializes in Celtic themed ceramic jewelry. Last year, Aleda made different products with a Chinese theme to sell to help raise money for Ellie's adoption. When they heard about our etsy store, they decided to donate their extra product to help us bring Little Miss home. So cool of them and really cool product too. I don't even have it all up yet, there's still more to come.

I've also added three more of my own bookmark styles, including some more masculine ones as per some requests.

I know you've been waiting for the pictures of Acer and the Egg hunt and Acer in his fancy duds, we'll get them up I promise.

We've been working on the paperwork for the Little Miss. Since the situation changed so much, we've been hustling and Bill's been typing and writing his fingers off. I compose and fill things out first, then Bill goes through and makes them legible.

Take Care
Pictures soon, I promise.
Heather

Star Power

We got our first dose of star power on Saturday, after the news program. It turns out that one of the cashiers at our local Costco recognized us on the news, and when we came in, said, "They were on the news!", followed by what a cool idea the clicking eggs was. She admitted, however, to having recognizing the little man before recognizing me. Sigh. Upstaged by him yet again! (As it should be) :) Well, at least we know that it might be something that people will remember, at least if someone needs beeping eggs, that is...

B

Rough news

Yesterday morning we found out that Little Miss's paperwork was not going to come directly to us. Instead it was going to be put up on the Multiple Agency Special Needs waiting child list. This means that our agency will have to keep their eyes open for her posting, and that another agency and another set of parents might find her first. We are rushing to put together a packet of information so that CHI will have it and be able to claim her as ours.
We need some 'Thy will' prayer about this. We truly believe that God has lead us to her, and now we have to trust that God will keep her for us. Conversely, if another family finds her, we have to trust that we were the instrument of His will, that she is with her forever family due to the fact that we asked for her paperwork. We also would have to trust that God will lead us to the right child at the right time, just like he did with Acer.
So, we had our moments of fuss and dismay, and now we have to get to work with that paperwork.

What's That Mysterious Ticking Noise?

Excerpted from the Macomb Daily (Read the article on their site, there is an image that is WAY cute)

SPECIAL EGG HELPS BLIND CHILDREN JOIN THE HUNT
An Easter egg that beeps. As simple as it sounds, the beeping Easter eggs developed by electronics experts at the Michigan State Police Crime and Laboratory facility in Sterling Heights will make Easter morning a joyous event for several blind youngsters.

The dozen eggs, made by Detective Sgts. Timothy R. Ketvirtis (originally from Sterling Heights) and Daniel A. Collard (originally from Richmond), will help put smiles on the faces of the handicapped youngsters because they now will be able to search for their Easter baskets just like youngsters with perfect vision.

"This really wasn't that hard to do," said Ketvirtis while watching 3-year-old Acer play with a beeping egg. "We put this thing together in 10 minutes."

Acer meets the bomb squad

Today Acer met some great people who not only put their lives on the line for us, but also took some time to make a little three year old boy have a good Easter - the Michigan State Police Bomb Squad.
A few months back I started this project, trying to figure out how to acquire beeping eggs so Acer could have an Easter egg hunt. I googled for hours. I couldn't even find directions on how to make them myself (or have someone else make them for me) then after googling for hours I found a years old reference in a chat group log saying to ask your local bomb squad. So, it took me three phone calls to actually reach the bomb squad, and then I spoke to Rose. I told her it had to be her most unusual request that day, but would the bomb squad make beeping eggs for Acer?
Rose called back the next day and said they would do it, asked how many would I like, and said that the squad was interested in the thought of helping a three year old have a good Easter. Rose and I have spoken several times since then, to set up today's meeting and to tell me how many they'd made. The squad made 12 eggs, so we're keeping one for Acer, one for the Little Miss, and we're sending out the others across the state so ten other kids can hunt too.
One egg has already been delivered to a beautiful little 6 month old girl, Kayla, who came to the State Police office with her two grandmothers. Such a sweet and feminine little girl, she and Acer were a good contrast as he was very masculine with his tiny construction boots on. We were glad they could bring her, it took a little of the focus off Acer.
Rose, incredibly enough, made Acer a fleece jacket with the bomb squad logo on it (we all know how much Acer likes fleece) and also made little Kayla a sweet pink onezie with the bomb squad logo. Feminie and scary at the same time, the perfect way to be Kayla! You go girl!
Also at the meeting was the local fox news TV crew and three local papers. I'll post links and pictures as soon as I get them.
After meeting with the bomb squad we met with my Mandarin Professor and friend and two of her friends. I'll post about that meeting tomorrow because both events deserve their own space.

Blatantly swiped from Sharon's Blog

Howdy!
I was just over at my blogging buddy Sharon's blog and she had the best prayer quoted. I immediately swiped it to put it here. I'll get it printed out to put on my dresser mirror to pray it, because it does say it so well.

Build Me a Son

"Build me a son, O Lord,
who will be strong enough to know when he is weak,
and brave enough to face you when he is afraid,
one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat,
and humble and gentle in victory.

Build me a son
whose wishes will not take the place of deeds;
a son who will know Thee-
and that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge.

Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort,
but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge.
Here let him learn to stand up in the storm,
here let him learn compassion for those who fail.

Build me a son
whose heart will be clear,
whose goals will be high;
a son who will master himself
before he seeks to master other men;
one who will reach into the future,
yet never forget the past.

And after all these things are his,
add, I pray, enough sense of humor,
so that he may always be serious,
yet never take himself too seriously.

Give him humility, so that he may always remember
the simplicity of true greatness,
the open mind of true wisdom,
and the weakness of true strength.
Then I, his father, will dare to whisper,
"I have not lived in vain."

~ General Douglas MacArthur

Shirts!

Acer is learning to dress himself, he has putting on underwear and pants down, but the shirts, not so much. So, I've taken a break from trying to explain to Acer how to put on shirts (best not to let either of us get too frustrated). I've been working more on cutlery usage and table manners. Today, the first sunny warm day of spring, Acer wanted to break out the tricycle. (he was really excited when I told him yes) I told him he needed to get a shirt out of the shirt drawer so he could get dressed. Well, he got out a shirt (maybe out of the dirty clothes basket 'cause I didn't hear the drawer open & close, but who cares) He didn't bring the shirt to me, he put it on HIMSELF. I was so dern excited. After his nap this afternoon, he put on another shirt himself! It wasn't a fluke, he's just been holding out on me! Well, maybe I've been doing it myself because it was easier and faster. From now on though... whenever we have time, he'll do it himself!
Heather BT
BTW I just went over some stuff with Acer's OT at school Wednesday, and the shirt question was one I answered negatively. I'll have to see her Monday and tell her the news.

First visit to the dentist

Acer went to the Dentist today. I've tried to prepare him, for the past week and a half, I've been telling him about the special dentist chair and the 'Open Wide'. He did okay, didn't like the chair, especially when it moved, so he sat on my lap. His mouth was not going to open up until the hygenist said that after she was done, he would be able to have GUM! Oh boy, what a treat for the Little Man. She let him feel the mirror and then he was willing to open and let her have a look around. His teeth look fine, and he'll come back in another 6 months for another check up. The Gum? Well, I don't even think it lasted until we got in the car. It's a good thing that that old wives tale about gum taking seven years to digest isn't true, 'cause otherwise Acer would be friends with this gum until he's ten!

On the bookmark front, I've had to re-order and will be adding a few designs to the line. I was asked for something a little more manly so I'm going to oblige.

Take care everyone! Spring is coming, Really, I promise. I have tulips starting to poke their noses out of the ground!

Bookmark Update

I have now sold 20 total bookmarks: 8 - Marking time to China and 12 - A Heart for Christ!
Yeah!
We'll bring Little Miss home one bookmark at a time.
Only 3980 to go! (hah!)
Thank you all for your support and for spreading the word!

Thank You!

To my blogland friends Sharon and Monica for linking to my blog to help me raise funds, and to everybody who has ordered so far. We'll bring Little Miss home one bookmark at a time!
Heather BT

My new name

Acer has been trying out new names for me, Mom, Mother, Mommy. He hasn't decided on one yet but today he decided to use Bill's name for me. We were cuddling on the rocking chair and talking about going upstairs or a shower when he said (remember this is in Acer speak that is frequently in second or third person)...
"Sweetie will carry you for the shower?"

Blue Ewok

We've had a good week or so, here at Acer's house, since the last update. Acer has made huge strides in the inclusion of please and thank you into his requests. For some reason, he even uses a nice sweet tone of voice as he makes his very specific requests. 'More granola bar on the plate on the table in the front room with mama, please Mama' would be a good example of how specific he gets. He tells me, what he wants, where he wants it and with whom he wants to eat it, plus he adds the please. Then he will say Thank you for the granola bar Mama. Of course I am required to say "You're welcome for the granola bar Acer" or I am not being specific enough myself.
Acer has also started taking himself to the potty, start to finish, including getting fresh underwear out of the basket we keep on the toilet tank and putting on himself all unprompted. Of course as he doesn't actually need fresh underwear every time he goes, this means we go through underwear like water. Thankfully, for some reason, Acer owns 30 pair. I only bought six myself, the others were gifts.
This Monday, we actually warmed up to a whopping 54 degrees, we had snow melt run off and puddles every where. After our initial foray into puddle stumping, I quickly determined that boots (we call them galoshes because it's more fun to say) and a rain coat were needed. Acer loves the galoshes and tolerates the raincoat. I like the raincoat because there is a bit of insulation and I just had to add a fleece jacket and Acer was warm enough. We happily went up and down the street splashing and kicking and jumping from puddle to puddle, all nice and dry. We're back down much colder now, but Acer still asks to wear his galoshes, even inside the house which is unheard of for Him. Usually, the instant we're in the door he's all about taking off his socks and shoes.
This month Acer's infant pre-school is starting the transition to next year's school. I know some schools force the kids to change when they turn three, but our system just changes with the school year. This means Acer will always be one of the oldest in his class because he's just three weeks past the cut off date, but I think that's good, especially now. He can use the extra time to build up skills he'll need. Acer will be taking the bus about a 40 minute ride to the county visually impaired class room. I was leery but I've seen other kids do it so we'll see. I may end up driving him , but we'll try the bus first.

Goodbye to a man who invented our favorite game

Bill and I are D20 gamers, D&D er's RPG'ers. I have played for more than thirty years myself, and really enjoy getting a good brain workout. There are people who've gone overboard with this, are there are with any type of activity, but we like the time we spend with friends working our imaginations and pun lines to the fullest. Thanks for the many hours of fun Gary, we'll miss you.

here's the article:

MILWAUKEE - Gary Gygax, who co-created the fantasy game Dungeons & Dragons and helped start the role-playing phenomenon, died Tuesday morning at his home in Lake Geneva. He was 69.


He had been suffering from health problems for several years, including an abdominal aneurysm, said his wife, Gail Gygax.

Gygax and Dave Arneson developed Dungeons & Dragons in 1974 using medieval characters and mythical creatures. The game known for its oddly shaped dice became a hit, particularly among teenage boys, and eventually was turned into video games, books and movies.

Gygax always enjoyed hearing from the game's legion of devoted fans, many of whom would stop by the family's home in Lake Geneva, about 55 miles southwest of Milwaukee, his wife said. Despite his declining health, he hosted weekly games of Dungeons & Dragons as recently as January, she said.

"It really meant a lot to him to hear from people from over the years about how he helped them become a doctor, a lawyer, a policeman, what he gave them," Gygax said. "He really enjoyed that."

Dungeons & Dragons players create fictional characters and carry out their adventures with the help of complicated rules. The quintessential geek pastime, it spawned a wealth of copycat games and later inspired a whole genre of computer games that's still growing in popularity.

Funeral arrangements are pending. Besides his wife, Gygax is survived by six children.

Our New Fundraiser Etsy Site

I'm making my very own stuff for sale to help with the fundraiser, I hope you like it. I only have two items so far, but have about 20 of each, despite what my etsy inventory says. I'm making Bookmarks. Mum says the 'Heart for Christ' one is the prettiest one she's ever seen and the other is 'darling' (she may be slightly biased though)
The 'Heart for Christ' and it has the two strings for Old Testament/New Testament marking at the same time. The cross is mother of pearl, the hearts are a cool coppery purple iridescent on on side and cool irregular stripes on the other. The ribbons are Bible Length, tested against my very own Bible.
The second is called 'Marking time to China' It has the the ladybug with big (bug) eyes, the red 'thread' and the cutest dern Panda bear bead I've ever seen. It only has one string but it is again, Bible length or hardcover book length.
Please let me know what you think! I hope you think they're as cool as I do.
Visit our etsy site - link on the sidebar.
You can also order directly from me - email me at heather bt @ mac. com (remove the spaces.)
Heather
Just a note, I've sold seven already Hurrah!
I'll also be leaving this post up top for about three weeks, just scroll down to see more recent ones.