Happy Halloween (a first)

this is her supermodel pose!
Helina has spunk  
Some of the homes were decorated really nice!
Big Cheese Smile but there was no candy at this door
Shaddi getting her Vana White on, displaying all her goodies
Momma if u just allow me to sleep on it, I promise not to eat any tonight!

The girls had so much fun!

Helina was very very reluctant, but her sister, pls, you can not tell me this is her first time ever trick-a-treating!  We only had to tell her once what to do, she was a pro for the rest of the day.  Helina would kinda hold back, only wanted to trick or treat if there was an actual person standing there giving out candy, while all the other children were bombarding the porches of those who had lights on and decorations up, which caused her to get candy last, and almost the bottom of the barrel, not like the good candy shaddi has in her bag, who did not wait her turn, and jumped in front of EVERYONE! 

She really did not get into it until it was time to go home but it was much to cold to stay out any longer.

Well here are few pics

Helina is Iron Women

Shaddi is wonder women

All in all they had a ball.

They learned the song

trick a treat

smell my feet 

give me something good to eat!!!!!!!

I can finger spell, build words, and sound my words out on my fingers

I am so proud of both my girls, They are literally in school 6 days a week, 5 for school and 1 w/me.....Well on Saturdays it is fun for them, its does not feel like school, b/c they are sitting there learning w/momma and doing lots of fun things.

On Saturday, it really is not school like, we have fun, it is usually a 30-40 min lesson/activity, and its done while momma is making breakfast. The girls catch on really fast and I don't have to give direct instruction unless it something new.

Each AM on Saturday, they get up, get their folders, and start working, w/the smell of chai(tea), turkey bacon, eggs, toast, and some times oatmeal cooking and simmering...............

This Saturday, when I shot this film, it was the first day, they learned to tap words out, finger spell, and build words using magnetic letters.

It is fun, they love, it!!!!!!! We started doing this back in the summer, working w/the sounds. For my girls the vowels all sound the same to them when they say them out loud, so they need the visual, taping and word building to see and hear that they are different.

I am so proud of them!!!!!!
Hands down I can see the difference in the girls spelling and reading skils! Especially Helina, who finds pure job learning new words to spell, and when having a chance to show them off in school. Shaddi is starting to catch on, she is able to tell me each week a new word she knows how to spell and she is just as excited!!

what u will see in my video

the girls will tap words out on the fingers.......each finger connects to the index finger and represents a sound
when they are done taping all fingers come together known as pulling it together and they say the word

then they finger spell the word

when I ask what says what, they know I am looking for the sounds, and they finger the sounds out on their fingers.

next week they will start digraphs, and mark ups for the chicken letter and digraphs

mark ups are things a reader uses to ID what they see one in the word

CH SH TH

chicken letter, is QU, the rule....... they never leave each others side, they always come together to make the..........sound

After that they will start w/welded sounds!!!!!

can't u tell I am just as excited to teach my girls reading as they are so excited to learn how to read and spell.

Dr. Follow up Via Telephone

Well I go back to my first theory!!!!! One Dr can not be the be all.

I just love this Dr, but I tell ya in a second if I feel in my heat that things are not right when it comes to my children I will leave her as fast as I walked through the door seeking her level of expertise.

if there is anything that you can take away from this blog regarding post placement, pls take this, if it ain't right, then don't make it work or force it when it comes to ur children and ur favorite DR.

Sure we all want to hear our children are healthy as an ox!  

Not that my children got the worse bill of health, but things that shld have been dx when they came home just went over looked and were not addressed.

Both my girls gave stool samples, just one and I was told that there were no evidence of the stomach parasite that starts w/a G, can't recall the name now, well long story short, they both suffer from it, and have to go on meds three times a day for it.  

I took the first drs results as the gospel, and when he gave them a clean bill of health which was music to my ears I took it and ran w/it.

all other things have come back fine, this is their second blood and stool work ups since being home from ET.

Do I feel angry b/c we are going on 8months and it is just be discovered? yes and no! I am just happy that I had the know how, when it came to stepping out the box, attacking the unknown, even it meant my babies had some issues.

As bad as it may seem, I thank God it is only stomach bugs, but mommies and daddies, do yourself a favor and listen to that inner voice, if ur baby has runny poop, a runny nose, some skin things going on, or things just don't seem to add up, don't listen to just one dr, seek out as many as it takes to make u content.  Do research, is it normal for a child's nose to run for months, it is normal that a child has runny poop for months, it it normal that the belly is sticking out?

follow up apt on 10/30  will keep u posted

hmmmm! December 16th

Well as the months roll on by, I am faced w/this date!  DECEMBER 16th

The girls have come to understand very early on that this is their birthday, yes, both of them have the same birth month and day! The date December 16  had been driven into their minds  by teachers, and doctors by simply doing their jobs and ensuring forms are correct and complete and also making sure by a certain age all children know the month they were born and date, not so much the year

 First week of school, both had to do all a/b me collages, which listed their birthdate, city they were born in, and state!!!!!!!  Well I took it a step over board and made a collage that gave a bit more info on the beautiful country they were born in, adorned the collage in ET  colors of the flag........w/loads of information.........and facts a/b their birth country(part parent and teacher in me in me).  Anyway that is another story..........back to the birthdays....the girls came home frm ET  already knowing that their birth dates, claimed it and named it, caught on really fast from watching birthday parties happen in school, that soon it wld be their turn to celebrate their birthdays w/cake and juice.  Well fast forward some months and now we are in a new school and in the process of getting their ages changed, with a birthday upon us.

here are my thoughts:

I have the real birth dates

I know at some point in 2010 the girls turned a year older ( I mean don't we all)

I know it is only right to break it to them that December 16th is the day u and ur sister came into care, and that is not actually your birhtdate...........(I promise to always be honest)

I know for sure the quicker they know the better

I know for sure December 16th, will be a day of celebration in the yrs to come in our house 

but................for now, what do I say.........?????

sure I can say this is the gotcha day, but that is not true, I can say, yes this is the day u came into care and they made it ur birthdate, or I can say............

hmmmmm, so I am thinking

I will for sure begin to break the news very soon, but we will celebrate a birthday the encompasses all the birthdays on that day

so yes I am asking for help/suggestions, and themes!

birthdays are very big in my house, huge!!!!! will they have a party? not sure yet

will the day be celebrated? yes!

but will they be confused!?  Elshaday, maybe not, 

Helina, I think so, it is going to spark lots of questions in her.

so.....................

Test are all complete

well all but one, that really does not have much to do w/the motion for an age change. Shaddi has to get a hearing test done, and I have to get their dental records. I know I said one but I don't count the dentist thing as a test.

I am excited to meet w/the dr. and discuss the findings of all the lab results, other exams that she ordered.

She shld have the exams back in two days, so I think next week I am going to make an apt with her.

For three days straight I have collected stool samples, the first Dr only had me collect one sample, but I have to tell ya! it was no picnic! I won't even go into details on how this was accomplished, but lets just say, for one of the three days we were out and one of my little darlings had to use the bathroom in the store. I refused to mess up the sequence of days, I refused to let this collection period linger another day!!!!!!!!! NEED I say more!!! a mom has to do what a mom has to do!!!!!!! hahahah, I know TMI

I hope to look back on that day and ask myself yrs from now, "What were u thinking?"

The girls are excited they are going to meet their bunk buddy from Ethiopia again! We are meeting half way b/t Maryland and NJ and enjoying a full day of fun in the sun I hope.

Hair product update!

not sure if I posted this on my blog or on fb, but I started using Carol's Daughter on the girls hair and I have to tell ya, I like, I like, I like!!!!!!! Yes the smells can be a bit strong, and yes, if you suffer frm severe headaches that are complicated by smells u may not want to use this product if you feel one coming on. but I have to say, the girls hair is doing wonderful!!!!

Helina has hair for days, but its so thick once braided the length disappears...... well, with this hair product it helps to control all the bulk and thickness and allows her braids to lay really nice and long,

Helina just can't believe how her long her hair has grown, in reality, it really has not grown much, however, b/c of the great job these products do on her hair it appears her hair is growing like wild fire.

Shaddi's hair is a bit more easier to manage. it does not frizz up as fast and it holds her edges in place. I use the hair butter on her hair and it does a great job!!!!!!!!!!

Lots of Drama with pitting our pumpkins tonight!pi

The whole pumpkin thing was over, once the girls got nose full  of the smell of the pumpkin once we cracked them open.

They could not take the smell, and could not get over the fact they had to pull the stringy stuff along with the seeds from the inside.

The sudden desire to carve the pumpkin was over just like that.  I found it to be really funny and made them finish what they started, even though they tried  hard to get out of it.

In the end however, they really did enjoy the final product, although they had to endure  something they called a funky smell!

hmmm, I always liked the smell of pumpkin, although I am not a lover of pumpkin pies/cakes and or breads!

Picking Pumpkins October 2010

The girls really really enjoyed our day out at the pumpkin patch!

It was even my first experience at a pumpkin patch! We got on hayrides, they rode a pony, took a train ride, and the had the big pumpkin moon bounces there also, but we did not dare go in there after I saw the runny noses of all the kids that were just jumping, wiping the nose w/their hands and touching each other.  Nope! I do not have a  germ phobia! but....... besides who wants to be up all night with runny noses, high fevers, when you can avoid it :)

Here are a few pics! Tonight we are carving the two we picked from the patch!