I've got to say I've had some pretty nice birthdays but today I celebrated the best birthday ever!
It started with my son coming down in the morning and coming into our room to give me a kiss and wish me a "happy birthday mama". Later when Kasia woke up she came down with a gift bag filled with a few of her little toys, 1/2 box of chicklets, and some polish money as my birthday gift. Another kiss and a "happy birthday mama". Sweet music, better than any happy birthday song.
My husband Jeff, made dinner and bought a cake and after we were done, even though Bartek had been saying the last few days, "no gift for mama, maybe next time", they all presented me with a beautiful willow tree figurine. It's called generations and is of a mother standing behind a boy sitting and a little girl leaning in. Very very nice!
This thing called motherhood is both exhausting and oh so rewarding.
Thank you Jesus for bringing us together and making us a family.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
Accentuate the Positive
Ok, Bartek is doing much better and I hate keeping a less than positive note on the blog so I'm just going to post some current pictures.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Nearly broke my heart
We've been back in the U.S. now for 5 days and the kids are trying to get into a routine. Besides finding their way, enrolling in school, fighting boredom, it has finally hit them that no one but mom & dad speak the slightest bit of Polish. (They haven't met our Polish friends yet). So 4 nights ago when I went up to check on the kids after they had gone to bed, I found Bartek crying. Sobbing really, and it broke my heart. He wouldn't/couldn't tell me what was bothering him most, so all I could do is rub his back, give him kisses on his head and shoulder, tell him I love him and try not to let him see me cry too. I hope he's not regretting us as his parents.
A few things they have done since being here is:
Ride Bikes
Learn to throw a football
Kasia has experienced Wal-mart and their toy department
Swim
Take a ride on an ATV
Swim again
Who knows what day 6 will bring?
A few things they have done since being here is:
Ride Bikes
Learn to throw a football
Kasia has experienced Wal-mart and their toy department
Swim
Take a ride on an ATV
Swim again
Who knows what day 6 will bring?
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Last Day in Warsaw
Yes we're home, but first I wanted to share what a wonderful last night in Warsaw we had.
Besides running around trying too get packed, we were lucky enough to meet up with two other families who've I've been keeping in touch with as fellow bloggers and who were also adopting from Poland. First James and Melanie have adopted their adorable little boy BJ and Jen and Ryan have adopted shy but just as adorable Klaudia. We visited Old Towne, swapped stories as new mothers, shared a meal together, walked for ice cream, stopped at our apartment so that I could divy out some groceries that would have gone to waste if not for Jen & Mel's families.
We also had to say good bye to our new friends Thomas, Agnieszka and Catalina. They were a wonderful young family who befriended us in the apartment complex we stayed in. They spoke wonderful English and told us of several places we never would have found to entertain the kids.
Even though it feels like a month, we've only been home 4 days, but I will try real soon to let you know how our first few days back have been.
Besides running around trying too get packed, we were lucky enough to meet up with two other families who've I've been keeping in touch with as fellow bloggers and who were also adopting from Poland. First James and Melanie have adopted their adorable little boy BJ and Jen and Ryan have adopted shy but just as adorable Klaudia. We visited Old Towne, swapped stories as new mothers, shared a meal together, walked for ice cream, stopped at our apartment so that I could divy out some groceries that would have gone to waste if not for Jen & Mel's families.
We also had to say good bye to our new friends Thomas, Agnieszka and Catalina. They were a wonderful young family who befriended us in the apartment complex we stayed in. They spoke wonderful English and told us of several places we never would have found to entertain the kids.
Even though it feels like a month, we've only been home 4 days, but I will try real soon to let you know how our first few days back have been.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Wishful Thinking
Ok, it's better than just wishful thinking that our passports and visas would go without a hitch, because it turned out ok but there's sill another step.
Here I thought there'd be one day I could sleep in without having to worry about getting up for an appointent. You see we don't have an alarm clock, so when I wake up for the first time in the morning (anywhere between 6:30 and 8:00)I get up and stay up until our appointment, which can be anywhere from 9:00 to 10:00 in the morning. So today when Jeff met our attorney Agnieszka to go to the Polish authorities to get the kids Polish passports and take them to the US Embassy, I thought we would be done and I could sleep in tomorrow since we don't have anything planned until 4pm. Not that I'd sleep until 4 pm as nice as that sounds! Anyway, glitch one, Jeff and Ag got to the Polish place and they told Jeff they needed Bartek there because his fingerprint didn't turn out and they wanted to redo it (they couldn't tell us this before we got there when they said they were ready?).
Yeah for Ag, she convinced them to use one they already had on record and put it in the place they needed to. So, glitch one taken care of. The next part, they take the passports to the Embassy, only to find out the visas take a few hours to complete after they receive the passports, and wouldn't be done until later this afternoon. Well, I guess this is common but wasn't conveyed to us. Ag likes to do things in steps and since she doesn't drive and takes buses around everywhere and then taxis with us....they're going back tomorrow to pick everything up. Uh, tomorrow? We leave the next day with no room to maneuver. Here's mega duty praying time!!!! Well God has come thru for us thus far, I strongly doubt he'll let us down now!
Colorado here we come!!!!
Oh, as of 8 pm Poland time Thursday, we will be without internet or phone service. If you receive a collect call from us PLEASE ACCEPT!!!! ;)
Here I thought there'd be one day I could sleep in without having to worry about getting up for an appointent. You see we don't have an alarm clock, so when I wake up for the first time in the morning (anywhere between 6:30 and 8:00)I get up and stay up until our appointment, which can be anywhere from 9:00 to 10:00 in the morning. So today when Jeff met our attorney Agnieszka to go to the Polish authorities to get the kids Polish passports and take them to the US Embassy, I thought we would be done and I could sleep in tomorrow since we don't have anything planned until 4pm. Not that I'd sleep until 4 pm as nice as that sounds! Anyway, glitch one, Jeff and Ag got to the Polish place and they told Jeff they needed Bartek there because his fingerprint didn't turn out and they wanted to redo it (they couldn't tell us this before we got there when they said they were ready?).
Yeah for Ag, she convinced them to use one they already had on record and put it in the place they needed to. So, glitch one taken care of. The next part, they take the passports to the Embassy, only to find out the visas take a few hours to complete after they receive the passports, and wouldn't be done until later this afternoon. Well, I guess this is common but wasn't conveyed to us. Ag likes to do things in steps and since she doesn't drive and takes buses around everywhere and then taxis with us....they're going back tomorrow to pick everything up. Uh, tomorrow? We leave the next day with no room to maneuver. Here's mega duty praying time!!!! Well God has come thru for us thus far, I strongly doubt he'll let us down now!
Colorado here we come!!!!
Oh, as of 8 pm Poland time Thursday, we will be without internet or phone service. If you receive a collect call from us PLEASE ACCEPT!!!! ;)
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Great News!
We haven't really been doing much these last 5 days other than going to the park every day and the swimming pool once. We have met a very nice family who lives in the quad of apartments where we're staying. They are from Poland but had spent years in Canada and the husband some time in the States, so they both speak very good English. Last night they had us and the kids over so their daughter, who is younger than Kasia, could play. Bartek did his best with all the barbies but I don't think he was really into it.
Anyways, the great news is that I called our attorney Agnieszka, this morning and she said the passports are ready and that she'll e-mail me our schedule for tomorrow to go pick them up and do whatever else we need to do. Yahoo! We're coming home Friday!
Anyways, the great news is that I called our attorney Agnieszka, this morning and she said the passports are ready and that she'll e-mail me our schedule for tomorrow to go pick them up and do whatever else we need to do. Yahoo! We're coming home Friday!
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Updates & More Pictures
Ok, you asked for it!
What we've been doing these last few days.....
Saturday: Picked up kids
Sunday: Got lost coming out of Old Towne Square (sound like our trip to East Berlin, mom?)
Monday: We were to meet Maciej again so we could get pictures taken for the kids' passports & visas and their medical exam. We met Maciej at 10:00 just so he could tell us our appointments were cancelled (We have no telephone and they hadn't gotten our email address yet). Do you know what it takes to get 2 kids and a dawdler fed, washed and ready?! Anyway, this meant we were on our own, so we had 2 very bored kids and nowhere to go.
Tuesday: Met Maciej at 10:00 again and went to little kodak store to have pictures of kids taken and then off to the Doctor/Dentist office. It's a 2-fer deal! Anyway the medical exam was more like a horse auction, height/weight/check heart & lungs and look in Bartek's mouth. Another day of boredom, but at least we bored them with walking while looking for things to do.
Wednesday: Met Maciej at 10:00 (feeling groundhog day-ish here), went to some official Polish office to apply for kids Polish passports. This is where I ask for many, many prayers that the passports are processed on a timely basis and we're able to leave on time! We found a large park with a very small playground. It was for kids more Kasia and younger so Bartek.....still bored! But he did find some apperatus that interested him and took a while to figure out. Takes a lot of weight shifting, hip swivelling, and hanging on as you spin around. I have video but don't know how to post. Oh well.
Thursday: Agnieszka (yeah Ag speaks English!) Took us to the US Embassy where we had to take kids' new birth certificates and other fancy official looking papers, swear about something (official asked Jeff & I to raise our right hands, and since Bartek and Kasia were with us they decided to do so also. Very cute). So we're done with paperwork except getting the Polish Passports, which we'll take back to the US Embassy to give them a copy and then we're done!!!!!!!!! And just need to wait to go home to CO.
We went to a place on the University of Warsaw campus called the Hula-Kula which is a mini mall with an arcade, bowling alley, day care center which allows anyone in to play, and a large indoor playground. Only problem was, the larger kids area (for Bartek's size) was closed until 4pm and we got there around 12:30. You guessed it....Bartek's bored! He and Jeff did play some arcade games and threw a game or two of darts while I watched Kasia, but much to be desired for Bartek. So home we go to make lunch, watch Monster's Inc (they're getting used to watching English since we brought a Spongebob video which we've watched several times now). Back to the small park for about 2 hours, this time with some success in entertaining Bartek! Mission accomplished!!!!
Tomorrow and everyday going forward we have to call Agnieszka in the morning to see if the passports are ready and if so one of us needs to go with her to pick them up and then drop them off at the US E.
A little observation here about my kids:
Bartek is a whiner and a pouter and very headstrong. We have our work cut out with him, especially that he's older. But he is very sensitive, caring, helpful and inteligent. He is going to be a wonderful son.
Kasia is very happy, outgoing, loving and idolizes Bartek. She can entertain herself with just about anything and makes friends very easily. She is going to be a wonderful daughter.
The following pictures are as follows:
1-2 Kasia loved our family "outfits" so much that she continued to play with them on.
3-7 A few of Old Towne Square, Warsaw, Poland
8-11 A few of my adorable family
12-13 Enjoying some ice cream
14-17 The Park (pictures aren't the greatest but you get the gist, I hope)
18 What, who's the third kid?!?
Well, I hope that holds you for a few days! :) Keep on blogging!
What we've been doing these last few days.....
Saturday: Picked up kids
Sunday: Got lost coming out of Old Towne Square (sound like our trip to East Berlin, mom?)
Monday: We were to meet Maciej again so we could get pictures taken for the kids' passports & visas and their medical exam. We met Maciej at 10:00 just so he could tell us our appointments were cancelled (We have no telephone and they hadn't gotten our email address yet). Do you know what it takes to get 2 kids and a dawdler fed, washed and ready?! Anyway, this meant we were on our own, so we had 2 very bored kids and nowhere to go.
Tuesday: Met Maciej at 10:00 again and went to little kodak store to have pictures of kids taken and then off to the Doctor/Dentist office. It's a 2-fer deal! Anyway the medical exam was more like a horse auction, height/weight/check heart & lungs and look in Bartek's mouth. Another day of boredom, but at least we bored them with walking while looking for things to do.
Wednesday: Met Maciej at 10:00 (feeling groundhog day-ish here), went to some official Polish office to apply for kids Polish passports. This is where I ask for many, many prayers that the passports are processed on a timely basis and we're able to leave on time! We found a large park with a very small playground. It was for kids more Kasia and younger so Bartek.....still bored! But he did find some apperatus that interested him and took a while to figure out. Takes a lot of weight shifting, hip swivelling, and hanging on as you spin around. I have video but don't know how to post. Oh well.
Thursday: Agnieszka (yeah Ag speaks English!) Took us to the US Embassy where we had to take kids' new birth certificates and other fancy official looking papers, swear about something (official asked Jeff & I to raise our right hands, and since Bartek and Kasia were with us they decided to do so also. Very cute). So we're done with paperwork except getting the Polish Passports, which we'll take back to the US Embassy to give them a copy and then we're done!!!!!!!!! And just need to wait to go home to CO.
We went to a place on the University of Warsaw campus called the Hula-Kula which is a mini mall with an arcade, bowling alley, day care center which allows anyone in to play, and a large indoor playground. Only problem was, the larger kids area (for Bartek's size) was closed until 4pm and we got there around 12:30. You guessed it....Bartek's bored! He and Jeff did play some arcade games and threw a game or two of darts while I watched Kasia, but much to be desired for Bartek. So home we go to make lunch, watch Monster's Inc (they're getting used to watching English since we brought a Spongebob video which we've watched several times now). Back to the small park for about 2 hours, this time with some success in entertaining Bartek! Mission accomplished!!!!
Tomorrow and everyday going forward we have to call Agnieszka in the morning to see if the passports are ready and if so one of us needs to go with her to pick them up and then drop them off at the US E.
A little observation here about my kids:
Bartek is a whiner and a pouter and very headstrong. We have our work cut out with him, especially that he's older. But he is very sensitive, caring, helpful and inteligent. He is going to be a wonderful son.
Kasia is very happy, outgoing, loving and idolizes Bartek. She can entertain herself with just about anything and makes friends very easily. She is going to be a wonderful daughter.
The following pictures are as follows:
1-2 Kasia loved our family "outfits" so much that she continued to play with them on.
3-7 A few of Old Towne Square, Warsaw, Poland
8-11 A few of my adorable family
12-13 Enjoying some ice cream
14-17 The Park (pictures aren't the greatest but you get the gist, I hope)
18 What, who's the third kid?!?
Well, I hope that holds you for a few days! :) Keep on blogging!
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