Printing

Maclaren has been printed!

Blue & Gold

"Wise societies provide ample means for young men to affirm themselves without afflicting others."
-- George Gilder

We love scouting! God has given us an awesome ministry opportunity to raise 5 young boys and turn them into effective knights in His kingdom. Cub Scouts (and in a few years, Boy Scouts) is a great organization to facilitate this transition. Scouting is heavy on ceremony, which is a great way to mark important events in the lives of our children. Last Friday we got to participate in the Blue & Gold banquet (i.e. ceremony) of Pack 354 and see Hendrick and Tesfaye receive their well-earned Wolf badges.

Good job boys, we are proud of you!

Family

. . . we are still adjusting . . .
. . . but we are loving being a family of 10 . . .
. . . completely in love with our new little girl . . .

. . . it's crazy fun . . .

The Help

Gramma!!!!

We were so pleased, and incredibly thankful to have Gramma (Amy's mom) with us for Maclaren's second week.
With Mike's return to work, we desperately needed help for the week . . . Gramma to the rescue!

This was hardly a restful vacation, she stayed super busy (allowing Amy to have a restful week):

. preparing meals for 10 people . overseeing and leading school for the boys .
. cleaning and folding laundry . organizing baby gear . playing outside and pushing kids on swings .
. taking kids on outings to the library and playground . guiding craft projects .
. cooking up treats . babysitting to allow us several "date-nights" .
. waking kids up and putting kids to bed .

. reading books, books, and more books with the kids :) .

. . . also holding and snuggling with a sweet babe . . .

Thank you so much Mom!

You were a wonderful help and support, it was a complete joy to have you with us for the week.

We miss you!!!!

2 . . . and a half

Our sweet boy Kolpin at 2-1/2 years of age:

He is talking a lot more, exhibiting spontaneous speech and lots of copying:

• "Mommy! Ride horsey! Whee!" - climbing onto the couch arm rest, bouncing, and then throwing himself onto the cushions.
• He plays hiding games: "Where is it? I don't know? There it is! Found it!" .
  

He is growing up fast and is now one of the "big kids', loving to play along with his siblings:

• Kolpin loves to sing and dance with his siblings
  
• He is starting to join in the big coloring parties - he makes excellent spirals!
• Following the leading of Hiwot, Maegli and Burke, Kolpin copies the onscreen action of movies
• He desperately wants to play along with his siblings: when they are racing around the house on their tricycles and scooters (yes, we do that inside - we have concrete floors!), Kolpin will grab a scooter board, and slowly scoots along in his belly following the crowd

Kolpin, is also very much his own person, he is developing a strong independent streak.

• He insists on a big chair at the dining table - no high chairs for this kid! (he also prefers no sippy top on his cup)
• Kolpin could sit outside in the sand all day (we have a small lake and partial dried lake bed, full of sand behind our house). His other favorite outside spot: the top of the slide.
• Inside, Kolpin will hole away and play in the small secret place under our wooden slide, where only he fits.
• He is very good at communicating his frustration and is incredibly protective of his toys ("noooo!" is one of his more frequently used words)
  
• He is a hearty eater, and demands more food whenever anyone else gets second portions.
  

He is our sweet boy, growing up too quickly:

• He follows directions wonderfully - placing his dirty cups and plates in the sink, cleaning up toys, carrying play chairs back to the "little table".
• He constantly makes adorable sound effects, sounding like the Three Stooges ("nyck, nyck")
• Brings his stuffed Winnie the Pooh, two baby blankets, two HotWheels, and a book into his crib at night.
• Can make a gun out of practically anything and whispers shooting sounds.
• Kolpin giggles a lot . . . he giggles when something is funny, when he thinks he is funny, or when he sees others laughing. Also he often wakes up giggling :) (he makes us laugh)
• He has grown leaps and bounds recently - his 2T clothes are getting tight and he just outgrew another pair of shoes! Kolpin weighs in at 30 pounds and is nearly 36 inches tall.

We love this boy!

The Bump - 40 weeks

Bath Time

It's nice to have bath time helpers :)

In and Out

First Days

It has been a gift to have precious little Maclaren Pearl in our home.

We have been fortunate to enjoy a quiet week at home with our family. It has been wonderful having daddy home for the week. We have all loved holding and snuggling with our little Pearl.

Little one has 7 huge fans . . .
Maclaren's 5 brothers and 2 big sisters are completely smitten and all constantly ask to hold her.

Our week:

. Maclaren sleeping soundly in our arms . hungry little girl, eager nurser .
. 3 packs of diapers . animated audience with each diaper change .
. very alert and hungry at night, waking every 2 hours to eat .
. older siblings serenading their baby sister . slightly jaundiced .
. melts into our arms . only lost 3 ounces from her birth weight . more alert each day .
. plenty of arms eager to hold . burps well (the kids find this hilarious) .
. siblings constantly crowded around . nurses every 1-1/2 to 3-1/2 hours (10 times per day) .

We are completely head-over-heels in love and incredibly blessed.


Unfortunately, our house has also been a sick house this week - we've been washing hands like crazy, hopeful to avoid passing our colds/coughs/fevers to the new babe.

Maclaren had THREE big outings this first week: the pediatrician, lunch date with Mom and Dad, and a day trip to Memphis (Memphis Zoo and Abyssinia Ethiopian Restaurant).


*We are extremely thankful for the people who have provided meals and several hours of care for the older siblings so we could enjoy time snuggling and resting with the new girl :)

Sweetheart

One week old :)


Following our pattern of using family surnames, her name:

Maclaren
Scottish and north Irish origin
(surname, son of Labhrann/ Lawrence)

Named for her maternal great, great, great grandmother, Mary Ann Alice MacLaren
(born in London, 1868)

Pearl
jewel

Named for her paternal great grandmother, Pearl Burke
(Mike's mom's mom)

Home Birth

Six days ago, we were incredibly blessed to welcome our 8th child, our beautiful little girl, into the world . . . in the comfort of our own bedroom.

From the fullness of grace we have received one blessing after another. John 1:16


Her Birth Story:

Thursday, February 9th, 2012, my regular preparatory labor contractions (experienced for the week previous) got a bit stronger and more regular, signaling that labor was imminent. I was bound and determined to make it out to my book club meeting that night, and to officially reach 38 weeks in the pregnancy (midnight).

After a wonderful evening with my book club girls (with non-painful contractions every 4 minutes), I returned home at 11:00PM . . . we called the midwife at midnight. Sheryl arrived at 1:30 AM and I was experiencing slightly more intense contractions every 3 minutes. The next hour, Mike and I played cribbage as we enjoyed chatting and laughing with Sheryl. By 3:00, the contractions picked up in frequency and intensity. We packed up the cribbage board (I was winning!) to focus more on relaxing during the contractions. I felt spoiled, laying on my bed with my dear husband lovingly rubbing my back and Sheryl deeply massaging my legs to help the muscles relax during back-to-back contractions. At 3:30 AM, the contractions eased up and spaced out. I hopped in a hot shower to enjoy this unexpected respite, reflecting on how much I was enjoying the evening. I was having a great time. I was in labor!

After my shower, we all settled down to attempt a bit of sleep before labor inevitably picked back up (I was 7 cm dilated . . . on the verge of transition). Almost immediately, the contractions returned with vigor. I woke Mike after 4:00 AM and we labored together. He curled around me, held my hand, and breathed with me through each strong contraction, coming so frequently it was difficult to determine each start and end. Sheryl woke and prepared for delivery; patiently, calmly and lovingly watching and waiting.

The contractions were intense, it was obvious the moment of birth was fast approaching. I was free to follow my instinct, to push when the urge came. After 5:00 AM, my concentrated breathing through each hard contraction naturally transitioned to an extreme urge to push. From a kneeling position, my water broke and Mike set to catch his new baby. The head soon emerged, but then baby got hung up, the shoulders stuck. Sheryl quickly acted and skillfully maneuvered the shoulders to allow the baby to be delivered. This was an intense ending to a beautiful birth. After 4 hours of labor (2 hours of strong labor) and about 5 minutes pushing, our perfect baby girl was born into her daddy's hands at 5:19 AM, February 10, 2012.

Every good and perfect gift is from above. James 1:17

It was a gift to snuggle with my new little sweetheart and my husband in our bed moments after her birth, completely in love. She was absolutely perfect. Maclaren was slightly purple in the face after her being hung up in delivery, but gave a beautiful gusty cry after birth. She was slightly jittery and needed a bit of help warming up, an easy fix: Maclaren and I enjoyed a warm herbal bath together, where I nursed my little one. I ate too, Mike serving me orange juice and pumpkin bread.

By 6:30, the linens had been changed, and we were back in bed under heaps of blanket snuggling and admiring our beautiful girl. "Mommy! Daddy!", at 7:00 AM Kolpin cried out and joined our party in bed . . . followed quickly by Burke and Tesfaye, who then ran and woke the other kids. The kids all crowded around, so excited and in awe of their new baby sister.
It was wonderful to celebrate her arrival with all of our children.


This birth was an incredible experience, a true blessing. As our other 7 kids slept soundly, we labored together in our own home, in our own bed, with the loving support of our amazing midwife. This was my hardest and most intense labor and delivery (Maclaren was a full pound bigger than my last two babies), but I was loved and cared for through each contraction as my body worked as designed to birth our sweet baby. I am incredibly thankful for this perfect experience and the amazing gift of a sweet little girl.

Children too are a gift from the LORD, the fruit of the womb, a reward. Psalm 127:3

Our amazing midwife, visiting with 2-day old Maclaren (Hiwot assisting)

Not the Baby

After 2- 1/2 years, Kolpin is no longer the baby . . .

. . . He's a proud big brother!

8

Happy Valentine's Day and Happy Birthday Hendrick!

Our big boy is 8 years old today.

It's crazy how fast 8 years can pass.


In his own words:

favorite toy: Legos
favorite outdoor activity: building forts and nature exploration
favorite indoor activity: reading
favorite book: Captain Underpants
favorite movie: Chronicles of Narnia - Voyage of the Dawn Treader
favorite food: apples
favorite drink: chocolate milk
favorite restaurant: McDonalds
favorite sport: baseball
favorite color: blue
favorite animal: frog
favorite bug: ladybug
favorite place to visit: Science Museum
favorite school subject: science
favorite bible story: Noah and the Genesis Flood
favorite thing about being a big brother: staying up late

biggest annoyance: little brothers screaming
least favorite chore: taking trash to the curb in the dark
least favorite school subject: math
biggest fear: tornado sirens
least favorite thing about being a big brother: too much responsibility

career aspiration: studying animals, working at a nature preserve
dream vacation: Australia (to see a kangaroo in the wild)
what will grown up Hendrick be like: stay up really late and be married

We are so proud of this boy.
We love you Hendrick!

Big Brother

Our almost 8-year-old . . . eldest of 8.

Hendrick is truly the best big brother.


Yes, he can be aggressive and is often frustrated with his younger siblings . . .
but he is also incredibly quick to help out, and very loving and caring to them.
He takes a lot of pride in his roll as big brother.

Three years ago, our sweet boy was praying for a new baby
. . . 4 new babies . . .
(two from the belly and two from Ethiopia)
God answers prayers!

Hendrick was so excited to get a baby for his 8th birthday.
He desperately prayed this baby would arrive ON his birthday.
First on his Birthday Wish List: baby, followed by Lego spinners and baseball cards.

Little Girl arrived 4 days early :)


He has been telling everyone that this IS his baby.
He has informed us he will be taking care of the baby:
holding, rocking, feeding, dressing, bathing, burping . . . everything but changing diapers :)

Eight!

Maclaren, our little Pearl, is well-loved!
She's one lucky girl with 5 older brothers and 2 big sisters :)

One Day Old!

Clearing Up

We have been undertaking a long-time battle. . .
Our skin has been fighting a good fight . . .

Skin issues are a common concern with newly adopted children.

Ringworm and Molluscum have been putting up a strong fight in our household. While these are incredibly common in adopted children from Ethiopia, these ailments have nothing to do with being Ethiopian. . . they are just a reality of lots of children living in close proximity to each other, sharing life in an orphanage (sharing beds, sharing clothing and hair utensils, bathing together, etc).

Trying our very best to treat and defeat at home, we have learned these skin ailments are incredibly stubborn, taking far longer to heal than expected (shocking our doctors and specialists).

Ringworm is a fungus and lives in the system not just in the skin. H and T came home with patches on their scalps. It has since spread to Hendrick's scalp (which is finally healing after 6 months of treatment), and to my and Mike's hands (which are finally starting to heal after 6 months of treatment). We have tried nearly every treatment, but this seems to be an incredibly aggressive strain of Ringworm. After Lotrimin, tea tree oil, and prescription medications from dermatologists all proved ineffective on our Ringworm; we had best results with Naturasil, an all-natural treatment system (purchased out of desperation).

Molluscum is a skin virus, appearing as round bumps, mainly of the face. While some suggest to leave these spots alone and wait for them to heal naturally (typically taking 4-6 months), Molluscum quickly and easily spreads with skin-to-skin contact. Fortunately (unfortunately), only T was affected by molluscum, which we treated very aggressively to avoid spreading. We tried natural remedies, then several dermatologist office treatments, before moving to a powerful prescription medication. Even then, the spots have taken months rather weeks to heal.

We're still not in the clear . . . but after 9 months our skin is finally clearing up.

Welcome

Maclaren Pearl

Friday, February 10, 2012 . 5:19 AM

7 lbs. 4 oz.
20 inches

The Bump - 38 weeks

Can you believe it?. . . I'm still Pregnant!!!!

Praise God!
I am incredibly thankful to have reached 38 weeks in this pregnancy!


Hendrick had been hoping for a Birthday Baby - His birthday is in 4 days :)

"That would make a really good present for Hendrick's birthday.
And all of us will make a really good present for the new baby." - Davis


*For someone with a history of pre-term labor and delivery, who has never carried past 37 weeks,
reaching 38 weeks is quite an accomplishment. We are thrilled!
Plus I've had the pleasure to fully enjoy non-bedrest late pregnancy for an entire week :)

Baby has dropped and I have been experiencing preparatory labor for the past week . . .
dilated to 4 cm and having non-intense/ non-painful contractions every 5-15 minutes.
Baby could make its appearance at anytime. Very exciting :)

hmmm . . . boy or girl?

Outside

Taking advantage of our mild February weather and post-bedrest freedom, we have enjoyed daily neighborhood walks!
(As an added bonus, these walks are helping Amy to regain some of the strength and stamina lost during 6 weeks of bedrest).

It is so nice to be outside!

Wheelbarrow

Grandpa was a good therapist . . . Davis worked hard last week perfecting his "wheelbarrow"!
This is a wonderful stretch and strengthening workout for his right wrist.
It's not easy for our boy, but he get's stronger each time.

this picture doesn't show the proper technique - his right palm should be flat on the ground . . .
hard to do while smiling for the camera :)


*We're nearly 4 months post wrist surgery to correct a symptom of his mild Cerebral Palsy*
His recovery and new range of motion has been truly amazing!
Follow his Journey

Round Belly

I will miss little baby hiccups felt deep.

I will miss little baby kicks distorting my tummy.
I will miss little baby drumming down low.
I will miss little baby rolling over, bottom up high.

It is such a miracle to experience a precious life deep within.
It is such a gift to have a round belly full of sweet cargo.

(I am incredibly thankful for each day I get to carry this blessing!)

**This is officially MY LONGEST PREGNANCY!!!**
Praise God!