J Cooper Photography

{edited to add:  PLEASE take the time to read this post and SHARE it with everyone  you know.  This emergency campaign for the children  of Ethiopia has about 10,000 signatures but NEEDS 250,000 by this weekend!  Please take the time to sign it quickly and pass it on to anyone you know.  If you are a mother…you know how important it is to keep these programs running so that these children have the opportunity of unconditional love.  PLEASE don’t think YOUR signature won’t matter!!}

I know I promised something light hearted and witty tonight…but my heart isn’t in it.  My heart is aching for the millions of children in Ethiopia who are waiting for families.  The Ministry of Women’s Affairs in Ethiopia has announced a proposal to cut the number of files they review by up to 90% in the days to come.  As you can imagine…this would be devastating to the many children who are waiting for their chance to be part of a family.  MOWA writes letters that are used during the court process to testify that the situation surrounding the child has been handled ethically and that the child is indeed eligible for adoption.  This current announcement states that MOWA will review and compile FIVE letters per day.

Anytime you combine children and extreme poverty there is potential for exploitation…child trafficking, prostitution, slave trade.  And while international adoption is not always the best option for all orphaned children, for some, it is their only hope of a life that involves a family that loves them.   We worked hard to try to find an agency that was working in the best interest of the children of Ethiopia.  And we have every confidence that they worked tirelessly to confirm that Daniel’s situation was dire, extreme, and that his relinquishment was final and completely the decision of his birth mother.  And there are many beautiful children waiting at Hannah’s Hope (and other ethical orphanages across Ethiopia) that are waiting…

I signed THIS PETITION which will be sent to the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Meles Zenawi.  Please add your name to this growing list!!  Also….To attempt to counteract this proposal, the Joint Council on International Children’s Services (JCICS) has put a “Call to Action” in place.   Agencies throughout the country are banning together and plan to meet with MOWA as a united force to advocate for the children there.  If you have adopted from Ethiopia PLEASE take the time to write in 50 words or less about your child, including 3 photos, and email it to this address advocate@jointcouncil.org.  JCICS will compile these stories and send them directly to MOWA in Ethiopia to advocate for these children.

I will be writing about our precious gift.  I would love to think that another little Cooper will make his/her way to our home someday from this beautiful country…please join me in praying that God’s love for these children will shine above all else.

That pretty much sums things up right now.  We have a lot on our plate this week and I’m struggling to find the time to blog.   This little man caught a respiratory bug and it didn’t take more than a day or two for the wheezing to get to a level that made this mama uncomfortable.  So tonight we headed out (with all four little people in tow) to make a little trip to see our pediatrician.  He confirmed that the current medications were not controlling his breathing difficulties and sent us to the pharmacy for a double dose (after giving him another treatment in the office).  Once home I started our typical evening routine of dinner (delivered by a sweet friend…THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart!), home work, baths, another round with the breathing machine, bottles, bedtime books, and a few snuggles.  And this mommy is WIPED OUT!

Tomorrow we are meeting with a physical therapist for an evaluation.  Daniel needs to show a 25% delay in any category in order to qualify (or a 20% delay in more than one area) for services.  The therapist was fairly certain just talking over the phone that that wouldn’t be a problem.  We are eager to get this boy STRONGER so that he can play without exhaustion!

Then Wednesday we are meeting with a pediatric opthamologist.  We are concerned that Daniel may be having issues focusing his eyes and could be struggling with depth perception.  We have been observing a few issues since we first met him in November.  My Mom promises me he will be darling in baby glasses…but having a hard time envisioning that

Some days it can all be a tad overwhelming.  But I am also so VERY grateful that we have the resources here to help him grow strong and reach his fullest potential.  And praise God for insurance (the $800 worth of medication tonight only cost me $50).

I’ll be back soon with something much more witty and clever and soon as I can think straight…promise

Going to try to answer a few questions that have popped up over the past few posts!  I try really hard to answer as many questions and emails as I can…but this has been a wild week at our house and I have gotten behind.

On the topic of clothing:

J’s recital dress is from the Von Maur clearance rack.  I try to check out their sales any time I am in that store as they have gorgeous little girl dresses and I love for my girls to have party dresses for their violin recitals.  Both of the girls’ dresses actually came from Von Maur and cost about $20 a piece!

On the topic of husband and wife cheerleading:

Ummm…on the cheerleading topic.  I’ll have to look for some pictures to share.  I definitely don’t have video footage (Praise God!) though.  During my sophomore year of high school I deemed all cheerleaders to be air-headed bimbos.  But by the end of the year that rhythmic chanting and toe touching had won me over and I found myself at the spring try-outs anyways.  And truth be told…I was rather good at those toe touches after all and so they let me wear one of those skimpy little pleated skirts and jump around at every sporting event the school offered.  On a whim while at an NCA summer camp I did the try-outs for the title of All-American Cheerleader and actually won.  I know you are insanely jealous right now, aren’t you…oh the prestige!  The crazy part is that my parents willingly forked over the money so that I could travel to New York to shake my booty in the Macy’s parade with hundreds of other cheerleaders.  About that time Mr. P was shaking his booty as NCA staff.  He grew up in Texas (need I say more?)

On the topic of music:

YES!  The answer is YES YES YES!  There is NO wrong way to be involved in music.  I am a firm believer that it enriches our life tremendously in ANY way we chose to incorporate it!  You do not have to be a musician yourself to have budding little musicians in your home.  I have my master’s degree in violin performance and I think if anything….I am more of a hindrance to my children.  The entire basis of the Suzuki method is that every child can learn…and the parents learn right alongside the children!  Talk about a great bonding experience with your kiddos!

On the subject if sewing:

Thanks to all who purchased items!  There are still a few of the pink tank sets available but pretty much everything else is gone.  I didn’t link to my Etsy store because I don’t have one anymore!  I think my sewing for profit days are over!

And now on to a few more pictures.  When I set out to take photos of Daniel this week I had something entirely different in mind.  I dressed him up in a cute, preppy sweater and started snapping away.   He has been doing this funny little smile the past few weeks (major teething going on here) and I had to capture it!

After successfully getting his new cheesy grin…I zoomed out to try to capture him in a full length shot.  It was cute.  But it didn’t speak to me.  Then I had the idea to add the little tag to the luggage with the “From Africa, with Love” text.  Definitely an improvement but then the preppy sweater was out of context.  So I ran upstairs and dug through his dresser to find the smallest traditional Ethiopian outfit I had purchased on our first trip.  I thought for sure it would be huge on him…but the fit was perfect!   Sometimes you just have to go with your gut.  This picture is cute…but the one in his traditional dress melts my heart because it really shows off who he is and why he is so special!

While I was upstairs I grabbed one of the larger outfits in hopes that I could get Sam into a few frames.  I knew it was a gamble.  He has been sick all week and I knew I was pushing his limits before nap time…but being the obsessive mom I am I went for it anyways.  Sam was a total trooper.  But I lacked an assistant and could NOT for the life of me get BOTH boys to look at me.

{Here is Daniel doing his best “What’choo talkin’ ’bout Willis” face}

This one had the makings for a cute shot….but once again…I missed the mark.  That’s ok…I’ll try again.  I’d really love to get the girls in the picture too with their beautiful dresses on.  Hmm….I feel another photo shoot coming on!

This has been a killer week but I am SO looking forward to a little visit from my parents tomorrow!

Kind of a no-brainer.  We have lots of little people in this house…so we are having constant play time.  But one of the things I have tried to instigate over the past month is scheduled play time for Daniel.  This is a completely new concept for him.  And let’s face it…playing is HARD WORK for a baby who has never been put down on the ground in his first 8 months of life.  Due to his breathing issues at Hannah’s Hope, Daniel was either being held or was propped in a bouncy seat or a bumbo.  So to say he hated “tummy time” was like saying Richard Simmons still looks good in those short shorts.  It wasn’t pretty.

But he is slowly coming around (Daniel and playtime that is…not so sure about Richard).  He is sitting solidly and can roll on his belly now (tummy to back).  He is pushing up on his hands on the ground but is still unsure of what to do with those chunky little legs that always seem to trail behind.  And he is interested in TOYS now too!  When we got to Ethiopia he didn’t have any idea what to do with the toys we brought.  We laid him under an activity jungle gym the first day and he just stared at it without even trying to reach for those toys.  He is slowly learning to explore with his sweet little hands…is picking things up, mouthing toys, and even throwing a few things.

Next week a therapist is coming to our house to discuss physical therapy.  I am so excited to hear her ideas on how to help our little man gain some strength.  Almaz (the director at Hannah’s Hope) told us during one of our numerous chats that Daniel was behind in his motor activities due to all of his sickness…so we weren’t surprised that he would need a little extra help.

We just feel SO fortunate to live where we can take advantage of the great programs that are available to us!

We feel SO fortunate to be the lucky ones who get to play with him every day!