Just had to share out "visit" with Santa pic with all yall...Our neighborhood always has Santa stop in ONE Saturday morning in December...and this past Saturday was the day:
Check out LL's expression when she saw Santa coming:
She did NOT like the big guy in a red suit AT ALL!! She wouldn't get anywhere near him....so funny!!! Then, I found these pics on my camera...obviously a child in the back seat took my camera out of the bag and snapped a few pics of LL while we drove down the road:
Yes, she has Personality with a capital "P"!!! :) 
Ok, one more thing...Jules (my MIL) surprised us after church on Sunday with an EARLY Christmas present.....My MIL likes to paint...and she does QUITE well....Look what she brought us:
LOVE IT!!!! Isn't it GREAT!!! I'll cherish this forever Jules..I know it took you forever...thanks SO much for doing this!! I had no idea you were working on this:
(fyi..Jules painted this pic from our visit to Seaside last Spring Break...so awesome!!) Thanks SO MUCH Jules!!
**Ok, so MY QUESTION FOR YOU ALL:
I'm writing down questions I want to ask LL's birth mom!! I'm so afraid I'm going to miss asking something important!! IF you've had a birth parent meeting before...OR if you WISHED you'd had one...or IF you've just thought about it before...OR maybe you are an adopted child yourself......WHAT WOULD YOU ASK...OR...WHAT DO YOU WISH YOU WOULD HAVE ASKED THAT YOU FORGOT?? (you can leave this in my comment box if you want and I'll make a list to take with me)
**Also...what (besides pictures) do you think should go in this album I'm giving her?? Obviously it will be full of pictures over the past year and a half...but...I thought about a little curl of LL's...but the hubby thought that was weird!! :) My sister suggested a hand print of LL's?? I'm obviously NOT giving gifts and such (not breaking any laws here, so no worries) BUT didn't want to miss putting something in her photo book that would MEAN a lot to her!! So, I'd appreciate any suggestions there too!!! :)
**Ok, my peeps!!! I leave in 4 days!! My big sis is counting it down on the OH site too!! :) Check it out: www.ordinaryheroblog.blogspot.com One minute I'm really nervous and sad that I'm leaving..and the next I'm very excited about ALL that is going to unfold on this trip!! My 7 yr. old, Julia, seems to be having the hardest time with me leaving...Last night she was full of tears going to bed...but tonight she seemed a little more excited about it all...SO THANKS for the prayers so far..I feel God's PEACE all around us!! :)
**That's all I've got!! :) Staying up late working on albums tonight...Picked up a gazillion pics from Costco today!! Wow, HOW do I express my thanks and appreciation in PICTURES for the LIFE she has given us!! Gotta get to work!! :) Happy Monday to you all, kj
so funny that you caught ll's hilarious expression over the scary guy with in the red suit and white beard!
ReplyDeletei am sure that making the book for ll's birth mom will be such a sweet (late night) experience for you before you even get to be with her in person.
I have no idea what kind of questions to ask in that situation. But I think a hand print or foot print in her book would be an awesome keepsake. Maybe some scribbles done by LL or a picture she "colored". I don't know how this would go over, but it might be neat if you could record her talking or singing or something also. Keeping you all in my prayers :)
ReplyDeleteLove the pictures! Happy Holidays!
ReplyDeleteI like the hand/foot prints idea, and I like sending a little curl as well. I don't find it weird. I'd think she'd like to have that physical reminder. I also like the idea above of a picture LL colored. That is very sweet. I don't know about questions, we haven't adopted (yet). Praying for you and your family! I'm very excited for you.
ReplyDeleteI'm making a list of questions too!!!!
ReplyDeleteI want to ask her about her - when & where she was born, who her parents were, what her childhood was like. I want to ask her about the birth of each of my soon to be kids - when, where, how. I want to know if she has any special reasons for their names. I want to know about their birth dad (her husband) too - he's passed away now - but his when & where of birth, parents, childhood.
I'm excited to hear what everyone else thinks!!!!
We'll be so anxious to hear how it goes! My prayers are with you!!!!
Having just returned from my 1st mission trip and one week away from the kids ... I know the roller coaster of emotions you are feeling. Cambodia was a life changing experience ... but the reunion back home was priceless. Love the family photo w/ Santa. I will email you off line with my ideas about questions. I think you are right on track with the photos, locket of hair, hand print, and something LL has colored.
ReplyDeleteLove & Blessings from Hong Kong,
Kim
I would ask what LL's birth family members are good at. Maybe they are artist, singers, etc.
ReplyDeleteThose pictures are great and that painting is AMAZING!! She did an incredible job!
ReplyDeleteoh my gosh..LL's expression of santa cracked me up...its like "who is that crazy big guy in the red suit doing and what is all that white stuff all over his face..." haha
ReplyDeletethat is so cute how your kids got your camera and snapped those shots...those are soo cute!
We had about an hour meeting with isaac's birthmom and it went so well and so relaxed. We asked her if there was anything she wanted to isaac to remember about her, asked what she craved during her pregnancy with isaac, her fav. movies, food etc...just fun stuff that he might like to know when he is older. She didnt really want to talk serious stuff so we couldnt get much sentimental or serious stuff out of her. so i guess my tid bit of info would be along with all your serious/sentimental questions, throw in a few fun ones that might make LL laugh or feel good to know about one day!
i love the hand print idea, I also love the drawing by LL idea too, that would be super sweet. I also like April's suggestion of fun questions like what her favorite food is or her favorite color something LL might have in common with her later would be super sweet. Or if she has any stories she would want LL to know from her pregnancy of their days together.
ReplyDeleteSo excited for you friend, can't wait to hear how it all goes!
We have given one of our birthmom's an exact replica of our son's favorite blankie; did a mold of his hands and feet; the hair-curl idea is awesome...anything to feel tangibly closer to her daughter! Domestic adoption is a little easier- 'specially for a girl {me} who loves to give gifts;)
ReplyDeleteOne thing we noticed when meeting with Tendai's great grandmother ( her other family members are all passed away) was the reaction of the grandmother to us. She was so overwhelmed to see her g-grandaughter happy and healthy that it was just to much.. she started wailing like they do when someone dies.... but not out of grief, out of pure joy. It was incredibly overwhelming. She shared with us how T's mom had prayed on her deathbed that someone would look after her baby girl. We had a language barrier that not even our translator seemed able to cross, but had we been able to, I would have asked things like what were T's Birthmom's dreams for her? What were the family favorites (food, etc)? And I think i would ask if they wanted to write a note to give to Tendai later in life.
ReplyDeleteAnd I think giving her a craft or drawing from LL is a great idea! (and the hair is not weird... i think its sweet.)
:)
Oh My! That painting is beautiful!!!! What a talent your MIL has :)
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to let you know we are praying for your littles while you are away.....Know that God will sustain them. PRAYING!!!!
ReplyDeleteHand and foot prints would be cool for the book, and also the lock of hair. The painting is just awesome!
ReplyDeleteI wished I would have asked more about when she knew she would give our baby girl up or if she knew she would have to at all....or at what point she decided to and more about why.... just to be able to explain more later. I feel like sometimes the answers we got were a little "coached" by the orphanage staff- It will be awesome, because you won't have that- Can't wait to see how this story plays out! Have a wonderful trip! I miss Ethiopia so- home with Jillian for 3 months now. She reminds me of Lucy a little- Good luck!
ReplyDeleteWe hope to have a birth family meeting of some sort (still waiting for a referral, but one thing I have wondered is if LL's birth mom could write a letter to LL of some sort. It wouldn't have to be long, just a sentiment to her. It could be translated later obviously, and maybe it is something you can save to give LL on a special birthday, graduation, etc. Just a thought.
ReplyDeleteI agree with asking about her dreams for LL. EVERY type of Mom has those dreams.
ReplyDeleteTraditions of various sorts are a big deal in my family and not just a holidays. Maybe ask if she has any family traditions that you could keep with Lucy and explain as she got older "this is a tradition of your birth family" prayers are going with you!
ReplyDeleteI would want to know silly things like: who was with you when she was born? Where did you give birth? Was it during the day or at night? Who cut the cord? What was it cut with? What was the weather like? Rainy, sunny, cool, hot, etc? Did she cry immediately after birth? While you had her in your arms, what kind of things did you do with her? Such as, take her to the river to bathe; go to the market with her? Who visited her after she was born? Why did you pick the name for her that you did? Is it a family name? If you could say something to her now, what would it be? What is your hope for her as she grows up? When she marries what would you want me to tell you for her? When she has her first baby, what would you want me to tell her from you?
ReplyDeleteAs for what to give her. I love the idea of her hair. So she can literally hold LL in her hands again. So she can touch her. ANything like that. At least that is what I would give to Yohanna's Momma if I could ever had met her.
And of course I would tell her, how very much I respect her and love her. And that she isn't forgotten. That we think and pray for her everyday. That she will always be an intricate part of LL's life.
May God fill the room with His love and joy when you meet. That He will fill both of you up to overflowing....Blessings on your trip Kristy...
For our birthmother visit I did a scrapbook with pictures of our daughter, our other children, my husband and I, our home and her bedroom. We asked LOTS of questions: why she choose to relinquish her (as we know that will be Macy's big questions someday), what she wanted/hoped for her daughter, who Macy looks like, any family illnesses that I should know about, would she like future pictures of Macy and how to send those to her, what was her favorite memory of Macy, what was her pregnancy and birth like (any complications), how many other siblings does Macy have and their ages, who else lived in the home with her, what type of work does her family do (macy's family was farmers, so I asked what kind of crops they grew), what type of home (structure) did she live in, where was she born (what town? home or hospital?), I also put in the scrapbook our first names and the adoption agency we went through. Okay...I think that's about it. Whew! Good luck! Oh - and I'd suggest taking a dictaphone (and batteries)to record her voice.I took one but forgot to turn it on. UGH! That way you aren't messing with a video camera while you are talking with her. Oh, and it might be neat to take a dictaphone with LL's voice on it - singing a song or something. And of course, ask her if you can take pictures WITH her.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I wished we'd filmed our birth parent meeting. There's something about seeing someone moving, mannerisms and such that can only be semi describe...beyond verbal. I wish I'd ask more about siblings and extended family, how her bio parents met and such. A hand print and a curl sounds wonderful. We made sure we also did pictures of our home, future school, Church and everything in her life.
ReplyDeleteBEAUTIFUL pics!!!! Praying for a wonderful, glorifying to God trip!!!
i would ask her what her favorite color is, kids like to know simple things like that too.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I love the curl, handprint, and artwork ideas. I would want to do that. With the photographs, I try to include pictures of every inch of my girls... Without being weird, of course. What I mean is that I include a picture of the back of their heads or ones in which the bottoms of their feet are visuable. If I were my girls' BMs, I would want to see every inch of them. (Obviously, I keep within the guidelines of appropriateness for Ethiopia, etc.)
ReplyDeleteWe met R's BM, but not E's. I want to know (badly) what time of day my girls were born and how the labor and delivery was for each of them. I regret not asking R's BM why she gave her the name she did. We did ask what her dreams/hopes/wishes were for R and I wish so much that I knew this from E's birthfamily. I would have taken more pictures with R's BM...
There are actually tons of things I wish I would have done and asked. Meeting R's BM was the most emotional experience of my life. There are no words to describe it, and nearly 3 years later, I still have not watched the video from our meeting with her. Make sure you have a very specific list. When you meet her, it may be completely overwhelming like it was for me, and all those questions I thought I'd definitely ask flew out the window. I think daily about my girls' BMs and want so badly to be able to meet them again someday.
It's funny, having had 5 birthparent meetings I have found that the questions I thought I would need answers to have turned out not to be important at all. The things my kids need to know about their birthmoms is WHY, and were/are they LOVED. So this last time, I just looked into her beautiful eyes and asked what does SHE want her daughter to know. What is important to HER? Then I journaled every word before I could forget one thing! Oh I can hardly wait to hear about your trip!
ReplyDeleteI just LOVE your family and everything you do. I cant leave without asking, is LL buckled in her seat? I cant see the straps and as someone who has seen soo many babies lost du to them unbuckling their straps, I wanted to ask. Not to offend , but sometimes we miss these things. I am excited to hear about your visit with LL's birth mom.
ReplyDeleteyes, she's strapped in...all my kids are always strapped in...her straps are under her bows...My kids took about 20 pics of her in the backseat that day..and some you could see the straps and some you couldn't because of the way her bows were sitting and from the angle of the pics...I thought the same thing when I posted it that it looked as if she wasn't strapped..but rest assure that I won't even allow my kids to ride to the neighborhood pool which is in walking distance without their seatbelts on....thanks for your concern, kristi :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for not getting offended! I am always soo scared to offend someone. Its just my job (literally) and sometimes its hard to turn it off haha. Sometimes even us most attentive moms dont realize the littles slip outta those straps sometimes!
ReplyDeleteYes, LL is a pro at TRYING to get out of her seatbelt...and she'll spend the entire car ride sometimes TRYING to figure out HOW to unbuckle herself (little stinker :) BUT thankfully she hasn't figured it out yet...And, thankfully the other kids KNOW i'm a nut about having on seatbelts and will yell anytime they see her attempting to get her arms out...they even jump now and stuff her arms back in and tighten the belt (which doesn't make her very happy :) LOL kj
ReplyDeleteKristi, your painting took my breath away! I can't wait to hear about your trip & will be praying for you, Kelli & the OH group & those you will meet.
ReplyDeleteHaving had the joy of birthparent meetings twice (my 2 sons)...the info that mattered most to me may sound strange, but now that my boys are 7 & 8 I'm SO GLAD I know this stuff:
Was LL's birthmother an early or late bloomer (puberty) and since I believe she is young...ask about LL's birthGRANDPARENTS with health issues, family traditions, talents, etc.
Of course, as much of her Story in her words as you can get.
Close-up pictures of LL's precious hands & feet would be neat...take a pic of your hands with LL's birthmother's hands if you can...
Each time I met my sons' birthmothers, the emotion was something I can't put into words. It was completely comfortable and completely bizarre all at the same time. God is SO huge was my main takeaway.
Blessings and Peace,
Carrie
Wouldn't it be sweet to buy one of those recordable greeting cards and capture LL saying something. I know hearing a child's voice is priceless.
ReplyDeletewow, GREAT idea...will try to find one of those tomorrow, kristi
ReplyDeleteAfter being at the doctor today for Abby's Cleft Team appt. I really wish I just had more family medical history (understanding that some illnesses are environment related vs. genetic). Love the ideas above too about recording voices, picture of your hands, etc. My friend was able to ask their son's birth dad what his hopes/desires were for their child? They also asked how they (the parents) could pray for him (his response...his country-ET! WOW!)? I would even ask her what she has been praying for LL.
ReplyDeleteWill be praying for you and your family! Jenny
so excited for your trip! the painting your MIL did is incredible!!! ♥
ReplyDeleteI think everyone pretty much came up with all the questions I was thinking. The lock of LL's hair was the first thing that came to mind reading your post! Do it girl! lol :)
And besides her hand/foot prints I was also thinking of a 'kiss' in the back of her book. We momma's love our kiddos kisses right? Slap some cherry chapstick on those precious baby lips and let her kiss a page. Just a thought. You could 'sign' the page hugs and kisses (xoxox) and let LL scribble her name on it.
Oh, girl, definitely put the curl in there. Definitely.
ReplyDeleteTrying to think what I wanted to know. I wanted to know what made her laugh. My sense of humor was always different from my family's - much darker - and I always wondered if that was where it came from (it was). I would also want to know her favorite color, favorite food, favorite thing to do. Stuff like that.
xoxo
As an adoptee the questions suggested by Craig and Erin are what every adopted child wants to know besides everything else as well. Can't wait to read how it went. Much Love from the desert southwest
ReplyDelete