Surprise! We found time to write a Lowe Family Christmas Letter. It’s been a few years! Hoping this finds you all healthy and happy. Between family, work, church, cub scouts, dance, soccer, and therapy we are experiencing some of the joys and pains of life...overall it’s been a wonderful year. We are enjoying watching the kids grow up, they are all full of good one liners and keep us laughing. A little update on us...
Katie, 12 years old, is a loving big sister and is learning to protect herself from the occasional hazards posed by her younger sister Natalie :-). She is now part of the Young Women organization in our church, and loved attending Girls Camp this summer with her Mom. Katie is in 7th grade, and continues to have great grades! She is very self-motivated and loves to read. Her highlight in school is working with the special needs students through the Partners in P.E. program. She enjoys dance, playing soccer, and hanging out with her friends. She recently got her braces off and is a little more beautiful than we wish she were...and her insides match her outsides! She is such a blessing to our family.
Carter, 8 years old, is great brother and protective of his sisters. He flew with Denny to Utah to attend our church’s Semiannual General Conference in October. Carter was baptized and confirmed in December. He took the decision very seriously, and it was a very special day for him attended by family and friends. Grandma & Grandpa Hill, Popsey & Nammy, and Grandma Diane were all able to make the trip. Carter is in 2nd grade, he loves cubs scouts, guns, shooting, more guns, legos, and is hilarious. He regularly helps us add to an ongoing list of Carterisms - a recent example being the day of his baptism when he said, “Today is such an important day I’m going to write so much about today that I’m going to go AWOL...and I don’t even know what that means”
Natalie, 5 years old, loves swimming, playing games (especially Uno) and riding her bike, her brother’s bike, her sister’s bike, her friends bikes (not at the same time) around the neighborhood and to parks near our home. She is very strong willed, smart, happy, cute, and has the physical strength of a teenage boy. She can be a force to be reckoned with! She had her second cochlear implant in October, and has done incredibly well and made a lot of progress. She is a big fan of the “Going on a Bear Hunt” song, and we sing it pretty much everyday! Natalie loves her kindergarten class and is loving learning to read, writes beautifully, and looks forward to her ‘homework’.
Hope (The Wonder Dog), 2 years old YorkiePoo, still endures the unrelenting love that Natalie shares with her. This year she has killed two baby possums in our backyard and enjoys barking at the neighbors dogs. Hope is a snuggle dog and loves anyone who will let her sit on their lap. We are just impressed she’s made it this far - thus the Christmas letter mention!
Denny, 39 years old, enjoys going on dates with me and playing Super Dad. He goes on a lot of bike rides with the kids, and time permitting he enjoys mountain biking and wakeboarding. He continues to serve as a counselor in the bishopric at church. He is challenged working at Pegasystems with the purpose to positively impact how state government agencies achieve their missions. This summer Denny was gone for 14 days with the Scouts, 4 days for travel and 10 days spent climbing mountains in New Mexico at Philmont Scout Ranch. He described the Philmont experience in 5 words: physically, spiritually, challenging, rewarding, and altering. Denny is anxiously engaged in good causes as long as he can go to bed by 10:30pm.
Tracey, 29-35ish years old :-) , Denny told me I had to include, “Tracey is the best wife, mother, and friend. Tracey has super powers. Our children are fed, clean, and kept safe primarily because of her efforts. Lives inside and outside of our home are blessed because of Tracey.” I should bring a dose of reality to those words and tell you that I have been known to hide in my room when things get too crazy around here.:) After the kids are off to school I’m enjoying teaching a couple of dance classes a week, and hanging out with my sister Shelly Burton WHO MOVED HERE IN AUGUST!! I’m so happy the Burton’s are in Texas - it has been so great to have more family around! This year Denny and I relaxed in Puerto Rico (heaven!), and we surprised the kids by picking them up at school and flying to Disney World. Now THAT was fun.:) We wish you all the greatest blessings.
We are humbled as we ponder on the reason for the season.
Sure has been a little while, huh? All kind of things happening in our world in the last several months - but I think it's finally time to get back on the bandwagon and share with Natalie's adoring fans (aka Grandma and Grandpa:)).
As you can see - Natalie just continues to be more and more adorable...
And yes, that is a dog! Meet Hope, our sweet little yorkie poo. We are happy she has survived since coming home in October - it's been touch and go, believe you me! Natalie reeeaaallly loves Hope (a la 'Of Mice and Men' style...soft bunny, soft...), and has given us a run for our money. I think we are over the worst of it, and frankly - I love that little dog and can't give her up. Therefore, I just give her places to hide.
We finally had a new family picture taken....
It was quite an adventure! Mucho thanks to Katie Evans for her quick snapping skills as we chased Natalie around downtown Round Rock trying to get us all in a pic. The photo above was a 'sneak up from behind' tactic that I think worked out pretty darn well!
Ok, ok....here's a few more for ya....
I know....adorable, right?? Love, love, love my family and all three of my beautiful kids. I am so lucky!
And so by now you are wondering what I meant by another journey ahead (don't worry if you missed the teaser title of this blog post, I always get distracted by pictures, too). And so the big news is...
NATALIE IS GETTING HER FIRST COCHLEAR IMPLANT!!!
Many have asked in the past if this was the plan - and the answer was kind of yes and no. Yes, if she needed it, and no, because she didn't need it until now. She has continued to lose hearing in her left ear, enough that the hearing aids are no longer effective for speech development. Her right ear is still hanging in there for now - but will likely be implanted as well at some point in the future. Why are we not doing both at once? Because it is best to preserve as much 'natural' hearing as possible, and amplification with the hearing aid is still giving her enough benefit. Don't know when the second implant will become necessary, but it is common (as we have come to learn) that most hearing loss does in fact get progressively worse - and bless her heart, it didn't start out so great in the first place!
Surgery is scheduled for April 20th. We would appreciate any prayers on her behalf for a successful surgery and a speedy adjustment process. What we understand from others who have undergone implantation, is that at first - the sounds she 'hears' through her implant will start as sounding like scratches/beeps, then go to a Darth Vader/cartoonish sound, to finally sounding 'normal'. It will take time and continued therapy, but I have every ounce of faith and confidence that this will be the means to Natalie being able to verbalize and speak (in a way understandable to not just me)....and heaven knows, the girl has a lot to say! Thank you in advance for any prayers!!
Hearing challenges aside - Natalie is learning, 'saying' lots of words and phrases, and signing like a maniac! I love, love, love to have little chats with her. She is so smart and has such a great memory. She loves to talk about every person she has met, is constantly asking people's names (running out of sign name ideas over here!), and has the cutest way of rolling her eyes to the ceiling and tapping you on your arm before she begins any new sentence or topic. She loves to joke around - and one of her favorite things to do is say/sign, "Natalie is a....boy!" and then giggle and say/sign, "Nooooo! Natalie is a girl!". She goes through the whole family and all her acquaintances this way, doing a few right, and then trying to trip me up by calling someone the opposite gender. I don't know why this is still so entertaining for her, but hey - it's cheap thrills!:)
I'm going to do my best to document some before and after footage, implantation progress, etc... and in general be a better blogger.
Let me just say to all of my family and friends (and I know Denny feels the same) that we are so blessed to have you all in our lives. We feel daily like the Lord has blessed us with our beautiful Natalie, and we will forever be grateful for the people and circumstances that brought her home. She is a joy! Big hugs and kisses out to Katie and Carter - who I think are the best big brother and sister in the world.
I literally can't believe the events of the last year. I can't believe the joy, the emotion, the frustration, the worrying, the love, the growth, the "I'm never going to make it"-ness that has defined me and our family over the last 12 months. I think I waited until now to write my little year-in-review for a couple of reasons. First, I now know there is such a thing as coming out on the other side....and second, the view is much clearer looking back.:)
Since this is my blog, I will feel free to just write as I choose without too much consideration for the opinions or needs of the reader (hi, mom:)). I only give that as a warning that the following may or may not flow in any particular direction....so just grab your paddle and your life jacket and jump in. Or not. Whatever. Here we go.
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Adoption.
International Adoption.
Unexpected International Adoption.
Unexpected International Special Needs Adoption.
Oh, yeah. When we met our little Natalie - we knew that she was our daughter. We loved her. We wanted the very best for her. I often thank God for those feelings we had - because without them, we (meaning me) may not have made it through the first few months of her being home. I just never, ever knew how intense parenting could truly be until we were faced with parenting a child who had only grown up in an institutional setting, who had never had her hearing, who happened to be incredibly intelligent without means of communicating her brilliance, and who....imagine this....is a very physically strong, and strong-willed, little person. We were knee deep before it even really sank in that she had no idea what it meant to have a mommy or a daddy, that her world had been SERIOUSLY rocked - and although she seemed to be a very well adjusted child, she was in fact working through some serious trauma. Now that I know her better, and know how bright and observant she is - her little brain had to have been seriously in upheaval the first several months as she adjusted, not only to a new country, home, and family - but to becoming a HEARING person! Holy cow, batman. It's a miracle she wasn't any crazier.....(p.s. thank you, Lord!).
When Natalie first came home (and I share this because later on when I share where she is today - it just makes the comparison that much more impressive), she knew three signs. She had no intelligible vowel or consonant sounds. She hit, spit, pushed, kicked, wrestled....and that was just during EVERY DIAPER CHANGE in the first three months. She was constantly moving - she would not let me be alone....to pay bills, to pee, to cook (sorry for the order on that one), to talk on the phone. You get the picture. She was jealous of the kids and would hit them if I gave them attention and she was around to see it. She would not sit still (I have never longed for a child to just watch cartoons so badly in my life!). There was no sitting when she was awake. To this day, she wakes up at full steam ahead....none of this ease into the day thing for her! At least now it's been channeled into hugs and kisses, playing on the iPhone while mommy and daddy wake up a little bit, and visiting her brother and sister. She didn't nap the first three weeks - and after that, the only way I could get her to fall asleep was to put her in the car and drive her around....and then the ability to transfer her into the house didn't come for quite a while. That car seat SAVED me during those first months....I don't know how many miles I put on my car - but the Armada was my sanctuary. When I just couldn't take another minute of chasing, we would hop in the car and drive about town. She has always loved the car and still likes to drive around. Some of the milestones came at around 6 weeks when she signed, "I love you, Mommy", at 2 months, when she got her new hearing aids (when she started hearing just like a newborn baby would), at 4 months when she started school (can you say, "fast-track"?), at 6 months when we finally felt like we were not running around like crazed lunatics, and on and on until the present day when she can/will/is (and you better believe it, here comes a VERY long, VERY impressive, VERY humble (!) list of accomplishments).....
Say actual WORDS....hello (my personal favorite), mama, dada, bye-bye, more, ball, up, help, stop, no, happy...not bad for a 10 month old, eh?:)
Play by herself for more than 5 minutes (woohoo!)
Draw some pretty amazing pictures...her favorite to draw right now is a whale - she's loving the sea life
Recognize the names of all her family and most of her friends, and makes the sign for their names whenever she sees them in writing
Writes several letters, and recognizes the alphabet
Takes a nap EVERY DAY (woohoo! part 2)
Signs like a maniac! Really, it wasn't too long before she had some pretty sweet sign sentences going - and now she loves to sign the song, "I am a Child of God" every night before bed....absolutely adorable in every way. I lost count of the number of signs she has in her vocabulary, just trust me - she's amazing
Loves to play with friends and take care of small people:). Ok, so we're working on being a little more consistent with the "soft" thing, but she's getting better! She just doesn't understand that a three year old with the strength of an eighth grade boy must be reined in...
She sleeps all night long....still. Always has. She sleeps like the deaf. Bwahahahahaha...I'm so funny!
She can get dressed all by herself (and undressed, oy)
She's POTTY TRAINED!!! Woot, woot!
She loves dogs (which she used to be terrified of)
She pedals a bike
She's grown (drumroll please!) 4 INCHES!!!! We've got the marks on the garage wall to prove it!
She's gained (drumroll please!) 2 POUNDS!!!! Not impressed? Well, I grant you, that's not much for almost an entire year - girlfriend has stretched OUT!! Her little body went from roly poly adorableness to lean mean three year old machine. I've asked for her secret - she's not givin' it up.
This list could get seriously long (wait, it's not already?) and still it wouldn't do justice to the brilliance that is our little Nattie. Must be time to return to paragraph form.
And, continue...I know I shared in the beginning of the post some of the struggles - and I did it for a couple of reasons. First, because I'm becoming a person who strangely enjoys keepin' it real, and second, because now that we have walked through some difficult moments and lived, I hope that someday, someone out there in a similar situation will find this little account and take heart. I've read a few hundred blogs and chats in the last several months that gave me hope that the hard work would eventually pay off (and gee, only 15 more years to go! Lol). But beyond the struggles, and more important to me, are the blessings and the JOY I (and my family) have experienced since our dear, sweet, vivacious Natalie has come home.
There is no way to really adequately express my feelings, but I will do my best. When God was creating His children - each a true masterpiece - He saved a little something special for Natalie. I am truly in awe of her. She is so, so happy. She just radiates this...I don't even know...is it love? Is it joy? It's something pretty amazing, that much I know. Everywhere we go, people watch her. I've seen it, and not just in the moments when she is loudly expressing her opinions about life ;). For example, in the airport on the way home from our trip this summer, I was about 10 feet behind her (common, very common) and I literally saw the heads of everyone we passed, as well as those sitting waiting for their flights, turn to look at her as she bounced down the walkway. And they smiled. Not just mommies and grandmas who appreciate a cute little blondie with hairbows - but businessmen, teenage boys...everyone! She'd wave at a few, continue bouncing, smile or shout here or there - but mostly just had her head forward, arms swinging, walking through like she owned the place. I've seen people from all walks of life respond to her in a way that maybe they wouldn't otherwise do. She has a light about her that opens people up and lets them show their best selves. She is a blessing to all who know her - and I am so humbled and privileged to be her mother.
I've shared with a couple of friends that I have a hard time thinking of Natalie as three years old. Yes, she behaves like a little kid. Yes, she makes messes, tries my patience (and tries again), begs for candy, hits her brother, the normal stuff. But she has an intelligence within her that goes beyond her years. She teaches me everyday about the importance of using the gifts the Lord has given you to bless others. About taking your weaknesses and making them strengths. About loving so much it hurts. Having her in our family has brought out the beauty and strengths of our sweet Katie, and the protective and loyal nature of our precious Carter.
She has helped me see even more clearly the joy that comes from being a mother, and the true happiness that comes from being a family. Through the last year, I've been given the blessing of looking at life through the lens of Natalie, and what I see more clearly than ever is that life is about each other! It's about helping each other, playing together, praying together, learning together....it's about love.
If I could, I would personally thank so very, very many people for the support, patience, time, energy, and understanding they have given me over the last year. Time restraints what they are, I hope I can use this forum to express to my husband (the best husband in the whole wide world), my mommy and daddy, my children, my siblings, my good friends.....thank you. Your prayers have been felt, your love has been evident - my heart is full of gratitude for the support you have shown. I literally could not have had the courage to grow like I needed to without you. I'm still growing, so don't stop praying yet!
And lastly, but always first, I thank my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. How many times have I been on my knees, or in my car, or out running through the neighborhood begging for strength, looking for answers, asking forgiveness....only they know. I thank the Lord for showing me where I am weak, but for also showing me where I am strong. For answering my prayers, and for prompting others to be a part of those answers. My faith, and not just faith - but knowledge, of the mercy and kindness of my Heavenly Father has expanded, and I am so, so very grateful to my Savior for leading me through the hard days and giving me peace.
Well, that's about it. In a nutshell, the Lord has blessed me. Blessed us. Motherhood is a divine gift....and I happen to have been given three of the most beautiful, amazing children. To Natalie - someday you will read this...maybe it will be a day when I've taken away your cell phone and you are threatening to go back to Russia, or maybe it will be next week when you surprise me with your reading skills - whenever it is, there are couple of things that you should know. You are special. I love you, no matter what. And, Nattie, you are MY baby. Forever. Happy Adoption Day. Let's Celebrate!!!
It has been almost a whole year since Natalie came home, and it is absolutely amazing to see how much she has progressed, and how much joy she has brought to our family and friends.
Natalie’s communication has improved so much in the last year - she now can say around 9-10 words, and is continuing to approximate sounds and understand more and more verbal communication. She has upwards of 200 signs, and understands even more. Her teachers at school are very, very pleased and impressed with her progress, and the expectation is that she will continue to grow in her speech and communication. She is so expressive, and literally charms everyone she comes in contact with. She is loving, sweet, very active, smart - and the favorite of all our friends and neighbors.
Natalie knows her letters, and recognizes the names of all her friends and family, as well as a few small words. She is writing T’s, D’s, M’s, C’s, N’s and attempts the rest. She recognizes and knows the signs for pretty much any animal and is very captivated by nature. Her favorite at the moment is dolphins, and she has watched the same documentary about dolphins probably 50 times. She continues to love dogs, and any small children.:) She is a true caretaker, and is always trying to mother kids smaller than her (and bigger, too). She loves to swing and jump on the trampoline. Natalie has started gymnastics and loves it. She is probably the strongest, most flexible three year old we have ever known!
Natalie has grown almost 4 inches in the last year, and continues to get lots of exercise. She will still eat almost anything - but her favorites continue to be cheese, fruit, meat, and candy! Every time I give her a snack, she always wants one for her brother, too - and if I don’t give her one for him as well, there are some serious issues! We affectionately refer to the two of them as “the twins”, and they really act like it at times. They love to wrestle, chase, play, and have fun together. Natalie also really loves her older sister - especially when she lets her wear her clothes, or play with her things. :)
Natalie is such an amazing little girl. Through all the adjustments over the last year, she has come through with flying colors. We can’t begin to understand the beginning of her little life - but we feel so privileged to be her parents. Every day she makes us smile, gives kisses, wears us out, and amazes us with her intelligence and love for life. We love her more with every passing day and cannot imagine our lives without her. God has truly blessed us, and we have great gratitude for those that made sacrifices to give her a better life than she would have had in Russia.
Natalie has really grown up in the last couple of months, and is continuing to make great progress! She now has her own room and transitioned great.....she enjoys her own space and likes to go "visiting" her brother and sister.
When she wakes up she often goes to her brother’s room and gives him a hug and signs, “I love you”, then she does the same with her sister, and finally to our room to tackle us in bed. Sometimes she will snuggle for a little while, but sooner or later her first request is for vitamins. She really likes her vitamins.
She is very smart and helpful. She understands the sequence of events, and tries to anticipate needs and help. When I get out of bed, she will go to the bathroom and bring me my bathrobe. If I am in the shower she will get a towel and place it by the shower door, and then go get clothes for me. If I get out a broom, she will get the dustpan and help as I sweep. She will ask to go outside, and then find my shoes and place them by the step, so I can sit down and put them on. If she is in the shower or tub with her brother, she will wash and scrub his hair. Usually after she helps she will smile, tilt her head to the side, and sign, “thank you”.
One of Natalie’s many favorite things to do is sit in her Mom’s closet or her Sister’s closet and try on all their clothes.
She loves school, loves, loves, loves school. On her daily updates, the teacher has circled "Happy" every day, except 1 day was "Silly".:) She is quite a favorite with her bus drivers and school staff - she loves to smile and blow kisses and generally wrap the world around her little finger.
Natalie physically is doing great. Since September she has grown 2 ½ inches. On all accounts she is very healthy. She did hurt her wrist. It’s a small fracture and she has a little cast, the fracture is not on the growth plate. It is amazing at the quantity of play time that she has not hurt herself sooner. Outside she enjoys pushing her little scooter around, or driving the toy golf cart or jeep. She still loves visiting with the neighbors and their dogs. She can run very fast, and is the fastest 3 year old that we have ever met.
We jokingly refer to Natalie and her brother as “the twins”, because they are very similar. They are both full of energy and love to play. They will roll on the floor tickling each other, and run around and chase each other outside. They will bounce with each other on the trampoline. All while giggling and laughing.
She likes to take us upstairs to the playroom and treat us to tea parties, and asks to read books every day. She has a special book all about "no, no" things and "yes, yes" things - and she now recognizes and points out both of those words when she sees them. She can also recognize her name and knows that "N" stands for Natalie! She is always pointing to pictures and telling everyone who is in the picture.
We’ve noticed that she remembers people and places very well. At friends homes she knows exactly where to go. When driving around town she will point to a street and sign the friend's name because she knows they live down that street. We will be driving and she will point which direction to go home. She has some little girls she loves to play with....her best little buddy is in the pictures with her. She's wearing a diaper in the photos, but is potty trained now and doing great! She takes herself to the bathroom and has the routine down. We are always amazed at how bright and intelligent she is. It's fun to watch.
She is signing complete sentences now - most of which start with "I want....":). She is VERY fast and has excellent coordination. She understands probably 90% of all verbal communication without signing. She is making more and more sounds everyday, and can now say "mama", "ball", "more", "la", and a bunch of other things that only we understand. We are very, very pleased with her progress, and her teachers say that she is doing great!
By all accounts, she is a happy, healthy little girl - and we love her to pieces.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Just an update on this VERY HAPPY little lady!!
March and April have been exciting months at the Lowe house....Natalie has adopted a few words like"more", "bye-bye", "ball", and other various approximations :). The procedure is to sit on the floor in the kitchen with a pint of HaaganDaz between us, and trade bites for words. Highly effective.:)
She still loooves school, and is now signing full sentences - mostly those that start with, "I want...". Hey - ya gotta start somewhere, right? I figure that's a good a place as any! She is wearing big girl panties now - and is really doing very well. The #2 is sometimes an issue, but a reward system has inspired her. I picked up a couple My Little Pony dolls and told her if she did her poops in the potty, that I would give her the "horse dolly" (wasn't sure about the sign for 'pony' in the moment:)). Well, she was pretty mad the first time she attempted without success and I was a stickler about the reward - but when she finally succeeded - she was thrilled and kept signing, "horse dolly!" over and over. When I noticed again that she needed to 'go' - FYI, she's rather obvious about it - I asked her if she needed to go potty, and she signed, "horse dolly?". Uh-oh....better stock up on a sweet My Little Pony sale ASAP!! She is super cute about it, and I don't know if there are too many people in the world who get quite as excited as Natalie about going potty. It's inspiring to see her enthusiasm. :)
Nattie has continued to make friends wherever she goes, and loves to read books and play outside. She has grown 2 1/2 inches since September, and is stretching out quite a bit. Some of the jammies and clothes I had for her when she first came home are total floods on her now - and it seems crazy that she has already been home for 7 months. Where did the time go? Life has become exponentially easier, and it's so nice to see how she has molded in so perfectly to our family. We can't imagine a single day without her, and we feel blessed every day to have such wonderful children.
