6 months

Luke has been with me for 6 months and at home for 5 months. It seems like he has been with us forever and yet it's hard to believe 6 months have already passed.

Our life is a lot busier with 4 kids! Jeff's work schedule changed and it was not for the better because it took him out of town for days and days at a time. But we are still so thankful that he has a job and one that allows me to stay at home and raise our children.

Back to Luke:

He is now is 2t clothes-where as he was in 12 months in February when we were in Congo together. He is growing! And boy can he put the food away.

He is now in size 6 shoes-he was in size 3 in February.

He weighed around 21 lbs I think in February. Maybe less. He is now 27 lbs. Not sure about inches.

His vocabulary is really improving! I can understand so much of what he says. This is from a child who in February had never uttered a word-did not talk at all nor babble.

His smile lights up a room and he adds so much happiness to our lives and completes our family.

He is a joy. He fits into our family perfectly.

He sleeps in his own bed in his room he shares with his brother. He only sometimes ends up in bed with us, which is fine with me.

He is adventurous, He loves his siblings, He gives the biggest and best hugs.

He loves us to sing to him before bed.

He tells me, "I uv oo, mama" and my heart melts.

Thank you God for my newest son!

The picture above is in Congo.
The pictures below are from this summer.

Congo-Special Needs

Warning: These pictures are not easy to look at and may be graphic. This is life in Congo for special needs orphans. There is one picture of a man in a white jacket. He is absolutely fabulous! He owns the whole place, runs it, everything. He is so nice! The kids obviously love him. He always has a hug ready for any of them who run up to him and he speaks very softly to them.

He has about 700+ orphans and I don't know how many are HIV+-can't rembember but it's a lot. He also has a section where people sit all day because they have no home-they are homeless. They are guaranteed 2 meals there. He is quite simply an amazing man.

This is for people who ask "why not America?" I challenge you and say "why not Congo?" You won't see this in America. Some of us are called to adopt internationally and some are called to adopt domestically and then some are called to do both. There is no way that one way is the best way. We are all blessed by building our families through adoption-no matter what type of adoption. Children who need families, get one. Parents who need children, get one. Families are made. It's a win-win, no matter what. Get over it.

Another Congo Orphanage

We visitied another orphanage while in Congo. These pictures are hard for me to look at but this is life in Congo for an orphan. We took lots of food to them and more soccer balls and some school supplies. At the end of the visit they sang for us and it was simply amazing. There was one boy and one girl who sang a solo for us and I could only stare in awe! They sleep 2-3 per twin bed, no furnishings. They cook over a pot in another dilapidated building. They are sent to school and they must have uniforms. Their fees are paid each year by an agency. The little kids on the dirt road are kids from the area checking out the white people. Totally cute and when I started waving, I could hear them giggling and waving back.

All girls orphanage

(*You can see a "before" picture of me in one of these-it's scary)

We visited an all girls orphanage plus one little boy who is HIV+. This is by far the best orphanage we saw and not typical. The woman in blue is actually from the US. Her mom was Congolese and opened the orphanage years ago. These girls are not available for adoption but rather they are raised to learn, go to school and get a job and give back to their community. They can stay there until they get a job, because the alternative for them is prostitution. They live in a compound to keep them protected from men who would kidnap them to sell them.

The schools cost money and they go as long as there is money. Then they stay home when the money runs out until they can find donations for them to go back. They have donated stuff from US people and the lady's friends-all of the furniture, etc.

I took some of the donated soccer balls and boy did they love them, as you can see in the pics below!