Wow, 2006 ~ An Amazing Year!

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Hot off the press: Izaak's Storybook

2006 has been an amazing year for us. It was just a year ago that we announced our plans for adoption. Just a year ago that we started painting Izaak's room and making plans for a baby. Everything before this year seems so fuzzy. What was life without Izaak? I barely remember.

We've been home for 6 months now and Izaak turned 17 months this week. Izaak has had a lot of firsts in these last six months - his first birthday, first steps, first costume at Halloween, first Thanksgiving dinner, first presents at Christmas. He's hugged his first dog, rode his first wagon, saw the moon and stars for the first time. He's picked up his first leaf, climbed his first steps and slid down his first slide.

There's also been a lot of first for us too - morning smiles and hugs, being called mama and dada, kissing boo-boos, drying tears, laughing uncontrollably with our son, worried out of our minds, loving another so completely and unconditionally.

I can honestly say that these past six months have been like no other. I can't imagine our lives without Izaak. He has brought us so much joy and happiness. I know that he's done the same for many of our family and friends. I truly never knew how much a child would change everything in such an amazing way. Sure, there are those days that we wish we could sleep in or that Izaak is driving us crazy or that we are ready to strangle each other, but most days are wonderful and those are the days that we cherish.

So, this post and the pictures with it are a look back at the past year. Izaak has grown so much, physically, emotionally and developmentally. When we met him he had a wonderful smile, but he was also very distant. He rarely made eye contact. He didn't want us to hold his hands. He was extremely independent and still is, but has come to trust us and comes to us for comfort. I remember he wouldn't let me cuddle him to sleep. In fact, he wouldn't face me at all at bedtime, I had to hold him in my lap with his back to my chest. He was very quiet with very little babbling.

Izaak has changed so much. He loves when I hold and tickle his hands. He prefers to face me forward when I rock him to sleep. He intentionally makes eye-contact and gives us this amazing little giggle. He reaches for us and chases us because he wants to be in our arms. He brings us books and sits in our laps. He'll even eat cheerios out of my mouth while I steal a small kiss. And the kid won't stop talking! We usually don't know what he's saying, but he sometimes has full conversations with our dog, Abby, who acts like she understands him.

We've also changed a lot since bringing Izaak home. The biggest for me was quitting my job to be a full-time mom. I love being home with Izaak. Meetings and deadlines have been replaced by Izaak's classes and playdates. And I don't have to make that dreadful decision of going to work when he's sick. I've become closer to my family and have really started cherishing the things that matter in life. Although Izaak keeps me busy, as any one year old would, life has slowed down a bit and I love it. I don't live by a calendar and clock anymore. I live by making my family happy. I'm so blessed to have such a terrific kid and an amazing husband who is also a wonderful father. We are such a great team when it comes to Izaak.

I have an amazingly talented Aunt Ruth who has been using Izaak's pictures for lots of scrapbooking projects. I don't blame her, we have one of the most adorable kids ever! She's made me and Lisa some really great little scrapbooks since Izaak came home. I decided to include some of her pages as a way to look back.

We aren't quite as crafty as Aunt Ruth, but we have created our own little memory book for Izaak. There are lots of children's adoption books that gently explain adoption. We decided to create our own personalized book just for Izaak so he can see pictures and hear the story of Kazakhstan, the Baby House and his journey home. The book we have made is paperback, but we are going to create a kid-friendly version for Izaak to play with. He loves flipping pages in books and I hope this becomes a favorite. Click to view our book: Izaak's Storybook.

So, I hope 2007 treats as us well as 2006 did. Who knows, maybe we'll start our journey for Izaak's little brother or sister? You'll have to stay tuned... ~ A

Izaak Baby Pics - Gotta See This!

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I thought this deserved a posting of its own. A little gift came our way just in time for the holidays. Families from our agency submit photos of their kids for a calendar every year. The calendar is for WPA families, but somehow a lady that is in the process of her own Kaz adoption ran across the calendar. Izaak's pictures immediately stood out to her and she found a way to contact me. Turns out that in May, the same month we met Izaak, she had seen some pictures of Izaak in a photolisting (pictures of kids that are available for adoption) from two agencies. Seeing Izaak's pictures moved her to begin her own adoption journey to Kaz. I'm touched by her own words, "I will always think of him as the little angel that led me to Kazakhstan." We can truly relate to this as meeting a little girl from Kaz in Nov 2004 is what prompted us to begin considering adoption, especially from Kazakhstan, a country we had never even heard of.

The truly amazing thing is that she printed Izaak's pictures and held onto them. Now, because of fate and her generosity, we have several pictures of Izaak when he was much younger, maybe 5 months old, notice no teeth. This is something we've always wanted, but thought we would never have. It's great to see that he had that wonderful little smile at such a young age. We also recognize the caregiver holding him, so he's been in the same room and care his whole life which is comforting.

I have to admit that when I received her initial email, I was a little freaked out. What, my child was photolisted for all the world to see? How was he still available when it was our time? My heart skipped a beat and Mike got chills as we considered the possibility of Izaak not being in our lives. Then I remembered one of the caregivers telling us that he had been shown to other families and that he was waiting for us. Everything truly does happen for a reason and in it's own time. God has a plan for us all and I have to remind myself that he knows what's best even when we don't understand. It took Mike and I over 5 years to bring a child in our hearts. I was terribly confused and hurt during that time, but now I understand.

I am truly thankful that this lady reached out to us and brought these pictures to us. She had wondered how little "Arman" was doing, where was he, had he been adopted? So, through fate, her questions have been answered. Thank you so very much Soraya! You'll never know how much this little gift means to us. Amazing, simply amazing! ~A

Update: I emailed the agency that had Izaak photolisted. They sent us all the digital pictures they had with a couple of new pics and Izaak's birth information. Words just can't explain how much these pictures mean to us. In a small way, we have another small piece of Izaak's history.

Can You Help?

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With Christmas soon approaching, I thought I'd take a moment to remember the children across the world that are living in orphanages, foster care and hospitals. One statistic says there are over 143 million orphans worldwide. It saddens me to think of all those children not having homes and families to hug and kiss them when they are hurt or sad, to read them bedtime stories and tuck them in at night, to laugh with them and tickle their toes. I look back at the pictures from Izaak's babyhouse and wonder if the cute little boy climbing up the slide or the toddler girl who pushed her friend on the swing have found their forever families. I often think of the beautiful older children we met at Zhas Dauren and I pray they are happy and well cared for.

I ran across this song/video. Again, it reminded me of all the children who have been left behind. Steven Curtis Chapman’s video, All I Really Want For Christmas: (click here to view video)

Mike and I have decided to sponsor a child (age 8-18) this year. We will receive at least two updates/letters from the child (hopefully more) and will have the opportunity to write and send pictures as often as we like. The sponsorship program is at Zhas Dauren in Uralsk, so it will be nice to get to know someone growing up in Izaak's birth city. The money that we contribute will go towards helping the child when she/he turns 18 and leaves the orphanage. We are very excited and will keep you updated. ~A

We received a letter from our Adoption Agency asking "Can you help?" I thought I'd share part of that letter, in case even one of you reading this can help the orphan children in Kazakhstan.

"This time of year many of us are asked to reach into our pockets and help people in need. I think many of us give willingly while others hesitate due to the uncertainty of not knowing exactly where the money goes.

For years WPA has given back to Kazakhstan for the wonderful gifts they have given our families. In the past six years alone WPA and our partners have given in excess of one million dollars to help the orphan children have better lives. The President's Committee in Kazakhstan recently recognized our partners, Zhana Zhol for their work in humanitarian aid to children. They were the only adoption organization to receive such an award.

100% of money given goes into our programs to help improve the life of a child. We do what we do for the love of our children's birth country and for our love of the children that will never experience the joys of having a family. WPA does not withhold anything from what we receive, all of it goes to benefit the children.

I would encourage you to visit our website's Humanitarian Aid page and see for yourself some of the work we have done. Since WPA is a 501(c) 3 corporation all donations are tax deductible and receipts will be issued. http://www.worldpartnersadoption.org/project.html

From all of us at WPA we wish you the best this holiday season has to offer!!

- Jim Harding"

Please leave a comment if you decide to contribute in any way. We'd love to hear from you.