Jude

May 16, 2012

six percent

*update: Jude did great in the MRI. no results until our docs have a look, but so glad this is behind us now. Thank you so much for your prayers.* Jude came home from China five years ago. He was 16 months and had bilateral, unrepaired clubfoot. We took him to Iowa for casting and we followed the bracing protocol to the letter. And all went well until we took Jude out of his night-time boots, right before his sixth birthday. He began to relapse on his right foot. The relapse rate for kids who are treated properly and braced properly is only about six … [Read more...]

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Posted Under: clubfoot, Jude, special needs adoption

March 30, 2012

choo. choo.

It's not too often I find all of my youngest in a candid moment that I actually want to capture on film. But yesterday, I did. They had been given the "wrap it up" nod from in the house and were busily cleaning up. Or so I thought. Turned out they were cleaning up... but with a bit of a twist. Poppy was in the middle of it all. No big surprise there. The surprise was that her two older brothers and three older sisters were all working together. To push/pull her along in their homemade train-like contraption. And they were … [Read more...]

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Posted Under: Isabelle, Jude, Poppy, real life, Shepherd, Sophie, Vivienne

March 2, 2012

Happy birthday, Dr. Seuss.

Today is Dr. Seuss' birthday. It's all Jude has talked about this week. And it's required more time to than I care to admit. So I shan't. You see, my sweet Jude was tasked with the assignment of not only dressing up in a Dr. Seuss-like fashion... but also creating a Dr. Seuss-like character. Jude's character - based on a cereal box and toilet paper rolls - was a conglomeration of his ideas, and his craft-crazy brothers and sisters. But the work of naming his character was all Jude. And he chose "Bob". I sure hope Bob likes … [Read more...]

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Posted Under: Jude, photography

February 15, 2012

a boy and his bike

Boy meets bike. Boy loves bike. To a boy and his bike, the world is suddenly just an arm's length away. Or so it seems. Until boy actually tries to ride bike. Hmmm. This is a lot harder than it looks. But standing with bike is still fun. And painless. And looking at bike is good, too. Because bike is so shiny. And new. But riding bike is so much more fun. Until boy falls. Again. Oh well. Pedaling is over-rated. … [Read more...]

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Posted Under: Jude

February 12, 2012

Sunday Snapshot: {growing up}

My baby - that I first held in my arms when he was just 16 months old - is 6 now. And that called for a celebration. At his request, we had dinner at Chick-Fil-A. And a few presents. Then back home for the rest of the celebration. Jude chose a cookie cake, frosted in red. His new favorite color. The first time he has chosen a birthday dessert he actually planned on eating. And eat it, he did Then it was time for the big gift. The one he'd been hoping for. Asking for. Pleading for. A new bike. A new, big … [Read more...]

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Posted Under: celebrations, Jude, Sunday Snapshot

January 25, 2012

a development

We interrupt our previously scheduled program of Chinese New Year pictures for an announcement. We have a tooth that seems to be missing. Wait. Scratch that. We have located the tooth. It's just not where it used to be. Someone seems to be pretty happy about that, though. I suppose an impending visit from the tooth fairy will do that to a guy. … [Read more...]

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Posted Under: Jude

January 24, 2012

the boys’ turn

Today our Chinese New Year festivities continued. It was the boys' turn. And, thankfully, the sun decided to show itself today. Not only that, but the temperatures were in the 60's. I'll take a day like that any day I can get it. Decked out in their new silks, the boys were ready to go. All they needed was some well placed spit to keep their hair from sticking up excessively. Ahhh. The joy of boys. And on this day, they were extra pumped to be wearing their Chinese outfits. They had a little extra "cha" in their Kung … [Read more...]

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Posted Under: adoption, celebrations, China, Jude, Shepherd

December 31, 2011

Sunday Snapshot: {my favorites of 2011}

Here are my favorite photos of 2011. In chronological order. 1. Sophie Lu in her silks at Chinese New Year. 2. Vivienne loving the snow. 3. Asher, growing up. I thought he seemed big in this picture but man, has he grown since then. 4. Remembering - and missing - Esther. 5. Chris at his fini flight getting soaked. Much to his children's delight. 6. Father and daughter. And kite. 7. Me and my girls on our last trip to our favorite spot in New England. 8. Poppy and the Red Couch. 9. Zach at Starbucks. In China. … [Read more...]

13 Comments
Posted Under: a-bone, Esther, Jude, photography, Poppy, Shepherd, Sophie, Sunday Snapshot, Victoria, Vivienne, Zach

December 25, 2011

Sunday Snapshot: {Christmas in pictures}

*********************************************************** If you're ready to link up this week with your Sunday (or Monday or Tuesday) Snapshot, just copy the code under the Snapshot button and paste it into the body of your post where you'd like the button to be displayed. Because it's Christmas, and lots of y'all are probably otherwise occupied, I'm going to leave the link open until Tuesday night. When you hit 'publish' it should show up just fine. Then add your link below. Wondering what the heck Sunday Snapshot is? Visit here for the … [Read more...]

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Posted Under: a-bone, celebrations, d-bomb, Isabelle, Jude, Poppy, Shepherd, Sophie, Sunday Snapshot, Vivienne

November 14, 2011

Sunday Snapshot: {the boys}

It happens most Sundays around here. Rain or shine. Indoors or out. Like it or not. Football. Chris is pretty much a football fanatic. And it seems to be catching. At least within the male population in this house. And even though most of our players probably aren't going to be first-round draft picks, it really doesn't matter. Because the best part is getting out there. Playing your best. And just having fun together. And even to a non-football lover like myself, it's pretty clear how much … [Read more...]

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Posted Under: a-bone, d-bomb, Jude, Shepherd, Sunday Snapshot