Even MORE cute video!?!?!?

Well, Dad sure did get some cute videos and pictures of the swinging Julia! Now we have something new for you- Julia learning CPR! :D

Now, for those of you with an eyebrow raised, no, Julia did not LITERALLY learn CPR, but Mom's been working with Julia on repeating actions, and activating Tickle Me Elmo Julia-style looks VERY much like CPR. Still, its a cute video!

(excuse the mom jibber-jabber at the beginning :D)

Elmo gets CPR from Caleb Lococo on Vimeo.

The Giggly Girl is back in video again!

Some of you may recall a certain video clip of Julia back when we were in the Ukraine of us swinging her and her giggling over and over. It became a family favorite here and the kids watched it again and again.

Well things have thawed out just enough that we can start to get her outside for a little outdoor playtime. This weekend she did some swinging on our swing set, and really enjoyed it. Here are some photos and video to share it with you.

Julia Swinging Video 1 from Tom Lococo on Vimeo.

Spring, Slideshows, and Happy WDSD!

First, thank you to all of the people who read and commented on the last post! VERY encouraging I'll have you know :)

Secondly, Happy World Down syndrome Day! Whether or not the rest of the world realizes it, Down Syndrome is a life blessing and life-altering little thing that has changed hearts and minds of so many people.

Well, as the snow mound commonly known as New York state has officially thawed itself out for the most part, I've been out and about taking plenty of pictures of the beautiful springtime scenery! I've taken some of the best and made it into a slideshow, featuring the song "Spring is Coming" by Steven Curtis Chapman.  The slideshow is also a tribute to the families in the adoption process that have gone through trials as they follow God's calling for them. If you have been/are a family in this situation, know that you are truly inspiring ot us all, and we admire your courage.

(Movie Theater Announcer voiceover):  "And now, our feature presentation"



"Spring Is Coming" Slideshow from Caleb Lococo on Vimeo.

Hope You Enjoyed!

Our Little Immigrant

We've had our little immigrant home for close to 3 months now. And, honestly, its amazing to see the difference.

When we first me Julia, she looked like this:

Now, almost 4 months to the day she met her new Mommy and Daddy for the first time, here she is in America:

                                                              See any difference?


Julia is undeniably a huge part of our lives now, and honestly, she's also the life of the party around here :D She's getting much closer to walking than ever before, and on occasion she'll surprise us and stand upright without any assistance for a minute or two! She just had her first round of evaluations, and Mom tells me the Psychologist and the Social Worker that worked with her were wrapped around Julia's pudgy little finger :) Naps are still a bit of a work in progress, but on a day like evaluations where she's out and about, she goes down real easy, so needless to say we're thinking therapies=easier nappy time :D

I could easily fill up a couple blog posts with all of the pictures I take of Princess Ukrainia, but I'll whittle it down to some of the best:

                          Julia: "Ya know, Big Brother, you're great and all, but I'm starting to think that camera is a detachable body part of yours."

As you can see, our blessings abound. Julia is much more smiley and giggly than even before and has started babbling a little more, as well as doing the occasional sign when asked. We are BEYOND excited to see Julia's orphanage emptying out, with the Schwenzer Family over there right now, lovin' on Julia (not ours :D) and Sergei, and we are also BEYOND excited that the Hinz family Family will be going to visit our precious Sonya and sweet Dusty for the 1st time! God is GOOD!

At the same time, we ask you to keep the Davis family in your prayers. as you probably know, the judge in the region they are adopting from said no to their plea for adoption. Keep them in your prayers as they try and sort through their problem and pray that God will use this amazing couple to pave the way for the two families going over (one for a court date) soon. 

Well, that's all for now. As we continue to pass through Lent and prepare for the Rising of our Savior come Easter Morning, I hope God will rise in all of your lives personally and will raise up the families travelling right now as well!

Sonya has a Family- and we have new pictures!

Our family was thrilled beyond belief this week, when we found out that Miss Sonya has a family.  This is the little girl from Julia's group in the orphanage.  Caleb got to spend some time visiting with her on Julia's "gottcha day".  There have been many people praying for Sonya and our prayers have been answered.  The Hinz Family will be going to get Sonya soon.  They will also be bringing Dusty home, he was in Julia's group as well.  Please pray for the Hinz family as they travel to bring home their new daughter and son.

It is wonderful to know that in the past few months, seven children (that I know of) from Julia's orphange have found their forever families. Some are already home and others are in the process of coming home.  While we rejoice for these children, please pray for the little ones left behind.  I think this is one of the hardest parts of the adoption journey.  We see the other children in the orphanage and you want so badly for them to have their forever families too.  Two little girls at Julia's orphange that I can't stop thinking about are Shawna and Lindsay.  (See the side bar on the left for their pictures.)  Both of these girls are nearing the age of being transfered out of the baby house.  This is just too heart breaking to think about.  Another little girl who has captured my heart is Kate (46).

She is just beautiful.  The RR families that have met her say she is a gem.  Please pray for these girls and all of the other children that are still waiting for their Moms and Dads.  Thanks so much.

Julia is doing well.  We saw the ENT specialist last week.  She is being treated for another ear/sinus infection.  The doctor also mentioned that Julia is a great candidate for ear tubes.  I sort of saw that one coming.  I think that will happen in the spring.  We have Julia's evaluation next week, to see what services/therapies she will receive.  She is starting to take some steps on her own, but we can't wait until she starts taking PT and really gets moving.  I'm sure we will need to put some gates up around the house.  This will be strange since we haven't used gates in about 6 years.

Caleb, our resident photographer, will add some of his latest photos to the blog soon.  He has a lot to pick from, so it may take a while to decide on his favorites.

Since it is Thursday, I guess it is o.k. so say, "Have a Great Weekend."

Well, here's some updated ones! Talk about Miss Photogenic :)

                        "Sleep in Heavenly Peace..."

                                The Little Ukrainian Eskimo baby

                                Snuggling with big brother :)

                        And Big Sister :)

                              And because I don't have a couple thousand dollars to buy all of the studio backdrop and lighting gear, I wish I could afford, I've been making due with some comforters, work lights and eager little siblings as models :)

Anybody in need of some family/child portraits? :)