A Match Made in Heaven: January 2012

Faith to Move a Mountain

In November of 2011, I started this blog as a sort of journal to chronicle the events of our son Quinton's adoption. Quinton is a little boy who was born with an extra special something. Quinton has down syndrome and was given up at birth by his parents because he has down syndrome. His birth parents must not have had any idea what a blessing he would be or I am sure they would not have given him up. Unfortunately in Eastern Europe (Quinton is from Ukraine) people with disabilities are not accepted in society and at the age of 4-6, they are sent to adult mental institutions where most of them die :( Although it breaks my heart that his parents have missed out on such a joyful little boy, God has used this unfortunate situation to bless us with a gift greater than I could have ever imagined: the gift of our first child. If you ever considered adoption-do it! Don't let money deter you. God provided over $20,000 for us to adopt Quinton. We were not fully funded until 50 minutes before we boarded our plane to Ukraine. If you have never considered adoption, go back to the beginning of this blog and read. You will see what a blessing adoption really is. Many people tell us that we are angels for rescuing Quinton, but the honest truth is this: Quinton has given me far more that I will ever be able to give him. He is my little miracle, my silly bug, my baby boy, my love. HE IS MY LIFE!

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Christmas Pictures and Other Updates

I'm pretty sure I was more excited for Quinton's first Christmas than he was. He didn't quite know what to make of it all, but it was so sweet just to have him home with us where he belongs. Here are some pictures from Christmas eve and Christmas day :)

My friend Andrea made this shirt for Quinton when my procrastination got me in trouble...again. It was super cute. I can't find the picture I took of Quinton wearing it, but he sported it all Christmas eve! Thanks Andrea!

Quinton with his great grandpaw

Quinton with his Daddy :)

Jammin on his xylophone with his uncle Josh

Look at that smile. We are so blessed!

Riding on his Mickey Mouse train

So cute, I could eat him...but them I would miss him ;)

No more pictures, mommy!

Ok fine. I'll smile, but then you have to leave me alone.

All of the Reece's Rainbow kiddos have pictures of them sitting in front of the Christmas tree, holding their Angel Tree ornament from the previous year. Quinton didn't cooperate...oh well.

Quinton and mommy :)

My little QB :)

This one's not from Christmas, but it's so cute. I couldn't resist.

It has been a while since I have updated. Life is just crazy. Quinton is doing so many new things. He is curious and all over the place! I call his latest move the booty scooty LOL!

He is starting to pick up sign language~He can sign more, mommy, and milk. He waves hi and bye, and he can touch my nose. He has also taken a liking to books this week. He is so interested in them. He loves to turn the pages and point at the pictures and smile. Everything he does, he looks for a reaction. He just got a walker and on Tuesday he will get ankle braces. His physical therapist, Sondra (from one step at a time therapy) is worth her weight in gold and more! She has taught him to go from sitting to laying down, laying down to sitting, how to pull up, and now he is even manipulating the stairs AND taking steps with assistance! She says once we get his ankle braces (SMO's), he will be walking in no time!

This is completely unrelated, but I need some help. I am entering Quinton into a beautiful babies contest. It is a fundraiser for some fellow Reece's Rainbow families. I am having trouble choosing a pictures. (BTW if you are interested you can check out this link. 2 winners will be chosen: a boy and a girl. Winners will receive a $150 Target gift card and 10 winners will be featured in a downloadable calendar. The entry fee is only $25 and it will help make 4 Eastern European cuties, orphans no more!). Anyways here are the pictures I am trying to decide between. Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Picture #1

Picture #2

Picture #3

Picture #4 (I love this one, but I'm not sure about it because it is Christmas, but they have to have a December baby for the calendar, right?)

Picture #5

Which one do you all like?

There is so much more to say, but I have a little one on the move...nap time is only so long. I will leave you with a link to the Salisbury Post. Quinton and another local RR sweetie were featured in a newspaper article on New Years day. There are some really sweet pictures including one of my sweet Ashlyn (She is one of my students who ultimately led us to find Quinton). Check it out!

Oh, by the way...Quinton's birthday is on February 4th! In just 20 days, I will have a 2 year old! Time flies! Love you guys!

Monday, January 9, 2012

Praise God...

Katelyn has a family!!!! I cannot say thank you enough to those of you who have prayed for and donated to miss Katelyn! I was reading last night and her name caught my eye. Someone had posted that Katelyn was on the my family found me page. I was in disbelief, thinking that there must be more than one Katelyn. I clicked on the link and there she was. It is true. Katelyn will not spend another year in that institution! She will have a mommy and a daddy to love her and tuck her in at night. Her birthdays will be celebrated and her life will be treasured. For 9 months, all we had was a picture of Quinton with a little pout on his face and I longed to see him smile. Now his smile lights up a room. The same will go for Katelyn's family. They have a picture of her looking so frightened, but soon they will see her smile. I just know it! Oh, I can't wait to see her home.

In the mean time, be on the lookout for new fundraisers. I don't have anything planned just yet, but her family will need to raise lots of money to bring her home, and I want to help as much as I can. Any ideas/suggestions would be fantastic! Thanks :)