A Strike of Lightening!
I feel like I've fallen off blog land lately! Sorry if I double up on kiddo and home updates. It's been as crazy as usual and we appear to remain the 3-ring circus!
Our house was first blessed with a stomach flu bug. We are really happy that not everyone in our family ended up with it though. We only "took out" John's brother! I was shocked at that. Typically these things spread like wildfire. So as sorry as we were that he got it, we chalked it up to feeling pretty lucky.
After the stomach flu we went onto colds. Just me and boys there! My mom called one day thanking me for a sore throat, but it seems to have went away quickly for her. Rylan, Cameron and I are still coughing, blowing noses, and having trouble breathing after an entire week. We're better though... so I'll stop complaining.
Thursday night we had a thunderstorm here. Friday I braved it and took both kids after they woke up to the 100 Mile Garage Sale! Since I seem to raise roosters for children, they are up at 6am every morning! So we got a good start as most opened at 7am. I have to say they both did pretty good for the first 2-3 hours. A family friend, Christy, saw me out with them at a HUGE community sale held indoors. Rylan on my hip and Cameron trailing behind me with his papersack (waiting the opportunity to fill it up)! I was sweating like mad as it was work weaving them in and out of people, but we had smiles on our faces.... yet! Right Christy!!!?? Anyway, the novelty began to wear off as Rylan wasn't grasping the concept that every ride on toy at every sale was not his! He'd hold on for dear life as I'd have to pry him off! Cameron was the trooper that day! He had a lot of patience with him and chewed me out for not just buying the toys! Hmmmm, seems I came home with nothing for me so his lecture must have worked a little bit!
By Friday night, after stopping at John's parents, we were pretty exhausted and ready to come home. I went to get a glass of water.... and much to my surprise.... we had none! Just when Rylan was in a meltdown mode and flopped himself off the bed while John was changing him. Both kids dirty and in need of major cleaning. So we went from that evening until today, Monday, without water! Not fun!!!! We are guessing we had another lightening strike that Thursday evening. It took out our water pump which is inside our well 500ft in the ground! Last time it took out all 3 garage door openers, our water, and a tv! We're counting our blessings this time.
Our "former" agency had another hearing last week in Michigan. They had pled guilty to tax evasion and a form of fraud but the several other charges were dismissed. The judge in the case is now trying to determine if restitution is to be paid to 22 families, us included. Along with this they will be on probabation for 11 months and can't work in the adoption world for 3 years. A very light sentence in my opinion! I'm not counting on getting anything reimbursed to us. It would be nice, but I don't want to get my hopes up.
What makes me so angry is that I facilitated the entire adoptin myself from start to finish. My "agency" did NOT give me medical updates as promised. My "agency" did NOT give me pictures as promised. My "agency" did NOTHING to support our family during what should have been an exciting time. What they did do was cause us to lose 6 months of our son's life because of their inefficiencies, and that can't have a price put on it! Along with that they caused us an amount of stress that I can't begin to put into words. Adoption is hard enough much less seeing your agency featured on a day time talk show! Then to have them "raided and arrested"! Once all that happened we began to wonder if there really was a child, which is one of the main reasons I went to Guatemala in May 2007 to see Rylan. That was an extra expense we hadn't planned, but I had no choice. That is a decision that I will NEVER regret and that I truly believe is what saved our adoption. Again, I went back in Dec 2007 as I had to check his welfare for myself. I had to form a relationship with our attorney over there.... who by the way wasn't easy to find! Our agency certainly didn't offer up the information for me to reach him. It took me nearly a month to get to him. So NO, I don't think they've been punished enough. I know our agony, our fears, our frustrations, our anger.... and I've seen it in the other families with whom I've become good friends. Shame on anyone who would take advantage of people in such a way. To toy with our feelings is bad enough.... but they held children's lives in their hands and didn't care.
I'm back to trying to Ebay again. I have so much to sell that it isn't funny! Check out the link on the blog if your interested in tea cups and unique glassware! I'm going to try to list on Mondays and Fridays for now. Not much, just a bit. We'll see how it goes!
As for the boys, they are doing ok. They are terrific when you have one or the other.... almost like ANGELS!!!! But Cameron is having a tough time when in a confined space with Rylan lately. It's like he can't help but have to annoy him by hitting and pushing.... most of the time not hard, just enough so Rylan complains by letting out a whine or cry. Rylan is of course learning this exact behavior from Cameron now. And let me tell you, he is 22 months old and ready to box his older brother up! Rylan doesn't take much and he comes right back at Cameron. On the flip side I'm told at daycare Cameron defends Rylan tooth and nail. When Rylan is sleeping, Cameron can't wait for him to get up. He wants him to go everywhere with us. Must be the love/hate relationship thing now? Urgh..... Calgon take me away!
Our house was first blessed with a stomach flu bug. We are really happy that not everyone in our family ended up with it though. We only "took out" John's brother! I was shocked at that. Typically these things spread like wildfire. So as sorry as we were that he got it, we chalked it up to feeling pretty lucky.
After the stomach flu we went onto colds. Just me and boys there! My mom called one day thanking me for a sore throat, but it seems to have went away quickly for her. Rylan, Cameron and I are still coughing, blowing noses, and having trouble breathing after an entire week. We're better though... so I'll stop complaining.
Thursday night we had a thunderstorm here. Friday I braved it and took both kids after they woke up to the 100 Mile Garage Sale! Since I seem to raise roosters for children, they are up at 6am every morning! So we got a good start as most opened at 7am. I have to say they both did pretty good for the first 2-3 hours. A family friend, Christy, saw me out with them at a HUGE community sale held indoors. Rylan on my hip and Cameron trailing behind me with his papersack (waiting the opportunity to fill it up)! I was sweating like mad as it was work weaving them in and out of people, but we had smiles on our faces.... yet! Right Christy!!!?? Anyway, the novelty began to wear off as Rylan wasn't grasping the concept that every ride on toy at every sale was not his! He'd hold on for dear life as I'd have to pry him off! Cameron was the trooper that day! He had a lot of patience with him and chewed me out for not just buying the toys! Hmmmm, seems I came home with nothing for me so his lecture must have worked a little bit!
By Friday night, after stopping at John's parents, we were pretty exhausted and ready to come home. I went to get a glass of water.... and much to my surprise.... we had none! Just when Rylan was in a meltdown mode and flopped himself off the bed while John was changing him. Both kids dirty and in need of major cleaning. So we went from that evening until today, Monday, without water! Not fun!!!! We are guessing we had another lightening strike that Thursday evening. It took out our water pump which is inside our well 500ft in the ground! Last time it took out all 3 garage door openers, our water, and a tv! We're counting our blessings this time.
Our "former" agency had another hearing last week in Michigan. They had pled guilty to tax evasion and a form of fraud but the several other charges were dismissed. The judge in the case is now trying to determine if restitution is to be paid to 22 families, us included. Along with this they will be on probabation for 11 months and can't work in the adoption world for 3 years. A very light sentence in my opinion! I'm not counting on getting anything reimbursed to us. It would be nice, but I don't want to get my hopes up.
What makes me so angry is that I facilitated the entire adoptin myself from start to finish. My "agency" did NOT give me medical updates as promised. My "agency" did NOT give me pictures as promised. My "agency" did NOTHING to support our family during what should have been an exciting time. What they did do was cause us to lose 6 months of our son's life because of their inefficiencies, and that can't have a price put on it! Along with that they caused us an amount of stress that I can't begin to put into words. Adoption is hard enough much less seeing your agency featured on a day time talk show! Then to have them "raided and arrested"! Once all that happened we began to wonder if there really was a child, which is one of the main reasons I went to Guatemala in May 2007 to see Rylan. That was an extra expense we hadn't planned, but I had no choice. That is a decision that I will NEVER regret and that I truly believe is what saved our adoption. Again, I went back in Dec 2007 as I had to check his welfare for myself. I had to form a relationship with our attorney over there.... who by the way wasn't easy to find! Our agency certainly didn't offer up the information for me to reach him. It took me nearly a month to get to him. So NO, I don't think they've been punished enough. I know our agony, our fears, our frustrations, our anger.... and I've seen it in the other families with whom I've become good friends. Shame on anyone who would take advantage of people in such a way. To toy with our feelings is bad enough.... but they held children's lives in their hands and didn't care.
I'm back to trying to Ebay again. I have so much to sell that it isn't funny! Check out the link on the blog if your interested in tea cups and unique glassware! I'm going to try to list on Mondays and Fridays for now. Not much, just a bit. We'll see how it goes!
As for the boys, they are doing ok. They are terrific when you have one or the other.... almost like ANGELS!!!! But Cameron is having a tough time when in a confined space with Rylan lately. It's like he can't help but have to annoy him by hitting and pushing.... most of the time not hard, just enough so Rylan complains by letting out a whine or cry. Rylan is of course learning this exact behavior from Cameron now. And let me tell you, he is 22 months old and ready to box his older brother up! Rylan doesn't take much and he comes right back at Cameron. On the flip side I'm told at daycare Cameron defends Rylan tooth and nail. When Rylan is sleeping, Cameron can't wait for him to get up. He wants him to go everywhere with us. Must be the love/hate relationship thing now? Urgh..... Calgon take me away!
