Marissa - Heaven Sent

One Year Later and Time to Say Good-Bye!

2008-06-21T09:37:00.000-07:00

One year ago today!

Today!

We just returned from a wonderful relaxing two weeks in Maui with just the two girls. It was a wonderful way to spend Lauren's 12th Gotcha day and Marissa's 1st Gotcha Day. The girls are great travelers.

Marissa has changed so much since she became ours this time last year. One night while in Hawaii, I was thinking about the vast changes in her short little life. I could not help but reflect on God's great plan for her life. I watched her laugh, play and love on her sister on the beaches of Maui. Chances are she would have never left the village that she was born into let alone Guatemala had God not brought us together. I also thought about the incredible love of her birthmother who knew that Marissa would have a better life and was willing to trust her precious child into our hands to raise. I thought about how her birthmother at 22 years old could not sign her own name for the adoption and had to use her thumbprint instead. Now her five year old child in one year is beautifully writing her first and last name. She is reading sight words. She has graduated from preschool. But most importantly, Marissa is a child of God who we are incredibly blessed to call our daughter FOREVER.

It seems like a natural time to end this blog journey. I am creating a scrapbook for Marissa from the blog. I am almost done and can not wait to see the finished product. For now, if you feel inclined you can follow our next journey for Bryson at his blogspot or check in with me on my new blog called mylifemydesire.blogspot.com. It is in the works, but my plan for the blog is to give whole family or indidvidual kid updates from time to time. I also envision it being a place where I will share my faith, a place where you can see how God continues to work in our lives and a beginning voice for the adoption/foster/orphan care ministry Robert and I would like to start.

Thanks to everyone who has followed this awesome ride with us over the last two years. May you continue to be blessed!

Marissa Has a New Card!!!

2008-05-18T11:19:00.000-07:00

We just received Marissa's social security card in the mail. She is so excited to have it! Last piece of the adoption that we are waiting on is Marissa's US Citizenship. It is hard to believe we have had this angel for almost a year now. My plan is to close her blog after her one year Gotcha Day celebration! May start a family blog to keep everyone updated on our mucho grande la familia.

New Pictures!

2008-04-16T17:06:00.000-07:00

Just a few photos to show how girlie Marissa loves to dress up. The more colorful the better!! The yellow thing on her head is her long blonde hair and her slippers are glass slippers of course! The ones at school were at her open house.

Pay it Forward!

2008-04-01T17:34:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my blogger friend and fellow Guat momma, Natalie, I'm now playing the Pay It Forward game.How does it work?Here are the rules:I will send a handmade gift (of my choosing) to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this "PIF" exchange, and who make the same pledge on their own blog.I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise!The only thing you have to do in return is PAY IT FORWARD - on your own blog.So, if you want to (eventually - remember, I get a year!) get a homemade goodie from me, and are willing to do the same via your blog, let me know!(Note that you'll need to give me your real (snail mail) address... Which you can give be by emailing me at: sallyreed@sbcglobal.net or just leave it in the comment section. Let's have fun! I actually know what I am sending and will if I really even have three bloggers to send to!

Marissa Has Been Tagged!

2008-03-29T15:05:00.000-07:00

Marissa's blog buddy Caleb and fellow Hiskids adoptee has tagged Marissa. The directions are to post 10 random bits of information about themselves and then tag 10 more people.
1. Marissa LOVES to wear dresses. We have not seen pants on her in two months.
2. The dresses have to be able to twirl when she spins around.
3. She loves Cinderella!!!!
4. She has an incredible imagination. She loves to pretend play like she is a teacher, princess and waitress.
5. She is very bright. She is reading and writing her first and last name. She can write "I love mommy".
6. She loves her family. You can see it! You can feel it! You just know it!
7. She is very obedient.
8. She says grace before every meal on her own.
9. She loves PINK!
10. She is going to be a big sister to Bryson!

At Papa's Work!

2008-02-23T15:00:00.000-08:00

Robert thinks she is another softball player in the making. I think Marissa has her eyes set more on cheerleading and dance than softball! I have to admit Lauren and I am hoping for softball too! We just are not the cheerleading type! Then go figure-God blesses us with this adorable Guatemalan who loves to shake her pom-poms! Gotta love her!

Lauren used to go with Robert to coach the high school girls too. She became the team's mascot. They even gave her a softball shirt with "Baby Bulldog" on the back. Looks like Marissa will be having just as much fun with the high school girls as the new softball season gets underway!

Happy Birthday To You!

2008-02-04T20:02:00.001-08:00

All a birthday girl needs is her sash, crown, wand and pink boots to have a great birthday!!!

Started this tradition with our older kids when they were little. They get to pick out their favorite junk cereal for their birthday. This has been a great tradition as the kids have never bothered asking me for junk cereal during the year, but look forward to it every year on their birthday! So here is the continuation of our tradition with our little Guatemalan birthday girl!

Marissa turned 5 years old today!!!! Our sweet baby has been sick since her surgery last Thursday. Started on Friday with high fevers and asthma only to get much worse over the weekend. Last night her fever was 105 and had 6 breathing treatments at home. She went to the doctor today. She has pneumonia! Not a fun way to bring in your 5th birthday! By the looks of her pictures you would never know she is as sick as she is. She has such an incredible resilient spirit!

New Teeth! New Girl!

2008-01-31T15:46:00.000-08:00

"I'm getting my teeth fixed today!"

A little time for fun!

Pre-surgery sillies!!

"Okay, what happened to the laughing gas that LuLu got? There is nothing funny about this - my mouth hurts!" (Nothing a little Demerol couldn't fix!)

"Okay, it was all worth this great smile!"

Marissa did a great job today. We got up at 5:30am and headed over to Mercy Hospital in Folsom. She was a trooper the whole time. She actually had seen Lauren getting laughing gas at the dentist office a few weeks ago. Lauren, of course was laughing so it looked like fun to Marissa. She thought that she was getting laughing gas too. Little did she know they were knocking her out cold for almost four hours! They did four root canals, numerous caps and crowns and the rest were fillings. 18 out of her 20 teeth were worked on today. She woke calmly and quietly. She was an angel. She loves her new teeth! Just in time for her
5th birthday on Monday!

A quick little note: I have been so worried that Marissa would get sick and wouldn't be able to have this surgery that has taken so long to get dental and medical insurances to finally coordinate. Well, yesterday Marissa was sniffling at the breakfast table. I said, "Oh no! Are you getting sick?" Marissa nodded yes. Then she said "Mama will pray for me?" Of course, I wrapped my arms around her and we prayed for God to keep her well so she could have her surgery! Tender moment! Sweet child of mine!

Quick note #2: In the short seven months that Marissa has been with us, she has gained 5 pounds and has grown 4 inches!!!!! Her eyes are no longer yellow. She has lots of new hair growth. She is thriving! It is amazing what a LOT of love and some good nutrition can do for someone!

Our Little Guatemalan Celebrating New Year's Korean Style!

2008-01-02T21:40:00.000-08:00

Marissa's first try at making Kim Bap! She liked it too!

Proud Lauren of her delicious Kim Bap!

We brought in the new year Korean style! Lauren, Marissa and I made Kim Bap, Kim Chi and Korean Rice Cake soup. It was a lot of fun and quite tasty. We had a quiet night at home, but tried to make it a little more fun. The girls had a bag to open each hour that had something in it to bring in the New Year.
6pm - Card games
7pm - Masks
8pm - Party Hats
9pm - Noise Makers
10pm - Blowers
11pm - Cookies
12am - Sparkling Cider
It was obvious that Marissa was not going to make it until midnight so a few minutes before midnight eastern time Lauren turned on the television showing the party going on back east. She and Marissa celebrated New Year's EST and then Lauren brought in the New Year Again with mama PST!

Reflections of Christmas 2007!

2007-12-30T11:26:00.000-08:00

The reason for the season! And a new tradition for Lauren to teach Marissa how to bake and decorate Jesus' birthday cake!

My family!

Less is always better!

Christmas day was filled with lots of love and family in our home. It was a peaceful and relaxing day for all of us. We purposefully tried to keep it simple for Marissa. As we expected, it was a little overwhelming for her. There were times throughout the day that she seemed melancholy and reflecting on her past. She told me that she didn't do these things with her foster mother.

It had become apparent when we started dragging out our Christmas decorations and putting presents under the tree that Marissa did not understand what Christmas was all about. I asked her in Spanish about Christmas and she replied, "Never" with a look of confusion.

The confusion quickly changed to wonder over the weeks as she was saying "What is taking Santa so long to come?" and "Christmas is Jesus' birthday!" Santa brought her a beautiful wooden kitchen for her "casa". As much as she loved it, she would have been perfectly content with her new Little Tykes shopping cart and new Baby Alive. She truly has taught us that LESS IS ALWAYS BETTER!

I spent Christmas reflecting a little myself. I thought about where God has taken us this last year from anxiously riding the adoption roller coaster to living in Guatemala to adjusting to Marissa's new life and ours to celebrating the first of many Christmas' with our newest angel. I wondered does she really know how very much we adore her? Does she realize that we can not imagine one day without her now? Does she know that she was chosen by God to be the perfect piece to our family? Does she know that this Christmas would not have been the same without her and how we desperately yearned for her this time last year? Does she know that we will love her forever and ever? If her warm embraces and sweet kisses could speak, I would believe the answer is "yes"!

Our Angel's First Stage Performance as an Angel!!

2007-12-18T17:55:00.000-08:00

Her favorite Lulu and Marissa! They love each so very much!

Grandma and grandpa came to see their angel on stage too!

Angels We Have Heard on High!

Our sweet little Marissa had her first debut on stage. She attends a wonderful Christian preschool. They put on a Christmas play ever year with 2-5 year olds! Imagine that! Marissa started out nervous and wanted mama to come on stage with her, but her teacher gently held her hand through the whole performance. I quietly stole a spot in the front row on the floor so she could see me at all times. As I watched her on stage, tears rolled down my eyes thanking God for blessing us with her and thinking of how far she has come in six months. I was incredibly proud of her up there. I can't even describe it adequately in words.

2007-12-10T16:49:00.000-08:00

Never thought weeding was this much fun when I was their age. These two girls love working in my garden!

After four bouts of coughing attacks since September, we finally got an asthma diagnosis for little missy. She is on two steriod breathing treatments a day. Sitting there is a little better with her new Hispanic Baby Alive!

Early Christmas with my sister and Nana B. My sister got her a darling apron, bowl and scrub brushes. Marissa could spend hours doing our dishes!

And a little bit of Christmas!

2007-12-02T21:25:00.000-08:00

Thanksiving and then some!

2007-12-02T21:12:00.000-08:00

Can you tell that Kevvie and Marissa adore each other?

Guess What??? Marissa Slept in Her Own Room Last Night!

2007-11-12T10:08:00.000-08:00

Marissa at her first Veteran's Day Parade!

Happy Veteran's Day! We went to the parade in town in support of our boys. Friends of ours made a poster with Joe's name on it on a float. It was hard for me to watch everyone's joy at the parade as my joy will be felt only when Matt and Joe are safely home!

Yes, Marissa slept until 4:45am in her bed and then it was snuggle time with mom. After 5 months of sleeping with mama or in our room, I have to admit it was a little bittersweet. She is such a snuggle bug! However, I know it is the best thing for her and I am so glad she finally feels safe enough to know we are not going anywhere except to sleep in our own beds next door!

We added a new girl to our mix today! Introducing Dazy Reed!

2007-11-11T17:42:00.001-08:00

We got a phone call a few days ago about our beloved boxer Maggie's granddaughter being available. Maggie is the sweetest dog in the world so we jumped at the chance to get a dog that is very similar to her disposition. Her name is Dazy and we are in love with her!

Marissa also got a new (well new from Craigslist. I love Craigslist!) bike today. She has learned how to ride a tricycle so now it is time to try a bike. She can't rotate the pedals yet, but give her a week and she will be riding it!

Trick or Treat!

2007-10-31T19:54:00.000-07:00

Marissa our ladybug had so much fun trick or treating with Lauren our chef (flour on her face and all). She was very cute. She went to our next door neighbor's house to trick or treat and then came running home. She thought that was it! It was too cute! She was totally content going to one house!! That didn't last for long once she got her bag full, she wanted to keep going. Another cute thing she did was everytime someone gave her chocolate she would tell them "That's okay my mommy likes it!" She knows she can't have chocolate so she figured she would just give it to me! Everyone was cracking up when she would say it like I put her up to it not realizing she is allergic to chocolate!

Tucking her in for the night she said, "I'm going trick or treat tomorrow!"

My pumpkins at the Patch!

2007-10-22T20:39:00.000-07:00

We had a blast at the pumpkin patch yesterday. We met my sister and her family there and my parents. The kids rode the train and then the hayride out to the field to find their pumpkins. Marissa had a great time with her cousin "susy" and her first trip to the pumpkin patch. All these first are so much fun with her! We had a nice picnic and then ended the day with a caramel apple!

Crazy Wacky Hair by Lulu!

2007-10-22T20:23:00.000-07:00

Lauren just can not help herself when it comes to doing Marissa's hair! She loves to make her little sister look crazy! Best part is Marissa loves it too!!!

African Lullaby

2007-10-13T09:14:00.001-07:00

If adoption has ever entered your mind as an option for you, just watch this video. Do you know that 1 in 5 children in Guatemala die before they get to Marissa's age? Did you know that there are 60 million orphans in Africa right now? Did you know that hundreds of thousands of little girls are abandoned each year in China just because they were born a girl? Who will sing their lullaby?

Down for the Count for the last 10 Days!

2007-10-12T22:08:00.000-07:00

Marissa has been very sick for the last ten days. We got her on antibiotics on Monday. I am sure if we hadn't she would be in full fledged pneumonia right now. Between myself, big brother "justie" and papa we kept her home this whole week from school so she would be ready for the big CAL game tomorrow. It will be her debut at a college football game. We are excited to see how she does. I went and bought her blue sweats today and we will pick up a Bears shirt on the way to the stadium tomorrow. By the way, if you are not a Cal fan you should be as they are ranked number 2 in the nation right now!! Go Bears!!!

We finally just got Marissa's authorization to be in the hospital for her dental surgery. It states it must be completed by December 8th so we should find out real soon when it gets scheduled. I'll post prior to it. It will be nice to have that behind us. I can't imagine her smile being any better than what it is now, but pearly whites here we come!!!

Just keep lifting our boys in Iraq up in prayer. There is not a moment of the day that they are not with me. I will end on a patriotic note...Marissa is quadlingual now as she can sign God Bless America as she sings it in English!! It is the sweetest thing in the whole world!!! If I knew how to download a videoclip, I would post it, but I need Nancy to do that!!

Our Little Guatemalan Blessing!

2007-10-07T17:22:00.000-07:00

Dress Up Beauty Queen

Apple Hill

Tres Hermanas

7-2=5!
This is a picture of all the kids minus Justin and Matt. I am not sure when we will be able to have all seven of them together. Justin was fishing a tournament in Washington where he won $25,000 and of course Matt is in Iraq now along with Joe who left today. Pray for both of them!!! Okay and the mama too!!!

It has been almost four months since we were united with Marissa. She is such a blessing to our lives. However, I just realized that I have not had a full night's sleep in four months now!! Marissa continues to amaze us with her wonderful spirit, incredibly bright little mind and loving heart. We absolutely adore her! Here are a few recent photos of our little one!

Can't get enough photos!

2007-09-05T17:24:00.001-07:00

Marissa making homemade tortillas!

Her new Dora bathing suit and hula skirt!

Brother "Jose" (Joe) home on leave teaching Marissa how to swim with her arms!

Home 7 Weeks Today! In Our Arms 10 Weeks!

2007-08-29T04:40:00.000-07:00

Sweet Child of Mine!
Our Guatemalan living seems like so long ago and yet like yesterday as it seems impossible that we have been home with our precious little girl seven weeks now! None of us can even imagine life without this sweet child. She is absolutely incredible, so loving and full of life! Marissa loves and understands that she has a family now. She is quite the mama's girl and will be the first to tell you that she is "mama's baby" and will fight for the position if need be!!! I can not fully describe the energy that emits for this little one when she holds me. Yes, she holds me with her little arms wrapped so tightly around my neck and just squeezes me with her entire body wanting to soak up all the loving she can get! She is spontaneously telling me in her sweet little voice "I love you!" It is the cutest thing in the world! I am grateful that she is so gentle and loving. Now, I am not saying that she can not be stubborn and independent as she can be both, but she is very easily redirected. Papa feels as if he has two wives now as Marissa loves to shake her little finger at him and tell him what to do! Poor Justin gets the wrath every now and again too! It is pretty cute!

We do continue to work through some mild issues with her that are more related to abandonment than typical four year old stuff. Often times it may be hard to distinguish between the two, but after raising children, educating ourselves on older child adoption and just being with her for almost three months now we can distinguish the difference and try our best to give her what she needs.

I thank God each night when I am rocking her sweet soul to sleep that He brought us together in His time and His perfect plan! Marissa has so much potential and will someday make a difference in this world! I would be negligent if I did not give much credit to Robert for encouraging the adoption. My heart has always been a lover of children and being a mother has often defined me. However, after raising three teenage boys all at once I was a little exhausted. It was through Robert's unwavering confidence and desire that we could give another child a home, his awesome parenting and his love of children (including teenagers!) combined with my ability to follow God's will and submit to my husband's desire to adopt again that I have the privilege to type in this adoption journal about this incredible child who was meant to be in our family, just born in a different country. My sweet Marissa, you are so loved!

Pictures!

2007-08-25T21:04:00.000-07:00

Fun in the City!

Marissa selling tortillas to papa!

Marissa in her favorite place..our pool! She has taught herself how to swim underwater. She jumps off the rock and swims across the pool, pretty cute!

We took the girls to San Francisco's Pier 39 for a little fun today!

Fun with Hats in the Crazy Hat Shop!