The Master Relaxer

Em is the Master Relaxer. 

She hates snow and hates sledding even more. But she has figured out a great use for Bella's sled. Chill out in the cozy living room, steal someones IPod and enjoy the good life.  I love this kid!

Going Back.

I need to do something with this blog!!!!!

I think I've gotten to the point where I need to divide and conquer. I post a lot about orphans/adopting and less and less about Em. 
This is Emmie's place and I think I need to keep it as that.  

Advocating is my passion and always will be. So I will be setting up a blog for that. 

And Daily Smiles will return to it's original state.Emilia's place to shine and be self advocate for Down syndrome. You're never too young to start :) 

The Princess is completely down with that (no pun intended) !  She loves being the center of attention!

So, stay tuned for more Em...

I don't even have a word for how I feel.

Russia closed.

No adoptions.

No new commitments.

No no no...

Just like that.

The little girl I adore... lost.

The families I love... devastated.

My friends, left wondering if they will ever see their sons and daughters again.

Children left to rot in institutions and orphanages.

My heart wondering, if we could have gotten our act together last year... could we have saved our Sweet Girlie Girl. If I tried harder to get her a family, raised more money, blogged just one more time...

What if's, whys, and how long can this last. How many won't survive the wait.  What if it never ends...

There is no word for these feelings.

Just tears

And they are flowing .
 
A piece of my heart is in Russia. No, I never met her. No, we didn't commit to her. And all I have is a photo or two, but I love her like she is mine. I'll always love her...

I'll never give up on her...

I'll never give up on any of them..

 

Devastated and Pissed Off!

I apologize in advance for anyone who might be offended by the language I'm about to use. That said...


As most of you have heard there is a ban in effect against Americans adopting from Russia. I'm not going to go into the whole stupid reason you can google it for yourselves. What has me pissed of beyond words is what I'm hearing and reading and trying to wrap my head around.

I'm trying to understand how a human being can use children, the MOST vulnerable children as pawns. How you , PUTIN can manipulate the whole lower and upper house into an unanimous vote on the ban. And what the hell have you done to Robert Schlege  to make him consider withdrawing his amendment. His amendment to exclude orphans with special needs from this law. WHAT THE HELL DID YOU THREATEN HIM WITH!

A death sentence has been signed and their blood is on your hands Putin! You were spawn from the bowels of hell and should be dragged back down there where you belong! Or better yet, you should be forced to live as your orphans live!   You should be starved and in a  straight jacket and tied to a freaking bed! You should wallow in your own feces and have your teeth rotting in your head! You Putin , should be ignored and all your needs left unmet!You should languish in loneliness and never know a soft touch or any form of love! You should exist as you are forcing thousands to exist! In rotting mental institutions, smelling like urine. Eating food that looks like shit! Having it forced down your throat.


And to all of the people who so smuggly say... What's the big deal???? Hey, America is full of orphans just take one of those.

OPEN YOUR EYES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!FOR THE LOVE OF GOD OPEN YOUR EYES!

THIS IS A CHILD BEING STARVED TO DEATH! TO DEATH!!!!! 

THIS IS THE FILTH AND HORROR THEY LIVE IN!

THESE ARE NOT BABIES! THEY ARE YOUNG MEN! WHO HAVE BEEN IN CRIBS SINCE THEY WERE BABIES!

THIS IS A CHILD DYING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NOW SHOW ME THIS IN AMERICA! SHOW ME!!!!!!!! WE'RE TOO BUSY ABORTING OUR CHILDREN WITH DOWN SYNDROME AND SPECIAL NEEDS. THERE IS A WAITING LIST HERE TO ADOPT A CHILD WITH DOWN SYNDROME!
AND IF YOU KNOW THAT THIS IS HAPPENING IN AMERICA AND YOU TSK, TSK, YOUR FINGER AT ME AND OTHERS WHO ARE TRYING TO STOP THIS IN OTHER COUNTRIES THAN SHAME ON YOU!
GET OFF YOU ASS AND DO SOMETHING! I AM! I AM TRYING WITH EVERY FIBER OF MY BEING TO HELP THESE CHILDREN IN RUSSIA AND OTHER COUNTRIES GET HOME AND GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE BEFORE THEY DIE!
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IT'S NOT THAT I AM UNCONCERNED ABOUT ORPHANS IN AMERICA, BECAUSE I AM CONCERNED. EVERY CHILD DESERVES A FAMILY. NO EXCEPTIONS! AND MANY PEOPLE I KNOW HAVE ADOPTED FROM THE STATES AND THAT IS AWESOME! WHAT BOTHERS ME IS THAT WE WHO ADVOCATE FOR THESE CHILDREN IN OTHER COUNTRIES ARE ADMONISHED FOR CARING SO MUCH! 

A CHILD IS A CHILD! PERIOD!  

I CAN SAY WITHOUT A DOUBT I AM DOING WHAT GOD HAS CALLED ME TO DO! 

CAN YOU?

YOU WHO KNOW EVERYTHING. YOU WHO LEAVE NASTY COMMENTS ABOUT PEOPLE ADOPTING FROM OTHER COUNTRIES, LIKE THEY'RE FREAKING TRAITORS.  YOU WHO HAVE ALL THE FACTS AND KNOW ALL THERE IS TO KNOW ABOUT ADOPTION BOTH DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL. YOU ARE THE SAME ONES WHO LOOK AWAY, WHO DO NOT DO A THING AND ARE MOST LIKELY NOT GOING TO DO A THING FOR ANY ORPHAN ANYWHERE!

YOU'RE JUST FREAKING KNOW IT ALLS WHO SIT ON YOUR ASSES  DOING NOTHING, BUT CRITICIZING ANYONE WHO TRIES TO DO GOOD!

AND YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE SO PLEASE DON'T GO LEAVING ME COMMENTS TELLING ME ALL YOU DO. THAT I COULDN'T POSSIBLY BE TALKING ABOUT YOU . 

I'M MOST LIKE;LY NOT TALKING ABOUT ANYONE I KNOW! I'M VENTING BECAUSE I KNOW AND SEE THE COMMENTS OF PEOPLE LIKE THIS. PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY THINK THEY ARE SO JUSTIFIED IN THEIR THINKING. THAT WE SHOULD REALLY JUST STAY WITHIN OUR OWN SAFE COMFORTABLE BOUNDARIES AND LET RUSSIA WORRY ABOUT RUSSIA. 

WELL I CAN'T! AND GOD HAS ASKED ME ... REPEATEDLY NOT TOO!

JESUS SAID , LOVE THEY NEIGHBOR... NOT JUST THE ONE ACROSS THE STREET. 

TODAY I AM EXHAUSTED AND DEFEATED AND PISSED OF BEYOND F***ING BELIEF!
BUT I'M ALSO STEADFAST AND FAITHFUL, AND COMPLETELY DEPENDENT ON GOD. COMPLETELY AT HIS MERCY THAT HE'S GOT THIS. HE IS BIGGER THAN THAT COWARD PUTIN WILL EVER BE. HE IS BIGGER THAN ANYTHING AND NOTHING IS CAPABLE OF STOPPING HIS WILL.