Okay, so it has been a while!

Wow, it has been a long time since I last posted. Sorry to the loyal followers of our blog. Life is busy and it never seems I have time to sit and post anymore. Rick is on call tonight and I got all the kids in bed early, lunches made and laundry caught up so I thought I would make myself sit and download some photos!

Jake is doing great! He is so comfortable with his new life and routine that it is just natural for him to go with the flow. I don't think he would know anything different at this point. He is learning so many new words and understands everything we say. He and Luke have become very close buddies and love to pester their sisters. Wow...it is double trouble for the girls these days. Luke can do almost anything and put Jake into absolute giggles (he has the BEST laugh!). He thinks Luke is hilarious. Luke can just turn his head a funny way and make a silly noise and Jake goes to his knees cracking up and then tries to mock him. The first month I would constantly tell him how much I loved him and he would tell me if I asked him. Now he comes up to me on his own and kisses me, hugs my leg or tells me he loves momma. It melts my heart!!! It means so much coming from him on his own. Can you believe how well he is doing in barely over two months? Amazing!

He loved going to Nadia's basketball games, going to church and now soccer. So long as there are snacks around...he is happy wherever he is! We rarely have any fits or anger issues anymore....anything he does is just typical 20 month old stuff. He knows we love him, what is acceptable behavior and the yes's and no's at home! We worked hard every day to make the boundaries clear to him so that he would know his limitations and it has been well worth the effort. It may seem too "strict" for him being new but he is so smart and he wanted and needed to know. Now that it is all clear to him he is so much happier.

I know I sound like a "bragging mother" but he is sooooo smart. Everything comes to him so naturally. His determination to learn and understand things amazes Rick and I. I have never seen a child his age want to learn things so bad. He communicates beautifully....if he can't say it he is able to take us to a location and sign or show us exactly what he wants. He loves books and wants to go over them every night and works hard to say the words in the picture books. It seems like he understands most everything we tell him and if he doesn't the first time you can rest assured knowing he will figure it out quickly. His strong will comes in handy during this time...but can be interesting at other times! I am telling you .... this kid is smart! AND...he is soooo happy and affectionate. Okay...enough of my typing. I have lots of pictures to share. Hope you enjoy them. Have a wonderful week! Natalie

Rick and Natalie V-day 2008
Nadia performing at half-time UCA Homecoming Basketball 2008
Nadia and Friends
Mia with her friends before half-time performance
Mia and Jake riding the gator
Luke, Jake and Mia playing outside in Feb
Rick, Luke and Jake working at the pond in Feb
Boys working at the pond
Jake at the Dr
Jake at Dr appt
Jake with daddy at the dr

Can't imagine life without Jake!

Well, there isn't a lot to update! Jake is doing great and just goes with the flow! He seems very comfortable with our family and very happy. I wonder sometimes if he even remembers his former life even in this short amount of time. I am sure there are things he thinks about and that probably go on in his little mind but from all appearances he seems to be so content and happy with his new life.

He is getting closer and closer with each of the kids and loves to play and interact with them. He can't wait for them to all get home from school. He has so much fun at all the basketball practices and games and is doing great at church. He even stayed in the church nursery today! You should see him put his hands together and close his eyes to pray!....it melts my heart. He doesn't really say anything ...just makes sounds...but he says them in this barely audible whisper....it is so precious. We have kept him on a very good routine so that he knows what to expect each day and I think this has really helped him adjust. He LOVES his bath and will even lay on his back now (remember when he would only squat?) and tries to swim! He loves to brush his teeth...even tries on his own now. Then he goes to each of the kids rooms and gets in bed with them and says "nightnight" and kisses them and when he leaves he says, "ssshhhhh" in a whisper.

We rarely have any behavior problems ...nothing other than typical 19 month old stuff...and that isn't very often any more. He is sooooo smart! He knows when he is doing something he shouldn't be doing and after he does it he looks at it and says, "no no no" and runs to give me a hug (with that big cheesy grin) as to say..."oh mommy, you don't have to correct me!"

I took him up to the girl's school Friday b/c Nadia had forgotten one of her novels. Everyone was so excited to see him up there. He is so comfortable and confident in new environments...it is truly amazing. He was telling her class "HI" and blowing them kisses. We ran into Mia in the hall and she asked if I could bring him in her class for "Show and Tell". Her teacher and I got the biggest kick out of it. She stood in front of the class and told them all about him and Vietnam. He was quite the little flirt in front of everyone which made it even funnier. He may have been the first brother to have been THE show and tell at school.

We took our first family picture last week and it was quite an adventure. It is amazingly difficult to get 6 people all looking at the camera and smiling at the same time. I think it took us 2 hours to try to get the "perfect" picture and just as we almost got it....RICK raised his hand in the picture to keep Jake from raising his hand. Our photographer just about died! He told Rick he would ground him if he could! Needless to say, it was less than perfect and by the time we got a decent picture, we were all sweating and our hair was a mess! It will work for Jake's announcement...it has to!!! I am not doing that again for a while! It was way too stressful!

As you can see, life is busy and great. We can't remember life without Jake. In just a few weeks, it is like he has been with us forever. He brings so much joy to our lives. If you would have told me we would be at this point in just a few weeks I would never have believed it. God is so good! Have a great week. Natalie

Welcome Home Jake Tea Party Pictures

Jake meeting my best friend Patty for the first time! So many neat toys and clothes!

Good friends!
Jake received a doll that was called "Dress Me Jake"! Too Cute!
Mom, Jake and I, and the hostesses
The beautiful table setting

Jake has been home 1 month today!

Wow! I can't believe that Jake flew home one month ago today. Time has flown! It is amazing to see how far he has come in such a short amount of time. He is doing great! I really can't imagine our family without him. He is so happy and blends in as if he was with us from day 1. He is eating great, still on great sleep schedules, and rarely bites or hits anymore. He will occasionally think about it but has gained the self control to choose another outlet that is much more acceptable.

He has also learned more words and some signing which has been his greatest help to control any of his frustrations...he can now tell someone "no!" if he doesn't want you to take his toy or if he isn't done with his plate, etc. I know most people don't like to hear "NO" from their children...but it has been a great help in communicating for us. He has also learned mama, dada, nana (Nadia), mimi (Mia), Lu (Luke), up, down, done, more, eat, baba, dipe (diaper), kittykitty, nightnight, bye bye, hi, Lu Ooh (love you)etc. He can now point to his eyes, nose, ears, mouth and hair when we ask him to. He understands many other things we tell him. He has an amazing vocabulary for a 19 month old who has heard English for a total of 4 weeks. He is absolutely so cuddly, silly, happy and full of life. He has the most beautiful smile too! (and he loves to brush his pretty teeth now!) He loves to run off with the other three children and play with them. They are all doing so good and thrilled to have him as their brother.

Last Friday, some dear friends threw a "Welcome Home Jake" tea party. It was so fun. We had many friends there and Jake received so many new toys and beautiful clothes. It was wonderful to have so many share in our joy. He is loved by so many already. I will try to post some pictures of the tea soon.

Thank you so much for all of you who encouraged us and prayed for us on this long journey. We have so much to be thankful for and learned so much along the way. Very importantly, we know that God has His perfect timing in everything. There were many times we became impatient and frustrated waiting on our sweet Jake. We know he was perfectly chosen for our family and God's timing placed him perfectly in our home. We thank Him everyday for allowing us the honor to raise Jake. Every day I look at him and I am in awe that God would allow us to have this awesome gift. It is our hope that everything we do in raising our children will glorify God. Have a wonderful week. Natalie

" 'I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him.' " 1 Samuel 1:27

Just keeps getting better and better!

Well, I thought I would post another update on another ordinary day in the life of the Nelsons. We are getting into a great routine...I am all about schedule/routine if you couldn't tell by now. Jake is doing great and is more and more comfortable each day. Actually, if you didn't know us, you might think he has been with us forever. He is soooo happy every morning I wake him up and gives the most warm hugs you can imagine. He raises his head and looks at me to give me a kiss and buries his head back into my shoulder. Often he will just look at me and say "MaMA"...and I say, "YES, I AM your MaMa!". Can you even imagine a better way to start your day? Luke loves to be the first one in his room and says in a real high pitch voice, "Hi buddy!" Jake has learned to say approximately 10 words in English but understands a lot more of what we are saying. He is using some sign to communicate and it has helped his frustrations tremendously. His tantrums and hitting/biting episodes still occur but much much less (thank goodness).

Jake is still quite the ham. Every time we take him somewhere he waves and says loudly "HI HI" and then immediately starts blowing kisses to everyone. He loves the reaction he gets from everyone....all the ooohs and aaaahs. He loves to act silly and even when he does something bad he will look at us knowing we are displeased and smile big with his teeth showing and squint his eyes and give us this big look of "CHEEEEESE"....and like "how could anyone be upset with a cute silly fella like me?"!!!

We had the honor of speaking at a local CHI meeting Sunday afternoon and share our adoption story with some families. It was fun for everyone to see Jake too. He is quite the celebrity lately b/c everywhere we go someone will say, "Weren't you all on tv over the holidays?" Many people have recognized him around town and he doesn't shy away from the attention!

Now for the part that many of you will be a little uncomfortable with....

I got a call today from an individual I have never spoken with or met before. They live across the country but have been in contact with Tam Bihn 1 orphanage from their own personal adoption experience. They have become friends with the directors there b/c he is Vietnamese too and have kept in contact with them. The lady who loved Jake as her own got in contact with him and asked him to call me and check on Jake today. She is wanting updates and to keep in contact. Although somewhat reluctant to keep too close of contact, I do understand what she is going through. I gave him an update and he said he would contact her to tell her he is happy and bonding strongly with his new forever family. I pray it will give her some peace and comfort knowing that he has a family who loves him deeply and feels like God placed him in our lives with a great purpose. We have all committed to love him and provide a wonderful life for him.....we truly feel like he has been with us forever! Of course the first week was hard on everyone...but was to be expected. It is amazing how quickly he has adjusted and knows we are here for him forever.

Each night I rock him he just melts on me and before he goes to bed I sit him up and have him look at me and I take his hands and place them on me and say "Mama" . I then take his hands and place them on my heart and then hug him and say ,"LOVES"....and then I take his hands and place them on him and say "JAKE". He loves when I do this but is so calm as if he truly understands what I am saying and is soaking it completely up. Every time I rock him I can't help but think about the first 18 months of his life and how I wish I could have been there for him. I think about his past and I also think about his future. Tonight I kept whispering "Mama loves Jake" in his ear and he gave me a big hug and kissed me before I layed him down. I cannot even put into words how it makes me feel. I almost feel guilty saying that before I adopted I didn't know how the love would compare between a child I gave birth to and a child that we adopted. However, I can say with complete honesty, the love is no different. It may have taken me an extra week to feel "bonded" with him but I can tell you that even though I personally did not give him the "gift of life" I know and believe that God gave us the gift of Jake.
Have a wonderful week. Natalie

"For He planned in love for us to be adopted as His own children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the purpose of His will." Ephesians 1:5

Life is Great!

Things are finally coming together at the Nelson house! I am getting a routine together and things are going smoothly. Jake is doing AWESOME and he is so happy to fit right in....he was never too shy about it! :) Luke and Jake finally decided today that they were going to be buddies. They played together all day and had no problems. Now that the girls have started back to school it has finally hit them that it is just "us two brothers so we might as well have fun!". They are both on a great play, eat and nap schedule and I actually got some time today to pick up the house and do some laundry...it made me feel great. On top of that, I got my makeup on, hair curled and dressed at a decent time (I won't mention the time...but hey....it happened!)

The kids and I went to see my parents over New Year's (Rick was on call) and Jake got to meet all of his cousins and aunts and uncles (minus Jeff...but soon). He had no problem warming up to everyone and ended up playing in the play room with all the big guys each day. I really believe he sensed it was "all family" and was so at ease. I think everyone fell in love with him (and Jake knows it!....he likes to put on a show and make everyone laugh!).

He is such a great eater and takes a wonderful nap and goes to bed perfectly. He loves his bath but we are still battling brushing his teeth. He adjusted to the carseat and highchair beautifully too. I work hard every day to teach him that hitting, biting and tantrums aren't acceptable and we have worked on finding new outlets to let him show us when he is frustrated....I am telling you there has been some major improvements. He is bonding with me wonderfully....I think having Rick back at work forced him to come to me and trust me and meet all his daily needs. Last night he wanted me instead of dada!!!! YEA! We are working on his language and he has learned mama, dada, more (for food) , down(when he is done eating) , ball (thank you aunt Julie), hi and bye! He freely gives us lots of kisses and blows kisses and he LOVES to dance. He says many other things but I think they are in Vietnamese.... he will sign to us what he wants. Today when we went to pick up the girls from school he got so excited when he saw them he started yelling "YEA YEA YEA"! Once we got home, they all four took off upstairs playing together. It is amazing how well he has adjusted in such a short time. To be perfectly honest, the first few days were a little stressful, and I was unsure how well things would go. We have prayed everyday for guidance and patience and God has been very good to all of us. He always knows our needs and always has His perfect timing. We feel so blessed to have Jake in our lives. He has brought so much to each of us and he reminds us every day that love has no boundaries or borders. I love being a mother of four...life is certainly a lot more messy, chaotic and unorganized and I am learning to accept it joyfully! It is also more full of laughter, smiles, patience, hugs and kisses and I accept that joyfully too. Rick is threatening to hang a sign over our family room that says, "Nelson Daycare"....b/c that is what it looks like! I love it! Life is great!

Happy New Year

Jake is really adjusting better each day. He is a very happy little guy and is starting to realize that there is "6" of it in his new forever family. He couldn't quite understand in the beginning why we were all here....."shouldn't it just be me and daddy?" was the look he had for the first couple of days. He will now let me feed him, hold him and put him down for his naps and bedtime. He hasn't even cried the last couple of days when he knows it is bedtime.

We are still struggling with his "fits" ...he isn't sure of how to handle his frustrations or anger when things don't go exactly the way he wants them to....his natural instinct from the orphanage is to "fight to survive". They had to be strong willed to keep the toys they had or they might lose it to a bigger older kid! He is still not confident that we are not going to come up to him and take his things....so he will occasionally hit, throw, scream or open his mouth as he might bite. Our other three children never went through this so I am not completely sure of how to handle it! James Dobson to the Rescue!!! I am getting one of his books this week! I am using some of the methods taught to us through Growing Kids God's Way and they have been working. We used them on our other children and had much success with them. It is what we used on the bedtime training with Jake and he got it in two days! We have been correcting Jake in his fits and then he turns into a "noodle" and scoots across the floor screaming. Wow! It can be overwhelming at times but I have been staying very calm and helping him work through it. I know it sounds like he is having a hard time but I need to make myself clear that this has gone from numerous times a day to no more than 2-3 times a day. Most of the time he plays just fine and is very happy, giggly and cuddly. He will actually leave Rick long enough to go into the other rooms and play with the other children on his own and he has fun!

Today is my first day with Jake alone! Rick had to go back to work today and we took the other kids to ma and pa's house to be with all their cousins on New Years. We got home sooooo late last night and Jake is still sleeping! I can't wait to give him all of my attention and to see how he reacts when he has to be "totally" dependent on "mommy"! I pray he fully accepts me and gets an even stronger bond with me this week. Slow and steady wins the race and I am willing to do what it takes. I keep reminding myself that it is hard to trust women when you have been abandoned by your birth mother (for the hopes of a better life), the caregiver in the orphanage he was loved by so much gave him up for a better life (he doesn't understand that yet) SO, why would he trust this other new woman? He has been through a lot and I begin each day and end each day with a prayer for God to soften his heart to completely trust me and to give me the patience he will need from me until he is fully ready to totally accept me.

I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe New Year. We are excited to see what 2008 brings us. We know just having our family complete and together will bring us much joy. May God bless each of you.


Brothers!
Jake says "YEA" and Luke says "Do I have to share all my toys?"
Mommy on her birthday...best present ever....all my kids together!
Jake in his favorite spot...stuck on daddy like glue!