Emmy's new toy....

EMMY IS LOVING HER NEW JUMPEROO!!! And I am able to get a lot more work done now that she has new and

School begins...

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL 2010

Lotts going on...

We have been quite busy here at the Lott house. With 5 kids, there is always something going on. ALWAYS! Our summer is coming to an end this week, and the kiddos are thrilled. They are at the point, where they are just plain bored these days! So, we have been really busy trying to get all of our supplies, book bags, lunch boxes, etc. The kids have really enjoyed getting everything together, especially Michael and Aidan. They are thrilled! They are so excited about kindergarten and riding the bus. Can't wait to see how long the excitement lasts???

I am still seeing my perinatologist every week, and so far so good. My cervix didn't shorten anymore, so obviously the "couch potato" thing is working. So, for now, we will keep it up. Thanks for the prayers, please keep them coming!!

We have had a pretty healthy couple of weeks as well, Emmy has not been in the hospital since July 11th, PRAISE THE LORD...we go to Aflac next week for her monthly check, so I am anxious to see what her blood counts are. Hoping that they have all improved. She had a rough day yesterday, I think her legs were bothering her, though in a 7 month old, it is really hard to tell!! Can you believe it?? Tomorrow our little punkin' is 7 months old. I cannot believe it!! She is so stinkin' cute. She is trying so hard to crawl, she almost has it, it won't be long. She sits up beautifully, and is starting to enjoy solid foods. She loves her high chair, so she sits at the table with us for every meal, and usually provides the other 4 kiddos with lots of meal time entertainment, she is in a new spitting stage!! The other 4 think it is hilarious, which Emmy thinks is hilarious! She is such a blessing!

Then there is Mr. Carlos, which much to everyone's dislike we will be changing his name to Carson. So from here on out I will refer to him as Carr or Carson. We have had him for 2 years, and have always called him Carr or Khari, so that when/if we adopted we could easily change his name to Carson, but that it would also not be too confusing if we didn't adopt. So, that is the story behind the name change. We have lots of reasons for changing it, but I will share those some other time!! He is doing great though, he is 100% potty trained and not even 2.5 years old yet. can you tell I am proud??? He did great with it! I am so thankful that I went ahead and did it, because I don't think I could have waited until he was 3. He is into everything as usual, but such a sweet heart. He is talking up a storm, and can say just about anything! He goes to school everyday, he really thrives on a set routine, and school has been great!! He loves it, and I love how much he is learning. He is also getting Spanish lessons at school, and Michael will start them as well. It is a good way for us to introduce them to their culture since the foster care system was so worried that 2 caucasian people couldn't raise 2 honduran boys!! I think that is so CRAZY! Anyway, Carr is doing great, he does have 3 little stitches in his head from where he fell at the pool Sunday night, but he is such a trooper. Like I said, that boy is into everything!! I LOVE IT!!! He is ALL-BOY!!!

Michael just turned 5, and is really starting to come into his own. It is so neat to watch. His little personality is starting to show! Much like Mina, Michael was very reserved and quiet until he knew for sure that we were adopting, and now all of a sudden he is a different child! IN A GREAT WAY!! He was great before, but wow, what a difference stability makes in a 5 year old. He is talkative, less introverted, less timid, etc. No more accidents, no more direct disobedience just to get a reaction....seriously, he is a different child!! He is doing fantastic and cannot wait for school to start on Friday!

Aidan....also doing great! He is super excited about Friday and his 1st day of school!! He is doing wonderfully, and I am so grateful that God blessed us with such a go with the flow kind of child! He has done so great with each adoption, and I am so thankful for that. He loves all of his brothers and sisters, but he has a special fondness of Emmy and her of him. It is so cute. She will laugh hysterically at him, and he will lay on the floor and play with her for hours! He is such a good big brother. I think he is getting excited about a new baby, the more we talk about Collier coming, the more he realizes he will have a sibling that looks like him. He always says, " Mina and Emmy are alike....Michael and Carr are alike....Who am I like? " SO, I think he is excited to see what baby, or who baby Collier looks like, and I think he is hoping for a little twin! HA!!!

Mina...she is about to start the 2nd grade! Can you believe it? I can't! She was this tiny little 3 year old when we got her, and now she is a snaggle-toothed 7 year old! She is doing great! She is a competitive gymnast, and is very good if I do say so myself!! She loves gymnastics, and it seems to really help with her confidence in other things as well! I love it! I love that she has found something that she enjoys, but that she is also extremely good at. If only gymnastics weren't breaking the bank, this sport is expensive!! :) She is quite the helper with the other 4, and loves to help with Emmy. She is an excellent big sister, and we are so proud of her and of who she is. She has come so far over the past several months, and we have enjoyed watching her change and grow. She is starting to really enjoy reading, and loves to read her Bible. She loves to read Bible stories to the boys, and act like she knows it all!! I love it! I love watching her grow and change!! She is such a sweetie!!

So, that about catches you up on our busy life!! Can't wait to update you on the 1st day of school!!!

Sweet moments with our kiddos...

Isn't it funny how the most simple things can make your kiddos so happy? Today was such a quiet day at home and they loved it! We went to my nieces birthday party this morning, and then spent the rest of the day at home. We all took naps, which was FABULOUS!!! After naps, we let the kiddos play the Wii, because it was storming outside, and that is the only time we really let them play it! Emory and I made dinner together, it was just spaghetti, but our kids were thrilled! Michael kept saying, "how did you know this is just what I wanted?" Love making them happy, especially when I wasn't even trying!

Next we made dessert together!! We made puppy chow, which is the first time the kiddos and I have made it together, and we made rice krispies!! We had a blast, the kitchen was a DISASTER afterward, but we had a blast!!

Excited about tomorrow! We are going to hang out at my parents pool for Michael's birthday bash, and then over to Emory's parents to have cake and treats with everyone, including Emory's grandparents!! Excited that they get to share our kiddos birthdays with us!

Pictures to come tomorrow of our newest 5 year old! :)

Welcome to Holland...

by Emily Perl Kingsley Print Version I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this... When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting. After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome To Holland". "Holland?!?" you say, "What do you mean "Holland"??? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy" But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay. The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place. So you must go and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met. It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around…and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills...Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts. But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy...and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned". And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away...because the loss of that dream is a very significant loss. But...if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things...about Holland. **I just really loved this! I just wanted to share it!

Couch Potato...

So, I had my 21 week check-up today! Loads of fun! I was hoping to be told that I could either continue coming every other week, or maybe even start coming once monthly!! They did a very detailed ultrasound, and Praise the Lord, baby Collier looks great. They had some trouble seeing his spine, so we will recheck that in a week, but other than that, I am carrying a healthy baby! WhooHoo!! No DOWNS, no anything that they can tell! They said he is growing better, still small, but he may definitely catch up, which is what we have been praying for!! God is sooo good!

So, that part of the appointment went fantastic. THen they measured my cervix, which is truly why I am seen every week or every week this far, my cervix is on the shorter side, and I already have a border-line incompetent cervix, so they follow the cervical measurements very close, in order to make sure I do not have a 2nd trimester miscarriage. Well, this week my cervix has shortened a lot, and the baby has dropped, and my placenta is on bottom, underneath the baby! I guess there are many troubles with this particular scenario, so they have put me on "couch potato" status as my Dr. called it. She said with 5 kids, she doesn't expect me to never get out of bed, but no lifting, no grocery shopping, no up and down stairs, etc. She said I can drive the kiddos to their activities and back and forth to school when we start back, but other than that, I need to be on the sofa! UGH!!! How am I going to stay on the sofa with just one kid at home, even with just Emmy! I did bedrest for 10 weeks when I was preggo with Aidan, it was horrible. I am the worst person in the world about movement, I am constantly going, so it will be really hard for me to slow down! Praise the Lord I work from home, or this could be even worse!

Anyway, for now it seems that this is the plan, so if you could...please pray specifically that my cervix will not shorten anymore, pray that I do not dilate, pray that Collier will stay where he is, pray that I do not have or get placenta previa, pray that Collier will stay in the womb as long as possible. At 21 weeks, there is nothing they can do, so we wait, and we pray that he stays where he is!!

Thanks for all the prayers, I will keep you updated!!

Flipsyde - Happy Birthday