Sunday, September 27, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Just because
Right click and open this post in a different window. It is about someone else who has sponsored through compassion and it's an amazing story that touched my heart. I am sure it will touch yours too!
I know I have posted a lot on Compassion International but I have really been impressed by them. I first saw information about them on Rebecca's web site and have wanted to sponsor a child for sometime now. From what I have seen and heard about this group, I have been very impressed. I know when we left Ethiopia it was hard to leave. I had seen so many people who COULDN'T get jobs, who were starving, who had NOTHING, and then to come back to somewhere that has so much, I knew I wanted to do more. I have also been bothered that families will give their children up for adoption because they can't afford them. To me it breaks my heart and is so unfair. I felt very happy we chose Gladney because I know that they do everything they can for the family so they won't have to put their child up for adoption, if they can't afford them. They offer to provide shelter, food, and whatever services they can to help the family.
Yesterday I got a call from Compassion telling me about the child we are sponsoring, what all he will receive, what else (if we want to) that we can do for him and his family, etc. The lady who called was so sweet and took a lot of time with me. It was neat hearing about everything compassion does, and nice to have someone answer all the questions I had. I was not expecting them to call and she THANKED me several times and stressed how much it helped families, communities, etc. Through compassion you can buy a mosquito net for your child and his/her family. They are $10 and someone will go out to instruct the family how to put the net up and care for it. One net is good for an entire family. Also you have the option to buy nets for the entire village. I thought that was neat. She told me that we can write letters to our child, and we will get letters back. I have a section where I can see updated pictures and read what is going on in his life. That if our child or his family had AIDS they would provide medicine, that he would be able to go to school because he would have a uniform (they can't go to school if they can't afford the uniform), and life necessities. His family has certain guidelines that they follow being in this program and they receive counseling as needed, have a church family to belong to, and also the family as a whole gets specific education. If the child you sponsor has other siblings your $38 dollars helps everyone, the whole family. They have one child per family sponsored so that there are more children and families who are reached. I thought that was a good idea. In the Ethiopia program you can sponsor your child until they are 20 years old. If your financial status changes you can cancel support at any time. You have the ability to meet your child and his/her family if you plan on visiting the country they are from. Also when you support one child another child, a new child, can be added to the program. I did ask about the children that currently don't have a sponsor. She said they still are in the program so they receive most of the services. They just don't have a specific family that they write to, don't go to school (if they are not already in school) b/c they can't afford the uniforms, but that they do take care of medical needs, and provide almost all of the services. She said they are able to do this from the donations they receive. I was glad to hear it. Anyway check it out for yourself. I feel blessed to be able to do this and have enjoyed the program SO much in this short period of time.
I know I have posted a lot on Compassion International but I have really been impressed by them. I first saw information about them on Rebecca's web site and have wanted to sponsor a child for sometime now. From what I have seen and heard about this group, I have been very impressed. I know when we left Ethiopia it was hard to leave. I had seen so many people who COULDN'T get jobs, who were starving, who had NOTHING, and then to come back to somewhere that has so much, I knew I wanted to do more. I have also been bothered that families will give their children up for adoption because they can't afford them. To me it breaks my heart and is so unfair. I felt very happy we chose Gladney because I know that they do everything they can for the family so they won't have to put their child up for adoption, if they can't afford them. They offer to provide shelter, food, and whatever services they can to help the family.
Yesterday I got a call from Compassion telling me about the child we are sponsoring, what all he will receive, what else (if we want to) that we can do for him and his family, etc. The lady who called was so sweet and took a lot of time with me. It was neat hearing about everything compassion does, and nice to have someone answer all the questions I had. I was not expecting them to call and she THANKED me several times and stressed how much it helped families, communities, etc. Through compassion you can buy a mosquito net for your child and his/her family. They are $10 and someone will go out to instruct the family how to put the net up and care for it. One net is good for an entire family. Also you have the option to buy nets for the entire village. I thought that was neat. She told me that we can write letters to our child, and we will get letters back. I have a section where I can see updated pictures and read what is going on in his life. That if our child or his family had AIDS they would provide medicine, that he would be able to go to school because he would have a uniform (they can't go to school if they can't afford the uniform), and life necessities. His family has certain guidelines that they follow being in this program and they receive counseling as needed, have a church family to belong to, and also the family as a whole gets specific education. If the child you sponsor has other siblings your $38 dollars helps everyone, the whole family. They have one child per family sponsored so that there are more children and families who are reached. I thought that was a good idea. In the Ethiopia program you can sponsor your child until they are 20 years old. If your financial status changes you can cancel support at any time. You have the ability to meet your child and his/her family if you plan on visiting the country they are from. Also when you support one child another child, a new child, can be added to the program. I did ask about the children that currently don't have a sponsor. She said they still are in the program so they receive most of the services. They just don't have a specific family that they write to, don't go to school (if they are not already in school) b/c they can't afford the uniforms, but that they do take care of medical needs, and provide almost all of the services. She said they are able to do this from the donations they receive. I was glad to hear it. Anyway check it out for yourself. I feel blessed to be able to do this and have enjoyed the program SO much in this short period of time.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Worth your time
Check out this blog TOXIC BOTTLE OF WATER post. It's great and well worth your time.
Also check this site out. It was left on one of my posts. This is about a group of college guys from Texas A&M who will sponsor one child through Compassion for every 100,000 views of a YouTube video of some basketball stunts. The video has been up for about a month and already has over 400,000 views. So so far 4 kids! Awesome! Maybe watch this and sponsor a child yourself too!
Also check this site out. It was left on one of my posts. This is about a group of college guys from Texas A&M who will sponsor one child through Compassion for every 100,000 views of a YouTube video of some basketball stunts. The video has been up for about a month and already has over 400,000 views. So so far 4 kids! Awesome! Maybe watch this and sponsor a child yourself too!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
7 boys... make that 8
9-21-09Last night I was very excited as I went to post and there were 10 boys waiting to be sponsored. Then as I posted the number went to eight. We selected our child and it made 7. Sadly one of the boys did not end up getting sponsored so we are back to 8. If you can sponsor one of these boys it would be a great thing.
9-20-09
There are 8 boys still on Compassion's web site that have waited more than 6 months for someone to sponsor them. To see them click the link above "8 boys", it will take you to the site. Then you'll need to find Country and select Ethiopia. Next find Longest Waiting and change it to yes. Hit search and voila! It takes $38 a month for these children to get food, medical support, education, etc. It is a great program and tax-deductible.
Only $38 per month connects your child with a loving, church-based program that provides:
• Educational opportunities
• Critical health care
• Safe and healthy recreation
• Social development
• Opportunities to know Christ and grow in faith
You can also go to Compassion's main site. I did a search for children from Ethiopia who have waited longer than 6 months and that is how I found these boys. There are children from all over the world. Check it out!
9-20-09
There are 8 boys still on Compassion's web site that have waited more than 6 months for someone to sponsor them. To see them click the link above "8 boys", it will take you to the site. Then you'll need to find Country and select Ethiopia. Next find Longest Waiting and change it to yes. Hit search and voila! It takes $38 a month for these children to get food, medical support, education, etc. It is a great program and tax-deductible.
Only $38 per month connects your child with a loving, church-based program that provides:
• Educational opportunities
• Critical health care
• Safe and healthy recreation
• Social development
• Opportunities to know Christ and grow in faith
You can also go to Compassion's main site. I did a search for children from Ethiopia who have waited longer than 6 months and that is how I found these boys. There are children from all over the world. Check it out!
Ahh sweet silence
I have really enjoyed the weekend. I haven't got to slow down and relax in so long. I never understood what moms meant when they said they spent extra time in the bathroom just so they could have some alone time, or when they talked about how little time that they got to themselves. I understand it now. I remember thinking that they must be wrong, how hard can it be? You can just take your child everywhere and it's no different than when your by yourself. Also, when they are in bed at night, or napping you have so much free time, etc. I didn't realize that trips to the store meant putting the baby in the car seat, fighting over the seat belts trying to get everything done while little arms move about everywhere, loading the groceries into the vehicle with a child in your arms b/c the cart is dirty, the car is hot, and they just threw up on the cloth cart protector. Loading the baby back into the car seat to notice that someone has a wet diaper that CANNOT wait. There are no longer "quick" trips to a store! I didn't realize by the time you put your baby to bed you would be just as exhausted and would want to sleep yourself. Motherhood has so many joys but it does keep you busy! I would use the bathroom trick or others I have heard about but most of the time it's just K and I and it wouldn't work so well!
Oh and one last thing. I hope I don't confuse everyone as K, Nati, and Nataga are all names we use for Nataga and I use them randomly in posts! "K" is the first letter of the name we gave him and Nataga is his Ethiopian name. They called him Nati while we were in Ethiopia, it's fun and something we call him a lot! We actually use all 3 name ourselves so that is probably why I interchange them as much as I do.
Oh and one last thing. I hope I don't confuse everyone as K, Nati, and Nataga are all names we use for Nataga and I use them randomly in posts! "K" is the first letter of the name we gave him and Nataga is his Ethiopian name. They called him Nati while we were in Ethiopia, it's fun and something we call him a lot! We actually use all 3 name ourselves so that is probably why I interchange them as much as I do.
Post Crazy
Not to be confused with going crazy and postal!
Since I have had a little bit of time this weekend I have went post crazy. We celebrated Nataga turning one today. A few days ago I was at school and David was working so we didn't get to celebrate like we wanted to. Yes, I had two tests on his birthday, what a way to celebrate- YUCK! Today we got to have "our family" party (the three of us).
There are several posts and if there is anyone out there that actually reads our blog some of the posts go to the next page so you'll have to click on "older posts" to see everything I've posted. Sorry! Like I said, I'm doing it while I can!
Who needs a fork? This way is much faster, easier, and less clean up!
Um... UMMM... GOOD!
Since I have had a little bit of time this weekend I have went post crazy. We celebrated Nataga turning one today. A few days ago I was at school and David was working so we didn't get to celebrate like we wanted to. Yes, I had two tests on his birthday, what a way to celebrate- YUCK! Today we got to have "our family" party (the three of us).
There are several posts and if there is anyone out there that actually reads our blog some of the posts go to the next page so you'll have to click on "older posts" to see everything I've posted. Sorry! Like I said, I'm doing it while I can!
Earlier today...
I didn't get these in the right order. this one should have came after the post of him on the blue blanket with his cake.
The floor was getting a bit messy so we moved over to the high chair. You would have thought we were at a cake eating contest, he was shoveling it in!
Finger licking good!
Getting every last bit of the goodness.
Bath time
On another note I put Nataga down b/c he was wiggling so much and he (crawl) SPRINTED for the bathroom. Where did I find him? Beside the tub doing whatever he could to get himself into it! What better way to spend a birthday?
Also we found out a great hair secret! K's hair is so soft and looks great thanks to a co-worker of my husband. He saw K's hair on the blog and said we needed to do something... You know it's not good when someone says they saw your kids hair looking bad on a BLOG!!He recommended Silken Child to us. As you can tell it has butterflies and rainbows on the bottle and says "You go girl" on it.
BUT it works great. When he gets older I'll have to disguise it and put it in plain colored bottles so his friends don't make fun of him!!! Still, since we've been using it we've noticed a HUGE difference. If you are having ANY hair problems with your baby/child, try it out. You can get it at Sallie's Beauty Supply and it's amazing. It also works on bi-racial babies and you know hard their hair is to manage!
Also we found out a great hair secret! K's hair is so soft and looks great thanks to a co-worker of my husband. He saw K's hair on the blog and said we needed to do something... You know it's not good when someone says they saw your kids hair looking bad on a BLOG!!He recommended Silken Child to us. As you can tell it has butterflies and rainbows on the bottle and says "You go girl" on it.
BUT it works great. When he gets older I'll have to disguise it and put it in plain colored bottles so his friends don't make fun of him!!! Still, since we've been using it we've noticed a HUGE difference. If you are having ANY hair problems with your baby/child, try it out. You can get it at Sallie's Beauty Supply and it's amazing. It also works on bi-racial babies and you know hard their hair is to manage!
Actually, this is a face that we get often and it is hard to catch on camera. It is so funny b/c he squints up his eyes and then turns his head and smiles. He looks so silly doing it.
How you know your kid has too many toys... when the toy basket is bigger than they are!
Saturday, September 19, 2009
He Walks!!!
What does turning one year old bring? A walking boy! We ARE very excited as he has been SO close for months now! We just don't know what we are in for yet (I know all of you who have kids out there are reading this and thinking "Just wait!" with an evil laugh). Right now we are happy he has taken the next step (in more ways than one).
It's amazing to me that two years ago on Nati's birthday we sent in our application to Gladney. A year later he was born and our wonderful son turned one this week.
We have a child:
who cries nonstop when I take objects out of his mouth (ie: recently a dead bug, cat fur, dirt, leaves, whatever little thing he can find on the ground)
who is full of energy
Who says "YUMMMMM..." when he eats something he likes and then licks his lips
who loves the Itsy Bitsy Spider
loves to sing and dance to music
is very interested in how things work
LOVES touch and feel books
loves to clap and squeal in delight for any occasion
LOVES water (to swim, bath time... etc)
Who cries if I put him down b/c he just wants to be held, but squirms when I hold him b/c he just wants down :)
Who think people are trampolines
Who tells us he loves us all of the time
who loves to give us hugs and kisses
Who can't sleep without a snuggly item (bear, blanket, etc)
Who lights up our lives and brings us great joy
Who is so sweet to watch sleep and fun to watch play
Who has the best laugh
... he is a happy little guy and the joy of our lives.
We are so blessed by this child and I thank God for bringing him into our family. He couldn't be a better fit. We are proud parents who think our son is the greatest!
What else? We also received his birth certificates on his birthday! How awesome is that, the timing was too perfect?! Happy Birthday Nataga!
To send a net... or two...
In addition to the last post I wanted to add:
This link will take you directly to the part of the site where you can donate Nothing But Nets a net. Or for the main site click here. The cost is $10/net or if you can't do that there is a place where you can donate what you can. There is, of course, a way to donate more! Pretty cheap and it will save a life. Don't forget to include a message with your net. There is also a net-o-meter so you can see how many nets have been donated! We have SO much (stuff, money, etc.) why not "share the wealth". I know the difference one of these nets can make as our sons parents died from malaria. One less orphan, lives prolonged... I am SO glad to have our son but would have gladly given $10 to keep him and his birth family together. I HATE that people die for such simple reasons.
How else can you help the children of Ethiopia, the world? Check out this site: Compasson. You can select the country, child, etc. you would like to sponsor. FYI: A lot of the kids from Ethiopia have been waiting 6 months or longer for someone to sponsor them. Its a great program and tax-deductible. $38 per month connects your child with a loving, church-based program that provides:
• Educational opportunities
• Critical health care
• Safe and healthy recreation
• Social development
• Opportunities to know Christ and grow in faith
This link will take you directly to the part of the site where you can donate Nothing But Nets a net. Or for the main site click here. The cost is $10/net or if you can't do that there is a place where you can donate what you can. There is, of course, a way to donate more! Pretty cheap and it will save a life. Don't forget to include a message with your net. There is also a net-o-meter so you can see how many nets have been donated! We have SO much (stuff, money, etc.) why not "share the wealth". I know the difference one of these nets can make as our sons parents died from malaria. One less orphan, lives prolonged... I am SO glad to have our son but would have gladly given $10 to keep him and his birth family together. I HATE that people die for such simple reasons.
How else can you help the children of Ethiopia, the world? Check out this site: Compasson. You can select the country, child, etc. you would like to sponsor. FYI: A lot of the kids from Ethiopia have been waiting 6 months or longer for someone to sponsor them. Its a great program and tax-deductible. $38 per month connects your child with a loving, church-based program that provides:
• Educational opportunities
• Critical health care
• Safe and healthy recreation
• Social development
• Opportunities to know Christ and grow in faith
Because it is real...
In Africa, a child dies of malaria every 30 seconds.
The word malaria is derived from the Italian for "bad air" because of the early belief that the disease was caused by breathing the stale, warm, humid air found in swamps.
The poliovirus consists of exactly 11 genes, whereas the malaria genome includes more than 5,000.
A company based in Maryland, USA, is working on a malaria vaccine that attempts to attack all of malaria's genes. The company is called Sanaria, when means "healthy air."
Of the four kinds of malaria parasites, known as Plasmodium, that can infect humans, the most dangerous is called falciparum. When a flaciparum parasite invades a liver cell, it produces more than 30,000 daughter cells, which are released into the blood when the liver cell ruptures. Recent studies suggest that the parasite is showing resistance to the most potent drug use to combat malaria, called artemisinin.
In 1880, A French army surgeon stationed in Constantine, Algeria, discovered parasites in the blood of patients suffering from malaria, For this achievement, Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran won the Nobel Prize in 1907. Sir Ronald Ross, a British army general, won a Nobel Prize in 1902 for proving that mosquitoes spread malaria. The disease it transmitted by the female Anopheles mosquitoes.
Insecticide-treated mosquito nets are the principal way to protect children from nocturnal Anopheles mosquitoes that feed indoors. Arecent survey of 2,960 households in Kenya found that 92 percent of the children whose families had at least one net had slept under it the night before the survey was conducted. The same study showed that less than 60 percent of the families surveyed owned a net, which cost about $10. Since May 2006, the nonprofit Nothing But Nets had raised more than $18 million and purchased more than 700,000 treated nets.
Worldwide, malaria is the fourth-leading cause of death in children under five years old. Potentially lifesaving treatments for the disease can cost less than $3; one of the most popular treatments cost less than 15 cents a dose.
-Jason Grotto, THE ROTARIAN, May 2009
This isn't something that just kills children. A lot of orphans in Ethiopa have lost parents due to malaria. I was excited to hear that they are working on a treatment and thought I would share my findings.
The word malaria is derived from the Italian for "bad air" because of the early belief that the disease was caused by breathing the stale, warm, humid air found in swamps.
The poliovirus consists of exactly 11 genes, whereas the malaria genome includes more than 5,000.
A company based in Maryland, USA, is working on a malaria vaccine that attempts to attack all of malaria's genes. The company is called Sanaria, when means "healthy air."
Of the four kinds of malaria parasites, known as Plasmodium, that can infect humans, the most dangerous is called falciparum. When a flaciparum parasite invades a liver cell, it produces more than 30,000 daughter cells, which are released into the blood when the liver cell ruptures. Recent studies suggest that the parasite is showing resistance to the most potent drug use to combat malaria, called artemisinin.
In 1880, A French army surgeon stationed in Constantine, Algeria, discovered parasites in the blood of patients suffering from malaria, For this achievement, Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran won the Nobel Prize in 1907. Sir Ronald Ross, a British army general, won a Nobel Prize in 1902 for proving that mosquitoes spread malaria. The disease it transmitted by the female Anopheles mosquitoes.
Insecticide-treated mosquito nets are the principal way to protect children from nocturnal Anopheles mosquitoes that feed indoors. Arecent survey of 2,960 households in Kenya found that 92 percent of the children whose families had at least one net had slept under it the night before the survey was conducted. The same study showed that less than 60 percent of the families surveyed owned a net, which cost about $10. Since May 2006, the nonprofit Nothing But Nets had raised more than $18 million and purchased more than 700,000 treated nets.
Worldwide, malaria is the fourth-leading cause of death in children under five years old. Potentially lifesaving treatments for the disease can cost less than $3; one of the most popular treatments cost less than 15 cents a dose.
-Jason Grotto, THE ROTARIAN, May 2009
This isn't something that just kills children. A lot of orphans in Ethiopa have lost parents due to malaria. I was excited to hear that they are working on a treatment and thought I would share my findings.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
He Claps
It might not sound like such a great accomplishment but we've been working on this for 6 months! We were all eating breakfast Sunday morning when Nati started clapping! We were VERY exctied! He claps now when he thinks something is finished- when he is finishes eating, when a song finishes, etc.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
A first birthday party!!!
Keep scrolling b/c as usual I coudln't get all the pictures I wanted to in!
The fun ctd.
Ooooo... money, toys, and a first birthday. Can life get any better? I suggest that it cannot!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
