Found her guardian angels!

For those of you don't know, our princess has a pretty severe heart condition and somehow made it all the way to the University of Shanghai's Children's Hospital for open heart surgery. We know a guardian angel was watching and caring for her to make this incredible journey and save her life! So just searching on the internet for her orphanage and I found the organization that is working in her orphanage and are most certainly the ones who saved her!

I have emailed them and hope to at least thank them!

http://english.chinaconcern.org/about/locations/hengyang

And so the Baers Den Grows again!

We are super excited to announce that God has found us a precious little girl half way around the world in China! She is two years old and we have made the commitment to adopt her. We are praying God will help us to get her home by Christmas.

The story to this little one:

Don and I have both always known that we would probably adopt another child one day. Our lives were forever changed on February 4, 2008 when we walked in to an eerily quiet orphanage in Kirov, Russia. I can still smell and hear that place. I tear up thinking about it. And to think our son lived there for 8 months of his life. It is not where God wants children to grow up, He wants them to know the love of a family.

We started fostering because we could. I believe it is our duty as Christians to help the needy and the orphans of the world are the neediest. Oliver is growing and thriving in our family. We cannot imagine our lives without him, it is truly hard for me to believe I didn't birth either of the boys. We know that Matson was our miracle gift and so with his adoption tax credit we are paying it forward.

I frequently think about how I need to become closer to God. I am very firm in my faith and have what I consider to be a close relationship with God. However, I do not know the bible well and always feel it is one of my shortcomings as God's child. He calls, I follow and I talk to Him constantly. So I keep thinking if I started doing devotions each morning it will help me to grow, so I should make it my New Years resolution. On New Years Day this year I thought "once again I am not starting my devotions. Went to take Oliver to a movie and he decided he didn't want to see it so we went shopping and Brynn joined us. In Marshall's I saw a pretty book with lavender on the cover and I picked it up. It was a devotional starting on January 1st and it was $4.99. Thump thump thump! So every morning since it is how I start my day. LOVING IT!

Our thirteenth anniversary was in January. We left the boys with my parents for the weekend for the first time ever and went to St. Augustine for some couple time. On Sunday morning we were taking our time getting ready to head out for the day. I put my devotional on my bag to do in the car on the drive from Jacksonville to St. Augustine. Then I thought "why wait, do it now" so I did. It was about patience and letting God work his ways. To me it meant "be patient for Don's heart to be ready for our next adoption, let God work". Don asked me what it was about. And I told him, honestly I thought about lying to him. Well, it lead to a very tearful conversation and Don admitting he knew and that it was ok for me to push this time. He fought me with both of the boys and says all the time God knew and got the last laugh. I wanted him to come to me and be ready this time.

We headed down to St. Augustine and stopped at Village Inn for breakfast and their was an article in the paper about adopting from foster care, older kids, etc. So the conversation went on about how we both know after fostering that we cannot adopt a child older than our Oliver, maybe one day but not while he is so young. We don't want younger than Matson as we are getting older and are tired of babies and diapers. We both want to adopt what others may see as unadoptable. Don thinks our child is in foster care, I think he/she is in an orphanage.

We get to our new fancy smancy hotel and get on the trolley tour for the day. We end up feeling banged up and get off. We decide let's find some lunch. We walk through a street market and I am looking at amber jewelry (feel in love with it in Moscow) and I hear "nyet, nyet" and more in what I think is Russian by two ladies looking at the table next to me. I look for Don and he is way down the street. I catch up and tell him about the ladies. And he says "why didn't you say something to them?" and I said "I never know what to say, but could have since Oliver isn't here". We decide to go to Scarlet and Rhetts for lunch but cannot find a seat so down the street we go. We got to Sara's Crepe Cafe and guess what it is? A Russian cafe playing Russian music and filled with Russian things. We had lunch of pelmeni and belini. I cried and I think Don was a little teary too.....

So, I have spent the last 6 weeks on an investigation to find the right path for us. It seems to be China. Foster adoptions is not our avenue, inquired all over the place and to get a child between the boys in age that wouldn't require lifetime care is not going to happen anytime soon. Russia is too expensive. Ukraine to risky as it is all blind travel with no guarantees. Don is too old for some countries. And then I found our little peanut on a photo listing and as Don says "I knew you wouldn't let her go".....

There is more to the story and I will share as time goes on but please know I know without doubt God has me by the hand this time!

Goodbye 2011!

I am sitting home on New Years Eve with the boys all tucked in for the night, Don working and thought I should post a long over due post on our year, it has been crazy busy! If you don't know why just read and you will soon find out........

DON - Don received the promotion of a lifetime on October 1st. He was promoted to Battalion Commander of Life Safety (Fire Marshal) of North Naples Fire Control District. We was also accepted in to the master's program at Florida Gulf Coast University and is starting in January. It was a blessing in disguise when he couldn't get registered for classes in August due to an immunization/antibody glitch. He is excited to start on his masters so one day he can become a fulltime faculty member. He continues to teach at Edison State College a couple classes each semester. Too say he is busy is an understatement. He is still an awesome dad and husband!

TANYA - Busy staying home and raising kids. I turned 40 in May and we had a great family cacation at the beach with all the kids! LOVED IT! We had a three year old foster daughter from March until November this year. And, we ended up with J and E coming back to us in early August and they moved to different foster homes the end of October. It was a tough decision to move them but we think the right one for them. E needed much more care than we could give and given the dynamics of our relationship with them and their family it wasn't healthy for the kids to stay. Sad! We had 5 kids for 3 months, for a while they were 5,4,3,2 and 1 years old. I was was tired but did enjoy it! Now we are taking a break from fostering and I am going back to being a guardian ad litem (child advocate in the foster system). Hopefully, it will allow me to give the kids more time while still doing what my heart yearns for.

MICHELLE - Michelle had a very exciting year! In late May her and her boyfriend, Ben moved to Brooklyn, NY. Ben is doing a 5 year residency in orthopaedics there. They are doing really well and have adjusted to big city living. Michelle is working at infertility clinic and enjoying it. She works four 10 hour days each week and has extra time to explore the great city! We hope to venture that way this summer. She is headed home the end of January. I cannot believe we haven't seen her in so long........

STEPHANIE - Steph is doing awesome! She is preparing to graduate in May and looking forward to finding a job that doesn't involve waiting tables. She is also interested in pursuing her masters. She had a great internship in the fall working for a non-profit in Tampa. Her plate was a little full but it worked out in the end. Will be interesting where 2012 takes her. She visited Michelle for Christmas along with their mom and her husband. I keep wondering if she will be drawn to live closer to her sister......

BRYNN - Brynn has had a busy busy year. She didn't return to Stetson in January but instead returned to Edison to continue working on her degree. Part of the draw was her boyfriend here and some uncertainty about where she wanted to be. She was in an apartment for most of the year but moved home in October to prepare for her return to Stetson in January 2012! She has been working at Stir Crazy waiting tables outside of her class schedule. We are confident that she is going to soar at Stetson and do great things!

OLIVER - Oliver has had a busy year! He turned 4 in April and in August he started at Classical Christian Academy on Monday and Wednesday for Pre-K4. I do a homeschool curriculum on Tuesday with him. On Tuesday and Thursday he goes to a 2.5 hour speech class at a local elementary school. He met his goals in November and could be release from the program at anytime. He is learning to read and loves all things school related. His teacher said he is a "teacher's dream"........hard to believe in February we will celebrate four years of loving him......not sure where the years have gone.

MATSON - My holy cow busy boy! He had a wonderful birthday in June, double celebrations in Florida and then in Omaha with all the family. He took his first steps on his birthday! It was so cute. There is no stopping him! He has a mouthful of teeth and can climb anything. Other parents comment at the park at how well he plays and keeps up with the big kids. Having 4 older kids to keep up with this fall did him a world of good. He is an all around toughy and just loves to go!

May you have a wonderful year ahead! We look forward to seeing what 2012 holds for our family!

Tanya

So long my dear sweet boy

So sad and so hard to write about my little sweet boy, Theo. He was hit by a car on Friday night. He spent the night at the animal ER but on Saturday morning I made the hard decision to euthanize him. Brynn and I went together early in the morning and said our goodbyes to him and I held him as he took his last breaths. One of the hardest moments in my life. Nothing compared to rubbing my grandmother's feet as she took her last breaths almost 12 years ago but none the less a tough day. I am struggling with why I didn't put him on a leash but know it was an accident. Time will help me heal. He was buried next to his friend Anna. I must track a picture of the two of them down to post.

I spent Saturday struggling through tears and missing him being with me while I took my thousands of steps around the house. His cleaning up after the kids, his licking the shower walls, his laying at on my ottoman next to my feet, his pawing at my hand to be pet. The list goes on and on. I decided to start thinking about our next Papillon and looking at rescue sites. Most older Paps aren't as good with children, especially if they haven't been raised with kids. Well we are a house of kids and Theo was so good with them. So I started looking at breeders in Florida. I came across http://www.deannasragdolls.com/ and found a lady who breeds Ragdoll cats and Papillon dogs. One of her female Paps is named Cameo. Well, I have an old cat who is named Cameo. She looks to be at least part Ragdoll. And this lady has a male Ragdoll named Romeo, the name of my other cat. Her male Pap looks like my Theo. I decide this must be fate so I email Deanna. For those of you who don't know, I truly believe God gives us signs that we are making the right decisions. He was once again slapping me in the face. Deanna almost immediately emailed me back, Cameo is due in 6 weeks and her pups will be ready in about 14 weeks to go home. Perfect timing as that will be right after our summer vacations come to an end and we will be able to be home with a new puppy for sometime.

Now we have time to grieve our Theo and at the same time I have something to look forward to. It will not be a replacement of our beloved Teedoe (as Oliver calls him) but a new member of our family for us all to love and cherish. Thinking about a female this time around. Rest in peace Theo!!!

She is still here

Miss J is still with us. She is adjusting well and seems to be fitting in pretty nicely. Still lots of ups and downs but pretty darn good for a kid that has been through so much in three short years of life. Oliver likes her and they are learning how to get along. The play together endlessly and seem to be fighting less each day. I have been working hard today on getting her doctor, dentist and speech appointments. All things that should have been done in the 5 months she has been in foster care. Very sad that it didn't happen that way but I won't let grass grow under her feet any longer! Matson is a free man. He saw the craniofacial doctor on the 30th of March and looks wonderful. He has 8 more weeks of physical therapy and then hopefully we can move on to bigger and better stuff. He will be 10 months old tomorrow. So hard to believe!!! Oliver has his 4th birthday coming up. We were at my mom's last weekend so we did a little early celebrating with them. He got a Thomas cake and two floor puzzles. Oh how he loves puzzles. Not sure what I am doing for his birthday. Maybe I should work on it. Brynn is learning the not so wonderful realities of being an adult and living on your own. Work, work and school.....But, overall she seems happier. She has started stopping by more to see her brothers and I enjoy it too. Stephanie is counting down the days in the semester and really working hard on her grades this semester. Hard to believe she will be a senior in the fall.....She has also been working more than she would like but knows to take it and run. Michelle is working and working more. And, sadly it sounds like she may be leaving the sunshine state in August to follow her boyfriend to Brooklyn, NY where he is going to be doing his residency in orthopaedics. I hate to think about it but so want her to experience all this world has to offer. Love my kids more than I think they really know!

A New Little Visitor

On Friday night we got a new little visitor, Miss J. She is three years old and the cutest little thing. She reminds me so much of Brynn in appearance. Brown big curls and brown eyes. She was just supposed to stay until Monday morning but we have been told that the current foster family has asked that she be moved from their home. You can request this for any reason and they have 2 weeks to move her. They were going out of town this weekend thus us taking her. We have talked to the guardian ad litem about her staying with us as she seems to be a good fit for us and us for her so far. Why send her back to her foster home for her only to be moved again in a week or two? I am hoping the case manager and our agency agree on Monday and I can just pick up her stuff and she can stay her time in foster care with us. Poor little thing work up with the stomach flu this morning. Temp of 101 to 102 and throwing up. She has been a real trooper, making it to the bathroom every time so far. Oliver and Matson both have cold and I guess I do too. They both seem to like her fine. She like caring for Matson. Her and Oliver are going to have to work some things out but for the most part we are all doing great! Say a little prayer that the munchkin gets to stay and not add to her trauma by another move in the foster system......

Our Valentine's Gift

Matson Angelo officially became our son on Valentine's Day!!!! I am taking the blog off private and going to start seriously blogging and updating it. Brynn has her own blog brynnl.blogspot.com too!