Birthdays

    Birthdays are a big deal in our house. We love to celebrate and like decorating for a theme. This year, the theme was Sharks. We decided to celebrate both boys birthdays at the same time. JT's birthday is in May and Jonah's is in July. So, the party was to be in June. 
    So far for JT's birthday we have put out pools for the kids to swim in, if it was warm enough. This year since the party was in June we decided to rent the coolest water slide ever! We had a little pool as well for those who didn't want to brave the big water slide. 
    The slide was dropped off at 7am and picked up at 8pm. There may have been a 15 minute period were no one was on the slide. All the kids loved it. They had a wonderful time. We had friends, family neighbors and at the end of the evening even our "big kid" neighbors went on. It was a wonderful day.
We are very bad at taking pictures at events. We are having too good of a time. There are no pictures of the table set up and none of the delicious cake pops that were served as party favors. So this is what we got.....

Bubbe Stell going down!

Happy Birthday Boys! We love you. As much as you drive us nuts and test our every move, we are honored to be your parents! 

We Have A Graduate

We are very behind on blogging and will one day catch up. But today was a very special day for JT. He graduated pre-school. He is so excited and can not wait to go to Kindergarten. 
JT switched pre-schools this February. He walked in his new school liked he had been there for years. He loved his Jewish school. He loved his teacher Morah (Hebrew for teacher) Sheryl. The talked about God and celebrated Shabbat each Friday. The kids line up with their Kippahs or Yamakas (whatever you like to call  them) on and headed to the sanctuary for Shabbat. They sang songs and learned some Hebrew. He has been teaching us some really good stuff!
Grandpa Al joined JT in his celebration. We started out in the classroom and JT showed us some of his work. Then as a group, the kids said a blessing for each other. We all then went to celebrate Shabbat.
During Shabbat, the Rabbi said a special blessing to all the graduates. The kids loved it. 
We went out for lunch as a family and headed back in the evening to the school (temple) for a picnic dinner and a Family Shabbat service. JT got to see his teacher and friends one last time. It was a great day.

All the kids hugging after they blessed each other! Don't mind JT's  wedgie!

Heading to Shabbat. 

Grandpa Al

Getting blessed by the Rabbi

The Graduates

Morah Sheryl

Officially A Waiting Family

After bringing Jonah home, it wasn't long that we wanted to adopt again. Our agency was no longer accepting applications for infants from Ethiopia because the waiting list was too long at that point. We were all set to adopt a little boy from Burundi (look it up on a map!) This was a pilot program with the agency we used for Jonah and we were accepted into the program based on the fact that we had adopted from Africa before. After long thought and many reasons why, we decided that we were not going to enter the Burundi program. 
We found a new agency that was still accepting applications for infants from Ethiopia. This would be perfect for Jonah and our next little boy to be. When all the kids are older we can make a trip to one country! Jonah and our next guy will always have their birth country in common. 
Of course it will be another year or so but being a "Waiting Family" is big in the adoption world. We haven't said too much but JT is very excited to have another brother. In the meantime we are busy with our two boys and enjoying the great weather. 
Sent to us today......


Dear Kevin Heilbronner & Erin Brauer,

I just wanted to send you this quick email to let you know that your dossier has been sent back to our office from Washington D.C. You are now on the waiting list for a referral!  We will be keeping your dossier in queue here in  the St. Louis office until it is time to be expressed to Ethiopia. Congratulations on having this piece behind you!! You're now a waiting family!!

After you have accepted a referral, the dossier will be translated and authenticated, and presented to the Ministry of Women's Children's and Youth Affairs (MOWCYA), which is the first entity in Ethiopia to approve you to adopt the child.

Waiting for a referral can really be a difficult wait for most families. We suggest keeping busy and doing those things that you may not have a chance to do once your child comes home. You also will want to read as much as you can related to raising adopted children, bonding and attachment, transracial adoption, Ethiopia, etc. etc., and you may even want to  start learning some phrases in Amharic.

This would also be a good time to look into the immunizations that you will need for your trip. Some immunizations are good for  3, 5 and even 10 years so it's not too early to start. Visit www.cdc.gov/travel . Information is also noted in the CHI Ethiopia Travel Guide located on the CHIFamily.net website.

Please know that we are here to support you during your wait and answer any questions that you might have.

Congratulations again, you are one step closer to bringing your little one home!!!


Blessings,


Angie Thorn
Ethiopia Adoption Consultant

My Tzeli Monster

I wrote this last March. In the last year we learned Tzeli had Diabetes and was just diagnosed with Cushing's Disease. Because of this disease we would never be able to control the Diabetes. We knew it was time to say good bye. Tomorrow, Tzeli will take her journey and see Mia and Venus (my old dog dog from childhood) We will miss Tzeli a lot. Even with 2 dogs over 100 pounds in the house, Tzeli was always the head lady of the house and always showed them who was boss. We hope she travels safely and enjoys a healthy life in Doggie Heaven.

Last March......

It was Thanksgiving break back in 1999 when I went to go look at dogs for fun. I came home with Tzeli. We all know you can never "just look." Our first night together, she snuggled under my armpit and slept all night long. She came back to ECU with me and lived with Teresa and Laura, my roommates. When I had swim practice at 6am. I would bring her in Teresa's room so she had someone to snuggle with. She met her sister Mia that year even though Mia lived in another household for a few years after that before returning to us . (long story!) She had a lot of "Aunts." She spent my Senior year with me and then got to live with her Aunt Sloaner. Sloaner loved Tzeli and gave her, her very own PP (Princess Pillow). (Just a pillow that Tezli would perch herself on) She enjoyed eating Sloan's underwear, along with many of mine and ate through a tapestry as well. She got a virus that year and had to spend the night at the vet. That was the first time I cried over a pet thinking she would die. She bounced back and saw me graduate in December 2000. We then made the trip back to Virginia.

Tzeli went through everything with me. She saw me through 2 boyfriends (the only 2 I really had), saw me start my career as a teacher and had the honor of staying with her friend Kayleigh during the day so she wouldn't be lonely. She was there when Mia got to come home forever and then she got to meet her Daddy, (Kevin). She then took in her brother Zeus who was 10 times her size, yet still always showed him who was boss. Tzeli had a "reading" at our wedding and then moved to a new house.

Over the years Tzeli has welcomed her two brothers JT and Jonah. She has had to say good bye to her beloved sister Mia. She sat by the rug by the door for 2 weeks after we had to put her to sleep. Jonah who was afraid of dogs when he first came home, spent the day today kissing her over and over again.

For some reason, Tzeli has lost an extreme amount of weight in the last 3 weeks. She is peeing all over the place and licking it up. We know she probably has cancer and Cushings disease but we have already done lots of blood work and don't find it necessary to bring her back to vet. She is dying and there isn't anything we can do about.

We have tried to prepare JT for Tzeli's journey to Doggie Heaven and he understands that Mia is there waiting for Tzeli at the pearly white gates. We haven't made the decision of when that will be and I am just hoping she will pass in her sleep while at home. We both know that probably won't happen but we will try to hold out until we can come to finally say, "It's time."

We have been through this before. I talk about Mia everyday and I wouldn't go with Kevin to put her to sleep. Only because she was a hyper beast and I couldn't bare to take my hyper, crazy dog, who happened to be very sick and put her to sleep.

Tzeli is very ill. She has no energy, yet still eating and she got to live almost 12 great years. She slept in our bed, usually in between our legs every night. She had a great life and the best thing about her was that although she was only 15-20 pounds, she thought she was 150 pounds and acted like she would kill anyone who tried to hurt me. She was a pain on walks and annoying every time someone came over or rang the doorbell, but we love her. She was my first baby. Even though everyone knows Mia was my favorite, I do love my Tzeli Monster and we have a lot of memories and history together.

We love you Tzeli. In the meantime, we hope your last days are comfortable and happy for you.

Helping Mia celebrate her birthday.

Tzeli waiting for JT to come home from the hospital.

He Can Breathe!

Jonah has had a runny nose since the day we brought him home. All the kids at the Horizon House had runny noses and a congested chest. We used a nebulizer for the first 6 months. We got sick of being confined to a nebulizer, twice a day mind you, and stopped using  it.  He never seemed to improve. 
He also always had ear infections. Not that he ever showed signs of discomfort but he had drainage coming from his ears. Gross, I know. We finally had to stop using Amoxicillin because he was getting immune to it. So we used ear drops. He failed his hearing test completely and at the time, could not hear. Tubes were put in his ears and the ear infections stopped. (for awhile anyway)His hearing was improving and he qualified for Speech Therapy.  About 6 months later, more drainage was coming from the ears. Jonah just smiled through it all.  Back to the ENT we went.
The ENT said the tubes were still in and if they are not doing their job maybe it was time to look at the adenoids. If you don't know what they are, like we didn't, they are like tonsils behind your nose that you don't see. They do us no good and you don't need them. I am not sure why we have so many body parts that are useless and cause us trouble! God needs to catch up to the times here and start making us with only necessary parts!
After looking down Jonah's nose, which was so cool by the way, we saw there was blockage from the adenoids. Surgery was suggested. We wanted a child who could breathe through his nose, not have snot coming out of nose 24/7, could close his mouth and stop drooling and be able not only to taste food but to eat food without gaging on it because he couldn't breathe while chewing.  So, surgery it was. They were also going to give him new tubes in his ears.
We were told it would take about a week for Jonah to not be in any pain and be himself again. Jonah was of course groggy from  the anesthesia but when he woke up from his nap, he was back to his old self. Amazing child, we know! 
Jonah had 100% blockage from his adenoids. They were very infected and for those who like the gorey details, when the were removing them, they were so infected that puss and all the other junk was so bad it drained into his trach tube and that had to be cleaned out. Gosh, how I wish I was in that surgery room! The doctor said he should be a whole new man now.
Well, he is! Jonah can breathe through his nose! He has not had a runny nose since the surgery. He can eat without throwing up, has a dry shirt at the end of the day and can drink from a water bottle or anything for that matter. He still keeps his mouth open most of the time. I will go in his room at night and try to close his mouth when he is sleeping but he just wakes up and looks at me and says, "Hi." I tell him he can breathe through his nose now and he doesn't need to keep his mouth open. Then he goes back to sleep, with his mouth open. The doctor said it will take a long time for him to brake that habit. 
With therapy his speech is improving. It's a whole new world out there when you can hear and breathe. 
Jonah has had two surgeries this year, Kevin and I have both had one each. We are hoping to stay away from hospitals this year and enjoy a year full of health. JT is leading the way! Happy Holidays and Happy New Year.

Getting Ready for the big race.

All the boys are ready to go....

The pilgrim hat brings good luck.

Jonah's first race.

They finished the race. Until next year....

5 Months Gone By

I guess we are not so good at keeping up to date. Summer has passed us by and we are well into Fall. Here is a brief recap of the last 5 months!
We enjoyed our summer by going to the pool several days a week and of course spending a week at our favorite place, Ocean Isle Beach. This was Jonah's first trip to the beach. Both kids loved the sand, water and playing with all their cousins.

JT practiced his teaching skills to help get Jonah ready to start pre school.

We went back to Cox Farms this year with the Harrison family. Jonah enjoyed being able to go down the slides this year and baby Kaija was a new addition.

In the last two weeks we have been a traveling family. Our first trip was to Florida for a 96B reunion. That was our adoption group number for the families we traveled to Ethiopia with. There were 4 families. One family flew from CA, one from MN, one from FL and us. We all went to Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. That is were one of the families live. Our hotel was on the beach. We went to visit an alligator farm and celebrated a birthday with adults only! The kids had a wonderful time hanging out and getting to know each other. It was so great to see everyone and how all the kids had grown and their siblings that we never got to meet.

Since we were already in FL, our family spent a little more time and went to Sea World and went to visit Mickey Mouse!

Our last trip was this past weekend to visit and celebrate Kevin's parents 50th wedding anniversary. The kids loved seeing their cousins and we stayed up north to celebrate Halloween. Jonah sported the peacock outfit and JT was Shrek. Jonah refused to wear the hood part of the costume so we never got the full effect. But he did love his orange tights!

We hope we can do a better job at keeping this up. Otherwise we will beck in 5 more months.....

Miss Agnes

We introduce to you Miss Agnes Mia Brauer Heilbronner. We will just be calling her Agnes. Think of an old, wrinkly lady. That is what she will become. She is an English Mastiff who does not drool too much!She comes to us at 9 weeks old, weighing in at about 25 pounds. Her father weighs 210 pounds and her mother weighs 160 pounds. We have high hopes for her hugeness. She is already a lazy, wrinkly beast. That's the way we like them. We waited almost exactly four years to add a third dog to the family after Mia's passing. We always said we wouldn't have three dogs again but here we are. 
 She is as cute as can be. JT and Jonah love her. Poor Tzeli is totally blind and can not see her but she is fine with Agnes. Then there is Zeus. Zeus only has one dog friend because he is mean to other dogs. But he will soon realize that she is here to stay. If he would play with her, they would have a great time together. I guess he will have to figure that out. In the mean time she just rolls around, sleeps and chews everything. Welcome Agnes to the Heilbronner clan.

Referral-versary

One year ago we saw this picture in an email from our social worker.



We laugh every time we look at this!





















Our little guy in stone washed jeans, pants undone, all with all big smile.

One month ago he took his first steps.

One hour ago he was eating pancakes at the kitchen table.

On May 15, 2010 we got The Call. It was what we had been waiting for, for three years. You can read about that here.
 http://kevinerin-ouradoptionjourney.blogspot.com/2010/05/we-got-call.html

All we can say is, "What a difference a year makes."