New Year, New Business Model

Hey friends! I wanted to provide you all with what to expect from Mama Hess Painting in 2017 and a quick overview of 2016!

Looking back on 2016.... it was my best year yet! I sold a total of 376 signs (between Etsy, Facebook, and live sales)! Wow! You guys are amazing! Thank you for your support! There are still a few signs available at 50% off - those particular signs will be on sale until they either sell out or the end of January.

Stats through  Etsy

Looking ahead to 2017!!

Since we received the exciting news that we have been matched with our fifth daughter from China things are going to be a bit different for my sign painting business. (If you want to read more about our daughter you can read that blog post here!)

All orders in 2017 will be ready to ship or *almost* ready to ship (meaning a small personalization will be added before shipping or pick up). At this time I will be unable to take custom orders. If that changes I will be sure to make an announcement. If you have suggestions of what you'd like to see me paint feel free to comment on my Facebook and Instagram photos! I'm happy to take your suggestions though I can't make guarantees that I will paint everything suggested.

All signs will be available through my Etsy shop found here: Mama Hess Painting

I will likely add signs a certain day of the week to the shop. That day has yet to be determined but will be announced through my Facebook page and my Instagram.

We will likely be traveling to China to bring our daughter home in April or May. Based on that rough estimate I will probably stop painting in April. We will be in China for two weeks, then our daughter will need surgery soon after her arrival in the US. At this time I cannot say when I would reopen the shop.

Basically, if you want a sign from me in 2017 you will need to make your purchases between January and April. The profit I make is all going towards our adoption expenses so my family is continually grateful for your support.

Cheers to a delightful 2017!

xoxo,
Mama Hess

Caroline turns Three

It's so hard to believe that Caroline is now three years old. She arrived four weeks early, a scheduled C-Section, in all her tiny glory. Though we knew she would be small, we had hoped she would be healthy. She experienced significant fluid in her lungs at birth and was immediately taken to the NICU.

At two days old she developed a hole in her lung. I was immediately grateful that she WAS in the NICU. She was exactly where she needed to be so the nurses and doctors would be awake, monitoring her in the middle of the night, (2 am) when she would experience this distress. She was sedated, had surgery to insert a chest tube, and placed on a ventilator. It was so awful to see her in that condition.

Christmas day, three days after her lung collapsed, I was finally able to hold her.

12/25/13 : 5 days old

Every Christmas I put on that same flannel shirt and take another picture with Caroline, holding her to my chest. It serves as a visible reminder to me of how precious her life is, and how holding her in my arms that day was one of the greatest Christmas gifts I will ever receive.

12/25/14 : 1 year + 5 days old

12/25/15: 2 years + 5 days

12/25/16 : 3 years + 5 days

And now Carrie is three. She is so spunky and fun. She is such a chatterbox and says the most hilarious things. On her birthday we ate chili for dinner. She ate everything out of her bowl that she liked. Then she said, "I want some more cold." I had no idea what she was talking about. She repeatedly told us she wanted more cold and got angrier by the moment that we didn't know what she was referring to. It finally dawned on me that chili = cold. I was amazed that she was able to recognize chilly as a synonym for cold and replace the word was had been using to describe the meal with a word she was more familiar with. She was delighted when we finally understood what she meant and ate her "cold" with gusto.

birthday cookie

She is completely devoted to her sisters (usually it's a different sister each day), but most often it is Abbey. Caroline absolutely loves babies. Her current favorite little person is her cousin Matteo. She delights in him (it's hard not to, he is really sweet and cute!)

Her new baby "Olivia"

Caroline is so excited to be a big sister. Every time we get a new picture or video of her sister she loves to look at it and talk about her sister and be hopeful for when she will get to see her in real life.

Caroline is also excited to move into the same room with her older sisters. I feel very strongly about the bond created by sharing a bedroom. We (as in I) have decided that Caroline will move in with her big sisters sometime in the New Year. I hope to create a new post for that transition.

always drawing

Caroline still sucks her thumb when she sleeps. She will only suck her thumb when she has her special night time blanket. She never sucks her thumb during the day.

She is definitely, very much a three-year-old. She is starting to assert her own will more and more. She is very sensitive. Usually if I tell her "no" very sternly she will start crying.

She loves playing the game Sequence for kids, but only according to her own rules. She likes beans, and chips and salsa and sour cream. She loves coffee with cream. She hates to have her hair brushed and her teeth brushed, unless she is doing those things by herself. She likes to snuggle up to watch movies. She went to Sight and Sound Theater to see Samson and loved when he knocked all the walls down. She loves Sunday School and her teachers. She intentionally wriggles during church so she can go to nursery with her beloved cousin, Matteo. She likes painting her fingernails, and has unfortunately gone to great lengths to achieve this; going so far as to get a stool, put it in the closet to reach the nail polish , and paint her own nails while the rest of us were busy elsewhere in the house. When she was found out she immediately started crying and saying she was sorry. She loves sparkles and boots and sparkly boots from Mema. She loves her piggy bank and delights in demanding coins from her Grandpa every Wednesday night. She likes tea parties with Grandma and books in her bed.

All that to say, Caroline is a joy to our hearts. We are so glad she was born. While she still is just a peanut, she is quite healthy, with just a tiny white scar to show for her rough start. Happy third birthday little bird. We love you!

It's a Perfect Match!

If you haven't already heard and the title of this post hasn't given it away, we are so very pleased to announce that our family has been matched! For you non-adoption language people, this means our agency has identified OUR DAUGHTER. I know some of you will want bare bones information while others want the nitty gritty. So here goes:

Bare bones first: She is the most beautiful girl in all of China (duh). She is a year and 8 months old (she will turn 2 in April). She has cleft lip and palate and a blood condition called alpha-thalassemia or thalassemia minor. Her cleft lip was beautifully repaired two months ago (October, 2016). She just started walking well the beginning of December. She is a tiny poppet (just 14.5 pounds at 17 months) so fits right in with our tiny family of girls.

She will need her palate surgically repaired soon after arriving in the US. Her blood condition is very minor and should not cause her any issues. We do not have a travel date as of yet but Trent and I are hoping to travel to China sometime Spring 2017. Just Trent and I will be traveling, the four big sisters will be staying stateside.

As much as I would love to share her photograph and videos with you our agency understandably has a social media policy which restricts this practice. I'm happy to show you her picture whenever I see you in person!

Now, for those of you who like details, and just for my own record, here's how it all went down.

Wednesday, November 23, 2016, 4:55 pm. The day before Thanksgiving. Our agency called! Our matching coordinator said they received a file for a sweet little girl who fits the profile of what we were hoping for in a daughter. We were urged to check with a hematologist about her blood condition and a cleft doctor about her cleft lip and palate. Of course, doctors offices were closed Thanksgiving Day and the day after, not to reopen until Monday morning.

Irony number one. Thanksgiving 2015 Trent went hunting, spent time in the woods praying specifically about our family situation and whether adoption was the right thing at this time for our family. He felt that it was. Now the same weekend a year later Trent went hunting and prayed over this specific child.

 Irony number two. I imagine after a holiday weekend doctors offices are pretty busy places. However, I called a hematologist at Hershey Medical, left a message, and the doctor called back 15 minutes later. He spoke with me on the phone for at least 15 minutes, answered all my questions, and even sent a letter in the mail regarding our conversation. I also emailed our daughter's entire medical record and several photos of her lip before and after surgery to the Lancaster Cleft Clinic. The doctor got back to me in just a few hours with positive, helpful information.

Irony number three. I have been praying continually about what to do about my painting business. It felt like our referral at this exact time was such an answer to prayer. While I haven't made any official decision, I know I will be taking some time off in the New Year.

Irony number four. This sweet girl's file was supposed to have been completed over the summer. For some unknown reason the orphanage just completed it in November. But we know the reason her file wasn't ready just yet....

After much prayer and consideration we notified our agency on Friday, December 2, 2016 that YES, we agree, this is our daughter. On that date we are officially considered MATCHED. However, we now are entering the back and forth of paperwork between the US and China. We are waiting for her official release from the CCCWA (China Center for Children's Welfare and Adoption) which we should get any day. Once we receive that our Letter of Intent (LOI) will be sent to China indicating that we want this little girl to be part of our family. Then we have to wait up to four weeks to have a Letter of Approval (LOA) sent back to us from China. Then we again go through more paperwork (immigration, visas, travel approval, etc). All of this back and forth from the time we receive our LOA can take up to 18 weeks until we actually travel to China. It is our hope that everything will come back sooner than expected and we will have smooth sailing through all the red tape so we can bring our daughter home as soon as possible.

We thank you all, from the bottom of our hearts. Don't stop praying for us and for our little girl. We know she is being well cared for and is in excellent hands. While our hearts are split between two continents we know that God's timing is perfect. We were not anticipating being matched until March so are humbled that God deemed it right for us to be matched sooner rather than later. And now we look forward eagerly to the day she will be in our arms. Forever ours.

Anne Turns 9 and Adoption Update

Teeny tiny adoption update. We have been DTC (Dossier to China) for just over four months. Hasn't it just flown by? We were told to anticipate a 6-9 month wait, which means we are halfway (or closer) to seeing the face of our little girl. While we are eager to see her picture, we are grateful for this time of waiting as each of our other children get a little older.

Speaking of getting older.....

Anne is NINE years old!

I really can't believe it. My first born baby girl is nine.

Anne is a mother hen to her sisters!

Anne is growing into such a wonderful young lady. She takes her responsibility as the eldest sister very seriously. I'm continually amazed by her maturity for her age. Anne is a great helper to me at home. She has recently expanded her list of chores and is tackling larger household duties such as vacuuming with a thoroughness that delights me! Anne is always willing to pitch in to read to Caroline or take her outside and watch over her while I'm making dinner.

All photos credit to Stacy Parmarter Photography!

Some things Anne loves:
- Reading: pretty much anything she can get her hands on she will read. Currently she is enjoying historical fiction, and the daily comics
- Computer games: she enjoys a math game called Rainbow Rock
-iPhone/iMovie: Anne likes playing electronic games as well as using iMovie to create short videos or movie trailers
-Horses: ever since she could talk she loved horses. That love continues to this day.
-Music: Anne is hoping to take piano lessons again next year (we stopped this past year). Eventually she would like to play the violin

-Jesus: Anne has always been interested in Spiritual matters. She has impressed me with her ability to pray in her room when she is experiencing a bad attitude or has said/done things she shouldn't have.
-Almost all food: she is my least-picky eater!
-Board Games/Card games
-Playing outside
-Taking care of her chickens (usually)
-Cats: currently we have a "wild cat" outside named Oscar

Things Anne is not fond of:
-cooked carrots
-stink bugs
-I can't think of anything else. :)

Anne is a delight to parent. As challenging as she was during her toddler years she is more than making up for it now. While she occasionally gives me an attitude or argues with Maggie, she is really a joy. Anne is a wonderful student and I enjoy having her in my "class". While she is usually mature for her age she can also be very silly. Poop jokes and mention of any bodily function can cause uproarious laughter.

Happy ninth birthday, Anne-girl! We're so glad you are ours. Even if you do use Microsoft Paint to edit photos of your parents.

Adoration

Currently I'm whizzing through the Bible at breakneck speed. I'm going through a study of the whole Bible in seven weeks at Change of Pace South .  The study is called Seamless by Angie Smith. To be totally honest, I chose the study because I'm at a very busy season in life right now. I have read through the Bible chronologically twice now (it's a 1-year walk through the Bible I used). I don't say this to sound pompous, I say it to humble myself. I already had a very good overview of what the Bible looks like in chronological order which is the purpose of Seamless. Do you see what I'm saying? I took the easy way out. The other study being offered was a Beth Moore study and I knew realistically I wasn't going to be able to invest the time to fully appreciate a Beth Moore study.

Yet God is so faithful (despite my selfish reasoning) to meet me where I'm at right now. Going through the Bible with a group of women who are a wide age range is truly a treat. The women all have beautiful testimonies of how God has worked in their lives and how they continue to see Him move. We just wrapped up the Old Testament which is full of foreshadowing. As a woman who loves books, this one is the most beautifully written. I've gained a new appreciation for the Levitical laws. And sheep. Sheep are often part of the story of Jesus my Savior, and now I have convinced myself that we ought to have a little sheep farm. I'm still working on the hubby's approval. ;)

As previously mentioned, this is a very busy time of the year for me. With painting signs, many people are thinking ahead to Christmas. Last year I had an idea of a sign I wanted to paint but never got around to it since I was taking other people's orders. As I have intentionally taken fewer orders I have been able to paint some of my own ideas. Like this:

 Find this in my shop here: Oh Come let us Adore him

I had seen a similar idea, but always the wise men are the ones seeking the baby Jesus in the manger. But those of you who know the Bible well understand that it took the wise men a very long time and Jesus was probably two years old before they reached him. I wanted more than anything to show the immediate response of the shepherds to come adore the baby Jesus.

And how are we like these shepherds? Some of us recognize and come to Christ seemingly easily. And when we reach him, how do we respond? Do we fall to our knees as the first shepherd? Do we point and look ready to run to Him like the second? Or are we like the last two? We are still a ways off, but we are seeking. And not pictured but always in mind when it comes time to read the story of Christ's birth is, of course, the wise men. It takes them a long time to get to Jesus. Just like some of us. We have heard about Him. But it takes us a long, long time to reach Him.

Shop Here

And when we reach him all of us in our own special way will adore Him. Yes.

Come friends, let us adore Him.

Raising Homemakers

It doesn't escape me that I've been given the tremendous task of raising up a generation of Little Women. Soon five girls will call me Mama. But trust me, I'm just like the rest of you. Sometimes I feel like I'm doing great, other times I think I'm failing. We have beautiful days where everyone is getting along and we have horrible days where the girls are bickering and arguing and throwing fits.

This week I have had a terrible head cold. You know, the works. Sneezing. Coughing. Headaches. For sure, not the worst head cold I've ever had, but enough to make the dog bark when I talk and sound like a man. You know what I mean.

Regardless of whether I am out of sorts, the show must go on. And surprisingly, it has been a beautiful week for me. Despite the ever growing mound of tissues, my little women have risen to the occasion.

As we home school there is still work to be done whether teacher is sick or not. I did a very limited amount of teaching. Just enough to squeak by. Anne and Abbey have read more material on their own than ever before. Anne has helped Abbey work through a math challenge as well as help Maggie read through her sight words. Abbey has taken charge of Caroline and helped her to the bathroom and read her books. Maggie has also stepped up and taken a crying Caroline upstairs to play and distract her while my head was pounding. Anne made lunch on my worst day this week.

As truly grateful as I am to be feeling better in some ways I'm glad I had this little brush of illness. It gave me the opportunity to see my daughters rise up. They were able to complete tasks that I don't normally assign but that they have learned through watching their mama. I never sat down and showed them how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but all three of the older girls are capable (with varying degrees of messes) to make a sandwich.

Friends with little toddlers. Take heart. Your day will come. It's hard to comprehend that my eldest daughter will be nine years old next month. It's humbling that the Lord saw fit to give me all these future homemakers to raise. But that's what I'm doing, to the best of my ability.

And maybe in another month I'll feign illness just to see how much they have honed their homemaking skills.

Maggie turns 6 & Adoption

Teeny tiny adoption update. We have been officially waiting for two months - so most likely another 7 to go! This means approximately 7 more months until we are matched with our daughter, then after that we will have another 5-6 months until we travel. I'm sure the waiting will be hard as we get closer to our match, but right now the time is slipping right on by, for which I am grateful. I'm also thankful for the consistency of the China program and for the way our adoption agency keeps in touch with waiting families so we don't feel forgotten.

She had a traumatic entry into the world, but not much slows her down now!

Now, for Miss Magdalena. It's hard to believe our smallest baby, our third daughter, is six.

Leaving the hospital after 6 days in the NICU

Her first day home - about 4.5 pounds and 17" long.

It's so hard to believe that our sweet baby is now six years old!

For her birthday she went to the Strasburg Rail Road to ride the train. This was followed by a trip to Isaac's for dinner. The daddy-daughter dates have been one of the best investments I believe we could make. This trip was very low cost (Maggie had a free ticket to the RR and her meal was free at Isaac's - both of those things she earned during the summer reading program through our local library). **Trent has these photos - I'll try to add them later!**

Princess Maggie at the fundraiser

While our kids do enjoy gifts, they all appreciate the gift of time more than anything else. They may not remember what gift they got during any particular year, but they can all recall where they went with their daddy at each age. These moments are more precious than anything I could ever give them. I've learned through my own experiences as well as parenting books and psychology courses I've taken the profound impact dads have on their children, but ESPECIALLY their daughters.

She always wanted a red-headed baby, and now she has one!

Just a little about Maggie:
-She loves babies
-She loves drinking water
-She does not love juice
-She loves coffee
-She learned to tie her shoes in one try this summer
-She is becoming a more confident reader everyday
-She is still very small for her age despite her perfect cheeks
-She wants 10 babies when she grows up (5 from her belly and 5 from China)
-She has big dreams of getting married and considers her options seriously
-Did I mention she loves babies?
-She is very excited to start soccer practice
-She loves catching frogs with her sisters
-She loves to draw
-She is thoughtful (she often will draw pictures for people and send them in the mail or hand-deliver them)
-She is generous (she is continually giving Caroline her own favorite toys to make her happy)
-She loves bugs
-Her favorite color is yellow
-She loves Taco Bell bean burritos
-She is a great story teller
-She is very creative and is always coming up with new ideas for crafts or building forts

Maggie says that when she grows up she wants to be a mom. When Anne tells her that she has to do something else first, like, get a job, her reply is always, "I'm going to paint signs, like Mommy!" Bless her little heart.

She was thrilled to find and inspect a cicada

Recently Maggie has had some hard feelings toward herself. She has struggled with feeling like she isn't good enough. Learning to read has been very difficult for Maggie, along with some other memory problems. It's such a challenge to see these precious little souls face their insecurities. Generally her frustrations blow up into fits of crying and running to her room. Recently during one of these fits she told me she feels like she is a "bad girl" and can never be good. I was able to tell her that she's right. None of us are good. Only God is good. But we can have forgiveness and peace because of Jesus' death on the cross.

Such a devoted big sister!

I know my girls will at some point have to experience some hard things and do some growing up. My hope for all of them is that when those trials come, that they will turn to my Savior and fully accept Him as their own Savior. I feel like my job as their mom, role model, and teacher is to lead them there. I want to provide them with the facts, but so much more. I want to show by word and deed what a Christ follower looks like, even the messy, ugly parts of failure and mistakes because that's where grace shines through brighter. Eventually they will all come to a point in their lives where they must choose for themselves whom they will serve. I cannot save my children. It's a humbling reality for a Mama who likes to DO things.

So happy sixth birthday, Magdalena Faith! You are more precious than rubies. I can't wait to see what grand adventures you'll have now that you are six!
xoxo,
Mama