Nicknames

We've come up with some good nicknames for the kids over the past few months. I always wanted a cool nickname when I was young, and I guess I had one, but it was only suitable for my immediate family. So when I realized that our kids each had nicknames I got excited and thought I would share them with y'all.

From 2008 Patch Barracks

Jack, the oldest, is our Squad Leader for obvious reasons - his Uncle Jim gave him this nickname a while ago. It fits him well as he prefers his friends and siblings to willingly follow his lead, though this doesn't always happen. :o) I've also called him Cowboy for the longest time, but I have no idea why.. it just came out when he was a toddler.

From 2008 Patch Barracks

Vic is our Tank... He's built tough and rugged and lets nothing stand in his way - you should see how he walks! Chest puffed out, shoulders back, arms at the ready to clear a path. I need to get this kid on a soccer or football team pronto.

From 2008 Patch Barracks

Our littlest one, Bailey, is nicknamed Stretch. I have never known a baby, or grown adult for that matter, that stretches as much as she does. My word, no wonder why the last month of my pregnancy was so painful.. she was wiggling and stretching, rolling her head and arching her back the whole time. I really need to get a better photo of young Bailey. We have lots of video of her, but not many good photos of just her. Something to work on today!

From 2008 Patch Barracks

Here's a photo of the boys before our building's halloween party. Jack was Indiana Jones and Vic was a fuzzy bear. Both boys were very cute, and Vic loved wearing the bear hat - adorable!

More Milestones

First haircut.



Handsome, well-groomed young gentleman, with his Grandmother.



A leisurely stroll in the German countryside.

Bailey Elizabeth

We were blessed with our third child and first daughter, Bailey Elizabeth Sims, this morning at 3:00 AM.  Bailey was delivered by the staff at the Böblingen, Germany hospital.  She weighed 7 lbs, 14 oz, and measured 20.8 inches in length.  Fortunately, the delivery was routine in every respect, and the labor was mercifully short for Laura.

100 days home!

From 2008 Patch Barracks

From 2008 Patch Barracks

Wow. 100 days ago Vic and I were sitting in the Almaty airport. It was a long wait in the middle of the night for our flight out of his birth country and on to his first home.

Vic has come so far in these past 100 days. Vic remains a cheerful, giggly, happy little boy who is completely in love with his daddy. He was this way when we met him at the end of April, yet he is even more so now, much more open. Bob, Jack and I are all three so incredibly taken by our smallest Sims. Just this evening when I had a 'date' with Jack at the grocery store, he mentioned that he already missed Vic as we were in the car heading home. Once in the door, Jack spent the next hour playing and giggling with his little brother. We are a very, very lucky family. I'm so glad I get to be mommy to these two sweet young men.

From 2008 Patch Barracks

From 2008 Patch Barracks

We spent Vic's 100th day home at a local science/discovery/fun house called Sensapolis. This place was amazing, expensive, yet lots of fun. Jack was all over the place with his little friend, Jimmy, so I have very few photos of him. He spent most of his time in a huge castle wearing a prince jacket.

From 2008 Patch Barracks

From 2008 Patch Barracks

From 2008 Patch Barracks

From 2008 Patch Barracks

Vic did great even though he didn't get his nap until around 3pm. This is a pretty big deal as he's a regular two-nap-a-day kid. I've been trying to get him into one nap a day, which works into my schedule much better, but it's tough on him.

From 2008 Patch Barracks

From 2008 Patch Barracks

From 2008 Patch Barracks

From 2008 Patch Barracks

From 2008 Patch Barracks

This week will be pretty busy.. Monday night Jack has his first Tiger Cub Scout meeting. Tuesday I have a Dr.'s appt. Wednesday morning I have a wives meeting to attend. Wednesday evening we have a slight schedule conflict... Our bible study meets at 6pm, and that's also the time that Bob's mom arrives at the Stuttgart airport. So... I think I'll take Jack to his bible study and attend the grown-up bible study myself. Bob will take Vic with him to the airport and pick up Grandma. Friday the ladies in our building are throwing me a baby shower for our soon-to-be little girl. Saturday is Jack's 6th birthday party at a local movie theater.

The one thing I'm trying to make sure doesn't happen this week is labor... is it nuts to completely refuse to have a baby? I'm having a *lot* of indicators that it may happen really, really soon, even though my due date isn't until October 31st. I'm just trying to hold on until Mom Sims gets here Wednesday night. Our joke around the house is that Bob can drop me off at the hospital on his way to the airport... as long as someone comes back for me. :o)

If I can make it another few weeks, that would be great! Long enough for Grandma and Vic to bond before I leave for the hospital, and enough time for the baby's lungs to get strong. Oh.. and enough time for me to get that baby room ready!! Hopefully photos of the room will be in the next post.

What a life!

From 2008 Patch Barracks

Vic in his jammies laughing it up with mom. Notice all the drool! He's cutting two molars.

From 2008 Patch Barracks

Mr. Curious

Young Vic has been home 2 & 1/2 months now and doing very, very well. The sound of my oldest son doing something to make my youngest son roll with laughter is music to my ears. I enjoyed this blessed sound today after Vic's nap, Jack insisted that he go in first and visit with Vic before I came to get him.

So much has changed in the past few months...

- Our wildest dream of expanding our family has come true, and Vic is so much more than we imagined.
- My sweet Jack is now a big boy 1st grader. What happened? Where did the time go???
- Moved from our gorgeous 100+ year old German farmhouse into a modern on-post apartment.
- Oh yeah, and I'm pregnant. After Dr's said that it wouldn't happen without significant medical help.

What a difference a year makes. I won't go over all our tragic losses from 2007, as they are painful and too personal. Just know that as 2007 was all about darkness and repeated sudden losses, 2008 is all about life and happiness. Have you found that following great tragedy and loss comes great triumph and love? We have.

With the addition of Vic and the pending arrival of the newest Sims, I realized that we needed life to become much, much more simple. My darling did the whole move just to make me happy, and we've been surprised at how easy life is now without a commute.

-The best for Bob: no traffic jams, he walks Jack to school then down the street to work.
-The best for me: The laundry room is *down the hall* from the bedrooms instead of two flights down the stairs in our old farmhouse. Plus, I don't feel so isolated anymore.

I must admit that I think of things to blog about every day, but find I feel like toast by the time I'm off the clock. I'm now 8 months pregnant with 8 weeks left - my due date is October 31st - and this is definitely making a dent in how much energy I have left at the end of the day. Excuses, excuses. The timing of this pregnancy is waaay off my preferred plan, but it is a very welcome gift we've been given.

Here is a quote I read on The NieNie Dialogues blog that may help me keep life in perspective.

"Author Anna Quindlen reminds us not to rush past the fleeting moments. She said: “The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is the one that most of us make. . . . I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of [my three children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less”(Loud and Clear [2004], 10–11).

From 2008 Patch Barracks

Jack & Mom enjoying the "doing" of life more.

3 Reasons Why Military Families are Well-Suited for Adoption

1. We have an unusually high tolerance for bureaucracy. Forms, notaries, arbitrary office hours, waiting rooms and sign-in sheets, stamps and control numbers -- we've seen it all, and have been living it for a career. After a few years, you just eventually grow numb to it all. Building a dossier isn't really that big of a deal. The process of clearing most CONUS installations prior to PCS is just as hard, if not more so.

2. We are used to having our personal fate decided by arbitrary and distant administrators. Promotions, assignments (moves), and school opportunities are routinely decided by anonymous boards or administrators far away, based on policies and requirements that are frequently shrouded in secret. Every three years or so, your family gets pulled to some new location -- all faithful servants of a personnel system designed during WWII. So, the whole notions of arcane dossier acceptance policies, nationally centralized adoption authorities, and esoteric quota systems all seem perfectly natural to us.

3. Unmatched system of social welfare. If you think your only qualification to be a parent is that you once (barely) completed Basic Training, have no fear. The vast array of DoD-sponsored social services that are part of you well-earned compensation. Here is a look at some of the offerings at our small local garrisons. Don't forget health care, legal services, after-school programs, recreational programs, youth sports, family-friendly dining facilities, regulated child care, and much more.

On a bit more serious note, I think military families might also tend to be more open to international or trans-racial adoptions, as well. Many of us have traveled or lived abroad extensively, and that will definitely change your perspectives on different peoples and cultures. From my personal experience, I will say with certainty that my own travel has dramatically increased my sympathies and sensitivities towards other cultures.

First Five Days Home

We have made it through the first five days with Vic intact.

In fact, in keeping with our entire international adoption process defying most of our expectations, our initial adjustment as a family with Vic has been much easier than expected.

We've averaged one wake-up per night with Vic, but it hasn't been too painful. I change his diaper while Laura prepares a bottle, and he's asleep within five minutes or so. In short, he is sleeping very well. His appetite is also improving. He is just super-curious about everything, because his entire environment is very new to him. We are experienced believers in the Babywise method, so we are trying to establish a rigid schedule of two naps and an early bedtime every day.

I'm quickly learning that the homecoming did not mean an end to the arbitrary documentation process. It's acute for us because of our overseas military status. Here are some of the tasks we have been working towards:

• Command sponsorship - began application on day of arrival, discovered we need to get EFMP screening. Travel over to clinic to discover EFMP requires and appointment with the doctor, and that requires DEERS enrollment. Check.
• DEERS enrollment - completed Tuesday morning.
• TRICARE (military health insurance) enrollment - completed Tuesday afternoon.
• EFMP screening appointment - completed Tuesday morning (after DEERS enrollment).
• SOFA certificate application - the SOFA certificate is essentially an unrestricted visa issued by the US military authorities here. Laura applied for it this morning at our local passport service. It's a bit unnerving, as they must send Vic's Kaz passport to Heidelberg. However, the SOFA certificate is what will supersede the 90-day visitor's Schengen visa that currently allows Vic into Germany.

Once his passport returns with the SOFA certificate, another potential headache looms. Vic's IR-3 visa, issued in Almaty by the US Embassy, is only good for six months. However, an IR-3 visa issued to adoptive parents employed overseas should be valid for the duration of the employment (source, PDF). The embassy knew this, but declared they could not print the correct, extended expiration date due to a "technical glitch". No, I'm not kidding, I couldn't make this up. So, it remains to be seen whether we'll have any success petitioning the Frankfurt Consulate for an extension.

If we are not successful, this means we have to get Vic back to the US before mid-December, when his current IR-3 visa expires, in order for him to get automatic US citizenship.

In other news, check out our first family picture below, taken just after our first Mass together this last Sunday.



Here's a quiz for our non-local readers to answer in this posting's comments: notice anything different about Laura in this photo, or earlier ones? Go ahead, guess away, and guess bold.

For our local friends: no spoilers!