2008 in Review

Too much has happened this past year for me to cover it all, but here are some highlights!

Amelia had her first ever birthday party, turning 7 in March. Her friends helped her celebrate at a gymnastics center.



In April we incubated eggs as a home school science project. The chicks were just too cute to give away, and now Zach is "farmer boy" and enjoys fresh eggs every morning. (Pip is now a beautiful hen, and still likes to be held by Zach-- and read to by Amelia if you look in the September posts!



In June, Jamie and his Dad took the teen boys on a road trip for their birthdays. It was a special trip to celebrate beginning their teen years. First they went to a Texas Rangers game in Arlington, then took a train to St. Louis to see the Cardinals play. Albert Pujols is Zach's favorite player. It would have been much cheaper if they could just be Red Sox fans!!


Nine years in a row we have gone to Rumney Bible Conference for a week during the Summer. It is always a relaxing and refreshing time for the whole family- and fun too! (There is an October post of Amelia kayaking on the pond at Rumney.)


In the Fall, Dante turned 3. He is not walking yet, but his new AFO's are helping him get there. He even tries to put them on by himself sometimes.



There have been lots of other happenings: Nikita buying herself a Cocker Spaniel puppy, Alexander now a freshman, Amelia joining a Special Olympics gymnastics team, and of course the biggie is us pursuing the adoption of Sunny. Bringing Sunny home is sure to be the highlight of 2009!

My favorite photo from this past year, though, is this one of Alexander and Dante. Dante adores his big brother, and I think it is safe to say the feeling is mutual. Being home schooled gives my children so much time together-- some of it spent arguing, but more spent bonding. This photo reminds me what a blessing each of my children are.

Flashback

A few weeks ago our home school group had a field trip to Bemis Farms Nursery. The kids learned how to creat a properly arranged Christmas centerpiece. Four of my children participated, and here are some of the pictures. Micah especially enjoyed getting to use the pruning shears.

Since the recent ice storm caused school to be cancelled, Dad was able to come along and help Micah with his project. (Public school was cancelled; we did our best to maintain a schedule despite Dad being home for 8 "snow" days in a row!)

It looks mostly like the sample!

And some pics of Alexander, Nikita, and Amelia working on their centerpieces:

Merry Christmas!!

Getting Ready for His Birthday

My children have never believed in Santa Claus. After all, Christmas is not about an overweight man in a red suit leaving presents. It is the day we celebrate the birth of Christ. We told our kids the story of St. Nicholas, and one of my favorite decorations is a little resin figure of Santa Claus bowing before the baby Jesus. We all love watching "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" because they are a part of Christmas. After all, we enjoy Curious George but that does not mean we think he is real. Just fun.

I was trying to explain to Amelia, now 7, about Christmas, and told her it is Jesus' birthday. Since He is not here in person, we give each other presents. Amelia LOVES birthdays. When we lit our Advent candle this past week we had to sing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus. Actually, Christmas morning I make a coffee cake and we sing to Jesus before we open any gifts. Isn't that how it is done at a birthday party?

Another birthday tradition is the birthday card. Every party includes the birthday cards. Over the weekend Jamie and I finally got our Christmas cards done while the kids were playing. Then Amelia wrote a note, put it into an envelope, and wrote "Nana" on the front-- at least that is what she said she wrote--- and put it into the mailbox out front. Jamie helped her make it actually mailable (is that a word?), and it was sent. When Nana called Amelia to thank her for the note, I heard Amelia saying "Happy Birthday Jesus". She had sent a birthday card to Jesus, via Nana.

Update

Our documents have been sent on to Taiwan! They should be arriving there on Monday. Then the long wait begins. I hope we have a really snowy winter so the kids and I can have a lot of fun sledding-- distracting me from wishing winter would end so we can get the travel call.

In other news, Jamie and I are traveling to Haverhill tonight to give our adoption testimony. The Brookridge Community Church's Women's Ministry is having a huge outreach Christmas Party combined with a fundraiser. This year all donations are going to Shaohannah's Hope adoption grant fund. Since Jamie and I have received a grant from the organization twice, we have been asked to speak about our experience. Anyone who knows me knows that I don't like public speaking, and I'm told there are going to be a LOT of ladies there tonight. God got me into this (I never would have said if I'd known first it would be over 200 ladies), and He will get Jamie and I through it tonight. I am actually not as nervous as I thought I would be-- of course, we aren't there yet! The party does sound like a lot of fun, and pictures of my adorable children will be on the 10 foot screens, so that will be pretty cool! And it means Jamie and I have a night out. And I get to talk about adoption, all in all I am looking forward to it.

Sunny!

Our paperwork has been received and is now in the Boston TECO office awaiting authentication. I am so thankful to finally have it! We waited exactly three months from hearing a "yes" to having the papers in our hands. Once it arrives back in Taiwan we will begin an approximate four month wait until we hear about travel.

We did receive some pictures of Sunny from last Summer. She was dancing and singing with other children...we received a lot of photos, along with 3 video clips of her doing the motions and dancing! Here are two...

Too Cute Not to Share

No Snack is Safe...

...when Dante is around! He loves apples, and was able to convince Nikita to share.

He just did not like sharing at the same time...

Wow, that was a good apple!!

When No News is Simply...No News

Everyone has heard the saying, "No news is good news". That is not always true, at least in the adoption world. We are still waiting on some paperwork that is necessary for our adoption of Sunny. When it is ready, THEN we will get the good news. Until that time, I will try not to check my email too many times a day (hah!).

Having adopted three times already, I know that in the end my daughter will come home, and I hold on to that knowledge. God in His infinite wisdom will time everything just right, whether or not I agree with that timing! When Micah was almost ready to come home, there were several glitches with his paperwork, on the US side. Travel was delayed by several weeks. In the end, the week Nikita and I traveled happened to be a week that there were NO baseball games for the boys-- which was a miracle, and since Jamie was their coach it made life MUCH easier for him while we were gone.

So I wait, some days patiently, some days with a little more praying needed. But I know Sunny is being very well cared for while she waits to join us, and we look forward to the day we meet our daughter.

What Really Matters

The Essence of Autumn slide show causes me to reflect on Christmas and the value of our families to us all. Although Christmas is supremely a time to celebrate the most singular event in the history of the cosmos, the birth of Jesus the Christ, the Redeemer of Humanity, too often it becomes a time where the focus is on what you can get and not what you can give. But what do we really need? Do we need that Xbox 360, the Playstation 3 with its latest tutorial on how to live a life of crime (Grand Theft Auto, etc.)? Do we need more stuff for which we have no room and no need?

This brings me to the Essence of Autumn, where we see an exposition of the truly important things in life. We need to enjoy our families, here, now, today, because even if we all live to be 100, today will never come again. That three year old in the leaves, that seven year trying to help bag the leaves, and that thirteen year old hoping to finish soon, will never be at this stage of life again. Enjoy it while it lasts. It is the family leaf pile that you and they will remember long after that game system has faded from memory. That Wooly Bear crawling on their hand is worth more than all the presents we can buy. So get them things for Christmas, there is nothing wrong with that, but if that is our focus then we have missed the point. We need to give of ourselves and learn to accept that gracious gift from others. That's what really matters. James

The Essence of Autumn

Dessert Night

Monday night is dessert night in our home. Jamie is an Adjunct Professor on Monday and Tuesday nights, so we do not get to eat dinner together. To try to make up for that, every Monday either Nik or I makes a dessert, and when Dad gets home we all sit at the table together. Yesterday Nik made a chocolate cake, and frosted it also. Unfortunately Amelia fell asleep on the floor before we could eat-- we were a little later than usual because I had a meeting that went until 8pm. The cake was delicious, and the leftovers became breakfast for the boys this morning!

Dante also had some big doings yesterday-- he now has his "AFO's". Ankle Foot Orthoses to stabilize his walking efforts. He has not learned to appreciate them yet! I'll post pictures some other time. I took my camera along to the appointment, but he was not feeling cooperative so I spent my time holding him still for the first putting on of his braces.

Vacuuming

I was sitting at the dining room table filling in today's schooling for Micah and Amelia, meager amount that it was, and Amelia walked by pushing the vacuum cleaner. Now, I know that life would be much less stressful if I just gave in and admitted that she is clearly the one running this household. So I decided to wait and watch.

Interestingly, though I was in the room, one of the teens sprang into action and let her know that she is NOT in need of the vacuum and tried to wrestle it from her. My hero. I pointed out that I was right there and asked said teen to let her be. "But she has the vacuum!" To which I replied, "I know, if only all of my children would see a mess that needs cleaning and actually do it!"

Now, I don't encourage Amelia to go near electrical outlets but she beat me to it and fired up the vacuum. Apparently she only needed the hose to clean some crumbs on the couch. Unfortunately she rested the vacuum on some socks, they got partially sucked in and the resulting smell of the overheating vacuum was not pleasant. Now I remember why I don't give in and let her run the household.

It is fascinating that my seven year old who has Down Syndrome can see a chore or task being done once and immediately knows exactly how to do it and how often it needs getting done. (Whether that is true or not.) Yet my teens who have been seeing these same chores and tasks for years still don't seem to understand how it's done.

Some days though, I wish she were more like them. So does Dante, when she decides he is done sleeping and strips him in bed to change his diaper. Her heart is right, the follow through needs some work! I guess we are all a work in progress.

Show Hope

Last night I went to the Michael W. Smith/Steven Curtis Chapman concert in Lowell. It is more accurate to say I was "at" the concert, rather than that I went "to" the concert. I did not have a ticket, but they let me in anyhow! I had the honor of volunteering at the Shaohannah's Hope adoption information table. I spent most of the evening handing out information and talking to ladies/couples/families considering adoption. I was able to stand in the back for one or two songs, which was neat. It was a sold out concert!

There were two other families volunteering also...one couple with their toddler son whom they adopted from Ethiopia, and another family with their teenage daughters; they are in the process of adopting a boy from Haiti. All of us have been blessed with a grant from Shaohannah's Hope, and that is how we came to be volunteering at the concert. It was a treat to share our stories with each other, and to be able to encourage others to consider adoption.

I pray that many families will consider adoption, and read the information we handed out directing them to the websites. They help know how to make it work; finances are what hold most people back. It is sad how many people say "We'd love to adopt but...." One woman told us she has been working on her husband for five years to consider adoption. I suggested perhaps she should ask the Father to work on her husband to change his heart.

A great website to check out: http://www.howtoadopt.org/ . Also www.shaohannahshope.org

Here is a picture from last night:

A Boy and his Dad

A Dad and his boy can be symbolized in so many ways, however I like this view. Here we have a Dad and his son: there is no indication of height, looks, or ethnicity. Both of these guys could be Cary Grant look alikes and live in a $500,000 house or two guys living in an apartment on $30,000 a year. We cannot tell if anyone has Down Syndrome, all we see is a boy trying to be like his Dad. Is this not the way we should look at these two? Both individuals are made in God's image, as the Scriptures say, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female he created them" (Genesis1:27) Thus both individuals are similarly priceless in the eyes of God and thus should be priceless in our eyes as well. We spend too much time judging people by how they look, what they can do for us, whether or not they are "useful" to society. This criteria is twisted and warped. We need to see all human beings as God's special creation with a destiny known only to God and not to man. We must respect the deep responsibilty that a Dad has to train his child in the way he will go. In our own lives, let us all walk with our children and show them the way. And let's not get in the way of others who want to do the same.

Trains!

When my teens were pre-schoolers, I had the privilege of working part-time at a small independent teacher supply store which also sold toys. Zach was a Thomas the Tank Engine fanatic, and we accrued quite a lot of the wooden sets. My dad even made a table for it all.

Last week Zach and Xander pulled the table out of the basement and we introduced Dante to the trains! They have been out in a bucket, but somehow having the table made it that much more exciting. Below are some photos.

(I wonder if he realizes I am getting him to stand independently at this table?)

Thank You!

Our Stone Soup sale was a lot of fun, and quite successful. While only 45-50 people came, we had fun together. Everyone was very generous, and many who were unable to attend donated to our adoption the next day in church. Thank you! Over $500 was raised to help us bring Sunny home.

I took my camera, and promptly left it on the counter. So, here are only two pictures:

Amelia is giving some last minute instructions to the girls before we put out the soup.

Everyone relaxing and playing Twister after the event.

I did not get a picture of all nine girls sleeping peacefully because I was out long before them!!

Fundraiser Coming Soon!

In two days we are having the Stone Soup Adoption Fundraiser! Yesterday Meridith, Amelia, and I went shopping for supplies. We will have Chili, Chicken Noodle soup, Broccoli Cheese soup, Potato and Cheese soup, Clam Chowder (New England of course), Vegetable Beef, Tomato and Hamburger soup, and Chicken Tortilla soup. Several friends are making most of the soups, and we are also having breads and desserts made! I am so thankful for the support being shown in this fundraiser.

That is why I am calling it the Stone Soup Adoption Fundraiser--and true to the moral of the story, we are working together to bring Sunny home.

Ticks!

We have been enjoying some beautiful New England weather. Since Jamie was home yesterday, we decided to all go for a nature walk. I wanted to collect some colorful leaves to scatter on the tables at our Stone Soup fundraiser this coming Saturday.

Unfortunately, we also collected some ticks. Alexander, Nikita, Zachary, and Dante each had one, and Pattie the puppy had two! I had Amelia take a shower while Jamie checked over Micah, but they were both tick-free. Thankfully none of the ticks had attached, so there was no trauma- or drama. Dante would not have done well with that.

There is a pond near our house that we walked by. Micah decided there is a whale living in it. I told him that whales are too big for a pond. So instead he told me there are penguins living in the water. Amelia told me he is silly. She signed it as she said it; she loves to call people silly. It was really quite appropriate this time!

They both love using their signs to communicate. Dante is starting to use more signs also. The other day I gave him an M&M and taught him candy, which he was quite motivated to learn quickly. Then yesterday he found a bowl in the living room, showed it to Daddy, and signed "ice cream"! Yeah Dante!! Of course, he was promptly given a scoopful.

Day 13

There is no Day 12, so I guess that means I am no longer making it on the 31 for 21. Yesterday was Sunday, and we did not go online.

I did learn a little rhyme at work last night. Jamie told me I should not be repeating anything I learn at work, but this time it is worth repeating:

"When in a fix, Philippians 4:6"

If you don't know it, look it up and memorize it! Thanks MaryBeth!!

Day 11

Yesterday was beautiful; here are some pictures. Dante and I went for a walk, and then Amelia used the playset to practice gymnastics, followed by her and Micah playing. Also, the kiddos playing the piano.

Day 10

It is already getting hard to come up with a daily entry for the 31 for 21. My life is just not that exciting despite home schooling 6 kids, three of whom have Down Syndrome!

I am going to use an essay that I wrote for our church's weekly bulletin insert over the Summer. I was asked to write something because of my involvement with the Christian Life Committee.

Here it is:

"It is one of the tasks of the Christian Life Committee to find volunteers that will spend time teaching our faith to the children of this church. We endeavor to instill in them the need for daily Christian habits beyond just Sunday morning church.

What are your Christian habits throughout the week? I know my daughter Amelia has better ones than I do. Most mornings, she has gone to the computer and turned on her Praise & Worship music before she even has breakfast. (I gave up telling her not to touch the computer.) Then she stands on the chair and sings. Amelia insists on taking a turn praying at the dinner table. She lines up her children's Bibles and reads them to Micah. Amelia teaches Dante to sign "Jesus", although he does not always appreciate her repeated hand-over-hand technique. She serves her community once a week when she helps deliver Meals on Wheels.

Amelia is not content to worship Jesus on Sundays only. She lives the life everyday. I need to be more like her. After all Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little chidlren, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3,4). I think we all could be a little more like Amelia...simple, unashamed, and loving her Jesus...every day of the week."

Yes, She Can!

Sure, there are lots of things Amelia cannot do. But there is so much more that she can! Here are some pictures Amelia kayaking, taken during our Summer vacation this past August. This was the first year we let her out in her own kayak, in the past she was always on my lap or Jamie's. We attached her kayak to the back of the one I was in, and she was quite proud of herself.

I look forward to next Summer, when Sunny will have the chance to do all the things Amelia now does!

Special Olympics

Amelia might get to join a team! The gymnastics coach called me back today, and we go on Saturday to see what Amelia thinks of it. She is only 7, but will turn 8 in March, well before the June competition. She has done gymnastics since she was 3 and absolutely loves it, so I really do not think I am pushing her by getting her onto the team now.

They practice every Saturday, and it is about 45 minutes away from us. We would still keep her in her weekly class nearby, since it is all girls her age and that is important for her too.

It is always interesting to see the progression each year--- in the Fall the girls are all eyeing Amelia like she might sprout a second head any moment, but by Spring they are all making sure she gets her turns and keeps up. Obviously in a perfect world she would be accepted from the start, but it is a growing experience for everyone in the class.

Good-Bye Anita

Today Dante had to say good-bye to Anita, his physical therapist. He turns three on Sunday, so this is his last week of in-home Early Intervention services.

Anita was absolutely wonderful, and Dante was usually pretty good for her. Amelia was a self-designated therapy assistant; whenever Anita walked in Amelia would run to Dante and start doing his joint compressions while singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". Micah loved it whenever Anita brought her therapy ball; he decided that meant she was actually here for group therapy.

We will all miss seeing her every Tuesday, she truly was a blessing to this family.

As I type this Dante is sitting on the couch giggling hysterically at nothing, which he often does in the evening. Perhaps tonight he is remembering the good times with Anita.

Gotcha!

Today is Amelia's 5 year Gotcha Day anniversary! I cannot believe it has been that long; yet it feels like she has always been our daughter.

Some highlights from that day:

We had to go to New York City (JFK Airport) to pick her up. It is three hours from here, and I was so nervous about traffic that we ended up being more than an hour early. Our Pastor drove us down, which was absolutely wonderful of him.

On the way down we stopped at a Cracker Barrel for dinner. It was a Monday, and the kids were 7,8, and 9 at the time. The day before the boys had watched football with Jamie, complete with all those funny beer commercials. When the server asked us for our drink orders, Nikita (7) asked without hesitation for a Bud Light. Like she has one all the time!! It was so embarrassing, the boys had told her it was a soda. Who knows, maybe they thought it was.

And then the plane finally arrived. It was after 9pm, so the airport was not very busy. We were let a little farther along, watching the people come out of the tunnel. We were starting to get REALLY nervous, because so many people came off but still no Amelia. My only clue that it was the right plane was a few ladies who walked out of the tunnel, went a little ways past us, and then stopped and kept watching us like they were waiting for something to happen. And then the flight crew and captain all came off. I was ready to panic at that point. But they all lined up, and then off came Amelia with her escorts, Amy and Bob. They had put her hair up in two pigtails, and she was wearing a red silk Asian outfit. Oh was she scared.

We spent some time getting information and paperwork from her escorts, and getting Amelia comfortable (as much as possible after 24 hours flying and being handed off to strangers), before we headed back home. The kids had made signs to hold up for her, so we took lots of pictures...none of which are in our computer unfortunately.

So, that's the short version of Amelia's homecoming. Five wonderful years later we still go to Cracker Barrel every year on this day to celebrate her homecoming. Happy Gotcha Day Amelia!!

Quiet Day

We do not usually turn on our computers or electronic games on Sundays. Jamie said I could tonight though, since I am trying to do the 31 for 21. However, I just got home from work and am just not thinking of anything to write about. Maybe I should not have broken my own rule, and just left the computer off.

I'll list a few of my favorite websites that have been helpful to me, and to my kiddos with Down Syndrome. First, is www.starfall.com . Amelia loves to visit this one and go through the alphabet. Zach taught her how to use the mouse, so when she is getting antsy and needs to focus on something, I just set her up at this website. Another neat site if you are looking for therapy-type toys is www.sensoryedge.com . If you like to print out picture cards or have activity ideas, try www.do2learn.com . And finally, www.ableplay.org has toys for children with special needs. I was only recently told about this website, and have not had time to explore it too much yet.

The Tongue Myth

I took Dante to his first orthopedic appointment a little over a week ago. He will be getting Ankle Feet Orthoses to help him on the road to walking. The doctor was very nice, despite keeping us waiting for one hour and forty-five minutes. He was very slick actually, he came in and immediately commented on Nikita's earrings, which were the Blue note symbol for the St. Louis hockey team. So off we were on a conversation about hockey without even getting a comment in about the long wait!

But, what really surprised me was this specialist saying to me, "Are you going to do anything about his big tongue?". Excuse me? I told him Dante does not have a big tongue. He does have a small jaw, thus the crowded teeth. He also has very lax muscles, and since the tongue is a muscle he does find it easier to simply let it stick out.

There are many myths and stereotypes about people with Down Syndrome, however we cannot expect everyone to know facts versus fiction. So when circumstances like this arise, perhaps we should avoid our gut reaction and not smack the person upside the head. Instead, it is our opportunity to educate someone about the reality of Down Syndrome. Maybe we should look forward to these opportunites, because they are the only way these stereotypes will be eliminated.

Sunny's Birthday

Today was Sunny's birthday; she is 7 now. It is interesting how the new seven year old will be the seventh child that we welcome into our family. She has lived on the other side of the world for so long waiting for a family and now we stand ready to have her come home as soon as may be. Of course, it is not that simple. The paperwork needs of the governments of this world need to be satisfied and we can only hold on, do our part and go when we get the word. Until then, Happy Birthday Sunny, the next one will be here!

She chose life

I love the new t-shirts I just got in the mail for Amelia and Micah, thank you Amy!! It seemed appropriate for today, since there is a debate tonight that a lot of people will be watching.

Yes, I am voting for Trig's mom. No, not just because she has a baby with Down Syndrome and I have three, almost four, kids with Down Syndrome. It certainly helps though! She knew, and she chose life for her baby. That tells me a lot about her.

Here are Amelia and Micah in their new shirts! One posed, one getting the giggles....I just love Micah's sweet smile.

Down Syndrome Awareness

October is Down Syndrome Awareness month and I am going to attempt the 31:21 blogger challenge: For each of the 31 days this month I will post something that brings awareness about Trisomy 21. You can read a little more about it at www.reecesrainbow.blogspot.com ...and every day this month they will highlight an orphan with Down Syndrome who needs a family.

Personally, I find having adopted internationally three times a child with Down Syndrome, just going grocery shopping spreads Down Syndrome awareness, let alone anywhere else we go! Amelia is definitely an ambassador in that respect, saying "morning" to everyone we pass, no matter the time of day. We walked to our library the other day and there were two men from a correctional facility doing painting. She said "morning" as we walked in, and again as we left. I told her we already said good morning, now we say "have a nice day". So she did. I am really not sure if it was her obvious difference, or the fact that she spoke to those men at all, but they were pleased she greeted them. Even if she had known where they were from, she still would have done just the same. That's my girl!

Me!

We home school, and Amelia has been working on her fine motor skills. She can write her name pretty well, and knows all her letters even though she cannot write them. To help her with control we have been doing a lot of drawing, and she particularly loves to make stick figures of people. Today she drew me! So there is now a picture of me on this blog....






She even wrote "mom" on there herself, although for some reason she made each "m" and then filled in the "o", all without any input from me.

I-797c!

We received it in the mail today!! It is the "Notice of favorable disposition concerning application for advance processing of orphan petition", and is a necessary step in our international adoption process.

In our previous three adoptions, we NEVER received it this quickly! The receipt date is 9/4, and the approval date is 9/26. Who knew our someone in our government could accomplish something so quickly. We are very grateful though! With Micah's adoption it took months and ended up needing the intervention of a State Senator to get it done.

I pray the rest of our paperwork comes together and moves through the process just as swiftly.

Micah

Micah has not been in a lot of pictures/posts yet, so this one is for him. He is 6, and we brought him home from Hong Kong a few days after his third birthday. Micah is very charming, and very aware of his charm! He is also a bit defiant....will look right at me and say "no" if he does not want to do what is asked of him, like putting his breakfast bowl in the sink. Micah loves to sing, loves to watch TV, and is especially fond of sliding down the railing of the stairs.

Sunny is exactly halfway between Micah and Amelia in age, and I can see them becoming the Three Musketeers.

Here are some pictures of Micah, for Sandy to see how he has grown! (Thank you Sandy for giving him such a great name and loving him when he was in Mother's Choice!)

Micah did not walk until he was just over 3, but now he just loves climbing, swinging, jumping...anything with movement. He loved his gymnastics class last year. And he just had to climb the fence we had put around our property to help him and Amelia remember not to wander.

And finally, a picture that shows him at VBS....you can see the space where he had trimmed his hair himself. When he did it a second time we took for his buzz cut. It is slowly growing back though!