Can I be honest, I completely forgot about blogging until a few weeks ago. I realized that it has been almost 4 months since our last blog post. A lot has happened since that post, including summer which has rendered me somewhat busy. So where do I begin...
I will say that many warned me about the difference having 3 children will make in my life. That it was not a lie. Getting ready and going out and about is a little more challenging. But they failed to tell me how much I would enjoy my 3rd child. I stop and think often about how much I am just delighting in Lydia. I think with the first child you are so stressed out, no sleep, no life, everything new, I remember about all I felt like I could do with the first few months with Anna is survive. With Isaac we missed these first few months, and oh how did I miss them. I have spent several evenings since we brought Lydia home with tears in my eyes thinking about the moments missed with my son. Who was there to see his first smile? Did he cry a lot? Was he rocked to sleep or did he just fall asleep crying when no one was there to hold him? My heart breaks that we weren't able to be there for the first few months. At the same time I am so grateful for his foster parents who when he was 3 months old gave him the life he hadn't experienced before. So it's in those moments with my sweet Liddy that I think on these things. I am much less stressed now, I feel like I somewhat know what I am doing. I enjoy her smiles and snuggles, the way she always wants to sleep in bed with me, the way she sings herself to sleep, and the way her smile lights up the room when Anna or Isaac talk to her. She has truly been a joyful addition to our lives.
Right now her favorite things to do are eat, play in her walker, babble to anyone who will listen and stand with a little help. Her favorite foods are sweet potatoes and squash, she will eat fruit but would rather have veggies right now. She is happy most of the time and only cries when she has to be in her car seat too long or is tired or hungry. Isaac and Anna are still crazy about her, they are great helpers and live to entertain her. Anna loves that she always has an audience!
Our contact with our birth family has been limited because she does not have a cell phone right now. I pray that we will be able to stay in contact with them and will try correspondence by mail in the next few weeks. I think about them often and pray that they are getting along well, I am so thankful for the indescribable gift they gave us in our daughter. Its hard to believe that at this time last year we had barely just began the process of adopting again with a short email to Adoption Assistance. God moved our hearts at just the right time to have everything ready for the child he had already picked out for our family. Our prayer continues to be that God moves hearts of those around us to adoption as well. As much as we would like to, we can't continue to adopt more and more children and would love nothing more than for some other families to come along side of us and share their love with children who need it.We would take great joy in the thought that our story helped more children find their forever families.
Anyone who welcomes a little child like this in my name, welcomes me. (Matthew 18:5)
We will keep enjoying our precious children and all of the first all over again for Lydia. We are looking forward to State Fair visits, pumpkin patches, soccer games and of course the Holiday season. And are preparing for crawling, creeping and chasing in the coming months.
Bethany
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Monday, April 6, 2015
Sometimes God Shows Off
In 5 days my little girl, Lydia, will be 1 month old. Looking back over this past month and the many months leading up to our adoption, I am continuously blown away at all the many ways God showed Himself to be faithful. There are so many stories that I could write down and knowing where to start is difficult, so I'm gonna just back up to the beginning and try to do justice to the story that God has written in our lives.
If you've been keeping up with our blog very long, one thing you probably picked up on is that it was never really a question of whether we would adopt again after bringing Isaac home, but rather when we would adopt again. Not so strangely, Bethany and I had differing views on the timeline. We started talking it over around September of last year, 2014, and we both agreed that we were ready to start the adventure all over again. The only problem was that Bethany was ready to go immediately whereas I really wanted to make sure we paid off our first adoption loan and took care of some things financially before embarking on another roller coaster. Add to that the fact that we decided to trade in the Equinox toward the purchase a minivan, you can see where I might be a little concerned. This is where God decided to show me that He had everything under control. We found a van through the help of a very dear friend and the Equinox traded for more that what we thought we'd be able to sell it for. As a matter of fact, the trade from the Equinox allowed us to pay off Isaac's adoption loan and then we were able to get a home equity loan to cover Lydia's adoption. Just to prove a point, God allowed the home equity loan not only be enough to cover the adoption costs but even just a little bit more. He had already blown me away, but He hasn't even started to show off yet!
Adoption is not a fast process, it seems to move at the speed of molasses on a cold day sometimes. To me, the idea of everything taking some time was more than alright. To Bethany, the idea that things could drag out for a while was complete torture. We'd been through the waiting game with Isaac so I knew what to expect only I didn't know that Bethany had recruited some serious prayer warriors when I wasn't looking and must've given them orders to pray for a speedy process because the next thing I know we've got a Skype interview with the birth mother scheduled for a weeknight in December! During the conversation we find out that the baby is going to be a little girl and that the due date is March 11th. Huh??? What happened to adoption being a slow process? Once again, the student has been put in his place by the Master.
So now the prepping begins. We start talking to people who have made this trip before us only to find out that we should expect to be gone no less than 2 weeks (14 days) but should prepare to be gone for as many as 6 weeks! We learned that the length of our stay would be determined by how backed up the court system was once the baby was born. We would be worked in when it was convenient to the court. A million questions began to swim around in my mind at that point, not the least of which was how we could afford for one or both of us to be off from work for 6 weeks. I was prepared to use up my 3 weeks of vacation, but what would happen after that was anybody's guess. Bethany isn't full time, so that means there is no vacation pay for her. Fear and doubt... how I hate you both! It's at this point that God shows up again, as only He can. I have a sit down meeting with the personnel committee at CBC to be told that they are going to grant me an extra 2 weeks of paid leave so that I don't have to worry about the length of stay in Arkansas. Bethany's employer also tells her not to worry, that she will be taken care of as well during the time we are gone and the following weeks after getting back until she returns to work. God is like a problem solving NINJA and He's still hasn't started showing off yet!
We pack and prepare for departure. We make plans for the kids and what will happen while we are gone and how they'll come and meet with us once we're down there and settled. We make a plan for when we will leave, because we've been told that they are planning to induce labor on a certain day, and everything goes like clockwork until we left on Monday March 9th. 4 1/2 hours into the trip we get a text explaining that the doctor decided not to induce. We turn around and head home, licking our wounds and wondering what the plan will be now. We were really deflated at this point, but God had a plan and part of that plan was giving us an extra day with our kiddos at home. Early in the morning on the 11th, Bethany gets a text and we learn that the baby may be coming. Four hours later we know for sure and the mad dash to get to Arkansas begins again! Bethany and I jumped in the van with what seemed like enough supplies for a year and headed down the road. 9 hours and one very sketchy back road in Missouri later, we were holding our little girl. All was right in the world.
We spent time with our little girl and with the birth parents. It's amazing to see how God brought our two families together. If you haven't read the previous posts written by Bethany, go and read them because it's truly an incredible work that He did. Thursday morning our attorney, Vaughn, stopped by to pay us a visit. Everything was going just as we thought it would until he said something that just didn't make sense to me. He told us that he was headed to court to file a motion to finalize and that if everything worked out right we might be finalizing the following week on Tuesday. Wait, what? At 11:54 AM on Thursday March, 12th God decided to show off when I received the following text message: "The hearing is set for Tuesday at 9:00 AM." 8 days after leaving, we returned to our home with our little girl. 8 DAYS! Fear and doubt you can hit the bricks because MY GOD IS BIG! Vaughn couldn't explain it. He said it never happens like this. I know what happened though, God happened.
Since then, it's just been one thing after another of God showing Himself faithful. From cards filled with gifts to a baby shower resulting in a whole year's worth of diapers, He just keeps showing up. What a ride!
If you've been keeping up with our blog very long, one thing you probably picked up on is that it was never really a question of whether we would adopt again after bringing Isaac home, but rather when we would adopt again. Not so strangely, Bethany and I had differing views on the timeline. We started talking it over around September of last year, 2014, and we both agreed that we were ready to start the adventure all over again. The only problem was that Bethany was ready to go immediately whereas I really wanted to make sure we paid off our first adoption loan and took care of some things financially before embarking on another roller coaster. Add to that the fact that we decided to trade in the Equinox toward the purchase a minivan, you can see where I might be a little concerned. This is where God decided to show me that He had everything under control. We found a van through the help of a very dear friend and the Equinox traded for more that what we thought we'd be able to sell it for. As a matter of fact, the trade from the Equinox allowed us to pay off Isaac's adoption loan and then we were able to get a home equity loan to cover Lydia's adoption. Just to prove a point, God allowed the home equity loan not only be enough to cover the adoption costs but even just a little bit more. He had already blown me away, but He hasn't even started to show off yet!
Adoption is not a fast process, it seems to move at the speed of molasses on a cold day sometimes. To me, the idea of everything taking some time was more than alright. To Bethany, the idea that things could drag out for a while was complete torture. We'd been through the waiting game with Isaac so I knew what to expect only I didn't know that Bethany had recruited some serious prayer warriors when I wasn't looking and must've given them orders to pray for a speedy process because the next thing I know we've got a Skype interview with the birth mother scheduled for a weeknight in December! During the conversation we find out that the baby is going to be a little girl and that the due date is March 11th. Huh??? What happened to adoption being a slow process? Once again, the student has been put in his place by the Master.
So now the prepping begins. We start talking to people who have made this trip before us only to find out that we should expect to be gone no less than 2 weeks (14 days) but should prepare to be gone for as many as 6 weeks! We learned that the length of our stay would be determined by how backed up the court system was once the baby was born. We would be worked in when it was convenient to the court. A million questions began to swim around in my mind at that point, not the least of which was how we could afford for one or both of us to be off from work for 6 weeks. I was prepared to use up my 3 weeks of vacation, but what would happen after that was anybody's guess. Bethany isn't full time, so that means there is no vacation pay for her. Fear and doubt... how I hate you both! It's at this point that God shows up again, as only He can. I have a sit down meeting with the personnel committee at CBC to be told that they are going to grant me an extra 2 weeks of paid leave so that I don't have to worry about the length of stay in Arkansas. Bethany's employer also tells her not to worry, that she will be taken care of as well during the time we are gone and the following weeks after getting back until she returns to work. God is like a problem solving NINJA and He's still hasn't started showing off yet!
We pack and prepare for departure. We make plans for the kids and what will happen while we are gone and how they'll come and meet with us once we're down there and settled. We make a plan for when we will leave, because we've been told that they are planning to induce labor on a certain day, and everything goes like clockwork until we left on Monday March 9th. 4 1/2 hours into the trip we get a text explaining that the doctor decided not to induce. We turn around and head home, licking our wounds and wondering what the plan will be now. We were really deflated at this point, but God had a plan and part of that plan was giving us an extra day with our kiddos at home. Early in the morning on the 11th, Bethany gets a text and we learn that the baby may be coming. Four hours later we know for sure and the mad dash to get to Arkansas begins again! Bethany and I jumped in the van with what seemed like enough supplies for a year and headed down the road. 9 hours and one very sketchy back road in Missouri later, we were holding our little girl. All was right in the world.
We spent time with our little girl and with the birth parents. It's amazing to see how God brought our two families together. If you haven't read the previous posts written by Bethany, go and read them because it's truly an incredible work that He did. Thursday morning our attorney, Vaughn, stopped by to pay us a visit. Everything was going just as we thought it would until he said something that just didn't make sense to me. He told us that he was headed to court to file a motion to finalize and that if everything worked out right we might be finalizing the following week on Tuesday. Wait, what? At 11:54 AM on Thursday March, 12th God decided to show off when I received the following text message: "The hearing is set for Tuesday at 9:00 AM." 8 days after leaving, we returned to our home with our little girl. 8 DAYS! Fear and doubt you can hit the bricks because MY GOD IS BIG! Vaughn couldn't explain it. He said it never happens like this. I know what happened though, God happened.
Since then, it's just been one thing after another of God showing Himself faithful. From cards filled with gifts to a baby shower resulting in a whole year's worth of diapers, He just keeps showing up. What a ride!
Saturday, March 14, 2015
It won't be like this for long
She is here! She is HERE!
For those of you who may not have heard our little Lydia Jayne is here! I was woken up at about 3 am Wednesday morning with a text from our birth mother that she was in the hospital and they were waiting to see if they were going to keep her. I went and told Travis and he immediately said good and went back to sleep. I on the other hand, showered, got dressed, packed, prayed, planned, etc. I thought we would hear quickly if she was in labor. Well I thought wrong, the next message I got was 4 hours later telling us they were giving her medicine to speed up contractions. I explained to Travis that meant go time! In the mean time we had taken Anna to school (yes Travis woke up) and began reloading the car. Remember that we just took this trip on Monday. When Papaw arrived to get Isaac we were headed out. The whole time in the back of our minds we were hoping we don't have to turn around again!
It took several hours to get in contact with our lawyer and no text messages were sent from our birth mother. We were in limbo but in route. Our lawyer called us back and he had no idea she was in labor. She had only texted us and said he was going to check on her progress and would call us or text us back. At a little after 10 am after just crossing into Missouri we got a message from our lawyer that she had just delivered our Baby Girl. He must have arrived in the hospital just as or right after it happened. After several minutes he sent us a picture, there she was 7 lb., 11 oz, 20 inches of 100% miracle! We soon heard from our birth mother, she replied to our other messages with sorry I didn't respond I was in a lot of pain. Her and I laughed about that message later. So she was here, but we were not there, we were still a good 6 hours away! We drove slow and safe the whole rest of the way...well... we did go on one road worth telling you about. I thought we were going to die there! It was 30+ miles of the most windy, hilly roads you have ever been on with no cell phone service, no GPS and very few inhabitants. We will never travel that road again! The trip went well aside from that and we arrived about 9 hours from when we started.
All the way there I anticipated how I would feel in that moment when I first saw our daughter. Upon arrival I was more anxious that emotional. Anxious about finally meeting our Lydia's birth mom, anxious about all the changes and worries that go along with having a newborn. It was mixed emotions as we walked into that room, our birth mom was holding Lydia and immediately gave her to me when we walked in the door. She willingly gave her over and celebrated with us as we sat and visited with her and the father for several hours. I will never be able to explain those moments to you, and I will never be able to explain the bond between two mothers with a crazy love for one little girl!
I will be honest, the bond wasn't immediate with Lydia like it was Isaac, I think it had all happened too fast for my mind to comprehend. They gave Travis and I a room in the hospital and we were able to take Lydia with us to the room for the night. It was during that night of feedings and diaper changes that the bond started to form. She was our little girl! I cherished those moments in the wee hours of the morning when you are so sleepy you can hardly keep your eyes open and she looks up at me with those eyes (peepers is what we call them) and I tell her how much she is loved!
We discharged from the hospital the next day around 12 pm after spending more time with the birth parents and allowing them to say their short term goodbyes (we will be getting together with them again before we leave). Since then we have been hanging out in the hotel, Travis has been the errand boy, making trips to the car, to Wal-Mart, to restaurants etc. And Lydia and I are just hanging out, getting to know and love each other. Sharing night time stories and pillow talk when I know I need to be asleep.
Anna, Isaac, Mamaw and Poppy Ronnie are on their way here now. I cannot wait to have all 3 of my children together for the first time. I will cherish all of these moments, it is amazing how God has gotten us here! We are truly blessed beyond comprehension. Thanks for the continued prayers. I have no doubt that because of those prayers we will be able to head home much earlier than anticipated. We have a court date set for Tuesday morning! See you all very soon!
For those of you who may not have heard our little Lydia Jayne is here! I was woken up at about 3 am Wednesday morning with a text from our birth mother that she was in the hospital and they were waiting to see if they were going to keep her. I went and told Travis and he immediately said good and went back to sleep. I on the other hand, showered, got dressed, packed, prayed, planned, etc. I thought we would hear quickly if she was in labor. Well I thought wrong, the next message I got was 4 hours later telling us they were giving her medicine to speed up contractions. I explained to Travis that meant go time! In the mean time we had taken Anna to school (yes Travis woke up) and began reloading the car. Remember that we just took this trip on Monday. When Papaw arrived to get Isaac we were headed out. The whole time in the back of our minds we were hoping we don't have to turn around again!
It took several hours to get in contact with our lawyer and no text messages were sent from our birth mother. We were in limbo but in route. Our lawyer called us back and he had no idea she was in labor. She had only texted us and said he was going to check on her progress and would call us or text us back. At a little after 10 am after just crossing into Missouri we got a message from our lawyer that she had just delivered our Baby Girl. He must have arrived in the hospital just as or right after it happened. After several minutes he sent us a picture, there she was 7 lb., 11 oz, 20 inches of 100% miracle! We soon heard from our birth mother, she replied to our other messages with sorry I didn't respond I was in a lot of pain. Her and I laughed about that message later. So she was here, but we were not there, we were still a good 6 hours away! We drove slow and safe the whole rest of the way...well... we did go on one road worth telling you about. I thought we were going to die there! It was 30+ miles of the most windy, hilly roads you have ever been on with no cell phone service, no GPS and very few inhabitants. We will never travel that road again! The trip went well aside from that and we arrived about 9 hours from when we started.
All the way there I anticipated how I would feel in that moment when I first saw our daughter. Upon arrival I was more anxious that emotional. Anxious about finally meeting our Lydia's birth mom, anxious about all the changes and worries that go along with having a newborn. It was mixed emotions as we walked into that room, our birth mom was holding Lydia and immediately gave her to me when we walked in the door. She willingly gave her over and celebrated with us as we sat and visited with her and the father for several hours. I will never be able to explain those moments to you, and I will never be able to explain the bond between two mothers with a crazy love for one little girl!
I will be honest, the bond wasn't immediate with Lydia like it was Isaac, I think it had all happened too fast for my mind to comprehend. They gave Travis and I a room in the hospital and we were able to take Lydia with us to the room for the night. It was during that night of feedings and diaper changes that the bond started to form. She was our little girl! I cherished those moments in the wee hours of the morning when you are so sleepy you can hardly keep your eyes open and she looks up at me with those eyes (peepers is what we call them) and I tell her how much she is loved!
We discharged from the hospital the next day around 12 pm after spending more time with the birth parents and allowing them to say their short term goodbyes (we will be getting together with them again before we leave). Since then we have been hanging out in the hotel, Travis has been the errand boy, making trips to the car, to Wal-Mart, to restaurants etc. And Lydia and I are just hanging out, getting to know and love each other. Sharing night time stories and pillow talk when I know I need to be asleep.
Anna, Isaac, Mamaw and Poppy Ronnie are on their way here now. I cannot wait to have all 3 of my children together for the first time. I will cherish all of these moments, it is amazing how God has gotten us here! We are truly blessed beyond comprehension. Thanks for the continued prayers. I have no doubt that because of those prayers we will be able to head home much earlier than anticipated. We have a court date set for Tuesday morning! See you all very soon!
Monday, March 9, 2015
Plans
We had great plans...but well it didn't quite work out so well. We ventured off this morning, planning to go to Arkansas for the birth of our baby girl scheduled to be induced tomorrow. Not too long after crossing the Mighty Mississippi we received a text that our plans had changed. The doctor decided that he wanted to wait a while longer before inducing and scheduled a follow up appointment on Thursday to check progress. We drove a while longer and decided to stop to contemplate our options. We were about half way there in our estimations so going back was no small task. We decided a few more nights at home with our kiddos trumped sitting in a hotel in Arkansas waiting for something to happen. So we came back home.
Now we just wait, no plans, just wait, she could go into labor at any moment, or not. We will wait this time until we know for sure...we learned our lesson that in adoption as in life sometimes things don't go as planned! Thank you for the prayers today and the thoughtful text and Facebook comments. It was a good practice run, let's do it again in a few days!
Speaking of plans, Jeremiah 29:11 tells us about God's plans for us:
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
I trust His plans!
Now we just wait, no plans, just wait, she could go into labor at any moment, or not. We will wait this time until we know for sure...we learned our lesson that in adoption as in life sometimes things don't go as planned! Thank you for the prayers today and the thoughtful text and Facebook comments. It was a good practice run, let's do it again in a few days!
Speaking of plans, Jeremiah 29:11 tells us about God's plans for us:
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
I trust His plans!
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Time for one more snow day
I texted our birth mother this morning and told her we had almost 2 ft. of snow and ask that she not go into labor at least until tomorrow. She said that she will do her best! We are getting down to just days now before D-day. At this time we are set to leave on Monday morning and for our birth mother to be induced on Tuesday at some point. We have our hotel rooms booked and plans made the best we can. God has blessed us with a little bit of extra family time this week with the snow and I am still trying to enjoy our last few days as a family of 4. The kids are so excited but at this time I think it's more about the trip than the baby. I have packed them surprise bags for the trip full of snacks, games, and a new movie. Anna has even made the comment that if the birth mother changes her mind do we still get our travel bags? They never stop making me laugh!
Emotionally in the last few days I have had my ups and downs. Moments of pure panic that I can't imagine trying to pack everything and plan everything as well as moments when I feel like I have this somewhat under control. Fear is somewhat of a distant memory, though it creeps in from time to time. I realized that the fear could be absolutely crippling and had to get to the point where I just trust God for whats best for our lives. I have been honest with Anna about the emotions that I am experiencing. Helping her to understand that sometimes following God's plan for our lives is not easy. I want her to know about the possibility of the birth mother deciding to keep the baby, and I want her to know that it scares Mommy and Daddy too. One day Travis and I were talking about when we wanted the baby to come, Travis was insistent that the baby come after disciple now weekend was over and I on the other hand was ready to go in that instant. Anna chimed in and said, "I want the baby to come when God wants her to come, we have to trust God." From the mouth of babes! God has been working so much around us during this time, challenging our faith and trust in Him, only to show up big right when we need him. I really do need to learn to trust him and sometimes I feel like getting out of our comfort zone and taking a risk is the best way to learn that lesson.
So on Monday we set out for a 9+ hour drive. I am going to play DJ on the way to keep my nerves from getting the best of me (pray for Travis). Hopefully sometime on Tuesday or Wednesday we will be holding our baby girl. Continue to pray for us in the next few weeks. Pray that we remember how to be parents of a newborn and 2 other children. Pray for the adjustment, especially for Isaac as we all know he is quite the Mommy's boy. Pray for our finances that the hotel stay and other cost won't be much more than we have planned for. Pray for our relationship with the birth family and follow up communication. Thank you all so much for all that you have already done, we will update the blog with pictures and short messages of how things are going all along the way. Until then keep shoveling...Travis says he's already shoveled 3 1/2 tons!
Emotionally in the last few days I have had my ups and downs. Moments of pure panic that I can't imagine trying to pack everything and plan everything as well as moments when I feel like I have this somewhat under control. Fear is somewhat of a distant memory, though it creeps in from time to time. I realized that the fear could be absolutely crippling and had to get to the point where I just trust God for whats best for our lives. I have been honest with Anna about the emotions that I am experiencing. Helping her to understand that sometimes following God's plan for our lives is not easy. I want her to know about the possibility of the birth mother deciding to keep the baby, and I want her to know that it scares Mommy and Daddy too. One day Travis and I were talking about when we wanted the baby to come, Travis was insistent that the baby come after disciple now weekend was over and I on the other hand was ready to go in that instant. Anna chimed in and said, "I want the baby to come when God wants her to come, we have to trust God." From the mouth of babes! God has been working so much around us during this time, challenging our faith and trust in Him, only to show up big right when we need him. I really do need to learn to trust him and sometimes I feel like getting out of our comfort zone and taking a risk is the best way to learn that lesson.
So on Monday we set out for a 9+ hour drive. I am going to play DJ on the way to keep my nerves from getting the best of me (pray for Travis). Hopefully sometime on Tuesday or Wednesday we will be holding our baby girl. Continue to pray for us in the next few weeks. Pray that we remember how to be parents of a newborn and 2 other children. Pray for the adjustment, especially for Isaac as we all know he is quite the Mommy's boy. Pray for our finances that the hotel stay and other cost won't be much more than we have planned for. Pray for our relationship with the birth family and follow up communication. Thank you all so much for all that you have already done, we will update the blog with pictures and short messages of how things are going all along the way. Until then keep shoveling...Travis says he's already shoveled 3 1/2 tons!
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Happy Valentine's Day
Happy V-day everyone! It's a cold day perfect for snuggling up on the couch, playing board games and updating blogs. We are less than a month away from our due date and things are packed and ready. As the calendar turned to February I will admit that anxiousness about got the best of me. I found myself having a hard time sleeping, sitting still and thinking about anything else. I realized that I couldn't keep that up for the whole month or I would go mad! People close to me saw the stress levels rising and began to pray for me and I began to focus on God and not so much the what if's.
So on this February day, I am enjoying my family. Playing Lego Duplo with Isaac, eating at Cracker Barrel with Anna and enjoying quiet talks with my Valentine Travis. I realized that in a few weeks things will be much different around this house, attention will be much more divided and talks and play time will be greatly shortened. Instead of worrying about all the details I am trying to enjoy the moment! It's so easy to live from event to event in our lives as time flies by, but it's in the smallest moments that life is truly lived. Right now, in the living room, Isaac and Anna are fighting about blankets and space on the couch and I wouldn't have it any other way.
We have talked a lot about our new addition in all those moments, how things will be different and the same when she is here. About the possibilities that this adoption may not work out how we have planned but that we trust God to do what's best for us. Travis and I have talked a lot about that possibility too and have decided that our plans will never be better than God's so we trust Him for whatever He has in store. Easier said than done, but we are works in progress! We have talked to Anna especially about our fears and concerns, we want her to understand that following God is not always easy.
I have had many text message conversations with our birth mother over the last few weeks. I try to be there for her, to reassure her but to also acknowledge that what she is going through is very difficult. I pray for her often as she has mentioned that she has been more emotional in the last few weeks. In all those conversations I realize how huge this whole process it. How much bigger it is than all of us. How amazed I am to even be a part of this. It is so much more than an adoption, it's a chance to share God's love with another person, another family, another people group. It's a chance for my eyes to be opened to the hugeness of God and my inability in my own little box to grasp His plans for my life. God has so much to teach us!
One of our biggest concerns for our baby and the birth mother is the fact that she hadn't been to the doctor since November. That prayer was answered this week as she was able to get in to see one. All is well and on track! She will continue to go to the doctor weekly until delivery. We were also able to finalize details about towns, hospital's and hotel stays. All of those things were big in reducing my anxiety levels.
So now, we wait, we are getting so good at waiting (is anyone ever good at waiting?)! And in the mean time we pray and we try to enjoy every moment together, with the phone near by just in case the call comes early!
Thanks for all of the prayers, keep them coming!
Bethany
So on this February day, I am enjoying my family. Playing Lego Duplo with Isaac, eating at Cracker Barrel with Anna and enjoying quiet talks with my Valentine Travis. I realized that in a few weeks things will be much different around this house, attention will be much more divided and talks and play time will be greatly shortened. Instead of worrying about all the details I am trying to enjoy the moment! It's so easy to live from event to event in our lives as time flies by, but it's in the smallest moments that life is truly lived. Right now, in the living room, Isaac and Anna are fighting about blankets and space on the couch and I wouldn't have it any other way.
We have talked a lot about our new addition in all those moments, how things will be different and the same when she is here. About the possibilities that this adoption may not work out how we have planned but that we trust God to do what's best for us. Travis and I have talked a lot about that possibility too and have decided that our plans will never be better than God's so we trust Him for whatever He has in store. Easier said than done, but we are works in progress! We have talked to Anna especially about our fears and concerns, we want her to understand that following God is not always easy.
I have had many text message conversations with our birth mother over the last few weeks. I try to be there for her, to reassure her but to also acknowledge that what she is going through is very difficult. I pray for her often as she has mentioned that she has been more emotional in the last few weeks. In all those conversations I realize how huge this whole process it. How much bigger it is than all of us. How amazed I am to even be a part of this. It is so much more than an adoption, it's a chance to share God's love with another person, another family, another people group. It's a chance for my eyes to be opened to the hugeness of God and my inability in my own little box to grasp His plans for my life. God has so much to teach us!
One of our biggest concerns for our baby and the birth mother is the fact that she hadn't been to the doctor since November. That prayer was answered this week as she was able to get in to see one. All is well and on track! She will continue to go to the doctor weekly until delivery. We were also able to finalize details about towns, hospital's and hotel stays. All of those things were big in reducing my anxiety levels.
So now, we wait, we are getting so good at waiting (is anyone ever good at waiting?)! And in the mean time we pray and we try to enjoy every moment together, with the phone near by just in case the call comes early!
Thanks for all of the prayers, keep them coming!
Bethany
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Getting Closer Now
The shock of all has finally ended and the excitement has started, as well as all the planning. We are less than 2 months away from the due date for our baby girl. I have a corner in my bedroom dedicated to all things baby, from a suitcase packed full of newborn clothes to a baby bathtub and everything in between. I pick up baby items each time I go to the store now, diapers, some wipes, pacifiers, bottles just enough to be prepared but knowing that is just the start of the things I will need when she is finally here. We have been in contact with our lawyer answering most of our previous questions. The expected length of stay in Arkansas is 3-4 weeks after the baby is born. The baby cannot leave the state during that time. There is a chance that everything happens much faster than that (our prayer) but also a chance that it takes up to 6 weeks. When the time comes we will receive a phone call from our lawyer that our baby is on the way. We will pack our things and Travis and I will make the 9+ hour trek to the hospital. The kids will stay home for a while to make sure everything goes smoothly with the birth and the transition. Our baby girl will leave with us from the hospital to a nearby extended stay hotel (our home away from home). There we will await what we think will be 2 court dates, 1 to give up rights and 1 for the actual adoption. Sometime in those first few days someone whom we love very dearly will bring our kids to us and meet our new baby girl (that person is to be determined)! They will stay some time with us, that is also to be determined, and maybe come home or maybe stay for longer!
It is in all the above facts that I feel the stress level rising! New baby, 9 hours away, hotel, 2 other kids, formula, diapers, food, packing, planning, pacifiers, sheets blankets, newborn, no sleep, hotel cost, no work, money, diapers, formula...you get the picture. I have tried to plan the best I can but in reality there is only so much I can do right now. I do not have paid maternity leave or any vacation at work but I will be off for as long as I need. Right now God has allowed me to work more hours in preparation for the time off, probably helps me not to freak out too! When I start to worry, I picture that that little girl in my arms and the joy that she will bring to our whole family and realize that it will all work out. We only live once, may as well make it an adventure!
One of the many blessings that has come with this adoption is the ability to communicate with the birth mother. We are able to text back and forth often and show our support for one another. She is in the process of trying to find another MD, so please be in prayer for that as she hasn't been to the Dr. for quite some time. We have received several ultrasound images, which makes it all so real and also confirms the due date to March 11. Pray for our stay in Arkansas, that everything goes smoothly there and we can come home quickly. Pray for the health of our birth mother and baby girl.
Thank you for the prayers that you have already lifted up for us, for asking how things are going and being generally interested in the process. Many have asked us about things we need. The only large things we really still need are a swing and a travel system. Other than that we have plenty of clothes, blankets, burp clothes, all handed down from Anna and others, but we have very few of the daily necessities for taking care of baby. We know that God will supply everything we need, He always does, we just have to trust Him and enjoy the ride. Till next time...
It is in all the above facts that I feel the stress level rising! New baby, 9 hours away, hotel, 2 other kids, formula, diapers, food, packing, planning, pacifiers, sheets blankets, newborn, no sleep, hotel cost, no work, money, diapers, formula...you get the picture. I have tried to plan the best I can but in reality there is only so much I can do right now. I do not have paid maternity leave or any vacation at work but I will be off for as long as I need. Right now God has allowed me to work more hours in preparation for the time off, probably helps me not to freak out too! When I start to worry, I picture that that little girl in my arms and the joy that she will bring to our whole family and realize that it will all work out. We only live once, may as well make it an adventure!
One of the many blessings that has come with this adoption is the ability to communicate with the birth mother. We are able to text back and forth often and show our support for one another. She is in the process of trying to find another MD, so please be in prayer for that as she hasn't been to the Dr. for quite some time. We have received several ultrasound images, which makes it all so real and also confirms the due date to March 11. Pray for our stay in Arkansas, that everything goes smoothly there and we can come home quickly. Pray for the health of our birth mother and baby girl.
Thank you for the prayers that you have already lifted up for us, for asking how things are going and being generally interested in the process. Many have asked us about things we need. The only large things we really still need are a swing and a travel system. Other than that we have plenty of clothes, blankets, burp clothes, all handed down from Anna and others, but we have very few of the daily necessities for taking care of baby. We know that God will supply everything we need, He always does, we just have to trust Him and enjoy the ride. Till next time...
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