How can a seemingly dark day quickly transform into a vividly bright day? Encouragement! Encouragement comes in many forms: hugs, written and spoken words, prayers, God's Word, and sometimes others just being present (even if no words are spoken). When I asked Eric what has encouraged him most during this process, he replied: "People telling us they are praying for us - it always comes at the most needed times." We have had some seemingly dark days throughout our adoption process, but God has transformed those times into vividly bright days through His provisions of peace and encouragement.
Eric and I have been blessed by encouragement in many ways:
- blog comments
- facebook comments and messages
- cards
- prayers and notification of prayers
- presence of loved ones
- God's financial provisions through friends and family
- listening ears of friends and family
- testimonies of God at work in the lives of others
- reading the Bible
Thank you to everyone who has offered us encouragement! Even those reading this blog are an encouragement through support shown by following our story! You never know how what you do is impacting the lives of others - thanks for impacting ours!
Monday, January 30, 2012
Friday, January 27, 2012
Covenant Care 3rd Adoption Placement of 2012 (1/26)
Covenant Care celebrated with another couple yesterday as a little boy was given a forever family!
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Catch-up: Is it red or read?
No new post today. I hereby deem today, January 26th, Project180Degrees Blog Reader Catch-up Day (and writer catch-up day). :) Check back soon for more new posts about our adoption. Thanks for following our story!
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Cravings! My, How Perspectives Can Change!
In some cases, pet dogs for people craving children are like pacifiers for babies craving milk. In other cases of people craving children, pet dogs are their babies. Does this sound outlandish? Take this statement in context and perspective from a couple with a deep craving to have children of their own to parent and love.
Eric has always loved dogs, but I have never been much of a dog fan. I always saw dogs okay for others to have, but I never desired one of my own. They take so much time and work. They stink. They are nasty. They get in the way. They are just something extra to have to deal with. I must confess that these views have COMPLETELY changed.
When we found out about the closing of our international girls' adoption, Eric said that we needed a dog. I was still reluctant to the idea, but I was willing to go take a look. Does that sound familiar? "Oh, I'm just going to LOOK." We know how that story often ends! When we went into the pet store that Spring 2011 day, our hearts were quickly stolen by Chara. The rest is history! :) We were just going to look, remember?
Chara was spoiled right from the start, mainly because of the timing in which she came into our family (yes, she is part of the family). :) Chara joined our family at a time when we were hurting from loss and longing so much for something little to love. For that reason, Chara was treated as much like a baby as possible. She changed my perspective on dogs! For example, I NEVER thought I would talk to an animal in that "goo, goo, gah, gah" baby voice. I thought that was one of the silliest ideas I had ever heard of. In fact, I told myself that I would not even talk to a baby in that "baby" voice. Chara changed that, too! Now I talk to Chara and her brother in that voice. I speak to them like they are human (I think they think they are human). Really, right now they are our babies. That may sound ridiculous to some people, but it is very true for us. We even have family time on the sofa bed with them. Sometimes we use the dogs to communicate with each other. For instance, I might say, "Handsome, Chara and Philos said they want you to take them outside." What that really means is, "Handsome, the dogs need to go outside to go potty right now. Can you please take them?" The dogs are also nice company when Eric is out of town.
Getting our dogs as puppies has been fun because we can see them grow and mature. We often say, "I can't believe she is growing up so fast!" Or, "Remember when he was just a little puppy?" Does that sound familiar to those of you who have witnessed humans grow up? Just last Friday we celebrated Chara's first birthday! We went to our pet store to get her a new toy and a birthday cupcake! The cupcake was really a cupcake-shaped doggie treat, but it was so cute. The pet store even kept it in a special "food" case with other beautifully, bakery-style decorated treats . . . sprinkles on top, too! We really had fun picking out just the right treat, bringing it home to Chara, and singing "Happy Birthday" to her. I never thought I would do that, but I did . . . and I enjoyed it! . . . We are babies craving for milk, but for now we will patiently suck our pacifier until God sees fit to give us a bottle.
Eric has always loved dogs, but I have never been much of a dog fan. I always saw dogs okay for others to have, but I never desired one of my own. They take so much time and work. They stink. They are nasty. They get in the way. They are just something extra to have to deal with. I must confess that these views have COMPLETELY changed.
When we found out about the closing of our international girls' adoption, Eric said that we needed a dog. I was still reluctant to the idea, but I was willing to go take a look. Does that sound familiar? "Oh, I'm just going to LOOK." We know how that story often ends! When we went into the pet store that Spring 2011 day, our hearts were quickly stolen by Chara. The rest is history! :) We were just going to look, remember?
Chara was spoiled right from the start, mainly because of the timing in which she came into our family (yes, she is part of the family). :) Chara joined our family at a time when we were hurting from loss and longing so much for something little to love. For that reason, Chara was treated as much like a baby as possible. She changed my perspective on dogs! For example, I NEVER thought I would talk to an animal in that "goo, goo, gah, gah" baby voice. I thought that was one of the silliest ideas I had ever heard of. In fact, I told myself that I would not even talk to a baby in that "baby" voice. Chara changed that, too! Now I talk to Chara and her brother in that voice. I speak to them like they are human (I think they think they are human). Really, right now they are our babies. That may sound ridiculous to some people, but it is very true for us. We even have family time on the sofa bed with them. Sometimes we use the dogs to communicate with each other. For instance, I might say, "Handsome, Chara and Philos said they want you to take them outside." What that really means is, "Handsome, the dogs need to go outside to go potty right now. Can you please take them?" The dogs are also nice company when Eric is out of town.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
We called 911!!!!!!!!!!!! (Part Two)
Yesterday we shared about phase two of our baby registry adventure. Read on to find out SOME of the funny moments, educational insights, and the big shocker!
Funny Moments
- We related everything back to our dogs. For example, we saw the same shampoo brand at Babies 'R Us that we use for our dogs! It's a healthy, all-natural shampoo that our pet store highly recommended we use. Apparently that company makes baby shampoo, too! We also saw many bath toys. I said, "Oh! Philos and Chara would love those!" Baby gates: already have those for the dogs. Check! :) Bag refills for portable dirty diaper bag holder: we use those for the dogs! We actually bought some bag refills while we there because we needed more for Chara and Philos! :)
- We had questions for almost everything: "What does that do?" "What would we need that for?" "Really? We need one of those?"
- Eric's face and reaction when Laura said that many doctors ask for rectal temperatures when little babies are sick!!! Ha! Ha!
- Eric's quick "No!" response when Laura asked us if we would use cloth diapers! I had actually thought about the idea, but Eric HATES gross things. Guess who cleans up most of the dog poop and throw-up in our house? Me! Eric will have lots of fun with a little baby! :)
- Just watching us be so clueless must have been quite comical!
Educational Insights
- Boppy pillows are not just for nursing - they are also good for resting the baby on when he/she is taking a bottle or for support for the baby. I would have never registered for one of those!
- Bottle nipples come in different flows (slow, medium, fast).
- There are pacifiers that glow in the dark so you can find them at night!
- Little pacifier cases are sold now so pacifiers can be easily found in diaper bags.
- Realizing how many little things are needed. Thank goodness for baby showers! I'll try and purchase registry items now for future showers I attend instead of something else.
- There are so many different types of bottles, pacifiers, bibs, spoons, diapers, blankets, burp cloths, baby carriers, etc. For a good bit of items, baby preference comes in to play.
- You can trade formula coupons with other people through the mail.
- Having 2-3 changing pad covers is wise.
Things We Wouldn't Have Registered for on Our Own but Did
- boppy pillow
- extra inserts for the car seat (head supports)
- extra car seat base for our 2nd vehicle
- baby wipe warmer - really?!?!
- gas relief drops and gripe water
- boogie wipes
- baby cotton swabs (the cotton part is larger - didn't know that)
- freezer storage containers for homemade baby food (I would like to try making my own baby food)
The Shocker
- Prices! Formula! Wow! That stuff is expensive!
By the end of our registry, our list went from 6 pages to 11 pages!!! Does that mean we are officially registered now? Yes and No. We have the items we want listed on our registry, but we also still have items on our registry that we don't want. For example, we couldn't narrow down which pack-in-play we wanted, so we just scanned several of them. Other items we scanned but we need to go back and make some decisions about those items. For example, we're not sure if we scanned the correct car seat base. If you would like to humor yourself, feel free to check out the crazy things we registered for prior to Laura coming to our rescue! Hopefully sometime soon we will be able to go back and clean up our registry so that it will be ready to share with others.
Overall, this second trip was much less overwhelming since we had someone to give us explanations, direction, and advice. We really had fun picking out baby items with a special friend. We feel much more confident now in our baby knowledge. Thanks, Laura, for answering our 911 call!
Funny Moments
- We related everything back to our dogs. For example, we saw the same shampoo brand at Babies 'R Us that we use for our dogs! It's a healthy, all-natural shampoo that our pet store highly recommended we use. Apparently that company makes baby shampoo, too! We also saw many bath toys. I said, "Oh! Philos and Chara would love those!" Baby gates: already have those for the dogs. Check! :) Bag refills for portable dirty diaper bag holder: we use those for the dogs! We actually bought some bag refills while we there because we needed more for Chara and Philos! :)
- We had questions for almost everything: "What does that do?" "What would we need that for?" "Really? We need one of those?"
- Eric's face and reaction when Laura said that many doctors ask for rectal temperatures when little babies are sick!!! Ha! Ha!
- Eric's quick "No!" response when Laura asked us if we would use cloth diapers! I had actually thought about the idea, but Eric HATES gross things. Guess who cleans up most of the dog poop and throw-up in our house? Me! Eric will have lots of fun with a little baby! :)
- Just watching us be so clueless must have been quite comical!
Educational Insights
- Boppy pillows are not just for nursing - they are also good for resting the baby on when he/she is taking a bottle or for support for the baby. I would have never registered for one of those!
- Bottle nipples come in different flows (slow, medium, fast).
- There are pacifiers that glow in the dark so you can find them at night!
- Little pacifier cases are sold now so pacifiers can be easily found in diaper bags.
- Realizing how many little things are needed. Thank goodness for baby showers! I'll try and purchase registry items now for future showers I attend instead of something else.
- There are so many different types of bottles, pacifiers, bibs, spoons, diapers, blankets, burp cloths, baby carriers, etc. For a good bit of items, baby preference comes in to play.
- You can trade formula coupons with other people through the mail.
- Having 2-3 changing pad covers is wise.
Things We Wouldn't Have Registered for on Our Own but Did
- boppy pillow
- extra inserts for the car seat (head supports)
- extra car seat base for our 2nd vehicle
- baby wipe warmer - really?!?!
- gas relief drops and gripe water
- boogie wipes
- baby cotton swabs (the cotton part is larger - didn't know that)
- freezer storage containers for homemade baby food (I would like to try making my own baby food)
The Shocker
- Prices! Formula! Wow! That stuff is expensive!
By the end of our registry, our list went from 6 pages to 11 pages!!! Does that mean we are officially registered now? Yes and No. We have the items we want listed on our registry, but we also still have items on our registry that we don't want. For example, we couldn't narrow down which pack-in-play we wanted, so we just scanned several of them. Other items we scanned but we need to go back and make some decisions about those items. For example, we're not sure if we scanned the correct car seat base. If you would like to humor yourself, feel free to check out the crazy things we registered for prior to Laura coming to our rescue! Hopefully sometime soon we will be able to go back and clean up our registry so that it will be ready to share with others.
Overall, this second trip was much less overwhelming since we had someone to give us explanations, direction, and advice. We really had fun picking out baby items with a special friend. We feel much more confident now in our baby knowledge. Thanks, Laura, for answering our 911 call!
Monday, January 23, 2012
We Called 911!!!!!!!!!!!! (Part One)
Even though we have no indication yet as to when our time for a placement will come, we still decided to go ahead and work on our baby registry so we can have it finished and ready when it's needed. In an earlier post, we shared that we began our registry in November. We did not finish it then because we were overwhelmed by everything in Babies 'R Us and had NO idea what to scan in the last section of the store (the bottles/pacifier/meds/bath section). When we got back in our car that day with our registry left unfinished, we called 911!
The 911 call was made to one of our dear friends, Laura. We needed some MAJOR help, so we called her. Laura and her husband John have been a HUGE blessing to us in our college ministry leadership team at church. They are two of the most selfless and giving people we know. They were so willing to help us out and pour into us when "our girls" were here, and they have done the same during this adoption process. John and Laura have three young children, with the youngest under a year old. Laura certainly knows her baby stuff, so we were excited she could help us out.
If you could have been an onlooker of us Friday night, you probably would have been rolling on the floor of Babies 'R Us, doubled over in hysterical laughter! Eric and I have worked with children of all ages for years and even have little nieces and a nephew, but there is still SO much for us to learn. Thankfully, Laura was SO patient to explain everything we needed to know. She had even looked at our registry ahead of time to know what crazy things we had already registered for or didn't register for. Laura was helpful in minimizing the overwhelming feelings of seeing SO many items to choose from.
CHECK BACK TOMORROW TO READ ABOUT OUR FUNNY REGISTRY MOMENTS, REGISTRY EDUCATIONAL INSIGHTS, AND THE BIG REGISTRY SHOCKER!
The 911 call was made to one of our dear friends, Laura. We needed some MAJOR help, so we called her. Laura and her husband John have been a HUGE blessing to us in our college ministry leadership team at church. They are two of the most selfless and giving people we know. They were so willing to help us out and pour into us when "our girls" were here, and they have done the same during this adoption process. John and Laura have three young children, with the youngest under a year old. Laura certainly knows her baby stuff, so we were excited she could help us out.
If you could have been an onlooker of us Friday night, you probably would have been rolling on the floor of Babies 'R Us, doubled over in hysterical laughter! Eric and I have worked with children of all ages for years and even have little nieces and a nephew, but there is still SO much for us to learn. Thankfully, Laura was SO patient to explain everything we needed to know. She had even looked at our registry ahead of time to know what crazy things we had already registered for or didn't register for. Laura was helpful in minimizing the overwhelming feelings of seeing SO many items to choose from.
CHECK BACK TOMORROW TO READ ABOUT OUR FUNNY REGISTRY MOMENTS, REGISTRY EDUCATIONAL INSIGHTS, AND THE BIG REGISTRY SHOCKER!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
A Sunday to Pray
As our wait continues, we are asking for you to pray. Pray for . . .
Thanks for all your love and support during this time. We want God to be glorified, so will you join us in praying for these request today? Feel free to pass these prayer request along to others.
Birth mom
(as she makes her decision and that God would comfort her)
Patience for us
(the wait is tough so we need God to help us be patient)
Our future child
(that God would prepare our hearts and lives for the child)
Thanks for all your love and support during this time. We want God to be glorified, so will you join us in praying for these request today? Feel free to pass these prayer request along to others.
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