Grown by Adoption

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made!

2012-02-14T11:48:00.003-05:00

Well, it's happened. I did not expect it really till Kindergarten. All the books said that Kindergarten was about the time when kids would start to ask questions because of a sudden awareness brought on by comments from their school friends. Micah will turn 4 in a couple of weeks, and the questions have been coming this month like a whirlwind.

Did you know I am brown?
Why am I brown?
I want to be white like you!
Am I dark or light?
Who was in your tummy?
Was I in your tummy?

Micah knows his story...the story of how he came to be part of our family. He watches his homecoming video all the time, reads his "Micah's Story," book, etc. We talk all the time about how God designs families and He puts them together in all different kinds of ways. This particular vein of questioning, however, is new.

One thing that has been so helpful, is that we are being intentional about finding friends who look like us! When he starts to question, I first remind Micah that God created him brown for a reason and that I LOVE his brown color. Then, we go over other families we know who are like us! I will say, "Remember Jake (Micah's new best friend) is brown and his mommy is white? And, Eli is brown and his brother is white! And our friend Suhas is brown and his wife, Abby, is white!" "Oh, yeah," he'll say with a grin, and that seems to satisfy him for the moment. Another big help to me has been Psalms 139. I remind him that God says he is "fearfully and wonderfully made," and that when God "formed him in the womb," He made him exactly like He wanted him and for a wonderful purpose! I am so honored that I get to be mommy to this wonderful, inquisitive little boy from India!

Managing Memories

2011-11-02T19:04:00.003-04:00

I am reading an excellant book by Mark Batterson, called "Soul Print." In chapter 2 Mark talks about the importance of Lifesymbols in remembering important things from our past and how God was faithful in and through each experience. At one point he mentions...

"One of my earliest and strongest memories is the first time I rode a bike. Part of the reason the memory is so strong is because I've heard my parents tell the story so many times. And that is one of the jobs of parents. They manage their children's memories by the stories they tell, the keepsakes they save, and the pictures they take."

This made me stop to think about the memories I am helping to manage for all my children, but especially Micah's. We made him a memory book of "his story" of becoming part of our family and he loves to read it all the time. He even makes up "memories" of when he was a baby in India. However, I started to wonder if that was enough.

This month is National Adoption Awareness Month, and we recently had an Adoption Awareness Sunday at our church. We invited speaker and author, Ted Kluck, to come and speak. He is the author of the book, "Hello, I Love You," and it is the story of their adoption journey to their two boys from the Ukraine. Part of the book was bits and pieces of the journal letters he wrote to his first son during his adoption process. Their family had an extremely difficult adoption experience, but throughout the story was woven threads of joy and beauty in the process that he wanted to remember so that he could share these things with his sons as they got older.

Of course I was reminded of my time in India as we traveled to bring Micah home. Our process was extremely smooth, but I had a very difficult time in the country and came back with some very negative feelings and little desire to go back. I was reminded by our dear caseworker that I needed to give it time, but I also needed to remember the good things about our time there and maybe even write them down. This would enable me to begin to look on my sons birth country with fondness and maybe even love as we shared the memories together as he grows and wants to know more of his story.

This was a fantastic idea, and as the years begin to pass by since Micah's adoption experience, I find myself remembering more and more the good things over the difficult. I am taking the task seriously to manage Micah's memories and I hope that as he grows, the memories will fill him with joy and thanksgiving!

Choices

2011-10-06T10:20:00.002-04:00

Last night as I watched the news and heard about Steve Jobs passing away, I was saddened. I am not a "techy" person and do not understand any of it, but my husband is a Mac and I-phone user, so I am familiar with the contributions that Apple has made to our generation. :)

What I did take away from the stories I heard last night was one in particular that made my heart smile. Steve Jobs was born to an unwed college student who chose to place him up for adoption instead of choosing abortion for her son. Maybe a seemingly insignigicant choice to her at the time, or maybe one that she agonized over. Whatever the case, she chose life, and that son literally changed our world and the way we communicate today!

Just goes to show that EVERY choice that we make is significant! We might never see the results, or know the people it has affected, either negatively or poitively, but it has affected something or someone. Last night I was reminded that choosing to do things God's way just makes sense!

The Road Less Traveled

2011-09-06T21:55:00.002-04:00

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

I heard a comparison today between Robert Frost's poem, "The Road Not Taken," and the scripture in Matthew 7:13-14, which compares 2 gates. In the poem, the author chooses the path less traveled by and says that his choice made all the difference. In Matthew, Christ says, "For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it." The question was then asked of the comparison..."What path in your life have you followed that my have been the "path less traveled by?"

Now, neither the poem nor the scripture is speaking about adoption specifically, but that is the first thing that came to my mind. Adoption is definitely the path less traveled by, and unfortunately, there are few who seem to enter this gate and experience the life and blessing that adoption brings. Adoption is a huge step of faith, and I am beginning to think that FAITH is the road less traveled by. It surely leads to LIFE, and without making the decision to step out in faith, we miss so much of God's blessing in our lives. I am sorry to say, there are not very many times I have stepped out in faith to follow where I feel God leading. It is easier to step out if you feel like it all works on paper, or if it is within your control, etc. But, by hesitating, or choosing the clearer path, we miss seeing and experiencing the MIRACLES of God! In our journey through life, I wish these experiences were the norm instead of just occasional occurances!

What would life be like if we all "took the road less traveled by?" I think it would make "all the difference!"

Children's Books

2011-07-25T10:32:00.005-04:00

My friend and fellow Dillon adoption mom, Nancy, recently posted about a couple of adoption related children's books that she likes. They were "Bringing Asha Home" and "You're Not My Real Mother!" I am always looking for great children's books on adoption and India, so I am excited to check them out. Her post also gave me the idea to share a couple of the adoption and India related children's books that I have come across this year and added to my kids little library.

"God Found Us You," by Lisa Tawn Bergren - A sweet, sweet book about an adoptive mom's wait for her little one to come home!
"Shaoey and Dot," by Mary Beth Chapman - A cute story about a chinese adoption.
"A Family for Jamie," by Suzanne Bloom - A great story about a couple wanting to start a family and how adoption brings that to pass!
"I is for India," by Prodeepta Das - Not an adoption story, but a great children's book that uses the alphabet to tell about India, it's people, and customs. It has beautiful pictures!

My favorite book of all is the one we made for Micah. It's called "Micah's Story" and we had it printed right after we brought him home. You can make them at Shutterfly or Snapfish very easily and inexpensively. Micah's book starts off with pics of our family before adoption. Then we have pictures of David and me at the airport leaving for India. This is followed by pictures of Micah at different ages in the orphanage taken by other families and then the ones we took once we arrived. Then there are a few pictures of the city, traffic, us out shopping, at the hotel, etc., followed by pictures of us with Micah getting on the plane to come home. Finally we end with a photo of our entire family together at last at our home airport! Micah LOVES his book and wants to read it all the time! I am hoping to be able to make my other children books of their story too someday. I hope that they grow up to feel that each of us has our own unique story and that God has chosen to intertwine our stories into a beautiful book that will bring Him glory!

New Friends!

2011-06-25T15:10:00.004-04:00

Yeah! Today we got to meet some new friends...Amy, Clint and Simeon! They came to town for a little get-away and we got to meet for the first time! Of course, I feel like I've know them forever! It was so amazing seeing Micah and Simeon together, knowing that just 2 short years ago, they were sharing a crib in the same orphanage in India! God is so good! Simeon is such a little social bug and he made fast friends with my girls right away. Micah had tons of questions about Simeon before we met, and after meeting pronounced, "I like Simeon!" I thank God for the friendships He has brought into our lives through adoption!

The Sound of Music

2011-06-13T17:26:00.002-04:00

My family loves to watch musicals, and one of our favorites is The Sound of Music! Today a quote from that movie has been running through my head..."When God closes a door, somewhere He opens a window!"

Ever since Micah's adoption, I have thought in my heart that I would like to adopt again. I would like for Micah to have a sister from his birth country! My husband...not quite so sure. Actually, in the beginning he would say, "Woman you are crazy!" :) Now when I mention it, he just smiles and says, "One thing at a time, please!" I think God and I are wearing him down. LOL

With all that has happened in our lives over the last 2 years, it has definitely not been the right time. Still, during this walk through our valley, I have begun to look at different adoption websites and their "waiting children" a little more closely. To be honest, I have actually made inquiries about 2 specific little girls at different times. The door was closed right away on one and just today, I heard that the door is probably being closed on the other. Although I feel a sadness, there is also a sense of peace.

How is this possible? It is strange, but when we began our adoption with Micah, we had a list of three "musts" that we took to our adoption agency. One country was a fit, but right away God began closing the doors. So, I decided to compromise on our "musts" and choose another county that fit 2 out of the 3. That very next morning, before I could even call our caseworker, she e-mailed me and told me that the country I was looking at the night before had just closed it's doors. I just said, "Praise the Lord!" Her response was, "What? That is not usually the response that we get when we give bad news." I told her, "Our prayer from the beginning has been that God would lead. That He would open doors and close doors where we did not belong. He has just slammed this door in our face, so I know that He is answering our prayers in a personal way and that He is taking part in this adoption process!" Today I kind of feel the same way. I must admit that my heart was getting attached to this little girl, but it seems God is closing this door.

Once again I hear a faint "sound of music" as I sense God acting on our behalf in ways that I yet cannot see. So, I will just be patient, enjoy my children, and watch closely for that open window!

Mother's Day 2011!

2011-05-08T15:47:00.002-04:00

I am a very proud mommy of 4 children! Nothing for me has ever been more exhausting or more rewarding! :) God has blessed me with 4 amazing little personalities!

Hallie - My tender-hearted middle-schooler who loves school and LOVES to read!
Emma - My emotional fashionista who loves school and LOVES sports!
Nathan - My little man who is growing up too quickly, who LOVES Scooby Doo, spies, and super heros!
Micah - My baby boy who keeps me hopping 24 hours a day and who LOVES chocolate!

This week one of my favorite radio stations was airing programs on adoption, moms, etc. On one of the programs about adoption, the speaker said something that really struck me. We often hear people say, "These are our children..., and this is our adopted son/daughter..." Now, as an adoptive mother, and for those other adoptive moms out there, we know that there is no difference in how we feel about our children, no matter how they got to us. I often forget that Micah was even adopted. He might as well have been born into our family, and in a way, I believe He was. When God created Micah in his mother's womb, He knew that Micah would come to join our family, and I believe he was created for that purpose!

The speaker on this program, did not like the concept of saying, "this is my "adopted" son/daughter," as if that somehow defined who they are. He reminded the audience that "adopted" is a legal event that happened at one point in the past. After that, we are all just children! As believers, we have been adopted by God, at the point of our salvation, but after that, we are considered just "children of God, and joint heirs with Jesus!" Romans 8:15-17 God does not see us any differently than His own son after that! Such an act of undeserved mercy and grace!

So, today I reflect on God's grace and I thank Him for loaning me my children, whether by birth or adoption, to raise for a time, for His glory!

Three Years Old!

2011-04-06T15:06:00.003-04:00

It is hard for me to believe that my baby boy is 3 years old! He has grown so much in the last year...2 inches and 2 lbs! He talks all day long, loves his brother and sisters and is his mommy and daddy's "buddy!" His favorite activity right now is to sit with his daddy's i-phone and scan through the pictures and videos from Disney World! A Toy Story, or Stoy Story birthday as he calls it, was a must. He had been asking daily since Christmas, "My birfday next? My birfday coming up? I be three?" Almost every person he met got a personal invitation to his birthday party! His only request this year...walkie talkies! Of course, mommy came through! No gift I could ever give him, however, would compare with the gift that I received when God brought Micah into our family!

"Gotcha Day #2"

2011-02-18T11:11:00.005-05:00

It's hard for me to believe that tomorrow, February 19th, is "Gotcha Day #2!" Or, our 2nd "Forever Family Day," as we like to call it! It just seems like yesterday that we were in India picking Micah up.

Last year I was very sick for Micah's Gotcha Day. I had just started chemo and could not do anything. My husband and my mother saved the day by cooking an Indian meal and decorating, and then, with David's parents in attendance, we celebrated Micah's entrance into our family.

This year, my oldest daughter is going to be gone to a church youth retreat, so we have done small things to celebrate all weekend. Last night, I cooked Chicken Curry and Brown Rice and we all gathered in the boys room at bedtime to say a special prayer of thanks to God for how he fashioned our family and brought us all together. This morning it has just been Micah and me. We have watched Micah's homecoming video together, danced to music while we emptied the dishwasher, we have eaten leftover Chicken Curry, I have watched him blow bubbles with his gum (his new favorite trick) and I have listened to him play songs on his guitar! It has been a great morning!

Happy 2nd "Forever Family Day" Micah, and welcome to the family...again! I would not trade you for the world!

Coffee and Adoption

2011-02-01T17:00:00.002-05:00

One thing our adoption from India has given me is new friends. I have been able to communicate with women all over the United States and they have inspired and encouraged me before, during, and even after our adoption process. Most of these women are just names and pictures, but they have become a part of my life, forever, I hope!

One of these new friends is Kristi. She and her husband are on their third adoption from India and they could use your help. If you like coffee, or if you know someone who does, please have them check out this coffee company that she talks about below. I hope you are able to help and enjoy the coffee!

All of my Facebook friends...please help and spread the word! :) Jason and I are selling organic fair trade coffee to raise money for the last $3,500 of our adoption expenses for Ajay. $5 from each bag of coffee sold will go directly to Dillon Int'l, from the Just Love Coffee Company. Please spread the word, and post this on your status!!!!!
Go to: http://www.justlovecoffee.com/AjayArish

JustLoveCoffee Store

www.justlovecoffee.com

Martian Child

2011-01-28T21:16:00.002-05:00

Tonight, as a family, we watched the movie "Martian Child" with John Cusack. I just want to say, "It is a wonderful movie about adoption!" We have had the movie forever and just never sat down to watch it. Needless to say, after adopting ourselves, we could not help but cry. One of our favorite lines from the movie comes when the main character's sister is trying to gently ask him if he is really ready for a child. He turns to her and says, "I know all the arguments about not bringing another child into this world, but what's wrong with loving one that is already here?" Awesome question! If you have never seen this movie, we highly recommend it to everyone!

Snow Days and Nicknames!

2011-01-17T10:52:00.008-05:00

I must admit that I was not looking forward to Christmas break ending. I love being home with my kids and having nowhere we have to be. However, time moves on, and we got everything ready and headed back to school. Three days later...enter snowstorm! We have been off of school again this entire week! Yeah! The kids have had so much fun as you can tell from the pictures. The snow came down fast and beautifully and if it were not for the bitter cold, the kids would have played outside for hours...except for Micah. He is not sure that he likes the cold. They tried to take him sledding, but soon he was headed back inside with a runny nose, cold toes and freezing fingers. :) He wanted his blanket and the fire turned on!

All the kiddos have done very well about playing together inside too. We have literally been stuck as we could not get out of our subdivision. One of the funniest things to me is that they have come up with nicknames for each other. All day long I hear Micah calling for these mysterious people...and they come! I cannot help but laugh and I don't know where in the world they came up with the names. Emma is "momma," Hallie is "aunty Lou," Nathan is "Billy," and Micah is "Max." It is so funny at night to hear Micah telling them all "good night" using their nicknames. :)

I consider that this last week and the snow storm were a small gift to us, allowing us this extra time together uninterrupted! I guess I must come back to reality though since school will start back tomorrow. It will be back to just Micah and me during the day. I know he will miss his brothers and sisters. Today I am praising God for the blessing of our family!

Christmas Blessings!

2010-12-28T17:02:00.006-05:00

This Christmas has been a very special one for me for many reasons.

I'm almost to "1 year cancer free!"
I got the white Christmas I'd been dreaming of...with 3 inches of powdery white snow on Christmas day!
We had a blast watching Micah enjoy the first Christmas where he really knows what is going on! We had an awesome concert on Christmas morning when he opened his guitar...the only thing he had requested from Santa this year!
Today, we got to meet another Dillon family who is in process to adopt from India! Abby and Suhas were in town visiting family for the holidays and we got to meet for a 3 hour lunch! We had so much fun and I cannot wait to follow their journey and hopefully keep in touch through the years as our children grow!

We feel so blessed and we are so grateful for the little gifts God sprinkles along our journey that make us stop and smile...things like snow, toy guitars, and new friendships!

Just Because!

2010-11-14T21:13:00.003-05:00

This is Micah's newest school photo! I can't believe he is growing up so quickly. He will do something and I'll say, "Good job, baby!" Then he is quick to reply, "I not a baby, Mommy, I Micah!" So true. My Micah is growing and learning so quickly. He is potty trained, speaking in clear sentences, processing everything in site, and beginning to have his own opinions about everything and not afraid to express them. This week he informed me that he does not like jelly on his peanut butter sandwiches. "I no like jelly on my butter, Mommy." Ok, then. Peanut butter only it is. :) Another new thing that just started last week is the "why" question. We hear it frequently now. If he is not asking us "why," something is a certain way, he is turning the tables on us. He asks me, "Mommy do you know why?" Then I answer, "No, Micah. Why?" His answer is always...Because! That's a good enough answer for me. It condenses everything into one simple word. So, Micah. Do you know why I love you so much? Because!

Peaceful Sleep!?

2010-10-15T08:44:00.004-04:00

Look at this precious little boy sleeping so peacefully! DON'T BE FOOLED! The only peaceful moments we have during the day is when he is sleeping! :)

I posted a while back about all the things he has broken and mentioned how much those things are costing us to have fixed. Not that I'm keeping a list, but let me just tell you about just 1 day this week in the life of Micah...

Monday night my husband was up till 2:00 a.m. grading papers since his grades were due Tuesday morning at 8:00 a.m. At 2:00, he was putting everything in a pile to get it ready for school and noticed that his keys were missing. Micah had picked them up earlier in the evening and my husband had told him to put them back down. He did...apparently for the moment. David searched for the keys from 2:00 - 3:00 and then laid down for 1 hr. At 4:00 a.m. he woke me up to help him look. We looked from 4:00 - 7:00 a.m. when David had to call a student of his who lives on our street and ask for a ride to school. The problem? Our Saturn, which we just sold on Sunday, was sitting in the driveway with a dead battery from not having been driven in a while. The Venture was parked in the driveway in front of the garage, leaving me no way to access my Odyssey. Micah had lost our only set of keys to the Venture (David lost his set a year ago and we had never made another copy.) So...

David took a half day off school and had another teacher drive him home. We had the Venture towed to the dealership to be re-keyed. We jumped off the Saturn and took it to have the radio fixed and the battery checked for the new owner. We then headed to the dealership to try to pick up the Venture. We then hurried home to pick up all the other kids from school, only to head back out to pick up the Saturn so that we could bring it home. I will not even say how much $ we spent on Tuesday. :) It's been 3 days and we have still not found the keys.

Needless to say, I am looking forward to a very much needed vacation next week! It will give me some more time to enjoy this precious little bundle of joy named, Micah...with 4 other family members to help me!

Who Would Have Thought...

2010-10-01T10:38:00.002-04:00

Two years ago today we accepted a referral for a little boy named, Utsab. Who would have ever thought how much he would change our lives for the better!

This little boy is a great big package of amazing. :)

Micah is so strong! He can scale any object he sets his mind to. I find him on the top bunk, the washing machine, the bathroom sink, the living room picture window, etc. Nothing is to hard for him to climb, and if he can't work it with his arm strength and his little toes, he carries the step stool to aid him in his endeavor. At the park, a friend of ours was helping little kids "hang" from the monkey bars. Micah wanted to also, so he lifted him up. Micah immediately did a chin up. He's 2!
Micah is so silly! He has just started playing pretend and I love it! He tries to cook me dinner and is always handing me imaginary money. When we go to leave the house, he puts on his "slip slops," picks up his imaginary tar (guitar) and trumpet and says he's ready to go. Of course, at the top of the stairs, he hands me the "tar" and says, "Too heavy, Mommy. You carry it." He has also started dancing around like a ballerina. He was saying, "See, Mommy, I'm a princess!" He is still dancing around, but at least now I have him saying that he's a "prince."
Micah is so smart! He remembers everything we read and everybody we meet. He sings songs from our little pre-school program and can already pick out his shapes and some colors. He loves to talk on the phone and steals his dad's all the time. When his dad tries to take it away, Micah says, "I've got to check my e-mail!" We've been half-heartedly working on potty training for a while. Just waiting for a week where we can be consistent. However, this week he went "poo" on the potty!

When we were waiting for a referral, we told the Lord that we could not choose. We prayed that He would let the child that He meant for our family be the first referral we received and we would accept. Micah's referral was miraculous in and of itself (read back posts if you'd like more details), and he is a perfect fit for our family. I am not surprised. I truly believe that as God created Micah in his mother's womb, He knew and created him for our family. Micah...you have forever changed our lives and we are grateful!

Adoption Awareness

2010-09-30T08:27:00.004-04:00

As we near November 7th, National Adoption Awareness Sunday, my thoughts are focused again on adoption. As an adoptive parent and adoption advocate, I am frustrated as to why so many families don't see the need for them to adopt. At the same time, to be fair, I remember the very real fears and uncertainties that the devil sent my way while we were in process, trying to get me to back out. I wish people could see their excuses for what they are, and see into God's heart for the fatherless.

We are not comfortable with the thought of adoption. The scriptures constantly confirm that we were not left on this earth to be comfortable. That is one of the biggest tools of the devil. If we get comfortable we lose the will to act. Adoption is not about our comfort. It's about the life of a child who will never have a family unless we are obedient. True faith requires action and true love requires sacrifice. John 3:16
We cannot afford to adopt. This is also a lie of the devil and an affront to the provision of God. We are really saying, "God, this one is to big for You to provide for, so we cannot obey in this area." We can never be in debt to God and if we are acting upon His heart and His commands, He is willing and ready to provide. So many miracles are missed because we hold too much to our security in our money and we fail to trust God. Luke 12:13-34
We need to pray about adopting. We don't need to pray about doing something God has already commanded. He says over and over again that caring for the orphan is what true religion looks like. Instead, ask God to open the doors where He desires and then step out where God leads! James 1:27
We are too old to adopt. This excuse may be valid for some legally, but not in the eyes of God. He gives us so many options in scripture. He constantly speaks of taking care of the orphan or the fatherless, the stranger, and the widow. We already know that adoption requires leaving our comfort zone, making a sacrifice of time and money, and stepping out to actually do something. What could that look like?

Adopting an orphan is obvious, but what about "the fatherless?" That could be a single mother who needs some help, or even a military wife whose husband is overseas. How could you incorporate the family into yours? How could you help them meet their needs?
The stranger could be a homeless person, a neighbor you have not met, a foreign exchange student at the local college who has no family in this country. How could you meet their physical needs? Could you share your holidays with them?
Widows are everywhere...in your church, in a nursing home, on your street, etc. Do you know a widow with no family that cares for them? Can you adopt them into your family?

I wish everyone could see that adoption is possible. Adopt a child, adopt a widow, adopt a stranger, adopt a family. It does not matter, just do it. But, remember that adoption is not comfortable and it will cost you something. To adopt us, Christ left His home and all His riches and gave up His very life. By choosing to obey and love, the blessings you and your family will receive will last into eternity! Matthew 25:31-46

Adoption Fever

2010-09-22T21:46:00.002-04:00

It may sound crazy to some that after adopting 1 child, I am ready to adopt another. I guess you could say I have Adoption Fever! Once you have seen where your child could have been, and you have fallen in love with your child, and you see how close you could have come to missing the incredible, life-changing gift from God that adoption brings to your family, it is hard to not want to do it again with another child.

People say that I am crazy...my husband included. :) I realize that I already have 4 children and I am currently going through treatments for breast cancer, but I just can't help myself. I realize the timing is not for right now, but I am holding out hope for the future. I realize that my children will not have everything other children have and they will not get to go everywhere and experience everything that other kids do, but somehow that is not important to me. My heart is elsewhere and I hope that my treasure, while meager here on earth, will be much greater in Heaven someday. If I follow God's heart, I am not worried about His ability to provide!

So, that being said, right now God is whispering to my heart that He can help us to care for another child. I don't know what that might look like, or what the future holds for us, but I am waiting with anticipation to see what the Lord will do!

Shoes for Orphan Souls

2010-09-05T09:40:00.002-04:00

This week at our church we are concluding our Shoes for Orphan Souls shoe drive. It is the first year we have acted as a host drop-off site for shoes. I am particularly excited about this ministry now that I know who they are! It is a ministry of Buckner International. Buckner was an adoption/humanitarian agency that recently joined forces and merged with Dillon International another adoption/humanitarian agency. Dillon is the adoption agency we used for our adoption! Now, Buckner is able to do all the humanitarian side and Dillon handles the adoption side. It makes both agencies able to do so much more!

Please check out the links above. Especially the one for Shoes for Orphan Souls. Since 1999 they have distributed over 2 million pairs of shoes to orphans around the world, while at the same time sharing God's love with the children! What an awesome ministry! Check it out!

Little Man

2010-08-23T22:35:00.002-04:00

My little man is growing up so quickly. He is only 2, but seems so grown up sometimes. Maybe having 3 older siblings plays a small part in that, but I am constantly amazed by Micah. He is talking sentences and constantly has us in stitches at his antics, facial expressions and conversations.

Last night he was carrying around my husband's cell phone. When my husband asked for it back, Micah began moving his thumbs all around and said, "No, Dad, I'm texting." When my husband replied, "No, you are not," Micah then said, "I'm checking my e-mail!" Such a little smarty pants! :)

Tomorrow, my other children will all be in school and it will just be Micah and Mommy at home. Already he is missing them. Every morning he begins by asking, "Where's Daddy? School? Class? Singing? Meeting?" Then he proceeds to go down the list..."Where's Hallie? Where's Emma? Where's Nay Nay?" It's going to be a long school year. :)

I must remind myself to make the most of this time with my precious child!

Mother Teresa

2010-08-15T19:20:00.002-04:00

September marks the 100 year anniversary of the birth of Mother Teresa. Time magazine has put out a special issue dedicated to her life. It is a great read and well worth the money. The fact that she spent her life serving in Calcutta, the city of Micah's birth, makes her all the more fascinating to me.

I read in the first couple of pages that she began her ministry in Calcutta at the age of 38. That is my age! Wow. I had to step back and look at my life. Am I living a life devoted to Christ? What would it look like in my family if I were totally devoted to serving and pleasing God as she was? We are not all called to live the life she lived, but we would all do well to live by a wonderful quote of hers...

"God doesn't ask us to do great things. He asks us to do small things with great love."

Lovely Language

2010-07-09T23:41:00.002-04:00

Life flies by so quickly. If anything, my cancer diagnosis has made me more aware of needing to take time to document and cherish each moment that I can. I hope to someday make this blog into a book for Micah. Maybe he'll have as much fun reading it as I am having writing it.

I love watching each of my kids as they are growing up, but we are all especially aware of Micah right now and he cracks us up. It has been so hilarious watching him grow and learn and even listening to him speak. He imitates everything we say. So, for the purpose of documenting some of his "lovely language" I will share some of my favorites right now.

Maybe because he hears everyone else, but for some reason, Micah has started dropping "mommy" and "daddy" part of the time and he is calling us "David" and "Candice!"
Sometimes we call our second daughter "Emma" and sometimes we call her "Emma Kate." Micah has picked up on that and he calls her "Emma Cake!"
Micah has started counting to 10, but most times it is just...one, two, flee!
We are anxiously anticipating the arrival of the new Veggie Tale movie "Sweet Pea Beauty," a veggie version of "Sleeping Beauty." Micah loves Veggie Tales right now, but this new title is a mouthful for him. The best we can get is "Sleepy Booty!"

Thank you, Jesus, for the joy of watching this little boy grow up!

Gotta Check it Out!

2010-06-18T09:36:00.003-04:00

For those of you interested in some great Indian recipes, and some fun reality TV, you need to check out this new web site that I just found. It is aartipaarti.com! This is the web site for a sweet lady named Aarti. Her mother was Indian and she has started her own little online cooking show with some great Indian recipes. She was also selected for and is currently on the new season of "Next Food Network Star," which shows on Sundays. Her site is very lighthearted and fun with live video, recipe how to's, and links to updates from the show. She also is not afraid to share her faith in God, at least on her site...I have not seen her on the reality show yet. I plan to watch the upcoming third episode this Sunday! I am also going to try out her Dal recipe once I get my taste buds back! :) Enjoy!

What a Gift!

2010-05-21T12:27:00.004-04:00

Look at this face! What a gift we have been given. This mischievous, playful, strong-willed, loving, little boy. He is growing so quickly. My older kids remark all the time, "I can't imagine our lives without Micah!" I agree.

I am so glad that my last chemo is June 8, so that I can have the whole summer to enjoy with my kiddos! "H" will be going to middle school, "E" will be moving to the big kids wing in the elementary school and changing classrooms, "N" will be going to kindergarten and I will be home with "M" by myself! That's probably what scares me the most! ;) I am going to enjoy this summer, and cherish having all 4 kids at home with me for this season!

"Oh, there you are!"

2010-05-09T21:43:00.003-04:00

Usually I do not buy PEOPLE magazine, but in the May issue is an interview with Sandra Bullock about her adoption and pictures of her with her baby, Louis. Of course I can't resist adoption stories, so I bought a copy. :) In the article the interviewer asked Sandra what she said when she saw her little boy for the first time. I love her answer! She says, "All I said when I met him was, 'Oh, there you are.' It was like he had always been a part of our lives." So true! I know all you moms out there who have adopted before know exactly what she means!

On this Mother's Day, I feel so blessed to be "mommy" to all my children, adopted and biological. Although there may be a difference in the minds of others, there is no difference whatsoever in my heart! Happy Mother's Day 2010!

The Faces of Micah!

2010-04-07T20:37:00.005-04:00

These are some of the faces of Micah! The first picture is his "happy" face and the second is his "mad" face. It's a game he likes to play with his daddy. The third is thanks to his big sister who thought it would be funny to load him up with bubbles while he was taking his bath! It's a good thing he is so cute and keeps us in stitches. It almost makes up for all the misbehavin'! :)

S.S. #

2010-03-29T17:50:00.002-04:00

Today we got Micah's social security number! I am so thankful that God worked this one out. I made a trip to our local office once and my husband went once. I was going to try to go out there again tomorrow if it did not come today. It feels so nice to have it. I did not worry about my other kids and their numbers, but Micah's case is a little different and I just want to make sure that everything is taken care of and made official. Now, we just sit back and wait for USCIS (immigration) to finalize his US Citizenship. We have been told that this process could take 12-18 months, so don't expect to hear that news anytime soon. :)

"Micah Mouse!"

2010-03-07T11:09:00.007-05:00

My little "Micah Mouse!" Such a cutie! The first thing he says every morning when he wakes up is, "Milk, cewal (cereal), Mickey!" He wants his milk, his Honeynut Cheerios, and his Mickey cartoons! So, it was not a tough decision when it came to choosing our party theme for his second birthday! His next favorite thing right now is chocowit! He asks for it all day long. So, dark chocolate cupcakes made the perfect birthday cake. All I heard all day long after I made the cupcakes in the morning was, "Mickey? Chocowit? Mine?"

This first year home, Micah has brought us so much joy! I cannot wait to see what this next year holds!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Micah!

2010-03-05T21:26:00.003-05:00

Today my sweet boy turned 2 years old! We are going to have his party tomorrow so I will try to post pictures this weekend. Tonight, I could not help but smile as I tucked him into bed and listened to him singing Happy Birthday to himself. Of course his version is "happy tu tu" over and over again. :) I feel so, so blessed to be able to love this little man.

As I sat there by his bed, however, I could not help but think of Micah's birth mom tonight. We have a name, an age, a reason, and a court document with a fingerprint for a signature. Somewhere halfway across the world is a young woman just getting up as I am heading to bed and I wonder if today she was thinking about the little boy she gave birth to. Because she chose life for him, even though we are worlds apart in every way, we will always be tied together somehow through the life of this little boy. It's Micah's birthday, but I have been given a gift that I will cherish forever!

First Gotcha Day!

2010-02-20T11:15:00.008-05:00

Believe it or not, yesterday was Micah's first "Gotcha Day" or "Forever Family Day!" I cannot believe that one year ago yesterday we were picking him up at the orphanage! Time has passed by so quickly, and yet it also seems like he has been with us forever.

I had a wonderful idea for a party to celebrate the day, but as it turns out, I am very sick from the chemo. I knew there was no way I could plan anything, so I had resigned myself to just remembering the day in my mind. That is where my wonderful mother (Nana) and husband stepped in. I had recently purchased an Indian cookbook called "New Indian Home Cooking" recommended by my friend, Pam. My mom looked through it, found a couple of recipes she thought would work, she made a list, and then off went my husband to the store and, after 3 trips, he found all the ingredients. :) My mom cooked all day and decorated the table with trinkets from our trip to India. My husband got everyone dressed and invited his parents (Grandmother and Grandaddy) over, and...we had a GREAT celebration for Micah! Although I could not eat very much, we had a delicious menu that I would like to try again someday when I feel better.

Tandoori Murgh (Barbecued Chicken)

Phul Gobhi Salad (Stir-Fry)

Meethe Chawal (Sweet Rice)

Curried Potatoes

Lassi (Yogurt Drink)

Chai Tea

Thank you mom and David for making the day special for me and for Micah. It was all that I wanted and more!

Old Friends, New Faces!

2010-02-04T16:09:00.007-05:00

Today was so much fun for me! I got to meet Pam, one of the Dillon moms who I feel like I have known forever! We have never met face to face, but we have e-mailed, facebooked, and talked on the phone. Pam was traveling to see some family and was in my area! Yeah for me! Pam was a great help to me while we were in process, and I even called her when we decided to name our son "Micah." She adopted her son "Micah" from the same orphanage 3 years ago! We were so excited to meet each other and especially to meet each other's Micah's! I had so much fun. We ate some lunch together and let the boys play while we chatted away. I thank God so much for her and her friendship. It's funny how much someone you've never met can mean to you. I guess it's all part of the bond that comes from adoption. Besides getting a child, you can potentially develop life-long friendships with people you otherwise would never have met! And, who knows, maybe our two little Micah's will be able to keep in touch as they grow older and become good friends forever!

First Winter at Home!

2010-01-30T20:32:00.006-05:00

What a fun time we have had with Micah this winter! From his first Christmas at home, to his first snow! He has brought us so much joy! We cannot imagine life without him. It is hard to believe that in just 20 days, we will have had Micah for 1 year! He may have been born in Kolkata, but he was born to be part of our family for sure!

Oxymoron

2010-01-26T09:50:00.003-05:00

Ok, Rest with an almost 2-year old at home must be an oxymoron. I realize now how spoiled I was last week having my husband and my mother here at home with me to wrangle the boys. Nathan is fine and would watch a movie or cartoons for an hour or two. Micah, on the other hand, is out of control! He wants to be playing with someone and is not content to just sit still. Although he wants to play, he is still very short-tempered and if anything does not go his way, he screams, hits, pushes, pinches, bites, or whatever is necessary to get what he wants. If I ask Nathan to go play with Micah in their room, inevitably Nathan comes to me crying about every 10 minutes because of Micah.

Every morning Micah wants to have some juice and wants to sit on the couch with some dry honeynut cheerios and watch a Mickey Mouse cartoon. So, this morning I tried to go back to bed after getting him situated. That lasted about 10 minute before Micah was back in my room. For the next hour he was climbing in and out of my bed. He'd be asking for his night night (blanket) and juice, leaning over saying, "Booboo, Mommy?" When I said, "Yes, Mommy has a booboo," he would then ask over and over again, "Okay, Mommy, Okay Mommy?" Then he would holler for NayNay (Nathan) to come help him down. While leaving the room he would say, "Love you, Mommy!" This was over and over again with every step till he left the room. Of course he expects me to respond after each one. I will admit that this is precious, but early this morning, still under the effects of the allergy meds I took at 4:00 a.m., I did not find it so cute! Once in the living room, it was quiet for a minute. Then I hear Micah banging on the coffee table with Nathan's play hammer. I closed my eyes thinking, "It won't last long." Then I hear Micah playing a lovely tune on the girls harmonica right outside my bedroom door. So, I gave up and I am trying to get up and moving and start my day. Maybe Micah will lay down for an early nap! I continue to be hopeful! :)

Adjustments

2010-01-20T10:36:00.002-05:00

Considering how our lives have changed since the holidays, I think we are all making the necessary adjustments fairly smoothly. My mom is staying with me for a while and my husband took off last week and this week of work to be home and help with the kids. The girls have gone back to school and I think it is good for them to be back in their usual routine. Nathan is a little trooper and understands that he has to be easy with mommy for a while. Micah is the one who does not really understand what is going on. Since we were gone for 2 days, although he was here at our house with my parents, I think he thinks we are going to leave again. Every time David or I start to head outside, he goes crazy with crying and trying go with us. He is also not sure why I am not holding him like I did just a week ago. I have gotten him to hold my hand now and follow me to the couch so that he can climb up beside me. He is such a busy little boy and such a mover. When he runs toward me with arms flailing, shouting, "mommy," I flinch a little and brace for impact. :) Hopefully I won't have to do that much longer. I guess this is going to be our new "normal" for a while. I'm very glad that kids are so resilient!

Favorite Things

2010-01-15T17:24:00.002-05:00

I have decided that I need to be blogging about my cancer experience for my own therapy, but I didn't want to do it on my "adoption" blog site. I have been trying to decide if I should blog on a cancer site, or just add another blog to this site that people can link to. At least for now I have set up another blog since I am familiar with this process and I am just going to post a link on this site. My blog site where I am going to try to share my journey through breast cancer is going to be candice-favoritethings.blogspot.com. We'll see how it goes.

Two Roads

2010-01-12T09:15:00.003-05:00

It's funny, but for some reason this morning, my mind is drawn to the line of a Robert Frost poem...two roads diverged in a wood.

In 2007 we started on our adoption journey. Some close friends and co-workers of ours, got their login date to china that year. We have been on this adoption journey together, although their journey has taken a very different path than ours did. Long story short, they are leaving on Thursday to fly to China to pick up their little 4 year old beauty! I am so excited for them I can hardly stand it. Just 11 months ago, we were headed to India for Micah and I can remember the emotions like it was yesterday.

What a difference a year can make. It seems surreal for me that while our friends are on a plane to pick up their little girl, I will be sitting in a hospital room recovering from my mastectomy. Two close families headed down two very different roads in 2010. My consolation is that the same God is watching over both our journeys. As He is looking down onto the woods and watching our paths diverge, He is guiding us both. He will be with our friends as they land in China and head to the orphanage to meet "Anna" for the first time, and He will be with me after I wake up from surgery and begin making plans for my treatment to follow. So, I will rejoice with my friends and follow this new path for me one step at a time!

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T17:30:00.007-05:00

Well, Christmas is over for another year. Micah enjoyed it to say the least. All it took was 1 gift and he was hooked. It wasn't the gift, but the unwrapping that he loved. He was like the Tazmanian devil whirling around seeing whose present he could swipe off their lap to open next. The tissue paper sticking out of gift bags was free game! So hilarious to watch and so much fun!

And now, it's the last day of 2009! By far, the thing we are the most thankful for this year is the fact that we were able to bring Micah home! It's hard to believe that we traveled in February and that he has already been home for 10 months! Time has passed so quickly. On the other hand, our bond with Micah is so strong, and his adjustment into our family has gone so smoothly, that we feel like he was born into our family. It is awesome how God places the right children into the the right families!

Our 14th wedding anniversary was yesterday and I got the sweetest gift...Micah told me he loved me for the first time! We were lying in bed and he kept leaning over and kissing me on the cheek and forehead. Then, after 1 kiss, he said, "love you!" Of course I was so excited, so he kept repeating it for a while. What an amazing gift. Of course he doesn't realize how he touched my heart! I am going to keep trying to get others to adopt as we move into the new year!

We are anticipating lots of things for 2010, some good things and some difficult things. However, we will continue to give our heavenly Father thanks and praise for His lovingkindness and goodness in our lives! Happy New Year!

Be Still!

2009-12-19T08:26:00.003-05:00

Well, it's 1 week away from Christmas and as you can see, Micah is enjoying the season! We are going to have quite the "first Christmas" with him this year...broken ornaments, sticky fingers from candy canes, and all. He has also picked up a new word...coco!

We have decided to postpone everything for me until the holiday is over. We don't want to interrupt the kids Christmas and want to still be able to travel and visit family and see my sister's new baby. I am scheduled to have surgery in January so we will just sit back and wait.

God is speaking to me this morning through others. When I woke up this morning, I had a FB message from a dear lady at church who shared with me that God had gotten her up at 5:00 a.m. this morning to pray for me and she gave me this verse..."Be still and know that I am God." Psalms 46:10. A few minutes later, when I got on my blog to update it, there was 1 new comment and a Dillon mom had left a message for me and included the very same verse! So, like all good children who obey their fathers, I am going to try to "be still" today and rest in my heavenly Father! :)

Mountains and Valleys

2009-12-17T22:59:00.003-05:00

My father-in-law said to me this week..."It seems like every mountain top experience that the Lord leads us through, He then walks us through a valley." Well, I know that our adoption of Micah was our mountain top experience this year, and now we are heading into our valley. This week I was diagnosed with breast cancer. We are still trying to absorb this information and all that it means. As we head into the holiday season with our family, I do have one certainty.

Two years ago, I might have questioned, "Does God really care about the intimate details of my life?" Today, I cannot question. I look at Micah and I know for sure that God does. I believe that God allowed us to have a mountain top experience in our adoption with Micah. He showed us that He is not a God who just sits in heaven and is far removed. He wants a relationship with us and to be involved in our lives. He loves us so deeply...ALL of us. Even the smallest of these, like a little orphan boy in a small orphanage in the middle of India. He also showed us that He will get intimately involved in our lives and will provide for every need in ways we cannot fathom.

Now as I sit here on the brink, I believe that God is going to walk through this valley with us in the same way. If I begin to doubt or question, all I have to do is to look at Micah and I have the reassurance of God's hand of love, design, and provision on my family's life. I don't understand why this is happening, but I will try to walk with the assurance that I am God's, that He loves me dearly, and that as I go through the storm, I am safe in the palm of His hand.

Naughty List!

2009-12-08T11:23:00.002-05:00

By now, I'm sure that Micah's name is clearly on Santa's "Naughty" List. It looks like I will be spending all of Micah's Christmas $ to fix the things he has broken in the last couple of weeks. Not that I am keeping my own list, but here is a short break down from least expensive fix to the costliest...

2 New Christmas balls ($2) - This year I bought a new 4 pack of pretty balls to add to the ones I had purchased last year. So far Micah has broken 2 of my new ones. Of course he knows he is not supposed to touch them. He brings them to me, points his little finger at my face and tells me, "No, no!"
1 Pack Foam Darts ($10) - For some reason, Micah seems to like chewing on his brother's foam darts that shoot out of a little gun and stick to the wall. He will actually climb the bookcase to pull them out of Nathan's box (which is supposed to be out of his reach) and all day long I will find him chewing on half pieces of dart that he has chewed in two.
1 Bathroom Cabinet door ($60) - Micah has pulled on, slammed, and yanked on our bathroom cabinet door, till last week it came apart in 3 pieces and cannot be glued back together.
1 Portable DVD player ($150) - Last week Micah got mad at Nathan in the car and so he kicked his legs at the DVD player on the back of my headrest. This snapped the little plastic hinges that hold the door on and so, of course, the front cover fell off. Now we cannot watch movies in the car.
1 Car Stereo system ($170) - Last week, I tried to play our choir cd in the car so that I could practice for our choir program. It would not take the cd. Upon further inspection, I saw that Micah had slipped several quarters and nickels into the slot meant only for cds. I will have to either pay for someone to take the whole thing apart and put it back together, or just get a whole new one.

Micah has also mastered the "pouty face." It used to work, but we have quickly figured out his system. He is too cute for his own good. :) I guess all I need to really remember is, "Having Micah home for his first Christmas...Priceless!"

BlindSide

2009-11-25T00:26:00.003-05:00

Just saw an awesome movie tonight called "BlindSide." I will sing it's praises from the housetop and hope that it can somehow counter balance the damage that may have been done by the horror flick, "Orphan." What a great true story about taking in an orphan and how it changes US! My husband and I laughed and cried through the whole movie. So many times we thought of Micah and our other children. We are truly a family blessed by adoption!

Desperation!

2009-11-20T09:06:00.003-05:00

My husband and I were able to share a brief testimony about our adoption experience at an International Adoption Dinner hosted by Bethany Christian Services this weekend. It was awesome to hear all the stories from families, but to also be able to encourage the families that have just started the process or are well into the waiting.

I was talking with my friend Pam, another Dillon mom, 2 weeks ago about being in the middle of a desperate wait...one where you cannot see your way or hear God's voice of direction. Then, Friday night a "waiting mom" spoke about their "waiting" and their desperateness to hear God's direction in their process. The long wait in adoption can be excruciating and lonely. This mom shared on Friday that a friend of hers had come up to her and reminded her of something very powerful. "In the middle of your desperate waiting, somewhere out there is a child who desperately needs you to wait." Wow! To persevere, knowing and having the confidence that God is at work on your behalf even when you cannot see it happening. And to remember that God loves and values the orphan child so much that He is working just as diligently on their behalf to unite them with a forever family!

Have you ever noticed in the Bible that most children of promise did not come in the usual way? Jesus, John the Baptist, Isaac, Samuel, etc. God has promised that if we care for the orphans, it will give glory to God. He is a God who keeps His promises and delights to bless us. I truly believe that an adopting family can claim Romans 4:20-21, just as Abraham and Sarah were waiting on their child of promise with no idea of how the promise would be fulfilled..."yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief, but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what He had promised, He was also able to perform."

Goodbye Autumn!

2009-11-19T10:54:00.011-05:00

The weather is gorgeous, and Thanksgiving is just around the corner! I'm getting out the Pumpkin Bread recipes and buying my ornaments for the kids teachers at school. Although Winter is not officially here until December 21st, with all the Christmas lights being put up in our neighborhood, and all the trees losing their beautiful leaves, it feels like it's time to bid goodbye to Autumn...my favorite time of year.

Micah continues to take everything in stride and bewitches everyone he is around with that charming little smile.

I have way too many pictures to post them all here, but here are a couple of my favorite memories from this fall season. First is our trip out of town together. The mountains, the sites, the motel...it's always quite an adventure! Next is our annual hayhide and pumpkin picking mission up on the mountain! Micah seemed a bit nervous on the wagon ride, but was quiet and took it all in. Then, have I mentioned that Micah has a sweet tooth? I love this pic of him eating his powdered donut on the soccer field during sissy's game. And, last but not least, Micah dressed up like a lion on Halloween! His little "roar" was adorable! Autumn is great for making some awesome memories!

Picture Perfect!

2009-11-05T19:34:00.005-05:00

Micah is 20 months old today! I can't believe that in a couple of months he will be turning 2! Time has flown by so quickly. I got these school pics of the boys today and cannot believe how much Micah has changed in such a short time. I'm glad to have this sweet picture of the boys loving on each other. I'll try to look at it every time they are fighting! :)

My nephew recently told my sister as they were driving home in the car that the wanted a little brown-faced brother like Nathan has! :) I'm sure at times Nay Nay (as Micah calls him) might be willing to send Micah to live with his cousin for a while, but overall, they love each other dearly. I have so much to be grateful for this holiday season and these 2 little boys are at the top of my list!

Catalyst & Compassion

2009-10-29T17:31:00.004-04:00

Last night at our church we had a Compassion Sponsor Appreciation Event. Our regional coordinator came and spoke and gave his testimony about meeting the little boy he sponsors. Of course these stories are always touching. Last night they also showed a video clip from the Catalyst Conference that just took place in Atlanta. Their focus this year was on the ministry of Compassion International. The video clip was so awesome to see. Make sure you have a kleenex ready when you watch it! It is just one more reason that I love the ministry of Compassion!

Autumn!

2009-10-29T11:16:00.003-04:00

Autumn is my favorite time of year! I love the cool crisp air, the leaves changing colors, and the fact that it leads us into Thanksgiving which is my favorite holiday! Somehow my Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha tastes better in the fall. I'm also a huge fan of pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie and peanut butter fudge! Time to get outside and take some more fall pictures of the kiddos!

Micah's Coming Home Story!

2009-10-20T00:01:00.003-04:00

Well, I am finally getting around to posting a video on my blog. This is a link to the awesome video my friend Ruth made for us from our video we took in India. It's just a couple minutes long and we showed it on the Sunday morning that we did Micah's baby dedication. I hope to add to it in the future as well as putting some more video on here that my brother-in-law did, but for now, you can click here for a quick glimpse of Micah's Coming Home Story!

Another Man's War

2009-10-16T08:49:00.002-04:00

I just finished reading an awesome book called, "Another Man's War," by Sam Childers. He was a druggie, alcoholic, biker, who accepted Christ, became a pastor and now runs an orphanage in war torn Uganda and Southern Sudan. He fights with their military there to help save the women and children from the rebels. It is such an incredible story, well worth the read. He is giving his life to protect the war orphans there and their stories will break your heart. What a great ministry he has! He has spoken on Oprah before and also on the 700 Club. I'm going to try to check out those sites and see if I can pull up any of his old interviews. Happy reading!

Indian Baby

2009-09-29T22:08:00.004-04:00

I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks my little boy is adorable! :) Tonight I dressed him back up in his little Kurta Pajama that he wore for his baby dedication for a quick photo opp. Of course, as soon as he sees a camera, he raises his hand and says, "cheese!"

A sweet, talented lady in our church made the quilt that Micah is sitting on and gave it to us before we left for India. She had purchased the material because she loved the colors and designs, but she had never made the quilt because she was unsure of who to give it to. A friend had told her the material did not exactly look like a baby quilt. When she found out that we were adopting a little boy from India, she got right to work and surprised us with this beautiful quilt, that is perfect for our little Indian baby! Micah was even being thought of by others before we had ever even gone to get him! I love it!

It's Official...Adoption Final!

2009-09-15T20:42:00.006-04:00

It's official...the adoption is final! Almost 2 years to the day of our filing our initial application with Dillon! Today Utsab became Micah David Utsav Sneed! We arrived at the courthouse early this morning, letting the girls miss a day of school! Everything went very smoothly and our adoption attorney and our judge were wonderful. Our families had the courtroom all to ourselves and our attorney let the kids sit at the witness desks. The judge made sure to include them in his discussion with us and they were very proud! It was quick and painless (aside from the TWO parking tickets our wonderful city put on my van during the adoption proceeding...one for my meter running out 5 minutes prior and one for parking backwards...are you kidding me?) My sweet husband said let's just chalk it up to an "adoption expense" and go celebrate! So, we did. We went to Cracker Barrel and had a wonderful celebration breakfast with my sister and her girls, my parents, and David's dad. It feels so good to have Micah "officially" ours. Now all we have left is to apply for his social and his US citizenship!

The last picture is from Micah's dedication at church on Sunday. My parents and David's parents were both able to be there and our dad's said a prayer of blessing at the end. We had Micah in his little Indian outfit and he was adorable! I had gotten outfits for the other kids as well and they were so proud to wear them and show them off. I'll have to post a closer up picture soon. In the meantime, we are quietly celebrating what has already been in our hearts for a long time!

Cookie Dough or God?

2009-09-04T08:30:00.002-04:00

Yesterday afternoon I was in the kitchen fixing supper and overheard a conversation between my 3rd grade daughter and "G," a friend from her school. This young man and his family go to church with us, and he rode home with us from school to wait till his mom could pick him up. He is a little sweetheart. His mom and I have decided that since I am going to be incorporating some Indian holidays into our family, that I should consider adding in an Indian tradition as well...namely arranged marriage! Of course we would not let our kiddos know that they were betrothed until they were older so that we wouldn't embarrass them. :)

Anyway, I had just made some chocolate chip cookie dough and before I could bake the cookies, they wanted a spoonful of dough. Everyone knows the dough is the best part, so I gave them each a big spoonful and they walked into the living room. After just a minute, I heard "G" ask my daughter, "Which is better, cookie dough or God?" She just laughed and said, "God!" Then he laughed too and said, "Yeah, God is better than anything." I just had to laugh. I think my cookie dough is pretty good and they must have too since they were comparing it to God. :) I also love how children just love God with a perfect faith, trust, and acceptance. To them, "God" is the correct answer for any question and of course God IS better than anything!

Finalization Date Set!

2009-08-29T10:09:00.002-04:00

Well, my little man is oblivious to it all, but we have been continuing the paper trail and we have finally been given a court date to finalize the adoption. It will take place on the morning of September 15! I will be sure to post pics of that day!

On another note, I am continually amazed at how little people know about adoption. Of course, I was once there myself, so I am taking great delight in sharing our story. I've gotten to share it twice this week...once to a pastor in Starbucks and once in Walmart to a former student of my husbands. We have some friends who have asked us to dinner next week just to talk about adoption since they are interested in beginning the process! I just love it! Little does this little boy know how many lives his story might touch. :)

Tears and Laughter!

2009-08-21T08:58:00.003-04:00

Well, very early yesterday was Micah's circumcision. It was not an easy day for either of us. Everything went perfectly though and this morning he is up and moving around like nothing happened...except for a few tears when I change his diaper. I am reminded again of what an amazing Creator I serve. It is amazing how quickly the body begins to heal itself and how resilient children are.

In the midst of the yuckiness of getting ready to go to the hospital, the Lord gave me a little blessing and a smile. When the hospital called the night before to pre-register us, the registrar began asking me questions about our family history, etc. She asked me if anyone in the family had ever had a reaction to anesthesia. I then went into a long story about our son Nathan and his trips to the hospital and his reactions, etc. She took it all down, finished registering me and then we hung up. It was not until 2 hours later, as I was sitting by Micah's bed as he fell asleep, that it dawned on me that my whole conversation with the registrar had been totally irrelevant! My family's medical history has nothing to do with Micah's! I smiled and laughed and thanked the Lord for showing me how quickly Micah has become family. I love that I don't even think about him as being adopted! He is just one of my many kids! :)

I love how in the exhaustion and busyness of our lives the Lord gives us those sweet little moments of a smile or laughter if we take time to notice. I got one this morning. I think it's hilarious how quickly younger children learn things when they have older siblings to watch and imitate. I guess Micah will pretty much be able to raise himself with 3 older siblings who dote on his every whim. This morning he picked up a candle in a little stone crock and banged it down on the table. I looked at him and said, "No, Micah," and then took the candle away. He just looked at me for a second and then reached his little hand back and spanked his own bottom. I just had to laugh. I guess his raising is all taken care of. :)

Summer's Over!

2009-08-17T17:37:00.003-04:00

Well, I know that Summer is not officially over, but it is back to school time, so for all practical purposes, it is. No more swimming at my sister's house. :( It's time to get back in some sort of a routine, which with 4 children, is very important. :) The girls head off to elementary school, the boys and I head to the 2 day a week Parent's Day Out program at our church (which I am directing this year), and Daddy is back to teaching during the day and taking a Master's class 1 night a week.

We had Micah's first well check today...it's been post-poned 3 times. :) He is doing well and is now 18 lbs. and 29 1/4 inches long. Although still not on the chart for North American children, he is growing and is developmentally right where he should be, so no worries! His immunizations he got in India did take, so we are picking up where they left off over there. Apparently he had the chicken pox at some time over there, so we get to skip that one. We still, however, had 3 shots today, with 2 more due next month. Needless to say, tonight I have a little bit of a cranky baby. :)

Happy Raksha Bandhan!

2009-08-05T17:45:00.002-04:00

Today India is celebrating Raksha Bandhan or "Rakhi" as it is sometimes called. We are not celebrating the holiday here in our household this year since Micah is still so young. However, this is one of the Indian holidays we would like to incorporate into our family as Micah grows older. It is a little overwhelming thinking about how we are going to raise Micah as an American and trying not to single him out, yet all the while teaching him about his birth culture and heritage and incorporating some of it into our family. There will be certain traditions and holidays that we choose to not celebrate for faith reasons of our own, but Rakhi will be one that we do celebrate in the future because we love what it stands for! I have included a short description of the holiday below.

Raksha Bandhan, also known as “rakhi,” is a festival that strengthens and celebrates the precious bond shared between a brother and a sister. The Raksha Bandhan festival is all about love, care, and righteousness. It brings together people of all sects and is much appreciated for this unifying element that it brings with it. Rakhi signifies a bond of love and care between a brother and his sister and contributes toward the social harmony of India.

A sister ties a decorative thread called rakhi on the wrists of her brother symbolizing her love and affection for him. She ensures that she has chosen the brightest and the best-designed rakhi for her brother. Raksha Bandhan actually means a bond of protection, so the brother accepts the rakhi, vows to protect his sister during all times from harm that could befall her and in turn, confirms his love and affection for his sister. He also showers her with gifts.

Tying of a frail rakhi thread—that is considered stronger than iron chains—has been the tradition of this festival since time immemorial. It is a family event where all members of family, dressed in finery, gather and celebrate. The tying of rakhi is followed by a family feast.

Happy Raksha Bandhan everyone!

Third Post Visit

2009-08-04T19:20:00.002-04:00

Well, today we had our 3 post placement visit from our social worker and we are finally done with that part! Now we can work on finalizing Micah's adoption in the courts. We have signed the Petition to Adopt and plan to mail it back to the attorney tomorrow. He will file it with the courts and get us our court date. At the court hearing, we will be able to legally change Micah's name and become his "parents" instead of just his "guardians." I am hoping that we can get a date around the first week in September. It's hard to believe that by then we will have been home for 6 months.

On a side note...my baby boy will be 17 months old tomorrow! My, how time does fly! :)

Amusement Park!

2009-07-27T12:49:00.002-04:00

Well, we had our first trip to a small amusement park near our home. It all went well and the kids loved it. It was our trial run-thru for Disney next year. ;) David got to ride the roller coasters with the girls and I got to ride the kiddy rides with the boys! That's ok with me though since I get sick on a swing. :)

Thank you to all those who responded to my last post. It is comforting to know that Micah is not the Energizer Bunny, but just a normal little boy doing what little boys do! After reading your comments and talking about them, we realized that we had not gotten to experience what a little boy was really like since our son, Nathan, was a very sick little boy till he was about 2 1/2. I am excited that our boys will have the chance to be at home together for one more year as the girls head off to school.

If truth be told...

2009-07-22T13:45:00.003-04:00

Don't let this adorable little face (wearing his sister's sunglasses) fool you! If truth be told, he is WEARING ME OUT! :)

It has nothing to do with adopting a child, and everything to do with being a mother of "4!" I've told my husband from the beginning that I wanted to go back to India and adopt a little sister for Micah. However, after last week, I told him I'm done. Am I too old, too tired, too unorganized...all of the above? :)

My mom says that it is because Micah is brilliant, and she is not biased at all. :) Whatever it is, this curious little boy is keeping me on my toes.

My other children like to sleep in...Micah is awake by 6 or 6:30 a.m. wanting his honeynut cheerios.
He climbs anything he can pull himself up onto...including the kitchen table, the top bunk, out of his eating booster seat, etc.
He empties out the garbage, my purse, the pantry, the kitchen drawers, the dresser drawers, the laundry baskets, the bathroom cabinets...oh, yes, he has figured out how to get around our current child safety locks.
He loves water...drinking the bath water, splashing in the toilet, and pressing his soft-topped sippie cup upside down on the floor so that the water all runs out.
He loves anything electronic...calling friends on my cell phone, changing the channels and messing up our cable channels with the remote, turning off the answering machine and deleting our messages.
He has a sweet tooth and all day long walks me to the cabinet where he knows we "hide" the M&M's.

As I read this list, I realize that it may make me sound like a bad mother. However, I spend most of my day stopping him from doing the above so that makes me a good mother, right? Well, a very tired one at least. :) Who knew a 1 year old could have this much energy and curiosity?

Fun out West!

2009-07-15T19:23:00.005-04:00

Just wanted to post a few of my favorite photos from our trip out West to visit my parents. Micah had such a fun time. We went to my grandparents farm where Micah and Daddy got to swing on the same swing that I used as a little girl! Aunt "NiNi" got to come meet Micah while we were there and of course my kids love her to pieces! We also got to go the the playground of my old elementary school so the kids could play, and then of course was the trampoline in Nana and Papa's backyard! So many fun, new things to do for our little boy!

My Little Cowboy!

2009-07-11T18:12:00.003-04:00

Well, we are back from our trip out West to visit my parents. This was the first time they got to meet Micah. He did really well for 20 hours in the car. :)

While we were there, Micah picked up some new words...nana, papa, and dog! He also decided that he likes crushed ice, swimming, and jumping on the trampoline. He did not like the hot, dry wind in his face. One afternoon, we were flabbergasted when he came to us wanting his diaper off. My mom told me I should go set him on the potty and my little 16 month old used the "big boy potty!" Of course he thought that was cool and used the potty 5 or 6 more times while we were there. I guess we will see if that lasts now that we are back home. :)

To explain the picture...I have a picture of me at 20 months of age in my little diaper, standing in my dad's cowboy boots and wearing his cowboy hat. I have been able to do a picture of each of my kids at around the same age in the same pose. So, of course Micah got his turn, and I think it turned out adorable! I can't wait to get this picture of my little cowboy in a frame with my others.

First Haircut!

2009-07-04T19:07:00.004-04:00

Well, Micah has had his first haircut. He did a good job sitting still, but maybe it was because she did it so quickly. Micah has so, so much hair. "Miss Bobbie" didn't cut alot, but his hair had gotten really long in the back and was looking a little shaggy. :) He also got a little cut off his bangs. His hair is so soft and fine. When it is wet, it kinks up in little curls all over and then as it dries, it lies flat in little waves. Of course he loved the full-length mirror where he could see himself and make kissy faces.

And, since I am on the subject of Micah having a lot of something...this kid is blowing me away with the number of teeth he is cutting. When we picked him up he had 7. By the time we got him home he had cut the 8th one. That gave him the 4 front ones on top and bottom. In the last 3 months, he has cut all 4 molers and 1 eye tooth is breaking through right now. That makes 13 teeth for this little 16 month old. I can't remember if that is normal or not, but this poor boy deserves a medal!

Tired Mommy!

2009-07-01T20:38:00.002-04:00

Ok. I can't believe it has been almost a month since I posted last, but then again I can. Believe it or not, Micah's ear did not clear up with the first antibiotic, so we did a second round. That makes 20 days on an antibiotic. He finished his last dose on Tuesday, then Thursday we left home for a couple of weeks to visit my parents so that they could meet Micah for the first time. Friday night, on the road, he came down with a virus of some sort and today is the first day he seems to feel halfway like himself. Let's then add to the mix that our 4 year old son stuck a little red bead up his nose which has taken us two days to dislodge! Fun times for Mommy!

I do have some new pictures, but since I cannot access my laptop here, I will have to wait and post them next week when we get home. The blogging for me is so theraputic. I hope that it is not another month before I get a chance to post again. :)

Not a bed of roses...

2009-06-11T23:16:00.002-04:00

Well, everything is not a bed of roses! This last 2 weeks have been a doozy for me. I am exhausted to say the least. Micah has been sick with maybe a viral thing that hibernated for a while and then turned into a sinus and ear infection. He has been SUPER clingy to me and does not want me to put him down if I am anywhere in his sight line. Besides that, he is waking up about every hour during the night and crying. You know that headache that you get when you are trying to take a nap and keep getting woke up right when you fall asleep? I've had that for about a week now. :) We finished our antibiotics 2 days ago and I know he is feeling some better. Maybe this clingy thing will taper off and he'll start sleeping through the night again. Here's hoping. :)

Shaun Groves and Compassion

2009-06-04T20:17:00.002-04:00

This weekend we got to hear Shaun Groves in concert! He did a fantastic job and we loved hearing him talk about the ministry of Compassion which we are passionate about ourselves. It was neat getting to introduce Micah to him and talk with him in person about his recent trip to Kolkata on a Compassion mission trip (they were just there in May). It was very surreal since we just got back in February and although we did not get to visit a Compassion project, we were able to visit the main offices there and meet the director and some of the staff! What a fun and meaningful evening! The Lord blessed our hearts and we were reminded again how thankful we are to have Micah home!

A little bit of wonder!

2009-06-01T10:32:00.005-04:00

Last week 2 of my sisters from out of town came here for a visit. For almost a week, there were 4 of us sisters here with our 10 children ages 9 and under! We had so much fun. My sister, Cathi, had not met Micah yet, so that was exciting for me. One afternoon we took the kids to play in some fountains downtown. All the kids had a blast and even Micah got in on a little bit of the action. :) I love to watch children when they are experiencing something for the very first time. There is that sparkle in their eyes...that little bit of wonder...that just makes you smile! I wonder if my Heavenly Father smiles a little like a proud parent when He senses our awe in the beauty of a sunset, or rainbow, or even when we hold our child for the first time! So awesome!

Adoption Talk

2009-05-25T22:59:00.002-04:00

Isn't this one of the cutest faces you've ever seen? Micah LOVES bath time and his sister thought it would be funny to give him a mohawk with his wet hair. :) We just LOVE this little boy and what JOY he has brought to our lives!

I am loving all the opportunities I am having to talk about adoption with friends and total strangers. I get asked questions in restaurants, at the grocery store, at the ball fields, etc. Everyone who sees Micah falls in love with him and that contagious little smile and I promote adoption every chance I get with Micah as my visual aid. :) What an incredible thing it would be to us if Micah's journey would encourage even just one family to adopt and change the life of even one more child! That is our prayer!

Post Visits

2009-05-18T22:01:00.002-04:00

Well, today the report for our second post-placement visit was due to Dillon, our adoption agency in Oklahoma. We had our visit from our caseworker last week and everything went well.

Micah weighs 18 lbs. now. I can't believe he has gained 3 lbs in the 2 1/2 months he's been home. He is doing so much more than he did even at our first post-placement visit in March. He is now walking everywhere! He gives kisses and will say, "shhh," holding his finger up to his lips. He now has 5 words in his vocabulary...mama, dada, uh-oh, hi, and ball! He is also sleeping through the night in his own big boy bed in his room with his big brother!

Our last post visit will be in August and we are hoping to be able to finalize Micah's adoption at the end of August or the first of September! Yeah!

Blood:Water Mission

2009-05-15T09:44:00.003-04:00

I found out yesterday about a mission project started by the Contemporary Christian Music group Jars of Clay. It is called Blood:Water Mission. Please check them out to find out more about what they do. I think it is an amazing ministry, and they make it so easy to make a difference in someone's life. The mission is building wells in villages in Africa so that the children there can have clean water. This alone saves lives physically. However, by building the wells, they gain access to the villages and can then help with HIV/AIDS education, medication, etc., and it gives them a chance to share the Gospel of Christ which REALLY saves lives! They say that a $1 donation equals to clean water for 1 person for 1 year! Isn't that amazing? Just one more reason I'm a Jars of Clay fan! :)

Poster Child!

2009-05-12T21:40:00.003-04:00

My husband took this photo on Sunday when he and Micah were walking around outside the restaurant waiting for the rest of us to finish. I don't know what Micah was thinking, I do know he was tired. He looks so sad, like the poster child for India Adoption or Compassion or some agency like that. It is definitely not the norm. Usually he is all smiles. For some reason, when I look at this photo, I can't help but think about where Micah came from and how different his life could have been if we had not said, "YES," to adoption.

We had a very smooth experience, but India was a very difficult place for me to be. I was overwhelmed by the negatives to say the least. The poverty, the hot weather, the smog and sulfur smell in the air, the frustration with the money differences, feeling out of place and always on our guard, and that is just the beginning. At one point I had called our caseworker here in the states and was very discouraged. She reminded me that this was my son's birth country, and for his sake and mine, I needed to focus on and remember the positives.

Now that we are back home and I think back, there are some wonderful things I will remember...

ANJU...our very precious orphanage director. You could just sense her love for the children and her desire for their well-being.
HOTEL STAFF...the gracious staff at the Hyatt in Kolkata who did everything to make us comfortable and who loved on Micah the whole time we were there.
SNUGGLES...Micah falling asleep on me right after leaving the orphanage. I got to just sit and love on him the whole way back to the hotel.
COLORS...the beautiful colors of the the women's clothing and jewelry.
THANKS...the random Indian couples who asked if Micah was ours and then thanked us for doing their country a great social service by adopting a baby from there.
AIRPORT...our last look back over our shoulders at Micah's birth city before we got on the plane to leave.

I have a journal to record everything for Micah. He will grow up an Indian American, but I hope that the little glimpse of his homeland and the time we spent there with him will be something he will cherish forever.

Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T22:23:00.004-04:00

What a wonderful Mother's Day...I had all 4 of my children with me! I feel so, so blessed. I wouldn't trade being a mommy for anything in the world. There are times I would like to fly them to their Nana's for a week so that I could get some sleep, but that's another story. :)

My children are so talented and wonderful! Does every Mom feel that way? :) Hallie wrote me a beautiful story about Mother's Day and Emma wrote me an interactive song and played it for me on the piano while I looked at my card. Nathan made me some egg carton flowers at pre-school and last night and today Micah started holding my cheeks in his little hands and giving me kisses...open mouth, sound effects and all!

Last night while I was lying down with Micah I couldn't help but think about his birth mom and what she is like. I wonder where she is and what she looks like. I touched Micah's soft curls and the small cleft in his chin and wondered if they come from her. I am sad for her that she will never know the little treasure that her sacrifice has allowed me to gain.

My heart is full, and my husband would say our "quiver" is full. :) Whatever the case, as my children are all asleep in their beds, I am saying a prayer of "thanks" to my heavenly Father for the amazing gift called "motherhood!"

"The most important thing she'd learned over the years was that there was no way to be a perfect mother and a million ways to be a great one." Jill Churchill

India Bloggers

2009-05-08T08:59:00.002-04:00

Just after we came home from India with Micah, Compassion International took a mission team to Kolkata. I wish so desperately that I could have gone with them, but there was no way to leave Micah after just arriving home. To be honest, I'm not sure I would have returned right away anyway. The emotions and memories were still too near the surface for me.

Recently, a friend of mine and fellow adoptive mom, let me know that Beth Moore's (an incredible Bible Teacher and speaker) daughter was in India on that trip with Compassion and that she was blogging about her trip on her mom's site. I have checked out her posts and they are great! Reading them brought back some memories and made me cry. You can read about her experiences on the India trip at lproof.org.

Sean Groves, a singer, songwriter, was also on the same India trip and is a huge supporter of Compassion's ministry. I am very excited that he will be at our church this month doing a concert and promoting Compassion. I can't wait!

Heat Wave

2009-05-04T20:07:00.005-04:00

We got an e-mail this week from Dillon International, our adoption agency that both made me sad and glad at the same time. They let us know that they were sending 4 air-conditioners to ISRC and Matre Sneha, Micah's orphanage in Kolkata. Apparently they are having a very hard time with the extreme heat which has started very early this summer. The e-mail said that it has been starting over 100 degrees each day. I cannot even imagine. When we were there in February it was around 88 each day. I remember when we were at the orphanage being thankful for the ceiling fans and the small movement of air they provided, even if it was air from off the street from the open windows. We were sweating just walking around taking pictures of all the precious children. It makes me sad to think of the children there now in their cribs in the awful heat. I look at Micah sitting on the floor in our living room, cool as a cucumber and I am so grateful.

All that to say this...I am so thankful for our adoption agency. As soon as they heard the need, they quickly sent the money for air conditioners to be put in the orphanage. I know the Ayahs and the babies are going to be so grateful. Our agency is able to do this only by contributions made by families around the country! We now have an interest in their humanitarian work across the ocean. :) It makes it so much more personal that we were just there and got to experience the heat for ourselves. We are going to try to get a couple of community groups at our church to join together to do a car wash with the donations going to help Dillon and the babies at Matre Sneha...an adoption agency in Oklahoma and a little orphanage on the other side of the world now very dear to our hearts!

He's Walking!

2009-04-28T22:25:00.002-04:00

Well, it's official...Micah is walking! He just stood up Saturday night on his own and took off across the living room floor. He has not stopped since. :) He is so cute walking with those skinny little legs, and he can even change direction when he wants to.

He has also picked up two new words..."nigh, nigh" for night, night and "no." I guess he is hearing that one a lot since he is into everything...cabinets, drawers, trash cans, the toilet. He is also climbing anything he can get a foothold on. He is a little handful. Then he just looks at me with that grin that melts my heart and blows me a kiss. What a little charmer. :)

Like he's always been...

2009-04-21T09:39:00.004-04:00

Here are a couple of pictures from a friends birthday party at Chuck-E-Cheese (my least favorite place in the whole world.) :) Micah did so well. He seems to adjust so quickly to things. He just clings and watches for a minute and then he is ready to go! He had lots of fun riding the little rides. I think he would have stayed for hours and hours. He also ate 2 pieces of pizza and some birthday cake! I haven't found much food that he doesn't like.

The last 2 weeks I have seen so much that Micah is picking up. I can't believe it is happening so quickly. He is dancing now, just a little, when he hears music.
Now when he throws something down, he says, "uh oh!" It's too cute.
When he gets our cell phones or his toy one, or a little camera or anything electronic looking, he holds it up to his ear and says, "hi!"
He has also started saying, "mama" this last week! He says it when he sees me or if I am leaving the room. Of course that melts my heart! He has said, "da,da" from the beginning, but now he says it when he sees David. It's so cool.
He has gone to the nursery twice now on Sundays and has done very well...no crying at all!
Yesterday, he actually did the sign language sign for "more" when he wanted his snack! I was so excited. I taught some basic sign to all my kids before they could speak...words like please, more, done, etc. Micah has been screaming at us when he wanted more food, so I started with him on the signs and was so shocked yesterday when he looked up at me, pointed to his snack on the desk across the room and did the sign for "more." Of course I had to get up right away and get him some. :)
I have a little climber on my hands. Last week he climbed 14 stairs from our den to the upstairs. He was so proud. Then, I went in the girls room where they were playing on the floor and I found Micah on the 3rd rung of the bunk bed ladder. We are going to have to watch him like a hawk!

I am amazed at how fast he is learning and soaking stuff in. I am also amazed at how it feels like he's always been here with us. I find that I have even already assimilated him into our family and it doesn't even feel like Micah was adopted. Someone asked me recently if I loved Micah yet like I love my bio children. You always wonder if you will, I guess, if you have ever considered adoption. I can only answer from our experience and the miracle God worked in our hearts. I told this person..."It is strange, but I loved Micah before I ever met him. I know that God is the Father to the fatherless which means God himself was Micah's father and loved him like only a father can. I cannot fully explain it, but I truly feel like since I was willing to open up my heart and take the step toward Micah, that God poured His love for Micah straight into my heart and let His love fill me and flow through me so that I felt this unexplainable love for a child I had never met. I think He did this for me until I could hold Micah myself and get to know him and fall in love with him all over again in person." And...I have!

Holidays and Family

2009-04-14T13:03:00.005-04:00

At each holiday that falls during the year, I am reminded once again of how blessed I am to have family. My family is very close in relationship, even though we live far apart. We make every effort to get together whenever possible, and there is no place we would rather be than with family. If we have any type of break in our schedules, we travel somewhere in the US to stay with another family member and visit for a while! My kids are so lucky to have right now 4 great-grandma's, 2 great-grandpa's, 2 sets of grandparents, and many, many, many aunts, uncles and cousins! I was fortunate enough to marry a man who comes from the same type of family.

David's family, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, all used to get together every Sunday afternoon for lunch at his Ma-maw's and Pa-paws house. After Pa-paw passed away it went to one Sunday a month. Now, we still get together once a month, but on a Friday night. I love that everyone just knows that it's important and if at all possible, everyone is there.

As our families grow...we get more children, get married, move away, etc., this gets harder and harder, but we keep it a priority. I know not many families have this opportunity and I feel very blessed and thankful. As I look at these pictures from our Easter get-together, I pray that I can instill this same love and devotion to family in my children that I grew up with myself!

Already at home!

2009-03-29T16:32:00.004-04:00

Can you tell my little boy is already feeling at home? Here he is in a little baseball outfit, playing with his sissy's Nintendo DS. I think he is holding it steady with his big toe! Who knows. He fits in that way too, since all of us in our family have long toes. :)

For a quick update...Micah is quickly learning and copying everything.

He took his first steps this week without holding on! Of course now he won't do it again, but we must be getting close.
He is eating everything in sight, and I mean everything. If he can reach it, it goes in his mouth. I'm having to baby proof again. The only food he has not been fond of was strawberries and mandarin oranges...I guess they are kind of sour.
He likes to ride in the stroller and has gotten used to his carseat really quickly. In fact, he usually falls asleep almost immediately when we head somewhere.
He has figured out what a cell phone is for and will hold ours up to his ear every chance he gets.
He no longer screams and cries when we change his diaper or his clothes...we never figured that one out.
He is still fighting me when it comes time for naps and bedtime, but not nearly as badly and I am figuring out a system. I may still end up with a busted lip or broken nose from being butted with his head, but I guess that is a small price to pay. :)
He LOVES bath time now! If there is water running, he wants in. He will climb all over Nathan to get the water spout when they are taking a bath. Then he will do everything he can to climb in the tub with Emma, jammies and all. After that, he'll stand there getting sprayed with the water while Hallie takes a shower!
He loves seeing himself in the mirror and will just coo and kiss his reflection forever.
He is a very social little boy and will go to almost anyone. However, after just a few minutes, he looks around for Mommy or Daddy and wants to come back. Of course I love that!

Such a sweetie! We are all relishing in this Springtime of getting to know each other and watching Micah bloom!

Giving Birth and Adoption

2009-03-27T08:53:00.006-04:00

Yesterday in the van my girls were having a conversation in the back seat about how they came from my tummy, but Micah didn't. I gave them the typical answer you always hear..."I carried you in my tummy and Micah in my heart." Later though, after analyzing things as I do, I regretted saying that. :) Really, I carried them ALL in my heart long before I knew them. I guess it got me to thinking about the similarities between a pregnancy and an adoption even though the majority of people think they are worlds apart.

THE DECISION - Before trying to get pregnant, you usually have conversations like, "Are we ready to have a baby?" "Can we do this financially?" "Is this the right time to expand our family?" "How will it affect our lives as we know it?" These are some of the same questions you ask yourselves as you are starting on the paperwork trail in adoption.
ITS POSITIVE - Pretty self-explanatory...the positive pregnancy test...no turning back. This was kind of how I felt when we went on the waiting list for a referral. We made it, we're here now, no turning back.
THE WAIT - There is the wait till 20 weeks when you can find out the sex of the baby, or in adoption, the wait for the referral...who is my child going to be? Then there is the next phase of waiting for the birth, and for adopting families, the wait to travel and pick up your child.
PHOTO - Every pregnant mom remembers their first ultrasound. Wow, baby's first photo...even though it doesn't do our beautiful baby justice. :) The referral photo is just like that. Our first glimpse of our beautiful baby...and it doesn't do them justice as anyone can tell from looking back at referral photos. :)
THE UNKNOWN - Not knowing details about what your baby is going to be like and not knowing full details about their health is scary. Doctors run all sorts of tests on mom and baby and can scare you with the possibilities of things that could go wrong. The occasional medical reports or updates from your child's birth country can also be very intimidating.
THE LAST MONTH - This is a miserable time for any mom. :) Your baby could arrive any day, or it could still be 4 weeks away. You are so anxious for the baby to arrive, and yet don't have everything ready yet. That last minute wait for passports or permission to travel is a killer.
THE TRIP - This is something every pregnant mom and every adoptive mom fantasize about the whole journey. What is my experience going to be like? The trip to the hospital and the trip to the orphanage can be the longest trip you have ever taken in your life!
THE GIFT - Your baby! Whether the baby comes out of your tummy, or out of another mom's tummy, the result is the same! You are suddenly handed a beautiful gift, created completely and totally by God! You are overwhelmed with love and emotion, exhaustion and uncertainty, thankfulness and joy!

What an amazing journey we make to our families!

Compassion East India

2009-03-24T09:25:00.011-04:00

I have not gone into much detail about our visit to the Compassion East India office while we were in Kolkata, so I thought that I would share our story. It is full of little "God things" as was our whole adoption journey, so I want to share it.

We had decided that we would go by the Compassion office the day before we left India. First, we called my friend, Janie, who is a Compassion advocate, to get the address. Imagine our amazement when we found out that the office was only about 8 minutes away from the hotel where we were staying in Kolkata! We had brought a backpack of stuff from my friend Jenny's family for a little boy they sponsor who attends one of the projects there. When we arrived at the office and walked in, we stood in the lobby for a minute and then a man walked around the corner and asked if he could help us. I showed him a piece a paper with a man's name on it and told him we had come to see the director Devasagayam Jebaraj. He said that was him! He took us back to his office so that he could hear why we had come. We shared our story and he shared with us his vision for reaching more children there in the 5 states they serve. He was very excited that we were there. He said he was supposed to be in a meeting, but something, or "Someone" had prompted him to walk to the lobby, even though he had no reason for going there! :) He felt like God had brought us together that day!

We were introduced to his assitant, Ratna, and she showed us around the offices. We got to see where they process the letters from sponsors, translate them, and send out the letters from the children, etc. We also got to meet some of the employees and talk with them. They all loved Micah of course and everyone wanted to hold him. As the employees began coming back from a meeting, we noticed several Americans...the first we'd seen in Kolkata. We began talking with them and found out that they were there from the main office in Colorado Springs to lead some training courses! We had such a good time talking with them and hope to see them again if we ever get to visit the headquarters in Colorado.

While we were there, I mentioned that I had also brought a back-pack of stuff for the little girl that we sponsor in southern India. We were not able to work it out for us to visit her, but we wondered if they could mail or transport the backpack somehow to the southern office in Chennai so that she could get it. Jebaraj said, "Oh, yes!" We actually have a delegation from the Chennai office here for our meetings this week. They are leaving in 3 days and can take it back with them!" How cool is that? :) After chatting with everyone, Jebaraj, asked us to stay and eat lunch with them. This was our first taste of "authentic" Indian cuisine, and I must say it was very delicious, but very spicy! We had such a fun time. I would have to say that our visit to the Compassion office was one of the highlights of our trip to India!

Musings of a 4-year old!

2009-03-15T23:00:00.002-04:00

Well, Micah has been home for 2 1/2 weeks. He is doing well, but it has not all been a bed of roses. I like to write the good stuff, but the reality of the hard stuff is there lurking in the background. We have found out that Micah didn't really have much of a sleeping schedule in the orphanage...not really a surprise. How can you get all the babies to sleep at the same time? So, our biggest issue right now is getting Micah to go to sleep for his nap and bedtime. Once asleep, he will stay asleep usually, but getting him to go down can be an hour long process of crying, screaming, pulling hair, thrashing around on the bed...and that's just me. :) Just kidding. I am exhausted though.

The girls have been so wonderful with Micah. It seems like Hallie grew up so much just in the 10 days we were gone. She is such a big helper to me with Micah. I don't know what I'd do without her! Emma is good with him, but gets side-tracked a little more easily. :) Nathan is having to adjust the most I think. After all, he was my only baby boy. He has done remarkably well and loves Micah. He likes being the big brother and having Micah sleep in his room. He does not like, however, that Micah screams at him and tries to grab his cereal, etc. He hasn't said alot, but I know that his little mind is processing stuff all the time. I wanted to write it down before I forgot two of the conversations we've had during the last 2 weeks.

The first was on the way to church and just out of the blue...

"Mom, does Micah have a family?"

"Yes, Nathan, we are his family."

"No. I mean does he have a family like him at the airport?"

"Yes, he does, but they couldn't take care of him and help him to grow big and strong."

"So they gave him to another family?"

"Yes, they gave him to us so that we could take care of him and he could be part of our family."

"Ok."

The second was after I came home from the doctors visit with Micah and he had a band-aid...

"What is that for?"

"Micah got kind of like a shot. They took some of his blood to check it."

"Is his blood brown?"

"No, his skin is brown, but his blood is red, just like yours."

"Ok."

Wow...the musings of a 4-year old. I didn't realize all that was going on inside his head, but I'm glad that he just takes it all in and moves on, ok with the answers I have given. He is such a sweetie. I'm glad that he will have 1 more year at home with me and Micah before he heads off to Kindergarten. I'm loving watching my little boy grow up.

A perfect fit!

2009-03-12T13:06:00.002-04:00

I took this photo last night and just had to share it. My sister bought the jammies for my kids at Christmas and had purchased one for Micah also even though he was not home yet. They are a perfect fit, and so is he! He looks right at home sitting there with my other 3. A teacher friend commented to my husband that he looks like Nathan with a good tan! :) Of course, he and Nathan are already acting like brothers do I guess...pushing each other around, stealing toys from each other, competing for mommy's attention. :) The girls however, are competing with each other over who gets to hold and take care of Micah. We'll see how long that lasts. :)

Colors of Compassion

2009-03-09T15:14:00.006-04:00

In my most recent Compassion News Magazine, I read about a new line of cards that have just come out. The ones I have seen are beautiful and have great messages of hope and encouragement. These cards could be given to anyone who needs to be encouraged...youth, sponsored children, women friends, etc. The added bonus is that you get to encourage someone while at the same time help Compassion help children all over the world! I found a brief description of the cards online and I have included it below. Happy shopping!

DaySpring is partnering with Compassion International to offer Colors of Compassion cards. You can help make a difference in the lives of children in need around the world by purchasing these cards. DaySpring will donate 6% of net wholesale sales of every “Colors of Compassion” card directly to Compassion International to help provide immunizations and other urgent medical care for children in need.

When you purchase greeting cards, please consider purchasing the Colors of Compassion cards. It’s a small way to help a child in need.

Happy Birthday, Micah!

2009-03-09T09:43:00.005-04:00

We survived our first birthday party with Micah! Everything went smoothly. He was a little overwhelmed in the beginning as everyone started showing up at our house, but he did well. We had him wearing his "Little Brother" t-shirt and Nathan wore his "Big Brother" t-shirt. We thought this might help Nathan feel more special while we celebrated Micah. :)

He wasn't sure what to do with the birthday cake, but did enjoy it once daddy started giving him some bites of it. The gifts didn't really phase him...his favorite was the curly ribbon bow. :) We did enjoy ourselves and we were happy to show Micah off to some of David's extended family and my sister, Chandra, who had never met him before.

Of course, on Sunday morning, Micah threw up and had diarrhea and slept till about noon. I thought he might have a virus, but he has been fine ever since. Maybe his little stomach just couldn't handle the birthday cake and all the excitement. Whatever the case, we are excited that our little boy got to celebrate his 1st birthday at home!

Officially home for 1 week...Happy First Birthday!

2009-03-05T12:05:00.004-05:00

Micah has been officially "home" for 1 week, and what a week it has been. He has been such a little trooper. He must be exhausted. One day this week I was printing off some papers in another room and when I walked back in the kitchen, I found Micah fast asleep on the dining room floor, sucking his little fingers (he sucks on the 3rd and 4th fingers to go to sleep!) How tired do you have to be to fall asleep on tile? :)

Besides meeting all the new relatives, and getting used to crawling all over the house, we also had our first doctors visits. First we did the well checks. He is just 15 lbs at a year old, but he looks great the doc said. His developmental stuff seems to be on track too. He is crawling all over, and he pulls to stand. He wants to walk so badly and it's the cutest thing ever. He walks sideways. Even if you are holding his fingers and trying to walk forward, he takes side steps. The only thing we can figure is that he has never walked forward. He is just used to walking sideways along the length and width of the crib he was in. :) He also copies everything we do...especially the shapes and sounds we do with our mouth and tongue. He can do whatever we do. And, speaking of mouth, this little kiddo loves food. He gets so excited when he sees his bottle or food of some sort. He starts waving his hands and saying, "Ni, ni, ni!" I don't know if that is a Bengali word for food or if he is just making it up, but he says the same thing every time. Our second visit was to the children's hospital to do all the lab work to make sure that he is healthy on the inside. We are still waiting to hear back.

We also had our first post-placement visit this week with Amy, our social worker who did our home study. Everything went well and she loved Micah! Of course my kiddos were excited to share what they thought about having a new little brother too. Hallie likes having a little brother with brown skin, Emma likes having someone else to play with, and Nathan is not too sure that he likes this little boy who hits him and tries to steal his cereal. :)

To top off the week, today Micah turns 1! It seems kind of anti-climactic since we will be doing his little birthday party on Saturday night, but I am just so glad that we get to celebrate with him at home. We are going to have a small party here at the house with David's family and two of my sisters coming over. Emma was a bit worried about deciding the "theme" since we don't know what Micah likes, but I think a balloon and cake with a big "1" on it will be enjoyed just as much! I'll try to post pics on Sunday of the birthday boy!

All the new stuff!

2009-03-01T13:57:00.003-05:00

Well, we've had Micah just over 1 week now and he has experienced a lot of firsts. He has had his first bath, his first plane ride, his first spaghetti and Rice Krispies (not at the same time). He has taken all of them in stride and keeps going. I must admit that I find this little boy of ours adorable! :) He definitely has a temper, just like Anju, the orphanage director, said, but who can resist that amazing little grin that just lights up his face?! Can't wait for his first birthday coming up this week!

Family of 6!

2009-02-27T23:21:00.003-05:00

This is our first family photo as a family of 6! My friend Ruth took it at the airport when we finally arrived home!

Micah is amazing us with how well and how quickly he has adjusted to all the sudden changes in his little life. It is as if he has always been here. He seemed to attach to David and me both from the first day. He has also joined in with our other kids like he was meant to be.

The ironic thing is, it's made me a little nervous. :) After reading the required 300 page book on adoption disorders, I think I am over analyzing everything...looking for signs that something might be wrong. He is very social and doesn't seem too afraid of anyone. I start to think, "Is he attaching to us? Does he not care and will just go to anyone?" I think that is called Ambivalent Attachment Disorder. My husband thinks I'm crazy. :) Well, the thought lasts for just a minute and then I remember that this is exactly what so many people were praying for...that Micah would not be afraid, that he would bond with us immediately, and that it would be as if he was always a part of our family. So, I am chalking this one up to another answered prayer and moving on to another day!

Home!

2009-02-26T08:15:00.002-05:00

We are home! We got home yesterday afternoon and I could hardly stand up straight! :) I had some sort of vertigo from the 15 hour flight. We were up for over 40 hours with the layovers, the flight, and the time changes. Micah did remarkably well I think for only having been with us for 5 days and then all the plane rides. David and I spent most of the flight standing up and rocking him so that he would sleep. He did not get sick or anything, but was very tired and whiny. Considering it was 1:00 a.m. by the time we got on the plane for America, who can blame him? We did get the bulkhead seat with the bassinet and although he only slept in the bassinet twice for about 30 min a piece, it was worth it just for the break and the leg room and space to stand.

It was so great to get home and see our kids! We had to wake Micah up to see everyone at the airport, so he was very solemn, but warmed up to the kids right away. We went through the driveway at Chick-fil-a and then straight home! Micah and I were so exhausted, we went to bed at 6:00 p.m. last night and woke up this morning at 6:30! He only woke up once during the night around 2:30 but went right back to sleep.

We are so, so grateful we cannot express! Thank you for everyone's prayers! My friend Ruth has already put together a slide show of pics with a video of our homecoming, so I am going to try to post it on my blog later today for everyone to see. Stay tuned...

2009-02-23T07:03:00.005-05:00

Well, it's our last night in Kolkata. I wanted to post just a couple of pics from the last 2 days before we head home. Once there, I will try to compile all of our India pics into a slide show to post here on our blog.

On Saturday night, we heard all this commotion out our hotel window. We looked outside to see literally thousands of people walking down the streets in front of the hotel. We weren't too worried, we have seen protests going on everywhere in India since we have been here. We noticed, however, that they were wearing lots of red and gold and carrying flags. We found out that the #1 and #2 Bengali soccer teams were playing in the stadium above, right behind our hotel. It was an amazing sight. David wanted to buy a ticket and head right over, but the hotel staff we have befriended here said David, "might not quite fit in." :) The haze in the picture is a constant in India...it is the heat and the pollution in the air I guess.

On Sunday, we were able to spend the day resting outside by the pool (above pic of me with Micah) and in our room. We just rejoiced over what the Lord has done and how far He has brought us. It still does not seem real. Maybe when we get home and settled back into our daily routine, everything will hit home for us.

Today, we made a visit to the East India Compassion Office. It was an awesome experience. The Lord just worked out all the details. The director "just happened" to walk into the entrance as we arrived...he said he was not sure why he did but he just felt he should. :) He showed us around their offices and invited us to share lunch with their staff. For all those who want to know...we ate authentic Indian food and it was spicy and delicious! We didn't get sick either. :) We were also able to meet a team from the main headquarters in Colorado Springs who were there leading a training session. It was so fun!

To finish the day we stopped by an outdoor mall near the hotel to purchase some little trinkets for our kiddos back home. Now, we will head to supper, repack all our stuff, make sure we have all the paperwork for immigration and get some sleep for a very long 2 day trip home. To quote David's dad, "this is a trip that will change our lives."

A day of rest!

2009-02-21T05:50:00.003-05:00

Today was a day of rest. And, I must say a very much needed one for us. We ate breakfast, played in the room, ate lunch and went out to the pool for Micah's first dip in the pool. It really was just a dip. He "dipped" his little toes in and then eventually sat on the first step and splashed with his hands. He was very timid and kept a tight grip on us the whole time. Then, he had his first poopie diaper! Yeah! Now I know you think I'm crazy. You're probably thinking, "Why is she happy about that and why do we care?" Well, I really was nervous. I didn't ask the orphanage director and he hadn't gone in the two days we've had him. I was afraid I was going to have to call the orphanage and ask when he'd last gone and I don't know if they even call it poopoo here. I definitely didn't want to have to try to describe it. ;) So, another crisis averted and another event experienced!

Consulate Day

2009-02-20T04:20:00.006-05:00

Well, today was our US Consulate appointment. It all went very smoothly and we are finished! We have Micah's passport and visa and we will be ready to leave on Tuesday morning to head home! We miss our family so much! While in the consulate David was walking around reading some of the literature posted on the walls (security is so tight he could not even take a book in to read.) One document was a list of places that are dangerous for Americans to travel to right now...India was on the list. That made David feel so good. :)

Micah is doing remarkably well I think. He actually has 6 teeth and 1 trying to come in. We have not seen any grieving that we know of. Other than a couple of times where he has done the "banging his head on the floor" thing, he has been happy and exploring this new world. He is eating well and slept through the night last night. The only time he has cried is when I am changing his diaper and that is just fussing. I spoke with my caseworker and she was encouraging, but warned me not to be too surprised if Micah suddenly goes into fits after a couple of days. I guess sometimes the kiddos are enthralled in the beginning and then they say, "OK, I'm done with this now and I'm ready to go back home to what is familiar." Hopefully that won't happen. David commented at lunch that he is acting like he has always been with us. I'm not really surprised since that is exactly what so many people have been praying for us!

We took a driver from the hotel to downtown which was about a 40 minute drive. What a heartbreaking trip. It was hard for us to comprehend all the poverty, the desperation, the destruction and the hopelessness we saw just from the window of our car. Goats eating on the sidewalks, starving dogs rummaging through the garbage, naked children on the shoulders, women and men washing in the polluted river and little children begging at the window of our car while we were stopped at a red light. This last was almost too much for us to handle. All I could do was to imagine that it could be Micah standing there barefoot in dirty clothes pounding on the window and begging for money. I held Micah tighter and thanked the Lord for giving him to us to love and cherish forever. What an amazing gift we have been granted!

We have Micah!

2009-02-19T05:44:00.009-05:00

Well, we have Micah! Here are a couple of pics from this morning. The one just above is Utsab with one of his 3 care givers. You could tell they loved the babies very much. The next photo above that is all of us with Anju, the orphanage director. What a remarkable woman. She runs two orphanages...Micah's and the special needs orphanage. More about that later.

Of course the two above are David and me. Micah did so well. He did not cry. He just smiled at us, showing his 4 little teeth, and played "high 5's with David. He is smaller than we expected. He seems to be such a sweet boy. When I finally picked him up from his caregiver, he quickly wrapped his little arms and legs around me and sqeezed tightly. I'm not sure if he was just afraid in general, or afraid that I might drop him. He fell asleep in the car on the way back to the hotel and has been asleep ever since...just like his daddy right next to him. I guess we'll have to wait and see how things go when "my boys" wake up. :)

Hello from Kolkata!

2009-02-18T14:08:00.002-05:00

Well, we are here. Everything went smoothly at the Embassy. It does pay to get their at 8:00 a.m. and be the first in line. It doesn't open till 8:30, but as soon as the line begins to form, the process takes longer and longer. We were in and back out by about 9:45. The man who did our interview actually called our driver for us, so we didn't have to try to figure out how to use the phone in the waiting area.

We arrived in Kolkata an hour late due to plane delays tonight, but we are here. You hear about all the stuff in India and wonder what you'll see. Today we saw cattle by the side of the road, monkeys on the sidewalks, men peeing on the sides of the road, etc. and that was all just on the way to the airport!

Word of caution to those moms getting ready to travel... We had heard not to let your driver suggest to take you shopping because they will take you somewhere where they get a cut in the profits of what you buy. We fell for it, however. We were so exhausted and not paying attention and when our driver suggested we stop at an emporium on the way back to our hotel, we were for some reason thinking about a little garden area and agreed. He took us through a small gated area and dropped us off, saying that he would see us in an hour. We were then left alone in the middle of Delhi in a beautiful store with 5 clerks and just the two of us. We were then subjected to the drama that only a used car salesman can portray, and ended up buying a few items just to get out of there. I was horrified, David was amused. On a positive note, I won't be coming home with an "authentic" Kashmir carpet, but I did get an Indian pillow cover, an Indian "black star" ring, and a rice paper Christmas tree ornament! (David and I always try to get a Christmas ornament from everywhere we travel.)

Anyway, tomorrow will be our "Gotcha Day," and I cannot even express the emotions I'm feeling, so I won't try yet. We'll just wait and see what tomorrow holds. Thanks especially for all your prayers. I have felt a very strange oppression here on my spirit and I feel the need for your prayers to surround us. Till tomorrow...

Embassy Day

2009-02-17T19:35:00.003-05:00

Today is our Embassy day! We got 3 hours of sleep I think, but to our bodies, it was the middle of the day so as tired as we were, it was still hard to get into a deep sleep. I think we were also a little bit in culture shock as well, so our minds were working overtime.

We are so grateful for your prayers. Our hotel driver was there to pick us up and we are so thankful he was. He was accosted several times on the way out of the airport by other men wanting to take our luggage. I don't know what we would have done on our own. We've lived a pretty sheltered life. :) And then of course is the ride back to the hotel. It is true what they say, "You are taking your life into your own hands when you get out on the road. " :) The lines on the road mean nothing, and the horn honking is pretty much constant.

We have a long day ahead I'm sure as our bodies start adjusting to the time change and culture change. So far we haven't had anything to eat since we left the airplane, so we'll try that today also. I guess my next post will be from Kolkata. Till then...

We made it!

2009-02-17T15:02:00.002-05:00

Well, we survived the 14 hour flight and the ride to the hotel, and we are in one piece! It is 1:00 a.m. here and our wake-up call is for 5:30 a.m., so we are going to try to catch a couple hours of sleep before we head to the Embassy in the morning. I will try to post again once we are settled in Kolkata. Just a little over 1 day till we see Micah!

2 Days left...

2009-02-13T22:52:00.005-05:00

Well, 2 days left till we leave for India. It still does not seem real. It is hard for me to imagine that I'm going to fly over there on Monday and on Thursday Ms. Roy is going to hand me a baby and say, "Here you go. He's yours." I really can't even imagine. :)

I got this picture today from a father who just traveled to get his daughter. It was not a planned photo opp so he did not get a picture of everyone's baby. So, I am especially thankful for this photo since it will be our last before we pick Micah up. I feel excited and honored that I am going to get to photograph a bunch of babies next week, and I'll make sure not to miss one. :) It is going to be neat I think to see a few of the babies in the orphanage, knowing which "India moms" (my internet friends) they will be going home with soon!

I am going to try to blog each day that we are in India and post pictures from our trip as well...internet service permitting. :) I have so enjoyed following the blogs of the other moms who have written about their journeys. So many people have played a part in helping us bring Micah home. I am so glad that I will have this opportunity to share our journey.

Travel plans...to be continued.

2009-02-11T22:55:00.002-05:00

Well, I have just spent the last twelve hours on the phone with our travel agency. I am so exhausted I'm sick at my stomach and have a headache. Too many choices to make, with too little time and not enough information. Trying to decided which airline to fly, what day to leave and return, non-stop flight or layover, which hotel to stay in, how much to spend, outskirts or downtown, in a country you've never been to is a little overwhelming. :)

Our plans as they stand now, after 12 hours of labor, are to leave on Monday. Flying out on Saturday made our plane tickets $1300 more than leaving on a weekday. We will return home on the following Wednesday with our "Gotcha Day" being on the 19th. This will allow us to spend Valentines weekend as a family with our kids here at home before leaving, and I am going to try to cherish every moment.

Passport Approval!

2009-02-11T09:08:00.002-05:00

We've got Micah's passport approval! I've got to check with the Embassy today in Delhi and make sure there are no holidays next week. If not, then we will leave on Valentine's Day to go get Micah!

My hands are shaking so much I can hardly type. :) I got my infant/child CPR certification yesterday, my video camera is being delivered by UPS this afternoon, and our income tax refund is supposed to come on Friday! I guess I better get packing and make my final purchases. :) I'm really not sure if I'm ready all of a sudden, but here we go!

Happy 11 months, Micah!

2009-02-05T11:07:00.004-05:00

Happy 11 months, Micah!

This morning I got this new picture in an e-mail, thanks to a mom who just traveled and picked up their son! Isn't he a cutie? Of course I am not biased or anything like that. :)

I am so ready to head out and go pick up my son. My pastor asked me this week what I am feeling right now. You know, I could not give him a clear answer. It is so many things.

ANXIOUSNESS - Checking my e-mail every day to see if we have Micah's passport approval.

AWE - Since the judge signed our papers 3 1/2 weeks ago, the Lord has provided the funds we are going to need for our travel! It is so humbling watching the Lord act on our behalf and use others to do what was impossible for us!

FEAR - It may sound kind of funny, but I am a little afraid of what my little boy is going to be like. What is his personality? Will he like me and feel safe with me? Will he want to be held and cuddled? ...so many unknowns.

PANIC - So much to do and so little time. I am frantically making lists and now my lists have lists and I think I have lost some of my first lists. Aaaaahhh! Ok. I've just got to take it one document and one day at a time. :)

LOVE - I already love this little boy that I have never met so much. It is funny how God just fills your heart, I guess with the love that He has for this little boy whom He knows personally. I think everyone wonders if you can love a second child like you love the first one, or if you can love an adopted child like a biological one. The answer is YES!

Two down, one to go!

2009-02-03T15:25:00.003-05:00

Well, yesterday we received our passports and visas, so we can check that off the list! Today we received notice of our ICPC approval! Our caseworker at Dillon checked on Micah's passport and it is not ready yet, so we will continue to wait for that one pesky little piece of paperwork.

We are still going to try to shoot for leaving on the 14th, but we can't purchase the tickets till we have the passport approval in hand. At least I am going to try to have all of our adoption education requirements done, all of our forms filled out, copied, and ready to go, all of our orphanage donations gathered, Micah's clothes, diapers, etc. purchased, and have the boys room ready to go. I just want to be ready in case his passport approval comes in time. If not, we will just go the next weekend, but I'm going to hope for the 14th and pray for patience and a quiet spirit. Can you tell I am starting to feel restless for the first time? :) Ok, maybe not for the first time, but who's counting.

Getting so close...

2009-01-29T10:32:00.002-05:00

We are getting so close now. I received our "legals" in the mail today from Dillon, our adoption agency. I am excited, but it was kinda sad this morning looking through Micah's papers and seeing his birth mother's name and age, his birth grandfather's name, and reading about him being turned over to the agency in India. Words can't express the gratitude I feel to be able to have this opportunity to love Micah, but I know that it comes at another family's loss.

So, now I have lots more copies to make, documents to download, and paperwork to organize. We have a whole bunch of papers that have to go to India with us and be filed there. It's very nerve-racking to me for some reason. Anyway, we are down to our last little waiting game, I hope.

We are waiting on our ICPC approval from our state which hopefully will come by the end of next week.
We are waiting on our visas to get here, which should arrive by the middle of next week.
We are waiting on Micah's passport approval. We have been given a tentative bit of hope that this could come sometime between the end of next week and Feb. 14th.

Once we have confirmation of these 3 documents, we can purchase our plane tickets! It's difficult having to do that at the last minute and not knowing when you are going to be traveling. I am a stay-at-home mom, so I could pack up and go tomorrow. However, with my husband being a school teacher and a worship leader at our church, it has been a little difficult for him to draw up lesson plans and plan music for services when he doesn't know when he'll be gone. Also, with 3 other children at home, we have only been able to make general plans for where they will be staying, how they will get to school, and who will take them to their ball games. :)

Even with all the uncertainty, we are going to shoot for flying out on Valentines Day...a very romantic and memorable way to spend the day! If the passport approval doesn't come through by then, we will just take it week by week and plan to leave the first Saturday after we receive it. So...we wait...