As some may have heard recently beginning this month adoptions in Ethiopia will be cut by 90%. This does not mean that Ethiopia is now a closed country, but it does mean that the process will be much, much slower. We have several friends in the process of adopting from Ethiopia and it breaks my heart for them and the millions of orphans that may never find a "forever family." Someone in our adoption group posted this, and I am asking for others to join in this prayer effort!
"The Battle Is The Lord's"
I Samuel 12:47b
Best news...He NEVER Loses!!!
~Praying that every person that has anything to do with our children being ready to go into court will not be able to get their faces, names and situations off of their minds and hearts until they are ALL in court.
~Praying that the visable favor of almighty God rests on our children, on every document, every paper, every detail and signature of all of children's adoptions until they are set free, pass court, have birth certificates and VISAS!
~Praying James 1:5 - that the wisdom of God will flood the hearts and minds of Sue, Dejere, and EVERYONE at EVERY office and part of the process to free our children and bring them HOME to us. That creative ideas will come to their minds-even as they sleep to ensure our children's cases will be attended to promptly and thouroughly and not one item will be forgotten or overlooked in the name of Jesus!
~Praying that NO person dealing with any of our children will grow weary or be distracted from completing EVERY child's adoption paperwork quickly and correctly and our children will be HOME sooner than anyone could have dreamed or imagined!!!
~Praying that we will all be brought together in such a strong bond of spiritual unity for our children's lives -that every plot and scheme by any person and the enemy will be abandoned -and they will flee at the sight of our union of FAITH for our children's freedom!!!
~Praying that others will witness our strong stand of faith in our God and that it will cause lives to be changed and souls will be won into the Kingdom and God will receive ALL the GLORY!
~ Praying that NOBODY will grow weary -at any part of any of this process -that we will all lock arms and walk forward into this one step at a time - crushing the enemy EVER step of the WAY!
~ I am praying these things with GREAT expectancy and with GREAT FAITH in MY God who created our children and has a plan for their lives - a plan to give them a HOPE and a GOOD final outcome!!
~In The MIGHTY NAME OF JESUS AMEN and AMEN!!
Monday, March 7, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
So Much For Resolutions....
So much for New Year's Resolutions. Mine was to blog more. Seeing as how it is almost March and I haven't blogged since before Christmas, I would say I am off to a rough start. Oh well.
Life is good, but it is incredibly busy with 4 boys! There is never a dull moment in our house. Noah makes us laugh all the time, Aiden loves to follow Noah around and do whatever he is doing, Asa never stops moving and Nathan wants his share of the attention too. By the time we get everyone to bed and pick up just a little bit, we are exhausted!
Aiden is doing well with pre-school, as far as we can tell. We never get any bad reports, but he never talks about school either. He always tells me that he has a good day when he gets off the bus but that is about all I get from him. He is just in his own little world and that is just fine with him.
Asa is improving with his weekly occupational therapy. The biggest change we have seen is in his attention span. Before therapy he would not sit still for 30 seconds. Now he can concentrate long enough to listen to a very short book or play with blocks for a couple of minutes by himself. We feel like we have a long way to go, but there is improvement!
I look back at a year ago and cannot believe how life has changed. At this time last year we had just accepted our referrals for Aiden and Asa, and found out that I was pregnant with Nathan a week to the day later. Wow. When I look at my journal from that time I admit that some of my worst fears have come true but it isn't as bad as I thought it would be. I feared being so tired and so overwhelmed. I feared feeling like I didn't have enough time or attention to go around. I feared how crazy things would be with 4 boys. Although all of those things are true for our life right now it comes in the midst of enormous blessing as well. I cannot imagine life without any of my children. I think to myself, "Life would be so boring without all this chaos!"
Life is good, but it is incredibly busy with 4 boys! There is never a dull moment in our house. Noah makes us laugh all the time, Aiden loves to follow Noah around and do whatever he is doing, Asa never stops moving and Nathan wants his share of the attention too. By the time we get everyone to bed and pick up just a little bit, we are exhausted!
Aiden is doing well with pre-school, as far as we can tell. We never get any bad reports, but he never talks about school either. He always tells me that he has a good day when he gets off the bus but that is about all I get from him. He is just in his own little world and that is just fine with him.
Asa is improving with his weekly occupational therapy. The biggest change we have seen is in his attention span. Before therapy he would not sit still for 30 seconds. Now he can concentrate long enough to listen to a very short book or play with blocks for a couple of minutes by himself. We feel like we have a long way to go, but there is improvement!
I look back at a year ago and cannot believe how life has changed. At this time last year we had just accepted our referrals for Aiden and Asa, and found out that I was pregnant with Nathan a week to the day later. Wow. When I look at my journal from that time I admit that some of my worst fears have come true but it isn't as bad as I thought it would be. I feared being so tired and so overwhelmed. I feared feeling like I didn't have enough time or attention to go around. I feared how crazy things would be with 4 boys. Although all of those things are true for our life right now it comes in the midst of enormous blessing as well. I cannot imagine life without any of my children. I think to myself, "Life would be so boring without all this chaos!"
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Aiden's Liver Numbers are Normal!
Praise the Lord! I received a phone call yesterday from our pediatrician's office that Aiden's liver numbers are normal! We still don't really know what made them so high for so long, but it doesn't really matter now! Our doctor believes it was a result of the Hep-A taking a little longer than normal to cycle through his system.
We took a "gamble" last month by not going to see the specialist. To be quite honest we were just sick of all the doctor visits and medical bills that have been piling up. We knew that going to the specialist would cost more money and they would probably do the same tests that we have already done. Our pediatrician told us that because Aiden's numbers were on a downward cycle he felt like we could test him once more before going to the specialist. Thankfully his last test was on Wednesday of last week and no additional testing will need to be done.
Thank you to all of you who have been praying for this situation. We have seen God faithfully answer so many of our prayers in regards to our family. In my Bible reading yesterday God reminded me that no matter how crazy our life seems He has truly blessed us. There have been days that I just want to quit, but I know that God's plan for our family is going to be wonderful.
Psalm 16:5-6
"The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You support my lot.
The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me."
We took a "gamble" last month by not going to see the specialist. To be quite honest we were just sick of all the doctor visits and medical bills that have been piling up. We knew that going to the specialist would cost more money and they would probably do the same tests that we have already done. Our pediatrician told us that because Aiden's numbers were on a downward cycle he felt like we could test him once more before going to the specialist. Thankfully his last test was on Wednesday of last week and no additional testing will need to be done.
Thank you to all of you who have been praying for this situation. We have seen God faithfully answer so many of our prayers in regards to our family. In my Bible reading yesterday God reminded me that no matter how crazy our life seems He has truly blessed us. There have been days that I just want to quit, but I know that God's plan for our family is going to be wonderful.
Psalm 16:5-6
"The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You support my lot.
The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me."
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
We Passed Court...Again!
Yesterday we had our final court case in our adoption. According to US law, we had to re-adopt the boys in order for them to be full US citizens. The boys came home on an I-4 visa, which means that they were permanent residents. Once the re-adoption goes through the boys become our children, as if we had them biologically but birthed them in a foreign country. They will even receive KY birth certificates.
Our court case passed yesterday morning and our boys officially became Adoniram Andrew and Asa Charles, citizens of the United States of America. The next few steps are pretty easy, as we will only need to file some paper work to get birth certificates and new social security cards. The paper work side of our adoption is almost complete! Last night I realized that our case here passed exactly 6 months from the date that we got off the plane with Aiden and Asa. God is definitely in the details!
I look back over the last 6 months and it is hard to believe all the changes that have taken place in my life. I am a different person. I can see how God has used these circumstances to refine me and show me just how much I need Him. I am in desperate need of His salvation and grace and the last 6 months have certainly proved that to be true! Yesterday in my devotions I was reading a passage out of psalms according to my "psalm reading schedule." It just so happened to be a passage that the Lord has put on my heart many times throughout the adoption (there are no coincidences when it comes to God's timing and His Word).
Psalm 126
When the LORD brought back the captive ones of Zion, We were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter And our tongue with joyful shouting; Then they said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them." The LORD has done great things for us; We are glad. Restore our captivity, O LORD, As the streams in the South. Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting. He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed, Shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.
Although there has been lots of weeping, yesterday was a day of joyful shouting! PRAISE THE LORD! HE IS ALWAYS GOOD.
Our court case passed yesterday morning and our boys officially became Adoniram Andrew and Asa Charles, citizens of the United States of America. The next few steps are pretty easy, as we will only need to file some paper work to get birth certificates and new social security cards. The paper work side of our adoption is almost complete! Last night I realized that our case here passed exactly 6 months from the date that we got off the plane with Aiden and Asa. God is definitely in the details!
I look back over the last 6 months and it is hard to believe all the changes that have taken place in my life. I am a different person. I can see how God has used these circumstances to refine me and show me just how much I need Him. I am in desperate need of His salvation and grace and the last 6 months have certainly proved that to be true! Yesterday in my devotions I was reading a passage out of psalms according to my "psalm reading schedule." It just so happened to be a passage that the Lord has put on my heart many times throughout the adoption (there are no coincidences when it comes to God's timing and His Word).
Psalm 126
When the LORD brought back the captive ones of Zion, We were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter And our tongue with joyful shouting; Then they said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them." The LORD has done great things for us; We are glad. Restore our captivity, O LORD, As the streams in the South. Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting. He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed, Shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.
Although there has been lots of weeping, yesterday was a day of joyful shouting! PRAISE THE LORD! HE IS ALWAYS GOOD.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Help is On the Way
"Help is on the way," the evaluated assured me. Yesterday morning we had someone come to evaluate Asa's behavior. I was afraid he would be a perfect angel while she was at our house, but thankfully he acted normal, well, Asa's normal. She got to see his head banging, his wild temper tantrums, and his random screaming. She also witnessed the constant motion. After asking me a few questions she asked if I had ever heard of sensory disorders. I said that I had done a little research after talking with a few moms about Asa's behavior.
The evaluator believes Asa has a sensory disorder which is basically a way of saying that his nervous system is not processing sensory information the way it should. Thus, his need for constant motion, constant banging, very loud screaming, etc. She is going to recommend that we see an occupational therapist once a week to help Asa regulate and calm down. I am not exactly sure all the therapy that is going to be involved, but I have been assured that it really helps. The evaluator said that with the occupational therapy we should start to see him become less frustrated, and thus we will be less frustrated. There is hope!
Asa also scored below normal in a few other categories of development, especially communication. However, I believe that this is a result of his inability to sit still and pay attention to what others are saying, etc. He is in his own little world most of the time and does not really focus on what anyone is doing around him. Once we get some of the sensory issues regulated, his communication should come right along.
Some time next week we will probably be talking with the intake coordinator from First Steps to figure out a plan for Asa. I am really looking forward to it!
The evaluator believes Asa has a sensory disorder which is basically a way of saying that his nervous system is not processing sensory information the way it should. Thus, his need for constant motion, constant banging, very loud screaming, etc. She is going to recommend that we see an occupational therapist once a week to help Asa regulate and calm down. I am not exactly sure all the therapy that is going to be involved, but I have been assured that it really helps. The evaluator said that with the occupational therapy we should start to see him become less frustrated, and thus we will be less frustrated. There is hope!
Asa also scored below normal in a few other categories of development, especially communication. However, I believe that this is a result of his inability to sit still and pay attention to what others are saying, etc. He is in his own little world most of the time and does not really focus on what anyone is doing around him. Once we get some of the sensory issues regulated, his communication should come right along.
Some time next week we will probably be talking with the intake coordinator from First Steps to figure out a plan for Asa. I am really looking forward to it!
Monday, November 22, 2010
Asa is Getting Evaluated
After a few months of struggling with Asa's behavior, I finally contacted First Steps to get Asa re-evaluated. This time for his crazy behavior! We had waited because when we described his behavior to most people they just said, "He is just being one!" Kenneth and I knew better, but we wanted to see if we could suck it up and manage. In the last few weeks, we have reached the point where we could not handle it. I called First Steps at the beginning of last week, and already on Friday the intake coordinator came by our house. Within about five to ten minutes of watching Asa she suggested that he might have some sensory issues. I have been thinking the same thing for about a month, but I wanted her to come to her own conclusions. Asa has already pre-qualified for a lengthy evaluation based on his communication and fine motor skills, and now for his behavior. We are praying that we can have him evaluated the week after Thanksgiving. If he does qualify for services, we can begin some occupational therapy right away. I am praising God that prayers have worked thus far, and there is some hope for sanity! I am sure that Asa will be thrilled to get any help he can with whatever is going on in his little body and mind.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Aiden's Surgery
Aiden had his surgery yesterday. He was not feeling good at all when he came home, but this morning he seems to be doing much better. He is walking around very tenderly and is not talking much but he is at least keeping medications down. We continue to pray for a speedy recovery, with as few days on the couch as possible. We are already on our 6th showing of the movie, "Cars" and there was a little "Toy Story" mixed in with that. I am so thankful that my parents are keeping Noah and Asa so that we can just focus on Aiden and Nathan as Aiden is recovering.
Aiden also just started preschool at the Early Learning Village last week. He has only been two days but he seems to really like it. He is already wanting to know when he can ride the school bus. He continues to do well at the Mother's Day Out program at the church and we have seem big improvements in his behavior as a result. I am thankful that Aiden is starting to pick up on things much faster and he is starting to talk so much more. His behavior and his language have both improvement dramatically! Praise God for the work that He has done in Aiden just in the 5 months that he has been home with us.
Aiden also just started preschool at the Early Learning Village last week. He has only been two days but he seems to really like it. He is already wanting to know when he can ride the school bus. He continues to do well at the Mother's Day Out program at the church and we have seem big improvements in his behavior as a result. I am thankful that Aiden is starting to pick up on things much faster and he is starting to talk so much more. His behavior and his language have both improvement dramatically! Praise God for the work that He has done in Aiden just in the 5 months that he has been home with us.
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