Today Is the Day

Labor is being induced now. Please Pray!

We're Gettin' Close

It's only four more days until I leave. Yikes! There is so much to do. I re-did my list today and it was an entire page long. We had a snow day so that helped. Bruce was home to assist in getting some things together. We are so excited. I can not wait to see our new son. I am not sure I will post again before I leave, but I will try let you know once he has been born. I am pretty sure I will have computer access while I am there. Thanks for all of your prayers!

I Really Do Know How to Do This

Bruce and I have never been parents that wear our babies. WE have nothing against it. I have a really bad back and just can't do it. Besides there are enough people around here that the babies are held practically all the time anyway. I have to pry them away sometimes. Well, we will have a 16 to 20 hour flight home from Hawaii,depending on the lay-over. We decided to get a sling and take turns wearing him instead of paying for a ticket when we would probably hold him a lot of the time anyway. So, I went to buy one and came home to demonstrate how it would work. Bruce was concerned. He kept asking would the baby be safe. Finally, he said something like he didn't now if it was safe to put a baby in a bag to be carried around. He thought, to save money, I had bought a bag to put him in and he would just lie there with his head hanging out. Wouldn't you think after 15 years of marriage and 4(now 5)children he would know I am aware of how to take care of the children? Every time I think about this it gets funnier. Alright, maybe it is not that funny. We are just at the giddy stage now. We either laugh or bug one another to death with everything there is to do.

He is On the Mend

Jack is better. After 24 hours of breathing treatments and antibiotics,he is much better. You actually would not know he is sick right now. Now let's just hope no one else gets it. There is way too much to do this week to work in doctor's appointments and such.

Please Pray

We discovered this morning that Jack has a double ear infection and bronchitis. The doctor thinks they are secondary infections to RSV. She called tonight with test results and says we can treat him at home for now, but if his condition worsens he will have to go in the hospital. I am not worried about him. I know he will be fine. But, I really need to do this without a hospital visit. I leave in a little over a week and needless to say would like for him to be 100% or close to it when I leave. I am glad it is happening now and not while I am gone or worse when there is a newborn to worry about shielding from the germs. I have done RSV with a newborn. Not fun! Thanks for your prayers.

So Much to Do

Just a quick update on how things are going here. I am in panic mode. I have never left they kids for more than two days for a funeral. They have gone to there grandparents for a week of so or Bruce and I have gone away for a weekend, but they stayed at other homes. I am leaving for possibly 3 1/2 weeks. Getting the house ready for someone else to live here is overwhelming me. Every few minutes I seem to think of something else that needs to be done. The frustrating thing is Bruce will probably be here for a week or a little more until he joins me. At that point the girls will move in to take care of the kids. Do I really think he and the kids will keep things neat and organized so I look like the great house keeper when the girls come? No, I do not, but I have to at least pretend I do. I can then honestly tell the girls it was clean and organized when I left.

Thank You!

It's getting so close. I fly out to Hawaii two weeks from today. That is if she does not go into labor before. Before things get so crazy I wanted to express my gratitude to everyone. We have been absolutely overwhelmed with the generosity of others. Where do I start? First, I guess I will go with the finances. When we were first approached about this we almost took our names out of the hat. We can afford another child, but do not have the thousands of dollars sitting around to adopt a child. We received wise counsel to not let that be a deciding factor. God would provide if this were to be our child. People have been beyond generous with donations. Almost the entire amount has been donated. People who do not even know us have offered their buddy passes to fly. One family called a few nights ago to say they wanted to pay for our tickets. This is after donating a substantial amount to our fund. Thank you! Anne, who I really only know through blogging, has offered her home. She is also busy getting baby equipment together for me to use there. Thank you! Sherrill has offered me a place to stay in case of lay over on the West coast. Thank you! So many of you have offered your prayer support. I can feel it. This has not been an easy road. Anyone who says adopting is the easy way out (Yes, people do tell me that!) is wrong. I have done it both ways. It is difficult. I could not have done this,kept things going at home, home schooled on a consistent basis, and helped my husband start an online school without all of the prayer support. Thank You! Jeanne, we would not be here without you and your family. If anyone ever questions God's sovereignty than just send them to us. Right!?! You and Scott will never know how thankful we are for you. You are doing a great thing in ministering to Sam and seeing her through this. Thank You!! We will be forever indebted to our birth mother. This has been a long tough road for her. She has made some heart wrenching, yet very mature decisions. We are so proud of her. We love you, Sam. I can't wait to see you. Once again thank you all for getting us to this point. I am not sure how often I will be blogging between now and then. I will try to give you updates.

Temptations

I read something recently that caught my eye. I do not remember the exact quote, but the gist basically was how ironic it is that as adults we stay away from temptations, but we surround our children with them on a daily basis. Pastors, teachers, mentors,etc. tell us to stay away from those things which may cause us to stumble. I have heard whole sermons on this. It is wise advice. My question is this. Why then do we expect our children to be stronger than we are? Do not get me wrong. WE all need self-control. We cannot hide from all temptations, nor should we. How do we as Christians take back the culture if we can't function in it? But, this just made me think. Do we hold our kids to a higher standard than we hold ourselves and which standard is right?

Just Smile and Nod and Tell Me it Will Be Okay

I am sorry to be so scarce lately. The reality of the adoption is hitting hard. We are so excited. There is so much to do. I was so concerned about the home study, I forgot to prepare for a baby and the fact that I will be gone for so long.We have come to the realization that I am going to have to go to Hawaii without Bruce for a time. He will join me later. This also means I could be away for 3 weeks or a little more. That is hard with the kids. I know it will not ruin them for life, but it is hard to leave them that long. They are all thrilled with the thought of a new brother, so we will all dwell on that. They will only be without Bruce for a week and a half or so. So, that will not be so bad. Just agree with me. It makes me feel better. The great thing about this(yes, let's look on the up side) is I will have so much time to bond with the baby. I am looking forward to that. Also, it IS 3 weeks in Hawaii. Some would be jealous. I am looking forward to the fellowship I will have with a blog friend there as well. Thanks Anne,for opening your home to me. So, tell me to get over it and look on the bright side. It is only 3 weeks of their entire lives. They will be fine. Like I said, just agree with me.

Can I Sleep Now?

Wow! What a day! The home study is done and went well. The paper work should be together and in our hands within a week, or at the longest, two weeks. As you know this was a crazy week on the adoptpion front. What you may not know is this was also a crazy work week. Bruce will be working full-time next year for Veritas Press, but has already assumed the administrative position. Today was the day the website opened to register for classes next year. Well, that meant a week of countless consultation phone calls and emails for me and him both. It also meant late nights of getting course descriptions and such ready for the site. Add to that hiring some of the teaching staff. I basically work as his assistant. That meant my week was full of assisting him on top of adoption stuff. Ofcourse there were technical difficulties today, so I was busy answering emails and phone calls. "Why is the sight not working!?!" Needless to say I am glad this week is over. It did end well though. We are having huge registration results and the home study is done!