I teach a class at our home school group called Life Stories. Life Stories is a class that i LOVE and will teach as long as i possibly can. I LOVE biographies and so this class fits perfectly with my passions.... missions, adoption, and in general...people coming in and sharing their LIFE STORY!
Well, every time for the first class of the semester, i tell a part of MY life story. Obviously, our Ethan's story has kind of been pretty up front in importance and so the students have learned about Ethan's country, orphanage life, and such. I tried to teach the kids in the class that we can ALL do something. I again did this with this year's spring class quite a few weeks ago. (i forgot to let you know that the kids in the class are aged 12-16).
This time the kids in the class actually got to see pictures of children in orphanages AND children who have come home AND the changes that happened. They also got to see pictures of our trip to finally meet our Ethan. The kids in the class LOVED Ethan...more than i even realized!
I have just wanted to plant a seed into these kids' lives. I have wanted to stretch their minds into realizing that there are children out in this world who just want a mom and dad to love them. There are kids in this world who are starving. There are kids in this world who are being treated poorly and that WE CAN ALL DO SOMETHING!!! Well, this past Monday, i was blown away by just how amazingly the kids GOT it!!!
I came into class and it was so sweet in that the kids asked me about Ethan! They wanted updates! They wanted to know when he was coming home. It was such a joy to have people that CARED about our son in such a passionate way....but that was just the beginning. The eldest in the class is a young man named, Ty. Ty has Cerebral Palsy and is a dear! This is his second time taking my class as he LOVES hearing the stories of different people and i bring in different people each semester so it is like a new class each time. He quietly handed me some money telling me to count it because he thought that it was around $30. I started to count it....money that he made by making and selling Angel Food Cake just for Ethan's adoption fund....it was over $135!!! This was the SECOND time that Ty has done this!!! He just blew me away! He wants Ethan HOME SOON!!! He was so full of joy!!!
We had class and then i was about to go onto the next class when i saw that one of my students was staying in the room. I remember something about knitting being talked about for the next class....but i went on my way to the next class. I went by the front desk where i saw a grocery bag with my name written in big letters across it. The lady at the desk nonchalantly said that there was something for me. I was so confused because i knew that i had all of my Shotsibaby fundraiser items. I went to the next class where it took a LONG time to undo the ribbons but i finally opened it (with a couple of the children gathering around) and sucked in my breath. There in the bag was a huge and beautiful prayer shawl and i knew IMMEDIATELY who did it (there was no signature...just a note that said it was for my prayers for Ethan)! I told the teacher that i had to go and that i would be back and i walked right back to where my last class had been.
Let me back up. A few weeks ago, i received a card in the mail with an address that i didn't know. It was a card from one of the girls in my first class. She wrote me a sweet note letting me know that she is praying for our Ethan and that she appreciates my class. It was a good length note and a cute card and it made me happy! Her mother is the teacher in the second class that was teaching how to make a prayer shawl!!! It all came together!
I went into that classroom and had my eyes locked onto that girl's eyes the whole way across the big youth room. She knew by the look in my face that she couldn't talk her way out of it...i KNEW it had been her! She is a young teenager. She has hand made a prayer shawl for me so i could have it to pray for Ethan!!! I lifted her out of her chair and went to hold her and started to quietly weep as i heard her mother say behind me...."Oh Phoebe, so THAT is who you made that for!" Her mother then prayed for our adoption process, for our family, and for Ethan (whom i shared that my heart is yearning so hard for).
These two young teens showed my world that giving can be given from anyone. It made me think of the widow's mite from the Bible. It then made me think of the first time when we were able to give to something when my hubby was out of work for eighteen months...... there is SUCH JOY in giving when you have so little!!! It is such a BLESSING when it is a sacrifice!!! Do you know someone who has given from their very little....doesn't it mean SO MUCH more than if it was given from an abundance? A sacrificial gift is priceless and will never be forgotten! Ty and Phoebe have taught me once again how incredible it is to give and to do so sacrificially and with FAITH!!! SO proud of how they are learning this at a young age and i pray that it will continue through their whole lives....where they will DO WHAT THEY CAN!!!
ALWAYS BLESSED, Connie for the crew
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Update on our adoption
We have been waiting for such a very long time for our dossier to be processed that i can't even remember what happened last in our process. It seems to be taking a LOT longer than we ever dreamed (or nightmared if it could be such a word). I asked a dear friend to help explain what all we were waiting for and this is a summary of what a couple of ladies answered for me.
The Lindquist Family is waiting on their dossier to be processed and then signed by the Minister of Justice (MOJ) in B. After she signs it is sent to the B. court system to be assigned a judge. The judge sets a court date. I think it's normally about a week between the MOJ signature (this is true but it has been lasting over three weeks for people lately) and the court date. 3-5 weeks after court takes place, Connie can travel back to B. to pick Ethan up. During that 3-5 weeks, Toni (our attorney) will pick up the court documents and have them translated and a new birth certificate is made. Upon arrival in B (which will be on a Saturday) will stay one night in Sofia, then Connie and (a person yet to be determined....prayers for this decision are most appreciated) will travel to Ethan's region on Sunday & spend the night at Gabrovo, pick him up on Monday(which is called Gotcha Day), come back to Sofia and request his visa/passport. Tuesday will be a free day. Wednesday - passport ready in late afternoon for pick up. Thursday- medical exam and visa interiew. Friday- pick up visa. Saturday- fly home!
I wish that i were here to tell you that our dossier has been processed but it STILL has NOT!!! We are having a hard time not being disappointed but we know that it is all in God's timing and that He knows WAY more than we do as to what is best! SO that is all we know right now!
PRAYER REQUESTS
#1) That our paperwork (and MANY others) would get to their next steps quickly....as it has been VERY VERY slow and disheartening for many of us!
#2) That the paperwork will CONTINUE to move quickly AND efficiently through the rest of the process
#3) That the money for our last trip will be there when we need it (with the gas prices going up so quickly it will more than likely NOT be great prices for our airplane tickets)
#4) That we will have wisdom in our choice of the second person going with to pick up Ethan (much prayer here is needed) (Scott will not be going with this time as he can't take off for that long)
ALWAYS BLESSED, Connie for the crew
PS Well, that was FAST!!! The friend who had answered my questions JUST GOT HER COURT DATES WHILE I WAS WRITING THIS!!! It is later than i am sure she was hoping BUT SHE GOT HER DATE for court. Would you do me a favor and pray that her GOTCHA day will be in April as her heart was to be bringing them home then? Her name is Mandy and her boys names are Samuel and Joseph. PLEASE PRAY FOR THIS FAMILY!!!
THEN please pray for our Ethan and Jessica with her Danny...both of our families have been waiting a VERY long time. (not as long as Mandy and praying that it does NOT). I had been praying that we would be able to bring home Ethan before his birthday or at least Sophina's which is fifteen days later (when we first started out) then i was praying that we would be able to get him home by Easter (but saw that Mandy's dates have taken WAY longer than we imagined) and now it seems like it will be a miracle if we get him home by Mother's Day! I am asking that you pray with me for the week before Mother's Day would be the latest! Then it will be Liz's b-day the 17th of May but our PCA is leaving for five weeks starting the 19th of May.....so this prayer request is a big one!!! God's timing!
The Lindquist Family is waiting on their dossier to be processed and then signed by the Minister of Justice (MOJ) in B. After she signs it is sent to the B. court system to be assigned a judge. The judge sets a court date. I think it's normally about a week between the MOJ signature (this is true but it has been lasting over three weeks for people lately) and the court date. 3-5 weeks after court takes place, Connie can travel back to B. to pick Ethan up. During that 3-5 weeks, Toni (our attorney) will pick up the court documents and have them translated and a new birth certificate is made. Upon arrival in B (which will be on a Saturday) will stay one night in Sofia, then Connie and (a person yet to be determined....prayers for this decision are most appreciated) will travel to Ethan's region on Sunday & spend the night at Gabrovo, pick him up on Monday(which is called Gotcha Day), come back to Sofia and request his visa/passport. Tuesday will be a free day. Wednesday - passport ready in late afternoon for pick up. Thursday- medical exam and visa interiew. Friday- pick up visa. Saturday- fly home!
I wish that i were here to tell you that our dossier has been processed but it STILL has NOT!!! We are having a hard time not being disappointed but we know that it is all in God's timing and that He knows WAY more than we do as to what is best! SO that is all we know right now!
PRAYER REQUESTS
#1) That our paperwork (and MANY others) would get to their next steps quickly....as it has been VERY VERY slow and disheartening for many of us!
#2) That the paperwork will CONTINUE to move quickly AND efficiently through the rest of the process
#3) That the money for our last trip will be there when we need it (with the gas prices going up so quickly it will more than likely NOT be great prices for our airplane tickets)
#4) That we will have wisdom in our choice of the second person going with to pick up Ethan (much prayer here is needed) (Scott will not be going with this time as he can't take off for that long)
ALWAYS BLESSED, Connie for the crew
PS Well, that was FAST!!! The friend who had answered my questions JUST GOT HER COURT DATES WHILE I WAS WRITING THIS!!! It is later than i am sure she was hoping BUT SHE GOT HER DATE for court. Would you do me a favor and pray that her GOTCHA day will be in April as her heart was to be bringing them home then? Her name is Mandy and her boys names are Samuel and Joseph. PLEASE PRAY FOR THIS FAMILY!!!
THEN please pray for our Ethan and Jessica with her Danny...both of our families have been waiting a VERY long time. (not as long as Mandy and praying that it does NOT). I had been praying that we would be able to bring home Ethan before his birthday or at least Sophina's which is fifteen days later (when we first started out) then i was praying that we would be able to get him home by Easter (but saw that Mandy's dates have taken WAY longer than we imagined) and now it seems like it will be a miracle if we get him home by Mother's Day! I am asking that you pray with me for the week before Mother's Day would be the latest! Then it will be Liz's b-day the 17th of May but our PCA is leaving for five weeks starting the 19th of May.....so this prayer request is a big one!!! God's timing!
Thursday, March 1, 2012
UPDATE
A few minutes before midnight a dear friend from our college days messaged me on FB to say that she "hoped it was enough"....i kept going back and forth and would wait a minute and try the blog again....it hadn't changed....it was TWENTY minutes....and then five minutes to midnight when the total changed! IT WAS ENOUGH!!!! We will be able to send the check....the LAST ONE for our adoption fees!!!!
SO very very grateful for ALL of YOU who DID WHAT YOU COULD and PRAYED (please please do not stop!!!!), who encouraged, who wrote, who SHARED with others, who WORKED HARD, who GAVE....THANK YOU!!!!!!!
I am praying that we will be hearing news soon that our paperwork will have moved to the next stage! Will you please PRAY for our paperwork, for our family, for our health, for the children who need homes and for those whose families are waiting!!!!
WILL YOU JOIN ME IN PRAISING THE LORD WITH ME!?!?!?!!
ALWAYS BLESSED, Connie for the crew
SO very very grateful for ALL of YOU who DID WHAT YOU COULD and PRAYED (please please do not stop!!!!), who encouraged, who wrote, who SHARED with others, who WORKED HARD, who GAVE....THANK YOU!!!!!!!
I am praying that we will be hearing news soon that our paperwork will have moved to the next stage! Will you please PRAY for our paperwork, for our family, for our health, for the children who need homes and for those whose families are waiting!!!!
WILL YOU JOIN ME IN PRAISING THE LORD WITH ME!?!?!?!!
ALWAYS BLESSED, Connie for the crew
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
An update of the happenings of TODAY!!!
Today has been SUPER busy!!! I was cooking for almost eight hours making food to put in the fridge so i have half the work done for future meals that are coming up! I even used a few of my Bulgarian spices!!! OH MY GOODNESS!!! SO good!!! Made me think of Ethan and Bulgaria a LOT!!! Praying for him, for Toni-our attorney, for our bed and breakfast friend who i was wishing was here to help me know how to cook something other then my just using the spices (oh how i would love to have her here to talk to and cook with!;)
Wanted to give those of you who don't use FB an update because it has been an exciting day!!!
Throughout the time since i last wrote this morning until about 4pm, the amount in Ethan's adoption grant was growing QUICKLY!!! OH MY!!! SO MUCH FUN!!! Victoria, myself, or one of the girls....any one of us would check and see every once in awhile and we'd be so excited because it seemed that every time we would look the number would have gone up....sometimes by a HUNDRED and sometimes by TWENTY!!! (we have no idea if it was ten people giving $10 or what) IT WAS THRILLING!
We have had ONE HUNDRED FORTY-FIVE DOLLARS left on Ethan's adoption fees since 4pm.
We have saved money for this final adoption fee check to be written, plus we have the money that people donated while the etsy shop fund raiser was happening and then today and the etsy fund raiser itself....and that is all that is left....$145 !!!
We just need TEN people to be able to donate $15 or FIVE people to give $30 or whatever way that it can happen....we are just so close. THANK YOU SO MUCH for your generosity in helping Ethan COME HOME!!! ( PLEASE keep praying for our family! Several of us started in again with drippy noses and sore throats this afternoon)
ALWAYS BLESSED, Connie for the crew!
Wanted to give those of you who don't use FB an update because it has been an exciting day!!!
Throughout the time since i last wrote this morning until about 4pm, the amount in Ethan's adoption grant was growing QUICKLY!!! OH MY!!! SO MUCH FUN!!! Victoria, myself, or one of the girls....any one of us would check and see every once in awhile and we'd be so excited because it seemed that every time we would look the number would have gone up....sometimes by a HUNDRED and sometimes by TWENTY!!! (we have no idea if it was ten people giving $10 or what) IT WAS THRILLING!
We have had ONE HUNDRED FORTY-FIVE DOLLARS left on Ethan's adoption fees since 4pm.
We have saved money for this final adoption fee check to be written, plus we have the money that people donated while the etsy shop fund raiser was happening and then today and the etsy fund raiser itself....and that is all that is left....$145 !!!
We just need TEN people to be able to donate $15 or FIVE people to give $30 or whatever way that it can happen....we are just so close. THANK YOU SO MUCH for your generosity in helping Ethan COME HOME!!! ( PLEASE keep praying for our family! Several of us started in again with drippy noses and sore throats this afternoon)
ALWAYS BLESSED, Connie for the crew!
LEAP DAY......
An extra day to give:) THAT is what i read on a FB POST :) We would be SO thrilled to be able to pay all of our adoption FEES off TODAY!!! Do you think that it could happen? WELL, i was giving us until the end of the week but within just hours last night of posting the last blog that i wrote....$240 came in and i have no idea in what increments but it came in within HOURS!!!
SO....i saw that post and thought that we could let you know that we are only needing $560 for our final adoption fees!!!!!! It is LEAP DAY so an extra day to give??? 10 people giving $50? 2 giving $30? Could a dozen people help us today? OR 20 people give $28????
The only thing that would be left to pay for/raise money for would be our last trip!!! Seeing this coming down to the end is just amazing!!! Praying that THAT part won't be a long way off!!!
Will you PLEASE PRAY...right now for our family? Will you DO WHAT YOU CAN??? THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! ALWAYS BLESSED, Connie for the crew
SO....i saw that post and thought that we could let you know that we are only needing $560 for our final adoption fees!!!!!! It is LEAP DAY so an extra day to give??? 10 people giving $50? 2 giving $30? Could a dozen people help us today? OR 20 people give $28????
The only thing that would be left to pay for/raise money for would be our last trip!!! Seeing this coming down to the end is just amazing!!! Praying that THAT part won't be a long way off!!!
Will you PLEASE PRAY...right now for our family? Will you DO WHAT YOU CAN??? THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! ALWAYS BLESSED, Connie for the crew
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
What our eleven year old said that changed others hearts...
I wanted to tell this story as soon as our friend's etsy sale was done but even though it is later than i wanted....i AM getting to it!
I don't know if you all went to the etsy shop but i pray that you did because her etsy shop "shotsibaby" is incredible! Anyway, when i wrote one of my blogs at the end of the sale i saw that there were donations that had been made by other people...more people than just Krista, Krista's daughter, her mother and our friend Angel. One of those items that was not made by these people was not selling. I had noticed it but didn't say anything until our eleven year old spoke up in the last hours and said what i had thought all along. Here.....
Our precious Catherine (11 year old) was helping me with finding hair bows for Grandma to give to Sophina when she said, "Oh Mom, i would feel so bad if i was the one who made those and no one bought them. I am sure that they worked hard on them and then to not have anyone buy them, i would be so sad."
Anyone want to make an 11 year old heart glad? For $18 you can buy them all! (i did have the picture of the doll here but it isn't working so i will describe it....it is a picture of a doll that is made out of a brown fabric, it is VERY simple with a black marker used for putting on a face. It reminds me of an old rag doll. Some have a tiny bow on the head or a piece of cloth on the bottom. The arms and legs and body are just from the cloth being tied into knots. VERY simple dolls.)
Anyone want to make an 11 year old heart glad? For $18 you can buy them all! (i did have the picture of the doll here but it isn't working so i will describe it....it is a picture of a doll that is made out of a brown fabric, it is VERY simple with a black marker used for putting on a face. It reminds me of an old rag doll. Some have a tiny bow on the head or a piece of cloth on the bottom. The arms and legs and body are just from the cloth being tied into knots. VERY simple dolls.)
Within minutes i had responses.....two were almost immediate....." I just bought 2. They kind of remind me of orphan dolls. On the outside they might not look that special, but they have a lot of heart in them, and they're just waiting for someone to love them :) I'm sad I didn't see their value the first time I ordered. I'm just glad I saw it before it was too late."
And then another friend said that she would buy ALL of them so that we could take them to the kids at our Ethan's orphanage......SOLD within minutes!!! We now have FIFTEEN dolls to go to the orphanage with us!
Our daughters are having a heart for those who are hurting, for OTHERS
outside of our walls, for people who aren't like everyone else and i am so proud of them for having those hearts! Ladies who write blogs about your children....if you see a MN address coming across your blog...it is probably our Victoria keeping up with what is going on with your adoption. She is 13 yrs old and LOVES keeping us up to date on all of you! She lets us know when someone is in great need or someone has come home or all of the things that we write about on our blogs! Then we have a daughter who is begging to come with to get Ethan so she can get the best photos of what life is like, of Ethan, of his leaving his orphanage...of his coming HOME! We have another who has a husband who both have said that they are open to adopting children! They haven't even been married a year and have had this discussion.
I am so very thankful for the road that God has brought us down through the gift of our precious Sophina!
Update on her...she is almost done with her antibiotics and is doing better. We started feeding her through the mouth on Saturday afternoon (two days short of two full weeks being fed through the tube) and the first feeding was with our new PCA...it was AMAZING....and the next feeding with our family doing it.... AMAZING.... and the next and then the next...etc..... There are VERY few people on this earth who understand what a miracle this was!!! HUGE!!! Last night, the fight started up again. What is hard is not knowing if she is just not growing right now and is NOT hungry or if it is a eating battle! We used to have to have music on or read a book or do a regular 'dance and party show' to try to get her to drink and eat! THEN that didn't work so then Ally would use her phone to keep her occupied and then she was the only one who could feed her her food...it was horrible! I REFUSE TO GO BACK TO THAT!!! SO, last night through all of today's feedings were HORRIBLE! Right back to the old days of REFUSING to eat! I had never experienced anything like it with our other four daughters...but she just despises eating, drinking is right next to it! SO prayer is still needed in this area as it is a HUGE TIME-CONSUMING ORDEAL that is EXCRUCIATINGLY exhausting!!! No way to have you understand unless you have done it.
Another prayer request that is tied in with a praise is that we have had TWO people donate $100 this week!!!!! That means that we are SO CLOSE to being able to write out our LAST of our adoption fees!!! THEN all we have to raise is our last two and one-half airplane tickets, hotel and food costs!!! WE ARE SO CLOSE TO FINISHING the fees part!!! We only need $800 to finish our adoption fees because of these two people and others who gave on our blog RR donation spot (which is tax deductible), our friend's etsy shop fund raiser and our savings (that we have been saving for this last fee during this time). I am praying that the $800 can come in THIS WEEK so we can write out our check!!!
We would love it if EIGHT people would give $100!!! OR if SIXTEEN people giving $50 or THIRTY-TWO people giving $25!!! PLEASE DO WHAT YOU CAN!!! PLEASE continue to pray for our family---for our Ethan in his country and us here, for our finances, for our health, for transition when Ethan comes, for preparing for his arrival, for Sophina's eating, and for this $800 to come in THIS WEEK! We are ALWAYS BLESSED, Connie for the crew
Thursday, February 23, 2012
the week that came before the incredible night that rocked Ethan's world
Oh my goodness! There was so much that happened this past week! I want to tell you that our life is always an adventure. Sorry that this is so long and "choppy" as i wrote this throughout the day as Catia did her Science, Vika did her math or while i ate my breakfast and then lunch and then tried to finish it while Sophina slept.
One more thank you first though....
SO many people were willing to SHARE our friend's etsy shop fund raiser on their FB walls and i was SO very grateful! SOME who aren't used to sharing such things as fund raisers for adoptions and some who are like me (you know the type....ones who will give you a new story EVERY DAY of why we need to be involved in praying, encouraging, giving and adopting) and do you know what was amazing? MOST of those people who SHARED it on their walls had at least ONE person who went and looked at the shop! SHARING this fund raiser was one of the greatest gifts of the whole week SO IF YOU did....THANK YOU!!!!!!
Before the afternoon of Ethan's birthday (was that just yesterday????) I need to tell you that the past week had NOT been one of my favorites overall. I will tell you why. Our family has been sick and while it is no big deal that Scott, Victoria and Alexandra have a cold, other than the fact that they are miserable; it IS a big deal when our Sophina gets sick. When i wrote about my being able to sing two Sundays ago and how our Ally took care of Sophina so i could sing and then Sophina would NOT eat OR drink. It may have been the beginning of her feeling ill. That day was the last day that Sophina got fed through the mouth. She has been tube fed ever since.
For those of you who do not know it, our Sophina has a GI tube and she was fed through it for MANY MANY MANY months...was it two years even? That Sunday that i got to sing i felt that the next day we were going to be introducing the next stage of food to her and i was thrilled that we were FINALLY at this point! SO....it is a VERY hard thing to know that this could set us back again...BIG time OR it could just be a bump in the road. She STILL is not at a stage of being able to eat through the mouth as i write this. PLEASE PRAY for this simple function that MOST of your children do that is taken for granted (as i did with our other four) that is NOT taken for granted with our Sophina. SO Sophina was very sick and finally on the night before Ethan's 3rd birthday, we had to take her in to Express care where we found out that she had the beginning stages of pneumonia. When we got home from Express Care i found out that our Catherine was NOT well at all either! It was me alone that was well and the next day was Ethan's birthday.
I have to tell you that i stayed up late that night....and looked through the pictures of Ethan...it WAS his birthday at that time halfway around the world. I wondered if they even celebrated. I wondered if he even knew. I wondered if i there would be a picture. I wondered if he woke up early because it was his birthday. The next morning, i was working on pleading for help on FB from friends. I KNEW that the day was going to be devoted to the fund raiser and i was right. BUT in the middle of the morning there was a group of FIVE ladies sitting on our couches and on the floor with three of our girls, our PCA (new one-wooohooooo!!!!!) Becky, and myself. They were there to assess our Sophina. I don't know what i thought was going to happen but i was NOT prepared. I wish that i would have been.
(OK, REMEMBER the week that i had had before this.....several sick children with one of them in NOT great shape at all, Ethan's THIRD birthday in an orphanage!!! and not with me and no signing of papers coming in the near future it seemed as all seems to be at a standstill for those before us) (OH and i also forgot to tell you that our Ally let me know that i had "more laundry to do because last night when we got home, i found a bunch of water in the basement that Victoria and i cleaned up as we knew that it was not something that you needed to know last night)
SO....i come in thinking that they all know and adore our daughter and see all that we see and instead was told.... 'i really can't understand what she is saying unless you tell me'....she doesn't say her words clearly'..."she really needs to get out more"..."she needs to go outside and learn to walk on different kinds of ground"...."she doesn't have as much strength as we would like to see in her core"...and much more all cushioned in around 'she has great expressions'....'she copies you all in your tones'...'she is doing better at...' I then was shown on a sheet of paper where she was at when compared to "typical children"...six months for feeding.....18-21 months for this....18-24 months for that so rounded out she is about at an 18 month old!!! (she is 35+ months old)WHY did i let this bother me so!?!?! It didn't bother me BEFORE i saw it on paper!!! But the longer it went through my head, the more it bothered me! ( HELLO!?!?!?! Did you not just hear that she has pneumonia? THAT is why i don't have her in nursery being with children her own age....EVERY single time she goes out and there is someone with even a sniffle OR someone comes in sick...she gets like ....THIS! YES, she gets out BUT not in a nursery or at our home school group nursery.... the kids have colds and i would NEVER be able to do anything but bring her there then have her be sick then do it again! We already have her sick ENOUGH! OUTSIDE??? Well, her fingers turn grey after being outside for ten minutes in FORTY degree weather (which, by the way, is WARM for MN)...her hands and feet will ALWAYS be this way! They told me at Children's that she will not be able to be out in extreme cold or hot or humid temps...hmmmm....MN is not her friend. We can't understand her....she needs to be stretched more.....are you kidding me??? Each of the girls read her 10 board books a day and i read her at least that much but closer to twenty! DOES ANYONE ELSE REALIZE THAT YOU ARE COMPARING HER TO A TYPICAL CHILD?
I wanted our son HOME for his birthday!!! (shocking me but it made my eyes water just writing it now) I wanted our other children WELL!!! I wanted a house that did not leak!!! (WHY was it leaking in the middle of February anyway!!!!) I wanted our adoption grant to grow!!! I wanted to be assured that our Sophina would be ok and would not die like i have seen so many do this past year!!! I just wanted her to EAT!!! I WANTED PEOPLE TO SEE HER SWEET SPIRIT...(tears are flowing) I WANTED PEOPLE TO SEE HER PRECIOUS GIGGLE ...I WANTED THEM TO SEE HER THE WAY HER MOMMY SEES HER!!! It was ripping my heart out! (tears are still flowing)
I lost faith that the $1500 that i had prayed for was going to come in. It was 2pm on the last day and we were at $1000! My spirits were SO low!!! My heart was aching for Ethan...for his smell, his giggle, his deep laugh, those dimples, to kiss him, to hold him, to wish him a Happy Birthday!!! To KNOW that we were going to be able to bring him home SOON! I had SO wanted to have him home by THIS day (yesterday) AND i could not believe how much THIS FACT was affecting me too! It was all so much!!!
I finally just decided to get to work in asking my friends to SHARE about our friend's fund raiser and people responded....slowly at first. I felt weird asking for help for OUR son this time. I had not been afraid to share OTHER peoples' adoption needs but this was different. YET, i SO wanted to bring Ethan home if the MOJ started signing papers and we weren't able to go yet...oh my! SO i did what i had done for Constance last year EVERY DAY...i asked MANY people for help in the last hours and people responded more and more! Pretty soon i was just so busy that i couldn't even keep up with answering questions and asking more to SHARE! THEN GOD ROCKED MY WORLD by MANY responding! LATE last night the result of those people saying yes....the money that i had prayed for had come in. That money brought us even closer to the needed $5250 that we are needing to write for the LAST adoption fees!!!
SO....that was where i was at until the last hours of the fund raiser when you all ROCKED MY WORLD because you rocked our son's future! As usual, we are ALWAYS BLESSED!!! Connie for the crew!
One more thank you first though....
SO many people were willing to SHARE our friend's etsy shop fund raiser on their FB walls and i was SO very grateful! SOME who aren't used to sharing such things as fund raisers for adoptions and some who are like me (you know the type....ones who will give you a new story EVERY DAY of why we need to be involved in praying, encouraging, giving and adopting) and do you know what was amazing? MOST of those people who SHARED it on their walls had at least ONE person who went and looked at the shop! SHARING this fund raiser was one of the greatest gifts of the whole week SO IF YOU did....THANK YOU!!!!!!
Before the afternoon of Ethan's birthday (was that just yesterday????) I need to tell you that the past week had NOT been one of my favorites overall. I will tell you why. Our family has been sick and while it is no big deal that Scott, Victoria and Alexandra have a cold, other than the fact that they are miserable; it IS a big deal when our Sophina gets sick. When i wrote about my being able to sing two Sundays ago and how our Ally took care of Sophina so i could sing and then Sophina would NOT eat OR drink. It may have been the beginning of her feeling ill. That day was the last day that Sophina got fed through the mouth. She has been tube fed ever since.
For those of you who do not know it, our Sophina has a GI tube and she was fed through it for MANY MANY MANY months...was it two years even? That Sunday that i got to sing i felt that the next day we were going to be introducing the next stage of food to her and i was thrilled that we were FINALLY at this point! SO....it is a VERY hard thing to know that this could set us back again...BIG time OR it could just be a bump in the road. She STILL is not at a stage of being able to eat through the mouth as i write this. PLEASE PRAY for this simple function that MOST of your children do that is taken for granted (as i did with our other four) that is NOT taken for granted with our Sophina. SO Sophina was very sick and finally on the night before Ethan's 3rd birthday, we had to take her in to Express care where we found out that she had the beginning stages of pneumonia. When we got home from Express Care i found out that our Catherine was NOT well at all either! It was me alone that was well and the next day was Ethan's birthday.
I have to tell you that i stayed up late that night....and looked through the pictures of Ethan...it WAS his birthday at that time halfway around the world. I wondered if they even celebrated. I wondered if he even knew. I wondered if i there would be a picture. I wondered if he woke up early because it was his birthday. The next morning, i was working on pleading for help on FB from friends. I KNEW that the day was going to be devoted to the fund raiser and i was right. BUT in the middle of the morning there was a group of FIVE ladies sitting on our couches and on the floor with three of our girls, our PCA (new one-wooohooooo!!!!!) Becky, and myself. They were there to assess our Sophina. I don't know what i thought was going to happen but i was NOT prepared. I wish that i would have been.
(OK, REMEMBER the week that i had had before this.....several sick children with one of them in NOT great shape at all, Ethan's THIRD birthday in an orphanage!!! and not with me and no signing of papers coming in the near future it seemed as all seems to be at a standstill for those before us) (OH and i also forgot to tell you that our Ally let me know that i had "more laundry to do because last night when we got home, i found a bunch of water in the basement that Victoria and i cleaned up as we knew that it was not something that you needed to know last night)
SO....i come in thinking that they all know and adore our daughter and see all that we see and instead was told.... 'i really can't understand what she is saying unless you tell me'....she doesn't say her words clearly'..."she really needs to get out more"..."she needs to go outside and learn to walk on different kinds of ground"...."she doesn't have as much strength as we would like to see in her core"...and much more all cushioned in around 'she has great expressions'....'she copies you all in your tones'...'she is doing better at...' I then was shown on a sheet of paper where she was at when compared to "typical children"...six months for feeding.....18-21 months for this....18-24 months for that so rounded out she is about at an 18 month old!!! (she is 35+ months old)WHY did i let this bother me so!?!?! It didn't bother me BEFORE i saw it on paper!!! But the longer it went through my head, the more it bothered me! ( HELLO!?!?!?! Did you not just hear that she has pneumonia? THAT is why i don't have her in nursery being with children her own age....EVERY single time she goes out and there is someone with even a sniffle OR someone comes in sick...she gets like ....THIS! YES, she gets out BUT not in a nursery or at our home school group nursery.... the kids have colds and i would NEVER be able to do anything but bring her there then have her be sick then do it again! We already have her sick ENOUGH! OUTSIDE??? Well, her fingers turn grey after being outside for ten minutes in FORTY degree weather (which, by the way, is WARM for MN)...her hands and feet will ALWAYS be this way! They told me at Children's that she will not be able to be out in extreme cold or hot or humid temps...hmmmm....MN is not her friend. We can't understand her....she needs to be stretched more.....are you kidding me??? Each of the girls read her 10 board books a day and i read her at least that much but closer to twenty! DOES ANYONE ELSE REALIZE THAT YOU ARE COMPARING HER TO A TYPICAL CHILD?
I wanted our son HOME for his birthday!!! (shocking me but it made my eyes water just writing it now) I wanted our other children WELL!!! I wanted a house that did not leak!!! (WHY was it leaking in the middle of February anyway!!!!) I wanted our adoption grant to grow!!! I wanted to be assured that our Sophina would be ok and would not die like i have seen so many do this past year!!! I just wanted her to EAT!!! I WANTED PEOPLE TO SEE HER SWEET SPIRIT...(tears are flowing) I WANTED PEOPLE TO SEE HER PRECIOUS GIGGLE ...I WANTED THEM TO SEE HER THE WAY HER MOMMY SEES HER!!! It was ripping my heart out! (tears are still flowing)
I lost faith that the $1500 that i had prayed for was going to come in. It was 2pm on the last day and we were at $1000! My spirits were SO low!!! My heart was aching for Ethan...for his smell, his giggle, his deep laugh, those dimples, to kiss him, to hold him, to wish him a Happy Birthday!!! To KNOW that we were going to be able to bring him home SOON! I had SO wanted to have him home by THIS day (yesterday) AND i could not believe how much THIS FACT was affecting me too! It was all so much!!!
I finally just decided to get to work in asking my friends to SHARE about our friend's fund raiser and people responded....slowly at first. I felt weird asking for help for OUR son this time. I had not been afraid to share OTHER peoples' adoption needs but this was different. YET, i SO wanted to bring Ethan home if the MOJ started signing papers and we weren't able to go yet...oh my! SO i did what i had done for Constance last year EVERY DAY...i asked MANY people for help in the last hours and people responded more and more! Pretty soon i was just so busy that i couldn't even keep up with answering questions and asking more to SHARE! THEN GOD ROCKED MY WORLD by MANY responding! LATE last night the result of those people saying yes....the money that i had prayed for had come in. That money brought us even closer to the needed $5250 that we are needing to write for the LAST adoption fees!!!
SO....that was where i was at until the last hours of the fund raiser when you all ROCKED MY WORLD because you rocked our son's future! As usual, we are ALWAYS BLESSED!!! Connie for the crew!
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