CLEARLY....clearly...I am NOT an efficient blog update-er. Quite the opposite! But, believe it or not, I do "write" blog updates in my head while running errands on a regular basis. Can't you tell? Haven't you read them all? No...?
But, tonight, I had a few free moments while Isaac and Lydia are at Sparks/Cubbies at church and Miss Susanna is watching Sesame Street and eating mountains of raisins and I checked to see if any of my friend's had updated their blogs and WOWSERS! My dear friend Alicia has updated her blog EVERY DAY this month. I am shamed. So...I am updating! :)
The even more embarrassing part of THIS update is that it is MOMENTOUS...and I just haven't written it down yet!
Our fourth baby is due in 12 weeks.
I honestly paused after I wrote that sentence....what a MIRACLE! For so many years and in so many ways I truly believed I would never become a mama. Period. It was just so hard for me to keep the spark of hope alive that I would hold my own child in my arms someday...and that no one would ever take him or her away from me.
(oh...my heart...Susanna just called "MOMMY" from the other room!...I'm back. That child is FULL of raisins!)
But, Praise God!, I did keep a small spark alive. That light of hope was what gave us the courage to keep trying and keep believing and keep trusting....and solely because GOD IS EXTRAVAGANT and ABUNDANT and MERCIFUL and HE DELIGHTS to BLESS US...
He chose to bless us with Isaac Matthew! Our "Child of Promise" "Gift of God"!
And then years later with our Lydia Hope! Our "Beautiful Light""Full of Hope"!
And then the frosting on our life, our sweet Miss Susanna Joy! Our "Pure" "Joy"!
And now. Again. AGAIN!? Oh Lord. My heart overflows!
Our precious baby is a boy! I/we are 28 weeks pregnant and in 12 weeks (give or take) our little man will be in our arms!
I long to see your face, my son. I long to hear your voice and smell your head and kiss your ears and inspect your tummy and your toes. I can't wait to call you by your name and introduce you to your sisters and your big brother and your grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins and so many friends who have loved you and prayed for you since the moment they knew you existed!
You are a FOURTH MIRACLE! Does that make you less of a miracle? Being a fourth? Does a miracle only count as a "miracle" when it happens only once? NO! I believe a miracle is anytime God intervenes where we have been told "impossible" and God steps in and says "I SAY YES"!
I cannot promise that you will be alone in very many pictures...but, that does not make you any less valuable...it proves that you are delighted in and rejoiced over and that we long for your company!
I cannot promise that I will update your baby book as fastidiously as I did Isaac's...does this make you any less important?...NO, it proves that you have added immeasurably to our home and I would rather snuggle you and Isaac and Lydia and Susanna than write about you.
I cannot promise that all of your clothes are brand new and perfectly unstained...does this make you any less worthy?...NO, it proves that WE are a blessed family and that we have a house that is overflowing with CHILDREN!
Little One...You are precious and valuable and loved and rejoiced over and anticipated joyfully and you are the object of abundant prayers of praise and thanksgiving!
Welcome to YOUR family!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
A Poop-tastic Potty Training Story
So...this actually happened about two weeks ago...but, it is SO FUNNY!! I had to write it down to make sure I didn't forget all the details.
Miss Lydia is potty training!! Whoo-hoo!!....once she's "trained". The "training" part is enough to try the patience of a very, very patient person.
I am not a very, very patient person.
But, on this particular day, we had a GREAT story.
Isaac was home "sick". By "sick", I mean he was fake sick...he had been sort of sick the night before but was basically perfectly healthy by morning. However, he'd made up his mind that he was "sick" and I obviously was not in the mood to push the matter. I felt that he probably did need some extra rest and a Friday in Kindergarten is not the most...shall we say...productive time frame in the world.
By 9:05 I had changed my mind. It was time to get out of the house before I and/or Isaac and Lydia went crazy!
Lydia had been potty training for about a week at this point. She REALLY, REALLY loves her Big Girl Underpants and was determined to go out on errands wearing only those, and not a diaper. So, we boldly ventured forward. Our longest stop was at a store called Other Mothers. It is a used children's clothing store. We are there A LOT! This day happened to be the Quarter Sale (about 15-20 large bins of "unacceptable" clothing is all 25 cents each). I really love the Quarter sale...but, not when my children are with me. I don't feel like I can watch the three of them and plunder the bins at the same time. But, we'd already arrived and the store was fairly empty, so, I decided to go for it!
Lydia and Isaac went to play in the play area...they don't stay there very well. Well, Isaac does...he usually ends up getting absorbed into whatever movie is playing. Lydia...she wanders off. She doesn't try to leave the store (THANK GOD), she just wanders over to the "toys for sale" area and plays there like she is in the "play area".
So, Lydia announced that she has to go potty! Yippee!! So, off we all trod to the bathroom. She went potty...but, clearly had to go poopy. This happened 6 times! She'd come, announce she had to go potty, we'd all four wander into the bathroom, she'd maybe squeeze out a few drops and that was it...but, clearly she had to go poopy.
Once again, they went back to the toy area, Susanna and I went back to the bins. And I actually got to look for a few minutes. Susanna was in a cart, happily munching on an animal cracker, and time just....slipped. Suddenly, I had that "mom panic" feeling that I hadn't heard or seen Isaac or Lydia in just a minute or two too long....you know that feeling....
Just as I was quickly finishing the bin I was in before going off to check on #1 and #2's whereabouts I hear this....
"Mommy! Mommy! I did it!!! I went poopy on the potty!!!"
I look up and see Lydia running towards me. (How she had gotten to the bathroom without me noticing is beyond me...she had to literally walk almost right in front of me to get there from the toy area...and yet...)
Out she comes, dress held high up by her armpits, undies and pants around her ankles, the middle 2/3 of herself as naked as a jay-bird!
And poop running down her legs.
Yep! I absolutely GASPED! And then ran towards her and turned this little poop machine back towards the bathroom. She had poop running all down her little bottom and her legs.
I absolutely got the "YOU ARE A TERRIBLE MOTHER" look from several mothers. I got a hearty laugh from several other NORMAL mothers. I got the "You had better plan on buying more than just a bunch of Quarter stuff after this fiasco" look from the Other Mother's people. Yep. It was AWESOME!
All four of us arrive in the bathroom to find that Lydia had indeed gone into the bathroom herself, got up on the toilet herself, pooped A LOT by herself, and then slid off and came to proudly show me her accomplishment...all by herself. The result was, that poop was all over the toilet seat (from her slide off the seat) and some was across the bathroom floor as well. Not to mention the poop on her little tushy and her legs.
Lydia was SO proud of herself! All I could say was, "Great job sweetie! You did a great job!....Just, next time,....please come and find me first."
As we left the bathroom, I was still receiving the same looks from the same parties. We all resumed our positions - playing, watching, plundering, nibbling.
We left shortly after that...with WAY too many Quarter items in an attempt to placate the store I frequent!
Just two weeks later Lydia is TOTALLY potty trained! She has been amazingly quick and focused and independent. It's AWESOME...except that, as she said yesterday, "I really, really LOVE going potty". So, we go potty about 1200 times a day. Our first actual trip somewhere is going to take about 10 hours at this rate.
But, for now, we are very proud of Lydia and this story will go down in the Johnson Family history as one of the best potty training stories EVER!
Miss Lydia is potty training!! Whoo-hoo!!....once she's "trained". The "training" part is enough to try the patience of a very, very patient person.
I am not a very, very patient person.
But, on this particular day, we had a GREAT story.
Isaac was home "sick". By "sick", I mean he was fake sick...he had been sort of sick the night before but was basically perfectly healthy by morning. However, he'd made up his mind that he was "sick" and I obviously was not in the mood to push the matter. I felt that he probably did need some extra rest and a Friday in Kindergarten is not the most...shall we say...productive time frame in the world.
By 9:05 I had changed my mind. It was time to get out of the house before I and/or Isaac and Lydia went crazy!
Lydia had been potty training for about a week at this point. She REALLY, REALLY loves her Big Girl Underpants and was determined to go out on errands wearing only those, and not a diaper. So, we boldly ventured forward. Our longest stop was at a store called Other Mothers. It is a used children's clothing store. We are there A LOT! This day happened to be the Quarter Sale (about 15-20 large bins of "unacceptable" clothing is all 25 cents each). I really love the Quarter sale...but, not when my children are with me. I don't feel like I can watch the three of them and plunder the bins at the same time. But, we'd already arrived and the store was fairly empty, so, I decided to go for it!
Lydia and Isaac went to play in the play area...they don't stay there very well. Well, Isaac does...he usually ends up getting absorbed into whatever movie is playing. Lydia...she wanders off. She doesn't try to leave the store (THANK GOD), she just wanders over to the "toys for sale" area and plays there like she is in the "play area".
So, Lydia announced that she has to go potty! Yippee!! So, off we all trod to the bathroom. She went potty...but, clearly had to go poopy. This happened 6 times! She'd come, announce she had to go potty, we'd all four wander into the bathroom, she'd maybe squeeze out a few drops and that was it...but, clearly she had to go poopy.
Once again, they went back to the toy area, Susanna and I went back to the bins. And I actually got to look for a few minutes. Susanna was in a cart, happily munching on an animal cracker, and time just....slipped. Suddenly, I had that "mom panic" feeling that I hadn't heard or seen Isaac or Lydia in just a minute or two too long....you know that feeling....
Just as I was quickly finishing the bin I was in before going off to check on #1 and #2's whereabouts I hear this....
"Mommy! Mommy! I did it!!! I went poopy on the potty!!!"
I look up and see Lydia running towards me. (How she had gotten to the bathroom without me noticing is beyond me...she had to literally walk almost right in front of me to get there from the toy area...and yet...)
Out she comes, dress held high up by her armpits, undies and pants around her ankles, the middle 2/3 of herself as naked as a jay-bird!
And poop running down her legs.
Yep! I absolutely GASPED! And then ran towards her and turned this little poop machine back towards the bathroom. She had poop running all down her little bottom and her legs.
I absolutely got the "YOU ARE A TERRIBLE MOTHER" look from several mothers. I got a hearty laugh from several other NORMAL mothers. I got the "You had better plan on buying more than just a bunch of Quarter stuff after this fiasco" look from the Other Mother's people. Yep. It was AWESOME!
All four of us arrive in the bathroom to find that Lydia had indeed gone into the bathroom herself, got up on the toilet herself, pooped A LOT by herself, and then slid off and came to proudly show me her accomplishment...all by herself. The result was, that poop was all over the toilet seat (from her slide off the seat) and some was across the bathroom floor as well. Not to mention the poop on her little tushy and her legs.
Lydia was SO proud of herself! All I could say was, "Great job sweetie! You did a great job!....Just, next time,....please come and find me first."
As we left the bathroom, I was still receiving the same looks from the same parties. We all resumed our positions - playing, watching, plundering, nibbling.
We left shortly after that...with WAY too many Quarter items in an attempt to placate the store I frequent!
Just two weeks later Lydia is TOTALLY potty trained! She has been amazingly quick and focused and independent. It's AWESOME...except that, as she said yesterday, "I really, really LOVE going potty". So, we go potty about 1200 times a day. Our first actual trip somewhere is going to take about 10 hours at this rate.
But, for now, we are very proud of Lydia and this story will go down in the Johnson Family history as one of the best potty training stories EVER!
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
A.K.A.
I don't actually know what A.K.A. stands for...but, I know it has to do with alternate names for people.
So...today, I will let you in on my children's alternate names.
These are the names that only Steve and I call them. We don't really want them to have a complex because of everyone calling them these names. But, it does give us SUCH satisfaction to mutter these little names to each other about our little angels.
Isaac: AKA "Captain Freaktastic-Amazing"
This name came about because Isaac can turn on a FREAK OUT like nobody's business! He is normally a very mellow, happy, thoughtful child. But, MAN, can he flip on his OCD switch and just have a meltdown about anything! Socks that don't sit at the exact right spot on his ankle, breakfast that doesn't count as "breakfast", an invisible tear in a piece of paper....honestly, the list is so long I may have a meltdown myself just thinking about all the amazing freak outs he has had in the past six years! Tears squirting from his eyes, body thrown to the floor, muttering incomprehensively....Fa-REAK OUT!
Lydia: AKA "Princess Lydzilla"
This name is fairly self-explanatory. Lydia is 2 1/2 and at the moment she is a "beautiful princess" almost all of the time. But, sometimes, while she was a beautiful princess just a moment ago...if you ASK her if she's a beautiful princess she will immediately change her entire demeanor - facial expression, body language, voice, etc. and become a tiger, or a rhinocerous, or a kimodo dragon....all that, and when the "Lydzilla" part started it was because she liked to trample on Isaac's building projects. :)
Susanna: AKA "McScreamy"
This name was just bestowed this morning....hence, this post. Steve and I were lying in bed, barely conscious after last night's screaming chaos and Steve said, "I have Susanna's new name. McScreamy. Because she's tiny like a McNugget, but she can scream like nothing I have ever heard before." Honestly...this little one is AMAZING! She has a scream that is honestly just unlike anything I have ever heard before...the pitch and strength are phenomenal...especially since she is SO TINY! She just turned one a few weeks ago and she is in the 0th percentile for her age! She only weighs 16 lb 9 oz at one year old! She is just teeny tiny....but, she has lungs like an opera singer! She is usually a sweet, happy, shy-ish little baby. She wants to be held by me ALL DAY LONG. But, put her in a car seat or put her in bed when she doesn't want to be asleep and WOW! The show begins!
Last night, she woke up at 3:00am for a bottle. She drank almost the whole thing, seemed to be satisfied, snuggled into me and was almost asleep. We rocked for a few minutes and then I put her in her bed. She POPPED up like a jack-in-the-box and commenced to scream at eardrum rupturing decibels for 90 minutes! 90 minutes!
Today while running errands, she SCREAMED the entire time until my ears were actually ringing. We stopped at Walgreens for something and she stopped on a dime, smiled, cooed, chatted, snuggled, and then COMMENCED SCREAMING the moment she was back in her carseat.
So. There you have it. Mommy, Daddy, Captain Freaktastic-Amazing, Princess Lydzilla and McScreamy.
Welcome to our home.
So...today, I will let you in on my children's alternate names.
These are the names that only Steve and I call them. We don't really want them to have a complex because of everyone calling them these names. But, it does give us SUCH satisfaction to mutter these little names to each other about our little angels.
Isaac: AKA "Captain Freaktastic-Amazing"
This name came about because Isaac can turn on a FREAK OUT like nobody's business! He is normally a very mellow, happy, thoughtful child. But, MAN, can he flip on his OCD switch and just have a meltdown about anything! Socks that don't sit at the exact right spot on his ankle, breakfast that doesn't count as "breakfast", an invisible tear in a piece of paper....honestly, the list is so long I may have a meltdown myself just thinking about all the amazing freak outs he has had in the past six years! Tears squirting from his eyes, body thrown to the floor, muttering incomprehensively....Fa-REAK OUT!
Lydia: AKA "Princess Lydzilla"
This name is fairly self-explanatory. Lydia is 2 1/2 and at the moment she is a "beautiful princess" almost all of the time. But, sometimes, while she was a beautiful princess just a moment ago...if you ASK her if she's a beautiful princess she will immediately change her entire demeanor - facial expression, body language, voice, etc. and become a tiger, or a rhinocerous, or a kimodo dragon....all that, and when the "Lydzilla" part started it was because she liked to trample on Isaac's building projects. :)
Susanna: AKA "McScreamy"
This name was just bestowed this morning....hence, this post. Steve and I were lying in bed, barely conscious after last night's screaming chaos and Steve said, "I have Susanna's new name. McScreamy. Because she's tiny like a McNugget, but she can scream like nothing I have ever heard before." Honestly...this little one is AMAZING! She has a scream that is honestly just unlike anything I have ever heard before...the pitch and strength are phenomenal...especially since she is SO TINY! She just turned one a few weeks ago and she is in the 0th percentile for her age! She only weighs 16 lb 9 oz at one year old! She is just teeny tiny....but, she has lungs like an opera singer! She is usually a sweet, happy, shy-ish little baby. She wants to be held by me ALL DAY LONG. But, put her in a car seat or put her in bed when she doesn't want to be asleep and WOW! The show begins!
Last night, she woke up at 3:00am for a bottle. She drank almost the whole thing, seemed to be satisfied, snuggled into me and was almost asleep. We rocked for a few minutes and then I put her in her bed. She POPPED up like a jack-in-the-box and commenced to scream at eardrum rupturing decibels for 90 minutes! 90 minutes!
Today while running errands, she SCREAMED the entire time until my ears were actually ringing. We stopped at Walgreens for something and she stopped on a dime, smiled, cooed, chatted, snuggled, and then COMMENCED SCREAMING the moment she was back in her carseat.
So. There you have it. Mommy, Daddy, Captain Freaktastic-Amazing, Princess Lydzilla and McScreamy.
Welcome to our home.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
"WalMart"
Ugh.
I just returned home from a grocery shopping trip to WalMart.
That could be my whole post right there. That's enough.
Sadly...that's the point of this post!...sort of...
I am a list-maker. I LOVE making lists! I make lists of the things I am planning on doing or accomplishing during the day. I add things to my list if I complete something that wasn't on my list to begin with. I have even been known to get to the end of a particularly hectic day and rewrite my whole list and then cross it all off one thing after another just so I can SEE what exhausted me so much!
I think this desire to "LIST" my day may have been kicked into super-drive when I became a stay-at-home mom. Some part of myself needed the "ACCOMPLISHED" phase of life...do you know what I mean? I taught for 6 years prior to being blessed with motherhood and of course, as a teacher, I had LOTS of lists going at all times and LOTS of things to cross off my list all day long.
Being a mother to small children is a little like the movie "Groundhog Day". Everyday is a lot like the day before it. Wake up, nurse, change diapers, wipe up stuff, change diapers, wipe up more stuff, run errands, make food, wipe up more stuff, change more diapers.....repeat...
Don't misunderstand. I LOVE BEING A STAY-HOME-MOMMY! I love it! But, I definitely have my moments. I am only human. I have my selfish times. I have my impatient times. I have my less-than-super-mom days. Today is one of those days.
So. My list for today looks something like this-
-Devotions
-Dust
-Laundry
-Upstairs Bathroom
-Sweep
-Post Office
-Bank
-WalMart
-Renew library books
-Make granola
I began my day - everyone fed, everyone clean...ish, everyone ready to roll - off we go on our errands. Drive thru at Post Office and two Banks (in another post I'll describe my reasons for why ALL places I must go during the day should be drive-thru...but, that's another post)...then I head to WalMart for my grocery shopping.
I don't like that I shop at WalMart. I feel like I am helping to contribute to the downfall of all the family run businesses of the world. But, THEY ARE CHEAP! I can't help it! I would, at this point in our financial and family world, be CRAZY to do my bulk shopping anywhere else! So...I head to the largest WalMart in the state of Wisconsin. Yep.
Let's just blink for a moment and pretend that that hour of my motherhood doesn't exist. Can we all do that together? Please? Do you think that in the long-run my children will remember that hour of their lives?
So, we get home from "WalMart". I carry in the bags of groceries, park the car, get the kids in and occupied while I carry my HYSTERICAL baby Susanna around the kitchen putting away the perishables. I get those things put away and walk past my "LIST" on the way to nurse her before making lunch. I scan the list so I can quick have that satisfaction of crossing off my morning and I get to cross off"Post Office", "Bank", and "WalMart". WHAT THE!?!?! "WalMart" SO does not count as much as sweeping later today or my quick drive up to the mail slot and deposit the envelope at the Post Office or my 5 minutes of making granola. "WalMart". One tiny little line through that word is supposed to give me the satisfaction of accomplishing that monumental task with my children in one of the semi-truck carts while they battle each other and me for an hour through the grocery store that could feed a small nation!!!
So...from now on....I think on the days that I must go grocery shopping at WalMart my list for the day will look something more like this...
-Devotions
-Dust
-Post Office
-Make it into WalMart from the car without Lydia getting mowed down by an SUV
-Get all 3 onto mammoth cart without Isaac having a nervous breakdown from the piece of goo on the far corner of the cart
-Survive produce section without 302 lemons cascading down on Lydia's head
-NOT say something snarky to crabby old lady near meat counter when she says to my beautiful baby daughter "He sure looks a little crabby. Maybe he needs his diaper changed."
-Resist urge to duct tape Lydia to cart after she throws 4th box of cereal into cart onto grapes
-Do NOT say something I'll always regret after Isaac whines "Why can't we have Lucky Charms!!! You NEVER let us get anything good!!!"
-etc. etc....this could become a REAAALLLY long list
-Avoid getting myself a treat from Starbucks just to punish the little felons in the backseat....maybe I shouldn't cross off this one...
-Unload all the groceries without the dog stealing the cheese sticks out of the last bag before I can get them from him
-Sit down and get Susanna nursed before she turns purple from screaming
-Make Granola
-Renew Library books
Ahhhh. That feels better. Crossing off this list gives me satisfaction. It makes me looks like a rock star. It. Is. Finished.
-
I just returned home from a grocery shopping trip to WalMart.
That could be my whole post right there. That's enough.
Sadly...that's the point of this post!...sort of...
I am a list-maker. I LOVE making lists! I make lists of the things I am planning on doing or accomplishing during the day. I add things to my list if I complete something that wasn't on my list to begin with. I have even been known to get to the end of a particularly hectic day and rewrite my whole list and then cross it all off one thing after another just so I can SEE what exhausted me so much!
I think this desire to "LIST" my day may have been kicked into super-drive when I became a stay-at-home mom. Some part of myself needed the "ACCOMPLISHED" phase of life...do you know what I mean? I taught for 6 years prior to being blessed with motherhood and of course, as a teacher, I had LOTS of lists going at all times and LOTS of things to cross off my list all day long.
Being a mother to small children is a little like the movie "Groundhog Day". Everyday is a lot like the day before it. Wake up, nurse, change diapers, wipe up stuff, change diapers, wipe up more stuff, run errands, make food, wipe up more stuff, change more diapers.....repeat...
Don't misunderstand. I LOVE BEING A STAY-HOME-MOMMY! I love it! But, I definitely have my moments. I am only human. I have my selfish times. I have my impatient times. I have my less-than-super-mom days. Today is one of those days.
So. My list for today looks something like this-
-Devotions
-Dust
-Laundry
-Upstairs Bathroom
-Sweep
-Post Office
-Bank
-WalMart
-Renew library books
-Make granola
I began my day - everyone fed, everyone clean...ish, everyone ready to roll - off we go on our errands. Drive thru at Post Office and two Banks (in another post I'll describe my reasons for why ALL places I must go during the day should be drive-thru...but, that's another post)...then I head to WalMart for my grocery shopping.
I don't like that I shop at WalMart. I feel like I am helping to contribute to the downfall of all the family run businesses of the world. But, THEY ARE CHEAP! I can't help it! I would, at this point in our financial and family world, be CRAZY to do my bulk shopping anywhere else! So...I head to the largest WalMart in the state of Wisconsin. Yep.
Let's just blink for a moment and pretend that that hour of my motherhood doesn't exist. Can we all do that together? Please? Do you think that in the long-run my children will remember that hour of their lives?
So, we get home from "WalMart". I carry in the bags of groceries, park the car, get the kids in and occupied while I carry my HYSTERICAL baby Susanna around the kitchen putting away the perishables. I get those things put away and walk past my "LIST" on the way to nurse her before making lunch. I scan the list so I can quick have that satisfaction of crossing off my morning and I get to cross off"Post Office", "Bank", and "WalMart". WHAT THE!?!?! "WalMart" SO does not count as much as sweeping later today or my quick drive up to the mail slot and deposit the envelope at the Post Office or my 5 minutes of making granola. "WalMart". One tiny little line through that word is supposed to give me the satisfaction of accomplishing that monumental task with my children in one of the semi-truck carts while they battle each other and me for an hour through the grocery store that could feed a small nation!!!
So...from now on....I think on the days that I must go grocery shopping at WalMart my list for the day will look something more like this...
-Devotions
-Dust
-Post Office
-Make it into WalMart from the car without Lydia getting mowed down by an SUV
-Get all 3 onto mammoth cart without Isaac having a nervous breakdown from the piece of goo on the far corner of the cart
-Survive produce section without 302 lemons cascading down on Lydia's head
-NOT say something snarky to crabby old lady near meat counter when she says to my beautiful baby daughter "He sure looks a little crabby. Maybe he needs his diaper changed."
-Resist urge to duct tape Lydia to cart after she throws 4th box of cereal into cart onto grapes
-Do NOT say something I'll always regret after Isaac whines "Why can't we have Lucky Charms!!! You NEVER let us get anything good!!!"
-etc. etc....this could become a REAAALLLY long list
-Avoid getting myself a treat from Starbucks just to punish the little felons in the backseat....maybe I shouldn't cross off this one...
-Unload all the groceries without the dog stealing the cheese sticks out of the last bag before I can get them from him
-Sit down and get Susanna nursed before she turns purple from screaming
-Make Granola
-Renew Library books
Ahhhh. That feels better. Crossing off this list gives me satisfaction. It makes me looks like a rock star. It. Is. Finished.
-
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Copy of email: China Update
The following is a copy of the email that we just sent to some family and a few friends regarding the status of our planned adoption from China. It seems amazingly odd to me that just two blog posts ago I was writing a letter to my "future child"...and now, this email regarding our decision to terminate our adoption plans.
I am fine. I am sad, too. I just never thought that this was how this "adoption" would end. It is still the right decision for our family. It is still how we feel led by God. It is just NOT the way I assumed this would end. For the past nearly six years I have assumed that at least one of my children would be adopted, first with Isabella and then with a daughter from China. It looks like that is not going to be part of our family's make-up now...at least on the outside. That is a difficult thing to wrap my mind around, too.
All in all, I am peaceful and....fine...with our decision to end our adoption journey with China. I just wanted to be sure that this email and my thoughts from last Friday were preserved.
So...here is that email.
Hi Family and Friends,
We thought that we would update you all on our China adoption status. Each of you has been with us on this journey since the very beginning and we felt it was only right that you are with us as this chapter of our lives ends as well.
Yes, that's what you just read, we have decided to formally end our adoption wait for China.
We started this process when Isaac was not yet 2 years old. At that time we very clearly felt led by God toward this form of adoption. Through our own experiences and from what our doctor's had told us, we did not anticipate being able to have any more biological children apart from God's direct blessing. We knew that our hearts longed to raise more children and the adoption of a baby girl from China felt correct...it was where we were being led by God at that time. We stepped forward and looked ahead with excitement expecting to have our daughter in our arms in 18 months (what we were told by our agency was the expected time frame for China at that point...we knew several people who had adopted from China in significantly less time than that as well).
As you all know, near the end of our dossier preparation for China we learned that we were expecting again! God is a God of miracles and we looked forward with HOPE towards the birth of Lydia! Praise God, she is now a vivacious 2 year old and we are constantly amazed at the beautiful little light she is in our family. We continued to keep tabs on our China adoption through all of this and anticipated adding our Chinese daughter to our family when Lydia was about 1 year old....that again, obviously did not happen. The time frame for China has perpetually lengthened and we have just sort of sat back and assumed that we would wait until...forever...whenever our time on the list came up.
Again, God blessed us abundantly with the birth of our beautiful little Miss Susanna! She has been pure joy to our family and since her birth the discussion of what to do about "China" has been ongoing.
This winter, shortly after Susanna was born, we were again keeping tabs on China and discovered to our shock and dismay, that our wait time for China was really anyone's guess. Every web site we looked at listed wait times for China (at our log-in date) to be anywhere from 5-11 years!!! Yes, 5-11 years. (Our own agency later could "neither confirm nor deny" that this was what we should expect.)
Before even seeing this timeline the thought that maybe we should end our China adoption had crept into the back of each of our minds. The costs that are involved each year that our adoption lags are significant, the wait time is significant, and the fact that our family feels comfortably at peace is also very significant. We have gone back and forth in our discussions for months now and we have prayed earnestly that we would come to a mutual, confident, peaceful decision as to whether to renew all our paperwork again and continue on with the adoption for at least the next 18 months (when it would all have to be renewed again as the anticipated "end" could still very well be years away), or whether we should stop the adoption process all together.
We feel that we have come to that peaceful place together. We no longer feel that we are being led to adoption through China. We can't exactly explain why...maybe part of it was an act of faith to step forward where we felt we were being called so that God could display His power in blessing us with two daughters when we sought one. We will never know this side of Eternity what God's plan is, but, we feel that He has brought us to a place of mutual agreement in terminating this process.
We do not know if our family is complete or not. Only God knows that. We only know that we no longer feel led to adopt from China and we feel blessed to overflowing with the three miracles who live in our home with us and who have been given into our stewardship to raise.
Steve officially called Pauquette today to have them begin the paperwork that will officially and legally end this adoption process. Even though we feel confident that this is the right decision for our family and we feel that God has closed this door for us, it is not without sadness that we turn this page in our lives. Tears were shed (by me!) this morning as the finality of this decision overwhelmed me when Steve hung up the phone.
So, that's all. I guess we just wanted to honor your involvement and prayers for us and let you know that we have ended our Chinese adoption. Please continue to rejoice with us over the amazing family God has given us.
With much love and gratitude for your companionship during this part of our lives,
Steve and Stephanie...and our family, Isaac, Lydia and Susanna
I am fine. I am sad, too. I just never thought that this was how this "adoption" would end. It is still the right decision for our family. It is still how we feel led by God. It is just NOT the way I assumed this would end. For the past nearly six years I have assumed that at least one of my children would be adopted, first with Isabella and then with a daughter from China. It looks like that is not going to be part of our family's make-up now...at least on the outside. That is a difficult thing to wrap my mind around, too.
All in all, I am peaceful and....fine...with our decision to end our adoption journey with China. I just wanted to be sure that this email and my thoughts from last Friday were preserved.
So...here is that email.
Hi Family and Friends,
We thought that we would update you all on our China adoption status. Each of you has been with us on this journey since the very beginning and we felt it was only right that you are with us as this chapter of our lives ends as well.
Yes, that's what you just read, we have decided to formally end our adoption wait for China.
We started this process when Isaac was not yet 2 years old. At that time we very clearly felt led by God toward this form of adoption. Through our own experiences and from what our doctor's had told us, we did not anticipate being able to have any more biological children apart from God's direct blessing. We knew that our hearts longed to raise more children and the adoption of a baby girl from China felt correct...it was where we were being led by God at that time. We stepped forward and looked ahead with excitement expecting to have our daughter in our arms in 18 months (what we were told by our agency was the expected time frame for China at that point...we knew several people who had adopted from China in significantly less time than that as well).
As you all know, near the end of our dossier preparation for China we learned that we were expecting again! God is a God of miracles and we looked forward with HOPE towards the birth of Lydia! Praise God, she is now a vivacious 2 year old and we are constantly amazed at the beautiful little light she is in our family. We continued to keep tabs on our China adoption through all of this and anticipated adding our Chinese daughter to our family when Lydia was about 1 year old....that again, obviously did not happen. The time frame for China has perpetually lengthened and we have just sort of sat back and assumed that we would wait until...forever...whenever our time on the list came up.
Again, God blessed us abundantly with the birth of our beautiful little Miss Susanna! She has been pure joy to our family and since her birth the discussion of what to do about "China" has been ongoing.
This winter, shortly after Susanna was born, we were again keeping tabs on China and discovered to our shock and dismay, that our wait time for China was really anyone's guess. Every web site we looked at listed wait times for China (at our log-in date) to be anywhere from 5-11 years!!! Yes, 5-11 years. (Our own agency later could "neither confirm nor deny" that this was what we should expect.)
Before even seeing this timeline the thought that maybe we should end our China adoption had crept into the back of each of our minds. The costs that are involved each year that our adoption lags are significant, the wait time is significant, and the fact that our family feels comfortably at peace is also very significant. We have gone back and forth in our discussions for months now and we have prayed earnestly that we would come to a mutual, confident, peaceful decision as to whether to renew all our paperwork again and continue on with the adoption for at least the next 18 months (when it would all have to be renewed again as the anticipated "end" could still very well be years away), or whether we should stop the adoption process all together.
We feel that we have come to that peaceful place together. We no longer feel that we are being led to adoption through China. We can't exactly explain why...maybe part of it was an act of faith to step forward where we felt we were being called so that God could display His power in blessing us with two daughters when we sought one. We will never know this side of Eternity what God's plan is, but, we feel that He has brought us to a place of mutual agreement in terminating this process.
We do not know if our family is complete or not. Only God knows that. We only know that we no longer feel led to adopt from China and we feel blessed to overflowing with the three miracles who live in our home with us and who have been given into our stewardship to raise.
Steve officially called Pauquette today to have them begin the paperwork that will officially and legally end this adoption process. Even though we feel confident that this is the right decision for our family and we feel that God has closed this door for us, it is not without sadness that we turn this page in our lives. Tears were shed (by me!) this morning as the finality of this decision overwhelmed me when Steve hung up the phone.
So, that's all. I guess we just wanted to honor your involvement and prayers for us and let you know that we have ended our Chinese adoption. Please continue to rejoice with us over the amazing family God has given us.
With much love and gratitude for your companionship during this part of our lives,
Steve and Stephanie...and our family, Isaac, Lydia and Susanna
Monday, March 8, 2010
Quotes and thoughts from my Bible Study today....
OK...so, this will be probably one of the most random posts I've ever...posted. I am going through a Bible Study at church by Beth Moore called "Esther". Obviously, it is a study of the book of the Bible called Esther. The following are direct quotes out of the lesson for today...and a few of my own thoughts sprinkled in. I just really was struck by parts of this lesson today. I felt it directly related to me in some mothering ways...how do you speak to your children to encourage and "push" without pushing too much OR without coddling so much that your children are helpless. Parts were also a good reminder to me that my everyday-ness IS beautiful and extraordinary and an offering to God WHEN I choose to make it that way. All the "wiping" that is my life right now - wiping noses, wiping bottoms, wiping counters, wiping windows, wiping up spills, etc. are all "breathtaking works of art" when I do them for His glory.
And so....
(The writer of this study entitled "Esther" is Beth Moore. In this particular day of study she is quoting from another author named Laura Fraser and her book called "My So-Called Genius" in which she recounts her remarkable journey from being a whiz-kid to a fairly-ordinary adulthood of unmet expectations. Her story relates her issues of assuming that since she had been told she was "great" that she must always accomplish "great things" or else be a failure. A psychologist pointed out to her, while she was in her mid-forties, "Do you have to do something great? Can you be happy to do something really good?")
-"Perfectionists always lose."
-Couldn't the craving to do something great keep us from doing something good?
-Perfectionism would have paralyzed Esther if she'd given way to it, but, today's lesson offers us a chance to broaden the spectrum. Let's spread around the responsibility for destructive expectations of greatness to the generations. As parents, teachers, relatives, leaders, or observers, we are wise to be careful about telling gifted children how great they aredestined to be. It is a trap and a forecast Fraser claims rarely pans out. She points out the monumental difference between talent and having a clue what to do with it and how genius rarely exempts people from having to work hard just like everybody else who wants to make it.
-...every gift is a trust placed in human hands by a holy God. The blessed recipient is responsible for developing the integrity, humility, and work-ethic to know what to do with it. (1 Tim. 4:12-15, 2 Tim. 1:6) Gift without grit is a pitiful waste.
-Every one of us who embraces the glory of God as our purpose will end up doing great things precisely because we do God-things. His holy hand resting on the least act renders the ordinary extrarordinary. Spooning soup into the mouth of the weak or manning the nursery so a tired mom can go to church are acts of high worship when offered in the name of Christ. He beholds the sight like a breathtaking work of art, tilting His head to study each subtle detail. "She has done a beautiful thing to me" (Mark 14:6).
-Those with presence of mind and semblence of health are called to pour out the drink offering of their lives until the cup is overturned and every drop of energy slips - perhaps unnoticed, uncelebrated - into the vast ocean of earthly need. The last imperceptible drop of your well-lived life will sound to the hosts of heaven like a tidal wave hitting the floor of the Grand Canyon.
-In effect Christ says, "I'm already great enough for both of us," relieving the willing of their woeful burden, "Just follow Me."
OK...so, none of these are my thoughts...just thoughts I found fascinating and didn't want to forget about in the midst of everything else that is my life.
And...I didn't really wrap that up well at all...but, life is calling. Lydia is screaming from her bedroom and Susanna has just woken up and is also SCREAMING!!! Thus I go...
And so....
(The writer of this study entitled "Esther" is Beth Moore. In this particular day of study she is quoting from another author named Laura Fraser and her book called "My So-Called Genius" in which she recounts her remarkable journey from being a whiz-kid to a fairly-ordinary adulthood of unmet expectations. Her story relates her issues of assuming that since she had been told she was "great" that she must always accomplish "great things" or else be a failure. A psychologist pointed out to her, while she was in her mid-forties, "Do you have to do something great? Can you be happy to do something really good?")
-"Perfectionists always lose."
-Couldn't the craving to do something great keep us from doing something good?
-Perfectionism would have paralyzed Esther if she'd given way to it, but, today's lesson offers us a chance to broaden the spectrum. Let's spread around the responsibility for destructive expectations of greatness to the generations. As parents, teachers, relatives, leaders, or observers, we are wise to be careful about telling gifted children how great they aredestined to be. It is a trap and a forecast Fraser claims rarely pans out. She points out the monumental difference between talent and having a clue what to do with it and how genius rarely exempts people from having to work hard just like everybody else who wants to make it.
-...every gift is a trust placed in human hands by a holy God. The blessed recipient is responsible for developing the integrity, humility, and work-ethic to know what to do with it. (1 Tim. 4:12-15, 2 Tim. 1:6) Gift without grit is a pitiful waste.
-Every one of us who embraces the glory of God as our purpose will end up doing great things precisely because we do God-things. His holy hand resting on the least act renders the ordinary extrarordinary. Spooning soup into the mouth of the weak or manning the nursery so a tired mom can go to church are acts of high worship when offered in the name of Christ. He beholds the sight like a breathtaking work of art, tilting His head to study each subtle detail. "She has done a beautiful thing to me" (Mark 14:6).
-Those with presence of mind and semblence of health are called to pour out the drink offering of their lives until the cup is overturned and every drop of energy slips - perhaps unnoticed, uncelebrated - into the vast ocean of earthly need. The last imperceptible drop of your well-lived life will sound to the hosts of heaven like a tidal wave hitting the floor of the Grand Canyon.
-In effect Christ says, "I'm already great enough for both of us," relieving the willing of their woeful burden, "Just follow Me."
OK...so, none of these are my thoughts...just thoughts I found fascinating and didn't want to forget about in the midst of everything else that is my life.
And...I didn't really wrap that up well at all...but, life is calling. Lydia is screaming from her bedroom and Susanna has just woken up and is also SCREAMING!!! Thus I go...
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Miss Lydia
I was going to just post this on Facebook...but, then I realized I wrote something about Lydia yesterday on Facebook and it occurred to me that I may have begun to sound like those mothers who have nothing else to talk about other than what their child did that day...so, in order to save some shred of dignity, I am going to post it here where only about 2 people will notice that I have nothing else to talk about!
Lydia is coming INTO HER OWN!!! WOW!! A few little funnies about the Little Miss...
At present, she is in her crib, NOT SLEEPING, and shouting "MINE" at her dollies and her Bunny. Evidently they are taking things from her, they have something she wants, they are making faces at her or talking back - all of which are reasons for yelling "MINE" in Isaac's direction!
She already has the very appropriate nickname "Lydzilla" for very obvious reasons. She is a one-woman-demolition-derby. Her new, very appropriate nickname is "Typhoid Mary". Her baby sister, Susanna (who, YES, I know, I haven't said a word about yet! Give me a little grace people! All my brain cells are focused on lactating at present...it's a miracle anything is getting typed today!) and her have been trading sicknesses. Poor things. They are both pretty miserable. But, Susanna will be just on the upswing and in walks Typhoid Mary with a face full of green snotties running down her face, into her mouth, on her hands, and before you can cut her off at the pass she runs up to her poor unsuspecting baby sister and plants one right on her face. Yep...3 hours later, Susanna is stuffed up again and blowing her own teeny weeny person snooties all over the place.
So....that's all for today!
OH...one more thing...Isaac was just registered for Kindergarten today! AAAACK! When did that happen? How did that happen? How has my sweet little boy gotten so grown up!?!?! His thoughts as I was filling out paperwork..."Mom, I think I'm a little nervous about Kindergarten....it might take a long time for the kids to know that I'm cool."
Lydia is coming INTO HER OWN!!! WOW!! A few little funnies about the Little Miss...
At present, she is in her crib, NOT SLEEPING, and shouting "MINE" at her dollies and her Bunny. Evidently they are taking things from her, they have something she wants, they are making faces at her or talking back - all of which are reasons for yelling "MINE" in Isaac's direction!
She already has the very appropriate nickname "Lydzilla" for very obvious reasons. She is a one-woman-demolition-derby. Her new, very appropriate nickname is "Typhoid Mary". Her baby sister, Susanna (who, YES, I know, I haven't said a word about yet! Give me a little grace people! All my brain cells are focused on lactating at present...it's a miracle anything is getting typed today!) and her have been trading sicknesses. Poor things. They are both pretty miserable. But, Susanna will be just on the upswing and in walks Typhoid Mary with a face full of green snotties running down her face, into her mouth, on her hands, and before you can cut her off at the pass she runs up to her poor unsuspecting baby sister and plants one right on her face. Yep...3 hours later, Susanna is stuffed up again and blowing her own teeny weeny person snooties all over the place.
So....that's all for today!
OH...one more thing...Isaac was just registered for Kindergarten today! AAAACK! When did that happen? How did that happen? How has my sweet little boy gotten so grown up!?!?! His thoughts as I was filling out paperwork..."Mom, I think I'm a little nervous about Kindergarten....it might take a long time for the kids to know that I'm cool."
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