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S-T-R-E-S-S

Well, I think the overwhelming stress excitement of getting ready for our trip might just do me in!  Our bedroom seems to have spontaneously combusted.  There are suitcases, clothes, and donations on just about every surface.  I can't seem to find enough hours in the day to get it all done.  I think we may have a couple of weeks coming up where our homeschooling is made up of 'life experience'.  I also agreed to be part of a Christmas Extravaganza that some women from church are putting together.  It's going to be a really fun event, but I need to sew a lot of stuff and I haven't even been able to think about that yet.  Unfortunately, it's the weekend after we get back.  My table will probably be pretty lame-o.  That's the least of my worries right now, though.

I have recently become obsessively fixated been thinking a lot about our Maci.  She's never been away from me for one night.  The longest we've ever been apart in her 3 1/2 years is probably five or six hours when I was at a couple of quick births.  I'm trying to prep the older two on how to deal with all of the emotions Maci is going to express while we're gone.  I would really appreciated prayers specifically for her.

I have to say, though, it will be interesting to see what it feels like to be myself, separate from my many appendages.  I have recently been able to start leaving a couple of kids at home while I go shopping and I love it!  I feel so normal and anonymous.  It's lovely!  No one is looking at me like I'm crazy as I try to manage my three ring circus up and down the aisles.  No one asks if it's a school holiday and then says oh or hmmm when I say we homeschool.  Not one asking if they're all mine, which inevitably leads to the adoption when all of the kids chime in that there's actually another one on the way.  

But still, eight days without the fabulous four is going to be about all I can handle.  I adore my kiddos.  


So, nine days until we head to the grandparents.  That's another freak out I'm having.  A couple of days ago I realized, DUH!  I have to pack all of the kids, their schoolwork, and the dog to be away from home for ten days.  I've been focused on getting me and Justin ready.  But no, there's so much more to it!  I have a little song that's stuck in my head for the past few days.  Do you know it?  We used to sing it as kids... I am slowly going crazy, 1,2,3,4,5,6 switch.  Crazy going slowly am I 6,5,4,3,2,1 switch.


I really don't want to leave off with this being a whiny post.  We are incredibly blessed to be able to have a mini vacay in Paris and to be able to bring another child into our home from halfway around the world.  Yes, the logistics are mind boggling.  But, this is what life is about.  These moments where I think I might actually be going crazy, the school days made up of looking at maps of Paris and researching the climate in Ethiopia, the love we already have for a child we have never met.  It's a wild ride, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.  


One quick funny... Maci talks about Little E all the time.  The other day, the doorbell rang and she yelled, "E is here!  E is here!"  She hangs out in his bed and plays with his toys.  Yesterday, she started telling me that Ethiopia is going to be her brother, too.  Now, first of all it's super cute to hear the word Ethiopia come out of a three year old's mouth.  Seriously.  I love how she says it.  Secondly, it's also been impossible to convince her that Ethiopia is a place and not a person.  Poor girl is trying to wrap her mind around everything she's seeing and hearing.  So, if you hear that we're getting a child named Ethiopia, that rumor is false.  For now.  ;)


Nine days until we leave for Clovis!!!  Ten days until we get on the plane!!!  Two weeks from tomorrow we meet Little E!!!

Update on Little E

Yesterday we got a health update on Little E!  It was completely unexpected because it seems like we just got one.  But looking back, we hadn't received one since the beginning of August.  Wow, those three months flew by!

I was smiling all day after reading about E.  The best thing is that the nurse wrote that "his speech is becoming clear"!!!  We're so excited for our little guy!  He was having some issues with frustration in the last update.  Part of that is being three years old.  I think most of it, though, can probably be attributed to his speech delay.  What a relief it must be for him to be able to communicate a little better with the nannies.  They say his entire disposition has changed and that he's "playful and alert".  

The second exciting thing is that he's potty trained during the day and dry most nights.  I know we can expect regression in this area when we get him home, but I'm still glad to hear it.  I'm taking all of our cloth diapers to Ethiopia to donate and was planning to just use pull ups until he was potty trained.  Then I was debating buying cloth diapers for him because I love cloth and really dislike disposables.  Maybe it won't be too much of an issue, though.  *fingers crossed*

Oh.  Fun fact.  Little E is three inches shorter than Maci and five pounds heavier.  He's still quite the little chunker.  Love it!

So yesterday, Cade's glasses broke in half.  Again.  These were the ones I spent extra $$ on because they were supposed to be all bendy and indestructible.  Lies!  All lies!  lol.  Luckily, he had an eye exam on Monday so off we went to shop for new ones.  We ended up at the mall, which is one of my least favorite places on earth.  While we were waiting for his new glasses to be ready, insanity took over and I attempted to take the kids into stores and shop for me and not them.  Gasp!  They thought it was the end of the world, but I did end up with a new pair of cozy pants to wear on our many plane rides over the next few months.  If I have to travel for 35 hours straight or whatever horrendous length of time it is, I have to be comfy.  I'll be the hobo looking one wandering around the airport babbling about missing all of my kiddos.

24 days till we leave.  Just sayin.

And finally, since I know you're thinking this blog post will never end, my cousin posted this song on facebook and I love it.  I think it really describes our past year, from losing the baby to starting this adoption journey when everyone thought we had gone cra-zay-zee.  Glad that when we were called into the fire last Christmas Day, we had the strength to gaze into the flame and look for Him.  That faith, though it felt so desperate and inadequate at the time, is bringing us our precious little boy from halfway around the world.

Yep, I'm saying it again... 24 days!!!

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  Romans 8:28
 

A Month To Go

A month from today, we load up the suburban and start our long journey toward Ethiopia and meeting the child who will be ours.  The gravity of what we're doing is really hitting me today.  I'm so humbled by this journey that God has us on and so anxious to finally meet our sweet boy.  I'm also a bit scared of the unknown and all the what-ifs.  This is our life.  This is a child's life.  What if this isn't the right thing?  When I ask Justin about that, he just laughs.  He says I ask these same questions at this point in every pregnancy.  He's calling our court trip, the ultrasound.  We get to meet Little E and experience the joy of him and we'll have that to hold onto while we get through the rest of the third trimester.  I think my hubby has been married to a birth doula for too long.  :)  I am grateful that I have not gained the usual 60 pounds during our paper pregnancy.

Last night, as I was moaning about having to fix dinner and trying to decide what to have, I was stopped cold in my tracks.  What the crap was I talking about?  Seriously.  What the heck?  I have the privilege of getting a meal today.  Three meals today, actually.  I have the choice of what meal to have.  We have the option to make it or have someone else do it for us.  We could even have it delivered right to our flipping house.  I really could not enjoy my soup last night.  Yep, I made homemade chicken noodle soup.  There was a ton left over.  That's a luxury we have and how many of us take it for granted?


World Hunger estimates that there are 1.02 billion people in the world who are hungry and malnourished.  Billion.  With a B.  What can you do to make that number one less?  Take a meal to an elderly neighbor.  Buy a burger for the guy on the street corner holding a sign.  Make a donation to a charity that fights poverty.  Sponsor a child.  There are many options.  Just. Do. Something.

I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.  Mathew 25:40

Pretty Much Fully Funded

Forty-one days until we get on a plane!  How amazing is that?!?  Time actually seems to be moving very quickly.  Right now, I'm busy trying to keep up with homeschooling these monkeys and getting to our many activities on time before they're halfway over.  We're also in the midst of our final fundraiser.  I'm having a blast doing photography sessions down by the river and the response has been wonderful!  This final push should hopefully cover our vaccine and visa costs.  Then the government tax credit should cover all of our travel expenses. 

You know, when we started this process, we had no idea how we would come up with $25,000.  We just knew that God was leading us to adopt and we decided to step out in faith.  Then Ethiopia went to a two trip process and the total went up to around $30,000.  At that point, we were already considering Little E and there was no going back.  I'm continually astounded that I can say through a combination of our savings, generous giving from family and friends,  blessings from God, and a bit of work and creativity, we should come out of this adoption with no debt.  I have told many people that money should not be an obstacle if they feel led to adopt.  The other day, I said something about 'the next time we adopt'.  Justin said, "We can't afford to adopt again!"  I said, "We couldn't afford to do it this time either, but look at everything that has happened!"  So funny and so true!

From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. John 1:16