This time last week we were looking forward to a phone call from our #1 agency letting us know if they could allow us into their pilot progrom or not. We got the call Monday evening and were told they were unable to allow us into the program at this time due to the time it’s taking to get referrals. I ‘m relieved to know they aren’t allowing everyone into the program only to have a ridiculously long wait for a referral, but I was hoping we would be accepted in just to feel like we’re making progress. We’re still hoping to go with this agency but they are still in the pilot stage which can be a long, unnerving road. I feel confident that they’ll get the kinks figured out and be up and running at some point, but until then we feel we’ve found the right “fit” and we’re just waiting for them to open back up Please be praying they make the right contacts in the DRC so the program runs smoothly for the first families traveling to pick up their kiddos soon!!

After our news we decided to interviewed two other agencies, and though they seemed wonderful, amazing, and came with some pretty rave reviews, we’re still feeling like the other agency is the right one for us. I keep reminding myself that time isn’t our enemy at this point…we still have a lot of money to save and raise. Please be praying for wisdom as we seek ways to fund our adoption. We’re looking into a few fundraisers and I just completed our storefront at Just love coffee. Check it out! I’ve heard great things about their coffee, and if you love coffee why not go ahead and be our first customer Part of your purchase will go straight to our adoption fund, and it gets delivered right to your door…no crowds to fight at Walmart! As we were filling out some of the information they were asking about our family and the reasons we’re seeking certain fundraisers we stated …After 4 years of marriage and two sweet blessings we feel God is leading our family to adopt from the DRC. Every purchase made will bring us one step closer to becoming a family of 5.!…Jon looked at me and said wow, a family of 5! Now I’m thinking, wow, a family of 5! I love how God is shaping our family into this 5 we will one day become. I love it! I love how God is already preparing our hearts and minds for what He is about to do. What a sweet, sweet Savior we serve!
We’ve begun talking to Aiden about one day having another brother or sister. When we ask if he’d like to have a brother or sister he will generally say a sister. But when I ask if he’d rather have another Nae-nae (that’s what we call Naomi) or an Ethan he always says Ethan. We’re not going to request a certain gender when the time comes, but we have heard that a large majority of families request girls so Aiden may be getting bunk beds to share with little brother after all! Jon and I had bunk beds as well as Sam on our trip to Glen Arbor…ever since Aiden has been requesting bunk beds

Ruined

These past few months we’ve been blessed, encouraged , and challenged by our small group. We’re currently doing the Weird series by Craig Groeschel who is the pastor of Life Church. This past week our segment was over being Blessed with a Burden. And wow…God is working in our lives yet again showing us we’re right where He wants us. Thank you, God how you are working through our lives..I love how you reassure this heart of mine. In his message he asks 3 questions:
What is it that breaks your heart?

What is it that makes you angry? – Righteous kind of anger?
What do you care about that other people don’t care about?
The challenge:
Let your burden ruin you-let it mess you up! You can’t ignore it, you have to embrace it. Read about it and study about it. Be prepared to be awake at 2am praying about it.
Take action

They really have challenged me personally and I encourage you to watch this message… http://www.lifechurch.tv/watch/blessed/2
I don’t know why God has placed this burden on our hearts to the point of ruining us, but I’m so thankful He has entrusted us to do something about the orphan crisis. We’re not perfect people- believe me we are humans. I feel like God could have chosen a couple more equipped- a couple who has it all together. But He has chosen us and I am so glad He has. We know this journey is going to be long, hard, heart wrenching, and scary, but as we pass each milestone or we fall back down the cliff we’re going to be giving all the praise to God. We know He is faithful, and wherever this adoption journey takes us we’re along for this glorious ride He’s taking us on.
Why are we adopting internationally and not domestically? Well, when God places something so deeply on your heart you don’t have much of a choice  I don’t want to step on any toes when saying this, but we feel like the need in the DRC is so much greater than here in the US. We know there are so many sweet, orphaned children here in the US that deserves a mommy and daddy but there is a system that-to the best of their ability- they are placed with foster parents given food, clothing, and shelter. When a child is orphaned in the DRC there is no system that protects them. If they’re lucky enough to go to an orphanage they will normally receive one good meal a day and be given whatever scraps are left to wear. They may or may not receive an education. I stumbled upon a statistic yesterday that stated that 515 out of every 1000 children under the age of 5 will die because of lack of basic nutrition. It breaks my heart knowing that my little Aiden or Naomi could be one of these children that are so deserving of all the love and care in the world and so, so special. It doesn’t matter what it takes to save just one of these sweet little orphans we’ll do what it takes. Wouldn’t you do anything to save one of your own children?

We’re currently working on getting our Yard sale ready for this weekend Saturday 18th if you want to show up and buy all of our stuff. We have tons of baby cloths, baby items- baby swing, bouncer seat, moby wrap, sling, toys. Dvds,rockband 2, singstar for ps3. Exercise bike, scrubs, clothes, all the stuff we no longer need. The money we raise from our sale is going straight to our adoption fund. Every single penny we can save is going straight to our fund  Feel free to stop by!
Praying God “ruins” you in the best sort of way!

Our hearts

Our little Naomi isn’t so little anymore. In fact, at 23lbs she’s quickly outgrown her 9 and 12 month outfits! What a blessing it is to say that we have a little chunky monkey in our family. She’s now just over 10months old and learning new things every day! Our little girl loves when we listen to Klove in the morning her little legs start swinging and her hands start clapping which just makes my heart so happy. She’s crawling like a pro now and she knows how to make us laugh and make Aiden squeal . Our hearts are overflowing with love for our little girl.

Aiden is growing oh-too- quickly. He’s now 2.5! He loves his train table and anything that involves trains and trucks. He can count to ten and match up his numbers. He is perfecting his alphabet and can recognize some letters. We’re working on colors right now and it’s been quite a challenge, but every day we find a way to go over colors even if it’s with his trains. This boy knows exactly what to say and do to crack us up He’s just like Daddy and his silliness; I hope he can always be the sweet, silly boy he is today. Our hearts are so full of love for our silly boy

Summer is winding down and Jon will soon be heading back to school. We’ve had a perfect summer with trips to the zoo, children’s museum, walks, bike rides, and a trip to Glen Arbor. This summer has brought us closer together as a family and for Jon and I it has really brought us closer to where God wants us to be. Before we were married Jon and I always discussed that if we were unable to have children of our own we would love to adopt. This summer we’ve prayed for direction on how God would like us to possibly grow our family and we both feel God calling us to grow our family through adoption. These past several weeks we’ve read countless blogs and researched a number of international adoption agencies. We’re feeling an overwhelming burden for the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Here are some shocking facts we’ve found.  Please check out http://nothinglefttopaint.com/ They recently brought their little one home from Congo.

There are 5 MILLION orphans living in the Congo alone.  (The population of the entire state of Indiana is 6.5 million.)

Only 46% of the population has access to clean water.

The life expectancy is 51 years. 20% of children do not live past the age of 5.

48% of children in the Congo have no access to school or an education.

Average annual income of a Congolese citizen is 120 US Dollars.

War and conflict have led to the death of 5.4 MILLION people since 1998. It is the deadliest war since World War II.

Congo has been named as the worst place on earth to be a woman.

To know that our little boy or girl will be born in such a hostile environment makes my heart ache in such a way that it hurts my entire body. No Mommy to wipe away the tears and no Daddy to protect this small child from all the hurt and disappointments. One day, sweet child, we will be there to whisk you away, and believe me I will wipe away every tear you cry and Daddy will hold and protect you. Though we don’t know you, we love you more than you could ever imagine and we’re praying for your heart and eyes to be protected for however long we’ll be apart.

Saying goodbye to my sweets, coke zero, Moe’s isn’t so hard when you know your child needs a home. We’re pinching pennies and tossing every spare penny we have into our adoption fund. This may be a long, hard journey, but every step we take brings us closer to you.

Please be praying for us in the days, weeks, months, and years to come. We need to save an astronomical amount of money, but we’re giving it over to God. He’s placed this desire on our hearts and we know He will provide. Please also pray for us as we decide when to start this process and who to start this process with. A few agencies I have contacted have quite a waitlist…pray for our hearts as I know I get so anxious about things. Most of all please pray for our little one wherever he or she may be. Thank you, thank you!

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from you, when I was made in the secret place.  When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.  All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Psalm 139:13-16

As a mother, my…

As a mother, my heart is breaking for my tiny little 5 month old daughter. At a whopping 9.9lbs I’m praising God for no weight loss, but discouraged in the fact that she gained no weight this week. When I hold my little treasure in my arms i’m reminded that

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
Your perfect love is casting out fear
And even when I’m caught in the middle of the storms of this life
I won’t turn back
I know You are near

And when the Dr’s tell me they’ll give her another week to gain weight by changing her caloric intake…

Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me

 

I know the God I serve holds her tiny body in her hands and I’m so thankful that He loves and cares for her far more than I ever can. Knowing that he treasures her little life and has big plans for her helps get through these days that yield little to no good news. So thankful today for all these people praying for our wee little treasure and so thankful to Mom for sharing Psalm 46:10 with me

 

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
   I will be exalted among the nations,
   I will be exalted in the earth.”

Let’s create

Sorry I’ve taken a little hiatus…I’ve been busy playing with the kids, organizing my “sewing corner”, adding to my fabric collection, printing off a ridiculous amount of sewing tutorials, watching the Goonies with my hub, and trying to stay on top of cleaning (ha). Anyway an update on our little Miss. Is in order…

Miss NaNa (that’s what Aiden has chosen to call her) pronounced (neigh neigh) like a horse sound Last Tuesday we went in for a weight check…and I could hardly believe my eyes when she shook the scales at 9.9lbs!!! 9oz in a week!! Incredible  What a huge answer to our prayers as well as so many others! We’re so incredibly thankful to everyone who has and is still joining us in prayer. Today we’re going back for another weigh in and I’m hoping and pretty certain that she has yet again gained an incredible amount of weight. Though she still has chicken legs…they’re getting quite thunderous

My husband bought me a sewing machine for Valentine’s Day and also gave me an allowance to get things up and running . I received my machine yesterday and LOVE it! It’s a Singer 7256..I did a little research and figured it’s a simple to use machine with features like auto threading, auto stitch length and width, auto thread tension, and it has 70 stitches. I purchased mine on Amazon .com and got it for $150 and free shipping .I’ve been making trips to Joann Fabrics and found an awesome deal on flannel which I’m making burp cloths, wash cloths for a dear friend and then two rag quilts for my little ones. Fabric.com has an amazing section of $1.95 fabric which of course I scooped up some nice varieties of fabrics just for a stash…you can’t beat the price!

 Last night in my little sewing corner (aka the dark corner of our laundry room closet…haha) I sewed washcloths and burp cloths. The washcloths are super simple just cut out 2 pieces of 9×9 flannel and pin around to hold fabric in place making sure fabric is touching right sides in. And sew around leaving an opening to turn right side out then sew around the complete square making sure you sew up the opening! Super simple and we use these all the time with the kids and they’ve held up MUCH better than the store bought rags

 If you’re looking for a place to find awesome sewing tutorials check out….

http://www.makeit-loveit.com/category/baby      she has a ton of tutorials on repurposing old clothes into new treasures

 http://smashedpeasandcarrots.blogspot.com     she also has some fun sewing projects…I have so many projects for the little one and I’ve found most of them from her site!! Those are just my two favs at the moment! Really, check them out. They’ll inspire you to create!

 Hope your days are filled with lots of love and laughter. Check out todays devotional over at  http://devotions.proverbs31.org Todays verse is..

“For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” Zephaniah 3:17

These past few days I have been blown away by family, friends, and complete strangers….all this kindness that has been flooding in around me. God is so, so good! He knows exactly what this girl has needed this past week to encourage me and help me keep my head held high.  Thankful for those that held a door, pushed an empty cart back to the cart coral, made sure the elevator didn’t squeeze Aiden in his stroller, and all those who have been praying for Naomi and for our family during this time of waiting and seeing. Seriously, theses people have no idea what an impact they have made throughout this week and I’m so thankful for our God who put them in my path!

Naomi and I made our trip to the GI Dr. yesterday. After 15 minutes of interrogating me about home life, feedings, pooping , and vomiting…we got down to business. he told us that Naomi’s anatomy is normal (praise the Lord!) Also, that she had no signs of pyloric stenosis both by u/s and physical exam (yay!) She’s just not gaining an adequate amount of weight (sigh) No name to this…no drug to make it better, no surgery to fix it…it just is what it is. So we’re off to doing weekly weight checks…as long as she’s gaining an average of a half an oz to an ounce a day and keeps it on we’re on the right track If she doesn’t then she will  get tube feedings.So yesterday was encouraging, yet, a little discouraging…I know her trend…she does great for a few weeks and the starts shedding the weight. Please continue praying for her and our family…it’s so hard not to have a name to put to what’s going on in her tiny body. It’s so easy to let my mind wander to different diseases and illnesses….so please pray for my sanity ;) thank you so much for caring for us and loving on us through your prayers..please know that we are praying for you as well and that we love you so much! 

 

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Colossians 3:12

Update

As we suspected little Naomi only weighs in at 8.9lbs..gaining a grand total of 3oz in 1.5months. She did however, grown 2 inches and is hitting her milestones which is fantastic! I’m no longer nursing which is a bummer, but in a way it has its perks…no more pumping…no more diet (egg and dairy free)…no more Aiden taking advantage of mommy while shes nursing We’re now on a special formula and the Dr. gave me a special way of mixing it so Naomi gets more calories each time and it’s also a lot thicker..that way she’s not as likely to spit up as much. Her medication for reflux has also been changed and I’m so eager to pick it up this morning! We have been referred to a GI who specializes in peds and hopefully we’ll be able to get in soon with him!

Yesterday was a little discouraging only because I had hoped for more weight gain, but there is a plan in place and I am going to take her in every few weeks for weight checks..that way we know for sure she’s gaining until her 6 month appt. Please continue to pray for her as we transition her over to formula and the new medicine. Also please pray that we get in with the GI quickly so we can rule out any abnormalities that may be present.