Poor boy

This is a picture of our sweetie after physical therapy today. Tracie (his PT) laid him down after a "sitting up" exercise, handed him his blankie and within about 4 seconds he was out....for 3 HOURS!!! And yes, I left him on his pallet on the floor. Don't worry, it is very soft and I did cover him up. He even missed a feeding and if you know our sweetie, you know he likes to eat. Tracie comes tomorrow for a make-up session......I'm sorry, sweet boy! I wish you all could see how far he's come. We are so proud of him and amazed at his progress (as is Tracie).

In Him,

E

Band Angels

I received several questions about where to purchase the bandaids with Bible verses. I bought them at a local craft show. But you can find them and order them here.

Thanks for lifting our family and little one up. All of you are so wonderful- I am so honored to "know" you if only through the web. Your notes and words of encouragement always come at the right moment.

In Him,

E

His Heart

I first want to say that I KNOW that God has a purpose. A purpose for everything. I haven't posted about our angel boy's doctor appointment a couple of weeks ago simply because I've been doing other things. I'm going to start with what happened today and work backwards (somewhat).

Our angel needs heart surgery. Our hearts are broken. We found out today at a cardiology appointment that he has both a small VSD and left ventricle to right atrium shunt. The VSD is so small that it really is not something to be too concerned about The tissue in that area should and would eventually close the hole without any intervention. The shunt is what will cause a problem. At this very moment you would never know he has a heart defect. No bluish coloring, heaving breathing, sweating, inability to gain weight...nothing. But, if left untreated those things would begin happening. Maybe we would notice things in a year or 2 or 7, but the defect at some point would begin affecting him.


The beginning- when we first learned about our angel we were told that he was diagnosed with a severe heart defect (by fetal ultrasound) early in his birthmom's pregnancy, but a later ultrasound showed no defect. No defect was detected at the hospital nor at his early doctor appointments. At his appointment on January 12th, our pediatrician thought he heard something and referred us to a pediatric cardiologist. Honestly, I didn't think much about it because I felt like if something were wrong someone would have heard it before now.


I learned today that many of these more minor defects are not found early on because of the levels (can't remember what levels- basically how loud everything is) in the lungs and heart. Because the levels are very equal for the first few months of life, it's hard to hear something unless it's pretty significant. In "typical" babies, those levels become normal around 2-3 months of age. In Downs babies, it isn't until 4-5 months until everything levels out and more minor defects are able to be heard thus being the reason our pediatrician just heard it.


So, what I thought would be an easy "oh, he's perfect....it's wonderful to meet you, but we never want to see you again!" appointment turned into "your baby needs heart surgery" appointment. It was a blow and one of the first times that I was angry at that darn 21st chromosome. I LOVE our boy. Every single part of him...every chromosome and have no doubt that he is created EXACTLY HOW GOD INTENDED. I love to see him finally "get it" after working so extremely hard to roll over. I love his curved tiny pinkies that are a dead giveaway of that number 21. I love the look on his face after waking up....those huge almond shaped eyes and his smile melts me. And I LOVE that he has Down syndrome, but I don't love what he is facing.


He will be okay. He belongs to God. We have been given the tremendous honor to be his earthly parents, but he is God's son.


Please, join us in praying for our angel. Surgery will probably take place sometime in March or April (the doctor left it up to us).


This song has been on my heart alot lately. I feel like it captures our past couple of years and exactly where we are in our faith journey.. It speaks what I feel most days between Down syndrome awareness, orphans ministry and Haiti. Listen and read the lyrics. Notice what I've italicized. It's our story..... and his heart will be brand new. Amen.






What Faith Can Do- Kutless
Everybody falls sometimes
Gotta find the strength to rise
From the ashes and make a new beginning
Anyone can feel the ache
You think it’s more than you can take
But you are stronger, stronger than you know

Don’t you give up now
The sun will soon be shining
You gotta face the clouds
To find the silver lining

I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn’t ever end
Even when the sky is falling
And I’ve seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That’s what faith can do

It doesn’t matter what you’ve heard
Impossible is not a word
It’s just a reason for someone not to try
Everybody’s scared to death
When they decide to take that step
Out on the water
It’ll be alright

Life is so much more
Than what your eyes are seeing
You will find your way
If you keep believing

I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn’t ever end
Even when the sky is falling
And I’ve seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That’s what faith can do

Overcome the odds
You don't have a chance (That’s what faith can do)
When the world says you can’t
It’ll tell you that you can!

I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn’t ever end
Even when the sky is falling
And I’ve seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That’s what faith can do
That's what faith can do!

Even if you fall sometimes
You will have the strength to rise

In Him,
E

**A quick story- I was tucking our youngest daughter in tonight and notice she had used one of her new bandaids on a cut on her finger. We gave her these bandaids for Christmas and each have a Bible verse on them. As she held her finger up for me to see, I noticed the verse-

Jeremiah 30:17
But I will restore you to health

and heal your wounds,

declares the LORD

Wow. Thank you God for the reminder. Amen.

How we homeschool...

I often get questions about what we use to homeschool. Over the years we have used MANY different resources, but I must say that our favorites are Teaching Textbooks (math), Amanda Bennett Unit Studies, Spelling Time and the good 'ole library. Talk about cheap! You don't have to spend hundreds and thousands to be a successful homeschooler.



Teaching Textbooks for each of our girls is our one major purchase. Since 2 of our girls are such hands-on learners, watching, listening and typing their math on the computer has been invaluable. There is no way one of my children in particular could ever (well, maybe she'll have to one day) sit down with a math textbook for an hour or more and get much done. I am shopping now for new versions because each of them have proven that they are too smart for the level I chose. I pray that I'll be able to find them used as they are around $200 new per child. I will say that I'm not sure what I'm going to buy for our oldest now. She is a textbook, lovin' child. Any suggestions would be wonderful! Oh, and for the record, I'm not a fan of Saxon.



Amanda Bennett Unit Studies are amazing! Amanda puts so much thought and work into each study. I simply go to her site and purchase the CD ($15, $10 if you download) for the unit I choose. In about a week, delivered to my door is a wealth of information. Links, copy work, printables, recipes- all on one CD. Done for me. Amanda even breaks the studies out into different age groups. Each group studies the same material but with a different twist. In just a few hours, the Winter Games study will be released. We are so excited and cannot wait to dive into learning more about the games! Some of her other great studies are Thanksgiving, Christmas, Horses, Heroes of the Bible, Pioneers, Amelia Earhart and many, many more. I urge you to try one of Amanda's studies. I promise you will not be disappointed.



Spelling Time is an online spelling site that has helped our youngest 2 girls alot the past couple of years. Yes, it's one of those sites that also has games, but they must go through several drills and spell their weekly words correctly in order to earn "game tokens" to play the games. The games are not open until tokens are earned. So, bribery to learn spelling words? Maybe, but it does encourage my visual, hand-on learners and they are becoming better spellers. That's all I care about. They do offer a free trial as well as vocabulary, state and math programs. I've never looked into those, though, so can't attest to how good they are (or aren't:).


And the library. It's free! Well, at least it's free if you don't keep your books longer than you should.:) Yes, we are one of those families. I do believe we pay someones salary each year with the amount of overdue charges we incur. But the library is overflowing with so much wonderful information. Many times I even check out juvenile or children's books when trying to decide on a topic of study. So often, these books give great, to-the-point facts that help me decide if we need to dig deeper. Just a suggestion.

Please, let me know what you use, what you love and what works in your homeschool!
In Him,
E

Grounded

Sometimes, just SOMETIMES, I wish that someone would ground me and send me to my room.:)

Now that I have that off my chest, I hope each of you are having a blessed day. The weather here has been wonderful- hard to believe we had snow on the ground a little over a week ago. Today it was 61- crazy!

There are several videos that I've been wanting to share for over a week now. I hope you have time to watch each of them.

"Mark" especially touched my heart as I pray that baby boy has confidence like him. We aren't the parents who are going to push and push to try to make our angel into something he's not, but we do want to help him find his gifts and talents and use them. I also pray that these videos touch you and change at least one person who may not "get" it or doubts why we have answered "yes" to God's call for our family.






This young lady and her family WOW me!! I want to be just like her when I grow up!:) "They see the world in colors, and we need to see the world that way." Amen, sista!




And last but certainly not least, a video by Silver City. Jeremy, the lead singer, is a friend of mine from high school. We pray that Silver City will agree to join our annual family Hoedown here on our property in October. Right, Jeremy?!!:) Please, pray for the band and their continued witness. The past year has been one of "full speed ahead" for them and I pray it continues. You can also learn more about them here. Now, turn up the music and enjoy Silver City's newest release.



In Him,
E

Hope for Haiti and My Potter

If you were to ask one of my girls (and I won't tell you which one) tonight if I am the most terrible mother in the world, she might tell you "yes". No, I don't think she'd really do that but she sure was mad at me earlier.

With that being said, I want you all to realize how easy it is to save a few dollars and send some help to Haiti. The girls and I were planning on leaving the guys at home tonight and going to a Christian concert in a town near us. $10 at the door and big names like Third Day, Tenth Avenue North, News Boys- groups we love. Okay, so we'd be spending $10x4 people= $40, right? We didn't go. I just couldn't. $40!! Do you realize what $40 would do in Haiti? It could quite possibly pay for some medical treatment that would save someones life. It could pay for enough food and water for who knows how many people. And that's not even counting the money we would have probably spent on other "stuff". What could you do without this week? We are praying about several ideas we have- I hope to share soon.

If you couldn't tell, my mind is wrapped around Haiti these days. The desperation I see. The stories I hear. Where can we, as Christ's people, start?

Yep, there she is...our potter.

Our oldest came to me a few days ago with a plan. She wanted to raffle off ALL of her remaining finished pottery pieces and send all proceeds to Haiti. If you were to see my house, you would know that "ALL" off her remaining pottery is alot! She returns to the studio again in a little over a week, but for now she has so many finished pieces she wants to share.

And she has been working her tooshie off making flower brooches. B-U-tiful flower brooches! Just take a peek. She also wants to sell as many of these as she can to help those affected by the quake.

When our daughter came to me, I had just read about "Hope for Haiti". Many big names in the blog world are participating as is my friend, Heather, from Distressed Designs. So, our daughter prays she will be able donate on large piece to the "Hope for Haiti" raffle. All other pieces will be posted over the next few days in her Etsy store- Shaping Lives Pottery. Proceeds from sales through the Etsy shop will go to Food for the Poor and Children of the Promise.

I will keep you posted about if she is able to partner with Hope for Haiti. Stay tuned....

In Him,

E

7.0

7.0.....Haiti....need I say more.


My heart has always been drawn to Haiti. At one point a couple of years ago, I felt like one day we'd be there for some reason. Actually, I still do. I am beyond words at the images I've seen over the past few hours- the aftermath of this horrific earthquake.


Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Before the quake, life was tough. Not tough like the way we think tough.....but TOUGH.


I sit praying tonight about what we might do. I pray God will use me.


Please, visit here (COTP) to get updates from a creche I hold close to my heart. Many nights I prayed that God would use me there. COTP was not physically effected but will absolutely be affected in the coming days.





Now off to ask God why them? May be selling it all and moving!!:) Pray, pray, pray.

The Presidential Palace in Haiti- before and after

In Him,
E

He's growing too fast

Sweet baby boy of mine. He'll be 5 months next Sunday- 5 MONTHS!! It feels just like yesterday I wrote this post announcing to all of you the miracle God had chosen us to receive. We are so unworthy!!

This weekend our angel reached 2 milestones-

This photo was taken right after milestone #1

1. He rolled over! He had rolled a couple of times on my bed (with me sitting there:), but those times were complete flukes. Just flops from his back to his tummy. This time he tried so hard for several minutes and when it finally happened, it was on purpose. Oh, I can't wait to tell Tracie (his therapist)!!

And milestone #2- don't get onto me for the blankets around his head. Those are actually "blankies" that he LOVES!! They are his security and I assure you, I can put them 18 inches from him and he'll find them. He puts them beside his head each night. Really- notice his hands on top of them? Don't dare move them!

2. He officially moved from his bassinet to a crib. A sad, sad day for this Mommy. "Give me a break!", right?! I laid in bed that night with my ear stuck to the monitor listening to his every breath....making sure he was okay.

This got me thinking. He's not mine. He never has been. Oh no, I don't mean because of the adoption! In that regard, I'll fight to the death for him! I mean, he belongs to our Heavenly Father. We have merely been entrusted with this amazing gift. I can sit by that monitor for days on end and the plans God has for our sweet boy will never change. And from the view I have right now, mighty, MIGHTY are the plans.

As I realized this (for the thousandth time!), I drifted off to sleep knowing that all was well. GOD SO ROCKS!! He has given me the honor of seeing this boy touch lives at a mere (almost) 5 months old. Thank you, Lord!

In Him,

E

The "V" Word

I want to hear your thoughts about the "v" word....dare I say it? Vaccinations!! I have been doing alot of research on my own and it's time to make some decisions. Angel boy has a dr appointment on Tuesday and he must have at least one vaccination because his adoption hasn't been finalized. We have to show that we are at least vaccinating him until finalization happens- prayerfully in the next couple months or so!! Not something we are happy about but there is no way around it at this point.

Our girls were vaccinated as the doctor suggested, and I didn't think twice about it back then. Now is a different story- I'm smarter now, right?!! We have found a doctor that agrees with whatever we decide- praise the Lord! That in itself is a challenge many times.

Your thoughts- I'd love to hear them! Either leave me a comment or send me an email nogreatergiftmom@yahoo.com. Knowledge is power and all of you are so smart!:)
In Him,
E

"Can you imagine?"

Loving her (adopted) baby brother

Today my middle daughter (the one who is the MOST lively, crazy person I know and who also wears her heart for the world to see) looked at me and said, "Mom, can you imagine being an orphan? I mean, not having anyone to love or love you back? Can you imagine even being a teenager and on your own without anyone?" My response (through tears) was, "No, honey, I cannot." I could see her wheels turning.


Many times she has told me that she wants to be an actress when she grows up. If you knew this girl, you would know that she'd be the next star- no doubt. A year ago or so she began telling me that she wanted to make a difference and that she thought maybe God was calling her to do something with orphans. Ask her today and she'd probably say that she will act for the orphans or something nutty like that. I don't know what God has planned for her, but I KNOW He will use her in mighty ways. She has the heart. The passion. And the ability to grab people just with her smile.


I am moved once again tonight to STAND UP for the orphan....every 147 MILLION of them!! I have my spunk back. God, thank you for sending me this angel to remind me. All along it's been right in front of me....thank you for the reminder.



"Mom, can you imagine......?"



In Him,
E


PS- You should see sweet, baby boy light up when she walks into a room. They have this amazing connection. All she has to do is look his way and he cracks up! Seriously, she has that affect on people. God has BIG plans for our girl!

CANCER FREE!!!

Many of you have joined me in praying for my dear sister-in-law, Markana, over the past 16 months. TEARS, TEARS, TEARS today as I read her Caring Bridge post. Click on her link in my right sidebar and be prepared to be touched (have your kleenex ready!).

WE LOVE YOU, MARKANA!!!

In Him,

E

Just a few pictures

I have been a terrible blogger lately. I know it and I'm sorry. I will try to do better.

I continue to be amazed at the out pour of love from so many. Thank you again and again for your encouraging words and prayers. Our family is doing well, and we can't wait to see what God has in store for us this year. We feel Him stirring our hearts.

Since I am lazy (there, I said it) and don't feel like typing a whole lot tonight, I am just going to post some recent pictures of our crew. I have so many thoughts swimming around in my head. I write blog posts in my brain all day long- doing laundry, feeding baby, driving to town- but when it's time to sit down and type, I draw a blank. So, pictures are all you get tonight.

I was trying to get a picture closeup enough so you could see his beautiful brushfield spots

but it didn't turn out like I hoped- he was just too wiggly! They look like star bursts!

And some quite unexpected white stuff last week. We were blessed with at least an inch.

It was suppose to just be rain. Yippee!!

Why does she always save some? We cleaned out the freezer a while back and found

bag after bag after bag of snow. I guess that's what we get living in the south. My poor

children are deprived.:(

Some sister love.

She is SO GOOFY!!

And my quiet one...




He is such a sweet, sweet happy boy! Oh, I just can't get enough of him!

In Him,

E