THE shot

Just to try to keep up my desire to blog for real, I am going to post about my decision and feelings about our flu shots.

I have had several people ask me if we were getting the shots and why. So, I thought I’d write them down. But I want people to know I think this is a personal decision and I completely respect everyone’s direction they go with for themselves and their families.

The kids and I all got our H1N1 shots last week. I couldn’t drive fast enough, in sleet, to get to the place I heard was offering them in KC. I decided to get them for the following reasons:

1. For the selfish reason that I don’t want to freak out every time I forget to wash the kids hands before they eat or play with a friend who has a fever an hour after our play date. I can drive myself crazy before the holidays or during an outbreak with stuff like that.

2. As a pregnant person with other health concerns I didn’t want to put myself and the baby at an unneeded risk, plus I’ve heard that it can help the baby’s immune system too and since I probably can’t breastfeed, I want to give it the best immune system that I can. Although people have been fearful that this shot was manufactured fast, I haven’t heard any reason this flu shot is any more dangerous than the yearly shot. But most importantly, I learned while trying to get pregnant and then going through my pregnancy with Eliza while on arthritis medication, that you have to weigh the risks vs. benefits sometimes and then just go with the decision and not feel guilty about the “what ifs.”

3. I think we have the most effective vaccination system the world has ever known and our generation has never lived through a “plague” or dealt with anything close to polio or wide spread measles so we’ve lost touch with how devastating that could be. Our kids don’t even have to get the chicken pox any more. It’s easy with all of our conveniences and up to date medicine to get out of touch with the reality that for every shot my child takes, thousands, if not millions of children have died from that disease before.

Now, this is NOT to get into the debate about autism or vacinations related to that argument. I have strong emotions for many people involved in that debate and I do not want to touch on that on our blog.

I just have had several people ask me if we were getting the shots and why. So, I thought I’d write them down.

**For the record, that is the LAST time I am going to be able to fool Jadon into getting a shot by simply not saying the word “shot” until his pants start coming down. My boy WILL NOT be fooled again. But a sucker bribe, that may still at least soothe the wounds.**

What have you decided?

My Best Friend’s Wedding. . . . blog

My friend Jenni just got ENGAGED!!!!!!! WOO HOO JENNI AND BRANT!!!!

Everyone has GOT to be happy for a girl who’s name will be Jennifer Szambecki-Benninga!!! Doesn’t get any better than that! I am pretty sure they’ll never be able to move to a foriegn country because no one will be able to pronounce her name.

She has the benefit of planing a wedding at the age of 30, when she knows better than to go into debt for it.

Here’s her blog on how she’s doing it.

A Truly Affordable Wedding

Oh, and on a side note, whoever invented these:

I want to give a bear hug!

(yes, on facebook, I wanted to kiss them. I’ve decided I am not as excited about the hooks as I am Jenni’s wedding so I didn’t want to cause the post to get off balance)

Announcement!

We are pregnant again!!!

Believe me, it surprised us too! After 3 years of not getting pregnant and excitedly welcoming home Jadon, we didn’t think #3 would come so soon. But he or she is coming!!!!

Answers to questions:

I am about 14 1/2 weeks now and the due date is around May 16th.

We are not finding out the sex. We wanted to know with Eliza, but since we have all the supplies (except for newborn boy stuff) and the baby will just have to bunk with someone most of it’s life, there’s really no reason we want to find out until the big day.

The two youngest siblings will be 15 months apart and Jadon will be a young 3 years old when the baby is born. We are buckling our seat belts!

We still hope to adopt again once these children are in Elementary school. We continue to have a HUGE heart for adoption and we also desire Jadon to grow up with another adopted sibling, hopefully also Latino.

Only God knows why we couldn’t get pregnant for 3 years and now we can. Probably had to do with my undiagnosed arthritis. We were completely at peace with building our entire family through adoption (although we knew we’d carry the ache of infertility with us the rest of our lives and my heart still hurts for those of you reading this who carry that burden). We remind our selves when we get extremely overwhelmed that if you would have told us 3 years ago that we’d have 3 kids in 3 years, we would have said, “Bring it on!”

I am blessed to experience pregnancy again because with Eliza I was fearful the entire time. My fears were always of the worst and even in the hospital with her I think I had my defenses up in case something happened. I was just used to thinking my body couldn’t do it. But now, I’ve experienced that it can. Plus, I don’t have time to worry. Many blessings with this one.

On with the ride!

I have high hopes

I have high hopes I’ll be a blogger again. Here’s my first attempt.

For now, I’ll try to share some pictures from our vacation that we just returned from. Only a few have been downloaded. But I’ll try to tell the story with what I have.

We began our extended week by driving to Nashville to do Halloween with Aunt Bekah and Uncle Jeff.

Here’s our little Handy Manny and cutie-patootie flower. I love this picture!

Then we drove through the Smoky Mountains to Glenville, NC to stay at an amazing lake house in the Nanahalah National Forest. The home belonged to the generous family I used to nanny for in Atlanta. Here’s the view from the back porch.

It was INCREDIBLE!!

Okay, side note. I am realizing that the photos Josh has downloaded are ones he took on his iphone. So, bad news is, we are missing most of the pictures we took with each other and with other people. Good news is, the downloading onto the blog is going really fast and I may get this post done before nap time is over!

After 3 days in the mountains, we drove to Atlanta for four CRAZY BUSY days of visiting the people we long to still be living life with. Most of the Atlanta pictures were taken with our camera so I’ll share them later (cross my fingers). For now, I’ll share the pictures Josh took on his phone in order to tweet them. Mostly, they are of the restaurants we have been hungering for a year now.

Here’s an artsy one of Eliza at a Buckhead breakfast stop:

Here’s our favorite Atlanta restaurant and their fish tacos:

We went to church on Sunday. It is hard to let go of our church and the idea of our kids growing up in the children’s ministry there. Jadon liked getting his picture under the taxi tower.

Then, there was the beautiful drive we used to take every day to our old house.

sigh. We miss the city and the people so much.

Finally, there was the drive home, ALL NIGHT Sunday night. Overall we spent around 40 hours in the car with a 9 month old and a 2 1/2 year old. . . . . . . . . the kids did A M A Z I N G L Y well!!! Here’s a picture of them at 5:30am on Monday morning when were were about 2 hours from Kansas City. Can you believe it? (mom and dad weren’t doing as well)

To close it all out. I’ll show you a picture that sums up how Eliza feels out her trip to the area of the country that is a big part of her family, but she never really lived in.

I think her words were, “Wha, what?! When yo’ taking me back to The ATL, my parentals? I already miss my peeps!”

Yeah, laugh at me all you want. Her words, not mine.

Soli Deo Gloria

Check out this cutie being united with his family in November from Ethiopia!

TWLOHA

“We often ask God to show up. We pray prayers of rescue. Perhaps God would ask us to be that rescue, to be His body, to move for things that matter. He is not invisible when we come alive. I might be simple but more and more, I believe God works in love, speaks in love, is revealed in our love. I have seen that this week and honestly, it has been simple: Take a broken girl, treat her like a famous princess, give her the best seats in the house. Buy her coffee and cigarettes for the coming down, books and bathroom things for the days ahead. Tell her something true when all she’s known are lies. Tell her God loves her. Tell her about forgiveness, the possibility of freedom, tell her she was made to dance in white dresses. All these things are true. “

“We are only asked to love, to offer hope to the many hopeless. We don’t get to choose all the endings, but we are asked to play the rescuers. We won’t solve all mysteries and our hearts will certainly break in such a vulnerable life, but it is the best way. We were made to be lovers bold in broken places, pouring ourselves out again and again until we’re called home.”

Josh and I have been reminded of the organization “To Write Love on Her Arms.” This is an excerpt from the story that started the movement to present hope and find help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide.

I am inspired and challenged.

A Long Way from the Theta House

This is my favorite blog. I have been impressed with this family for a long time. . . . let me rephrase that. . . . I have been impressed with the way this family allows God to use them to transform one of the roughest parts of the country with His love.

Check out “Hood Mama Mel’s” blog today. Read about her newest challenge. Pray for them.

a long way from the Theta house

Jadon’s 2nd Homecoming Day!!!

Yesterday was Jadon’s second homecoming day and we had a FABULOUS time!!! It was so much fun because he is starting to understand and get excited about stuff like this. He FULLY understood that the day was all about him, and by the end of the day it was starting to show in his attitude. Never-the-less we enjoyed telling him every moment we could how thankful we were that he is in our lives and how incredibly special he is to us.

We started the day off at IHOP with a BIG waffle loaded with whipped cream and strawberries. (he chose to wear his favorite “Thomeehs” shirt)

Then we went to Home Depot, which has become our Saturday morning tradition, to do their kids construction project. (many Home Depots do this for free on Saturday mornings) We didn’t have anything to shop for this week but Jadon still wanted to ride in the big orange race car. Since we couldn’t say “no” to him on his special day, we took a lap around the store but still didn’t buy anything! Go us!

Then, we went MINI GOLFING!!! Jadon  L O V E S  anything sports related. He’ll hit ANY ball around the house with ANY kind of stick-like thing. The first time he saw golf on TV we are sure he was thinking, “Hey, I invented that!” When we told him he was going to go PLAY GOLF for his special day he couldn’t stop SCREAMING about it! He was SO CUTE and had a BLAST!!!

Here he is stuck in the sand trap.

(Notice the backwards crocs. It’s a battle I don’t fight. I’m just thankful he can put them on himself.)

Eliza tried to play. Or. . . she tried to suck on the handle of the putter. Either one.

Jadon was a little disappointed we were leaving, so he wasn’t interested in cooperating with the family picture. We should know by now to take the picture before it’s time to go.

During nap time I finished the “Tres Leche Cake”. YUM YUM!!! It’s a Central/South American cake that is filled with 3 kinds of milk and “iced” with sugared whip cream. WHOA!

We went to a wonderful Guatemalan Restaurant for dinner that is only a couple miles from our house! Jenni and her new boyfriend, Brant came up from Wichita to celebrate with us! We shared our cake with the restaurant staff, so I hope I made it right.

Jadon opened his 2nd, out of 18 gifts we bought him in Guatemala for this special day. This year it was a “chicken bus” which couldn’t be more perfect for what he is interested in (besides sports), “vroom vroom!” We also got to tell him that he rode in a “chicken bus” like this one with Rosalyn to come be with us!

We ended the day with a successful family picture!

We love you Jadon!

2 Years Ago and the Beginning of Tough Conversations

2 years ago yesterday JADON was given to us for FOREVER! It is an amazing, mind blowing day.

But, at the same time, it was a rough, heartbreaking day. 2 years ago, he also left the arms of his foster mother, Rosalyn, who had cared for him since birth. I knew it was heartbreaking and tragic at the time when he watched her walk out the door with unbelievable strength and when he cried 3 hours in mourning. This year my heart is again sad for Rosalyn and Jadon, but in a deeper way this year.

This year, I have a 6 month old biological daughter who’s been in my arms since birth. She is only 2 weeks younger than Jadon was when his family changed for the 2nd time in his small life. My daughter knows us, wants us, needs us. We are all her heart has ever known. I realize in a new way this year, how my son’s heart was broken 2 years ago. I realize in a new way the heartbreak of a mother who left the child she had bonded to for 6 months.

Adoption IS beautiful, wonderful, glorious, magnificent and special. But it is also tough, heart-wrenching, hard, difficult and traumatizing.

Please pray with me that we can reconnect with Rosalyn. We had email contact with her at first, but have not heard from her since Jadon’s first birthday, when she mailed Jadon a sweet love letter. I want to be able to tell her and show her how INCREDIBLE this little man is!

Please also pray for Jadon’s heart. While I believe he has healed as much as possible in the past 2 years, he has a lifetime of healing to do. Last night we read a book about Guatemala. He’s gained an interest in the word whenever we talk about his first country.  He also smiles when he says “Guatemayah!” in a way that I know his heart is making a connection. When we were praying just before he went to sleep I asked him if he wanted to pray for Rosalyn, who is one of his mamas in Guatemala. The look in his eyes brings tears to mine today. It was a look of complete confusion. I didn’t really expect it at this age, but he definitely knows I am his mama and for me to connect the word to someone else was baffling to him. I caught a glimpse of how difficult the road is before us. To explain to a child the realities and beauties of his adoption is a huge job. A job that I am honored to have but one I do not take lightly.

For those of you that are concerned that I am looking at this “negatively,” I promise the next few days will be FULL of JOY!!! Many families choose to make a celebration of the day their adopted child was put in their arms. Since that day was so difficult for us, we choose to celebrate the day we traveled as a family to the United States together. That day for us is the 22nd of August. All throughout this week we are talking about and celebrating Guatemala, then on Saturday we are going to have a BIG Guatemalan Fiesta! So, stay tuned and I’ll share the celebration with you!

I apologize my blog has been so drab lately! We moved our pictures to an external hard drive which has not been connected since the move. If you stick with me, our blog will once return to the glory days of full color pictures, and maybe I’ll even learn how to download video!!!!

Thanks for walking with us.

The cows have landed in the prairie!

Y E S ! ! !

To those of you not in Atlanta this post may be a little wierd. For those of you who are in Atlanta, better yet, who WERE in Atlanta. . . you’ll TOTALLY understand!

CHICK-FIL-A is now in TWO parts of Kansas City!!! NOW there’s a restaurant up north around my parents!!! Oh why this didn’t happen 1 year ago while I was 7 months pregnant and living with my parents, I don’t know. But, I’ll take it now!!!

Sweet Lord, you do orchestrate every detail of our lives and bring us good things!!! Now my children do not have to grow up without the original chicken sandwich or waffle fries!

AMEN!!!