Being Intentional

If we are not intentional, it would be so easy to let life overwhelm us and the days would just slip away. Jeremy was intentional this morning: he took Tyler and Jordan fishing early Sunday morning before church. I was intentional about Amanda and I going shopping (just the two of us) for soccer cleats. And I know that I must be intentional if I am to find time just for Jeremy and me, or spend time alone with God in prayer and His Word.

Earlier this week I told Jeremy (I stole this line from someone) that some days I feel like I am drowning in the ocean, but I am trying to have a good attitude about it. My brain is so full and so much is going on that I have trouble keeping life straight some days! The last two weeks have been especially full.

We spent a week at Seaside Home in Cape May. Our week began with a trip to the ER and lots of puke (two totally separate incidents.) Miraculously, our week ended well. We ended up feeling like we could do this vacation thing with 6 kids. We returned home and ... life immediately jumped into high gear again.

There were more doctors appointments for Leo; a trip to the doctor for Ben who had an ear infection; and our first of 3 post placement visits with our Social Worker.

Also, Jonathan has been wearing his prosthetic leg a lot lately and this has led us to discover that (glory be) he has gotten taller and needs some leg adjustments. So in the next 2 weeks we will be making a trip to Shriners Hospital to have some work done on his prosthetic leg.

BUT the main reason for this post is to ask for prayer for Leo.

Leo will be having surgery on Wednesday to have his palate repaired. It will require an overnight stay. We are hopeful that once his palate is fixed that he can (in time) begin to eat food and eventually not be dependent on his feeding tube. He has an appointment the end of this month at the CHOP feeding clinic to help us make this transition. Please pray that the surgery will go smoothly and be a success. Please also pray for Jeremy and me.

We have invited Leo's birth mom to visit him during the surgery stay. We are not sure if she will actually show up, but if she does we pray that we will be able to minister to her during what I am sure will be a difficult visit for her.

Yes, some days I can feel like I am drowning, but I wouldn't trade any of the craziness of my life for anything. Some days, my attitude might need an adjustment, but I still love my crazy crew. The adjustment of having a baby in the family is now being rewarded by the smiling and emerging personality of little Leo. He is beginning to interact and is learning how to play. It is awesome to watch this little guy babble for the first time, laugh at his brothers, and bang 2 toys together.

Life is full, but God continues to be faithful.

Frazzled

Some days I feel frazzled. As I sit browsing through a book on homeschooling your teenager, wonder how I am going to get Ben and Jonathan learning anything this year, and watch Leo's feeding tube drip, drip, drip, I can easily feel overwhelmed and wonder what are we doing! If I think ahead more then one day, I can't handle it. My brain literally hurts trying to keep straight all of Leo's appointments, as of now 2 surgeries, and at least 3 therapists coming to our house. Yesterday, our pediatrician recommended we go see yet another specialist. I wanted to ask if this specialist had hours between midnight and two because that was about all the time I had left. Add packing 8 people to go away on a vacation and I am extremely tempted to hide when it is time to leave and send Jeremy on his way with all the kids.

When we began this blog, it was kind of a diary of our journey to bring Jonathan home. We kept blogging. We contemplated stopping, but then someone would be encouraged by something and we would keep going. Because of contacts we have made in the adoption community, we have had the privilege of personally talking on the phone with 2 moms who after our phone conversation and reading our blog have decided to pursue adoption both of little boys missing a limb. It is so cool, that Jonathan has played a part in helping to bring more boys to their forever families.

We also tread a fine line between making adoption look easy and disclosing the reality of everyday life with 6 kids, one with multiple special needs and one who needs to learn to use his prosthetic leg better so he can meet his goal of playing soccer in a month- (yikes, better give that a higher priority).

There is no way we can do this all by ourselves. I throw up my hands at least once a day and call out to God asking for His help. We are so thankful for all the family and friends God has placed in our lives for this season. Both have been invaluable in helping to watch kiddos while I take Leo on a doctor's appointments, watching all the kids so Jeremy and I could go out of a date :), and providing moral and prayer support.

Most days life is full, it is not an easy road we are currently walking. We don't pretend to have it all together, but I wouldn't trade this time and season for anything. It is hard, but we know this place of hard is where God wants us right now. This is the place where we are learning to depend on Him on a deeper level. If life was easy, we may lose the urgency to cry out to God. This road is causing us to focus on the here and now, to not look ahead, but rather like the Israelites, to be thankful for the manna we have been given for today. I realize today's manna will not feed me tomorrow. Tomorrow, I must trust God to send me more manna and I must seek Him to find it.

No, adding to your family is not easy, but when your 10 year old gives you a card that thanks you for adopting 2 boys- you know you must be on the right track. And so we keep chugging on taking one day at a time.

Official Placement Day- July 20, 2011

Getting ready for the Beach!