Oh the Joys of the Mundane & Yucky.

Yesterday started with a tiny little voice calling to me from the other room.

"Moooommmyyy!  May I get up please?"

If I'm not awake yet, then Walkie Talkie comes to climb in bed with me & snuggles for a bit.

Our rank morning breaths mingling between our kisses & hugs.

Hanging in the air.  Threatening to kill one or both of us.

Somehow we make it through.

Lately, Walk has started a new routine where he get his "business" taken care of before he comes to climb in bed with me........... takes off his diaper, puts his underwear on, goes to the bathroom, lets the kitties out, & turns on all the lights in the house........ then he comes back in bed with me.

However, this morning he came to my bed side & told me that his diaper had leaked.

GREAT!

FABULOUS!

Doing laundry became priority.

Before snuggles & cuddles & kisses.

Ugh!  Not exactly how I wanted to start our morning............. or............. any morning ever!

Thankful that we invested in that plastic mattress cover thingy.

Chalk that up to one of our best investments.

Now fast forward to the end of the day..............

I have a headache.

The kind where every smell is intensified.

Every noise is piercing.

And every turn of the head makes you feel like your on the tilt-a-whirl.

I lay in bed waiting for it to run its course................ when I hear, "Mooooommmyyyy, come please."

I do my best to resolve the situation from my position in bed, but Little Man's persistance beckons me to actually get out of bed & personally tend to this unknown issue.

I trudge down the hall {bad attitude in tow} to the bathroom to see what is the matter.

Let's just say that my day ended "poop"-ily.........and with more laundry to do.

In spite of the grand start & finish to the day, there were so many little gifts in the mundane moments in between.

Belly laughs.

 

A little voice reciting Bible verses.

 

Kisses wet with slobber.

 

Nap time solitude.

 

The huffs & puffs & hits & grunts & laughs of Daddy/Son wrestle time.

 

So many gifts in just one day.

Sweet & precious.

Gentle & rowdy.

Kissable & squeezable.

There is joy even for these moments.

Especially for these moments.

The Firsts I Can Claim as Mine!

It is a year of firsts around here.

I have missed so many of his other firsts.

First breath.

First smile.

First tooth.

First laugh.

First cry.

First steps.

But, thank goodness, there is still a reservoir of Firsts to be tapped.

Firsts which I am blessed & honored to call mine.

Those "firsts".  Well, I crave them, need them, look for them, revel in them, photograph them, celebrate them, & carve them ever so deeply into the walls of my heart. 

Every first revives my soul, renews my hope, restores my joy.............. and ultimately points me to my Redeemer.  The One who makes all sad things come untrue.  And that alone is worth rejoicing over!

So even something as simple as a First Gingerbread House is a BIG DEAL in this house.

For me.

And for him.

We call this style Martha Stewart Tacky.

There are elements of true design & intent here, but the execution & materials used were pretty much a flop.

We won't be winning any contests any time soon.............but who cares!  :)

 

Update on Walker.

November was the month we decided to see exactly how much money we could spend.

And........... how quickly we could spend it.

It was a race we didn't remember signing up for.

Our wallets were stretched.............. much like I imagine a pregnant woman's belly stretching & aching as new, little life grows inside of her.

Our "budget" was laughed at & ridiculed in the town square.

Our fears were brought to the surface........ as we scurried around trying to find answers to what was going on with our brand new, bouncing baby boy.

Our faith was tested as we waited, went to doctor's appointments, waited, had tests run, waited, called for results {like a rabid Mommy looking for answers}, and waited some more. 

In the midst of all the crazy & waiting & our own "googled" diagnoses, Peace found us.  It quietly stormed in & took us hostage.  Of course, not every moment of every day, because at times, we wrestled for that Peace.  But the Lord graciously gave us Peace in the midst of the fear & unknown. 

We were living out what we believed............ that our sweet son is a gift from the Lord.  Walker has been entrusted to us for the time we have together on earth, & there are no guarantees.  None!  No guarantee that he'll be healthy or live a long life.  BUT there is joy & happiness & peace & love & family.  And there is a faithful, kind God who walks with us through all of the yucky & the fabulous & the mediocre in between.

There is much for which to be thankful.  There ALWAYS is! 

Isn't a thankful heart the key to living life fully alive?

So, despite the thousands of dollars in medical bills, we are THANKFUL!

Thankful for our Walker.

Thankful that we've been released from the neurologist with a simple diagnosis of tics.

Thankful that our baby boy will have his first real Christmas......... one that will be full of joy & hope, family & Jesus.

Our wallet will recover, & my Starbucks withdrawals will eventually be unnoticeable to the naked eye.

Our adoption of baby #2 has been pushed back, which makes me incredibly sad.......... but I trust in the Lord's goodness through even this little {but feels huge to me} setback.  Our journey to Walker was l-o-n-g, but he was absolutely the best possible match for us.  Totally & absolutely worth the wait.......... just like baby #2 will be.

And our family is secure & hopeful & joyful in the gifts of today!

 

A Week of Thankfulness - Tuesday & Wednesday

I've heard it said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Well, I wouldn't exactly go that far, BUT I had good intentions of blogging yesterday.  However, my blogging plans got shoved to the side when I decided to go do some wedding planning/shopping with my baby sister.

So, here is the Thankful Installment for Tuesday & Wednesday!

4.  I am thakful for my sisters!  All 4 of them! We had a lot of fun growing up together, but I think we are having even more fun being adults together!  Love those girls!  ♥

5.  My Mommy!  She is also my friend & my biggest encourager.  She loves the Lord & encourages & challenges me to be in the Word.  Love her so much!

6.  My Daddy!  He provided such a wonderful, secure, loving environment for us growing up.  He is such a good Daddy, & an ever better Granddaddy to my baby boy!  ♥

7.  First Family Photos!  Some families are formed easily & without heartache.  Ours was not!  But with much pain & heartache, came joy & love & hope!

8.  Friends!!!  I am thankful for friends who have shown their love & care & support throughout our adoption & Walker's recent medical scare.  It is times like those ............ the "thick" ......... where I am reminded in a fresh way of the dearest friends with whom the Lord has graciously blessed me.  These friends are few in number, but are worth their weight in gold!  ♥

9.  Thankful that my baby boy's cousins are Ugandan!  What a wonderful bond they have!  I love that the Lord was working & forming our family so perfectly long before Walker was home with us. 

A Week of Thankfulness - Monday

It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving week is upon us.

I just love this time of year.

All the smells, the sights, sounds, & tastes.

The gathering of family & friends.

Fires & fuzzy socks.

Scarves & sweaters.

Pumpkin pie & peanut butter balls.

And although I try to be thankful all year long, I am rarely as thankful as I ought to be.

I want to set aside a few days this week to list a few of those things for which I'm thankful.

I encourage you to do the same!  Just leave your list in a comment below!  ♥

TODAY I AM THANKFUL............... for so many things........... but here are just three!

1.  Because we are now a family of 3!!!!  I waited & prayed and waited & prayed a long time for the Lord to fulfill this hope.  And now that He has, I am so very, very thankful to finally be a Mommy!

2.  That people loved on & knew my little boy before he was ever in my arms!  As most of you know, we became a family of 3 this summer.  Walker is 5, & had a life & experiences before we became a family.  While much of his story is sad & heart-breaking, the Lord was so kind to place missionaries & missionary teams who would visit & help out his orphanage --- bringing joy & happiness to the children.  A few of these people loved on our boy, & we are now blessed with MANY pictures of him in his younger years.

3.  For my husband.  He has taught me so much in our years of marriage.  He loves the Lord.  He loves me.  He adores our son.  He is kind.  He is gentle.  He is faithful.  He is compassionate.  There is no one I'd rather kiss for the rest of my life than him!

Friday Foto Op

A few weeks ago, we took a field trip to the Fernbank Science Center.

We went with friends, & had such a wonderful day.

We took advantage of the beautiful weather, & let the kids have a picnic and play at the park.

It was fall perfection at its finest.

Here are a few photos of my youngin' that I snapped on that day.

A Semi-Update Update.

We've been taking it S-L-O-W this week.

This waiting game has been so hard on my heart, & I've been doing good just to get dinner on the table & the laundry done.

Even though I don't really think anything is wrong with Walker, there is still that little aggravating thought in the back of my head that sometimes pops up & says, "Well, Beffie, you're not a doctor.  What if......."

I got a call this week from Walker's pediatrician with the MRI results.  They found something, but there is no way to tell if this is what is causing Walker's tics........ or even be able to confirm that we are actually dealing with tics.  The ped told us that what they found was "minor" and more than likely a past injury of sorts from a concussion or severe malnutrition.......... BOTH of which are highly likely.  The severe malnutrition is a definite thing, & the concussion thing is very probable considering a non-baby-proofed orphanage.  She told us to be sure to follow-up with our neurologist; which we are already doing.  The panic-ky Mother in me asked if the findings were something we needed to pay immediate attention to, & she assured me that we were fine to keep on the schedule we are on with the neurologist.  That made me feel both better & a little worse............ we still know nothing.

However, Walkie continues to be himself, which is very reassuring to me.  He continues to have full conversations with me, be very engaged, play well, eat well, learning new letters, remembering well. 

His tics have seemed to lessen some this week.  And we've think we've noticed that when he gets really excited they seem to start up more frequently.  The neurologist told us that most anything can be a trigger for an "episode" of tics --- being excited, nervous, anxious, worried, bored, concentrating, playing, etc.

I am just ready for all of this to be OVER & us have good results.  I'm growing weary.

My husband said we were in a race to spend as much money as we could this month on medical bills, & it SURE does feel that way.

This was the year we decided to go with a high deductible in order to help save money for Walker's adoption.

Ha, ha, ha!  The joke's on us.

However, God is kind & loving.  He has provided for every single step of the way on our journey TO Walker, & I know He continues to be with us through all of this.

Despite all the unknown, the waiting, & the worry, I've had some really sweet, precious times in Bible study & prayer, & that alone has been so comforting & sustaining to me during this time.  God alone is sufficient for all our needs!