Filed under: Uncategorized
Oops. This is just a backup from a once virus infected site. So now you can find me here: www.myebenezer.net !
Filed under: Day after day
Lessons learned this weekend:
- little matchbox cars do not really flush down the toilet – they go part of the way and then back everything else up
- it is not MORE fun to try to unclog a toilet that has poop in it
- Once a princess starts potty training, she will continuosly take off her pull up in bed after she pees in it
- paint should not be moved from one room to another without securing the lid
- not even if it is just a quart of paint
- especially if it is RED paint
- being carried over beige carpet
- and you have a toddler underfoot
- a little red paint goes a looooooong way on beige carpet
- red paint spilled just right can look like someone was murdered in your son’s nursery
- nothing, i repeat NOTHING gets red paint out of beige carpet
- no matter how hard you try, even if you get most of it out, red paint still looks really bad on beige carpet and will have to be replaced or covered, so why bother with all the work trying to get it out?
- when a pacifier “pappy” becomes a casuality of spilled red paint, owner of the pappy will throw a fit like you have never seen before
- said toddler will remind you and ask you why you spilled red paint on the deceased pappy
- everything you use to try and clean red paint will just end up red
- if you move everything onto the capet in the den to clean the most embarassing parts of your floor, an old neighbor and her three grandkids will stop by unannounced to catch you in the act while your kids run amuck in the excitement
- red paint does not come out of beige carpet
- do not attempt to relocate red paint until it is properly secured
- even the most beautifully decorated nursery looks like crap with red paint on top of beige carpet
- if you do not put a diaper on baby Isaac and put him back in daddy’s lap to finish eating (instead of going straight to bath which is why no diaper in the first place), he will pee on daddy and daddy will not think it is nearly as funny as you think it is
- no matter how funny it really is
- red paint
- beige carpet
- bad combination
Filed under: parenting
So not too much is going on with us lately. We have only been caring for an infant, redecorating two rooms, transitioning toddler to “big girl” room…..since we haven’t had much going on, we thought we’d throw in a little potty training, too.
Actually, Princedd has decided it is time. She peed on the potty four times yesterday and told me this morning she needed to go. It has totally been hee thing, I just put the potty in front of the tv and she decided to run around naked and pee.
FABULOUS!
Filed under: Isaac
Why am I awake at 1am? I just fed Isaac and did the dishes – we have to run the washer every night now so we don’t run out of bottles! But I should be asleep. Or at least going to sleep. It’s hard to ignore the quiet, even when I know I will pay for it tomorrow. Things are still going well, though we are counting the days until we can start trying to “sleep train” little Isaac. It worked perfectly with Princess and she was sleeping through the night at 6 weeks but I’m afraid it may not go as smoothly this time. Guess we’ll see. 
I have to say that while I still think he is the most adorable baby, I definitely do not think its cute when Isaac poops when I’m changing his diaper. It’s like I crank it out of him every time I pull his legs back to put a new diaper underneath him. Today: 3 diapers! FIVE minutes! What is that about?
We still haven’t decided on a middle name for Isaac and Speedy and Princess still call him “baby Isaac”. So maybe his first name will just be baby. That’s mean, isn’t it?
I have absolutely nothing worthwhile to say tonight.
Filed under: Photos
The room isn’t finished… I still need to “accessorize” it. But the biggest part is done. I’ll add pink and purple polka dots on the walls later.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Well, I decided Princess’ room had to be repainted. I picked a softer, almost minty green and I LOVE IT! Aunt Kelly came over to help paint (thanks, again) and it’s all done. She even convinced me that the blue in Isaac’s room looks good. Now I just have to fix all the edges I screwed up the first time and I’ll be all set.
we also purchased a big girl bed and dresser for the Princess and I can’t wait until Daddyo builds it.
He is not so thrilled with that idea.
Filed under: Uncategorized
Painted Princess’ new room. HATE it.
Painted Isaac’s room. HATE it.
Too worn out to repaint anything.
Disappointed.
A little ticked off.
Hoping to wake up loving it in the morning.
Not too optimistic.
Filed under: Uncategorized
We stopped in some podunk town for a late lunch at a little hole in the wall steak place. Just before we were leaving, daddyo walked up to the front but wouldn’t tell me what he did. When the waiter brought us the check, I figured it out.
There was a table of three not far from us and one was a US Soldier. Daddyo paid for their lunch.
How sweet is my husband?
He might not appreciate me sharing this story…..ESPECIALLY since he actually reads the blog from time to time……
I keep telling him he needs to post but he refuses. what do you think?
Visit made me sad.
No one showed up to see my little Isaac.
His bparents have not seen him since he was 6 days old.
Well, we’re just about to NB. The visit is scheduled for noon and it is anyone’s guess as to whether or not the bparents will show. I believe they will be there today. I’m also confident in the caseworker to closely monitor the visit – making sure everyone is of sound mind before handling baby Isaac. Wait. Scratch that. Can’t call him Isaac at the visit.
Big kids are home with Granny and Isaac is sleeping “like a baby” in the truck. He really likes the car, which is a good thing. I’m a little nervous but also anxious to see how everyone is doing. I think I have a fear that CPS will not let us take Isaac home for one reason or another. It’s silly. But until the papers say he’s mine it is a concern. As soon as that thought enters my mind, the verse from Corinthians joins it, “perfect love casts out all fear”. I know God is in control and I have faith that He will see us through. Most importantly, I have faith He will see baby Isaac through it all.
Today marks two weeks since we met Isaac. It seems he’s been with us a lot longer than that. Speedy and Princess are really doing great with him and seem to be as happy as ever. Though I must say with her new haircut, Princess looks a lot more like a “big sister”.
Everything about Princess these days is all about independence. The poor kid even changes her own diaper now. Sad, isn’t it? One morning I was feeding Isaac and we were running a little behind schedule – Princess needed to be changed and dressed so I told her to go get me a diaper. She took the wet one off and threw it in the trashcan and brought a pull up into the den. She had some trouble seeing what she was doing so Speedy helped her take off her nightgown. Then she put her fatt, naked butt on the floor and proceeded to put on her own diaper. Nice, huh? Ever since then, if you mention a diaper change she screams, “DO IT ISELF!” It’s actually quite funny. I know. I know. I really do need to potty train her. Especially since she keeps wanting to change her pull up right after she potties in it. We’ll get there, but one step at a time.
This weekend, we are going to finish the kids’ rooms. Princess is moving into a “big girl” room and we’re painting it a soft green. I’m going to order some large polka dot wall stickers in pinks, purples and blues to put all over her walls. Someday I might paint them but for now, stickers will have to do. She’s very excited about her big girl bed and her new blanket….she even told me she was getting a new pillow. (she doesn’t have one at all now) I’m going to put a baby bed up in the room and let her sleep there until she can climb out. Or, we may try letting her sleep in the twin bed, if she wants to, and then just putting her in the crib when/if (really, WHEN) she gets out during the middle of the night.
We’ll see how it goes.
Isaac’s room will be the nursery and we’ll paint over the pink stipes with blue ones.
Has it really been three days since the last post? I guess the excitement has worn off and the exhaustion has set in. It’s a good kind of exhaustion, though. Isaac is growing way too fast and I just want to cuddle him on my chest and savor every minute. Speedy and Princess are still loving their baby brother but have lost interest, for the most part, in feeding, etc….
Princess has displayed only a small amount of jealousy. Granny was over the other day and I was holding Isaac. Granny walked over to my chair and was going to take him from me when Princess ran in between us, grabbed on to her legs and said, “MY GRANNY!” ha ha ha Needless to say, Granny did not hold baby Isaac at that point.
Speedy continues to entertain us with his latest interest in dressing up. I got some cute pictures of him in some of Princess’ dresses, spinning, trying to make them fly up. We went to Sears this afternoon and I guess I’m just going to have to post the picture for you. It was too funny. We got quite a few looks. I know there are lots of mothers out there who wouldn’t dream of letting their kids leave the house looking the way Speedy sometimes looks, but I think it’s great! I admit it may be more difficult for me to allow that when it comes to Princess. But I’m going to try.
I talked to the caseworker today and she explained the process to me a bit more. The test that bparents will have to take the morning of each visit will likely not be finished, or shall we say “graded”, before the actual visit. So, this week at least, they will get their visit and it will be closely monitored. If their tests come back with unfavorable results, they will not get the next visit. In addition to this, they will also have regular (but random) tests. Daddy is taking off of work on Thursday to travel with me to the visit – it is about 3 hours away from our house so it is quite the trek. But Isaac is definitely worth it.
One thing I have not yet done is get pictures made with all the kids. I’m trying to wait for a time when daddyo can be there, too, so we can go ahead and get a whole family picture but I don’t know how long that may take. Between middle of the night feedings and Speedy and Princess occasionally waking up, it’s just too tuff to plan. The sleep deprivation is catching up with me – I think I forgot what a toll it can take on your body. We’ve been running the roads and haven’t slowed down at all and I’m thinking now may be a good time to slow down a bit. Besides, I have to get some work done and catch up on a few things aound here!
I still love being a mom of three and I still don’t think it is harder than having Speedy and Princess at the same time. I feel good. I love being a mom and other than buckling and unbuckling everyone, it isn’t all that hard to go places, either.
I’ll try to update more. Be praying about the visit, please. And now here’s Pirate Speedy, dressed and ready to go to Sears.
Filed under: whatever
I’m cleaning out the old office and as some of you already know, I have an addiction to purses. It’s time for me to give up most of the collection so I’m giving one away here that I’ve never even used. It still has plastic on the handles. The purse has on zipper pouch on the inside and comes with a medium sized coin purse. So, if you want it, just leave a comment and I’ll put your name in a hat. I’ll draw a name eventually and then mail it to you when I get to the post office. (along with your book, Judy.) 
Oh, and I should mention that although it looks like Coach and smells like Coach, it is definitely not Coach. It is a good knockoff, though, from Chinatown in NYC.
Filed under: Speedy
here are some funny pictures of Speedy getting himself ready for special occasions:
Getting dressed for bed:
The underwear is to “help him breathe and keep the stink out”.. not sure how that works, especially since I don’t know if those were clean or dirty! Eeeew!
He really wanted to wear his Batman Cape to Music Camp that day. He picked out his clothes and tried so hard to be sneaky:
Getting ready to out and mow the grass with daddy. did it all himself:
Getting ready to go out and use the blower with daddy:
When I saw the birthparents after court the other day, I gave them some photos of Speedy and Princess meeting Isaac for the first time. I also gave them some photos of just Speedy and Princess. They were excited to see them but never said thank you or even asked how any of them were doing. Several people have commented that they were surprised I would give them photos.
Why not?
Although I sometimes find myself getting angry and wanting to be mean when i think of the things I know they put my children through, I have to constantly remind myself that it is not my job to punish them. Just as Christ forgave me, it is my job to forgive them. And to love them. And despite the choices they have made, I know they are hurting deeply. I can’t imagine the emptiness their lifestyle fills them with or the ache that is left over after a high. My heart goes out to them.
It’s easy to believe that we are better than that and nothing like that could ever happen to us. We would never make those choices. But how do any of us really know how close we may have come? We may have been one friend away from a life of bad choices. We may have been one drink away from an addiction that would consume us. There is no way we can be sure how close we may have come.
It is not my place to stand in judgement of the birthparents or of anyone else. In fact, I am grateful to them. It’s a twisted kind of emotion that causes me to be grateful for the terrible choices they have made that brought my children home to me.
I’m not always good at living out God’s mercy and grace – most of the time I’d say I fail miserably. But I have prayed from the beginning that God would soften my heart toward them and I believe it has made all the difference. I need to pray that same prayer about a few more people in my life. (go on, I know you want to shout ‘Amen’) ha ha ha
Love is a funny thing. The people who are most difficult to love are usually the ones who need it the most.
As I am catching up on blogs, I came across a post referencing this song.
It couldn’t be more perfect for the way I feel about my little Isaac. Part of the lyrics below.
Savage Garden: I knew I loved you
Maybe it’s intuition
But some things you just don’t question……I know that it might sound more than a little crazy
But I believeI knew I loved you before I met you
I think I dreamed you into life
I knew I loved you before I met you
I have been waiting all my lifeThere’s just no rhyme or reason
Only this sense of completion
And in your eyes
I see the missing pieces
I’m searching for
I think I’ve found my way homeI know that it might sound more than a little crazy
But I believeI knew I loved you before I met you
I think I dreamed you into life
I knew I loved you before I met you
I have been waiting all my lifeA thousand angels dance around you
I am complete now that I’ve found youI knew I loved you before I met you
I think I dreamed you into life
I knew I loved you before I met you
I have been waiting all my life
One week ago tonight, almost to the exact time, we met Isaac. We sat in the lobby of the hotel room with butterflies in our tummies watching the door for a caseworker and a baby. People came in and my heart would drop, but it wasn’t Isaac.
Then, just a glimpse through the door of a young lady carrying a little tiny baby beneath a blanket and walking towards the door. He’s here, I told Daddyo. I was nervous and excited and my eyes were glued to the door. As the case worker walked in we stood and introduced ourselves and I took baby Isaac in my arms.
And all was right in my world.
Filed under: Isaac
is not caring that you waited until I had you all snuggled in the papouse thing to vomit all over me.
Filed under: Adoption Process
So court was good today. Can’t give too many details, but here’s what I can tell you:
Birthparents will be offered services. It was explained to me that this will only strengthen the state’s case against them when it comes to the trial for termination. I am happy with this.
Visits are scheduled every other week for two hours. BUT, birthparents must take a drug test the morning of the visit and will only be allowed to visit baby Isaac if the results are negative. They will also be subjected to random drug testing. The Judge was very clear to point out that if they do not appear within four hours of the request for a drug screen, it is considered negative. Also, if there is anything that looks like they tried to “cleanse” their system, it will also be considered negative.
It is my guess that visits will not actually occur – at least not very often.
I kept my mouth shut in court but I wanted to speak up several times and yell BULLSH$T! Because they answered a question with something I knew was a lie. It made me so sad for them.
I am very happy with the case worker who is taking the case from investigation and know that she will be thorough.
Yay, God.
Filed under: Adoption Process
Court was uneventful. Birthparents were there. more to come.
Filed under: Uncategorized
We are on our way to court. Fun times.
Filed under: Uncategorized
You are so adorable and so much fun to care for. You are even cute at 1:00am when you decide it’s a good time to play. While I am grateful you aren’t crying, 1:00am is sleep time, not play time.
Filed under: Preparing for kids
I went on craigslist to see if I could find some baby boy bedding for the new nursery. Imagine my surprise when the first add I looked at was for the boy bedding mentioned in this post. How could I not look into it?
By the way, I need some painters. I need to finish clearing out the old office (something I’ll have to do on my own), but then I need someone to help me paint and stuff. Any takers?
I’m sitting here with Isaac all cuddle on my chest with one of these wrap things. I just love it and so does he. It really snuggles him in close and right now, his favorite place to be is on mommy’s chest. (he’d probably really be happy on anyone’s chest, but i prefer to think it is just me!)
So when we came home on Friday, Speedy and Princess were very excited to meet Isaac. I put him on the floor and they crowded around him and loved on him. Princess layed her head on his little chest and said, “I uv you, Isaac.” She says that a lot these days. Speedy’s whole face lit up an he wanted to hold him and love on him, too. They both adore baby Isaac right now and are eager to feed him and take good care of him.
This morning, I was getting princess dressed and noticed Isaac was spitting up. Speedy got the burp cloth and went to wipe his face and then gave him his pappy. He stood by to wait for him to spit up again and repeated the process. It was quite sweet. When Princess was all dressed, she had to have her turn with the burp cloth, too, and even held his bottle for about half of a feeding this afternoon.
All is well in the Ebenezer household. We are getting along just fine and the big kids are adjusting. Mommy gets a little tired in the afternoon but still manages to have patience when the big kids need attention. We couldn’t be any happier.
tomorrow morning, while Speedy is at Music Camp, Princess has a little playdate with a good friend of ours. The girls will play and the mommies will visit. Life is good. Life is very, very good.
Filed under: God's Love for us
We often see people on the side of the road, beggin for money and holding a cardboard sign that tells their story in just one phrase. If you were asked to stand on the side of the road and display your cardboard testimony, what would it say?
Watch a very moving clip of a church that did just that. It’s long, but worth the time it will take you to watch.
Filed under: Adoption Process
Well, we’re just trucking along over here. Got the kids up this morning, fed and dressed and left the house by 8:30am – actually earlier than we needed to. Had to drop Princess off with Granny, take Speedy to Music Camp and Isaac to the doctor. We’re all back at home now adn will probably spend the afternoon here. Dishes are done. Laundry is done. I’m on top of my game.
I don’t know how long this organization stuff will last but it sure is nice for now.
Please be praying about Wednesday. We have our first hearing in the morning and it is important that birth mom and birth dad be there so they can get served. They need to be there and they need to test positive. I know that is harsh, but I know they are still using and it is in Isaac’s best interest to get this process expedited. Also, I do not want them to have visits with Isaac and if they test positive on Wednesday they probably won’t have visits.
Before I get flamed for wishing bad things on people, understand that I have been down this road before. And understand that if birthmom can’t clean up her act while she is pregnant, she is not going to clean up her act now. Not without professional intervention which she has not had. So the sooner we get this done, the better. I had to watch them take Princess into their arms, knowing they were not sober the last time around. I hope I don’t have to do that again.
But we will do whatever it takes. And I know God will take care of all the details.
We brought Isaac to church this morning and then we all went out for lunch afterwards. It was uneventful for the most part. I enjoyed showing him off to friends and also enjoyed just being out as a family of five.
Speedy and Princess continue to adore baby Isaac and love to hold him, feed him and pet him. Yes, I did say “pet” him. They like to rub his head. Go figure. In fact, this morning SPeedy said, “mommy, he’s like a little puppy.” LOL I’m sure Isaac appreciates being called a little puppy. Here’s hoping Speedy doesn’t decide to play veterinarian.
Speedy has music camp every morning this week and Princess goes on Thursday and Friday. SO it looks like we’ll just hit the ground running this week. ha ha ha
So much more to say but I have to sleep when i can these days.
Thank you, Jesus.
Lots of stuff to write about and catch up on but no time. I can’t seem to put this sweet boy down for very long and when he is down I am spending time with Speedy and Princess.
In the meantime, as much as she loves her little brother, I think Princess has started to see the bigger picture. Last night, she took her diaper off and peed in her bed. I think it was a show of protest.
