On the right, we have a chalkboard wall. On the left, we have a wall that hold magnets – it has flakes of iron in it. I’ll put a molding around each on that is painted blue and the magnetic wall will be painted over with green.
And here is another view, showing the chalkboard next to the orange. Below it is another view of the doorway, I haven’t finished the curlie q’s yet, most of them still need another coat of paint!
So now I need to hear from you. What about the window? I’ve got wooden white blinds that will be put back but I need some kind of curtain or valance or something. What do you think? Any suggestions? Click on comments at the very end of this post to leave your advice. If you need instructions, Karen G., you can click HERE for directions! THanks!
One of my favorite blogs, windscraps, has a picture with every post that somehow ties in or represents the story. In an impulsive attempt to make my blog more interesting, I snapped these photos today in my front yard.
I went to check the mail and as I was walking back towards my house, I noticed this carefree squirrel sprawled out on the tree, looking so relaxed I wondered if he might be sick. Ofcourse, I wondered about that as I ran inside to get my camera, hoping he would still be there when I returned. Only for a second did i think, “oh, poor little guy.” My thoughts were purely selfish, I had to capture his image.
Now if I were some sort of amateur or professional photographer, this impromptu photo wouldn’t be anything out of the ordinary. But I’m not a photographer … and my first thought when I saw the squirrel was “awww…that would make a great picture for my blog.” A great picture for my blog….yes, that was my first thought.
What, do I have no life? Am I reduced to entertaining myself by chasing squirrels and taking photos for the sole purpose of blogging? Sad, but true. I’m a blogaholic. Before you laugh, you might want to consider that you are probably co-dependant. Afterall, if I didn’t have a devoted audience (all 3 of you) then I could probably resist the urge.
Here’s another sad thought, today, I am blogging about blogging. I’m sick, very, very sick.
Anyway, in another desperate attempt to entertain you, I want to shamelessly copy Danny Sims and play “Suggest a Caption” as he did with this picture of me at my last family reunion, using a interesting Koozie! Who is that next to me anyway, is that Pat? Linda? Maxine? hee hee hee
Okay, so here is the much anticipated squirrel. Leave a comment and suggest a caption.
I’ve told you already how precious my husband is. One of the many things I love about him is that I know he is going to be an amazing dad. When we talk about how close we are to bringing our child(ren) home, you should see the twinkle he gets in his eyes. His face lights up a little bit and I know he’s very excited.
He has worked so hard to refinish the bed that will go in the nursery. It was the bed he slept in as a child and it means a great deal to him to have his own son or daughter use it. We’ve put the bedspread on it that I had on my bed when I was little (Holly Hobby) and we were going to use is just until we got one that matches better, but I think we’ll leave it just the way it is. There is something very endearing about having our children use things we had when we were small.
I want to pass these things on to my children. I want to have lots of traditions that our kids will always remember. More importantly than the traditions and “things” of life, I want to teach our children to honor God and to trust Him in all things. That is what I treasure most from my mom – she gave me a foundation of faith to build my life on.
Daddy-O has such a deep love for family and tradition, I know he will be great at passing these things along. He will also be a wonderful example to our children of a Godly man. He’ll be there for the soccer games and recitals and anything else that comes along. I know he won’t let life get in the way of living. He’ll be there for the important things and for the day to day things.
I think I’ve totally screwed up what I’m trying to say here. Daddy-O is going to be a great dad. That’s really all I wanted to say! 
Here are the latest pictures of the playroom. I’m getting VERY frusturated because the orange paint is not covering the blue paint and we’re going to have to do several more coats around the doorways. Killing me!
And here is the latest of the nursery:
The other day I posted about some of the differences between being pregnant and waiting to adopt. Today, I was talking to my friend, who shall remain nameless, who gave birth to a beautiful baby boy four months ago and she listed yet another benefit of not giving birth.
It seems she has lost some of the control of her bladder. Well, technically, it isn’t her bladder but something I can’t spell that she’s lost control of. It seems that if her bladder is at all full and she sneezes, she also pees. Not just a drop or two, either…enough so that it runs down her leg. I’ve decided to call this “Peezing” – it’s what you do when you sneeze and pee at the same time…more accurately when you sneeze and it makes you go pee. I’ve submitted “Peezing” to Webster and hope it will be added to the next edition of the dictionary.
If ever there was a benefit of not giving birth, this must be it. No peezing for me, thank you very much.
First, this is what it is supposed to look like – it was not an accident! ha! It still needs a few coats but at least you have a better idea of what we’re doing now.
Filed under: Anticipation
I feel like we are pregnant in so many ways. I mean, we are pregnant. We are expecting, just not in the same sense as a couple who is having a biological child. I can’t imagine what it must be like to be worrying about labor and delivery on top of all the other things expecting parents are dealing with.
This morning, one of my favorite friends came into church and sat her 8 1/2 month pregnant self down next to me. I was thrilled to see her and it’s so much fun to see her belly button sticking out. (for the record, this was seen poking through her shirt, she was not wearing a navel revealing shirt to church….or anywhere else for that matter.)
Anyway, it’s always so much fun to see her and talk with her because she is also expecting a child. We talk about how exciting it is yet how scary it is at the same time. She’s thinking about the actual delivery as well as wondering how she’ll figure out what to do with a newborn baby at home. I wonder what we’ll do with our kids and if we’ll be able to figure it all out, but at least I don’t have to worry about the possibility of a doctor cutting my stomach….OR WORSE….to get a baby out of me.
It’s funny, we tried for years to get pregnant and now I see so many benefits of not being pregnant. Don’t get me wrong, I still grieve for the lost experience but I’ve realized something lately. Though I do think it would be wonderful to see what a combination of Daddy-O and I would look like, to see our genes all meshed together in a child, I really don’t grieve that loss.
When I find myself getting the baby blues, it’s because I won’t get to experience a child moving inside me. (though that does freak me out and I can’t say I’m terribly disapointed about missing it) Let’s face it, if you know me at all you know I am an attention junkie so I also miss getting all the baby attention. You know what I mean, you see a pregnant lady and if you make any small talk your first question is about her due date. Someone asked my friend this morning when she was due and then gave her that tilted-head-smile because her date is just a couple of weeks away. I wanted to say, I’m Due Too! Any day now, actually…..just waiting for that phone to ring! hee hee hee
It’s not that I’m resentful or bitter, it’s just that I am so overwhelmed with joy and excitement about our “pregnancy” that I want to tell everyone about it. I want to talk about it more often, though Daddy-O would tell you this isn’t possible! I rarely think about misisng out on having a biological child with my husband….it’s the little things I miss. I guess I really don’t even think of our child as being any different. Afterall, Daddy-O and I are not genetically linked (at least not that I know of) and I love him with all my heart and he is my family.
I just can’t help but post pictures along the way. It’s so much fun to see the bright colors in our playroom, i can’t wait until it is finished. We’re going to try to finish the playroom today, but I don’t know if we’ll be able to or not. Anyway, here’s the latest.
So here’s the next step – we added a very bright orange (it probably looks red in the picture) to the other walls. Again, it’s just the first coat and we haven’t framed in the corners or anything, we just couldn’t wait to see what it would look like. It’s bright.
It won’t be for everyone, but I know the kids will LOVE it! In fact, my neighbor from across the street came over to look at it with her 4 year old and the first thing he said when he walked in was, “Your room looks pretty, Cindy.” He said a few times, “I like the green walls!”
We’ve been working pretty much all day on this room and also on finishing the nursery. We had to wait until the sun went down to do more staining and that project is coming to a nice close. We should be able to complete tomorrow night, if we have the energy to work on it!
Well, Christy told us not to paint the ceiling – we painted it anyway. I’d like to say that we had a stroke of creative genius and thought a NEON GREEN ceiling would look good, but I’d be giving us way too much credit. See, it all started with the nursery. Christy gave me this wonderful idea and helped me start it, then she left me to take “ownership” of the project and do all of the stripes.
The problem is, I failed to recognize that the success of the nursery really had very little to do with me, i mean a monkey can be trained to paint. It was the idea and the color selection that made it really work. Because I finished so much of it, i think i got a little cocky. I think Daddy-O caught that disease and we decided to strike out on our own a little with the playroom. Christy and I had decided on painting the walls orange and blue but Daddy-O and I decided the blue was too dark so we went with a lighter blue and decided to use it as an accent color instead of a base color. We went with NEON GREEN for the base color of 2 of the walls.
Anyway, i’m rambling. THe point of the story is that we hope this all turns out okay in the end. Christy gave me the idea for where things should go and how to use the paint on the different walls. I just wanted to let her off the hook here in case this turns out bad – Christy is GREAT at decorating and I wouldn’t want to tarnish her reputation.
Here are the first pictures – we’ve only done one coat of the green and we’ll do a second coat later. If you think it looks bright in the picture……you ought to see it on our walls.
We’ve made decisions on the play room, Daddy-O has even penciled in the cabinets and cubby holes on one wall. We’re ready to start painting. Here are the before pictures….next time you check in, you might want your sunglasses. It’s going to be bright!
Filed under: Day after day
Posted by Karen: Oh, yeah–you should go to IKEA. They have kids’ rooms set up and you can get some good ideas and things like boards, rugs, toy chests, etc. for cheap. Their things are mostly in primary colors, so if nothing else, you could get some ideas.
So, we actually did go to Ikea yesterday and that is where I confirmed that I have ADD. We walk in to the showroom and my head immediately starts hurting because my eyes cannot focus anywhere. I just keep looking around from one thing to the next. I can’t even look at something I’m otherwise interested in because something across the room catches my eye. As I make my way across the room, something else catches my eye and I move in a different direction – this happens several times until I realize I’m turning in circles.
Ikea is evil – once you’re in, it’s pretty hard to get out. We never did find the real exit but I was getting a little panicky so we used an “employees only” exit. Walking outside was like freedom. You may think I’m exaggerating here, but I’m telling you seriously thought at one point that I might have a panic attack or something. It was just too overwhelming. It was like trying to watch 10 tv shows at once while someone was steadily changing between all of the channels.
As we were nearing the illegal exit i saw a huge bin of ice trays – these were no ordinary ice trays, they were in all different shapes and sizes. For example, you could make ‘X’ shaped ice or even heart-shaped ice. This is why Ikea is evil. I almost bought heart shaped ice cube makers. Why would I ever in a million years need heart shaped ice? What made me possibly think I should buy it? It’s Ikea, I’m telling you, they are EVIL. They get you so confused when you walk in that you can’t think straight – and heart shaped ice cubes seem like the cure for what ails you.
I know what you’re thinking now. If Ikea was too much for me, How the Heck am I going to handle children?
P.S. We did realize that Ikea has a wonderful playroom for kids to stay in while parents shop. I guess when we run out of babysitters or can’t afford to pay one, we’ll go back to Ikea. (yes, mom, I am kidding. I would not leave my children with strangers in a playroom)
Filed under: Preparing for kids
….but it won’t be for long. It’s just so stinkin’ amazing how God can take something so empty and fill it so completely.
My friend Christy, the decorator, was here yesterday and we started making plans for the playroom. She gave me some great ideas, one of which is to have Daddy-O build some cubbies against one of the walls. I think we’re also going to do part of a wall as a chalkboard and part as a corkboard. It should be really cute when it’s finished. The colors are going to be very bright – Orange and Blue with green and yellow accents! I want it to be a very fun room!
Those of you who already have kids – any suggestions for playrooms? Anything you wish yours had or didn’t have?
Today, I am overwhelmed with the “what do we do when we get home with them” thought. I mean, I’ve thought about going to pick up our kids – I’ve considered that it will be awkward at first and that the kids may even be afraid and very shy at first. I’ve thought about all that but I have just today begun to think about what comes next.
I mean, what do we do when we get home? I guess we should show them their rooms, depending on their age. Maybe the dogs will be a good diversion? What the heck do we do with them once we’re all back at home? WHAT DO WE DO?
WHAT DO WE DO?
Now I have visions of people coming over to see us and everyone watching Daddy-O and I to see how we’re reacting and what we’re doing. Let’s assume we figure out what to do when we get home and everyone is safe and comfortable blah blah blah. What about the next morning when we wake up, what do we do then?
TELL ME, WHAT DO WE DO?
Filed under: God's Love for us
We are putting a twin bed in the nursery – it is actually Daddy-O’s bed from when he was a kid. If you don’t believe me, we can prove it – he carved his name into the headboard when he was little or maybe he was a teenager..i don’t know. Anyway, we started sanding it down yesterday (don’t worry, we saved the carving) so we can stain it to match the baby bed.
Anyway, we were also planning to sand and stain an old dresser that we’ll use in the nursery. I went to Woodcraft this afternoon to see about getting a smaller sander to help with the “nooks and crannies” of the dresser. I walk in and the sweetest man asked if I need some help. I explained to him what we were trying to do and he told me that we should really strip the dresser instead of sanding it down – then he took me to the back and got a piece of stained wood and showed me how to do it. He had me convinced that it was the best way and then he said, “it’ll be a lot more expensive than sanding it down but…..” So I just smiled and said I guess I better stick with sanding.
He showed me some tools I could use to make it a little easier and told me that if I would bring in a drawer or something, he’d be able to help me more. He looked a little surprised to see me when Daddy-O and I walked in with the drawer at 6:53pm. Then again, since the store closes at 7, he was probably just thinking, “awww crap!” He took us to the back room again and showed us how to strip the front of the drawer and showed us how nice it would look. We decide that we’d sand the rest of it, but strip the drawers since they’d be hard to sand anyway and we’d save some money in the process.
Trust me, I have a point here. He says to us, “This is mine and I have plenty more at home…why don’t you just take this and you’ll be able to finish your project.” I was dumbfounded. This man was offering to GIVE us what we needed to strip the drawers. He even gave us the pot he used, with his brush and this other tool. The paint thinner or whatever it’s called is not cheap and he knew we were prepared to purchase it. He gave it to us. I didn’t know what to say, I didn’t feel right taking this stuff he was offering us. It felt so wrong to accept his generous offer.
He insisted and we thanked him, walking out of the store a little in awe. What would prompt this man to extend such kindness and generousity to us for no reason? I still don’t get it. Maybe you’re thinking, “Cindy, it was just a little paint thinner….” but it wasn’t. It was all the tools we needed and the paint thinner. It was far above and beyond his job – in fact, we would have made a purchase had he not given everything to us. Tell me, how often do you go to a store to buy something and the salesperson gives you what you need instead?
I wonder how often I go to God intending to “buy” something. My way of “buying” might just be my own plans or just my own way of doing things. Instead of letting me “buy” what I think i want, God freely gives me more than I ever needed. God is so good. This man today displayed God’s goodness, whether he knew it or not. (yes, you can bet I’m going to tell him about it but I haven’t figured out how just yet) It’s been such a crazy mixed up week and this was a small reminder that spoke volumes to my heart. God is so good. He gives us what we need. I want to be the kind of person who leaves a lasting impression on people. A person who points people to Christ.
God gives us gifts, worth far more than a little paint thinner, for no reason. He gave us His most precious gift, His son – who died for you and for me…..for no reason other than that He loves us. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” NLT
And all we have to do is accept it.
Rom 3:21-24
But in our time something new has been added. What Moses and the prophets witnessed to all those years has happened. 22 The God-setting-things-right that we read about has become Jesus-setting-things-right for us. And not only for us, but for everyone who believes in him. For there is no difference between us and them in this. 23 Since we’ve compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, 24 God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we’re in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ.(from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)
If we have a girl, here’s the bedding we’ll use – i think it goes well!
Now, you’ll have to use your imagination on this one. If we have a boy, keep in mind all the dark pink will painted over with dark blue and light pink with light blue. But here’s what we’ll use:
I still need to touch up the chair rail, but for the most part, the painting is finished now. I can’t wait to get the baby bed put in place and start moving the rest of the furniture in there as well. I can’t quit going in there – when I get up to do anything, I always walk by the nursery and go in and look around again. I really like it. I can’t believe there is a nursery in my house! I can’t believe that before long, there could be a child living in that nursery! Oh dear, a thought just occurred to me. When our child gets to be a toddler, he/she is going to mess up my paint job, isn’t he/she?
It seems like the whole world should stop and hold it’s breath with me as I wait to see how things go with my family….. but people all around me are going on with their daily lives. I don’t understand how this is possible. Why isn’t the rest of the world hurting with us? I’m sure the person who most wants things to go on as normal is my dad – he’s had all us girls fussing over him and mom for a whole week now and he’s bound to be sick of it. Ha ha ha
Life does go on and even I got something done today.
The painting of the nursery is finished! Woo-Hoo! I know what you’re thinking, “where are the pictures?” I’ve decided to wait until tomorrow, after we get the chair rail up to take and post pictures…..so you’ll just have to wait. We painted the chair rails this afternoon so they should be ready by tomorrow…..and it’s going to look fabulous. I’m getting very excited to put all the furniture in place to see what it finally looks like.
Even more exciting, our home study worker called this past week and although she ticked me off, she did tell me that we’ll be presented to the committee this Monday, which means technically we could start getting calls as early as the last week in July. Our paper work will still have to go to the state for licensing but if they were to find a match for us, they could expedite that. So, I’ll let you know when we get the call to say whether or not we are approved. And tomorrow, I’ll post pictures of the nursery.
Filed under: Day after day
Well, we’re back at home now, our parents’ house that is. Mom and Dad are both taking a nap, finally able to sleep in their own beds. We’ll see where we go from here, but for now, they are home. Today is mom’s birthday and I’m glad they at least got this today.
Happy Birthday, Mom, for all you do and all you are, we love you.
Daddy-O and Cindy
I am married to the sweetest man in the world. I know some of you may argue that your man is sweeter, but you’re wrong. I know there are a lot of nice guys, a lot of wonderful guys but mine is the nicest, the most wonderful and the most thoughtful man ever. And it doesn’t hurt that he’s so cute, too! I’d love to tell you why I’m bragging on him so much tonight but it’s too hard to explain so you’ll just have to take my word for it.
Yesterday was quite possibly the worst day of my life. Today is much better and I expect tomorrow to be even better than today. Dad was working on his laptop in his hospital bed tonight and that was a wonderful site to see. He’s looking good and seems to be feeling better. Mom is too. We’re going to be just fine.
What we’re wondering now is whether or not to move forward with the adoption at this time. We definitely still want to adopt, it’s just that the timing may not be right now. I want to be available to help my mom and dad with whatever they need and it will be easier for me to do that if we don’t have children.
We’ll have to make a decision on that, but we don’t have to make it right now. The case worker called and said that she is presenting us to the committee this Monday night so we should know after that if we are approved. So we have some time still – i’d like to get through with everything and then decide if we need to postpone it a few months.
Lucky for me, Daddy-O is totally supportive and doesn’t think it would be a big deal at all to wait a few more months. We’ll let you know what we decide.
I did some painting today in the nursery and I thought you’d like to see the progress. It’s getting much closer to being finished but still has a ways to go. It is easier now to see what it will look like when it’s finished so i hope you get the idea.
I wish the lighting was better so you could see the actual colors. Here is a close up shot so maybe you’ll have a better idea.
Filed under: Prayers
It’s an ugly word and an even uglier truth. Now, it’s our reality.
Isa 41:10 Fear not , for I am with you;Be not dismayed, for I am your God.I will strengthen you,Yes, I will help you,I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’NKJV
Isa 41:1313 For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand,Saying to you, ‘Fear not , I will help you.’NKJV
Ps 54:22 “Listen, God — I’m desperate .Don’t be too busy to hear me.”(from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language)
I keep thinking that I’ll wake up any minute now. It must all be a bad dream. I know it’s not a dream because I haven’t slept in days but I pray I’ll wake up from this nightmare. The “C” word has infected my family, has inched its way into all of our hearts. The “C” word that is so hard for me to say will now be part of my daily conversation.
Fear not, for I am with you.
Cancer. The past few days have been spent at the hospital with my family as we have held on to each other, hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. We’ve laughed and we’ve cried, and we’ve laughed at each other for crying.
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
They say it is very treatable and should respond well to chemo or radiation. They also say that it doesn’t look like it is anywhere else, and that is a very good thing. Praise God.
I will strengthen you, I will help you
It’s hard to see the man you’ve come to love as your father in so much pain. It’s hard to know what he will go through, still.
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
I have to tell you, friends, that in the midst of the pain, the worry, and the fear yesterday, God was with us. We could feel your prayers. I felt as though we were in the palm of His hand yesterday.
In the waiting room, me, my mom and three of my sisters were sitting in a corner area. There was a man and his son sitting across from us waiting on one of their loved ones. When the doctor came out and told us it was for sure cancer, it was like the wind had been knocked out of us. Mom stood up and held out her arms and the five of us huddled together and cried. When we sat down again, the man who was across from us got up and knelt before us. He said, “I’m sorry I overheard your bad news. I got good news and I’m choked up for you because you didn’t. I want you to know that I will be praying for each of you and your loved one. God is in control.” He gathered his things and as he was walking away he said, “remember, God has the last say in this.”
For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand,Saying to you, ‘Fear not , I will help you.
God was definitely there with us, friends, and He will carry us through this. Please keep praying for our dad.
..everything changes.
Jeremiah 29:11 “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord. ‘they are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.’”
That verse brings me comfort, it reminds me that God is in control even when life feels so out of control.
My heart is broken tonight – that sick, gnawing ball of pain that fills your middle when something isn’t right. I physically ache with worry. Yet just the other day the verse I posted :
Phil 4:6-76 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. NLT
Just rereading that gives me peace. God is in control, even when life seems so out of control. I appreciate your prayers for God’s peace, comfort and strength to surround my family.
I almost spelled the title, “All Stripped Out”…guess that would have gotten your attention, huh?
Hey Judy, Tina says you like the bigger font….I hear that the eyesight is the first to go…….
The stripes in the nursery are coming right along. It’s starting to come together but I’m still not finished. Keep in mind when you look at the picture that the colors are difficult to capture with my camera AND when I am all finished, you won’t see as much of the darker yellow color. Anyway, I’m tired but I hope to finish this tomorrow. Next, I want to paint the playroom.
It’s so exciting to be preparing a nursery – I still can’t believe we have a room designated as “the nursery” in our house. It’s crazy. Ironically, I am in NO HURRY and almost relieved to know we have at least another month and half or so before we can get kids. (remind me of that in a few weeks when I’m tired of waiting) I don’t know why I’m feeling that way now, I guess maybe it’s just sinking in that it won’t be long before we do have children – 24/7. It’s a little scary to think that my Sunday afternoon naps may soon be a thing of the past. (at least for a while)
It’s not just the naps and trips and time alone that concerns me. It’s the fact that we will be responsible for another human life. A child will depend on us for food, shelter, clothes, love, etc… It’s that word DEPEND that gets me – it will be up to us to provide a safe, loving home for that child 24/7. Did I mention the part about us being responsible for another human life? Does that scare the crap out of anyone else out there?
Anyway, the latest pictures of the nursery:
We’ve decided to go ahead and finish it and flipped a coin to decide whether to paint it for a boy or a girl. 2 out of 3 coin flips, and PINK won. So, there’s a 50% chance that we won’t have to repaint anything once we get our baby.
I wasn’t going to post anymore nursery pictures until we finished it, but Tina has requested to see the progress. So here it is:
Alright, here is the first of the stripes. We have to touch up a few places but maybe you can get the idea now of what we’re doing! HOW EXCITING!
Filed under: Thankfulness
WoW! Is it Thursday again already? I can’t believe it. I think i must have set a record this week for posting!
1 Thess 5:16-18
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks ; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. NKJV
Today, I am thankful for:
1) Chicken and biscuits
2) The virtual friends I have “met” through blogging – it is so great to hear so many different perspectives on life…
3) Christy Taylor planning my nursery and helping me paint and teaching me how to paint
4) I get to babysit the Mote’s adorable baby tomorrow
5) God knows everything about me and loves me anyway
I DARE YOU to tell me what you are thankful for! Come on, when was the last time you counted your blessings? How many times a day do we stop and gripe about something? Take a minute and share with us….WHAT ARE YOU THANKFUL FOR?anyone thankful for the larger font i’ve been posting with?
Filed under: Adoption Process
Tonight was our final meeting with the case worker. I think I was a little off on my estimates of when we might be totally finished. Here’s the run down:
- Paper has to be finished – our case worker has to finish everything up and this may take her a week or more b/c she has 2 other cases that are being fasttracked
- Case Worker will present us to the committee for approval – Committee meets on Monday nights. It isn’t likely that our paper work will be finished before Monday, July 11 but hopefully it will be by Monday, July 18. It is possible that we won’t be presented until July 25, but realistically, I’m thinking July 18 is probably it.
- Once we’re approved, and we are assuming that we will be, then our paper work will be gone over with a “fine tooth comb” by the director. She’ll make any necessary corrections and then both she and the case worker have to sign off on it. This could take a week, could take two. We’re at their mercy.
- Once that happens, then everything is submitted to the state so that we can get our license to be foster parents. If I remember correctly, this can take up to 2 weeks as well.
- For now, all we can do is wait.
Realistically, we should be through and licensed by the end of August – possibly mid-August. I know it seems frustrating, but God’s timing is perfect. Please pray that all involved (case worker, committe, director) will do what is necessary at each step so that we can get through this process as smoothly and as quickly as possible. Remember, God is in control. Even of the paperwork!
Phil 4:6-7
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. NLT
Actually, I smell paint…but since it is in the nursery, it makes me think of babies!
My friend Christy came over today and we went to the store to pick out paint colors for the nursery – and then we painted! Woo-Hoo! It finally got started! I’m so excited, this was just the little Pick Me Up I needed today and just in time for the case worker who is coming tonight. Not that she cares if we have painted.
Anyway, here is a before picture of the nursery:
And now here’s the FIRST after…keep in mind this is the base coat:
Alright, so here’s the deal. We’ll put up a white chair rail to cover the horizontal white stripe you going around the room. Below that chair rail, there will be different color stripes – some straight, some diagnal. Here’s a picture of the different colors that we’ll use to paint the stripes, keep in mind that if we get a boy, we’ll use the dark and light blue and if we get a girl, we’ll use the dark and light pink. Those, along with the greens and yellow that there already!
Finally, the brain child behind it all…my hero, Christine Taylor:
Filed under: Infertility
I’m adding this first sentence after I’ve written the entire post. BEWARE, sarcasm ahead. I feel better now that you’ve been warned.
I am so blessed to have recieved so many encouraging words both through the adoption process as well as through our battle with infertility. I’ve also been um, err, hmmm…. let’s just say “exposed” to some words that weren’t so encouraging, even though I knew they were meant to be. You see, I think so many times people want to help, want to offer support, but they just don’t know how. Why can’t we, as humans, understand that our greatest gift to someone who is struggling is to just listen. That’s it. Listen. I KNOW this, I’ve even been trained but I still screw it up on a regular basis.
Seeing as how I am the QUEEN of sticking my foot in my mouth, giving unsolicited advice and just saying stupid things when I should keep my mouth shut – i’ve been pretty patient and not too hurt by most of the um, err…hmmm…”exposures”. What I’d like to do here and now is tell you what stings so that you can be better able to support and encourage those you know who are dealing with either infertility or adoption.
For all of my “sisters” who are struggling with infertility, this one’s for you. What NOT to say to someone who is struggling with infertility:
1) You just need to relax. (really? I need to just relax? Is that going to make my MEDICAL CONDITION go away? When someone has a broken arm, do you tell them to “just relax”?) Granted, there are a lot of situations where women don’t get pregnant because they are stressed, however, being told to “relax” only increases the stress!
2) Go on vacation. (really? Going on a vacation I guess is going to help me relax which will help me get pregnant, right?)
3) Keep your hips elevated after sex. (Yes, people REALLY said this to me.)
4) If it’s God’s will, it will happen. (we know this, believe me, infertility brings up a lot of spiritual issues…while this is true, it is NOT helpful)
5) I just know it’s going to happen for you soon. (you do? seriously? what, did God send you an email or something? Can I get His address from you because I have some questions…..)
6) and finally, for those of you facing infertility after having one or more children, you should just be glad that you have one child (thanks, cause before you said that I really wasn’t glad about that. but you’re right, i should just be glad i have one already. I’ll stop trying for another one immediately and I’m sure the ache in my heart will just go away.)
All of you fellow infertiles, feel free to add your own to the list using the comments. All sarcasm is welcome here. LOL
I really believe handling those comments helped prepare me to handle things I hear when I tell people I’m adopting. I know this post is already bathed in sarcasm, it’s meant to be funny – not bitter. I am only sharing this here because i know that if you take the time to read this blog, then you care and you want to be supportive. So, at the risk of stepping on your toes, here’s the list of what not to say to people who are or have adopted:
1) Have you tried to have your OWN children? (geez, paahhhleeeaasee stop refering to the biological children i can’t have as my “own” children. They are growing in my heart right now and when I adopt, those children will be our own. If you must reference them, a good alternative is biological children.
2) Will you be able to learn anything about the real parents? (please refer to them as birth parents or biological parents – WE will be REAL parents)
3) What race is the child you will adopt? (does it really matter?) I know you are curious – I’m just not sure how you can ask this question. I’m speaking only for myself on this one because this is a very touchy subject with me – those of you who know why will understand. Just be surprised with us.
4) You’re adopting? Wow, you’re really brave…..I once knew this couple…..blah blah blah blah (we don’t want to hear your horror stories. Everyone knows someone who had a bad experience, please don’t share this with someone who is adopting. Would you tell a pregnant woman about all the miscarriages and still births you know of?)
5) You’re adopting an older child? Aren’t you afraid that the child will have an attachment disorder? (yes, we are afraid of that. HOwever, we are going to be obedient to what we feel God calling us to do and we’re going to trust Him to take care of the details.)
6) Now that you’re adopting, you’re going to get pregnant. (the next person who tells me this is going to see a side of me that I am not very proud of. The side of me that I pray becomes smaller as God gets bigger in my life. for more information, go back and read this post
