Do you remember...

Well as most of you already know, baby Florida went home with his birth mom.  We were really expecting that outcome after not hearing for several days what was going on with the birth family.  We are continuing to pray for his health and for the strength of his caregivers.

In the meantime, we are working with a new agency, Sans Pereil.  We have turned everything in and had our home study, but it seems to be going really SLOW.  Maybe the slowest agency yet.  They are brand new and still trying to get all their licensing done, so we will see.  Honestly, we are not in that big of a rush.  We know when God has the right child for us we will be here and ready. 

Bekah starts pre-k next Monday, three days a week.  We will see if that might help her home behavior some.  She really needs a structured day and needs to have others to play with.  I think she gets really bored here at home with me.  Levi is doing really well in school.  He is an advanced reader and has all A's and a B at this time.  We told him if he could handle 3rd grade and have good grades he could play a sport.  So he will probably play soccer in the Spring.  I didn't realize how much homework 3rd grade was going to have!

Oh, forgot to mention something.  Do you remember Brittany, Levi and Bekah's biological half-sister?  Well we ran into her grandma yesterday at the movies.  So we will now be having contact with her again with the understanding that she doesn't know where we live, or where the kids are going to school at.  I hate it, but she still receives calls from her biological mom and those people are crazy.  I have really been wanting to have contact so that I can find out exactly what is going on with Bekah's biological parents and where they are located.  Unfortunately, her biological father is a criminal and drug addict.  He is in jail right now in Alabama.  Evidently, he was in jail in Houston for 9 months and then they sent him back to Alabama for writing fake presciptions.  We really don't want them to show up at our front door.  We also found out that the biological mother's mom died early this year.  This saddens me in a way.  It makes me wonder if Bekah will ever want to know what she looked like. 

With this happening, it has made me realize that Bekah will know she was adopted.  I always knew we were going to tell her.  She doesn't look like us, and well her brother knows!  I just didn't think I would be so scared when the time came.  I really thought it would just be a small fact and we would move on.  I pray that's how it happens.  Maybe since she will know from really little it will be "normal" for her.  I plan on loving these guys the same no matter what happens, but wow  reality is hitting hard this week! 

9:27 am and waiting...

Three minutes usually isn't that long, but when you are waiting to make an important phone call it can seem like forever. 

So it's been four days since we have heard from Florida and have been expecting a decision.  I spoke with Jerry this morning and he said that he sent a text yesterday the family stating that he was praying for them.  He received a text back stating they had not had a chance to sit down as a family yet and discuss adoption vs keeping him.  Jerry is a little frustrated with the situation.  He said they are going to sit down tonight and discuss it.  So hopefully we will know tomorrow sometime what their decision is. 

Jerry received a call this morning from the hospital social worker asking him for the adoptive parents info because they were wanting to talk to them about moving the baby to another unit, a family friendly unit.  He asked for an update on the baby's condition and she said she was covering for his social worker but that if they were wanting to move him out of the NICU that he was probably doing better.  That is a very good sign!  All the prayers for his health are being answered.  For that we are so grateful.

I asked Jerry if he had by any chance sent our letters of encouragement to the birthmother.  He said he did. 

How could a mother, even at 15, not love her child and want to keep him???  I know she is still thinking about taking him home with them, especially if she is visiting him.    His physical condition is so much better than expected.  Then there is us and another adoptive family.  That makes three options. 

Tonight, when you sit down for dinner, please just say an extra prayer for Baby Florida's health and that his birthfamily makes a decision that brings them a sense of peace. 

As for our family, we have two amazing healthy children.  We are blessed beyond words. 

Here is November!

Well, here we are and it's November!  The snow is falling...ok maybe not here but probably somewhere, right!?  

In late September we received a call from Dana Carrozza with Sacred Selections.  She said I have a baby in Florida that will be born soon and is going to need a home, but he has spina bifida.  We received medical reports from the adoption agency and to make a long story short, they were thinking his prognosis was not good.  We prayed and prayed about it and came to the difficult decision that we would not be able to meet his needs and our own family's needs.  I had talked to Dana a few weeks ago when she called about a 2 y/o little boy that is needing a home and asked if we would be interested.  We sent in our profile for him as well.  I asked her how "Baby Florida" was doing and if she knew.  She said she thought he was going to be delivered via c-section around the first of November.  This little guy just has never left my mind!  So, Monday November 1st I decided to call Dana and see if she knew if Baby Florida had been born and she said she would check.  As crazy as it will sound, he was born and was doing great!  He weighed in a whopping 6 pounds 14 ounces.  That's a big baby for a 15 y/o girl!  Yeesh!   They said he was kicking and screaming and sucking!  Wonderful signs!  Jerry, with Christian Family Services said he would pull his blanket towards his mouth and when they would move it away he would get a little upset.  I love it!  He did have an open lesion from his spine on his back, but it was closed up on Tuesday.  They were monitoring his little head for swelling and he did start to show some fluid, so they were going to put a shunt in on Thursday.  In saying all this, Adrian and I asked Jerry to please resubmit our file to the birth mother.  He said he was glad and that the step-father had asked if we would reconsider this baby - which was a wonderful coincidence!  Thursday I received a call from Jerry and he said he had an update on the birth mother.  He said that she was considering us, another couple and contemplating taking her baby home.  Jerry asked if we would write her a letter and he may give it to her, if he felt it was right!  We had friends and family send the most lovely letters as well!  How blessed we are!  Dana made a funny, she said that one good thing about adopting is the letters you receive, you find out how people feel about you before you die and not at your funeral!  Very true.  So, Baby Florida was born November 1st, today is November 6th...I've missed his whole life already.  BUT, if we get to bring him home, I will spend forever making it up to him!   Please continue praying for his health and for his mom.  I know it has to be the hardest thing to love a child so much you would let them go.  Pray God would give her peace about whatever decision she comes to.  m

Patience....what is that!?!?!?!?

So, as you all know, Hailey and Eli left on July 16th.  They are now with an older couple who have no children in the home.  We advocated hard for that and they actually found a place that would be a perfect fit. 

We have thought and prayed long and hard and concluded that we do want another child and that maybe even two more would be ok.  We petitioned God to give us more children if it is his will. 

Since then, we decided to leave our agency Spaulding for Children, due to the fact that their communication was very poor.  CPS is in the process of getting our file from Spaulding so that we can have further placements.  Will let you know how that goes.

Wednesday, August 5th we receive a call from Dana Carrozza, with Sacred Selections.  In case you don't remember, they are the group that grant christian families money to use for legal expenses.  She said that she had a couple of little girls that needed a home and asked if we would be interested.  She said that she would send our life book to the family and let them choose.  It's a pretty complex case.  The girls are ages 1 and 3.  We have been praying that if God wants us to have these children we will take them.  We did receive a call on Friday and the family really stressed the desire to have the girls moved quickly.  So we are here waiting, patiently, for the word from the family as to if they are ready to sign over their legal responsibilites to the girls. 

Patience is defined as:  an ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay.  Wow, I am the exact opposite of patient. 

My friend D posted this on her facebook wall regarding our possible placement:  Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to purpose."

So in saying this, we are going to sit back and pray.  Sounds easy right!

My guys...

Wow.  I can't believe these are my kids!  From little to big!  Levi is weighing 51.5 pounds these days...not too tall, but that's ok.  Maybe he'll be like Uncle Tim and be 25 before he hits his growth spurt.  (haha)  Bekah, my sweet little rotten Bekah.  Just the other day she was a baby.  I can remember the day she came to us and was scared to death!  Didn't realize raising these kiddos would be much scarier!  The above picture is the guys July 2010 and the bottom pics are so great.  Wish I had taken more.  Bekah was 5 months and Levi was a few days shy of 5.  That was the first time we met Levi.  Really should have taken more pictures!!!

Eli & Hailey

Believe it or not, the little guy on the back of the dinosaur is getting bigger and bigger by the day.  He was having fun until his sister hopped on.  Hailey had quite a bit of trouble getting on and off of the dino, but it was a good learning experience for her. 

The Ledbetters

June was a busy month!  We made some new friends, Jeff, Darleen, and Isaiah Ledbetter!  They put together an amazing fundraiser for families that need a little help with financing an adoption.  These guys went above and beyond.  They made so many contacts and had some amazing donations.  Their flyers, announcements, thank you cards...basically everything was top of the line.  I can't rave enough about their tremendous efforts.  They were thanking everyone for their hardwork, but they are the ones that need to be thanked for a job well done.

Granny Goodman

We had a pretty rough week last week.  Adrian's granny had a fall and became ill all in a matter of days.  Monday of last week they took her off the ventilator and she passed Tuesday morning.  It's a shame you think about all the good times you had with someone after they pass.  Why is it so hard to remember those people everyday? 

I remember when I first met Adrian's granny.  He was going to one of the monthly birthday get togethers at his Granny and Pawpaw's house.  I was pretty stressed out about this mainly because I am from the brown foot tribe and they are from the white foot tribe.  Wouldn't you know I get there and the whole family looks past that!  It was a great evening.  We went to church with Adrian's grandparents many times while we were dating and shortly after we were married.  His granny was so funny.  I liked the fact that she was married to a preacher and she would still smack him (in a playful way) when he said something she didn't quite agree with.  Adrian's granny took the time and hemmed up my HUGE wedding dress the week prior to our wedding.  I'm sure that took a lot of patience.  She even made Adrian's groom's cake.  The thing I learned most from his granny was to just laugh.  When she started suffering from her Alzheimer's she would just laugh.  That is so much better than being sad or angry.  I need to really think about that these days!

If you still have a "granny" or grandpa, put your arms around them while you can.  Sometimes they go home to the Lord in a blink.   

Not just for the birds

Our first trip to the beach for the summer.  We wanted to spend some time with Levi and Bekah while Adrian had some time off.  Bekah is not afraid of the water so we have to watch her very closely!  Levi found six hermit crabs this time.  He learned from Delaney that persistence pays off!  He found two very small ones that were less than an inch big.  I sure wish I had gotten a picture of that!  I love the picture of the perfect triangle Dorito!  Look how red it is.  It's not even enhanced!  Anyhow, you will see a lot more pics of the kids at the beach because they love it there. 

As for our two new kids...things are not going as well as we would like.  We are hoping that they will get to spend some respite time with a couple we met at PRIDE classes.  Their parents urine drug screens came back with all kinds of drugs.  They did refuse the hair follicle test as I mentioned before.  The father is still in jail and has a court hearing June 22.  The next court hearing for the kids is August 23.  We plan on speaking with the attorney ad litem tomorrow and will keep you posted as to what will happen next.  Please keep all involved in your prayers. 

Side note.  Bekah's biological parents have moved back to Houston.  Ugh.  If we didn't have enough things to worry about right???  So, once again we will keep a very close eye on them anytime we are in public. 

Girls...

I have never had a biological sister.  The closest thing I have to a sister is Stephanie.  And honestly, we hardly ever disagree on anything.  We are a lot alike and very different at the same time!  So, in saying that, my two girls are completely different.  One likes to play, the other watches.  One is rough and the other doesn't really like to be touched.  That makes for a pretty rough day for the mama!  Please just keep us in your prayers.  I took pictures of our two beauties yesterday and thought I would share a peaceful moment between the girls.

Gotta love those blue eyes!

This is one of my favorite pictures.  We took it at Sylvan beach a week ago.  Eli just wanted to be held so of course Daddy picked him up.  I love this little outfit he is wearing.  It matches his shoes perfectly.  Adrian is so happy to have another opportunity to raise a son.  I on the other hand was a little apprehensive about having to clean a male child, but it's going very well.  I haven't been shot at one time...yet!  As hard as it is with four children it seems like it gets a little easier everyday.

We found out today that the kid's dad is in jail again.  Evidently he beat their mom up because he was jealous of her working at Hooters and cut her hair off to the scalp.  This is the first time she has ever pressed charges against him.  The word on the street is she is trying to clean her act up so that she can get the kids back just long enough for them to be able to stay with their paternal grandmother.  Not a good thing for the kids.  If she was a good fit they wouldn't have been taken from her in the first place.  We will see what comes next.  How blessed our children are to not have to witness such hate.  

 

To shake or not to shake

As if I didn't already have enough to clean up, Bekah decided to decorate the den with Caldesen powder, or better known as "Bryson's powder". There was powder everywhere including our lungs. I wonder frequently if I will clean something just because it needs it and not because I am doing damage control! Enjoy the picture!

Hesitate before you change the laundry...

I changed the laundry out this afternoon.  Little did I know that Eli was being tortured by Bekah.  She decided to decorate him in stickers.  Wow.  He didn't care too much for it, but at least they were easy to remove!

The kid's parents appeared in court Tuesday and the judge gave them their parenting plan.  This includes at least 30 classes, a psychological, couseling, proof they can keep a job, support their children and hold a job.  On top of this they have to do weekly drug tests.  The only way they can be eligible to have visits with the kids is if they are clean.  The judge ordered them to a drug urinalysis and a hair analysis.  I found out this afternoon they did the urinalysis but refused to have their hair checked.  A hair analysis will reveal the drugs they have been in contact with for the last 90 days.  So, the kids attorney said this comes up as a positive result since they wouldn't do it.  I am so glad that they do not have visitation yet, but know it could be a possibility. 

Levi, Bekah, Hailey and Eli at Sylvan Beach yesterday.

Bath Time

Eli in.  Bekah in.  Eli out.  Bailey in.  Bekah out.  Bailey out.  Levi in and out.  You would think that it would take an hour! Ten minutes tops.  Unless I don't have my bath assistant Adrian helping!  Hugs, kisses, favorite blanket, a tinkle, then bed.

This is my most favorite time of the day.  Not just because I am not breaking up fights or pulling worms out of the girl's hair, but because I know I made it through! That means I CAN do it!

So after the kid's parents showed up for court this week,  I can only pray that God's will be done in our home. If he wants the kids to stay with us then he will give me the strength and courage it is going to take to raise four. If he wants to the kids to be with their family, then he knows better than I.