Caleb's First Sting (I know, what an awful thing to have to post about :)

Well, today was going well- the sun came out, Caleb was in a good mood, had a great nap, etc. We went for a short trip to Wal-Mart and then made a stop at the post office. All was good. When we got home I opened the door to the sun room, as Caleb loves to play in there on warm days. I saw something I fear......a wasp! Usually Zack kills them, but he wasn't home from work yet, so in order for Caleb to play in the sun room, I knew I had to kill the wasp. "You can do this" I kept telling myself (I am ridiculous, I know :). I bravely took "Green Eggs and Ham" (truth) and nailed the wasp a few times. He looked very dead. I even let Caleb hit it a few times :) Again, it seemed very dead. But, for whatever reason, I let it lay there. This turned out to be a very bad decision. Well, Caleb came back into the kitchen with me and began chasing Pooh (our dog) around the house with "Green Eggs and Ham" threatening to do the same thing to Pooh as he did to the wasp (maybe letting him help kill the wasp was the first mistake?). I began fixing dinner and glanced Caleb going back into the sun room. Only a few minutes later, screaming ensued. I knew instantly what had happened- he had picked up the wasp, all because I had not removed it from the sun room! What kind of mother was I????? I came running and picked Caleb up as he was screaming and crying. I tried to see where the wasp had stung him (I assumed it was on the hand, as the wasp had been moved from its original location), and soon realized that Caleb was touching his mouth! It was his lip, evident by the swelling! Poor guy! I stayed pretty calm, immediately thinking that I needed to find the Children's Benadryl. But, instead I called my mom (always seems to be the default decision). I could barely hear over Caleb's screaming, but she said she would call Punky (my mother-in-law, also a former pediatric nurse) and suggested I call the pediatrician, which I did...but no answer! So I went for the Benadryl, which thankfully Punky confirmed as the right decision. I also gave Caleb a frozen plastic thing (good description, I know :) and he knew what to do with it! All in all, it went pretty well, and after about 15 minutes, the crying ceased and Caleb seemed to be okay, even smiling, just with a very fat lip.

I know I wrote this in a comical manner, but seriously, we are very thankful that he did not have a more serious reaction and that he appears at this time to not be allergic to wasp stings. I know it could have been so much worse! I am so thankful that God was watching over us and allowed us all to stay calm and make good choices. Hopefully next time, I will make better choices to begin with!

Our First Easter With Caleb.....

First, some photos....

At the "Easter Eggstravaganza" on Saturday..... Receiving his Easter basket, hand made by grandma:)

With pap and mommy before the start of the Passion Play

With Grandma.....

Eventually the pants just have to come off :) As you can see, he was much more interested in the "fower" as he says than in smiling for a family photo :)

With his daddy....two fine looking fellas :)

Soooo adorable....I stared at a him a lot today :) Thanks to granna and grandma for the lovely Easter outfit. Grandparents....what would we do without them?

This weekend was truly wonderful (the only thing that could have made it better would have been if Zack hadn't been scheduled to work most of the weekend....we missed him so much!). We took Caleb to an Easter event our church puts on every year for the community on Saturday. It has lots of things for kids- an egg hunt, face painting, lots of inflatables, etc. Caleb actually went down the giant slides a couple of times with mommy and then with pap, and he seemed to like it okay. Then he decided he wanted to get in the big bouncy inflatable. That was all well and good until a few bigger kids got in and made it really bounce....then Caleb decided it was time to get out! Later that afternoon we went to pap and grandma's house, and Caleb received his first Easter basket! He got some new books, fruit snacks, and some cool cups with straws (we are working on getting rid of the sippy cups :) Mommy and daddy also got their Easter baskets :)

This morning we performed the final performance of our passion play at church. We had performed throughout the week as well, and as I reflect on the performances, I realize what a true blessing it is to be able to tell the most beautiful, amazing, and awesome story ever! I am moved each time they raise the cross and I see Jesus hanging there, bearing the sin of the world, for you and for me. And how I am overjoyed when the choir breaks into "He's Alive".

Praise God, He is Alive!!

While backstage, I also thought today about how blessed we are to have Caleb with us this Easter. He watched the Passion Play about three times this week, and though I know he doesn't really understand what it is all about right now, I pray everyday that one day he will. He looked so pretty today, yes, I said pretty :) I just kept looking at him all day, in disbelief that we could be so blessed. Something else I thought about today.... I wondered if the children we met in Ethiopia were thinking about what Easter means. I hope that they were, and because our agency is a Christian agency, I believe that the staff probably recounted the Easter story to them.

I also thought about how very few of the children there would have an Easter basket or have a nice Easter outfit to wear or have a nice Easter dinner spread before them. I know that stuff really doesn't matter, and that it is not truly part of what Easter is all about, but still, it was something I thought about. It is a "no brainer" for most of us here in the USA to go out and purchase a new Easter outfit and to have a nice Easter meal....but that is not the case in Ethiopia. I thought about the kids there, and I wished that I could give them all a brand new outfit and an Easter basket full of things that would make their eyes sparkle and food that would fill their bellies. I wish that for all of them. Though I can't do that very thing, I can make a difference, and so can you! If you aren't involved in helping children that live in poverty stricken countries, would you please consider it? There are links to two great and credible organizations, Compassion International and The Mocha Club at the top of our blog, on the right side. Both have wonderful ministries and help to make the lives of children better for a very small monthly donation.

Happy Easter!

Prayers for Micah Richardson

Tonight we need to lift up little Micah and his mommy Julia and Roscoe. They just brought little Micah home from Ethiopia and immediately he had to be admitted to the children's hospital. He is one sick little boy. They realized how ill he was about midway through their trip to Ethiopia. Thankfully they were able to return home as scheduled so that Micah could get the proper medical care he needed.

I came to know Julia through our Ethiopia Yahoo group, and we quickly discovered we had a lot in common! Both of our sons shared the same Ethiopian name, our birth dates are the same, and we also share many of the same health/nutritional issues....it is too weird, really!

I truly can not imagine what this family must be going through- they are brand new parents, have just traveled half way around the world and spent many, many hours on a plane (which equals serious exhaustion, trust me, I have been there!) and they have a very sick little boy.....they need our prayers! You can visit their blog by clicking here.

Caleb is 16 Months Old!

Happy 16 Month Birthday Caleb! We Love You!

What A Difference....3 Month Reflection

Wow- If you would have told me when we first arrived home almost three months ago that we could have come to have loved this boy so much, that he would have made such strides, that we couldn't have imagined our lives without him and that our lives would be this totally different, but in a good way....I might have not believed you :) It's just awesome!

I truly am amazed at how far we have all come. If you read my reflection after being home for one month, you might have gotten the sense that it was a tough time- and it was. The transition was especially hard for me. I wish someone would have told me (and in reality, I am sure they did) "Give it time!" For some people, all the feelings and instincts, etc. are instant....for others, like me, it took time, and that is okay (I know this now). Time....It truly makes such a difference! All the things that seemed so overwhelming and "big" when we arrived home seem so manageable and not such big deals now. That doesn't mean we don't ever have difficult times, but they seem like molehills now, instead of mountains :) Praise God!

So, what is Caleb up to? How has he changed? He is probably the happiest human being I have ever met. He just bursts out in laughter at random times. He lives to make others laugh! How does he do this? Well, he might roll his eyes back into his head (I am going to have to post a video of this....it is hilarious!) or do his special dance move, or make his face shake all over, or he might try to sing opera. Oh, and my personal favorite, he loves to shake his head no and smile when I ask him to give me a kiss- it is so cute! But what I love more than that is when he just walks up to me so sweetly and surprises me with lots of kisses...oh, I love that! What a sweetie. Okay, so he isn't perfect.......but pretty close :) He is beginning to be much more independent and "trying", which means he likes to smile and laugh when he is told "no" and when he is told "no" he likes to throw a temper tantrum. He can get fussy anytime he wants to do something on his own that he really can't do yet. If we have to assist him to get the job done, he isn't too happy. Strong willed? yep :)

I have found myself reflecting at the 3 month mark on our time in Ethiopia. What an experience- truly, the experience of a lifetime. I can't explain the emotions that I feel now looking back at pictures of our time there, or even seeing pictures of other families time there. It just does something to me....it moves me in way I can't explain, kind of like a part of me will forever be there. Know what I mean? And when I think that this precious child came to us from this beautiful place- it just overwhelms my heart. I don't know if this means we will adopt again or if we will ever go back or not, but I do know it means that Ethiopia will forever be in my heart in a very special way. I am excited to see what God has in mind for our family and Ethiopia. Who knows! God does :)

Well, I could go on and on, as any mom could, but most of you may not have even made it to this point....I know, you really just want the pictures :) And I don't know how to make them appear at the bottom instead of the top :) Lucky you! No, lucky us. No, blessed us. We are truly blessed.

Beautiful Video....

A very sweet family in the AWAA Ethiopia program recently made a video collage of many of the AWAA families now at home with their precious children from Ethiopia. They showed the collage at their baby shower...what a great idea! As I watched it for the first time, I stood in awe of God's goodness and the miracle of adoption. Praise him that there truly are no orphans of God. The Video is below....oh, and grab some tissues :)

The Vandruff Family has their day in court next Friday. Please keep them and their two precious children in your prayers as they seek to be united as a forever family.

The Bowman's Passed (and so did I :)

Our sweet friends from Lexington, Chad & Karen Bowman, found out this morning that they passed court! Praise the Lord! Their sweet daughter Natalie is now officially theirs! We met the Bowman's toward the beginning of our adoption journey and have been friends ever since. Honestly, we thought we might travel together, as our dossiers were submitted to Ethiopia only a couple weeks apart. Unfortuntaley, that wasn't the case, but we did get to meet precious Natalie while we were in Ethiopia. To see a video of their beautiful new daughter, click here.

Also, I was very suprised today to find something in the mail from my graduate school. It was my test results for the comprehensive exam I took this past weekend....I passed! Praise the Lord! I am finally finished!

What does Caleb think about all this great news???

He is very excited, of course :)