Back in the Saddle

Sorry that I have been a laggard blogger over the past couple of days. I'll take several whips with a wet noodle.



We have been very busy getting everything closed out with VBS and getting back into the routine of things.



It's been a while since we've updated you on adoption things, so I think it's time that we clue you in on some things.



We finally completed our homestudy about a month ago.



We received word on Friday that the homestudy has been reviewed and had to have a few very minor changes.



We had our contract with our agency signed and notarized today.



I am sending the first payment in tomorrow.



So, in about a year ... we should have our referral for our little Ava.



So, what has to happen in a year?



Lots of prayer! More than last time. This time, we don't have the savings, so we are going to be praying for God's providence and we know that He will provide. We are planning some fundraising and have been in contact with several granting agencies.
We will be letting you know more about that in the future. But for now, we ask that you pray for God to show us our path and help us to know what avenues to pursue and, well, you know, patience!

Today's Recap

We didn't really take many pictures today, because we were quite busy getting back in the routine. We did, however, have one of our wonderful bloggy friends do some fun effects to our vacation photos.



Sarah, also known as Hannah Claire's mommy is one of the greatest people in all of bloggydom. We have been following Hannah Claire's story since before there was even a Hannah Claire. We pray that she gets to come home soon. Be sure to go and check out her blog because she is beautiful! A potential girlfriend for Reed, for SURE!



Getting back into the routine of life was a little hard in the land house. Reed woke up a couple of times last night, and around 4:00 AM he ended up in our bed. At 5:00, I reluctantly woke up and got ready for work.




Reed slept until 8:20 which was great for Abbey. She was able to get ready before he woke up. Reed went to MDO and Abbey got to rest some from the busy weekend.



Abbey and I had something to do this afternoon, so Reed was whisked away from MDO by Ms. Meghan. Reed had fun playing with Britton for a while and then I picked him up. We played outside for a little while and then had supper with Danny and Megan. It was a lot of fun to get to spend some time with them. It's been too long.

Now, we're all exhausted so I think we're going to turn in.

Oh, and I took the MacBook to the MacHospital and the harddrive is fried. It's going to be having a harddrive transplant in the near future. The new harddrive is going to have more memory! Woo-hoo!

Happy 1st Reediversary!

So, I thought you might enjoy a trip down memory lane:

September:

October:

November:

December:

January:

February:

March:

April:

May:

June:

July:

August:

September:

______________________



10 Things I Love About You: Number 1

1. I love you because you are you. You are 100% the person you should be. Your laughs, your smiles, your incredible personality, even your occasional tantrums make up who you are. You have enriched our lives this past year and I still have trouble believing that God chose to bless us in such an incredible way.


______________________


To My Beloved Son,

I remember it like yesterday, your Mommy called me and told me that you had been chosen to be our son. We were so excited to finally have a picture of you. Then we had to wait for what seemed like FOREVER, but it was really just a few months. Finally, one day after I came home from work, we received an email that said, "Congratulations, your final ruling came today. Please plan to pick up your baby on September 10." We had to read the email again, because we were both crying so hard that you were finally OURS legally, even though you had always been ours since God had made you for us.


The plane ride to pick you up was VERY long. It was really even longer because we were so excited about seeing you. We were thrilled to finally be in the same country as you, our precious little boy. We looked around Taiwan on the first day after we arrived, and while it was really nice to see the country that you were born in, it was hard to concentrate because we wanted to see you so badly!


Finally, we went to bed that night, but it was really hard to sleep. After a long and restless night, we woke up and had breakfast. Our guide, Fion, picked us up and we traveled what seemed like a million miles to Taichung. When we got to the agency, everyone was so happy. They showed us some paperwork that told about you and then we walked down a short alley to your foster mother's house. On the way there, we were stopped briefly by a garbage truck that was playing a funny song!


When we arrived at your foster mother's house, I was already tearing up. Your Mommy told me to pull it together. But, as soon as we saw you, we both began to cry. It was one of the most amazing moments of our life. Some people have their children in the hospital, but God chose us to be different. He chose us to get you in a country far away. We are SO GLAD HE DID!


In the year since you have been home, it has been so fun to watch you grow. You are beautiful. You are happy and you are loved. It is so exciting to watch as you play with your friend. It is so much fun when people ask me how my boy is. It is so much fun to see your mom who instantaneously became more beautiful than I ever thought imaginable when she held you in her arms for the first time. You have so many people who love you. You have abundantly and totally blessed our lives in so many ways.

Thank you for being our son. We love you.

love, daddy

10 Things I Love About You (Numbers 8 and 9)

From New Album 9/3/08 9:24 PM

Sorry that there was no post last night, I was trying to get Reed to go to sleep and I fell asleep. This is starting to become a pattern. So, without further adieu, I will share numbers 8 and 9 in the "10 Things I Love About Reed."

From New Album 9/3/08 9:24 PM

9. I Love Reed's Laugh. His laugh will make you double over in laughter. It literally fills a room with joy. It's hard to be serious when he starts laughing.

From New Album 9/3/08 9:24 PM

Reed's laugh is beautiful, it is heartwarming, and if you've experienced it, you know EXACTLY what I am talking about! I have trouble describing how much I love Reed's laugh. He even will start laughing just for the fun of it.

From New Album 9/3/08 9:24 PM

From New Album 9/3/08 9:24 PM

8. I Love Reed's Hair. Reed's hair is so dark and shiny.

From New Album 9/3/08 9:24 PM

Several people warned us that his hair might be wiry, but it is not at all. It is soft and black. So black that it almost looks purple in some light.

From New Album 9/3/08 9:24 PM

His hair does the craziest things after a nap. It will even form a natural faux hawk. His hair smells so sweet and just makes you want to touch it.

From New Album 9/3/08 9:24 PM

The Garage Is Done!

First of all, this is the only picture of his highness for today, so just look at it a lot. We were really busy today and forgot to take more pictures of him. We worked on the garage today and before Miss Candace (Thank Goodness for Friends!) got there we had to put Reed in the pack-n-play. That was okay with him because we gave him sand!

BEFORE:





DURING:





AFTER:





Thanks to Uncle Bill, we were able to get the garage done in a very neat and quick way! He was a huge help! Don't you wish you had an Uncle Bill?

It was HOT!!! All three of us were soaking wet with sweat, but we are really pleased with the end product.

The only let down was that we were really hoping to be able to both park in the garage. While our garage is a good size, it was obviously not meant for a minivan and an SUV. I got both Abbey's van and my Jeep in the garage, but it was tight, so unless the forecast is calling for ice or something, I doubt I will be parking in the garage.

Now, I want to talk about something a little different tonight than just an update of our day.

You know those times when your little one is completely attached to you? Well, for the past couple of days, that has been Reed with me. Now, there have certainly been times when Reed really wanted to be with Abbey, but today it was all me. Now, that can be both really neat and really annoying. But, I began to think about how awesome it was that Reed wanted me! How many times in your life are you the exact person that can "fix" any hurt, soothe any tear, or be the best friend? Not very often. I try not to get preachy on the blog, but I think that's the way God wants to be for us.

I also think about how some people refer to Reed as my adopted son. Now, I have many soapboxes, but I think this is going to be one of my new ones. Reed is not my adopted son. Reed is my son, who happens to be adopted. I cannot tell you how much Reed feels like he is a part of us. In the past 10 months that Reed has been in our lives, he has become an extension of us. Truly, he was planned by God to be our son.

I wondered how our families would react to our son who was not a biological extension but an extension through the miracle of adoption. I got to experience this first-hand last week as I saw Reed run with open arms to his Lola (Mrs. Linda when she came home from work). I saw it when I saw my mom beam with excitement about getting to take her grandson to Wal-Mart and pick him out some balloons. I saw it in my Daddy giving Reed a bath and how Reed wanted to be under his feet while he cooked breakfast. It was in my father-in-law's face as he beamingly introduced Reed to everyone in his office. It was in my big brother's voice as he asked "Where's Reed?" It was in my little brother's early arrival on Monday morning ready to spend the day with Reed. It was in Aunt Ava's glow as she drove through traffic just to meet us at Sonic for a few minutes to see her "blood" nephew. It was in my grandfather's reaction to seeing us by saying, "Hey Reed" even though sometimes he can be a little confused. Reed is us. He is our family. We are so blessed.

______________________

Now for number 3 in the 7 days of Abbey.

Her Heart. I had planned on this being on day 1, but I chose to change it due to the information I posted above. It was Abbey's heart that I fell in love with on our first date. Her practical, yet optimistic outlook on life. Her openness, yet reserved wisdom. She's an amazing, amazing woman. Most people don't know that on the day we found out we were infertile, Abbey didn't cry as we left the doctor's office. I did. All of my hopes for a baby seemed dash. Abbey said, "We'll just adopt." God had opened Abbey's heart to adoption long before we even went to the fertility clinic, yet it was mine that had been closed. I was not against adoption, but I wanted "one of my own" first. I firmly believe that it was Abbey's gentle spirit, her fervent prayer, and wise counseling that lead me to adoption openness. So, where does that leave me? You read the above post, do you realize what Reed means to us? To Abbey? To me? He is our gift, he is God's plan for us in live motion. Abbey's heart extends in so many ways. It's so beautiful, I hope you've had a chance to see it or experience it. As for me, I wake up amazed each day that I can experience her amazing love and her amazing heart. Can you believe we're only on day three? There are still more things to love about this woman!