I had a good quiet time this morning. (Samuel actually slept until 7am!)
During my quiet time, I reflected on God's gift of life and then how He is the giver of good gifts. Of course that doesn't mean we will never struggle or be persecuted, but He gives us so much more than we deserve. It is easy to get into the rut of looking around and seeing how others have more and then focus on what we don't have, but when I look at what I do have, I am overwhelmingly grateful.
Throughout the last 10 or so years, God has done so much in my life. Stripping off one idol after another. Well, the last few years, God is working on ones that I knew were coming, but dreaded: "financial security" and "I can do it". Working part-time instead of full-time, adopting, and Joe going through seminary while working full-time in facilities, does not leave much room for "financial security". We have been given so much, especially in the past year. Money, toys, clothes, gift certificates, free babysitting, meals and the list goes on. This has not been easy for me. I would rather be on the other end, but as time goes by, I have less to give other than my gratitude, and of course prayer.
As I thought about it this morning, I started to cry. I don't deserve good gifts from others. I'm happy to take gifts from God, if it doesn't involve others being inconvenienced. It is so hard to receive without being able to pay back or do anything in return, other than saying "thank you". But when you have no choice, you have to humble yourself and take it. I am losing my "I can do it" attitude, because I can't. No matter how I calculate, save, or work things out, I have to rely on God and my community/family. I knew this would be a hard lesson, but relationships have become richer, my heart is becoming less closed off to let others in, and my heart is softening. Fear, bitterness, pride, and more is melting away. God continues to refine me and I pray that when this season has passed, I won't forget what God is teaching me.
On a side note, Samuel is doing great! He had a fun weekend with pool time, family time, and good health. Yesterday he started whining again. We are going through another round of a few days of pain. Please pray for him and that I would know how to help him. He is more calm today, but then I haven't had to take him out to run errands or occupied to do errands at home. It has been a nice morning of just hanging out and getting lots of short cuddle sessions. : )
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Final court date!!!
It has been a glorious and transitional 8 months so far!
The first few months were a bit difficult because I had to get used to the new schedule and life. Samuel is such a great baby, that it really helped. The hardest thing that I had to deal with was his lack of desire for rest. He still cries even when he thinks we are going to put him in the crib. Actually at this moment, he is in the crib, fighting rest. Sometimes he even bangs his head on the crib to stay awake. Poor thing. . .
The fun things about Samuel is that he is usually a very happy, active boy. (I say usually because when his molars are coming in, he is hurting.) He loves to climb, run, explore, and laugh. He laughs most often when playing peek a boo or pretty much any social interaction. He is a people-person. He will walk up to strangers to smile at them and loves to see other kids. We have been doing a LOT of play dates lately and hasn't met anyone he doesn't like yet. He rarely sits still very long. Watching Thomas the Train keeps him still the longest of anything else, so that is my default when I am trying to cook. Sometimes, it doesn't work. He likes to be where I am, watching me do things, especially in the kitchen.
He has had a few time-outs and responds pretty well to them. He usually knows when he is getting into something he is not supposed to. I can tell because he has that sneaky look on his face or runs away when we catch him. LOL! After the first couple of time-outs, he started following directions more quickly. He is one smart cookie and seems to know it. He will sometimes try to smile or put his lip out when he gets in trouble because in the past we would laugh. We are learning to hold it in or turn our heads. : )
Teething has been hard for us. It seems that a new tooth comes in every couple of weeks and he is in pain every few days. These molars are hard on him. His drool is pretty constant and so we have learned to just live with wet shirts and kisses, which we LOVE! He now has 2 sets of molars and one set of canines. I think his 3rd set of molars are coming in now. Or maybe it is his 2nd set of canines. All I know is he is pain. Poor baby. I wish I could take it away, but there doesn't seem to be any magic fixes. Medication is only temporary and doesn't always work.
Well, he has had tons of firsts! I wish I could post pics of some of them, but until the adoption is final, I am not supposed to. So, if you want to see any, check out my Facebook page. That is a "secured" site and I can post pics of him on there.
I can not tell you how appreciative we are to have him here while we wait for it all to be final. We also appreciate all the support we have had and still receive. There are too many to count and in various ways. Samuel has such a large family in Christ. He also has our family that we were born into, who adore him. Sometimes I still cry, thinking back to the days when I didn't know how or when or if we would ever have a child. And here he is. Our precious boy!!
So, the final court date is Monday, August 22nd. He will legally be ours! He is already ours in our heart and mind. I can't imagine life without him, nor do I want to. We are so blessed!!!
The first few months were a bit difficult because I had to get used to the new schedule and life. Samuel is such a great baby, that it really helped. The hardest thing that I had to deal with was his lack of desire for rest. He still cries even when he thinks we are going to put him in the crib. Actually at this moment, he is in the crib, fighting rest. Sometimes he even bangs his head on the crib to stay awake. Poor thing. . .
The fun things about Samuel is that he is usually a very happy, active boy. (I say usually because when his molars are coming in, he is hurting.) He loves to climb, run, explore, and laugh. He laughs most often when playing peek a boo or pretty much any social interaction. He is a people-person. He will walk up to strangers to smile at them and loves to see other kids. We have been doing a LOT of play dates lately and hasn't met anyone he doesn't like yet. He rarely sits still very long. Watching Thomas the Train keeps him still the longest of anything else, so that is my default when I am trying to cook. Sometimes, it doesn't work. He likes to be where I am, watching me do things, especially in the kitchen.
He has had a few time-outs and responds pretty well to them. He usually knows when he is getting into something he is not supposed to. I can tell because he has that sneaky look on his face or runs away when we catch him. LOL! After the first couple of time-outs, he started following directions more quickly. He is one smart cookie and seems to know it. He will sometimes try to smile or put his lip out when he gets in trouble because in the past we would laugh. We are learning to hold it in or turn our heads. : )
Teething has been hard for us. It seems that a new tooth comes in every couple of weeks and he is in pain every few days. These molars are hard on him. His drool is pretty constant and so we have learned to just live with wet shirts and kisses, which we LOVE! He now has 2 sets of molars and one set of canines. I think his 3rd set of molars are coming in now. Or maybe it is his 2nd set of canines. All I know is he is pain. Poor baby. I wish I could take it away, but there doesn't seem to be any magic fixes. Medication is only temporary and doesn't always work.
Well, he has had tons of firsts! I wish I could post pics of some of them, but until the adoption is final, I am not supposed to. So, if you want to see any, check out my Facebook page. That is a "secured" site and I can post pics of him on there.
I can not tell you how appreciative we are to have him here while we wait for it all to be final. We also appreciate all the support we have had and still receive. There are too many to count and in various ways. Samuel has such a large family in Christ. He also has our family that we were born into, who adore him. Sometimes I still cry, thinking back to the days when I didn't know how or when or if we would ever have a child. And here he is. Our precious boy!!
So, the final court date is Monday, August 22nd. He will legally be ours! He is already ours in our heart and mind. I can't imagine life without him, nor do I want to. We are so blessed!!!
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