Successful Surgery

Rayanna's clogged-tear-duct surgery went great today!  It was very quick, and she handled everything well.  A few tears about the anesthesia mask, and she woke up pretty upset, but overall she was quite a trooper!  We have to do 2 oral medicines and eye drops for the next few days, but that should be it.  Then her eyes should be clear and bright!  Praise the Lord for an easy, successful surgery!

Pondering the Last 5 Months

Today, on December 21st, Rayanna is 21 months old.  On Christmas Day we'll have had her for 5 months!  Since I'm sure I won't have time to post then (and since it's just me and a sleeping Rayanna home right now), I thought I'd write down some of the thoughts I've had lately . . .

 . . . I think it's amazing how one little baby can bring so much fun and happiness to a family.

 . . . I think it's quite a blessing that she has no hearing problems and is catching up very well developmentally.  Whether a misdiagnosis or a miracle, we're so happy she's healthy!

 . . . I think my perspective has changed enormously over the past 2 years.  2 years ago I would've thought the clogged-tear-duct surgery Rayanna's having tomorrow was a big deal and quite scary.  Now I hardly even thought about it other than getting babysitters for the other kids!

 . . . I think 4 children is the perfect number for me to have, and I feel like our family is complete now.

 . . . I think it's surprising to find out how much I've missed having a baby and toddler!  We've flown through about 18 months' worth of "stages" in 5 months' time.  It's going so fast!

 . . . I think it's precious how snuggling a sleepy baby can ~pause~ all of life's cares and demands.  Holding her comforts me and fills me with such peace and contentment that I forget about everything else and just want to keep holding her forever.

 . . . I think it's fun and exciting to see how much three big siblings can love their baby sister, each in their own unique way, but all of them so affectionate toward her.

 . . . I think it's phenomenal how a child can be so completely bonded to her parents of only 5 months, and probably have no recollection of her life before she joined our family.

 . . . I think it's astonishing how much we love we can feel for this precious little girl that 5 months ago we had never even met!

 . . . I think it's unbelievable that we've only had her for 5 months!  It seems so long ago that we were in China trying to get her to take a bottle, so long ago when a bottle was the only thing she'd eat, so long ago when she could only crawl, so long ago when we had no idea of the fun personality hidden inside that quiet little girl, so long ago that we were a not-yet-completed family of 5.  It's only been 5 months, but it feels like she's always been in our family, always been a part of us.

 . . . I think adoption is a beautiful and amazing experience.  Of course, giving birth to children is beautiful and amazing too.  No matter how our children come into our families, they certainly are a blessing from the Lord.

Our first day together

Our little barrel of fun

And Baby makes 6!

Who, ME?!?!?

A couple of months ago I was asked by a lady at our church if I would consider speaking at our women's Christmas brunch.  She had read my blog and thought I had something to share.  As I read her email, I was already planning my response:  "No way!  You've got the wrong person!  I could NEVER do that!"  You see, I was the girl who would be physically sick the night before I had to give a speech in high school.  I was the one who hardly talked in casual conversation, let alone in front of people!  I've also been a very private person (until I started this blog anyway), and can share in writing much easier than by speaking.  But when I got to the end of the email, she said, "Now before you say 'no,' would you at least pray about it?"  So I was stuck.  What was I going to do, refuse to pray about it?  So I said I would pray, and I did.  And I felt that God was leading me to say yes, and to share what He's been teaching me through all our ordeals with Tabitha.  Never would I have imagined myself to volunteer for anything like that, but I was actually kind of excited to share!

Over the next several weeks as I put my thoughts together to share what God has been teaching me, I learned so much more! Preparing to speak was a real learning experience and a chance to grow closer to the Lord.  When the day arrived I was indeed nervous, but not nearly as much as I expected to be.  I'm really bad at estimates, but if I had to guess I'd say there were close to 100 women there, and I would've expected myself to at least be sick to my stomach if not pass out all together!  But it went OK, and I wasn't nearly as terrified as I thought I'd be.  I was really thankful for all the people praying for me and that God answered my request to survive the ordeal.  =)  I did survive.  I'm really glad it's over!  But I'm also glad I did it.  God increased my trust in Him through it, and I've had a few women tell me that what I shared helped them in some way.  I'm amazed that God would use a non-speaker, shy, flawed person like me in that way!

I was going to post the video here, but it won't work.  So I guess if you want to see it you'll have to visit me in person.  =)

Thanksgiving and "Christmas Tree Day"

We had a very enjoyable Thanksgiving and so much to be thankful for!  We had our traditional pumpkin pancakes for breakfast, and then made our "thankfulness pages".  We started doing this when the boys were really little.  We each decorate a piece of paper with pictures, words, poems, or whatever we want, to tell what we're thankful for that year, and then I save them all in a notebook.  It's fun to re-read the old ones, like when Jesse was thankful for scissors and Ethan was thankful for the number 9.  =)  After a relaxing morning at home watching the parade and dog show, we went to Heath's grandmother's house for Thanksgiving dinner.  We ate way too much delicious food, but it was a nice time visiting with the relatives on that side of the family.

Each year, for as long as I can remember, the day after Thanksgiving has been "Christmas Tree Day."  When I was little that was how my family did it, and we've carried on the same tradition with our kids.  This was Rayanna's first Christmas-Tree-Day experience of course.  But it was kind of anti-climactic.  She didn't really even care!  The good news is she hasn't been attacking the tree ornaments like I thought she would.  We had a lot of fun getting all the decorations up, and thankfully there was no Stink-bug Surprise awaiting us this year like there was last year.   =)

I found a cute little advent plan online that we started December 1st.  Each night we read a Bible passage or a book and do a little activity or craft.  Then we open that day's door on our nativity calendar and take out the miniature ornament inside.  And at the end everyone gets a piece of candy.  The kids love the special routine, and I have to admit, I do too!  Today we started making some Christmas treats, and of course I have Christmas music playing most of the day to set the mood.  In those rare moments when it works and everyone's getting along and feeling the holiday cheer, it's delightful!

Now, if we could just get some snow . . .

Happy Birthday, Mom!

My mom turned 55 last month.  (Sorry if I'm not supposed to share that, Mom, but I don't think you'd mind.)  =)  Anyway, in honor of her 55 years and being the best mom we've ever had, the family all pitched in to send her on a special weekend getaway!  The whole thing was a surprise; all she knew was to keep the weekend open.  I flew out there (all by myself nonetheless), saw my family for a couple of hours, and then my sister Carrie and I kidnapped Mom and took her to the tiniest town ever:  Cambridge, Nebraska.  Population:  1,000.

We stayed at  a   the cute little bed and breakfast in town.  The lady who ran it gave us the whole history of the house and the town, and cooked us some delicious meals!  We had ordered the "quilting package", so during the day Saturday we went across the street to a cute little quilting shop called "Cottage Inspirations."  We had our very own quilting class and each made a table runner for Christmas.  It was really fun to have some time together and to do something creative.  For me, the best part of the quilting project was having 6 straight hours to work on something with no one interrupting me!  It was really great to have some time with my mom and sister, and I'm really glad we were able to do it.  Here's a picture of us with our masterpieces!
 

Happy birthday, Mom!  We love you.  =)