Wow! I just realized that Bella has been with us for 1 month and on Saturday, it will be her 1 month anniversary HOME!!! I haven't blogged alot lately, due to the fact that she is keeping us quite busy!
Bella is doing great! She is now walking--- no more crawling! She is saying a few words... very important ones... like, Momma, Dada, Broer (Brother)... you know the ones that matter! LOL She doesn't like to sleep, she LOVES her bottle, is VERY affectionate, smiles OFTEN, not very fussy, oozes personality, blows kisses, waves to EVERYONE she sees... she is quite the little flirt! I have lots of things I want to blog about, but finding the time has been a challenge. I hope to be able to share some of them soon. I know it has been a while and I hope I still have some readers out there!
I still have bronchitis and now a severe sinus infection. I promise to post pics this weekend!
Until later...
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Busy Bella
My Beautiful, Brown-eyed Girl! She is one BUSY girl... always on the move looking for something new to "explore". The other night, I found her popping out all of my safety plugs from the wall sockets!
Helping Momma load the dishwasher.
This is where she spent her time this morning while I was getting ready.
She automatically smiles when she sees a camera now.
Jeff and I had to go to the doctor last week (where we found out we had bronchitis!). This is what Bella did while we waited to see the doctor. We spent 3 hours in there and she never once fussed-- just explored CONSTANTLY!!!
"Hey, Daddy, how do you get that echo sound in your voice?"
She is a cabinet closing and opening little booger!
"Hey, Daddy, let me drive... oops, I almost ran off the road because I got sidetracked... I looked up and saw a sunroof!"
"Daddy, you are the BEST!!!"
Do you think she has him wrapped, yet?
Two days later, we were at the ENT with both kids (that still sounds weird!). We found out that they BOTH had bronchitis and Bella had a touch of croup, too. I cannot tell you how good it was to see my TWO children playing together in the doctor's office. I actually got teary-eyed watching my heart's desire right there!
Helping Momma load the dishwasher.
This is where she spent her time this morning while I was getting ready.
She automatically smiles when she sees a camera now.
Jeff and I had to go to the doctor last week (where we found out we had bronchitis!). This is what Bella did while we waited to see the doctor. We spent 3 hours in there and she never once fussed-- just explored CONSTANTLY!!!
"Hey, Daddy, how do you get that echo sound in your voice?"
She is a cabinet closing and opening little booger!
"Hey, Daddy, let me drive... oops, I almost ran off the road because I got sidetracked... I looked up and saw a sunroof!"
"Daddy, you are the BEST!!!"
Do you think she has him wrapped, yet?
Two days later, we were at the ENT with both kids (that still sounds weird!). We found out that they BOTH had bronchitis and Bella had a touch of croup, too. I cannot tell you how good it was to see my TWO children playing together in the doctor's office. I actually got teary-eyed watching my heart's desire right there!
Monday, November 12, 2007
Pray for my friends and their precious children...
I would like to ask all of my readers to pray HARD for some of my friends tonight. First of all, let me say, that I am NOT computer savvy and do not know how to copy pics off of other blogs and put them on mine. The times it was done for previous posts, my husband did it and he is not here tonight. So, with that being said, I will just list their names and what they need you to be in prayer about.
Jerry and Stacie-- They are currently waiting on PINK. Their daughter's name is Allie and this is their first child. They should have gotten an appointment last Thurs., but things did not happen like they should. Please pray for roadblocks to be removed and them to have favor with the embassy tomorrow!
Drew, Bekah and Benjamin-- They are waiting for sweet Isa to join their family FOREVER. She just turned a year old in Guatemala and I know the pain they felt that day. There has been problems with the attorney the agency assigned to their case and they need things to be resolved QUICKLY and the truth to be told about the status of their case. Please pray for the hand of God to guide their file through to the end and Isa into their arms forever!
Melissa and Jodie-- There are problems with the Civil Registry where they need a birth certificate issued. Please pray for these obstacles to stop and the bcs to be released. These precious girls need to be home for Christmas!
Chris and Lindsey-- This couple has endured more than their share of heartache. As they begin a new adoption, please lift this precious couple up before the Lord. Pray for things to happen quickly and for the hand of God to guide those involved in finishing this adoption. They just returned from meeting her and I know they pain they are feeling without her. Lift them up to him.
Bama Girl-- I don't know this woman, but my heart is burdened for her and her family. Precious Sydney is caught in a political web and suffering at the hands of evil people in authority. Pray for the necessary hearts of those involved to be soften and turned. Sydney needs to be home and this family needs to experience joy instead of heartache.
Ashley and Madeline-- This friend of mine has without a doubt endured more pain than any other person involved in adoption. She needs a miracle to bring precious Madeline home. I serve a God that does miracles and we need to pray He moves in this case in a MIGHTY way! Pray for her broken heart and for strength to continue to endure.
Jennifer and Sara Michele-- Sara is in the same orphanage that Bella lived in and she got caught up in a political web, as well. Please pray for the appeals court to release her certified copies so that this little girl can join her forever family!
Jane and Lucas-- Pray that an abandonment hearing is scheduled SOON so that the COA can be issued and his adoption can finally begin (after over a year!).
I don't know if I am forgetting anyone. If I am, please forgive me and e-mail me. I would LOVE to put your request out for others to surround in prayer!
Jerry and Stacie-- They are currently waiting on PINK. Their daughter's name is Allie and this is their first child. They should have gotten an appointment last Thurs., but things did not happen like they should. Please pray for roadblocks to be removed and them to have favor with the embassy tomorrow!
Drew, Bekah and Benjamin-- They are waiting for sweet Isa to join their family FOREVER. She just turned a year old in Guatemala and I know the pain they felt that day. There has been problems with the attorney the agency assigned to their case and they need things to be resolved QUICKLY and the truth to be told about the status of their case. Please pray for the hand of God to guide their file through to the end and Isa into their arms forever!
Melissa and Jodie-- There are problems with the Civil Registry where they need a birth certificate issued. Please pray for these obstacles to stop and the bcs to be released. These precious girls need to be home for Christmas!
Chris and Lindsey-- This couple has endured more than their share of heartache. As they begin a new adoption, please lift this precious couple up before the Lord. Pray for things to happen quickly and for the hand of God to guide those involved in finishing this adoption. They just returned from meeting her and I know they pain they are feeling without her. Lift them up to him.
Bama Girl-- I don't know this woman, but my heart is burdened for her and her family. Precious Sydney is caught in a political web and suffering at the hands of evil people in authority. Pray for the necessary hearts of those involved to be soften and turned. Sydney needs to be home and this family needs to experience joy instead of heartache.
Ashley and Madeline-- This friend of mine has without a doubt endured more pain than any other person involved in adoption. She needs a miracle to bring precious Madeline home. I serve a God that does miracles and we need to pray He moves in this case in a MIGHTY way! Pray for her broken heart and for strength to continue to endure.
Jennifer and Sara Michele-- Sara is in the same orphanage that Bella lived in and she got caught up in a political web, as well. Please pray for the appeals court to release her certified copies so that this little girl can join her forever family!
Jane and Lucas-- Pray that an abandonment hearing is scheduled SOON so that the COA can be issued and his adoption can finally begin (after over a year!).
I don't know if I am forgetting anyone. If I am, please forgive me and e-mail me. I would LOVE to put your request out for others to surround in prayer!
Thursday, November 8, 2007
A little glimpse...
Throughout our whole adoption process, I will admit, my faith waivered... I had my doubts and my rages... sometimes at God. I am not proud of it, but I will be honest. Two days before the civil registry released our birth certificate, I told God that I wanted to finish this off with my head held high, being able to praise Him... not hang it low, despite my unbelief, when He did it. I asked Him not to let that BC be released until I had whole heartedly found peace and dropped the unforgiveness I was holding. You may ask who I could have had unforgiveness towards. Well, for one, my attorney. I felt that she used our case to further her ADA work and we got tangled up in a political fight between her and the powers that be in Guatemala. I blamed her.
Then, I began to read a book called The Bait of Satan-- The Sin of Offense. I started reading this book on that Tuesday that I prayed the above prayer to the Lord. In it John Bevere, the author, sets the stage by telling you that if you are a child of God, NO man or NO thing can thwart the plans He has for your life. Yes, people have a free will, but He can stop anything He does not want happening in your life. He told how Joseph was sold into slavery and thrown into prison unjustly. Now, we went through a lot, but NOTHING compared to this. And, yet, he was able to realize that it was all part of God's divine plan for his life. It was at that moment that I realized that our adoption did not go the way we had anticipated it... it went the way He charted it.
He called us to adopt... of that I am MOST certain. He KNEW the day she would join our family and the age she would be when it happened. He NEVER promised me that she would come home as an infant. He just asked us to be obedient and our job was to do that and trust Him to fulfill the dream He had birthed in our hearts. MY plans were to bring home a little baby and move on with my life. HE HAD OTHER PLANS!!!! Yes, Susana, used our case to further a cause in Guatemalan adoptions and as far as I can see, it did NOT pave the way for anything positive. However, Bella came home at the perfect age and at the perfect time-- HIS TIME.
Today marks 2 weeks exactly since she joined our family FOREVER. I was listening to John Bevere's series A Heart Ablaze on my way to bring Jake to school this morning. He was talking about Moses bringing the children of Israel out of Egypt. He asked the congregation this question:"Why did God lead the children of Israel out of Egypt?" The people responded, "to bring them into the Promise Land." NOT TRUE! He led them out of Egypt to bring them out of bondage into freedom. In this past year, He brought me out of the bondage of dependence on myself and into the freedom of trusting Him with EVERY area of my life! The glory of the Lord was revealed to them IN the desert, as they wandered around. The desert is not a place of being forsaken by God or left alone until He decides you have spent enough time there. It is a place where you are not living in the abundance of life. You are only given the day's manna.. the provisions you NEED for THAT day. WOW!!!! That spoke to me. He went on to say that "it is in the desert that God quiets you heart and changes you for HIS glory". You see, if you had the abundance of everything working out in your life the way YOU planned, then you would not need to depend on Him.
That is where the glimpse I spoke of in my post title comes in to play... I know now that He allowed our desert time to happen so that He could quiet me and teach me TOTAL dependence on Him, despite the situations others placed us in. I can tell you that I changed in the last 16 months. Was it an easy change? NO, but as I wrestled with MY will and against HIS and as I kicked and screamed, He broke me and taught me that my life is in HIS hands... a place where I willingly placed it when I was 13 years old. And about that birth certificate... it was released 2 days later! :)
Things are going great with Bella and her attachment to us. She said "Momma" the other night when she woke up... needless to say when I heard that over the monitor, I nearly broke my neck getting to her! :) I can say that times are tough with me not working and getting paid and look bleak to our human eyes, but I have learned to look at my life through the eyes of faith. If I keep my eyes on Him, everything will be provided and I will fulfill my purpose.
I pray that if you are still waiting for your precious little one, that you surrender your will for His and that He wraps you in His arms every step of the way until He delivers your "promise" to you and your family. I am praying for all of my blogging friends still waiting... your time IS coming!!
Then, I began to read a book called The Bait of Satan-- The Sin of Offense. I started reading this book on that Tuesday that I prayed the above prayer to the Lord. In it John Bevere, the author, sets the stage by telling you that if you are a child of God, NO man or NO thing can thwart the plans He has for your life. Yes, people have a free will, but He can stop anything He does not want happening in your life. He told how Joseph was sold into slavery and thrown into prison unjustly. Now, we went through a lot, but NOTHING compared to this. And, yet, he was able to realize that it was all part of God's divine plan for his life. It was at that moment that I realized that our adoption did not go the way we had anticipated it... it went the way He charted it.
He called us to adopt... of that I am MOST certain. He KNEW the day she would join our family and the age she would be when it happened. He NEVER promised me that she would come home as an infant. He just asked us to be obedient and our job was to do that and trust Him to fulfill the dream He had birthed in our hearts. MY plans were to bring home a little baby and move on with my life. HE HAD OTHER PLANS!!!! Yes, Susana, used our case to further a cause in Guatemalan adoptions and as far as I can see, it did NOT pave the way for anything positive. However, Bella came home at the perfect age and at the perfect time-- HIS TIME.
Today marks 2 weeks exactly since she joined our family FOREVER. I was listening to John Bevere's series A Heart Ablaze on my way to bring Jake to school this morning. He was talking about Moses bringing the children of Israel out of Egypt. He asked the congregation this question:"Why did God lead the children of Israel out of Egypt?" The people responded, "to bring them into the Promise Land." NOT TRUE! He led them out of Egypt to bring them out of bondage into freedom. In this past year, He brought me out of the bondage of dependence on myself and into the freedom of trusting Him with EVERY area of my life! The glory of the Lord was revealed to them IN the desert, as they wandered around. The desert is not a place of being forsaken by God or left alone until He decides you have spent enough time there. It is a place where you are not living in the abundance of life. You are only given the day's manna.. the provisions you NEED for THAT day. WOW!!!! That spoke to me. He went on to say that "it is in the desert that God quiets you heart and changes you for HIS glory". You see, if you had the abundance of everything working out in your life the way YOU planned, then you would not need to depend on Him.
That is where the glimpse I spoke of in my post title comes in to play... I know now that He allowed our desert time to happen so that He could quiet me and teach me TOTAL dependence on Him, despite the situations others placed us in. I can tell you that I changed in the last 16 months. Was it an easy change? NO, but as I wrestled with MY will and against HIS and as I kicked and screamed, He broke me and taught me that my life is in HIS hands... a place where I willingly placed it when I was 13 years old. And about that birth certificate... it was released 2 days later! :)
Things are going great with Bella and her attachment to us. She said "Momma" the other night when she woke up... needless to say when I heard that over the monitor, I nearly broke my neck getting to her! :) I can say that times are tough with me not working and getting paid and look bleak to our human eyes, but I have learned to look at my life through the eyes of faith. If I keep my eyes on Him, everything will be provided and I will fulfill my purpose.
I pray that if you are still waiting for your precious little one, that you surrender your will for His and that He wraps you in His arms every step of the way until He delivers your "promise" to you and your family. I am praying for all of my blogging friends still waiting... your time IS coming!!
Monday, November 5, 2007
First trip to the park and other misc. pics
Today was a beautiful day and we decided to take Jake and Bella to the park to enjoy it. This was the first time Ms. Bella was put in the grass. She wasn't too crazy about it at first, but when I sat down with her, she realized it must be okay and she began to attempt to eat it. Well, when she saw my reaction, she tried even harder. She is quite the clown and LOVES to make us laugh!
Enjoy the pics... some of them are from today, some are from my nephew's birthday party yesterday and some are just of Jeff and Bella enjoying an early morning snack. I was told tonight (by Steph) that I was not blogging enough with pictures... so here is what you wanted Steph!
Happy Birthday, Joel!! Nana loves you!!!
My daddy feeding Bella some icing... she LOVED it!
You may be wondering where the hairbows and pigtails went... well, she has decided that she doesNOT want them in her hair. She feels up there throughout the day to be sure I have not sneaked one in on her. She will pull at it until it is beyond fixable.... hoping this phase will pass!!
This girl LOVES her some bananas!!!!
Enjoy the pics... some of them are from today, some are from my nephew's birthday party yesterday and some are just of Jeff and Bella enjoying an early morning snack. I was told tonight (by Steph) that I was not blogging enough with pictures... so here is what you wanted Steph!
Happy Birthday, Joel!! Nana loves you!!!
My daddy feeding Bella some icing... she LOVED it!
You may be wondering where the hairbows and pigtails went... well, she has decided that she doesNOT want them in her hair. She feels up there throughout the day to be sure I have not sneaked one in on her. She will pull at it until it is beyond fixable.... hoping this phase will pass!!
This girl LOVES her some bananas!!!!
Sunday, November 4, 2007
"LSU, LSU, LSU!!!! GEAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUX TIGERS!!!"
Well, Bella experienced her first LSU football game last night. I was quite worried about how it would effect her. I mean, you can only imagine the whooping and hollering going on with all of my uncles, cousins and my husband watching the Tigers go up against Saban's new team for the first time since he left us. There was so much hollering going on, but it never phased her... infact, she began hollering at the t.v. and when Jeff threw his hat after the last flag they called on LSU, Bella followed his lead and began throwing her toys! Great example her daddy is, isn't he?
Lou, I saw your post and am SO sorry you had to resort to dressing AP in victory attire. She did look ADORABLE in it, though! :)
"Sorry, AP and Allie... want me to see if my Mommy can send you a dress like mine? The colors would like GREAT on both of you! Hurry up and get home, Corryn... LSU needs you to cheer them on to the championship!!!"
But I must say, it was quite the nail biter... LSU loves to give us those these days. But, Bama, did play one heck of a game!
Friday, November 2, 2007
First morning at home
She woke up her brother really early.
First time seeing her room!
"WOW! I LOVE it!"
Somebody taught her how to "love the baby". This is what she did when I told her to love her baby. She is a genius!
Giving Jake kisses.
My 2 angels!
As you can see, she is adjusting quite well. It truly is as though she has been here forever! God has been so faithful. She has become quite the "Daddy's girl", also. She is on the verge of walking. She says "hola" and "da da". I am working on "Momma" and hope to have that accomplished next week while Jake and Jeff are gone! :)
First time seeing her room!
"WOW! I LOVE it!"
Somebody taught her how to "love the baby". This is what she did when I told her to love her baby. She is a genius!
Giving Jake kisses.
My 2 angels!
As you can see, she is adjusting quite well. It truly is as though she has been here forever! God has been so faithful. She has become quite the "Daddy's girl", also. She is on the verge of walking. She says "hola" and "da da". I am working on "Momma" and hope to have that accomplished next week while Jake and Jeff are gone! :)
We went to my school today. They had a pep rally and little Miss was clapping and cheering with the best of them. She, of course, charmed everyone she came in contact with. She had her first doctor's appointment this morning. She weighs 20 lbs. 13 oz. and is 31 inches long. She got a flu shot and was quite the trooper. Jake got one also and in keeping with our family tradition, both angels got a toy at Toys R Us for enduring the shots! We are off to my nephew's 2nd birthday party tomorrow. I will have lots of pics to post.
Tomorrow LSU will beat Bama and Bella has a new dress to celebrate the occasion... stay tuned....
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Homecoming and Halloween
Jake waiting for his baby sister to arrive.
Jake and Bryson getting ready to welcome Bella to the U.S.
Jake and Bryson getting ready to welcome Bella to the U.S.
Jake was the first person to welcome Bella home. (Thanks, Kim, for capturing this moment so perfectly!)
Bella could not take her eyes off of Jake.
Bella meeting McKenna for the first time. Our friends, Keith and Roxanne adopted McKenna a few years ago and it was at their house back in April of last year, that we decided to take the step of faith on the road to our daughter! Thanks, guys, for coming to the airport to welcome Bella home. It mean so much to us.
Bella with her Daddy!
This was the first time that Bella and her cousin, Joel, got face to face. Joel has waited anxiously for her to arrive. He used to put her picture album next to him on the sofa with it opened up to her pictures and let her "watch" t.v. with him!
Bella with her Poppa (my daddy) for the first time!
Bella with her Bubbles (my mom) for the first time.
Bella and Mommy!
Everyone (about 50- 60 people) met us at the airport. They were all awaiting our arrival at the top of the escalator. We let everyone else off the plane before us. Bella was quite the celebrity on that flight. She waved and told everyone "Hola!" as the exited. My sister, Laurie, said that people were passing through our crowd telling them that they had already met Miss Bella! The stewardess said she did not know we were carrying a celebrity on the plane! LOL As we came through the gate, the flashed started going off, people started yelling "I see her!" and the crying started for some. I was doing fine until I saw Jodie (Corryn's mom) holding a sign that said "welcome home, Bella, and ...". She then turned the sign around to reveal that "Corryn is OUT!!!" that's right, on the day Bella came to the U.S., Corryn got released from PGN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That set my tears aflowing!!! Bella went from person to person until 10:00 that night. She collapsed in her crib and slept until 8:30 the next morning. I will post pics tomorrow (or tonight) of the storks my parents and my friend, Ashley, had delivered in my yard. I will also post more about other nice things we got from friends and family. I hope these pics will tide you all over until Miss Bella goes to sleep.
Bella could not take her eyes off of Jake.
Bella meeting McKenna for the first time. Our friends, Keith and Roxanne adopted McKenna a few years ago and it was at their house back in April of last year, that we decided to take the step of faith on the road to our daughter! Thanks, guys, for coming to the airport to welcome Bella home. It mean so much to us.
Bella with her Daddy!
This was the first time that Bella and her cousin, Joel, got face to face. Joel has waited anxiously for her to arrive. He used to put her picture album next to him on the sofa with it opened up to her pictures and let her "watch" t.v. with him!
Bella with her Poppa (my daddy) for the first time!
Bella with her Bubbles (my mom) for the first time.
Bella and Mommy!
Everyone (about 50- 60 people) met us at the airport. They were all awaiting our arrival at the top of the escalator. We let everyone else off the plane before us. Bella was quite the celebrity on that flight. She waved and told everyone "Hola!" as the exited. My sister, Laurie, said that people were passing through our crowd telling them that they had already met Miss Bella! The stewardess said she did not know we were carrying a celebrity on the plane! LOL As we came through the gate, the flashed started going off, people started yelling "I see her!" and the crying started for some. I was doing fine until I saw Jodie (Corryn's mom) holding a sign that said "welcome home, Bella, and ...". She then turned the sign around to reveal that "Corryn is OUT!!!" that's right, on the day Bella came to the U.S., Corryn got released from PGN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That set my tears aflowing!!! Bella went from person to person until 10:00 that night. She collapsed in her crib and slept until 8:30 the next morning. I will post pics tomorrow (or tonight) of the storks my parents and my friend, Ashley, had delivered in my yard. I will also post more about other nice things we got from friends and family. I hope these pics will tide you all over until Miss Bella goes to sleep.Our descent down the escalator. The security guard told us we had to move the party downstairs
We took the kids to a Fall Festival. Bella was a ladybug and Jake was Wolverine, from the XMen. I want to send a BIG thanks to Ashley and Addi for finding these costumes last minute for me. We left in such a hurry for Guatemala on such short notice, that I did not have costumes. We were not anticipating Bella being home for Halloween. (You were right, Steph!!!!!)
We took the kids to a Fall Festival. Bella was a ladybug and Jake was Wolverine, from the XMen. I want to send a BIG thanks to Ashley and Addi for finding these costumes last minute for me. We left in such a hurry for Guatemala on such short notice, that I did not have costumes. We were not anticipating Bella being home for Halloween. (You were right, Steph!!!!!)
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