Happy Birthday Geoff!

Today is Geoff's birthday!! Happy Birthday Geoffrey!! I hope it's been a nice one! I don't remember if I realized last year that Geoff's birthday falls on a montly "anniversary" of how long we have been LID for Lexi. Officially, we have been waiting for 17 months now. (The sad part is I think we'll more than likely still be waiting this time next year!) Well, one thing that was extra special today about Geoff's birthday was that for the first time, he got a "Grandpa" birthday card from Brennen... and to top it off, he got to spend the afternoon wallowing in "grandpahood". This was much more fun than the plans I had for him. I was going go to the Y with him and make him do the workout that I did yesterday...hee, hee!! I think he liked what he got much better! Sara was here with the baby all afternoon and SAVED him from my torture!! This post could be long because I snapped pictures all day! I just love watching him with the baby! He's so comfortable with him and will do anything... EXCEPT change his diapers (dirty or not)!!


This is Geoff playing with the baby on his little play mat. Notice how jealous Sable is!! She does hang close by though to make sure the baby doesn't have a poopy diaper! She can sniff them out really well!!

Patches on the other hand, sits away from the baby and sulks! This is amazing because she the annoying dog that has to be touching someone all the time and loves to lick us. When the baby is here, she stays away from everyone! I think she is very jealous!!


Notice the shirt!!! It was sent to me by Sheryl, one of the sweet ladies that I met in Philly last fall. I had it handy for the first time Brennen needed a changing while he was here. It was so thoughtful of her to think of me and send this to me!!


Look... more playtime with Papa!! Not sure who Brennen is more interested in ... Papa or Mr. Froggie!

After awhile Brennen had had enough of playing and wanted to be rocked to sleep... not a problem!!! Papa is good at that too!!


Look at that face!!! WE BOTH are so in love with this little fellow!!


Uh-oh!!! Two little nappers!! We both can't figure out why this little guy makes us both want to nap every time he is around us! By the way, I had to work hard to get this picture!! Geoff kept waking up every time I turned on the camera!


This picture needs no explanation!! We love this little guy and he is sure to love his Grandpa!!!

Happy Birthday, Hubby! I love you!

Changes...

Today is a big day for me... I have an appointment with a girl I work with that is an exercise guru at the YMCA. She is going to show me how to pump up my workout. All summer I have been blogging less, obsessing over the wait a LOT less, checking my Yahoo Groups and reading other blogs less (and almost never go to the RQ site anymore), and trying to get myself in better shape. I began by walking practically every day and about 3 weeks ago decided it was time to use my gym membership. I've been trying to work out at the Y but didn't exactly know what is best for me. So I asked her to help me. She has plans to show me how to use the treadmill along with weights and who knows what else to get a total body workout in an hour that is centered around the treadmill. I'll probably be dying about 2:45 today!! :) I'm down 19 pounds since mid-April. This seems slow to me since we are doing Weight Watchers but I keep reminding myself that I feel better, look better and am progressing in the right direction for the first time in 5 years. I gained like 40 pounds in the aftermath of my miscarriage and failed IVF attempts. I've never been heavy and I've just hated it.

So what got me back here motivated???? Something snapped in me over Spring Break this year. I decided that it was time to live for NOW... not for "when the adoption finally happens". I went to the doctor and told him I was ready to loose some medications and stopped taking Ambien to help me sleep. I've taken one step at a time. After I got my sleeping patterns back to normal (using an alarm clock that plays wind chimes... now I need wind chimes to sleep but hey, that's better than Ambien), I started Weight Watchers and when summer vaction time hit, I was out walking early the very first day. The thing I've discovered is that I enjoy doing something active every day. I used to be a gym-rat and worked out at least 4 - 5 times a week. That was pre-Geoff. He wasn't much into working out and eventually I let it go... and then let me go in the process.

Now I'm working on getting him in shape with me. He's doing WW too and now is going to the Y too... We both are making progress and when it is time to climb that Great Wall of China... who knows we may can sprint up it!! We'll certainly be in better condition to chase our little Lexi around!

P.S. and guess what I'm about to go do???? Clean out my closet and make piles of clothes that are too big!!! YES!!!

Brennen's big 21 days old DAY.

Sara brought Brennen over yesterday... can I just say that I know if I will ever get used to wonderful feeling of when MY GRANDSON comes to visit GRANDMA!! I just love it!! Well, yesterday he was 21 days old. I was talking to the little guy about how his Mom had rolled over the first time when she was 19 days old and that if he kept up being such an active little thing, he would be rolling over soon. It was around lunch time so Geoff was home. I put him down on a blanket on the floor and left him with Geoff. When I came back around the corner, he had both shoulders off the floor with his head popped up like a turtle. That alone was amazing. This little guy has a very strong neck already (just like Sara did!) Well, Geoff left the room a few minutes later and the little stinker ROLLED over for me and Sara!!! It was so funny!! When Sara got him home, he later rolled over for his DADDY 3 more times (so it wasn't a fluke...and his Daddy didn't feel left out!!)

Can anyone tell, I'm a very proud Grandma!!! I love this little guy so much!!!

Tattoo-Boy

Well, he finally did it! Geoff has been talking about getting a tattoo for over a year now that would commemorate the whole adoption experience. He researched Chinese symbols and learned that the dragon is a symbol for family protection, power, and wealth. He wanted to include Lexi's name written in Chinese also. Well, about 3 weeks ago we went to a place in Savannah called Skin Arte and told them what were were thinking about. We liked the Yin-Yang symbol as well. The artist did a great job incorporating the two symbols. He also added Lexi's name in the sketch but we decided to wait on that part until we actually have Lexi in our arms. (Didn't want to jinx it!) This is Geoff's first tattoo. Those who know him are shocked that he wanted one. It doesn't shock me though. I like that he has a reason for wanting it and to me shows how deeply he feels about our impending adoption of Lexi. He did get it on his shoulder so that he can cover it up at work. After all, some people don't agree with tattoos and he is in a client based career. He did exactly like I knew he would and got the tattoo without out some much of a wince... just laid there like he was about to go to sleep. When the man finished it, he told Geoff that he had "competition skin" and that he would take him to a competition in a heart beat. I guess the fact that he is not a sun worshiper helps. I told him he should have told the guy, just let me know when you need a canvas... tattoo for free! He plans to add "wind bars" around the dragon at some point to give the dragon more definition but for now, we're happy with these results.

Brennen Slide Show

More Brennen

I went with Sara and the baby to a checkup appointment last Friday. When we got home Sara fed the little guy, changed him and then he was ready to play. I took all kinds of pictures of him! He even slept in Lexi's crib for the first time. I can't wait for him to get a little bigger so I can really play with him! He's just amazing! We've waited for this little guy a long time and it was so worth it!

Brennen's Home!

These are just a few random pictures from the last two days. Yesterday afternoon Brennen had to go under the billy-light because he is jaundiced. They came home today but he still has to stay under the light. It's so hard! Poor Sara cried yesterday because he was crying wanting his Mommy. They are doing better today though and I just left their house helping to get them settled in. Hopefully, they are catching a nap now.


I've always known that Sara would be a great little Mommy but it is just so cool watching her evolve!! I have to brag about my son-in-law too... Chris has been awesome! He was a wonderful coach for her during the labor and delivery and has just impressed me every day with how well he is doing as a new father. I love these two so much! ... oh, make that I love these 3 so much!!! Grandmotherhood (*LOL!) is awesome!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Brennen!!

He's here and he's beautiful! 7lbs. 7 oz., 21 inches long, lots of black hair and precious!!!! Born at 1:38 (little over 5 1/2 hour labor... she does take after her mom after all!!)

Now to the really important part... Introducing our new grandson...

Brennen Matthew Liddic

Almost here...

Here's a Brennen update. On Monday Sara and Chris went to the Dr. with great hopes that she would have dialated more. No such luck. So I went back with her yesterday because she was scheduled for an ultrasound to see how big the baby was. He is now 6 lbs. 14 oz. The ultrasound revealed that he is laying face up. I sure hope he turns over! His head is really low and his little feet are kicking around Sara's ribs. He had his legs crossed and his hands were laying on his belly. It was so cool! Well, then she went for her checkup. This time she was dialated between 2 - 3 centimeters. The Dr. told her to come back on Thursday at 9:00 AM. If she is still dialated 2-3 centimters, he is going to admit her and I guess give her the medicine that brings on labor. We could have the baby this week!!! Like TOMORROW!!! I'll be up early getting my walk out of the way and then getting ready in case she does get admitted. She wants me to be there and of course, that's where I need to be! This is so exciting!!

Are you easily shocked?

I know, I go almost a month without hardly a post and now 3 in one day. This next post is quite a story. I titled it "Are you easily shocked?" because this question now will forever burn in my mind and my answer will always be "YES!".

Since summer began, I've been getting up and walking. I've worked from 3 miles to now 5 and now look forward to my walks. This morning was no different than usual. Roll out of bed, brush my teeth, pull up my hair, put on my walking clothes, grab the iPod and out the door! Everything was just like any other day until I walked by a house about a 1/2 mile from our house. The man that lives there is always out in his yard tending to his flowers and plants. I've said hello many times and commented on how hard he works in the yard. Well, today (WHY???) I decided to ask him about a plant in his yard. He was thrilled and gave me a tour of the front yard and told me what every plant was. Finally, I was about to leave and resume my walk when he asked me why I have been working out. I answered "to loose weight". He then went on to tell me that he would like to share his before and after pictures and tell me about his diet. Innocent enough. Right? You'd think.

Well, I followed him just inside his house and waited for him to go get the before/after pictures. He walked into his kitchen and back out again and then came the question, "Are you easily shocked?". I really thought that he just preparing me to see a messy kitchen. I said, "no" and he waved me into the kitchen.

MOST people have pictures of family or drawings made my kids but not this guy. He had a before picture of him and his wife and then about 3 of him... STARK-RAVING NAKED in his backyard!!!! Was I shocked? YES! At this point, I didn't even know his NAME!!! Yes, I saw him NAKED before I even knew his name! I walked out of the kitchen and remarked that he had indeed lost a lot of weight! Then he grabbed his computer and began to print me a copy of his diet. This is when he decided to ask me my name. I guess in his world, once someone sees you naked you should know their name! Turns out his wife is also named Wanda. I would thought this was a line if I hadn't seen her name on the computer!

Shocked! Yes! How does one get out of such a situation? All I could think of was, how the heck was I going to tell Geoff about this! I never felt that I was in any danger, although I did note that I had my cell phone hooked to my shirt. Had I felt I was in danger I would have bolted and ran not walked away.

Well, he printed me the diet and went to the kitchen again. I was waiting in the living room and he called me back in the kitchen. He was pouring me a green tea and wanted me to tell him how much honey I needed to sweeten it. Ugh... back to the nudity on the fridge and Yes, he pointed it out again! Let me just say, he is proud of his weight loss. Maybe it is like those women who get boob-jobs and feel it necessary to show everyone they know. He lost weight and wants to show it off. (maybe... but more likely it's creepy... sleezy... gross!)

Next thing I know, he is asking me how much weight I have lost and when I said 13 lbs. and that it was going slow. (It's taken me 2 1/2 months) His comment for that was that slowly was best. Then off comes his shirt to show me why! He points to his belly button and says "what do you see?". At this point, seeing how I've seen his stuff and all, I was honest an said, "it's a little saggy." Yes, that is what he was trying to show me. The quicker you loose weight the more your skin will sag. He lost over 100 pounds.

Finally, I leave with a homegrown lemon, a bag of homegrown plums, some lipton green tea and a print off of a diet. Not to mention a vision burned into my brain!

I immediately called Geoff and shared my experience. He wanted to know why I hadn't learned the "don't talk to strangers" rule when I was little and if he was going to have to hire a body guard. Needless to say, I only got a mile in today. I hope the stress from the "visit" is enough to make up for the other 4 I missed.

My sister wanted to know how I could stand there and not act shocked. It's easy. I do what has helped me my whole teaching career. Ignore. Ignore unwanted behavior and usually it will go away. Now the question I HAVE is "how will I ever go on my normal walking path again???" I have to drive by this house every time I go to mine. Ever wonder what is going on in the backyard of your neighbors? I've learned, you never know. You may have a nudist living next to you! And most importantly, I've learned to always answer "YES" to the question, "Are you easily shocked?" And I think from now on, I may not even wave at my "neighbors".

Oh, I almost forgot the part about when he asked me to feel his arm. It was oily. This guy rubs olive oil all over himself every day to help ease the aging process. He suggested I give it a try as well. He said that every day at 3:00 he had a beer and told me to come join him anytime. Somehow, I don't think I'll be joining him. I really stopped because I just knew he enjoyed his garden and I wanted to bring him a flower that my mom grows that blooms at night. Somehow, I think when Mom hears this story, she won't give me a plant to give him for anything. Weirdness... this was a surreal experience to say the least!!

(Disclaimer: We really do live in a nice neighborhood. It's one of the nicest ones for schools and is very quiet. This was NOT the norm!)

Brennen Update!

Baby Brennen is preparing to make his appearance. Sara went to the Dr. this week and was dilated 2 cms, 50% effaced, and his head is engaging. She has had the most pops and pains all week! At this point, the Dr. said that she would most likely have him before the 5th of July. This is great news. I was having such a hard time waiting for July 14th (yes, I'm a selfish Grandma). Well, yesterday she was having cramps and discomfort so they asked her to come in to be checked again. This time the Dr. told her to come back on Monday and if she has dilated to 3 cms. he is going to admit her. Is it possible that we may have a baby by next Monday night??? This is soooo exciting! Sara has done so well with her pregnancy. Today, I went over and helped her do some cleaning to make sure the house is nice and clean before she goes into labor. She's all packed for the hospital and Chris is about jumping out of his skin every time he gets a call from Sara at work. I sure hope she does like I did and has a quick labor. I went into labor with here about 5 pm. We got to the hospital about 6:30 and I had her at 9:05. I was too far along to have any meds and honestly never thought about it. It was over in no time. I pray Sara will be so lucky! I just can't wait to see his little face and count those tiny fingers and toes!

Two Showers... check!

Well, summer sure is ticking away. Last Saturday, my family hosted two showers at my house. The first one was for Sara and it began at 1:00. As soon as everyone cleared out, we revamped the food and prepared for a Jack and Jill shower for my niece, Kim. She was going to be in town for Sara's shower and we wanted to do something for her so I just bit the bullet and played host for two! I really did enjoy everything once the day got here but the preparation leadig up to the big day was craziness.

I did have fun making things for the shower. I made my first diaper cake. It turned out so nice!


And while I was at it, Mom helped me make a diaper wreath for the door.


The biggest fun though was making a "Daddy's Dirty Diaper Tool Kit" and a "New Hubby's PMS Survival Tool Kit". I saw the diaper tool kit on the internet and just knew that me and mom could make our own. Sure enough, Mom jumped right on it and had a pattern made up the same afternoon that I showed it to her! I had to get pictures of the kids wearing their kits.












Both Sara and Kim were blessed with a nice turnout and received all kinds of gifts! Kim's wedding is set for July 14th (Sara's due date!). I think this conflict is funny because they came into the world that way. I had Sara on Labor Day in 1982. Just 3 days later my sister had Kim on my Dad's birthday. Sara was my first and only child (for now anyhow!) and I had gotten pregnant ahead of my sister, Shirley. I had already picked out the name Sara and low and behold so did Shirley. This began a race to see who would deliver first and who had a girl. (I had an ultra sound back then but they wouldn't tell me if they could determine the sex). Needless to say, I have the Sara. When Shirley had Kim, she didn't think she looked like a Sara anyhow. It's a funny story to remember. I'm so proud of both of these girls.

School's Out, Summer's In

Well actually school has been out since the 25th of May. I've been on summer break for a week now. I'm staying very busy helping out with Sara's baby shower and with a bridal shower for my niece, Kim. Both showers will be at our house on the 16th. We're doing Sara's shower first and then Kim's. Craziness I know but there was a method behind the madness. We wanted my sister's family to be able to come to Sara's shower and we wanted to throw a shower for Kim. It was too hard to get them here twice. So it was for convenience purposes = to craZiNESS!!

Referrals came out this week. It was another month covering only 6 disappointing days. Well, disappointing for those of us who have waiting so long already. There appears to be no end in sight to the waiting increase. I'm staying up beat and managing to not be depressed or upset but I do have some pet peeves. I'm tired of people telling me that Lexi will be worth the wait. We know this but we're sick of the wait and how many times do we need to hear it??

We were asked the by an acquaintance the other day if we had heard anything about the baby. I think people ask because they are just making conversation but it's old. Had we known that it would take this long, we would have not told anyone of our intentions. The thing is there is more to our life than just this adoption. There has to be other things to talk about. We have to enjoy life for the NOW. Not of the what it WILL become. Being upset about waiting takes away from our enjoyment of the now.

I guess anyone reading this that knows us just needs to know this... the waiting is not fun. Our best guess of when we will get a referral will be sometime between March and November of 2008. We'll keep everyone informed but please let's enjoy our life for the present. We'll get Lexi in God's perfect time.

Pop'in In

Just a quick pop in... I know I've been posting less and less. I think as the wait increases I just seem to want to discuss it less. I've been staying off of the Internet more and spending more time doing things around here. Geoff and I have begun to take the pups for walks after dinner. We need the exercise and so do they! In fact, we've had to ease them into it. We've been increasing the length each day in hopes of preventing Sable from having a heart attack on one of our walks.

On Friday, we are headed to Pawley's Island, SC with Carolyn and John for some R&R. Geoff and John are going to go golfing and Carolyn and I will enjoy the beach. And on Saturday, Chris and Sara will be joining us. This will be the first time, I've been on the beach where Sara's belly will be bigger than mine! LOL!!

This is also my last week with students. I have 5 more days of work and then I'm done until August. I've got lots of things planned for the summer to keep me busy.

Excitement is building!!

I went with Sara for another Dr. appointment yesterday. She was having an ultra sound to determine if she would have to have a c-section or not. She's had placenta previa since the beginning of her pregnancy. At one point (over Christmas) she was on bed rest for 2 weeks. Well, FINALLY her placenta has moved to where it should be for a natural birth. I was getting all excited for her because she wants to do like I did and have her baby with not drugs. Well, even though the placenta has moved, she still may have to have a c-section because Brennan appears as if he is going to be a big little boy! Right now, he is 4 pounds (about 1/2 a pound bigger than average). Sara's doctor says that if he goes over 8.5 lbs. he will not let her have it normally. So I guess we will just have to wait a bit longer to find out. I can't believe my little Sara may have a big baby. I was two weeks overdue and she weighed 7.6. We also learned that he has LOTS of hair. The nurse could actually see his hair. (She showed it to us, but I couldn't tell anything.) She said that normally, she can't find hair until it's closer to the due date. This gets more exciting every day!

After we left the Dr., we spent the rest of the day shopping. Sara is growing so much that she is outgrowing her XS and Small clothes so we went searching for some clothes to get her through these last 9 weeks. I really, really want the baby to come early.... I'm so selfish! I want the entire month of July to spoil my grandson!

Baby Brennen is getting BIGGER!

These were taken last week. Sara is doing so well with her pregnacy and looks so good! Here she is with about 10 weeks to go. She may actually have him sooner. She has placenta previa so unless that changes, she is going to have to have a c-section. I'm being very selfish and hoping for an early delivery so that I can spend more time with them before I have to go back to work. You know a new blog will be coming as soon as the baby arrives. I've got to have a place to brag about our grandson (Wow! That stills sounds weird!).

Chillin' In Atlanta

Time is ticking away. Last week marked our 14th month of waiting. We were in Atlanta though and to be honest, didn't think about it until after we got home. I had to judge at the Ga. Media Festival on Friday. We left last Thursday afternoon. We had Internet that night and I did check my email but after that, I didn't check eMail or read any other adoption related sites all weekend. How nice! We had the best time. We had some wonderful dinners and had a great time seeing some Atlanta sights. On Fridayafter the judging was over, we went to the zoo. I just had to go see the baby Mei Lan. It was a bit of a let down that she was sleeping. It was fun to see her though. Her Mom was eating Bamboo while the baby slept.






We went in the Petting Zoo and got a kick out of the spoiled little pigs who were whining to go back IN their pin. While we were watching them, noticed that Geoff had a nice little lady-friend admirer.

Could this be a sign of good luck?

We also went to the Ga. Aquarium this weekend. It was awesome! I love visiting zoo's and aquariums. This one is just fabulous! We didn't get many pictures there because I forgot to bring the camera charger. After the day at the aquarium we went back to our hotel, parked and then walked to "Dante's Down the Hatch". This was a dining experience for sure! It's fondue style dining (which we had never done before) so we cooked our own dinner at our table. It was delicious. We spent the rest of the night in our room at the fabulous Hotel Intercontinental. Geoff got us a great deal on Priceline. In fact, it was cheaper than the one the county put us in Thursday night but oh so much nicer!

We actually almost made it home without buying anything for Lexi but on the way home we stopped at an outlet mall and just couldn't pass up a $1.34 long sleeve shirt and a $2.67 sleeper from the Gap. It was a very nice weekend!

Whatz'up!

Honestly, there has not been much to blog about lately. As my last post indicated, I'm at peace with the longer wait and am just living life. That's a good thing. The mundane can be nice. So here are a few tidbits of my not so interesting life.

1. Tax Season is over and I have my dear hubby home at the normal times. It was really weird to have him home (and available to help out!) over the weekend!

2. Sara's pregnancy is going fantastic! I saw her today and her "inny" belly button is officially now an "outty"! And did I mention how good she looks! Pregnancy definitely agrees with her! I am so ready for little Brennen to make his appearance in the near future. Some day soon I'll be washing the sheets in Lexi's crib so that Brennen can break in the bed for her. A doating GiGi I will be!

3. Testing is officially over in our school district! Yea!!! I had to proctor in a 5th grade room and just let me say, "IT'S NOT FUN!!". I honestly wondered if I was about to find out if falling asleep while walking was possible. We had to be on the move constantly, watching students to make sure they didn't skip a page or bubble incorrectly. I'm used to walking around all morning but this was just different. I'm so glad that my daily job is not like this!

4. Last weekend, we went into Savannah and met some fellow Savannah Families With Children from China (FCC) families. Only it was mostly the "wait-er's" there. One family (Toni and Mike) was there with their beautiful little Allie who has only been home about 4 months. The other 3 couples were waiting. We finally met Tamara and Michael. They have an LID the day after us so it's very likely that we will be celebrating referrals at the same time. We met at Adele and Dan 's new restaurant (Rustica Pizzeria). We had a very nice time (and the pizza was great too!) and enjoyed the great company.

5. We are heading to Atlanta on Thursday. I am going to be a judge in the state Media Festival so I am dragging Geoff along. (Remember my last trip to Atlanta by myself resulted in a broken toe and a lot of phone calls to get directions??) We are going to stay the weekend for my birthday (even though Mom has given the go ahead to skip the birthday this year. When Geoff and I began thinking of having a child -- 5 years ago-- I told him 45 was my cut off day. So Mom says we are just going to put my birthday on hold until we get Lexi. That's a fine plan if you ask me! This is one time I can say the old saying "Never, say Never" holds true" because I'll wait as long as necessary to get Lexi and once again I am learning that age is not everything. I still have a lot of love to give a child and our plans are to have two to love so ... "take that biological clock!")... Anyhow, we are going to go to the Atlanta Aquarium on Saturday and on Friday my dear hubby (bless his heart!) is going to take me to Archiver's (Wahoo!! My favorite scrapbook store - in - the - whole - wide - world-that I never get to go to!!) We are really looking forward to the weekend!

6. Relay for Life was last weekend. Our county (as of this morning) had rasied around $165,000. I am proud to announce that Jenna (my niece) raised $3000 all by herself and that the company she works for raised $45,000! How great is that! I may just have to join my school's team next year and challenge Jenna to a fund-raising competition. I'll certainly be up against a tough challenger. Seriously, I'm very proud of Jenna. She is a true inspiration!

That's about it. Not much else happening. None of this is especially interesting anyhow but I do feel the need to blog so that Lexi will know what her parents did while waiting to go get her.

My Revelation....

Late last week, the referral rumors heated up all over the Internet. On Thursday I discovered them and just about lost my lunch when I saw that most likely referrals this month will only be for 2 days. Yes. Two. After being upbeat about the wait and feeling good about my patience with the entire thing, my world came crashing down. I had to put in my mouth piece for my TMJ because I was immediately clinching. As hard as I tried, I couldn't stop the tears from seeping from my eyes. I haven't cried about our adoption in quite some time. This time I was just devastated. I questioned whether I was making this God's will or my own in that we adopt from China. I wondered if this newest delay was a sign from God. Yet, I just couldn't imagine our life without Lexi. I went through the weekend grateful that I had invited the whole family over. It was a great diversion. Then today as I sat around by myself because I have the day off and Geoff is at work in high gear for tax season, I ran across this.

SPECIAL SAUCE
I was sitting at the drive-through window at McDonald’s this weekend. I did the usual thing; I drove up to the menu and ordered. I proceeded to the first window and paid, then drove to the second window and waited for the order. After sitting there for a few minutes, the clerk slid back the window and asked, “Will you please pull over to the side; your order is not ready.” I was a little upset and even impatient, but I pulled over and waited. I thought, “How come other folks ordered and drove straight through and I have to wait.” I waited for another two or three minutes. It seemed like hours. Just as I was about to give up and drive away, the clerk finally ran out, tapped on the window, and handed me the order. Of course I asked , Hey, what took so long?” She replied, “You wanted the Special Sauce, which meant that it had to be specially made for the sandwich, it doesn’t usually come with that one.”

This scene is a reflection of our prayer life. We made our request to the Lord. Our menu is his word, where he has listed promise after promise. We stand before Him and request and plead and, sometimes, even beg.

We go to the first window and pay, sometimes with fervent prayer, sometimes with prolonged suffering, sometimes with obedience, and sometimes not at all. We then move to the second window and wait for our order. If God doesn’t answer within a few minutes, we become upset. You know the phrase, “Jesus, it’s 5:00 p.m. Friday; I prayed to You yesterday, and You still haven’t answered. I can’t wait much longer.” Why is it taking Him so long? I’ve seen people drive up before me and they received their orders right away! We even go so far as to tap on the window and ask if He has forgotten our order. We become impatient. We become upset. We become downright mad.

Lord, I asked for a mate ten days ago and I don’t see him/her anywhere.

Lord, I’ve been asking for a new job for two years; others have passed me by!

I’ve been waiting on a financial blessing for ten years; others have passed me by!

Where are You and why haven’t you blessed me?

Just when you think He is giving you the answer, He pulls back the royal curtain of Eternity, and states, “Please pull over to the side and wait a while longer.” This one frustrated me to no end, made mad, made me want to give up, made me want to holler; that is, until the clerk brought out my sandwich...Then, the revelation became clear.

Do you know why the Lord has put you on the side?

Do you know why you have had to wait for this blessing longer than before?

Do you know why He has put you through more this time than ever?

Do you know why it seems like you have had to go through more tears, more pains, and more struggling this time? Because this blessing is a Special Sauce Blessing! This is an Overflowing, Pressed Down, and Shaken Together Blessing! You made a Special Order and God has been putting together a Special Sauce Blessing for you and He has to prepare it for you!

That mate you wanted ... He’s putting together a Special Sauce!
That job you wanted . . . He’s putting together a Special Sauce!
That financial blessing . . . He’s putting together a Special Sauce!
That peace on the job . . . He’s putting together a Special Sauce!
That deeper anointing . . . He’s putting together a Special Sauce!
That promotion . . . . He’s putting together a Special Sauce!
That Baby........................ He’s putting together a Special Sauce!

For I know the thoughts I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you hope and a future......Jeremiah 29:11. How many people have driven away before the clerk brought their food, and how many people have missed their blessings because they did not wait? Hang on in there. Keep on waiting. You made a Special Order, now wait on God’s Special Sauce! “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.”...Isaiah 40:31.

They who wait shall receive a Special Sauce!

So I've got it... I'm waiting for my "Special Sauce". The 2 day news is bad. It hurts my heart to know we may be waiting even longer than my longest prediction. I'm beginning to appreciate those friends of ours that ask "Have you heard any news?" as opposed to "When are you getting the baby?". I'm sure I'll have more bad days but coming across this today on one of my support groups was very special. I felt that God was indeed sending me a message. So strangely, I feel uplifted rather than down in the dumps over the news today. I hope this post can do the same for anyone else out there feeling down.

Snuggle Bunnies??

Our fur-babies have been acting weird. These two do love each other but haven't actually ever been snuggle bunnies. Lately they've taken to sleeping between us right next to each other (as opposed to Sable at the end of the bed and Patches as close to her daddy as she can get). Well, this morning while I was doing laundry, I threw a load of towels on the couch and left them for later. The next thing I see is this:



I'm a bit confused as to what has gotten into our girls. They stayed this way until I interrupted them to fold the towels. I don't think it's Patches making the change. It's Sable. Patches has always freaked out when she has had to be separated from Sable. When we take them to the groomer, if Sable gets brought out first, Patches throws a fit. Patches also doesn't like to go outside at night without Sable. I think it is hilarious! Now if only we could get the two cats to like each other!

Easter 2007

We are having a cold Easter this year. Last night we had below freezing temperatures. Certainly not our typical Spring weather. We hosted the family gathering this Easter. Senna and Charlie are out of town so we didn't have anyone to got egg hunting. Blah! I really wanted to have an egg hunt. Dinner turned out to be pot luck so to speak. I made a ham, homemade mac and cheese, and lima beans. My sister, Carolyn, brought deviled eggs, Mom made her awesome bacon ranch pasta salad and Chocolate Delight, and Sara's mother in law, Denise, made her delicous potato salad. The best part though was discovering something new about my dear hubby. He has been watching the "Ace of Cakes" on the Food Network so he decided that he would make a cake. He had me buy him some fondant and all the necessary ingredients and then he went to work. He was working on his cake until midnight last night but just look at the results! It turned out to be so CUTE. He's done it now... I'll be expecting him to make all of Lexi's birthday cakes.


This was my creative contribution. I made an edible fruit bouquet. Yesterday, Sara and I went to Glennville to pick fresh strawberries. Well, it was COLD and WINDY so we opted to just buy some that they had picked on Friday. I came home and went to work on creating. The only thing about making something like this is that no one wants to eat it. I had to take it apart after lunch and send some home with everyone.

My Movie of our G.O.L.F. Weekend in Savannah

I've spent the last few days working on a movie of everyone's pictures about the Savannah G.O.L.F. weekend. I finished it today and mailed a copy out to everyone who attended. I'm also posting it here for everyone to enjoy. It ended up being a little shy of 10 minutes. I used music (well, almost all) related to Savannah or Georgia. It turned out pretty good (if I say so myself). I can't wait to be able to make our Journey To Lexi video. Hurry up referrals!!

Fly Ladybug, Fly!

I guess I really needed this weekend because I have literally slept most of it away. Yesterday I just didn't feel right... sleepy, out of energy, and even dizzy. I thought maybe it was my sinus' getting ready to torture me now that we have pollen everywhere. I do feel better today but I surely should after sleepy about 26 hours since Friday at 9:00. I'm not doing much today either except try to get some cleaning done around the house. I wanted to catch up on a few things on the blog too. That doesn't require much energy.


I let the rest of the adult and larva ladybugs go a little while ago. I had one more day of classes at school that had not seen them under the microscope. That was the coolest thing! We've taken photos and short movie clips of them eating aphids. The kids really got into it and now I can't even walk through the school with kids asking me about them. I think I'm going to have to order some caterpillars for them to observe after the Easter holidays.

More Baby Clothes

This time (as usual)it was Geoff who picked out these little outfits for Lexi. We are fairly certain that she will wear most of what we buy because it's all between 18-24 months. We have bought some 12 - 18 months stuff but you never know what season it will be when we go get her. At this point my guess is that it will be winter. Geoff and I were talking about referrals today and our best guess if things continue the way they are that we may get a referral in December. We are hoping for October or November but that is a big HOPE. We're thinking about it like this. . . if CCAA began making referrals for 15 days at a time each month, that would put us at 9 more months of waiting for referral. IF they speed up some, it could be sooner. This guessing is really pointless because it'll happen when the time is right. In the meantime, Lexi is already a huge part of our lives and it gives us pleasure to buy pretty things for her. A lot of people tell us we should wait and see what size she is and my answer there is "you try waiting 2 years + for a baby and see how you deal with it." Everyone has their own way.

This one is too cute. I love the little bloomers! This is definately a Spring and Summer outfit.

I've been eyeing this outfit too waiting for it to go on sale. We bought this one in 12-18 months thinking that it will be an outfit that will go with us to China. She'll probably need long sleeves.

This little overall capri will probably be too big for her in China but will be very functional for living in the south. She'll be able to wear this outfit Spring, Summer, and Fall. Of course, her Daddy bought the matching socks and hairbows!

Baby Clothes from Lexi's GG (Great Granny Nanny)

This little dress was sent to us a few weeks back from Nanny (Geoff's Grandmother) and Maggie (Nanny's housemate and dear family friend). It's very cute and will make a cute church dress. Nanny also sent some little sandals to match. This makes only the second pair of shoes that we have for Lexi. The other is also a pair of sandals that my Secret Pal Carol sent me last summer to go with a bathing suit. I haven't gotten into buying shoes because I have no idea what sizes mean. I guess I was able to do it with Sara but then I had little feet to put in them. So on this we wait. Nanny stuffed the little socks with cotton balls. The socks by the way came off of one of Geoff's childhood stuffed animals (Radar) that Nanny still has. I thought it was a very sweet gesture.

And finally, Nanny and Maggie sent some play clothes. These are perfect for spring and summer and even part of fall here.