Labor

On this day 12 years ago, sitting in the lunch room eating my lunch in Ft Worth, TX and visiting with a coworker about labor and listening to her tell of her water breaking in the middle of the night and guess what happened. Yep. I'd read way too many books and relied on way too many statistics and for some reason had in my head that I would have to have my water broken. Nope. Ever try to discreetly leave a building when everyone is making a fuss? It doesn't work well. I was going to drive myself to the doctor's office becaue I had an appointment anyway but someone had called Brian and he had given strict orders for me not to drive anywhere! He had the audacity to want to take me straight to the hospital but the problem was that first of all, I had an appointment anyway. Second of all, I needed to change clothes and for some reason nothing matched and I wasn't going to the hospital with an outfit that didn't match. Thirdly, I hadn't packed a bag. Statistically speaking I still had plent of time anyway.

I did make it to the appointment, the same coworker mentioned above drove me and Brian met us there. He was in such a hurry to get to the hospital and I, well - I was not. Somehow he won that battle and after finally packing a bag we headed out the door.

Little Ryan was born shortly after midnight. Like I said, I had plent of time!

This picture was taken sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas of '97. My grandfather had passed away and my siblings and my cousins were together that evening.


Left to right: My cousin Kelly, the skinny chic with her hand on my belly is my sister. She was making fun of my huge belly, but the joke was on her - she was pregnant too but didn't know it! The tall guy behind and to my right is my brother. The last two on the right are my cousins Donna and Tim.

The Heart of Rebecca

Celebrating our one year anniversary with Rebecca has given me reason to go back and look through pictures from our time in China. And like I mentioned in another post, I've also gone back and re-read some of the things I wrote while we were there. It's so hard describing that time for me because for us it was an answer to prayer and our daughter was finally with us, her family. But for her, well - it wasn't quite so easy but all in all I would say the transition went very well.

So many of the volunteers we talked to mentioned what a little stinker she could be and we were told many times that she was a hand full. In some ways that is the case, she is a lot of fun and has the cutest little sense of humor but if I had to name one prevalent trait in her, I would readily mention that she has the absolute sweetest little heart. Here's a few pictures taken the day we had gone back to the Starfish Home to visit before we departed Xian. It was a very stressful time for Rebecca and it was also a very heart wrenching and stressful day for me. She was torn between her two worlds and the changes she knew were there but didn't quite understand. As a mother, I wanted her to not have to suffer that pain. But in the midst of all of that, as her nanny was telling her goodbye and her eyes brimmed with tears - look at the love and compassion coming from her little soul.




Many times over this past year I have witnessed this kindness and sweetness from her. Many times it was completely undeserved but each time I see it, I know that it's to the core of just how she is. Yes, she can be ornery. Yes, she can be a stinker. But if someone needs some loving, she's the go to girl. She shows this love to me all the time as well as to her siblings. Just yesterday Emma was in trouble with her papa, nothing bad but Brian had made her get down out of his lap because she wasn't minding so off she went in a huff. Rebecca went and sat down beside her, put her arm around her and told her that she loved her and that Emma was her "best friend". Then later in the evening Ryan, who is almost 12 and has been a little of a hand full himself, was in trouble with me. As I was giving him an ear full Rebecca came up and wrapped her little arms around his leg as if to say "I'm right here with you Ryan and it's going to be okay".

There are many, many more stories like this that I could share about her and every time I witness it I can't help but think of some of the verses out of Matthew 5.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

For Today

Somehow in the busy-ness of last week I missed doing this.

Outside my window: It's cold and rainy, perfect day for a nap but yet I know if I nap then sleep will not come easily at night. With age comes wisdom. Well, sometimes anyway!

I Am Thinking: About how much I have enjoyed this past week, celebrating our one year with Rebecca and talking with her about her adoption story. I've also spent some time going back through pictures of our time there and thinking about the sites and the smells. As I went back through the pictures of our visit to the Starfish Home I caught myself wiping away the tears. The memories of the nanny crying and sweet little Rebecca rubbing her face. I knew then that she was a tender hearted baby girl and I'll have to say that just hasn't changed over this past year.

I Am Thankful For: For my new job, it's such a good fit for me and my new co-workers are easy going, easy to get along with. The drive is much easier and it puts me home a little earlier than I was getting home which makes it nice for the evenings with the kiddos and Brian. Just very thankful!

From The Kitchen: Nothing worth talking about this week. We did however do a good job of cleaning out some things from the pantry during our 'financial fast' week. That's been needing to be done for a while now!

I Am Wearing: Gray sweats, pink t-shirt ... comfy post church clothes.

I Am Creating: We're still going great guns on the organizing front. It's amazing what can accumulate in (almost) nine years. The past few weeks I've been focusing on Ryan's room, the little guy - he's such a pack rat. I remember us doing a deep clean on his room before we went to China in 2005 and I know Brian and I both have worked on it several times since then but it was still full. Under the bed, the closet, every nook and cranny. I even shared on FB one night how a while back I found a box of rocks in his room. Yes, a box of ROCKS. Needless to say, we took everything out of his room and I made him go through it with me, piece by piece, asking him if it was something he was keeping, donating or throwing out. For some reason it seemed much easier to make that decision when he knew if he was keeping it that he was going to have to take it back to his room! Not sure how many bags we hauled off to Goodwill but there were several. And bags of trash, I think there were just as many!

GO - ORGANIZE!

We started the process of switching bedrooms around for the kids. Ryan's room is just a little bit bigger and will better accommodate two twin beds. So, Ryan and I completely emptied the girls room the other night and they are all bunking in his room for now while we get his 'new' room ready. New bedding was ordered and has arrived. New paint bought. New ceiling fan. The previous owners of our humble abode did some pretty goofy things here, like splattering paint all over beautiful stained trim - so I spent some quality time the other night removing that. Now passing the ball to Brian to put a coat of finish on the trim and then paint. I wish I could take a picture of all 3 of them in Ryan's room. His bed is still on the frame, but I just moved Emma's mattresses for ease in transition and so while a twin bed, it looks smaller since it's on the floor and then there is Rebecca in her toddler size bed. Makes me think of the "3 Bears" when I look in there! Ryan made me promise not to take a picture though :-( But the girls, they are LOVING sharing a room with Ryan for now!

I Am Going: Well, was going to start on the dining room next but still not sure how to creat a home office area for me. We used to have a desk in the basement but I really need something that is in my "path". Plus, the basement was converted to a playroom anyway. Any ideas out there on creating a home office area when you do not want to devote a whole room to an office?

I Am Reading: Finished up "Go Organize" but have some others on my night stand to start. Just need to make a decision as to which one. Choices, choices.

I Am Hoping: That I do not grow weary in this organizing/purging process. Now that's funny. That's exactly what I said two weeks ago!

I Am Praying For: The people in Haiti and also for the families who are in the process of adopting from there.

I Am Hearing: Sounds of the Cowboys/Viking game as well as sounds of the girls playing with mixing bowls and dry beans in the kitchen. All those nice new toys from Christmas and they're playing with beans. Doesn't make a whole lotta' sense! I hear Rebecca calling Emma "honey" so they must be playing house too. What a blessing those little dumplings are.

Around The House: Laundry to finish and put away. The weekly task of going through the mail and paying bills. Back packs already packed for tomorrow morning.

One Of My Favorite Things: Watching the girls play so well together. There is the normal sibling friction from time to time but there are way more moments like what I'm watching now than there are of them fussing. Sisters from the get-go, what a blessing.

A Few Plans For The Rest of The Week: Ryan has an academic team scrimmage tomorrow and then basketball practice in the evening. Choir for Brian on Wednesday. Game for Ryan on Thursday, gymnastics for the girls. Ryan's birthday is on Thursday, he's turning 12!!! Saturday will be jam packed with it being a church work day, academic team meet for Ryan and a birthday party for the girls. Not sure when we're going to get some time in to celebrate Ryan's birthday!


I wrote about trying a "financial fast" a couple of weeks ago so I probably should mention that. Goodness, that was way harder than I expected it to be! But so glad we did it and it was fun to watch the kids get involved. One evening when I picked up the girls Rebecca asked if we could go out and eat and before I could answer, Emma reminded her we weren't spending money that week. It tickled the daylights out of me. Then when we did have to go to the store it was very difficult trying to stay within the $50 budget we had set. But we did it! Pretty close anyway, we went over by something like 23 cents so I'm still counting it a success! The good things that came out of it were breaking me of the habit of getting something from the vending machine at work, not eating out and we also cleaned quite a few things out of the pantry in the process. We may just make this a once a month thing!

Have a great week everyone!

Adoption News

Oh wow, I'm a little behind on checking out blogs, particularly the ones I've been remiss in adding to my blog roll. Another one of those pesky little things on my todo list. But that aside, I have some great adoption news!!!

1. The lady who named Rebecca is on her way to China to adopt another child. Praise the Lord in the highest!!!! Finding out a child is about to join their forever family absolutely always makes me sing praises to our heavenly Father! Elaine volunteered at the Starfish Home the year Rebecca came to live there, but she never did actually get to meet Rebecca. Apparently there was a delay with Rebecca coming and Elaine was already scheduled to return home. However she was still able to name her and desired for her to have a good biblical name. I hope to meet this precious family one of these days! Click here to hop on over and wish them well on their trip!

2. I've recently been in contact with a family who is traveling to China to adopt a Starfish Baby!!!! Of course that really makes my day, another Starfish child will be united with their forever family. They will be leaving on the 20th and you can follow their story here.

I just know that the Father of the Fatherless is listening to the angels in heaven are rejoicing. The miracle of adoption, there's really just not adequate words to describe it!

Celebrating Rebecca's Adoption Day

We celebrated Rebecca's adoption day in style the other night - just now getting a chance to write about it though. It always seems difficult to do things on school nights, which is weird in itself since we're gone just about every night anyway it seems but we made it out to dinner. We went to a really nice Chinese restaurant that we used to go to when we first moved here but haven't been to since Emma was little. It was odd when we walked in though because here we have two daughters from China who are basically the same size but the hostess zero'd in on Rebecca and had the oddest look on her face. Long story short, she is from Xian which is the same city Rebecca had lived in while at the Starfish Home. You would think I would be used to it by now, but Chinese nationals almost always make a comment about Rebecca being from the northern part and Emma being from the southern. Just not really anything I can compare to as far as living here. I mean, you meet someone and based on their looks you really have no idea if they are from Chicago or Texas? California or New York. Now, after they speak you might have a better idea! But really, it's just odd to me.

Anyway, we had a wonderful dinner and sweet little Rebecca was grinning from ear to ear and we enjoyed celebrating her Forever Family day!

And me, well - I've been going back through the pictures from last year and re-reading the posts I wrote while we were there. It's hard to believe a year has already passed us by. Is that just part of getting older? And I can't help but think of Amanda, the lady who started and runs the Starfish Home. She so obviously loved little Rebecca as she does all of her babies, but it seemed like there was just something special between the two of them. She told me the other day that she had stayed at the hospital with Rebecca when she had surgery and that was when Rebecca had finally opened up to her. I try to send Amanda little Bex stories ever so often and I know she appreciates it, but I just wish there was some way that we could keep the relationship between Amanda and Rebecca alive. Amanda will always be a part of Rebecca's sweet little heart but it would be even better if they could see each other from time to time.

Before I go, it was this time last year that we were touring the Terra Cotta Warriors! It was a wonderful, fun filled day!

Didn't we make just a lovely Warrior family!

http://hunterhappenings.blogspot.com/2009/01/hunter-terra-cotta-warriors.html

Black and White Wednesday

Lisa over at The Long Road To China is doing a fun little thing with posting a black and white photo each week.

I really haven't had time to devote to photography lately, but this picture of Emma just cracked me up. It's so Emma, from the soft/fun little purple hat (not that you can tell it's purple in a b&w photo, but oh well) to the happy little smile as she was playing in the snow. For some reason I just can't look at this and not smile. The little stinker just has that effect on me!

Happy One Year Little Rebecca!

Sweet little Rebecca, hard to believe it’s been a year already since we finally met her face to face in a funky hotel in Xi’An, China. We had traveled from Beijing that day, arrived at our hotel and were in the process of checking in when our traveling companion's child arrived. Brian was busy finishing up checking in , I was busy taking pictures of their moment and in walked Amanda with our precious little Rebecca. She was so scared but you could tell was trying to be oh so brave. What a joyous moment even though she did not want a thing to do with me! I suppose it goes without saying that it is quite different adopting a 3 year old who doesn’t understand what is going on but is very aware of the fact that everything she knew was about to be gone, than it is to adopt a baby.

Fast forward a year and you still have that sweet little girl who relishes the love of her family. Amanda told me many times during the wait that Rebecca loves fiercely and how very well I know that now. Thankfully she had room in her heart to love us so fiercely.

I wish I could easily spell out the transition that has taken place before my very eyes over the past year but there are too many thoughts and emotions for that. The transition though that I think tickled me the most was the evolution of early morning snuggle time. It really is a reflection of her bonding to us. Ryan and Emma both have always made their way to our bed the first thing in the morning when time allows such as on weekends and when we are on vacation. The first few weeks she was with us we couldn’t even get Rebecca close to our bed in the mornings. After we had been home a while she would wake Emma up in the morning and then would at least follow her in and would merely stand by our bed. No amount of coaxing was going to get her to join us. Slowly but surely she began to climb right on in with Emma. At some point though she quit waking Emma up for this little morning ritual and would come in and enjoy that time all by herself! It was then that I knew that she was finally warming up! So it has been with her, yes – she does love fiercely but you have to earn that love – it’s not freely given by any means.

Then there is the love she has for Emma, I’d have to say that was pretty much instantaneous. Looking back through the pictures of the first few weeks with us she smiled the most when she was with Emma. I’m still amazed at how quickly they just fell in with one another. To this day Rebecca will fuss at her dad or brother either one if she thinks they are picking on Emma. What a blessing and what an answered prayer. I’ve shared before that financially it was past a stretch to take Ryan and Emma with us on this trip but for the life of me I couldn’t imagine being away from them so long. While I thought that uneasiness in my spirit was due to the fact that I didn’t want that separation, I clearly see now the urging of the Holy Spirit who knew all too well that Rebecca needed them there.

Happy one year Rebecca! Your forever family loves you!!!

Here's a couple of the first few pictures I saw of Rebecca and I printed them out and hung them behind and to the left of my computer monitor so that I could easily see them but yet anyone else would really have to be looking to notice them. And I began to pray, and pray, and pray. Every one cautioned me to not get my hopes up but in my heart I just knew that she was our daughter. She had heart surgery at 18 months old, right at the same time I started praying for her.






Almost 20 months later she finally made it into the arms of her forever family.



Now here it is 12 months after that, our sweet, kind and fiercely loving Rebecca!



(photo by Melissa at Over The Moon Photography)