Hard

Life isn't just complicated right now. It is HARD. I can't go into a lot of detail as to why, but it involves school. I was more than a little relieved that my mom had already planned to get Lily from "school" in the afternoon and spend the after with her and the evening with us. Yes, I know that was a run-on sentence.

Please pray for me. I really don't know how much longer I can take this. I am used to seeing the behaviors I am seeing from pre-teens not 5 and 6 year old children.

I can't remember what I have mentioned here, so bear with me if I mentioned it. I don't feel like checking right now. There is a very real possibility that I could lose my job for next year due to budget cuts. The most frustrating thing is that I may not know for sure either way until June.

I know if I have any success with my class, it is going to be all God's doing. I am at the end of my rope and trying my best to hang on.

Lily's "School"

Lily loves her school. We had a lazier morning, because my school system closed today for half an inch of snow. What can I say? We live in the south. I will say that I teach in a pretty rural area where there are very steep mountain roads that the buses have to contend with. I digress . . .

I took Lily to school, so she could have the preschool teaching portion of the day. I decided to take the morning and do a little shopping and cleaning since I have to pay for Lily to go whether or not I keep her home on days like this. It was the most relaxing, yet productive morning.

I picked her up after she ate lunch. She ran down the hallway saying, "I see Dr. Fay, I see Dr. Fay!" She ran in the open office door and raced around Dr. Fay's desk and got a big hug. Of course, the fact that Dr. Fay was on the phone didn't even cross Lily's mind. Oh, well. At least, Dr. Fay is welcoming AND forgiving!

We were walking to the car and with a HUGE smile Lily said, "Dr. Fay have sticker me!" It took me a minute to put it together. I asked her if Dr. Fay had a sticker for her. YES, mommy! I am most thankful that Branches is a place that Lily loves and a place that loves her!

Gung Hay Fat Choy and Happy Referral Anniversary!

I know this is a week late, but what can I say. Happy Chinese New Year! The first picture is the earliest picture we have of her and was taken when she was about 6 months old. The last two pictures were taken one day shy of one year apart. The doc said that she would grow the most in her first year home. Well, Lily has proven her wrong. I am amazed at how close I came to getting the distance right between the two pics. Lily grew 3 1/2 in. the first year home. She has grown 4 in. for the second year and she still has three months to go in the year!

Today is the second anniversary of our referral call. The day we first knew her name. We saw her face for the first time the next day. She hasn't changed much has she? Here is a recap of that beautiful moment two years ago:

We will never forget the day we received the phone call telling us that we had a daughter. Many of you have heard the referral story, but we can’t keep from telling it as it is a testament of God’s peace, providence, and timing. Jen was volunteering at our church Thursday mornings. Thursday, February 1st, was no different. We knew that referrals were arriving in Europe, but truly thought we might get skipped or at the very least not hear anything until the next day. Jen didn’t even keep the cell phone with her as she worked. Something made her go get the phone – just in case. As she was walking down the hall to find the phone, it rang! She immediately knew who was calling and what it was about as NO ONE had that number.

In an instant, God had given us what we had been longing and praying for. The next day we were able to see Lily’s face for the first time together Stephen’s work. Other adoptive families have said that the wait just melts away and becomes absolutely worth it once you receive your referral and see your child’s face. Of course, we couldn’t believe how that could be true until we experienced it ourselves.

Life is Complicated - Update

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Update

We are back at home. Power was not restored until 7:30am, so I am glad that we went to my parents' home. School was finally listed as closed at 6:30 this morning - about 25 minutes after I put in for a substitute. If only I had waited 30 more minutes - Oh, well! At least, I don't have to use a sick day.

Lily saw the doc and has another ear infection. This doc commented on her palate saying that it is slightly abnormal. She wants us to keep an eye on her for possible chronic fluid/infections with the possibility of tubes. Her first infection that we are aware of was Jan. 5th of this year. Our best guess is that she has stayed relatively healthy, because she hasn't been in a daycare resulting in less exposure to illness. We go back in about three weeks to check for fluid.

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Lily went to bed with a fever of 101F. Not that worrysome, but she can't go to daycare tomorrow. I guess we'll be going to the doctor in the am. I suspected an ear infection early this morning. She tugged on her ear and said her ear hurt, but she didn't have a fever YET. Right now we are on a 2 hour delay. I am PRAYING for a closing.

Well, if life wasn't complicated enough already . . . We lost power about 1 1/2 hours after Lily fell asleep. I would have taken the chance and stayed home, but with a sick one . . . I am signing off for the night at my mom's house.

And if youare in the L-burg area, don't think about breaking into the house. We have a GREAT neighborhood watch. They even came and checked on Lily and I as I was packing up to leave for the night. Pray with me for a CLOSING!

Daddy's House

We have finally established a way for Lily and I to webcam with Daddy. I won't go into why it took so long. It is a sore spot for me, but . . .

We were "talking" to daddy tonight. Lily said, "I go Daddy's house. I be right back." She got down from the chair, grabbed a key, walked to the front door, and put the key in the lock. I tried to explain to her that we couldn't go to "Daddy's house" because we were talking with him on the computer. She then came back. I thought the matter was settled.

A couple minues later she tried it again. This time, she grabbed my hand and tried to take me with her. She got to the door and said, "I go Daddy's house. I be right back. I WALK." For those of you who don't know, Daddy is an hour and 45 minutes away BY CAR!

Right to Live

I have such strong feelings on this issue. My sweet, precious daughter wouldn't be my sweet precious daughter if her birth mother had not chosen LIFE. I cannot imagine my life without her. As strong-willed and stubborn as she can be sometimes, she is still my baby. The one who said, "You want rub your back" when I told her I was tired the other night and immediately started rubbing my back.



Whether or not you voted for him . . .

Pray for the Saunders family

Heart Smiles is trying to help get the word out to pray for the Saunders family. Visit her blog to find out about the giveaway. BTW, I am not doing this because of the giveaway. I just want the Saunders to get a new house!