I Gotta Feeling

Fun Times from Be-Be's Visit

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Pray for Families with Referrals

Since we waited so long after our referral to get Zeke, I really feel for families who are just waiting for court dates, passing court, travel date assignments, etc. Just say a special prayer for those families.

We're excited that our agency has opened a second Transitional Home. We're hopeful this might have a positive impact on the wait time for referrals. It's exciting to think that Quilla will be with us next Christmas. Wow! That's almost hard to believe!

The Blind Side

Zeke and Auntie Be-Be play Guitar Hero!


Definitely see this movie. I just went and saw it with my sister. Another adoptive mom with our Ethiopia agency saw it and described it this way: the hand of God is written all over it. Amen. It's great. Not even the running commentary from the oldies sitting in the row below us could detract from this awesome story. (This includes the comment more than half way through the movie at a rather quiet, emotional moment when the old woman in the next row asked loudly: "Is that Tim McGraw?") It's a beautiful story of love. You will like it.

Zeke is enjoying having his Auntie We-We in for a visit. Since he can't quite say "We-We," he calls her "Be-Be." This works just as well. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We have much to be thankful for.

Meet the Newest Jedi

Zekbe Shlan

Auntie We-We, Getting ready for Turkey Day, and Missy on NPR

Auntie We-We is coming today!! Hooray!!! I've been telling Zeke that Auntie We-We is coming for a visit. Last night, I asked him who was coming to see Zeke and he said, "We-We." Precious! I'm so happy she'll be here for Thanksgiving. We'll have a blast!

Zeke and I braved Target and WalMart yesterday to buy stuff for our Thanksgiving meal. At Target, we bought a tree skirt for our Christmas tree which we put up last weekend. I'm glad Brad suggested we put it up. I love sitting in the living room at night with just the tree lit up. Zeke cuddled up next to me for about 10 minutes last night and we just looked at the tree. He kept pointing at it and saying, "Lights!" I tried to sing some Christmas songs but I was too hoarse. I'm getting better...slowly. Zeke seems better. He has a doctor's appointment today, mainly because I'm concerned about his coughing. But even his coughing sounded less congested last night. We'll see how he's doing when he gets up this morning.

Finally, I have a story that only ended up on npr.org. They decided not to air it on the radio because it was too hard to explain the concept of a "diverging diamond interchange" on the radio. So, I was disappointed but I found out yesterday that my story was the 3rd most popular story of the day on npr.org. Cool! Click here to see the story. If you want something fun to listen to tomorrow morning while you cook, tune in to your local NPR station. I have another story that IS supposed to air tomorrow during Morning Edition. If I find out exactly what time it will be on, I'll let you know!

New Moon!

We're going to see New Moon tonight. I have looked forward to this since I first saw Twilight in the theater last year. The Twi book series/movies is one of only a few guilty pleasures I have these days...but it's a GREAT one.

I have to confess that every time we set up a date night, I feel a little twinge of guilt. How could I hand Zeke over to someone else while I go out and have fun? What kind of mommy am I?!?!? But...I've come to realize that occasional date nights are a must for maintaining a sane mommy and daddy. Being able to eat in a restaurant without the tension of getting Zeke to eat, sit quietly and not throw food is an amazing luxury. I do enjoy eating out with Zeke and most of the time, he behaves beautifully. But there's something relaxing about being at a restaurant, just you and your husband.

The sitter usually comes over between 5 and 6. Considering that Zeke goes to bed around 7:30, this means we're missing, at most, 2 and a half hours with him. Am I the only one who obsesses over this? I should also say that Zeke really seems to enjoy being with his babysitters. He creates some drama when we they arrive and we leave but when I call to check on him 30 minutes later, he's always fine. We rotate between three great gals who sit for us. Two are in high school and one is my sister's age. I think having trustworthy, reliable sitters makes it easier to do this too...still...the guilt!!

You've Got to Be Kidding Me!

So, I (Missy) went to the doctor yesterday because I was once again dealing with nasal drainage and a sore throat. I also just felt really tired. The doc said she had seen several cases of strep throat recently...people who had the same symptoms I had. So, she did a culture and we'll get the results Monday. In the meantime, she told me to go ahead and start on the penicillin. Well, I was just looking at the side effects and saw this. WHAT?!?! Is it really worth taking this medicine if this is a possible side effect?!?!

This Is What We Do on Friday Nights Now

Brad was on the phone with his brother so Missy made a new compilation of some lesser-seen photos of the Zekester. Enjoy!

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3!

As of today, we've been waiting three months since our DTE (Dossier To Ethiopia) for a referral. The months are ticking by! I know the next two months will go quickly...Two months from today is my birthday!

So, as of now, we have 6 to 8 more months to go until we get our referral. So exciting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What Does That Mean?

Our youth pastor sent this to me today...love it!

Malachi 3:3 says:

"He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.."

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities...

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse:

"He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver."

She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.

The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"

He smiled at her and answered,
"Oh, that's easy -
- when I see my image in it."

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has His eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

No Nap?

Zeke has not napped at daycare this week. I'm a little concerned because he's clearly tired when I pick him up. Monday, he fell asleep on the ride home and took a late afternoon nap for an hour and a half. Yesterday, he only snoozed about 10 minutes in the car and then was awake until after 8PM. He's usually in bed asleep between 7:30 and 8. He's not sick...any idea what's going on with my little man?!?!

Back on Track and Longing for Warmer Weather

Remembering this summer when days were warmer and the fruit was sweeter...

We have a slight chance of flurries this morning...*sigh*...

Looks like everyone at our house is better, though Brad's ear is still stopped up. He says he's starting some new meds soon.

Brad's grandparents are planning to stop by our house for a visit tomorrow! They'll spend the night with us before heading on to visit Pappy's sister in Texas. We're so happy that their trip will include a stop to see us! Pray for their safety as they drive many miles across the country.

Back from Dallas

I am back. I had a very fun and productive trip to Dallas. I was only gone two days but I missed Zeke and Brad so much. Still, I was there with a gal from my radio station. She has two girls who are in elementary school. Admittedly, we really enjoyed two quiet dinners at Olive Garden. Brad totally made fun of us because he said that sounded like something two moms in their 30's would do on a business trip. Well, it's the small things that make life enjoyable, you know? I found some cute clothes for Zeke, including a super hip, home-skillet tobogan at Gap. I also found two Christmas shirts for Quilla at Old Navy. They're super cute. They are 18-24 months so she'll probably wear them TWO years from now. Oh well. That's fine. Ahhhh, it's so good to be home!

We Know Why You Come Here

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Better

I think we're all doing much better now. I didn't even need nose spray to sleep last night. Thank you, Lord!

There was a flurry of referrals with our agency this week. We're thankful for that. Even though things are moving along, we still have to stay with our original time frame, which puts us getting a referral next May at the earliest. Pray for the families moving through this process. It's an amazing, exciting journey but many families face frustrations along the way.

Dial-A-Nurse

We are fortunate that my mom is a nurse and is only a phone call away. I stayed home from work yesterday and rested. But my fever never returned and my head is clearer. My mom and I concluded I must have had a sinus infection. At any rate, I'm back at work today, feeling better but still tired. Zeke slept all the way through the night. What a blessing! We've got him on antibiotics for his runny nose. We all just need to get better. Brad's also doing better.

Pretty Much in Denial

I may have swine flu but I'm in denial. I had a fever over 101 last night so just to be safe, I'm home from work today. I work with a couple of people who try to avoid getting sick at all costs because of some past medical issues and I sure don't want to expose them to my germs. As long as I keep up on the ibuprofen, I don't feel too horrible. More tired than anything. All three of us slept well last night. Zeke made it through the night in his crib and only required attention one time. That's a huge improvement and a sure sign he's getting better. He still has some wicked congestion in his nose and a junky-sounding cough. He is not wheezing when he breathes. I've asked his doctor's nurse to call us this morning to see what she advises. He had this congestion before he got the flu. Now that the flu is gone, we need to get this other stuff taken care of. Let's hope this is the only time we all get sick this winter. Wishful thinking, right? Brad's on meds for his ear, which he says still feels stopped up.

On the plus side, I feel confident that even if this is the flu, I will be much better by mid-week since the fever seems to only last a few days. I'm heading to Dallas on Friday for a conference. I'll be back Sunday. Pray that I'll be completely better by then. And also pray that Brad does not get this junk. So far, it seems he has not had the flu and we hope it stays that way!

Is Z's Mom sick now?

Ugg...I have felt bad on and off this weekend. I thought it was allergies. My usual cadre of allergy meds combined with some ibuprofen kept me feeling well enough to go to church this morning to sing for Adoption Sunday. But by mid-afternoon, I was feeling pretty yuck. I can't believe this is the flu because I expected to feel much, much worse. On the other hand, Zeke played and was mostly cheerful through his flu ordeal...who knows. Prayers will be appreciated.

We had Adoption Sunday at church today and it was such a blessing to be a part of it. I heard that two families who were just starting to think about adopting signed up for our new adoption support network. How exciting! I had the privilege of sharing my adoption testimony in the contemporary service. Well, naturally, I choked up when I talked about seeing Zeke's photo for the first time and how perfect he is for our family. I tried to drive home one point: If God is calling you and your family to adopt a child, God will make clear the path, remove all obstacles, and will open doors for you. It was so great to talk about how all these doors miraculously opened once we started to pursue an adoption from Vietnam. Amazing! I could give you example after example of God confirming our path and meeting our every need on the journey. And the Ethiopia adoption has been "easy" (so far) compared to Vietnam. That's been a real blessing. And you know what? If it does get hard, God will be there in those times too.

Can't. Wait. For. New. Moon.

If you haven't seen the latest trailer, here it is.

"Red, Bulging and Angry"

So the doctor looked inside Brad's left ear and saw this. Thankfully, Brad has not experienced any pain with this condition, just a fluid-filled ear.

Top 10 Lessons on Swine Flu

10. It's contagious. Even your gourds can catch it. And read here about a house cat that got it.
9. If your child has a history of wheezing/pneumonia, start breathing treatments right away. It's made a HUGE difference for Zeke.
8. If your kid has a runny nose, a little cough and a fever, chances are good that it's swine flu. I thought it might just be a cold because Zeke had identical systems when we went to Philly this summer. Go figure.
7. Just because your two-year-old has swine flu, doesn't mean he doesn't want to dance his booty off. Moms, you must say no! Exercise and jumping around can cause coughing fits.
6. Even if it's early November and the high is in the 70's, don't take the baby outside. He'll just get worked up and start coughing.
5. Invest in those antibacterial wipes and clean everything. Snot will get everywhere. Clean everything constantly.
4. Just assume the baby will not sleep through the night. Even when the fever is gone, it's hard to sleep through the night when you're coming off of swine flu.
3. Catch it early so your kid can get on Tamiflu. It's shortens it and decreases the severity.
2. Excessive jumping/exercise can lead to episodes of pook. Avoid at all costs...unless you want a few more things to clean.
1. Do NOT under any circumstances get swine flu.

If there's a silver lining to all this, it's that we can now move into the colder months and the holiday season without fear that Zeke will get swine flu. And he's already gotten his seasonal flu shot. So, we can breathe a little easier knowing we've BTDT (been there, done that).

On a completely separate note, I'm considering a little splurge. It looks like one of our beloved babysitters is available to watch Zeke Saturday, November 21st. The new Twilight movie opens that weekend. So, I really am jonesing for a cool Twi shirt to wear that night. Among the finalists are shirts bearing these slogans: La Push Cliff Diving Team, Ciao Volturi, and Black Swan Motorcycles: Reckless Distractions Guaranteed. If you've read the book and have a favorite among these, let me know. I'm leaning toward the La Push one.

We're here...sorry for the long absence

If you haven't heard, Zeke has swine flu, aka novel H1N1 flu. They did not do the specific test for swine flu but he tested positive for type A flu. Given that no other type A has shown up here EXCEPT swine flu, the docs are pretty certain that's what he has. Blah. He's actually doing very well. He's been home since Tuesday...Brad and I have taken turns going to work and staying home with him. So far, no pneumonia. Praise the Lord for that! I think his cough sounds better today. WOOT! We caught it early enough that we got him on tamiflu and I'm sure that's helping. We also started breathing treatments right away. Those make a big difference in his congestion. He absolutely hates the breathing treatments but he has no choice but to suffer through them.

Please keep us all in your prayers. We want Zeke to get better and to get through this without pneumonia. Brad is also fighting something...probably just a head cold but it's a vicious one. And I'm fighting lack of sleep and praying that I don't get sick.

A Picture is Worth a Million Dollars

In the Jungle, the Mighty Jungle, the Lion Sleeps Tonight

Here's a sample of the lion in the jungle...more to come!