Things may happen more quickly than we had planned.

My ticker may be waaaay off.

H had to be put on home bed rest with meds to stop labor. They're going to stick with the meds for two weeks (assuming they work) so Little Monkey might be a few weeks early. I'm a little worried, but all things considered, God is in control and I have peace with that. Little Monkey is fine, no stress on him, just needs to bake a little longer!

Please pray for him, and for H. We just want everyone to be healthy and safe.

Bonding time

Have any of you who've adopted requested time without visitors? How did that go over?
Please email any responses you don't wish to post.

Kelcathcart425@gmail.com

Friends with the BIG M

I am always blown away when I visit my friends at work here. M-soft is always so amazing. Going to Women's Retreat this weekend in Leavenworth! :D it's going to be so much better than last year when I was comming off a bad adoption experience. I'm so glad to be in a better place this year!

Have a great weekend!

Kreativ Blog from Melba

Here are the rules:
Thank the person who nominated you for this award.
Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
Link to the person who nominated you for this award.
Name seven things about yourself that people may not know.
Nominate seven Kreativ Bloggers.
Post links to the seven blogs you nominate.
Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they've been nominated.

Muchas gracias a mi amiga Melba para este award.

Seven things you may not know about me:

1. I speak terrible Spanish.

2. I love TV but never watch scheduled programming. Our DVR is my favorite thing.

3. I consider myself to be a writer, not a professional one, but perhaps some day I will be...but not if I continue to dangle participles. :D

4. Of all the places I've lived, I really never want to live in any of them again. I would move back to Portland, but I would live in North East,preferably on Klickitat Street or Hawthorne.

5. I am a natural leader, but am not willing to fight to be the "Alpha" person in the room. I don't have to be the center of attention at parties, but if things are dull, I can usually tell a story and get people laughing and having fun.

6. I love music, but when I'm alone I tend to just sit in silence.

7. I hate it that "intellectuals" think I am stupid because I believe the world was created by God.

People who are Kreativ:

Jamie

Rachel

H

I'm not going to do 7, cuz...most of you have already gotten the award, but if you want it and don't have it, just take it! you are all wonderful in my book!!

Excitement, and the people determined to suck it out of you.

I've been hearing a lot of negativity in regards to excitement in blogland lately.
Over at A Pea in our pod she's dealing with the idea that she can't ask people to be excited for her.

WHY NOT? I fully expect people to be excited for me. THIS is exciting stuff! The entire drama of the situation is exciting. I am fully cognizant of the fact that this might not end well, but you know what? I don't have confidence in the situation, or the birth mother, or myself. I have confidence in my GOD to work things out to the best for everyone.

If we were pregnant with a high risk pregnancy, I would want people to be excited for me. This is exactly the same thing, only the baby's life isn't at stake, so in a way this is A LOT less high risk than that. Odds and statistics are only numbers. God has a way of making human measurements meaningless. I wouldn't want to get in HIS way.







Photobucket">

Scene from a Starbucks

No matter the location of the Starbucks, their layout and decor are familiar, and that is comforting. I sat in the comfortable chair and surveyed the crowd, Becky hadn't yet arrived and there was Jer standing in line to get my drip and oatmeal and his grande Americano. The expression on his face was a mirror of my own anxious excitement. He rejoined me and then we re-arranged the furniture to make room for our expected guests.

Becky came in, she reminded us of how these things usually go. An introduction, tell a little, ask a little, see where the conversation goes. Enter Ashley, H's counselor. She's perky and fun, I like her immediately. We all chat for a few minutes when a young woman approaches and says hi to Ashley. She turned and I saw her it was like one of those moments where the world slows down so I can write it all down in my mind. "Sorry I'm late" she says. Late? I hadn't noticed, in a split second I recalled noting every second past the time we were supposed to meet with K. Already my perspective was different. Jer confirmed my thought aloud saying, "I didn't think you were late." H. checks her phone, "Two minutes."

"I like this girl" I thought as I smiled and offered my hand, "You're H." I stated with a bigger smile. "Hi!" she answered and then shook Jer's hand too. I cursed the table we'd moved to make a "grouping" but perhaps a hug would have been too much. But perhaps my bumping into it and then frowning at it wasn't lost on her, because she smiled at me again.

Becky asked us to share how we met, and I began to tell the tale that I've told so many times before, at the end of it, I realized it was 12 years ago to the week that Jer and I had met. We both noted that aloud and it was kind of a nice little moment. We were surprised that it had sneaked up on us like that.

We asked H a few questions that lead to some good conversation about family, pets, school and things like that. She seemed to have a little smile going the whole time. She then went on to say that she was having a boy and then said she thought the moments after a baby is born are special and she had a special thing she does, (And my mind jumped to thinking "She doesn't want me there. She's going to tell us we won't be at the hospital until later.") I almost missed her saying, "I'd like to invite you to be there." I must have done a "BLINK BLINK" *blonde look* "Blink" and then said "YES!" I kicked myself for thinking before I listened. She's like "You're sure" I reply that she's made "my lifetime" and I felt my eyes well up and nearly spill over, just like the did at my wedding, but I pulled it together and they subsided. We continued our conversation until H. had to go, I shook her hand again, wishing I could hug her...but a good hand squeeze was all I could really do without shoving my husband over and making a scene. I wonder how many special meetings Starbucks sees.

All I can do is praise my Lord for guiding us all this far, and that He will continue to guide our steps over the next 62 days.

I really do like H. very much and I hope to get to know her a little more before the big day.

Assumptions

Do you ever get unsolicited advice from people that makes you wonder if they think you are stupid? Or like you just woke up one day and said, "I'm going to adopt a baby" and just put your name on a list on a wall somewhere? That you didn't do a dilligent ammount of research when you chose the agency you did, or the adoption path that you chose, or go through an entire process of getting ready for things and had meetings with experts. Just because they didn't wittness your journey prior to adoption, they want to make sure that you aren't forgetting how important something is?

I just want to say "Do you think I was born yesterday? That I haven't read books on adoption and how "This" works and what is important? Can you not be the "Expert" on educating oneself and just be happy? This is not your problem to solve! I am not a problem to solve. Can you just stop projecting your insecurities onto me? I am fine! I am confident, I am happy. Just be happy with me all right?!!"

Meeting with H.

I can't tell you how excited I am to be writing this. It seems that God is so good, that He has answered not just one, but every one of my prayers.

The deepest things I was too afraid to ask for, He has given me. The most precious of all being that I can be there when my child comes into the world. H. invited me to be in the room and help her with her delivery. I am floored and overjoyed by her request.

That question I asked a while ago? "What will happen when I am given exactly what I want?" The answer is: I accepted as graciously and enthusiastically as I possibly could without crying. It was so wonderful. I wanted to leap across the table and hug her. But I didn't.

I will go into a little more detail later, but this is IT. This is my beloved son and I am well pleased.

Thank you Lord Jesus, for knowing my heart. And blessing me with everything I've wanted. You are THE Amazing and Awesome God. I am humbled and thankful far beyond words.

Walking with Ramona

Abot two weeks ago I decided it had been too long since we went to visit Portland, and a few days later my mom called to tell me about the Ramona Quimby statue at Grant Park. Then, by chance she stumbled across a newspaper article about a tour of the neighborhood that Beverly Cleary grew up in and wrote about. Mom wanted to know if I wanted to go, and I was all for it!

And so were many others! Apparently Ramona can still draw a crowd!

This is our Tour Guide Laura O. Foster

She was wonderful!

This little girl is a "Ramona" for sure

So is this one.

Round Table #7

Where do you draw the lines--on your blog and in your personal life--and why? What, if anything, don't you tell?



In my personal life, it is more difficult to draw boundaries around who gets to know what. There are people I would love to tell some more "secret" things, but don't because they can't keep a secret and have proven themselves time and again to be untrustworthy regardless of the closeness of our relationship.

Jer and I try to keep most of the private information private. Names of birth mothers are represented by their first initial. If "H" doesn't mind being presented to the world as our birth mother by her first name and photo the way "Rebekah" has on Rebekah's blog then we will do that. Other wise, I feel that we should follow the guidelines set by my adoption agency which is first names only and contact by anonymous means like cell phones and an anonymous email address. Or only through the agency.

As far as identities and things on line, I am going to share myself, and the people I know don't mind, like my husband and my pets. Anyone else I include on my blog is either publicly available on the web anyway, or has given permission to be posted on my blog.

Technically any picture taken in a public place can be posted in public. Because by leaving your home you give up your right to privacy. HOWEVER, when I take pictures of people in public, especially strangers, I try not to post pictures of children's faces. I have a couple pictures of children at a park that I'm going to post, but they are not identifiable by their facial features in the photo.

I try to post as I would want to be posted. Only nice photos and kind words and of course keeping in mind that regardless of legality, some people may not wish to be blogged about and I am fully willing to comply with their desires.

Oops. BAD BLOGGER!

In an effort to not over do it with my excitement...I forgot to let you all know that we are not meeting with H. until Tuesday, that's tomorrow!! I spent this last weekend in Portland with my parents, and forgot that I hadn't updated you all on the blog! Forgive me, and THANK YOU for your patience with me, your prayers for us, and for just being your awesome selves. You are a blessing to me.