The Blessing

Wordless Wednesday

My Little Helpers!

We had a Titanic party on Friday for Josiah who is obsessed with all things Titanic at the moment.  Mark took Josiah to work with him for the day so that all the preparations would be a surprise to him and the other kids helped me get ready.  I was making a 7 course formal dinner, so I needed all the help I could get!   (aren't my helpers adorable?!)

To read about the actual party and see the beautiful photos, go check this out!  It was awesome!!!


 

Ups and Downs and Middle Ground

Last week did not start off very well with Gracelyn's appointment on Monday.  - down

Last Monday late afternoon, most of the kids and I headed over to Holly's where they ate pizza and watched a movie and she and I made two types of ceviche that we learnt watching a cooking show. - up

While at Holly's, Mark called to let me know that our basement was flooding. - down

Had to throw away the underlay and try to salvage walls and carpet. - down

My niece Julie is studying to become a Massage Therapist.  Tuesday, I got to go and get a free massage from her and have a visit at the same time.  She is soooo good at it.  I think she has found her calling.  - definite up!

Grace's breathing was not great at all.  Wednesday night we were finally able to get Grace's new prescription (the pharmacy had a hard time getting it in). - down

Thursday morning, Gracelyn was already doing better.  - big up

Thursday, I went out for lunch with Mark and ate delicious little croissants. - up

Then I drove out to a scrapbook retreat where I got 62 pages done in Elijah's album and 10 done in Jonah's.  - up

I had forgotten to give them a list of my allergies and between those and my not eating red meat, there was really nothing I could eat and my roommate snored like a bear in heat.  Exhausted and hungry and a bit worried about my recovering basement and recovering daughter who was phoning me often, I returned home a day early.  - down

Instead of actually coming to my house, I decided to instead go to my mom's where I had a great visit with her and my brother and his family stopped by and I got to visit with them.  I got a bit more scrapbooking done and on Sunday when Mark had to get Elijah's stuff for baseball, he dropped the other kids at my mom's so that I could spend time with them before coming home.  - up

This Monday, I heard about the former Executive Director of our adoption agency being arrested and had a mixture of emotions which basically resulted in me feeling physically sick.  You can read my reaction here if you are interested.  - down

Also on Monday, my Crock Pot, which is only 2 years old broke.  It's going to be really tough not to have a crock pot.  - down

I have been busy planning events for April...Easter, Mackenzie's 16th Birthday Parties, and a Titanic Party for this Friday.  - middle ground

Tomorrow, I am going to get my hair done FOR FREE.  My niece Julie's friend is in hairdressing school and is going to practise on my head.  - up!

I am surrounded by the most amazing online friends and IRL friends and family who have been praying for my precious Gracelyn.  - up

I have 7 children who make me laugh and a husband who is the funniest man on the planet!  - up

I'm glad really where I have a life where there is not much middle ground because there are more ups than downs generally and it's never boring!

(This picture of an extra-tall Josiah is just typical of the types of things my goofy kids do every day!)

 

Gracelyn

I need to ask all my praying friends to please be praying for Gracelyn once again.  I took her in this morning to have her two injections and she was as brave as she always is, but her numbers are really sliding and there is some concern over how she is going to hold up as the weather continues to warm up.  

We have been noticing some changes in her in recent weeks.  Two weeks ago, the kids were playing outside with friends, chasing squirrels in the trees and when Grace came in, she was covered in hives.  This is not unusual for her if she accidentally (or purposely touches a tree), but usually, with one dose of Reactine, the hives and itchiness are gone and she is back to her bouncy self.  This time, it took a very long time for the hives and itchiness to go away and when it did, it left bad eczema everywhere it had been, including her face.  It's been probably at least four years since she's had eczema on her face and the parts on her arms were so bad that they were open and bleeding for days.  It was a small indication to us that she may not be in as good of shape as we thought.  Her doctor was slightly concerned because at that time, the trees should still have been dormant and she shouldn't have reacted to that extent, but not overly concerned.  Her breathing was beginning to go downhill, but wasn't a problem every day and so we were trying to stay hopeful.  Okay, the honest truth was, I was trying not to completely panic.  

Her appointment for her injections was supposed to be Thursday, but I bumped it up to today because her doctor is going away and I wanted him to have a look at her because it felt like something was not right.  Her breathing hasn't been the best, but it hasn't been the worst ever by any means, but more than that, her face has changed.  Her eyes have circles under them again and are more sunken and her colour is changing and that is what really had me worried.  We went in and sure enough, her numbers are down (lung function percentages are in the 60s) and her pulmonary doc. is not comfortable with what he is seeing or where she seems to be heading.  The plan is to try to get ahead of this before it gets ahead of us.  He is adding another new medication, one that she didn't weigh enough to take last year, but now thanks to the weight she's gained from some months of being stable, we can give it a try.  We're also upping most of her other medications and then we wait.  I can tell that he is worried, but he's not ready to say yet that we're heading for trouble again.  I'm worried, but not as panicked as I was last week, mostly because I am choosing to lean into God with this.  God is my hope and I am going to choose to trust Him with my treasured daughter.  

So I am once again asking that you join me in praying for our precious Gracelyn.  Pray that this combination of medications would get her stable again and that she would be able to just breathe.

It certainly scares me to think of what this spring/summer/fall could bring and sometimes the possibilities bring my brain to places my heart does not ever want to go, but I really need to stop freaking out and worrying about what could happen and just take care of what is in front of me.  So please pray for me too, that I wouldn't get too far ahead of myself and try to control that which I have no control over anyway.

Thank you to all those who have committed to praying and are continuing to pray.  It helps more than I can say.

On a lighter note, go read this funny story on my other blog.

Confession Tuesday

I know that people usually do these Confession Friday things, but why not on a Tuesday?

-I confess that a few weeks ago when my friends Keltie and her daughter M. came to stay for a night, it was wonderful to visit with someone who has a heart for adoption and orphan care.

-I confess that the Adoption Magazine website is a way bigger time commitment than I expected, but it is still in its growing stages and will hopefully take less time later on.

-I confess that I will use as much time as I have to with it because it's something I really believe in and I hope it will help families and children in need of families.

-I confess that my kids are going through a really great stage right now - they are playing so much together - right now, they are outside building snowmen.  They can often be found playing board games, hide-and-seek, and foosball.  

-I confess that all that time together also leads to them fighting more too.

-I confess that I love that yesterday Mark came home from work with the idea and ingredients for he and I to make cake pops.  

-I confess that it was the first time we have ever baked together and was so much fun!

-I confess that I have been happy all week for friends in the adoption world who have passed court and one who has gotten a referral.

-I confess that I have been slacking at homeschooling lately.

-I confess that I don't much like these confession posts.

Promoted!

No...not me...My title as mom won't get promoted until I can add the title of Gramma to it, but 

MACKENZIE GOT A PROMOTION!!!

Just had to share a bit of mom pride...  He interviewed for a promotion at work (it was an interview with a panel including the store owner and managers) and was given the position!  I am so proud of him because he really deserves it as he works really hard and takes the early morning shifts that are not popular with his age group.  He also takes initiative and is very responsible.  So, even before he turns 16, he has already been promoted and given his third raise!  Way to go Mackenzie!

Miss Optimism

Gracelyn has always loved animals, but of course with her allergies and lungs, we cannot get a cat or dog.  She also loves horses but hasn't been able to ride them.  When Mackenzie and Jonah were 9, they were each able to get a hamster.  Now that Grace is 9, she wanted to get a hamster too.  We talked about it and thought that it might be possible, so we discussed with her that three things would have to happen before we would consider it.  

1.  Her pulmonary doctor would have to approve it.

2.  She would have to show us that she could keep her room clean.

3.  She would have to work on showing us that she could be responsible.

Three weeks later, we went into her doctor for her two injections and she was so excited to ask him if she could get a hamster.  She had a plan to call Mark right away afterwards to let him know the verdict.  She was just giddy with excitement on our way there!

After the nurse gave her both of her shots and she was, as always, the bravest girl in the world, the doctor came in.  Gracelyn asked him if she could get a hamster and he said "no".  He said that she couldn't get anything with hair, not even a tarantula, but she was welcome to get something with scales.

I thought she would be crushed.  No cute little cuddly hamster for my sweet girl...

When we got out of the doctor's office, Grace turned to me and said, "Did you hear that?!"  "Dr. Z. said I can get a pet!!!"  My girl, ever the optimist!

So now, we are researching lizards (yuck!) and she is as excited as ever to get to have a pet!

Adoption Magazine Launch!!!

I have been working on a project for a few months now.  I have been feeling frustrated with the lack of adoption resources for Canadians in all stages of the adoption or fostering journey.  There is a lack of information about adoption in general for those who are interested in adoption and not sure where to start and then for those who are in the process or whose children are home already, there is limited access to important information about things like Post Adoption Depression (yes, there is such a thing and the numbers are high), Attachment and Trauma, Identity, adoptive breastfeeding, hair and skin care, common Special Needs such as FASD, RAD, and SPD, and other issues.  This causes a lot of stress for fostering or adoptive families and there is no need for this type of stress in a world where the internet is so accessible for people.  Honest adoption information is particularly lacking for Canadians.  Most of the online resources are directed at Americans.

Another thing I have noticed particularly since entering the world of International Adoption is that there tends to be little niches where people who are adopting from a certain country may know others adopting from that same country or be aware of blogs of others adopting from that country, but not have access to people (even people who live in their community) who are adopting or have adopted from another country.  Some adoption related issues are country specific, but not most, so I feel that it would be beneficial to have a general adoption resource that encompasses foster care, orphan care, domestic adoption, foster-to-adopt, open adoption, and International adoption from any country.  This would also be helpful for families who have experienced multiple adoptions and can relate to a mixture of these descriptions.  

My hope is that this resource will increase adoptions and will increase the success of foster and adoptive families.  There is a general misconception that adoption is increasing in popularity, but that is false.  Though the numbers of orphans worldwide are continuing to increase and the number of children available for adoption who are in foster care and adoptable in Canada hovers at 30,000.  Obviously, there is still a lot of work to be done as far as adoption advocacy goes!!!

So, I need your help.  On Monday, Adoption Magazine will officially launch.  What you can do to help:

1.  Do a post on your blog announcing Adoption Magazine.

2.  Add a link to it on your blog's sidebar.  If you are more technologically advanced than I am, add a button to your blog.  (sorry, can't help you with that as I can't even figure out how to do it on my own blogs!)

3.  Go to the Facebook page and "like" it.

4.  Put a link to Adoption Magazine as your Facebook status.

5.  Tweet about it.

6.  Suggest books, online resources, or helpful posts for me to add.

7.  Be a contributor.  If you have a story or experience that you feel would benefit others, send it to me.  If there is a book or movie or seminar that you found helpful, write a review and send it to me.

8.  Spread the word in whatever way you can.  At some point, I'd like to get some bookmarks printed up with the URL on them for people to hand out to adoptive families in their area or to people who ask questions about adoption in the line at the grocery store, but I don't have anything yet.

9.  Become a Follower of Adoption Magazine.

10. Buy from the Amazon store on the site if you were planning on ordering one of the books or movies anyway.  It will help offset the costs associated with the site.

So that's the project I've been working on for the past two months.  Starting Monday, there will be regular articles from many contributors and in time, hopefully it will become a really valuable resource for families.  Thanks in advance for your help in making it a success!

Adoption Magazine Launch!!!

I have been working on a project for a few months now.  I have been feeling frustrated with the lack of adoption resources for Canadians in all stages of the adoption or fostering journey.  There is a lack of information about adoption in general for those who are interested in adoption and not sure where to start and then for those who are in the process or whose children are home already, there is limited access to important information about things like Post Adoption Depression (yes, there is such a thing and the numbers are high), Attachment and Trauma, Identity, adoptive breastfeeding, hair and skin care, common Special Needs such as FASD, RAD, and SPD, and other issues.  This causes a lot of stress for fostering or adoptive families and there is no need for this type of stress in a world where the internet is so accessible for people.  Honest adoption information is particularly lacking for Canadians.  Most of the online resources are directed at Americans.

Another thing I have noticed particularly since entering the world of International Adoption is that there tends to be little niches where people who are adopting from a certain country may know others adopting from that same country or be aware of blogs of others adopting from that country, but not have access to people (even people who live in their community) who are adopting or have adopted from another country.  Some adoption related issues are country specific, but not most, so I feel that it would be beneficial to have a general adoption resource that encompasses foster care, orphan care, domestic adoption, foster-to-adopt, open adoption, and International adoption from any country.  This would also be helpful for families who have experienced multiple adoptions and can relate to a mixture of these descriptions.  

My hope is that this resource will increase adoptions and will increase the success of foster and adoptive families.  There is a general misconception that adoption is increasing in popularity, but that is false.  Though the numbers of orphans worldwide are continuing to increase and the number of children available for adoption who are in foster care and adoptable in Canada hovers at 30,000.  Obviously, there is still a lot of work to be done as far as adoption advocacy goes!!!

So, I need your help.  On Monday, Adoption Magazine will officially launch.  What you can do to help:

1.  Do a post on your blog announcing Adoption Magazine.

2.  Add a link to it on your blog's sidebar.  If you are more technologically advanced than I am, add a button to your blog.  (sorry, can't help you with that as I can't even figure out how to do it on my own blogs!)

3.  Go to the Facebook page and "like" it.

4.  Put a link to Adoption Magazine as your Facebook status.

5.  Tweet about it.

6.  Suggest books, online resources, or helpful posts for me to add.

7.  Be a contributor.  If you have a story or experience that you feel would benefit others, send it to me.  If there is a book or movie or seminar that you found helpful, write a review and send it to me.

8.  Spread the word in whatever way you can.  At some point, I'd like to get some bookmarks printed up with the URL on them for people to hand out to adoptive families in their area or to people who ask questions about adoption in the line at the grocery store, but I don't have anything yet.

9.  Become a Follower of Adoption Magazine.

10. Buy from the Amazon store on the site if you were planning on ordering one of the books or movies anyway.  It will help offset the costs associated with the site.

So that's the project I've been working on for the past two months.  Starting Monday, there will be regular articles from many contributors and in time, hopefully it will become a really valuable resource for families.  Thanks in advance for your help in making it a success!

Bear With Me

I know I have been largely absent here.  Don't give up on me!  The flu went through our house and six kids and myself were sick for what was a total of two weeks.  It seems to have passed and I am feeling much better, though I am needing more sleep and am missing my usually productive evenings.  I will be much more thankful for those long hours I have at night to work on my projects once my body will let me stay up late again!

I have also been working on a project for almost two months now and it is really close to being ready to reveal.  It is adoption related, but not an adoption for us.  It has involved so many hours that I could have completed the paperwork for another adoption in this time, but it is not that!  More to come on that later this week...

Gracelyn is doing well.  She got hit the hardest by this past flu as the cold that it left in its wake stayed with her and was hard on her lungs, but her doctor assures me that the fact that she has now had two colds and not needed to be hospitalized is a very good sign.  He thinks that it is evidence that the injections are working, so that is something very good.

Tomorrow marks one and a half years that Mackenzie has been at his job.  That just seems so crazy to me that he is even old enough to have a job, but anyway, I am really hard of what a hard worker he is and that he stuck with this job for so long.

Jonah finished hockey today by NOT going to his last game of the season because of his delinquent parents!  We had a really busy morning.  Mark took Mackenzie to work for 6 a.m., Jonah was at a friend's house out of town at a sleep-over, Mark and I took the rest of the kids to Mark's parents' for breakfast, Jonah got dropped off there, we ran an errand after we left, we picked Mackenzie up from work and then we realized that we were supposed to be at Jonah's hockey game in the city.  We did not have his equipment with us and there was no way to make it there in time.  Oops!  Not a stellar parenting moment!

Josiah is looking forward to finally getting to have his birthday party as I had put it off while we were sick.  He is reading up a storm and fixing things around the house as usual.

Elijah is doing pretty well and is a lot of fun.  Eliana and Sedaya keep me on my toes with their relationship.  They are typical sisters, which involves a lot of fighting, crying, the occasional hair pulling (I never had a sister, but I hear this is normal!) and even more love and playing nicely and being the best of friends!

Mark and I are making a lot of changes both in our relationship and in the family.  Most of them are little things like implementing a date night, playing Scrabble at night in bed on his I-phone, doing a hard-core budget ala Dave Ramsey (see the grocery challenge), spending more family time, etc. and they are all positive.

That's about it around here.  Sorry for the lack of blogging.  It's been impossible to keep up, but now that I'm healthy, I'm back.