The Wall Bloggers

 Our boy became a citizen today.  I realized how easy it is to take American citizenship for granted when it is given to you at birth.  I have not spent much time thinking about my own citizenship.  But when we had to work so hard to get it for Abel, and we went to pick up his citizenship certificate today, I stopped to think about it.  Our son is now considered an American, with all the rights and responsibilities that holds.  And I am grateful for all those who went before us to make that possible.  After going through the metal detectors and high security doors with my in-laws, we were afraid that we would not be allowed to take pictures.  But we arrived in this kind man's office, and saw Abel watching him intently, we asked the question.  The man said it was no problem.  Meet the newest (and cutest) American citizen... Our son!

A year ago today, Scott and I got the call that we had been waiting for since July of 2008.  We got the call to consider whether a ten-month-old boy named Abel might be the son God had chosen for us.  (To see the post from one year ago, click  Our long-awaited referral .) This was the note I wrote as they told us about him over the phone. And this was his picture that we cried over, knowing that, of course, he was our child. My Bible study has asked me to give my testimony about God's work in bringing Abel to us.  When I was recovering last week, I typed up my summary of God's work over the last year to share with them and with you...  Last year, I joyously shared with you all the picture of our son who was waiting for us in Ethiopia.  I explained that all we needed was have our papers pass the Ethiopian court, and he would be declared ours forever… Little did I realize that my time of waiting was far from over. Our agency to...

I know others who have recently undergone knee surgery or other invasive procedures... My gum graft hardly ranks up there with those, but I do want to give credit where it is due. If you are wondering about my conclusion to my gum graft surgery (mentioned in "A Little Gripe), I want to thank God for His kindness.  My parents both had the same procedure done a few years ago, and warned me that the recovery was VERY uncomfortable. So, last Tuesday, when Scott drove me to the periodontist's office, I was a little nervous.  I'm not sure if being prepared for pain helps or hinders a situation...!  Thankfully, as the doctor had said, the procedure was over very quickly.  With only some high-dose ibuprofen, I went home in only minimal discomfort. Not eating solid foods for two days and not talking for those two days was more unbearable than the small amount of pain.  By the end of the first day, Adrianna seemed lonesome for her mom, even though she had been tryin...

When my dad and step-mom came for visit for the long weekend, Abel seemed to have no trouble remembering them.  After a walk around the block, we got home, and my dad played with Abel on the tricycles in the backyard.  Abel has been longing for them through our back window, but I haven't been willing to brave the cold.  My dad was just his ticket!  Abel had so much fun, that when they came inside, he did not want to let my dad go. Abel also quickly discovered that he had two extra readers at his disposal.  He brought one book after another to read with his grandparents.  Because Adrianna had an ice skating lesson on Saturday, we weren't able to make any big plans, but we did all go to watch her...  And little brother had to try out her scarf.  My dad, Debbie, Adrianna, and I then went ice skating.  We realized that it was my dad's first time in 20 years, which was funny for me to hear, since he is the one who taught me to enjoy...

Our sweet boy has been teething the last two weeks...  While he can handle the pain without showing it too much during the day time, at night time, it seems to be conquering him (and us!).  We have had several nights where all four of us have been up from 3:00-5:30 with him crying/not sleeping.  Because he is generally a very good sleeper, none of us are used to interrupted nights anymore. To make things a little more complicated, I've been battling migraines for over a month now.  In general, I get maybe one a month or less.  In the last month, however, I have had probably six or seven, with them persisting for days, rather than being over within several hours.  I do have a doctor's appointment next week to see if I can get some help with them.  As one fellow migraine sufferer (and friend) was sharing with me today, she read about how many different things can be triggers for migraines and when the triggers compile, the threshold for what ...

Who knew that there were dozens of families in our region who adopted from Ethiopia?  I had some idea that there were several, but as family after family poured into the fellowship room at a church an hour-and-a-half from our house, we were amazed at how many families there are just like ours.  For once, our son was not in the minority.  Yesterday, we celebrated Ethiopian Christmas (in Ethiopia, they celebrate on January 7), in fellowship with adoptive families and Ethiopians living nearby.  Scott and I are not wonderful minglers, so we met just a few of the other families, but even that was enlightening.  And the families from our local area make the trek there, too, so we saw a few familiar faces. Abel was happy as can be with the Ethiopian food they served.  He ate his entire plate full, without stopping to make a peep.  Funny how, even after six months away from Ethiopia, that food has remained his favorite.

Who will love me for me? Not for what I have done or what I will become. Who will love me for me? (J.J. Heller Click to listen: Love Me ) I've been facing the pain of rejection lately.  It has been flashing me back to the painful days of childhood...  All the feelings come flooding back: If I had better hair and clothes...  If I weighed less... If I were less annoying and less introverted... Then maybe they'd like me more? I am so grateful that Jesus does not think about me that way.  I pray that I would see myself as He does. I will love you for you, Not for what you have done or what you will become. I will love you for you. "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the children of God!"  I John 3:1 And I pray that I would see others as Jesus does.  I know I am not the only one who wants to be loved for who I am. *This is my 200th blog entry in two years.  I began this blog to record God's faithfulness...

We enjoyed having Scott off for ten days at Christmas.  We started out with a few days at home...  Adrianna has followed in my tradition of using the wax from the Babybel cheese to make little creations.  (I'm so proud!)  And she had fun dressing up. Adrianna's been telling us lately that it's picture time, when she or Abel are doing something cute.  She loves giving him the arm around the neck, but he's not too keen on that move. Christmas morning, Adrianna pulled her flower hat from her stocking, while I tried to show Abel how to reach in his.  He was asking with his eyes, "What's the point??"  Abel also wondered the point of wrapping paper, but he did seem to like his toys.  Copper and Rusty got spoiled by Steve and Julie while the kids opened presents.  Adrianna modeled her new "church coat," which we so conveniently found on ThredUp.com. And of course, the bike from Adrianna's great-grandparents was a big hit (for both...