A recommendation

Bibi's home with her new daughter, Letarik! She has pictures and many things to tell me about Tarikwa! She emailed me and told me that she is an AMAZING girl and that she and Letarik are indeed besties and virtually inseparable. They were very sad to leave each other and as I thought, there were many tears shed.

Ok, now...get that gift bag to my daughter!! I just keep praying that God would be her comfort.

I am DYING to talk to Bibi but also remember how I felt after returning home from Ethiopia and want to give her a little space. She told me I could call her tomorrow after 9:00 Eastern so I though I'd call about 8:01 Central time. Like I said, I want to give her some space! ;)

Katie, De and I went shopping and bought Miss Tarikwa a super cute shirt...our first clothing purchase. Way fun!!

On a separate note, I want to encourage you to get hooked on a blog. Put it on your favorites and check it daily. I've mentioned it before but it's been months and seriously...it will blow you away. It's by Katie, a 20 year old girl, living in Uganda, caring for orphaned children there. She is the mother of 13 - yep, 13 and she's 20 years old. She is an incredibly godly and humble servant of Jesus Christ and believe me when I say, we ALL can learn from this girl. Her last post has brought me to tears several times already.

kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com

Blessings,

Laura

Best friends

I can't get my mind off the fact that Bibi and her new daughter are leaving Ethiopia today for the U.S. What an exciting day for both of them! But I also can't help feeling for Miss Tarikwa as she sees her best friend leave her. Will you pray with us that God will be her comfort and that He might send another friend who can put her arms around her and support her? These kids have already been through more than we probably ever will have to endure. I just shake my head when I think of it. Pray that she'll receive our gift bag at the precisely perfect time for her and that it will relieve her grieving heart and give her hope.

I got an updated CD of our house inventory pictures from our restoration company. It includes pictures of everything that they have from our house that is being cleaned and will be returned to us. While looking at these pictures I found it...my precious Bible. I cannot tell you how much I've missed it for the past 6 months!! Seeing it made my heart soar and plummet at the same time. It's in worse shape than I even remembered. That's what you're seeing in the lower left hand in the above picture.

Why didn't I grab it on my way out the door? I saw it sitting on the desk and thought about it. Never in my wildest nightmares did I think the fire would be so bad. I though it would be out in no time and we might have some repair work in the basement to do. No huge deal. Boy, was I wrong!

Blaine's sister, Pam gave it to us for a wedding present 23 years ago. It's gotten lots of use and the duct tape on the leather cover has given it more life. If you were to open the cover to almost any page you'd find writing of some kind. This book is like an old friend. When I look at the pages, I remember where I was when I learned such and such. This book accompanied me to Israel and next to many passages you will find my writing that says, "Been here!" The added writing within it are a wealth of knowledge and memories.

I was given a beautiful new Bible, 2 actually, after the fire. When they were given to me, I cried. What a thoughtful and most needed gift!

But (call me spoiled again) they're not my old friend with the duct tape, extra writing and memories in it. I have found it difficult to find what I'm looking for in these new Bibles. Don't get me wrong, these Bible's are also treasures beyond measure but I miss my old friend. It's been so long now that my heart is actually aching to have it back. I've actually resisted using the new ones because they take effort and I haven't had any extra umph to put forth.

I spoke with the restoration company about the possibility of having it rebound. It obviously sustained water damage which caused the pages to curl. And I know the pages are charred but I don't care. They checked and apparently it is a possibility! It is VERY expensive and is done through the art institute or a museum or something. They would not usually do it for this reason. But I want it done. It is that important to me.

So it looks like my old friend will get a new life after all! I'm so excited and hope it doesn't take too long.

Go hug your Bible!!

Blessings,

Laura

Some picures

Blaine, Mihiretu and De excited over the progress of the sheetrock.

The boys' room. They're dancing because they now have walls!

Katie, Mihiretu, nephew Mike, my Mom and De with the catch of the day! This was just this last weekend at the cabin.

This is Blaine and Mihiretu's birthday party. At VBS, kids earn tickets which they use to buy things and treats. Mihiretu bought this New Testament for Blaine for his birthday! He was so excited to do this all by himself with tickets he'd earned by learning Bible verses. What a thoughtful kid, huh??

This was this past weekend at the cabin. We found a raspberry patch that was almost picked out. Even so, we did get enough for a pie. YUMMM! Misganaw had a blast picking raspberries and did a great job. He also learned that he likes to eat raspberries! Nothing like picking them to discover you like eating them.

I will get some new pictures of the house to post. We were there when it was getting dark so the ones I posted aren't the best quality, but you get the idea. They are all done with the sheetrocking and have begun to mud and tape!

We're almost home!!

Now that people are finding out that we're adopting an older girl from Ethiopia, we have gotten all kinds of responses. These are people that we know a little, like people in Blaine's office building or the stranger at the post office. Mostly, the reaction is, "The world needs more people like you!" or "You are wonderful people!" or "That's such a nice thing to do!" I know all these people mean well and we don't take offense to what they're saying. Honestly, people don't really know what to say. I don't blame them. But, man it's hard to find the appropriate response when they say these things.

That is until yesterday when I came up with "IT". It takes the focus off of us (where we don't want it) and where it should be. I learned it from Rene (from Ghana) who used to live with us before the fire. It says everything we feel in a little nutshell. It sort of halts the praises of us.

It goes like this- "It is our joy."

That's IT. We are adopting Tarikwa because it is our joy to do so. We want her to be our daughter. We are thrilled to have her. We hope she is as happy with us as we are with her. It is NOT a burden. It is NOT a duty. And we most definitely NOT the most wonderful people in the world! It is simply "our joy" to adopt her into our family.

God has led us to adopt her. He's shown us clearly that this is his plan for our family. We have met with much opposition. Fierce opposition, really. But when God clearly tells you to do something, as long as it lines up with scripture (which adoption certainly does!), DO IT and don't let anything stop you.

What a fantastic thing. God calls us to adoption and in responding to this call, we get to be parents! He's entrusted another child to our family and to us to raise for His glory. What a privilege!!

It is our joy!

Blessings,

Laura

I'm pleased to announce...

We have officially accepted the referral of Miss Tarikwa! We received the paperwork yesterday and have it all signed and filled out. It will go to the post office today along with her precious and adorable gift bag! We are so excited for her to be able to receive it. I wrote a 6 page letter to her which is included in the gift bag. It's a funny thing to introduce yourself and your family to your new daughter who knows absolutely nothing about you. It was really fun to write it! Included in her gift bag are: a really cute t-shirt with faces of all 7 of us on it that she will be presented with when she is told she has a family. She'll wear it around to show all the other kids 'her new family.' We also sent a photo album of all of us and the house (before the fire, of course!), some stationary and envelopes so she can write to us, a comb, a headband for her hair, lip gloss, a journal, pens and a card that you can record your voice on and then it sings, "My Girl." Super cute!

Please continue to pray for Blaine as he is finding coming off the steroids is quite unpleasant. Don't get me wrong, we are thrilled to have him get off of them but the journey is difficult. It's a weird way that they wean him off. One day he takes 60mg, then 50 the next, then 60 again, then 40, then 60 again, then 30, then 60 again, then 20 (get it?). Well, the last few days he's been on 60mg then 0 the next, then 60 again and 0 the next. The days that are 0 are the bad ones. He looks and feels like he's been hit by a city bus. He's completely worn out with no energy. He has lots of work to do and unfortunately he doesn't have any wiggle room. So pray that he would have just enough energy to complete what he has to do.

Not sure if I mentioned this or how much I said previously but his office building (the one they own) was undergoing getting new siding a few weeks ago and when the siding was removed, they found that the structural posts (18 of them) were completely rotten and the building was literally in danger of falling down! Can you say, "Catastrophe"? Anyway, God has been so good and the process is going smoothly but there are some things that Blaine must do to meet deadlines and he needs strength and energy to get up on scaffolding and do them. Also, the doctor told us that this is the time that Blaine must not get sick since he's coming off the steroids, his body can't fight off things. Boy, we really can't wait until the steroids are all done. I really understand the love/hate relationship of steroids now!

I have to post some pictures of the house when I get a chance. The sheetrocking is done and they are working on mudding and taping it!!! The house looks so much better...we have walls inside! We have 5 more weeks until we move in. Things will go very quickly now and lots of progress will occur. It's fun to go out there now and see it.

Pictures tonight!

Blessings,

Laura

The ending...

Most people who know me know that one of my most favorite things to do is read biographies or autobiographies of missionaries or other heroes of the Christian faith.  I've been doing this for many years and often I find myself desiring to be the main character of the book.  

The first one I ever read was George Mueller.  This guy was a real man of faith.  He started and ran orphanages in England.  During all the years he served God in this capacity, he never once let anyone but God know of the financial or material needs of the orphanage.  Through complete faith in God, he cared for thousands of orphans and met ALL their needs.  After I read this book, my soul longed to be George Mueller and do great things for God.

Gladys Aylward was a woman who found herself rejected for missionary service by an agency since she lacked qualifications and was too old.  She raised the money for the trip herself and wound up in China, working with a missionary there.  One day, she found herself the adoptive mother of a little girl who was unwanted.  She took in many children after that and risked her life when the Japanese attacked China.  She led at least 100 children (sorry, can't remember for sure the #- my books were all damaged in the fire) on foot miles and miles to safety.  After I read that book, my soul longed to be Gladys Aylward.

Mary Slessor was a little, red headed lady who desired to go to the interior of Africa to reach tribes who'd never heard about Jesus Christ.  She was old it was too dangerous but she took a risk and went anyway.  She was amongst head hunters.  It seemed not to phase her and once again, she developed such a great reputation among the tribes that the tribal leaders came to her to settle disputes between tribes.  She also adopted several children who were unwanted and in danger and wouldn't have an opportunity at life otherwise.  After I read that book, my soul longed to be Mary Slessor.  

As I said before, I used to work with the youth and I regularly talked about the lives of these people with them.  I have said many times, "I just want to be...(fill in the blank with the name of my favorite missionary of the day)."

One of the special young ladies in my Bible study is named Emily.  Let me tell you about her. She has been all over the world on mission trips.  I mean ALL over the world for months at a time.  She graduated from college and is now getting her Masters degree in Boston.  Her major will equip her to work for or run an international development agency or to work with the poor in the U.S.  One of the most fascinating trips she's taken brought her to Nepal where she worked among lepers and child prostitutes.  Can I just say...I am so proud of this girl!

Anyway, she emailed me the other day to say she enjoys reading the blog and that it looks like God has answered the longing of my soul and made our lives resemble those in the missionary books I've loved for so many years. (I'm not sure we can be put into their category, though!)But what she said made me think.  

You know, all those books I read had an amazing ending.  These people made a huge, eternal impact on this world.  But while they endured all the harrowing, dangerous, painful and often life threatening events of their lives - how did they feel?  Were they afraid, stressed and wondering, "what is going on here?"  Did they get discouraged?  It's just so easy when you read a book to not see the hard times that it took to follow the will of God in their lives.  It just looks so miraculous if you don't 'feel' the pain in their journey.  Sometimes it would be nice to read the 'end' of your book.  

But Emily reminded me that we know the end.  We end up with Jesus, our Savior in heaven and He is ultimately the victor over all.  

And to know that IS enough.  It's more than enough.

On another note, Bibi left today for Ethiopia to get her sweet daughter, L.  Pray that their meeting is a sweet one. I am so excited for her.  Their lives will be changed forever.  

She will also meet our Tarikwa.  I can't wait to hear what her impressions are of her!!  I can't wait to see the video and pictures she takes of them together.  How do you explain a bond between two woman a thousand miles away from each other who's daughters happen best friends half way across the world?  Only God...

We are up at the cabin this weekend and just wanted to let you know that Blaine's symptoms are much decreased since he's been up here.  No stress.  At home, the stress level is very high both with the business and the house and he physically must work harder than he should be right now considering his health concerns.  So hopefully when the house is complete that life will settle down and he will see the symptom he's still having disappear.  It's a blessing for him to feel better this weekend!

Well, if you made it through this post, congratulations!!  

Gotta get out to the bonfire for some s'mores.

Blessings,

Laura

 

It's a NO

Well, I finally heard from AAI about my friend, Bibi taking our gift bag to Tarikwa when she leaves in a few days. It was a NO. Someone from the agency will be traveling the beginning of Sept. and will take it then.

I won't pretend that I understand this decision. We thought that since she was traveling it would be easier for the girls emotionally if Tarikwa knew she had a family when her best friend left for the U.S.

We prayed first that they'd let us do this and secondly, that if they said, "no" that we could accept it. I guess it wasn't God's timing for her to get it at this time so we have to trust Him, since He does know best.

So now we will pray for the girls that they'd have strength to be able to handle the separation. Although they will see each other again, they don't know this. A pretty hard thing for 2 little girls who've already been through so much loss in their short lives.

May God be their comfort.

Blessings,

Laura

I was asked...

I was asked to be a speaker at the spring women's retreat at our church. It's in March. The topic of the retreat is, "How to have a living faith while going through difficult times in your life." I was told that I could think about it and that I didn't need to give my answer right away. I told her that I didn't need to think about it and to put me down as a 'yes'. I'm not much of a public speaker and will be pretty nervous in front of so many people but if the Lord can be glorified in our story and if the cause of the orphan can be communicated, I'm there.

Now, I have to admit that even though I've gone to this church for 27 years or so and been very involved in many capacities, I have never been to a woman's retreat in my life. Here's the reason. I never though 'those' ladies would like me too much. Hang on, don't think I have a low self-esteem problem...it's not that. It's just that when I think of a women's conference I think of lovely women with perfectly sprayed hair in a skirt and jacket and ugggghhhhh.....the worst thing......panty hose and pumps. They talk perfectly and are prim and proper and have it all together. You can tell this by their appearance, can't you?

Ok, you're seeing one of my biases here. I'm just being honest.

I'm not one of those ladies at all. I used to try a little but have long since given up and now admit that I only wear dress pants on Christmas and maybe Easter but otherwise you can find me in jeans or in the summer jean capris each and every Sunday. You will find me in my Born sandals and a t-shirt being comfy with my legs crossed Indian style in my seat. This is what I'm comfortable in and it's who I am. Maybe that's why I worked with the youth for years. They are not impressed with ladies in dresses either.

Don't get me wrong, I'm clean and not sloppy and smelly or anything.

Now I'm not only going to the women's retreat, I'm a speaker and so honored and priveledged to be one. I'm excited to see what God has in mind and how He will use me in this capacity. I believe God has a purpose that is much, much bigger in all the things we've been through than I can understand. I believe this opportunity might give me a better idea about where that might lead. I just want to be used to glorify Him.

So that brings me back to my preconceived notion about the clothing issue. I'm thinking already that I might have to break down and wear some dress pants to this event. What do you think? But I can guarantee you one thing. I put my foot down on the panty hose and pumps! Not happening!

I guess I'll dress appropriately because if it promotes awareness of the need for strong families to pour their lives into the cause of the orphan to make a change, I'll do it.

Blessings,

Laura

Check this out!

All things are possible!

I could hardly wait to get home from dinner tonight to post the amazing news. The dr. called when we were on our way to dinner. He said that all Blaine's blood work was fine and that he was amazed at the MRI. It looked good and only showed a little spot left. Blaine said, "So, it looks like it's healing."

The dr. said, "No. What I'm saying is that it looks like MRI's from 2 completely different people. The recent one looks like nothing ever happened to you. It's a night and day difference! It looks 99% better than before."

He couldn't believe it! He was dumbfounded and told him, "This is the best news I could tell you!"

Then the song came on the radio (an oldie that I'd normally turn off because of it's oldness but it was completely appropriate at the moment):


"When I call on Jesus, all things are possible.
I can mount on wings like eagles and soar.
When I call on Jesus, mountains are gonna fall.
'Cause He'll move heaven and earth
to come rescue me when I call."

How true is in Blaine's life? He moved heaven and earth for us.

He told Blaine to begin to taper off the Prednisone and in 18 days to call and let him know how the symptom he's still experiencing is doing. He thinks it's still from the small spot that is still showing up on the MRI.

I need time to process all of this and will update when it all sinks in.

On the adoption front, I have been trying to get permission for a friend who is traveling to pick up her daughter (remember L?) in one week to bring with her our gift bag for Tarikwa. I've been trying to get an answer so I can get it to her. L and Tarikwa are best friends and we'd LOVE for her to know that she also has a family when L leaves. It will be so hard on both of them. So far, I haven't gotten the ok to do this. Not sure why...anyway pray that on Monday, permission will be granted if it's God's timing for her to get it. Makes perfect sense to me but God knows best so we will trust Him on this.

"God is good and His mercy endures forever!"

Chalk this up as miracle number.....what? I've lost track!!

Blessings,
Laura

Your faithful prayers have been answered!

So encouraged by you

Yesterday was really a wonderful and encouraging day. I really hate to be negative, it's not my nature but I needed to work through my struggle and hear from God through you. And I did. Thank you for all your comments, emails and phone calls. They were filled with the Godly wisdom I was looking for and needed.

First, I am amazed and thankful that you would take time from your busy lives to encourage a person that you've never met. That takes time and energy and let's face it...most of us don't have that in abundance.

Second, the scripture you've shared were God directly speaking to me. I love the Word of God. I love how it was written thousands of years ago but still can be applied to every aspect of our lives today. The Bible truly is a 'living' book.

Third, your Godly wisdom you shared blew my mind! As I read each and every comment and email, I couldn't help but tear up because I knew that you had followed our story for some time to have such insight on our lives. I respect you and am thankful that the Godly counsel I sought was answered by such Godly women.

I was so encouraged yesterday and knew that after all the words of wisdom and prayers (which we felt) that we are absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt, positively on the right track. The right track often is not the easy track. Tarikwa (our daughter waiting in Ethiopia) is worth all of this difficulty.

I loved when Holli reminded me that God did not leave us as orphans but sent us His Son Jesus, so that we might be adopted into the family of God. He sure suffered in the process, didn't He? We cannot even comprehend it! But He did it anyway because we were worth it to Him and there was no other way that we could be redeemed. The same is true with Tarikwa. There is no other way we can get her but to persevere so she might have someone to call Mom, Dad, brother, sister, grandma, aunt, uncle and cousins... So that she doesn't have to live her life alone and an orphan. Thank you, Jesus for the sacrifice you made for me.

Blaine did have his MRI today with the results coming tomorrow. He did have a much more pleasant experience since this MRI machine was open ended and quicker than last time. I'll post results tomorrow. Keep praying! His dr. is on vacation but wants the results and will call Blaine when he gets them.

The stress level remains on extreme. I don't know how Blaine will get a break so please pray that he can just keep going. He runs his own business and things are crazy right now, of course! Right now, he's out at the house doing a little work for the Friday inspection. I went with him tonight because I didn't want him out there alone and I wanted to lend a hand when suddenly my sweet sister arrives with a nice, cool drink for him. Then a few minutes later, his friend Dave comes driving up, comes in and promptly tells Blaine to get down from the ladder and takes over. See how good God is to us?

Thanks for your support, prayers and love. I hope to meet all of you one day so I can give you a big hug! In heaven for sure!!

Love,

Laura

What's the deal?

We are back from our cabin vacation and had a relaxing time. I enjoyed just being in the kitchen preparing food, visiting with friends, doing a little reading and playing with the kids. We've been running so much in the past month that I'd forgotten what it was like to do these simple things. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. Thank you, Lord for a non-eventful few days.

Blaine, on the other hand became pickled in his steroids and didn't have the same fun I had. He did go fishing morning and night and caught enough for a fish fry for 20. But the massive dose of steroids he was on ended up not alleviating the symptom he had and it gave him all kinds of side effects-the unpleasant ones that are common to Prednisone. He spoke with the dr. yesterday who wants him to have another MRI tomorrow and go from there.

I know I have asked and asked for prayer so many times from all of you but I have to ask again. Please ask God to give us a break. We seem to keep getting hit with catastrophe after catastrophe. Then we have all the small and medium problems mixed in there as well that everyone experiences. So all put together it seems like we never get a break from all of it. It's definitely wearing us down and with Blaine in the physical and mental shape that he's in from the Prednisone, we really can't take any more.

So if you could pray that whatever solution the dr. comes up with based on his MRI results will be nothing but "leave it alone and let it heal in time." No more drugs, no more tests, no more worry.

We really don't know why all these things keep happening to us. Everyone has hard times in their lives for sure. Here's a list of our catastrophic events of the past 4 years.

-Blaine and his dad are along side a highway, looking at some property, are well off the road, getting back into their truck when a woman swatting at a bee in her car swerves from the inside lane, crosses the next lane, heads for the ditch, finally looks up, over corrects and hits them. Blaine's dad dies instantly, Blaine is critically injured, ends up at the best trauma hospital in our state, has 2 huge, long surgeries to repair multiple fractures in his face and femur. He is able to walk 4 months later.

(God used this event to change Blaine's heart toward adoption, showing him that life is short and precious and it's NOT all about us and our comfort and ease of life)

-Blake became very, very sick and we took him to Children's where after hours and several tests, they told us they thought he had cancer. This was a Monday, the same week we were scheduled to attend our pre-adoptive class at CHSFS, which took us 2 months to get into. We were to take him to our pediatrician every day for blood work. She also thought cancer. It took me a day and a half before I though, "No, this is not cancer...he is fine." You see, God had clearly spoken into our lives that we were to adopt from Ethiopia so this could NOT be." So we began to pray Ephesians 6 over him. I had everyone praying. I was certain this was the evil one trying to mess with God's plan for two orphans. I was right. We had an appt. with the pediatrician the morning of the pre-adoptive class. They drew blood and came back a few minutes later with a surprised look on the drs face. She said, "His levels have doubled. They are normal (almost). This looks like a virus that attacked both his white cells and red cells, very rare." Off we went to pre-adoptive class more certain God was on our side than ever before.

-We sense God is moving us once again toward adoption. I make some phone calls and get an application which I was going to fill out on Saturday. On Friday, our house catches on fire and burns down. Adoption on hold.

-We are living in temporary housing when we get a picture of a beautiful young girl. We pray about her and begin the process of adopting her. Blaine has plans on Monday after we get back from the cabin to get his physical that is required for the adoption but instead ends up Sunday at the hospital after driving 4 1/2 hours from the cabin with an unknown diagnosis but is paralyzed from the chest down and for the first couple days, it doesn't sound good. He makes a miraculous, truly miraculous recovery and that brings us to where we are today.

Someone was told of our story and told the person who was telling it, "You're lying. That can't be true. Those things can't all have happened to one family." It is mind boggling, we agree. We're starting to feel like we're wearing a big target on our backs.

There is a common thread in all of this...adoption. I see that. Are we doing something wrong? Are we doing something right? I'm starting to lose the picture.

If any of you has Godly wisdom, please lend us some insight. We want to follow God and obey His will, whatever it is and wherever it takes us. But are we outside of His will? Are we missing something? Or are we just building a fantastic testimony that will reach and bless many people? There must be a reason.

Thanks in advance for your prayers and insight.

Blessings,

Laura

It's on it's way!!

We are up at our cabin for the next 5 wonderful days.  We are joined by our friends (4 families) and their kids and some of their friends.  So FUN!!!!!!  At peak attendance, we will have a grand total of 25 people here!  And even though it's only in the low 70's and the water temp is a chilly 62, the older boys have gone tubing.  Crazy!  

Blaine and I brought the dossier into town and sent it off TODAY!!!  I can't tell you how great if felt to put it in the hands of the US Postal service to be delivered in 2 days to AAI.  One important step closer to our daughter.  Yeaaaaaa!!

Blaine started back on his industrial strength steroids yesterday.  They are such a high dose they had to be made and only one place in the Twin Cities makes them that strong.  Ugh.  Anyway, he is feeling the shock feeling up his back much LESS today and thinks with one more dose, it will be gone.  He still needs to complete the 5 days but we are thankful that it's working.

Please don't quit praying for him, even though things are improving.  Today I was told of a person who, while on the same medication became so weak that he couldn't get out of bed or even play his guitar.  He also ended up having to temporarily go into a psychiatric ward of the hospital because of what it did to him mentally.  So when the dr. says, "I can't believe you're not psychotic on this high dose," I now get it.  So please continue to pray that it is effective and that the horrible side effects will be minimized.  

We are enjoying being away from all the stress of the past weeks and on vacation.  God is so good to have brought us through what He did and through it all kept us on track with our adoption.  And now to let us get away and have some peace and fun!  We are so thankful!

Blessings,

Laura

She's ours!

Well, it's not official yet but T's file now resides in our file at AAI, safe from the inquiries of other potential adoptive parents! No one else can have her. Our home study has been approved by AAI and tonight Blaine and I are going to go where no man (or woman) has gone before - that we know of. We are going to complete our dossier in one night! That's the goal. Remember that my husband is on steroids so he is pretty invincible at this point!

We are praising the Lord and rejoicing in the blessing that T can no longer be considered by another family but in order to accept her referral and put her on hold, we must get our dossier in to them. And we must be at that point in order to let her know she has a family and right now, this is the main thing we want her to know. Remember her best friend, L is leaving for the US in just a few short weeks and we want T to have hope when she leaves.

Ok, back down to earth. Blaine's neurologist has ordered him to increase his steroids back to the astronomical number of 1000mgs a day for 5 days. He wants to "knock this out of the park" and it's better for him to go on this extremely high dose for a few days than stay on a high dose for an extended period of time. So pray that this does it for good so he can begin to reduce this wonderful and horrible medication.

Gotta get to work now...LOTS to do!!

Thank you for your prayers on our new daughters' behalf. We're getting there!!

Love,

Laura

*Update* It's 11:00 pm and IT IS FINISHED!!! Tomorrow we go and notarize everything and off it goes!! Woooooohoooooooooo!

Steroids and the tooth fairy

My super sweet sister offered to take the little boys last night so we could go to dinner AND overnight! I can't tell you how much we appreciated that.

I can honestly say that the last couple weeks have been the busiest in my life. House inventory, house building, decisions regarding house building, collecting paperwork for the adoption, phone calls regarding the adoption, dr. appointments for all of us for the adoption, running around for all of the above, Blaine running his own business, me being mom to 4, all on top of a man on steroids...yikes! One of those things would be a lot to handle but all at once...can you say stress?

So we took Katie and De to dinner with us last night. Blaine was in rare steroid form and nothing sounded good to him. We ended up at a Meditteranean restaurant which he ended up really liking. Then we rented a movie (which I picked out) that ended up being super scary and I ended up reading a book. But it is now 8:25am and Blaine is still sleeping. He so needs it.

He spoke with the neurologist yesterday because while the symptoms he was having have decreased somewhat, they are still there so he will remain on the double dose of steroids through the weekend. The dr. again commented, "I don't know how you're not psychotic on that many steroids." Blaine said he thinks he's becoming psychotic. I think it's because the dr. keeps saying that. I don't actually know what psychotic means to tell you the truth. It sounds really bad to me, though. I have to look up the actual definition. He also reminded him that he probably will begin to get leg and arm weakness. So if you would keep praying that this double dose would knock out the rest of the inflammation in his spine, we'd really appreciate it!! Then he can begin tapering off them.

Here's a story to illustrate our busyness.

Mihiretu lost another tooth on Tuesday night. He put his tooth in a baggie under his pillow expecting the tooth fairy (Blaine) to put some cash in it. We talked about remembering to do it but were up past midnight doing the inventory stuff and completely forgot. He got up and sadly brought his baggie to me. I said, "Oh, my goodness. The tooth fairy must have had so many kids to visit, she just didn't make it here last night. Try again tonight. I'm sure she will come."

So he did. That night we were up past midnight again working on the inventory again. We talked about remembering again. But the next morning, the same thing.

Man, I felt horrible. He looked so sad. I had an idea!

I told him to recheck under his pillow, under the bed, around the bed to stall for time. In the meantime, I got a dollar out of my purse and pretended to make our bed. I stuck the dollar under my pillow. When I lifted the pillow, I exclaimed, "Oh, my goodness Mihiretu! She must have gotten confused and left it under MY pillow by mistake!" He bought it! Pheewwww. Now tell me that isn't busy when you can't even remember to play tooth fairy for your son not once but twice!

Blessings,

Laura

P.S. Our home study was sent to AAI and our I-600A form has been sent off with our home study to Homeland Sec.