Are we REALLY against abortion?!?!

Ooooh, touchy subject. But I cannot help it! Let me back up and explain. Last week, my wonderful adoption atty called. Now, she usually only calls me to let me know about an upcoming court date, or when she needs help placing a special baby. This call was about a special baby. A Downs baby, that was being delivered on Thursday of last week. She had not one family interested. I spent a good part of the week advocating and networking for this little guy. Last I heard, there was one family semi-interested. Breaks my heart. Where are you Christians?!?! Now let's chat. Are we really anti-abortion?! Cause if we REALLY are, then we have to step up, and be a family for these babies who are unwanted by their mommas. And I don't mean just the healthy white babies. I am talking about the brown babies, the bi-racial babies, the latino babies, the babies whose momma's used drugs and alcohol. The babies who do not look perfect, or who have a disability of some sort. The babies who need xtra love and care, and YES, EVEN THE BABIES WHO WILL NEED TO BE PARENTED FOREVER.

Can you imagine being young, scared, pregnant and alone?!?! Can you imagine making that terribly difficult decision to place your child for adoption, only to find out that no one wants your child?? Wouldn't that make abortion just about your only option?! Is this really what we want?!

How much do you trust your Lord?! Do you trust him enough to step out and do something crazy, scary, and completely out of your comfort zone?! Is He asking you to consider parenting one of His special children? Has be placed a child on your heart?! Don't be scared. He will guide you! What you should be afraid of is saying No to Him. If you say NO to Him, He may decide not to ask anything of you again!

An amazing thing happened this week to me. God literally spoke to my heart through a Beanie Kid in my living room. You see, years ago, I started collecting Beanie Kids that resembled my children. I have one for Brogan, Patrick, Keagan, Bronwyn, and Tobin. I later got one for Rory and Meng. And then for some crazy reason I bought one with long blonde hair and blue eyes. MANY times I thought, why on earth do I have this doll?! I will never have a child that looks like this. And now I have Daley. My Daley has pure white hair and beautiful blue eyes. My Daley is severely disabled. Daley is my joy, but she is also my fear. I am AFRAID of her dying. I am AFRAID for her future. I am AFRAID of me not being able to give her all she needs. But when I looked at that silly little Beanie Kid, it hit me, that I bought that doll years ago, not realizing that she represented my Daley. And for some reason (God is Good!) I had placed in her hand, a little hand painted tile, that a young boy made for me years ago. And on it are these words PERFECT LOVE DRIVES OUT FEAR. I literally cried! God was waiting for me to get this message. A message that He sent me years before Daley was born! He knew! He prepared me, without me every knowing it. My love for her will drive away my fear! And just as He sent me this doll to reassure me, He will do the same for you! He will bless you beyond measure for stepping out in faith to help one of the "least of these".

My prayer is simple. I pray that we will wake up and realize that the treasure of a child is beyond all value. Despite the needs of the child. I pray that the next time Kirsten calls me with a special baby, that there will be families fighting over this child! Please, consider taking that step of faith. It is an amazing journey!

God bless!

A Cure for my Meng?!?!?!

My sweet Emily MengYan! She and I just returned from a 3 day trip to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis TN. She has been accepted into a research project, for her Beta Thalassemia blood disorder. We had a great time having "mom and Meng" time, and the staff at St. Jude spoiled her rotten! She had labs, an eval at the hematology clinic, an eye and ear exam, and finally a Feriscan of her heart and liver. She handled it all like a real trooper, and made her momma quite proud.
We got some really good news while we were there. There is a fairly new program in the works, it involves gene therapy. Gene therapy has improved red blood cell production in Bet thal rats and monkeys, to the point where they no longer needed transfusions. St. Jude just got the OK to begin testing this therapy on humans! Their first cases will be kids 16-21. Meng's hematologist feels certain that this therapy will benefit Meng, and hopes to try it on her in as little as 3-5 years! This is leaps and bounds of when we expected!
Our God is good. He has protected Meng while in China, he has restored her health since she has been home, and now he has led us to the place where she can be cured. He is an amazing God!

These are a few of my favorite things.........

What to do with Halloween?!?!?!

I love this time of year, Fall is my absolute favorite. But I hate the dreaded issue of what to do with Halloween. HATE IT. This is only October 3, and Bronwyn came home from youth group with an invitation to go to The Scream (local haunted house) with her youth leader!!! You have got to be kidding!
When Brogan and Patrick were little, we did trick-or-treat for the first few years. Then we felt this huge conviction to NOT celebrate this pagan holiday. We offered an alternative to Halloween, a party we called The Pumpkin Bash. We had this party every Oct 31 for 10 years, and averaged over 300 in attendance. And then we moved, to an area that was not fenced, and not very safe, as we are very close to a lot of forrest, and the Sangamon River.
So, we began attending our church's Trunk or Treat party. Well, all of a sudden, I feel like I have been duped into celebrating a pagan holiday again! I feel like little by little, we have given in, and are celebrating a holiday that glorifies death, witchcraft, blood, gore, and fear. OK, so no more. The kids are gonna hate this, but we will not celebrate halloween ever again, in any fashion. What do you all think??!! Do you think our Lord Jesus would approve of our kids participating in Halloween?! Everyone has to make their own decision. Pray about it. Seriously give it some thought. Going with the flow is easier, but is it right??!! hmmmmmmmm

My Favorite Farm Critters

This is Nutmeg. She is my First Irish Dexter. She had her first calf this year, a Dexter/Jersey bull calf named ADAM. If all goes well, and she doesn't kill me, I plan to milk her next spring, when her second calf is born.

This is my new Nubian doe, Fannie. She is beautiful, and quite a sweetheart.

This is the other Nubian doe, Butterfly. She is the friendliest, and comes running when the kids go out to visit her. She will have her first kid(s) early spring.

New goats and My Daley

Well, do you remember a few posts back when I mentioned how sad I was that I sold my dairy goats? Well, I am not so sad anymore. I bought some new ones! I bought 2 Nubian does, one a heavy milker and one a yearling, and I also bought a Kinder buckling. And the best part is they are just as sweet and loving as my girls were. And another best part is that I can switch Daley right from her formula, to goat's milk, instead of grocery store cow milk (gag). I am happy!!! :) Will post photos soon, computer won't let me right now!

Speaking of my Daley, we got an official diagnosis on her yesterday, from Dr.Morgan in Peoria. Here is goes...... Cerebral Palsy - mixed quadriplegia, severe and profound global cognitive impairment/mental retardation, visual impairment and severe neurological irritability. She laughed as I read it to her! Really, she did! This should probably all freak me out, but it doesn't. Not even a little bit. This is one man's guess. Regardless of my baby girl's future, I love her, I will do everything in my power for her, and I thank God for her every day. She has grown my family in strength and love. She has made us so much better. And God has used Nancy, and Chris in my life, to prepare my heart for her. It is crazy, sometimes we don't even Realize that something we think is just an experience in life, is actually preparation for something God has planned!

Have a blessed day! And if you want to come love on my Daley, or my new goatie girls, come on over! LOL

A Special Visit!!!

When a child lives in an orphanage, they miss out on that parent/child bonding. Even the best orphanages, with the best nannys just cannot provide all that a parent can. And when the child's spirit figures out that they are missing that huge part of their life, they can become quite attached to other things, or to their roomies. This is what happened to my sweet Emily MengYan, and her best-est friend NuiNui, AKA Margaret, AKA Anna Claire! They shared a room and a bed for almost 2 years in China. They did everything together. I have very few photos of Meng that don't include Nui Nui. I am told they were inseparable. When we brought Meng home last September, the nannys told us that Nui was devastated. We actually tried to adopt them both, but the CCAA would not approve it. We planned to turn right back around again, and bring Nui home. But God had a different plan! He sent her a family! Shawn and Anna brought Nui home to N. Carolina last December. What a blessing!!! Since then, it has been so fun to sit back and watch these girls continue their relationship. They call each other frequently, and we actually got to spend several days together last May. It was precious! Last week, Nui's family were in St. Louis, which is not far from us. We spent the day with them again, and the girls had a blast! I thank God every day that the one thing they both loved about China (each other), they can still love! I truly believe God knows they need each other, and has made it possible for them to see and talk to each other often. God gave them the desires of their hearts (a family), but also kept their friendship alive. Thank you, Lord! You are an awesome God! :) Enjoy these photos of the girls!