Daniel

You all know of Anne's desire for a brother. She asks on a regular basis for a brother, and even prays for a brother. The other day I had sent Anne to her room for being out of control and when Trent went to get her she was in Maggie's room looking through the Baby Names Book that we used for each of our girls. When he asked what she was doing, she said she was choosing a name for her brother. When he asked what name she chose she said, "Daniel." She has for a long time liked this name and said that if she ever has a brother she will name him Daniel. I hadn't really thought much about it other than it was a cute story. When I was sharing it with a woman at church she said, "Just wait until you receive a referral for a little boy named Daniel. God has a sense of humor."

I had never thought of that. When I told Trent he said that it would just be creepy if that happened and that one particular child would be instantly attached.

I had a good visit today with another friend from church who does foster care and has adopted her children through foster care. It was so fantastic to be able to hear her story and although some of what she said could be taken as "scary" I loved every word because to me it perfectly illustrated God's love and faithfulness. She shared a story of her little boy praying for a baby brother. She kept trying to tell him, no, I don't think that's going to happen. Well wouldn't you know? They were approached by a birthmom to adopt her unborn baby BOY! Of course, her little boy said, "We'll take him! I prayed for that!"

Child-like faith is such a beautiful thing isn't it? This is how Anne prays for her Daniel.

I've been in contact with Lancaster Children & Youth and should receive an information packet from them this week. I'm excited about it, and still praying that God will reveal the direction we are supposed to take.

A couple of health updates!

Abbey is pooping on the potty EVERY DAY!! PRAISE GOD!!
She's excited about it and seems to have gotten over her fear or whatever the problem was. Our next step is to slowly wean her off the medication that she is on. This is such an answer to prayer!

I made an appointment for Magdalena to have her blood work done this Friday. While it doesn't sound like the most enjoyable thing for her (or me) to endure, I think we really need to know for sure what her diagnoses is. She had a couple really bad days last week, and I don't know if she ate something wrong, or if it is because she is getting 2 teeth, but it was like the "old days" of crying, crying, crying. A huge thank you goes out to my mother-in-law for agreeing to watch Anne and Abigail while I take Maggie to the doctor.

That's all for now! Hopefully I'll get a chance to write again soon!!

Are you Crazy?

**Sisters at the Baltimore Zoo**

We've had some busy days around here. Annie must be going through a growth spurt because she is eating like a horse, very tired all the time, and is very cranky. She's been throwing a lot of fits and been very irritable. Yes, she's 3, not 13.

Abbey has had a lot of success on the potty the past couple of days. Praise God! Some of you must have been praying for her! Anne is her biggest cheerleader. Whenever Abbey gets a little poop out on the potty we give her some little M&Ms. Of course, somehow Annie has persuaded Abbey to share some with her after each victory. In turn, Anne cheers her on, knowing that sweets will be delivered if Abbey goes on the potty. We're getting there!!!

I still haven't taken Magdalena to get her blood work done to test for Celiac Disease... Maybe next week?

**Abbey at Splits & Giggles earlier this summer.**

Some days around here are busy, and crazy, and tiring. And here we are thinking about Foster Care and adoption... Are we crazy?

Probably.

But here's what I've been thinking about. God gives us passions. He gives us a heart for something. A heart for the lost, for missions, for teaching, for children, for adoption, for foreign countries. He gives each of us unique abilities and he expects us to use those things for His glory. I think of the story of the man who gave each of his workers "talents" and how two of the three men in the story used them to grow, but one man buried his so he wouldn't lose it.

As I was thinking of this, I was reminded of how I have this idea that I want to provide care for a child or children, but I am worried about how it will affect the girls emotionally. Then the Spirit, as He often does, brought a Bible verse into my head.
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

It felt as if God was saying to me, "I gave up the LIFE of my only son! I'm asking you for their emotions."

And again, the Spirit led me to the Scriptures. To the story of Abraham. God asked him to sacrifice the life of his son Isaac. And he was willing to do it!

God is asking me to trust in Him through this. God is asking me to have more faith. To fully depend on Him!

Is this going to be hard? Yes!
Am I going to cry sometimes? Probably!
Will I be stretched through this? For sure!
Am I going to be blessed with a closer relationship with the Lord? I have no doubt!!

As a Christian, I need to be not only yielding to the call of God, but to be excited about it! I shouldn't be dragging my feet saying, "Well, we're doing this foster care thing, but not because we really want to, but you know, God wants us to." What a terrible attitude! The more I think about it the more excited I truly am!

At this point, we still have a couple of options. We could go directly through Lancaster County Children and Youth, or we could go through an agency. We would love if you would pray for us so we would know which direction we are supposed to take.

Also, we are hoping to sell our house in the Spring and purchase something a little bigger in order to have room for a fourth or maybe a fourth and fifth child. We are really praying for the timing to work out. I know the real estate market is pretty brutal right now. It would definitely help us when we are looking for a bigger house because we may be able to get one at a good price, but that also means selling our house at a lower price.

**Gladiolus from my flower bed out front. I would be SO excited to have space for more flowers!**

That's where we are right now. Thinking about transitions and growing our family. Anne is definitely excited. At first she said she didn't want to move, but as we talked about it more, she got excited that we may have a yard with grass to play in. More than that she desperately wants a brother. I don't know what God has in store for us, but Anne prays on a daily basis for a brother. Only time will tell!

Some Updates

This rainy morning we had a doctor appointment for Magdalena, and I tacked Abigail on since she is still having bowel/constipation issues. Let's start with Mags.

Magdalena: 1-year well child check-up. She is 28.5 inches long and weighs 17 pounds, 2 ounces. She is still considered to be in less than the 5th percentile, but she is following her own curve, which is great. She will stand for a few seconds by herself, but I haven't been able to get a picture of it yet. Today after her appointment she was standing up holding onto the bookshelf in the living room. She had a small toy in her hand and turned around to show us. She stood there for probably 15 seconds smiling and waving her toy around. When she realized what she was doing she immediately sat down. Little stinker! :) A just for fun comparison in height and weight for the girls at 1 year.

Maggie: 28.5 inches, 17 lbs. 2 0z.
Annie: 30 inches, 18 lbs. 4 oz.
Abbey: 29 inches, 16 lbs. 10 oz.

It's hard to believe but Maggie has already surpassed what Abbey was at one year! Magdalena has more than tripled her birth weight, which is fantastic, and she has grown 11.5 inches this year!

I discussed with the doctor doing an actual blood test to check Magdalena for Celiac Disease. He does not really like to do these kinds of tests on little ones, but I am at the point where I want to know for sure whether or not she has it. If she does, fine, we'll continue what we are doing with the gluten-free diet. The doctor has promised to do some research on other local doctors and Pediatric GI's in the area who would be willing to do the test. Any prayers would be appreciated.

**Those of you with a weak stomach or who don't want to read about poop, please skip this portion.**
Abigail: She is still having serious bowel issues. The doctor calls it constipation, but when she goes it is not hard at all. She will hold her BM for a long time, sometimes it's a full week. She is at the point now where she will only go if we give her a laxative. I am not convinced that it is just constipation. After she eats her stomach is distended and hard and she is bloated and gassy. The doctor assures me that this is just because she is holding it so long. When Abbey has to go she will just lie down on the couch/floor/bed and cover herself up with a blanket. She gets goose-bumps and is shivery. It breaks my heart because she is literally making herself ill by not going to the bathroom, but I can't force her to go. If anyone has any suggestions on how to help this problem, I would gladly accept any advice. Today the doctor recommended giving her 2 doses of miralax a day until she is going every day or at least every other day and to call him in 2 weeks to check in with her progress. Again, prayers are appreciated!!

**Weak-stomached readers may resume.**

I also wanted to update you all on where we are at with fostering-adoption. We went to an information meeting with a local agency who does foster care and adoption. It was very informative and helpful. We are still trying to process everything and are praying for guidance and for direction and to be able to discern what God would will us to do in this situation.

Basically, we would be going in as foster parents. Typically the goal is reunification with birth parents. This would be considered high-risk, since there is a very good chance that a child or children would be with us, and then be returned to birth family after some time. There is also the chance that a child would be placed with us and maybe birth-mom/dad are in jail or had drugs in their system, has other children in the system or are "known" for their lack of parenting. This might be considered moderate-risk. Meaning the goal is still reunification with birth family, but there is a chance that the child/children would be available for adoption at some point down the road.

I think I've come to the point where I am willing to take the emotional risk because I want what is best for the dear children who are in the foster-care system. I am realizing that as difficult as it will be for me to watch a child leave my home for another, I am an adult and I could get over it. I want to provide the best possible care for a child or children who are in need of it, whether it is long-term (forever) or short-term.

Now here is where the next part of the struggle comes in. I have crossed this hurdle for myself, but what about our birth children? Anne has such a tender little heart. She asks on a daily basis for a brother. She is constantly asking when we are going to have another baby. When Trent was explaining about our foster-care meeting he told Anne that some children do not have mommy's and daddy's who can take good care of them. Anne's immediate response was, "We can take care of them! I want a brother!" As excited as she is, we both worry about the trauma it would cause her to have a brother or sister in our home for say 6 months or a year, only to have to give that child back to a birth mom or dad. If anyone knows of some good resources to read up on this topic I would be very grateful for them.

I think that is all I have time for today... again, prayers are definitely appreciated in regard for wisdom concerning the many decisions we need to make!

Night Time Weaning - Nights 3&4

Night 3 : Mags woke up one time, about 4 a.m. I went in, picked her up, sang "Jesus Loves Me" and laid her back down. No crying, straight to bed. Praise God!

Night 4: Magdalena slept ALL night. She woke up at about 7:30 am. This has gone exponentially better than I would have thought. Hopefully she will continue in this trend!

Today while I had the girls with me at Lowe's we were waiting in line to have our paint color mixed, there were several people behind us in line. Magdalena was unabashedly saying "HI!" to them and waving. There was an older gentleman who commented on how cute the girls were.

There was also a younger man who was looking at the girls.
He said the typical, "You have your hands full." to which I smiled and
said, "Yes, but we love it."
Then he said, "How old are they, 3, 2, and 1?"
and I said, "Yes, that's correct."
And, for the first time I received this question, "Are they all yours??"
I laughed and said, "Most definitely!"

It made me laugh because we want what we consider a "big family". To us that means probably six children, potentially more. We do not know what the Lord has planned for us. Yet, to most Americans, we already have a big family. I'm sure I'll get that question more often as the years go on. I hope I will always be able to answer it with a chuckle and a smile in order to show how truly blessed we are.

Praise God for each of our children. Whether we have one child or fifteen children, each child is a special gift of the Lord, and God has a plan for each one of them!

Night Time Weaning - Night 2

Praise God! Magdalena has proved just as wonderful as her sister! Last night Maggie went to bed around 7:30. When I went to bed around 11:00 she hadn't woken up yet, and I was lying in bed wondering if she would be awake in another 15 minutes. When I heard her start crying, instead of the 11:15 pm time I assumed it would be, it was 5:30 am!! That was the longest stretch I have slept in six months. It was so beautiful! I was worried about letting her cry because Annie and Abbey usually wake up at around 6:30, and I really didn't want them to wake up at 5:30.

*Miss Magdalena*

I went into Maggie's room and picked her up and sang "Jesus Loves Me" then laid her down. She started to do her angry cry at me. I left her room and went to the bathroom and by the time I got back to my bed she was already asleep. It was probably only 2 minutes. She woke up around 7:20 am and she had a great morning.

It hasn't seemed to matter so far that I still nurse her 3 times during the day. I'm so excited that she has transitioned so well! It was a wonderful night of sleep. Hopefully this pattern will continue!

*My two big helpers washing dishes*

Night Time Weaning- Night 1

I know in my last post I said I wasn't really ready to give up nursing. And I'm not... completely. Just the over-night feedings and mainly because they are getting a bit out of control. Maggie has been waking up at least 2 or 3 times in the night to nurse. I decided that after her birthday party (which was Saturday) I would make her give those up.

*Sleeping on the way home from the Baltimore Zoo.*

Last night she woke up at her typical 11:15 pm time to nurse. Instead of feeding her I picked her up and sang to her and patted her back and then laid her back down in the crib and went out of the room. Well, let me tell you, she was NOT happy about this. She yelled pretty loud to get her point across that she was angry with me. She calmed down a bit and then was "talking"/making noise for about 10 minutes. After this she started to cry again, so I went back into her room to calm her down, sang to her, rubbed her back and laid her down. As soon as I started to put her back down she was doing her angry yell at me. This cycle of crying, comforting etc. went on until about midnight when she finally settled down and fell asleep.

*Trent and Maggie at the Pinnacle.*

At 4:00 am she woke up and wanted to be nursed. I did the same thing as before. This time I only had to go in the initial time, and then once more after about 10 minutes of fussing. After I left the second time she calmed herself down and slept until she woke up at about 7:30.

*At Tucquan Glen.*

I'm curious to see how she will do tonight. I really hate to hear my babies cry like that, but I know that they have to do it. In the long run it is worth it. After we did this with Abbey (only it was making her give up the pacifier at 9 months) our lives were SO much better. There was no more waking up in the night because of a lost pacifier. It only took Abbey 2 days to get over the fact that I wasn't going to give it to her anymore and she started sleeping all night and napping well. Let's hope the same holds true for Magdalena. I still intend to nurse her 3 times a day, so we'll see if that is confusing to her or not.

Magdalena turns ONE!!

Today is the day, Maggie's big day! It blows my mind that my baby girl is one year old today. Her journey to life was a difficult one, and her birth was completely unlike her big sisters. If you want to re-live that day with me, please click here for Magdalena's Story.



Since I've been through two other "first birthdays" you would think that I would be prepared for this, but Maggie is just so different from her sisters. She was a difficult pregnancy, a difficult delivery, a NICU baby, slower to do most everything. She just seems too little to be one year old! And as odd as it may sound, this is the first time that we are having a "first birthday" without having another little one on the way. Perhaps that is why it seems so strange. With Annie and Abbey I was already trying to prepare for them to be big sisters instead of being the baby, and it is quite different with Magdalena.



Magdalena still nurses. A&A both were weaned at about 10 1/2 months, and I think this was mainly because I was pregnant and they weren't interested in anymore. Maggie will typically nurse at breakfast, before nap, and before bed, and then she is also still waking up in the night at least once, more often two times, and occasionally 3 times to nurse. Obviously she wouldn't "need" those night time feedings, but a part of me is not ready to give them up.

**This is one of my favorites. She just looks so sweet!**

Maggie does not walk. She will walk along the edge of furniture, or push a toy or chair and walk behind it, but she mostly crawls. She likes to hold my hands and walk, but doesn't seem too thrilled with the idea of doing it herself. Maggie can stand for a few seconds by herself, but not real long. She crawls like crazy and is into everything. She gives kisses, makes elephant noises, mimics her sisters and says several words. She says mama, dada, Non-non (for Annie), dog, more, doll, Mum-Mum (is one of her snack foods), yeah, out, down, hi, hey, and I'm sure there are more that I'm forgetting.



She has such a sweet personality. She is very active like Anne was, but has this really sweet side to her that reminds me a lot of Abbey. She is shy around children her age, but adores older children and little babies. She definitely prefers mom over any other adult, but is beginning to go to other people that she sees a lot. This weekend she went to Paw-Paw, which surprised me, but she was very content with him as well as sitting on Uncle Troy's lap. This seems to be a common theme with all 3 of our girls.



Anne and Abbey can always get Maggie to smile and laugh. Anne is quite the helper. The other day I was out in the kitchen getting dinner ready and I usually have the gate in front of the stairs but did not on this particular day. Anne yelled to me that Maggie was trying to climb the stairs, but she'll get her. By the time I wiped my hands Anne had picked Maggie up and was carrying her over to a pile of toys on the floor and instructed her to play with toys while she went to put the gate up.

*This is Maggie's "I'm going to do something naughty" face that we see far too often and usually involves eating dog food and dumping the dog's water!*

Maggie's one-year well child check up isn't for about two more weeks. I stood on the scale with her and it said she was about 17 pounds. If that is accurate than she already weighs more than Abbey did at a year and is very close to what Anne was!



At her check-up I also plan on talking with our doctor about Celiac Disease and other food allergies and to see when we should get her tested. She does fantastic on the gluten-free diet. It is definitely difficult at times (and expensive!). She only has 2 teeth so there are limited options to what she can eat. She is at that stage where she is very independent and only wants to feed herself. She eats a lot of bananas, rice chex, rice noodles, carrots, peas, peaches, and other soft foods that can easily be cut up and given to her. We have some gluten-free animal crackers that she LOVES. When we get the box out after dinner she gets so excited. It's really cute. For her birthday party on Saturday we are making gluten-free chocolate cupcakes. I'm sure she will enjoy them since she has never had anything so delicious in her life!

*She covered all her big smiles with her hands, but I still love this one!*

As I sit here and think over the past year and all that we have been through, I am reminded of God's faithfulness. Even when Maggie was crying all the time and we didn't know why, God was faithful. Praise God for one whole year of life. I can definitely see how I have grown in my faith in the past year and God has used Magdalena to stretch me and teach me and challenge me in new ways. Her name meaning "Spiritual Faith" has proved true thus far. Happy Birthday Magdalena Faith, we love you!

*This is how Maggie praises God!*

Special thanks to my sister, Audrey for capturing Maggie's personality at one-year!