Almost Famous

My friend Heidi at The Blissful Stitcher--the übertalented lady who made the boys' adorable "Worth the Wait" shirts--asked if she could use pics of my cuties on her etsy site. She's doing something of a specialization in adoption-themed clothing, having found herself surrounded by families who have received God's call to grown through that specific path.

Anyhow, she asked. I, of course, said yes. I've waited a long time to share those little faces with the world. If I can brag on God, my boys, adoption, and a friend's gift all at the the same time ... whoa! I'm taking that opportunity.

So here they are: Oli and Mani, in their etsy debut. Go ahead. Tell me how cute they are. :-)

No news as of yet ...

Just to update anyone who has been wondering, we still haven't gotten word from Kathmandu on how Bee's second interview went. At first I suspected that it was because of power outages, but now I'm wondering if she was indeed turned down.

We continue to pray and wait. I'll update when I know.

Monsoon season

Mr. Blandings and Bee, whose visa is up for approval again.

For long, burning years, I lived in drought.

My heart yearned, my soul ached, and I suffered, daily, through a thirst that man could not satiate. Lord, please take this desire from me. Give me contentment with where I am. I have three children; who am I to ask for more? Take this burden from me, or give me relief, Jesus.

From the spring of 2004 until the spring of 2008, I anguished. There were periods of blessed respite, times when I felt strong enough to embrace other people's babies, to rejoice at the news of new arrivals in this world, to attend a baby shower without breaking down into tears. I lived for those times. But the rest of my days were punctuated by realizations, anew, of the grief that never quite left me and the God who would neither lift my longing nor fill the cup I extended.

Those were hard, lean years that honed my faith into something that I never could have achieved otherwise. I am thankful, in retrospect, for every tear I shed, every bitterness I had to overcome, and every moment I had to acknowledge that God was God ... and I, most certainly, was not.

And now, of course, I find myself in a different place. If those four long years were ones marked by the desperate, dry drought, well ... the past two and a half have been marked by a different gift altogether. Monsoon.

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. --Luke 6:38

I can see clearly now why the Lord seemed to ignore my pleas for peace in matters of family size; His plan, farther reaching than I could imagine, had to have a firm root in my heart in order for me to truly lay down my own desires and follow His leading. God didn't want me to desire a baby. God wanted me to build a family. And there is no room for self-seeking fulfillment in the building of a family. It's not about "being pregnant". It's not about "giving birth." It's about more than that--the death of self and the love of what God has built for His own glory.

I entered this monsoon season completely unsure of what God would bring my way. With the addition of Oliver to our home, I hit my knees in gratitude. I sang like Hannah. I praised the Lord, who had taken notice of me and turned my tears into laughter. For all I knew, Oliver was the last little one I would ever hold, and you know ... I was fine with that. One was enough. One more little person showed me that my longing was from the Lord, that it was not a vain ambition, but it was something that God had blessed and ordained.

Then there was Mani. I was over-the-moon thrilled, unable to put my elation into words. Finally, one morning a few days after he had come to us, I was reading the story of David accompanying the ark and came to the line where David is said to "dance before the Lord with all his might." And for the first time, I understood that kind of joy. God had heard me, and blessed me twice. What a mighty God we serve!

Who was I to ask or expect anything more from God? I rejoiced in my gifts, gave thanks, and prepared to move into a new season of life.

But God was not finished pressing down the measure.

Mr. Blandings met Bee, and knew she was our daughter.

Then this woman, whose heart had finally accepted that her body was no longer a vessel for bringing life into the world, found out that God had placed His hand of protection over her and a new little one.

From three to seven. Monsoon.

This morning, we received joyful news. Not only am I now at the relatively "safe" 32 week point, at which Seven's little lungs will require so much less assistance were he or she to be born now, but, adding to our joy, is the fact that Bee's visa is up for consideration again. Her interview went very well. So well, in fat, that the embassy has asked her to come back again. There is hope! God is working on our behalf.

He always is, of course. We just often can't or won't see it. During the drought, I cried out to God countless times. Where are you? Why aren't you answering?

He was there. He was answering. Just not in the way I wanted to hear.

Maybe it is the Lord's plan that, as Seven is born, we will welcome Bee home as well. Wouldn't it be amazing to have that full measure poured into my lap all at once? Two adoptions, done. One birth, gifted to you. And a visa, yes. All in a few weeks--not even months--time!

If the definition of a monsoon is a sudden glut of much-needed water, then I am, happily, swimming in it. We know that many people look on in horror as we laugh yet again at God's abundance in this area of our life. Please don't ask us to disparage His timing, His generosity, or His plan. Because we were parched, and now we drink deeply. We asked, and we have received. The Lord has seen fit to pour out His blessings, and we, His humble servants accept them with gratitude!

Adopted

If Oli's adoption was the sweet conclusion to a long, drawn-out parade of state errors, then Mani's was just the opposite. And here's another thing: no one cried at Mani's adoption. Not even me.

Manolin's former state worker--the one who had taken him into custody almost exactly two years ago and wondered if he would even live--was present. The smile on her face was nearly as big as my own.

"I am so happy for him!" she kept saying, over and over. And I believed her. I believed her with my whole heart.

His adoption worker, who has only known Mani for the past seven months, came to witness the event. A slightly rumpled, nutty professor type, he surprised me by being so emotional.

"We did good social work right here," he told me, waving his hand towards my son and indicating everything that could have been an obstacle, but wasn't--thanks to a whole lot of people who Did the Right Thing.

And finally, there was the judge, who beamed at our growing family as he swore each and every member in.

"You guys have made my day," he told us as we hoisted Mani high and all did our own silly Blandings version of a courtroom appropriate happy dance. "This is why I do what I do."

Mani laughed. He ate animal crackers. He investigated the judge's robes. He dashed around the courtroom live the two year-old deverish he is. And he was, at the end of the session, adopted.

Welcome to our family, Mani! We are so proud to have another Blandings lighting up the world!

TOS Review: Travel Kits

Nearly eight years ago now, I had this ingenious little idea. I was looking ahead at a nine (count 'em--nine) day cross-country move with Jo, Atticus, and Logan. At the time, my little angels were 5, 2.5, and 4 months. And you know, nine days in our Volvo 240 station wagon were sounding more like a challenge than an adventure, if you know what I mean.

So I had this idea: I'd gather a batch of fun little survival goodies. I'd wrap each of them in colorful paper, and even put some cute ribbons on them. Then, as the trip wore on, I'd slowly dole out the treats ... one by one.

I went to work. I got a box of those little fruit gummy snacks that I never buy, opened it up and wrapped each individual packet. I raided the dollar store shelves for light-up pencil toppers, post-it notes, cheap toys, etc. I bought beads to string, lacing cards, lap-sized puzzles, candy bracelets, wiki-stixx. It was a whole load of stuff, and to be honest, Mr. Blandings blanched when he saw me haul my box of treasure into the front floorboard of the already groaning Volvo.

"Seriously?" he asked, "We need all of that?"

Oh, baby, did we ever.

It was that box of goodies that saved the day on more than one occasion. We made it to our destination (WA) none the worse for the wear. And folks, we didn't (and don't) even own one of those dvd players for the car.

You know what would have made my trip west even more fun, though? If someone else had blessed us with those little doo-dads. And that, my friends, is the premise of The Old Schoolhouse's ebook Travel Kits. For $12.45 you get detailed instructions on how to pull together a fun, functional assortment of specialized goodies to literally bless the socks off of a family undertaking a long road trip, a novel vacation, a cross-country move ... whatever the circumstances are.

Travel Kits offer creative tips on what kind of container to use (my cardboard box wouldn't make much of an impression when held up against some of these neat ideas), how to include something special for mom and dad, and how to make the most of the individual event. It's a sweet "how-to" guide that your whole family will be excited about putting into action, especially since the kids can be actively involved in pulling together little lovies for their friends and family, too.

Having read this ebook, I'm inspired to revisit the idea of the blessing box for the sheer joy of sharing with others. Now I just need a friend to hit the road ...

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this product for review purposes. Refer to my general disclaimer for more information on my policies regarding reviews.

Manolin

Genesis 50:20
You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

Placed October 31, 2008. Adopted July 20, 2010.

Story to follow ...

Tomorrow

Logan and Mani traipsing through the sprinkler

After tomorrow, I will never again have to post "photos with non-identifying features only" of any of my kiddos. By 3:45 p.m., Manolin will officially be a Blandings, and at that point, I can reveal to the world his adorable little face.

But, you know, I'll probably still sneak in a few "back of the head" shots ... if only because I admit that I've grown fond of them. :-)

But I won't have to. It will be a choice. And really, the choice is what makes all the difference.

Let the countdown begin!!!