The ER Visit

We have lots of catching up to do! So Grace's visit to the emergency room... here's how it all went down.

It was the morning of Labor Day, just before 11 am. We'd just gotten home from a relaxing weekend at the lake. Carter and Grace were playing in the den, and as they were running across the room alongside each other, they collided. Grace rebounded off of Carter and went face first into the (rounded) corner of our coffee table. I watched the whole scenario unfold right before my eyes...horror!

Loud screams, gushing blood, a tiny hand clapped over her eye, and I really thought Grace had severely damaged her eyeball. I could soon see that she had bust open the outer part of her eyelid.

I remained pretty calm when Carter bust his chin open on the bathtub, but this time I panicked. My inlaws rushed over to stay with Carter while Scott and I drove our little girl to the emergency room at Children's Hospital.

Three hours, lots of frantic phone calls including one to a plastic surgeon at our church, a screaming and scared child, and six stitches later, we were on our way back home. The cut was pretty deep, but Grace was jumping around and playing like normal by that evening. The stitches are all out now, and the wound looks really good. It will leave a scar, but hopefully a minimal one.

I have a picture of the open gash, but I thought I'd spare you that sight in case you get woozy. Here's sweet Grace recovering from the traumatic day with a tasty treat at the kitchen table. (Her blue snack cup conveniently covers the blood that was covering the bottom half of her top!)

She was back to her tricks and stunts the next day. And she now thinks "stickers" (aka bandaids) are a part of her daily wardrobe. :)

Grace's Dedication

This morning, Grace was dedicated to the Lord at our church. Here are a few pictures...

After I got Grace dressed, Carter said, "That's not a good bow. It's too big. Mommy, that bow is too big for Grace." :) I admit, it's a tad bigger than what she normally wears. He's very observant. He also informed me that Grace wanted milk with her cupcake. Lately, he's been looking out for her a lot. Sweet big brother! He's really stepping into his role.

We celebrated with our families after the service and enjoyed brunch and strawberry cupcakes. Yum.

Grace and Aunt Coco

Each set of parents is asked to select a special verse for their child's dedication. We chose Isaiah 30:18.... "Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice, blessed are all who wait on Him."

Today, we made a commitment to love Grace unconditionally and model the love of our Heavenly Father. We vowed to provide a Christ-centered environment in our home. And we prayed that God would equip us to train up our daughter to love the Lord and walk with Him. A sweet friend commented that Grace may have never come to know God, or at least be dedicated, if we hadn't adopted her into our family. The thought hit me hard and made me so grateful that He entrusted Scott and me with this precious little girl!

More pics and updates to come from Labor Day, Grace's trip to the ER, and their first week at school! Stay tuned! :)

Milestones

It's hard for me to believe that it's been almost 5 months since we left for China to bring home our daughter. Life has become quite busy (as you've probably deduced from my lack of blog posts), mainly because my two toddlers require almost constant supervision and Grace won't let me near my computer or phone when she's awake. And have I mentioned that my kids get up between 5 and 5:30 am and Grace only naps for about 45 minutes? So, yes, I'm one tired mom. But the long days are sweet and this season will pass too quickly.

We've hit some big milestones in the past couple of months. Here's a few...

Bye Bye Pacis

CarterMan finally gave up his beloved paci! (aka "Cha Cha") He left it under his pillow one night for the Cha Cha Fairy (whom he also sometimes mistakenly calls the tooth fairy) and traded it in for a puzzle! He's only asked for it once since then, and that's when he found one of Grace's.

Potty Training

We've been tackling potty training. Emphasis on training. It's a work in progress. Carter kept trying to pull down his diapers, so Scott entertained Grace for a weekend while Carter and I hankered down in the kitchen for HOURS, drank lots of juice, and tried to master potty skills. The first few days were really hard, but by the 3rd day, he was going to the potty on his own. In fact, he won't really go if we ask, suggest, or demand that he try. He'll just suddenly disappear and we'll find him on the potty. We had one fantastic day when he had absolutely no accidents. But the norm is a few accidents a day. His main problem is that he decides he doesn't want to stop playing, and then he can't get to the potty fast enough when he can't hold it any longer. I've been a little lax the last week, keeping him in pull ups a lot because we've been on the go, so I need to be more consistent with him. He does love his big boy pants!

Ponytails

My sweet baby girl suddenly looks like a big girl. Maybe it's her growth spurt. Maybe it's all the teeth that have come in. Or maybe it's because her hair is long enough for a ponytail. I need to buy some clips for her bangs, but the bow sufficed.

Playtime

On August 1st, Grace stayed in the church nursery without me for the first time. She's been crying when we drop her off, but she does really well after she settles down. And she now says to me upon my return (and for a few hours afterward), "Mommy all back!" (What she's trying to say is "Mommy always comes back.")

Carter and Grace are also playing really well together. They have sibling rivalry every day, of course, but they seem to really have fun with each other. I love hearing Carter talk to her. He'll say things like, "Wanna go with me Grace?" or "Now it's your turn, Grace." ("Grace" sounds more like "Gwace.") Grace's favorite new thing to do is to "blowdry" Carter's hair. In this picture, she's using a play drill because her hairdryer broke. :) The lighting was really off in this photo, but I didn't dare interrupt their play and ask them to move.

Phrases

Carter is continually cracking us up with his comments, observations, and conclusions. I really need to be writing all of them down because I know I'll forget them. Grace's language is really coming along. Her favorite phrases are "Hi!! How are YOUUUUU???" and "Bye, I wuv you!!"

She still loves to suck on a burp cloth, and she's become attached to a few lovies as well. She'll sometimes walk out of her room with four or five items piled up in her arms.

Upcoming events...

Carter begins day school, two mornings a week, next Wednesday. And Grace has adjusted so well that I've (optimistically) enrolled her in Mother's Day Out for Fridays. I adore my children, but I can't tell you how much I'm craving a few hours to myself. :) I'll keep you posted on how it goes. Knowing my kids, the first week will be a little tough.

We've been busy getting our house ready to go back on the market. Next Wednesday is the big day. We've already got our lot and house plans to build, but we're not in a rush, so we'll just see what happens. I figure no time is a good time to try to sell a house, and it certainly won't get any easier if we add to the family in the next couple of years.

And that's the last bit of news. It's no secret that I still deeply desire to have another baby. Some may wonder, "Why so soon?" Our decision to move forward in adoption this past year was more about answering God's call on our family to adopt and to follow His (unexpected and much earlier) timing than it was about expanding our family. We know my history of multiple miscarriages makes it possible that another couple of years could pass without a birth. And so after much prayer and thought, we've begun walking the road again. And we've already experienced another miscarriage, our fifth one. Thankfully, it was very early, and so the physical and emotional healing hasn't been as difficult as past losses. I'm also in a much better place with the Lord than I was a year and a half ago, so it's easier to trust Him through this time. But please keep us in your prayers as we continue to hope for a child. I'm praying God will somehow change my heart if I'm not meant to carry another baby. In the meantime, my two little munchkins are keeping me occupied and entertained. Between them, my sweet husband, and the Lord, it's not hard to get a daily dose of joy. And I suppose that's how life goes anyway. Daily doses of joy to get us through the rough spots.

Now who's ready for some college football???!!! :) WAR EAGLE!