Caroline LiYun's Adoption Video

It's done!! Here is the link to Vimeo if you want to watch the video on a larger scale.

You can also click on the 4 arrows button above to take the video fullscreen. However, it gets fuzzy since I didn't upload it in HD.

Caroline's 13th bday party!

Our 2nd party yesterday (see previous 2 posts for details) was Caroline's celebration of her 13th birthday. We invited the girls in her school class and a few other friends. Since I knew they wouldn't be able to converse much, we held the party at a local Sips n Strokes. Caroline selected a dandelion painting, and the instructor guided them through the painting process. I had forgotten how rowdy and hyper a group of 10 to 12-year-old girls can be in a large group!! But they had a great time. Since Caroline isn't affectionate with us at home (only with the littles), it was neat to see her walk forward and greet each friend with a smile and hug. She seems to have that gift for making every person feel so important and welcome.

Grace's Sweet Shoppe in Candyland

Sweet Grace is turning 3 next week!!

This awesome mural was painted by my friend's MIL last year when she threw a Candyland party for her twin girls. I was thrilled she let us borrow it!

The kids decorated gingerbread men. This was Grace's finished work.

My MIL made one of these candy decorative trees for every child!

The Candy Buffet

Two Birthday Parties in 1 Day = One Tired Momma

Because both Grace's and Caroline's birthdays are next week, I thought it would be a wonderful idea to just have both of their parties on the same day since my mom was going to be in town for the littles' Thanksgiving program. And because next weekend, people will still be out of town. And then it's December which is full of holiday events. But really....WHAT was I thinking??? :)

But both parties went well and my girls had a blast. I'll post pics in the next few minutes. Now I can hopefully finish and upload Caroline's video tomorrow.

Pregnancy Peculiararities

1. I must have felt nauseous the day my new gray purse arrived. It's really cute but I have a gag reflex every time I look at it.

2. My top cravings are celery, potatoes, hot dogs, and twizzlers. None of which are diet staples for me.

3. Last pregnancy, my hair grew in straighter and shinier. This time, it's a frizzy, kinky-curled mess.

4. Pregnancy dreams are no myth. I have a strange one at least 3x/week. They're so weird, I don't share them with anyone!

5. My left eye has been twitching for days. Just so you know that when you're talking to me, I'm not winking at you. Although I do think you're cute. ;)

6. Last pregnancy, I was sentimental and emotional. This time around, I'm moody and mean. God bless my children who are enduring it all!

7. I don't want to find out the sex of the baby. This is SO NOT my personality! My friends think I'm going crazy because they know me better.

8. The smell of fresh-scented garbage bags makes me most nauseated. Good excuse for not taking out the trash and leaving it to my hubby!

9. I burp. A lot.

10. Instead of hot flashes, I am cold and shivering much of the time. (I know what you're thinking... "go put more clothes on woman!")

Would love to hear your strangest pregnancy stories!! Maybe they'll make me feel normal. :)

Grace, Noah, and the Ark

First of all, thank you SO very much for your comments and emails. My heart swelled with every word of celebration, encouragement, and prayer that you offered. It has been very humbling and exciting to have so many people share in our joy.

Several people had asked who took our picture. The incredible photographer (and editor, as there was a huge newspaper stand between us and the kids that she photoshopped out!) is Heather Knowles. Her business is called Sprouts by Heather. We were already doing a family photo shoot, so I asked if we could do a special picture to share the news with family.

In other news, I am thrilled to tell you that I am practically done with Caroline's adoption video!! I'm just waiting on a few digital files of our new family pics, and then I'll upload it. So keep checking back!!

I am working on another post with some updates. Between the pregnancy, my immune issues, and the video, you'll understand why I've been MIA. Oh, and I can't forget that I'll be launching a new version of the blog with a new address: www.gazingupward.com. I hope to have it live and switched over to the new URL in early December. Fun times!

In the meantime, here is a little video of Grace from a few weeks ago. Her class has been studying about Noah and the ark, and how Noah obeyed God. On the way home from school, she proceeded to tell me the full story with all kinds of cute details. Of course, when I got home and whipped out the camera, she had to be begged. and prompted. and bribed. (just kidding, the candy was from Halloween.) But she finally retold some key parts of the story. I even caught a couple of her funny facial expressions.

The "Adoption, then Surprise Pregnancy" Phenomenon

You hear stories about this phenomenon all the time. You know...that couples adopt and then unexpectedly conceive within a short time before or following the adoption. In fact, after months and months of infertility, a friend of mine was recently matched with a little girl in China. Within the same couple of weeks, they found out they are expecting a baby!! So they'll travel to China in February or March to bring home a sweet toddler, and then welcome a baby in April.

Well folks, the phenomenon has struck the Brown household. It is with glee and giddiness (and still some shock) that I announce we're expecting a miracle baby on June 16, 2012!!!

While conceiving has never really been our problem, sustaining the pregnancy has. At nine weeks, we've seen the heartbeat 4x and even saw our little bean moving yesterday. We are in awe! As one friend pointed out, this is our 7th pregnancy, and the number 7 is a heavenly and significant number according to Scripture. :) I hope our unexpected blessing will be encouragement to any of you who've experienced multiple miscarriages... a healthy pregnancy can happen! Don't give up hope. And for us, it was even earlier than we ever dreamed, expected, or planned. How's that for God surprising my pants off? (no pun intended) I usually feel like I'm waiting on His timing, but this time, He beat me to it! Ha! I love it.

All 3 kids are super excited. Hence why we're announcing earlier than we planned to. They've already made announcements to their school classes, babysitters, grocery store clerks, you name it. So we decided we might as well let everyone in on our sweet news before you hear it randomly through the grapevine.

We welcome your prayers as we continue through the pregnancy, particularly the remainder of my 1st trimester. We're not out of the woods yet, but the doctors feel very positive and have been monitoring me very closely. At this point, I'm finally experiencing a release from fear that has felt paralyzing at moments. I know God is good, even if we still lose this baby. But I'm choosing to enjoy every moment with awareness that this little bean is bringing us joy each day of its already precious life.