"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." - Psalm 139:13-16

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Still No Baby

I know some of you get a little worried when I don't post, so I wanted to give a short and sweet update:

Still No Baby.

We are all really excited for Abigail to join us, but she hasn't decided to come yet. We went to the doctor this morning and she said Heather's body has started to get ready for it all to happen. In other words: ANYTIME NOW!!!

I will try to keep you all more updated so you're not in limbo.

Oh, I just thought about this. We did tell Colton the other night and it went "ok." I don't think he quite gets it yet, but at least we were able to break the ice with him. He told us, after looking at some of the pictures, that it "kind of scared him." We asked why and he said, "it scares me because it looks like it will hurt her." We then explained to thim that it doesn't hurt her. I think he is just worried about her because of his HUGE heart.

Friday, April 18, 2008

The Time is Near and We Need Some Advice

To all the mom's and dad's that have kids with a cleft we need some of your advise. Even people without kids with a cleft or without kids at all, feel free to leave some advise.

We have yet to tell our 6 year old son, Colton, about Abigail's cleft. We have chosen to shelter him from this news because we did not want him to worry or get freaked out about it. But, since the time for Abigail to join us is getting really close, we are wondering what other parents have done to tell their other children? Did you wait until the baby was here? Did you tell them before hand? What did you tell them?

Our current thoughts are to tell him in the next few weeks before Abigail is actually here so he doesn't get a big surprise when she doesn't have a complete lip. We thought we would just explain it as an "ouey" on her lip that will need to be fixed in the months to come. We would like to know what you did and how your other children took it?

Thanks to you all, you are Awesome!

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Response to Jeanne

YOU ARE RIGHT. I could have eaten my own words with my last post. Jeanne wrote:

"But, also -- don't let yourself think "20 weeks" or "5 months." You can only take one day at a time."

To live like you were dying doesn't mean worry or even think about 20 weeks ahead, or even 1 minute ahead. As gloomy as it might sound, who really knows how many more years, months, days, hours, minutes, down to even seconds we have left? Thank you Jeanne for your comment.

Monday, April 14, 2008

"Living Like You were Dying"

I don't know where this blog is going to go but I just wanted to vent, encourage, throw up some words, etc. At church we have started a series called, "Living Like You were Dying." It is inspired by the Tim McGraw song, "Live Like You Were Dying." If you haven't heard it, Click Here and you can read the lyrics. Yesterday in the sermon I couldn't help but continue to think about Abigail and all of her Cleft buddies that we have met through these blogs. Today I have also been thinking about them all day. As I sat here and read some of the blogs it seems as though there have been a lot of struggles lately, us included. As the time gets closer to Abigail joining us on the outside of Heather's beautifully made pregnant body, we continue to get more anxious. I couple of weeks ago we went to see a child dentist to discuss what Abigail "could" go through, and what procedures, retainers, nam's, Abby "could" have. I came out of that more worried than I have ever been during this entire process. Even though I didn't have time to think about it because my sisiter-in-law was going to the hospital to have her baby, it sat in the back of my mind and simmered.
5 month's with a nam? How are we going to afford this? Are we going to have to sell our house? One of our cars? My quad? What is going to happen? What are we going to do?
All of these questions screamed through my head. Heather and I talked about the different possibilities, and then we talked about, "Why are we worrying about this?" We don't know exactly what is going on. We don't know anything. This goes right along with Matthew 6:25-34:

25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Again I want to repeat verse 27: "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"
This really makes worrying seem so worthless when Jesus calls us out like that, but again we are humans and we do worry about each other. And back to living like I was dying; would I want my last words to be something of worry? If I were really going to die tomorrow, would I be able to die happy? This question frequently runs through my head and reminds me to be thankful for what I have and reminds me to tell my family how much I love them and how proud I am of them. This is a little glummy becasuse I am talking about dying, but I am just being honest. It's not that I am planning on dying tomorrow, but who of us know when God is going to call us Home?

Verse 34 says, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." We don't know what is going to happen tomorrow, so why are we worried about it? Let's deal with today and when tomorrow comes, we will deal with it then. Third Day has a song on their Come Together album called "It's Alright." In this song it talks about "It" being alright; not worrying about tomorrow. Click Here to read the lyrics.

Thanks for listening to this ramble and hopefully it can encourage others. I know everyone is going to worry about one thing or another, but try and remember this question when you find yourself dwelling over it:

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

Friday, April 4, 2008

Nash Jacob Adams IS HERE!!!!!!

Whoa, where did he come from. Abigail's cousin is here in full fashion. Nash Jacob Adams came to us April 3rd, 2008 at 7:09 PM. He was 6lbs. 4oz. and 19 inches long. YAY!!! Everyone is healthy and happy so praise the Lord for another miracle. Once I get a postable picture I will share with you all.
Lilypie 1st Birthday Ticker