Christmas Part 1

Christmas is ONLY 10.5 weeks away...OHHHH YES I DID!!! Muwahhahahaha....can you believe it...I can't!!! I have been starting to think about what gifts we would buy for our family and then I started to think about how I hate buying a gift that doesn't have a meaning....a gift that will get played with or cherished for the moment only and that makes me sad AND it is so wasteful. So, I've been praying about how the Lord would want us to use our money wisely and how we could bless our family with our gifts...what could we give that would be in our budget and be meaningful??? WATCH OUT FOR CHRISTMAS PART 2...It's going to be very exciting...I'm going to do something that will help families who are fundraising to bring their peanuts home and a way for ALL OF US TO HELP THEM!!!! YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS THIS!!!

So for Part 1 :)
1. We still have some Pure Religion Shirts and we are clearancing them out...talk about an awesome Christmas gift!!! Go HERE to see the sizes we have left!! I'm talking ONLY $15 a shirt...that includes shipping!!

(I have no idea why blogger keeps flipping this picture...grrrr!)

2. I am very excited to announce that we will continue to sell Solomon Beads!! Since we are now home with our little man, the proceeds from our bead sales will go towards his medical expenses. I will be uploading stuff to my Etsy store (link on the side of my blog) AND we will of course, still be taking custom orders AND offering Solomon Bead GIFT CERTIFICATES!

Solomon's medical needs....

We have chosen not to share about Solomon's special medical needs out of privacy for our little man. We have prayed specifically about how to share what his needs are while protecting him.

Our hearts greatest desire is to be an example of Christ. God has called our family to adoption in a very powerful way and we want others to be challenged in their own lives, in their own family's to think, "Does God have more for us outside of our comfort zone?" Committing to Solomon's special needs would classify us as "outside of OUR comfort zone" but NOT outside GOD'S comfort zone!! Starting Solomon's adoption at a time when we were and still are greatly struggling financially was also 'outside of our comfort zone' BUT God's comfort zone is so much greater than ours...THANKFULLY!! He purposely calls us outside of our comfort, cozy, skatin' by zone so that He can stretch us, challenge us, & move us boldly for Him...so that we can be used and changed mightily.

I am sharing this very private part of our son's life with the hopes that his story...our family's story would challenge you. My heart feels that there is a family RIGHT NOW on the brink of making a huge decision but are afraid to step out in faith & trust the Lord...THAT is why I am sharing this. I am confident that the second you read this post, you will know who you are & what the Lord wants you to do & you will be able to take that leap of faith in God's perfect peace!!

Our family is asking you to please handle our son's story with great respect. Especially those of you who know us personally...this is not a time to begin gossiping! The enemy would love to take something wonderful and have it cause hurt. We have struggled with how much we should share and when we should share it but feel that now is the time.

Solomon was born with imperforate anus. You can read more about this medical need here. Interesting fact: 1 in 5,000 babies are born with this defect!!! The medical information in his referral was pretty much non-existent. We committed to him on pure faith that the Lord would give us everything we need to meet his medical needs. What we know...well, kind of know: We assume that some time shortly after he was found, he had the first repair surgery. We also know that when he was 1 years old, they removed his colostomy bag and he was supposedly good to go. There is a wide range of other medical needs that can come with this birth defect and we are in the very beginning stages of knowing what exactly is going on with our little guy.

One other thing I want to share...we have prayed for the last 9 months about how, when, & what we would share. One of the motivations to share honestly about Solomon's medical needs is that our boy was waiting on the shared sn's list TWICE and his file was about to be returned, again. His dossier was dated early 2008 which means 2 years of his life was spent waiting for his forever family to find him. Kiddos with this special need typically wait, wait, and wait some more...some NEVER get a family. It can be a scary medical need with lots of unknowns BUT it doesn't change the fact that these sweet one's need to come home. They need the opportunity to be loved, to receive the medical care that they desperately need. If this medical need isn't cared for properly, the child will die!!!

Our time on this earth is so short yet the work to be done is great! I don't want to stand before my Lord and be ashamed that I wouldn't allow Him to use me to the fullest because I was afraid to leave my comfort zone.

As I watch my newest sleeping babe, I wonder what exactly is going on with his precious body. I think about all that could be going on and can easily become overwhelmed. BUT I'm reminded of all God has done to bring our boy home and I'm comforted knowing that He has already prepared us to care for him. I'm reminded that God has clearly called us down this journey and that He will continue to guide us!

We would covet your continued prayers as we begin the medical journey for our guy...a journey that will most likely start/end up at Cincinnati Hospital. This means that we will have to travel away from our kiddos once again...I will mostly likely go and daddy will stay home. We are not sure how soon we will have to take this trip but I'm guessing within the next few months.

Is there something that you know the Lord is calling you to do? Something He is calling you to surrender? A precious one He is calling to be yours but you are afraid? My hearts greatest plea would be that you spend some quiet time with God and really seek His word for wisdom. DON'T BE AFRAID TO TAKE THAT STEP OUTSIDE YOUR COMFORT ZONE & INTO GOD'S COMFORT ZONE!!! :)

Everyday is a new day...

...which means we learn something new everyday about our boy.

During dinner tonight, Solomon wasn't getting his way so he laid on the floor and proceeded to whine a bit.  I decided to ignore his little fit and see what he'd do.  Disclaimer: Throughout this last month (a month...can you believe we've had our little miracle for a month already), we have run to him the very second he even thought about getting upset.  We were right there to love and hug on him. Weelll, as any precious darling would do, he has learned to manipulate us a bit :)  Which in all honesty has been super cute!!

Back to the little fit on the floor....he started to whine louder....then he rolled onto his tummy and whimpered some more and started kicking his feet...he was only about 4 feet away from me so I could see him out of my peripheral...when his kicking and whining failed to get my attention he yelled, "MAMA"...when I looked over at him and asked him what he needed, he started in with his whining and floor kicking bit...I couldn't help but laugh at his little show.  I asked him if he'd like to sit with me...he quickly jumped up into my lap and all was good!!

LITTLE ADORABLE STINKER!

We are simply having so much fun with our newest treasure! He is an absolute, beautiful gift from our Lord...completely perfect for our family!!

 

 

You are my hiding place....

LOVE this song...it never gets old and it always touches me deeply when I hear it...it's one of those beautiful reminders that our strength comes ONLY from the Lord!! It's one of those life changing songs that you need close your eyes to...one of those songs where you need to TURN IT UP...one of those songs where you weep and you sing every word to our Lord!!

You are my hiding place

You always fill my heart

With songs of deliverance

Whenever I am afraid

I will trust in You

I will trust in You

Let the weak say

I am strong

In the strength of the Lord

You are my hiding place

You always fill my heart

With songs of deliverance

Whenever I am afraid

I will trust in You

I will trust in You

Let the weak say I am strong

In the strength of the Lord

I will trust in You

One Less..

Okay...not sure where I've been (IN CHINA...LOL) but I haven't seen this before and thought you guys would enjoy this.  It was so neat hearing Matthew West talk about what inspired him to write this song and to watch him almost struggle to find the words to share ... I told my hubby...they are SOOO going to adopt & we had to giggle at the end!!!!
(pause my site music at the bottom of the blog)


Reason For The World by Matthew West (The Story Behind The Song) from emicmg on Vimeo.

One less...one less broken hearted tonight...he's HOME sleepin' in his mama & daddy's bed right now...it's sooooo beautiful!!!

Spinning....

I: Mom....I don't think Solomon feels very good.
Me: Why, what's wrong?
I: I think his tummy hurts.
Me: Were you spinning him on the chair?
I: Yes...we were spinning him really fast.
TR: I wasn't spinning him...
I: You were spinning him faster than I did.

I pick up my boy and he's holding his tummy & laying his head on my shoulder. He then charades that he was spinning in the chair and pointing to his tummy.

(Now, they were all spinning each other...they LOVE it but apparently our boy get's motion sickness like his mama...poor bubba :) He recovered very quickly and sat & laughed & laughed at his brothers and sisters as they continued to spin each other :)

How can he be home already??

It's so hard to believe that we have been home for a week with our precious Solomon.  I was thinking about the crazy journey of adoption...Solomon's journey in particular.  What a year it has been!!!  All the crazy, busy work of fundraising, the feelings of sadness because it felt like we'd never get to hold our boy, and then BAM he's home and fitting in as if he has always been here.  It's truly amazing!

I was asked the other night how has the transition from 5 kiddos to 6 been?  To be completely honest, it has been beautifully, wonderful!  I had no idea it could go this smoothly.  Solomon is truly doing fabulous.  How has been adopting an older child...again, simply amazing!  I know that every child is different but we've been blessed with such a happy little guy.  He's had some healthy grieving time which is good...it usually comes when he's tired and doesn't want to go to bed...that's okay though, because it gives us some fabulous bonding time.  He'll curl up and cry the saddest cry, suck his thumb, and stare at his mama :)

All of the siblings are madly in-love with their new brother and spend all day giving each other a play-by-play of everything Solomon is doing...it's so cute!  They drag him all over the house and he drags them all over the house...adorable!

Communication is HILARIOUS!!!  He just jabbers and jabbers in Minnan.  He is sooooo patient and never gets mad if we don't understand.  I will say that he is the bomb when in comes charades....who needs words??

Daddy tried to go to the office on Wed. and Solomon stood by the door crying for daddy...he just kept calling, "Daddy-uhhh, Daddy-uhh) over and over.  I quickly called daddy and told him to only be gone for 2 hours and come back.  Let's just say we had one happy boy when his "daddy-uhh" walked in the door.

I will say there is nothing more precious then to hear my sleeping boy wake up calling "Mamuuhhh, Mamuuuhhh."  Sweet, beautiful sounds to my ears :)

 Swingin' on the neighbor's swing ;)

I am still so amazed at all the Lord has done for our family through each of you....I am honestly not sure that I will ever be able to completely process the beauty of this journey to our son...it is truly incredible!!!

Giveaway winner...

We are going to have to do this more often...how fun!!!!  You guys had some great guesses and have given me some good ideas for our next pictures!!!

The winner is....

Sherwin and Amber

(send me an email at wearechinabound@gmail.com with your address so I can get your Solomon Beads earrings in the mail :)  Congratulations!

Home 1 week today....

A post is coming...I promise :) I just haven't had much computer time...the kids started their homeschooling while we were in China and we are now in full swing...everyone is doing AMAZING!!

I leave you with this for now...our MIRACLES!!!!!!

Oh...and how about a GIVEAWAY just for fun...be the first to name the item in this picture and you will win a pair of Solomon Beads earrings.

Hint: How do you get 6 kiddos...3 of them being 4 yr. olds, to sit still long enough for mama to snap a decent picture????

HOME!!!

I promise I will be posting very soon.  Everyone is doing AMAZING!!!  There is no sweeter sound than to hear my boy calling, "Mama...Mama"...oh, how I longed to hear his precious voice...it's beautiful music to my ears.

We are trying to get our school schudule settled and then you can expect a long updated post :)