It's a BOY!

We received the phone call today from our social worker, Leah.

"Are you sitting down?" she asked.

"Do I need to?"

"YES! You have a referral for a little boy!"

I about died on the spot. Honestly. I am just so humbled and constantly amazed at how good God is to us. If you look back a couple of posts, you will see my rambling on about how I was feeling the urge to nest. That I felt God was blessing our desire to go special needs. And my, how He has blessed us!

I understand that I cannot officially post photos of our little man until we have our letter of acceptance, so I will give a brief idea of our boy:

His special need is cleft lip/cleft palate. The lip was repaired in China when he was 7 months old. The doctors there did a terrific job. His palate will be taken care of once we get him home with us.

He is almost 2 years old. He is shy, but likes to play with toy cars. (what boy doesn't?)

Miss Scarlett, upon telling her that she was about to be a big sister, was a little surprised that she wasn't getting a little sister, but readily accepted the idea of getting to hold a baby brother. She will be a wonderful big sister.

So our family of three is about to become a family of four. What bliss...

A Recurring Theme - Resolution Time?

I am beginning to see a recurring theme in my posts. More often than not, I am obsessing over clutter, my body, my mind and my relationship with the Lord. It is enough to make me crazy. Not literally, but you know what I mean.

So I started thinking: What if I made some New Year's resolutions to help get me on the right track. The trick is, this time, I am going to start them today.

Here they are, in no particular order:

• Fill one box a week with stuff to take to Goodwill. I don't need it; they can use it.
• Commit to an exercise regimen. Not a "I'm gonna wear a bikini by summer one", just one to help get me healthier. Three to five days a week should help.
• Meal plan for two weeks at a time. Try to get enough meals for 30 days so that we don't get burned out on stuff and have more variety.
• Set our family up on a cleaning schedule. We can all pitch in and clean - not just me!
• Work on my writing. I dream of someday writing a book. In the meantime, I need to polish my craft.
• Read in the Bible every day. I have a Chronological Bible that is set up for a year.
• Take a Bible study.
• Play more with Scarlett - she won't be small forever!
• Learn to say "No" more often. I tend to have a problem with that.

However, I draw the line at wearing a big, red hat and joining any clubs...

Nesting Frustration

For some time now I've had the desire to nest. Maybe it is the time of year, or maybe it is the feeling of urgency to ready the home for another child. Whatever the reason, I am becoming frustrated in my efforts to create the restful, warm, cozy home I so desire.

In my mind, my home is clutter-free. The larder is full of all manner of goodies - both homemade and store bought. My family gathers around playing board games, working jigsaw puzzles or watching Christmas movies. My house is peaceful and virtually perfect.

I know that this is unrealistic, but every time I seem to set myself up for the unattainable. If only I could be a stay-at-home mom, I say to my husband. If only I could have an hour each day to clean. If only.

Then I get a gentle prod from my Father telling me to just be still. Be still. Because He is the perfect nest in the middle of the storm. And you know what? He is!

So while the dervish or the holidays whirl around me, I will continue to nestle into Him. My house my not be perfect, but my Nest is.

Could this be the group?

Scuttlebutt is that there is a new "Camp" going on in China that our adoption agency is sole participant in. The agency says that their social workers are in China now working with 50-60 special needs children readying them for adoption by waiting parents.

Could this finally be the group our child is in? I dare not get my hopes up too high, but I admit I am allowing myself a little giddiness over the possibility. We just turned in our paperwork to switch to special needs before Thanksgiving. On top of that, we were given a surprise grant (more on this later) for a special needs child. It seems like God is giving his blessing on us. Is this His way of saying, "Yes, My children, this is it! THIS is what you were supposed to do."?

I pray it is so. For now, we continue to Wait for Mei-Mei or Di-Di.