.Recognizing Grace.

God gave me many beauitful moments this past week. Late one night, Jim and I were snuggled on the couch with Jamesy (a pretty typical scene here), and Jamesy started talking! Only a few words, most probably would have missed them, but we celebrated and laughed and thanked God. Jamesy is almost completely non-verbal. We do not not know why. It could be because of his SOD, or have something to do with English being his second language, or he could have hearing impairments (we are still trying to get a good test for that), or his language could be behind because of his Epilepsy. Regardless, we basked in his few words the other night.

Jim and I got some alone moments this past weekend. We have been following our attachment plan with Jamesy for a few weeks shy of a year. We have gone on one two hour date this November, and had left Jamesy twice for a few hours during his nap. It was finally time to see if our hard work had paid off, and take a much needed weekend alone. It was wonderful, and Jamesy did wonderfully with my parents. (More of my thoughts on our attachment plan after one year to come.)

The Momentous Moment I am going to from this past week, though, is receiving Cadi's platelet count on Friday. It had been a month since she was tested. Last month she was at 69K. On Friday, Cadi was at 176K! This is back in the normal range. She does not have to be tested again for another month to be certain she is in remission. I wish I could say that I was strong and my faith was strong through this whole journey with Cadi's ITP, or that I understand why God allowed it. However, that is not true. There were some moments that I was strong, and I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit, as Comforter in such huge ways, and there were other moments that I was weak. The Sunday we came home from church, after Cadi had been acting strange and tired, we found a huge bruise on her hip. Huge doesn't really describe it. It was black and like nothing I had ever seen before, and it didn't hurt her. Jim and I both freaked out. We both knew enough of the signs of  Leukemia, and Cadi had several - nose bleeds, tiredness, pale color, being recently sick with fever, extreme and unexplained bruising, leg pains, etc. That Sunday all of the symptoms finally came together and made us panic. I think, in that moment, we were both sure of what we were facing. We called both of our mothers (who are in the medical field), we heard the fear in their voices, and ultimately decided we had to get Cadi to the ER for a blood test.

Most of the rest of this story I have shared. God has been good. Throughout it all Jim and I stood side-by-side hand in hand. I am proud of our marriage. I remember Jim driving to the ER, my hand on his leg, and quiet tears on both of our cheeks, we looked at each other and out loud promised that no matter what we found out, no matter what the future held, we would not let this come between us or destroy our marriage. It sounds silly and melodramatic, but we really thought we were facing a life-threatening illness for Cadi. And we had seen too many marriages destroyed in this way. Standing here on almost the other side, I am so thankful that God gave us that moment, that clarity, that resolve. We have always had a strong marriage, but this experience has cemented our hearts as one even more. God's loving kindness can be seen even in this.

So perhaps that is part of why God allowed our family to walk through these past four months. Sometimes those Momentous Moments come disguised as pain and trials, but God's grace is always there waiting to be realized. We just have to look for it and recognize it and accept it.

This is a Momentous Monday post. To learn more go here, and please feel free to link up with us right below!)

.My Heart.

I've only spent a handful of hours with him, but I've spent days pleading in prayer for him. He has my heart.



This teenage boy from the streets of Ethiopia - Habtamu. My Habi, as Jim affectionately nicknamed him. It has been a year since my world collided with him. And I am a completely different person. His soft brown eyes, and shy smile, and that nervous way he chews his lower lip, turned my world inside out from the moment I locked eyes with him. I knew in that instant that I had to fight for him. I just wasn't sure how, and honestly I am still not sure. If I had my way, I would get on a plane tomorrow and bring him back home with me. But that does not seem to be the plan, and although it breaks my heart, I am trusting that God has a bigger, better plan. I just cannot see what even the possibility of that plan might be.

It's hard communicating this love I have for a boy, whom is virtually a stranger. I know it makes no sense. I cannot explain it, except it is a God-thing - God orchestrated. Yesterday we were able to skype with Habi, for the first time in months. I don't have words for what it means to me to be able to see his face, and hear that accent, and the way he calls me Mom. When he calls me Mom I feel every bit of that title, and my heart tightens around this precious boy even more. He kept calling me beautiful this time, but he is the beautiful one - my konjo (beautiful in Amharic) Habi.

This was the momentous moment I am latching onto from this past week. While it was happy in the moment, talking to my Habi always leaves me feeling empty and helpless after the fact. My arms don't reach to Ethiopia, and when this teenage boy, who calls me Mom and Beautiful is over there needing us, it really, really stinks. I am thankful that my Jesus is enough for Habi, though, and I am praying that Habi will see that and know Him.

Jesus is enough for me, and my aching heart as well.

 

This is a Momentous Monday post. To learn more go here, and please feel free to link up with us right below!)

.A Saturday Moment.

We had just finished a breakfast of whole grain waffles. Our tummies were happy. We had shared giggles between bites, the children snug around our little table, and Jim and I cozied next to each other. Always this way. Us exchanging glances and smiles, eyes dancing as if to say is this really our life? Are we really this blessed? Are these children really this crazy?! And sometimes we just burst out laughing, right then and there, at the wonder of it all. Lately we have been reminding one another that we have a six year old, a three year old, and a two year old. So craziness is pretty much required. And most days we love it!

I began clearing the dishes as the children stayed and chatted with their daddy. The Pond, or some other Saturday morning radio drama, was playing softly in the background on our Christian radio station. As I wiped down the waffle iron and scraped bits into the disposal, I began to hear giggles, and then rhymes, and sometimes clapping. I finished up what I was doing, dried my hands, and peeked around the corner. Jim had pulled one of Scotty's "preschool" books out. The children were all gathered around him laughing and jumping and dancing in circles.

It was the best moment all week.

To see Jim embracing Daddyhood. To see Cadi with sparkle back in her eyes, and a flush on her cheeks. To see Scotty following along and understanding what Daddy was asking him to do, and realizing how much he is growing. To see Jamesy, running here and there and belly laughing - thinking he was the reason everyone else was laughing - forever our clown.

It's a memory I mostly tucked into my heart, because I was too slow getting my camera out, with little time to check lighting or settings, I began to freeze the moment. It's nice to have these photographs, blurry and all.


These are the moments, that when I am old and gray, I will pull out of that little place in my heart, and revisit.

And I will smile and remember when.

When my children were little.

When my husband was young.

When life was so full and so blessed.

This is a Momentous Monday post. To learn more go here, and please feel free to link up with us right below!)

.Going to the Chapel.

And they're gonna get married!



I can hardly believe that my baby brother proposed over the Christmas season, to a beautiful, godly girl, and is getting married this summer! Benny is eight years my junior, and I feel as if I missed out on a big chunk of his childhood, being that I left for college when he was just ten years old. Despite that, I love him fiercely, and I could not be more proud of him.





He is currently in graduate school at Wheaton working towards his PsyD - an alternative PhD in psychology. His heart is enormous and his love for God is solid. He is compassionate, intelligent, creative (his proposal was so creative and romantic - I was super impressed!) honest, humble, and fun! It has been such a joy seeing the man that God is making him into.





And Breanne, although I have only spent a handful of moments with her, is absolutely the perfect match for my brother. She is kind, godly, compassionate, sweet, and beautiful to boot! They complement each other in such a lovely way.



My only knock on her is that she can hardly blow a bubble to save her life - which provided lots of laughter and great memories.





It was my great joy to be asked to photograph them while they were visiting for Christmas.





To stand behind the lense and focus on telling their story was priceless.



They gave me a moment of pure joy.



A gift.

(This is a Momentous Monday post. To learn more go here, and please feel free to link up with us right below!)

.Reader Poll.

I need your help, sweet friends! I am attempting to be a bit more focused and disciplined in my writing - including my writing for this blog. In doing so, I want to streamline some things. I am thinking over bringing back Momentous Monday as a permanent link up for A Moment Cherished. If you are a newer reader, you may not be familiar with this, you can read about it by clicking the image below or simply scroll down my right hand side bar until you see "Looking for something I wrote?" and type in Momentous Monday to read some of the posts.

Would there still be an interest in this? It truly helped me to be more intentional in looking for the every day blessings in my life, and I heard from several of you that you felt the same way.

I am also considering bringing back Wedded Wednesday. There was a great response to that series this summer. Please feel free to continue to email me marriage topics or questions about marriage that you would like my husband and I to answer. We truly had a lot of fun with this, although we are by no means "experts", and I would love to see it come back.

Click the above banner to read some Wedded Wednesday posts.

I value your opinion, since you are the ones that take the time to read here. Is there any interest in these? Do you have any marriage topics or questions that you would want Jim and I to touch on?

I love hearing from you! Come out of hiding today, in order to share your opinion. {grin} Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know your thoughts.

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.Getting Back into the Groove.

I have been sporadic with my writing - my blogging lately. I have needed to as we acclimate to our new normal, but everything is going really, really well (minus the sleepless nights, but eh...). It settled over me this morning, that we had indeed found our new rhythm - all is falling into place, our days are steady and have found a new schedule. It feels as if Jamesy has always been here - like the gaping hole that was in our family is healed. And with all this, my desire to write is bubbling up and needing an escape.

I gave up being a contributing writer for Raising Homemakers (which I still love and am passionate about homemaking!) several months ago, as I needed to slow and prepare my heart for my son to come home. I also stopped writing regulary - scheduling posts and planning ahead what I would write - and that was perfect for that time.

I have waivered back and forth about whether this season of blogging (I have blogged now for almost 6 years) was coming to an end. I have played with things here, wrestling with whether my blog should remain without comments, but knowing that I cannot keep up with the emails without the comments open. I feel so blessed to have my life intersect with hundreds of sisters in Christ across the globe, because of a little blog. I always feel guilty when I do not have the time to sit and answer someone and give them the time they have given to me. So for now comments are open, and I am trying a new comment system (which is being kind of wonky). I am hoping this allows me to interact quickly with my readers and alleviates my guilt of not responding to emails. If yours was one of the emails that did not receive a response please forgive me. I beg grace from you. I read each and every one of them, and I was so blessed. Thank you for taking this journey with me - it has been a year, sweet friends, since I announced our intent to adopt on my blog. I was covered in prayer, love, and support from many of you, and I am truly indebted.

This morning over our Ethiopian coffee Jim and I got to talking about my blog. He encouraged me to invest more time into my writing here again. I love that I married a man so in-tune with what I am passionate about. Some have told me that I hide behind my written words, but Jim is forever telling me that it is my gift and I need to steward it. He knows that I have to write - I was created to write, and his encouragement has renewed my passion for this little space. I am still not sure how it will all look, but I am eager to move ahead. I write for my audience of One. I write to glorify my God, and to use the talents He has given me. But the fellowship from my faithful readers is the sweet cherry on top. I am thankful for each one of you that has stuck with me during my lag in writing. Although, my ultimate goal here is to always write for God, to write what the Spirit lays on my heart, I do know that God is bringing women here to read. I pray that something I write blesses someone, and always points back to God - not to me.

Please come out of the woodwork and share with me today. Why is it that you read here? What draws you in? What makes you stay or what makes you turn away and leave? Months ago I deleted the stat counter and I no longer keep track of how much traffic comes to my blog or who comes from where. I have no idea, and that has freed me. So I am not asking this with traffic in mind. I am asking this wanting to connect with the hearts of other women. So help me to connect - what can I do/write to encourage you? There is a reason you are here, and I am grateful that God has collided our lives.

I have been thinking and praying over bringing back Momentous Monday. Would anyone still join me? I am excited to be more fully engaged in my writing. It's amazing to see how God can use even a shy, stay-at-home mom and her little keyboard.

My coffee pot is on, and I have a cup waiting. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts. Sit and stay awhile.

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.Momentous Monday.

This post is going to be sans photos, because I am not at home. I am in PA, and I am babysitting my niece, because my sister had her baby!! (Details to come. I want to let her get home and have the chance to share him with the world first. Let me just say that he is PERFECT. {grin})

The momentous moment that I chose to share came on Friday. We had to take Scotty for a renal ultrasound and an appointment with his nephrologist. If you have not been following my blog for long, let me get you up to speed. In utero my ob discovered that Scotty had something wrong with his kidneys. We knew that it was not life-threatening, but I had to be monitored via ultrasounds to be sure the condition did not get worse. After Scotty was born we were told he had hydronephrosis. An easy way to explain it is reflux in the kidneys. Urine would reflux into his kidneys and get trapped there. For the first year of Scotty's life we monitored him for syptoms and regulary visited his nephrologist. His last appointment was last year, and he was scheduled for his next a year later - which was Friday.

We are praising God because nothing has really changed which is actually a very good thing. The urine in his kidneys is very minimal. So the nephrologist feels as if we have nothing to be concerned about and therefore released Scotty from under his care!!

And in other good news Scotty seems to be finally growing! He was 23 lbs (with clothes and a diaper) on Friday and 32 inches long!! I think he has grown about three inches this summer! (This is a big deal as Scotty has had trouble even being chartable on a growth chart, due to being small.)

And with that being said....my boy is going to be TWO in two weeks!
A healthy two. {grin}
Feel free to link up and share your momentous moment from this past week.
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My momentous moment happened today. My hubby sneaked the children down stairs this morning, and he let me sleep in until after 8:00! I cannot remember the last time I did that. {bliss} And now we are spending the day together....

(If you are not familiar with Momentous Monday please click here for details.)
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.Momentous Monday.

If this is your first time joining Momentous Monday, please click here to learn what it's all about!

She looked up at him her eyes round and bright and her jaw went slack. He had just earned his "Daddy of the Year" award with his mere words.

Cadi, he said as he pointed up and down the aisle.

You can pick any cereal box that you want, and that is what we will eat for dinner.

Sugared cereal rarely makes its way into our house, and if it does it is pretty benign like Honey Nut Cheerios.

She was ecstatic.



And let's be honest. So was mommy.

I didn't have to cook.

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.Momentous Monday.

I'm not that kind of Mommy.

You know the one.

Fun.

Easy going.

Care-free.

Go-with-the-flow.

Spontaneous.

Crazy.

Goofy.

At least when left to my own natural tendencies I am none of the above.

But in an effort to make memorable moments for my children and their childhood, I stretch myself to be some of the above.

So on Wednesday when it started down pouring, I sent my children outside. In the rain. Barefoot.

I let them run and play and splash. And get {really} dirty. And make a mud hole in our yard.







And we loved every single minute.

(If you are new to Momentous Monday please go here.)
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.Momentous Monday.

It came in a facebook message in my inbox - the words my anxious heart needed to hear.

I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

A sweet friendship has been slowly brewing with the author of the message. The empathy in her words whispered healing to my anxiety, and when I read her closing sentences I choked back tears.

But when I read this verse, I claimed it a bit... for you... if that makes sense. "Lord, let Tiffany lie down and sleep in peace, for you, Oh Lord, will keep her child in your safe and loving arms."

She knew of my battle with insomnia, but more than that she understood the root of my insomnia.

After that message and reading those words and dwelling on the Scripture she had shared with me and having my husband pray for me last night after sharing my anxieties with him....

I slept.

Like. A. Baby.

And friends let me tell you it was momentous. {grin}

(If you are not familiar with Momentous Monday please click here to learn more.)
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