Natalie is doing fantastic! She is thriving, learning, exploring, testing limits (all of them), and growing! Her speech is developing and I still am so excited for the days that we can have real conversations, they will come! We decided to try her on some ADHD meds to help her learn to focus. This has been an answer to prayers! We now have a teachable child! While we aren't for sure if she will get off of them eventually, or not, we are so thankful for this modern invention that has allowed our girl to take in the world around her, instead of constantly bouncing off the walls and having an attention span that was less than nothing (if that is possible, she had it!). She has experienced so much this year! She has been on 3 trips to Florida! We went on Spring Break in Siesta Key, 4th of July at Disney, and Christmas on Fort Myers Beach! She looooooves water! So much so, that we put her in Infant Rescue Swimming this fall and she has done great! We are much more confident in her ability to save herself if she were to fall into the water! Emily has been so patient teaching her and we really could not have been more blessed to find her! She goes to Pre School at Cedar Canyon Elementary and she is doing so well! I will try to post the video of her singing at her Holiday Show. Mrs. Geisleman and her school therapists have helped her in more ways than I could begin to explain here! We are so thankful that our school district has such an amazing special needs preschool program for her! She goes to outpatient Speech, Occupational, and Physical Therapy as well, and they are so happy with the progress she is making, especially after being put on meds! We are so thankful to have her in our family! Caroline, Taylor, and Julian absolutely love her to death and she looks so forward to seeing them get home every day from school! She is a Daddy's girl, when Daddy is around. However, when it is just her and I she is a cuddle bug and loves helping me do things!
"You're going to WHAT?"
Most of you have probably thought it, but maybe not said it out loud! I was in this group once. I still am in this group sometimes and in some situations. Even though this blog is called "Gods Call, Our Journey" I did not see this coming. In December of last year a boy was posted on our agency's Facebook page, and immediately all of us commented on his kind eyes, his cuteness, and his description, which included his love of art. I thought, for sure, this boy would quickly have a family coming for him. There were several families already in process for preteen and teenage children. Matt and I had been lightheartedly talking about adopting again. Possibly a sibling group of two? Maybe a child around 10 years old? I even asked about several that were posted on our FB pages. None of those worked out. I kept checking on this boy I had seen and kept asking who was going to get him. No one was. He was getting near the end of his chance. Would he just never get a family? Never get a chance? Was there something wrong with him that no one would want him? No. He is older and that was the biggest problem. Most families want younger kids. So, was this God's plan for us? It seems like we needed all these signs from God to truly believe He wanted us to adopt Natalie. Was it fair to ask that of Him this time? Perhaps the biggest sign will be that none of the others we asked about have panned out and this one will. Fast forward to April. The first week of Spring Break and I had shown Matt the picture of the boy. We asked the kids previously what they were feeling about the prospect of this... THEY WERE ALL IN. I was shocked. Their hearts are so open and they have so much love. Truly, even if I did raise them, I still look in awe at what they have to offer others! That was enough for Matt and I to ask the agency about the possibility of us adopting the boy. Within 24 hours we had our papers virtually signed and our application fee in. Although this story does not have the pre-story that Natalie's did, I always have been at peace with this decision. Mostly, I think of arming myself and my family with information. Preparing for many different scenarios of bringing a teenager into the family. And yes, protecting my daughters from a teenage boy! It has to be said, even if it is a worse case scenario! Since I do have so much to say about this, I will save that for a future post. Lets just say this, we have COMPLETE faith in God and His plan for our life as a family. Maybe others can't understand and that is ok. Those that need to understand, do. And those that are meant to understand, will. This is God's plan, how it plays out is yet to be seen, all we can do is pray and ask you to pray with us! For our boy, for our family. Thank you for being there for us and with us!
