HaPpY 3rd biRtHdaY AdDiE JoY!

October 24th

So, I found "the tree"!

Last year on Addalie's birthday I took 2yr. old pictures at the Lancaster County Park.

There was one picture of her sitting under a huge-really cool tree.

Numerous people told me that I should try to go back there every year with her around her birthday & take her picture & document her "growing up".  Hmmm.  Good idea.  I never even thought of that.

Only problem was...I wasn't exactly sure of where "the tree" was...& the Lancaster County Park is fairly big!

So yesterday Addalie, Jyla & I went to see if we could find "the tree" & even though it wasn't where I thought it was (& Addalie kept exclaiming that "God probably moved it".) (CUTE!)...

WE FOUND IT!

& got some great photos!

Addalie has grown up so much in the past year!

She looooves silly bands (but doesn't wear them...just gives them to her friends)

She loves books & will usually be able to "read" them to you after hearing them only once.

She LOVES her little sister & is so stinkin sweet to her....often referring to her as "my Jyla-girl"...we will be at the grocery store etc. & she will start talking to strangers about "her Jyla-girl".

She loves her kittens (& apparently they love her too because they allow her to do far more than I would ever tolerate if I were a kitten!!!)

She often challenges me with her kindness & optimistic attitude.  She SO OFTEN reminds me of the good when things are hard.  I had an extremely hard weekend with Jyla (Scott was at market) & after spending an hour of putting Jyla to bed I came downstairs in tears.  (wondering what Addalie had gotten into when I was up there????)  But, she just crawled up into my lap & I explained to her why I was crying & she quickly started telling me about all of the times when Jyla was "happy" yesterday! 

Many of you have journeyed with us through this blog as we have brought Jyla into our family.  & I continue to realize that lots of people read this blog that I don't even know...so I thought I'd share a bit with you about our "journey" with having Addalie.

In the spring of 2004, Scott & I decided that we were ready to start our family.

After many months of not getting pregnant we ended up going to a medical doctor to see if they could shed any light on our situation.  After tests & appointments they did give us some "answers"....but they weren't easy ones to hear.  We were told that we had a very small chance of every conceiving on our own.  (less than 1%)  So after 3 years of "trying" to get pregnant, we sought medical help & did 2 rounds of invitro fertilization.  That in itself was an experience that we will never forget!!!  It took almost 5 months to complete both of those cycles & neither of them were successful.  So after lots of $$$ spent & lots of invasive procedures done (& lots of medicines with lots of needles) we were again told that our chances of conceiving were smaller than small & that there weren't many more options that seemed viable.

It was such a dark dark season for both of us.

  I cannot even explain the depth of pain & sadness that we felt.

I was scrounging around in the pit of depression....such a HARD place to be. 

We felt ALONE!

However, a passage that encouraged our souls was

Habukkuk 3:  17-19

Though the fig tree should not blossom,

nor fruit be on the vines,

the produce of the olive fail

and the fileds yeild no food,

the flock be cut off from the fold

and there be no herd in the stalls,

YET I will rejoice in the Lord!

I will take joy in the God of my salvation.

God, the LORD, is my STRENGTH!

He makes my feet like the deer's.

He makes me tread on my high places.

I remember shortly after our 2nd failed invitro cycle...Scott & I went out for breakfast at Cracker Barrel to "talk about things."  I still remember the table that we sat at.  And Scott said to me, "why don't we look into adoption?" It was that day that God spoke to my heart in a very real way about adoption.  Last week we went back to that Cracker Barrel with our 2 girlies & the hostess sat us at that SAME table.  I was rememinded of God's kindness to us to bring us to that same place again....

but this time w/2 precious gifts from above!

To make a REALLY long story short,  we started the process of adopting a little girl from Guatemala. 

We started the paperwork & on the morning of our home study interview with our social worker I took a pregnancy test.  The results were positive!  We were shocked & in disbelief....I was so confused by the test & thought I wasn't thinking clearly.

That same morning, after our interview with the social worker (to adopt) I went to my doctors office & had blood work done to confirm the pregnancy.  Yep....indeed it was confirmed!

This was only 5 weeks after our last invitro cycle where we had done EVERY medically possible thing to become pregnant & I had taken dozens of medicines to aid the cycle all to no avail....& then I got pregnant 100% naturally!!  It was a miracle from the LORD!

We quickly realized that with my diabetes....pregnancy would be complicated with many many many many appointments!  (no i didn't exaggerate the "manys") =)

The adoption agency said that we could continue on with our adoption, but I didn't think I could handle a diabetic pregnancy + adoption paperwork at the same time.

So, we decided to put the adoption on hold knowing that we'd persue it again at some point. 

For the next 9 months, I focused on keeping my diabetes as controlled as possible.  

By the end of the pregnancy I had 3-5 appts. a week w/different doctors.

They could tell that our baby was big...& scheduled me to have a C-section for numerous reasons. 

& then on OCTOBER 24th, 2007

she was born!

for some reason we thought that we were having a boy....even after all of the many ultra sounds that we had...we didn't find out the gender....

but because of the kidney complications we assumed that our baby was a boy.

But it wasn't....."it" was an "Addalie JOY"!!

We had a bit of a rough start with her....

She was in the NICU for a few days.  (by far-the biggest baby there at 10lbs. 8 oz.)

& feeding was a struggle...

but, we were SO SO THANKFUL for our little miracle!

This morning when she was opening her birthday gifts,I got emotional just remembering & pondering God's kindness to us in giving us Addalie. 

She is such a JOY! 

Here is a video that we had made of her first year of life!

(& again, I still can't watch it without crying...especially the beginning)

WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH ADDIE!

When Addalie was about 1 1/2 we decided to pursue the adoption again.  Guatemala was "closed" & not an option any more.  God laid CHINA on Scott's heart.

& so our journey to Jyla began! 

Tomorrow is Jyla's birthday!!!!!

So much fun to celebrate both of their lives together!!!!

I took some fun pictures of her too that I will post tomorrow.

These 2 days are TRUELY a celebration of God's faithfullness to us in the form of children.

Had HE chosen to not give us any children, (which was a very real possibility)

HE would STILL be faithful & loving! 

& I can say that having walked through it. 

He is a good God.

I am typically a rather "private person" especially about personal things, but as I've been re-counting HIS blessings to us over the past few days.....I decided that I wanted to share this little piece of our lives to encourage others of HIS COMPLETE FAITHFULLNESS!