"Wait" Training

Tomorrow is April 1st already!  Where did March go?  I just updated our "registry" at Babies R Us.  It's more of a "wish list" though really.  The only thing I updated, or changed rather, is our "due date".  Initially when we registered back in the fall, I set the "due date" of Jan. 1st.  Well, that day came and went, so I made the new "due date" April 1.  Only now, did I realize it is also April Fool's Day! That wasn't so smart!  So, I've now changed our "due date" for the third time to June 8th. (the last day of school)  How ironic would that be?!  I feel kind of depressed to be changing it YET again, but am trying so hard to continue to be patient.  In my daily readings of other couples, who are also waiting and blogging about their journey, I came across Alison, from "Lovin' Much" ,and her take on waiting:
(http://lovinmuch.blogspot.com/)

Psalm 40, for those of you who are waiting patiently for something, or who are living in despair for whatever reason, this psalm and verses 1-3 are especially for you (and me!): “I waited patiently for the Lord to help me and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God.”  Patient waiting. It’s so hard to do. But God does something in waiting like no other time. "Lovin' Much"  affectionately calls it “wait training.” Just like with our physical bodies, we need “weight” resistance to build our muscles, God needs times of “wait training” that cause resistance to our faith. But its purpose is to build our spiritual muscles. During these times our faith is made stronger like no other time.

I totally connected with this!  Not only do I need to go to the Y and do my weight training here soon, but I have some serious spiritual muscles to continue building as well.

What are you waiting on in your life?

Eagle Cam

A teacher at school gave me a link to a live feed of an eagle's nest with newborn eaglets.  I immediately thought of Scott because he LOVES all things eagles!!!  I sent the link to our home email and what do I come home and see?  Scott logging on to our laptop and anxiously awaiting the streaming video.  I didn't even take off my coat, I plopped right down next to him and we watched the momma eagle roosting atop her 6ft. wide, 4ft. deep nest.  The tall pine tree in which she was perched, swayed back and forth in the wind as her feathers ruffled.  We literally sat for almost an hour watching, reading the live chat on the side of the screen, awaiting a view of her little ones.  Then, the minute Scott said, "O.K., I need to go work out" and he left the room, that's when the eagle stood up we saw them!  Of course I yelled, "She up, she's up! I see her babies!!!"  We watched momma eagle in her mammoth nest as she carefully tucked her talons in to walk over to the fish that the daddy eagle caught and brought earlier.  The three eaglets are furry, fuzzy white little things, cute as can be.  I couldn' t help but think, look at us with these birds!  If we are this "ga ga" over them, we are going to be this way times TEN with a newborn!!! Oh my goodness!! It was addicting to say the least!  Here is the link:
http://www.wvec.com/marketplace/microsite-content/eagle-cam.html .  I dare you not to let yourself get caught up in watching the beauty of a family of birds!  These little eaglets will capture your heart!

Petunia Picklebottom

I am looking forward to Spring Break in a week!  It will be good to reboot and recharge my battery and gear up for the last nine weeks of school.  Scott is taking off too, so we can maybe golf, do some yard work if the weather is nice, take a bike ride, and just have some down time together.  I'm most looking forward to shopping for nursery furniture believe it or not!  Recently, I've been infatuated with diaper bags. SO, so many to choose from! I remember a couple years back, one in particular caught my eye.  I was walking behind a mom pushing a stroller in a store, trying not to be so obvious, to get a close up look at her diaper bag.  I didn't want her to think I was stalking her or her baby.  She stopped for a few minutes in an isle and I pretended to look on the bottom shelf right next to her.  I spotted the name brand of the bag... Petunia Picklebottom!  Oooo, what a snazzy, cool name I thought!  Well, little did I know, it's the Cadillac, the Rodeo Drive, the Ritz Carlton, the Coach of all diaper bags!  Translation - EXPENSIVE!  Adorable though, nonetheless!  I don't spend that much on a regular purse, let alone a diaper bag.  This is a similar to the one I saw:

So, I have found some cute alternatives that I'm keeping my eye on!  Like this little number from JJ Cole - very chic and could be for a boy or girl!  Plus, I think Scott wouldn't mind carrying this too!                     

Then of course, there is always a Vera Bradley baby bag like this one, but it is not cheap either.  I suppose I've got some time before I need one.  But hopefully not too much longer!  For now, it's fun to look and browse!  Of course, Scott just asked, what about me?  Do I have a say?  I did see some awesome "Diaper Dudes" at Babies R Us too!  I have a feeling we'll be shopping for more than just furniture in a couple weeks!

                                          

Spring Shopping

Looking outside, it's a winter wonderland right now.  Looking on the calendar however, spring is just around the corner!  Yippee!  Two more weeks and we will be on Spring Break.  We have talked about spending some time shopping and looking for nursery furniture finally.  I have held off as long as I could, but my gut tells me to get a move on this!  I have themes I love for both a boy or a girl, but I am really drawn to the darker woods for a crib and matching furniture.  Here are my favs for each:

Jungle Jill (shown with white furniture, but I think it would go nicely with the darker wood too)
I was drawn to the cute giraffes, which my mom loved collecting.  I have some pictures and a blanket from her house that I thought of using, if this were the theme we were to choose.

Another top pick for a girl is the Taffy by CoCaLo collection: (yes, I LOVE the pinks and greens)

and finally for a boy, we love the "Ahoy Matey" theme! (also shown with white furniture, but I think the darker furniture would pick up the browns very nicely!)  I love the monkeys in there too!

We'll see what bargains we can find and keep you posted!



Praise You in This Storm

Well, I was a little disappointed to find my favorite song no longer will play on my blog!  (John Waller's, "While I'm Waiting")  The lyrics perfectly described our adoption journey wait.  I tried to rebuild the playlist and searched and fiddled with it for too long.  So, I took it as a sign, maybe I should find a new song.  I found two that hold special meaning to me.  The first song, "Praise You In This Storm" by Casting Crowns, was introduced to me by a close friend and colleague who helped me deal with my mom's passing in 2009.  As I listened carefully to the lyrics again, they still relate to the different "storms" that I am experiencing in life now.  How fitting too, for a windy, rainy, kind of day. The second song captured my attention just by the title alone.  "Ready for You" is exactly how I feel about the baby we will adopt.  We are MORE than ready for a little one, for Him to bless us with a family finally.  So, we continue to pray and wait patiently (and sometimes not so patiently).  These songs are a source of comfort to us.  What are the "storms" in your life?  Perhaps you might find these songs relate to you in a different way. 

"We would never learn to be brave and patient if there were only joy in the world." - Helen Keller

"When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us." - Helen Keller