Allie

Well this is the post that I have put off writing. I have to share before I begin that we have not figured out what God wants us to do. We are praying daily that He gives us clear direction. We would GREATLY appreciate you praying for us.

Towards the end of July, Kevin and I decided to begin the process of adoption. We knew very little about the process, but knew it could be a long one. We knew we wanted to adopt a biracial baby girl from the hosptial. We met with an agency on our way to Ft. Myers for Mason's GI appt. We left with mixed emotions. More so me than Kevin. We quickly found out that most adoption agencies deal with Semi Open adoptions . This is where we would meet the birthmom and exchange letters and pictures throughout the childs life. We were told this helps when the child turns 18 for a better reunion. Selfishly this was a tough pill to swallow. I could not begin to comprehend sharing my child with someone else. I had thoughts like "will I ever feel like she is mine" or "will we bond" etc..... I cried the whole way to Ft. Myers. I was angry at God that I couldn't have my own children. Now my only option to expand our family stunk!!

Over the course of the next two weeks I did serious research. I spoke with pregnancy centers, (to try and understand the side of the birthmom) counselors, families who have semi open adoptions and adoption agencies. God began to do a work in my heart. I knew that my feelings were much deeper than a birthmom. The dream I had about having children was different than His plan for my life. It is still something that I'm working through. Which is why the next part of this story has been a struggle for me.

One of the agencies we contacted asked where we were in the process. I told them we haven't even done a home study. They said well we have a girl that is due in early December with a biracial girl. My heart started pounding. They wanted us to come in an meet them. We met with them and felt very comfortable. We quickly put together our portfolio and they quickly completed our home study. When they presented our portfolio to the girl, She said we were exactly what she was praying for.

This past Monday we had the opportunity to meet with her. The meeting went well but there were several concerns that Kevin and I had. Our concerns are with the birth dad and her family. They are not in favor of her decision and our going to make this difficult. Also the birthmom had epilepsy until age 12. She (the birthmom) is excited. She knows that this little girl is going to a wonderful family and she is happy with her decision. She wants us to be at the birth and has also agreed to an ultrasound so we can have pictures.

My emotions are up and down. One minute I'm buying clothes the next minute I want to take them back. I'm asking God for a crystal clear answer. Kevin and I have made some important appointments the week of the 26th. We are hoping that through these meetings we have a peace about adopting this baby. We don't want to put this birthmom on an emotional rollercoaster. If we want to back out, we need to do it by the beginning of October. Please be praying for this decision. I was up again last night asking God for answers. I titled the post Allie because that is what we will call our little girl. We have a formal name but we are going to wait on posting that.

I will keep you updated on our journey but we are praying for the health and safety of this little baby either way. She is a gift from God and we are praying for her to be in the perfect home.

God Bless These Little Legs

Yeah!!! The book is finally ready. I've mentioned this book several times in my blog. It is written by our dear friends and we're so excited the world is able to be blessed by this story. God has worked miracle after miracle in their life. You can purchase the book at www.tylersexton.com. I'm telling you it is a story that is a must read. We love you Aunt Le Le and Ty Ty and we thank you for sharing your story.

Grandpa comes to visit

I love my Grandpa White!!! So glad you came to visit.

Thank you Lord for amazing Miracles

I'm posting this old picture to remind you of what Mason's body brace looked like. As you know, I had a strong emotion about this brace. Every day that he has had it, I've prayed that God would do a miracle and heal his spine. It is so uncomfortable and it is VERY hot. :( To be honest, I have not been very disciplined with making him wear it. Last week we had our follow up appointment at Shriners to look at Mason's spine. The last xray we did was in March and I was dreading this appointment. They had him sit up this time for the xray. This way they felt they could get a better view. As we waited in the room, I was preparing to hear bad news and get a mommy lecture. The doctor walked in and I asked how bad it was and she said actually it's only off 15 degrees. I said "What! Are you kidding me?" Last October his spine was off 14 degrees then in March it was off 25 degrees. If it gets off close to 50 degrees they have to do major surgery. She and I looked at all three xrays and we saw the change. I had an awesome cry that day. (for a great reason) He does not need to wear his brace and we will follow up in 3 months. We are praising the Lord for this amazing miracle!!!

Handprint from God

I'm sorry it has taken us so long to post all of these wonderful miracles. Drum roll please...... here is our very first handprint of Mason. July 16,2011 will always be a very special day. Thank you Lord for the miracle.

Yeah!!! Here is the long awaited picture of Mason's handprint. It was worth the two year wait. Sweet boy, this is one of the many miracles God has done in your little life. I'm so proud of you.

Mama T comes to visit!!!

Grandma with all her grandchildren!! She was in heaven. Her amazing boys.
There is nothing like cuddling with Grandma :)

Our boy is 2!!!!

It has been awhile since I've posted an update. Thank you for being patient with me. Work and home have kept me VERY busy. You will see many pictures below that can show you some of Mason's progress. He was fitted for his body brace and doesn't like it one bit. That was not a surprise. My specific prayer request right now is that God will heal his spine. We can visibly tell that it is bad but I know God can do anything. So I'm asking him for healing and a miracle on Mason's back. His body brace is extremely hot. We put him in light clothing and it is always drenched when we take it off. They told us that the brace will not fix the damage that has been done but should prevent further damage. I've been told some kids wear this the rest of their lives. I know you may think it's just a brace but when you put it with everything else it can be overwhelming at times. Along with that we've taken several steps back with Mason's physical progress. He will no longer sit by himself. (With or without the brace) This has been discouraging b/c he was doing so great. Since his tonsil surgery he won't even try to sit on his own. When we sit him there and he can lean against us he shakes like a leaf and cries. Please pray that this will come back. This has been tough on Kevin and I because Mason worked so hard and was doing awesome. So we pray without ceasing and wait patiently on the Lord's timing in this area.

Two days after we came home from the hospital with his casts we had a routine checkup on Mason's eyes. Dr Hess( different doctor Hess) said that his right eye is -6 and the left is -1. He said we needed to get glasses immediately to help prevent patching his eye. He also said that his eyes tend to drift and he is hoping that the glasses will improve this or he will require surgery. It is an easy surgery but I would LOVE to avoid this. That is my second prayer request that God would begin to heal Mason's eyes. The great thing is he has a whole new perspective on life!!!! It is adorable to see his eyes light up with people, TV, surroundings. He can finally see everything. We have been able to get some amazing reactions from him.

The best day we had in June was his birthday.(June 6th). We praise the Lord for giving us 2 wonderful years with our little boy. I enjoy taking the time that day to reflect on all the things God has taught us through Mason. Remembering the day he was born and the fear that gripped our hearts. Now seeing all the miracles God has done and continues to do in Mason's life. God is so good!! He has sustained us and given us strength when we needed it most. My biggest blessing is watching His protection on Mason. He has given that little boy a heart that brings joy to anyone he meets. I know he and Mason have a unique relationship that I have the privilege of watching it unfold. I'm so blessed to be Mason's mom. Mason has taught me how to have joy in any situation.

On June 27th the casts came off. We had anticipated an exciting day that day. We had the camera and video camera there and rolling. After a few minutes we quickly shut the video camera off because it turned out to be traumatic for Mason. I have NEVER seen him that upset. It was very painful because they not only took the casts off but removed the pins and x rayed him. What we saw, we were not quite prepared for. He had stitches everywhere not only on his hands but on 3 inch incisions on both wrists and incisions across the insides of his arm near his elbow. The good news is the worst was over and we have only seen things get better. We have been able to remove all stitches and he is beginning to use his hands more. My final prayer request is that God would continue to heal his hands and open up a new world for Mason. For my birthday we are going to take him to get his hand print done. He has healed enough now that we can try. I can't think of a better gift than seeing my little boys hand print for the first time.

As you can see, we have been busy. This month we will be following up with GI, orthopedics and meeting with a PT specialist.She will help us fit Mason in some new equipment to allow him to be mobile. We will be sure to update you on those appointments.

I've been reading the book Light from Lucas by Bob Vander Plaats. I highly recommend this book. It will challenge you and encourage you. My favorite line from the book is: " You didn't choose the day you were born, you cannot know how many days you have before you will die, but you can determine how you will live today. " How will each of us live today??? No matter the circumstance we may be in today, we know that God sees it, God hears it and He is God and therefore His perfect will always prevails. He has challenged me these past 6 weeks to cling to that truth. My emotions at times have been all over the place but He is my constant and therefore I praise Him because He has given me a life that I don't deserve.

Thank you for taking the time to read our blog and pray for Mason. Your prayers mean the world to us and we treasure them with all our heart. Love you, Wendy

Mason cast removal day

mason' glasses

Mason's 2nd Birthday