Where we are....How are we?

Many of you have asked where we are at in our journey and how we are doing, so I thought I'd take this rare moment to blog. (Man those days of just blogging whenever I thought of something are LONG gone!.... but I'm not complaining!)

There really isn't much news as far as Maggie's adoption goes. If you've read our blog, you'll know that her birth mother was granted one visit back in September. Due to the reaction of both birth mother and Maggie, no further visits have been granted. We are thankful for this. Honestly, it was amazing to see how much damage was done in one short hour. Unbelievable and heartbreaking. All the work that Michael & I had been able to accomplish with Maggie over the 7 weeks (at that time) that she had been with us, had been erased. Just like that...and then some. It took us almost 10 days to get her back to her "old" self...for Maggie to find her security again. Her smile again. Her laughter again. Her peaceful sleeping again. She was absolutely undone after that visit and there was absolutely nothing that I could do, except hold her, rock her, love her and pray over her. I realize that isn't "nothing" but it's just so completely heartbreaking to not know what to do or how to fix it. I'm a "fixer" by nature and this time I just couldn't fix it. But thankfully we have a GOD who can fix all things...and He used this time to really deepen our bonds with each other and draw us closer together as a family.

2 weeks ago, there was a permanency conference in regards to Maggie's case. It's basically a time for all parties involved to come together and discuss Maggie and her case. Her birth mother did not show up. This was really bad for her...great for us! As far as we know, the birth mom has not been in contact with CPS since the visit, or completed any task that the judge required her to do over 3 months ago. Everyone is pushing for unrelated adoption to happen quickly, so we are praying that this is what will transpire at the next court hearing on November 10th.

In the meantime, we've been inundated with getting everything set up for Maggie's surgery on the 17th. Maggie has severe sleep apnea, especially for her size/age, so they are going to be removing her adenoids and tonsils, as well as putting tubes in her ears (since she's already had 3 ear infections since she's been with us). In most cases, kids go home the same day. However, due to the severity of her sleep apnea, they will be keeping her 3 - 5 days. She is a mouth breather and actually has no idea of what to even do with her nose (poor baby). She can't do anything with her nose. Because of this, they will need to re-train her to breathe properly. It's never easy to see your child have to endure a surgery or medical issue, but we're hoping that this will be the end to her issues, as well as the 5 medications that she takes on a daily basis. I know that she will feel better and sleep better, once this is taken care of.

As I mentioned in my last post, we have our inspection tomorrow morning by the state licensing department. I'm not too concerned about it because I know that we have a safe and healthy environment, but anytime that an official comes out to your house, you can't help but get a little unnerved. Our caseworker came out on Friday and she said that our house shouldn't have any issues...we certainly hope so. Apparently, we have been assigned one of the "sticklers" of the department. She's the one who always writes up the most people with issues...great! Every medication is double locked, every cleaner is locked up, all plugs have safety covers on them, all safety latches still lock on the cabinets, everything in the frig and freezer is fresh, all paperwork is filed away properly, new fire extinguisher is hung up, license is posted on the wall, escape route is available....so please, let's hope that covers it!!!!

Ahhhh...yes...so how are we? Thanks for asking! It's funny because once you have a little one, you're quickly forgotten about! That's not a slam on anyone...it's just the truth. I've been guilty of it so many times myself. We're always so enamored by the kiddos, we forget about Mommy and Daddy. So, for those of you who has asked......we are doing pretty good. You know, it's really been amazing to see God's handiwork throughout our journey and our lives. Our lives changed the moment Maggie walked into our home, and forever in our hearts. It hasn't always been easy, fun, smiles and triumphs...but it has always been blessed. We are just so grateful for this precious little one that the Lord has given us. It's hard to remember the hard times. They're there, believe me, but when I see that smiling face, or hear "MOMMYYYYYYYYYYYYYY" when I walk in the door, or feel that hug around my neck, or sweet kisses on my cheek...I am completely overwhelmed with how blessed I am and how much God loves me! It's only because of the Lord that we have Maggie.

We are better. We are complete. We are blessed. We are loved.