Swimming!

Isaac L-O-V-E-S swimming. I mean with whip cream and a cherry on top-loves swimming.  We are in our second term of Parent-Tot swimming and he absolutely cannot get enough of the water...he literally licks it. Licks...the water....with his tongue.  In fact, our first evening back in the pool he smiled SO HARD I thought his face would crack. That's some serious swimming pool lovin'! 

Happy to be in the water!

 

Giving Momma some (unexpected) splashes!

 

 

Talking to the fish in the ocen ie, blowing bubbles

 

Chronologically, Isaac is the oldest in the class, but developmentally he fits right in; he still needs Momma near by to help follow directions. But because he's not afraid of the water like the little ones, Teacher Justin helps Isaac 'swim' under water, which Isaac is MORE than willing to do...as long as he gets a high-five after. *wink* If I could translate the look on my son's face as he comes out of the water it would be nothing short of "People!  Do you understand that I just defied DEATH?! I am A-L-I-V-E! Slip me some serious skin!"

I have GREAT memories of swim lessons growing up and I'm thrilled to pieces that Isaac is enjoying them so much. We'll spend lots of time in the water this summer and I know he'll soak up every minute of it. (soak it up...get it?!)

Joy!

(This is our May post for No Hands But Ours!)

Overwhelmingly, the number one word used to describe my son and the majority of those rocking an extra chromosome like him is...HAPPY.This is seriously not a bad reputation to have! In fact, there is a great YouTube video going around with groups of people with Down syndrome gleefully shaking what God gave them to the hit song Happy. You can't help but tap your toes and grin ear to ear. Who wouldn't?! (I wish I could dance like that!!)

 

But the more I hear the word 'happy' being used to describe children & adults with Down syndrome, the more I don't like it. Not in a weird, over sensitive I'm-a-mom-of-a-child-with-special-needs-and-I-need-to-defend-him-from-the-world kind of way. (We all know those types!) But, I think I have two pretty solid reasons to not totally love the word in describing my boy:

 

 

First, I believe it robs my son, and those like him, the opportunity to be human. It is true, overall, Isaac is a pretty happy kid...except when he is not. *wink* (This is usually my semi-flippant response when people coo over 'what a happy boy he is!') My son is human. He has good days. He has bad days. Some days he is just plain mad, I mean truly & royally NOT happy. And he deserves the right to feel those emotions and learn how to react to them appropriately. He gets selfish and jealous and rebellious and frustrated and angry. He is a toddler for Pete's sake; his emotions are ALL over the place--it's like beta testing for puberty! And, just like you & me, he is a sinful creature of this broken earth in need of God's grace. It's my job as his parent to teach him to both acknowledge how he is feeling and be accountable for how he responds to his emotions--happiness, anger and everything equally in between. It's not about just being happy, it's about the Fruits of the Spirit.
 

Second, I simply don't think 'happy' is an accurate word. In my mind, what people describe as happy is really misinterpreted JOY. Happiness is a fleeting emotion, but joy is a gift of character, given by our Creator to enjoy His presence and ALL that is in it. "My joy in you will make your joy complete" (John 15:11). People feel happiness but ARE joyous, even with the occasional bad day.  This is why dancing with your whole person to a catchy tune in the middle of the street isn't happy...it's joyful! Feeling it from your toes, moving, breathing & finding your being in Christ (Acts 17:28).  The Psalmist said "You fill me with JOY in your presence" (Psalms 16:10). David would know...he danced for joy before the Lord...naked! There is no anxiety in joy because true joy grows out of faith, hope, thankfulness & love; it is aware of the abundance of Grace in our lives and delights in serving others. Joy is simple and born out of a deep response to our Maker. I honestly don' t know if the Lord knit this gift into my son via his extra chromosome or the simplicity of my son's heart isn't hindered in receiving what has been readily given to us all. Either way, THIS is what I believe people are seeing in Isaac and all of his chromosomal buddies. A contagious, I-want-some-of-what-he's-got JOY in the Lord!

 

Makes you want to turn up the music and see what happens, doesn't it?!

This

Growing and learning and figuring out new tricks is fun UNTIL...

This...

...becomes a 2 am personal light show. *yawn*


So this...

Then this...

And finally THIS...

was the solution to get this...

Birth Mother's Day

Today is Birth Mother's Day and we continued our tradition of bringing two roses--one red, one yellow---to the Chinese Pagoda near our home to honor Isaac's birth mother & foster mother. I'll admit, I felt a little silly leaving flowers behind in a public park while other families are chasing their children around, but it is the only tangible offering of love I have for the two amazing women who mothered my child first.

 

 

 

I was in no way prepared for the grief I would feel for Birth Momma in bringing Isaac home. It took me nearly the entirety of our first year as a family to not to spend some moment of every day weeping for her. She made a decision I could NEVER make. Whether her motivation was fear or love, her actions were courageous. I know I couldn't do what she did...and I love her SO. VERY. MUCH because of it. Tears and roses will never be enough...

 

 

We learned recently that the foster care network in Isaac's province has been 'taken over' by the house churches in that area. (Chinese Christians stepping forward to physically care for the orphan & the widow...how awesome is that?!) Which means, there is a very real possibility that Foster Momma knew the Lord.  I can't tell you what a blessing that is to my heart! The arms that rocked my boy to sleep for 15months also raised them to praise our Heavenly Father. This new knowledge makes our "unexpected" meeting on Gotchya Day all the more miraculous.  It would be like God to do that, wouldn't it? Rearrange an entire governmental social welfare system so two women from across the planet could meet under His banner?  "This child is Mine and I've given him to you BOTH to speak My Word into his heart." Was that the Peace the Lord was whispering to us as she looked deep into my eyes and let me kiss her on the forehead?  Boy, do I hope so! 

 

 

So this weekend we celebrate God's perfect plan in placing children into families and setting mothers over them...be it one, two, or three!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bamboo Update Five: Boys

When I started down the Adoption Road I repeatedly refused to mark 'prefered gender' box on all the paperwork. I simply wasn't going to make that decision: God would determine the gender of my child during a natural pregnancy, He could certainly do the same during a paper pregnancy. I didn't have a real preference, but I did assume the Lord would give me a daughter.  All children adopted from China are girls, right??? In fact, I went as far as to order a stunning porcelain doll of a Chinese girl to put in the nursery. My daughter would love it! (Someday. After she wasn't allowed to touch it for many years *wink*). The day it arrived in the mail my heart KNEW I wouldn't have a daughter. It would be several more weeks before I would matched with Isaac, but at that moment, tearing open a package in the driveway, the doll just made no sense; I was to prepare my heart for a SON. 

 

The thought of raising a boy made me a bit nervous at the beginning. Cutesy nursery decorations declaring: "Boys are noise with dirt on them" didn't help the cause. But let me tell you, having a son is AWESOME. You can totally get away with things that you couldn't do if you were busy braiding hair or playing tea party! Wrestling and jumping and throwing and yelling loud in the backyard (not in the house-that's not OK). There is eating dirt and collecting rocks and apparently, bodily noises, which I really haven't gotten into yet, but that's what uncles are for, right? The point is, I can't imagine my life without my tiny little man in the house. And as he grows and we have conversations about becoming a strong man of integrity that loves the Lord, I get to be a part of my son learning to listen to the Holy Spirit's leading, and seeking opportunities to serve others, and protecting those vulnerable around him. That is what is REALLY awesome.

 

Historically, the greatest number of children waiting for their families in China has been young girls. I'm sure we've all heard of the cultural bias toward healthy boys in a single-child family home. It is heart breaking, but also changing. (Hallelujah!) But, as the heart of China is turning towards their daughters, the statistics are rapidly shifting towards more boys than girls needing forever homes. Even the tiniest of 'defects' can place a little boy into the orphan category: nystagmus (crossed eyes), cleft palate, poor weight gain, hypospadius (crooked plumbing), repairable heart defects, Down syndrome. These sweet boys aren't given the chance to collect rocks and wrestle or to hear about the Lord's incredible love for them. God has a Son. He LOVES sons and has incredible plans for them!

 

There are five handsome sweet boys remaining in the Bamboo Project. Five precious hearts ready to love and to be loved by their forever family. Five perfect little guys that NEED to build towers and to kick balls and to burp really loud right in the middle prayer at church. (...it happens...)

Please continue to pray for these sweet boys:

• For their continued health & physical/emotional safety.
• For wisdom and tenderness to be given to their caregivers.
• For each of their forever families to step out in faith in bringing their SON home...forever.

Please continue to share this information. There may be a heart in your circle of friends ripe for God's prompting through an email or post or water cooler conversation.

 

The first of the matched Bamboo families will be traveling soon to bring their sweet ones HOME. (Isn't that exciting?!) I know they covet your continued prayer & financial support. As always you can find more information or give directly to the Bamboo Project families via china@bethany.org

 

“Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth”

Isaiah 43:6