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God is good!
Every day I wake up and look at this little face and I feel so blessed. God worked miracles to get him home to me and I never, ever take a moment of that for granted.
He is seriously the cutest little thing. He is the lowest maintenance of any of the kids. He is happy almost all the time and says thank you for everything. He’ll eat whatever you put in front of him. He’s helpful and kind and loving and just so sweet! He is Evie’s best friend. I think about what he was like in China sometimes. He cried A LOT! I slept standing up because you couldn’t even sit down holding him when he was sleeping. He refused to eat or drink for the first three days. We had to force him to swallow fluids off of a spoon. He whined about everything. He wouldn’t come to me. He only wanted Dan for the first day. It was hard.
Had I not been so in love with him for so long, I’m not sure what I would have done. He was a handful. But I knew he was meant to be my son from the very first moment I saw his face and I knew there was no turning back. Over the past year, I watched as God worked out miracle after miracle for him to join our family and I knew there was a plan…no matter how afraid I was.
We waited months for his paperwork to become available. We were sure his paperwork was just not going to become available so we proceeded with Lainey and Evie. Then China allowed us to add Jasmine because she was going to age out soon. Eli’s papers became available after we had already agreed to the three girls. We decided to proceed knowing we may have to turn around and go back to get him after we got home with the girls. But we had prayed and prayed and every one of those prayers were answered. First, that they would allow us to get preapproval, then we watched as papers were expedited at every step. Everything was falling into place. We could have everything done before we traveled. Would China allow us to add him so that we didn’t have to turn around and travel again six months later? They told us the odds were against us. The chance of them allowing a fourth child during one trip was unheard of. But the doors opened and we once again got the okay. There were just so many things that had to happen for him to become our son and every one of them happened.
God is good. SO.VERY.GOOD!
It would have been almost impossible to go back and get Eli with my mom being sick and all the surgeries with Ben and Evie. I’m not sure with as hard as it has been with Lainey that I would have thought I could handle another child. But God worked all things out in perfect time and I am forever blessed by being allowed the blessing of being Eli’s mama.
Right now it is midnight. In just a few hours we will travel to Boston for Ben’s heart catherization. It’s been a rough decision and he is not happy about surgery in any way, shape, or form. He has cried almost every time we have talked about it. It is hard with a five year old. You don’t want to just spring it on them, but you are limited by what they can understand. So you talk to them about the procedures and hope that you haven’t said too much.
Today a dear friend stopped by with a Superman shirt that is extra awesome and a Hot Wheel dinosaur car. Ben was thrilled. It took his mind off of things for a while. He felt special because she stopped by just for him. He had to put the shirt on right away and hasn’t taken it off yet. I told him I should wash it if he is going to wear it tomorrow, but he said “No!”
There is a home that does daycare on the corner on one of the streets on the way to Mercy Hospital. We actually stopped there a week ago when they were having a garage sale. They had a little tykes pirate ship in the yard that Ben has wanted. Every time we drive by it, he comments about how cool it is. We have looked on line and couldn’t find the same ship. I’ve even been checking Ebay and Craigslist. Nothing! But this afternoon as I was driving by on my way to visit mom, I noticed it was for sale in their yard. This yard has a ton of Little Tykes play houses and cars and slides, but the only big thing for sale was the pirate ship. I was in Cassie’s small car so I rolled down my window and asked her if it was indeed for sale and how much it was. She said $20 and I happily paid it and asked for her to hold it for me. Later I drove the bus over to pick it up. I asked her why she sold the ship and she said that for some reason she just thought it should be sold. I then told her about how Ben has driven by her yard for over a year now and has always commented on that ship. I told her that he was really upset about leaving for surgery tomorrow but the ship had made his night. All the way home, Ben commented over and over again how this was THE.BEST.DAY.EVER!!!!! As we drove off, she said she would be praying for him.
Again I say, “God is good.”
Ben hasn’t been upset tonight. He went to bed holding his dinosaur car and talking about what a wonderful, awesome day it was. I am feeling very blessed tonight and am as ready as I can be for the next step with Benjamin! How could I not be when God shows himself in even the smallest details of my little boy’s life?
