We Leave in 5 days!

The time is flying by so far this new year. Here is our January...

• I have been a busy bee doing office work for hubby for an investment property, his company's 1099/1096 filing, and other odds and ends he delegated to me to handle. 
• The older three kiddos joined a local choir on Mondays and I am gone most of the day while they have class/practice. 
• Elizabeth has really jumped in this month in her beginning phonics and math. It's exciting to see her get excited about reading.
• Dustin completed 6 more hours of college credits with CLEPs in January.
• Levi & Rebecca started with a new piano instructor this month. They really like his teaching style and are enjoying their lessons & practice.
• Sarah is EVERYWHERE. She is an adventure novel. Each day is a new chapter!
• Sarah is talking and adding so many words to her vocabulary. She is so super cute how she expresses herself and talks with her hands just like her momma.
• Sarah in 2 months time has gone from calling me "Mom" to "Momma" to "Mom-meeeeeee"
• Rebecca's rabbits are having litter after litter. She has 15 baby rabbits in her rabbitry currently!
• We had the flu and it took up residence for 2 weeks.
• We continue to take down trees on the property that slowly died from the drought summer before last.
• And finally, I am making a list of important items for the sweet family who is coming to stay here with the kiddos while Rhea and I are at our appointment at the NEDC next week. It is only a two  day trip, but there are so many details about what happens in a day at the Robison house to mention it seems! : )

Really, we are leaving in 5 days to fly to Knoxville for our appointment! We are getting so close to our FET!

Week 1 Video Update--HOBBIT Style!!

Our boys are having fun! Here is their end of Week 1 total update video submitted to the Give1 Save1 website--Hobbit style!  If you haven't had time to see the adoption video the boys and their friends made, please do so by going HERE. We are still in need of another $6,000 for the adoption agency and program fees. Will you share our link with all those you know? We were blessed to be given an additional week on the Give1 Save1 website. Just so you know, every little $1 truly helps and is appreciated by us more than you could ever know. Thank you.

Country Christmas Video Update

The Give1 Save1 website posted this today:

Ready for a little Country Christmas update?

If you have not had the opportunity to "meet" the Featured Family of The Week, The Robison Family, and see the amazing video that their sons put together with their friends, please CLICK HERE to see the video and learn about Embryo Adoption, hear some beautiful Christmas music and see what these kiddos did for their family! 

Oh, and while you are at it, remember at Give 1 Save 1 we encourage you to give just $1 by clicking that donate button. It takes just one more click after that and in seconds you are helping this family get closer to bringing their babies home! So hop on over to see this family. Prepare to SMILE!

Here is the promised update video for their Day 4 Give1 Save1 totals... (but don't forget to come back and GO HERE to see their Family Video)

Questions about Embryo Adoption? Ask away!

4 months old!

I owe this blog a VERY long update, but a quick one will have to be what I do for now...

We are doing well, just no time to blog.  A different season we are in for certain! Thought I'd post a quick pic I took this morning from my phone so you could see baby girl. Sooooo, this little, tiny baby we adopted as an embryo, who was not supposed to live, much less survive thawing is now 4 months old and 21# and very long wearing 12 month clothes comfortably. ; ) Gotta love it!  If I buy her anything at this point it will be 18 month for the Spring/Summer. She is rolling over, though with her big ol' self it takes a lot of work on her part ; ) She is smiling, laughing, and is just a joy to have with us.  Thank you Lord for blessing us with this precious girl.

Rhea's business is doing well which keeps my bookkeeping side of things busy too. D-man's Lyme Disease is close to remission and he is under a trial of being off medication right now.  Leevster is involved in building a scrap metal business, D-man is working to finish up high school and start driving this semester. BooBear is sewing, crocheting, knitting, and cooking. She is loving it all and is learning to balance and plan as she juggles all of her favorite activities. PookieBear is starting her "schooling" this semester and is loving to learn to read and write. In her spare time she plays in her doll house, colors, plays play-dough,  and helps me in the kitchen. She is truly a great sous chef and help to me. Her favorite past time though as it has been for 4 months straight is playing and spending time with her baby sister. If the baby is in her bouncy seat, Pookie is right there beside her!

Boobear looks strained in this picture holding baby girl...Well, 21# is a lot to haul around! She still doesn't have full head/neck control yet! ; ) She is a 4 month old in a 9 month old body!

Couldn't Help It...more pictures

Leevster and his littlest sister. He has a knack for getting her settled for her morning nap!

D-man has been working hard with his Daddy getting this project completed. D-man gets dropped off at home around 6:00. He showers, eats and has family worship with all of us. Last night, after we finished family worship, I went to tuck in PookieBear. I came back to find these two in the family room still.

And then there is just this "couldn't you just cuddle her all day long?" picture. She loves to be swaddled. She is also a tummy sleeper, but when she is good and asleep, I can flip her over for some photos!

What's New at Our House

Well literally speaking, we have a new range! Our old one finally gave out and we had enough points saved to get this new range delivered and installed for a big whoppin' $20!  I never realized how awful my burner output really was!

I have also been sewing some more. I made these PJ pants for Leevster &

 my 4yo nephew. 

Of course we made GI Joe PJ pants out of the scraps!

 Next, this past Saturday when Rhea was working, I finally got around to making slipcovers for our 16yo glider rocker. This rocker does not match our decor anymore, as we have all dark wood pieces now, but this chair is so comfy and I have rocked all 4 kiddos in it, I just couldn't give it up. So, slipcovers it is! I had no pattern and with a lot of use from my seam ripper and lots of Velcro, I finally finished!

Then, it was time to make wetbags. These are reusable zipper bags to put soiled cloth diapers/wipes in when traveling or at home. They can also be used for carrying wet swimsuits or soiled clothes during the season of potty training! The bag gets tossed in the laundry with the dipes or other garments. The one above has PUL (waterproof fabric) on the inside and outside. I made 2 of those. One for me and one for my sister.

This bag I made in a larger size for our diaper changing area for our baby. It has cloth on the outside and PUL on the inside. BTW, I have NEVER done zippers before & they weren't that scary after all! I used a free online pattern/tutorial for the bags. I have 2 more to make. A medium one for the diaper bag/travel and an extra for the nursery. I have also finished my CD stash, thanks to my sister's help. We are ready to give this cloth diapering adventure a whirl! (well I am, but the other kiddos are still not too sure)

And finally, why you haven't heard from me most of all...

Our entire house came down with "the crud". The girls (including me) got it the worst, but we stayed on top of it with EOs, homeopathy, & herbal tinctures. Pookie and I sound the worst still as ours moved into bronchitis.  

28wk OB appt was yesterday. I had my 1 hour glucose test done, thyroid  blood work run, and the baby is measuring 2 weeks ahead of schedule! Sounds good to me, as we know I am not going to be going past 39 weeks. 

I did have a great visit with my OB yesterday about inducing. He wants me to labor at home and says as we get closer h will discuss with me some things we will try to get my body to go into labor early and me labor at home. I also told him how I "stall" during labor and in the past I have been given Pit and then I cannot stay on top of the contractions without and epi. I told him that at our homebirth that eventually the contractions got going again and everything was fine. 

He was very positive and said he wants to stay as non-invasive as possible and it will all come down to the NST results at the end. I have several friends who have used my OB and have been very pleased with how he handles L&D. Rhea and I are completely at ease with our choice in doctors. 

Well, I believe that about catches you up around here!

23 weeks & our family

The last month has flown by, but then it hasn't. We have been up to all kinds of things! In the last 4 weeks:

• D-man turned 16 & BooBear turned 11
• My grandmother died
• My sister and her boys came to visit
• We went to Dallas for my grandmother's memorial service
• D-man had a rough month with his Lyme Disease
• D-man has had a great last few days with his Lyme Disease
• I have felt like I have been on the computer WAY too much
• I have been on the computer, but it allowed me to be caught up on all the taxes and paperwork for the business.
• I found a changing table on Craigsl*st
• I need to find a crib, twin bed for PookieBear, and a chest for D-man
• I have only gained 7#. With PookieBear at this point I had gained 15# who knows?
• I need to work out more (period!) using my new DVD (since I have only used it once)
• I was BLESSED with a stroller, carseat combo from my sis, along with a bouncy seat, maternity clothes, a highchair, a swing, and lots of baby boy newborn clothes (if I have a boy).
• I feel fantastic and am feeling the baby move a lot.
• The baby gets hiccups FREQUENTLY! It is the strangest feeling
• I continue to wonder where all the dirty laundry comes from? Does it hide somewhere? I thought I was caught up!
• I sewed 2 maternity skirts. They are cute and comfy.
• I am working on a sundress for PookieBear next
• BooBear had 10 inches cut off her hair today to donate to Locks of Love.
• D-man starts 2 online summer school courses next week.
• We are now official iPh*ne owners (with kids who thankfully program them for us)
• Rhea's business is picking up like crazy! Thank you Lord!
• We decided we would do a vegetable garden this year after all. We had 2 last year and were not going to do one, but the kiddos all want to do one, so better late than never!
• I have been TOTALLY enjoying my gardenias & roses that are blooming!
• Our dog is destined to be an outside dog if he keeps going to the neighbor's property to roll in horse poop
• Leevster & BooBear continue to take ASL classes and L-O-V-E it! 
• BooBear is still taking weekly sewing lessons and is learning so much
• the older 3 kiddos had their spring piano recital last week
• My kids are into watching the old Roy Rogers episodes right now and BooBear is starting to "talk" like Dale Evans. Yee-Haw!
• Our Tahoe may not make it through the summer without some major TLC. hmmm....
• Nesting has begun--tomorrow? PookieBear's closet!!
• Cravings? strangely enough....coffee! Also, a big bowl of cereal before bedtime'
• I have my next appt with the OB on Wednesday. 
• Mudpuppy is so amazing to us. He/she is such a testimony to God's faithfulness and providence. We still reflect on the fact that this little tiny one was conceived under a microscope in March of 1999, was frozen for nearly 12 years, transferred by a doctor to my womb, and is kicking me as I type this. Truly AMAZING!

I have pics of some of the above bullet points to share. I will post those with my doctor's appt update later this week. Love to all of you!!

Bullet Points

• The San Francisco trip went smoothly. D-man & I even had the opportunity to "opt-out" at both airports! goody!
• Lots of blood work was drawn and D-man is now on 2 antibiotics. The Dr. suspects a co-infection from the tick as well as Lyme.
• The results will be ready in December and our next appt (by phone) is on 12/10
• I was tested too as she needed to rule out gestational Lyme Disease!?!
• The Leevster's 13th b-day bash was lots of fun on Friday-Sat
• We went to a special friend's birthday party on Saturday
• The Leevster & I went to church yesterday. D-man was down hard, Rhea felt awful, and I left the girls at home to care for everyone.
• Woke up at 4:00 a.m. this morning to PookieBear in our bed and "tossing her cookies". Changed sheets, her clothes, my clothes.
• Got a bowl, laid her on a towel on the new sheets...20 min. later...here we go again. Why did I think the bowl and towel would help?
• Repeat the above situation every 20-30 minutes 
• Washing LOADS and LOADS of laundry--and typing fast b/c my 20 minutes before PookieBear needs me is almost up!
• Leevster & BooBear just reported (as I am typing) that they both feel "weird" and have a headache and their tummies feel funny. I told them that they better go outside to the woods, the toilet, or a bowl, NO SHEETS!
• D-man is still asleep. He is still recovering from the trip and Leevster's b-day. Lyme Disease really pulls him down if he is not careful. 
• Oh, and I took my first Lupron injection last night! 12/17 will be here before we know it.

Whew!! God is good and I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me! Have a beautiful Monday everyone!!

Catching Up...

Well, with our tiny ones safe and sound in Dallas, I wanted to post a few pictures of the kiddos. We received a HOT blast here where we live a couple of weeks ago. It stayed until a couple of days ago. Now it seems like fall. This was at a park day with some friends. BooBear & PookieBear are hot & sweaty from playing, but I loved this sister picture.

The lighting stinks in this picture and I don't have time to tweak it, but I couldn't resist this expression on PookieBear.

Yes, D-man looks like a growly bear, but he is not. He was just having a rough day with his Lyme Disease symptoms that day, but his buddies were nice enough to go sit by him and chat. Here they are either discussing the upcoming elections or airsoft strategies (or both).

Finally, later that day, Rhea took the Leevster to our local bank as he won the coloring contest they held. Our bank has been wonderful over the last couple of years as we have gone through the adoption process. They are supportive and inquire about how things are going each time we stop by.          Next post...writing our letter to our placing parents & preparing for our trip to San Francisco...do you think I can squeeze anything else in between now and our FET?

FedEx Delivers x 2!

(our precious ones are now safe & snug and residing in the building on the left)

The best news is that according to our adoption agency coordinator, our 5 precious little ones are safe and sound in our clinic in Dallas. They have been transferred to a permanent tank where they will wait until Dec. 16th. When I go for my appt. in early Dec., I will be in the same office as our tiny ones! It was so precious, as Leevster asked if we could see them while we were in Dallas. : ) It won't be too much longer little sweeties!

FedEx also delivered this to our house today:

Could this be a homeschool science lesson today? uh, well, I think I will pass on that. ; )  D & I did the inventory and put the box away until I need its contents (Nov. 15th). Though, I suppose I should watch the CD on how to do injections? I wasn't nervous about the injections until I saw ALL of the needles. And that large pile on the left, uh, those needles are H-U-G-E!

Thank you Father for protecting our precious ones through human hands at FedEx and for providing the funds needed for us to receive the box which will help prepare my body for our FET. We serve a magnificent God!

Monthly ebay Sales for June! Embryo Adoption Fundraising

Well I do have several items up on ebay right now, but with 2 more items shipping today, our total take-home amount for our adoption fund for June is....$559.60! Thank you Lord!

Each item I sold this month was either a donated item for our upcoming garage sale, a goodie from our closets, or book lots that I have been working on as I collect books at garage sales.




The Leevster is my assistant. I just tell him an item has closed and has been paid for and he packages the item, weighs it, prints the shipping label, and takes it to the mailbox or leaves a note for our postal carrier to pick it up. He also has learned to contact the buyer and let them know their item is on its way. He and BooBear are my photographers as well. Do you really think I could have set up all the little Sweet Streets pictures like BooBear did?



It is a team effort to gather all the funds needed to pay for agency fees, Meds, Doctors' visits, and the actual FET procedure itself. The kiddos are very excited about having more siblings and this is their way to do something in addition to prayer.



With Hurricane Alex coming in tonight in South Texas/Mexico, it has been a different kind of summer afternoon in the Houston area. We are an hour outside of Houston, but those first rain bands off Alex have made their way to us. It is so strange to have wind this time of year. In fact, if there are wind gusts in the summer, it usually is from a tropical storm of some sort. Has it cooled the weather off, uh, not really, but it has made for a 'book reading' kind of afternoon. It does make me remember to check our hurricane supplies for the rest of hurricane season.

Coming soon...answers to more EA questions, pics of our NEW mailbox (especially designed by my dh as a 'gift' to me for my e-bay items), and more food preserving.

Guess What?

We are still waiting on Rhea's fingerprints to be 'found'! (surprise! ha!)

As soon as the homestudy is finalized, we can get it to the agency. Once they approve it, we will be in their program. Which program is that you might wonder? Well, when we get the 'okay' from the agency that we are working with, we will be posting the news!

In the meantime, will you please continue to pray that Rhea's fingerprints 'appear' in our SW's inbox? In a few more days, it will be a month since they should have been sent. God is control of the little details, we know, we are just being diligent in our prayers for all to work out in His timing.

So, to keep myself distracted, I took the above children to the orthodontist and they will be in Summer Camp at Dr. Hanigan's office. Though, instead of tire swings over the lake, and roasting marshmallows, they will be getting spacers, expanders, teeth pulled, and one even gets the deluxe package with top braces! PookieBear loves the ortho office. They have a giant fish tank with really big fish for her to 'talk' to. She always wants to know "Where dey go-een Mommy?"

Camp starts the first week of June, and we go every other week through the middle of July. Anyone want to sign up with us? ; )

Time to Update the Home Study!

girlie day at the deli

the boys and their buddies camping

D-man w/his dinner

PookieBear 'doing' her spelling

Well, we have no idea when we will be able to adopt, but we feel it is very important to keep our home study up-to-date to be ready for whatever the Lord has planned for our family. I spent the last week paperchasing and making appts for all of the kiddos' well checks. We are choosing not to do the injectable TB test and do chest x-rays instead for everyone. Our home visit is next week and we should have it 're'-finalized by mid May. Our home study will be Hague ready, domestic ready, just plain ready!

I will keep everyone updated as our journey continues. We are exploring and praying through an adoption option and if it continues to move forward, we will share soon!

Laughter Lives! Tuesday

This post is part of "Laughter Lives! Tuesday" on the Riggs Family Blog. Check our their blog to read everyone else's "Laughter Lives!" posts.

Okay, Sweet Abby is enjoying the videos people are sending. To keep her smiling, let's everyone post some funny pics or video! I uploaded our L'il Canon and it is always a scream to see what the kids have been doing with it in my absence. So here you go Abby, some crazy pics my kiddos took of themselves!!

Leevster's hint to me that he needs a haircut!





Here, they are putting a cereal box on the baby's head? Pretty silly, huh Abby?




Next, we have BooBearattempting Rhythmic Gymnastics with a measuring tape?





I hope you are smiling now Abby! Have a terrific Tuesday!

Kawasaki Disease

One year ago today, our Leevster was admitted to Texas Children's Hospital. He had a high fever, swollen lymph nodes and a puzzled pediatrician. At the age of 10, Levi was a strong little boy who fought and never gave up. Leevster did not fit the age profile for Kawasaki Disease. Usually the disease is seen in children under the age of five. Since we did not know what Levi had until almost a week later, I had to stay away from the hospital since the baby was only 3 months old at the time. Rhea took off work and stayed with Leevster 24/7 at the hospital.

I was finally able to see Leevster after he had been in the hospital almost a week. The doctors decided that even though we didn't know what we were dealing with, Leevster needed his mother. At the time, he had not been diagnosed yet. It was the most frightening time in my life. We prayed, cried out to God, and prayed some more.

On the day I finally got to see him, Leevster had developed pneumonia. He was struggling in so many areas. The fluid build up around his organs was caused by the Kawasaki Disease. As soon as our little guy was diagnosed and given gamma globulin and baby aspirin, he began to improve quickly! Leevster was diagnosed on day nine of his KD and he suffered no lasting heart damage. We praise God for his team of doctors at TCH. Leevster was definitely one of 'the' cases while he was there. He had a consistent stream of medical personnel standing outside his door looking through his chart!


We also praise God for allowing us to continue to raise our wonderful boy to serve Him all the days of his life!





Please take a minute and review the symptoms of Kawasaki Disease. Although doctors have not figured out yet how one gets KD, there is a cure if caught in time!

Kawasaki Disease is characterized by an inflammation of the blood vessels throughout the body. There is no specific test for KD; doctors make a clinical diagnosis based on a collection of symptoms and physical findings. Early symptoms of KD include:

* Fever that lasts for five or more days
* Rash, often worse in the groin area
* Red bloodshot eyes, without drainage or crusting
* Bright red, swollen, cracked lips, “strawberry” tongue, which appears with shiny bright red spots after the top coating sloughs off
* Swollen hands and feet and redness of the palms and soles of the feet
* Swollen lymph nodes in the neck

Understandably, children with these symptoms are extremely uncomfortable and irritable. Any parent whose child has persistent fever and any of these symptoms should take him or her to the doctor immediately.

Without treatment, about 25% of children develop heart disease involving the coronary arteries. Timely diagnosis and treatment (which usually includes intravenous gamma globulin) is highly effective in preventing coronary complications. For more information, please visit the Kawasaki Disease Foundation website.

Below: Our Leevster minutes after arriving home from the hospital. He was so anxious to see his baby sister!



Leevster today! Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!!