New Shoes

Finally!  It seems like there isn't enough hours in the day, week or month  to sit down and catch you all up on the happenings in our home.  Call it busy, call it normal or call it adjusting to our new life, whatever you decide to call it - the bottom line is - things have been CRAZY around here. People always ask "how are you guys? How is Jacob adjusting to life in America"?  I wanted to write this post to answer some of the questions I know you guys are wanting to know.

Jacob has been in our family and in America going on 8 months now.  Man, time sure goes by quickly!   There have been ups and downs in those 8 months, and things haven't always gone the way I think they should have gone. However, that is how life is, isn't it?  We set out to do things, things that we know we are called to do and then just expect them to be easy. I wish it were that simple.  Just because we follow what God has called us to do doesn't mean things will go perfectly. However, HIS plans are always the best.  Just like every child and every pregnancy  is different; so is every adoption.  Adopting an older child who has spent his entire life in an orphanage setting is quite different than adopting a younger child who has been in a foster family. Adjusting to being in a new country and the dynamics that come with a family is often times difficult for an older child. One of the things we have noticed is that Jacob always wants to be around us.  That is a good thing you say.  Yes, to some degree it is...however, there is plenty of space in the house .  Playing legos and making the fighting noises in front of mom when she just wants to relax is not necessarily the best thing.  Just saying. Another thing we have noticed is that Jacob needs to know exactly when we are going to do something, how long it will take and when we will get back. Time and being on schedule was a big deal in the orphanage. However, in the Worthey family time runs a little differently and  is there really such a thing as a schedule? 

I have come to believe that adoption postpartum is a real thing.  Seriously. You spend all this time and energy getting your child home and then - just like that - they are here and part of the family.  It is then you realize that things are not like you had hoped.  They are forever different.    I have spent time praying, crying and asking God why this isn't all I thought it would be.  How come this adoption isn't like the other?  His reply often comes at the strangest times. Yesterday it came to me.  We went shopping to get Jacob a new pair of tennis shoes.  Getting tennis shoes for Jacob  is something  I thought would be like the other times we have gotten shoes for our kids..  However, with Jacob, it was different.  To see the smile that came upon his face as he picked them out and put them on really touched my heart.  To watch him jump up and down and run ahead of the rest of us just because he had his new shoes on spoke to me.  I know it was the Lord saying to me..."see, I have made Jacob, created him for just a time such as this to be in your family - to be loved by you and for you to show him My love for him."  I realized then that all of my selfish desires, all the wanting things just like they were with Naomi wasn't going to be. And, for once, that was just fine.

Jacob is a blessing and a gift that we have been given by the Lord.  God has big plans for our child, plans I can't even begin to imagine.  I know that all the struggles we go through are just preparing us for something much bigger and greater than what is happening right now.  All the frustrations I have when the kids run around and scream in this part of the house or the constant reminder to Jacob that girls are NOT he's but she's - are all part of God's bigger plan. What a privilege to say that we had a small part in the story of rescuing one of God's children and giving him the opportunity to live life and live life to its full.

One another note...please pray for us as we wait for the last piece of the adoption process.  We have been given the consent to adopt Jacob, but are waiting on our government to process our fingerprints.  This is taking about 16 weeks for whatever reason.  Once we get that last piece, we can schedule our court day.  At that time we can "officially" announce and show you all the pictures of Jacob Ford Worthey.  Praying that day comes soon.

Lorrie

Jacob's new shoes!

Aren't they nice?

Snow

Sometimes things don't go the way you expect them too.  However, sometimes that is just fine.  That's the way it is around our place today - and for good cause.

Here in Colorado you can just know that sometime in the month of October you will get the first snow of the season.  When we first moved here that first snow came on Halloween. It took me awhile to get use to the fact that you have to wear long johns under your costume when you go trick or treating.  Very strange for someone who grew up in Texas where we wore shorts on October 31st. However, as the years have past, that first snow seems to be coming earlier and earlier. And, that is just what happened today.  We first got word that the snow would fall last week.  As the week wore on, the excitement of the snow coming grew and grew in our home.

Today, it officially snowed here in Green Mountain Falls.  Not a lot by any means, but it was snow and for a 12 year old who has never experienced the white stuff it WAS alot.  Tons...according to him.  To think that we would be able to concentrate on school things was just a silly idea.  So, today our Jacob is experiencing the fun of the white stuff.  To see him all dressed up in hats and gloves and hearing him run around the yard screaming at the top of his lungs is what we are doing today in our home. The joys of adopting , the joys of bringing a child into a family so that they can experience life and the "white stuff" are so worth it.

Snow at our home

As we move into the month of November, please remember all of those who are in the process of bringing a child into their home. Times are hard, finances are tight but that doesn't mean we can stop advocating for the orphans of the world.  The whole reason we do what we do is for them - for those who might never have the opportunity to scream at the top of their lungs and enjoy all that white "stuff".

Lorrie

Remembering Anticipation

I'm sitting here this morning remembering what if felt like to be in anticipation of Jacob's arrival.  I am remembering what it was like to feel that ache, knowing my son was in an orphanage, knowing he was waiting for someone - anyone to be a father, a mother, a brother, a sister to him.  I remember the anticipation of 'the call' we were desperate for to go get him.  I remember the uncertainty - "how on earth can we do this?"  "where are we going to get that much money?".  Most of all I remember my Jesus showing up -right when we needed him and with exactly what was needed.

Now Jacob is home.  He's learning and growing, he thanks God (so do we)  for his family when we pray and thank God for the day each night.  He plays - boy does he play.  He's with his old friend - now sister Naomi.  Things are getting to be a routine again, things are also bigger, more colorful, more filled with joy and a richness that we'd miss if we did not - "Go".

I just wanted to remember today...how it felt then and how it feels now to anticipate what God is doing in this (and your) adoption story.  I know it's hard for those of you that are waiting.  But I want you to know that waiting is, in retrospect - beautiful.  Its there that you are closest to seeing the Lord pass by - He is Beautiful.  Do not loose heart, be encouraged.... watch this:

November 4th is Orphan Sunday.  Lets do something.  Help those that are adopting by praying for them, equipping them.  Let's also pray for those that have no one - pray that they will have SOMEONE - soon.

Marshall

Jacob and Camping

I was sitting here thinking - I bet you guys are wondering how things are going.  First let me tell you things are going very well with Jacob.  I can't believe how well he is adjusting and connecting with his family in so short of a time (since May).

Let me give you an example:

Camping.  Those of you who know us know that we love to camp.  Each summer we drag our hail damaged trailer (that we call the ruptured duck) out to some destination for a few days of fun, hiking, seeing something new.

Mom and Dad at Zion NP

So after Jacob got over the fact that we actually drag this box around behind the car and sleep in it.  He really got into it this summer.  My favorite trip is the one we just did...So we pull into Green River UT at night on our way to Zion.  Now then - it was dark when we arrived so Jacob missed the changes in the landscape from mountains to Utah desert.  So picture this:  he's still in his pjs and he comes out of the trailer rubbing his eyes - then he focuses.....OH MY!  We're not in Colorado anymore!  - The look was priceless!

After explaining to him that we're now in the desert (and what a desert is)  he remarked ..."oh.  Ok"  And then he was all about the exploration.

So when we camp some of us prefer to sleep outside.  Now when Jacob got here - he was a bit nervous about bears, mountain lions etc.  But he see's his brothers and me sleeping outside so this last trip he asks: "can I sleep outside with you?"  Now you may think that's not real significant but consider being a green horn in the African Serengeti and saying to your guide " I want to sleep on the ground unarmed" - most of  us might not ask that....but Jacob did!

Marshall

Life is an Adjustment

As I sit here and write, I am reminded that the days of summer are almost over.  For the first time since we have lived in Colorado the trees are beginning to turn.  Usually, the leaves begin changing to their beautiful yellow color the second week in September with the "peak" being then.  I asked a local the other day why the leaves were changing this early and they said that "they have just given up".  We have had so little rain over the year that they are are going into their dormant state to survive.  Really?  Sounds really interesting to me. Often times I wonder if we can just go into our dormant state to survive. It would be much easier to just run away and hibernate.  However, life isn't like that for us.  We must continue on and tackle those uneasy things that life throws our way.

Boys enjoying the lazy days of summer

When we stepped out to adopt Jacob both Marshall and I knew that God was calling our family to something much bigger than we could even imagine.  So, we stepped out and began the adoption process.  Thanks to all the prayers and support we have received from you, we are now the proud parents of a 12 year old Filipino boy.  We both just assumed that bringing Jacob home would be just like it was when we brought our Naomi home.  I don't know why that assumption was made. After all the many years of child development I have had learning about children you would think I would have known that every child is different and every adoption is different.  I guess my brain stopped for a second.

Jacob's adoption has been so very different than Naomi's adoption.  Just like Joshua's birth was so very different than Noah's birth. However, what a blessing Jacob is to our family.  His laugh is just precious.  Watching him run around the house chasing Naomi and speaking in their language brings joy to my heart.  (OK...at first not joy because it is super loud, but in the end joy).   I love sitting back and watching him learn all about America.  Where this is, where that is.  I often wonder how his life would be like had we not brought him home.  Would he still be the oldest kid in the orphanage? Probably.  Would he watch all his friends leave with their new family? Definitely.  Would he still be wondering if someone loved him so much to adopt him?  You bet.  We are all created to be in relationships, to be in families and to be loved.  It's really that simple.

There are children throughout the world who are waiting for someone, anyone to tell them they are loved and special.  We have friends who have stepped out to "take the plunge" into this life changing  process called adoption.  Would you commit to praying for all of those children and families who wait and who are walking this wonderful road?  The road is sometimes the most unpleasant and painful experience you will experience but in the end it is so very worth it.  Adoption will change your life - I promise.

We just finished up our second social worker visit.  We have one more visit and then we can file the necessary paperwork to "legally" adopt our son. We are thinking the court date will be sometime next spring.  Until then, we  will continue to abide by the Philippine adoption law that states we cannot post any pictures of our son.  What  a happy day it will be in the Worthey home when we can say " welcome home Mr. Jacob, welcome home". And, by all means, show all of  you our newest member of the Worthey crew. Pictures, pictures and more pictures!

I wanted to share with you all one of my favorite adoption videos ever. I first saw this when we were stepping out and taking the "plunge" with Naomi.  I have posted this one before but it is so worth posting again.  May you be as blessed by this video as I am every time I see it. Enjoy.

http://www.kristinjphotography.com/Slideshows/Day4_Slideshow/Ethiopia_Day4/

Lorrie

And Summer is Almost Over?

I can't begin to tell you how quickly life has flown by these last few months. Jacob has been with us for 3 months today!  At times it seems longer than that and other days I sit and things seem to drag on.

Our life really began to get crazy when we got back from the evacuation.  I mean, things were crazy during the fire, but when we got back things REALLY  went out of control.  First off, during our annual Fun Valley camping trip Naomi came down with a tooth ache.  On top of that she developed a fever.  So, what does a mom do?  Call the dentist.  I got on my cell phone, stood with one foot in the air and attempted to call our dentist while we were out in the boonies.  We were able to get Naomi an appointment for the day we returned from our week long trip.

So, on that Thursday we went to the dentist and would you guess what he told us?  Naomi needed an emergency root canal. Actually, she needed TWO emergency root canals.  WHAT? I asked...she is only 10 years old.  10 years old or not ,years of neglect of teeth will only lead to emergency root canals.  So, after spending an hour extra in the dentist office I finally found someone who would actually do root canals on a 10 year old.  The only problem was that they had never done a root canal on a 10 year old!  Crazy for sure..
Naomi and I went in to get the first root canal done that afternoon.  After 3 hours and a lot of crying she left the office with just a temporary filling.  I was told at that time we would need 3 more visits just to finish up both root canals.

On August 1st Naomi came down with a fever of 103.7 degrees.  We called the dentist, he started her on penicillin and that was that.  The next morning, August 2nd, her temperature went up to 104.9.  Now, Naomi has had high temps before but this one was extremely high even for her!  We went directly to the emergency room where they took tons of test.  No strep - yeah!  No obvious infection - yeah!  But....her blood glucose levels came back at 186.  According to what I have heard, they should be anyway between 70 and 120.  We ran more test to find out that her white blood count was down to 2.0 - should be between 4.0-12.0 and her sodium, potassium and nitrate levels were out of this world!

We have had a leukemia scare, a heart scare and have been at a loss as to what all of this means. This last Friday Naomi was put "under" and the dentist pulled her last rotten tooth.  When all was over he told us that the tooth was so infected it was only being held in place by her wire that we put in two years ago!  Not good at all...As of Sunday Naomi is fever free, running around here like nothing ever happened and is actually eating solid foods.  It's a great day in the Worthey home!

So, that is what has been happening.  Summer is almost over.  Jacob has spent these last 90 days in a very crazy family.  But, isn't that what a family is all about? Hanging in there and taking care of things as they come.  As  most of you know, we Homeschool our children.  I just wanted to say to everyone that the Worthey's will NOT be officially in school just yet. After all the crazies this summer we just need a little time off. I am really hoping for some much needed rest, relaxation and a few weeks without any tooth drama.

Naomi showing us her beautiful teeth!

Lorrie

Finally is all I can say

First Pinoy Snow Sighting

Finally is the word for the day. Finally, I can sit down and write a WAY past due entry in our blog. Finally, I get the chance to catch you all up on the happenings in the Worthey Crew. Finally, I have a few minutes to myself to do what has needed to be done for a long time! Honestly, you know you need to do something when you wake up in the middle of the night and start thinking of your blog and having this overwhelming guilt.

I wanted to take these moments to catch all of you up on what has been going on with our family since Jacob has joined us. As you know, we got back into the states on Mother's Day - May 15th. Since then we have had many doctors visits, teeth issues and a wildfire in our backyard. To say that things haven't been normal is an under statement for sure.

We found out this week that Jacob is missing two of his permanent front teeth. Yep, no sign of them in his mouth. So, that means we head to the orthodontics to discuss treatment plans. Fortunately, we have sometime and his smile isn't too bad. More than likely, he will be put in braces to try to bring the front teeth together so that we can eventually get some fake ones in there. The good news about that dentist visit is that he only has three cavities. That is extremely good news for us considering when Naomi came to us she had severe dental issues.

Speaking of our sweet Naomi, she had to have an emergency root canal. 10 years old and is already dealing with something that many adults never have to deal with. Did I mention that she needs two root canals? Oh, did I mention that most pediatric dentists don't deal with root canals? And, did I mention that the only way to get this procedure done is by being put under AND that doesn't happen in the office setting until you are 14 years old? So teeth issues have been the majority of things taking our time around here. We are waiting for a phone call from the many dentists who have seen Naomi. They are consulting with each other as to what to do. Hey, when all of this is over and done with Naomi Worthey will be the known name around the Colorado Springs dentist offices. I really think there are four different dentist working together to figure out the best plan for our sweet Naomi.

So, you ask, how is Jacob doing? Honestly, with everything going on with the fire, with the job of being the Mayor and being evacuated it has been difficult. We have had to tell him over and over these last two months that "things don't run like this" normally. No, we don't stay up till midnight with 5 different families in one home. No, we don't eat dinner at 10:00pm. No, we don't run around and play all day everyday. There is work to be done and life isn't all about playing.

We have been off schedule for sometime now and are ready for the structure we all need. We never would have imagined how things would be. However, we have been back in our home for 19 days now and Jacob is beginning to fit right in. We are beginning to function as a family and we are beginning to see him come alive. Yes, it has been hard. Yes, it is a learning curve and yes, there are times when we don't see the progress we would like to see, but it is all so worth it.

I have come to learn that you never move ahead in life when you stay where you are. If you never step out and do something different or hard you will never reap life's full joy. It is during those trials when you begin to grow into the person God created you to be. That is what it is like around here these days. We are growing, learning and watching our Jacob being molded into family life. Such a sweet thing that is.

Finally, we are a family.

Lorrie