A Few Baby Favorites

A few things I have come to absolutely LOVE and feel like I would be lost without since having Ellie:

1. Dr. Brown's Bottles- My sis bought me one when we were in the hospital with Ellie- she said that she heard they were awesome from our cousin Becca- I currently have 6 and will add more to my collection before Ellie is through taking a bottle- They are supposed to reduce gas- Ellie has latched on really well to them from the beginning (which is HUGE when you have a small baby).
2. Home Made burp clothes that are made from cloth diapers- They seem to absorb Ellie's spit up really well- LOVE LOVE LOVE them.
3. Sleepers that zip from Children's Place- During the night, if Ellie's diaper needs to be changed- It is so much easier to zip something up and down then to snap it up- 
4. Aveeno Baby Wash and Lotion- The Lotion with the purple top- While I was baby sitting Lily, I saw that my friend Dionne (Lily's mom) used it on her- I tried it out and really liked it- It seem's to work well on Ellie's skin.  The baby wash smells really good and I love smelling Elle bug after she has had a bath :)
5. Mylicon- My sis Jodi bought Ellie Mylicon gas drops- THEY ARE AMAZING.  If your baby has ever suffered from gas I would highly recommend Mylicon- It will calm Ellie down and she will sleep after having it- If she does not have it and is suffering from gas, she is very fussy for hours.

I just came across this picture of our middle son Ryan- He was
a little under a year old..........so so so cute- Daddy and I love you Ryno Chase!!

A Sweet Picture of Friendship

 As Becca's mom (Robin- Becca's mom is standing to the right of this picture in the black shirt) was praying on Sat. at Bec's baby shower, I opened my eye's toward the end of the prayer to check on Ellie- I happened to glance up, and this is what I saw...a scene that brought tears to my eye's-
My sis-in-law Liz (who is lovingly nick named 'precious liz-a-beth') with her ever loving hand on Becca's leg-
If I could have read Liz's mind at that moment I know that she was pouring forth an enormous amount of Love and support- Among other things, she was confirming to Becca that she (Liz) would be faithfully praying for little Claire (Bec's new baby girl) and Bec-
I think that this moment was extra tender to my heart, not only because I love these 2 women like sisters, but because I am going through a season in life where I feel like the Lord is really teaching me about being a good friend- during this season of learning I have been doing the Bible Study 'David' by Beth Moore- In it she talks about the friendship between Jonathan and David (found in 1 Samuel)- I have written, in the margin of 1 Samuel 18 in my Bible, "Lord please let me be a friend like Jonathan............"
That is the prayer of my heart- It is neat to see physical examples (like the pictures on my today's post) of beautiful Godly friendships-

We've Been A Family Of 5 For 5 Weeks

O.K...................... So We have been a family of 5 for 5 weeks tomorrow-
I had a moment of quiet cause Ellie decided to drink twice as much formula for dinner tonight than she normally does and is completely zonked out.  I might regret the decision that I allowed her to go to sleep at 7 tonight instead of keeping her up until about 10 (we normally keep her up from 7-10 pm every night so that she will sleep a decent amount at night- her day's and night's were confused the first couple of weeks we brought her home).
Back to my first sentence- WE ARE A FAMILY OF 5!!!
The past 5 weeks has been a huge life change (obviously)- We are navigating through bridging 2 vastly different age groups (Ellie a newborn and Eli and Ryan tween/teen)- For instance, if we are to do something as a complete family- floating down the river would not be the choice anymore- It would look more like going to the river- the boys will swim and I will sit on the shore (in a very shady spot) and watch........Still totally great to do- just different-  Lot's of thinking through for Matt and I on how to create our new 'normal'-

I was eating breakfast this morning and heard Ellie start fussing- She was just waking up and still in her bassinet in my room......I never even said a word to either of my boys- I saw Ryan jump up and and say 'Miss Marie is crying!' (They both call her 'Miss Marie)- He went and got her, laid her on his chest and she slept for a good half an hour more cuddled against her big brother-

What a blessing to be able to say that we are finding and creating our new 'normal'
Eli Ben, Ryan Chase, and Ellie Marie.......You bless the socks off of daddy and I!

This picture is totally unrelated to my blog post- I just found it and thought it was adorable-
I am guessing it is about 7 years old-
From left to right is our nephew Jess, Ryan, and Eli

I think Ellie is trying to tell us to 'Talk to the Hand' :)

To All the Ladies Who Attended Ellie's Baby Shower Last Night....

To the ladies who attended Ellie's baby shower last night- THANK YOU! And to all of the ladies who were unable to attend........YOU WERE MISSED! The Support all of you have shown has been incredible- May God Bless and Keep each one of you!  Love you,  Steph

These are just a few of the picture off of my camera that my sis in law Judie took- My aunt Petra took quite a few that I will be posting later.  What a wonderful evening..............

I had my niece Sienna take this picture of Ellie and I just before
leaving for the Baby  Shower

My niece Sienna

Ellie's baby shower was hosted by my church and given by
my mom and sis (thanks so much mom and sis- it really was an amazing evening)

Instead of cake my mom's friend made the most delish cupcakes

Talking about Ellie's adoption story

My friend Michelle doing the devotion (Hugs to you Michelle)

Our Aunt Lois holding her grand daughter Jayme and my mother in law
holding Ellie

TINA and TREVA!!! Thank you for the Tu-Tu

Val and I holding Ellie and Jayme

This was about 1/2 of the gifts scattered around my living room floor this morning!
We are so blessed be each and everyone

Bringing Precious Bao Gui Home......

As I walked up to a BBQ that my sister had invited me to this past Wed. night (thanks for the invite sis) I already knew that my child hood friend Lisa was going to be there- My sister had mentioned it as we had chatted on the phone about what side dishes we were going to be bringing (she was bringing cream cheese filled peppers and I was bringing cantelope and chips).  The great thing about child hood friends is that you can go with out talking  for years and years yet when you see each other you have an instant connection- 
I had followed Lisa on face book for the past several years and knew by both talking to her and by face book that she and her husband had added to their family of 4 (they have 2 biological children) 2 additional blessings- These blessings came by way of an International adoption from China.  We instantly started talking about their adoption story.........we then talked about Ellie's adoption story........As the conversation continued, I learned that Lisa and her husband Daniel felt a very strong calling to adopt one more precious blessing from China-  A little boy with significant medical needs named Bao Gui (pronounced Bow-Go).  As Lisa started describing the situation surrounding Bao Gui I felt a stirring very deep in my heart- As Lisa talked on, I knew that I was supposed to share her story with all of you.......my blog friends-


May God Bless and keep little Bao Gui as he awaits his placement with his Daniel and Lisa as his forever family.........And may God rise up people who feel led to donate to this amazing cause- Daniel and Lisa are $2,500 short of bringing Bao Gui home- If, after reading their story you would like to donate ANY amount ($10.00 is not to small)- feel free to contact Lisa directly or their adoption agency- I will put both contact information at the bottom of this blog post.
BELOW IS BAO GUI'S STORY AS TOLD BY LISA:

Bao Gui

I guess it’s really BaoGui’s story and it began long before our family knew of his need, before our hearts were touched by his sweet smile and before we knew we were called to bring him home. He was abandoned shortly after birth, most likely due to medical needs that his birth parents were unable to provide for. After being taken into the orphanage he was placed in a group foster home for children with severe medical needs. Under the care of Morning Star Foundation, BaoGui’s basic needs have been met; but his greatest need remains unmet. He needs a family, a family who will love him and advocate for him. A family that will love him just the way his body was created, but also fight to bring healing to his little body where possible. He is awaiting surgery to reverse the colostomy that he has had since infancy and is also most likely deaf, though we do not have any medical details pertaining to his failed hearing tests.  

Our love for the children of China has grown deeper and deeper as our family has grown. Having adopted two of our children from China (both through waiting children / special needs programs) we know the difference that a family can make in the life of a child who has only known uncertainty and loss. We want to make that difference in BaoGui’s life, but the financial obligations that come with an adoption have kept us from being able to move forward with the next step. We have been approved by China to adopt BaoGui, but we need to complete our dossier in order to apply for his visa and bring him home. Right now we need to raise $2,500 to complete our home study through Holt International. We are praying for families to come alongside ours to make this possible. Each adoption is a miracle and a tangible expression of love. More than mere words, it says, “You are loved. You are special. You are worth more than any earthly treasure.”

BaoGui’s name translates “Precious Treasure.”

Our family has been forever blessed by adoption; I pray that many more families would also be blessed as they join us and become a part of BaoGui’s story.

“But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not

destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Matthew 6:20-21

You can contact Lisa directly at: dlronda@charter.net  

If you would like to make a donation by way of pay pal you can find her pay pal account by way of her e-mail.

If you would like to contact their adoption agency to make a, what I believe is tax deductible, donation you can call:  Holt International- 541-687-2200

Like I said- No donation is to small! Let's bring this little guy home......... Please feel free to pass this blog post on to anyone who you think may be interested.

Have a great weekend,

Steph

I Need Under Wire and Why Is Oklie Sitting Like That??

I came across this picture and busted up laughing- I think it was taken right after we moved to Hawaii (2009)-
The title of this blog say's it all!!
Hope Every One's Wed. is going great.......

Also wanted to give you a head's up that I am hoping to feature a family (Daniel, Lisa, and their 4 children) on one of my blog posts that has been placed with a little boy who has special need's in China- This family has adopted 2 children before from China and feel's a strong calling to adopt this little guy with special needs- I have known this particular family  for years and actually went to both junior high and high school with Lisa......I had the privilege of doing Lisa's hair at her wedding many years ago :)  Both she and her husband have a HUGE heart for children who other's may find 'overwhelming' due to their medical conditions and a HUGE heart to see through this adoption that they have started in China- I am excited at the possibility of sharing their story...........

Eli's Driving, Becca's Claire Hagen was born, Eli and Ellie

Last week Eli became an official driver- He turned 15 last month and was able to get his permit this month (so maybe it took him a time or two to pass his permit test..........LOL kid- you beat me and passed before your third fail)-

This week began with my cousin's Luke and Becca welcoming baby Claire Hagen into their family.......

Beautiful Claire Hagen
Born 7/10/11
7 lbs. 12 oz.

Becca and Claire

At least once everyday My boys ask to hold Ellie- I snapped these pictures a couple days ago as Eli was holding her- I can't believe how fast she is growing up