The Good, The Bad, and The Not-So-Ugly (Updates in Brief)

Just thought I'd drop by and update you all on what's been going on around here.  Since my last post, there have been quite a few developments...and most of them good!  (I'm not saying this too loud...)


The Good:

*My friend from work is recovering!  Praise God!  She is out of the coma, responsive and improving.  They did have to put a trach in, because they couldn't leave the breathing tube in for more than two weeks.  Something about further damage to her throat and vocal chords.  The last I heard is that she is responding appropriately to verbal commands (give us a thumbs up, move your left foot, etc), actually out of bed and sitting in a chair, and coherent and responding well.  Please continue your prayers for her and her family as she obviously still has a long way to go.

*My friend that was diagnosed with breast cancer found out that her cancer in fact DID NOT spread beyond her lymph nodes!!!  Another Praise God!!!  It did spread to some of the nodes, but they were able to remove them all and it didn't break through to the bloodstream.  She will begin radiation in November and won't need chemo at all!  AMEN!!!


The Bad:


*Matt still hasn't heard anything from the interview, and he believes they chose someone else for the position.  He is struggling with some (I believe) depression surrounding this, and I ask for prayers for him.  He has been sending out applications and resumes daily, and has been diligent about following up with the labs he's applied at.  We knew it wouldn't be a quick process for him to find a job, but we were *hoping* it wouldn't be this long.  We are trying to be patient, and trust that God has a perfect job waiting for the right time.


*My Dad has been suffering from unexplained and uncontrollable nosebleeds for a few weeks.  He has had to be taken by ambulance to the hospital twice when they couldn't stop the bleeding.  Each time, his blood pressure has been extremely elevated (last time it was 240/190...that's stroke range folks).  Each time they were able to get his blood pressure stabilized and the bleeding stopped, cauterized a vessel in his nose and sent him home with a balloon thingie in his nose to keep pressure on the vessel so it wouldn't bleed again.  He went to the doctor yesterday and they finally put him on BP medication with a strict order to decrease his salt intake and lose some weight.  I'm so scared for him I can't even see straight.  He's four months from retiring, and I am afraid that if he doesn't get this under control he won't see his retirement or spend it recovering from a massive stroke.  Please pray for him?


The Not-So-Ugly:

Two and a half years ago, I wrote this post.  (It's long, but worth the read...go ahead, I'll wait).

Done?  Good!

Well...as you can probably tell, we never did go through with the DFS adoption plan.  After we talked and prayed about it more, we felt it wasn't the right time or right fit for us and our family.

Matt and I have been discussing our future, our family, and our family building options recently.  A lot of conversations, a few tears and a lot of praying later, I'm thrilled to announce:

WE ARE ADOPTING!!!

No, we haven't been matched or anything yet...we haven't even chosen an agency as of yet.  

We just know in our hearts that this is the right option for us at this time, and we are getting the wheels in motion to start the process.  

I contacted three agencies this week, received information from two already, and am waiting on the third.  I still have several agencies to call to request information, as they don't have anywhere on their website to request information.  (Does anyone else hate that as much as I do?  I have serious telephone anxiety.  I HATE talking on the phone.  You wouldn't guess this about me seeing as I talk on the phone (and police radio) for a living.  My best friend is the only one who understands this, as she is the same way.  We don't even call each other.  I can count on one hand the number of times we've spoken on the phone in the past 5 years.  However, we text, email and tweet all day long!  But the phone?  Nah.) 

One of the agencies I received information from has already contacted me about attending an adoption seminar (required by their agency before proceeding with matching).  We weren't able to attend the one this month, and the next one isn't until January.  That kind of sucks, but it does give us a couple of months to explore our agency options and get more things in order for the homestudy and such.

To say we're excited is an extreme understatement.  It's all we've been able to talk about for the past few days.  Even my unemotional, laid back, stoic husband has a smile on his face when he talks about the prospect of having a child...possibly by this time next year.  I told my husband tonight, it almost feels like we've just found out we're pregnant...but it will be a REALLY long pregnancy!  (I know this isn't an accurate analogy, but it's the closest I can come right now!)  

I know we have a long way to go, and a lot of hurdles to clear and hoops to jump through.  Right now though, we're reveling in the excitement and hope we're feeling.  

We ask that you keep us, our future birth-mother and our child in your prayers that through God's will and by His grace we will be united in His perfect timing to become the family we are meant to be.  

I have lots more to talk about, but I think I've gone on long enough tonight.  

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Love, 

Rebecca