Adoption Update, sort of

I had been expecting to hear from Pierre, our connection in Holland for over a week. He had been in Benin, and was supposed to get some new pictures of Little Sister for me, and an update on how the paperwork was going in the African system of bureaucracy. I waited, and wondered, and started to stress.

Then, my dad called the other day and said, "I forgot to tell you that Pierre's wife called a few days ago. He is in the hospital with Malaria"

Which explains why he hadn't E-mailed me an update, or any pictures.

It is just one delay after another, and now the poor man is in the HOSPITAL with Malaria.

So, just in case you wondered, we are still trying to bring little sister home. But September is looking less and less likely, especially since I sincerely doubt Andy would let me get on a plane and fly anywhere at this time. Maybe by October Africa will have the paperwork done, AND I will will be on some meds that work right.

One day at a time, right?

Homemade Flag

We were studying the Civil War in history this week, and the flags of the opposing sides when Canaan suddenly realized that we had omitted a routine from last year.

We hadn't been started our day with the Pledge of Allegiance. I informed him that our flag from the last house had been retired - it was old and torn, and no longer in service.

He decided to remedy the situation by making a flag for us to use this year.

Here he is, working away on a different school project, but it is the same day, so I thought these pictures fit.

Finally, all finished!

Canaan went out in the backyard and picked out a stick, so our flag could have a "flag pole". He proudly picked off any rough edges, (he actually tried to hammer them off of the first one, which didn't turn out so well - life application lesson, right?)

He then proudly waved it up and down, and all around,

...until Zion stuck a parrot between his toes,

which caused some serious roll-on-the-floor laughter.

Zion was playing camera shy,

but Canaan was a little ham for me.

History, Art, and Life Application - plus a lot of fun.

All from studying the Civil War.

Plus he got to see Mommy cry (The Gettysburg Address gets me every time!)

I love being a homeschool family.

Side note

I am planning to leave notes on as many blogs as possible tonight. So, if I usually comment on your blog, and haven't in a long time, look for something from me.

I assume most of you have comment notification turned on, but just in case, just wanted to throw that warning out there... cause it has been awhile since I have even read blogs, and I want to catch up and comment on as many as I can!

Blessings, Bethany

I'm Baaaaack...

A month's worth of pictures, prayers, cute stories and deep thoughts will not fit in one blog.

Besides, that might be considered "cruel and unusual punishment." I don't care to be carted in for breaking any Geneva convention rules of the blogger world.
However, I am on a special mission tonight. I have a sleep deprived EEG in the morning. Which means, in simplified terms, that I am required to stay awake ALL NIGHT LONG tonight, so that my brain will be good and fried when I go in for the test and hopefully they can record what it does when it is exhausted.
Scary thought! I am not sure it does anything when it is exhausted!

But that is besides the point. I am staying awake regardless.
I figured the internet was a good place to start my journey into the long lonely night.

Perhaps better for any of you reading this if I type it up now, before it gets too late, while I can still form coherent sentences.

So, where shall I start?

Soon after Andy got home we headed north to visit the friends and family there. My sister, Emilee, posted several really adorable pictures from our family get together.

Pictures like this one...

and this one...

These are mostly what I had on my camera...

Don't we look fabulous?

(Doesn't he look enthusiastic?)

My "pimpin" handsome man, being a goofball.

Last, but not least, the ones who started this Silly crew!

We "all decided" to mimic Zion's usual pose and make a pirate face. Or at least, that was the plan. You can see below who participated, and who did not...

Andy's fabulous parents

I love it when the whole family is all together - my family and his, all combined.

That was a wonderful homecoming!

Something most of you already know...

This past week has been a very full one for our family.
As I mentioned in the last post, Andy got home on Thursday. His parents drove down to see him on Saturday.
Depending on how long you have been reading my blog, you know that I have been struggling with "blackouts" over the course of the last year. The neurologist declared them to be most likely atypical migraines and put me on a low dose of Topomax. But there was always the potential that they were a minor seizure, or something else. That, along with my diabetes, was a huge part of the reason I went to stay with my family while Andy was deployed.
Around 8:30 Sunday morning, after spending some time with his parents, Andy realized that it was a little late for me to still be sleeping and came to check on me. I was in the middle of a full seizure.
I don't remember anything.

He yelled for his Dad, who helped him roll me onto my side and stay calm until it ended about five minutes later. Then they put socks and shoes on me, put me in his parents van and Andy and his Mom took me to the ER.

I don't remember any of that either. The first thing I remember is pulling up to the ER and Andy saying something about "when he was gone" (speaking about Afghanistan) and I was so confused. I couldn't figure out where he had been, or where I was, or anything.

They got me in right away, took blood, did a brain scan of some sort... but basically it was a waste of our time. They did give me really strong pain meds, and for that I am grateful. My head HURT!

They just called the neurologist I already see, who told me to up my dosage and come in to see him in two weeks. And that is what we are waiting for now.

We called my Mom, who put it on Facebook, so several of you knew I was in the hospital before I was fully registered. But for those of you who aren't FB friends with my Mom, sorry I disappeared this last week. I have been fine. The day after the seizure I felt like I had run a marathon. Every single muscle in my body ached and throbbed. Now I am just tired - Topamax does that!

I am just grateful that it worked out the way it did. It could have happened before Andy got home, when it was just me and my 6 and 3 year old at home. Bad. We had my in-laws there, one to stay with the kids and one to come to the hospital with us. Andy was home, and trained in first aid, so knew not to freak out, or worry about me swallowing my tongue or any of those old wives tales. If I had to have a seizure, that was the day to have it, and the people to have it with.

God is good. I am hopeful for a full diagnosis as to why... and drugs to prevent a repeat occurrence. Until then, I just take it one day at a time, and don't trust my brain to be responsible for much!