Surprised by God...

Wheelbarrow rides with Daddy!!!!

Special times with Daddy!!
Mercy and the coveted "chicky boon" ( chicken bone)
The intensity of these days of transition and the strength of our little Liberians' spirits has been a bit of a surprise to my hubby and me. God kindly prompted me to get as much done as possible before the arrival of our new blessings and now I understand why!! I know I must have seemed neurotic to those around me as I completed our Christmas shopping, holiday baking, making Christmas ornaments , gift wrapping etc prior to their arrival but, I had this feeling that life was going to get interesting!! Even though I "knew" all of this, my hubby and I still find ourselves surprised by the challenges and adjustments we are experiencing. Today, as I read the kids our advent devotional, I was encouraged by these words ...God's timing sure is perfect because He knew we needed to hear this TODAY~
"Our God is a God of surprises! Just when you think everything is going normally, God steps in and says it's time to shake things up a bit. Maybe it's His way of letting us know He's in control! Or, maybe He wants to see if we really trust Him. Either way, our response must be immediate and obedient. "Yes, Lord" is the way we must answer. "Whatever you say. You are in charge!"(From Tabitha's Travels -page21)

Yes, he is in control and from the foundations of the earth, He chose these 2 precious children to join our family through the miracle of adoption....that truth has not changed. My expectations were off, but His plan is flawless and once again, I am reminded to trust Him to bring about the changes we so long to see in ALL of our children. We need to not grow weary in doing good and in due season, we will reap, if we do not give up . Galatians 6:9
So, today, I am declaring, Yes, Lord....while I am surprised by our situation,You are not...it is all part of Your sovereign plan to bring glory to Your name.

It is hard to believe that it was only 1 week ago today that Odesco and Mercy joined our family! Already, they have changed so much....today we did not have one tantrum until 12:30pm-- that's major progress!! However, when the tantrum hit , it was a doozy. (Think, clear the room and remove all throwable objects!!) I will say though, that our little guy is softening before my eyes. Initially he would not allow me to put lotion on his very dry skin...then, he would just barely tolerate it and today, he was rolling up his pant legs and offering me his limbs to massage and moisturize. Also,he seems to be recovering just a smidge faster from his meltdowns and this evening after another mini one he allowed me to pick him up,he eventually put his head on my shoulder and in time even began playing with my necklace and picking lint off my sweater which is progress because he is acknowledging me :) He has a very playful , fun side that we are just beginning to see emerge...he is still not too verbal..except when it has to do with asking for food or chatting with Mercy in their Liberian dialect but slowly he is coming around.

Mercy had a wonderful day marked by lots singing and attempts at explaining things to me...little by little I am beginning to catch more of what she is communicating. Liberian English is not at all easy to understand! For instance at dinner, I was fixing her bowl after I had given Odesco his...her facial expression told me she was not happy about something... she said" I wan a bee boon"...okay..you want a what?? Finally I got it...she wanted a big bone of chicken meat not the little wing I had given her!!
Today, she entertained us by reciting/singing "Little Jack Horner", "Three Blind Mice" "Now I lay me Down to Sleep",the days of the week and her 2's times table up to 2X12... later after baths, we videotaped all the kids in another giddy moment. Mercy sang some beautiful bible songs she had learned at AOH one of them being "God answers prayer in the morning."...

Earlier in the day,during rest/quiet time she began playing with a toy that makes noise...I asked her to close it up and she said,"Yes, mommy" and put it away!!! Just a few days ago, this simple request would have turned into a major episode!So, she has been flexing her obedience muscles and in many cases is making choices to obey. At bedtime , things went south and I still am uncertain why but I just prayed for both girls and tried to address what I could and then left the room....she gave up the fighta nd went to sleep. I think she is so used to gaining attention for negative behaviors that it is a hard habit to break...
And a HUGE praise...Odesco went to bed without incident...we sensed it brewing earlier as bedtime approached and this is when he let me pick him up and cuddle him. Then, he went to bed without a peep!!! Perhaps, this is the beginning of a new pattern??
I know challenges will face us tomorrow but today, I want to savor all the wonderful evidences of God's grace upon their little lives.

Trusting that His ways are best and His grace is sufficient!!!

Love, Mama B.

PS: Some of you have asked how the other little B's are doing...they are holding up...having some struggles as can be expected but overall being great big brothers/big sister!!