Mother's Day . . . Then and Now

Please excuse my crazy fonts and formatting . . .

Looking back . . .

Two years ago I sat at my computer, with tears in my eyes, and wrote this letter to my daughter in China. I hadn't found her yet, but I knew she was there, somewhere, waiting for us . . .

To my Teddi,

Where are you my girl? It’s Mother’s Day 2007, and I am so very blessed as a mom, but a piece of my “mother’s heart” is still missing. I have been waiting for you for so long now my sweet girl. I have been praying about you for eight long years. It seems like a very long time to me! Much has gone on in those eight years, your big brothers Bryce and Brady and your sister Taylor have nearly grown up! And your brother Brogan was born three years ago, but one thing has never changed, and that is my yearning to find you and bring you home to us!

I felt the Lord speak to my heart on February 13th of this year (2006); He told me that you were on your way! My heart leaped! Yesterday, May 12th I believe that He said “Yes” to us coming to China to get you! Right now I don’t know how old you are, or even where you are. I don’t know how we will make the way to China, but I do know that God’s promises are true, and that He will make the way! After all He promised you to me, to us, to our family. I know it seems a very complicated way to start your life, but please know that in my heart I have loved you since the day you were born! I can only pray that you are cared for and happy, and that someone is kissing your soft cheeks, while you wait for us to come get you! I pray that God will hold you gently in His care until I can find you and bring you home. I dream of the day you will read this, and I pray that you will know that I was meant to be your mama, that it was always God’s plan for you to be a part of this family.

We are missing you; we are looking for you and praying for you. And some day soon we will hold you close, and you will be our girl. Our Theadora, our “Teddi” girl, our “Gift of God”, because His word is TRUE!

I love you baby girl,

Your Mama 

One month after I wrote this, on June 11th, 2007, I would see my daughter's picture for the first time. She was found, and she was ours!

Yesterday we celebrated our very first Mother's Day together.  What a roller coaster of emotion . . .

This time last year we were packing to leave for China . . . I met my girl eight days after Mother's Day.  This year I held her tight, and thanked the Lord for His faithful promise kept.

One little bird home, one big bird getting ready to soar. . . twelve days 'til wedding bells.  The last thing I need to be doing is blogging, but my heart is so very full of emotion I have to get it put down somewhere . . . and what better place to put it then here, where I can share it with all of you?

So much more to tell, but I must get back to wedding details for now.  I hope all of you had a wonderful day yesterday.  I was blessed to talk to my own Mama first thing in the morning (I love you to the moon and back, mama), and had lunch with my mom-in-love who is here in Texas.  I spent the day surrounded by four of my birds, and my soon to be son-in-love bird, and I received a sweet phone call from my Bryce.  All that and special cards and gifts too!  

One (or two) more things . . . as I reflect on my letter to Teddi from a Mother's Day past, I pray that even now God is healing her China mama's heart.  Her loss became my precious gift . . . there are no words for that.  No words.

Lastly, to my sister-in-love, Jodi and my sweet sister Amy who themselves spent this Mother's Day dreaming of when and who the Lord will add to their very own families through this amazing plan known as "adoption" . . . I pray that the Lord brings you the desires of your hearts.  He is faithful!

Blessings from my "promises kept" nest ~

Tina

Happy Birthday To My Taylor Girl!

On May 7, 1988, on a steamy Saturday afternoon in Okinawa, Japan, God blessed me with the most precious blue eyed bundle. She was born six days early, and arrived just in time for Mother's Day. We didn't know ahead of time what we were expecting and I had talked myself into thinking that I was having another boy (so as not to be disappointed--nothing against boys, but I already had one of that variety. (Love you Bryce)). To say I was tickled pink by the announcement, "It's a girl!" would be an understatement! I was instantly head over heals in love with this precious child, all nine pounds and 22 inches of her.

She was my "T-bird" . . . my "Birdie" girl, and

sometimes I still call her "Bird" . . . she says I'm allowed to.

My blond haired, blue-eyed, deep voiced, sweet smiling girl.

My shy with strangers, soft spoken,

quiet in crowds . . . yet rambunctiously silly at home, girl.

My sweet spirited, God loving, friend to all, girl.

Time has a way of flying quickly by, and somehow

before my eyes my little girl turned into a beautiful,

(inside and out) young woman. If you know Taylor,

you know kindness and gentleness, honesty and goodness.

Yes, I'm her mama, and I'm partial, but I'm telling the whole truth.

You know a girl who has a heart for helping others,

a girl who loves the simple things in life . . .

like candy, and bouncy balls, and gum machines with prizes.

A girl who takes her "sister" role very seriously,

and who has been my "What would I do without you?" right hand girl.

She is my "born in Asia" blessing, who came to me in May

and forever changed my world!

Twenty years later she stood beside me in

Guangzhou, China, as my second Asian born blessing

came to me in May, and forever changed our world.

Oh how I love sharing life with you Taylor!

How very blessed I am to be your mama.

Soon you will fly from my nest, and though my heart aches to see you go, I know that you have big things to do . . .

Happy Birthday Birdie.

Soar high my girl!

Blessings from my birthday celebratin', (tears dripping), proud mama bird nest ~

Tina

Almost Wordless Wednesday

Thank you baby for 25 years . . . for five beautiful babies . . .  for your patient love . . . your encouraging words . . . for saying "I do" and following though, for better or worse, for 25 years!

I love you!  

Me

Okay, so it's nowhere near wordless, but compared to my norm, it's almost wordless!  The top picture was taken about a year and a half after we were married.  I wouldn't find out until a few weeks later that our first baby, Bryce, was growing in my womb when this portrait was made. What a precious surprise.

Blessings from my nest, and thank you for your prayers, I'm feelin' em!

Tina

Next Stop . . .

Oh my, I don't even know where to begin. I have so much old stuff I want to blog . . . for starters, Brogan's March birthday celebrations, Taylor's two Bridal Showers, my little's Pre-K rodeo and Pre-K Fiesta (and just their everyday cuteness), Bryce's surprise visit pics, Brady's new car (A '95 Volvo wagon . . . my teenager bought a station wagon .  . . I'm still scatching my head on that one). So . . . where do I start?

Or do I push all of that aside for now and post about my 25th wedding anniversary which is tomorrow (Monday)? Or that we are in the heart of Swine Flu territory, with most of the schools surrounding us closed (our base school remains open for now). Or Teddi's latest doctor's appointment and her need for two more surgeries, yes two. Perhaps I should take a breather and wait until Thursday, then I could post about my baby girl's 21st birthday. Wait 'til Saturday and post about her first college graduation (Associates Degree).  Wait a bit longer . .. and post on Mother's Day?  Bryce's birthday?  Teddi's Gotcha anniversary?   Or maybe, just maybe I should keep working on the wedding preparations . . . as my "littles" find new ways to make my living room look somewhat like a flea market waiting to open (anyone know the feeling)?

So, I'm open to suggestions . . .

In the meantime I'll wish I was reading and commenting on all of my bloggy friends blogs. I'll wish I was catching up on some phone calls, not the ones I need to make, but the chatty kind, like to my mama, and my friend Rosemary (Hi R~), and some others. I'll wish I wasn't trying to figure out what I'm gonna do when my baby girl flies from my nest in 20 days. . . and how I will console her siblings who are going to miss her desperately.  Or how I am going to explain to my little bird that she has to have her tonsils and adenoids removed in June, so that eight weeks or so later, that she can have Pharyngeal Flap surgery (see Wikipedia) . . . all so that she will eventually be able to speak and be understood.  I'll wish I could sit and drink coffee with my friend Linny, at A Place Called Simplicity.   Linny is going through some really, really tough stuff right now.  (That's big, Linny, 'cause I don't even drink coffee. Not one drop.  Don't like it never have.)  While I'm at it . . . I guess I'll wish that my house will clean itself before the throng of family arrives . . . I'll wish for a low humidity, good hair day for the wedding.  Yeah right, south Texas, late May . . . wishing probably won't cut it on that one.  Maybe I'd better just pray.  In fact, maybe I should stop fussing and just P-R-A-Y.

First I'll need to say that I  am grateful that Teddi's sweet friend Sunny (Yin Yin) is finally home in Minnesota!  Welcome home Sunshine!  I'm grateful that my snow-birding  in-laws arrived safely in Texas today, via Florida . . . R.V. in tow.  They will be in our vicinity until after the wedding. It was fun spending time catching up with them today.  I'm grateful that soon I will be surrounded by many more of our family members as they journey from Michigan, Florida, and North Carolina to celebrate Taye and Frankie's union as husband and wife.  I am grateful that Teddi will get her first chance to be the leader/ snack bringer/ flag holder and show and teller tomorrow at school.  Brogan has been scheduled to do this several times since they began attending school in February, but Teddi was spending more time in another classroom (next door) for "one on one" help.  She has slowly transitioned to spending more time in the Pre-K classroom (with Brogie), and tomorrow will be her "leader" debut.  When the teacher announced on Friday, that Teddi would be Monday's leader her classmates cheered!  Oh how that makes my heart soar, my little bird is beyond overjoyed, it's all she can talk about.  She has come so far, so very far!  

I must also say that I am forever grateful that 29 years ago in a high school English class I sat next to a cute boy named Bryan.  I am grateful that one week before the semester (and the class) ended, the same cute boy got up the courage to ask me out on a date.  (I am grateful to his grandma Pearl, who gave him the money to pay for the date.)  I am grateful that four years later that cute boy (who was soon to become an Airman in the U.S. Air Force), asked me to marry him!   I am grateful that 25 years later, for better or worse (in the US or abroad, in a single wide trailer or a four bedroom home, as a newlywed husband, or a new daddy, or a father of five, as a Senior Airman or a Chief Master Sergeant) he is still my true love . . . and the wonderful father of five of the sweetest blessings life holds!

Mr. True Love has to fly out (short notice) tomorrow afternoon . . . so the anniversary dinner has been moved up to an anniversary breakfast (directly following a hopefully short teleconference at work).  I'd better get to bed, so as not to dine with very large dark circles under my, I've been married 25 years, eyes!  

Thank you for sharing my woes and my joys .  . .

Blessings from my anniversary celebratin', wedding preparation makin', little people chasin', mess makin', whinin' . . . but grateful, nest!

Tina

Wordless Wednesday

Blessings from my "snack 'til you nap" nest ~

Tina

One Month and Counting & Sunny Days!

So much to post and not enough time, so I am going to double up . . .

One month from today (by the time you read this it will be yesterday), on May 23rd, 2009,  I will watch as my Taylor bird says, "I do"!  I am so excited for her (and Frankie, too), but I am so not ready to see my bird fly.  I know that I have done my best at nearly 21 years of flying lessons, and it's time for her to spread her wings.  I know that she will soar.  I know that I'll be proud.  But, I also know that I'm not ready.  She is perched on the edge . . . and I have one month.  One month.  Between now and then we have a little bit going on, besides getting ready for the wedding.  On May 4th, Bry and I will celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary.  On May 7th, Taye will celebrate her 21st birthday, and on May 9th, she will graduate with her Associates Degree in Elementary Education.  On May 10th, I will celebrate Mother's Day (ahhhhhh, that's me putting my feet up).  On May 17th, Bryce's 23rd birthday.  On May 19th, Teddi's first Gotcha anniversary (can you believe it?) . . . and then four days later wedding bells will ring.  I think I'd better get ready . . . soon.

I love you my Taylor bird, you too little bird.

Now for the sunny days . . . 

This picture was taken in January 2008, when Teddi was still Xiao Xiao.  She and her friend Yin Yin were celebrating the Chinese New Year together.  Yin Yin has waited nearly a year since Teddi left Zhuhai  for her day to come, but this week the clouds parted, and Yin Yin became Sunshine.  You can follow her story at Sunny Days.  Sunny's mama awaits her in Minnesota, as they run the MN Greyhound Rescue and she has many, many four-leggers whose lives depend on her.  Sunny's daddy is with her in China, and if you get a chance to read his posts please do, they are great!  Sunny and her daddy and mama are spending a lot of time on Skype (with the web cams), so Sunny knows her mama.  Jen, I can't wait to see your girl in your arms!

Celebrating in Texas . . .

Sunny days in Guangzhou!

Is this girl precious,

or what?  Welcome home sweet Sunshine girl!

Blessings from my nest . . . where I am battening down the hatches for May!

Tina

Eleven Precious Months (and an update)

Today marks eleven months since that "dream come true" day that we met our little Flit in China.  Of course we didn't know her by "Flit" yet, but it didn't take us long to figure out that our little bird was of the humming variety!  Thankfully she has settled down considerably over the months.  She's still the precious girl we fell in love with, just not as hard to keep up with!

The wonder of a whole new world.

A rare moment of "still" in China.

Teddi was three years and four months old at Gotcha,

yet quite babyish and not very stable on her feet.

Oh how far she has come . . .

Oh little Flit, you are so much calmer now.  

Maybe calm isn't the right word . . . you are less "flitty".

Yes.  Less flitty, and stronger and stable.

Your silliness makes my heart sing.  You say "mama mama" and

you kiss me a hundred times a day, or so it seems.  It's as

though you are making up for lost time.  We are.

You march to the beat of your own silly drum.

I love that about you.

And just like your caregivers all said,

You are a "happy girl".  

You find so much joy in everyday life,

although I suppose it still isn't "everyday life" to you.

We could all take a lesson from that.

Oh how I love this face.

I loved you before I ever met you my sweet girl.

I memorized every picture I had of you,

 and I longed for the day that I would hold you close.

Thank you Father God, for bringing our little bird home.

I love you Teddi girl with all of my heart, and I am so very blessed to be your mama!

Blessings from my nest ~

Tina

~ Update on my dad and some China sweetness . . .

My dad is doing better, and I am so blessed by everyone's encouraging comments, and for your prayers.  He did indeed have his gall bladder removed late Wednesday evening, and that went okay.  Prior to the surgery his heart decided to do a couple of tricks.  Nothing life threatening, but enough to land him a bed in ICU where they could monitor him more closely.  He remained in ICU until today (Sunday) when he finally worked his way back into a regular room.  He is on the road to recovery, and I look forward to seeing him in Texas in a few short weeks when they come for Taylor's wedding.  (We are under the five week mark for the wedding countdown, yikes!)

Now for the China sweetness . . .

I have two new friends named Jennifer who are both very close to becoming mamas to their own Zhuhai girls!  Jennifer O. will travel in less than three weeks for her daughter Lily (age seven, I think), and Jen K. will become a mama in a matter of hours to her own sweet girl, Sunshine -- better known as Yin Yin, who was Teddi's dear friend.  Any of you who have brought your dreams home from afar know what these two mamas are feeling right now.  My heart is so excited for both of them, I just have to share the joy!  Their blogs are in my blogroll if you want to take a peek, "The O'Cain Crew" for Lily, and "Sunny Days", for you guessed it, Sunny! 

Blessings~ T