Thanksgiving 2008

Hello all,

After receiving some hate e-mail from a close friend about the lack of activity on the blog, I am shamed into doing this email. I once again admit that I am not a great blogger, but I have actually been meaning to write a short Christmas card/letter for the blog.

The pictures below are from Thanksgiving. I accidentally forgot my camera at my parents house and just got it back. Thankfully, my parents and Lisa's parents took turns spending the night with Lisa while I was gone for continuing education for four days. The course was excellent and my partner, Tommy and I feel blessed that Robin McKenzie created the Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy approach. This theory has been proven by seven different studies to be the only inter-tester reliable way of assessing patients suffering from low back and neck pain. The theory has helped to save my career in physical therapy and helped me to enjoy my work starting 8 years ago; one year out of school I was considering changing careers because the stuff they taught us in school doesn't work (ultrasound, massage, spinal stabilization etc.), and I really wanted to help people. Tommy and I will be taking a very difficult exam, hopefully in February, to become certified in the McKenzie approach. Enough about career.

More importantly, the last few years have been quite a whirlwind. After a long struggle with infertility, surgeries/procedures, and a very long adoption process, we were blessed by the grace and mercy of our God with Peter. He was born July 29, 2008, and we picked him up in Dallas three days later. After two weeks of waiting on paperwork made easier by the hospitality of our good friends Minh and Jenny Le, we returned home for the first time with our son. Life has drastically changed for us (definitely for the better, even when sleep deprived :) ). I know that sounds cliche, but I don't think anyone can prepare you for the lifestyle change that occurs with a child. The deep emotion of love I feel inside when Peter looks at me and smiles continues to amaze and surprise me. Thankfully, Lisa continues to love me and tolerate me even when my worst side emerges intermittently. I would like to blame it all on sleep deprivation, but I know that doesn't account for anything that is not already inside of me. Thanks be to God for giving us his grace and mercy and allowing us to pass that onto others. I think back on some of the events/trials we have been through including building this house and am so thankful to our God that He heard us when we cried out to Him, gave us what we needed when and how He wanted, and brought us out the other side so much better than we started. A wise person recently asked me if I knew how to make God laugh. I didn't know the answer so the person told me, "Tell him your plans for your life." I think that is wonderful. Thankfully His plan is perfect in every way. Part of his plan was to send his one and only Son, Jesus, our Messiah to save us from ourselves and our sin. He has been my strong refuge when life has spun out of my control the past few years. He has humbled me through my circumstances and strengthened my faith at the same time. This Christmas I can truly say that Jesus is the reason for this season and for everything important in my life. May we all know Him deeper and deeper as we celebrate His birth this Christmas.

Nathan

P.S. Don't worry more pictures of Peter will be on the next posting; I know you don't log on primarily to read my editorials on life.

Hello bloggers! Sorry about the three weeks or so since the last posting. I'm not much of a blogger by some of your standards but here goes: Peter is doing so well; he is definitely sleeping much better now. "White noise" has helped us out tremendously. He is even taking some naps now during the day. Last night he only woke up once! This week Peter has discovered how to make spit bubbles and frequently makes them while simultaneously making a semi-farting sound with his lips. We are so proud! He is now 15 1/2 weeks old.

I'm continually impressed by how aggressive people are when they want to see more pictures of Peter. Seriously, I got it, I got it. I know you didn't come to read my clever penmanship, so here are the latest pictures of Peter.

Wow! It has been a month since I posted anything to our blog. Time is really flying. Thanks to all of you who have kept reminding me to post more pictures. We have experienced what seems to be a lifetime of lifecycle events for Peter here in the last month. He went through acne already and he is losing his hair. As you can see by the later pictures his acne is clearing up well but he has about half of the hair from his earlier pictures. People tell me this is normal but it seems really strange to me. You will also see him smiling; he is doing this more and more all the time and it makes my heart sing! You will also see Peter with his great grandmother Tumlison. We spent Saturday with her having a great visit. I'll try to be more consistent with the blog. I send out a sincere apology to you hard core bloggers.

Peter @ One Month

Peter at home

Tahani and grandson

We're Home!!!!!!

Sorry this is so late, but we have been home since Thursday night August 14. After 13 days in Dallas we received the call that all the paperwork had cleared and that we could go home. It was sweet music to our ears! Peter traveled very well and we made it home in just over 5.5 hours. He is sleeping and eating well and seems comfortable at our house. We are so thankful to Minh and Jenny Le who showed their love to us in action by housing us for more than one and a half weeks.

I think what surprises me most about Peter is the absolute joy Lisa and I feel when we are with him. I was thinking about that today and I'm not sure I've ever felt joy that way before. If I have it has been so long ago I can't recall when or where it was. Even so, it feels as if something has truly come alive in my soul. I know that sounds cheesy, but it is very true. I catch myself thanking the Lord for him very frequently. I pray that I will never take Peter for granted or waste any of the days that God has given him to us. Please pray that with us. The other thing I have really enjoyed is being able to say "my family". I sometimes laugh out loud over the joy I feel during silly little moments as described above.---Nathan

Life with Peter

Life with Peter

Life with Peter has been great. It still feels very, very surreal. Of course we have had some sleepless nights and a little sickness secondary to lack of sleep, but you will never find anyone who is happier about being tired than Lisa and I. Today, Monday, August 11, is our tenth day with him and we are still in Texas. Thanks to Minh and Jenny Le our stay has been very comfortable. Yet we long to bring him home. Please pray with us that the agencies involved will get their act together and make the one phone call we are waiting for so we can return home.

The weekend was a very special one. Before any of us had dreamed up this specific adoption, my parents and my brother's family had planned to be in Dallas for a wedding of a childhood friend, Amy Thompson. Joel and Cinthya had even planned on staying with Minh and Jenny. Therefore, we all had some sweet time of fellowship at the Le's house, and everyone got to meet Peter. Sunday we also had a wonderful surprise visit from Jeff and Meredith Price who were in Dallas for the weekend. What a joy it is to share our lives and live in fellowship with like-minded people.

Peter continues to do well overall and is getting over some nasal congestion that is apparently normal as babies clear residual amniotic fluid from their airways. He is opening his eyes much better at this point and is starting to have more awale moments. Sometimes I think he is really looking at me and other times I just think he is day dreaming. He still calms well when he is in the fetal position against our chest or on our shoulder. Lisa thinks he looks like George Bush in the eyes. Even though we have had our share of frustrations with the agencies involved and the process itself, Peter makes it all seem like trivial nonsense in comparison to the joy he is bringing to our lives. Thanks to all of you for the prayers and support you have given us. We love you all.

Peter day 11

Peter day 5

"Peter is Six Days Old!"

How many days and nights have we dreamed of being able to say that. Praise be to God that He hears our prayers and answers them in His time and His ways. He teaches us so much while we wait on Him, patience being one of the things He wants me to learn. Right now Peter is sitting on my lap and leaning on my right arm while I create my first blog article. I have been charged to "keep him upright for twenty minutes" before I lie him down. He is doing very well overall although last night he didn't sleep so well. Maybe that is because he has moved from the hospital to our case worker's hotel room to our first hotel room to our 2nd hotel room(the roach hotel/suite that only lasted 3.5 hours) to Minh and Jenny Le's home in Mesquite, TX. All of these moves have occurred in the first six days of his life. I guess that is part of the price of adoption. We long for home although we feel much more comfortable with Minh and Jenny that in the hotel. We thank God for their generosity and hospitality to us. Our agency has dropped the ball once again and did not fax our paperwork today to the agency in Dallas. This effectively quenches any chance of us leaving Texas this week unless God works another miracle for us.

I love holding Peter and watching him breathe. I forgot how many respirations per minute infants have! He loves to cuddle and always calms down when we hold him face against our chest and usually wiggles his tiny face into the crook of our neck. It is fun to watch Lisa with him. She is such a natural mother with her tender, gentle and nourishing spirit. We are eager to return home but also are trying to enjoy every moment here with him. Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!