It's Not Luck

Molly Faith became our daughter officially this week! Of course she’s been our daughter since the moment we laid eyes on her but this week the judge made it official.

Babies are a people magnet. We haven’t been anywhere recently where someone doesn’t come up to us and ask to see “the baby”. Even at Lowe’s we are approached by ladies buying paint and screwdrivers!

The one phrase that keeps popping up is “You are very lucky”. The quick, easy response is “Yes, yes we are”. But that easy answer is not the true answer.

Luck had NOTHING to do with our situation.

What I want to tell people is-God had EVERYTHING to do with our situation.

Only God could have made all this happen for us.

We are blessed beyond measure with this beautiful child.

And we have God, one selfless young woman and thousands of prayers to thank for this blessing.

Luck is a saying on a Chinese fortune cookie. We are not lucky. We are experiencing a miracle!

A dear friend gave me a bookmark on the day we went to court. It says:
Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible.

I know that the Lord may lead someone to read this posting who is struggling with infertility. She and her husband have tried for years to conceive and they are tired, and losing hope that they will ever have their dream of a child. I have been there. And then, 10 years into my marriage- God brought us Cori Joy! For 3 years and 364 days we experienced more joy than our hearts could hold. She made us a mommy and daddy and everything we had dreamed of came true in that one little girl.

There are going to be those reading this who have lost a child. Perhaps, like us, their only child. Their child may have had a genetic disorder and they are concerned that another child born to them would also suffer the same illness. Or maybe they are older and the opportunity to have another child is not a possibility. And yet they long for a child to bring joy back to their lives again. And it seems an impossible situation. I have been there too. And then, 4 years later God brought us Molly Faith! My prayer is that we will experience a lifetime with Molly and we are once again a mommy and daddy with lots of hopes and dreams for this little girl.

To those people I want to say, please don’t lose FAITH. Miracles still happen! God is working in your lives to bring YOU a miracle. The miracle may be invisible to you-but it isn’t to God-he sees it clearly. Believe that He is about to do something incredible in your heart and life. And then, in His time-you will be ready to receive the impossible.

I know that when you are going through a struggle, hearing someone else-who is on the other side of that struggle tell you to hold on or keep going…can ring hollow.

“It happened to them but what if it doesn’t happen for me?”

Those years that I thought I would never give birth I used to pray that if that was not God’s will for my life He would fill my life with something that would bring me contentment. We sought parenthood through independent adoption and then foster care. It was truly at a time when getting pregnant was not even in our minds-that God gave us Cori Joy.

After she died I felt like the only thing I had ever thought I was good at-being a mother-was over-forever. I longed for the feeling being Cori’s mom gave me inside. I told God how much I loved being a mommy. I again asked Him to bring something into my life to replace that longing. We started the foster care process again, and tried to find other ways of reaching out to help Gods people and then, out of the blue the call came about Molly!

So- today if your dream is to be a parent for the first time, or to be a parent again, or even if you are in need of a different kind of miracle, give God the desire of your heart and hold on to that “invisible, incredible and impossible Faith”. God loves you, he “delights” in blessing you! And as you are waiting for the invisible to become visible-if you need a reminder of what God can do-just remember Cori Joy and Molly Faith!

Six Weeks!

Molly turned 6 weeks old on Monday! Everyone has their "story" of when a baby starts sleeping through the night, or when the fussiness begins to subside etc. Six weeks is one that gets mentioned alot.

Miss Molly's time isn't six weeks. She sleeps one 4-5 hour stretch sometime between 11 and 5 most nights now which is nice. But she still struggles with alot of gas and upset tummy and has a pretty fussy time every night. We've put her back on Zantac for reflux and are hoping that might help how upset she gets when being burped. It had seemed that she really began eating better when we stopped the Zantac and I'm noticing that she is back to taking longer to get through a meal now that we are back on it. I haven't found anything online that suggests that is a side effect of Zantac...but it does seem a correlation.

There was a sitcom I used to enjoy called "NewsRadio". One of my favorite lines from the show was when someone was described as "an enigma, wrapped in a mystery, covered in secret sauce".

I've decided thats what babies are- Enigmas, wrapped in mystery, covered in secret sauce-sometimes its so hard to figure out whats going on. They can only eat, cry and poop! Try communicating with someone tomorrow using only those avenues-see how far you get! ha

I heard lots of nice things after Steve posted the last entry on what an awesome guy I am married to. He is a great husband and the best dad a child could have. Boy does he love this little girl! Since a picture sometimes speaks a thousand words I thought I'd post this picture of he and Molly McButter!

A few things I've noticed.......

Being a new father (again) has given me an occasion to take notice of a few things. Some of these things are profound, some are just silly. Some are things that I knew and had forgotten about, and some are things that I never would have thought could be. Here are just a few things I’ve noticed…..

There just aren’t any ugly baby clothes. We’ve had a lot of baby clothes come though our house recently. Some new. Some used. Some given to us as hand-me-downs, and some were given as shower gifts. But the one thing they almost all have in common is that they passed the “Oh how cute!” approval ranking. Jumpers, P.J.’s, sleepers, and Onesies, they all receive high marks for cuteness. And it’s true, they all are quite cute. You can put a baby in just about anything under a size 2T and you can’t go wrong. I think the baby clothes designers must have had style inept fathers such as myself in mind when they made them. And only babies can get away with wearing some of the stuff that’s out there. I can’t imagine what my boss would say if I showed up to the office wearing a fuzzy blue jumpsuit with mittens and footies and “Daddy’s Little Slugger” stitched across the front. I’m sure I would get that long vacation I’ve always wanted.

Babies bring out the best in people. Stacy has written here about all of the help and support we’ve been given by friends and family. So many people have done so much for us, some of them far above and beyond the call. Without each and every one of those people, we never would have been able to make it through the ups and downs of the past four months (has it only been that long since we first got The Call?!?!) There’s something about a baby, or the prospect of a baby, that brings out a certain level of excitement and caring from people. The innocence, the wonder of God’s new creation, the dream of what the future holds. It all combines to bring out the finest in people. And I don’t just mean friends and family. I also mean the people you meet in everyday life. In line at the store. At the park. In the Post Office. Everyone, no matter how tough and grizzled, has a smile and a coo for a little baby. Of course, some people can take a good thing too far. Like the lady yesterday at the Costco with her several children and her husband. She just couldn’t gasp and Ooh and Ahh enough. She encouraged her kids to all look at the baby, and the gaze on her face was one of utter joy and rapture. The look on the husbands face was “No! Don’t even think about it! We are not having another! Step away from the baby now!”

Dogs love binkies. I don’t know what it is. Maybe it’s the way the silicone rubber feels in Fido’s jaws, firm, yet relenting. Maybe dogs love them for the same reasons a baby loves them. They feel a soothing assurance with a binkie. I’ve heard the theory that they “smell” the milk from the baby’s breath on it, and that attracts them. I suspect that with our dogs, it’s the track-and-kill-the-prey mentality that is ingrained in all animals. The better we try to hide it, the more of a challenge for them. They have been known to leap over or climb up any obstacles we throw their way to reach their coveted prize. Score so far: Dogs 4, Binkies 0.

Broken hearts can be fixed. Six months ago, if you had told me that I would have a newborn baby in my house, I would have thought you were crazy. Six months ago, or one year, or two years ago, if you would have told me that the hole in my heart that Cori once filled would be filled once again with the love and joy that she brought us, I would have thought that it was wishful thinking on your part and that you were just trying to cheer me up. But today, I can say today that God will take the pain and suffering and turn it into happiness. Through Molly, He has given me that spark again, the reason for facing the day. The thing that amazes me is that through it all, He knew. He knew that one day I would be Daddy again. I remember holding Molly when she was just a few hours old and thinking that God knew this moment would happen. When I was the same size as her, He knew. When He took Cori home, in my moment of deepest sorrow, He knew that one day I would be holding a little girl who would take that sorrow away. I still miss Cori Joy, and there is a part of her in me that will never be replaced and never be fulfilled, until one day I meet her in heaven, but until that day comes, Stacy and I will never cease to be thankful for the precious gift He gave us in Molly Faith.

Time flies

Molly FaithCori Joy

Yesterday was Molly's 4 week birthday! Thursday she will be one month old! I can't believe its been 4 weeks already.



Molly was a very popular little girl this last weekend. On Saturday she went to her first jewelry party! What a wonderful time we all had. HUGE thanks to Cookie Lee consultant-Lydia Dacy and Sensaria consultant-Dot Doheny-also to Alex- Lydia's daughter- These lovely women all donated their entire day and any profit to Molly's adoption fund! Thanks to Kim for having the open house and all the great ladies who came by to shop and give Molly a kiss! For those who may not have been able to come-Lydia is keeping the party open until September 30. If you mention us when you order online www.cookielee.biz/lydiadacy we will get the proceeds. Thanks again to everyone involved.



Sunday was Molly's first "Pot Blessing". A pot blessing is just like a Pot Luck but where you count your blessings not your luck! And blessed she was! Lots of good food and some very special gifts. Molly is a very loved child, by everyone who meets her!



Other exciting news-Molly slept for 6 hours the night before last! Of course it was Dad's shift that night-and she was back to every 3 hours last night but it does give me hope!



Last week at the Pediatrician Molly weighed 8lbs 5 ounces-so I guess those every 3 hour feedings are doing their job!



Continued thanks to everyone who continues to keep us in their prayers, we could not have done this all without them!

Letter from God

There is a scripture in Romans that talks about how nothing can separate us from the love God has for us.

When Cori died a friend gave me a book of "Letters from God". I was looking at it again today.

I want to share an excerpt from it:

My Dear Child:
There is something blazing in My heart that I yearn for you to know and hold on to. And this is it: My love, which came down to you in the person of My perfect Son, Jesus, is complete, full, unchangeable, and eternal. It is the one gift that circumstances can neither alter or steal away.

Nothing you will face in this life is powerful enough to come between you and My love for you. My love will be your one constant in the shifting landscape of a transient universe. It is...an open door when you are hungry and homeless...a warm embrace when you are lost and alone...a safe harbor when you are tossed by the storms of life and a warm fire when the world has turned you out in the cold. So hold on to this truth as a treasure in your heart.

I love you forever,
God

We are able to tell how many visitors the website has on a given day. Not who you are, but how many times someone came. One day I was astonished that there were over 100 visits!

If you only knew how much I pray that each of you will share with me the eternal home of Heaven! I can't imagine a greater joy than one day being witness to the real "eternal" impact these two beautiful children-Cori Joy and Molly Faith had-that people examined their lives and faith and came to know Jesus as their personal savior. Only God could do something that amazing!!

Praise Problems!

I read a daily devotional and there was one this week that I just have to share with everyone.
This one is from David Jeremiah:
"When faced with a problem or need, don't complain, panic or doubt God. Problems are opportunities for us to praise God in advance for the solutions He'll give. These are Praise-Problems! Facing difficulty just now? Thank God for what He's going to do. He knows how to make bitter waters into better waters and how to bring forth streams in the desert.

I confess I am not always able to turn my problems into praise, but it is something I am praying to be able to do more and more. I do know that worrying doesn't do any good-though it is certainly where most of us start.

I'd like to be able, with God's help to teach Molly as she grows up that there is nothing we face in our life times that surprises God, or that He isn't willing to be right there with us, lifting us up, urging us forward or holding us in the comfort of His arms-we just have to remember to let Him be God and trust always that what He brings us to...He'll bring us through.

We were so blessed this week to hear from both our birth mom and her twin sister. We have a small package of pictures on the way to M and look forward to next summer when we may be able to meet other members of her family!

I am reminded of Luke 6:38

Jesus words: "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you".

May our Lord pour out His blessings to everyone who has prayed for us, who has given both in time and resources-we can only say Thank You, but may your laps be overflowing with His blessings for what you have and are doing for us!

This is going into Molly's 3rd week of life. She is doing really well-except for some reason we aren't doing too well sleeping at night. Maybe gassy, maybe just night and day mixed up...not sure but Dad and Mom aren't getting alot of sleep! We trade off though and I am always thanking God for giving me a husband who participates in not only all the fun stuff regarding baby but all the stuff thats not so fun too!

My niece and good friend Kim is having a "Cookie Lee" jewelry party at her home on September 15. The "Cookie Lee" representative has graciously offered to donate all the profit from the party to Molly's Adoption Fund! I know many of you are from out of town and can't go. You can go on to this website and order and mention in the note section or what have you that this is for the Molly Berndtson adoption and we'll get the credit-how great is that! I understand that "Cookie Lee" jewelry is quality made, and a great value. www.cookielee.biz/lydiadacy