this and that

We're still alive and (mostly) well. Jonah's bottom is still in bad shape, especially when he poops. He clinches, screams, lifts himself off the table, and flips over, making it impossible to get him clean. Plus, he's in agony, which doesn't help. It does seem the creams are sticking better these last couple days, so at least I know it's not as raw as it was. It's just hard because it seems like every time I have to change a poopy diaper, even with barely wiping him at all, it opens the wound back up. GRRRR. I feel sorry for Jonah but I feel even more sorry for EB kids like Tripp who deal with non-healing wounds in that area all the time. I just can't imagine. Today we couldn't even do bandage change until 3:15 in the afternoon because we were waiting for Jonah to poop so we could soak him in the Baking Soda bath. Soaking is really the one way to get him clean. This past week as been one of the worst I remember. And EB still sucks, just in case you were wondering. 


Overall, we've had a decent weekend though. Matt took me on Saturday night to the Barn Dinner Theatre in Greensboro for dinner and a show. He had given me the tickets on Mother's Day and arranged for Kathryn to come babysit so we could go. Sarah helped babysit too, given his bottom challenges. Thanks to both of you for letting me have a night out. I desperately needed it. 


My sister and Matt's parents were in town (not staying with us, but in town) this weekend, so it was great to see all of them too. Actually, Matt's mom has been in town all week taking care of her dad. He fell last weekend and broke his shoulder. He had a hard time walking even before that. He's in bad shape, staying in bed 22 hours a day, no motivation. Please pray for him and for Debbie too. Most of his care is falling to her, and it's a big load to bear. She has already been here for over a week and has no clue when she might get to return home to Florence.


Other than Barn Dinner and seeing some family, Matt and I have been taking every free moment to sort through all of our drawers, rooms, and closets. We're trying to get ready to have a yard sale to get rid of things/pay for things our new kids will need (bunk beds, dressers, mattresses etc.) and to just make more space in our house! Next up is finding a dining room table that is fairly narrow that will seat at least six and has bench seats (preferably). I'm nesting like crazy and getting really excited about our new addition(s). We still have not been assigned a social worker but I plan on becoming persistent and obnoxious taking care of that this week. God has amazing things in store for our family. I just know it. (And when I talk about the kid(s), I always say "the boys" or "our boys" so I'm sure God will give us a little girly girl and a pet goat. He likes to have his own plans. :) )


Alrighty, gotta run. We're meeting my dad at Ronni's (best wings EVER) tonight for dinner. I think he's having Jonah withdrawal. 


Hope you all had a blessed weekend.

IMPORTANT

You guys are so amazing. The fact that your donations raised about $4,000 in just a few days to bring John and Carson home just blows my mind.


There's big news. Karrie and Donnie's dossier was submitted in Eastern Europe today. They could get their appointment and have to travel in one to four weeks. Because the boys are separated and in two different regions, they have to pay for two adoptions. AND they have to stay longer in the country. That means more expenses over a longer period time and more time that Donnie is out of work.


They still have so much to raise - 
facilitator fees - $18,000
plane tickets for the four of them - $7,000
medical checks for the boys before they can leave the country - $300
passports for the boys - $2,000
the boys' visas - $808
housing while there (8 weeks) - $4,480
food while there - $1,680
in country travel (the boys are 400 miles apart) - $3,000


With the $12,500 they've already raised for this part of the process (they've already had to spend thousands on the stuff that came before this), they still have around $25,000 to raise before they can travel. And that's not including the money that would be helpful to raise for Donnie's lost wages while they're gone. All of that to say, it's a lot. The fact that there are two boys and they are so far apart and in different regions makes the process much more expensive.


They are running out of time to raise the money. The boys know they are coming. They are waiting.

They need better care. Many of the wounds they have could be prevented. From the looks of their photos, I'd say they're most likely anemic. And they may have infections too. So much of it could be prevented and fixed if they could just make it home.

There is no reason the boys should be suffering these huge, deep wounds. With the right bandaging materials and daily care, they will have a life they've never known. One filled with the love of friends and family, the hugs of parents and siblings, the safety and warmth of a real home, and some of the best medical care in the world.

I know $25,000 to $35,000 sounds like an overwhelming amount. But just think if we all shared this story everywhere we could think of (you can direct them to this post if you don't have the time to write one up yourself) and donated anything we could, just think how quickly we could raise this money?

My God is so Big, so Strong and so Mighty, there's NOTHING my GOD cannot do!

I know there are critical people out there (I got a snide comment from one just this week) that think, "Well, if they're going to make it so expensive to adopt the kids they don't even want, why don't we just say no? When is enough enough? Take care of your own kids." 

I didn't respond (trust me, it was better that I didn't), but my thought was, "Well, I guess we say no when we've determined that when Jesus commanded us to take care of the orphans, he only meant the well ones, the convenient ones, and/or the American ones... or maybe when we decide that that command doesn't apply to us at all." The Cannells have stepped up to do an amazing thing. Families like them step up every day to do the same kind of amazing things. What if we took "bear one another's burdens" to heart and did all we could, as a community, to bring these sweet boys home?

What a testimony. What a story we'll have to tell, Friends.  

A couple practical thoughts on raising funds quickly - collect change from your coworkers, ask to hold a special collection at church, get a dollar from everyone you know, post about it on Facebook and/or your blog and ask everyone to give $5, email all your friends and family and ask them to donate (give them a direct link), ask for donations to the Cannell boys instead of gifts for upcoming birthday/graduation gifts, participate in the Cannell's puzzle fundraiser, give your leftover PayPal balance if you have a PayPal account, host a meal for friends/church family and ask them to bring donations, offer your skills/services (photography, organizing, sewing, whatever) for donations instead of payment (if you can afford that)... the list can go on.

Now, please, I know many of you have already donated all that you can. Please know how much I appreciate that and I'm not trying to guilt you into donating more. But if you have felt this tugging at your heart and haven't yet donated, now would be the time to do so. And if you have already donated, we just ask that you please spread, spread, spread the word... anywhere you can think of. (I just emailed a short version of their story and a link to this post to everyone in my contact list. Yep. Sure did.)

You can donate HERE or HERE. Of if you'd feel more comfortable writing a check, you can send one made out to Donnie Cannell to our PO box (right sidebar) and I'll be sure to forward it on to them.

May God bless you as you bless those in great need. Thank you, Friends. I love you all (even you, Snarky Comment Guy).

Peace and love.

bandages CAN be adorable. who knew?

When life gives us raw bottoms and lots of vomit...

We make time for the Bandage Baby Boogie!

************

Jonah's hiney is about the same. We picked up our Aloe Vesta wash,  Stomahesive powder, and Baza barrier cream this afternoon and have only had the opportunity to use it all once. It is definitely hard to change his diaper on my own right now. But hopefully this stuff will work well, and his little-baby-bum will be on the mend before you know it. 

This post was brought to you by the letter C (for crazy), lots of puke, two high chair cover washes, and a  therapeutic chocolate milkshake (because for the love of all things sane, Mommy just had to medicate).

ebay items up for anton

Just posted some really nice dress shirts on Ebay (all men's size large). All proceeds to Anton's adoption. Hope on over to http://hopeforanton.blogspot.com for the listing links.

crappy day :(

Whew... it has been a day, Friends. I haven't had an "EB totally sucks" (or "EB is a sonofabitch" as I said on Facebook) sort of day in a long time. As far as Junctional EB goes, Jonah is really blessed with good healing, no corneal abrasions (so far), and only minor breathing issues. Honestly, for us, our biggest issue is that he still has major issues with a terrible gag reflex, throwing up, and having major psychological issues with eating, but we could be dealing with so much more.


And I forget sometimes just how fragile he is.


Last night we let him play outside for too long when it was too hot, and he paid for it today. Last night, when we got him home, we went to change his diaper for bedtime, and an area of skin right around his bum hole was gone. Just gone. No blister, no warning. Just not there. And it is killing him any time I change his diaper. This morning, when he was poopy, he was screaming in agony, raising his whole body off the table when I was trying to clean him (impossible, by the way). Then he starting crying and yelling, "Boo boo! Boo boo!" Broke. My. Heart. All day I've tried to use a Triple Paste/Maalox combo, but it's so raw and in such a tough area, I can't get the ointment to stay on or use a bandage patch. I called the doctor and they've called in some kind of wash, stomahesive powder, and cream that will hopefully help. The pharmacy had to order it, so we'll get that tomorrow. All kinds of creams and treatments are great but don't work when the area is so raw you can't get any of the good stuff to stick. Ugh. Of course, his bottom being in bad shape made bath and bandage change harder than they usually are, and I'm doing things on my own now (my choice), so it just made me a little stressed out.


And then a couple other little things happened that weren't really big deals in and of themselves, but just got to me because I was so down about Jonah's bottom and EB in general. 


And the little boys I fell in love with on adoptuskids.org are no longer there, and it makes me sad. I know it shouldn't have looked so early, but man, they'll steal your hearts. Don't say I didn't warn you.


I'm hoping things (his bottom, my attitude) will be better tomorrow but I do so appreciate you guys sticking with me even through the crappy sorry-for-myself-and-my-baby days. 


And all this tornado stuff sucks too. Enough already.

our saturday

Yesterday we went to Holly Springs to celebrate Katie's youngest daughter, Quinn's, second birthday. She may just be the cutest (female) two year old in history. She is so laid back and super sweet and got so excited about every present (like fake hyperventilating). I just loved watching her. She has such a sweet spirit, and I have to say, I wouldn't be mad if she ends up being my future daughter-in-law. 


(But for that to happen her future husband is going to have to get over his bad-birthday-attitude blues and learn to share. No nap did not work in his favor yesterday.)

Well, we're off to church. I would have been more than happy for Jesus to have come back yesterday, but since he didn't (shocker), that means He is still has work for us to do. Hope you enjoy your beautiful Sunday and find a way to love on others.

**And if you can't think of anything, I know of two little boys who could use your  $5.00.** :)

john and carson update

Y'all, I wish you could see the impact you are having on John and Carson's parents. Reading Karrie's Facebook statuses is making me tear up. You should see her giving the updates as the funds go up and giving all the glory to God! You are literally helping them save their boys' lives and bring them home! 


Do you know that between your donations and I'm sure donations of others we don't even know about, we have raised around $2,500 in 24 hours. My God is SOOOO big! Can I get an Amen???!!!


Do you think we can get it to $9,000 (it's at $8,872 now) before midnight? 


You guys are so amazing (whether or not we get one more cent). Thank you for loving these boys! I am (once again) blown away.

john and carson

This is John. He is an orphan with EB. He is in an institution (too old for the orphanage) in Eastern Europe.

This is his brother Carson. He is also an orphan and has EB. He is still in the orphanage but not for much longer. He will soon be institutionalized.

Carson just turned eight in April, and I believe John is a year older. 

This is their family. The Cannells from Lodi, CA.

Donnie and Karrie are an amazing couple. They are a "his, mine, and ours" family. Karrie had four children from a previous marriage, Donnie had two, and they have two together. Yes, EIGHT! To add to that, Donnie's 20-year-old daughter has EB, so they have lots of Butterfly experience. They have been in the process of trying to adopt Carson for a long time, but in the last few months found out he had a brother and of course, decided to adopt him too! The boys are currently separated and, needless to say, are living in conditions that are not exactly EB friendly. We need to get them home fast!

Get this - the Cannells are paperwork ready. Their final forms are in route, so all they are waiting on now is an appointment to go meet the boys for the first time. Here's the deal though, adopting both of them is even more expensive than it was going to be. We are talking $30 or $40 thousand dollars. They have $6,300. 

I know I've asked a lot of you guys lately. But I also know that if EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU who reads this clicks HERE and donates just five dollars, we can make a HUGE dent in their expenses. They are praying that God will do something huge, and I know that He will. And wouldn't it be cool if we could be a part of it? 

Please, for one day, if you have anything extra, give up your McDonald's or your Starbucks or your Chick-fil-A (pointing to myself on this one) or spend five less dollars at Target (again, me) and go give just five dollars. You can help change these boys' life and bring them home to their big, wonderful, eager, loving family.

Those boys deserve to come home. And that Mommy deserves to finally give her boys a hug.

Will you help them? Please? You can click HERE to make a secure donation through PayPal, and you can follow their journey HERE.

Thank you.

our week

Not really sure where this week went but gone it is. Matt and I have been busy in the evenings. He mowed on Monday, I had Bible study Tuesday night, and he had church on Wednesday. After he got home from church last night and we put Jonah to bed, Meredith came over and helped me finish painting the second coat of my bathroom. She helped me with the first coat too, meaning both times, she did ALL of the trim. She is a rock star painter! I seriously have never seen anyone who can paint trim like her. She didn't get one drop on the baseboards or ceiling and we didn't tape. And she flew through it. ROCK. STAR.

I ordered Jonah another pair of soft strap sunglasses. They came on Monday. He is a little confused with how to wear them. He keeps calling them his "hat".

 Like I said, Matt mowed the yard on Monday evening.

So Jonah had to go out on the back deck and mow too.

Today we had some friends over for a play date. There were lots of bubbles and outside play. We had a great time!

Our friends, Abby...

And Jobey.

And after they went home and Jonah finished up his nap, I organized my spice drawer. It's a deep drawer, so I wrote the spice names on the lids, alphabetized them, and stood them up in the drawer. It should work great...

But I won't mention here that when I closed the drawer, half of them fell over...

because that sure would be disheartening after so much work. :(


Adoption wise, our agency has received our application, and we're waiting to be assigned a social worker. Hopefully that will happen sometime next week. I'm hoping then we'll be able to get things rolling. I'm praying for peace, patience, and clarity and I know that God will grant it. I'm really excited!

this and that

We've had a nice weekend, but I'm not sure what we've done. It's been our first not-busy weekend in a long time. Matt spent Saturday doing laundry and I planted our garden. Just a little garden (one jalapeno, one red pepper, 3 zucchini, 3 squash, 2 cherry tomatoes, 2 big tomatoes, and cilantro), but it's ours and I love it. 


Today we went to church. Jonah cried when we left him and threw up in his classroom (like emptied the contents of his entire stomach) for the second week in a row. I'm not sure what we're going to have to do, but obviously leaving him and him puking all over the place is not going to work. Sigh. Round 471.


I made a grocery/Target run today. Jonah took a two and a half hour nap (all that crying and puking must have worn him out), and now we're sitting and watching one of Matt's favorite shows, American Pickers.


I'm working on redoing our bathroom. My friend, Meredith, came over last Wednesday night and helped me paint the first coat, and we have plans to finish it this coming Wednesday. I don't really know what I'm going for but the color is a light light blue (Homestead Sky Blue) and I want to work in glass and brushed silver items, and go sort of shabby chic. I've never said those words in my life. It's funny, but now, with having made the decision to adopt, I am nesting like crazy. I just wish we knew if we were getting one or two kids and if they are going to be boys or girls. I want to do bedrooms! Patience, I know. This is going to be a long (and exciting... but hopefully not too exciting) road. I'm going to call tomorrow and find out when we'll start our MAPP classes. The Forsyth County ones start July 5th, but our adoption agency thinks they can get us into earlier ones in Greensboro. 


I'm looking forward to a quiet but hopefully very productive week. Matt's mom is here the next couple days so hopefully I can get lots done. 


And Happy 7th Anniversary to my great, patient, understanding, funny, wonderful husband. Matt, I know we've had our ups and downs, but I wouldn't want to walk this road with anyone else. Thanks for being my best friend, my rock, and my balance. Here's to a great year eight and many many many more! I love you.


Hope you all have a blessed week.

photos and a neat story

These photos are from last weekend when we went to Matt's parents'. While he and his dad went to the Darlington race, Debbie, Jonah, and I went to the train station and to eat at a Japanese restaurant. Jonah loved both!

I wanted to share a neat story. With all of this energy and positivity and God-following going along with the adoption, I should have known Satan would attack. Yesterday, this comment was left on my blog:

Not sure why you would get pregnant again knowing you and your husband had a child who heartbreakingly died in utero, which is most often caused by a genetic abnormality.  Then to have another child with major health complications.  It just seems cruel to do this to your child.  Adoption would have been a much more noble and God like route.

My heart started beating so fast and my head was pounding. I would be interested to know how high my blood pressure shot up. I was so angry. And I wrote a factual, yet rather sarcastic email and responded, but of course, the email address given (angel@yahoo.com) was not real. Why am I telling you the email address? I find it interesting that the name was "angel," for as I recall, Satan is/was an angel too. Y'all, I was HOT! I let it get to me for a couple of hours and I just felt like it put me in a funk. And then Matt was in kind of a funk too (which is unusual for him), so we ended up arguing all afternoon/evening. It was not pleasant.

But then, in an effort to try to get over it all, we went to Prissy Polly's, a local barbecue place, to hear some live music and grab a quick dinner. As we were sitting there, an older gentleman approached us. He looked at me and said, "Because God has given you an angel, because you have an angel here beside you, here is an angel for you." And he handed me a little paperclip and beaded angel with a blue ribbon attached.

And as he walked away, and I looked at Jonah, I just teared up, and I thought to myself, "God redeems everything." One way or the other, sooner or later, God redeems everything. And he clearly sent me an angel to make up for the other one that I had let get to me so badly. I just want to thank all of you because SO many of you have said you're praying for us, and I just know that God hears you and is going to give us the strength when things get hard and when Satan attacks… which I know will happen even more now.

Thank you so much for being part of our redemption story.