"Fathers Love Letter"

" Father's Love Letter ''
Author Unknown

My Dear Child,
You may not know Me, but I know everything about you ..Psalm 139:1 I know when you sit down and when you rise ...Psalm 139:3 Even the very hairs on your head are numbered ...Matthew 10:29-31 For you were made in My image ...Genesis 1:27 In Me you live and move and have your being ..Acts 17:28 I knew you even before you were conceived ...Jeremiah 1:4-5 I chose you when I planned creation ...Ephesians 1:11-12 You were not a mistake ...Psalm 139:15-16 For all your days are written in My book ...Psalm 139:15-16 I determined the exact time of your birth and where you live ...Acts 17:26 You are fearfully and wonderfully made ...Psalm 139:15-16 I knit you together in your mother's womb ..Psalm 139:13 I brought you forth on the day you were born ...Psalm 71:6 I have been misrepresented by those who don't know Me ...John 8:41-44 I am not distant and angry, but I am the complete expression of love ...1 John 3:1
I offer you more than your earthly father ever could ..Matthew 7:11 For I am the perfect Father ...Matthew 5:48 Every good gift that you receive comes from My hand ...James 1:17 For I am your provider and I meet all your needs ...Matthew 6:31-33 My plan for your future has always been filled with hope ...Jeremiah 29:11 Because I love you with an everlasting love ..Jeremiah 31:3 My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore ...Psalm 139:17-18 And I rejoice over you with singing ..Zephaniah 3:17 I will never stop doing good to you ...Jeremiah 32:40
For you're My treasured possession ...Exodus 19:5 I desire to establish you with all My heart and all My soul ...Jeremiah 32:41 And I want to show you great and marvelous things ...Jeremiah 33:3 If you seek Me with all your heart you will find Me ...Deuteronomy 4:29
Delight in Me and I will give you the desires of your heart ..Psalm 37:4 For it is I who gave you those desires ...Philippians 2:13 I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine ...Ephesians 3:20 For I am your greatest encourager ...2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 I am the Father who comforts you in all your troubles ...2 Corinthians 1:3-4 When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you ...Psalm 34:18 As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart ...Isaiah 40:11 One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes ...Revelation 21:3-4 And I'll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth ...Revelation 21:4
I am your Father and I love you even as I love My son, Jesus ..John 17:23 For in Jesus My love for you is revealed ...John 17:26 He is the exact representation of My being ...Hebrews 1:3 And He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you ...Romans 8:31 And to tell you that I am not counting your sins ...2 Corinthians 5:18-19 Jesus died that you and I could be reconciled ...2 Corinthians 5:18-19 His death was the ultimate expression of My love for you
...1 John 4:10 I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love ....Romans 8:32 If you receive the gift of My son Jesus, you receive Me ..1 John 2:23 And nothing will separate you from My love again ..Romans 8:38-39 Come home and I'll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen ..(Luke 51:7)
I have always been Father and will always be Father ..(Ephesians 3:14-15)
I will never give up on you ...(Philippians 1:6)
I am waiting for you ...(Luke 15:11-12)
Love, Your Dad
Almighty God

Question of the Week

What are some of the most important attributes you look for in your friendships?

22 Weeks

Everyone that has seen me says that I am glowing. I just wish I could stop throwing up. LOL. Yesterday at church I had someone come up to me and say God, your stomach is huge. I was like Gee thanks, just what I needed to hear when I already feel like a cow. My stomach is so hard. I weighed myself today and I am now back to my prepregnancy weight. Weigh less felt good while it last. I just pray that I can get this weight off after Gracie is born.

Shine Make them Wonder What you Got....

It seems like forever since I have posted. It has been a very crazy weekend for me. Friday I went to the Dr. for an Ultrasound and they feel my amniotic fluid is getting too low. So needless to say I have to increase my fluid intake ( water) and go on a modified bed rest. Keep my feet up as much as possible, don't lift anything heavy and get much more rest. Also reduce my stress level. Easier said then done with my gang of kiddos. They want me back in on Friday to see if the level has increased. I had to be a dummy and go read up stuff on it on the Internet and have myself worried. Too much info is not good for an anxious person like myself.

Saturday I got up slowly ( no throwing up Yea!!!) and took "the butterfly" to Ballet. Before I left my doorbell rang and it was a sweetie from church that came to help with anything I needed help with. She picked up my house for me and did some vacuuming. What a blessing. Jim has stepped up to the plate and is helping with as much as he can but it is a lot on him to do everything. I try to do what I can but know I have to take it easy. I don't want to end up on complete bed rest. I don't know how we would ever manage that.

After Ballet we took the kids down to the waterfront to eat our picnic lunch and then we drove around alittle checking out new areas since we are still new around here. We then headed to a park for the kids to ride their scooters and play on the playground. They had a blast. It was very relaxing and the weather was just so beautiful. We then looked for a Dairy Queen with no luck. It sounded so good. Our neighbor called us and invited us over for ice cream when she heard we were looking for a nice ice cream place. We spent the rest of the evening over there and grilled out. A beautiful night!

A Thought....

I have been thinking today about what the Autism Puzzle piece means. Many Autism Awareness and Support Organizations use the logo of a puzzle piece to signify how one piece of the autism puzzle is missing. It is a mystery. It is a very puzzling disability. You even see the puzzle pieces on the support ribbons. As much as I understand this and see this I also see the puzzle piece as signifying something else. I feel a lot of times society views all children as a puzzle piece that fits into the big picture. The problem is that the puzzle piece has to be shaped and cut out a certain way. If you are not that shape you don't fit in. When you are doing a puzzle you try to fit the pieces in and when they don't fit you put them to the side until maybe they will fit in later. I know we have come a long way in today's society compared to years ago but so many people are uneducated and lack understanding of today's children and the disabilities that have changed their "FORM".

Asperger's Syndrome

This is a video on ABC News that explains alittle more about
Asperger's Syndrome that my oldest son Dominic has. It has many challenges but I have to say that early intervention is key in helping a child with this cope. Dominic has gone through therapy for behavior and social skills. He would not be where he is today if I could have ignored it and acted like it wasn't an issue. We still have challenges with it but it is still better than it would be. I am alittle apprehensive about how the teen years will go with him. It can be an awkward stage in your atypical child but I think the challenges might be a little tougher for him socially.

Interesting Perspective on Education and Special Needs Children

This morning I read a very interesting and deep felt blog about Special Needs Children and Education. Since I have a lot of mommies that read my blog that are parents of special needs children I thought I would pass this blog on to you. Check out Bart's Blog

Question of the Week

I again forgot to post my weekly question of the week. This question is for all those scrapbookers out there. What is the one scrapbooking tool that you can't live without and why?

Rain Rain Go Away

What a rainy yucky day. We are getting hit by a pretty intense rainstorm. It is supposed to last for a few days. Kiarrah is home sick with a bad cold. She is miserable. The only positive thing when she is sick is the fact that she doesn't misbehave. She is usually on her best behavior. Dominic even allowed her to come into his room to play with him which is a rarity.
I have been pretty lazy. Not feeling so hot with this morning sickness. Baby girl must be dancing on my bladder too because I keep running to the bathroom. I am sure it doesn't help that I have been enjoying cups of hot tea this morning. It is just one of those days when I am chilled to the bone. My friend Desiree in Kansas had sent me a great assortment of teas to try and I had a hard time drinking any during my first trimester. I am just actually getting where I can enjoy the flavored ones. For a while I could only tolerate regular Decaf tea.
I think I am going to curl up with a good book. I just bought a book called Grace based Parenting by Tim Kimmel. So far it has grabbed my attention.

Frustrated

I am not sure what to do and welcome any advice you might have. My 7 1/2 year old has Aspergers and with that comes a delay in potty training skills. Night time has been his only issue. About a month ago he wanted to stop wearing pull ups at night because he felt he could stay dry like he had with the pull up. After a week of no accidents we proceeded to let him go without it. We started out ok with a few accidents here and there. I would tell him that he could wear a pull up if he wanted to and he would get very upset and not want to wear one. Who can blame him? Lately though it has been happening much more frequently. I do not have a washer and dryer and have to go to the laundry mat and it is hard to get there everyday to wash this bedding over and over again. I just don't know what to do. We have tried waking him up when we go to bed but sometimes he still ends up wetting the bed. I know this affects his self esteem and I don't want him to feel bad. He doesn't get in trouble for the accidents and we try not to make him feel bad. I just want to help him. Maybe there is a birth history of bed wetting. I have no clue.

Whine for the Day

Why is it that people do not obey the laws and put their children in car seats!!!! Or if they do have a car seat they do not use it appropriately. We have a law in place for a reason. Yes sometimes I do think it is crazy that my oldest son who is 7 has to be in a booster but they have a reason for it and I would rather think it is silly and have a child kept safe. Today when I was driving around i saw so many children just thrown in the back or FRONT of a car and not buckled in at all. Don't you care about the safety of your child? I see women on the passenger side of the car holding their babies while their husbands drive. It makes me livid. My kids have been informed that they are not allowed in someone elses vehicle without their car seats let alone a seat belt.

Therapeutic Nursery Program

I found a therapeutic nursery program here in the city and finally after a week they returned my call. After a long conversation with them they told me they would call me back later today today to let me know how long the wait list is for Ki to get into there program. We had a long conversation about how the behavior is different in a child who was born addicted to Crack Cocaine. I have to admit I knew most of what she had to say but it reassured me to know that it isn't from bad parenting skills on my part. I am not saying I am the best parent out there but your kids reflect you. When you have a defiant child so many people out in the public right away judge you and blame it on your parenting skills. Or they are quick to say that your child just needs a swift kick in the pants. They have no clue how the brain was messed up by the drugs or the alcohol that the parents decided to indulge in. Not thinking of the affect it has on their unborn child in utero.
When the woman called me back today they told me that because of Ki's history and the fact that she was in a therapeutic nursery before we left, they moved her name to the top of the list so that she can get back into therapy right away. Praise God. I should expect a phone call from them in the middle of next week.

Finally a Finalization Hearing Date

Finally we have a date for Kiarrahs adoption Finalization Hearing. May 18th will be the big day for our Family. We have been waiting for this day for years!!!!! You can bet that we will have a big party.

He is eating again

Finally Rey Rey is eating. I am so happy. I think it is all due to his new medicine. The Dr. Just added Seroquel to his menagerie of meds, which increases appetite. I am also seeing some improvement with his moods. He seems to be leveling out a little more. He still has his angry outbursts but they are shorter lived thank God. All I can do is pray that this will work. The problem with most meds for Bipolar is that they might work for a few years and then BAM they just stop working. I am just so elated to see him actually eat and it not be a battle.

Question of the Week

I can't believe that I almost forgot to post this for the week. Today my question is regarding adoption and birth parents. If you are an adopted parent and you have a child who wants to find their birth parents when they are a teenager how do you handle this? Do you support it? What if the parents are not the ideal role model you want the child to know? I woul love to hear different view points of this.

Being Obedient to God's Direction

I am so excited. We have some friends that go to our church who have decided to open their home up to foster care. This was a decision that they had prayed long and hard about when wanting more children. My husband and I were extremely touched when they mentioned that we had a lot to do with their interest in it. There is such a need for good Christian loving homes out there. These children need a home that is stable and where they can find unconditional love. What really impressed me is that it doesn't matter the race of the children they will accept. So many people are closed mind to that. I pray that God will bless them mightily for their obedience and faithfulness.

Little Gracie Update

Friday morning I went for a fetal echo cardiogram to check out Gracie's heart. Everything looked wonderful. The Dr. couldn't get crisp pictures like she wanted with the finer details because baby girl is sooo comfy laying down low over my bladder. She also wouldn't move so the Dr. could look from different views. She wanted to sleep. This explains all of the pressure I feel down there and on my lower back. I cant wait until I feel a Real kick. Right now it is just pressure and like flips. I have to go back at the end of the month for another one.

Abandonment Issues

While we were at church on Sunday I noticed Reynaldo was crying during worship service. He had been a little weepy the past few days because we are in the middle of switching his meds. When I asked him what was wrong he asked me if I will be his mommy forever even when he is grown up and has his own children. It made me cry because he was very upset and you could tell this was something he had been worrying about. I told him I would ALWAYS be his mommy and went on to explain how my mommy is still my mommy. I gave him a big hug and he seemed to feel better. This made me see that he really is having some abandonment issues. I didn't see how he could because we got him at nine months but we were also his fourth placement. He says to me sometimes that he misses his birth mom. He actually only met her a few times and never lived with her. I think it is the whole concept though. Like maybe a guilt thing that he feels like he should miss her. He has always been an emotional and deep feeling child. He will also say that he misses his sister. He has always been very clingy and attached to me and gets upset when I leave him. When I come back he hugs me hard and doesn't want to let go. He tells me he misses me so much. That is also why it is hard for him when he has people in his life and then he doesn't see them anymore. He feels like they don't love him anymore. This has happened several times and I just don't know how to help him with that. I have tried to explain it to other people but they just don't seem to get it or they just don't care. I can't protect him all his life but I can try my darnedest to not let people do that to him.

Spring Break

Today was the start of Spring break for the kiddos and my husband luckily had the day off to enjoy it with us. I appreciated the extra pair of hands too. LOL. We started our day by going to "the Butterfly's" lawyer's house to sign the adoption complaint. We had the paperwork overnighted to the clerks office and hopefully we can get on the judges docket in the next 30 days. I just want this to be all over. After that was through we drove to a park that had animals for the kids to see and they ran around the park for a few hours.The boys enjoyed playing catch with daddy and KiKi and mommy hit the swings and playground equipment. It was a bright sunny day but the air was crisp. We then were off to see Meet the Robinsons. It was a very cute movie and I loved how they dealt with the whole adoption theme. The kiddos were mesmerized during the movie and were so well behaved. We ended our busy day with a dinner date with my father in law and his wife. We had not seen them since Christmas which is ridiculous because we live in the same state. The kids were so happy to get to see them. The kiddos were so worn out from our day that they were asleep as soon as their heads hit their pillows. It made for a nice quiet night for mommy and daddy.

Easter Sunday

On Easter Sunday we enjoyed a beautiful celebratory service at church. I have always loved Easter and just can't fathom how people can not realize the whole meaning and impact of the day. Do they not see how much Jesus Loves them that He laid down his life for us and our sins? I think what upsets me more is knowing that there are people out there that know Jesus and know what the Bible says but yet choose to walk away from it and act like it isn't true. Easter is such a Celebration of the fact that Christ Rose from the Dead after laying down his life for us. It is about newness and unconditional love. I now Easter is not all about the new fancy clothes but we love getting dressed up in new pretty dresses and shirts and vests etc. I love seeing all the new spring colors and dresses. I also love seeing kids dressed up on Sundays. Maybe it is the way I was raised. My mom and Dad bought the kiddos their new outfits for the day and I always get so excited to see what it will be. I think my mom enjoys doing the shopping too. Below are pictures of them in their Sunday best.