Well our next blessing was Timothy( summer 2003) - We commonly refer to him as the whirlwind.... since his adoption happened so quickly. We were in the process of completing our home study when I started to make phone calls to decide which agency or facilitator to use for our adoption. We were open to a child of any race or gender and therefore within in a week we got a phone call for a baby whose due date was Father's Day. I thought this would be so great and not to mention it was only a week away. We were to talk to the birthmother on Tuesday since Monday night we already had tickets to take Jess to see the Dixie Chicks. She is always full of smiles and laughed so much at the concert. We were to speak with the birthmother at 7pm and who would know if she would even choose us or not. SOOO Steve went shopping for hard wood floor to install in the house.... I was running errands with Jess and the cell phone rang at 12 noon on Tuesday..... She was IN LABOR and wanted to talk with us now! So we talked and she had to go to get the hospital(she said can you come now its time)--- I had to call Steve at the Hardware store and tell him to come home ..... We were having a baby!!! Her labor took less that 15 minutes once at the hospital and we had a long drive so we arrived 4 hrs after delivery. Although we called in route to discover that it was a BOY!!!


As we arrived at the hospital the nurse directed us to the first room to meet his birthmother. She was already walking around and waiting for him to return from the nursery. I provided care for him in the hospital while sharing her suite at the hospital- this allowed me time to get to know her and Steve took care of two of her other children at the hotel until she was released. Timothy had to stay an extra day to make sure there was no infection due to leaking amniotic fluid. She never faltered in her decision to place him with us and when

After spending time with him in the hospital we were nervous as anyone would be while they wait for all the papers to be signed. Once all the papers were signed we left the hospital and went to visit with his birthmom and take some most treasured photos. There is not a day that we are not thankful for the most precious gift she entrusted to us. Now we have a great strong young man who is already three years old and a excellent big brother to both of his sisters.

He is so compassionate with Jess and wants to help feed her, read stories, and loves to dance to make her laugh. What more could a mother want to see her child act as Jesus would do in his daily life. Timothy is named after the priest that married Steve and I ..... 8 years ago.

RETT SYNDROME

I thought it would be fitting to start by giving everyone an introduction to our crew. Jessica is 24 yrs old and she has been a part of our family since the spring of 1999 6 months after Steve and I were married. She was 16 yrs old and we were blessed to have her be a part of our family. Jessica has what is known as Rett Syndrome - this is a neurological disorder which affects mainly girls as most boys often die from complications either prior to birth or shortly thereafter. Jessica is very fortunate that she remains healthy and is still able to walk and eat without the need of a feeding tube. Which is great cause she LOVES to eat despite the fact that it is hard to maintain her weight.

As you may notice in the photo Jessica's hands are in a wringing motion which is a classsic symbol for Rett Syndrome. October is Rett Syndrome Awareness Month and I challenge everyone to visit the IRSA website www.rettsyndrome.org to learn more about this disease. There are ways that you can help find a cure so that other girls might not suffer from its affects. Keep in mind Jess is soooo spoiled and we would not have it any other way. If you visit the website you can make purchases on amazon or book any travel plans for example through travelocity and other discount providers. A percentage of you purchase can help support IRSA to find a cure. The gene mutation has been discovered now we just have to find a cure. These girls are known as silent angels as they are unable to speak. Consider yourself touched by an angel today and say a prayer that we might put an end to Rett Syndrome. But I do ask that you not feel sorry for Jess and she is blessed and has made our life such a blessing. We could not imagine our life without her.

Timothy loves to feed "his sister" and even pipes up to order a salad for her when we go in the McDonald's drive thru. Today I caught him dancing for her to make her smile and it worked. Claire loves to feed Jess popcorn and any other thing she thinks she should share. Jess is the oldest in our crew and I will tell more tomorrow. Wow two posts in one day!

I am making attempts to get better familiar with posts and especially pictures. I think this will take me little longer than I hoped..... Claire started speech therapy this week and the therapist was impressed with the number of words that she has. However, it is obvious that most of those words are not always used in the proper context. She also makes a great parrot which is a great skill to learn from.Timothy had a great time playing withh all the new toys that the therapist brought. I think this will be the biggest challenge- letting Claire work without him distracting.
I hope that my next post will include photos of the new house as well as fun poolside her at the house.