Vote Today!

Chase is giving away 5 million dollars to various charities and it's up to us to vote on which ones! Vote for your favorite non profit and then get your friends to do the same. We voted for Caring for China because they were the ministry in China that took care of Evan. Here's the direct link to Caring for China!

Let's Dance!

Happy 3rd Birthday Asher!!!

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All my babies together!

Fall Homeschool Stuff

The last 3 weeks we've been learning how we "live and grow in Jesus" (Leaves-Psalm 1) and also how "if we stay in Jesus we will have much fruit" (Apple-Gal 5). We are somewhat behind where I wanted to be by now but with Asher coming home we were needing to develop a new preschool rhythm. I think it's finally happening.

The kids had fun with this craft and it really turned out good. They used their hand prints for the branches...

The fall is my favorite time of year so it was fun for me too.
We made apple trees (planted by a stream, by the way ; ) and here's what we used to do it: Brown WASHABLE paint, paint tray and small paint roller, poster board, foam sheets for the leaves and apples, scissors to cut them out, and glue.
First I drew a tree trunk and had the boys paint it with the small roller. Then we painted the palms of their hands for stamping onto the poster board to make the tree branches up top. After the paint dried they glued the leaves and apples I precut ahead of time onto the hand branches. (I also wrote the scripture verses on some of the leaves that went with our lessons. Along with our "words to remember" on the apples and the tree trunk)
Here's a better picture of their hand prints and scriptures...we had fun! All three boys did it.

Happy Harvest!

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Those of you that know me well, know that we hate the origins of Halloween. Therefore stopped celebrating by dressing up the kids years ago. Recently I have been rethinking the "dressing up" part. All over the world, satan is celebrated in different ways. Different cultures have various ways and days that celebrate something contrary to God's Word. We've brought much of this into our own culture here in the US...Christmas is a great example believe it or not. Look up the origins and you'd be surprised.

But just like we choose to focus on the fun of Christmas and the birth of Jesus coming into the world (although it's really not the day Jesus was born) and His one day returning, I'm choosing to focus on the "fun" and the time of celebrating the "harvest". So we had a little fun this fall with dressing up...without the evil of it all. And as they grow we will talk more about what the true "Harvest" is all about and how to "be in this world but not of this world". There is a deep spiritual side of it all that's just too intense to get into at this age. Anyway, here are some pictures of our fun! Enjoy!

Some Pictures of October

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Here is a hodgepodge of pictures from the past few weeks....next week is Asher 3rd birthday....no big party planned, I just don't have the energy for that. But we are have close family over for cake and ice cream...well, no ice cream for Asher-he's VERY lactose intolerant :-)

Our little pumpkin in the pumpkin patch


Evan working on his leaf rubbing for our study of leaves...he made a book of them. Now we need to take a walk on the trails and identify a few. We better hurry because there won't be any left here in NJ! Below is the puppy "chillaxing"



Amy Lynn and Daddy


Grandson Levia href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ax3JF7ty-ic/SujthYQIYqI/AAAAAAAACus/2AqRDl5jWHM/s1600-h/2009Oct+Hayride+012.jpg">
A couple of my favorites...Asher the computer genious and the boys making brownies...
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Next week we also have another doctors appointment. We are praying nobody gets H1N1 this season. so much controversy with this vaccine. Normally we would not get it but due to Asher's SC we will be getting this when available. If Asher gets a fever of 101 or greater he will need to go to emergency. Any type of respiratory illness or infection can cause major complications and even death. Something like the flu is nothing to mess around with. Esecially the piggy kind...no comments about your opinion please, I think I've had enough of that.

I pray the Lord bless you today! My heart is full and so is my home :-) ....but always room for one more!

Sickle Cell Anemia in Children

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Here are some resources for those of you who are stopping by to find information about Sickle Cell in Children:

Here's a page just for Children

And for Parents

Family Doctor

About the Genes


Before I get to the update I just have to say I think I see Asher's face shine with the Lord's glory at times!
I've been wanting to update since yesterday. Our visit to DuPont(Neumours) was a stressful one. They attempted to draw blood for about 45 minutes but this kid has so much scarring on the only good vein he has. They wound up pricking his fingers and squeezing the blood out to do the hemoglobin test and a couple others. His hem is up some from 7 to 9. Normal is between 11 - 14...Asher's normal will be about where it is...ok, now about what type of Sickle Cell he has...


Asher has inherited sickle cell from both parents, therefore has the most severe form of the disease, SS. We were hopeful to hear something different but our baby is going to need a lot of medical care. But in Christ we are still hopeful. God has kept this baby boy alive in Haiti. Looking back at the last 2 1/2 years, his frequent serious illnesses, hospitalizations, blood transfusion, etc. I'm amazed. He probably should have died...but the Lord has a plan for his life. I've been trying to process all this in the past 2 weeks, especially the last 24 hours or so.

His test also show 17% of fetal hemoglobin, something we stop producing once we are born. This is good because it is likely that his body will continue to produce this. Fetal hemoglobin, as I understand it, doesn't sickle. I'm convinced the Lord did this to save him from dieing in Haiti. I know that He also could have healed him totally but there is just so much that I still don't understand. And probably never will this side of heaven.

Asher has a purpose, created by God. He'll have many obstacles, but if you could only see this kid and the way he handles his discomfort. What a joyful child he is. It's totally God and God in him. It brings ME joy and also sadness at the same time. We will learn from Asher. I already have.

Sunday we introduced him to the congregation at church. As we worshipped in the sanctuary, he raise up his little hand to Jesus. It comes natural to him, worshipping unto the Lord. He's close to God. I bet he's even met Him :-) I mean that. I can see it in the way his face shines, and the peaceful spirit he possesses. Only one who is inhabited by the Holy Spirit has that kind of peace. Only one who has seen the face of God can reflect that kind of Glory.I mean, look at how good this kids looks! He Shines!

We are blessed to call him OUR SON. I don't think I understand how blessed we are yet.

OK on to other things...did I mention that Asher's hematologist is an adoptive mother. She's adopted from China, how cool is that. So she not only understands his medical issues but also understands the added challenges he has.

Our "brothers" are doing pretty good. I think Evan has moments of mourning at times but is learning it's not so bad having a little brother around. We just need to remember spend "special" time with him and show him some extra attention for a little while. It's easy for us to spend all our time with Asher with his medical needs and forget that Evan also needs some support.

They do this really strange thing with their mouths/tongues at each other, holding the corners of their mouth while slightly bumping heads. I got the tail end of it in this picture. It's weird but they love it and makes them laugh at each other...hey, whatever it takes, we're bonding!

I love this time of year. The air gets crisp and the colors are all my favorites! We took the boys to a fall festival about a week ago.




Tub time is a favorite here! It's hard to get him out :-)
And we had a little family soccer with big brother Brad
We also went to the zoo. He loves to go "out" and he also is really good about going to bed...this kid is amazing. Oh and he now reaches for me when someone trys to pick him up that he doest know...very very good :-) And when he says mommy, I can tell it's starting to mean something.



To learn more about Sickle Cell Anemia you can click Here

Going to Dupont....

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In the morning we have a Sickle Cell Clinic appointment at Dupont Children's Hospital. We will be getting more information about Asher's tests and also getting more blood work done. Pray they get that vein on the first try. Asher just doesn't have many workable veins.

We'll be finding out specifically what type of sickle cell he has. I begged Brad to go with me since I have to take Evan. Evan was horrible at the last pediatrician appointment I had to take Asher to. Crying about stickers, etc...I just don't want to do that again. And this appointment is just too important. It's not that Brad doesn't want to go, it's that he's already taken enough days off recently with Asher being in the Hospital. I guess I just want him there anyway. Support. So he's going and I pray his employer understands.

I'll update tomorrow...hopefully with photos too...God Bless...Terry

Challenge

To see full post go to: http://www.ourfamadventure.blogspot.com// It's been a challenge getting my boys to sit close enough to "like" one another. I know it hasn't been that long but I'd like to see some kind of progress here. I mean, they are so different....Personality, ethnicity, etc, but now brothers. And not really by choice either. But who "chooses" their siblings anyway?

We've had good moments, but mostly tolerence. Evan is feeling bumped out, and even somewhat depressed at times. Asher is now having a ball with his new, pain free (at the moment) life. You can just see his energy level rising every day. But you can also see that he knows his big brother isn't happy with him. Evan (4) is trying, but doesn't always understand why Asher (almost 3 but barely like a 2 year old in so many ways) responds like a baby, like throwing toys, or not responding at all because he doesn't know english. Evan has always been somewhat immature...and not always friendly social situations. He hates change.

How can we make this work for everyone? Any suggestions? I don't mean to sound like we are having major difficulties, just needing to facilitate "family". And stifling that green eyed monster!

Another Day

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This week has be challenging, exhausting, and a blessing. I guess we are all on the learning curve. I think Evan is feeling somewhat bumped from his place of royalty and refuses to go out without a fight :-) Actually, he's doing pretty good considering...he needed his little brother home a long time ago!


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It's amazing to see Asher's personality emerge. And I love seeing him do things he obviously has never done...like running! Now I'm sure the kids at the orphanage run, but I'm certain that Asher never did. I think because of his frequent illnesses, the nanny's babied him and carried him. He's also a very reluctant child unless coerced to do something. I can't imagine the nanny's having the time for this kind of one on one attention. So watching him trying to run and pick up his legs is the cutest thing I've ever seen. I'll try and get the video clip up of him running.


I have my 3 year old grandson here 3 days a week and Asher tries to follow the big boys around everywhere and do what they are doing. And coloring is a big big hit! So are balls. He hangs on to his ball for dear life too, NO ONE IS GOING TO TAKE HIS BALL ANYMORE!

And the biggest milestone is he has made peace with the dogs...all 3 of them. At first he was petrified. So we gated the house and he could only see them through the gate. The gates got old real fast as the dogs we obviously unhappy with this new family arrangement. So after a day or so, I felt that our reacting to his reaction was part of the problem. We stopped his drama by ignoring it and loving on the dogs in front of him and in a matter of hours it seemed to work. So we worked each dog into the family room with Asher, one by one. Now, he is bossing around the dogs...and tattling on them when they are being naughty like sneaking food or little toys they like to chew :-)

It really warms my heart to hear him say Mommy. Of course he calls Brad mommy, and my older son mommy and just about anyone he likes and responds to him in anyway. So this is something we will be working on.

All in all we are beginning to develop a routine...

His health is good at the moment but you can tell he's still not 100%. We are still waiting to find out what type of Sickle Cell he has, we go to clinic in 2 weeks. But when I look into his eyes, I no longer see that sick little boy I saw in pictures for 2 1/2 years. It's amazing how much healthier he looks already. God is so good and I am praising Him for saving my baby boy....Praise you Jesus for bringing him home!

A new day

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This boy is an absolute treasure! We spent some time this afternoon hanging out home while Daddy and the rest went to Mom-mom Scotts bday party (Happy Birthday Mom-mom!) I wish we could have went but life has been a bit overwhelming lately and we really needed some time to get to know that everything is ok. And he needs some vaccinations since something like the flu could cause Asher SC crisis. We are learning about this day by day. But I know with God's strength we are going to all do just fine.

He's really warming up to the whole family. It's amazing how his personality is emerging. But he hates our dogs. Of course we have three! He hates the the little dogs especially. So we have our house gated and for now there is a constant physical separation but he is still able to see them. I'm going to bring the little ones in the family room/play area in the crate while he plays in a few days.mmmm, lovin' the peanut butter!




I don't think Evan is too excited about sharing his kingdom. At the same time he will tell me how happy he is that Asher is home. But he's not too keen on sitting next to him. Although my social butterfly grandson has no problem playing with Asher, or even trying to boss him a little bit. I guess he's just handing down being bossed around by his Uncle Evan. All in all they are doing fine and warming up to the new routine. And Mommy can't wait until be have one!Hours of fun...a stick with a little string and magnet for "fishin"!




It's awesome to sit here and listen to him singing in bed. He is so content up there. That is so amazing to me. I can't believe it. It's almost like it's been his bed all along. He shares a room with Evan and I'm not sure if that is the reason he loves it so much...it could be. But he is so happy up in his room. He hasn't sung or talked anywhere else except in the car on the way home from the hospital.



Well, that's enough of mommy gush for now. It's only the second day home and already feels like he was in Haiti 100 years ago. Its funny how life just takes over and you forget the pain of childbirth once it's all over and you have that sweet child in your arms. It's a gift from God. When I think about the task ahead I sometimes get overwhelmed but I know that God has given us what we need to give this precious son of ours exactly what he needs today to truly "live"....For His Glory! Terry Ps. My daughter Amy has been such a blessing...Thank you Amy for all your love and help. We love you soooooo much!

Doing well!

Today we went from this....

To this!


He's even being naughty! But how can you get mad at a smile like that. At this moment he's doing laps in his crib :-)

We still have a couple more tests to do and we don't know what type of sickle cell he has yet, but we are praying he can go home tomorrow. It looks pretty good if he stays fever free. He hasn't had a fever since last night. And the pain and swelling in his arm has subsided...Thank you all for your faithful prayers and all the uplifting comments. It wonderful to know we have brothers and sister lifting us up in prayer. And The Lord has held us up! Praising God for his grace and mercy and bringing our little one here in time...

Here's some picture of tonight and yesterday...please pray for Brad, he's home with a stomach bug.

Hospital Update

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He's doing so much better today. We even got some more smiles. But he'll smile and then quickly look away and stop-as if to say "no way, you didn't just see me smile". He even walked around the halls with Daddy today and stopped at the playroom. His arm still hurts a little. We are waiting to get the MRI because his Hemoglobin is so low (6 something- I think normal is 13?) and anesthesiologist doesn't want to do it. The doctors want to rule out infection in their. He may be getting it tomorrow.

Most of the other tests (infectious disease) are coming back normal...and the rest aren't back yet, so we are relieved of this. HIV Neg. We were concerned because we had learned that his birth mom was very sick but wasn't told why. So this is a major relief.

Tomorrow he's also getting another CBC among other stuff to see how his numbers look. He's had some heavy duty antibiotics now for almost 48 hours. I will try and update more about the medical end of it all. We are still educating ourselve about sickle cell so kinda in information overload.

We are working on the bonding too. Daddy is preferred...and he is eating that up! Which is funny because Brad thought for sure he would be a Mommy's boy :-) Oh and we had a surprise...he pointed to the potty, so Dad brought him in and he went...looks like our baby is getting potty trained!

Thank you all so much for the prayers...I believe that the worse is over and praising God for his grace and mercy. We may still be here for a couple days but all is well. When I walked in the room to find hearts hanging on the crib from his friend at Rainbows...Thanks guys! That was so special and it warmed our hearts :-) When you see Brad, give him the biggest hug you ever gave anyone! He's been my hero and I would know what to do without him. A blessing beyond measure. Pictures to come....I Love you! Terry

Fortunate

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(Note: I'm not an editor :-) bear with me)


I have something on my heart this morning...bear with me. You may think that this boy is anything but fortunate. When we were deciding on a name, Brad felt very strong that Calerbe's name is Asher. We didn't come to this lightly but with much prayer...the name we give him will be his future. One meaning of the name Asher is "fortunate".

When Evan and I were making his welcome home sign I wrote the meanings of his name down. But I neglected fortunate. This morning I woke up with this word on my mind. I felt the Lord pressing this word into my heart. Asher Calerbe IS fortunate. When you consider that there are countless children who do not have the luxury of modern medicine that lay wasting in their parents arms because of a lack of resources. These kids are all around us. Children dieing of disease's all around the world easily treated in the US.

Lets face it, we are all very fortunate to even debate "health care" in the US. In some places there is no debate...children die. And because we are so abundantly blessed (another Asher meaning), what will we do with our good fortune.

Asher's blessed to be here now. But so many are still waiting for help. There are ministries trying to help these kids but need help. Every child belongs to God...and we are the hands and feet to every one of them.
Real Hope for Haiti
Hands that Heal
Angle Mission

My hero spent the night with Asher at Dupont and allowed me to come home for some rest and with Evan. Now I'm getting ready to go back and face today! The Lord is Good. My devotion today, "Trust in Me and refuse to worry". That's where I am today. It was actually yesterdays but I read the wrong day, which was actually the right devotion to read :-)
"I am your strength and your song". (Exodus 15:2)

Home?

To see full blogpost with photos go to http://www.ourfamadventure.blogspot.com/

Boy I'm tired. I had no idea that when me and Evan left at 12:30pm yesterday, that I would be making a trip AI Dupont Children's Hospital. I felt strong that this would be down the road but not so soon!

Brad received our precious son at the airport, screaming and crying (and yes we expected this too) and obviously very attached to the people who have cared him for the past 2 1/2+ years. But as soon as he got settled down and through security, Brad noticed that Calerbe was favoring his arm. As the day went on, his obvious pain grew. Even the person who checked his passport at the border in Miami noticed his discomfort. I was troubled by this and had trouble thinking about anything else. Praying.



He seemed pretty good at the hotel and Calerbe actually began to warm up to Daddy...and he evidently loves music because Daddy's ipod was a hit :-) They both slept pretty well. But when they woke the next morning the arm still hurt and he began to feel a little warm. We expected him to get sick because of the shock, Evan had a fever when we received him. But this felt different. Especially since his history of illness pointed to something more serious.

Evan and I hurried around on Monday morning trying to get everything ready but I felt like I was just walking in circles. We made a welcome home sign that we haven't taken down yet since he hasn't actually made it home yet. As we met them at the airport, and I took my baby in my arms, he was burning up and knew there was something seriously wrong.

Brad and I decided to drive to immediately to his work and delivery a copy of his foreign adoption decree directly to the HR department (for insurance) and then drove to the hospital...and that's where I've been ever since. Asher Calerbe was/is scared, and confused. We are trying to communicate with him the best we can. We are trying to absorb Haitian Creole as quickly as possible to help ease his fears(learn your Creole people! Don't wait too long!). He is really warming up to us and reaches for us. But this isn't the way I envisions bonding.


Our sign is still hanging. I may need to take it down because he's still not coming home. Many tests still to be done. So far, we know he has sickle cell. I was asked yesterday by a well meaning tech if we could give him back. I almost cried at the thought. We are completely committed...he is our son. Although the blood work in Haiti showed negative for SC, I was suspicious of this test result. We have no idea who did this lab or where they sent it. I knew if it wasn't SC it had to be something similar. After I visited him last Nov, I tried to figure out how to get a Med Visa but had no idea even where to begin. Had no idea how to get a diagnosis when I was so far away and without resources. So I prayed that he would not die before he was released from Haiti. This child has been through a war within his own body and, boy, he is a fighter! They think there are complications now from untreated sickle cell. We are learning as we go but remarkably doing well with all this information. It must be God because in my own heart I have no strength. But with Him, I CAN DO ALL THINGS! I know this, I believe this, and He keeps reminding me this.

I do plan to take that sign down...but only for a short time. It's supposed to rain and we are still planning his homecoming...our little fighter. He is Blessed, & Fortunate as the name Asher implies. God has big big plans for his life.

Visa in Place!

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Well, the Visa is in place and Brad's travel arrangements are in place. I plan to update this blog as I can. I really can't believe this is finally happening. After many many long months and wondering if Asher would ever make it home alive, he is finally coming home!


If you ever wondered how we started our Haiti adoption, and why Calerbe, you can go HERE to his website.

This Child is so precious to us. We've prayed for his healing for many many months and when I look at his current pictures I am so surprized to see a healthy little boy. He's not been in the hospital since last year...so amazing and so God! I believe God has touched his little body. Nevertheless, we are still anxious to get him home and evaluated. And the time has finally come!
Updates are coming...stay tuned :-)

Lord prepare our son's heart for this transition. Help him to somehow understand that we are his mommy and daddy. And his family. Be with is family in Haiti who are saying goodbye to him and soothe aching hearts. I pray that in all these things that your Name be glorified. That we will never lose sight of Your work for us and keep our eye fixed on Jesus. Bless these precious children that You entrusted to us...everyone of them...