We Are Adopting!

Shaun and I are so excited about how God has been working in our lives and in our hearts over these last few years. And a huge part of that has been His call to adoption. For Shaun and I adoption has always been something that we wanted to do at some point in our lives, but what was something we wanted to do became something God was calling us to do. And above all we desire to be obedient. What are we but adopted children of Christ? 

We are going through Lifeline Adoption agency located here in Birmingham. Our social worker is great and she has made us feel so comfortable with everything. So far things have moved smoothly. We had our preliminary interviews already and our home study is scheduled for the morning of April 16th. I am really nervous about our home study, but our social worker was very reassuring that they are NOT looking for reasons to fail us. They simply are checking for safety, how Shaun and I interact with each other and with our children. Lets hope our children aren't having some kind of break down that morning! 

Shaun and I are scared and nervous. We are anxious and excited. We are faithful....our prayer is that we remain obedient to what God wants from us; what He is calling us to do. Our faith is bigger than our fears, and believe me our fears are BIG. Please pray with us as we journey down this long and unpredictable road. We are so excited to see the many ways that God revels Himself to us through this process. 

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 

I John 3:18

Swallow Test And Adenoids

This has been a big week for our sweet John Whitten. We are still trying to figure out why he has such a hard time eating solid foods, so Monday we headed down to Children's Hospital for a swallow test. Even though we didn't make it past the liquid and pudding consistencies-he freaked out when they tried to get him to eat the cookie-they said that mechanically his swallow looked good. On Tuesday morning he had a minor surgery to remove his adenoids and to look around his esophagus to look for any kind of obstruction. Everything looked great and we were home by lunch. I expected him to have an easy recovery and be back to his normal self within 24 hours, but he ended up getting a horrible infection. The last few days have been nothing but high fevers and sleepless night. The doctor put him on a strong antibiotic and this afternoon he seemed to finally perk up a little bit. 

Our sweet John Whitten has had a tough week, but we are glad to have it all behind us. Hopefully we will be getting this whole eating thing under control. Who knows, he might be eating steak and potatoes in a couple of weeks!

waiting for his swallow test @Children's

playing with toys before his surgery

he was so good...the nurse in recovery said that he never cried after he woke up from surgery, and just cuddled them. He is a big cuddle bug, so that didn't surprise me.

heading home with our sweet boy

Lord, be gracious to us! We wait for You. Be our strength every morning...

Isaiah 33:2

Baby Nations #3 Is Coming SOON!

Alli is getting pretty close to welcoming sweet baby Nations #3, so this past Sunday some friends and family got together to give her a baby shower. Her boys have pretty much worn out most of the baby clothes so she need some new and fresh things. She also got some new cloth diapers; just what she needed to fuel the obsession.

We are so excited to meet this sweet new bundle of joy and maybe even more excited to find out if it is a BOY or a GIRL! My bet is on a little girl...but I have been wrong with every single pregnant person I know; including myself! Boy or girl, either way this little baby is already so loved and I feel so blessed to be apart of his or her life. 

 His love is perfected in us.

1 John 4:12

Graham's Dedication And Some BIG News From Nashville

About three or four weeks ago we went to Nashville to see our nephew Graham be dedicated. It was such a special and important moment for Johnny, Emily and sweet Graham and we were so excited to get to witness and share in that day with them. And guess who flew in from Austin for Graham's big day...Uncle Mark!! Lillian was so excited to see him and pretty much stayed next to him the whole time. Our puppy Jack (who also came with us) also loved Mark and even slept with him. The weather got a little crazy that Sunday morning and there was a heavy snowfall for a few hours. We were all a little worried that the church would cancel the dedication, but thankfully the snow eased up after a few hours. Graham was a perfect little angel during his dedication and it all went so well. Even though it was only a quick 24 hour trip, we so enjoyed being up there and were so thankful that we could be there for Graham's special day. 

Lillian and Uncle Mark

sweet Graham

Johnny, Emily and Graham!

The dedication was @3:00, right smack in the middle of John Whitten's nap time. 

love these two guys

I love how Graham and John Whitten are looking at each other

While we were in Nashville Emily and Johnny told us some BIG news....they are expecting Baby Greene #2 in September!!! Graham and his brother or sister will be 13 months apart. I am so excited for them and cannot wait to find out if we will be welcoming a niece or another nephew this fall. 

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it

Proverbs 22:6

My 18 Month Old Boy

WOW, I have been a horrible blogger lately! Things have been hectic around the Hays' home, and my camera had been in Nashville-thanks again Johnny for shipping it back to me! Anyway, I am back in the blogging saddle and there is a lot to catch up on. But lets start with this unbelievable fact...my baby is 18 months old!! I cannot believe he is 18 months...it feels like such a milestone. 

Last week we went to visit with Dr. Walley for his 18 month check up. Here are my sweet boys stats:

• Weight: 24.10 (50th-75th percentile)
• Height: 35 inches (off the charts)

John Whitten has changed so much in the last few months. He is talking so much more and is definitely has discovered that he has an opinion about things. Lillian is a such an amazing big sister and is always taking care of her baby brother, and like any boy John Whitten loves it being taken care of. One thing we are sure of is that our baby boy is just that BOY. He is into everything and is always climbing onto things so that he can then throw himself off of whatever object he managed to get on. He LOVES his cousin Eli and loves Lillian's friend Jack. Those two, Jack and Eli, are the ultimate boys and I think that John Whitten just wants to be into everything with them. It is so strange going from my little wall flower Lillian who has always just wanted to color and play tea parties to my wild and crazy boy. I am learning to navigate these little boys waters, but it is tough but so rewarding. 

We are still dealing with some eating issues, and recently were sent to see a pediatric ENT. They put him on a reflux medicine- I wasn't happy about that but said I would try it, he is having a swallow test done tomorrow and on Tuesday is having his adenoids taken out. They will also take a look down his throat on Tuesday to make sure that there are no natural obstructions or webbing in his esophagus. We already know that there is a "disconnect" between his soft pallet and his brain; his body doesn't get the signal to swallow so it come back up instead. We will also be starting occupational therapy soon so hopefully all of this stuff will help us figure things out a little more. Keep our little guy in your prayers this week, and his nervous Mommy and Daddy!

waiting for Dr. Walley

I cannot believe how much I love this little boy

Lord, be gracious to us! We wait for You. Be our strength every morning...

Isaiah 33:2