TOO funny

So yesterday I was feeding pieces of mango to Owen for a snack....and I guess he got tired of trying to pick them up with his fingers.....

The lovely 3rd tooth

So, I just realized that in the 'busy'ness of life I totally forgot to tell you about that infamous 3rd tooth of Owen's that made it's grand arrival on our drive up to Washington! I am a horrible blogger I know....leaving you all hanging in such suspense all these weeks!

Well. That tooth. Or should we refer to it as the lovely little dagger that it is. It seems as though Owen enjoyed having that extra tooth that he would latch on to nurse with such tenacity that well....I would think I was going to loose a...hmmm...how do I put this....an 'asset'. To say that I got bit a couple times would be the understatement of the century! I began to feel like Evil Knievel (remember him?) every time I would sit down to feed my child. I am serious. For a week or so I was getting injured EVERY TIME! Now, some of those times were complete accidents I am sure. But I am just as sure that some of those times were not. When my sweet cherub would look up at me and laugh, right after chomping down.....as tears are forming in my own eyes and I have screamed at him like the 'mom of the year' I am....it is hard to think of it as an 'accident'. One afternoon, I had been bitten SO hard and was sure my 'asset' had sprung a new leak and I was done. Owen was put down for a nap without being fed, both of us bawling, him in his crib, me on the couch, writing yet another email to Mike informing him about the torture HIS child was putting me through.

Now, I know what ALL of you are thinking, or rather screaming at the screen right now. "WEAN HIM!" Here is the lovely dilema that is the icing on the cake. My dear sweet Owen will not take a bottle. He will not take a sippy cup. It is like I am stuck between a rock and a serious sharp place. When Owen was born, he was so big we had to supplement him with formula from day 2. He was a champ on the bottle.....so much so that we worried he would prefer to take his meals that way instead of from dear ol' mom. Also, I have to admit, I am lazy and cheap. Formula is a pain in the neck to prepare...not to mention SUPER expensive (even with a good coupon)! Breast feeding is like the ultimate lazy coupon for me....gotta love free (not to mention all those calories I am burning!). So, needless to say, Owen didn't see a bottle again for a LONG time....and by that time he was VERY fond of dear ol' mom. And now I am paying for it. Good news is....I haven't been 'wounded' in about a week or so. Two more teeth have arrived on the scene, for a total of 5 and Owen seems to be getting the hang of his new 'sharp' friends. However, I still cringe every time I go to nurse him. I am living life on the edge these days!

So, that is the story of the lovely 3rd tooth. Painful but true. And yes, we are working on getting him to love the sippy cup. :)

P.S. Owen is 9 months old today! Can you believe it? :)

And so we wait

And we wait. For those of you in 'the know' we feel we have gotten an answer from God through much prayer. We feel that for now.....we must wait. And I am not good at waiting. Patience is not one of my virtues. You'd think after 7 years of teaching 5-6 years olds I would have picked it up along the way somewhere....but I think I must have missed it!

We must wait to start the adoption process. The plan is still to adopt from Ethiopia....just not right now. I am at peace but totally saddened at the same time. Mike and I went out on a 'date' last night and discussed what we had both been feeling about it since it had been a week since our meeting with the agency. We had spent the week praying about it, thinking about it, and generally not discussing it. My prayer had been the whole time that God would lead Michael to complete peace and that Mike would lead the way. Because I tend to just jump on in with things.....that's why Mike is so good for me. :)

Mike did not have peace at this time....and amazingly it wasn't because of the money (which was what I thought would have deterred him in the first place). The rationale for waiting that God lead Mike to was completely true and right. However, my heart hurt because my fear was that if we didn't do it now we wouldn't do it....that we would join our fellow humans in the pattern of not following through on things....but as Mike reminded me.....we do follow through with things....2 marathons & a few trips back to South Africa later. He's right. We will do this. And a couple years down the road God will swing the door WAY open and we will dance through it with joy! And at that time we will be able to do a greater good. But my heart is still sad. For now....we will continue to pray and hope and dream of baby E while doing the good we can here in Bakersfield to those around us (I have some exciting plans in that arena as well!). God is good. Thank you for all your thoughts & prayers & encouragement!

A few days too late....Happy New Year!

Oh wow....so much to post, so much to post. I wish that my brain were connected to this blog so that some of the thoughts that I think would just automatically load up here for you all to enjoy. My most amazing blog posts happen in the shower, in the middle of the night, while I am driving...well...you get the idea. So...with such pressure to post something, and worrying that I won't remember what I have thought in my head, I have avoided the task until now. Trust me....were you able to get the original version in my head, it would be much better....pee your pants funny. Instead....here we go! :) Brace yourself....this could be a long post....lots to cover.

Christmas:
Well.....where do I begin. It was different this year....in good ways and bad. Let me explain. It was so good to experience as a family of 3 and have Owen around in all the festivities. However that same sweet Owen made some traditions impossible. And that. was. hard. for. me. Even now I am tearing up a little bit as I write about this. I know what you all are thinking, "Just make new traditions with Owen!"....and trust me, we are. But some things are just so hard anyways about Christmas (mainly just being away from my family) that I think I was clinging to those traditions to keep some bit of 'home' with me and the way it used to be. I also want Owen to have the same sweet memories that I had. Oh well.... This year Mike was sick, and Owen was 8 months old, so we just spent time at home instead of doing the things we used to. We did make it to the Christmas Eve service at church, SUPER late, but we made it. Then ended up at Denny's for dinner as a family.....hopefully Denny's is not the beginning of a new tradition...but Mike and I had a good laugh at the thought! :)

All in all though we had a great time Christmas morning with each other, playing with Owen, and opening gifts. We then headed over to Mike's parents home to celebrate with his family and eat all kinds of yummies. Owen got a sweet wagon and was content most of the morning to just sit in it! It may become a permanent fixture in our living room? Think I could decorate around a large, plastic, red-flyer wagon? :)

Then, the adventure began.....

Because of the way Christmas and New Year's fell on the calendar....and because we wanted to spend as much time at home with the Hughes family.....we decided to drive up to Washington Christmas night. A bit crazy I know....but it worked out pretty well. Here are some highlights of the trip up.

-attempting to 'feed' Owen while driving....yeah...don't ask...didn't really work.
-finishing the 'feed' while parked in a cemetary. It was the only 'lit' place at the exit. That puts cemetary feeds for Owen at 2.
-Mike making the decision to 'go-for-it' (not stop where we had planned) while I was asleep. I woke up in Oregon & we continued to drive on through. :)
-breakfast at McDonald's....yes...a highlight...I LOVE breakfast at McDonald's! :)
-Owen got a new tooth on the drive....probably somewhere in Oregon. We got to Washington....and there it was, on top, all shiny and new!

Well, we got to Washington safe and sound....much earlier than planned which got my mom scrambling! Once we got there, Mike crashed and I just sat in the comfort of home. Now, Mike and I had GRAND plans while we were with my family. We were going to do things, anything, without sweet Owen. We had giftcards ready for dinner and coffee and wanted to catch a few movies. Once again.....those plans were thwarted. Mike got sick & his sugars were out of control. After a few phone calls to his diabetic doctor and primary doctor, he ended up in Urgent care to get checked out. So...we didn't go to coffee....or dinner.....or a movie.....

Now, I know, I sound a bit pathetic.....but the trip was still wonderful. We spent time at home with my family and got a few things done together as a family of 3. We ate TOO much, and laughed even more. I feel so blessed to have such a loving family.....even though they are too far away.....or should I say 'we are'. Here are a few highlights of our time up there

-playing Scrabble slam with the family and mom...yes dear M.O.M. spelled a VERY naughty word.....so naughty it can't be written.
-going to fantasy lights PACKED in the family van. Dad was driving and pointing out all the lights coming up....including the 'dancing girls'....which turned out to be Santa's reindeer. Then later on Jasmine had to point out the 'pole-dancer' to dad.
-Mike and I getting into the car without Owen and Mike commenting how nice it was to have family around and that he 'only had touched Owen once' that day....we are great parents....really we are.
-getting out to dinner with Brian and Rachel at the Spaghetti factory and getting to sit in the trolley for the first time ever!.....not as cool as I thought....that thing shakes every time someone picks up a fork.

Well, we had a wonderful Hughes family Christmas/New Year's Day and then did the crazy move we pulled on true Christmas. We loaded everything into the car (it was much more 'loaded' this time), and headed South. I will spare you the details/highlights of that trip. :) Let's just say we decided to stop for the night and divide the trip into 2.....BIG mistake. Owen does not and will not sleep in a hotel. We only got about 3-4 hours of interupted sleep and a very early start to the second part of the drive compliments of Owen. We stopped at a lot of weird places for food/fuel and happened to meet a LOT of weird people and hear a LOT of weird conversations. The crazies were out along I-5 that day for sure. :)....including us!

Well....sorry for the novel.....and not such a funny one at that. Now you are finally caught up with the Botts's family happenings over the holidays. :) Much funnier posts will follow....I promise....remember that tooth that Owen got on the drive North? :)

Tomorrow

Well, tomorrow. It's here. It's our next step in what we feel God has called us to do. I am SO excited and yet terrified of what we will hear at the same time. I don't know exactly what Mike will think...so the ride home should hold much interesting conversation. :)

We know that many of you are still not in 'the know'. So sorry to remain in the dark about this, leaving out many important details....like....what exactly we are doing....but hopefully we will be able to share the details soon with joy! We would however appreciate your prayers. Please pray that God would give us a clear 'go' or 'no'. And that we would feel peace about either one. We know that our God is big and calls us to do big things and we hope and pray that this is it. Thank you friends near and far for thinking of us and offering your prayers. :)