Friday, November 28, 2008
Thursday, November 27, 2008
DEDICATING Our Son To The LORD............
In the last year that I have waited for our beautiful son to come home I have told the Lord that the very first thing we would do is publically dedicate him at church to Him. Oh I know that we had already done it in our hearts the day that we found out about him and that Zane has always belonged to the Lord and He has always kept His hand on his little life protecting him and keeping him healthy, but this I wanted to do at church. Daniel seemed to think we should wait a couple of weeks until he got more use to people, he had only been home 4 days. I insisted and we had him dedicated on Sunday, November 23, 2008 and it was beautiful. Zane was an angel and I know in my heart that I kept the promise I made to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I will never be able to put into words just what God has done for us yet again, I can only thank Him and praise Him forever.
Zane's 1st Week At Home..............
After being gone 22 days we arrived home from Vietnam on Wednesday, November 19, 2008 very tired and suffering from severe jet lag but so very happy to be home with our older children and have Zane finally home. It was quite a shock to our bodies to go from 90 degree very humid weather to 22 degrees and oh so cold. We touched down at Charlotte International airport at 6:08 am and because all of our luggage was lost we didn't have to go to baggage claim, so within minutes we had both Chloe and Zane strapped in their carseats and we were headed home to S.C. He loved his carseat and I was so suprised because he had never been in one. He just held Chloe's hand and with the other hand he held his blankey and sucked his thumb all the way home.
Kaitlyn played hookey from school so when we pulled into the drive way she was outside to greet us, I will never forget the tears in my 12 year old eyes when she saw her baby brother for the first time. Within minutes our oldest daughter was here she also played hookey from school but a different type of hookey she is a math teacher. She too cried when she saw Zane and kept remarking about how tiny he was. That is the one thing none of us was prepared for his tiny size. That will quickly change though because the boy loves to eat! When we got him he only weighed 13 pounds but in just the few short weeks that he has been with us he has already gained to over 16 pounds. Back to his first day home, my parents came shortly after ladden with a feast. My mom had made chicken and dumplings, hash, and a sad sally sag cake. They had also brought chips, buns, and drinks so our meals were set for a couple of days. I kept thinking once it got to lunchtime I would be starving but that wasn't the case, for you see, I had actually lost 26 pounds in 12 days in the province because I had became very ill on the way to the province and couldn't keep anything on my stomach. While in the province the choices were so limited and it really didn't matter to me because I couldn't even eat plain white rice. Now that I am home I am much better now and unfortunately my appetite has returned with a vengance. My neice and her son came to eat lunch with us along with my oldest sister and Brent left school early and he and Meghan came in together. Zane immediately with to Meghan, Brent seemed to think it is because she has dark hair like I do, I seem to think it is her sweet smile. He loved her immediately, but within a few minutes he was going to Brent and they are now inseperable when Brent is home. Brent says he won him over with his cooking. My son is a chef and he had also made us a welcome home cake which was a made from scratch red velvet cake, and without me knowing it Brent fed Zane a whole piece.
The Band's also stopped by and ended up eating lunch with us, they were eager to see if Zane remembered them because they had just been to the baby home weeks earlier when they picked up Jayden. But both Zane and I were suffering from jet lag so badly by this point that Zane mainly just layed on my chest with his eyes closed by lunchtime. By evening we had probably another 8 to 10 visitors and in all honestly i couldn't tell you who they were because I was kinda out of it. I had not been to sleep since Sunday and after flying 36 hours and arriving home on Wednesday I felt like a zombie, but so happy to have all of my children under the same roof.
Zane's first week home has been incredible, he is such a happy boy and the pictures do not reflect that because he absolutely hates getting his picture made. He will be all smiles and laughing until you get out the camera and then the frowning begins.
He takes naps in his crib and he also sleeps about 12 or 13 hours at night in his crib. I said he eats like a horse and he really does. Right now he can't stomach people food very well but absolutely loves the stage 3 baby foods. He also is doing great with milk based formula. I love the mornings when he is standing in his crib ready to greet me and i come in with his bottle. We get in the daybed and he lays in my arms and takes his bottle and he is so content.
Zane is a rounder though, he gets into everything if you allow him too. I never remember with my 1st 4 chilren having to gate anything or put safety locks on the cabinets, well 3 days home and we had safety locks on our kitchen cabinets.
He almost never walks either, he clumisly runs, thus all the bumps and bruises. He is so sweet and so happy and like I have always said about Chloe, Zane is the perfect fit to our family. Just like that missing puzzle piece!
Kaitlyn played hookey from school so when we pulled into the drive way she was outside to greet us, I will never forget the tears in my 12 year old eyes when she saw her baby brother for the first time. Within minutes our oldest daughter was here she also played hookey from school but a different type of hookey she is a math teacher. She too cried when she saw Zane and kept remarking about how tiny he was. That is the one thing none of us was prepared for his tiny size. That will quickly change though because the boy loves to eat! When we got him he only weighed 13 pounds but in just the few short weeks that he has been with us he has already gained to over 16 pounds. Back to his first day home, my parents came shortly after ladden with a feast. My mom had made chicken and dumplings, hash, and a sad sally sag cake. They had also brought chips, buns, and drinks so our meals were set for a couple of days. I kept thinking once it got to lunchtime I would be starving but that wasn't the case, for you see, I had actually lost 26 pounds in 12 days in the province because I had became very ill on the way to the province and couldn't keep anything on my stomach. While in the province the choices were so limited and it really didn't matter to me because I couldn't even eat plain white rice. Now that I am home I am much better now and unfortunately my appetite has returned with a vengance. My neice and her son came to eat lunch with us along with my oldest sister and Brent left school early and he and Meghan came in together. Zane immediately with to Meghan, Brent seemed to think it is because she has dark hair like I do, I seem to think it is her sweet smile. He loved her immediately, but within a few minutes he was going to Brent and they are now inseperable when Brent is home. Brent says he won him over with his cooking. My son is a chef and he had also made us a welcome home cake which was a made from scratch red velvet cake, and without me knowing it Brent fed Zane a whole piece.
The Band's also stopped by and ended up eating lunch with us, they were eager to see if Zane remembered them because they had just been to the baby home weeks earlier when they picked up Jayden. But both Zane and I were suffering from jet lag so badly by this point that Zane mainly just layed on my chest with his eyes closed by lunchtime. By evening we had probably another 8 to 10 visitors and in all honestly i couldn't tell you who they were because I was kinda out of it. I had not been to sleep since Sunday and after flying 36 hours and arriving home on Wednesday I felt like a zombie, but so happy to have all of my children under the same roof.
Zane's first week home has been incredible, he is such a happy boy and the pictures do not reflect that because he absolutely hates getting his picture made. He will be all smiles and laughing until you get out the camera and then the frowning begins.
He takes naps in his crib and he also sleeps about 12 or 13 hours at night in his crib. I said he eats like a horse and he really does. Right now he can't stomach people food very well but absolutely loves the stage 3 baby foods. He also is doing great with milk based formula. I love the mornings when he is standing in his crib ready to greet me and i come in with his bottle. We get in the daybed and he lays in my arms and takes his bottle and he is so content.
Zane is a rounder though, he gets into everything if you allow him too. I never remember with my 1st 4 chilren having to gate anything or put safety locks on the cabinets, well 3 days home and we had safety locks on our kitchen cabinets.
He almost never walks either, he clumisly runs, thus all the bumps and bruises. He is so sweet and so happy and like I have always said about Chloe, Zane is the perfect fit to our family. Just like that missing puzzle piece!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
NO LUGGAGE........BUT HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Our luggage didn't even make it to Hong Kong, but who cares we are home.
Well actually Daniel cares, he has mid term exams tomorrow and two papers due and all his textbooks were in those suitcases, but I don't care.
I AM HAPPY TO BE HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jet Lag is a killer so i'll post more once I get some sleep.
Well actually Daniel cares, he has mid term exams tomorrow and two papers due and all his textbooks were in those suitcases, but I don't care.
I AM HAPPY TO BE HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jet Lag is a killer so i'll post more once I get some sleep.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Giving & Receiving Ceremony..................
Our Giving & Receiving Ceremony was this morning and we are already back in Ho Chi Minh City.
If all goes as planned we will be home next Thursday.
We are so grateful for all that God has done.
I am in awe with the realization that He has entrusted another one of his precious gifts to us to love and raise.
Our journey has been wonderful and one that we will never forget.
Vi Thanh embraced us as their own and we are so thankful for that.
The nurses at the baby home treated us like family and that is exactly how we will think of them and tell Zane stories about them.
I will never be able to adequately explain the love they had for Chloe. It was immediate and it was one that I hope she always remembers.
They gave her manicures and pedicures and done her hair and fed her and loved and spoiled her. There is one nurse there that is an excellent seamstress and today she took Chloe in the back room which I didn't think anything about because that is usually where they "saloned her". I was so shocked when Chloe came out wearing the most beautiful dress that one of the nurses had made just for her. I just stood there and cried thinking of how much they loved my little "Guatemalan Princessa".
They love those babies in that baby home so much that I know it broke their hearts to see Zane leave, but yet they were trying to tell us that they were happy he had a family that was taking him to America and they can't wait to see pictures of him growing and love his new life.
And lastly theres Thuoc. A man that when we started this journey as our facilitator but now we know he is our friend. We will never ever forget this man. Not just because of the excellent care we got from him, but he is such a kind man. He adores his children in that baby home and the feeling is mutual. Their eyes light up and their arms are outreached when they see Thuoc walk in. We have spent many hours with him the last few weeks and he has spent those hours holding those babies, one by one he takes turn holding them, loving them, singing to them. We are so blessed to have had the opportunity to share this with him.
With happiness and laughter there always comes tears and Daniel and I both have had our share of them today.
It absolutely broke our hearts to leave those babies behind. Leaving Dillen and Dat was like leaving two of our own children and I must admit Daniel cried leaving Dat almost as much as he did when Kyleigh got married.
We will pray fervantly everyday until those two are home with their families.
God is in control and this will indeed happen.
Thank you for all your prayers and rejoice with us "ZANE ALEXANDER DUOC BLACKWELL" is COMING HOME!!!!!!!!!!
PRAISE THE LORD!
If all goes as planned we will be home next Thursday.
We are so grateful for all that God has done.
I am in awe with the realization that He has entrusted another one of his precious gifts to us to love and raise.
Our journey has been wonderful and one that we will never forget.
Vi Thanh embraced us as their own and we are so thankful for that.
The nurses at the baby home treated us like family and that is exactly how we will think of them and tell Zane stories about them.
I will never be able to adequately explain the love they had for Chloe. It was immediate and it was one that I hope she always remembers.
They gave her manicures and pedicures and done her hair and fed her and loved and spoiled her. There is one nurse there that is an excellent seamstress and today she took Chloe in the back room which I didn't think anything about because that is usually where they "saloned her". I was so shocked when Chloe came out wearing the most beautiful dress that one of the nurses had made just for her. I just stood there and cried thinking of how much they loved my little "Guatemalan Princessa".
They love those babies in that baby home so much that I know it broke their hearts to see Zane leave, but yet they were trying to tell us that they were happy he had a family that was taking him to America and they can't wait to see pictures of him growing and love his new life.
And lastly theres Thuoc. A man that when we started this journey as our facilitator but now we know he is our friend. We will never ever forget this man. Not just because of the excellent care we got from him, but he is such a kind man. He adores his children in that baby home and the feeling is mutual. Their eyes light up and their arms are outreached when they see Thuoc walk in. We have spent many hours with him the last few weeks and he has spent those hours holding those babies, one by one he takes turn holding them, loving them, singing to them. We are so blessed to have had the opportunity to share this with him.
With happiness and laughter there always comes tears and Daniel and I both have had our share of them today.
It absolutely broke our hearts to leave those babies behind. Leaving Dillen and Dat was like leaving two of our own children and I must admit Daniel cried leaving Dat almost as much as he did when Kyleigh got married.
We will pray fervantly everyday until those two are home with their families.
God is in control and this will indeed happen.
Thank you for all your prayers and rejoice with us "ZANE ALEXANDER DUOC BLACKWELL" is COMING HOME!!!!!!!!!!
PRAISE THE LORD!
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