Easter 2012

Easter 2012 also known as the first Easter Gabe received an Easter basket bucket also known as the first time Gabe wore a bow tie!  He was absolutely darling in his button up shirt and bow tie!

My two sharp dressed men before church!

First we went to church where the pastor preached an awesome sermon.  I'm mostly assuming this because I went back to Children's Church with Gabe and haven't listened to it yet on iTunes but Matt and my parents said it was good.  Church was followed by the most spectacular brunch I've ever eaten.  I'm still dreaming about the French Toast. 

When we returned home, Gabe received his Easter bucket.  We played outside with his bubble gun  and then played inside with his train and pin wheel.  His pin wheel lights up... best $1.99 spent at Target ever!

I love all things monogrammed (or initialed or personalized).

All in all, a wonderful day to celebrate our risen King!

Exodus 14:14

A while ago, I asked God to break my heart towards the things that break His.  When those words left my lips, I was thinking along the lines of orphans and children in need.  Instead God saw fit to open my eyes (and heart) to many other avenues of despair.

Lately my heart has been hurting. 

A dear friend of mine lost her mother after a battle with cancer.  I can't even begin to understand how she's feeling but my heart just aches for her.  I try to envision losing my mom and I can't even go there mentally.  I want to hug my friends neck, sit with her and pray... and repeat Exodus 14:14 to her.

“The Lord will fight for you…”

I have reconnected with a few people from high school and middle school recently through facebook and to my dismay a few of them are going through seperation or divorce with their spouse.  It breaks my heart when I think of God's intention of marriage and how it is now being lived out in the 21st century.  While I don't know the details (I don't need to cause it's not my business!),  my heart just aches for the families that are breaking, the lives changing and the children in the middle.  At night when I pray for them, I just long to whisper Exodus 14:14 in their ears.

“The Lord will fight for you…”

I've posted and asked for prayers for Sweet Tripp a few times before and on Saturday Tripp left the pain of this world and entered the arms of his Savior.  I rejoice for him; to be pain free for the first time in his life and be in heaven with his Father.  But then I think of Courtney... and my eyes well with tears and my heart starts to race.  To lose the child you've loved for nearly 3 years, to know you will never feel him in your arms again this side of heaven is unbearable.  My heart feels like it's been ripped out whenever I think of Courtney and Tripp.  God fought for Tripp here on earth and Tripp won.  I pray his sweet mama feels God's comfort and peace and that someone she knows directs her to Exodus 14:14.

“The Lord will fight for you…”

A family in my adoption facebook group lost their referral to their 4 year old daughter.  And while God's intended plan for a family, a child being able to live with their parent is fulfilled, the empty arms and broken hearts of people who already loved this little one as their own rips me apart.  Partly because I worry that will happen to us, but also because whether I want to or not, I can feel their pain.

I think of the 150 million orphans in the world, most of whom will never know the love of a family.

I think of the women who make the decision to abort their babies and of the babies that are never born.

I think of the courageous young women who make the decision to put their baby up for adoption and the families that don't have a choice; give their child up for adoption or watch their child starve to death.

And I think of Gabe.  Gabe, who is our knee-walking, talking little miracle.  Our little one that has climbed so many hills, accomplished so much yet has so much more work to do... and I just want to whisper to them all.  Yell it from the mountain tops.  And preach it on the street. 

Right where you are, whatever you are going through.... "the Lord will fight for you..." Exodus 14:14.



Today

Today is National Sanctity of Human Life Day.

Today I've felt funky as I remembered today being National Sanctity of Human Life Day and of the insanely large number of people I know that have had miscarriages lately and know through their pain how precious every life, no matter how short, truly is.

Today are pastor said 54 million children in the United States have been murdered since Roe v. Wade. On any given day 3,700 lives are lost.

1237 lives were taken since 1976 when the death penalty was reinstated. How many of these lives were ended before they had the opportunity for redemption, to ask for forgiveness, to seek out there Savior.

If every life is holy, how can we decide who should live? And who shouldn't? Who decides someones worth; should they find it in themselves, who 'owns' them or who decides their fate? Just because someone does something wrong, regardless of how heinous it is, how can we decide that that person is beyond redemption?

God tells us to choose life.

Deuteronomy 30:15-20, "See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase , and the Lord your God will bless you in the land your are entering to possess. . . .This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob."

Did You Know?

Tomorrow is Sanctity of Human Life Sunday.




Ronald Regan, while president, issued a proclamation declaring Sunday, January 22 1984 as the first Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. He continued to issue this proclamation annually for the rest of his presidency



Did you know that George H. W. Bush continued this recognition during his presidency?



Did you know that Bill Clinton discontinued this?



Did you know George W. Bush reinstituted this proclamation throughout his entire presidency?



Did you know that President Obama failed to recognize Sanctity of Human Life Sunday last year?



What I want to know is what President Obama will do tomorrow?

If life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is a right here in the United States

you know what I think he should do.

Sanctity of Life

There are few things in life that just bother me; that get under my skin and just annoy the heck out of me. And the fact that we have a Sanctity of Life week is one of those things. If you know me, you know I'm fiercely pro-life and if you've read this blog for any length of time you know that Gabriel is a miracle in more ways than one.

That being said, you'd think I'd love celebrating Sanctity of Life week and Sanctity of Life Sunday at my church. But I don't. Why you ask? (Even if you didn't, I'm going to tell you!) I hate (yes, I know hate is a strong word) the idea that it needs to be brought to peoples attention. I despise the fact that people don't know that all life is holy and sacred. And I loathe the fact that people are polluting the minds of the young (and old) with reasons why abortions are okay, even necessary and that the fetus (ugh - I hate that word) isn't a baby yet.

"Human beings are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights.." "among these are Life." So our Declaration of Independence tells us that humans have an irrefutable right to life but abortions stop life in its tracks. Did you know that an embryo (ugh - another word I hate when talking about people) in it's earliest stages of becoming a person, can only turn into a person? Later on in development other cells are formed that can differentiate and turn be turned into something else, but not a human baby.

Instead of standing by rights given in the Declaration of Independence, we buy into the lies doctors (the people that are supposed to save lives, not end them), social workers and abortion clinics are telling us:

-That life doesn't begin at conception but we know that is a lie.

-It's not a baby so it can't feel pain. Oh really...

-It's a quick procedure and then it's over with. Over with? Are you serious?

And while people are continued told these lies and more 3,000 babies are murdered everyday. I went to youtube to look for a video I saw once but was bombarded by videos about abortion. Happily I only saw one that was pro-choice but there was a lot that I didn't even browse through.

So while I'll remember and in small ways, honor, Sanctity of Life Week (and Sunday) I can't find the capabilities to celebrate something that to me shouldn't be celebrated because it shouldn't be a choice or decision.

Life is sacred. That's my bottom line.

And how can I not when I know Gabriel went from an unborn baby who's doctors recommended abortion to this:

a sweet sleeping babe (we had this picture printed on a canvas and hung in our room - love it!), to this:

a happy, silly, sweet little 17 month old boy! (picture taken before casting)

"I call heaven and earth to record this day against you,

that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing:

therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live."

Deuteronomy 30:19

All of the links and information comes from Abort 73. An anti-abortion organization that is attempting to get the truth out about abortion.

The Miracle of Gabriel

Albert Einstein said it best "There are only two ways to live your life. One as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." And until recently I always believed in miracles and did my best to listen to Albert Einstein and look at everything as a miracle. But my true perception changed on miracles when 4 weeks ago I held in my arms the biggest miracle of my life.

I am 100% pro-life, a baby is a baby at conception, there is no reason for abortion type of person. I get slack from some people (what if the mother may die, what if its incest/rape) but I know in my heart of hearts that God has a plan for every baby and for the rest of my life I will do whatever I can to stop abortions.

God wants us to chose life... Deuteronomy 30:19 states "This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live" and all because someone chose life I can now truly feel the gift of a miracle.

Did you know our son's birth mother, once his condition of schizencephaly was diagnosed, was explained all of her "options." She was "young" and the baby she was carrying didn't have a real shot at life (my summary of the doctors words, not their words). But instead of evaluating her options, Miss B chose life. She did not choose the easy path; she was a young pregnant girl in a critical world. But still she heeded Deuteronomy 30:19 and chose life. And due to her decision to choose life, I have a better understanding of miracles.

After Miss B chose life and began making a plan of adoption for the baby we know as Gabriel, she was turned away from an adoption agencey.... yes, I said turned away, because that agency didn't place special needs baby. By the grace of God, she found our attorney, MCB, and MCB contacted us. Because of Gabriel's special needs she had to ask if we'd be interested in having our lifebook submitted.... after praying, speaking to doctors and a lot more praying we took, what was for me, a gigantic step of faith and met Miss B, Mr. C and their families.

Why was it such a gigantic step of faith for me? Because I wanted a baby so badly and I was so afraid that this baby, with this HUGE problem would come into this world only to leave it quickly. Schizencephaly is a pretty scary condition when you look it up on the internet. It's even scarier when you talk to a doctor who says Gabriel doesn't have any brain tissue on the right side of the brain (he does - miracle) and will have many, unbearable conditions. And while initially our fears kept us at bay, God did His thing with our hearts and we met with Miss B.

What did God do to our hearts? He reminded us of just how strong our stance on choosing life is and that if we'd concieved a child with schizencephaly we'd still love, want and cherrish that child. God also reminded us of Jeremiah 29:11... that He knows the plans He has for us, and although I'm ashamed to admit I questioned God, asked Him why us, how could we handle a 'special needs' baby, was He sure that this was the plan He had for us... I couldn't ignore His will any longer and we knew that if God wanted to include Gabriel in our lives, who were we to question that.

And God's plans did include Gabriel in our lives... after falling in love with Miss B and her family, sharing laughter, tears and lots of love we met our miracle.

Wikipedia defines a miracle as "a perceptible interruption of the laws of nature, such that can be attempted to be explained by divine intervention." I'm no scholar but I completely agree with that definition... and boy does that definition shine down on our Gabe.

Gabriel does have schizencephaly. But unlike the 1st doctors description he has almost all of the right side of his brain, he's just missing a small portion. He has the 'best' type of schizencephaly you can have - closed and unilateral. The doctors believe that its near or in his gross motor area of the brain but we won't know that until Gabe goes for a MRI. Note, that right now Gabriel has no deficits in his gross motor area. An ultra sound also showed that he may also have partial agenesis of the corpus callosum and that he's missing the septum pellucidum.

Missing the septum pellucidum can cause septo-optic dysplasia, which is a problem with Gabe's optic nerves and vision. An opthomologist appointment was set up immediately and after looking at his nerves, Gabriel's nerves and vision are fine. The other problems (knowing where the schizencephaly occurs and agenesis or the corpus callosum) can not be difinitively be known until he has a MRI. And because Gabriel is doing so well, he won't have a MRI until he's a bit older (at least 6 months of age)

So, while there are some concerns in regards to Gabriel and his schizencephaly, it is not what we expected. We expected a baby with severe problems, I can honestly say I was afraid that we'd lose him before ever really knowing him. But we prayed for a miracle, his birth family prayed for a miracle and lots of you prayed for a miracle... and God gave us our miracle.

Gabriel is our miracle for many reasons.... 1.) every baby is a miracle; scientifically conception is almost impossible... yet our world is full of babies 2.) a beautiful baby boy was born after a doctor reccommended abortion 3.) Gabriel is healthy, with a fully functioning brain and a plan written for him by God and 4.) God chose us to be the parents of this beautiful little boy.

Did God grant us our miracle.... I believe he did. Yet, I know that in God's omnicient wisdom He knew Gabriel would be born healthy, that he'd come home with us and shower us with more happiness than Matt and I could ever imagine.

God is so good. Do you believe in miracles? I know I do.

Love & Blessings, Meredith

Our miracle after a bath :)

Gabriel, 25 days old, pushing up during tummy time. Now I spent the last 4 years of my life working in a child development center and most of the babies that would start at our center were at least double his age and were never this strong! Just another miracle of Gabriel I suppose!