This is our introduction to the wonderful woman who will one day complete our family… please pray for us, read this, print and share it with anyone who may help us on our journey.

BABY WANTED

Call Us ANYTIME

765-914-6466

cecesays@yahoo.com

Dear Caring Mother,

Before we share our story with you, we want to first tell you how grateful we are that you are considering such a selfless loving act… We cannot begin to imagine the emotions you must be feeling. But know that whether we ever meet face to face, whether you decide we are or aren’t the family for your baby, we are grateful for you. Yes, we are on an adoption journey and wanting a special baby to love, but we are also on our life journey and just knowing that women like you are out there, is something to celebrate and praise. So, no matter what, your heart for your child has touched us.

Meet Larry’s Wife:
My wife – Cecelia is a stay at home mom and can’t think of anything she would rather do than care for her family. She is an extremely kind woman who goes out of her way to help friends and strangers alike. She is very intelligent and has a laugh that gets the whole family giggling. Before children, she was a nurse. Now her fulltime job is raising children.  Most days her schedule includes taking the kids to the park. Playing games, painting, baking or making mud pies are some of her favorite kid time activities. She is a supportive wife, an amazing mom and a true friend to many. She wants to welcome a baby into our loving home more than anything.

Meet Cecelia’s Husband:
My husband – Larry is a pastor and loves answering the call that God gave him. He is blessed to be in a church denomination that provides rock solid job security. In this economy, it’s nice to know we are safe from layoffs. Larry is an intelligent and kind man. He is an involved parent who often schedules his days so that he can have lunch at home and be present for dance classes, model rocket launches and doctor’s appointments. His priorities are evident when you see him with the kids. He is the love of my life and extremely excited about adopting.

We love being parents! We have two wonderful biological children. Our son is 14 and our daughter is 4. Our teen, James, is an aspiring inventor and can make just about anything electronic with an Altoids box. And our 4 year old, Abby, is our resident Candy Land shark. We haven’t won a game yet against her. We take several short weekend vacations a year and one large week long vacation a year. It is extremely important to us that we provide a childhood full of wonderful memories. We want our children to see the Grand Canyon, Disney, Yellowstone and Washington D.C. at least once in their childhood. We both worked our ways through college and want to provide our children with every advantage when they reach college age. We try to never let a learning opportunity pass us by as parents, and more importantly, we never forget why we do this: Love.

We lost a baby very late into our last pregnancy two years ago and are no longer able to conceive children. Our hearts always knew we wanted to adopt a special baby, and after some time for healing our hearts, we are ready to open them up to the forever child that God has planned for us.

Our housing situation is one of the benefits of being a pastor’s family. We are provided a nice house with a backyard and paid utilities. No matter what church we serve, we will always have suitable housing for our family. Larry’s church denomination takes extremely good care of their pastors and we are very grateful for that.
As a pastor’s family, we cannot offer Sundays full of sleeping late and football games, but we can offer lullabies, story time, sit down meals, mud pies in the back yard, and a life filled with as much love as there are challenges.

Thank you so much for considering us,
Cecelia and Larry

Please call us anytime! 765-914-6466   Or email cecesays@yahoo.com

I am reconnected to the world! Hubs lovingly nursed my laptop back to health and I am ready to catch y’all UP!

1st… Sharon welcomed home a beautiful baby last week…. God is SO good!

2nd.. Rachel is expecting!

3rd.. we have gotten 3 calls… 2 for possible adoption of babies who will be born addicted.. and one fostering.. all three fell through.

4th… we are waiting for God to send us the baby that we would be perfect for… we don’t want a baby that is perfect for us… we want to be the perfect home for a little one who needs us.. Sounds redundant doesn’t it? Well, if you had talked to 54 adoption agencies in the last 2 months, you would know exactly what I mean. I am sick to death of feeling like I am shopping for a baby… SO  I am going to enlist everyone’s help, you included. We want you all to keep us in mind and heart when you hear of a possible match.. we want you to help us on our adoption journey. Most of you have my phone number… and all of you have my email. Help us change a life for the better… be part of our miracle!

Love y’all,

CeCe

About two weeks ago, I did something stupid. I was working on a deadline using my handy dandy tray table to hold my laptop and just happily typing away. Mom called for me… from the bathroom… which? if you care for a parent, you know is never a good thing. SO I jumped up and ran towards the loo- never noticing that my foot had caught my power cord. Yeah. Lap top flies across the room in the direction of the cord… into my leg. I still don’t know who won the “notebook vs. leg battle” I had a huge black egg on my Achilles tendon and my hard drive died.

Long and somewhat embarrassing story short, I have been unplugged. I have been reduced to borrowing The Teen’s netbook to check FaceBook and shooting off quick emails on his tiny TINY maybe I need Bifocals keyboard.

I have a few things I need to blog about soon, and the new hard drive arrived today.. so perhaps this weekend, I can.. but

BUT tonight, I want to tell you guys how awesome you are. One particular reader and friend, Rachel, sent a HUGE box of Christmas for the foster kids at our agency. She is a gift to know… and now is a bearer of gifts to a group of children who need to know that they count, they are loved, and they can smile again.

Please take a moment to visit Rachel’s blog and thank her for being the amazing woman she is. (Also check out how ridiculously cute her little girl is!)

Till we meet again… I love y’all!!!

CeCe

I love Bob Marley. No, I wasn’t a pot head in college. I just love this man. He was a minister to so many. I dare each of you to listen to any one of his songs with Jesus on your mind. Amazing.

Bob can always lift my spirits on my more introspective days. When it’s overcast in my soul, I know that his music will at least remind me of the promise of clearer skies.

This week, it’s been grey, dark and rainy. Outside. Predictable for this time of year. Inside? there seems to be a perfect storm forming. I am filled with the hope of new life through foster parenting or adoption. I am also ever so relieved that Abby is back to being herself after the scariest week of my Mommyhood. H1N1 is no joke in this house anymore. Along with these beams of sunny happiness, there are clouds… predictable for this time of year.

Tonight, ten years ago, I watched in horror as my fellow Texas Aggies laid trapped in a heap of twisted trees. I responded to the emergency call… I won’t go into details… but it was a defining moment in my life. To lose a child.. a child making their own way out in to the world.. I simply could not imagine. Clouds. And an Eternal Flame.

This Friday, while I am at a conference, I will be celebrating what should have been Eli’s second birthday.Each of my kids have their own special lullabies. Songs I picked out long before they were in my arms. James is “House on Pooh Corner” Abby’s is “Baby Mine” and Eli’s is “Three Little Birds”

While I dedicate this song to our precious angel, I want to also send it up as a special prayer for my good friend Samantha. I just know that Eli has a tiny hand on the tiny hands that will grasp Sam’s fingers soon. Because, yes, we do miss Eli, but life goes on.. and thank God for that. Sun, clouds and unadulterated hope… I think know which weather pattern will win out.
Rise up this mornin’,
Smiled with the risin’ sun,
Three little birds
Pitch by my doorstep
Singin’ sweet songs
Of melodies pure and true,
Sayin’, (“This is my message to you-ou-ou:”)

Singin’: “Don’t worry about a thing,
‘Cause every little thing gonna be all right” – I won’t worry!
Singin’: “Don’t worry about a thing,
‘Cause every little thing gonna be all right.”
Singin’: “Don’t worry about a thing, oh no!
‘Cause every little thing gonna be all right!

Abby has H1N1. Fever over 103, one febrile seizure, poor breathing at night ( scary long pauses then huge gasps), listless, then combative… she has lost 6 pounds in 7 days. But today… she smiled. She has played on the floor. She is watching tv, eating crackers and being impish.

For those of you who received my phone calls, in sheer panic, asking for prayer, Thank you! They worked!

CeCe

Before I continue, I must tell y’all that long before The Imagination Movers hit the Disney big time, my mom nicknamed Abby the “juice box hero” and she until tonight, has held it against my Cajun brethren….

Today was a red letter day for Abby. She and I have been planning this special excursion for months….  counting down sleeps, practicing her dance to the show’s theme, rehearsing what she would say to her hero Smitty and reveling in the idea that she was old enough for her very first concert. Music is a huge deal in our family. Both Hubs and I were in bands and some of my songs can be found on LimeWire…rofl. Don’t even think about asking me.. because I aint tellin’.

Abby was so SO excited that we were going to see the Imagination Movers in concert that she hasn’t slept all week. Those of you how know us know that this is FAR from hyperbole. Last night, I finally got her settled in and snoring at 3AM. Lord Help. She was singing the Please and Thank You song in her sleep for Goodness sake. It was going to be a long long day. Those of you who have children (and allow said children to watch tv) know that these shows are often highly hyped and almost always a two hour Gilligan’s Island-esque tour through overt merchandising and a complete and total mind suck for all adults with an IQ over 50. If we are being honest… and that’s what blogs are for… I was not looking forward to it. From south Louisiana or not, I was expecting the worst. (Think Disney on Ice.. with  under studies)

We woke at the buttcrack of dawn and quickly dressed for our escape. Let girls’ day commence! Abby watched VeggieTales for the two hour drive in horrid rain into Indianapolis. Listening to ‘Do the MuShu” made me seriously want PF Changs (Shanghai cucumbers, anyone?) So, we arrived in Indy, we headed straight to the Nordstrom Mall… mmm PF Chang’s! Bring it!

After trying to find parking for 30 minutes and not finding valet parking anywhere remotely close.. I REFUSE to pay 15 bucks to park and still walk 4 blocks in the rain with little miss jump in puddles ( her native american name)…  we decided to find a place to dine closer to the theatre.

We found a German restaurant that had stellar reviews and decided to get while the getting was good. I don’t know about y’all but Abby is not a white linen tablecloth kinda girl. I was a tad worried. Worried for our server, worried for the crystal, and frankly? Worried for me. We were surrounded by the elderly and affluent. This did not look good. I explained to Abby that she needed to be on her fancy date day behavior and prayed for the best. At first, she was less than amused. She warmed up in pure Abby style and made a gift for our server.

After lunch we walked to the theatre. The princess was SO excited.. as were the other 3,000 children waiting with baited breath to see the Imagination movers. Again… I was not all that thrilled. I mean I love the show. I have to love a show that uses the term brainstorm. That values a child’s mind and heart. But live? What children’s show is better on stage? I shrugged to myself and said “at least it’s not Barney”

The show started and I played excited so that Abby wouldn’t be quite so unsure… because she was terribly unsure.

At this point, I told my sweet scared baby girl that we could leave, go sit in the lobby or whatever she may need to feel safer. She insisted we stay. It took her about 20 minutes to relax and another 10 to get into the singing and dancing. While she warmed up… a few things happened: each member, Scott, Smitty, Dave and Rich all came down into our audience and were interacting with the children… they were interacting with my child… even though her face looked like that. They went out of their way to speak to and touch the kids that looked a little less than confident in their surroundings. Score one for the Movers. They also worked wonderful adult humor into the show ( huge bonus). And there was this one other thing. They were good. Talented. And musically.. well… quite wonderful.

It seems that our children are faced with an insincerity that we didn’t encounter until much later in our lives. Somewhere, somehow, we… as a culture…  have forgotten that children can smell out pretension and facades quicker than we can tell someone needs a new diaper. But these guys were authentic. At one point, Rich spoke about their collective journey and it was as if he was sharing his testimony. I felt God’s whisper when he told the children.. MY child.. to never stop believing.

Halfway through, I had Abby dancing in my lap and another little girl on my other knee so she could see better. I never got the little girl’s name.. but she was welcome to share my space. ( I don’t know what it is about me that attracts random children… but I hope that  never changes) At the end, Abby got to hold hands with her Mover hero: Smitty. He is second only to Hubs and Jesus… and that is exactly what she told him.

And after today’s show, I have to say if she has to admire TV show characters, I am blessed she chose a group of four silly dads called the Imagination Movers. ( my only complaint is she refuses to wash the hand that held Smitty’s)

If you get a chance to take your little ones, JUMP UP!

I love y’all,

CeCe

UPDATE: I received an email response from The Imagination Movers.. and I think y’all need to see it for yourself. I told y’all these guys were authentic. And I  love it when I am proven correct.. just wish that phenomenon happened more often.

In my Inbox, after freezing my Cajun (aka large) hiney off at Trunk or Treat:

“…Thanks for seeing us as who we are. For one, treat kids as creators instead of consumers. Moreover, we appreciate that children don’t fake smiles or have agendas. To a large degree they’re much closer to what is ‘true’ than we adults are. Hopefully, we’ve created something that is sincere and meaningful for families to share in together. Sorry for being sappy but it’s who are.

Tell Abby, the Movers are happy she enjoyed the show.

Rock on!

the Movers”

I love these guys! For loving our kids. I must admit, I would love them more if they came from LA with Boudin and Chargrilled Oysters for the concession stand. A girl can dream.

OK. I admit it. I have been in a mood as of late. Could it be that we have had no free time for the last 7 weeks with classes on foster parenting (geared toward people with far less education than us.. another post all together)?  Maybe it’s the week long sinus headache?  Could it be because my mother’s cognitive level changes when the leaves start turning.( I think it’s part of her personal grieving process… as it gets colder she starts reliving her last winter as an independent woman.) Perhaps my grumpiness is in response to feeling so very sad for Kim, Amber and Sharon.

I truly have no idea. I just know I am in a mood. When I have a bug up my butt (as my son so eloquently puts it), I suffer. But my family? Not so much.

See? we all have tale tale signs of being in a funk. Mine just happen to be a bit odd. When the going gets tough? The tough (me) get shopping or baking. SO while I am feeling like whipped dog poop, my kids are getting new clothes, toys and video games, the smell of pumpkin muffins and cinnamon bread waft through our little house and the kids get a thrill when they see… JUNK FOOD in the reusable grocery bags. While I thought my mood wasn’t affecting anyone, something traumatic happened today:

Abby has used froot loops to make necklaces once. But we are, I am sad to say, more of a cheerios or shredded wheat family. You can just see the joy in her face when she realized that her moody mom brought home those synthetically glorious wheels of joy for her to eat, can’t you? Oh she was ecstatic! She ate three bowls! All was well….until. The very next day. She had a beautiful, if I may say, shade of aqua marine poop. She may need therapy.

I think it may be time for me to rethink my coping habits. Until then… anyone need some homemade brownies?

How do y’all cope? I need some fresh ideas.

Love y’all!

C

PS: Our home study is complete… now we wait on God’s timing.

3 weeks. 3 friends. 3 miscarriages.

Today is Miscarriage and Infant loss Remembrance  Day. The last month, I have shouted with joy for three friends who began a new pregnancy journey. All three have suffered previous losses. All three are now suffering again. It makes me feel ill. Literally ill.

I have nothing pithy or fun to say today. I just wanted to let those of you in pain… new or lingering…know  that I care. We care. You are not alone.

Sleep well:

Alexander (Lindsee’ precious little one)

Eli

Erica’s Angel

Alex ( Kat’s sweet baby)

Sharon’s 7 Angels

Amber’s 2 Angels

Lily  (Lori’s sweet little girl)

Kim’s 2 Angel babies

Amy’s Angels

and all the other babies loved SO much and missed.

Ok y’all… I mentioned Sharon on my blog more than a few times… last mention she was going through her frozen embryo transfer. Well, today (actually late last night for those of us in the States) she found out that she is indeed pregnant. While I have jumped and clapped like a 3 year old in sheer happiness, I still want to ask y’all for prayer. Sharon has had many losses and we need to pray that she is allowed to carry to term and have the joy that so many of us have experienced. SO.. lets pray for Sharon.

As for me? We have two more Saturdays full of classes, then we will be done! I am hoping that we will be licensed and ready to go by my birthday! We are getting excited. Abby is too. She has been practicing loving on babies by taking out all of her babies (all of whom are named Lyla..) and diapering them, singing to them and wearing them in her tiny Moby wrap. It’s terribly cute.

Today is week 2 of her new dance class and she has had her tap shoes on since breakfast. The rain has been awful here, so I am just hoping we can make the drive to the tiny town that houses the best little dance studio in Central Indiana.

How is everyone? update me!

Love y’all! And thanks for praying for my friend!

CeCe

It’s been too dang long since I had a TRT… and while it’s actually 2 hours past Tuesday here (hmm that would be an awesome band name) I am in a random mood. So.. away we go.

• Larry’s car is under the weather so he has been using my minivan for commuting to school on Wednesdays. WHAT is it about not being able to leave the house that makes me WANT to leave the house?
• Some old woman  wearing one of those plastic hair protection bonnets sneered at me yesterday because I was jumping in puddles with Abby. Little does she know that I would have jumped in them even if I were sans child. The kid just makes it seem a smidgen more acceptable.
• On that note:  I think we need to start a national plastic hair protection bonnet wearing day. OOOOOH!! and a “wrap your head in toilet paper while you sleep to save your ‘do’ day.” My MawMaw would have loved those holidays.
• Abby has a new game… one she plays over and over and over: she places her kitty beanie baby on the love seat. Hides. Makes Mom (NaNa) close her eyes, count to ten then say “Oh DEAR! that baby kitten is hanging off a cliff! Where oh WHERE is Abby the rescuer?” Abby saves said kitten from its certain death, asks me if she can keep it, I say yes. Rinse, repeat. I keep trying to get Mom to pretend she has fallen asleep in her eye closing countdown, but she can’t keep from laughing. I guess I know where my inability to bluff comes from.
• I have gathered some baby clothes and will be buying a crib this week for our new life as foster parents… and, in all the preparation and shopping.. I haven’t once felt cheated, grief, or the pain I guess I was halfway expecting. Life moves on. And maybe I have with it. That’s new. And good.
• James and I went to see Tyler Perry’s new movie “I can do bad all by myself” mainly because we LOVE Tyler Parry… also a good old friend who started/restarted her singing career at my old coffee house had a song in it. Ruthie Foster is an amazing voice… and outstanding woman. SO  proud to know her.
• I am ready… SO ready to be licensed to foster/adopt. We are extremely lucky to have the agency we do. I hope they know how blessed we are to have them on this journey.
• On that note (again): We could, financially, go straight to private adoption. And I am sure many of our loved ones are wondering why we aren’t. We have been called. I don’t know the whys or hows of it… but I do know we have been called specifically to this. It is evident to us that we are on the right path when we witness the passion and authenticity within our agency’s leader ( and two of his coworkers). I often wonder if he knows that he is changing the world.
• I sent Sombra Kermit songs all afternoon today. WHO doesn’t feel green from time to time? I also sang the Varuca Salt song from WIllie Wonka on her voicemail last week. ( I want to lock it all UP in my pocket, Its My bar of CHOCOLATE! Give it to me NOOOW) Also… made a mix CD for my neighbor friend with songs that relate to foster parenting and healing the broken child.  Which? Also has Kermit songs? I have issues am SO thoughtful.
• I have spiritual and emotional dyslexia, I think.  Believing is seeing. I was watching this abysmal movie last night called “Screen Door Jesus” (no, not joking) and there was this line that stuck with me… paraphrased: cop says ” the human brain is programmed to see patterns in random things.” Lady retorts; “could it be that God made us that way so we could better see His face?”  Interesting. I have often wondered that. It’s one of the few theological debates that doesn’t make my head hurt.
• If believing IS seeing (which, y’all it so is), in what have you seen God in today?

As Always, if you have a prayer need, let me know.

Sharon needs our prayers as she gets ready for her frozen embryo transfer later this week.

Love y’all!

CeCe