Life with 5 Boys

Life with 5 boys keeps you on your toes.  Especially when one of the 5 boys is a toddler.  It has been nice to have extra eyes to watch him but it hasn’t seemed to deter his curiosity about what is in every drawer, closet or countertop in the house.  However, Titus is not the only boy to keep out of trouble.  The second day we were home, Silas fell of his scooter (that he had learned how to ride the day before) and broke his wrist!  Not knowing his threshold of pain yet we had no idea if he was crying because he was tired or if something was truly wrong.  When he didn’t stop crying after about 1/2 hour we decided it must be serious and took him to the immediate care center.  They took x-rays and put it into a splint but it wasn’t until the next day that we found out it was broken.  Then we had to wait a few days to get into the orthopedic doctor.  Those days were the worst because all of the things that Silas had just discovered; the scooter, trampoline,and bicycle were off limits while he had the splint on.  However, he got a huge grin on his face after he got his cast and I told him he could go back to doing all of those things again!

While we were at the immediate care center I was asked a question that I’ve never been asked before but has come up in conversation since then.  The receptionist checking me in took one look at our family that filled 1/2 the waiting space and said, “How do you do it with all of those boys?”  I laughed and said that it was only my 2nd day so I wasn’t sure yet.  Since then I have come to realize 2 things that have made my time easier right now during this transition.  I try to go to bed early and get up early to spend time with God.  Without His encouragement everyday I would have had a nervous breakdown by now.

I think we are coming to the end of our honeymoon period.  The boys are starting to feel more comfortable around one another and therefore are beginning to bicker like brothers.  I know this is normal but it can sometimes be exhausting to always be “on your game” when trying to help them work things out in a polite way.  I can tell that Asher and Silas also feel more comfortable with Brian and I as well.  We have had a few times that we have had to go over rules and boundaries again.

Yesterday, Garrett asked me if I thought we would ever go back to Ethiopia again.  Of course I want to go back, I said but I then quickly added that right now was not the time to ask me if we were going to adopt again!  Things are actually going better than I would have ever dreamed but just like a mom with a newborn, the labor pains are still fresh in my mind.

It makes my heart soar to see all of these boys in my back yard playing together.  All different shades of color and from different backgrounds and experiences.  Thanks be to God who makes all things possible!  He puts the orphans in families and blends us together until we can’t see the differences only the most important similarity, that we are all God’s children.

Thanks for following us on our journey to adopt more children.  Being brutally honest with myself, I know that more blog posts will be few and far between.  Signing off for now to go enjoy life with my 5 boys!

Still waiting…

Yes, we are still waiting.  This has been a common theme throughout our adoption process and our blogs!  I really do believe that God puts this time of waiting in our journey in order to build up the desire to bring more children into our family.  I can tell you without a doubt that the desire is there…and it is overwhelming at times!

We have done some small projects on the room and bathroom that the boys will share.  It kept us busy the month of May but now I look at the empty spots where Amente and Soresa will sleep and brush their teeth and I can’t help but pray that this waiting will be over soon!

We were hoping our paperwork would be submitted to the US Embassy for Amente and Soresa 6 weeks from our court date, just as it was for Titus.  When 6 weeks came and went we were praying for 8 weeks.  At 8 weeks, we were told that we were still waiting for a doctor at the medical clinic to sign off on medical papers.  We were pretty confident that the medical report would be in at the 9 week mark but that day came and went without any wonderful e-mails from the Embassy in my Inbox!  So, now we have confirmation that all paperwork will be complete and submitted to embassy on June 12th!  Praise God!  We have been told that things should move along pretty quickly after our paperwork is submitted.  So, we are hopeful we are on target to go back sometime at the end of June.

During this waiting, I have come across one scripture over and over again…

“Cast all your anxiety on Him because he cares for you.”  – I Peter 5:7  

I think that I have seen this verse, read this verse, and heard this verse more over the past month than in my lifetime.  God is trying to tell me something!  I need to keep hearing it because I have such a stubborn spirit.  I can not be anxious about the timing of this adoption, I can not be anxious about how I am going to communicate with my new sons, I can not be anxious about how our family is going to mesh, or even what the house is going to look like with 5 boys!!  All I can do is cast it on Him because He is soooo much bigger than all of those things that keep me up at night.  He cares for me.  He loves me.  Why can’t I let Him do that for me?

As always, Brian and I appreciate all of your prayers and encouragement.  Countless times an e-mail or phone call from one of you has brightened up our day.  It is so reassuring to know that you are on this journey with us!

Titus Laughing at Trenton & Garrett

Thought we’d share this video. Titus has settled in extremely well! He gets pretty tickled in this video as he’s watching Trenton and Garrett wrestle. We’ve only heard him laugh like this a couple of times…but it’s pretty contagious when he does it!

Finally Home…and Finally an Update!

It’s hard to believe that we have been home with Titus for nearly two months now.  I have been wanting to write for some time to share my thoughts on how things are going since we’ve been home.  I guess you can see (by how long it has taken me to write) that life with an infant back in the house is busy!  I’ll try to tell you as much as I can without being too long-winded.

We arrived home on April 27th to an awesome welcome home party at the Louisville Airport.  It blew us away to see all the people there who wanted to show their love and support to our family and meet Titus for the first time. Titus had slept so well on the plane ride to DC and after our 11 hour lay over in DC he slept the whole way to Louisville.  I think he was still partially asleep when we got to the airport in Louisville.  He looked very stunned to see the crowd there to say the least!

After all the crying and hugging at the airport we were off for the first night with Titus in his new home.  The boys couldn’t wait to show him around – although, I’m not sure he was paying attention to anything but his crib at 11pm.  We soon learned that Titus liked to be up every 3 hours and needed a bottle to go back to sleep.  I felt like we had brought a newborn home from the hospital.  We didn’t know how to hold, rock, or comfort him, and he made it very clear from his cries that he didn’t care for our efforts.

After a few nights, we got better at the comforting but the bottle was the only thing that would put him back to sleep for good.  When we went to the pediatrician for his check-up, she assured us that at 20 lb., 8 month old baby doesn’t need two 8 oz. bottles in the middle of the night.  We came up with a plan to wean him down from 2 to 0 bottles at night.  In one week, we had achieved success.  Unfortunately, he was still waking up quite a bit in the middle of the night and during his naps with dirty diapers.  I didn’t remember this with my boys, but chalked it up to not remembering much about their baby days 9 years later.  We found out in the next few days, however, that there was a reason for the dirty diapers – Titus had Salmonella!  Thankfully, the doctor prescribed some medicine and in short time he was feeling much better, and we were all sleeping much better!

After getting Titus’ tummy taken care of, life has gotten a little more predictable and a lot more fun!  I am not a homebody so being able to get out an about with Titus has done wonders for my mood.  The boys and I have enjoyed getting out between Titus’ naps for  runs to the park, zoo, library, errands, etc.  Titus seems to enjoy the trips.  He actually loves his car seat.  I was expecting him to have a hard time with being confined, but he hasn’t had any trouble adjusting to it at all.

Speaking of adjusting…I know that we are only a few months into our new family dynamics but the adjustment to having a baby in the house seems to be going great.  I said great…not perfect!  We are all still trying to get used to the naps, feedings, and constant busyness that a baby brings.  However, the smiles that we get from Titus in return for our love and care of him make it all worth while!

Thanks for your continued prayers for Titus and our family.  God put it on our hearts nearly 1 1/2 years ago to love an orphan and take him in as a part of our family.  We know that only through God’s miraculous love for us can we love each other.  He gave us the ultimate example of what that love looks like through his son, Jesus Christ.  I feel like we have just grazed the tip of the iceberg of what this love looks like in our daily lives.  Let us know how we can pray for the journey that God has put you on to love others as well.  We would love to be a part of your journey as you have been a part of ours.

Coasting to Ethiopia…Coaster Fundraiser

The boys are trying to shore up the last of their money to fund their airline tickets to Ethiopia to help Cassie and me pick up Titus.  Their newest creation (with the help and research of their mother) are 3 different coaster sets available for sale.

The coasters were created using white tiles with black and white pictures sealed onto the tops of the tiles with white felt backing.  The coaster sets currently available are pictured below.  To see  a more detailed view of the tiles, please click on the picture set below.

African Landscape (Coaster Set #1)

African Adult Animals (Coaster Set #2)

African Mother & Baby Animals (Coaster Set #3)

All proceeds from the sale of these coasters will go directly towards the boys’ trip to Ethiopia.  If you are interested in purchasing one of the above coaster sets, please email Cassie at cassieborgman@att.net.  Please be sure to provide the following information in your email:

• Name
• Address
• Phone Number
• Email Address
• Set(s) you would like
• Donation Amount

If you are interested in keeping up with the boys’ progress, be sure to visit the Adoption Fundraiser tab on this blog.

Ethiopian Court Trip – Post 2

 

As we posted on Facebook this past week, we passed court which means Titus is officially ours.  It was a bit nerve-wracking; as our group was the last group called to see the judge.  She asked us 5 or 6 questions about our current family, our understanding of what we were getting ourselves into, and also wanted to be sure that we would help Titus to understand his Ethiopian heritage as he grows up.  Once we answered all of those questions, she said they had all of our paperwork and we were approved as Titus’ parents.  It was quite an emotional 5 minutes!

The next step is to wait for the U.S. to do their research on Titus’ background and their approval for us to bring him into the country and home with us. So, while he is legally our son, we had to leave him at the West Sands Transition House (where he is getting great care) in Ethiopia until we get the U.S.’ final approval.

While we were very anxious to get home to see our other two boys, it was very difficult leaving Titus and heading home…much more difficult than I anticipated.  We simply pray that the U.S. will be quick in their process and give us the clearance we need quickly to bring Titus home.

Thank you all for your prayers during our adoption process and specifically last week while we were in Ethiopia…please keep them coming!  While we cleared a big hurdle in the process last week, we still have some more time before everything is finalized and we can bring Titus home.

God is so good!  It is amazing to see Him at work in our lives and others’ lives through this process.  To think that approximately 1 year ago we were still “undecided” as to whether or not this “adoption thing” was something we wanted to do.  Wow!!  What a difference a year makes….and to think what we would have missed out on if we would have chosen a different path and decided not to follow God’s calling!  While this has been quite an emotional roller coaster for us, it has been a very humbling experience to step out in faith and see the joy that God can bring when we choose to follow His will for our lives.

I would encourage each of you, wherever you are in your faith, to challenge God to show Himself in a mighty way in your life.  However, you have to listen for His reply and then be willing to step out in faith and obedience to His calling.  Most of the time, it is easier to “hear” than to actually “act” .  What tug are you feeling in your heart right now?  Pray that God will give you the strength and the courage to step out and follow His leading in your life.

P.S.  This trip certainly impacted me in many ways.  Part of that was from the people we met and the things we were able to see and be a part of.  I was amazed at the extremes in the country…both positive and negative.  I hope in my next post to share my thoughts and feelings regarding Ethiopia and it’s people.

Ethiopian Court Trip – Post 1

WOW!! Our trip so far has been like an out of body experience!  Lots to share but not enough time to share it…our power and internet connection has been sporadic.

Our journey started Monday morning as we waited for our flight to leave DC.  We met a couple at our departure gate from Utah who were making the same trip to the West Sands Transition House to see their two children for the first time.  We survived the 13+ hour flight from DC to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Unfortunately, we slept very little (due to the anticipation of the excitement to come I’m sure!).  Unfortunately, we paid for it last night!

Upon landing in Ethiopia on Tuesday AM and worrying about whether or not our luggage made it with us to Addis (our luggage was one of the last ones off the plane), we connected with our host/translator.  During our drive from the airport to the Transition House, our host asked  us many questions about our family, our adoption process to date, and shared with us what we could expect the remainder of the week…specifically, our court date tomorrow.

Once we arrived at the Transition House, our host gave us an overview of the compound, our daily meals, and of course the rooms we would be staying in.  Then, we were finally taken to see our children for the first time.  Our new friends from Utah got to see their children first, and we were then introduced to Titus for the first time.

It’s hard to explain what it was like seeing Titus for the first time…exciting, yet very surreal!!  The nanny that takes care of him (along with approximately 5 other infants) was holding him, and we had to ask her if we could hold him.  As he has been in several of the pictures we have of him, he was all smiles.  He’s such a cute little boy!!  He has the biggest brown eyes; his hair is loosely curled; and he has a little dimple on his left cheek when he smiles…which he does a lot!  In fact, several of the nannies of come up to us and talked about how “Yosie” (his given name is Yosef) is always happy and smiling.  We hope that continues for our long flight home with him in (hopefully) a few months!  We spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out and loving on Titus.

Late in the afternoon, we were able to catch about an hour long nap before we headed out to an authentic Ethiopian restaurant…complete with live Ethiopian music and tribal dancing.  Audience members are encouraged to participate in the dances…and to answer your question, yes, Cassie and I did participate.  Unfortunately, none of you will ever be able to lay eyes on those videos!

In closing, Cassie and I would ask that you continue to keep us in your prayers.  Specifically, please pray for everything to go smoothly in court tomorrow so that this precious, little boy will legally be ours!!

P.S.  For those of you that don’t know, we are unable to share pictures online of Titus until he officially becomes ours following our court date.  Assuming all goes well in court tomorrow, I hope to be able to post a picture or two tomorrow or Friday before we head home.

Unified Technologies’ Blog Post About Our Adoption…

One of our founding Unified team members, Brian Borgman, and his family received news just before Christmas that a beautiful 3-month old baby boy from Ethiopia was referred to them for adoption. And all of us at Unified could not be happier for this new addition to their growing family!  Click here to read more…

IT’S A BOY!!!

Please forgive us for the length of this post as it has been quite some time since we last updated you on our adoption journey. I hope you have a few minutes for us to bring you up to speed; as we have a lot of exciting news to share!

First and foremost, we’re excited to announce that we received a referral for a 3-month old baby boy on Monday, November 30th!!! I’ll give you all the details further down in this blog but first let me bring you up to date on what has occurred up to this point. It is amazing to see God in control and at work throughout this process!

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future..” – Jeremiah 29:11

In all honesty, up until the last few weeks, very little had happened in regards to our adoption process. The only two things that come to mind between our last post and a few weeks ago was 1) a decision by Cassie and I to allow our boys to join us on our 2nd visit to Ethiopia and 2) being asked several times by our adoption agency, Lifeline Children’s Services, if we would consider anything less than 2 children.

For those of you who are unaware, Ethiopia requires two visits to the country prior to bringing home your child/children. The first trip is to take care of all the legalities on the Ethiopian side in regards to the child/children you are adopting. While the 2nd trip is the actual trip to pick up your child/children.

After much discussion and prayer (and urging by Trenton and Garrett); we have decided to allow them to join us on our 2nd trip to Ethiopia to pick up their new brother…assuming they help raise their portion of travel expenses to join us. Their enthusiasm and commitment to this adoption has been unwavering and luckily we’ve seen the same commitment from them in their fundraising efforts. The opportunity for us to travel together as a family to Ethiopia to meet the newest addition to our family is an opportunity of a lifetime for both them and us.

It has been wonderful to see the boys setting aside their desire to purchase “things” in order to save money for their trip. Both Cassie and I feel that the things they will learn through this process will be beneficial for them for years to come. It has been enjoyable to see their creative juices flowing on ways to raise the needed funds.

This past summer, with a lot of help from the boys, we put out our 1st garden. The boys set up a roadside stand to sell the produce along with signs on what the money will go towards. We had a yard sale earlier this year (where the boys baked cookies to sell and their cousins and Nana made cake pops and flower arrangements to sell for the boys), Cassie’s sister has offered to host a bake sale sometime after the 1st of the year, both boys have decided to make and sell walking sticks, as well as many other ideas have been tossed around. Stay tuned as I’m sure we’ll be sharing more details on these ideas in the weeks and months to come.

Another occurrence over the last few months has been some questioning from our Lifeline represenative on whether or not we would consider less than two children. To give you a quick background, when Cassie and I first started this process we set up our parameters on what we wanted for our family…two boys anywhere from birth to 5/6 years old. After all, we’ve already raised boys, we know what to expect, etc. However, after continual prayer and discussion, we changed that a bit and said we would be open to two kids as long as they were the same gender. However, by the time we had completed our initial paperwork, we had even given this up to God and settled on whatever two kids He felt was best for our family; no matter the gender…boy/boy, girl/girl, or boy/girl.

Fast forward to just a few weeks ago and we sensed yet another urging from God. Lifeline had a picnic (on Saturday, November 20th) for anyone that had worked with them in the past or was currently in the adoption process with them. Shortly after we arrived, we stopped to talk with our Lifeline represenative [that we have been working with]. The question was asked again if we were still only considering two children. Again, our answer was, “yes”. However, after many conversations throughout the day with other families, Cassie and I both felt we needed to discuss and pray about this more. Additionally, some close friends of ours that recently adopted three children from Ethiopia, asked if they could stop by our house and pray and share some things they went through during their process.

After our time with them, more conversations between Cassie and I, and more prayer on the subject; Cassie and I both felt that this was an area that we were trying to control and that we felt we knew what was best for our family. If we truly believed that this adoption was a path that God put us on, and He knew what was best for our family; then why weren’t we also letting Him have complete control of our adoption? Cassie and I agreed that if we were truly letting God take this over; not only should we be open to less than two children…but we also had to be open to more than two children. So, the next morning (Monday, November 21st), Cassie called our agency and informed them that not only were we open to only 1 child, but we were open to as many sibling groups that needed a home…be it 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.” – Isaiah 55:8

Nine days after our decision to release our control in this area to God, Lifeline notified us with our referral. Cassie received a call from Lifeline on the morning of Wednesday, November 30th, informing us that we had a referral for a 3 month old boy named, Yosef. Shortly after that call, Cassie received an email from our agency with a picture and some details on our new son. While we cannot share a picture at this time, let me just say he is the cutest thing we have ever seen!! He has loose curly hair, big brown eyes, the cutest little nose, lightly colored skin, and what looks to be a little dimple on his right cheek. Per the paperwork, he’s as healthy as he can be; and based on his picture, he’s quite an alert little boy. We plan to use his name, Yosef, as either his first name or at a minimum as a middle name. Ironically enough, his name means, “God will add.” Isn’t that just like God’s sense of humor?!

I cannot tell you how much of a blessing this experience has been for our family so far…especially the past 2 weeks! It is both amazing and humbling to see the generosity and interest that people have taken in our story.

Just to share a quick story in that regards…the people I work with at Unified Technologies are awesome! Last night was our company Christmas party. Following our “dirty Santa” gift exchange we do every year, our CEO, Scott Diamond, talked about the amount of money our employees raised for some local families through the More Than A Gift program at Southeast Christian Church. As is our usual custom, the company matches what the employees give. However, this year, the employees gave enough of their own money that there was really no reason for the company to match. So, unbeknownst to Cassie and me, the company decided to take it’s portion of the money and give it to us to help with our adoption…specifically, to help the boys with their fundraising to join us on our trip to Ethiopia!!

What an emotional an unbelievable evening it was; not only for Cassie and me, but I think for a lot of people that I work with as well. It continues to amaze me how much this journey of ours has impacted not only me and my family but other people that we know and come into contact with. Again, it is both humbling and amazing how God chooses to use and reach His people! I simply hope and pray that through this journey those that we come in contact with see the love of Christ and how He has chosen to adopt anyone that wants to be part of His family!

The other thing I hope people see is the fact that this is such a faith ride for my family and me. We cannot do this on our own. Between having the money to pull this off, the emotional roller coaster this has been and is yet to be, and making it through all the things that can go wrong through the adoption process; it is unbelievable to see God’s hand at work! A verse that we have on the boys’ fundraising chart and that has become our family’s mantra; nails this point…

“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” – Ephesians 3:20-21

So, what’s next? We are hopeful within the next 3 months we will be making our first trip to Ethiopia. Prior to that time, Yosef will be transported from his orphanage some 7 hours away to a transition home in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. During our first visit to Ethiopia, we will get to see Yosef for the first time, spend time with him and the other children in the orphanage, and finally go to court to legally adopt him. Unfortunately, at the end of that week, we will return to the states but will have to leave Yosef in Ethiopia. During our time back home, final processing of our adoption will take place before we will be allowed to return for our 2nd trip. Again, we are hopeful within about 3 months after our return home we will be allowed to return back to Ethiopia (along with Trenton and Garrett) to bring our new son back home with us.

Thanks to each of you for your thoughts and prayers over the last 10 months of our journey. I would ask that you continue to keep us on your list and specifically pray for the following for us in the coming months:

1. Yosef’s health and safety
2. Health and safety for the caregivers in Ethiopia currently taking care of Yosef
3. Quick processing of paperwork in Ethiopia so we can make our 1st trip
4. Patience for our family as we wait for our 1st trip
5. Low stress for our family as we prepare our home for a new baby
6. That we clearly see the many things God is teaching us through this process and we don’t get in the way of what He is trying to teach/show others

Patriotism & Our Christian Heritage

THIS WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED 1 YEAR AGO.  THOUGHT IT WAS WORTH A RE-POST…

If you are a patriotic person, I encourage you to view this video from Dave Stone, Senior Minister of Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY.  If you are a patriotic person and a Christ follower, I highly encourage you to view the video.  Dave prepared and delivered an excellent message for the 4th of July weekend addressing the past, present, and future of our great country.

While we all have a tendency to want to blame the Democrats, Republicans, Bush, or Obama for America’s problems; as a free people, the success or failure of our country is our responsibility…that responsibility is even more inherent if you claim to be a Christian.  As Christians, Dave says we cannot blame the politicians for the past, present, or future of our nation.  Dave encourages each of us, as individual Believers, to take our faith seriously and to stop being lukewarm Christians.  If we Christians, really believe what we say we believe…our lives, our families, and ultimately our country cannot help but reflect that belief.

Cliffhanger: Family – The Foundation of a Nation (Dave Stone, Sr. Minister of Southeast Christian Church – 7/3/10)