Rocco's Dedication Service

Hannah stated in I Samuel 1: 27, "For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him:" The barreness that pained her soul was relieved when God blessed her with a son, Samuel.

Three years into our marriage, Jason and I had already faced my open heart surgery. A year after my recovery, we were ready to begin having children. Both of us were finished with our 4 year degrees, stable in our jobs, and living in a new house we built. For the next 6 years we would seek many avenues trying to see our dream of parenthood become a reality. Disappointment after disappointment seemed to be the theme in this area of our lives for way too long. Like Hannah, my heart ached for a child. Jason, too, dealt with this emptiness on a more intrapersonal level. I rarely saw him cry; he was the strong one. Later I would learn that he shed many tears over our barreness, hiding his emotions and keeping them inside.

I'll never understand fully why that period in our life lasted so long. At times my faith was so weak I could not even pray for myself, let alone others. The very fiber of my belief system in God was tested. Looking back I can see how I grew in ways I never even imagined.

Every time I look at Rocco I see an answer to prayer. He was no accident. His life has a definite purpose, and I believe with all that I have he was created for our family. God molded and crafted him just the way he is knowing he would be our son. He even has a small birthmark in the shape of a "W" on his leg.

Having said all this, today was one of the most important days for our family yet. It was Rocco's baby dedication. What made it even more special was that Jason was the pastor who performed the ceremony. We brought Rocco before the church to publicly show them that we would raise him in a Christian home and teach him the principles of God's Word, the Bible. This ceremony did not give Rocco salvation; he must choose God's redemptive plan for his own sins when he becomes older and understands what Jesus has done for him on the cross. This dedication was just a public way for us to show others that we will do our part as parents to ensure that he has every opportunity to know who Jesus is: He was the sinless Son of God, a servant to others during His life on the earth, a suffering Savior who took upon Him our sins on the cross, and our victorious Lord who arose again so that we might have hope.

In this ceremony, Jason also charged the church with their responsibility to be a role model for Rocco and teach him the ways of God through the children's programs, VBS, Sunday school, etc. All stood to their feet who agreed to fulfill this great responsibility.

After Jason closed the dedication in prayer, I went to the piano and played/sang "When Love Takes You In" by Steven Curtis Chapman. I testified before singing and began to cry. Thankfully, I made it through the song with God's help. After the song, Rocco ran as fast as he could to me. It was an unbelievable moment as I picked up an answer to prayer and held him tightly in my arms.

Happy Birthday Rocco!

Weeks of work finally paid off today. Thankfully, Rocco's birthday bash was a huge success! The celebration, held at the Willis farm, had a farmyard theme. Jason and his dad had spent the last couple weeks getting the barn ready for this big day. Cleaning it out, shoveling . . . well you can imagine, organizing the tons of "stuff" in the barn, and turning the former horses' stalls into a party room was a large undertaking. My mom and Carolyn helped me get things together before the party and the day of. During my spring break my mom and I went shopping for the party favors to go in the barn shaped goody bags. I had already ordered a lot of the themed supplies on-line. Carolyn took care of ordering the cake. Not only was it the cutest farm cake I'd ever seen, it was delicious, too! It took all of us working as a family to get it together for the big event. Carolyn blew up the helium balloons, mom scrubbed down the tables, my dad watched Rocco for us while we decorated, and Gary and Jason ran around trying to get the barn in tip top shape before everyone came. Friends and family from our hometown were invited. I sent out over 20 invitations and prepared for 60 people. Almost everyone who was invited came. The turnout was spectacular (21 kids) and the Lord allowed the rainy weather to hold off just enough so that we could enjoy the outdoors. The party started at 4pm and lasted for three hours. By 7 pm, the sunny day had turned into a cool rainy one. We weren't complaining though. We had already been on our 2 hay rides out into the pasture. The kids loved the petting zoo (made complete with baby ducks, 2 rabbits, and 6 chicks), although Rocco was not into it that much. It amazes me that he will walk right next to a big cow or pet a horse yet he gets scared of a little duck. Poor animals were glad to see the party end. One little boy kept tossing the small ducks into the watering bucket. That is where ducks belong. . . right?

The teacher in me came out when I planned the party; I had many games ready for our attendees. They played barnyard memory match, farm BINGO, pin the pocket on the farmer, and herd the cattle (swatting cow balloons with a fly swatter). All the while the kids wore their cowboy straw hats that we provided. In the background, I had Rocco's Barnyard Kindermusik CD playing. Every now and then he'd hear a song that he liked and he'd cut loose and break it down. After the games and hay ride were finished, we sat down to eat some chili hot dogs, chips and dip, and hay stacks. Rocco wouldn't eat anything except Cheetos and a few chips. It was his special day (check out the Birthday king below in his crown) so I let him eat what he wanted.

Out of all the events of the evening, Rocco probably enjoyed the hay ride the most. I think all of the people, presents, excitement, and commotion threw him off a little. For most of the pictures he was not smiling because he was so busy taking all of it in. I think it must have been very over stimulating for him. Here he is below getting ready to blow out his "2" candle. Toward the end he was a little clingy to me and acted tired. At one time I wondered if we were going to be able to open the presents or not. It looked like he might fall asleep on my shoulders. But he held out and man oh man did he get some cool presents! When it was all said and done I almost could not fit his gifts into my Tahoe. It looked like we had just had another baby shower for him. Little guy who once didn't have any toys to play with and not a stitch of clothing to his name now has a bedroom AND playroom busting at the seems with fun, new toys and cute clothing.

The miracle of adoption never ceases to amaze me. To see what God has done in our lives through Rocco over the past year is indescribable. I stand amazed at our great God. And to think He loves us more than we love our own children. . . that I cannot comprehend.

So many people think that Rocco is the lucky one. In fact, it is us that have received the biggest blessing.

Happy Easter!

He is not here, he is risen! What powerful words the angel proclaimed. Our Lord and Savior conquered death and the grave to ultimately give us victory through Him! My faith is not in vain for I serve a living God!

We did so many things to celebrate: 2 Easter egg hunts, giving of baskets, church service on Sunday, and family time with all of our close relatives.

The church egg hunt was right in the middle of nap time on Saturday afternoon. . . and when Rocco gets tired he can be a little cranky. After we finished jumping on the inflatables, eating hot dogs, hunting for eggs, and getting our prizes I looked back and wondered who I really did it all for. . . me or Rocco? I think he would have preferred to be napping, but we have pictures to show that we indeed took him to the egg hunt (just in case he ever wonders when we grows up).

Little man was so tired and could barely hold his eyes open, but he still managed to find the energy to check out the unique texture of the grass in his basket.

On Easter Sunday, Rocco received his third basket; mimi and nana gave him his other two. Jason and I got him a few of his favorites: Kit Kats, bubbles, Hot Wheels, fruit gummies, and a cool sippy cup with a swirly straw. (He sure was handsome in his Easter outfit. )

The egg hunt at Papa's went much better than the one at church. He found three times as many eggs, loaded up with tons of candy and toys from goody bags, and picked up the eggs by himself (daddy only helped a little). This year he actually understood the concept of picking up the eggs and placing them in his basket. Hunting eggs with all the cousins (Drew, Chloe, baby Colston, Jessica, Jennifer) and close friends (Ava and Claire) made it even more special, especially since last year this was not possible living in SC. Papa and mawmaw would loved to have seen their front yard full of children having a great time!

Easter Happenings

Easter this year will certainly be more eventful for our family now that Rocco is almost 2. I remember last year we had just arrived home with Rocco the day before the church wide Easter egg hunt. At 12 months old and living his entire life in Vietnam, he knew nothing about America much less about our traditional Easter egg hunts. He wasn't even wallking yet. But we still went to the egg hunt and carried him around, picking up eggs for him. Little man hadn't a clue what we were doing. He just liked being outside on daddy's shoulders or in mama's arms.

This year should be more exciting and for several reasons.

1) Rocco has 6 live baby chickens! The farm supply store gave them to me for my science lab. I used them in Rocco's Easter pics. Even though they are the school's chickens, I am the "lucky" one who gets to take care of them on spring break and weekends. Rocco enjoys interacting with them. He's progressed from just touching them with one finger to petting them with his entire hand.

2) We are home with family (living back in Georgia) and will get to experience the family egg hunt with all of the cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents on Jason's side. Because we were
living in SC last year we missed this.

Being closer to my side of the family has been such a blessing, too. Instead of a 5 hour drive, we're now just a little over an hour away. During spring break this week Rocco and I took a quick trip up to see nana & papaw, Uncle Tyler, and mimi & papaw. Rocco received an Easter basket from mimi. It was a big hit. . . well except for the wind up chicken that laid eggs. He was a little hesitant about that one.
3) Twenty-three month old Rocco loves to play hide-and-seek. I could not count the times during the day when he covers his eyes thinking he's hidden or when he ventures under a table not moving an inch hoping we'll come looking for him. I'm sure he's going to love the idea of "hiding" eggs.

4) Tonight we dyed eggs for the first time. The results?

Stained countertops (came clean after scrubbing), blue toddler hands (still blue after soap and water) , multi-colored fingernails, eggs that are bound to crack the first time little man hides/finds them. . . but certainly 10 of the most beautiful eggs you've ever seen!
And the center egg is what it's all about. Our Lord's resurrection. The Savior we worship and adore is alive! He's not on the cross anymore, nor is He in the tomb. He is risen!

Happy Gotcha Day!

What a big day we had celebrating our one year adoption day! This time last year we were signing the final adoption documents at our Giving and Receiving Ceremony in Ninh Thuan, Vietnam. Today we were enjoying some family time at the Tennessee Aquarium. Sting rays, sharks, butterflies, macaws, penguins, sea horses, jelly fishes, turtles, snakes, alligators, and so many species of fish we lost count. Rocco liked crawling under the tunnel with daddy to take a look inside the glass cave. I tried this with him, but I forgot it was for kids. I stood straight up and WHAM! I hit the top glass with my head. Jason just laughed (it was quite funny); I didn't try this again.

Despite the hundreds of animals we saw, Rocco's favorite part was the escalator. Up and down up and down. . . Once I thought we were through he'd do the sign for again and say, "Gen."

We viewed both the freshwater and saltwater exhibits. It's amazing how the Lord worked it out so that I could spend this special day with him. Being a Friday, it was a work day for me at school, but since the kindergarten classes were taking a field trip I decided to drive separately and meet my students there. It ended up being a great family trip!

Lunch was at Cheesburger Cheeseburger. Talk about a greasy, delicious burger and fries! Rocco ate some Cheerios while sitting in his high chair and was asleep on our shoulders before the meal came. He slept the entire ride home, too. This field trip wore little man out. We told him what this special day meant and how it was his Happy Adoption Day. . . but I don't think he understands just yet. What he does understand is that we are his mama and daddy and love him so much.

The First Time I Saw His Face

March 13th . .. the day we first met our son. For months I'd longed to hold his soft face next to mine and begin the bonding process. I would take nothing for this day. It is forever embedded into my heart, and I am forever grateful that I was able to see the orphanage that God used to care for him those first 10 months of his life.

He was such a little fella. . . and so squirmy. I remember giving him a bottle for the first time; I thought he was going to wriggle right out of my arms. It's amazing to me that though we were complete strangers to him that day, he only cried for 10 minutes before warming up to us. In no time he was daddy's little buddy, wearing his baseball hat, and letting us love on him. It had to be God. Though some may not believe this, the next afternoon he would be saying, "My mama." It's true. He may not have known what he was saying, but I believe this was another kiss from God and a seal of approval that we were meant to be a family. (A year later Rocco still loves on me and holds my face just like he did that first day.)

In order to celebrate the day and what it meant, Rocco and I baked a marble chocolate cake after our family meal tonight. Little man marbled it himself. Mamaw sure would be proud!

March 12, 2007

It was the day before we would travel to the orphanage and see Rocco for the first time. I spent much of the afternoon seeing the sites of HCMC, shopping, and getting a relaxing $6 pedicure with Kim-Lan and Don. (Jason was in the hotel recovering from jet lag.)
Below is a portion of my journal entry a year ago.
March 12, 2007 10:20 pm Vietnam time
The highlight of the day was watching a DVD on our computer in the hotel. This was Kim-Lan's video that was shown at her baby shower for Maile. It was live footage of the Ninh Thuan orphanage. A friend of hers adopted a little girl a few months ago and videoed it. In the background is music from Steven Curtis Chapman's "When Love Takes You In". For about 10 seconds in the video it showed Rocco on his belly on the floor. He was next to the famous pink pillow we talked so much about in a photo our agency had sent us a few months ago. Seeing him in live motion and hearing his baby voice brought me to tears. Up to this point he's only been a photo on-line. Tonight for the first time we saw live footage of him. I can only imagine what I'll do tomorrow when I see him in person. He's about to get a forever family and we're about to be parents to a beautiful boy- What an answer to prayer!
The Kimdo Royal City Hotel (our home away from home in Ho Chi Minh City)

Our Journey

A year ago today we were flying out of Columbia, SC, and heading for Vietnam. They say a journey of a 1000 miles begins with one step. That step began in January of 2006 when we began the paperwork for our adoption. March 10, 2007, we would embark upon our 3 week stay in Vietnam which would ultimately lead to Tuan Minh Doung officially becoming ours. Below is what I wrote in my journal last year.

March 10, 2007 5:15am
The journey has begun. It's actually happening. In less that 30 minutes I'll be boarding a plane with Jason. We're leaving on a small jet with American Airlines. It is flight 3410 headed for Dalllas, TX. We take off at 6 am.

I tried to get a little bit of sleep last night. I made myself lie down around 11:30 pm. I tossed and turned until 2:30am, which is when we got up. Carlene and John Clark were at our home in SC to pick us up at 3am. I was really concerned I'd leave something important. . passports, visas, money, driver's license, plane tickets, credit card, adoption paperwork, etc.

This morning was so exciting! I've watched "Adoption Story" on tv for years. I'd sit on the couch and dream about the day I'd be headed to the airport with a car full of luggage. The time we'd be walking past the security gate waving Bye to our friends and family. Today was my day! Just about 10 more minutes until we board the plane!

One year later, March 10, 2008, I'm taking Rocco to kindermusik class. I think the picture below pretty much sums up how I feel about this little fella.

Twin Boys B-day Party

This Saturday morning was very busy. Rocco had his Easter pictures taken with two live brown bunnies and four cute baby chickens. Thankfully, he did wonderful loving on the bunnies and laughing at them when they hopped away. I picked up the chickens yesterday at a farm supply store so that he could get used to them. Little man loves big animals like cows and horses but gets a little scared around small creatures like bugs, ducks, and frogs. Yesterday afternoon he was really unsure of them, but when he saw me loving on them he decided to touch them with one finger making sure he wiped that finger off once he did.

Right after the photo session, we headed to a birthday party at his favorite restaurant. . . the Mexican one where he eats his belly full of chips and dip. It's so sweet to see him dip them. My friend Phyllis has a set of twin boys, and they were celebrating turning 3. They are miracles, and I love interacting with them because they are such an answer to prayer. For years she and her husband tried to have children to no avail. Then one day. . . God blessed them with not one but 2. Here they are below blowing out their candles.

She also has a baby girl now. Rocco sure was givin' some sweet love! For once he let me hold another baby. . . probably because I was holding him, too. Rocco took part by wearing a cone birthday hat. At this point he was a little unsure of it, but eventually he didn't want to take it off. He preferred popping the rubber band strap though.

What a fun party. . . except when Rocco cried because he thought the light-up toy should have been his. We headed home and took a nap. Little man sure is grumpy when he gets tired. Look at him in his sweet Easter outfit made complete with his salsa stained lips.

Spring is Around the Corner

Yesterday was so beautiful and sunny. The weather was just a tease for spring; tomorrow they're calling for snow. It was one of those days where the wind blows and the sun is just warm enough to knock off the chill. I rolled my windows down and opened my sunroof for the first time in months. Little did I know something very unusual and memorable was about to take place.

When I arrived at Carolyn and Gary's to pick up Rocco, I left my sunroof open, but when I returned I found that a little bird had found its way inside my Tahoe. Poor fella was frantic trying to get out; he just kept running into the glass. I raised my back window to offer him his freedom back. In no time, he was out of sight. Rocco and I headed home thinking all was well.

It wasn't. The bird was up underneath my seat. You can imagine how surprised I was when it flew out and started flailing between my legs. Thankfully no cars were around on this country road. I came to a stop and rolled all the windows down (all this time little man in the back was speechless not knowing what to think about this crazy bird). With no bird in sight I headed on. That's when Rocco started to cry. It almost sounded like a hilarious laugh; I think he was not sure whether to cry or laugh, but his face showed great concern for the bird had decided to land right beside him on the window sill. I don't know who was more frantic. . . the bird, Rocco, or me. I quickly headed for the nearest stop sign, put the car in park, pulled up the emergency brake, and faster than lightning I was at Rocco's window ready to pick up the bird with my bare hands before he flew any closer to Rocco. Only problem was that the bird was hissing at me with his mouth wide open. I was not about to get bitten by this little bird, so I used my ingenuity and prodded him out of the car with an empty Yoo Hoo bottle.

And just like that he was gone. This time for good.