Bruised Eye, Bruised Ego, but it's not all about me

I've had something to post here for a few days, but yesterday morning's "incident" kind of threw our schedule out of wack.

Yesterday morning at 7:30 I was walking out the door with Reni in tow to take Ellie to school.  I don't exactly remember where or how, but the next thing I knew, I was experiencing great pain in my left eye socket.  Reni has this very pretty blue Nalgene sippy cup (a gift from his cousins in VT) with a hard tip on top.  As best as I can figure it, either for fun or in shifting position, he rammed that hard tip right into my eye.  The pain was immediate.  I was trying to communicate to Nathan, already in the car that I was hurt and missing my contact.  By the time I could give him our squirming son, all hopes of finding that lens were pretty much gone.  We looked and looked, but I had no clue where (between the door and the driveway) the collision occurred. I sent Nathan on with the kids to deliver Ellie and I decided to search for a spare lens I thought i had somewhere in a bathroom drawer.

It didn't take long to determine that locating a replacement lens was the least of my issues.  My eye discomfort was not going away so there was no way I'd be inserting a rigid gas permeable lens in there anytime soon.  We called the eye doctor and he worked me in that morning.  I was diagnosed with a corneal abrasion (scrape) and contusion (bruise).  If you read this blog outside of this page (i.e. through a feed), then you may not have read in my Twitter feed that this is apparently a common occurrence for parents with young children (to be socked in the eye with a hard object).  I was assured the eye heals pretty quickly and I'd likely be doing better the next day.  I was given a soft contact lens "band aid" and told to take some Tylenol if I experienced any pain.

I went home feeling better for the time being.  However as the day progressed, my sensitivity to light increased, my eye was watering, turning a shocking shade of red, and by evening, it started oozing. I could only keep my eye open in very dim light, if at all.  (Sorry if you have a squeamish stomach -- I get squeamish thinking about it).  I was back in the office again this morning, this time seeing another doctor who has given me two different bottles of eye drops. Apparently now my iris is swelling and I won't describe what he said the tissue looked like.

Meanwhile, I have a great excuse to lie in a dark bedroom with my eyes closed, but our lives don't easily allow for this!  For example, I took my eyes off Reni for 5 minutes this afternoon and in that time he proceeded to color in half a dozen square tiles on our bathroom floor with crayon.  Thank you, Picasso!  Can you please tell me where you did find those crayons since we tried to hide them from you?  But really, I'm more than happy to stay at home where I won't make people cringe or scare small children.

Now, since I don't like to write posts that are all about me, here are some great reads of much weightier subject matter I've found in the last week or so....

From Adeye of "No Greater Joy Mom":

"Last week one precious family traveled to a land far away to adopt their sweet little boy. They went to court. After five hours of being questioned by the judge, the answer was NO! They were denied. They were told that they could not adopt sweet K. "Sure--go ahead and adopt a 'healthy' child. But children with Down syndrome are better off in an institution." 

So sad.
The little lovie was denied the RIGHT to have a family.
Oh, God in heaven! ...

Anyone who has ever stepped out to adopt a child can testify to the fact that from the moment you say, "Yes" to that child, all hell breaks loose.  Why?  Because "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms," as it says in Ephesians.

The enemy HATES adoption! Every family enters into an intense spiritual battle when they try to adopt a child. The enemy WILL throw his fiery darts their way. He will try everything possible to get the adoption to fail. It is a fact! 


Adoption is not just about bringing a child into the loving arms of parents--it's about snatching a child out of darkness and bringing them into HIS glorious light..."


Click here to read the full post.  Click here to read more on this particular family's case.  The next 24 hours are crucial to this little boy's future (and the future of other downs' kids in this region).  Linny over at A Place Called Simplicity (link over in right sidebar) is also tracking this story.


_______________________


Then by Jed Medefind on the Orphan Alliance blog yesterday...


"...Truth be told, from the fundamentalist to the atheist, we all hold a theology.  We each have ideas about God—whether we see him as a holy-but-loving father, a distant clockmaker, a doting Santa Claus, a deadbeat dad, or a capricious judge.  These ideas, in turn, shape not only how we approach “religion” but all of life beside.  Whether or not we “like” theology, we are all theologians.  Our choice is simply whether we’ll form our ideas about God thoughtfully…or merely be influenced by opinions that we thoughtlessly absorb.

This reality carries consequences for all facets of life—perhaps especially the realm of adoption and orphan care.  If our theology envisions an absent or indifferent God, then we have no reason to be anything but absent or indifferent when it comes to children that don’t share our genetic material.  But if we truly grasp that every soul bears the image of God, everything changes.  If God pursued and adopted us at infinite cost to himself when we were orphans of sin, then we can do the same…with joy at getting to mirror the heart of our Father...."

Click here to read the post in its entirety.

_______________________

Gigi & Gjyshe Visit: Part 2

Who's a grandparent?  One who knows what his granddaughter loves, treats her to it, and agrees to play with her and said activity, even before breakfast and the sun has arisen and his grandaughter is still in her jammies.

Awkward Questions, Beautiful Truths

One of the chapters in Russell Moore's book Adopted for Life is subtitled "What some rude questions  about adoption taught me about the Gospel of Christ."  After reading the chapter, I thought about questions I have been asked about adoption.  Thankfully, we live in a wonderfully accepting and supportive community, and have rarely faced some of the insensitive questions many adoptive families endure.  In fact, most of our friends and acquaintances have rejoiced with us in our adoptions with the same awe and wonder at the miracle of our kids as we have.  However, recently I had the following conversation with an acquaintance to whom the concept of adoption is still clearly strange. 

It went something like this…

the day Reni took his first steps!

Q. "So did a doctor tell you that you can't have your own kids?"

A. "No, Cydil and I decided to put our energy and finances into adoption instead of reproductive technology."

In my head I thought, "God, thank you for directing us away from months or years of doctor's appointments and potential disappointments and toward the joys and adventure of adoption.

Q. "So you could have kids of your own some day if you wanted?"

A. "If you mean biologically related kids, I suppose God could bless us with children that way too, but we feel like we already have 'kids of our own'!"

In my head I was thinking, "God called us to be parents, not to just pass on genetic material. Anyway, does any parent 'own' their child? Children are made in the image of God, not in the image of their parents. All children are really God's children and parents are simply guardians of these precious treasures of God.  Adopted children are a reminder of this fact.  Because Ellie and Reni are not biologically connected to us, we are reminded what a gift they are from God every day!  We had 'nothing' to do with their birth, yet God still prepared them for our family from the beginning!  If biological kids would make me lose this awe, I hope I never have 'kids of my own'!"

Tuesday afternoon kite flying

After a little pause and some other small chat…

Q. "Did you ask for a handicapped child?"

A. "Not directly.  We understood that there is no guarantee of a 'healthy' child in adoption, just like there is no guarantee of a 'healthy' child biologically."

In my head I considered what a wonderful blessing we would have missed if God had not broken through our self-imposed limitations as stated on our application for a 'healthy child'!  I am more and more convinced that we all are 'handicapped', only some disabilities are more visible than others.  Visible disabilities can be seen by all, and may be more intimidating, but often they are easier to work through than the hidden disabilities we all have.

Q. "Doesn't it just break your heart to see your son's disability?"

A. "Actually, knowing Reni does just the opposite.  He inspires me!"

Had I more time to respond I would have added that there is nothing more thrilling to a father's heart than to see his children succeed against the odds!  Reading Ellie's Kindergarten report card showing her  remarkable progress since January, and watching Reni take his first unassisted steps in his prosthetics, both made me cheer out loud this week! Everyday there is inspiration in my kids if I look for it!

The oldest book of the Bible, Job, records the accuser asking questions of our Heavenly Father.  I wonder if the conversation took place today if it might go something like this.

Q. "So why don't you just make your own perfect kids?"

A. "Because I love these children too much to leave them as orphans!"

Q. "When will you give up on this adoption idea and just start over?"

A. "I gave my only begotten Son so I could make these children my own!  I will bring them to my house to live with me forever!"

Q. "Don't you know that these children are handicapped?"

A. "Yes, it is the orphanage of your design that helps make them that way.  I have a plan for each of them that brings them into a forever family and ultimately heals their disabilities!"

Q. "Doesn't it just break your heart to see your children struggle in their disabilities?"

A. "Every time I see my children overcome your schemes I cheer from heaven!  I have given them the tools to defeat you, and I am there to catch them when they fall.  They may not be perfectly whole while living in your kingdom, but when they reach mine, there will be no prosthetics needed!"

~Nathan

Catching Up: Gigi & Gjyshe Visit, Part 1

The last three days of Nathan's time away were made much more bearable by the arrival of my parents last weekend.  We managed to keep it a secret from Ellie (given how disruptive it was to her ability to enjoy every day life and focus on important things like school while she waited for Nonna and PaPa's visit earlier this month, secrecy was vital for my sanity).  She was so excited and surprised when my mom walked up to the porch that Ellie jumped up and down, literally squealed (which she NEVER does) and said, "It's Uncle Steve!" 

We kept the visit pretty low key and the kids enjoyed making some memories with their grandparents.  Below are some images of Ellie and Gjyshe building a bird feeder.  They both share a love of birds and after completing this project, made a trip to the pet store to buy some food and play with the talking birds in the shop.

 Here Ellie is screwing in what she calls a little "pokey".

Ellie was hopeful that this bird feeder would be what it takes for a bird to come, sit, and whistle on her finger (Mary Poppins style).  We can let a girl dream, can't we?

Somehow I missed getting any photos of my mom -- though she put Reni in front of the mini dafs for a quick snap.  He didn't stay still very long.

Then the night before they left we picked up these foam squares at Wal Mart so Reni could enjoy the outdoors on our porch with a little more cushion for his knees and less abrasion on his pants.  It also adds quite a bit of color to our entry!  Now, even though the temps have dipped 30 degrees from last week's highs, Reni begs even harder to play on the porch.

This photo is a little out of order, but I wanted to say "thanks" to our friend, Eszti, who is studying in the States from Hungary.  We met her in Budapest in 2006 when she served as a translator at an English Camp with which we were also helping.  She goes to school in Tennessee, but we get to see her occasionally when she comes up to Kentucky to see Mark.  She is SO sweet with the kids and generously offered to come and play with Reni one morning last week so I could get caught up on housekeeping.  She was amazing and Reni cried when she left!  Here's a photo of the two of them together...

We are just so blessed by our sisters and brothers in Christ from around the world whose lives intersect with ours -- Wilmore is a great place to live to get to see them.  Coincidentally, her dad had just been facilitating a training for Christian doctors in Albania! (OK, let's all sing it, "It's a small world...")

Reni's first steps in his "legs"!

Reni begged to go outside today for his physical therapy, and after amazing us by standing on his own for more than 90 seconds, he decided he would walk! Of course, Cydil ran inside to get the camera. This wasn't his longest walk, but it shows his progress. The therapist was so excited too that she was late for her next appointment, but couldn't bring herself to leave. ENJOY!

Nesting

I  was reading in Adoptive Families Magazine recently about a mother who was 'nesting', waiting for her daughter's adoption to be finalized. She expressed that without a 'due date' like a pregnant mother would have, she had to force herself to prepare a place for her daughter in faith that the adoption would indeed take place.

I remember preparing both Ellie's and Reni's rooms. During our homestudy, we had to show our social worker what room we would use for our child and prove that it was safe with the appropriate smoke detectors and such.  But until their referrals arrived, the rooms remained pretty generic.  Ellie's room was an office/guestroom, and Reni's was our den.

That all changed with a referral!  We now knew who would be occupying those rooms! We got busy picking themes and paint colors, shopping for a crib and dresser, putting together toy storage, hanging pictures, organizing closets…  Each decision was made with our individual children in mind.  We tried to plan an appropriate space for a young child, but with the flexibility to grow with them as they grew.  We knew that for the first time in their lives, they would have their own room, their own place!  We wanted them to feel welcomed, safe and loved.  All of these thoughts and more went into preparing a place for Ellie and Reni, and all of the preparation was for one purpose…to bring them home to be with us forever!

No longer a guestroom, but our cherished daughter's personalized space

Jesus in Luke 14:1-3 comforts his disciples before he goes to heaven.

 1"Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

I have read these verses many times, and have heard sermons preached from this text, but until just recently I never connected them to the nesting Cydil and I did in preparation for our children.  Could it be that Jesus is carefully picking out paint colors for our future rooms with us individually in mind? Could it really be that he is personalizing a place for you and for me? Could the Father be hanging pictures on the wall to help his adopted children feel welcome, safe and loved in our new heavenly home?   If God pursues individually each of his children, I believe his preparation of our 'forever home' must also be as individualistic.  Jesus didn't say, "I have gone to prepare lots of rooms." Instead he said, "I go to prepare a place for you."  God is 'nesting'!

I can't wait to see the room He is preparing for me!
-Nathan

A Worthwhile Read

This post (listed today on "We Are Grafted In") echoes my heart many days...

And don't forget to head over here to see what Nathan and the team are up to. ;-)

Family News... We're still doing well, holding down the home front.  Yesterday, I heard Reni (twice) use the word, "MINE!"  I'm kinda surprised it took him this long!  Last night we went over to the Kinnells (THANK YOU!!!) and Reni had so much fun playing with their matchbox cars that he didn't eat supper.  Then Ellie played amazingly well with Chloe and Essie.  You have no idea how happy this made me to see her engage so well in cooperative play with kids her own age!  They turned Caesar's large dog crate into a hideout, all three fitting inside, with a blanket thrown over the top.  She still has a ways to go, but I think all-day Kindergarten (and the addition of a sibling) has been so, so helpful with her social skills.  Last night was another rough night with sleep.  First Reni crying HARD around 12:30 (I think he's teething), then Ellie WIDE awake at 1:44 and not settling down for a while.  Thankfully we got some solid sleep from then until the alarm went off at 6:30.  Ellie hasn't seemed to miss Nathan too much until this morning when she asked when he'd be back. Six sleeps is a long time for a 5-year-old!

Pictures of the Kids for the Grandparents & Dad

This is a post that is purely for the benefit of family who are interested in such things... don't feel obligated to read (as is always the case)!

First up, Thursday night's spring music program at the Jessamine Early Learning Village.  There are presently 630 or so Kindergarteners in our county, so this program was presented 3 different times in the early evening and the parking and gym seating were carefully coordinated to accommodate the numerous friends and family who turned out to attend.  In the rush to find some space on the bleachers after they opened the doors, we didn't realize we were on the OPPOSITE end of the gym as Ellie's class (in spite of them sending us a map ahead of time, we still managed to get it wrong).  Get out your magnifying glass and look for the pretty girl in the pony tail and green sweater.

Below, singing the "Aardvark" Song

Not so difficult to find our girl... she had such a great time gently waving her scarf to a musical interlude from Beauty and the Beast that she missed her cue to stop and sit down.

Hey!  I see you Mom, Dad, and Reni!

I brought my camera to Reni's appointment at Shriners and completely forgot to get any photos with Faith.  This was taken while we waited to be seen.  Reni is keeping his current set of legs for another six months.

Today... working on writing sheets after school.

Reni has turned into a BIG copycat of his big sister.  It's SO cute.  He was very happy to get his own paper and pen to do his homework.

Then his sister felt compelled to critique his pen-holding form and his scratches on the paper.

Seriously, I melt watching these two interact with each other.  Reni has taken to spontaneously hugging her, and Ellie will put on her babysitter hat and say silly things to him while tickling him, which he loves.

Not feeling particularly friendly towards the camera, Ellie hides behind her homework.

Dad's "Away on Business"

The weekend is nearly over and the children and I have fared reasonably well without Daddy at home.  Saturday morning was probably the roughest -- I was really, really tired but both kids were up before 7, raring and reading to go for the day!  By mid morning I still wasn't presentable, the house was a disaster zone, and the next 9 days were looking r-e-a-l-l-y looong. We went to the park briefly before lunch. I quickly realized that the kids are at two very different places as to what's accessible, so without a 2nd adult, the trip was shorter than I hoped it might be. In spite of the brevity of our time outdoors, I got a super long nap out of Reni so I could get in a few winks myself.  That made all the difference.

One bonus to "single parenthood" has been Ellie's understanding that she needs to step up to help Mommy and today she made it through children's church without a parent in the room (a first!) and then this afternoon she put on her shoes all by herself (double high fives for that!).  I've also had a few individuals tell me they were praying for us and I can honestly say I can see the answers to those prayers.  Thank you! While bedtime on Friday was difficult (taking over 75 minutes from putting them both in bed -- with one waking the other up to call for Mommy to come in, and over and over), last night both kids were asleep within 15 minutes.  We made an impromptu stop at Wal Mart after church and both kids were pleasant and cooperative the entire visit -- no complaining to switching seats, or groceries "crowding" their space in the basket -- in spite of losing an hour of sleep, to boot!

Doing the 'single parent' bit seems a bit more tricky in our situation because Nathan and I are both so used to having the other spouse home most of the day.  But with the Lord's help, it's working well, and I'm enjoying this time with them -- but I will be so glad when Nathan returns!

I can't remember if I posted a link or not, but you can follow Nathan and the Haiti team here:
http://asburywgm.blogspot.com/
They left Friday morning around 4AM, so we haven't seen him since Thursday...(I have NO memory of him waking up and leaving -- thank you Mark for taking everyone to the airport!)  Thank you for prayers on their behalf!  I think they have a great little team!

ADOPTION NEWS:
Finally, for those of you who may not be following adoption headlines, the country of Ethiopia has announced that they are going to cut the number of intercountry adoptions they facilitate by 90%, effective immediately.  My heart breaks for the thousands of children affected by this decision.  We know firsthand the miracle a family makes in the life of an abandoned child, and while intercountry adoption affords a permanent family for a small percentage of orphans, for those children, it can be the difference between life and death.  Fellow Asburians, Daniel and Sara have a good post here about prayers needed TONIGHT regarding an important meeting which will take place tomorrow morning between Ethiopian officials and our state department.  Thank you for interceding for this issue.

Thoughts on Citizenship

Ephesians 2:17-19

17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. 19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household,

Today as you read this, I am privileged to be leading a team of Asbury students to Haiti on a missions trip. As I collected the team's passports to make copies I began to think about how blessed we are to be American citizens. We have the freedom to come and go from our country at will, and with a relatively few exceptions, can simply show our passport and be welcomed into other countries around the world. With our citizenship comes the right to free speech and freedom of religion. I can write my thoughts here in this public forum without any fear of government interference or censorship (not to mention punishment).

As soon as we moved through passport control at Dulles Airport (in Washington DC) with our newly adopted children, they became American citizens as well! Neither of them will remember this milestone, but Cydil and I sure do. It was the second public marker that signaled that they belonged with us. We shared a name, and now we shared a citizenship! Ellie and Reni are "no longer foreigners and strangers" they are "fellow citizens"! I plan on writing some thoughts about the difference between history and heritage in a future post, but I believe an overemphasis on my son and daughter's Albanian history could unintentionally foster the feeling of being a stranger/foreigner in their own family. They are more than exchange students living with us in here in Kentucky. They are citizens along with Cydil and I and members of our household! Their heritage now is as a Waggoner! I don't want to minimize their Albanian history either. We truly feel that the country of Albania has given us priceless gifts in our children and we will forever be connected with the country in a special way because of them.

As we traveled in Albania this summer finalizing Reni's adoption, Elisona found a special place in the hearts of all who met her. Some would pinch her cheeks, and she was given more than one special treat by our Albanian hosts. She actually learned to eat ice cream bars in Albania because of these gifts. Some people we met didn't believe she was ethnically Albanian because of her dress, glasses, and hair cut, but there was one common statement we heard over and over, "She is so lucky to be an American now!" There is something about the word 'lucky' that doesn't sit well with me, so I usually responded with "We are so blessed to have her in our family!" And then would share how glad we were for the chance to bring her back to Albania and introduce her to our Albanian friends. Many of these good friends would love to travel the world, but because their citizenship is Albanian and their passport happens to be red and not blue, they face much greater hurdles in travel. They saw the freedom that Ellie enjoyed and while I would have used the word 'blessed,' they were right. She is lucky to be an American now! She didn't 'earn' her citizenship, it was granted to her as she became a member of the Waggoner household.

Ellie is having her hand kissed by grandma while being offered flowers from two different friends.

Even though sharing a citizenship of the United States of America is great, it is nothing in comparison to the citizenship I pray both Ellie and Reni will share with us some day. It's another citizenship that can't be earned, but will be granted by being included in the Father's household. This citizenship also gives us an heritage that outweighs our history. And no one knows freedom like the one set fee by Christ! This is the hope we take to Haiti with us, and this is the citizenship that unites us to our friends in Albania. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we are all "no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household."

Manly Accessories

Yes, we have a lot of duct tape.  We keep it in a low cupboard in our office, the leftovers from the previous autumn's cardboard box maze construction "kit".  Reni has found it and seems to continually delight in pulling the rolls out and seeing how many he can stack on each arm.  Today I just happened to have the camera nearby to document it.

I got my blog photo, but had to include these because we've never seen him hold his mouth this way before. On the right, I see my cousin Chad about 30+ years ago.  It really changes his look, I think.  It's kinda cute.  But then again, even when this kid's angry, he's still pretty cute.

This was a beautiful, happy accident.  This is how we'll remember these months of his life:  toy car in hand, gazing out the window at the traffic outside.  He LOVES the automobile.

Video Update of Reni and His Legs

Many of you ask how Reni is doing in his legs. As we may have shared before, his current prosthetics are really starter legs. They are for learning how to balance and do basic movements, but not for full-time mobility. He can get around MUCH more quickly and easily without them, but they are nevertheless important for building strength and developing skills for more sophisticated prosthetics later. In addition to what he demonstrates here, he is learning how to shift his weight (or alternate his weight) between heel and toe on opposite feet, step backwards, and turn, reach, and bend for objects just out of arm's reach. There are so many motions that you and I take for granted which Reni must learn to master with a different body length given to him while wearing prosthetics.

His progress pleases us, especially given that he has already outgrown these current legs (several months ago actually) so these legs do not stay straight nor sit as high up on his thighs as they used to (resulting in much less control than they were designed to afford). He returns to Shriners on Friday for a new fitting. We didn't realize when setting the appointment back in September that Nathan would not be in town (he's leaving for Haiti on Friday) and so I will be going alone. We have some questions and requests, so if you think of me, pray that I might remember everything I want to ask and for boldness if necessary!

As you watch this video, I want you to know that as proud as we are of Reni for his strength and determination, we are as proud of Ellie for the selfless encouragement she gives him as she urges him to reach his goal. My heart bursts for both of my children. How are we so blessed?

"Children Of God" - Official Music Video

Be sure to watch all the way to the end!

PaPa and Nonna Visit

Ellie has been counting down the days until this past weekend.  And before it was over, she asked for another paper chain to start until she would see her grandparents again.  A "medium" paper chain, or even one "this small," she said, holding her hands about 6 inches apart.  We love that our children love their grandparents so much, and we know that's because they feel so much love from them. 

Highlights from this weekend included having Mom and Dad Waggoner visit a Global Cafe` for the first time (the Sunday night missions fellowship we host at the student center).  Then on Monday morning, Dad Waggoner went with Nathan and Reni for Reni's tube surgery while Mom and I took Ellie to school and visited her classroom. 

Here are a few pics we got to remember the weekend....

 

 

Follow up...

Reni did great this morning.  He was a bit loopy afterwards, but was back to his old self in no time.  The real test will be how he sleeps tomorrow night (tonight he may still have some discomfort).  Again, he charmed the receptionist (who called over all the other receptionists to meet him), and wowed the nurses by saying "thank you" after taking a juice box from them.  Thank YOU for your prayers on his behalf!

Pray for Reni this morning...

Our little guy is on his way to Lexington to get tubes in his ears and have another minor procedure in his mouth. We are trying not to place too much hope in the possibility that he might finally be able to sleep through the night. (a good night involves us only attending him twice in the overnight hours.)

At the least we hope that this will arrest the pattern of recurring infections. Thank you Lord for medical care and may this provide some relief for our sweet son.

The Power of a Name

One of privileges and responsibilities of being a parent is naming your child.  In some cultures names are chosen based on something happening during the child's birth.  One recent example is the father in Egypt who named his first-born daughter "Facebook" because of the impact the social media site had in organizing the demonstrations in Cairo last month.

Names are a significant part of a person's life.  Hungarians traditionally have a list of names they are to choose from, so even though I only personally know thirty or so Hungarians, I know a number of "Gabor's" and a couple of "Tibi's."  Hungarians celebrate not only their birthday, but their nameday with all the others who share their name.  I think it is a cool tradition that highlights their Hungarian heritage.  Happy early name day Gabor.  (Just in case I forget to mention it on the 24th!)

Name changes are also important. Usually they mark significant events.  When Cydil chose to change her last name to Waggoner when we were married, it was an extreme honor, and it signified that she was willing to be forever associated with me and my family!  The day our adoption was certified by the Albanian courts, our children received the name "Waggoner" as well.  Their name change signified that they were now a part of a family!  Forever they will be a part of the Waggoner family tree!  They belong here.  They are one of us.  We share a name!

 On top of our last name, we also chose first and middle names for our children.  From the beginning, we loved our daughter's given name Elisona, which means 'my parents have Jehovah as their God.'  We added the middle name 'Joy' to our daughter because we couldn't think of a better word to describe what we felt as she was grafted into our family!  Before our second adoption we decided that we would name a son 'David' if we were referred a boy.  We decided on David because it is part of both of our father's names.  Cydil's dad is David and my dad's middle name is David.  As Reni's picture and details were presented before us last April, we prayed for wisdom and guidance in our pursuit.  Was Reni the child God had in mind for our family?  While pouring through the second round of information from our agency, Cydil stopped reading and through tears pointed at the computer screen.  "...He was baptized at 2 months of age with the baptismal name of ‘David’."  Yes! Reni was the child God was preparing us for!  He had already changed his name for us!!  Since that time, we have heard three other adoption stories where pre-determined names were already being used before the forever families were involved.  In each of those cases, God used names to confirm commitments and ease fears related to the pending adoptions.  Isn't God good?

Something I have begun to realize recently though is that a father's name changes in the process of growing a family too.  There are circles of people who only know me as 'Ellie's Dad' or 'Cydil's husband.' Everyday I visited Reni in the orphanage, I wouldn't even get through the gate before hearing a chorus of 'Bobbi Reni, bobbi Reni, bobbi Reni' (Reni's Dad, Reni's Dad, Reni's Dad)!  None of the kids know me as Nathan Edward Waggoner.  Instead they know me by my relationship to my son!  I love that!  I also love hearing, "Oh, you're Ellie's dad!" as I walk through her school.  My name has changed!

Kids and Caregivers say 'Goodbye' to Reni.

Our heavenly Father has changed our names as well!  He has given us a new name (Isaiah 62:1-3) We are known as His children.  We fit.  We belong.  We share His name!  But maybe even more amazing to me, God changes His name for us.  He is proud to be known as our Father!  In fact, He is often only known to the world through His relationship with us!  Being known through association with me is a risk. Being known as 'Nathan's Father' has its good days and bad days, but God is known by some people only in that way.  What an honor!  What a responsibility!  

Crazy Socks and Cars

Wednesday was crazy socks day...

It was also a mild day.  A great day to be outside.  So we went outside... and shop vac'd the van!
After all, company is coming this weekend and pop tart pieces and cracker crumbs just won't do.

Wow!  That vac is windy!

Ellie cleans her car too...

Cool!  This hose works like a telephone!

Today was bring your favorite stuffed animal...so Ellie brought "Reagan"