Abel caught the driveway with his face the other day while playing outside, received his first big boy boo boo:
His nose bled a lot, but he really wasn't that upset. I was sadder than Abel was! That night, he was mostly just red on his nose and forehead. It actually looked worse the next morning.
Until I took this picture, I didn't know he still had pizza in his mouth from dinner over an hour before! My little chipmunk :)
This was the next morning.
In addition to putting manly looking cuts on his face, Abel has also been very in love with his toothbrush. He had one with trains on it, and carried it around all the time. So I bought him an Elmo one, and if he could have I think he would have given me a 'mom of the year' award when I presented him with that thing. He has been 'drawing' on the chalkboard wall with his wet toothbrush (gag), sharing it with Chase (super gag), and brushed off a shoe with it (extreme gag). That's all good for his immune system, right? He even stuck it in his overalls so he could walk around with it. Not the pocket, inside the actual overalls like this:
Now that I think about it, I read somewhere that some kids like toothbrushes for teething. His doc said his molars are coming in, and he has stopped chewing on his fingers in favor of the brush.
This picture was pre- boo boo. Aunt Sherry, do you recognize the shirt he's wearing? :)
Please pray for Reed and I as we make decisions regarding the future of our family!
On a related note, the DePaul adoption/foster agency called me back. The social worker was very informative and helpful. Bottom line, she said that we would most likely be waiting years for a young child if we did not want to foster first, but just to adopt a child out of the system (foster parents get first pick). As of right now, we are planning on taking the certification and training classes offered this summer. From there we will have background checks and home studies. We will then be placed on a waiting list until a child comes through for us, renewing our certification with a new home study every year.
There are several big decisions that await us! We know that God will bring us our next child in His timing and we are praying that it will be obvious to us what step we should take next to add to our family. It's no secret that Reed and I love children, and would both love to have a sibling for Abel soon. He loves his buddy Chase, and I would love to give him a life long buddy! I am trying day by day to trust in God, and to trust the leadership of my husband. I am praying for wisdom for Reed, and patience for myself! I am so very thankful that God is reshaping my very impatient and aggressive heart with "the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit" (1 Peter 3:4). I can feel a major difference in my desires and attitude, which I can only hope is glorifying to God and a blessing to my husband!
Thank you all so much for praying for us and encouraging us along in our journey!