Laughter

I could sit and listen to my son laugh all day long. I'll never forget the very first time we heard him laugh. Since then, we've done everything we can to invoke a giggle, and sometimes, if he thinks we're really funny, we'll get the deep-down belly laugh. That's definitely my favorite! The other night we were hanging out in his room and I started hiding behind a pillow and then quickly popping up from behind it. He thought that was the best thing ever! His laugh was so heartfelt and deep that I just had to run and grab the camera. Hope you enjoy the snippet of laughter I was able to catch on video!

The Angels Sang

Do you know what this means?!

It means we get to do this again! FINALLY!

No, the car isn't completely finished yet, but a wonderful man in the church (who I think I'm going to give a huge hug to the next time I see him!) offered for Daniel to store the car in his shop until it's finished. Halleluiah! I get my garage back! :) Sometimes in life, it's just the little things that make you smile...

Such a miracle!

"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb...Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them."

Psalm 139:13, 16

When I heard our baby's heartbeat for the first time yesterday, I felt so many different emotions. Relief, amazement, excitement, anticipation, etc. I've felt pretty crummy, so I assumed everything was going okay with the pregnancy, but you just never really know until you hear the sound of that heartbeat. What a beautiful sound it is!

As I looked at the ultrasound picture off and on last night and then throughout today, I couldn't help but stand in awe of our God! I realize I'm hormonal right now, but the thought of our little 10 week old having a strong heartbeat just brings tears to my eyes! I mean, there's no face, tiny arm and leg "buds" (as the doctor called them...which by the way, we apparently have a "wiggly" baby - another one of the dr.'s terms!), no sign of what the sex will be yet, no real organs yet, BUT a very strong heartbeat. And this can only be seen or heard through an internal machine. When I look down at my stomach right now, I don't see any real changes, I don't feel any movement, but deep down under the layers there is a little life that is being knit together by the Almighty God. I realize I've already carried one of these little lives, but once again, I am completely humbled that He would choose me to birth one of His creations. A child who has a future and a hope. A child who, I pray with all my heart, will proclaim His name to the ends of the earth. A child who is formed in His image and for His purpose.

Baby Bramlett #2, Mama and Daddy love you so much already! We are so excited that God chose us to be your parents! We know that He has an amazing plan for your life, and we can't wait to be a part of it! Rest in His arms as He forms each and every part of your sweet little body. Because He is perfect, there will be no mistakes, and you will be one of His prized creations! We can't wait for December when we'll get to hold you for the first time and kiss your precious face! Until then, know that we will do everything we can to protect you. Your big brother, Riley, says "hi" and loves you...I know he can't wait to play with you! Keep growing strong and healthy, and we'll see you soon! All my love, Mama

The 3 shall become 4!

In my last post I mentioned that some things were going on that kept me from blogging much last month. I wasn't able to say then what they were because my parents didn't even know, but the cat is out of the bag now! In case you missed it on facebook, here's Riley sharing the news with his daddy several weeks ago...



We found out on April 5th that another little Bramlett will be entering the world...on or around December 10th. :) We were very shocked and not quite sure what to think at first. You see, this was not part of our 'plan.'

About a year ago, Daniel came to me and asked that I begin praying about adoption. He felt very compelled that we needed to adopt, and he wondered what my thoughts were. I was pretty taken off-guard, and honestly, I wasn't too keen on the idea. I told him I would pray about it, but was a bad wife and basically pushed the thought right out of my head. He came back a couple of months later and asked if the Lord had revealed anything to me. It was then that I had to admit that I hadn't even prayed once about it. I was scared! I had so many questions. What if I don't love an adopted child as much as Riley? Do I want to have any more biological children before possibly adopting? Can we afford to adopt? And the list went on and on. But, I promised my husband I would begin praying, so I did.

Slowly, but surely, the Lord began opening my heart to adoption. He answered questions for me through movies, magazine articles, books, friends' testimonies, etc. It seemed as if everywhere I turned, I was hearing or reading something about an adopted child and how their life was changed through that action. Finally, at the beginning of this year, I surrendered to the idea and Daniel and I committed to do whatever it took to "rescue" a child and bring them into a home filled with love and care. We started the process of figuring out which agency we wanted to work with (or did we even want to go through an agency?), we told our families and close friends so they could begin praying, and then the week before we found out I was pregnant, we told the church. We were excited and ready to find our child!

And then, there was this! Honestly, when I found out, I was very upset because I felt like we had disobeyed God. He clearly told us we were to adopt, and I've always believed that delayed obedience is still disobedience. Later that afternoon, though, I spent a long time with the Lord and He spoke such peace over me. He reminded me that children are a gift from the Lord, and this child is no different! He/She is not a mistake, and He has a plan for his/her life! Yes, we are still called to adopt. A positive pregnancy test does not change that, and He still expects us to be obedient to that command. It just won't all work out the way our finite minds had planned it! Come to think of it, when does it ever?! He is in complete control, and His ways are ALWAYS better than ours! After I was reminded of all of this, I truly felt the peace that passes ALL understanding, and I became very excited about the newest addition to our family! I just know God is going to use him/her in a powerful way!

So, right now I am 9.5 weeks along, and we'll go tomorrow for my first ultrasound. I can't wait to see the little bean of a baby with a strong heartbeat! I'm trusting that everything is okay and we'll get a great report. I'll be sure to keep you updated. Oh, and the reason I didn't post more last month is simply because afternoons (when I normally would write) have become for NAPS recently. :) I've never been a good nap taker, but this baby has taken the energy right out of me! The thought of getting on the computer and writing a post just made me even more exhausted. Hopefully my energy will pick up again soon, but don't be surprised if the posts stay sporadic for a little while longer!

Easter 2011

Happy Easter!

I hope everyone had a wonderful day celebrating our RISEN Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! I realize I've been pretty quiet lately on the blog front, but there's a reason for that, and one day soon I'll be able to share it. :)

What I can share right now is that we are officially on vacation for the next week! We left TX right after the morning service today and are headed to Burnsville, NC, where we will spend the week relaxing in the mountains! SO excited! And to top it off, my parents are meeting us there, so Riley will get to see 'Anma' and 'Anpa' (as he calls them)! I'll be sure to update more next week when we're back home.

Blessings!

Music Man

Riley LOVES music! This doesn't surprise me because both of his parents do too, but since Day 1 of his time on this earth, music has always been able to calm him down. Just recently he has shown us his skills in directing music. :) I stay for choir practice on Wednesday nights, so our usual routine is when prayer meeting is over, I pick up Riley from the nursery. I then take him into the sanctuary (where the choir practices) where his daddy can be found talking, talking, talking. Choir usually starts before Daniel finishes talking, so Riley gets to hear some of our music. The past two weeks he has climbed the stairs to the stage and given our music minister, Lee, a run for his money! We all can't help but laugh while we're attempting to sing because Riley, very seriously, moves around the stage "directing" the music. It is hilarious!

Last night I was playing some music in the kitchen while getting dinner ready, and Riley began his "directing." I grabbed the camera real quick and below you'll get a small taste of what we very often see when any song begins to play.

Long overdue update

Do you remember several months ago when I wrote about my friend J.M. who we found out had cancer? If you need a little memory "jogger," click here. I promised then that I would keep you updated as to how she was doing, and I have been horrible about keeping my promise. A lady in our church recently began an email devotional ministry, and this week Jenny is writing the emails. I wanted to share yesterday's with you because it explains very clearly the journey she and her family have been on since December. I pray it encourages you and reminds you of the POWER of our Holy God!

"1 Peter 2:24 – “He himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed.”

This is the third part of my story. We already know there is cancer, but are just beginning the journey…

We went to M D Anderson, in Houston, and saw an oncologist. I was diagnosed as Stage IV breast cancer and recommended to begin hormone treatment, instead of chemotherapy, because I was really still in excellent health in spite of being Stage IV. I had a PET scan, which shows where the cancer is in your body, and was very discouraged when I saw the scan. The cancer shows up as black spots in the scan and they were everywhere in my bones. The doctor’s report said there were “innumerable” metastases throughout my bones. We already knew it was in my bones, because I had broken ribs and a fracture in my spine from the cancer already, but still we weren’t quite prepared to see what we saw that day.

Steve and I returned home, with discouragement threatening to cloud our hearts and minds. A couple of nights later, I was lying in bed, thinking and praying about all this. It was like I heard the Father say, “You didn’t want M D Anderson to get the glory for healing you, so what better way? When that PET scan is clear, they will know it was My hand!” I told Steve the next morning what God had spoken to my heart and said, “We wanted God to do something big, where there would be no doubt it was Him, and He is preparing the way for that to happen!” It’s amazing how that changed a circumstance that was threatening discouragement in our lives into anticipation of what He was going to do! (We have to be careful to keep our eyes on Jesus and not on circumstances!)

Let’s fast forward to March. We went back to Houston for a three month evaluation of treatment. They scheduled a mammogram, ultra sound, MRI of the breast and a PET scan. The first news we received was from the doctor who comes in after ultrasounds and she told us that the big news was that my lymph node was smaller. We were excited and called the kids and sent out text messages. Then the second thing that happened was the MRI of my breast got cancelled. This was very exciting to me because I dreaded that test more than anything and had asked several people to pray specifically for me when I was supposed to be having it. I was already in scrubs, with an I V in my arm when the nurse came and asked why I was having it again so soon after one in December. I told her we were evaluating my treatment. She said they were paging the doctor because they didn’t believe I needed this test (how often does that happen?). The MRI tech came back in and reported she had spoken with my doctor and we weren’t doing the test. Let me tell you that was a wonderful blessing! (Once again, I was reminded that God cared about all my concerns… “Cast all your cares on Him, because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7)

The best thing that happened was after the PET scan. I saw my doctor on Friday and his PA came in and was telling me how wonderful my test results were. The PET scan that had been summarized as “innumerable” metastases now said that there was “complete or near complete metabolic response.” I asked the PA, “So that means it’s not any worse, maybe even slightly better?” She said, “No, it means it almost all gone!” Praise the Lord! Psalm 103:2 – 3 says, “Praise the Lord, O my soul and forget not all his benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.” Within three months, God had almost completely removed all the cancer from my body! There were spots on my liver that were now gone and bones that had looked like Dalmatians, now just had a few places left with cancer in them.

Did God do this because I’m worthy? No, He did this because He is faithful to His Word. I still have to go for treatments and my bones need to be strengthened where the cancer is leaving them, but God is honoring His Word! By His wounds you have been healed. Blessed be His Name!!

O Lord God, we honor You for all that You have done! We praise Your name that You have chosen us and You love us, even though in ourselves we are nothing. We thank You for Your faithfulness and ask You to be glorified in our lives. We pray that the Body of Christ will be built up and glorified because of what You have done and all people will be drawn to You! Blessed be Your Name! It’s in the name of Jesus, Your Son, we pray. Amen.