One year (and one month)

Little Man is now a one year old. It is amazing how fast that year went. In honor of him being 12 months old, here are 12 facts about him:

1. He has his own filing system.

Anyone who has spent any time around this little guy, knows that he is busy and loves to put things in other things. The other day, I had some time, so I followed him around to see if there was a pattern. Here is what I discovered:
- Paci's go in the trash
- Toiletries go in the Washing machine.
- Items from my nightstand go in the hamper.
- Shoes go in the diaper pail
- Remote controls go in the toilet

We are just thankful he hasn't found the laundry shoot yet.

2. He has a giant head.

This is not just a "we think his head looks large" kind of fact, but the doctor told us at his 12 month appointment that he is average height and weight, but 90% percentile for head circumference. Luckily for him, Jay and I also have extraordinarily large heads and we will be able to help him find the stores that sell hats in L/XL.

3. His first word was "Chango" because they are best buddies.

4. He is strong - he likes to try and pick up furniture and tip large items over.

5. He likes to read books 1.5 times. Seriously, if you can make it through a book 2 entire times, it is a miracle.

6. He will play peek-a-boo by himself until someone notices.

7. He would play in the toilet all day if I would let him.

8. The second anyone tries to hold his hand, he goes limp and falls to the floor in giggles. (makes parking lots exciting.

9. He tries to kiss my cheek, but usually just ends up biting my cheek.

10. I have been clapping and cheering for him to encourage him to try new foods and he recently began clapping for me whenever I take a bite too.

11. He wears a size 6 shoe (same size as his three year old cousin).

12. He is fearless and has taken head first dives off stairs, into pools, into bathtubs and more. Let's just say, he keeps me on my toes.

And a bonus #13 because he is now 13 months:
He runs into walls when angry - it is like Toddler Pin Ball.

Happy Birthday (now 13 months!) to my Little Man.

Let Me Tell You a Story . . .

It all began about 7 years ago.

I was sitting in Grace Chapel during a mission focused weekend listening to my future sister-in-law, Crystal talk about the 6 months she had just spent working in India. She is a wonderful singer/songwriter and finished her talk with a song that she wrote to honor the children she had worked with. Sitting there listening was one of the first times I remember clearly hearing God speak. A quiet voice said "You are going to do that one day. You are going to go and help these same children".

A vision had been given and since I was graduating college soon, I began to research what it would mean to go and work in India. A couple months later, my boyfriend became my fiancé and a wedding and job working with students with special needs halted any plans to go overseas.

But I still remembered the promise God made and lived with eyes open to how I could be a part of what God was doing in India.

Fast forward to 2011 and God provided the opportunity for Jay and I to travel to Chennai, India with Granger Community Church. The focus of that trip was to bring hope to the children of a single village.   On our last morning, Jay sang his sister's song, the same one from the mission's weekend, and I was able to celebrate that God keeps His word. I was made for such a time as that trip.
 

In partnership with Granger, we returned this past March to continue to try and bring the good news of Jesus to the children in India with plans to go back in the near future to complete the work

I sometimes get whiplash with how quickly God changes our plans! As I type this, I am reminded that at this exact moment, we were supposed to be in India with Granger, but because of some changes that Granger has made, our project we had been working on has been suspended.

This summer Jay left SpringHill and took a job with Bay Pointe Community Church in Traverse City, a decision that I admittedly have struggled with understanding until two weeks ago.

Bay Pointe is turning a portion of their mission focus to India. Two weeks ago I interviewed for a trip that is going to focus on the rescue and rehabilitation of women from the sex trafficking industry that is so prevalent there.

Because the need is immediate, we are leaving at the end of January (less than 3 months away!), and I am on that trip.

However, I desperately need your help.

First, I need prayer. Please consider leveraging your faith for this team. We will be traveling January 27-February 5 and could use prayers for God's provision on this journey.

Second, I need help financing this trip. The total cost is $4,000 with the first $1,000 due on December 1.

If you choose to give, here are a couple of ways to do it.

1) Paper checks, made out to Bay Pointe, with nothing in the memo line, can be mailed to me at 545 Edmar Dr. Traverse City, MI  49686.

2) Donations can be made through Paypal. Send payments to jaytaylor84@gmail.com. (This option is not tax-deductible.)

Thank you so much for reading this long post and for your support as God says "go" once again.

People of India - Keerthana

Dear Keerthana (*keer-ta-na) - how do I begin to tell people in the States about you?

I could begin with telling them about how you were boldly one of the first to approach us to play (you even beat most of the boys).

Or I could tell them how you were quick to show affection with hugs and hand-holding even though us Westerners were new to you.

Or, perhaps I could tell them how your family has suffered tremendously over the past several years in a house that was barely a shelter. Your mom, Mary, told us how the rains would pour in on you and as a family you would huddle under a cloth or umbrella to try and stay dry.

I could tell them about your quick smile or your willingness to try any of the crazy games I threw your way.

Or maybe I could just tell them how you rarely left my side or my arms during our final days in Koti.

Keerthana, I continue to pray for you and your family as often as I think of you, and I'm glad my friends were able to visit you this week. I am sure you welcomed them with the same love and joy as you welcomed us.

I hope the Lord brings us together again soon,

With love,

La-la-la-Liz

"Pure for Sure" - the return to southern India

Confession: This may be the most delayed update I have ever done on this blog. Little Man, new job, temporary single mom status and the start of camp have put me significantly on personal things like haircuts, grocery shopping (who needs fruit in the house, right?) and blogging.

This past March, Jay and I returned to India. Before we left, we knew it was going to be an entirely different trip from last year. We didn't really know the team we were traveling with (we met some of them once before we went) and we were being sent by Granger Community Church with a mission separate from the rest of the team.

We were asked to focus on children's programming and, since this was a construction team, we were given freedom to step away from the group and focus on the children.

The team was sent to a new village, nick-named "Koti", is just outside of Vellavedu in Tamil Nadu, India. We were the first team sent there and I am pretty sure they didn't know what to do with us considering many of our kid's min methods are seen as unique even in the States. Here are some photos as a quick overview of the trip:

5 are meant to go in a 2 seat rickshaw . . . 

We always had a crowd watching us, no matter what we were doing

Deconstructing a house

Love when children ham it up for the camera

Reunited after a year!

There is a story behind this photo, but the panic in my eyes was very real. (Note: Jay was about 50 ft. away at this point joyfully covered in sewer water.)

After school children's ministry

Planning for each day under the mosquito net the thatched roof hut - just another typical day for the Taylors.

Those Days

Today is just one of those days . . .

One of those days when no shower was possible (or even desired really).

When my hair is most definitely not brushed.

When I went into the office with carrots, apples and spit up all over my jeans.

When I question the majority of parenting decisions I am making.

When I miss my hubs terribly. 

When I feel like there is not enough time in the day to get everything for my job done. 

When I broke out new baby spoons from our gift stash because I was too lazy to wash dishes and when I used disposable diapers because I was unmotivated to wash the dirty ones.

It just was one of those days.

But it was also a day when I got to snuggle with my little man.

When I watched my dog and my son become friends (truly, they were playing with toys together)

When I got to spend time talking to God about worry and grace.

And when I got to dance around the office to Disney songs with my little man.

So, I will continue to survive these kind of days and look for the joy within them.

A Different kind of Mother's Day Tradition

Mother's Day is hard. 

I am a woman living in the land of infertility which means it has been really hard for years. As a friend of ours said the other night, it is like starving while everyone around you is enjoying a feast.

With that perspective, I entered into this Mother's Day knowing and understanding the dark sides of it. Don't get me wrong, It is one of the greatest joys in my life to be Little Man's Mom. His snuggles and sloppy cheek sucks are just a piece of the blessing it is to raise him. But I know that Mother's Day was one of the hardest days of the year for so long and still is for so many women. This Mother's Day was like going to Disney World after spending time in India. It was fun and celebratory, but the filter with which I was seeing the world had changed.

So Jay and I decided, as a family, we were going to have a different tradition in our house. Instead of breakfast in bed (I work for a church, it will never work on Sunday anyway), gifts,  or other grand gestures directed at me, we are going to make Mother's Day a day to honor the incredible woman who gave our Little Man life.

We are going to celebrate Birthmother's Day. 

We started this year by writing a brief update on our Little Man to send to adoption agency and praying with Little Man for his birthmom by name last night, and then God, in His perfect timing, caused this to happen:

       I was checking my email this afternoon only to find an email from our adoption specialist saying that Little Man's birthparents had requested an update over the weekend. It is the first contact with them we have had since birth. I quickly drafted an email, included lots of pictures and sent it away to hopefully bless them.

Our God does such crazy works in the world around us and I love to be in a place that I get to give testimony to that.

1/2 a Year Done.

(Warning: this post is full of pics of my boy)

Unbelievable that we have known our little man for just over 6 months now.

In honor of those 6 months, here are 6 things we have learned about our little man:

1. The Kid is LOUD.

Because he comes with me everywhere, I have experienced his vocalness in all sorts of situations. He has shut down staff meetings, interrupted prayer, squealed through the grocery store, and joyfully yelled through doctor's appointments. Our pediatrician, who has been a pediatrician for 40 years, said that he was possibly the noisiest baby he had ever cared for.

2. The Kid is un-sympathetic.

They say around this age, babies begin to respond to other children crying. Most do this by beginning to cry themselves. Isaac, however, tends to laugh while other babies are having a hard time.

3. The Kid was born to eat.

He has excelled at eating since his very first day. He is digging the solid food these days and seems to always want more based on the stares we get at meal times.

4. The Kid was born to move.

Not being able to roll yet, has not slowed this guy down at all. He continues to surprise us at how far he can move just scooting along on his back.

He started in the middle of the mat and made it that far in about 60 seconds.

5. The Kid is a rockstar traveler and can sleep anywhere.

Such a good thing since he goes with me everywhere.

Spot Isaac sound asleep in the middle of Christmas morning chaos

6. The Kid was born to spread JOY!

Through sickness, bad nights of sleep, shots, guests, and all the other pieces that make us the Taylor Household, he has continued to be the happiest baby.

 Isaac, we have loved being your parents and we are so excited for the next 6 months!

Isaac + March Madness + Fund-raising = awesome

Why yes, I am adorable!

As all of you know, Isaac joined our family last October, and he has been a source of joy and laughter for Liz and I ever since.  If you want to see more pictures of him, click on this link: LE PhotographyLE Photography. His adoption story is one of unexpected speed and surprise, so we have been reeling in the aftershock for a while.  We had great plans for fundraisers and preparations so that when the time came, we would be ready to pay for it - but God had a different plan.

At this point, out of the $22,000 needed to fully pay for the adoption, we have been able to pay $9,000. God is great, and we are excited to see how He closes that gap.  Below is a way for you to play along!

As promised before we left for India, here are the details for our adoption fundraiser through YahooSports.  Please take a few minutes to read through the details, then let the March Madness begin!

The brackets tournament field is announced this weekend, March 17th...  

Which means it's game time!

Let the MADNESS begin.

  

Here are simple and easy instructions on how to participate:

1.  Join our Tournament on Yahoo Sports by following this link:  

http://y.ahoo.it/xXH84lhN 

• Click "Sign In" (If you don't have a Yahoo! account you can sign in using your Facebook or Google account)
• Create a new bracket
• Title your bracket
• Once your first bracket is saved there will be an option for you to create more brackets

2.  Donate to our Adoption via PayPal

• Go to www.paypal.com
• Click "Send Money"
• Enter the donation amount 
• Send donations to jaytaylor84@gmail.com
• (You will have to create a PayPal account if you don't already have one)

     Suggested donations are:

• $10 for 1 bracket
• $20 for 2 brackets
• $25 for 3 brackets
• $30 for 4 brackets
• $35 for 5 brackets

3.  Have Fun and Best of Luck

     We will send tournament email updates through Yahoo! Sports and post updates on our blog.
     wedontlivenormallives.blogspot.com 

All Brackets are due by Thursday, March 21st at 11:00am (EST)

Prize:

1st place will win 20% of the money raised (or up to $300).
2nd place will win 10% of the money raised (or up to $100).

The rest of the money from the tournament will go toward Isaac's adoption, which is finalized in April. Also, we would really appreciate it if you copied and pasted the information posted above to tell your friends, family and co-workers about the tournament.

If you have any questions at all, don't hesitate to contact us at jaytaylor84@gmail.com.  I hope you have fun doing this, and thanks again for being a part of this exciting journey with us.  

Laughter is born (one of the best stories part 2)

(Note: Please read the previous post because this post will pick up where that one left off)

Friday morning, October 12, started very early. We were pulling stuff out for Garage Sale about 6:30 am (and no word on the baby).

At 1:30 in the afternoon, we were approved as a "waiting family" and at 1:50 in the afternoon, we got the call - the baby boy was born! Within minutes we had a place for Chango to go, people to finish up our garage sale for us, and a promise from my mom that she would go shopping so that we would have diapers and food when we got home.

We grabbed our bags and some snacks and we were off! We sent a couple of texts on our way to hospital. I was shaking from excitement and hunger (I hadn't been able to eat in over 24 hours).

At this point we had been told several times that the birth parents did not want to meet us. The agency chose us and that was all the birth parents wanted to know.

Dawn arrived about 10 minutes after we did with two surprises. The first surprise was that brought along Julie (our adoption specialist who had done all our home studies). The adoption specialists rarely get to come to the hospital, but because ours was such a unique situation and  the fact that she had pulled an all-nighter the night before to make sure we were were approved, she was allowed to come. The second surprise was that we were going to meet the birth father.

We were ushered to elevators and to a small conference room where we briefly met the birth father. We didn't really get to talk during the meeting, but he did. He told us about the birth and explained their reasons behind adoption. We got to shake his hand, see his face, and hear a story that we want Isaac to know.

Then it was time for us to meet our boy. They wheeled him into our room (we were allowed to stay at the hospital with him) and he was so tiny! He was only 2 hours old when we met him. He hadn't even had a bath yet. Dawn and Julie grabbed Jay's phone and started taking pictures for us and I am so glad they did. 

First look at my beautiful baby

and then the tears came, and came, and came. . . 

We got to witness his first bath and I got to give him his first bottle. Our sweet little boy screamed when he was bathed, but calmed immediately when he was warm and fed. We didn't see his eyes for the first couple of days. He had a habit of opening one eye to check out the world and immediately fall asleep again.

His stats were awesome as he aced one test after another. And after two days, we were ready to be discharged.

It is amazing how quickly we were attached to our "Little Man". Right before we were discharged, his birth mom asked to see him again. In, what could be described as the worst 40 minutes of my life, we waited. I was in tears, convinced that once she saw his face, she would decide to keep him. The name "Isaac" meant so much more at that point. We had to be willing to give him up, if that is what God asked of us.

Eventually, he came back to us and we were able to pack up and leave. Our itty-bitty baby in his oversized carseat came home with us to stay.