After hounding working hard to advocate for Project Lifesaver for the past few months, we finally received word that Jack’s number had come up on the waiting list!

Last Friday was our appointment. The local news showed up to do a follow-up story (which meant Jack got to spend some quality time with his girlfriend, Meredith!) and Sergeant Awesome drove up in his Police SUV.

After hugs and introductions (as IF I wasn’t going to hug the neck of the man who was making my life better!), we got down to brass tax. He required specific information on Jack (such as full name, pet names, names he calls people  he loves, favorite movies and toys, what medications he takes and dosages, etc.). He then got in to the contract.

Can I just tell you? That contract…40 eleven hundred pages long. And, sadly, there is a clause in it that says that the parent is not to use the bracelet as a substitute for parental supervision. That means, somebody must have done it! Can you imagine? GAH!

Anyway, after all the contractural stuff, he affixed the bracelet to Jack’s ankle, and showed me how to check it daily.

We wrapped things up and everyone headed out of the house. Jack was blowing kisses and everyone was having a Big Fat Love Fest.

Except my neighbor….who, upon seeing the police and news at my house, came running to make sure we were OK.

I politely informed him that Sebi had tried to do me in the previous night, but all was well.

Everyone got tickled, except the neighbor. Sergeant Awesome told him the story—which is not near as exciting as axe murder evidently!

So, we are wired! It’s a wonderful feeling to know that someone’s got my back if we get in to a precarious situation with Mr. NoOneIsAStranger.

After everyone left, Jack had an opthamology appointment. He’s now sporting the cutest glasses ever, making him the most handsome boy in the entire universe (if I do say so myself!).

…all those rumors you’ve been hearing about me? Yes, they’re true.

I AM famous. On the Internet. (heh..well, for TODAY I am!)

If you click here, you can read (once again, in great detail) the unfortunate story of me getting kicked out of the Social Security office. Evidently, I’m not the only one who thinks it’s HILARIOUS. I mean, I didn’t at the time, but it’s grown on me after a year or so of therapy….

So, yeah, I’m gonna sit here and relish my fame all day…

After our new friend George at Crocs wrote about Jack, he wrote and asked me for Jack’s shoe size so he could send him a surprise! Jack was getting ready for his nap so he was in the Big Blue Prison Crib! The FedEx man came, so I had to let him have his package!!!

Treasures were inside! First, we found a Wall-E board to keep your Jibbitz on!

How much more blessed could we be? Well…My new friend George at Crocs, he wanted to talk to me about Jack…Click here to read…There’s lots to update, but I have to get a little man to bed…more later, I promise!

SO, you know how Jack LOVES Signing Time!???? Well, I have read Rachel’s blog for a really long time, and today I took the leap of faith and wrote to her and told her how much Jack loves her! Maybe she will show up in her orange costume to see us! I suppose I could have told her how Alissa and I were originally planning to go as her for Halloween (but then she might have thought we were stalkers…and I sure don’t need to be going to jail!). Anyway….here we are in October already! Jack’s been having some really rough days. He is refusing to eat anything by mouth. It’s discouraging. We went to the surgeon the other day and it might be time to increase the size of his tube–which is in and out surgery, but I don’t want any more surgeries right now. Sebi got me an otoscope for my birthday so I can look for ear infections—oh the joys of being both mom and nurse! I’m figuring I could turn it into a profit. I can hang a shingle outside and charge people $10 for looking…cheaper than going to the doctor! (I am totally kidding—he hasn’t been sleeping well at all and I am exhausted—and quite punchy!)Tomorrow we are off to the Weiney dog races downtown. We’ll take pictures! Jack gets the cast off on Thursday—but Monday is Jackiversary, so we’ll take lots of pictures! I can’t belive it will be 2 years that we got him! God is so good! Love to all! xoxooxo

THE LOUDEST EXPLOSION YOU’LL NEVER HEARAll of life is a near-death experience. It is precious, but fragile — laughing happily one second on the way to the football game on Friday night, . . . silent the next second under a crush of steel.We think we know what life is: It is the beauty of a sunrise. (Then we meet a joyful blind person.) It’s the sound of a gentle waterfall in the wilderness. (Then we meet a vibrant deaf person.) It’s Tiger Woods hitting a golf ball. (Then we meet a quadriplegic who loves life more than anyone we’ve ever known.) It’s watching this, and listening to that, talking with friends, and a thousand other things. (Then we learn about Helen Keller.)Life is paradoxical. But like any near-death experience, it is also scary. So we hide from it. Which makes it even harder to understand. Life’s not in the hurricane — it’s in the whisper. The breath of air . . . that knocks us down. The earthquake that rocks our world, but doesn’t quench a smoldering wick.“Whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” Matthew 16:25. So . . . “losing” life . . . that’s what “saves” it? How can that be? Answer: Sacrifice is what makes SENSE of life. “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13. Love without sacrifice isn’t really love.The adoptive parents I help are willing to love to the point of sacrifice. In choosing adoption, they choose life. And they choose sacrifice. Like Heather and Sebastian (their story has already been in the newspaper). Heather and Sebastian adopted Jack.Storybook adoption? Pastel colors, lullabies and baby powder? No. Jack came from a . . . well, a “rural” area. When they went to get Jack, they probably should have taken a gun. People there had probably never seen so many teeth in one head.Once home, they got Jack’s adoption finalized in court. The female judge loved Jack. Carried him around for pictures.“Happily ever after”? Not so fast. Life isn’t life until the sting of death is removed. True love sacrifices. Jack was diagnosed with cerebral palsy just a few weeks after the adoption was final. Think about that:Adoption. Final. Cerebral. Palsy.Is THAT the end of the story? No. Heather and Sebastian love Jack. They love Jack WITH his cerebral palsy.Can I tell you what loving cerebral palsy is like? The hurricane of cerebral palsy shows you that life is in the whisper. Life isn’t talking clearly; it’s “elopu” — a phrase that only a parent knows means “I love you.” It isn’t running and jumping; it’s feeble steps, leaning on a parent’s support. It isn’t Baby Einstein; it’s tearfully hugging a parent when nothing else makes sense. It isn’t addition and subtraction; it’s what’s left after death is subtracted. It’s the rock of redemption that remains after the earthquake passes.Love God, my friends, by loving His creations — especially a creation who needs your love so badly you can taste it. That, my friends, is sublime. Loving that whisper is the loudest explosion you’ll never hear.In a recent e-mail, Heather she said they wanted to adopt again. A group of siblings. This is how “the Lord’s work” gets done.Let’s all roll up our sleeves.Birney BullI think, by far, this is the nicest thing anyone has ever written…and, it happens to be TRUE!

First, let me catch you up on our week….Monday–I spent at the doctor because Janson came down with strep throat! Tuesday, Jack had an ortho appointment (it went OK. Basically, they changed the settings on his night braces, and sent us on our way with a follow up next month). Wednesday, however, was wonderful!!!Our lawyer here in Savannah, Birney, he suggested that the paper write an article about us. So this reporter came out and she spent hours with us—literally HOURS—and then went on her merry way. Well, she wrote the most wonderful article today in the Savannah Morning News….http://savannahnow.com/node/511567

I really think it was super nice. Friday, Jack also met his new teacher, who for now, we’ll call the Gestapo. She’s a little on the brutal side, but I understand why. I have a list of things to do before she gets here this week…everything from getting rid of all the toys, to making books. She is sending him for a sensory evaluation (it’s only taken them a year to listen to me!), and she made me cry. She started talking about the future and how we were going to have to do things to make his life easier at school—and there’s still some part of me that isn’t ready to think about that yet. I have a hard enough time making it through day to day sometimes. So this afternoon, we’re spending time cleaning out the house of the “inappropriate” toys we have. Enjoy the article! Much love!

Remember back when Laughter was the best medicine…well, it still is.

Yesterday, we were officially kicked out of yoga. (Alissa says we resigned before we got fired, but telling by the way the other mom’s were looking at us, we were going to get kicked out anyway) So, once we figured out that it would be our last yoga lesson, we had one heck of a good time…as evidenced by the pictures.

Today, we had therapy—and it was a very bad day. We, however, now officially are working on 4, yes, 4 sign language words (open, thank you, more and done.). But Thursdays, after therapy, we have initiated Go-To-The-Park-and-Find-Some-Place-Fun-To-Eat day. Last week, we sat outside a restaurant and had a delicious lunch ( really want to go back…had the best little chicken wrap ever and Alissa’s salad was scrumptious, so she says). This week, we decided to check out the yearly Greek Festival. Well, we Greeked, and while we were eating—(think angels singing, harps playing) I look up, and there stands none other than Savannah’s Very Own Mayor OTIS JOHNSON! And being that we are practically celebrities in our own right in Savannah, we had him take a picture with our adorable children. All the extreme excitement wore me out!

Oh, and by the way, this is Ella’s debut picture on the blog. I had to make sure Alissa was OK with her picture being up…but she is, so now I can share the love…..

Ok I can tell our secret now!So Wednesday’s we go to Baby Yoga class…well today, the local news came and did a feature on it, and it turned out to be the Jack show…You can watch it on the website for the news

Just look for the link to Baby Yoga…but it’s also on the homepage–you can click on the teaser for the news at 6 and watch him too!How funny is this!!!