This week has been a rollercoaster of emotions for me...sadness, excitement, fear, faith, joy, anger... I've never felt so unsure of myself... of my FAITH! Why? because I allowed Satan to blind me with FEAR!

Our adoption file has been officially closed for now...although, we know without a doubt that is what God has called us to do at this time, it does not make it easy!Even after God made it clear we did not want to see it. We searched in hope that a miracle would happen... Our agency along with every other agency we contacted told us basically the same thing...adoptions are just not moving...that country is not open at this time...you do not qualify for that country...every door closed in our face. So, for now, we will not be moving forward in our adoption journey BUT we WILL be seeking HIS guidance and having FAITH that is HIS timing we will complete the journey.

As hard as it was to accept that we could be closing the adoption for now...I am however, excited about the work that God has done in my life this week! He has humbled me, loved me, and showed me grace. I've experienced spiritual lows and spiritual highs...and through it all HE has carried me! He has reminded me HIS plan is always the BEST plan!

10 Month Update

Jackson's new favorite activity is eating! I'm not sure who's child he is, but his favorite is stewed squash and onions. Neither of us are fans! He also enjoys anything bread. Ice water is his drink of choice. He just returned from vacation in Gulf Shores where he fell in love with Lambert's and "girls in bikinis". We took him to the beach for a week's vacation just before Marty started back to work and Jackson started "playcare" at the Best home. We spent one night in Fairhope and took Jackson shopping at an old time toy store before heading to our condo. We went outlet mall shopping twice and Jackson loved playing in the sand on the beach. He really enjoyed his sandbucket and toys he got for a gift just before leaving. He had a blast floating in the ocean, swimming in the pool, and eating breakfast on the balcony overlooking the gulf. He has developed a love for the ladies and did a lot of waving. He tried out the dining at Tacky Jacks, LuLu's, Zaxby's, The Tin Top, and The Mellow Mushroom, but still prefers Cracker Barrel. He continues to learn new things. He says bye-bye, he crawls, claps, pulls up,rolls the ball, loves walk with support. sleeps 12 hours a night in his crib. He still loves reading and music. His favorite song is the Hot Dog song from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. At his last check up he was in the 98% for length and FINALLY almost 20 pounds! HAHA Mommy's skinny boy!:)

Heavy Hearts....

Adoption Update!

When we became pregnant with Jackson it was suggested by the agency that we "freeze" the adoption for 18 months. Soon after we made the decision to do that Kazakhstan closed international adoption. We knew that this was all part of God's plan. Our prayer has been that in 18 months it would be open. It has been 18 months....and it is still closed. We were informed this week that our agency will no longer have a Kazakhstan program. So, that means BIG decisions for us....Do we continue to wait it out and be forced to change agencies, do we change programs(country) and stay with our agency, If so, what program?! For quite sometime now we have questioned if we were perhaps being led to a different area of the world...so should we change to that program...but why would God have made it SO CERTAIN and SO CLEAR that we were to adopt from Kaz if He was going to call us somewhere else? As you can see our hearts are HEAVY... We DESPERATELY want to FOLLOW HIM! No matter WHERE that may be BUT we have got to be certain that its what HE wants and not our own desires! We ask that you please be in prayer for our family (Marty, Sheila, Jackson, and Jackson's sweet baby bro/sis!) P.S. We have to give our agency a decision by September or our file will be removed!!!!Yikes!

WOW!Time really does FLY when you're having FUN!!!!! Jackson will be 9 months old in just 6 days! We have truly had the BEST 9 months of our life! Jackson brings more joy to our life every single day! Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!:)

Yes, it is true, DADA won! Jackson officially said his 1st word on June 5, 2011. We were hanging out in the living room watching Will play on the wii. Jackson was laying on the couch playing with Sheila and looked up and said "DADA!" It was def a PROUD moment for daddy and Mommy... well, she had to admit Daddy won! No seriously, Mommy was pretty excited too watching Daddy light up every time Jackson uttered that single word! Jackson worked hard to polish it up and have it just perfect for Marty's 1st Father's Day!

LOVES to play with his Fisher Price Sit and Stand. He likes to dance! :)
Loves reading more everyday!!!! (This makes Mommy and Daddy proud!)
Peek-a-Boo is his fav game!
Mickey Mouse is his new BFF!
loves to giggle and play with Beau and Bella! (& they are GREAT with him!)
7/7 Waved Bye Bye when we were leaving Nanny's!
Eats EVERYTHING he can get his hands on!
Cracker Barrel is his fav restaurant!

Enjoyed a week getaway with Mommy and Daddy to South LA and NOLA!
-Daddy had to take a class for work so Mommy and Jackson tagged along and hung out at the hotel. Mommy and Jackson had lots of fun swimming and hanging out! Then we drove over to NOLA to see cousin Karla and show Jackson the sights! We had a super busy day going to Cafe Du Monde, strolling the French Quarter, River Walk, and hanging out at the Aquarium! Jackson was the BEST baby! Never fussed 1 time and LOOOOVED the aquarium!

Jackson 6 & 7 months! Oh my how time is flying!

Jackson is officially a BIG boy he is ready to eat anything Mommy allows!:) Mommy decided to venture into making homeade baby food!It has been a success: Mommy enjoys making it, Jackson enjoys eating it, and daddy enjoys saving money!:) So far we have made carrot,butternut squash, sweet potatoes, green beans, green peas, spinach(Just call him Popeye! He loves it!) pears, avocado, apples with cinnamon, chicken, brisket, banana, peach, prunes, canteloupe, mashed potatoes, and blue berries. We have also started finger foods! He's a fan!!!:)

He drinks out of a sippy cup some although he prefers a cup and straw!

He made his 1st visit to see the horses and bloodhounds! He was in a bit of shock! lol

We celebrated Daddy's 29th Birthday with crawfish at Ponchatoulas!

We celebrated our favorite holiday with our favorite little guy for the 1st time! We had a great weekend with the family! Fresh blue berries on the deck for Saturday morning breakfast, lunch with the fam at Dowling's, dinner with the fam at Ponchatoulas and then it was back to Mamaw and Papaws to dye Easter Eggs with cousin Will. Easter Sunday started early with Sunrise service at Creekwood then home to hunt Eggs for the 1st time and see what the Easter bunny brought! Some Bunny left a TON of goodies at our house! Then it was off to church dressed in his cute little bunny outfit!

Mommy's 1st Mother's Day was GREAT!! the boys surprised Mommy with a new dress and a ring with Jackson's birthstone!! We were thrilled to have family join us at SFBC for Jackon's baby dedication and Will's baptism! Such a SPECIAL day for our family! We came back for lunch at Mamaw and Papaws!

Jackson went to his 1st FFA Banquet!
1st overnight trip! State FFA contest at LSU!
Sits up
Babbles alot
LOOVES music
Gets SOOO excited at story time
laughs outloud alot
sleeps in his crib more
1st trip to Old Mexico
Mommy & Daddy went all the way to Bossier for dinner without little man!
Crawfish at Papaw Colvin's
finally able to play with alot of his toys that Santa brought!
went to visit Mrs Connie at Daylight Donut...to bad Mommy wouldnt let me try em out!
1st SHS Baseball game
1st Bday party (Miss Macy Grace turns 1)
1st visit to Tractor Supply (Mr Jerry let him play with the bunny rabbits!)
1st Opening Day weekend was was spent shopping at the Boardwalk and watching the game at Buffalo Wild Wings then followed by Ranger/Redsox game at home with Becca and Goose! Jackson and daddy both wore a mixture of Redsox and Ranger gear! :)
In the 50th percentile in weight (16.5 lbs) and 95th percentile in height (29.5 in)

Adoption Update

We have definitely had an exciting 5 months with Jackson! He has brought SOOOOO much JOY to our life! We thank God for such an amazing BLESSING! However, we still have a piece missing from our family..from our hearts...we long to bring home Jackson's Kazak baby brother or sister!

We were hoping to have new information to report in regard to our Kazakhstan adoption but unfortunately that is not the case. As of right now, Kazakhstan adoption is suspended awaiting Hague Convention status. This was slated to occur in March 2011 at the earliest. We are hoping that a positive report will still surface later.

With the agreements that are taking place between Kazakhstan and the United States, the adoption relationship should be stronger than ever when it re-opens.We know that this is a good thing for the adoption program. Regulation and more accountability always bring strength and trust into any relationship. International adoption with all of its fees, paperwork and intercountry communication requires the regulation in order to stay above board. However, this does not make it easy for us. Our hearts long to complete our family...to hold this sweet baby...to watch he/she interact with Jackson. For now we are'Holding to Jesus'; we know that in His PERFECT timing we will complete the journey to Kazakhstan...to adopt...to unite our family!

The following is a press release from The Department of State

"According to the Government of Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Education (MoE), all pending adoption dossiers that were not matched with children by December 15, 2010, will be returned and will have to be re-filed as Hague Convention cases once the Hague Convention is fully implemented. The Department of State will continue to monitor the developments in Kazakhstan and seek the confirmation of the Government of Kazakhstan when the new Hague Convention adoption process is in place. U.S. prospective adoptive parents whose dossiers are returned may refer to the description of the Hague Convention intercountry adoption process (the Form I-800A/I-800 process)."

This means that almost ALL of our completed paperwork will have to be redone. This will take lots of work, time, and more money. We know that this was ALL a part of His plan! We ask that you continue to pray for our family as we follow Him along this journey!

5 months

Jackson reached his 5 month Birthday on March 14, 2011! The 4th month was certainly exciting! It's so hard to believe that it's already time for our baby boy to be sitting in his high chair eating his veggies! Jackson's personality continues to grow and he is SO curious about everything! He is also quite a HAM! It appears that he is going to have his DADDY'S personality!:)

He continues to exclusively nurse!
He has began to eat cereal with a spoon!
2/19 1st walk to the pond! (Jackson, Daddy, Mommy, Beau, & Bella!)
2/21 finished his 1st bowl of cereal!
2/24 Family Night watching Fox & The Hound! (He loved it!)
2/28 Rolled over!
3/7 Mamaw put Jackson down for bed while Mommy and Daddy went to Johnny's for dinner with friends! This was a BIG Milestone for MOMMY!
3/13 Enjoyed hanging out with cousin Will, Aunt Julie and Uncle Bob!

He loves playing with his horse Trigger!
VEGGIE TALES is his favorite!!! This makes me smile:)
LOVES Bible story time with Daddy!
Music
Favorite story books- "I Will Always Love You" and "How Noah Knew What To Do"

4 months!

Mommy's little Valentine celebrated his 4 month Birthday on February 14th! WOW...where did the past 4 months go?! We have had SOOOO much fun with him! This was def the BEST Valentine's EVER! We had so much fun celebrating with Jackson. He was thrilled to give his VERY 1st Valentine to Miss Sydney Canterbury!:) Sydney was born on Feb 8th so Jackson thought it was only fitting to give her a Valentine! He gave her a onesie with a Valentine seal that said "Be Mine" and had her name monogrammed! Of course, he could not forget his sweet Ms Alverne who takes care of him at daycare! He helped mommy bake her some yummy goodies; cake balls, strawberry/cream cheese cuppy cakes, and brownie dipped oreos!!:) We celebrated as a family at home. Daddy grilled steaks while mommy and Jackson napped on the couch! We ended the night with a visit and goodies from Mamaw and Papaw!


1/28 Played with his Babies 1st Baseball
Cuddles with his Lovey
LOOVES to play with his feet!
1/30 Holds and turns on his Baby Einstein
Exclusively nurses
Likes to giggle
very nosey!:)
Demands Mommy's cell phone! Oh! My!
LOVES music
Likes story time
plays with Beau!


Praise Jesus he has not been sick!! A few scares but NO fever and NO meds! Just a healthy baby boy!

Jackson Reid-3months!

The past month has been very busy!We've had lots of 1st and lots of exciting events!

Jackson is growing SO fast-12 lbs already!

Some Firsts:

12-20 1st squeal
12-28 Gave mommy her 1st slobbery kiss!
12-29 1st nap in his crib
1-1 1st time to stick his tongue out
1-2 1st time to put himself to sleep! (Mommy cried!)
1-3 1st time at the church nursery
1-4 1st day of daycare!
Holds his head up all the time!
Loves to play Patty Cake!
Loves Bible story time with Daddy!
Loves to kick and listen to music!
LOOOOOVES Veggie Tales!
Loves to play with his hands!
Smiles, talks, and giggles all the time!
Holds mommy's hand!
Started reaching!
Still exclusively nursing


1st Christmas!
Jackson received his 1st invitation to attend "Cookies with Santa" from his cousin Emma Grace. we traveled to Shreveport to visit with Santa (Uncle Randy) and have photos taken then played with EG and cousin Lizzy. We all enjoyed Cantrell Christmas at the Noles house. Jackson enjoyed showing off his smocked nativity outfit. He was blessed with lots of goodies from his family. Jackson spent Christmas Eve looking at Christmas lights with Nanny Nancy and Poppa Bar (Uncle Barry). When we got back, Santa had left us all some presents. Marty and Sheila received food, naturally, while Jackson got a stuffed Max dog from The Grinch Stole Christmas and a La Tech t-shirt. Christmas Day was spent at home. Mommy cooked a delicious breakfast pizza, the Noles came over to see Santa presents for Jackson, and Mamaw and Papaw arrived back from Texas with a special delivery, Cousin Will! Santa left a tree full of presents. Jackson was especially excited about his 4-wheeler and his little racetrack. Jackson loved being entertained by cousin Will!

1st Day of Daycare (Jan 3, 2011)
Before the BIG Day Jackson went to the church nursery for the 1st time so that he could meet Mrs Alvern. He loves her and were pretty sure she loves him too!:)We started the the day bright and early so that we could all carpool together. Mommy was teary eyed leaving her baby boy BUT was very thankful to be leaving him in such loving hands. We are very pleased with the love that Mrs Alvern shows to him! We are blessed to have Jackson's daycare next door to Mommy's office and Daddy's school is across the street. Mommy is able to see Jackson every 3 hours so that he can nurse. They both enjoy this cuddle time! Of course, some days Mommy has to visit a little more often to check on Sweet Boy!


Mine & Mommy's Birthday!
Jackson celebrated his 3 month birthday while Mommy celebrated her 27th. They celebrated by having lunch with a friend and visiting Ms. Marie (Jackson talked to her the whole time). We concluded the birthday celebration with some Johnny's pizza and a surprise Mrs. Annette caramel cake and some Tech Farm ice cream. Mommy enjoyed a pedi on Saturday morning while Nanny and Jackson hung out!

Jaundice Nightmare!
After repeated blood tests indicated abnormally high bilirubin levels, we became concerned with the possibility of liver issues. One test also indicated a spike in thyroid levels causing great concern. Dr. Daher had ordered weekly blood tests and had been in consultation with a liver specialist in Shreveport. She discussed with us the possibility of surgery at 6 months. After researching causes and effects of these levels, we worried. Bro. Wall approached Sheila at church last Sunday and told her that he felt God telling him to anoint Jackson with oil and Church staff and deacons laid hands and prayed over Jackson. It was all in God's hands.

Big Boy when he got his blood
All of Jackson's bloodwork was done in Dr. Daher's office with Jackson being held down to allow blood to be drawn. On Thursday, he was taken directly to the blood lab to have his blood drawn. He was in a room with others having blood drawn and he sat in Sheila's lap like a big boy waiting for his bloodwork. Other's in the room as well as the nurses were amazed when Jackson smiled and laughed as they drew blood twice. No tears for this big boy!

Power of Prayer
Pray is a Wonderful Thing! Jackson's whole demeanor had changed on Thursday prior to bloodwork. We normally received test results mid afternoon, so Sheila and Jackson went home to relax. When Dr. Daher called at 12:30, it caught Sheila offguard. "Sheila would you like the most amazing news that I have EVER given? He is HEALED. He is PERFECT. ALL numbers are ZERO! This is truly unbelievable!Im Calling the specialist right now! He will not believe this!!!!!!" When a Dr. of 20+ years tells you that she hasn't seen things like this, that is further confirmation of God's miracles! Our family has seen so many blessings in such a short time. Marty's healing and now Jackson's. God is Good!