Happy New Year! I can't believe we have just entered 2014. Looking back on 2013, we have many things to be thankful for and I can see where God worked in our lives. 2014 is going to be the year of change for us. As I made the official announcement, I will be staying home to raise our boys. There's a lot of emotions with this decision. If you've known me long enough, you know I've always had a desire to be a stay at home mom. Its hard to believe that the day I dreamed about since I was little has arrived. But with it comes uncertainty. We aren't just losing my income but we have a special needs child. And we are going to have a lot of extra expenses. And then I remember a defining moment, about 4 or 5 years ago, when all we had in the bank was $6.00. I wasn't sure how we paid our bills but God provided. And he will continue to provide for us.
Another big change that we have coming up is in March, we will put our house on the market and buy another one. Most of you know that my parents and ourselves purchased this one together. And we've decided its time to separate. I have mixed feelings. Its been such a blessing for my parents to be in Hunter's life every single day. They've been such a great support. So please pray that God makes it very clear where he wants us to live and we get a steal on the house. :)
Jason found out in December that his compensation is changing. And we aren't very excited about the new plan. Long story short we are going to have a positive outlook that God will provide here as well.
My mom has been in a lot of pain over the past few years and she found out that she needs to have a hip replacement. So that will be taking place the beginning of Feb. So please pray for her, that her surgery and recovery will go smoothly and that she will get a lot of relief from her pain.
Now, on to updating you on Connor. We had to go to the Dr. today. He's been sick for about 9 days. He has some sort of bronchial infection. He's wheezing a bit and the Dr. says if that continues every time he gets sick, it might be a sign that he has asthma. Oh and our little boy now weighs 11 pounds. He's getting so big. Connor's neck is getting stronger and he grasps objects and coos. He seems to be wanting to sit up. The Dr. says he still looks like the back of his head is flat and he needs to do more tummy time. I thought we were pretty good at that. But I guess not. So pray that it resolves. And we will continue to lay him on his side and do tummy time as much as possible.
Another thing that is weighing very heavily on my mind is The Rise School. As I've mentioned before this would be an amazing opportunity for Connor (and possibly Hunter). So we are praying for God to provide. The school is about $2,000 a month. But there is some donor that brings it down to $1560 a month. Then we can apply for financial aid. We've heard that one family pays about $900 for both there kids (one is typical and the other has DS) and then another family told us that they paid $1500 when both kids went. Well, $1,500 is just not an option for us. And I don't feel that God is calling us to go into debt. But I do want the best for Connor so that he can be the best him he can be. Now, keep this in mind that we have to get accepted and we find out in April or May. At that point we will apply and see how much we would pay. Our prayer is that if this is God's plan for Connor that he would make it very apparent and provide for us.
Some more exciting news is that Connor has a new buddy. His name is Carter (Sir, that is). Our friends Jon and Carly adopted Sir Carter from the Ukraine and he has DS. He's amazing and such a fighter. I know Carter and Connor are going to be best buds. And I'm extremely thankful that they are in our lives and we get to take this journey together. They really are amazing people.
So Friends and Family, I know that's a lot. In fact, its all constantly racing through my mind. I know many of you have expressed that you like knowing how to pray for us. So this is where we are right now. Thanks again for praying for us.
