The votes are in....IT'S A GIRL!!

I think I'm still in shock! I was fully prepared to welcome a 3rd little man into the family but lo and behold IT'S A GIRL!! I asked the poor doctor so many questions "just to make sure", he probably thinks I have zero confidence in him. The boys have asked and prayed for two little sisters for well over a year now. What a joy to tell the boys that the Lord heard their prayers and answered.... first a sister from Guatemala and now a sister from mommy's tummy : ) We are ALL so excited! I've always hoped that if ever we had a girl we would have two because I can't imagine my life without MY sister and I would want the same thing for my daughter. So, I thank God for giving our little Guatemalan princess a SISTER!!

Although I may not be extremely "round" yet, at the request of my sweet friend Karie, here's a pic of my growing belly and for those who haven't seen me in a while : ) I also thought I'd share a pic I had taken with my sister recently who also is expecting her 4th ( just a little sooner than me : ) Her belly is little cuter.....she's being induced in a couple days.

Oh.....and I'm sure everyone is wanting to know names. Names are very important to Dave and me so these names have been well thought out. We actually have quite good stories for both girls' names but I'll save that for another time. So here they are........Our little princess from Guatemala will be named SARAH and our little princess I'm carrying with me will be named EMILY. More details later : )

Please keep praying for both Sarah and Emily!

love,

Marianne

Saying Goodbye to Daisy

A couple months ago the reality of having 2 babies and 2 active boys really sunk in and Dave and I had to make a very difficult decision (actually I think it was just difficult for me ). The extra demands financially and the responsibility demands of taking care of a dog for the first time became a burden heavier than the desire to keep Daisy.

So, a wonderful family and friends of ours from church came and got Daisy last night to keep her as their own. God really prepared the boys hearts and they did GREAT! I was worried because the many conversations we've had with them concerning Daisy has usually ended in tears. Honestly, I think I was the only one who really felt sad last night. However, I still know we made the right decision for our family.........and like I told the boys, we can go visit her anytime : ) So many transitions and adjustments.......just all part of HIS plan!

* The boys got up this morning and wanted to color.....little did I know they meant they wanted to color themselves!!!

Happy 1 Month Baby Girl!

I stare at our daughter's newborn picture and wonder how much 4 wks has changed her precious face. It is much harder than I imagined to have these hours, days , weeks and now a month slip away without being part of her life. I pray somehow she can sense that we are coming for her through the divine comfort of the Lord.

Father, I know you hear the cries of your children. I ask that you would protect our baby girl today that you hold her tight as my arms cannot reach where she is. Comfort, nourish, and love on her through the wonderful mamas at Eagles Nest and comfort me as I long to touch her face and draw her close to me. Thank you Lord for this precious gift and for being so near. Thank you for being who You promise You are in your Word. I love You and submit and surrender my heart to You over and over.

Staying close to Him, Marianne


Katie's coming Home!!!
Just wanted to add this to today's post.....got an e-mail from my friend Deb Everly just now saying they leave Monday to go get Katie and bring her home FOREVER!! Katie just turned 1 yr. old September 25 and we are SO excited to see the Lord set her in such an awesome family!! Praise God for His lovingkindnes!!

Fave Fotos Friday & Some moments in Adoption

There are moments in this adoption that the gravity of what is actually taking place becomes overwhelming....just the miracle of it all!! I had one of those moments yesterday. At Farm and Fleet of all places!! I had to go there to buy stakes to put in the ground to display our adoption conference banner at the church......which by the way, if you know ANYONE interested in adoption please direct them to www.gracenormal.org where they can find out more details of this conference!

Well, since I am not a "farmgirl", I don't think I've ever actually been in Farm and Fleet before but did you know they have EVERYTHING there?? I was amazed......more so at all the baby clothes I found( Carter's for super cheap!!). Anyway, I found some adorable 1st Christmas things for babies....really cute onesies. I was flipping through the outfits quickly, knowing I really wasn't supposed to be there looking at clothes, and then I saw it....... a newborn white little onesie trimmed in red that said on the front, "You are all I really want for Christmas". I got so choked up, I practically had to hide myself in the clothing rack : ) I wasn't sure if I was more touched by thinking that all I really want for Christmas is our daughter or if it was because I realized the desperate need of that precious child for her mommy, daddy and brothers....I'm pretty confident it was both!

As you scroll through some of my favorite Stanton family vacation fotos, please remember to pray for our little girl!! Blessings to you all........love, Marianne

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Dad with all the grandkids....all by himself : )

Fun day at the waterpark!! but where's Anna??

"We are SO tired of walking!!"

Tagged

I've been tagged by my Guatemama friend Whitney : ) So here you go:

Jobs I've had:
gymnastics instructor
secretary for my dad's office
Jim's Donut
waitress
art teacher....both public school and private lessons
cheerleading coach

Places I've lived:
Monmouth, IL
Decatur, IL
Atlanta, IL
Newburgh, IN
Normal, IL

Foods I love:
ice cream...Baskin Robbins Jamocha Almond Fudge & Mint Choc. Chip to be specific
ANYTHING I don't have to make : )
Chick-fil-a......man do I miss having one of these around!!
Starbucks

Places I'd rather be:
Eagles' Nest of course!!....holding my sweet, sweet baby
the Navigators' castle in Colorado Springs.....heaven on earth : )

Books I love:
the B-I-B-L-E....yes, that's the book for me!!
I also would recommend Israel, My Beloved by Kay Arthur

I'm tagging:
since all my blogging friends have been tagged, I'm tagging some of my e-mailing
buddies:
Karie
Christie
Leslie
Bev

* Should have a case update on our adoption next week sometime!!! This waiting thing is going to be so hard! love, Marianne

Favorite Fotos Friday

Just some fun summer memories : )

My crazy little Zachary...you just gotta love him!

The handsome little 6yr. old that made me cry on his first day of school....how will I ever let go??


Always good times with the McDann fam!

Ahhh......Drew, Jessica & lil' miss Ella

Boy, we sure miss the Indiana gang

The Guatemala 5000 Initiative

Today we are asking and giving you the opportunity to speak on behalf of the fatherless. There has been and continues to be much turmoil going on in the country of Guatemala. International adoptions always hold some level of risk and we do not feel like that level of risk has increased even with the laws changing in Guatemala. However there is a possible time of suspension in all adoptions from Guatemala to the U.S. beginning Jan. 1, 2008.

To avoid these delays and suspensions we are asking you to be a voice advocating for these children who we feel should be home with their forever families as soon as possible! Please check out how you can help our baby girl and so many others be able to come home quickly: www.jcics.org/Guatemala5000.htm

I also want to caution you to not get sucked into some of the rumors going around that these adoptions will be terminated. I have spoken with our agency(who has been doing Guatemalan adoptions for 30 yrs.), the US State Dept., and our IL congressman....all of who say that the worst case scenario is that these adoptions will be delayed by several months. The Guatemala government will be voting on an ammendment in mid-Nov. to "grandfather" the in-process adoptions to avoid delays....please pray.

Lastly, I want to express that David and I have total confidence and complete peace over this situation. We believe God is the TRUE advocate for the fatherless and that He will bring justice! We know without a doubt that Darlene Nicol Juan Salvador is our daughter and we can't wait for her to be running through our house with her two big brothers!

love, Marianne
ps. just realized we've never posted her name before.....this name was given to her at birth, we plan on giving her a NEW name but that will be revealed at a later time : )

Another new addition to our home!

We have had many additions to our family recently finding out that we will be having a 3rd child of our own and the referral of our 4th child we are adopting. Considerably less significant, but an addition just the same is the completion of the family room in our basement. What my brother began by framing the walls in January I completed last week when the boys helped me put on the final coats of dark brown paint. All of us were excited when it was finished and have spent most of our time downstairs since its completion. The boys now have a new place to play and we will have an open room upstairs to prepare for the arrival of our two little babies next year! Thanks Andy, Jordan, Josh, Caleb, Jared, and Chip for helping me do some aspect of this job.

He makes ALL things new

I lay in bed the night we received our referral and could not find sleep....imagine that : ) My mind and heart were overwhelmed with joy.

I thought back to one year ago and how dark a time that felt for me.......I was grieving the loss of our baby after the miracle of pregnancy. I had previously been told before that pregnancy by my doctor that I had secondary infertility. In the midst of my grief over our baby, I also was grieving that my husband was not ready for adoption( something God had called me to years ago).

Three months agoI found myself driving home from the grocery store with a pregnancy test in the passenger seat. I was crying and unable to pull into my driveway for fear of facing the results of the test. I prayed to the Lord for strength as I did not know how I would face a positive(knowing that would mean miscarriage) or negative result. I turned on worship music to calm my spirit but my cd player wouldn't work. I finally got it to come on and the song "All things new" by Steven C. Chapman blared from my speakers because I had the volume all the way up when I was trying to make it work.

Of course, I cried even harder as I listened to the words....sensing God's presence but wondering if He really was communicating what I thought He was.

The test as we all know came out positive and now we are expecting not one baby but TWO!!...one from my womb and one from Guatemala. So, as I lay in bed the other night I felt God's gentle revelation of why He sent me His word through that song on that tumultuous day. He once again used a part of my own life to teach me understanding of the greater picture of eternity. In one moment, my heart seemed to take in so much. He helped me to see that just like that sad, broken and hurting time in my life there also is much pain, suffering, and sorrow in this "time" on earth. But just as the Lord has wiped away my tears from my eyes for this moment, He also has a GREATER plan found in Revelations where all tears will be wiped away from every eye and ALL things will be made NEW!!!

If you are suffering today, if there is grief, or if there is pain in your life, rest and rejoice in this, Child of God.......that He will heal, He will restore, and He will bring new life in a future that Scripture says is coming soon!

She's here, She's here, She's finally here!!!

Our little sleeping beauty!

"I can't wait to meet my big brothers!"

"Look how tall I am Daddy...just like you!"

Oh my goodness, such sweet little piggies!

That light is a little too bright : )

" I might be laughing, yawning...you guess. All I know is my mommy LOVES this picture!!" All ready for the Fall!

My heart absolutely melts over this picture!

We got the call!!! We finally know who our daughter is!! And she is absolutely beautiful! I cannot think of any other words to describe how I'm feeling other than to quote Hannah from the Word of God........



"Then Hannah prayed and said, 'My heart exults in the LORD; My horn is exalted in the LORD, My mouth speaks boldly against my enemies, Because I rejoice in Your salvation. There is no one holy like the LORD, Indeed, there is no one besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God. Boast no more so very proudly, Do not let arrogance come out of your mouth; For the LORD is a God of knowledge, And with Him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty are shattered, But the feeble gird on strength. Those who were full hire themselves out for bread, But those who were hungry cease to hunger. Even the barren gives birth to seven, But she who has many children languishes. The LORD kills and makes alive; He brings down to Sheol and raises up. The LORD makes poor and rich; He brings low, He also exalts. He raises the poor from the dust, He lifts the needy from the ash heap To make them sit with nobles, And inherit a seat of honor; For the pillars of the earth are the LORD's, And He set the world on them. He keeps the feet of His godly ones, But the wicked ones are silenced in darkness; For not by might shall a man prevail. Those who contend with the LORD will be shattered; Against them He will thunder in the heavens, The LORD will judge the ends of the earth; And He will give strength to His king, And will exalt the horn of His annointed.'" 1Samuel 2



Our sweet little Princess,

You are not alone and you never have been! The Father in Heaven is holding you in His Hands right now and has counted every day of your life before you were even born! I praise God for the privilege of being chosen to be your mommy and I praise God that you have a daddy and two big brothers that can hardly wait to meet you! We will be praying for you every day and trusting God to care for you because we know He loves you even more than we ever can!! He is faithful and He will NEVER leave you nor forsake you! You have all of my heart and all of my love, Mommy

9 months of waiting and....

Today is exactly 9 months to the day since we started our adoption process. We made the decision to adopt last November but Dave felt very strongly that we wait until the 1st of the year to proceed. And here we are 9 months to the day later ....... finding out that a little girl in Guatemala has been born in the past week that probably will be our DAUGHTER!!! Isn't God's timing amazing?!

Let me explain the "probably" part. A baby girl has been brought to Eagle's Nest and has had almost all her paperwork approved. They are still waiting on a couple lab reports before they can officially refer her to us. As long as everything is ok, we should have our referral in a couple days and of course, PICTURES!!

Don't worry, we'll post pics as soon as it's official!! And above all, we pray God's will for this child even if that means we won't be her family. But for some reason, I just really think this is it : ) .....and then the real waiting begins!
love, Marianne