Slugs, Snails, and Puppy Dog Tails

Let's hope that's not what I'm feeling wriggling around in my belly right now. Luckily, little boys are are just made out of flesh and bone and this one's already working up some muscles with all his kicks and punches. Jeff's going to be so proud when he gets old enough to play on a soccer field. 

That's right, we are having a boy! We got to find out on August 15th at 18 weeks. So, the story goes... we went to our scheduled doctor's appointment to get the anatomy scan done and we were just so excited because they were going to tell us what we were having! Boy? Girl? Puppy?? I don't know about Jeff, but I couldn't sleep the night before. So, the ultrasound tech was doing all her measurements and after looking at his femur length, brain, and some other organs, it was finally time to check between the legs! Unfortunately, our little guy was being stubborn and uncooperative that day and decided he did not want to show off for us. Basically, we left there disappointed with some grainy pictures of his scrawny buttocks.

Baby B @ 18 weeks

18 weeks

This child is going to find out soon enough that we can be just as stubborn and determined as him. So... we scheduled another ultrasound. It actually wasn't too much out of pocket for a quick gender scan, so I sipped on some sugary fruit juice and off we went! It was actually a lot of fun because they gave us a sneak peek at him in 3D. I actually had no desire to have any 3D ultrasounds done, but after seeing his adorable little face, we are thinking about going back before he is born... 

So, our dear future son, that is the story of how you decided to cross your legs when all we wanted to do was take a glimpse at your little package. I'm sure when you are a toddler and streaking naked through our home, we will look back on that day and smile. :)

And in case you are wondering, yes, we have picked out a name: Bennett Eugene Barros

As for an update on our paperwork "pregnancy," aka, our adoption process: we are still waiting for our agency to update their policies, but they are going to allow us to submit our dossier to Ethiopia! We don't have all the details yet, but all we know so far is that we are going to get on the waiting list soon and that is great news because it is a 20-24 month wait list right now... So, we are just updating some documents and then they will be sending it off! I think little Bennett will be ready for a baby sister when he is going on two years old, right? ;)

Please pray for our little boy God is knitting together in this womb and that the pregnancy continues to go well with no complications. Also, please pray for the adoption process and for the child that we will one day have the privilege of offering a loving home to. Thank you so much to all of our family and friends, just for loving and supporting us as our family grows. We are excited to share these amazing times with you.

Mama Barros @ 20 weeks

Model Planes for the Nursery
made by Grandpa and Daddy

Paths and Plans

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
- Proverbs 3:5-6

I have been putting off this blog update for a couple of reasons. One, I didn’t want to spill the beans about a certain little bean too soon. Two, I have been SO lazy this summer! I normally am one who likes to stay busy to the point of overloading myself, but lately I have wanted nothing more than to sit on the couch, eat Jello, and watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer… So lazy in fact, that after planning to announce our big news through this blog first, I opted for the much less work of simply posting a picture on Facebook.

So, in case you haven’t heard already… Jeff and I are pregnant!! Well, just I am pregnant, but you get the point. Our little Barros bean is going on 16 weeks this week and we are so excited and surprised and elated and pretty much unprepared! Finding this out and sharing the news was so much fun. So the story goes… Jeff was gone for the month of June on a short Air Force tour (he had a great time and was recognized by some important Commander dude, by the way… you should ask him about it sometime!). He left Memorial Day weekend on that Saturday, so Friday night we went out to a new Brazilian steakhouse in Colorado Springs and it was delicious! So delicious, in fact, that we stuffed our faces. I took Jeff to the airport on Saturday and by Sunday morning I was still feeling overstuffed and kind of nauseated. I thought it was just my big meal, but my “monthly bill” was running late and I had an extra HPT under the sink, so I thought I’d try it out. I was used to being disappointed to I wasn’t expecting much and continued to get ready for work that morning. When I looked at it again and saw that extra line, my first thought was, ‘No way! This must be a joke.’ So… on my way home from work that day. I bought four more pee sticks. I used two more that day and two more the next day, Monday, to be sure. Sure enough, they were all positive. I wanted to try and go visit Jeff to tell him in person, but was only able to hold it in for two days before I told Jeff over Skype! I sent him a text message with a picture of a positive test while he was sitting there and his initial response was, "Whaaaaat..." Haha, I think he was as speechless as I was. After talking about the possible due date and everything, his next thought was my favorite... The baby is due in January and his thought was, "We aren't going to get anything for Christmas!" Oh the worries of a new father...

Baby Barros @ 10 weeks

If you have read our blog before, many of you may also know that we are in the process of adopting from Ethiopia! In fact, we were just about to submit all our stacks of paperwork and legal documents to our agency and the Ethiopian government when I had a weird feeling and decided to pee on five sticks only to find out that our family (and my belly) would be growing sooner than we anticipated. We are still set on adopting and have had long discussions with our adoption agency. Right now, the waiting list for Ethiopia is TWO years! We are asking to still be put on that waiting list, but we are still waiting to hear back from the agency’s “upper management” to find out if this will be possible or not. Please pray that we hear good news soon! :)

I heard a saying once that makes even more sense to me now than when I first heard it: "If you want to make God laugh, make plans." Jeff and I had planned to have children sooner, but it just didn’t work out that way. We have both always wanted to adopt, but we thought it would be something we would venture into later in our life. When our plans weren’t working out the way we had hoped, we thought, ‘well maybe the plan is for us to adopt sooner than we had originally planned.’ You can try and plan to have kids at a certain time, or plan to have a certain degree before you reach a specific age, or plan to get married (or not get married) by a certain date. You can even “plan” to have all of your parents alive and present when your first child comes into this world so that they have a chance to meet ALL their grandparents. As much as I hate to admit it, because I’m a planner myself, life doesn’t work out that way.

Baby Barros @ 14 weeks

Since our paths were joined four years ago, this new conjoined path we are on has seen its ups and its down. We've seen some beautiful scenery and we've seen some not so great scenes. I can't believe it has already been four years, but I am so excited to see where else this path takes us. There will be more wonderful and breathtaking moments (January, maybe?) and there will be some sad and hard times, but we are so excited to be on this path together and to see what adventures it leads us to next. Thank you Lord that you are on that path with us and that you already know where it leads to.

For You formed my inward parts;

You wove me in my mother's womb.

I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully

and wonderfully made;

Wonderful are Your works,

And my soul knows it very well.

My frame was not hidden from You,

When I was made in secret,

And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;

Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;

And in Your book were all written

The days that were ordained for me,

When as yet there were not one of them.

- Psalm 139:13-16

Learning Beauty and Patience

Time for a monthly update... no, we haven't travelled overseas or bought another house. Although, there are plenty of places still on our list to go to!

I can't say the month of May has been bad to us so far. Jeff did his first ceremony thing at a military retirement. I wish I had pictures of him all dressed up in his uniform! He leaves soon for more chaplain training this summer. I'm just glad it is only one month and not three this year. The poor boy has to spend a month in Panama City, FL. Rough, I'm sure...

We finally got a chance to put our new camping gear to use! We spent five days near Salida, CO. The days were beautiful, but the nights were freezing! Good thing we got some nice sleeping bags to keep us warm. We brought the pups, too. That was interesting. Of course our husky, Nanook, was just fine sleeping in the tent at night, but we didn't think that our boxer, Maggie, would freeze her tail off. I guess we just didn't think it would be that cold. So... she slept in Jeff's sleeping bag with him. Spoiled.

I have to say, if you ever need to figure out if you and another person are compatible, go on a camping trip and put up a brand new tent together. I always brag about what a great team Jeff and I make, and the fun we had together camping that week only proved my point. Even if there were a few frustrations here and there, we really had a great time. We went hiking, fishing, zip-lining, and made some delicious meals over the campfire together. I'm so thankful for my husband and the fun times we have together. Check out our pictures! :)

The adoption process is still trudging along... it really is a long and frustrating process. You basically submit a payment with some paperwork, wait, get more paperwork to do, wait, then have another fee to pay. We aren't even on the waiting list for a referral yet and that is about an 18 month wait right now. We are currently waiting for an appointment from the US Immigration offices to get another set of fingerprints from us. This is the FINAL piece of paperwork we need before we submit our packet to the Ethiopian government for approval! Why do I feel like every lesson that I learn is about patience? Can't we move on to something new because I'm going to be learning that lesson until the day I die! We are so excited and can't wait to be able to provide a loving home to an orphan, but I feel like we have to hamper that excitement or else we will get burnt out before this whole process is over.

Although I don't particularly want to live in Colorado the rest of my life, even if I did, I don't think I could get used to its beauty. God's beautiful handiwork is all around proclaiming his greatness and majesty and I am so thankful to just have eyes to see it.

In light of our previous post about throwing down your books and getting out and exploring (though I have the utmost respect for those paper teachers), some words from William Wordsworth to brighten your day (as it surely brightened mine):

The Tables Turned
(An Evening Scene on the Same Subject)

Up! up! my Friend, and quit your books;
Or surely you'll grow double:
Up! up! my Friend, and clear your looks;
Why all this toil and trouble?

The sun, above the mountain's head,
A freshening lustre mellow
Through all the long green fields has spread,
His first sweet evening yellow.

Books! 'tis a dull and endless strife:
Come, hear the woodland linnet,
How sweet his music! on my life,
There's more of wisdom in it.

And hark! how blithe the throstle sings!
He, too, is no mean preacher:
Come forth into the light of things,
Let Nature be your Teacher.

She has a world of ready wealth,
Our minds and hearts to bless
Spontaneous wisdom breathed by health,
Truth breathed by cheerfulness.

One impulse from a vernal wood
May teach you more of man,
Of moral evil and of good,
Than all the sages can.

Sweet is the lore which Nature brings;
Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:
We murder to dissect.

Enough of Science and of Art;
Close up those barren leaves;
Come forth, and bring with you a heart
That watches and receives.

Travel, Learn, and Explore!

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime. - Mark Twain

I have to say, I whole-heartedly agree with Twain's view on travel. You may read hundreds of books and watch dozens of movies or documentaries and think you really know about a culture, people group, or religion, but there is no better way to learn than to be immersed in it. So if you ever have the chance, even if it is just for a short week, travel, learn, and explore!

Jeff has had the chance to spend a good deal of time in India and has travelled to its different areas and visited its various peoples. Last month was my chance. I was blessed to get the chance to go visit a friend who has been living there for almost two years! I am so proud, and a bit jealous, of the amazing adventure she has been experiencing. :) I was only there for a week, but I got to do and see a lot. I wish I could have stayed for a month! I got to meet some awesome people, eat some delicious food, drink homemade chai, learn how to make henna designs, visit some amazing places, and even help out with a small medical clinic. What a loving culture and people. Just a little tidbit I learned about their family-oriented lifestyle... A woman who is older than you is called Didi (older sister) as a sign of respect. They really make you feel a part of the family when they address you this way! An elderly woman would be called Auntie.

I took over 500 pictures, but here are just a few to highlight my favorite moments...

First full day in India and up at 6 AM to go see the Taj Mahal!

 

My very first design attempt with henna :)

A friend I made who did a great job
with her first henna design!

At the Lotus Temple

Agra Fort

Akshardham - this was as close as our cameras were allowed,
but up close this place is unbelievable!!

Auto Rickshaw

        

Humayan's Tomb

Qutub Minar

These people pretty much made a line to take pictures with us
so we didn't let them get away without our own photo op!

India Gate

Jama Masjid

We climbed to the top of one of the minars...

... and here was our view of Old Delhi from the top!

I had a blast and I was so glad I got a chance to visit my friend, Meagan, and get a glimpse at what she has been experiencing for the last two years. What an amazing lady she is! :)

Unfortunately, there won't be any more overseas travel anytime soon. It's sort of an expensive deal... Our next trip abroad will most likely be to Ethiopia, but that will be some time from now. Our home study is currently in the revision stage so we are just answering some random questions and providing some random documents to be sure our home study meets all the policies laid out by our adoption agency, the state of Colorado, and also the government of Ethiopia. Once that is completed we will have it sent to the state of Colorado to approve it and will have to get yet another set of fingerprints. Once that is completed... we will get to submit our dossier documents to Ethiopia (along with another hefty legal fee) and pray that we will be approved! I knew this would be a long, taxing process, but I can't believe we aren't even to the halfway point. I'm pretty sure I'm just going to have to get used to praying for patience and trust in the Lord everyday of my life because I really don't feel like I'm getting anymore patient than I was yesterday or the day before.

Jeff will be doing some traveling soon, to Panama City, Florida! Poor him, right? He received his orders from the Air Force and he will be spending a large amount of his summer there. If I can find myself a decent airplane ticket, I would love to visit him (and to hang out on the beach...). We are trying to plan a fun camping trip before he leaves, maybe to Salida, Colorado. We got all this awesome new camping gear for Christmas and we are just dying to try it out, but with work and classes and such a short amount of time to plan, we are having just a little trouble scheduling some outdoor fun in our lives. So, hopefully that will work out before he leaves. If not, there may be more time in the summer to get some use out of our new tent before the snow comes again.

A great reminder from Paul that we are ALL made from the image of God regardless of our color, language, or location; and a reminder this Easter season that the scarlet blood of the Lamb can make us white as snow, name us brothers and sisters, and relate us to those we've never even met:

For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.  And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. - Galatians 3:26-29

Happy Mutual Weirdness Day!

We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.
- Dr. Seuss

Happy Belated Valentine's Day! A little late, I know, and Valentine's Day isn't usually a big celebration in our home, but 2012 has been a little different. For St. V-Day this year, we bought a house!! Crazy, right? I always said I never wanted to buy a house until we retired, but here we are buying up real estate in a mountain town in this crazy market. A little nervous about it, but ultimately hoping this was a good investment. Jeff has at least another year or more with his Master's program and we need to be in a stable home for the adoption, so here's our new home!

It is perfect for us with a huge backyard for the dogs. They love it! We can't wait until the snow melts though to see what the yard really looks like... It has a large deck so summer will be full of grilling and hanging out by a fire outside I'm sure. We still have a guest room, so feel free to come visit us! :)

Now that we have a place to call our own, it's time to finish up our adoption paperwork! Home study done? Check! Approved? Check! Now it's time for a stack of paperwork to notarize (probably more paperwork than our mortgage loan) and we will submit all of that in the form of a Dossier to Ethiopia. Once that is approved, we will be on the waiting list! While this is an exciting step to almost have our never-ending paperwork completed, unfortunately, the waiting time with our agency is only getting longer. Once our dossier is approved by Ethiopia, we could still be waiting for up to another 18 months before a child is referred to us. It seems like such a long time away! Lord, please teach us patience as we wait...


Our soul waits for the Lord:
He is our help and our shield.
For our heart rejoices in Him,
Because we trust in His holy name.
Let Your lovingkindness, O Lord, be upon us,
According as we have hoped in You.
- Psalm 33:20-22

By Car, by Plane, by Boat, by Bus... Viajamos

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. - Mark Twain

And we're back... from a wonderful Barros family vacation: a five-day cruise to Mexico! And what an adventure it was!


Jeff and I were set to leave last Friday to fly to Houston. Lo and behold, a snowstorm tried to get in our way! To avoid the heavy snow and traffic, we decided to stay Thursday night in Denver. That was helpful, except our flight was cancelled for the morning! We booked an afternoon flight only to wake up the next morning to its cancellation as well. Southwest Airlines must not like snow. Continental flights were still going out, so we had to book a last-minute flight to get to Houston. After de-icing the plane for about 30 minutes, we were finally off and had an uneventful flight to Houston. We even had time to spend with my fam before heading to our next hotel room. I finally got to try my Dad's famous Star pizza! Not bad, Daddio.



Saturday was a shuttle back to the airport to be picked up in a bus by Carnival for transport to Galveston. That ride wasn't so bad, but our cruise ship couldn't dock on time due to fog. We found a delicious restaurant, Fisherman's Wharf, to kill time in. After hours of waiting we finally boarded the ship and the vacation could begin!

Now I'm not a huge fan of boats. Scenes from the Titanic and The Rime of the Ancient Mariner are usually what spring to mind when I think about bobbing about in the middle of the deep blue sea with no land in sight. I'm still getting over that swaying feeling of still being on the ship, but we all really had a great time on the cruise. The food was delicious, the shows entertaining, and the stops exciting. 



It was so fun to watch our niece, Amelie, experience so many firsts. Her first show actually kept the little two-year-old entranced and she squealed with laughter when a giant Chinese dragon made its way through the crowd and to the stage. Her first time on a beach was in Progreso, Mexico. Not a bad place for a first beach experience. She loved the sand and found lots of seashells she insisted on calling "mermaids." All in all it was a great trip with great family.



Superbowl Sunday was actually a blast. We got to watch the game on a huge screen in a theater. I have to say, there is nothing but pride that swells in your heart when an auditorium full of strangers all rise for the National Anthem and applaud our soldiers when they show them on the screen watching the big game overseas. You get this overwhelming sense of connection with these people that you've never met.


Monday was definitely a highlight for me when we went on an excursion to see Mayan ruins. We went to a site that was not a city, but a trading post within the Mayan civilization once upon a time. Very cool place. We also got a tour of a cathedral and a cemetery where both Mayan and Spanish are buried. 

What was Jeff's highlight, you ask? The 24/7 self-serve ice cream. He went after that stuff like a starving hyena.

Tuesday was laying on a beach in Cozumel. It was beautiful, but we didn't put on enough sunscreen. We are paying for that now... :/

Overall, great vacation. Enjoy the pictures!