Uh Oh

An afternoon conversation:

Elias: Mommy, I want to play Mario Kart Wii

Me: Not right now, babe. I'm holding Isla and she is almost asleep. I promise I will play with you later.

Elias: WHY? I want to play RIGHT NOW!

Me: Not right now, Elias.

Elias: Why?

Me: (sigh) Because I said so and I'm the Mommy!

Elias: (growling) You not say that EVER EVER EVER!

Honestly, I can't seem to figure out what's worse - my two year old's attitude or the fact that I actually stooped as low as saying "because I said so." I remember swearing I would never say that to my kids since it was a total cop out. Since I feel like defending myself though I will point out I gave a valid explanation before using the dreaded phrase.

just another MIRACLE, baby!

So the past couple of years have held a lot for us - some great, some not-so-great - either way, it has been a lot. We have experienced scares and MIRACLES!

After an adoption process that seemed like it would never end, Elias became our son on December 31, 2008 and we were united as a family on February 1, 2009! He was our first MIRACLE! When I look at my wonderful little boy I am overwhelmed with love and awe. God chose me. I did absolutely nothing to deserve the joy and privilege of hearing Elias call me "Mama" but God chose me. By God's perfect design we were meant for each other long before either of us existed, and by God's grace he brought us together as a family from the far corners of the Earth. Elias is my MIRACLE baby!

Six short months after we got home with Elias we found out we were expecting another child, this time biologically. I was worried that the bond with my second child would not be as strong as the bond I had with my first but God had plans we could have never dreamed for ourselves that brought that baby and I closer than I could have ever planned.

On October 22, 2009, after weeks of testing, waiting, more testing and more waiting, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma at 14 weeks pregnant. Isla and I went through chemotherapy together. We endured pokes, prods, tests, labs, drugs, hospitalizations, scans, and a whole slew of other necessary medical garbage. Despite all this, our precious MIRACLE baby #2 was born 6 weeks early on March 15, 2010. Isla is such an absolute joy and brings so much happiness to our entire family!

Exactly 8 months to the day after my diagnosis God chose to bless us with yet another MIRACLE and on June 22, 2010 I was declared in complete remission! We are so thankful that God chose to heal me!

Now today, we have another MIRACLE to announce. Here is an excerpt taken from my private blog. This was written the day after I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma:

Friday afternoon we were supposed to meet with a fertility specialist to discuss fertility options as chemo can often make people sterile. Instead we got a phone call from the oncologist saying this appointment wasn't necessary as they had learned from the specialist that harvesting eggs was impossible to do while pregnant. Brian and I are so thankful God planted the seed of adoption when He did. We are so thankful that despite very real financial obstacles we proceeded in faith when we did. Having Elias as our son prepared us for news that otherwise might have been very devestating. There is a very real possibility we will only be able to have one biological child, the child I am now carrying. God was gracious enough to give us the adoption experience we had at just the right time to prepare our hearts and minds. We have always planned another adoption and so as hard as this news may seem it really isn't a source of grief for Brian or I.

In our very first meeting with the oncologist the first side effect of chemotherapy that he warned us about was that of infertility. I was told I would not be able to conceive for a number of years and very possibly for the rest of my life. Brian and I were okay with that and began talking about another adoption right away. In fact, December 22nd will be my 6 month remission anniversary and we were hoping to start the adoption process then.

So, imagine our surprise when God gave us MIRACLE baby #3

Meet the latest Gossett baby! Our due date is May 19th (just three weeks after Isla's due date). Yes, if Isla wasn't 6 weeks early these kiddos would be 12 VERY SHORT months apart!

This MIRACLE has taken some time to process - let's be honest here, no sane person plans 3 kids under the age of 3. That said, all Brian and I could do was laugh in disbelief when we saw those two pink lines. God in his sovereignty chose to give us ANOTHER MIRACLE BABY and we can't wait to find out what amazing things He has planned for this precious little life!

Halloween Fun

We had a great weekend filled with lots of parties, the pumpkin patch and finally trick-or-treating!Alemu took Elias on a hay ride. Elias was super excited and had a great time with his uncle.

Notice the arm around the shoulder :)

Isla loves kisses!!

Sitting on her Papi's shoulders

Israel and Alemu did the maze blindfolded. Alemu was so grossed out that he had to hold my hand to get to the starting line.

Family Pumpkin Patch Photo, October 30, 2010

Any guesses who might be teething?

Lassoing the bull

Another family photo...this one in costume. Elias was a giraffe, Isla a caterpillar and Brian and I were the zookeepers.

Trick-or-treating at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

Our "RAF"

Best buddies :)

Our little caterpillar

Group photo at the Denney's, our annual halloween night party

Uncle Alemu and Uncle Israel

And we're off...let the candy collecting begin

Alemu trying to run away from the camera, such a junior higher

Just a quick little juice break. Our giraffe was starting to get tired.

Checking out the end of the night loot! Every lollipop was met with a "YAY! LOLLIPOP!"

"Wow! This is a lot of good stuff."

All About Isla

It is time to give our second-born a little blog time. Isla is a wonderful baby. I don't know that words or pictures could even come close to doing justice to her personality. She could very appropriately be renamed "smiley" as she is ALWAYS smiling. She rarely cries and when she does it indicates a true need. I often say I am glad she was not my first baby because I wouldn't appreciate how truly good-natured and easy she really is!

Isla in July (4 months old). Our little "peanut"

Isla in September (6 months old)

Going for a family walk to the park. Isla is always up for going with the flow...no matter what we are doing!

Booties and sweater made by Great Aunt Cindy...I love those little feet.

Isla's first rice cereal. She did great this first time but ever since then she has shown off her uber-sensitive gag reflex. When the food hits her tongue (not even the back of the throat) she starts gaging until a) we stop feeding her or b) she throws up. This has been a bit of a frustration as she acts super interested in our food and the doctor insists she is ready and should be eating baby food. For now, it is a work in progress.

Until really recently, Isla was content to just hang out and roll around on the floor playing with her toys. In the last couple of weeks she really wants to get going and is super close to crawling (she can go one to two paces before doing the face-plant then scoot).

First time feeding herself.

Isla's favorite toy is Mr. Jangles! She absolutely loves him and he has been a favorite since about 3 months old.

Isla loves her pacifier and her thumb. It is super cute having a thumb-sucker :) She always wakes up happy. Usually we wake to her talking in the morning, very rarely to a cry. Recently, she just rolls around and plays in her crib until someone comes in the room. She then greets us with huge smiles and gets so excited she starts scooting and rolling all over her crib.

October (7 months old). Isla loves to lay on the floor and join her big brother in watching morning cartoons. It's a little disturbing to me how much she loves watching t.v. From a very early age she would crane her neck and wiggle her body around when she heard the t.v. in order to get into a position where she could watch.

First cross-country meet - watching Uncle Alemu run (and of course come in first). Alemu has yet to even meet any competition!

Cuddling with mama in the Moby at the Fall Festival! Isla loves to snuggle - just as much as Elias does. I really do spend about half of my day cuddling with the kids as they both love their one-on-one snuggle time!

At 7 months old Isla is about to get her two front bottom teeth. She is super drooly and I imagine her first teeth will make their appearance in the next month or so. Isla is also very close to being able to sit up on her own and to crawling. The next few weeks are bound to be exciting and bring lots of changes. Isla loves interaction and touch! All it takes is saying her name and making eye contact and you will be rewarded with wonderful baby smiles. She absolutely loves kisses, especially on the mouth. Recently she has started grabbing my face to pull me to her if I stop kissing her. Also, if I kiss her on the cheek she will turn her head to make sure she gets smooches on the lips! Isla is a complete joy and a wonderful blessing to our lives. We love you, Isla!