Intercessory Shots

Last night I started my Lovenox shots - a twice daily injection into the abdomen to help blood flow during pregnancy.  It's no fun, but having done it before, I thought I would get into the groove of it pretty quick.  I let Zion watch and he was unimpressed.  I guess he was expecting more blood and drama, not a tiny little needle submerged into Mom's belly roll.  I didn't expect the burning sensation that followed the initial prick.  Lovenox is a different medication than I have used before, so I didn't know it would burn so bad.  I almost passed out.  Randy found me crumpled on the kitchen floor with cold sweats and seeing black dots.  As he helped me up to the bed, I cried like a baby.  THIS HURTS!  And it is the first of 600 more!!!

Today's shots were a little better, although it still made me queasy.  Tonight, as I sat waiting for the burning to pass, Jackson came over and asked, "Mom, can I pray for you?"  Of course, that was a no brainer.  "YES!"  He went on to pray with more wisdom than I thought a 15 year old could hold.  He prayed for strength and said, "God, this is her intercession right now.  In a weird way, this is her act of intercession, taking these shots and carrying this baby" and he asked that God would see it and bless me in this season.  What a kid!!

So today, maybe you are in a season of taking "intercessory shots".  It burns and you cry alot because it doesn't seem like you are doing much, but deep inside there is something growing that will be an inheritance for Jesus when He returns. 

Just call us Abraham and Sarah

Yes, it's true.  If you've followed the twitterati and facebook, you will know that I am indeed, PREGNANT.  We have never laughed so hard for so long.  

Now, I don't have long to blog because I have a hundred facebook messages and a bunch of instant chats going on from people who think this is as incredible as we do.  And in just a few minutes I have to go feed our 2 month old twin baby girls who are soon to be BIG SISTERS. But I wanted to take a minute and give the update for both of you who still read my blog.

In case you haven't done the math, we will have more kids than seats in the Suburban.  4 children under the age of 3.  And 3 children who can't walk.  (Just putting it in perspective).

Oh, and did I mention that we will have SEVEN children?  Barring twins or triplets, the 7th Bohlender will arrive sometime in July 2009.  

We told Lou and Therese -- they cried and laughed and said, "You caught up with us!"  Ha!

So, it is now time for me to make the bottles and feed babies.  And I guess I will be doing that for, oh, the next two years!!  hahahahahaha!!  Hopefully I will be able to keep up the blog like so many of my superhero mom friends.  Pray that I can.  I have a couple posts that have been brewing for quite some time.  Now I just need some down time to myself for a  couple hours to process thoughts and write.  And maybe a foot rub.  And a homemade chocolate cake.  

More to come...I promise

I know, I know. You thought since I was sitting around waiting in the Florida sunshine I would have a ton of time to keep everyone updated and post pics. I had that romantic notion too for about, oh, a minute.

We fly home tomorrow and I am counting the hours! Not that I don't love Sarasota (and Kilwin's -- Mint Chocolate Chip, baby!), but I am so looking forward to having all SIX children in one spot. Ha!! If I faint, just leave me for awhile. I will be fine.

When I come up for air, I will give detailed updates on the babies, their story, and the state of the Bohlender tribe.

Pray for lots of sleep!

Up in the middle of the night.....

I know this will get to be routine again, but it never feels normal to get up 4 times in the middle of the night. At this moment I really could go back to sleep. Babies are fed and back down, cuddled together in bed. Hubby is snoozing. Except I can't go back to sleep. I suppose my brain is on overload trying to process the events of the week.

How could I have known when I woke up on Thursday that my nice, quiet weekend would be turned into a whirlwind and life would be forever changed with two little bundles of love? Who knew that God had divinely orchestrated every single step, from our home study being finished the evening before or a planned meeting with our adoption experts that very morning? The Lord knew.......He wrote these days before even one of them came to be.

I am tired, but cannot imagine how a nice, quiet weekend could have been more fulfilling than this great journey. It's been kind of like planning to enjoy the glacier at St. Mary's and finding yourself climbing Quandary Peak. Exhausted, yet exhilarated. Out of breath, but full of life.




Good night......if you are up in the middle of the night, remember that your days have been written in His book too. Sweet dreams.

BABIES! (Yes, that was plural!)

We are at the hospital, waiting for the mounds of paperwork to be signed.  The Lord has divinely orchestrated this day in such complex ways that it is blowing my little mind!  Today, we will have legal custody of beautiful, twin baby girls....a double portion to celebrate the 9th anniversary of IHOP.  Wow!

Obviously there is quite a story.  I wish I had time to write it all now, but I don't.  We are literally waiting for the attorneys to come out and hand us the babies.  It could be any minute.  

They are beautiful.  An Asian heritage gives their skin that beautiful glow and dark eyes.  We thought we had names, but in the short moment we held them, we felt they weren't quite right. Hope to announce the decision later today!

Pray for us, for Aemi the birthmom and for the little babies that they would know their stories were written in a book before they were one day old.  

More updates soon......I promise!

TWISTER!

There's nothing like a tornado to create a family bonding moment.  The whole fam is cuddling in the basement listening to the weather reporters repeat (with high drama) the warnings and instructions on where you should take cover.  John Loux is out with his new truck chasing the tornado.  Randy is laughing so hard he is crying while he twitters away.  

New report "Funnel cloud at 119th and State Line".  Boy, that's getting close.  

Ma, I hope yer in yer basement!

The Bug Light Gathering

When we came home from DC, someone had changed the light bulb in our front porch light to one of those ugly, yellow bug lights that are supposed to not attract moths. At first, I thought, how atrocious looking! The dim, yellow light was depressing. But after a few nights of not catching a bugs in my teeth on my way in the front door, I have decided it's not so bad after all. The other light, however bright and cheery, always drew those stinking bugs!

We are all like bugs in a sense. We love the light and we love gathering together where there is bright, cheerful light. Tonight, some amazing friends threw open their doors and turned the bright lights on for all of us bugs to gather. Sean and Danie always know how to throw a party. The cool thing is, they never see it as a special occasion, they just think it's normal life. Kind of like turning on the porch light at night - it's just something you do.

There were quite a variety of lovely insects around the table tonight -- musicians, nannies, pregnant mothers, adopted babies, writers, chefs, teachers, visiting Southern Californians. We ate grass-fed-organic beef burgers with sauteed onions and famous Henry-style guacamole. People ate, talked, sat on the floor or crashed on the sofa while the roar of laughing children could be heard on every level of the house. I saw friends that I adore, but just don't intersect with very often. It was loads of fun. One guest I must mention by name is Jason - who is single and very much wanting to not be. I proposed the idea of establishing a website called "E-12 Harmony", a kind of matchmaking service for end times messengers. On second thought, maybe that idea is ahead of it's time.

Yep, it was fun hanging out with the bugs tonight, all those with like hearts running after the light together. Thanks to the Henry's for making their house a home for crazy beetles like us!