From pink to BLUE- so much to do!

SO much to do indeed! 

Since the shock of last week's SURPRISE gender reveal has worn off it has been quickly replaced with what seems like insatiable nesting! 

As my dad put it,
"we can't bring home baby boy Ferguson to a room full of butterflies!"

So we've been working! 

First was the packing away of all things GIRL: Pinks, butterflies, artwork, more butterflies, dresses, flowers, and even MORE butterflies!

Then we started brainstorming ideas for baby JE's nursery.  His Daddy came up with the idea of "trees," reminiscent of the tree described in Psalm 1. 

So trees it is!

This week we will paint the formerly PINK wall with a sweet shade of sky blue.  And then on that wall we are going to put these AMAZING birch tree wall decals that we just ordered from Etsy in a chocolate brown:

I also worked on letters for my newest little man!

I know I said I wouldn't put his name on the blog- but I really want you to see the colors :)!  Plus his name isn't "Jon"... these 3 letters just "happen" to show you all three colors patterns that I used to make his name:

My sweet sister also "customized" the painting she made us months ago- now it's perfect for her newest nephew!

Beautiful right?

More pictures to come as the paint hits the walls and trees begin to make their mark on JE's nursery!

I also want to leave you all with the assurance that I am WELL and EXCITED!  Many of you, sweet friends, have called and texted to check in on me and see how I'm feeling.  I think I have felt EVERY possible emotion over the last few days but I feel MOST DEEPLY that I am LOVED by my Heavenly Father and I am incredibly excited to meet my son. I'm a blessed mama indeed- and SOON we will be Cinco Mariposas!

Love you all!

Maria

Sorpresa!

The most efficient way to begin this post is to show you this picture…

Yep!  You read correctly!  After yesterday’s day of appointments and ultra sound we received the surprise of surprises to learn that the baby we had been chosen to parent was a healthy, active baby BOY!

Talk about an unexpected twist!

I’m going to assume that all of you reading this for the first time have about 1,000,000 questions- as I did when I first heard the news! 

Here are a few things we know for sure

·         God is GOOD and he can be trusted (Psalm 37:5).

·         God has always know exactly what baby he would bring into our family and what it would take to bring us together.  (Jeremiah 29:11)

·         God has promised to give us everything we need to love and care for the baby he has chosen for us. (Philippians 4:19)

·        God’s Word is a lamp unto our feet that illuminates our path- just one step at a time.  The Lord asks us all to move in obedience, one step at a time, sometimes without carrying the full burden of knowledge of what is down the path.

·         God has gone to GREAT lengths to bring this baby boy into our family (including a MISREAD initial ultra sound that afforded L an opportunity to choose us, a waiting for Girl family!)

·         This baby BOY will be our 3^rd SON!

·         We are EXCITED beyond words to welcome J.E. into the Ferguson family!  (side note:  we’ve decided not to post his name here on the public blog as a safety precaution- but we are eager to share it elsewhere!  Here on this blog we will refer to him as JE going forward J)

Believe me, I KNOW this is a lot to process, especially for those of you that have been praying alongside us for a “Ruth”!  I will leave you to your thoughts and welcome your questions- any time!  Feel free to email Niles and me at FergusonAdoption@gmail.com.

Here are a few more pictures of my 3^rd little man!

Big Girl N is 1!

Meet Little Miss N!  This sweet baby girl turned a year old on Sunday! 
Isn't she adoreable? 

In just this year she has grown into such a sweet little personality!  I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for her as he grows her into a woman after his own heart.  Maybe one day (a LONG time from now!) it will be my pleasure to shoot this baby's bridal portraits!  :)

But for now onto her 1st birthday shoot! 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gracias, Familia Jones, por todo su amor y ayuda! 

Love you guys!

Another step in obedience, filled with JOY

As a sweet friend said today was “a big chapter in an amazing story- like a climax page!”

Today we met “L”- the precious woman that has chosen us to parent her baby. To say that Niles and I were nervous doesn’t really cover it. I stressed about what to wear, how to do my make-up, what to talk about- what NOT to talk about…. the list goes on and on.

We dropped off the boys, prayed in the car and after a quick walk in the blazing heat we walked into the restaurant and saw L for the first time. This was a moment we had prayed for for months, and a moment covered in prayer by our family and friends- and it was blessed.In true southern fashion we hugged this precious woman just seconds after meeting her- and it was awesome.

L shared with us how nervous she was too! How all she wanted was for us to like her. How she couldn’t decide how to wear her hair and how she’d made a poor earing choice. :) I think I loved her instantly.After our initial hellos it was time to order our lunch (lunch?? Who can eat at time like this??!). Anyways we made our orders and just started chatting. We talked about our nerves, what we liked to eat, what we all did as hobbies, where we like to vacation…etc….etc… It was a beautiful flowing conversation without any awkwardness at all. There is no explanation for the ease in our conversation other than the prayers of our friends and family. For that we are ever so grateful!

We asked L if she had named her baby or referred to her by any name in her mind. She was hilarious and told us she actually has an app on her phone with 5,000 baby names- ALL OF WHICH she has reviewed! So it was obvious to us that names mattered to her. She gave us 2 girl names she really liked- one of which “happens” to be the last name of one of our “heroes in the faith!” If you know our boys, they are both named after the last name of 2 heroes in the faith- a perfect name!  It was one of many confirming moments.

At some point in the conversation when we were talking about “Ruth” L gave us a smiling “warning” that she had only had one ultrasound and that she had heard of people whose “ultra sounds were wrong!”.

To be honest my mind started racing at the point! For the first time I realized that a “girl” prediction on an ultrasound was not a guarantee! All ultra sound technicians are not “created equally” and babies have a tendency to hide their “parts”… both the girl ones AND the BOY ones!! So in that moment I had a million thoughts, some of which were- oh my goodness! This baby, this baby that we have just assumed would be a girl because that’s what an ultra sound said MIGHT ACTUALLY BE A BABY BOY! What are we going to do?

But the thing is- that  this uncertainty will be the case with any birth mom we are matched with! Unless we are matched with a mother that has already had her baby, we will not know for sure whether it is a boy or girl until they are born!  And from what I remember little girl ultrasounds are the most likely to be misread!

ANOTHER CRAZY- FAITH BUILDING- TWIST!

One more time when the Lord asks us the question- will you be open handed with this baby? Will you move even in uncertainty? Will you trust that Romans 8:28 is true?

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,[a] for those who are called according to his purpose.

SO! So onward we go! We LOVE L and feel honored that she has chosen us to parent her baby- whether it is a boy or a girl! We will love and pray for this baby knowing the Lord knows how many hairs she/he will have and exactly what her/his name should be!  L will potentially have another ultrasound at her appointment next week… but ultra sounds are not a guarantee! So the Lord is again asking us to move in faith, showing us just one step at a time.

We will continue to pray for and ask for our “Ruth”- until a time when the Lord shows us we are actually having a “Boaz” ;)!

A different kind of butterfly

Today the butterflies I am experiencing aren't the beautiful and brightly colored kind- I'm excited and a bit nervous!  

Today is the day we meet the mother that has chosen us- today we meet "L."  We will meet her with our social worker and share our lives over lunch. 

Our desire is for her to feel our love for her and her baby.  For her to know our admiration of her selfless decision.  For her to feel confirmation in her choice of our family. And above all for the name of the Lord to be high and lifted up!

We ask for your prayers for the Holy Spirit to guide our conversation and ease all of our nerves.  

Eagerly waiting to become a family of 5!

Dulcius Ex Asperis

So, as I was saying, this past Friday Maria and I had our legal briefing with our adoption attorney. It was one of those conversations that brings out all the what-if's and this-and-that-could-happens. We've spent this past weekend reflecting on things and praying about this baby girl. Here's where we are: 


There's nothing easy about redemption. Emotionally, legally, spiritually, practically, nothing is easy. Otherwise it wouldn't need redeeming in the first place. Something has gone astray somewhere. Circumstances or consequences, it doesn't really matter; the fact remains that there is a baby girl that will be here around August 13. Yep, that soon. However, we can see that it really has been just enough time for us to prepare our hearts, funds, and home for what lies ahead. We are going to continue to pursue Ruthie in this adoption knowing the risks and the difficulty that lies ahead because we believe that the LORD wills it, and that our hearts are filled with love for her already. She is more valuable than the tears, tanks of gas, and tension that we will have to endure in the coming months.


Since you asked, yes, the Ferguson Clan does date back to the late 12th century in Scotland. The Sons of MacFergus back then had their tartans, coat of arms, and a nifty motto: Dulcius Ex Asperis or for those of you not update to par on your latin: Sweeter after difficulty. I know this because I am a profound historian... or researching tattoo ideas. Either way, as I was writing back our agency about our decision to move forward, this motto really resounded for me. Mostly what it echoed is the truth that as we endure hardship, trusting the sovereignty of God, He becomes sweeter to us than before. 


When David was on the run, and apparently quite fearful of his consequences and circumstances, he wrote Psalm 34. You can read it here. Go ahead, I'll wait.


Don't get David wrong. Thing's like safety and riches weren't what was sweet to him. And it surely wasn't his difficulty. "Taste and see that the LORD is good!" It is Yahweh (LORD) that is the prize. It is He who becomes sweeter through our difficulty. Why? Because it's only by his loving mercy and crazy grace that we can do anything at all. Likewise, we don't what you get us wrong, either. So here goes:


The Fergusons have only been able to discern our call, move in faith, raise funds, pursue Ruthie because of the LORD's grace. Otherwise, we'd by spiritually deaf to any call, paralyzed by fear, unmotivated, and ultimately unfruitful in our efforts - or worse, prideful of "all we've accomplished."


No, in fact, it is the sovereign, merciful, gracious Lord of the universe, Yahweh, who has done everything, and has become more sweet to us than ever through it all. The next several months will be difficult, but then again redemption is never easy, but it is sweet.