A smile, a giggle and a budding conversationist?

A friend who adopted a little girl about a year ago pulled me to one side at Seminary when we  began to try to adopt Carys. "I'm so happy for you," he said. "Just a few weeks from now, you'll be bending over her crib, looking at her sleeping... and she'll open her eyes, and smile up at you... just because it's you there looking at her." 

Well, it's happened, and what a joy! Now to top it all she's beginning to try to talk back at us! Take a look at this video...

What a cheeky child! :-)

This has been quite a week, and we are both exhausted, but rejoicing in the Lord and his kindness to us... and who couldn't go a little bit giggly when there's a little bundle of joy like this.

Only three more weeks of Seminary to go. And only one more week before Grandma and Granddad arrive from England! Pray for us, especially for Tom for strength to see the semester through to the end. He has so much still to do.

Our love from over here...

Tom & Donna

Friends Forays and The Face of the Fearless

We've been blessed so much recently by having the support of so many of our friends. Drew, here is another seminary student whose wife Sarah just popped 6 weeks ago and - little Levi has already got his eye on Carys.
Carys seems to take it all for granted... but of course... everyone like to look at me... I'm gorgeous... that's obvious isn't it? 
Donna and I have been making our first forays into the big wide world with Carys safely tucked into the new stroller provided by our fellowship group. Carys is entirely unruffled by it all. Admirers, bumps in the road, photographs, it's all in a day's work for her gorgeousness... 

Seriously, we have been SO blessed by the many visits and tokens of love that have come with them. Not least has been a constant supply of FOOD! We have eaten almost nothing but the meals provided for us, and the copious left-overs... day after day... which has taken a huge load off Donna.

For any of you reading this before Tuesday... I have a huge Hebrew paper to submit, and another Greek test to sit, which I would much appreciate your prayers for. I am quite seriously behind with all my work now, and working like mad to catch up... but the tiredness doesn't always permit me to work as I would like to!

Thanks again for your love and prayers.

Yours from across the pond...

T 

Carys the Conqueror

Hello again

Who would have thought that someone so little could wield such power?

If we could only have had a dictaphone on hand... and added up the number of times people kindly gave us their advice, "Everything is going to change!" we would have set it to music, and now you would be listening to it... rap style... in the background while you read this blog.  Well... they were right! 

Praise God though, she actually slept in the night-time last night! (The nights before had not been so good, and my somewhat over-full schedule doesn't have much tolerance in it for less sleep than I already get...)

Still - I've been learning to work and care for Carys at the same time when Donna is too exhausted to continue :-)

So - everything is changing... but what an amazing amount of joy such a little one brings in with all the challenges! We are just continually overwhelmed at the Lord's kindness to us in giving us this gift up to this point. Only three weeks to go till we find out if she's with us to stay.

Donna's just off to the hospital for another follow up visit... they've been pretty constant recently, but hopefully this will be the last for a while... I'm going to get dressed and get some work done I hope!

TTFN

T

A new blog

Hi everyone

With the arrival of little Carys Elaine last week, we thought it's about time we started a blog so that you can all share in our joy!

You can use this site to keep in touch with us, and we will definitely enjoy reading your comments...

The large gorgeous girl is busy catching up on some sleep after an almost sleepless night feeding Carys. The little gorgeous girl is also sleeping... punch drunk from plenty of formula. We are trying to get her ready for a weigh-in today, and keep the doctors happy.

Well... in true seminary fashion... that's all I have time for for now... I have to finish translating Genesis 3:8-16 and then about 25 verses from the New Testament in time for an exam tomorrow... plus a fair bit of reading to do... oh, and Carys needs to be taken to visit the Paediatrician! :-)

TTFN

Tom