Journey in the Desert: Day 211

Yes, I'm still alive!! And very wordy, so consider yourself warned.

When I first started documenting our Journey in the Desert, I intended to count from the day our townhouse went on the market until the day we bought our own home here in Michigan. Then this journey, this move, would finally be completed.

I had no idea that we would still be waiting for an end to this move 7 1/2 months later. But, here we are. And God is faithful. We cannot presume to tell Him how He should work, or put limits on His plans. So we keep on.

This is not easy to do at the moment, to be honest. We put an offer on a home that we think would be great for us over a month ago. We were supposed to hear if our offer was accepted at the end of last week.

It's Friday of this week, and nothing has changed. There has been no progress.

Our realtor actually stopped by the other night to tell us not to give up. There are no other offers on this particular house, and we have nothing else to lose, at the moment, as there are no other houses out there that we like as much as this house with the 'boat'.

She then continued to tell us about the house that we originally put the offer on back in October (it is her listing). She told us that this house has had 5 offers on it over the last month and a half. 5 offers that have been sitting stagnant at the bank. 5 offers that held hope for the homeowners who were about to lose their home. 5 offers that sat motionless at the bank while the redemption period for the homeowners slipped away, and the house switched ownership to the bank. 5 offers that will cause bitterness and frustration to the homeowners who could have sold their home, if only the bank would have taken some action and either approved or declined these offers.

So now we pray. Pray that this doesn't happen to the home we are wanting to buy. We pray that our offer is looked at, and that actions are made. We pray that God's will be done, and that there will be an end to this journey.

We pray for the chance to be able to sit down with Becca and tell her that she can pick out the colors for her room. That she can put her things wherever she thinks they belong. That we're not moving again, and that after this long journey, we're home.

What makes this situation more painful for us is that the house we're currently renting is on the market. As I mentioned in my last post, there was an open house here this past weekend. We had a showing yesterday afternoon, and there's another showing this evening. Every time we leave the house so that someone else can come look at it, it is a reminder to Becca, and to us, that we are just staying in someone else's home. And that there may be another move in our future, if this home sells before we are able to buy a home of our own.

All this said, we are clinging to our faith. To the promise that God is faithful. To my life verse:

"For I know the plans I have for you", says the Lord "plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a future, and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

-Since I'm already babbling, I'll continue in my rant.

A couple of you have asked about Becca's most recent trip to the allergist. We took her to a new doctor here in Michigan a few weeks ago. They did a skin test on her, and she tested positive for eggs, (which we already knew, but were hopeful that she had outgrown), wheat, beef, (???) dogs, cats, and a slight allergy to fish mix.

They didn't test for milk or nuts because we know from recent reactions that she is still allergic. And the dr told us that she is likely to keep accumulating allergies as she grows up. The food allergies may decline, but she will most likely gain seasonal/environmental allergies.

We were disappointed about the wheat allergy. We did a wheat challenge when she was 18 months old, and she seemed to do well, so we have been feeding her wheat since then. (We jumped at the chance to start feeding our skinny little girl some carbs). The doctor told us that there is a big debate in the field of allergy right now about whether it is better to completely avoid an allergen, or to have repeated exposure to the allergen, in order to build up antibodies.

He said that he has always prescribed to the thought that complete avoidance is best, but also thought that it might be a good thing that Becca has antibodies to wheat in her blood, and doesn't exhibit any major signs of allergy. (She has 'allergy shiners' almost all the time (purple around her eyes), but there are no other visible symptoms.)

Anyway...he said that it was up to us whether or not we wanted to continue to give Becca wheat and beef. (The beef isn't as bad if it is cooked all the way through, like in hamburgers (her favorite food).

Her one year appointment is scheduled for April. We will discuss her weight with the doctor then, and see if she's gaining enough weight.

-On a related note, we took Allie in this week for her one year check up. Everything looks good (although she's cutting 5 teeth right now), except the doctor is a little concerned about her weight gain. She has only gained one pound since October. She has been sick quite a lot in the last month, so we're not sure if that has something to do with it. The doctor is concerned because of Becca's allergies, and Allie's recent introduction to whole milk. We're supposed to give her fattening foods (yogurt, butter), and see if we can put some weight on her. We go back in a month for a quick weight check to see if she has made any progress.

Now for the good news.

-I'm still getting up early with my husband most mornings for quiet time and prayer. This has really made me feel better about my days before they've even begun.

-I have been trying to eat healthy and exercise regularly for the last 2 months. This hasn't been as consistent as I'd like, but I'm working on it. I have lost 7 lbs so far, and I haven't been measuring myself, but my clothes are starting to fit a little looser. And my stomach is noticeably smaller. I still have a loooong way to go, but it feels good to be on this end of things.

-Oh yeah, and there's something that might make my weight loss slow down. Last Saturday morning I took a positive pregnancy test! If everything goes well, it looks like we will get to meet our newest family member sometime around the end of October, beginning of November. My first dr's appointment is next Thursday. (I'm still working out though...I never really lost the weight I gained with Allie, so I'm starting as 'obese'...that means this pregnancy has to be a healthy one, on all fronts.) Of course it is still really early, and a lot can happen, but regardless of what may happen, we are rejoicing in the life of our 3rd child.

So that's my news. It's been a crazy week, but I hope to make the bloggy rounds over the weekend. I have been missing you!