Adventures in Adoption

Remembering Eli

2010-11-21T09:59:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday Eli. We love you, we miss you, and we look forward to the day when we can be together again.

What about Heaven? part of a book by Kathleen Long Bostrom

Though heaven’s a place

that you can’t see from here,

It says in the Bible

that heaven is near.

It always is daytime-

there never is night.

The light of God’s love

will be shining so bright.

But here’s something different,

and this is no trick:

In heaven nobody

will ever get sick!

Our hurts will be healed,

and the deaf will all hear,

the blind will see clearly,

there’s nothing to fear!

Though time has no ending,

you’ll never get bored;

For thousands of years

seem like days to the Lord.

All of God’s children,

the young and the old,

Will gather together

on streets made of gold.

And then there will be

such a grand celebration

When heaven and earth

have become one creation!

Life will be perfect,

for heaven’s the place

We’ll see God, the Father

and Son, face-to-face.

For God will be there,

everywhere that you are;

And Jesus will shine

like a bright morning star.

Heaven is wonderful,

don’t you agree?

It’s simply the best place

we ever could be!

All Of Creation

2010-06-28T10:43:00.000-07:00

Hello! I just wanted to give some encouragement to anyone who may be feeling lost, who is hurting, or feeling discouraged. Remember: God is ALL powerful and He created ALL things. He spoke us into existence! Place all of your hopes, desires, and fears in God knowing that in spite of troubles we may face, God is in control of our eternal lives.

I love the words from the Mercy Me Song, All of Creation:

The reason we breath is to sing of His glory

and for all He has done,

Praise the Father, Praise the Son,and the Spirit in One!

and all of creation sing with me now

lift up your voice and lay your burden down

and all of creation sing with me now

fill up the Heavens let His glory resound

forever thankful

2010-05-08T22:35:00.000-07:00

So glad I got to be your mom, my beautiful little E.

Elijah's Truth

2010-05-02T21:16:00.000-07:00

Dear friends and family,

We want to thank you again for all of the prayers and encouragement you have given.

We wanted to let you know about an adoption grant ministry that we have started in Eli's memory. When we adopted Eli, grants were very helpful in financing our adoption. We wanted to help other children be placed in loving homes through adoption, so we started Elijah's Truth, which provides grants to families who are in need. If you are interested in learning more about this ministry, please visit our website at www.elijahstruth.com

During this difficult time, God has been faithful and we are looking forward to seeing how this ministry can bring more children and families together.

With love -

Kip and Cat

To Our Chosen One:

2010-02-21T20:24:00.000-08:00

To Our Chosen One,

Your daddy & I waited a long time to have a family. We prayed for you before we even met you. We had no idea what a wonderful surprise God had planned for us. When we got the call, I was at school and started crying immediately. We were so excited to meet you that we drove 24 hours straight to your hospital. We met you at the hospital for the first time and we loved you immediately. You were sound asleep and your daddy & I held you, stared at you, and were amazed at how beautiful you were. “He’s so perfect,” is all we could keep saying. We couldn’t wait to take you home. These last 3 months have been the greatest times of our lives. You brought us and your family so much joy.

You have an amazing love story, Eli. It started when your birth mom loved you so much she let you go. The one thing she told us when we got to meet her was that she never wanted you to think you weren’t loved. She gave you to us because she loved you so much. And then we got to love you. You allowed us to experience love in a whole new way. But no one loves you more than your heavenly father. Our time with you was so short, and we will always want more, but this was God’s plan for you, and we will trust Him and know that one day, we will hold you again. I am so thankful and feel so lucky that we got to be your mom and dad. We were blessed take care of you, and I am glad that we could be the ones to comfort you when you were sick.

You had an amazing way of communicating with us by just looking deep into our eyes. We could always see straight through to your heart through your eyes. You were mostly asleep at the end and we didn’t see you awake very much, but for some reason the day of your last surgery, you were awake more than you had been in weeks. You would open your eyes and look right at us. We were so happy to see you awake again and I like to think you were saying goodbye to us and letting us see your beautiful brown eyes one last time.

Eli, we are so proud of you, you were so strong and so brave. You amazed all of the doctors and fought so hard. We wish you wouldn’t have had to go through all of that pain, but we know that you now have a perfect body. There are no more needles, no more pokes, no more tubes, and no more surgeries. You are in our hearts and we will think of you and be filled with memories of smiles, coos, cuddles, & love. We have hope because Christ has conquered death. We have hope because Christ died so that those who trust Him would be with Him again someday. Our hearts are broken, our arms are empty and we don’t understand why this could happen, but God is sovereign. He loves us more than we can understand. You will always be our son, our first born, and we will always be your mommy and daddy.

Love Always,

Mom and Dad

2010-02-16T14:38:00.001-08:00

Funeral is saturday at 11:00 am

2010-02-16T14:34:00.001-08:00

Funeral at 11:00 am in fergus falls. viewing on friday at 5:00-7:00 pm.

2010-02-15T08:02:00.001-08:00

Surgery has been pushed back until at least 10:00am

Liver Transplant

2010-02-14T20:50:00.000-08:00

we just heard that, as for right now, we are going ahead with the liver that became available today. We were told that the other hospital would be taken from the donor at 4:00 am. We are supposed to get some sleep and to be back at the hospital at 8:00 am, which is when everything will get started. Please pray that everything goes well with the operation, that eli is able to keep stable throughout everything & that his body will accept the new organ. Thanks for all your prayers.

Possible Liver

2010-02-14T13:10:00.001-08:00

We may have a liver for eli. One has come available locally. They are doing tests right now and we will know around 5 pm this evening if they will proceed with the transplant. Please pray for strength for eli so that if it happens he will be ready. they are beginning to prepare him and are giving him lots of blood products to help his blood to be able to clot. If he transplanted, it won't happen until around midnight they are saying. We will keep you posted.

love, kip and cat

Thank you!

2010-02-10T16:40:00.000-08:00

Dear family and friends,
We are overwhelmed by the love and support we have felt since Eli became sick. The avalanche of cards, messages, and gifts have been a bright spot during very difficult days. Many of you have given us Bible verses and many of you have sent monetary gifts. Many of you have brought us meals, snacks and treats. Many of you have called and emailed us. Some of you have sent praise CD's. Some of you have taken care of details that needed to be done when we left Moorhead so abruptly. Many of you have put Eli on your church prayer chains. Our hearts are filled with your support. We feel the power and strength of your prayers during the day and the long hours of the night.

With love and gratitude, Kip, Cat, and Eli

new update

2010-02-10T10:58:00.000-08:00

Praying Friends, I talked with Kip for awhile today. Since Saturday there haven't been many wide swings in E's status. They were not able to continue with 24-hour/day dialysis and he has returned to daily 4-hour treatments. Please continue to pray that his kidneys' function would return.

He remains on medicine to maintain his blood pressure (Epinephrine). There have been some highs and lows here. Pray that his blood pressure status would become stable without needing medicine. This would be an improvement.

The surgeon pointed out a non-major infection in his abdominal incision. Pray that it would clear. His blood clotting values were more vulnerable today for awhile which caused some bleeding. This may, perhaps, continue until his liver heals. The biopsy results of Saturday have not been reported to them yet.

K&C are sleeping okay. Praise God for this! Kip's parents went back to Wadena on Sunday and will return this weekend. Kip said he hopes to begin working from Minneapolis soon. Pray for God's continued provision for their finances during this tremendous journey they are on. Praise God for the many gifts they have already received from those who love them.

I asked Kip about visitors as well as correspondence. He said they don't mind visitors, but they don't question people not coming either. He said he, personally, really enjoys snail mail, but also reads and appreciates all electronic updates. Since there weren't a lot of significant changes, I wondered whether I should send an update. However, I chose to send this because we who are close to K&C are all, I think, kind of daily (metaphorically) sitting on the edge of our seats wondering E's status. Knowing God is Sovereign, Trena

Holding On!

2010-02-05T06:23:00.000-08:00

They are continually trying to get Eli more stable, and he is really needing a new liver. The sooner the better! I know we have been asking for a lot of prayer, now we need more! Thank you to everyone who is praying!!

So thankful

2010-02-03T08:14:00.000-08:00

we are so thankful that e made it through the night. His numbers are looking much better (there is still a long way to go). His is scheduled to go back to surgery at noon to get his stomach fluid emptied and have his stomach sewn back up.

We know that he is doing better because of all of your prayers. We ask that you continue to lift up our precious boy through prayer as he still is very critical. we are so proud of him.

2010-02-01T19:56:00.001-08:00

Please pray for 'e' and a probable surgery tonight. !!!!!!!!!!!

2010-02-01T12:36:00.001-08:00

Going to the operating room right now for central line and biopsy. 2:36

Monday's gonna be a busy day

2010-01-31T20:06:00.000-08:00

I am just copying this from Trena's email - some of you may have already read this.

First of all, a clarification. Eli is still on the transplant list. He is just not a candidate for a live donor (i.e. adult) because of his size/age. If a baby liver came available that was a match, he would likely go to surgery.

Early today, the IV that was surgically inserted into a big vein inside his chest (Hickman) fell out. They were able to get an IV inserted into his ankle area, but he is scheduled to go into the operating room tomorrow to have that replaced. As long as he is undergoing anesthesia, they are going to do another liver biopsy to verify if the results of the first biopsy and to see if any change has occured.. Pray for safety during the procedures and that God would reveal his power (in His will) by having the biopsy show signs of living cells.

Cathy said they have had some ups and downs as far as the information they get from their specialists. Just 2 days ago, the liver specialist (gastroenterologist) told them that a liver test result had returned and was indicating to her that there may be some regeneration. However, today, the surgeon and gastroenterologist said that because his blood sugar levels are so erratic, that is an indication the liver just isn't doing it's job and he for sure needs a transplant. So, K&C are trying to avoid the emotional highs and lows and are just emotionally planning on a transplant. I know they are still praying for healing and that is what we all can do as well. He still 'looks good" and is acting like himself. Cat said that Eli's situation is quite rare and so this team of physicians hasn't really seen this aged child in this situation very often. Continue to pray for the physicians and nurses as well as the rest of the healthcare team.

January 30th

2010-01-30T18:51:00.000-08:00

So far, we are still in 'wait and see' mode. 'E' is stable and looking good, we will wait to see if his body is able to fight this off! Here are some pictures.

Living Donor Status

2010-01-28T08:01:00.001-08:00

The transplant surgeons have informed us that a living donor just isn't the best fit for 'e'. They have asked us to hold off on sending donors to them for now. If you were considering being a donor - Continue to prayerfully consider this as an option. In the days to come - who knows if their opinions will change.

Eli

2010-01-26T20:14:00.000-08:00

'e' has been so happy to hear about all the people praying for him.
Thank you for everything!\

Slumberparty

2010-01-26T18:07:00.000-08:00

We had a fun time playing with 'e' today - lots of smiles and talking.

Liver Donor

2010-01-26T14:25:00.000-08:00

We are now looking for a liver donor (in case there is no baby liver available), the donor now has to be 100 lbs. or under. Pray for Eli.

e-pictures

2010-01-25T14:51:00.000-08:00

"E" has a new hospital buddy!

No new updates - just sharing pictures.

Liver Donor

2010-01-25T08:52:00.000-08:00

We have been talking with all of the doctors about Eli's almost certain liver transplant. They are looking for a full small baby's liver to use, which would be the best situation. However, there is a possibility that there may not be enough time to wait for the perfect liver to come. In that case we would have to find an adult donor. They are looking for "O" blood type and someone who is less than 110lbs. They think there is a good chance that the transplant would take place within a week. Keep us in your prayers.

Transplant

2010-01-24T09:59:00.000-08:00

We were informed this morning that a liver transplant will definitely be needed based off of the preliminary liver tests. The liver looks to have suffered too much damage. The doctors are extremely pleased with how his body is handling everything (alertness, etc.) - which will help when the transplant occurs. We are praying now that a good, compatible liver (that is the correct size) becomes available - and that the procedure and recovery goes smoothly when the time comes.

We are thankful that the rest of his body is so responsive, and that the medicine will continue to keep many of his levels in check.

Saturday Update

2010-01-23T08:58:00.001-08:00

"SO STRONG"

The liver biopsy was performed yesterday (friday). We will see preliminary results today, and more detailed info throughout the week. The proceedure went well with minimal bleeding. We are hoping to get closer to some answers as we see the results.

We were also finally able to feed Eli again today with some low protein food.
I am sure he loved having something in his tummy again.

Please continue to pray for him, as we continue to test and monitor.
Thank you to everyone for all of your support through all of this.

2010-01-22T11:48:00.000-08:00

Thank you for your prayers and support. We are at the U of M Ped ICU. His liver is failing, and they are doing lots of tests to try to find out what is causing it. He is going to have a biopsy in a few hours. He has been put on the transplant list in case he needs a transplant.

E's Baptism

2010-01-18T19:37:00.000-08:00

I have a maker
Before my heart,
even before time began
My life was in his hands

He knows my name
He knows my every thought

He sees each tear that falls
and hears me when I call

I have a father,
he calls me his own

He'll never leave me,
no matter where I go

First Christmas

2010-01-08T17:39:00.000-08:00

Their first Christmas!

K loved to cuddle E!

"babies!, babies!" says K

Sweet dreams!

The shirt says it all!

E's Room

2009-12-23T11:38:00.000-08:00

I've had some people ask about E's room, so I took a few pictures. Everything in his room was given to us or borrowed!

Here is E chillin in his crib.

So handsome!

Thanks mom for the wall hanging!

Thanks Alissa for the cute frame!

Thanks Holly and Trista for the Elijah letters!
Thanks Dave and Sarah for the crib!

So many cousins!

2009-12-12T16:05:00.000-08:00

Family Time!

2009-12-12T15:58:00.001-08:00

E's cousin C from North Carolina!

We had a great time meeting the M family!

Best Buddies!!

2009-12-12T15:45:00.000-08:00

Here is my "twin" K with E! Sooo Sweet!!

This is E's cousin W. They were born 1 week apart!

Look- Buddies already!!

Here is E's good buddy S. Their mommies are also best buddies!

Visitors!

2009-12-12T15:36:00.001-08:00

Best Week Ever

2009-12-03T06:27:00.001-08:00

Hello everyone! Thank you for your prayers and messages! I realized we haven't really given any details of what has been going on, so I'll start at the beginning.

We got a call last Monday evening that we had been matched with a baby boy in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was born on Saturday, Nov. 21st and weighed 5 lbs 7 oz. 19 inches long. He was born a few weeks early and was put in the NICU. We were told to come and get him at the hospital on Wed. Dec. 2nd. Then we got a call on Fri. evening saying that he was doing really well and the hospital wanted us to come and get him on Sunday because he and was ready to be discharged. So, we frantically packed everything up and left on Sat. morning. We drove straight through (25 hours!) and got to our hotel at 9:30am. We had to be at the hospital at 10:30, so we quick showered and headed over. When we got to the hospital, they gave us our own room and we stayed over night there with Eli. Then we took him to the hotel with us on Monday morning! We stayed at the hotel Monday night, and then drove to Chapel Hill where my cousins Paul and Janelle live. We are currently staying with them until all of the paperwork is finalized. We are just waiting for the paperwork to finish, and then we will start heading home. We don't know how long it will take, hopefully early next week. We are going back to Charlotte on Friday for a Dr. Appt.

It has been a complete whirlwind and a lot of moving around, but we are having the best time! Eli is such a great baby! He sleeps quite a bit, and is a really good eater! When he left the hospital on Monday he weighed 6 lbs 5 oz. We just can't get enough of him! He is such a joy and we are so blessed to have him!!!

Elijah Daniel Johnson - 4

2009-12-02T18:53:00.000-08:00

Elijah Daniel Johnson - 3

2009-11-30T21:35:00.000-08:00

Elijah Daniel Johnson - 2

2009-11-30T21:33:00.000-08:00

Elijah Daniel Johnson - 1

2009-11-30T21:29:00.000-08:00

Blessed

2009-11-12T16:29:00.001-08:00

This summer we spent the month of August applying for every possible grant that we qualified for to help fund our adoption. We spent weeks with paperwork up to our eyeballs, (good thing I'm a teacher because it was a full time job!) but we got them all finished and sent. We are so thankful because a few weeks ago we met with some board members of one of the grants in the Cities and were approved. Then, a few days ago we found out that we were approved for another grant! We don't know the amounts of either yet, but we feel very blessed!

The Wait

2009-11-02T21:02:00.000-08:00

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

We've had lots of people asking how the adoption is going, and right now, all we can do is wait! As we wait, sometimes "the call" feels like it is coming any minute, other times it feels like it is light years away. This verse keeps coming to mind and has been so encouraging - He has a plan! It is already made, and will come to be in His perfect timing.

I am in this great Bible Study (Beth Moore) right now and was reading tonight about "how we are not called to live easy lives, but to live purposeful lives." I love this because so many times I just wish things were easier. But when it's all over, I would much rather have fulfilled my calling then serve myself.

So, I will wait and be greatful for this incredible journey and enjoy the ride!

We're Diving In!

2009-10-17T20:54:00.000-07:00

Hello family and friends!

We have decided to join the blogging world! Kip and I are very excited about bringing a child into our lives through adoption, and thought this would be a great way for friends and family to share in this incredible experience with us. We have worked with a local adoption agency and have completed our home study. We know that God has called us to adopt a child through domestic infant adoption.

We will need lots of prayer as we continue to go through this process. Please pray for the birthmother (whoever she may be) and for the precious child we will be so blessed to have. Also pray for us financially as we depend on Him to provide funding for the adoption. We know and trust that God will continue to provide and we look forward to seing how He will.