Surgery on Thursday for my Mom

Friends and Family,

We have received so many e-mails and calls over the last week - thank you. The scripture passages, prayers, and words of encouragement have overwhelming and very much needed. We have laughed, cried, and most of all, experienced God's peace over the last week or so. My e-mail has been on the blink allowing me to read but not send messages, so I apologize for those people who did not receive responses to their messages, but please know that we are very thankful for such wonderful friends and family members.

Today has not been a good day for Mom. I have never called my parents and been told that I couldn't speak with either of them - today, I was told that I couldn't speak with Mom because she was in such pain and was trying to rest. Her pain has seemed to escalate over the last 24 hours, so she isn't up to talking much at all. We still don't really know anything. The surgeon stated last Friday that the area was suspicious for malignancy and that he wanted to schedule her for surgery in order to remove the mass, however he didn't schedule the surgery yet because he wanted to wait on her oncologist. Today, her oncologist stated that he can't treat her because he doesn't know what he's treating. He is recommending surgery at this point as well. What's so frustrating is that we are getting recommendations for action but until moments ago, no one had scheduled surgery. She is going for pre-op tomorrow afternoon and will have surgery sometime on Thursday. Wouldn't you know it, I have 2 trials on Thursday morning and then a hearing at 1:00 p.m. that afternoon so it is very doubtful that I will be able to wait with my dad except for running in and out. Also, Leigh (my sister) leaves for the Marines on Thursday - what an emotional day this will be for all of us but especially my mother.

Your prayers and words of encouragement are appreciated beyond words! THANK YOU!

Update on Mom's Health

For all of those who have e-mailed and made comments on our blog, THANK YOU! My e-mail account is allowing me to read messages but not reply, so I'm sorry that I haven't been able to get back with many of you. Your messages have been so uplifting for all of us. We certainly can feel your prayers!

We still haven't heard anything from the doctors - we are VERY FRUSTRATED to say the least. My mother is in a lot of pain and needs relief soon. From what my parents were told yesterday afternoon, the lab was not able to conduct all the tests that the doctor requested, so the specimen had to be sent to a second lab. We may hear something today but it is unlikely. I will post here as soon as we know something.

Calling all Prayer Warriors - My Mother's Cancer May Be Back

In 2004, my mother as diagnosed with non-hodgkins lymphoma, and in 2005, she ended her chemo and radiation with wonderful results because the cancer was inactive/dead. Since that time, she has maintained regular appointments with her oncologist and as late as May of 2008, she has been deemed cancer free. Last week, she began experiencing extreme pain in her lower back and ended-up in the emergency room and then various doctors. She had a CT with contrast on Wednesday and a colonoscopy with biopsy this morning. At first, we thought the suspicious area was the hull of her last tumor and that her colon had not been affected. Just moments ago, I received a call from my father stating that the suspicious area had grown and had actually grown into her colon. She is in a lot of pain, and surgery is inevitable. We were initially told that the suspicious area may be infection, but the surgeon just stated that he thinks the lymphoma may be back (not 100% positive but very likely). The biopsy results are expected back on Wednesday, so hopefully the news will not be as bad as we have been told to expect.


Our family is reeling with this news. Please pray for comfort and peace for my mother, Debbie Tudor. We know that God is the holder of life and that He is in absolute control of this situation. God tells us to pray specifically and to tell Him our hearts' desire - of course, it's our desire that her body be healed completely and that we can all enjoy decades upon decades of memories together here on Earth as well as in Heaven! We know and accept that sometimes our plans don't coincide with that of our Father, however we know that He is in control and we see us through this season of life.


In the meantime, my sister, Leigh, is scheduled to leave for Marines Officer Candidate School on October 3, 2008, so she is absolutely at a loss as to what to do. Leigh was in Spain while Mom was fighting cancer in 2004, and her heart is breaking with whether or not she should leave in October. Please remember her in your prayers as well because she truly needs God's guidance and peace.

Your prayers are coveted and very much appreciated.

My mother reads our blog (and many, many more) faithfully. She loves to read comments, so if you are willing to pray, please take a moment to post a comment so that she'll know people everywhere are praying - she needs all the prayers, love, and support she can get!

America World Conference Call

Today, we had our monthly conference call with the America World Ethiopian program director, Duni. Some families seemed to be discouraged after the call, however we felt like the call was positive and showed promise that the Ethiopian government is very much pro-adoption. Just to keep you updated on the program, here are some of the highlights from the call:

• Currently, families spend 6-7 days in Ethiopia and accommodations are made at the Hilton. Our agency is now looking into the possibility of securing accommodations for traveling families at guesthouses or bed and breakfast establishments. The purpose of this change is to provide families with more personal, intimate space within which to bond with the child. Hopefully the accommodation will have a gathering room that will contain toys for the children as well as an office area that will provide Internet access. Personally, I am excited about the change because I have spoken with other adoptive families who used other agencies and this was the accommodations that they enjoyed and highly recommend because it provides more of a “home” environment in which to bond with your child.

• One big change that was announced is that the Ethiopian government is requesting that adoptive families not spend a significant amount of time in the public environment with their children. The Ethiopian culture is very rich and they are very proud people, and many people do not appreciate the fact that their children are being taken to other countries. While it is true that many Ethiopians do not adopt children themselves and that the children are being adopted so that they can have more opportunities and most of all, be a part of a family outside of the orphanage, I respect that many Ethiopians do not want to see the children go. It was discussed that perhaps families will not remove the children from the transitional home until right before the Embassy appointment. I completely respect the wishes of the Ethiopian people and even more so appreciate the fact that the Ethiopian government is being sensitive to the feelings of the citizens while at the same time allowing adoptions to continue so that children can find forever families.

America World families are torn as to some people being happy with the change and others not so happy. Please pray for all of us so that we can seek God’s guidance and that we can seek to be more like Him. Also, please never stop praying for our agency, Ethiopia, and most of all…the children.

Let’s sit back and watch God work!

Ethiopia Fellowship Group 09-06-08

Rachel Ward holding a card and gift certificates that are from the America World Yahoo group. We wanted to show our appreciation to them for all their hard work and dedication.

This past Saturday, Jason and I went to a cook-out for local families who are adopting from Ethiopia. We're kinda shy, so it was a little overwhelming at first because so many of the other families already knew one another, but by the time the evening ended, we were really glad that we had attended. We were able to meet lots of people who are in the process at some stage and then lots of families who had already completed their adoption.

The highlight of our evening was being able to see Rachel Ward again. She was our social worker until this past February when she moved to Ethiopia to run America World's transitional home with her newlywed husband, Barrett. They are absolutely wonderful. They are our link to our child between the time that the child leaves the orphanage and then is united with his or her new family. Once a child become available for adoption, Rachel receives a call from the orphanage and she makes arrangements to have the child transported to the transitional home which will become the child's new home until parents arrive from America. She provides families with updates on their children and assists the families during their stay in Ethiopia. When asked how long she and Barrett will reside in Ethiopia, she stated that right now they plan on staying until at least next Spring or Summer but that nothing is definite at this time. Please keep them in your prayers as they prepare to return to Ethiopia in the next week or so.

We were really excited to meet the Redfern and Hawkins families - both are active in the Yahoo group, so it was great to finally meet in person! The Redferns have Ethiopian court on October 8, 2008, so let's pray extra hard that they will pass on the first round!

Decorating the Nursery

Message over the baby bed

A close-up of the baby bedding

The window treatments


A close-up of the floral arrangement

The mural over our changing table. This area isn't completely finished yet, so more pictures of this wall later.

Jason's favorite part of the room

The chandelier - my favorite part and Jason's least favorite (that's an understatement)!

Cradle that was built by PaPa Tudor

Cradle bedding and Julianna's first dolls from her Aunt BoBo and Granny Tudor

Not completely finished - still needs the adoption figurine on the shelf and of course, Ashton's picture will be replaced with Julianna's picture!

It was quite a productive holiday weekend at our house. We cleared-out Ashton's baby items and started painting and decorating for Julianna. The painting was a pain because I stink at it, but fortunately my mother doesn't...she was a HUGE help! Ashton was running around everywhere and of course, "helping". The pictures are adorable but can't be shared because he was running around and trying to help with floral arrangements in his underclothes.

The room isn't finished, but it's almost there! We still have to finish the hair bow holder and buy the adoption figurine but we have several months to complete those tasks. Mom and I did the majority of the work and had a blast. When I was pregnant with Ashton, Mom didn't get to help a lot because she was going through chemo for cancer and was very sick. I am so thankful that God has healed her and allowed her to take part in preparing for Julianna's arrival.

A HUGE thank you to Jason and my Dad for putting up the "tacky, gaudy chandelier" (Jason's words). Personally, I think the chandelier is adorable and completes the nursery by giving a very girly look. Jason says that chandeliers are for dining rooms. We received a magazine entitled "Post Tots" which featured lots of very elaborate chandeliers in baby rooms, so he rolled his eyes which I showed him but I think he's beginning to come around.