Patience and Control

I always thought patience was a virtue I possessed, not that I was perfect at it, but that I tend to be a patient person in general. Well, over the last five years I have realized that I may not be as patient as I once thought. I have learned a great deal about myself and I know I have several things I need to work on. For instance, I love things to be well-planned and organized. I guess you could say I love to have control. I have learned that there are very few things I have control over. Right now, I am struggling with patience and control. I think it is because I am in a waiting period of life. It has been almost a year since we put our names back on the adoption list and nothing has come from it and there seems to be no potential in the near future. I truly understand and believe that God's timing and plan are perfect. We experienced that with Liam's arrival. Liam is nearly two and I really want him to have an adopted sibling. I want another child, but I especially want another adopted child. I want Liam to share his journey with someone who understands and I know that Liam will be a great big brother, friend, and mentor for his sibling. I guess if I knew what God had planned and the timeframe he has established, it would be easier to wait. Waiting can be discouraging and is especially hard when you don't know what's at the end of the your waiting. I must admit that I have had doubts and have wondered if we are even pursuing the right adoption. I wonder if God is calling us to adopt internationally and that is why we aren't getting any closer to adopting domestically. I wonder if we need to branch out and try adopting a baby outside our agency's borders. There are so many whys and what ifs. I am sure I asked the same questions while we waited for Liam. I just keep reminding myself that God knows the complete picture. He is the one who designed our family and our story. I am just praying that He provides us with clear answers and direction as we try to follow His will. In the mean-time we are enjoying the miracle Liam is to our lives. We are thankful for him every minute of every day. I hope that we are bringing God glory as we wait. And, I will strive to be patient because I know God is in complete control.

Update on Liam's Heart

Today, Liam went in for a check-up on his heart. Liam sat very still as the nurse performed the echocardiogram, which took quite some time. He spent most of the time sitting on Dave's lap, but did lay down so the nurse could get clear pictures of the areas of concern. He was also good for the nurse who took all his vitals. We then had to wait an hour for our consultation with the doctor. That was a challenge. It is difficult to keep a busy (almost) two year old occupied in a small waiting room for an hour. Thankfully, I came equipped with snacks and our IPad with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episodes on it. I am so glad Dave was with me!


Last time Liam had an echocardiogram, the doctor found three areas of concern. The areas of concern are coarctation of aorta (narrowing of the main artery), two fused parts in his left ventricle valve, and a hole between the upper two chambers of his heart. As they checked those three areas, they found that there are no major changes, which is a good thing. As long as things remain stable, there is no need for surgery. We will check those three areas again in six months. If after six months things remain stable, we can cut back our visits to once a year. If the hole in his heart has not closed by the time Liam is four (the age when most holes fuse together on their own), then he will need surgery. For now, we are happy that things have remained stable.


The doctor did find two new areas of concern. The first was that Liam has fluid build-up around his heart. This is probably caused from the viral infection (stomach bug) we all got at the beginning of January. It is normal to have fluid around the heart when sick, but sometimes with children with heart problems, the fluid persists or increases instead of decreasing once the viral infection is gone. We will go back in six weeks to check the fluid. If the fluid is the same amount at that point, we will try to decrease it with medicine. If the fluid increases, the doctor will extract the fluid. The doctor gave us things to look out for in the meantime, but we are hopeful this will clear up on its own.


The second new area of concern is in the mitral valve (another valve leading to the heart). This may have been a concern earlier, but was just now noticed on the echocardiogram. The doctor didn't seem too concerned with the stress this is placing on Liam's heart and said we would add this to the list of things to check in six months.


Overall, the appointment went well. Liam's heart will continually need monitoring, but as long as things remain stable, he shouldn't need surgery in the near future. He certainly doesn't act like a kid with a heart defect! I continue to pray for a miracle, because I know God is capable of doing that. However, I know that God may work more miracles in the lives of the people that encounter Liam through this obstacle. I keep reminding myself that these experiences are molding Liam into the person God wants him to be and He will use this for His glory.

What We're Up To

Free scrapbook design made with Smilebox

Shower Time

Last weekend my mom hosted a baby shower for my sister-in-law Anna. I was in charge of bringing the cookies. Anna found owl cookies on-line that she thought were really cute. (The baby's room will be decorated in pink and orange owls). I tried to make similar ones. The cookies were sugar cookies, with powdered sugar icing, buttercream fondant owls, candy eyes, and fondant leaves.

I had a great time working on the baby's gifts. I made her a baby blanket. Over Christmas break, my sister-in-law Julie showed me a pattern, which happens to be the same pattern of Liam's blanket. I think it turned out really cute. I have officially become addicted to crocheting!

It was so much fun to put together a girly gift basket. I found a onesie that says, "My Auntie loves me," one of our favorite board books, I Love You Because You're You, and I made a scrapbook. I scrapbooked ultrasound pictures of the baby. I also had family members (extended as well) write a letter to baby Hart and put them all together with a pink and orange owl theme.

Now, we just need to wait patiently for the little girl to arrive. I can't wait to snuggle my newest niece!

Christmas Letter 2011

December 2011

Dear Family and Friends,

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power... to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 

Ephesians 3:17-19

           We pray that you are enjoying this Christmas season, resting in the comfort of God's grace, and celebrating the gifts that only God can give.

            This year has been filled with many new adventures, as only life with an active little boy can.  We began the year with a baby and now have a very creative, smart, and active little boy.  Liam has indeed become the center of activity in our home, and we are so blessed that he is our son.  Almost every day, Liam adds a new word to his vocabulary, which means we must be selective with what we say.  Liam loves to help mommy with all her chores and especially loves to cook in the kitchen.  Bath-time continues to be one of his favorite activities.  He would stay in the water all day if we let him.  He has become quite good at rearranging things around the house and hiding things.  He loves to play with daddy and runs to the door to greet him when he comes home from work.  He is sweet and gentle with Daisy and tolerates her kisses.  We are so proud of all his accomplishments.  His cheerful disposition is contagious and he leaves an imprint on the lives of everyone he meets.  God has great plans for Liam and we are excited to see what those are.

            Dave continues to work with Thrivent Financial and enjoys what he does.  He started the year by settling into a new office, which has been a great blessing.  He touches so many lives, not just by helping people plan for the future, but by genuinely caring for all his clients and viewing his profession as a ministry.  Tiffany started the year by helping with choreography for Concordia High School’s production of “West Side Story.”  She also substitute taught in first and third grade classes for teachers who went on maternity leave.  It was good to teach again, but made her realize she is not meant to work full-time right now.  She is blessed with a part-time job this school year as a Special Education teacher at two Lutheran Schools.  She is hired through Lutheran Special Education Ministries and teaches two mornings at Suburban Bethlehem and two afternoons as Ascension Lutheran.  Tiffany loves being able to stay home with Liam the majority of the week and still teach.  She is also finishing up her Masters in Special Education and is set to graduate in June 2012.  She is in the middle of writing her thesis/special project.  The whole family will be grateful when she is done with classes!

            We made many family memories this year.  When Dave turned 30 in March we celebrated with an 80’s themed surprise party.  We also spent a weekend in Chicago, and left Liam overnight for the first time.  Liam was in good hands with his Uncle Rick and Aunt Anna.  In addition to numerous trips to the park and zoo, we took a family vacation with Tiffany’s family to Branson, Missouri in June.  Liam was great on our road trip.  Some of the highlights were “Noah’s Ark” the musical, a dinner cruise, a couple’s massage, plenty of time in the pool, and the children’s museum in Saint Louis.  In November, Tiffany joined the 30 club and we celebrated with a weekend away to a spa in Detroit.  Liam stayed with Grandma and Grandpa Kusch and was spoiled, of course.  Even the ordinary, daily routines are an adventure for us.  Liam adds such enthusiasm and joy to everything we do.

            We look forward to all the ways that God will use our family in 2012 and anticipate the new adventures He sends our way.  We are currently on a waiting list to adopt again.  We trust that God’s timing and plan are perfect and He will bless us with another child when the time is right.

            We wish you a very merry Christmas and happy New Year. 

With Love,

David, Tiffany & Liam Herman

Christmas Photo Shoot Outtakes

Over Thanksgiving my sister-in-law took our annual family picture for our Christmas cards.  Here are the outtakes.  They are a great demonstration of what life is like right now with a busy boy.

Craft Time

Now that Liam is coloring more often, we have more crayon bits lying around.  I decided that it was time to recycle those crayons and use them again.  Liam and I started by taking all the wrappers off the crayons.  Then, we sorted all the crayons by color and put them in my chocolate form (farm animals).  We put them in the oven at 250* for about 20 minutes and voila - we had animal shaped crayons.  Once they cooled and hardened we plopped them out and began to use them.  This was a fun project and was a great activity for Liam to practice sorting and working on color names.