Pilikia, Pilikia, Pilikia!
This charming little fellow masquerades under the name of Trenton. At least, that's what we put on his birth certificate when he was born sixteen and a half months ago. Little did we know how much personality would burst forth from this little guy in true Shelton fashion, and that it wouldn't take long for us to start calling him by a more descriptive name--Pilikia!!!
Pilikia is a fancy word for "trouble." I got it from a word of the day email from Dictionary.com. It has no other meaning. Just trouble. When I first learned it, I thought it would be a great name for a children's book character, a puppy or kitten, perhaps. But, since I haven't gotten around to writing a book about Pilikia the Puppy, I quickly assigned it to the toddler in our house instead.
Ironically, raising this one is a lot like raising a puppy. He and my Seeing Eye dog have a lot in common. Both will pant and plead with you when they want something, although one does so while running in place, while the other bounces up and down. One plays in the trash can and the toilet, the other happily eats or drinks from them. Either one will beg for whatever you're eating, and make you feel like a big meany if you don't give it to them. Both of them will bark at other dogs, and as of today, either one of them is equally likely to lick you in the face! Yuck!!!
Over the weekend, Pilikia put my nerves especially to the test. In under twenty-four hours, we removed him from playing in the toilet twice, after which he threw away his sippy cup three times, apparently had some remorse over that thus leading him to empty the trash can twice (once he did help me pick it up), followed shortly by him climbing up on the table when I was out of the room, where he emptied a partial box of Cheerios, sprinkled all the salt from the shaker everywhere he could, and then as I got on my hands and knees to clean that up by feel, he found a bag of chips which he emptied out behind me! Several minutes later, I took him with me to the laundry room, where he grabbed the lint trap from the dryer and happily scattered the lint all over the clean clothes I was attempting to fold.
Did I mention that his favorite trick at my parents' house is to climb on their table and spin their chandelier? I'm telling you, this one is trouble with a capital T R O U B L E!
It's no wonder I'm tired! I'm now five weeks out from surgery, and as everyone warned me would happen, my half thyroid that remains isn't keeping up with what my body needs. I am exhausted, lethargic, weak and weepy. I'll cry at anything!
Fortunately, as it turns out, these symptoms will be manageable with meds, so I just have to endure them a couple more weeks on my own.
And, I've been bad about keeping everyone up to date, so the latest on my voice is that it's there, but I can't sing yet. If I yell, raise my voice at all, increase my pitch or volume, everything gets tight and swollen and I set myself back. This is especially difficult for me at church where I want to sing with all my might and can't do so - not that it's kept me from trying. Turns out, Trenton's not the only one who pushes the limits and does ridiculous things. I am trying to learn to rest and be quiet. It's not working. And I'm trying to be patient with healing, which is also not working. These have been some trying days.
But enough of that. Some good things are happening too. I am spending time with my family, a lot of it, and getting to enjoy their daily antics. I'm continuing to read scripture and wonder about new details I've never noticed before. And today, I started a Beth Moore series on the book of James that I can't wait to get into!
She talked about how all the missteps, sins, and emptiness in our lives creates "space for grace." It's that hollow feeling when you're searching for something, room for God to invade, take over and control.
I certainly haven't lost my faith by any means, but my now five weeks of "house arrest" while I attempt to recover, have left me depleted and in need of a touch from a very big God. Conveniently, I happen to know a very big God! A very, very big God! His mercies are new every morning and his love never fails.
I should probably say something adoption-related here since this is our adoption journey blog. We're in a holding pattern, praying, thinking, and trying to discern what our next step will be. I've been forced to slow down and I don't know when I'll be back up to full speed, but I believe that God is faithful and will enable us to do what he has called us to do in his timing.
In the meantime, I'll try to keep up with Pilikia, hang out with the bigger boys as they play Skylanders, play in the snow, drink hot cocoa, and continue the bedtime Bible stories and prayers.
"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11.
Pilikia is a fancy word for "trouble." I got it from a word of the day email from Dictionary.com. It has no other meaning. Just trouble. When I first learned it, I thought it would be a great name for a children's book character, a puppy or kitten, perhaps. But, since I haven't gotten around to writing a book about Pilikia the Puppy, I quickly assigned it to the toddler in our house instead.
Ironically, raising this one is a lot like raising a puppy. He and my Seeing Eye dog have a lot in common. Both will pant and plead with you when they want something, although one does so while running in place, while the other bounces up and down. One plays in the trash can and the toilet, the other happily eats or drinks from them. Either one will beg for whatever you're eating, and make you feel like a big meany if you don't give it to them. Both of them will bark at other dogs, and as of today, either one of them is equally likely to lick you in the face! Yuck!!!
Over the weekend, Pilikia put my nerves especially to the test. In under twenty-four hours, we removed him from playing in the toilet twice, after which he threw away his sippy cup three times, apparently had some remorse over that thus leading him to empty the trash can twice (once he did help me pick it up), followed shortly by him climbing up on the table when I was out of the room, where he emptied a partial box of Cheerios, sprinkled all the salt from the shaker everywhere he could, and then as I got on my hands and knees to clean that up by feel, he found a bag of chips which he emptied out behind me! Several minutes later, I took him with me to the laundry room, where he grabbed the lint trap from the dryer and happily scattered the lint all over the clean clothes I was attempting to fold.
Did I mention that his favorite trick at my parents' house is to climb on their table and spin their chandelier? I'm telling you, this one is trouble with a capital T R O U B L E!
It's no wonder I'm tired! I'm now five weeks out from surgery, and as everyone warned me would happen, my half thyroid that remains isn't keeping up with what my body needs. I am exhausted, lethargic, weak and weepy. I'll cry at anything!
Fortunately, as it turns out, these symptoms will be manageable with meds, so I just have to endure them a couple more weeks on my own.
And, I've been bad about keeping everyone up to date, so the latest on my voice is that it's there, but I can't sing yet. If I yell, raise my voice at all, increase my pitch or volume, everything gets tight and swollen and I set myself back. This is especially difficult for me at church where I want to sing with all my might and can't do so - not that it's kept me from trying. Turns out, Trenton's not the only one who pushes the limits and does ridiculous things. I am trying to learn to rest and be quiet. It's not working. And I'm trying to be patient with healing, which is also not working. These have been some trying days.
But enough of that. Some good things are happening too. I am spending time with my family, a lot of it, and getting to enjoy their daily antics. I'm continuing to read scripture and wonder about new details I've never noticed before. And today, I started a Beth Moore series on the book of James that I can't wait to get into!
She talked about how all the missteps, sins, and emptiness in our lives creates "space for grace." It's that hollow feeling when you're searching for something, room for God to invade, take over and control.
I certainly haven't lost my faith by any means, but my now five weeks of "house arrest" while I attempt to recover, have left me depleted and in need of a touch from a very big God. Conveniently, I happen to know a very big God! A very, very big God! His mercies are new every morning and his love never fails.
I should probably say something adoption-related here since this is our adoption journey blog. We're in a holding pattern, praying, thinking, and trying to discern what our next step will be. I've been forced to slow down and I don't know when I'll be back up to full speed, but I believe that God is faithful and will enable us to do what he has called us to do in his timing.
In the meantime, I'll try to keep up with Pilikia, hang out with the bigger boys as they play Skylanders, play in the snow, drink hot cocoa, and continue the bedtime Bible stories and prayers.
"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11.
That Hawaiian language is good for so many things....
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