A Gift

The boys received a Valentine's day package from EJ's mom last week. They love her packages. She has a gift for gift giving. It's her love language and it's nice for my boys to see, b/c it's NOT my strong suit. I can be pretty awful at it actually.

At bedtime that night, Ryan thanked God for his "tandy," (candy) Mason's tandy and Owen's tandy.

Thanks again, Mim!

Change

We’ve been asked if we are worried how the adoption will affect our biological kids. 

Our answer? YES. Did this change our minds? NO. Have they been affected? YES.

I probably question myself every day. Not because I have doubts that this is the right thing, but because it does affect them on a daily basis. Even now, before she graces us with her presence, we've been changed. Our house is changing, it feels smaller already ;) We have pink things arriving in packages ;) We are "celebrating" the Chinese New Year for the first time ever (and so are our friends apparently). She is the topic of conversation all the time. They must deal with a mama who has baby brain worse than when she was pregnant. And they roll their eyes when their mama says "nǐ hǎo" (hello) followed by "wǎn'ān"(good night) to her picture on the fridge every morning b/c I am starting my day and hers is ending.

We do have specific concerns/prayers for each of our boys. We also are hopeful for the good changes this will bring too.

Here is one! I found this on my pillow one night.

By the world's economy this would be considered chunk change, but in our eyes it's exactly the right change!!! And we stand in awe of the God we serve.

Getting Out

I tend to hibernate in Jan. and Feb. and I often don't even realize I am doing it. Thankfully the last few days have been a little milder in temperatures. I was throwing the football yesterday and Ryan and I went for a "walk" after lunch today. It was nice to feel the sun on our faces.

We collected some acorns that were already rooted in the ground. No more oak trees needed in our yard!

31 Goodies

The 31 products arrived today!! 3 huge boxes full of goodies. (I am loving all the pink) It didn't take nearly as long to sort and divide as I thought it would. It was fun to see what my friends bought b/c it was too hectic at the party to see each order. Now I have a reason to see each of those friends again to deliver and thank them for their purchases.

As hostess, I got several free items plus $250 worth of credit to spend!! That was a fun shopping spree. What a treat. I got all kinds of great things. One of which is this super cute bag for Sugar Plum. Basically a new diaper bag. And yes, she and I share the same first initial ;) Will come in handy later if I want to use it for myself.

 

I was also able to buy end-of-the-year gifts for Owen and Mason's teachers, a baby gift for my sister, a camera bag for myself and a rolling duffel bag that Sugar Plum and I can fight over ;)

We've Been Matched

A year ago today, EJ and I decided that we felt God leading us to adopt. God's love for us had moved us. He had opened our eyes and hearts to the fatherless and we could not turn away. After lots of praying and talking, talking, talking, we felt the nudge to start this journey.

A few weeks later, I wrote in my journal, "I am happier than ever being a mom, but there is a constant tug to think of the one who is not yet with us. I do not doubt that the Lord is calling us to adopt. I am confident that He will give us what we need to love another, but I am realizing that I do not trust Him to make one available to us. It is absurd and makes NO sense. Why can I have faith and be lacking in faith all at the same time?"

Well, step by step, God led us to our daughter. On Jan. 25th we saw her face for the first time! She is a teeny tiny bald beauty (head has been shaved) and only 17 months old!!!

Not all of these steps have been easy, but God has been faithful and I have a deeper understanding of his love, compassion and grace for ME. The referral process, for us, was not as glamorous as one might imagine. It is tempting to keep secret those to whom we said "no," but this is all part of our story. And as I have learned from Joseph (in Genesis at Wellspring), every part to our story is significant. I am blown away by the new mercies I have seen in my Heavenly Father for ME. Praying for eyes to see his mercy for these little girls! We are praying that "Lotus", "Precious Cloud" and "Bright Morning" would find their forever family SOON.

So... our little one. She is amazing. She is beautiful. She is tiny (17.5 lbs). I can not believe Ryan will be a big brother. She will be 2 in Aug. and they will be 16 months apart in age. According to her records she is active, fond of imitating, fond of listening to music and playing with toys. She has a "ready smile", quick in reaction, fond of reading picture books and games. Sounds like she will fit in just perfect ;) She has been in an institution since abandonment at about 1 month of age. Her Chinese name, Xiuyan means "graceful, beautiful." The boys love talking about her and when Ryan says her Chinese name it is the cutest thing!

We sent in our Letter of Intent (LOI) on Jan 26th. We received per-approval on Jan 29th and now wait for our official letter of approval (LOA) which could take 60-90 days.

Please keep praying for our Sugar Plum. The waiting does feel so much harder now that we have seen her. We will be sending a care package to her after the Chinese New Year and hope that we will get new pictures as confirmation of receipt ;)