Little A,
Last year at this time we had just begun the adoption process and the journey that would lead us to you. This year, we had hoped we would have our referral and had seen your face by today but that was not the plan. We continue to await our referral. We continue to await the introduction to our little ladybug. Today we are celebrating Thanksgiving and giving thanks for the many blessings in our lives. We have so very much to be thankful for. Little A, we are thankful for you. We are thankful for the ways you have already impacted our family and we have yet to meet you. We are thankful for your life. You were fearfully and wonderfully made by your Heavenly Father and we cannot wait to get to know you. We are thankful for your birth parents and for the gift of life they gave to you. We are thankful for our adoption agency and the people who are working hard to bring you home to your forever family. We are thankful for the people who are caring for you while you are away from us. Most of all we are thankful to God for calling us into this wonderful adventure of adoption and for watching over you until it is time for you to come home.
We love you Little A and are praying that you will be here to celebrate Thanksgiving with us next year!
Love,
Mama, Daddy and E
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Friday, September 27, 2013
Tiny Whispers
A year ago this month Daniel and I stepped out in faith and sent an application to Holt International in anticipation of adopting a little girl from China. A year ago yesterday we were accepted to Holt's China program. One year! Reaching the one year mark of our journey has been a little hard but in recent days God has provided tiny, gentle whispers to my soul as we continue to await our referral.
We have been on the waiting family list 5 months now and to be honest I am feeling a little impatient. I wake up each morning wondering if today will be the day we get "THE CALL!" Will I answer the phone and hear "Hi Gloria, this is your referral call!"? As I am out and about doing the daily tasks of life I hear a baby cry and I wonder if my little one is crying. Is someone caring well for her? Does she know she is loved? I see a teenage girl in a restaurant and I wonder if our Sweet A will one day grow to look like her. I play peek-a-boo with our friend's little one and dream of the day I will be able to play peek-a-boo with my own precious one.
But God is SO faithful. It is in the hard moments He provides those tiny whispers. The reminders that He's got this. His timing is perfect and His grace is sufficient. The reminder that Little A is not alone. She has a Heavenly Father who loves her and knows everything about her. It is the young lady I see in the restaurant, the little girl with a repaired cleft lip on the playground, the adoptive family at the zoo, the ladybug that lands on my window while I wait in the car pool line, the email advertisement from Asiana Airlines. My Father has got this. He whispers to me to trust Him, trust His timing, trust His will.
So thankful for the tiny whispers and so thankful that God is faithful!
We have been on the waiting family list 5 months now and to be honest I am feeling a little impatient. I wake up each morning wondering if today will be the day we get "THE CALL!" Will I answer the phone and hear "Hi Gloria, this is your referral call!"? As I am out and about doing the daily tasks of life I hear a baby cry and I wonder if my little one is crying. Is someone caring well for her? Does she know she is loved? I see a teenage girl in a restaurant and I wonder if our Sweet A will one day grow to look like her. I play peek-a-boo with our friend's little one and dream of the day I will be able to play peek-a-boo with my own precious one.
But God is SO faithful. It is in the hard moments He provides those tiny whispers. The reminders that He's got this. His timing is perfect and His grace is sufficient. The reminder that Little A is not alone. She has a Heavenly Father who loves her and knows everything about her. It is the young lady I see in the restaurant, the little girl with a repaired cleft lip on the playground, the adoptive family at the zoo, the ladybug that lands on my window while I wait in the car pool line, the email advertisement from Asiana Airlines. My Father has got this. He whispers to me to trust Him, trust His timing, trust His will.
So thankful for the tiny whispers and so thankful that God is faithful!
Saturday, August 31, 2013
If I Had A Dollar
I am sure many of my fellow adoptive mama friends can relate to this post and so I write. As a disclaimer - I am not writing this because I have been offended or hurt. I just wanted to share some things that have been on my mind. If as you read this post you think, "is she talking about me?," chances are the answer is NO.
One of the frequently spouted off comments to adoptive families is "I bet you will get pregnant after you bring your little one home from (insert country)." Most people who make this statement have no idea what has brought you and your family to the adoption journey. In our case, adoption was always a part of our family plan, however unexplained secondary infertility brought about this chapter in our lives a little sooner than we anticipated.
As we have walked this happy road of adoption I have heard the above referenced comment at least 50 times if not more. My response has been and will remain, "I hope you are right!" However, I feel it is important to share that if this does happen I do not want to become another one of those stories - you know the ones I am talking about - "I have a friend who tried to get pregnant for many years and was told it would never happen. They adopted their son/daughter from (insert country) and 2 months later she found out she was pregnant."
The truth of the matter is that it could very well happen to us. We have been pregnant. More than once. We have a beautiful little girl who entered our family through birth and we will have another beautiful little girl enter our family through adoption. There is no physical reason for us not to be able to have another biological child. So, if God chooses to bless us with another child after Little A has joined our family - Praise Him! If He chooses not to bless us with another biological child after Little A has joined our family - Praise Him!
If you have ever made the aforementioned comment to an adoptive mama, it's OK. If you have made that statement to me - it's OK. I hope you are right! However, just know that for some women it is a hard statement to hear. They know the circumstances that brought them to adoption, they havepossibly grieved the loss of biological children or are still grieving, they have faced difficult days and could face more in the future. So please be sensitive.
And if I ever have the privilege of sharing that we are pregnant again, please do not say "I knew it would happen" or "I told you so!" THANKS!
One of the frequently spouted off comments to adoptive families is "I bet you will get pregnant after you bring your little one home from (insert country)." Most people who make this statement have no idea what has brought you and your family to the adoption journey. In our case, adoption was always a part of our family plan, however unexplained secondary infertility brought about this chapter in our lives a little sooner than we anticipated.
As we have walked this happy road of adoption I have heard the above referenced comment at least 50 times if not more. My response has been and will remain, "I hope you are right!" However, I feel it is important to share that if this does happen I do not want to become another one of those stories - you know the ones I am talking about - "I have a friend who tried to get pregnant for many years and was told it would never happen. They adopted their son/daughter from (insert country) and 2 months later she found out she was pregnant."
The truth of the matter is that it could very well happen to us. We have been pregnant. More than once. We have a beautiful little girl who entered our family through birth and we will have another beautiful little girl enter our family through adoption. There is no physical reason for us not to be able to have another biological child. So, if God chooses to bless us with another child after Little A has joined our family - Praise Him! If He chooses not to bless us with another biological child after Little A has joined our family - Praise Him!
If you have ever made the aforementioned comment to an adoptive mama, it's OK. If you have made that statement to me - it's OK. I hope you are right! However, just know that for some women it is a hard statement to hear. They know the circumstances that brought them to adoption, they have
And if I ever have the privilege of sharing that we are pregnant again, please do not say "I knew it would happen" or "I told you so!" THANKS!
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Becoming Color Aware
As you may already know, there is a lot of training and reading involved in the adoption process. Daniel and I had to complete many hours of online training, read articles and even do homework as part of our home study assessment. One of our take-aways from the training was the idea of being color aware instead of color blind. When we become color aware we acknowledge that there is a difference but we do not place expectations, stereotypes and labels on people. Becoming color aware allows us to appreciate an individual's culture, ethnicity and heritage. I have always felt drawn to people of different ethnicity and really enjoy learning about different cultures, languages, etc.
As we have navigated our way through the adoption process it has been such a neat experience to see our precious E develop color awareness. No matter where we go, whether it be the playground, grocery store, mall or even Chick-fil-A our little girl is drawn to children who are of Asian descent. She often comments on how her little sister might look like a certain individual we encounter while we are out and about. I absolutely LOVE this.
Just this past weekend we went to Chick-Fil-A and then made a trip to IKEA. While at CFA, E went to play in the play place. Immediately she approached a little Asian girl and began to play with her. Later E told me that she had asked the little girl if she was from Chi.na and told her that she was going to bring her little sister home from Chi.na. Later that same day while we were in IKEA E spotted a doll that looked Asian and immediately asked if we could purchase it for baby sister.
We have tried to encourage E in this area of becoming color aware by introducing books and toys that depict Asian children. We are so looking forward to the day that our sweet Little A joins our family and finds dolls and books in her room with children who look like her. It is our hope and prayer that Little A would know that we have not become color blind but that we are color aware and that we want to incorporate her heritage into our home.
What fun it will be to celebrate Chinese New Year and to share in cultural celebrations that are unlike our own. We are looking forward to creating some new family traditions that will blend both the Chinese and American cultures as we strive to help our daughters become more and more color aware.
As we have navigated our way through the adoption process it has been such a neat experience to see our precious E develop color awareness. No matter where we go, whether it be the playground, grocery store, mall or even Chick-fil-A our little girl is drawn to children who are of Asian descent. She often comments on how her little sister might look like a certain individual we encounter while we are out and about. I absolutely LOVE this.
Just this past weekend we went to Chick-Fil-A and then made a trip to IKEA. While at CFA, E went to play in the play place. Immediately she approached a little Asian girl and began to play with her. Later E told me that she had asked the little girl if she was from Chi.na and told her that she was going to bring her little sister home from Chi.na. Later that same day while we were in IKEA E spotted a doll that looked Asian and immediately asked if we could purchase it for baby sister.
We have tried to encourage E in this area of becoming color aware by introducing books and toys that depict Asian children. We are so looking forward to the day that our sweet Little A joins our family and finds dolls and books in her room with children who look like her. It is our hope and prayer that Little A would know that we have not become color blind but that we are color aware and that we want to incorporate her heritage into our home.
What fun it will be to celebrate Chinese New Year and to share in cultural celebrations that are unlike our own. We are looking forward to creating some new family traditions that will blend both the Chinese and American cultures as we strive to help our daughters become more and more color aware.
Friday, July 26, 2013
Encouraged
One of the most wonderful parts about the adoption journey has been the support and encouragement of friends and family and even people who were strangers to us when the journey began who are now in our cheering section. Daniel and I both know that we could not walk this road alone. It is a long road and the journey that led us to this place was even longer (not just time wise but experience wise, if that makes sense).
It is such a blessing to receive phone calls, emails and messages on FB inquiring how things are going, where are we in the process and are there any new developments. On the days when it seems like we might wait forever we catch a glimpse of the light at the end of the tunnel and have the opportunity to share our story with someone.
I have been blown away by the kindness of brothers and sisters in Christ whom we know through other friends who have donated time, energy, services and even financial resources to make this possible. Our concert and silent auction back in April was one such example. We received auction items from people we have never met, families attended because they heard about the event from a friend and wanted to support us, dear friends reached out on our behalf and on behalf of a little girl whom we have yet to meet. Our garage sale in May was another such example. We had 3 garages full of donated items to sell at our sale, much of it coming from people we have never met. Strangers who have stumbled across our blog have sponsored puzzle pieces to bring our puzzle completion to over 1100 pieces. Just a little over 800 pieces to go. AMAZING and so OVERWHELMING!
Thank you does not even seem an adequate response to all those who have come along side and shared in this journey. We cannot wait to see where this road leads and hope that through our experiences we are able to encourage and support other families as well.
I share all this today because I woke up feeling encouraged. Hope you are encouraged as well!
It is such a blessing to receive phone calls, emails and messages on FB inquiring how things are going, where are we in the process and are there any new developments. On the days when it seems like we might wait forever we catch a glimpse of the light at the end of the tunnel and have the opportunity to share our story with someone.
I have been blown away by the kindness of brothers and sisters in Christ whom we know through other friends who have donated time, energy, services and even financial resources to make this possible. Our concert and silent auction back in April was one such example. We received auction items from people we have never met, families attended because they heard about the event from a friend and wanted to support us, dear friends reached out on our behalf and on behalf of a little girl whom we have yet to meet. Our garage sale in May was another such example. We had 3 garages full of donated items to sell at our sale, much of it coming from people we have never met. Strangers who have stumbled across our blog have sponsored puzzle pieces to bring our puzzle completion to over 1100 pieces. Just a little over 800 pieces to go. AMAZING and so OVERWHELMING!
Thank you does not even seem an adequate response to all those who have come along side and shared in this journey. We cannot wait to see where this road leads and hope that through our experiences we are able to encourage and support other families as well.
I share all this today because I woke up feeling encouraged. Hope you are encouraged as well!
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
The Latest
I wish I had lots of exciting news to share today but we are still in the waiting stage. We have now been on the waiting family list a little over 3 months. This is possibly the halfway point of our wait on this list, possibly not. There are so many unknowns in the adoption journey but we have such peace as we wait and encounter glimpses of God's hand all along the way.
We received our 797 approval a little over a week ago and are now diligently working to get our dossier authenticated and to our agency in a timely fashion. Once our dossier makes it to Holt and they approve it, all of our paperwork will make its way around the world and begin the journey through Ch.na.
Just this morning I had a neat opportunity to share about our adoption journey with another mom at E's swimming lessons. As we continue our wait I am thankful for opportunities to share our story and encourage others to consider adoption and orphan ministry.
We received our 797 approval a little over a week ago and are now diligently working to get our dossier authenticated and to our agency in a timely fashion. Once our dossier makes it to Holt and they approve it, all of our paperwork will make its way around the world and begin the journey through Ch.na.
Just this morning I had a neat opportunity to share about our adoption journey with another mom at E's swimming lessons. As we continue our wait I am thankful for opportunities to share our story and encourage others to consider adoption and orphan ministry.
Monday, June 24, 2013
Continuing to Wait
Today as I watched my sweet E play with a group of little girls my heart ached for our Little A to be home with us. The road ahead is still quite long as we continue to await our I-797 approval but this mama is ready to have our referral in hand and to see the precious face that will be joining our family.
We have been on the waiting family list for a little over 2 months. Our agency says many families are on the list anywhere from 1-6 months with some families waiting a little longer. So we do not know how much longer we will be on list. Most days the wait is not too hard but there are times like this morning when I watch E play with friends or when I see a little girl who could look like our Little A or when we have a fun family adventure planned that I feel that empty place in my heart.
E continues to talk about her sister everyday and continues to amaze me with her thoughtfulness and love towards a sister whom she does not know.
Continuing to wait and enjoying the moments but we cannot wait to share them with Little A.
We have been on the waiting family list for a little over 2 months. Our agency says many families are on the list anywhere from 1-6 months with some families waiting a little longer. So we do not know how much longer we will be on list. Most days the wait is not too hard but there are times like this morning when I watch E play with friends or when I see a little girl who could look like our Little A or when we have a fun family adventure planned that I feel that empty place in my heart.
E continues to talk about her sister everyday and continues to amaze me with her thoughtfulness and love towards a sister whom she does not know.
Continuing to wait and enjoying the moments but we cannot wait to share them with Little A.
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