I wanted to share this video to show a very good example of what the open adoption situation can look like. This is very similar to our own experience.
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Do Not be Afraid
Here is a song I found today that sums up what advice I have for anyone going into the unknown where God is calling them. Fear keeps us from what God would love to bless us with. It imprisons us and leaves us paralyzed. We can miss so much of life when trapped by fear. In adoption there are many things that can bring out fear in adoptive parents. Open adoption can be very scary, but I can't begin to express the blessings that have come from diving into the deep waters trusting that God will keep us from going under. If we had chosen to stay in the dark and be afraid, life would not be so full and so bright with all of the people we now call family!
Fear Is Easy, Love Is Hard - Official Lyric Video
Monday, November 3, 2014
10 Months and Counting
Today marks 10 months since our lives were changed by our little Joy. She has changed so much in this time. Busy would be a huge understatement for the active little sweetie who graces our home with squeals and giggles. These days she is into everything. She is on the move and will no doubt be walking soon. We have so enjoyed her and love watching her grow into a little toddler who now asserts herself. She has a personality all her own and a will to match it! She is a social butterfly and loves to make everyone around her smile. We love her to pieces!
In these past 10 months I have learned a thing or two about love. The whole process of opening your heart to love a child who came from another mother was something I knew would cause me to grow as a person. I knew it was possible to love a child who was not genetically mine, but there were always the fears that I wouldn't have the same bond as I do with my biological children. I worried that I wouldn't feel the same connection. I remember feeling such a disconnect while waiting for Joy to be born. It was so strange to be "paper pregnant" as they call it, but have none of the sensations and experiences of physically carrying our baby. I worried that the connection that is created during pregnancy would never be there. The moment she entered the world, all fears disappeared. My heart grew 100x that day! All of the same feelings that I experienced during the delivery of our two biological children were there. I remember being surprised that I was feeling so much the same. It was really an amazing time. L and I were just reminiscing about the day Joy was born. It was such a life changing experience for both of us. We now share a bond because of it that just can't be replicated. Someday we will both share in the birth of our grandchildren when Joy begins a family of her own. What a fantastic picture...all of Joy's big life events will be shared with each other. She will have two mother's to celebrate life's mountains and comfort her in the valleys.
The biggest surprise in the past 10 month is not how my heart grew to fit Joy in the mix of our family, but how much it grew to include L in our lives. I do think it grew in equal amounts for the two of them. There really is no differentiation between how much I love them both. I was not at all prepared to feel so strongly about L. It really is a wonderful surprise and twist on our life story! She is just as much a part of our family as little miss Joy. This blended family just wouldn't be the same without her. We care about her so much and would do just about anything for the girl! Today I am just so thankful for the past 10 months. I am thankful for the lessons that have been learned through the ups and downs of the process of adoption. I am ever grateful to L for choosing life for Joy, and for choosing to allow us to raise this little ray of sunshine. We are blessed to have such a beautiful young woman to share life and precious Joy with.
Happy 10 months little miss Sunshine!!
In these past 10 months I have learned a thing or two about love. The whole process of opening your heart to love a child who came from another mother was something I knew would cause me to grow as a person. I knew it was possible to love a child who was not genetically mine, but there were always the fears that I wouldn't have the same bond as I do with my biological children. I worried that I wouldn't feel the same connection. I remember feeling such a disconnect while waiting for Joy to be born. It was so strange to be "paper pregnant" as they call it, but have none of the sensations and experiences of physically carrying our baby. I worried that the connection that is created during pregnancy would never be there. The moment she entered the world, all fears disappeared. My heart grew 100x that day! All of the same feelings that I experienced during the delivery of our two biological children were there. I remember being surprised that I was feeling so much the same. It was really an amazing time. L and I were just reminiscing about the day Joy was born. It was such a life changing experience for both of us. We now share a bond because of it that just can't be replicated. Someday we will both share in the birth of our grandchildren when Joy begins a family of her own. What a fantastic picture...all of Joy's big life events will be shared with each other. She will have two mother's to celebrate life's mountains and comfort her in the valleys.
The biggest surprise in the past 10 month is not how my heart grew to fit Joy in the mix of our family, but how much it grew to include L in our lives. I do think it grew in equal amounts for the two of them. There really is no differentiation between how much I love them both. I was not at all prepared to feel so strongly about L. It really is a wonderful surprise and twist on our life story! She is just as much a part of our family as little miss Joy. This blended family just wouldn't be the same without her. We care about her so much and would do just about anything for the girl! Today I am just so thankful for the past 10 months. I am thankful for the lessons that have been learned through the ups and downs of the process of adoption. I am ever grateful to L for choosing life for Joy, and for choosing to allow us to raise this little ray of sunshine. We are blessed to have such a beautiful young woman to share life and precious Joy with.
Happy 10 months little miss Sunshine!!
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