It was almost three years ago today that these little girls had their very first adoption play date. We met again the following year and many more times at birthday parties, various play dates, and even did two years of preschool co-op together. Through it all, they have become great friends, and today, we celebrated their special bond with a lovely afternoon tea.
*thank you judy for the group pic*
Though they may not grasp the gravity of their friendship just yet, their friendship is one that we mommies have been prayerful about, hoping that they will be a great source of encouragement and support to each other in the years to come.
As for my fellow adoptive moms, I am so thankful for the many ways they have already been a blessing to me, and for the special bond we share as ones who have been adopted by God. Love you ladies!
It feels like we just celebrated Bethany'sthird birthday
not too long ago, but now here we are celebrating her fourth. We passed
out small treats to her sunday school class, and didn't get back home
from church until the afternoon. Since we'll be having a party for her
later on in the month, we opted to have a small family celebration with
Korean food and cake to commemorate Bethany's special day. What about
our traditional myuk gook you ask? Grandma already came by a few days
ago to make myuk gook, and Bethany devoured it like a good Korean. :)
Happy birthday to my little girl who is a daily reminder to me that
our God is faithful,
hope does not disappoint,
every child deserves a family,
love can cross over continents,
and blood lines do not a family make.
I
often think about and pray for Bethany's birth parents, but particularly on this special day. I will always be grateful to her birth mother
for having the courage to see her pregnancy through to the end, and for
leaving Bethany in the care of those who would eventually find her a family. Our family.
Bethany's birth mother chose life, and today we thank God for that precious life.
Happy birthday Bethany!
We love you so much.
After waiting patiently all day, she was so happy to finally have some cake.
It was three years ago when I first held Bethany in my arms, and we became a family of four. I will never forget that incredible day, and how God grew our family through adoption. (You can read more about our homecoming day in detail here andhere, and find our adoption video here.)
Much has happened during Bethany's third year home, and I am happy to report she is doing extremely well. She's our sweet girl, ready to cuddle at a moment's notice, and the first to say thank you and ask if we're okay. She is also our spunky and determined one, sharp and fearless, strong and carefree. You wouldn't think it at first glance, but once she gets comfortable, you'll see her fire. :)
Her big brother is of course her best friend, and Grandma comes a close second. She enjoys being a part of the same preschool co-op from last year, and attending our local public preschool where she continues to receive speech therapy. It's been encouraging to see her interact with new friends, and see steady progress in her speech all year long. Although she has a lot of room for growth, her articulation and vocabulary have improved immensely, and the entire family is having fun cheering her on with every new word. Go Bethany! We hope to hear some good news when she has her annual IEP next month.
Bethany's a bit of an ipad/iphone junkie already, and it always surprises me how these little ones are so proficient with today's gadgets. She loves watching television, and her latest favorites are Dora, Tinkerbell, Sophia the First, and Peppa Pig. Her favorite part of the day is when we pick Austin up from school, and she gets to pull his backpack all the way to the car. Bethany loves to do "homework", cut with scissors, and chase her big brother with a nerf sword and nerf gun. She also loves to sing and dance, and is my tv buddy when shows like American Idol and The Voice are on.
Bethany still sneaks into our room nearly every single night. Once upon a time, we were those parents who would have nipped it in the bud, but having a ten year old, soon to be middle schooler puts things into perspective --- they don't stay little for long. I decided that waking up with her cheek pressed against mine, or her foot in my face was worth it knowing that she just wanted to be close to her mommy. I know soon enough she'll prefer her own bed over mine, and maybe the tables will turn, and I'll be the one sneaking into her bed at night.
Although I wish she could stay this little forever, I know she has a lot of growing up to do, and I can't wait to see what God has in store for her.
Three years ago, our family received a phone call that I had painstakingly waited years to receive. It was a call from our social worker notifying us that we had a referral for a baby girl. It's a day I will never forget, and I hope one day, I can accurately share this story and many others from her adoption journey with Bethany.
It was the day before Austin's first day of second grade, and I had planned to do a few last minute errands. Austin and I were dressed and ready to leave, but as I was printing out my final Michael's coupon, the phone rang. I was hesitant to answer because it said "private caller", but I decided to anyway.
I am so glad I did!
Within minutes of our phone call, my social worker sent me an email with these two pictures, and some documents with more detailed information about our little girl.
That one phone call set in motion what can only be described as God's great handiwork. He took a child with no mother or father to speak of, and set her on a path to our family of three. In turn, God gave our family one of the greatest gifts we could have ever received; a daughter for Sam and I to love and care for, and a little sister for big brother to dote on (which he totally does!). Of all the babies that were waiting for homes in Korea, God chose this particular baby for our family, and I can't express in words how meaningful that is to me.
It was five more months before she was placed in our arms, but all of that seems like a blur now that she's been home for two and a half years. Today that little girl is happy, healthy, and thriving.
She is my sweet and mischievous girl who would rather play with swords and balls, than tea sets and dolls. She fearlessly follows after her big brother, jumping from heights no three year old should be anywhere near, but she's deathly afraid of loud noises and people dressed in costume. She is a chatterbox who loves to sing and dance at home, but I can barely get her to say "hi" to someone out in public. She is a girl after my own heart, and it is a joy and privilege to be her mom. We love her dearly, and by the looks of it, she already has mom, dad and brother wrapped around her cute pudgy little finger.
As I give thanks to God today for choosing our family for Bethany, I can't help but think of all the other children who have been left behind. There are so many children in this world who do not have families, and my prayer is for each one of them to first of all, know and experience the precious love of God, and second, for them to know and experience the love of a family. Please take some time to consider what you can do to help a fatherless/motherless child. It may be through prayer, financial assistance, mentoring, donations or sponsorship. Who knows, you might be just the person a child has been waiting for.
Our family has been blessed by the beauty of adoption, and maybe, just maybe, your family could be next.
Two years ago, our family of three stepped inside an airport and waited...
After much anticipation, a woman emerged from two sliding doors pushing a blue stroller. I immediately recognized the precious baby sitting inside. I had spent countless hours studying every inch of that beautiful face for that past five months, and now she was here.
I had imagined this very day for years, daydreaming about it constantly. In my "best case scenario" daydreams, I would be greeted by a happy little girl, eager to meet and embrace her new family. But in reality, I was greeted by a frightened and confused ten month old who had just been removed from everything and everyone she knew, and was now expected to fall into the arms of a complete stranger. Understandably so, what I saw in her face was fear, confusion and sadness --- and it broke my heart.
I vividly remember her tiny hands grasping onto the bar of the stroller, not wanting to be picked up. I remember struggling to get her out, and to this day, my eyes well up when I think about how frightened she must have been. It was without a doubt, one of the most amazing days of my life, but it was also heart wrenching.
When I think about all Bethany has had to go through, and the sacrifices made by her birth parents and foster families, my heart is filled with conflicting emotions. Sorrow and guilt at the losses experienced by so many for Bethany to become a part of our family; and immense joy and gratitude for this precious and amazing gift we have received. As an adoptive parent, I have gained so much, but there's no denying that it was through others' significant losses, that my gain was possible.
Today, I look back and thank God for every single person who had a hand in bringing her home. Thanking her birth family and her two foster families are a given, but I also wanted to thank the adoption agencies both in Korea and here in the U.S., the adoption community, our dear friends and family who prayed for us, encouraged us, and supported us all along the way, and all the government agencies who played a part in bringing Bethany home.
As difficult as some parts of our adoption journey were, it pales in comparison to the joy and love that has now filled our home for the past two years. Gone is the frightened and confused ten month old, and in her place is a loveable, affectionate, independent, adventurous, and spirited little girl who is growing up much too fast. Not too long ago, I wrote a short post about her, and not much has changed. She's still full of that "sugar and spice", and we wouldn't change a thing. :)
It's hard to believe Bethany will be turning three in a matter of months. The last time we checked, she was at the 5th percentile for weight, and 13th percentile for height. I'll be curious to see what her new percentiles are when we go for her three year check up in April. Bethany has had a growth spurt recently, and even her tiny feet have managed grow into a size 6! :) Her speech and language development are still a bit delayed, but she has shown a lot of progress, allowing us to decrease her speech therapy sessions to once a week. We are currently in the process of getting her assessed to see if she will need to continue once she turns three. Fortunately, in all other developmental areas, Bethany either meets or exceeds the targeted outcome, so we are not too concerned. We know in time, our little girl will be talking our ears off, just like her big brother. :)
As we celebrate two years together, I am overwhelmed by my love for her,
and thank God for the miracle and beauty that is adoption. Our family has been given a tremendous gift, and to quote my nine year old son, "I don't feel like she was adopted. I feel like she was born into our family." Amen!
In the future my sweet girl will have questions
about her adoption. Though we may not have all the answers she's looking for, I pray Sam and I will be able to respond with patience, wisdom and compassion. I pray she will know just how much we love and cherish her, and that we will always be there for her. I know there might be times when even those truths may not be enough to shield her from the pain and sorrow that is inevitably part of her story, but I pray that when and if that time comes, my dear Bethany will know God, and that He will be the ultimate source of her peace and joy.
I love you so much Bethany, and I thank God everyday for choosing me to be your Mommy. You are my beautiful baby girl, an answer to prayer, a precious gift from above.
Now I'll leave you with some video clips and a year's worth of pictures from Bethany's second year home.
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