Sept 12, 2008 I was thinking today that I should update on the adoption now that we have had a few weeks to adjust and recoup. I only hope that I can do the experience justice.
Every baby is a miracle. But when it takes a series of miracles for your baby to find your home, it feels like a rare and precious gift. Our son is exactly that. We have so enjoyed him!
Adoption is such an amazing special experience! I simply cannot explain it. To realize that another mother is willing to give you her baby is quite humbling. There is an added responsibility to love this baby not only for yourself, but for his birth mom as well. Our family has been so blessed to have experienced this adoption. To experience firsthand the fact that you can love someone that isn’t biologically yours as much as any of your biological children… maybe in some ways even more because it required extra miracles to get him to us!
Heavenly Father knew well what he was doing when we experienced secondary infertility, and guided us instead to turn towards adoption. We just KNOW that this little guy is ours!!! We know that we agreed before this life to find each other. Our family wouldn’t have been complete without him in it, and we thank Heavenly Father every day for blessing us in this way!
Added to that, having a transracial family has been a new and welcome adventure for us. I am trying to do all the little things his birth mom told me, in how to care for his hair and skin, etc. It has added a completely new dimension to our family. I can’t help but think of the scripture excerpt “…become like a little child” when I watch my girls hold him and love on him. They finally have their baby brother.
I promise to teach my son about famous blacks in history, Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Jackie Robinson, Malcom X, etc, and especially the power of Martin Luther King Jr. and his brilliant leadership. I love that he is born in a country where Obama is president today, something he can aspire to one day if he so chooses, and that he’ll see other prominent blacks achieving amazing things in government, business, religion, sports, families, etc. There will be more than just Black History Month in our home, as we will talk about these things every day. I have watched as our extended families have adapted and opened their hearts as well. They love him, too.
More than anything else, I just feel like the whole experience has made me a better person. There have been so many eye-opening moments and learning experiences that simply make me more well-rounded in the long run. I have more empathy for people that are infertile. More empathy and understanding for people who are waiting in the adoption process. More empathy for brave women who are willing to give up their sweet little babies. More empathy and love for all cultures and races. I feel like I have become a more Christ-like person… because of our little man!
We are sooooo grateful for his sweet little personality in our home. He is cuter, snugglier, and more adorable than we even could have ever hoped for! Adoption is truly amazing!
Sept 15, 2008
Today I was trying to think of the perfect word to describe how I feel about our little man. I was thinking maybe Enraptured. But when I posed the same question to my hubby, his response was Enamored. I actually found this to be really funny since both words ended up being synonyms (we looked them up).
Enraptured: To fill with rapture or delight. To have a powerful, agreeable, and often overwhelming emotional effect on someone.
Enamored: To inspire with love; captivate. To cause to feel a strong or excessive interest or fascination.
Other synonyms: enchanted, delighted, charmed, fascinated, absorbed, entranced, captivated, transported, enthralled, bewitched, ravished, or spellbound.
Either way you want to state it–we sure love our little man!
Nov 17, 2008
I don’t know how, but our son manages to just keep getting cuter and cuter all the time! He is really quite adorable. He is also sitting up now… all by himself at just under 4mos! SLOW DOWN LITTLE DUDE!!
My hubby keeps sitting him up and I keep saying, “Lay him back down!” I keep thinking of my friend’s saying “Babies don’t keep.”
To read more, click Our Adoption Story: Part 8