Gotcha........

I've sat here for the past few moments trying to think how to start this post. Should I go cliche and say "I can't BU-LIEVE its been a whole year"? Or do I sob and snot all over the keyboard with tears of joy and write something like....jkfadsh;kjvdfjl;gaiuhpewat;jk? Actually the snot would be because I have so much of it in my nose right now. Its gross. So I decided to say what just naturally comes out when I think of how a year ago our sweet Adiah was placed in my arms. Oh, Adiah! How our lives have changed because of your sweet spirit. My life changed when each of my children were born into this world and placed in my arms. A new kind of love was born in me. It wasn't any different with Adiah. Except that it was. This child came to us afraid, sickly, untrusting, and had such baggage that her little body carried the burden of for too long. I remember thinking "how could I help her at all?". I felt so unprepared in that moment. I was so inspired by my sweet travel friend, Amorisa, when she was so honest with us about how she felt in the months after we returned home with our babies. I am going to be honest here too. It was NOT easy those first few weeks and months at home. Don't get me wrong I was overjoyed that she was finally here with us. But we were all grieving some sort of "loss". Loss of what was normal before....the feelings of inadequacy. But the Lord in his mercy transformed us! He took this family who at times just stared at each other wondering how to get from point A to point B and made us THRIVE! Slowly but surely Adiah began to love us. She began to trust us. And she began to weave her little self into the very fabric of our beings. I began to get some sleep (AMEN!), learn how to be her mommy, learn that I really AM ok if she doesn't completely catch up on her delays. Brian began to gain trust with Adiah. He became her daddy....her buddy...her LOVE!! The other kids, well.....they melt my heart! I saw them take this child whom they didn't really know and change her!! And they were changed too! They adore her and I'm pretty sure the feeling is mutual with her. Now we watch this 2 1/2 year old girl march through the house getting into snacks when she shouldn't (but don't think I don't love it!), saying "mine!", and laughing out loud with her whole face!! I am so filled with love right now when I look at these children of mine. Do you think that's what the Lord does when he looks at us? He knows what we've been through. All of our baggage we carry. But he looks at us and says..."But she's mine! And I love HER!!!!". Thank you, God, for the gift of adoption!!! We are forever changed! Happy Gotcha Day, Miss Adiah!!! Can't wait to see how adoption changes us this next time...............................

Happy mommy with baby!

Taken a couple of days ago. I wanted to take one today, on her actual Gotcha Day, but my lens is broken and needs to get fixed. So this is as close as it gets!!!

One of the videos Brian made last year while we were in China