DJ, the child we hosted and advocated for during the summer of 2016 and our forever “nephew,” has officially been a son for one full year! We asked his mama, Rebecca, if she would give us an update on life back home in Chicago. This is her honest, f’real, brave and vulnerable look behind the scenes of the last challenging year as a mama to that boy we love so much. Thank you, Rebecca, for sharing your story. <3
Read moreThe Birthday Cake Re-Mix (with brand new videos!)
The first week of May, we ordered a birthday cake for our favorite personality-packed girl.
After spending a month with us this winter, Joy was back in her home orphanage in China, waiting for her forever family to complete the paperwork to bring her home. No child should feel as if her special moments don’t matter, and we wanted to make sure that this beautiful girl who had touched a place deep in our souls felt loved and celebrated as she turned 8 years old.
The process of ordering cakes and cards to be delivered to orphanages can sometimes take days or weeks, so we weren’t surprised when, by June, we still hadn’t heard any confirmation of Joy’s birthday delivery.
But this week, six weeks after we sent her a cake and a letter telling her how much she was treasured, thought about, prayed for and loved, we finally received a confirmation email.
Joy’s cake had accidentally been delivered to another child, and the organization was quickly correcting the error and sending a NEW cake with the old letter immediately to Joy.
Although it took longer than expected, the end result was totally worth the wait. Because these are the pictures we received this week of the birthday party Joy’s beautiful nannies held for her and all her friends when she finally received her package this week!
Read moreJoy's Story Changed ... Again!
They’d been praying over her since the moment they first saw her face on their newsfeed back in December.
They’d wondered if she was theirs from the moment her grocery store boxing gloves won their hearts.
They were drawn to her. They felt attached to her. They were enamored by her. They adored her.
They just didn’t know if they could responsibly COMMIT to her in that specific season in time.
A military family stationed on the East coast and awaiting orders anywhere in the world, they were a family in transition, unsure if they could physically begin the international adoption process because of where they might soon be stationed … but one nevertheless gripped by the joy that was Joy.
Although we had mutual friends, we didn’t know each other, and we’d never been stationed together. But this sweet military family messaged me anyway to learn more about the winter host child who had captured our hearts and theirs in under 5.2.
Joy. Personality-packed, affectionate Joy.
Read moreFacing an Extra Chromosome? Welcome to the Jackpot!
The doctor delivered the news just five minutes after we had delivered and fallen in love with the first superhero to ever join our family.
Super-Spouse and I had just completed the feat of all feats — staying awake for 24 hours without anything but a sneaked-in Handisnack to keep us energized, cheering one another on in our tiny post hospital room as we prepared to change our official titles.
From young, naïve IDIOTS to young, naïve, idiotic PARENTS.
We were holding sweaty hands, smiling from ear to ear and just in total awe and amazement at the little boy we had somehow created, now being observed and examined in the careful hands of his doctor.
We were mesmerized.
We were in love.
And after spending nine long months dreaming about and imagining what this baby and this moment would feel like, we didn’t think anything could possibly bring us down.
Until the pediatrician our delivery doctor had summoned spoke.
“The bridge of your baby’s nose is wide, his ears aren’t aligned and frankly, he’s just what we call an FLK,” the pediatrician told us. “A funny-looking kid.”
Super-Spouse and I looked at each other, and after 24 hours with no sleep and more than an hour trying to push out a baby, I was delirious, in pain and almost couldn’t process what the doctor said.
Our baby, our beautiful, flawless baby, minus the bruises and the head malformation that came from hours of pushing, looked perfect to us.
“I’m going to order a full chromosomal karyotype,” he told us. “Since you two aren’t FLPs — funny-looking parents — I’m concerned about your son’s health. If he doesn’t have Down syndrome, I’m 99 percent sure he has something. This chromosomal analysis will tell us what it is.”
And then, as quickly as he entered our life, he left it … in complete and utter upheaval.
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An Adoption Day 11 Years in the Making
I feel like we’ve been waiting FOREVER for this day.
For seven long months.
Since the day we said goodbye.
But when I look back, it’s been longer.
For us, we’ve been waiting for this day since the day 11 months ago when we signed up to host the precious 10-year-old boy who had one day left to find a host family.
Whose smile stole our hearts.
Whose hand reminded us of our own Superman’s.
Whose heart we heard already from the hosting coordinator was just made of gold.
It’s been since THAT day that we’ve been waiting for THIS one.
The day that our first ever host child would be officially registered for ADOPTION!
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