Waiting for One More

Until we get home from vacation, I can't post any of our fun family Christmas pictures. Until then, I want to share something I have been thinking a lot about this week.

As many, if not all, of you know, we prayerfully made the decision to adopt our next child. I am so glad that I had the privilege of being pregnant and giving birth, and desperately want that experience again. I now know why they call it the "miracle of birth" and I feel so fortunate and truly grateful that I have had the opportunity to experience that all first-hand. But I also feel blessed to be able to experience the gift of adoption. I can't imagine how hard it is for these birthmothers. It is a completely selfless act when they give their child to an adoptive family. I respect the birthmothers that can take an unexpected and scary situation and turn it into a blessing for others. Our family, certainly, will not be complete without someone else's loving sacrifice, for which we will be eternally grateful.

Right now, we are in the process of waiting for one more to enter our home. And the waiting process can feel discouraging. There are so many families that want to adopt a baby, and we are just one of those thousands. As more and more of our friends become pregnant (and we sincerely are happy and excited for you) it makes the "waiting" period feel a little longer. I feel like things are so out of our control at times (just like I'm sure many who can't seem to get pregnant must feel). I do believe, however, that the right child will come into our home, no matter how long that may take. I honestly believe that. And I've been blessed with opportunities to feel the Spirit remind me that this all is out of our control, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. And really, I would rather have God align everything for me, yet it's still hard to hand over the game controller and say "Here you go. Move me where you want, add another player when you want." Theoretically it sounds really easy, but in practice, I have found it to be a completely different experience. Recently as I have prayed for help in doing this, I have become a happier person. Funny how that works huh? You do what God wants and you're happier. I really do believe that Heavenly Father will direct our paths, and our birthmother's, so that those paths will cross. Holly and Chuck, Marcus's aunt and uncle, have adopted 2 kids and have had 2 children by birth. She explains it like this (Holly, I hope you don't mind me sharing this): "Before we came to this earth, we knew we would be a family. Some of you came to this earth by me, some of you by someone else. It doesn't matter what you look like or how you got here. Your spirits are the same and we are the family Heavenly Father wants us to be." Doesn't that just seem right? I believe that the baby that is supposed to be in our home will come and that the birthmother will recognize us when she sees us and reads about us. Whether the baby is black, white, boy, girl, tall, short, whatever -- the right one will find us.

In the meantime, we feel the need to look for that child. Maybe it just makes us feel better knowing we are doing something...because it is really hard to just sit and hope someone calls. We are telling everyone we know that we are waiting to adopt. Perhaps word will get around and a friend of a friend will know someone who is looking for a family for their child. Who knows. But until the day comes, we continue to pray for the birthmom and our new little baby, whoever that may be.

Our adoption profile is open to anyone who is interested in looking at it. Thank you all for your wonderful love and support.