Beauty From Ashes

Tuesday, July 31, 2012 1 comment
Adoption is a beautiful thing, the journey it took to bring Isaiah home forever changed me as a person, a mother and how I looked at myself as the daughter of the King. I will always consider myself blessed that God called me to adopt almost 2 years ago and it is still surreal to look across the room and see my bubbly, chubby, happy and loud 14 month old sitting with his brother playing, laughing and acting as though he has always been a part of this family. I stay amazed at the bond those two share and it is nothing short of a "God moment" every time I see how Isaiah looks at Noah and just hangs on to every movement or sound that his big brother makes. Sometimes in the mornings Noah will go in Isaiah's room and I just stand outside the door listening to him talking to him and the giggles and laughter that arise from that room just make my heart swell with happiness.

All of these beautiful moments have definitely been accompanied by some not so beautiful ashes. Anyone who says people adopt babies because they are cute and cuddly and because they come without attachment issues (trust me those people sadly exist) are just wrong. My sweet boy came home full of fear and zero trust. I had taken him from all he had ever known and brought him home to what was at first his very own foreign country. The first few weeks were harder then most, Isaiah had to learn to trust me and learn that I was Mommy and not just another nanny. He had to learn what boundaries were (yes ya'll babies need boundaries and this momma is all about boundaries and structure from a young age) as well as deal with some food issues he had that naturally comes from being an orphan. Even though the nannies were constantly putting a bottle in his mouth or porridge, he had a parasite that caused him to basically poop it out as soon as it went in his belly. So his sweet belly sadly knew what it meant to feel hungry. When he first came home he would eat 3-4 big jars of baby food at a sitting and then scream and cry when those were gone. He was wanting to eat every two hours and would scream his head off if that didn't happen. Thankfully after one round of antibiotic and a month on a probiotic that I put him on his parasite was gone and we began working on his little food issue. I wish I was exaggerating when I say he can eat more then my 7 year old, but sadly I am not. It wasn't until just recently that he has gotten really good at knowing and trusting that when the food is gone, it is okay because there will be more food later.

It has been a little over 3 months since he has been home and I can honestly say there are still days we struggle. No where near as much as we used to, but my sweet boy is very strong willed and at times is still determined to do what he wants to do. It blows my mind that at just 14 months old he has the mentality to know and understand what it means to push the boundaries, but he does! There are moments where I just wish he would trust me and trust that his Mommy has his best interest at heart, and it is those moments that my sweet boy reminds me of how much adoption relates to the Gospel! Our Heavenly Father loves us so much and He wants nothing but good for us, but still at times we have such a hard time trusting Him. Just as I want Isaiah to trust me completely, God wants us to trust Him completely and follow Him. Not only did the journey of bringing Isaiah home strengthen my faith but our journey since he has been home has brought me closer to the Lord and given me a deeper desire to draw nearer to Him at all times.


God has entrusted me with two of the most precious boys and I pray I always seek Him and model Him to my boys. Some people worry about their children growing up to be a doctor or lawyer, and while those are great, those are not eternal. Both of my boys have amazing personalities and hearts and it is my prayer that God guides me as I disciple them and point them toward the Lord and being his hand and feet on this earth while growing His Kingdom. Noah is already asking me if he can go to Ethiopia with me when I bring home his other brother (obviously he knows something I don't, LOL) I am humbled daily that the Lord chose me to be Mommy to these precious boys and while there are times that are rough and times where I want to just cry, I am reminded that Motherhood is the most important job the Lord has given me, and he wants me to rely on Him to make it through the day, not my coffee or this week's parenting book, but Him and Him alone.

 "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth." 3 John 1:4

Isaiah How Old Are You??

Thursday, July 26, 2012 No comments

This is Isaiah's newest thing he LOVES to do!! Whenever you ask him how old he is, he proudly holds up that little chubby finger and smiles from ear to ear!! I constantly look at him and just think how blessed I am that God chose me to be his Mommy and how thankful I am that his birth mother chose life for her son. I saw first hand the life he could have had while I was in Ethiopia and I never want to forget the act of redemption that was taken by our Father in Heaven by bringing this sweet boy home to his forever family, where he will grow up knowing how much his Father loves him and how we are all adopted into God's family.

Hope ya'll are having a blessed week!! There is so much that I hope to blog about soon that I have been working on processing over the last few weeks. One thing the Lord has reminded of recently is that change is not always bad, but just another way he will work on our behalf, and we just need to put our trust and faith in Him, knowing whatever the outcome, he has great things in store for us. That change started when he sent his son to die for all of us, the ungodly. Romans 5:6 I'm meditating on that this morning, as I continue to accept that change can be a good thing, even when it scares me.  

Isaiah's 1st Birthday

Sunday, July 22, 2012 1 comment
When I received Isaiah's referral on November 5th of last year he was almost 5 months old. I knew there were precious moments of his life that I had already missed out on and I knew there would be milestones that I would miss while waiting to bring him home. It was my constant prayer that the Lord would allow Isaiah to be home with his family for his 1st birthday, and I am so thankful for that answered prayer!!

When Isaiah came home he was 10 1/2 months old, so in between transitioning, bonding, attaching and finding our new normal, this crazy momma was busy planning a little celebration for my sweet boy!! I decided to go with "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" theme because believer it or not, my little guy reminds me a lot of that little caterpillar in the fact that he can eat and eat and eat and still be hungry, Ha!! I loved how everything turned out and am especially thankful for my sweet BFF who stayed at my house until almost 2am helping me with the famous cake balls, that became our little own caterpillar.

The party was wonderful, full of laughter and joy as we celebrated this precious little boy the Lord chose to bless our lives with. Although he has only been home 3 short months, it feels like he has always been a part of our family. I have always said that God hand picks the children who are joined into families through the miracle of adoption and I am reminded of that every day I look at my little 13 month old bubbly happy boy, who always has a smile on his face and a slobbery kiss for his mommy. Thank you Lord for the blessing of adoption. It truly is a beautiful thing!! Enjoy the pictures!!

















Our 1st Few Weeks Home In Pictures

Saturday, July 21, 2012 1 comment
There is so much to say about all the emotions that came out once we came home. It has been almost 3 months and I am still processing some things and finally settling into a new normal with my two beautiful boys. For those of you who aren't friends with me on Facebook, enjoy these few (lots) pics from our first few weeks home. I have to admit I am really bad about taking pictures with my IPhone instead of my camera, lol

This was his first morning home. Noah is so sweet with him and as much as I prayed that his little heart would be prepared for his new role as Big Brother, God answered my prayers multiplied!! Noah adores Isaiah and the feeling is definitely mutual.

                                                         Those eyes speak so much


                                               He absolutely loves his big brother!!


                              This is his famous "What'choo talkin about Willis" face, Ha!
We were only home two days before Noah insisted we take him for his first visit to    
Chick-Fil-A!! Big Brother was so sweet and shared his milkshake with him.


                                               Getting introduced to our dog Sam :-)
                                   Dressed and ready for his baby dedication at church!!

       Watching an episode of Veggie Tales with Noah, love both of the looks on their faces
                                                                   Jet lag sucks, lol
                                  Have I mentioned how much food he can put away?!?!



                             So blessed to be called Mommy by these two sweet boys!!!
                                                 Melt my heart!! God is so good!!

We're Home.......

Friday, July 20, 2012 No comments
After sitting in DC for over 12 hours with a screaming pooping machine, we finally landed in our city at 11:30pm on April 21, 2012!! Isaiah could barely keep his eyes open and all I wanted to do was see Noah and finally have both of my boys in my arms at the same time. It felt like it took hours for us to land and get off the plane. Once we got in the airport, I stopped and put on the actual last outfit I had for Noah. Judge if you will, but yes I had one more outfit that I refused to put on Isaiah until we were walking in our airport. The reason was because I had matching shirts made for the boys to wear at our homecoming. Nothing had gone as I had hoped or planned so far and call me crazy but it was the one thing I could still make happen, was to have my boys wear their special shirts when they met each other.

I was so touched by those who chose to stick it out and welcome us home, even though it was almost midnight by the time we walked through the gates. To be honest with you that night is still kind of a blur. I was so tired and just wanted to see my family and take a shower, Ha!! Yes I will admit I looked ROUGH, LOL These pictures may not have been professional and have some red eye in them, but man do they catch the real emotion to those first few moments of my boys meeting each other and Isaiah meeting his Grammy, Sissie and cousins and extended family and friends who had prayed for him for 18 long months. Enjoy the pictures from the evening!! It never felt so good to be HOME!!