Moving Along :)

A year home! Growing fast! Crazy little Man! I love you!

One year ago! My baby!

2nd day home at Chuck- E-Cheese

I know, I know, I never update this blog enough! I apologize to all my readers. I originally began this blog to keep all family and friends updated with our adoption journey to Ethiopia. Ofcourse so much has changed, and I am sooo excited with our next journey. Although I still yearn to adopt from Ethiopia, and I believe that will never change. I have moved on, and put my heart out on my sleeve again. All I can do is pray that this process will go as smooth as possible. I know all to well that a birth mother can change her mind, but I know it is her choice to give us her gift of life. I am forever grateful to Daniel's birth mother, who I have never met, to have chosen life for him.

We have decided on an open adoption plan if possible. I know it is her choice, and we will honor what she decides. Two years ago we were terrified of an open adoption, but after Daniel's adoption we have had a huge eye opening experience. I truly believe God paved the way to Daniel. Our journey to him, and meeting his foster family forever changed us. From the day we met him, his foster family were sooo supportive. They showed him pictures of us and called us Mommy & Daddy. When we met him we just became an instant family. We had to leave him with his foster family for a week before the next visitation with him, and that was sooo difficult. We called him every night & his foster Mom would tell him Mommy & Daddy are on the phone! I would just cry & cry! I hated hanging up the phone every night. It was the longest week of my life! To hear him blow kisses to us, melted my heart. We developed a relationship with his foster family. I love them, and they are essentially family to us now. It was soooo bitter sweet the day we took him home. I felt soooo sad, the happiest day of my life, was also the saddest. Daniel was so eager to come home with us. He observed all of his toys & belongings being loaded into our car. He knew some how he was coming home with us. He was at peace and very calm. But Carmen (foster Mom) and I had this somber moment. Mother to Mother if you know what I mean. I gave her a guardian angel with Daniel's birth stone, b/c she was our angel that cared for our son for the first 20 months of his life. How do you thank someone for that? I couldn't imagine how she said goodbye, but she is the bravest person I know. I love her sooo much. I felt a sense of guilt for taking Daniel from her, but I knew it was God's plan. She really wanted us to be his parents. They were offered to adopt him, but they declined due to their older age. She told his social worker she wanted a family with lots of children around. So essentially that is why we were chosen.

I know this adoption journey is different. I often wonder in the future how Daniel is going to handle how his adoption was different. We have an open adoption with his foster family, but not his birth family. All I can tell him is that his birth mother loved him, and she did the best she could for him. I truly believe it is important that he knows he was loved so much until he found his way to our arms. A child can never have too many people to love them! I do know the sacrifice our next child's birth mother is making. To me that is sooo courageous. We welcome her into our family, and her child will always know how much she loves them. I get many comments about open adoption from individuals that just do not know how an open adoption can benefit everyone invovled. It is very important that our birth mother is very comfortable and confident in her decision. If she has the opportunity to know and watch her child grow, it will give her some closure. There isn't a day that goes by that I do not think of Daniel's birth mother. I always wonder, Is she thinking about him? I know she still loves him in my heart of hearts. I wonder who does he look like, act like, and where does he get his precious curls from? That is another reason I want to know our birth mother/father. Ofcourse the main reason is for our child, it is important that they know how much they are loved from their birth parents.

So here is the update. We are moving up in our process! We are now waiting on our first Home Study date. It will consist of one visit to the agency & one home visit. We were told we will be contacted in a few weeks with the first date. So we are anxiously waiting! I was told by a friend that they have had all matches with boys this last month. Usually when that happens there is a ration of girls next! In my heart of hearts I have always wanted a girl, but I am sooo excited for another boy now. Either gender will be a blessing! We are hoping to be approved & waiting by April, but it depends how busy Raquel, our case worker, is. So we will keep everyone updated! Everyday we are closer and closer!

Daniel has officially been home a year! We just celebrated his first Daniel Day or Gotcha Day Feb 16! He has made this year the best year of our lives! We love him soooo much! I couldn't imagine our lives without him. We talk to him about being a big brother and babies. He is beginning to understand! He is growing too fast. His favorite things are trains!!! He is addicted to choo choos! He loves Thomas, Diego, Dora, Cars, and Curious George is becoming a favorite! I am amazed how much he has learned and grown this last year. We enjoy everyday with him, and he is making this next adoption process so much more easier emotionally. I look forward to us becoming a family of four, but in the mean time we enjoy our precious son every single day.