Sure I love Christmas and getting presents but every year, after all the excitement has died down and my kidlets are snuggled up warm in their jammies ready for bed, I enjoy my absolute greatest gift of all.....
My 2 precious babies!
This time of year brings back some very strong memories and feelings for me. The year my nephew Danny was killed in the car accident the week before Christmas was the same time we were starting IVF treatments in the hopes of bringing home a baby. Of course it is obvious that didn't work out, but it was the start of us finally realizing the dream of becoming parents.
Today is a very special day for us. Not only is it the 3 year anniversary of receiving our referral for our daughter but it is also the 6 year anniversary of the day we sent our application to Vietnam to adopt our son. The date December 29th will forever be one of the highlights of our year.
Two and a half years after starting on our road to parenthood, our tiny 5 month old baby boy was placed in my arms for the first time. Today he is this adorable 6 year old boy who just lights up our world.
The 10 month old baby girl who's black and white picture we first saw on our computer screen that cold December night in 2009 is now a beautiful 4 year old little girl.
That year, Christmas was very stressful beyond your imagination. We knew on Christmas Eve that the referral packets had been signed by the official in China and were on their way to the US. But the holiday fell that year on a Friday so even if the envelopes had arrived at our agency, no one would be at the office for many days to even open them, let alone make the phone call that we had waited so many years for. There was no sleep to be had that Sunday night as we waited for the business day to start on Monday.
Unfortunately we didn't get the call that Monday and we actually didn't get the good news until dinnertime on Tuesday but in the end, we finally saw the little face that we had wished for and dreamed about for so many years. Three years ago today the final chapter of our long awaited journey to finally bring our baby girl home commenced.
When a child is homegrown, as we call it, the happiest day is the day of your child's birth. In adoption, there are many special days that are celebrated and dear to our hearts.....the Referral Day, the Adoption Day (some people call it Gotcha Day) and their Birthday. No matter how long I live or what other terrific presents I receive, my 2 children and my family are and will always be the greatest gift of all.
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19 Comments:
Congrats on your wonderful family. My adopted son is now 42 and I still remember those important days. We share a lot, I lost my 16 yr old grandson 5 years ago, that still hurts. I love your blog. Happy New Year from Florida.
Thank you so much! You understand. Not everyone does. I’m sorry about your grandson. Unfortunately the hurt will never go away. I’m glad you enjoy my quilting blog. Happy New Year to you too. And I’m just a tad bit jealous of you right now being in Florida and much warmer than we are here in NY. I’m looking forward to the day when we move out of the northeast.
My sister adopted children from Russia and I am so grateful they are a part of our family now. Your children are beautiful and are definitely wonderful gifts!
They are great GIFTS for you! I have a friend who has two adopted american boys and I never thought about these dates until she told me about their adoption dates :)
Happy new year from NC- we have cold and a bit of rain but NO snow.
Beautiful...all around!
Amen!
Your children are beautiful!
It is wonderful to be able to celebrate so many special memories along the journey. The children are both beautiful.
Congratulations! I was able to be at the final court appearance for the adoption of our two wonderful grandchildren this year! Such a happy occasion! Our oldest grand is now asking to adopt more children because "there are so many kids that need a mommy and daddy." Enjoy your celebrations!
Your family is beautiful and those kids look so happy! Thanks for sharing this story from your journey. Stories like these make me look forward to your blog posts and see more of the person behind the creativity.
What a beautiful story! My father was adopted, so I know how blessed both he and his parents felt. What a beautiful way to open your hearts to God's children who aren't blessed with parents who can love them for whatever reason. Knowing how generations our family are truly blessed, I wish you all the love and joy in your own.
They are both such beautiful children and they found a wonderful family with you Michelle...you are a wonderful person!
A very heartfelt story. Thanks so much for sharing it with us!
Beautiful children and a wonderful Christmas story! God has blessed you indeed. :) blessings, marlene
Children are wonderful gifts and a true blessing to our hearts and homes.
Jammer and Sunshine have been blessed with great parents, too, I am sure.
Love this post, your babies and your family are beautiful in every sense of the word. God bless, and Happy New Year!
What a lovely post!
Their smiles just shine! I can tell that they know they are loved and safe in your arms.
Beautiful little ones, and great to have so many times to celebrate.
Happy new year!
This is a beautiful post. Thanks for sharing.
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