Love Each Child

You Are Mine: A Poem for Hope Giver

by steve

We are still waiting on word that the adoption has been finalized.  And maybe it would be more appropriate to wait until that final word before posting this.  But, the reality of what I want to share is not affected by a legal document.  Regardless of when that adoption decree gets issued (we’ve been told it will be done in a few weeks), Hope Giver is ours.  It’s a heart thing.  It’s a love thing.

There’s nothing missing when I pick her up in my arms just because we haven’t gotten an official decree yet.  She’s my daughter.  I’m her dad.  And tonight, for some reason, I felt the urge to write down my thoughts about this in pseudo-poetic form.  It’s loose poetry, you might say.  Not a hugely obvious meter, not very neat tidy little lines that flow.  But it’s a father’s love for his daughter, and especially a father who has a connection to his daughter other than biological.

So, without further ado or apology, I share with you my thoughts toward Hope Giver…

You Are Mine: A Poem for Hope Giver

I wasn’t there the day you were born
I didn’t even know you were here
No one patted me on the back and called me “dad”

I missed the first words, the first laugh, the first steps
They took place in another’s home
And knowing I missed those important things makes me sad

But you’re mine now.  You are mine.
Just as sure as if I’d been there then.
You are mine now. Yes, you are mine.
And I’ll treasure the moment when
You became mine.

They say blood runs thicker than water
As if blood were the strongest of bonds
It would seem that the bond of our family could not be strong

But I’ve found love makes a much deeper bond
Going past genetic connections
And though I didn’t know it then, it is here you belong

You are mine now. You are mine.
Just as sure as you call me your dad
You are mine now. Yes, you are mine.
Just the thought makes me incredibly glad
To know you’re mine.

I can’t make up for the days we missed, although I’d love to try.
But I value the moments we have together
Seeing your smile and feeling your love brings a flood of tears to my eye
You’re my child now, just as if you always were.

You are mine now. You are mine
And my love seems to grow every day
You are mine now. Yes you are mine.
It gives me such joy to say
You are mine!

Hope Giver, I love you, sweetheart.  I love your smile, your kisses, your laughter, your hugs, your face pressed against the screen door grinning at me when I come home, the sound of the word “daddy” in your adorable voice, the way you call out the names of songs when I’m playing the piano for you like I’m some lounge singer taking requests, the feel of your tiny hand in mine when we pray together as a family, the way you look at me like I’m silly when I quote lines from the Veggie Tales DVDs while you’re watching them, the way you dance to jazz music, the excited look on your face when I pick you up and we dance together…

We may not have been there the day you were born, but you are most definitely Mommy’s and my daughter.  Thank you for loving us and filling our home with such joy.  If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were really an angel sent straight from our Father to our home.

love,

Daddy

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Summer ‘08

by christy

Okay, so I said I would update everyone on our other summer trips and i have to say I am a bit late in doing so…. I seem to have needed a vacation from our vacations. We had a wonderful time during our travels, but with all the changes in my work schedule, long rides in the car, new toddler in the house, etc…. my body was screaming for me to take a break! So, I feel like I am able to take a deep breath again and I would love to share with you all that has been happening with us over the past month.

After our beach trip, we had a few days to prepare ourselves for another trip, and we managed to pack quite a lot of activity in this one!

First, we traveled to Chapel Hill, NC to see my cousin get married. She was quite the beautiful bride. It was an outdoor ceremony, very simple…. Hope Giver was able to sit through most of the ceremony. She began imitating words and letting her voice be heard—very loud and clear—so she took a little walk with Daddy. She is such an independent little girl, for which I am thrilled, and loved the nearby waterfall—actually any body of water, it doesn’t matter how large or small, is VERY appealing to her. I love it!

The next day, we traveled to Wake Forest, NC to meet with friends that we hadn’t seen in a few months. We visited the church that they attend and were able to fellowship with them for a few hours afterward, which was such a blessing to us! While we were there, Hope Giver made a few friends—no surprise there—she LOVES to be with other children. She was running, laughing, talking—and totally in her element. It was quite beautiful to watch.

After visiting with our friends, we left for Washington, DC. Once arriving, we settled into our hotel and planned our activities for the following day. Our plan was to try to find a few museums and maybe see a few other sights while we were there. We knew we wanted to plan a morning outing so that HG would be able to nap in the early afternoon. Washington DC is not an easy place to navigate! After, many trips around the city, we were able to find a parking spot and strolled toward the museums. First, we went to the Air and Space Museum and while Steve and JuJu (HG’s name for our son Dylan) watched a film, HG and I went to the Museum of the American Indian. By the time we left there, HG was falling asleep in her stroller. So, back to the hotel we traveled….

No, this is not our hotel….Can you believe this was taken from our car window?

That evening, we ate at an awesome restaurant in Alexandria, VA called Bistro Europa. We loved the town as well….we walked a few blocks, had coffee at Starbuck’s, ran through the rain….the smile on HG’s face said it all!

The next day, we went to the National Zoo. HG really loved the misters (not the male friends she made, but the water used to cool off the patrons–hehe) and could spot them a mile away. When she saw one, she would exclaim, “Waa-Waa!” and we would ride her stroller through as soon as we could get there, at least 10 times, maybe more, I lost count after 10. I think that was the highlight of the zoo for her…..although, she did love the animals and named them one by one.

In front of the mural at the National Zoo

After visiting at the zoo for a few hours, we were on the road again, this time on our way to Lancaster, PA to visit with family there. Let me say that HG is a wonderful traveler and even after being in the car for several hours, she arrived in PA with a smile and was ready to play again.

We stayed a few days in PA and had a great time catching up with family. The weather was wonderful for us to be outside, which is where HG wanted to be! She loves to be outside! We also took the time to go to the Strasburg Railroad and HG sat by the window almost the entire time.

Strasburg Railroad

After a few days of family, fun, food and fellowship….and we did have a great time there (I wish I could share more photos here), we began our journey home—it’s hard to believe that we accomplished all that I have written in just one week. No wonder we needed time to recuperate!

By the way, the adoption is not final yet, but hopefully we will hear something within the next month.

Thanks for reading…we’ll update again soon!

Christy

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Beach Days 2008

by christy

It is hard to believe that we have not written anything since the end of May. This tells you just how busy we have been around here! In the last 2 weeks, things have changed dramatically, and for the good. I have officially stopped working for the school system and am looking forward to begin the process of truly bonding with my new daughter. This is not to say that we haven’t bonded before now, but I have felt that my working in the morning hours has hindered me (and Hope Giver) from experiencing the full extent of our time together. I am so excited to experience that now! I have lots of plans for mommy/daughter time…. but it will have to wait until all our vacation plans have been completed…which brings me to the purpose of this post. I wanted to share some photos of our time at the beach over the last week. It was Hope Giver’s first experience with the ocean. We weren’t sure what to expect, but she had an absolutely awesome time—-and so did we, watching her!
On our first day there, we arrived late afternoon, so we went to the pool right away. It was right outside the door to our condo, which pleased Hope Giver immensely! She splashed the water and wanted to have some independence by using the steps by herself, which she did very well!

The following day, we went to the beach, which was only a few blocks from where we were staying. I wasn’t sure how she would respond, so we were prepared to come back quickly, if we needed to…..but we didn’t….she LOVED the ocean! It was so fun to watch her get excited….and knowing that this was her first experience at the beach, was really special for us as a family.

It is hard to see it here, but she is sooooo excited to be in this water! Which is why, on the following day, we came prepared to stay awhile!

 

….And we can’t forget how she tried out her golfing skills!

Longing for the pool again…..

I wish I could share some photos of the look of absolute joy on this precious child’s face, but I just can’t do that here. Trust me, the girl had a FUN time!!

We’ll update you more over the summer as we have other adventures to experience…we hope you have a wonderful summer with your family!

Christy

 

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Weeping with Those Who Weep

by steve

Some very sad news has been making its way through the adoption community, and I want to take a moment to mention it here and encourage prayers on behalf of this hurting family.

Back in December, Christy mentioned an organization called Shaohannah’s Hope, which is an organization that helps with adoptions through grants, resources, etc. This organization was started by Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman.

Steven Curtis Chapman is a longtime Christian Contemporary musician with many dove awards, grammy awards, and best-selling albums on his résumé, so you might be familiar with his name.

Steven Curtis and Mary Beth have adopted three children internationally, and devote a lot of their time and resources to promoting adoption, both domestic and internationally.

Recently, in a very tragic accident, the youngest of their three adopted children (they also have three biological children) was killed. Maria was just five years old.

The Chapmans have set up a special blog in memory of Maria. Comments are being made on a post there at about a rate of 1,000 per hour, it appears. (Just in the time that it took me to type this post, more than 200 more comments have been added.)

Our hearts go out to the Chapmans. As I was holding Hope Giver on my lap this morning, I could not fathom the idea of losing her in such a tragic way. I can’t grasp the idea of going through so much to bring a child into your family, only to have them gone in such a short time.

Steven Curtis and Mary Beth, our hearts and prayers are with you and your family today. You have done so much for the adoption world, and I hope you know how much that community is now lifting you up. May the God of all peace and comfort wrap His loving arms around you in this time.

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Mother’s Day 2008

by steve

There are so many thoughts I would like to share about my lovely wife as the mother of our children. There are not adequate words to convey many of them. But on this Mother’s Day, I want to honor my wife by trying to articulate some of what I appreciate and love about her.

This is a special Mother’s Day because it is the first one in which she is the mother to two children. Last Mother’s Day (2007), we had no idea that this would even be a possibility. We had just finished our foster parent training, and were embarking on the licensing process. And we figured we’d have to wait a while for a child.

Little did we know that we were already being considered for Hope Giver, should the freedom for her to be adopted come about. And now, a dream has come true, and I have the joy of watching Christy mothering two children!

Christy is an amazing mom in so many ways. For the better part of a decade, she raised our son all by herself. Frankly, I don’t know how she did it! But I know that he could not have had a better mom through that time.

For the last four years, I have had the pleasure of partnering with her in parenting, and she is a wonderful partner to have. She has taught me so much about parenting, and together we have learned and discovered new ideas and approaches.

Like I said, it’s hard to put into thoughts everything that I feel about watching Christy as a mother. When I see our 15-year-old Dylan still enjoying hugs from his mom…or Hope Giver running into her arms for a hug…or Dylan picking out a present for her, giving thought to what she likes…or Hope Giver falling asleep in her arms at night…nothing is more beautiful.

Christy, I love you, and I am so privileged to be walking through this journey of life with you. Thank you for being such an awesome mother to our two children. I look forward to more children experiencing your motherly love as God continues to bring them our way.

Happy Mother’s Day, darling!

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