A very special thing happened as well….it occurred on her birthday. So, the day of her birth and the day she officially became our daughter will be celebrated at the same time…God is so very good to us!

She will have an opportunity to be given a new birth certificate (with our names listed as her parents and her name change) by the state. And of course, we will be celebrating “big time” around here for quite a while!!

We appreciate everyone’s support through this journey—she is the child we have been praying about and waiting to receive for quite a while now—and she is SO worth the wait!!

Again, I will say, God is so good to us—He is faithful to give us the desires of our hearts and He has blessed us with an incredible child that we have the privilege to raise and love.

May your lives be blessed today as well!

Christy

Today is the day we celebrate you, Hope Giver!

You are 2 years old today. Even though you have only been with us for 5 months, we feel that you have always been with us. You are our daughter, the one that calls our names each morning, the one that smiles and laughs throughout the day, the one that gives us “snuggles” and reaches for our hand when you need a little help, the one that dances when she hears a favorite song, the one that has created a bright spot in each and every day that we spend with you. We love to see all the changes taking place in you…you are such a smart, beautiful and precious little girl.

Hope Giver, we hope your day is filled with joy, laughter and love, love, love….we thank our Father each day for the gift of knowing and loving you.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Hope Giver… we look forward to celebrating many, many more with you.

All Our Love-

Daddy, Mommy and Ju-Ju

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

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

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

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.

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!

The other day, I decided to try to play hide-and-seek with her, even though I knew she didn’t understand the concept. The thing that made me think of it, though, was the fact that she is (for the most part) counting to ten now. I say “for the most part”, because six often gets left out, and frequently she gets stuck in a loop saying, “four, five, seven, four, five, seven, four, five, seven…”! But if you can get her past seven, she excitedly says “eight”, “nine”, and “ten”.

After trying to get her to close her eyes and count to ten while I “hid”, we swapped roles. I said, “You hide while I count to ten, and then I’ll try to find you.” I closed my eyes and started counting to ten. Peeking, I could see she was not at all sure what she was supposed to be doing. However, by the time I got to “ten”, she had gone over and stood by the couch.

I opened my eyes, pretended I didn’t see her, and started walking around the rest of the room calling her name. “Hope Giver*…Hope Giver…where’s Hope Giver?”

All of a sudden, she came running over beside me and started looking around, too, calling, “Hope Giver! Hope Giver!”

I guess she was going to help me find her!

* Obviously, I was calling her real name, and she was, too. She doesn’t know herself as “Hope Giver”, nor do we refer to her as that here at home! Just in case anyone was really confused

One situation that was really sweet happened just the other night.  We have been trying to make time as a family at mealtime and due to both of our crazy schedules, Steve and I have tried to make it a priority, even eating out multiple times in a given week. (which is not necessarily a bad thing!)  We planned to eat out at a restaurant after Steve was finished with work one evening.  We arrived there, ordered our food and enjoyed some family time together.  We were up a bit later for our normal nighttime routine and we were all seeming to be getting very tired.  As we were waiting for our check, HG turned to me and said “Home?”.  I said, “Are you ready to go home?”.  She replied “Kay!”  This was the first time that she expressed a desire to call our home, her home.   When we arrived home and we were walking toward the front door, she stated again “home”, as if to say “I’m so glad we’re here”.  What a precious moment!  I really can’t state what it was actually like to hear her say these words with the expression in which she used them, but trust me, it was very touching!

We continue to be in awe that this child is actually in our home and that we will be able to officially call her our daughter very soon!  God has blessed us much more than we deserve.  We look forward to caring for this child that He has given us to love.  We know there are many, many years of joy and laughter to be experienced as the parents of this incredible child.

Christy

So, I offer this photo to you of Hope Giver’s hair pulled up nicely….it may be the only time you see it this way:

Another cute behavior to share:

Hope Giver, like many toddlers, are creatures of habit. After her bath each night, she will follow the same procedure for the evening. First, she asks for her “paci”, then she will say “Jee-dah “, referring to a picture bible that my brother and sister-in-law gave her for Easter, then she will say “read?”(she is quite partial to the New Testament). Of course, she has to give everyone kisses, before she cuddles up into my lap for the evening. Seeing her run to Steve to give him kisses is THE most precious and beautiful scene one could observe. Then, I get the awesome pleasure of being the one that gets to look into her eyes as she falls asleep.

Being a mother is the most incredible gift I could ever receive.

I am so glad that this child is my daughter.