I am one happy momma right now! We have received our LOA (Letter of Acceptance) from China, and are now in the midst of our final bits of governmental paperwork. It is looking like we will be heading to China sometime in the month of October! We will have just 2 weeks notice before we get on the plane, and will have to head to Houston to get our visas at the consulate there sometime within that two weeks! So goodness knows my suitcase is already on our bedroom floor, and I am doing everything I can to make sure we are ready to go! (p.s. if you don't know me, when I was pregnant, my hospital bag was packed when I was like 4 months along, ha.) . . . But in all seriousness, I have been praying for this child years before we even started our paperwork, and knowing that we are so close to bringing her home is so surreal!
As close as we are to the end of this process, the waiting is still hard! Most days, the 2 videos we have of her are on repeat. I am trying to soak up every detail of her. The way her cute little toes curl when she gets to the top of the slide, and the look she has on her face when she accomplishes her stacking toy make my heart filled with joy, and ache at the same time. . . .I wish there was a way for her to fully understand that she has a mommy and daddy (and brother and sister) that love her SO much. I wish she could see the pictures we have her on our fridge, and know that her big brother talks about his baby sister in China with everyone he comes across. I want her to know she is our family, she is cherished, that the orphanage is not her home, and that her mommy is getting her room ready. The moments Penelope is on my mind the most is when I am rocking Paisley to sleep at night. I hate that I can't do the same for her, but I spend these nights covering her in prayer. In those moments, God has really been speaking to my heart. He reminds me that this ache I feel, is similar to the feeling I should have every day while I am here on earth. This place is not my home, it is an orphanage of sorts. God gave up His son so that He could adopt me, and He longs for me and waits for me, and is preparing a home for me. . . I am so thankful we have His presence, but I don't think it compares to that moment where we will actually be able to see Him, and have Him hold us, and cup our faces in His scarred hands, and hear His voice say our name. To think that the way I long to wrap my arms around Penelope Joy for the first time is just a glimpse of the way He longs to do that with me is so ridiculously humbling. "How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can't even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!" Psalm 139:17-18 His love is so much greater than my tiny mind can comprehend. Knowing he went to such unbearable lengths to make me His daughter blows my mind, and I wish I could fully appreciate and grasp the reality of it. It has always been our hope and prayer, that the life of our precious Penelope and this adoption journey points others to Him and what He has done for them! God. Is. Good! So so good!
1 Comment
Dawn Gilmer
7/26/2017 03:32:50 pm
So precious L.B. Mike and I love you so much; and is such a blessing to hear your heart (Gods heartbeat in you). And, I am reminded of what we said about Mackenzie as a baby...
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AuthorI am a proud stay at home momma who unashamedly instagrams way too many pictures of her kids, loves decorating, Christmas, and coffee, and has a small obsession with Gilmore Girls. Archives
May 2017
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