How do I possibly put into words all that has happened in the past month? To be honest it still kind of feels like a dream. When I sit in the playroom with all three of our kids, I am still having to pinch myself. We had imagined it, and prayed for it for so long, and now that it's finally here it is hard to believe it's real. Penelope is home! I think one of the reasons it still feels so surreal is that none of it feels new. It seems like Penny has been a part of our family for forever. She's a perfect fit, and we can't stop praising God for the beautiful gift of letting us be hers!!! I have no doubt that this girl was always meant to an Allen! The day we met her was pretty magical! Our agency had done their best to prepare us for the realities of "gotcha day." It's in a hot government building, there are tons of other families there, it's fast, and often times there are a lot of screaming kids. Even though the majority of that was true, it was still just amazing. We got there at 2 in the afternoon, were shuffled to a couch to sit on, and were surrounding by other nervous families. One by one names were called, and it was such an incredible joy to be able to witness other families who had also been praying for this for years have their babies placed in their arms. The tears started flowing way before we saw our girl! . . . When we first arrived we weren't sure if Penelope was there yet (as she was traveling 5 hours from her orphanage to get there), but as we were watching all of these other families, and waiting for our turn, we were told that Penny was just on the other side of a curtain just a few feet away from us. I did my best not to peek through the curtain so Jason and I could have the moment of seeing her for the first time together, but through a small crack I "accidentally" saw the doll that we had sent her fall on the floor. I burst into tears. Proof, that she truly was there, and nothing but a curtain separated us. Knowing we were mere moments away from having her in our arms was just the most unexplainable feeling. Just minutes later, our guide called our name. Oh my goodness, it was our turn! She stepped out of the curtain walking hand in hand with two of her nannies, and we dropped to our knees and watched her walk to us, and oh the joy! I wish there words! She was so brave, and so beautiful, and we just loved her so much!! It was so humbling to see God's redemption unfolding right in front of us. Our first 24 hours with her were just wonderful, but the precious girl was so lifeless. She never cried, never had any expression, and would stay completely still wherever we set her. To be honest, I was pretty worried. We didn't know if she was extremely delayed, and didn't know how to express emotion, or if she was just beyond terrified. Well turns out she was just terrified, because the next day we saw her beautiful smile, and just a few days after that she was running around, playing and giggling, and completely melting our hearts! We loved exploring China with her, especially knowing that the majority of what we were doing was her first time to ever experience anything like it! We will forever cherish the memories we made there. I would love to share more pictures, and tell you all about the rest of our trip, but being a mom of 3 who are 3 and under is no joke, and this is all I have time for, ha! So until next time :) . . . P.S. I don't ever want it to appear like everything about this adoption process, and our new life as a family of 5 is all butterflies and rainbows. We have our fair share of hard moments, and lots of months of adjusting ahead of us, but in the short time I have to sit down and write I can't help but focus on all the good that has, and is happening!
4 Comments
Carrie
10/7/2017 12:27:04 pm
What a joy to read about God's provision and love for your family! As you said in your post, I wish there were words to describe the happiness I feel for your precious family! What a wonderful story!
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Lina
10/7/2017 05:48:10 pm
Beautiful little girl in a beautiful family! We met you in China and I'm so glad to hear you're doing well at home too! ❤
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Leticia
10/8/2017 12:32:07 pm
Amazing grace and God's faithfulness in your lives and in precious Penny's life. Thank you, beautiful Laura Beth, for sharing this beautiful story and photos. Praying for the Allen Family! ❤️🙏🏻🤗
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Christian Matlock
10/9/2017 01:38:50 pm
Laura Beth I am so excited to read about this great blessing in your life. Looking forward to seeing her grow in your loving care. Thanking God for your life!
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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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