Giving Thanks.

This year we have so much to be thankful for. We have been blessed with not one, but two beautiful daughters. i don't know how this happened, but they are both beautiful, smart and brave. I cannot imagine what our lives would be like without them. Our special "Grace" is our best blessing this year. She is a revelation every day. I never thought I could be a parent of a special needs child before, but now I see that God has sent me Grace for many reasons and one is that I am now aware of how special these kids really are. Whatever lies ahead for her, we are now on her side and will be there for her no matter what. I keep thinking of her in the hospital by herself when she got her lip repaired. Now she won't have to go through anything alone ever again. Last year I learned to trust in God. He brought us out of a very bad situation to lead us to our Grace. We can have no greater gift than our family.

What's this?

Daily I wonder what goes through Gracie's little head? What does she think of all the new things she experiences everyday. I like to think that she is like Jack Skellington from Tim Burton's "Nightmare Before Christmas" as he falls through the doorway into Christmas Town. Going from the colorless browns and greys of an orphanage to the bright lights and colors of a new world. She is just beginning to enjoy kisses and to come seeking them out. She is starting to give tentative "hugs'.
Everyday when we came home was something new. Heck, everyday in China had to be something new.
Day 1-taken home with these strange looking people who make strange noises. Heck, I make strange noises too. i'll show them.-At least one of them looks like me.
Day 2-they are still here. They took me to this place with all these other people who were eating. I want to be with the people that look like me. Maybe if I cry enough someone will take me.
Then at home.
A home. A room just for me.
The grocery store. CVS. A rainstorm with thunder. All these lights. More people that don't look like me and talk funny.
A seat in a car. (that one made me laugh!) A parade... where everyone dresses up stranger than they normally do. Trucks with sirens. Dogs.
LONG SLEEVES- (WHY DO THEY KEEP PUTTING THESE ON ME? I HATE THEM)
Why is it COLD outside?

The things that fascinate her are the small things. Boxes. String. Fuzz. Shadows. Her hands. A window screen. Anything that makes music. She makes you appreciate the small things.

I wish I could tell her and have her understand that we will always be there for her. We will give her everything that we are able to.
That when she wakes up crying at night food is ready JUST FOR HER and she has a mom who will hug her tears away if she will let her.
I know it will take time.
Everyday is a new journey and now I have a little person by my side again. I didn't realize how much I missed that.

A New Life. A New Family.

It started Sept 11, 2006. It ended Sept. 6, 2010. The long journey to our second adopted daughter from China, Grace Li. I think some of our friends thought we were crazy for waiting that long but now I think they think we are crazy for bringing a 2 year old into our somewhat stable family of 3. We adopted our first daughter from China in 2003 and she has lived up to her name (Joy) and beyond. We wanted to expand our family when we got her, but weren't ready to jump into the pool again right away. Little did we know it would take us 4 years to complete our family. The truth is we would STILL be waiting. Thanks to the Waiting Child Program at Holt International we received Gracie's information in January of this year and brought her home in September!!! If only we would have known earlier! But then... we wouldn't have gotten our Gracie!
The Waiting Child program has children of all ages and all special needs. After seeing all the wonderful children that were in our group, I can say that if anyone if considering this option but isn't sure about it, that they should really consider it. Each child in our group was a gift and they all fit so well with their families. We were all blessed to bring one of them home.
Our Gracie was in the orphanage for 2 years. No foster family. She had a cleft lift and a cleft palate. The lip was fixed in China and we will be fixing the palate next month. There are sure to be developmental issues, but we can handle them together. All the little girls who were with us were just starting to blossom as we began our trip home. Watching this process for the second time reminds me of how blessed we are to have not only "Joy" but God's "Grace" as well.