Another

We left our paperwork open.

So they were bound to call.

But the reality of it hasn’t sunk in.

And probably won’t until we bring our TWO babies home.

On August 10 (exactly three months to the day from when we accepted our first referral) we officially accepted the second referral of our son!

How? Why? What? Let me explain . . .

When working through a home study (a required step of the adoption process) a family has many decisions to make.  One of those being how many children you would like to adopt.  We made the decision for our paperwork to say "one or two" children so we could have the option of adopting twins if they became available.

After we accepted the referral of our baby girl we were asked, by our agency, if we wanted to leave our paperwork open for a second child since it stated "one or two" children.  

B and I took this decision very seriously.  There are many “opinions” on both sides of the fence about adopting two children at the same time especially when they are unrelated biologically. After much prayer and discussion we felt the Lord was leading us to say yes and be open to the idea of a second child.

After the unexpected news of our daughter’s possible health complications the hope and anticipation of a second referral escaped my thoughts. My focus was to pray for my daughter and stay updated on her situation.  Later in the summer we received a phone call that our agency had taken in several new babies that would soon be ready for referral.  They wanted to know if we were still interested. Whoa!  I forgot we were still in this!  

Several long weeks later and a few more ups and downs on the roller coaster, B called and said, “Okay, are we ready?” He received a call from our agency saying that there was a child ready for us to review. Oh my gosh, are we ready for this? To go from zero children to two? Knots formed in my stomach . . . nervousness. B asked again, “Are we ready?”

Silence

“I’m nervous,” I said hesitantly.

With the confidence and leadership I love about my husband he said, “Of course, you’re nervous.  So am I.  Let’s wait a few hours and pray about it before we review the child.”

A few hours later my nerves hadn’t gone away . . . but they had changed . . . to be nerves of excitement and confidence that we were stepping out on faith and trusting God for guidance in this journey. When we opened the email for review and I saw his sweet little nose, chubby feet, and two baby teeth (yes, he has two teeth!) my nervousness seemed to vanish.  This was my son . . . and this first glimpse of him reminded me to trust.  In this moment all the worry, anxiety, and nervousness were replaced with belief, thankfulness, and trust.

“Much of the worry in my own life has been a failure to believe . . .

a wariness to thank and trust the love hand of God.”  –Ann Voskamp

Another lesson learned.  Another member of our family. Another baby to love. Another blessing.