2 AMAZING weeks and seeing the joys of adoption

(pardon typos bc I have to write quickly with 2 babies napping and a list of things to do)

2 AMAZING weeks and seeing the joys of adoption!

He really does laugh and smile this much!

He loves his mama and his mama loves him ;-)

So I am driven to write because I am emotionally charged at the moment and then mix that with being somewhat of an open book. These last two weeks have been so amazing so today I just put my 2 babies Isaiah and Lane down for a nap and it all just happened so easily, without the workout and chaos…and I thought OMG it’s all really falling into place now. It really is! IT IS!!!! I have to share with everyone has awesome this is....I realized I shared most when it was emotionally wild with the ups and downs…so I have to share a blog on how amazing these last 2 weeks have been.

What am insanely large blessing it has been in just 4 (long) weeks! Two and a half which were the hardest of my life an then 2 which have begun to be the best part of my life and will continue to be. 

I have had a few people tell me lately they were praying for us, and I have told each and every person the same thing, "your prayers are being answered daily". Isaiah's transition has been wonderful and in the most amazing, joyful, fast, and miraculous ways. I do NOT take one single blessing for granted. Every one is an answered prayer and I give thanks for them all!!!! 

Nothing is perfect of course. It is wild. But the beauty for me lies in seeing these 3 little hearts all settling in my children and when they laugh at each other, smile, hug, and play...I get so excited. We had lots of bouts of transitions, jealousy, schedules, rough nights of sleeping, and just adjusting to the new all of a sudden middle child for both Lane and Caden. And now, it’s coming together. Last night I sent a video to Ryan of the three kids playing together. They were all in sync! Yes! They were laughing and chasing each other and it was just awesome all around. Made my heart so full. These kids are going to have each other for life. And sweet Isaiah has 2 siblings who I know will always look out for and love him.

What has our amazing 2 weeks been like from the eyes of a mother who has newly adopted? Here are some of my most recent thoughts and heart felt experiences.

Working on being daddy''s duck hunters

A visit to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus...it started off right

And ended like this! Not even a mouthful of donuts helped!

• Isaiah is sleeping through the night. He is going down in his crib at nap time and bed time, not always easily because he wants his mama to stay with him, but for the most part he settles right into bed and is sleeping through the night. He is finally secure with sleeping alone. He was use to being in a room with 20+ other children all the noise and tears you would think would be rough but that was his normal and as a result he sleeps through any noise around him. So now the quietness has finally been embraced and he knows mom and dad will be there when he wakes up!
• He is extremely joyful. Our adoption journey began when he was born though I had no clue who he was and wouldn’t until a full year+ later. We began praying Nov 2014, he was born Nov 10, 2014. We prayed for the child we would adopt with many people, over the course of two years. We covered many details from connection, safety, happiness, peace, and including his birth mother. I see those prayers were fulfilled. Isaiah went into a nice orphanage too and I see he was cared for because he is happy and loving and even social. He is NOW EVEN MORE HAPPY AND LOVING now that he is given immediate family to always love on him and help bring out those amazing characteristics he possesses. They are all precious. 
• He loves to laugh and smile non-stop! He loves to hug and gives big hugs where he squeezes you tight. He hugs those he favors and even a few strangers here and there. When he sees me turn a corner he says BABA really loud (calling me BABA is daddy in Chinese haha) and comes at me full speed and hugs my neck really tight. I know how much he loves me in those moments. I am so happy that he and I have finally had our hearts connected in a God facilitated way. I kiss on his cheeks and hug him back tightly too, just as I do Lane and Caden, he is mine. He is MY son. It feels normal to say it and it feels good. Time has been my friend!
• He has a great sense of humor. We laugh a lot! I love this. He is JOYFUL. Period. JOY-FULL OF IT.
• He likes Christmas! Ryan and I are teaching the kids all about it and he has jumped right in! Truly jumped in. He loves the tree and the stockings. I mean when he sees inflatables and Christmas lights he does the funniest sounds. All the kids say LOOK LOOK LOOK ohhhhh ahhhhhhh woowwwwwwww. Ask my sister, she went with us last night on the neighborhood rides and laughed hysterically at them. Especially Isaiah. It is extra special though because I know his last two year’s he didn’t get Christmas this way if at all. But from here on..never again! This child is going to get the best!
• He loves music! Oh my gosh does he love it. I turn it on, Christmas music about every day, and he just starts moving, smiling, laughing and dancing. I play children’s songs and he comes alive to IF YOURE HAPPY AND YOU KNOW IT, 5 Little MonkeysTwinkle, ABC song….
• He is super smart. He is already singing the tunes to ABCs, Twinkle Twinkle…and he just remembers things and even communicates so well. He emulates things really well. He watches and observes and then copies. So funny and cute. 
• He communicates well. He is only 2 so children at that age babble with minimal vocab but he is doing a great job. He says lots of words and he points to things and tells me what he wants. He says many words such as bye bye, hey, ho ho ho, a lot of names, please, thank you, and much more. 
• He is loving. Lane was crying the other day and he leaned down and patted her on back and babble his words of comfort. It was sweet
• He is learning to share. I don’t think being spoiled was his issue in the orphanage because it is not possible with tat many children so my guess is that his learning to share is they probably didn’t have a lot of toys and when he has one he is VERY possessive of it. But he is learning. He is also only 2, doing what 2 year olds do best.
• He is a good listener. If I tell him no, he smiles, then says no no no, and stops. How I wish my other two would do the same!!! 
• He loves the babysitters. All of them. Gives them big hugs and kisses. He loves his grandparents on both sides. He adores his aunts. They all rock. He loves his neighbors. He loves his cousins. HE LOVES PEOPLE!!!
• He has a thrill seeking side. He loves to be tossed in the air and all around. He isn’t scared. If anything he is courageous. He got scared in the recent hospital visit, but even there, I saw his resilience. I realize this child has been through a lot. At moments I feel he is very mature for 2 year old but I quickly realize, Ryan and I forget that for the first 2 years of his life, he had to exercise a lot of independence he didn't have parents to meet his needs. I even think about his surgery in the hospital without parents to be there by his side, breaks my heart, never again.
• I pray for his birth parents. It was likely financial issues from what we are told and I hate they can’t have a peace in knowing he is loved and cared for. I hate they can’t see all the adorable things we get to see daily.
• He didnt have a TV in the orphanage so he is loving CARTOONS to say the least! He loves Teletubbies, Dora, Grinch, BubbleGuppies and Curious George. 
• He is attaching well to Ryan! It took some time, same gender it often does. I have to brag on Ryan though. He has been so dedicated to being a good father to him. Isaiah didn’t take to him right away and would even resist him when he would try to hold him, wipe his kisses off, and pushed him away. Isaiah wasn’t use to seeing men in the orphanage at all. So this was a time sensitive issue. But Ryan diligently put one foot in front of other, committed to being what God assigned him to…Isaiah’s father. How amazing it has been for me to watch. So many moments my heart falls in love all over again with Ryan. He is so amazing to me. Our team work has been such a binding experience for our marriage. I am so thankful for it.
• Isaiah is starting to settle with the food issue. He still wants it often but because he is having fun doing lots of daily activities away from food, he gets distracted. It has settled so many things, including his stomach! A lot of people ask why he does this, well in the orphanage they are limited to the amount of time they can feed a child bc they have so many children so the quick rushed schedule of eating, the smaller amounts and that it is that are based on costs of foods Im sure, plus the strict regime for all the children was tough. If he was hungry he was left hungry. He has GI issues, so they often fed Isaiah rice milk, yogurt and rice only. His hair was course when we met him, he was 5 lbs lighter, and he is still working on building his nutrition. He basically had malnutrition. It is all slowly changing. He is getting the food, nutrition and the activity he needs to thrive! I love it. I love him.

Adoption is tricky. It is hard. I finally realized it is just something I had to experience to know what it truly entails. I met with so many people, read so much, watched classes, and thought I knew it all…but I didn’t. Not the half of it. I get it now. And I even understand now when people said “adoption is hard and adoption is wonderful”. I had no clue. I was always like what is so hard???? I don’t understand. It is hard. It is a faith-filled experience of trusting that when God calls you TO IT GOD WILL BRING YOU TROUGH IT. It requires so much patience, trust, and unconditional love. Everyone has a different story. Mine is simply this: we were called to adoption, God provided the whole way through, He picked Isaiah out for our family, we followed the steps to China, we experienced a lot of unsettling new feelings and situations, and we trusted in HIM while remaining faithful to His plan…and now 6 weeks later we are watching the fruit of His plans begin to blossom (Isaiah 25:1). I love the saying anything worth something never comes easy. It is true. The bumps, the hurdles, the leaps, the sitting still, the patience is all part of character building while reaching the biggest blessing ever…our Isaiah. God used our precious boy and will continue to do so, to grow me and Ryan in marriage, personal walk, faith, growth and love….the WONDERS OF HIS LOVE will keep me humble. To think I wanted this all to come so easily….how foolish that was. Easy isn’t inspiring and easy isn’t worth fighting for. We have lots of uncertainty ahead, and I for once can say I can patiently await each one and KNOW that God is IN CONTROL! 

These two will be besties I can just tell...we are working out the kinks!

And there were 2!

They love looking at the Christmas lights and decorations EVERY DAY!

Thanks for your prayers. Please keep sending them. Isaiah is reaping each and every one.