I take a lot of pictures in a year. From weddings to families to lots of little projects in between, I am constantly photographing other people at some of the happiest moments of their lives. When Willow came home to be with us just a few short weeks ago, it was finally our turn. I kept thinking in my head, "Is it really us this time? Are we the ones taking family pictures? Is this even real?"
Yet it was and it is, and every day it gets more real to us. We are a family of three...
I can't believe I'm finally writing this story - and that I'm writing it while a baby is fast asleep on my lap. This is a story that is over 3 years in the making. It's one of heartaches and joys, sorrow and laughter, and two people who have known God had a plan from the start but have struggled while our dreams and hopes have gone unfulfilled for so long. This is the story of how a little girl changed our lives forever, and how we finally found our family.
At the beginning of June we were in the midst of a busy and wonderful season. Weddings, volunteering at church, spending time with family, upcoming travel and vacation...it was going to be one hectic summer! Nathan and I had many conversations over the past few months, and they progressed further until we realized how ok we were with life as it was - even without a baby. We both wanted a family, him even longer than me, and had dreamed of the day it would come, but we also loved the freedom of just being the two of us, and finally we decided we were fine.
And then, on June 20th, we got the call that would forever change our lives...
When I first began blogging about our adoption story on this blog, I knew I was inviting a lot of people into our lives. This is a responsibility that I do not take lightly and, as such, there have been times it has weighed heavily on me. Giving an update is not always incredibly exciting or fun (whether due to our heartaches or a lack of news), but with so many people asking where we are I know I am well overdue to answer that question.
So where are we right now? Quite simply, we are waiting...and have been for awhile. We took a few months off the list of waiting parents this fall, but as of January, we have our names back in the pool. Our profile has been shown to birth moms a few times but we have not yet been chosen again.
How do you guys feel? In a word: tired...
