Just wanted to give a quick update on the pinkest member of our family. She is thriving! She's gained 3 pounds since coming here at Thanksgiving (which is thrilling for a baby but not so great when it can be echoed by the mom =/) She is delighting us all with her baby babbles (and none too quiet I might add), her clapping, waving, saying "uh-oh" and her beginning to walk. She is a joy to have around and we are relishing our time with her.
As far as we know there are no family members who have been approved to have her placed with them. We are really out of the loop as far as what is all going on with family members but I think too much information is sometimes too much information. We are here to love on her today so that's what we're doing as long as it's still called today.
When talking about this journey with people I often hear "I could never do that- not knowing if you have to give her back?" or "I don't think I could handle not knowing if she was going to be yours or not". I won't pretend to know how I will actually be emotionally if she does end up having to leave but for TODAY and each day since we've had her I have had this - truly supernatural- peace and assurance about her. Not assurance as in "I'm SURE she'll eventually be ours..." but as in I know that God loves her more than we ever could and I have only ever prayed that what is best for her will be done. We never see the whole picture of our lives or the lives of others but I know He does and He is trustworthy enough to cast all of our cares onto. God also, very gently, reminded me that we are not guaranteed tomorrow with ANY of our family members- not just this one "temporary" one. This led me to ask myself if I knew that I wasn't going to have Seth around after tomorrow how would I treat him today? What about Jaedon or Brad or Owen? It was in that mix of thoughts that we decided that our already-family of 5 needed to be a priority in this venture. That might sound harsh but for our family it has already been a breath of fresh perspective. We are thrilled having Little Lady (or whomever else God allows) being part of our family but we cannot allow that to interfere with what God has already given us to build, train, teach, tickle and read to.
A lot of people have asked how the boys are liking having her around and while they might respond "good" if asked - they are LOVING her to pieces...sometimes almost literally. Seth, I think, is the most tender towards her. He genuinely loves to play with her and make her laugh while the other 2 enjoy her in shorter spurts. As of now we have not seen any regression or negative behavior effects because of her presence. It's been a smooth transition as far as that goes- which is a huge blessing!
And the long awaited Egress Window which legalizes our basement for use (after 8 years of apparently using it illegally??? ;-) is DONE. We have to figure out some safety measures and creative landscaping for the outside well but we're happy to have that over with.
So thanks for your interest and continuing to pray for our family.
