Post-Adoption Update

Until I find more words to explain where we are on our post-adoption journey, I'm stealing/sharing the words from fellow adoptive families. This excerpt is from my friend, Lauren's, blog. It echos the dull ache in the back of my heart when I think of our kids' whole stories. While Judah and Addise will never "remember" what happened to them before they became Diaz's, in the words of adoption and attachment expert, Karyn Purvis, "Every kid has cognitive recall of their history." Consider that as you read Lauren's blog post:

"...and i especially hate thinking about my toddler-aged child (though i have never seen his/her face or heard his/her story) sitting in an orphanage quietly mourning the mother he/she has lost and wondering if there will ever be another mother to hold him/her again. i think that he/she must be old enough to remember what his/her mother's face looked like, how her hands felt, how her voice sounded, how she smelled...and also old enough to remember how suddenly she was gone...when all the sights, sounds, and smells just disappeared.

"but, in adoption, there is hope for redemption.

"tonight, i claim for my children and all those who need families words of scripture, promises from God...he sets the lonely in families...he defends the cause of the fatherless... he is close to the brokenhearted...he knows our sitting down and rising up...he never leaves us or forsakes us.

"i will not leave you as orphans, i am coming to you. -- john 14:18
"in him the orphan finds mercy. -- hosea 14:3"

12 Days of Christmas :: Hope

DAY 9 :: I am grateful for HOPE.

I've been crying a lot today in light of our news today about potentially not being able to travel in 4 days. I can't imagine not being on a plane in 4 days, holding our babies in a week. I can't imagine...

As Brian and I prayed together today and he held me as I cried - multiple times - we were reminded of our hope in God, not an Embassy date. As dear friends prayed for us tonight, God tenderly reminded me that we hope in a God who is never late. When I got home, Brian pointed us back toward Lamentations 3:19-30 [The Message]. I love the author's emotional authenticity and staunch dependence on God despite the circumstances. I want to be this kind of woman. We want to be this kind of couple...

^19-21I'll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness,
the taste of ashes, the poison I've swallowed.
I remember it all—oh, how well I remember—
the feeling of hitting the bottom.
But there's one other thing I remember,
and remembering, I keep a grip on hope:

^22-24God's loyal love couldn't have run out,
his merciful love couldn't have dried up.
They're created new every morning.
How great your faithfulness!
I'm sticking with God (I say it over and over).
He's all I've got left.

^25-27God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits,
to the woman who diligently seeks.
It's a good thing to quietly hope,
quietly hope for help from God.
It's a good thing when you're young
to stick it out through the hard times.

^28-30When life is heavy and hard to take,
go off by yourself. Enter the silence.
Bow in prayer. Don't ask questions:
Wait for hope to appear.
Don't run from trouble. Take it full-face.
The "worst" is never the worst.

Brian got another tattoo last week, and this one is most personal to us, to our story.
Isaiah 40 has been a critical passage throughout our infertility and adoption journeys. We held on to the truth that when we wait on God that he'll give us new strength and we'll soar on wings like eagles. Brian's fresh tattoo is a permanent, visual reminder of the hope we've found in God [you can see the "h" from his "hope" tattoo, too].

If you are in need of hope tonight or are finding yourself waiting, do yourself a favor and download Vicki Yohe's song "In the Waiting". My friend Neah plopped earphones on my head tonight and rubbed my back as I SOBBED through the song. It'll pull you toward a God who works all things together for good.

Tonight, I'm grateful for Hope that does not disappoint. Not my will, but yours be done...

Communication Photo Album

One of my adoptive mommy friends gave me a great idea to help Judah transition. Since he's learning Amharic right now, but we don't know any, pictures are a great way to help him communicate. I thought this was such a great idea!! Thanks Tona!!!

You can use the pictures as a "vocabulary time" and start teaching him some English words as you point to the items in the pictures. It might be fun to have you and Brian in as many of the pics as you can [ex: you sitting on his bed, Brian sitting at the table].

· Select: All, Read, None

· ShowAllUnread

• Your cars [inside and out]
• The outside of your house
• His bed
  
• His bathroom
• Your kitchen table with food on it
• Your refrigerator with door open so he can see the food =)
• Your living room
• Food pictures of things he might eat or see at your house
• Toys that are waiting on him at home; If you are taking him a toy or cuddly then have it in the picture of his toys and then you can show it to him in the pic
• Airplane pictures [inside and out]
• The people you think he may see with in the first few days home [just call them "friends" so he does not have too many names]
• Pictures of you guys together from your 1st trip
• Pictures of animals, if you have them
  

Hopefully this is helpful for other adoptive parents who are preparing to travel. Feel free to share! There are "share" buttons at the bottom of this post.