Adoption Awareness Month

Today is the last day of November. November is Adoption Awareness Month. I've been mulling over what to write all month. Truth be told, there are times when I don't think about adoption all that much. But then there are times when I think about it all the time. Some days, Logan being adopted is like me having braces on my teeth. I did have braces. I don't now. They did change me, but they didn't define me. It's a good conversation piece, but not who I am. The fact that I HAD braces did change my life in some ways (hey, straight teeth change your self image...I'm just sayin'). Okay, so maybe the braces/adoption is a bad comparison.



Logan was adopted into our family. It's simply how he came to be a part of our family. I hope that as he grows, he doesn't feel like it defines him and he doesn't feel like he has to talk/think about it all the time but that he looks at his adoption with fondness and gratitude.



But, on this last day of Adoption Awareness Month 2010, what do I want you to know about adoption?



*First of all, adoption doesn't have to be a defining moment for a person/family. It's all about how you choose to process it.

*Adoption is not something we are ashamed of. We are PROUD of the way that Logan joined our family. It makes him extra special (in my humble opinion!). And I gladly welcome any questions (when asked appropriately). If I don't feel comfortable answering them, I will tell you so, but please don't be afraid to ask.

*All adoptions are different, just like all families are different. All birthmothers are different. Please don't make assumptions about my son, his birthmother or our family based on an experience you have had or an experience you have heard about or something you dreamed in your mind!

*There are many, many, MANY well-adjusted children who happen to be adopted. Just because someone is adopted, it does not mean that they are destined to be confused or feel like something is "missing" in their life.

*In our life, we did not adopt because of selflessness...it was pure selfishness. We wanted a family. We wanted to be parents. God bless those people who are angels and adopt children as a call to their Christian duty. They are wonderful people. I'm just being honest about my motivation. Please don't feel like "Logan is so lucky..." (other than lucky that I'm an awesome mom and Zeb's an awesome dad...but not lucky because we "saved" him, as some people think - hah!) It IS true that Logan is blessed to be raised in a Christian home. All children who are raised in a Christian home are blessed.



The older Logan gets, the less important his adoption is to me. (I couldn't believe it when the 1 year anniversary of his official adoption came and went and didn't even cross my mind. Important dates are not easily forgotten by me!) Please don't interpret that as disrespect towards him, his birthmother or his adoption. I have nothing but gratitude and love in my heart for Logan's birthmother and I think you pretty much know how crazy I am about my son! It's just that as we experience things, as we grow together, as we watch him learn, as we fall more in love with him each and every day, adoption just happens to be the way we met. There are so many other things that I think about when I think about Logan. And every once in a while, I'll remember his special beginning.



I am so honored, so humbled by the fact that God chose Zeb and I to experience adoption. I've said this before, but I don't believe adoption is a path we would have chosen if we were not led by God to do so. In the midst of all of our grieving, suffering and questioning, God was preparing our hearts for blessings beyond what we could imagine. I am so thankful for that we live in a country where adoption is possible...and yes, thankful for the Adoption Tax Credit :)

So, this past month, adoption has been on my mind more often than usual. I pray that if you are considering adoption, that you seek honest answers and educate yourself on the matter. Or, even if you are not considering adoption, perhaps you will educate yourselves on ways that you can become involved in assisting with adoptions and the care of orphans. For the Glory of God.



"{In love}, He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will." Praise God for Adoption!

Vacation -- Part II

One of the best things about this vacation was just being able to relax. Logan and I took a lot of naps and we also got to bed at a reasonable time each night (compared to when I usually go to bed...Logan stayed up later than normal because of the time difference). Logan found Grandpa & Grandma's sprinkler, and if you can see in this picture below, he started singing into the spot where the hose meets the sprinkler (not sure what that's called). He was singing his signature song, "Baby, Baby" by Justin Bieber, but he sang it "Baby, baby, like a baby." That kid cracks me up.

Aunt Michelle made Logan some tie-die shirts and let him help. She's studying to be a teacher (graduating from college when she's 20 years old...yes, she's very smart!). She is going to make a great teacher because she is very patient!!! Logan loved spending time with his Aunt "Shell."

We only took a few toys for Logan to play with, but somehow, he came home with A LOT of toys!!! Here he is playing with his new legos...Grandpa is reading the directions on how to put it together.

Grandpa was excited to be able to show Logan off to his work friends, and of course, Logan was excited to see all the big trucks

Logan wasn't going to get a free ride, so they put him to work! He was happy help though.

The next few pictures I included just because they're cute. It didn't take long for Logan to feel right at home at Grandpa & Grandma's as these pictures demonstrate!!

I'll write more later...there are still a lot more pictures!!!

Vacation -- Part I

We were blessed to be able to take a week's vacation to the south to visit family. It's definitely going to take more than one post to document our time, so here's the first one!

The first part of our trip, we went to Alabama. Here is Logan wearing a sweatshirt that was first Zeb's uncle's and then Zeb's...how cute is that?! Our time in Alabama was short, but we had a wonderful time visiting with family. Logan was, of course, spoiled, as pictured below riding on Uncle Darrell's shoulders!

Logan and Aunt Donna

Logan and Uncle Darrell

Logan and Papa

Logan and Nanny

On Saturday morning, Nanny made us a big southern breakfast and then we headed to a flea market/farmer's market. Logan had so much fun looking at everything. And the weather was warmer than it is here, so that was definitely a plus :)

Russell, Dalton and Logan

We saw Russell and Dalton this past summer, but I am certain they both have grown since we saw them last! I couldn't believe how tall and grown up they both are. Obviously, Logan's not the only one growing!! Logan adores all of them, and it was so great to see how happy he was interacting with the boys, his great aunt and uncle and his great grandparents. When we left, he kept asking if we were going to see Nanny.

Logan did a great job traveling. We sold our Wii game system to put the money towards a DVD player....what a great purchase. I don't know how many times he watched The Polar Express, but the DVD player was definitely worth the money!

We're Still Here

Charlie is still cute. Logan now thinks it's fun to ride Donkey.

Haircut #3 went great.

Logan got a sucker as a reward for doing so great during haircut #3.

Logan likes Steak & Shake.

Look how nervous he looks during cousin Drake's basketball game!

The weather was so nice, we were able to swing outside.

Uncle Dave took Logan on a tour of the church bus. Logan is obsessed with big trucks and buses.

I had the flu yesterday and was down all day. Today, 4 out of 5 of my front office staff members at work were sick = FUN day at the office (hah!). I'm praying that Logan and Zeb don't get sick. We have too much fun planned in the coming weeks to allow for any sickness!!! Pray for us!

I'm Lovin' It!

I'm lovin' Logan in his little sweater-vest today. I'm lovin' how Logan adores Charlie. The other morning, Logan walked out to the kitchen, still trying to wake up for the day. He saw Charlie, bent down and said, "Hi Char Char. Kiss?" And Charlie leaned in, licked Logan's face and Logan went about his day! Today, Logan was sitting on the couch and Charlie was sitting on Logan's lap (I couldn't find my camera fast enough), but Logan was so excited that Charlie was that close to him. They adore each other (even though Charlie doesn't realize it yet!) I'm lovin' how Logan wants kisses all the time for his ouchies. Sometimes, he'll even give himself kisses on his ouchies. Like this..kissing his toe when he remembered that it was hurt.

I'm lovin' Logan in his hats and his big, fluffy coats! I bought this coat TWO YEARS ago on clearance. It was too big last winter and this year, it's nearly too small (it's size 18 months -- there is just no way to predict what sizes he will wear), but it will last for a month or so...he just has really long arms! When I got it out of the closet tonight, he said, "I no like that." He wore it anyway, and I thought it was adorable!

I'm lovin' that I am blessed with yet another week to be this little boy's mommy. Every day is a gift. And I don't say that lightly. Every day is TRULY a gift.

Thoughts

I imagine that there will come a time when I'm not completely in awe of this little wonder running around our house. I hope not. Every day, his daddy and I are calling each other from the other room, "Get in here! You have to see this!" I love all the moments that we spend together. He constantly amazes us. Charlie is patiently waiting because Logan always shares his food!

He is always doing something funny. The other night, he dumped all of his toys out of the basket so that he could lay in there. Then, he decided to sit there while he watched tv.

He's quite the show-off, too (as these next pictures demonstrate).

He must get in trouble a lot at the sitter's house because he is obsessed with standing in the corner now. We've never made him stand in the corner, so he had to learn it somewhere! He'll stand in the corner and then say, "I get out," like he's asking for permission!

Last night while we were eating supper, he started counting and counted all the way to nine on his own! Zeb and I were so excited, so we asked him to do it again. Of course, he wouldn't!

Although I'm sure this is typical for this age, we are amazed at how much he remembers and recalls. I had to take him to the doctor yesterday (he has ear infections in both ears), and when I picked him up from the babysitter's house, I said, "Hurry, we have to go to the doctor's." And then he said, " I see Nemo," and he kept saying it. I didn't get it until about half way there, and then I remembered that the doctor's office has a fish tank! When we pulled into the parking lot, he was going nuts with excitement. Once his appointment was over and I was paying, he said to the lady at the billing area, "I have sticker?" He remembered that they gave out stickers! It's a big deal that he remembers stuff like this because until this point, he pretty much didn't remember things that didn't occur regularly. It really does change things. Again, I know that this is typical for his age, but it's still amazing to watch him grow and change.

Here he is, "playing" one of daddy's video games.

9 Months Waiting

Today, marks 9 months officially for us waiting for baby #2. It's been 9 months since Zeb dropped our profiles off so that we could be "shown" to birthmothers. This time around is SO much different from the first time.



I guess that you could say I was a " doubting Thomas" in this regard....the first time around, I didn't really trust the Lord, but since we now have proof (Logan) that God is in complete control of our adoption situations, it is much easier to trust. I regret that I didn't have blind faith, but I can say without a shadow of a doubt that our faith has grown since our first waiting period.



If you recall, we waited around 20 months from our first contact with the agency until we got the call for Logan. Our last homestudy was dated in August 2007 and we got the call in August 2008. This homestudy is dated February 2010, so will it be February 2011? Who knows?! Honestly, I'm perfectly fine with whatever happens. We want more children, but if Logan ends up being our only child, I will still live a perfectly happy and very blessed life.



There are days when I think I'd like to wait another year or so before we add another baby. There are days when I think I'd like to have another one right now! I am so thankful that God is in control and I just get to sit back and watch Him work!



With the first adoption, I limited myself to calling our caseworker once a month just to check in. With this adoption, I have only contacted them twice to check in (just a sign of how much more relaxed I am!). When I contacted her the other day, she indicated that our profile had actually been shown several times, but the birthmothers had not picked us. A lot of birthmothers tend to pick families who do not already have children. I can kind of understand that. And honestly, it doesn't make me bitter (just feeling a little rejected! I kid.) -Although I remember when we were waiting for Logan, there was a birthmother who looked at our profile, but ended up selecting a family with other children because she wanted her child to be a part of a big family. All of this just reminds me that I have no need to be worried or anxious because until OUR baby is ready, all the wishing and hoping won't change things.



Although we are trusting the Lord, we do ask you to continue praying. It is always in our minds/thoughts/prayers that the Lord will watch over our baby and the birth family, as we know that the road to the adoption decision is not an easy one.

2 Year Pictures

Logan's 2 year pictures by Sesha Divelbiss

Logan Performing

Untitled from Amy Johnston on Vimeo.