Celebrations

Celebrations!

It is amazing to see over the course of the past 26 months just how much our gal has been loved. People have donated their time, goods, money, all to bring this little gal home.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been lucky enough to have three showers thrown in honor of her. This process has been such a long journey, so celebrating was something that I was looking forward to. Both Michael and I were blown away by the gifts that people brought not just from the registry but also all the handmade goodies she received. Lots of thought, heart, and love went into each and every gift, no matter if it came from a store or not.

My friend made this bag for her out of the bridesmaid dress
she wore at our wedding. 

Words and prayers were spoken over her. Such a great reminder for this momma that she was ours before time began. God knew she would be a Bowden, even before the Bowden’s were the Bowden’s. I was also reminded that she is on loan to us for a short time. She is not our possession that has been entrusted to us for a period. That is something that we take very seriously.

One of the side effects of adoption has finally hit. Some friends had told me, this might come and so far I have been able to battle it, but I find that as the days wear on, the battle is becoming harder.

I had been told to be careful, once you get her picture the longing to get her home will be intense. Those months as you wait will be the harder it will be. I have been ok thus far. Ok with the wait, full well knowing that we were getting time to prepare the house and such. Time we so desperately needed. But once the last shower was over something happened. I had the urge to GO and GO right now. I did not want to wait any longer, did not want her to sit in the orphanage any longer. Did not want to be apart from my child any longer. I am READY to get her here.

I am thankful that we are doing so much at the last minute in regards to her room and such. It is to hard to look at her stuff without her here. To hard to imagine her sitting and reading all those books, to hard to stare at the crib knowing she should be in it.

We are still waiting on a travel date. They told us sometime in February we should get one.

Waiting………………

Jennifer

Six to Eight

It is a wee morning hours here. Our house is fill to the brim with friends and family that have come for a day of celebration. Poor Michael is outnumbered drastically with all the women staying in the house.

A celebration to get ready for our girl. A celebration that has been culminating that the past two and half years. A celebration to make sure she has what she needs, but most importantly a celebration of what God is doing and continues to do in this adoption.

It is incredible to think that we are in the tail end of this journey. The adoption agency is telling us that we should have travel dates before February is over. Which means in the next 6-8 weeks we will be heading to get our girl. So many firsts will take place for our family. And as I think about the firsts with excitement, the reality is hitting of not only the impact of the firsts for our family but the lasts for our girl.

In 6 weeks our girl will leave the only country that she ever knew, and her citizenship will change forever. She will leave the only nannies she has known, her buddies that have slept beside her at night, the only place she knew to lay her head. Her diet is going to completely change. She will get a new name, have a new house, a cat, cousins, grandparents, great grandparents, aunts, uncles, great aunts, great uncles, friends will all be added to her. She will learn what a car seat is for the first time, take her first airplane ride, experience her first time change. She will walk into a room that is hers filled with love from people all over the world. She will need to learn how to trust, love, grieve, all the things that she has lost and embrace the new. All at the age of two. So, while we are very excited to bring her home, I also recognize that there is much her tender little heart will experience far beyond anything I could ever imagine.

I pray for my girl and all that I have named along with all the things that I am missing at this hour. Full well knowing our lives will be forever written in a way that will change history for our family.

For now, I celebrate with friends and family that have come near and far. Sacrificed to make this journey possibly, want to love us and in turn love her.

Lots more to come as we are counting down the days………….

Jennifer