Happy Adoption Day

The day itself wasn't overly happy as a new flu snuck into our house somehow through the night and brought down the first kid.  Poor A stayed home from school with a 40 C fever, no appetite and a headache - very rare for her to be so lifeless.  By bedtime, it was clear that the other two were heading in the same direction.  They're hacking in their beds right now, which is why I'm up so late!

But all the same,  today was a special day of remembrance - the day Iz became part of our family three years ago!  When I mentioned the date to the kids at dinner time last night, it was heart-warming to hear their discussion of what "adoption day" meant.  A was patiently explaining about having a birth mom and a mom-mom.  When she said, "You know, a tummy mommy - you grew inside of her . . . " Iz just found the rhyme too silly and laughed.  Ai tried to steer her back on course: "Yeah, I grew in Mommy's tummy.  You grew in S's tummy.  She gave you to us so we could be family toge-der."  The conversation went on, making me thankful for how "normal" our not-quite-so-normal family is to our kids - over time they're piecing together our stories more concretely.

For me, I still marvel at how the pieces came together three years ago.  It was such an intense time - learning about a little baby waiting for a family and taking 6 days to discern whether physically, emotionally and financially we could become that for her.  Then we had 8 crazy days of phone calls, forms to fill in, drives to Smithers and Houston to get Criminal Record Checks and other paperwork done.  We learned on a Tuesday night that our baby needed to be picked up on Thursday - impossible as it was a two day drive for us (due to winter conditions and two young children in the van) to get down to her.  But through the whirlwind of it all, we met her late Thursday night then picked her up for keeps on Friday morning.  No parents ever forget the first time they lay eyes on their baby - do they?  Even though we were exhausted, we were so very happy.  Actually, it's kind of a blend of feelings that have persisted - so tired, yet enjoying the gift of our children.

And so on this day, we remember how we came to be "family toge-der," giving thanks for how God worked out the circumstances and giving thanks for a super birth family who have privileged us with being family together with them, too.  What a gift little Iz is to us all . . .