Sharing our big news!

We've told our parents our big news. I wanted to wait until we found an agency and had started the process before we let anyone know our plans--kinda like, "there's no turning back now" sort of thing regardless of their reactions. I wanted to make this announcement as special as we made it when we announced our biological girls. When I was pregnant with each of them, I mailed stuffed animal storks with a future birth announcement, Grandma picture books with a message, or a message in a bottle. This time I mailed them all a "message in a bottle" with a birth announcement and a letter explaining our decision. My mother-in-law remarked that we have her well trained to quickly open a box we mail her. She said she was surprised that she made it to the car without opening it this time! We have wonderful parents. They all have squashed any apprehension that I had about them not being very excited about this new turn in our lives. We either got crying (for joy--at least I think), squealing, or "I figured you guys might do something like this!" I had read so much about other people's experiences of lackluster reactions that I think I had prepared myself for a less than enthusiastic response. For us at least, all our friends and family that we have thus told have all been very supportive and excited. We are so thankful and blessed to have such awesome people surrounding us! We know that we will be leaning on them throughout this process.

Why adoption? God began to work on my heart while we were trying to get pregnant with our first child. I had never had a insatiable desire to have children even though Doug did. After being married for 14 years, I guess we finally decided there was no time like the present, especially since "time" was literally ticking away for me! I had to spend a year and a half mentally preparing myself for this baby thing. I watched Father of the Bride Part II, Nine 1/2 Months, A Smile Like Yours, A Baby Story. You name it--if it was about a baby, I was soaking it in. There was an episode on A Baby Story where the parents adopted a child from Kyrgyzstan, I believe. That episode has stayed with me, and throughout the years, God has been gently tugging me in that direction. Doug has always seen a little boy when he has pictured our family picture. He has brought this fact up to me quite a few times over the years, and my unknowingly prophetic response to him has always been, "I hope that boy is Chinese because that's the only way that's going to happen!" Doug has always wanted lots of kids--enough for a football team--but when you start as late in life as we did, there isn't enough time for even a 6-man team. Did I mention we are 41 and 44? I told him I wasn't going to discuss anything with him until our youngest was 3. She turned 3 this summer. I think our conversation basically went like this:

Doug: "When are we going to have another baby?"
Me: "There's not one coming from my body!"
Silence.
Me: "I think we're suppose to adopt."
Doug: "I have known for years we're suppose to adopt."
Me, about to throw the wrench in the cog wheel: "I think we're suppose to adopt from Kazakhstan."
Doug: "Huh? Silence.-- Long Silence--... Where's that?" (I know he's thinking that it doesn't sound very American.)

So there it is...our high tech adoption conversation for all the world wide web to see. Our stunning play with the English language should make even the most gifted laureate aspire to higher linguistic standards!

With all my difficulties in both my pregnancies, I have not been interested at all in carrying another pregnancy, and with Doug's desire for a "quiver full" of children, adoption seems to be the answer for us. "Defend the poor and fatherless; do justice to the affected and needy. Deliver the poor and needy; free them from the hand of the wicked." Psalm 82:3-4. I know that some are called to help financially, others by prayer or labor. We, however, feel called to adopt. We know that God never gives a vision without providing a way; this is really His journey--we're just trying our best to be obedient servants.