Home Three Months

I decided to change the color of my background today to reflect Maeleigh's love of pink, and the fact that now that we have 5...yes, 5 girls, there is a lot of pink in our lives. We are home today three months with Maeleigh. Life has been busy and crazy, but all in all, pretty darn good. Our dinner table is full, our dishes are overflowing, the chores are numerous, the laughter resounding, the tears and aggravation and attitude are present (I did say we have 5 girls, didn't I?). Life is full, life is busy, and we are richly blessed. I think back to the day that I found Maeleigh's file on Madison Adoption Agency's website. She had re-appeared on their waiting child list as she had gone through a 'disruption' a few months before. Her chances of being adopted were slim, our chances to adopt her were even slimmer. We had not recovered from our other two adoptions financially, and we were just becoming used to our life with Shane and his many needs. I remember telling God in my prayers, that He was asking the impossible from me, to even begin to put the thought in my heart that we should adopt this child. He was asking us to once again stretch our finances, our hearts, our physical home, to add another child into our lives. He was asking me for more anxiety to get the money we needed, more times I had to explain to people "why" we would even think of adopting again. He was asking so much...but as Saint Paul says, and I have learned daily "God cannot be outdone in His generosity." “Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you, so that in all things, always having all you need, you may have an abundance for every good work. As it is written: ‘He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.’ The one who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness” (2 Cor 9: 8-10). Looking back, I have to laugh at my foolishness. When do we, as humans, learn that we need to trust God in ALL things? If God knows when a sparrow falls, surely He knows the status of our bank accounts and credit cards. If God works everything for the good for our salvation, who am I to question? Trust me, in the middle of the night when I wake up in a panic to figure things out, I have to remind myself of these things, but perhaps that is why He places these obstacles in our way as we journey towards adoption. And as we go, we are so richly blessed. This adoption brought us so many wonderful people who generously donated to us, and truly provided the funds we needed to go to get Maeleigh, and to allow Sophie to travel with me. Matt and I are so thankful to everyone who generously gave us money to help with Maeleigh's adoption expenses. Thank you is so inadequate...perhaps seeing Maeleigh's smiling face will be a thank you to you. Speaking of Maeleigh's smile, it is constant.She has been happy and cheerful since she came home. If she is ever sad or frustrated, she doesn't show it. She is doing so well in school, and is learning so much English, even if she is hesitant to express the words. She loves getting dressed up, fixing her hair, wearing new (or hand-me-down)clothes. She gets more independent every day, makes her own lunch for school, can go up and down steps holing both crutches in one hand, the railing in another. We encourage her to be as independent as possible. She has discovered the joys of gardening (she takes after me!) and she has already planted seeds, put in petunias, and will soon help to pick blueberries and raspberries. She helps with cooking dinner, peeling potatoes, making pizza.there are so many new discoveries at the age of 1, but things she never experienced in her whole life. Ho blessed we are, blessed with abundance, that God asked us to be her family. To think I had any doubts....how foolish. “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more” (Lk 12: 48) More to come... Enjoy these pictures!