An accidental fib.

We have an apology to make. Our last blog contained an untrue statement. To be honest we didn’t know we were telling a lie. Turns out I WAS pregnant when I wrote that blog post! Our baby boy is due February 15th :) We were not sure whether our second child would come biologically or through adoption but apparently God knew! We are feeling blessed beyond measure and excited to give Allia the opportunity to be an awesome big sister. It is going to rock her world (and ours!). Our lives are increasingly busy as we prepare for this new addition to our family. 

It's official.

We are embarking on our next big adventure (no I am not pregnant and no we are not adopting again…yet!). Since we have been so incredibly blessed through adoption we realized we have developed a passion to help others in this journey. We are officially associates for America World Adoption Agency. What does this mean you ask? Jeremy and I will be available to walk with other local families as they adopt. We will also be helping lead adoption seminars in our area – just like one we attended that sparked our interest and led us to begin the process of building our family through adoption. Mark your calendar…our first seminar is scheduled for September 21^st.

There has been an awful lot of negative information floating around in the media lately surrounding adoption. Not all adoptions are ethical. But we fully believe AWAA is doing it right and look forward to being able to educate and empower others to support ethical adoption practices. Check out the website here: http://www.awaa.org

We would love to talk to you if you are at all interested in adoption. There are no questions that are off limits. Ask away!

June has been a busy month for us. Here are a few photos of some recent family fun!

First trip to the beach...Allia is not a fan of sand!

She preferred to sit on her dad so she didn't have to touch the grainy stuff:)

Or ride on his shoulders!

Grammie came to watch swim class. Allia loves the water!

Dad and Allia's first trip to the Tillamook Cheese Factory.

We were having too much fun.

Love that girl!

A hike to a lighthouse and some quality family time.

A Post-Mother's Day Reflection.

It was a delightful day with my girl. I loved being able to celebrate my first Mother’s Day. But I couldn’t help but have some mixed emotions. Bittersweet. Lately I have been thinking about her…our daughter’s first mom. The one who went through the agony of childbirth. The bravest woman I can imagine. It causes my heart to ache knowing she will not get to see our funny, smart, muscial, little girl grow into a beautiful young lady. She didn’t get to witness our daughter’s first steps or hear her first words. I wish I could tell her. Make a big deal out of the new things Allia is learning. I am reminded of my duty to share the love of two moms with one very special girl. So I will snuggle Allia a little more, gaze into her big brown eyes even longer and give her twice as many kisses. For the two of us.

My greatest joy came out of her greatest sacrifice. I am humbled. Grateful to be Allia’s mom.  

Look who’s 1!

We celebrated Allia’s first birthday a week early because Grandmom was in town. A small family celebration was perfect for us. She loved the cupcake, the presents and the attention. She is definitely a party girl :)

Can’t believe how much she has changed in three short months of being home. This week her one-year molars started coming in and she took her first steps (just as daddy predicted!). We are abundantly blessed.

Adoption has changed us. We are growing daily in our passion to find a forever family for every child. More to come on this soon!

Settling in: two months home

Wow! What a difference a month can make. Allia is eating better (she has gained over three pounds since arriving home). Sleeping better. And continuing to amaze us everyday with the ways she is growing, changing and learning. We are in LOVE. Life will never be the same.

This month was full of family fun. We were able to have Jeremy’s parents come stay with us for a week. Of course they are smitten with Allia:) After that Aunt Bethany and cousin Adelaide came for a visit. It was so neat to have the girls together. Our family gatherings will never be boring with those two around! Then this last weekend Shelby and Brayden came over for a sleepover. They adore our daughter and are so good at playing with her. We are fortunate to have such a loving and supportive family. Enjoy some of our most recent pics! 

 Its official! We got Allia's citizenship documents in the mail:)

 All smiles with her daddy!

 Snuggles with Grandmom.

 You guessed it. Allia is home and the hair is cut!

 Mama's helper.

 Fun times with Grammie.

Cousins!

One month home: amoxicillin, avocados and attachment

Sorry for the lack of updates since we arrived home on Christmas Eve. We have been in survival mode. Soon after getting home we all got sick. Really sick. Poor Allia ended up with an ear infection on top of it all. The three of us all ended up needing antibiotics. Megan sadly even had to miss Allia’s first doctor visit. One positive result of the bug was that it gave our little girl and her daddy some forced bonding opportunities. They love to spend time together!

Meal time has been challenging! Allia would prefer to only eat cereal and formula. Slowly we have been finding other foods she enjoys. Avocados are always a hit! We give them to her often so that we can provide healthy fats to our petite princess :)

We so appreciate your outpouring of love and respect as we have taken a month to stay home and focus on attachment. Meals have been provided. Friends and family have encouraged us through phone calls and emails. We think Allia is doing very well for the huge transition she has endured. Slowly we are figuring out what life looks like as a family of three. We are excited to start bringing our daughter out and about. Look out – here we come!