It’s been awhile since I last posted and I thought I should give an update on parenthood - we absolutely love it! Elin is such a fun, happy baby. We never could have imagined the amount of love that we would have for our child. We waited a long time for her and we still find ourselves in shock that she is ours. There are times I will simply be walking through the store, pushing her in her stroller, and tears of joy will surface as I am still in awe of all that God has given us. Elin is the child we prayed for and God gave us the desires of our hearts. We continually praise Him.
These past 9 months have flown by and have been so much fun. It seems like Elin does something new everyday and it is such a joy to watch her explore the world around her. We absolutely love being a family of 3. We went on our first big family vacation a couple weeks ago and it was such an amazing trip to California. It was wonderful to find out that Elin is a great traveler and that she adapts quickly to new surroundings. I’m pretty sure she is a better traveler than her mama - I don’t do well on long flights! ;) We are already starting to dream and plan the next vacation and can’t wait to take her on more adventures.
Speaking of more adventures, Kristofer and I have been talking and praying about our next child. As you may recall we had originally planned to do IVF before God called us to adopt. When we got the call to adopt I had it in the back of my mind that we would try IVF after our first child was adopted, however God has different plans.
I had always had such a strong desire to be a mother, to experience pregnancy and birth. That had been such a hard thing to let go of - the notion that carrying a child is a part of what really makes you a mother. Over the past year my desires and mindset have changed. I am now ok if I never become pregnant, if I never birth a child or even nurse my child. My heart, our hearts, desire to adopt. Now that is not to say that I will never have those desires again but at this point in my life, I am ok if that doesn’t happen.
I would be lying if I said that I didn’t have a twinge here and there as I see a pregnant woman walk past but then it is quickly met with the reminder of the beauty of adoption and the beauty of our story. I love my daughter more than words could ever fully express and I am so thankful that I had the honor and privilege of adopting her!
With that Kristofer and I are planning to adopt again! We are currently praying about which route to take for our next domestic adoption and we are so excited for the day we get to bring our second child home. We have been praying for our child and the expectant parents and we are so excited to see what God has planned. We are excited to make Elin a big sister and we pray that she will do well on the transition, as she is a bit spoiled from all of our family! ;)
As we continue to research and prepare for renewing our Home Study, we continue to dream of our child whom we have yet to meet. We look forward to the day that we are matched and the day that we bring our bundle of joy home. I will be sure to update as the journey to baby #2 moves forward. For the time being, we will continuing enjoying every moment with Elin while praying for our next child.
“For this child I have prayed and the Lord has granted the desires of my heart.”
1 Samuel 1:27
