Unsure of whether or not I’d ever hear, “Congratulations, you’re finally a mom!” I would often sulk while in my tub searching my heart, in tears pleading with God, wondering if I’d upset Him in some way that He’d decide not to bless us. I imagined myself (interestingly always with a boy) with a son taking him on nature walks showing him the wonders of God’s creation. I imagined myself tucking him in at night telling him about Jesus. But as much as I imagined these things, I didn’t believe in my heart my husband and I would be so blessed in getting to bring these dreams to fulfillment.
About a year and a half after our son was placed, we were blessed with our second son. My husband and I had wondered when our older son’s birthmother might have another baby since almost 3 years had passed (she’d averaged a new baby every year to year and a half).
The year 2006 was the year of raining babies for us. Our initial hope for receiving a newborn was by way of a sibling placement. Our younger son’s adoption (who is not biologically related to our oldest) had just finalized and we found ourselves emotionally drained beyond words that I can express here. We got notice of our oldest’s sibling being born in January, then our youngest’s sibling born in May, then, yet another sibling to our oldest was born in December.
When I think back to the days of awaiting parenthood, I don’t think I could have ever imagined having so many opportunities for more children. My point here is this: As hard as the waiting might be and as difficult as it might be to see everything come to fulfillment, you might be shocked one day to learn for yourself there could be more children offered to you than you may be able to parent at the time. Adopting through the state, my story isn’t much different than that of other families I know who’ve adopted the same way.
Please visit these related blogs:
Saying No to a Sibling Placement
Making Contact: Finding My Child’s Adopted Siblings
Melissa is a Families.com Christian Blogger. Read her blogs at: http://members.families.com/mj7/blog