party of five

we've been a family of five for just over a month now. it's crazy to think it has been that long, and that short, all at once. especially since we've only been home for a couple of weeks. we're definitely still adjusting - as one would expect since we added a whole person to our family. although, i still catch myself thinking i should be doing more, and thinking that we should be farther along in this process somehow.

it feels like we're adjusting on the fly since we didn't really expect to end up with a five {now six} month old. we expected our whole world to pause with a newborn, and we ended up with a happy, social, smiley, and very mobile six month old.

expectations be damned.
but in the best way.

i'm not going to share the full story in detail because 1. i can't, and 2. i want her to be able to own her story and choose who knows what about her when she gets older. so for now, suffice it to say that we heard about her on december 27, and we brought her into our family on january 5.

she was with amazing care providers for her whole life up until she came home with us. we got to meet them, and talk with them prior to bringing her home, and we still have their contact information which has been fantastic.

i also got to meet her amazing birth mama when i was in florida waiting out the legal process, and despite my nerves God showed up in a big way. it was such a gift to meet her and hug her and visit with her.

i feel like i haven't fully processed all of the amazing things that "just happened to work out" to bring her into our family. i probably won't even remember all of the ways that God has met us on this journey to bring her into our family. because there were a lot of things that didn't make any sense. and honestly - some of them still don't make sense. it doesn't seem like those things needed to happen to bring us our girl.

and some of those things may just have been the brokenness of the world. because we all know that we live in a hurting and broken world. adoption itself feels like the epitome of bittersweet.
it is both a stunning picture and a heart-wrenching one.

our family is adapting and adjusting. each of us. all of us. thus far it has been really good. the good has far outweighed the hard. the transition has felt as seamless as it could be. we are immensely grateful for our older kids jumping into their new roles with gusto, and being incredible helpers.

as we adapt and adjust i've been reflecting as often as i can {which is to say, very little}. these last few weeks have reminded me time and time again that God is at work.
his ways are not our ways, but he's always at work.
he doesn't slumber or sleep. he's always at work.

please continue to pray for us. this has, and continues to be, a transition. it's starting to feel normal, but it still takes us ten minutes longer to get in the car and go anywhere! i haven't gotten into a real rhythm yet, and for a girl who likes a routine it has been a bit challenging.

we appreciate you and your prayers!

xoxo