TidBits

Here's a few tidbits about our soon to be hijas...

Caroline Nicole ia 3 1/2 years old, weighs about 31 lbs. and is 36" tall. She has dark brown hair, black eyes, and medium complexion. She is described to be tranquilo (calm), alegre (cheerful or happy), dinamico (dynamic), alerta (alert), despierta (sharp-temper), sociable (social), and extrovertida (extroverted)! Whew! Sounds like we have another Silas on our hands! Le gusta jugar (she enjoys playing) with munecas (dolls), her imagination is big, and likes to explore! She also likes to be around adults! And it appears that she may almost be potty-trained! Whew!

Marta Tatiana is 15 months, weighs about 20 lbs., and is 24 1/2" tall. She has dark brown hair black eyes, and medium complexion like big sis. She is described to be tranquilo (calm) and indiferente (indifferent). She has global delays, this is assumed to be related to living in an institution almost her whole life. She likes to be in the company of adults.

We are still waiting on translations, hopefully we will receive them sometime next week. Each day we read through their Spanish documents and pick up more and more about them, their history, and medicals. It has been fun gradually learning more about them as we wait to get the immigration process started.

This adoption process has been much different than both Isabel and Silas'. God has been preparing our hearts for these girls for a very LONG time (yes, I'm not the most patient person). It is overwhelming to look back and ponder on what doors had to open and close to have the call that Caroline and Marta were chosen for our familia! We have wrestled with special needs adoption, other countries, domestic, even older, larger sibling groups, and the door kept opening back to Colombia...our hearts desire! God has navigated this journey, not us. We held it loosely. Many ask why we switched to a sibling group, when we were so close to receiving an infant referral!? Good question...God did that work, not us...the nudge has been a gradual process and ultimately we knew we just wanted to be obedient to His calling for our family! With that being said, we enter this journey with total shalom in our hearts, and couldn't be more thrilled and excited to receive Marta and Caroline in our arms!

This does not mean that this journey is going to be easy. It may look a lot different than when Isabel and Silas came home. Both of them adapted and bonded very quickly. The adjustment with the girls may look very different, our parenting may even take on a whole new look in certain situations. Our goal initially is to make our girls feel safe and secure in their new home. That's it! We have no expectations of them. Our peace is knowing our faithful Father in Heaven brought us to this point. Oh, how we need Jesus in this, all of it! Our prayer is that we love our new girls (and Isabel and Silas) like Jesus loves us! Our hope and prayer for the girls is just that...that they may experience the redeeming love of Jesus in their lives and except it in there hearts. What more could a parent desire for their child, God's child!!

To all the families that wonder about adopting a child (from birth - teen), I've been reading 2 great books that give a lot of insight! I'd recommend them even if you're getting the "nudge." One is called the "Connected Child" and the other is "Adopting the Hurt Child." They offer a lot of tools and hope, but, of course, the ultimate hope comes from the One who formed them and made them, and loves them more than we ever could!

"And I pray that you... may have power, together with all the saints to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. And to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God!" Ephesians 3:17-19 (This was the scripture at our wedding, and I've also been praying this over the girls for 14 months now, not knowing the little ones I was praying for...now I do...Gloria a Dios!!!)