Adoption Alert!

As promised!  Each time I hold a newly placed blessing via adoption I will put up a post!  This little cutie is a petite princess and oh soooo pretty in pink!  She was 2 weeks old when I had the privilege to visit her this past week.  Placements seem to come in waves so I  hope to have a few more Adoption Alerts to post soon.  Watching these new additions welcomed into their forever families is one of the greatest joys of my job!  So thankful for birthmom's and adoptive families....amazing people. ;)

Adoption Alert!

US Adoptions are happening more often and faster than you might believe.  Many avoid domestic adoption due to the false belief that they will have an extremely long wait, I want to bust that myth.   Not only am I an Adoption Assessor who has the privilege of watching families formed through adoption on a regular basis, I am an adoptive mother too.  It took a whole whoppin' 7 weeks for my placement.  YES, that is mighty quick...quicker than most...  BUT I see adoptions happen so often that I have decided to post an "Adoption Alert!" every time I hold one of these newly placed blessings.  So, to catch up on 2011, I have already held ELEVEN-11, yes ELEVEN freshly born and placed newborn infants, just in my regular circle of daily work this year.  Can't show the baby I'm holding in this photo, but can you see the joy in my eyes?  I am so thrilled to hold these little blessings and to see the joy in the Adoptive Families' eyes.  It happens friends, have hope.   Ck out this info  posted on adoptivefamilies.com site, "Despite myths to the contrary, domestic newborn adoption remains alive and well in the United States. Current estimates of the annual number of infants adopted domestically (excluding foster and relative adoption) range from 25,000 to 30,000—more than all international adoptions combined. Moreover, the process can go much more swiftly that you might imagine. In a 2007 Adoptive Families survey, the majority of respondents were matched with a birthmother in less than 12 months, and 15% got "the call" to travel after the baby had already been born, without a prematch."

Have hope!  I truly believe that God has a divine plan to bring each child to their intended parents, no matter by birth or adoption.  Step out in faith!  Oh, and just in case you think I am favoring domestic adoption, really I'm not.  I also work with international placements as well.  Hmmmm, I think I will post each time I hold one of those freshly placed blessings as well ;).

Growing a tree and a friendship.

Our family did not grow traditionally, we are blessed to have one of our daughters through the gift of adoption.  We have a pretty open relationship with both of her birthparents and often exchange letters and gifts through the mail.  It's been a newer exchange with her birthfather and our friendship is growing strong. He is a neat guy and truly loves our sweet girl.  His most recent gift is very reflective of this friendship.....a Genuine Tree Seed Germination Kit....for a Giant Sequoia!  AKA:  Sierra Redwood or Big Tree.......climbing to heights of more than 300 ft.!  They have trunks up to 36ft in diameter! YET their seeds are among the tiniest in the tree world. (sound familiar?) 

They are a hardy species and can grow in a surprisingly wide range of climates.  The can says, "100% guaranteed, Just add Water and Sunshine".  As our friendship with our adoptive extended family grows, I pray that our sweet girl will grow strong in her relationship with her birth family as well.  That we all will grow tall and wide with love and care for one another.  Sometimes it's hard to share her and I want to hold her tightly in my hand....but then how will the water and sunshine come in?  How would she ever reach her full growth potential?  Figure out where you have heard this seed story before?  How about that mustard seed?  I have faith that the Master Gardener, who grew our family and brought this sweet girl into our yard, will shine on us and water us sufficiently......100% guarantee of growth and hopefully, many birds will perch in our branches.  

"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches"  Matt. 13:31-32

"I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you"  Matthew 17:20

Adoption Video~ "Children Of God" by Third Day Take five minutes..... worth watching 'til the end.