Tuesday, July 22, 2008

What a year

In the orphanage

At home this week


My friend Kara left me a message the other day saying can you believe it was a year ago that we got our daughters! Her and her husband Wei were in Kyrgyzstan the same time as we were adopting their little girl. They were not with our agency or anything we just saw them at the orphange and we connected, obviously, we were going through craziness together!
I was just thinking about the things Sofia has been through, seen and done in her little life already! She lived in an orphanage for the first 6 months of her life, traveled across the whole world to a new family, moved to a new home after 6 more months, and now she is getting a baby brother! So much in a year and she is so easy going and sweet!
When I think back to a year ago the stress and anxiety of bringing her home is hardly memorable. I remember thinking if we can just make it home I will be able to breathe again! Those 10 days trying to bring her home were absolutely the most stressful days of my life. It felt like everything that could go wrong did, and I was just so worried we would not make it out of there with our daughter! One of the days that papers were missing, out hotel reservation was lost and it was 2am and I was crying in this scary motel room with no a/c and it was 90 degrees outside, Dan said you know we didn't sign up for some easy trip to pick her up, we knew it would be hard. It was so true, I just needed to be reminded that adoption is not an easy road, but God was so faithful in providing everything we needed, often at the very last second!
I just love the way God has put our family together, none of it has been easy, but all of it has been so worth it and I am so grateful to have our little Sofia. To look at then and now and see how much she has changed and grown in amazing to me!

11 comments:

Anna said...

That's awesome! She sure has grown up a lot, in the bottom picture of her she looks like a little girl... no longer a baby! :)

escamillaweddings said...

look at all that hair!!!

Steve, Karen, Delaney, & Jude Dunlap said...

Sofia is so beautiful, I can't get over the hair! I cannot wait to see you all in person, especially my 9 month prego friend!

hannahrae said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
hannahrae said...

I can't believe that Dan's floating baby thing say 19 days! I'm so excited for you guys!!!

And Sofia is amazing...just with the short time I got to hang out with her on single moms day was awesome. She has an amazing little personality and she is so beautiful!

ThePuertoRicanSlant said...

Ok so Sofia is SOOO beautiful. I felt like I could see how she might look like as an adult in this picture...maybe I'm crazy...Holly and I miss you all so so much and I wish that we could be there as do the Dunlaps during your last prego moments. I can't help but thank God over and over again for this blessing in your belly...crazy right!?!

Becky Moseley said...

And how cute to watch her play ski ball with her Mommy at Chuck E Cheese today. Your family is just adorable.

Rosetta Borgic said...

I love that little girl. She really is the sweetest thing. There is something about her.... She is going to be a big sister so soon! God is amazing.

Anonymous said...

Hi there! I keep checking in thinking you're due so soon... LOVE the newest photo of Sofia - she really is just beautiful. I'm so glad to hear everything is going well with her too. Those ten days were crazy at the time, but it is a far distant memory now. Funny how life works that way. Take care. Kara

Shannon said...

Everytime I hear the song STOLEN I think of your sweet little girl!

Leah said...

Ditto on the "Stolen" comment! Sofia is so cute and she inspires us in our decision to adopt a little girl! I keep hanging out on you guys sites waiting for baby news! Any day now!