How does a
story like ours start? Brian and I have been married for
nearly 14 years. We welcomed Eric into our family nearly
two years later, followed by Jacob, Jonathan and Samuel.
Each a precious boy born to us……each pregnancy getting
more and more complicated and risky. After each child,
Brian would proclaim….one is enough. Then, two is enough.
Then, three is enough (you get the idea). When Samuel was
three years old however, we felt we had more room in our
home for another child and, more importantly, greater love
in our heart to welcome another child. So, through the
amazing world of international adoption, we brought home
our first cherished daughter. Amanda (Mandi) Mei joined
her forever family in September 2005. She has delighted
all of us with her persistence, her joy and her spunk.
Surely we were done. Right????
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"We find
delight in the beauty and happiness of children
that makes the heart too big for the body."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson |
Brian and I had lots of
discussions about adding anymore children to our active
and energetic and, as all children are, demanding brood.
We had proceeded into Mandi’s adoption feeling rather
certain that we were putting the “finishing touches” upon
our family size. But, Heavenly Father surely had other
ideas. We had turned in our Medical Needs Checklist to
CCAI, our beloved agency from our first adoption. We
thought, let’s just see where it takes us. Then, during
the course of waiting to hear from them, we happened upon
another little girl that was on another agency’s Waiting
Child list. We thought, this is perfect and it makes such
logical sense, let’s do it. However, it was just not to
be. Perhaps, we were really supposed to be done?? No, the
nudge to stay “in the pot” remained. On April 6, 2007 CCAI
called us about a little girl in the Jiangxi province.
“Her needs may take a bit of a leap for anyone” Deniece
told us. “Please send us her file, but without the
picture” was our only reply. I knew we had to make a clear
headed decision and I, like most of you I am sure, knew if
I saw her sweet face that I was a goner. Fu Bao Ping has a
congenital heart defect (actually a couple of them) that
will require at least one major surgery….possibly two. I
called my husband at work and together we reviewed her
file. Not thirty minutes later, I asked for her
photograph. The Spirit was hard at work on us. Somehow,
this just felt like the answer we had been waiting for.
Brian and I’s experiences throughout that treasured Easter
weekend was surely Heavenly Father’s answer to our prayers
and pleadings. On Monday, April 9, 2007 we called Deniece
at CCAI to officially accept our referral of Fu Bao Ping,
to be renamed Sarah Ann. Our Letter of Intent went out on
April 12, 2007 and was received in China and entered on
April 13, 2007. Friday the 13th is now a forever happy day
in our home. PA was received Friday, June 1st.
We know we have some challenges ahead for our
sweet little girl, but we are confident that she belongs
as a member of our forever eternal family. She is
currently being cared for in foster care through the Fuzhou SWI in Jiangxi and is doing extremely well and
progressing developmentally like a toddler should. Her
heart is compensating beautifully and, of course, we are
anxious to bring her home to this lively, loving house.
And when she gets home……..we can finally say that EIGHT is
ENOUGH!!! :)
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