I guess I'll begin at
HELLO!
I have so many times debated starting a second blog.
My home blog jamiethompsonphotography.blogspot.com isn't huge.
It is my home though.
I wondered if I should share my family journey there or not.
Its been a long hard desision,
but I feel like
OUR STORY
deserves some place special to call
HOME.
I am so pleased to welcome you to
Arrow Babies
First let me introduce you to the fam...
Thats me there on the left, Jamie.
That cutie in the middle is the love of our life Mr. A.
The hottie on the right, that's my hubby Chris.
The furball, that's Buddy the Chiweenie.
Our stroy really begins in 1991 when two young kids met and started falling in love.
Oh yea I said 1991!
Hello!
We are like so old!
Ok not really, we just got an early start in life.
We married 4 years later.
For years we struggled through infertility.
It is only God's grace, mercy and love that got us through and kept us together.
If we did not have our faith I am sure we would not have survived it.
In 2005 we felt like it was time to let go and let God.
As we began to really seek and listen for God's voice we felt more and more lead to adopt.
After several false starts,
and with broken hearts,
we really needed time to heal so we walked away from it all.
Finally in 2007 we felt ready to move forward again.
This time though we were armed with a God plan rather than our own plan.
We were mid-way through getting our foster care license with intentions to adopt.
In September we were asked to take a relative placement.
We said absolutely YES!
And 2 weeks later we had a 17month old son.
(Look at those curls...ugh, so sweet!)
I wish I could say life was all sorts of bliss after that.
It wasnt.
It was hard. Really hard.
I cried, he cried.
We loved him with complete abandon.
But he had trust issues, and attachment issues.
After 6 months of focused hard work we began to really feel like a family.
He trusted me, finally.
And by his 2nd birthday it felt like he had always been with us.
(Mr. A and I at his 2nd birthday party.)
We relish having a son.
We have enjoyed him more that I ever imagined possible.
I love him, even more deeply I think, than if I had birthed him myself.
I birthed him for 12 years.
After the first couple years though, I began to feel a pull.
A fimilar longing.
I wanted lots of babies a baby. LOL
However we were dealing with medical issues my husband suffered after a seious accident at work.
So I waited.
(Cutest grin ever. Just before turning 5)
Mr. A grew and grew. And then he turned 5!
How the heck did that happen?
And he asked for a sister for his birthday. No joke!
He had mentioned wanting a baby sister before.
We have several friends with little ones and some very close friends who are foster families.
He watched those families grow and wanted it for himself too.
So I prayed and prayed and prayed.
Mostly I prayed God give me the strength and the exact words to say to my hubby.
I prayed God would put it on his heart again even before I asked.
When the subject came up he immediately said
YES I want more kids and I want to adopt them from foster care.
It was always the plan.
A year later, Mr. A turned 6!
WHAT?!?!?!
(Mr. A's 6yr. old pictures)
It is time, we need some siblings in this house!
Quick before he gets too old and realizes being an only kid is great!
HA!
There was only one issue I thought we had standing in our way, so to speak.
I was working, and it is a job I love.
How was I going to take care of "my 3 other kids" plus Mr. A and more of my own???
I only have a small car!
As a nanny I want to have experiences with my kids.
What would I do with all those kids?
They would get so bored sitting at home day after day!
But God KNEW.
Through a series of events, I found myself about to be jobless.
The timing of the Lord is always prefect and always right when you least expect it.
Here we are, starting the process to foster/adopt. Again.
I am so excited.
I am pregnant with expectation.
I love that.
I wish I could describe it better.
I don't know what it feels like to be pregnant.
But I do know the excitemnet of being pregnant with expectation.
It might be even better!
No morning sickness! LOL
I plan to share our journey.
The good, the bad and the ugly.
I will share our children, I will however never share their story.
(or their real names)
Their stories are theirs to tell.
Mr. A will one day, I hope, share his story with the world.
Share what a blessing it is to be a child chosen by God.
Chosen by Love.
Chosen.
And all my other children will one day know the joy of being chosen.
Of a mothers deep, unconditional, abiding, forever love.
Whether they stay for a minute or a life time.
My mission in life is to LOVE those babies, toddlers, children as a mother should.
To give them joy.
To give them strength.
To give them hope.
To show them LOVE.
(My favorite Starbucks cups yet! I love all their holiday inspired cups!)
To pray for the biological parents.
To always, always, always have respect, understanding, and compassion for them.
To show these children how to love without boundries.
