Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Some Kind of Ride




A few years ago, John gave me a "Story People" print with the caption: "feels like some kind of ride but it's turning out just to be Life going absolutely perfectly." This picture is going to be hung in Lucie's nursery, because it definitely captures what the adoption ride has been like so far.

Lucie is two weeks old today. And as I look at her, I cannot help but think about her birthparents--how they made the most courageous, selfless, life-changing decision. They are so young--17 and 18 years old, yet they were able to make such an adult decision for their baby daughter. We will forever be grateful, and Lucie will always know just how courageous they were to allow her to be adopted and that they chose us to be her forever family.

I'm also so thankful that we got to meet both birthparents and spend time with them at the hospital. When I look at Lucie, I see her birthfather in her eyes, nose, and feet. The birthfather has size 14 feet, and when he saw little Lucie's long skinny feet, he went, "YES!, she's got my feet." I see Lucie's birthmother in her chin, and when she gives a gassy smile, there is the hint of that dimple that her birthmother wears on one side when she smiles. Lucie also has a sweet, quiet, calm nature, just like her birthmother.

All this is a great gift that we would not have had if we had wanted a closed adoption. So, I'm thankful as I reflect on these past two weeks with Lucie and for her history that we are now a part of.