For the past 18 plus months, Maria has been posting on this blog. Well, as we close in on Christmas, I am taking my turn. Over the past five and a half years I have been married to the most wonderful woman on the planet and I am grateful for her everyday, although often times I don't show it as I should. She is truly a blessing and a gift from a loving God. She is a fantastic wife and an amazing mother to our handsome little boy, Gabriel.
There are so many examples of her love and kindness that those who are privileged to know her have come to understand. So, as we look back on the past year, and forward to another, I am thankful for several things....I am thankful for the faith that saves me, I am thankful for the pain, the struggle, and the blessings this life brings, and I am thankful for Maria and Gabriel, the two most precious people in my life.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
A year down...
Sorry I haven't been around to post the last week or so, but I have been busy getting ready for the holidays and spending time with Greg, Gabriel and my parents who are in town through New Years.
I sit here and still cannot believe that it has been a full year since Gabriel came home. It is hard for Greg and I to remember a time when he has not been with us. We will never forget the journey it took to bring him home, but over time those long days of not knowing his fate and wondering what if this and what if that, slowly fade away. I never thought I wanted to be a mother -- it was a role I didn't think I was truly ready or cut out for. But I jumped in not knowing what I was headed for only to uncover a love like no other. A love that must be experienced to fully understand.
I will find myself trying to remember what life was like before Gabriel came home and all I keep remembering is an emptiness and loneliness that is no longer there. Surely Greg and I were a happily married couple, but after three miscarriages (in two years of marriage) of which the third one truly rocked me to my core, you can't help but wonder if someone would ever call us Mom and Dad. Unfortunately those losses are a part of us and while the pain dulls over time, you never truly let it all go. But through those losses, I learned how much I wanted to be a mother and how that love had been hidden within me all that time. When we visited Gabriel at 2 weeks old and had to say goodbye, I knew right then and there, that my heart was no longer my own and that this little boy would forever change my life.
This year, when I reflect on what I am thankful for, there simply are no words to explain the happiness in my heart when I look at Gabriel and know that our family is now complete. It might have taken Greg and I awhile to get here, but Gabriel was worth every night we worried, every tear we cried and every prayer we prayed.
I sit here and still cannot believe that it has been a full year since Gabriel came home. It is hard for Greg and I to remember a time when he has not been with us. We will never forget the journey it took to bring him home, but over time those long days of not knowing his fate and wondering what if this and what if that, slowly fade away. I never thought I wanted to be a mother -- it was a role I didn't think I was truly ready or cut out for. But I jumped in not knowing what I was headed for only to uncover a love like no other. A love that must be experienced to fully understand.
I will find myself trying to remember what life was like before Gabriel came home and all I keep remembering is an emptiness and loneliness that is no longer there. Surely Greg and I were a happily married couple, but after three miscarriages (in two years of marriage) of which the third one truly rocked me to my core, you can't help but wonder if someone would ever call us Mom and Dad. Unfortunately those losses are a part of us and while the pain dulls over time, you never truly let it all go. But through those losses, I learned how much I wanted to be a mother and how that love had been hidden within me all that time. When we visited Gabriel at 2 weeks old and had to say goodbye, I knew right then and there, that my heart was no longer my own and that this little boy would forever change my life.
This year, when I reflect on what I am thankful for, there simply are no words to explain the happiness in my heart when I look at Gabriel and know that our family is now complete. It might have taken Greg and I awhile to get here, but Gabriel was worth every night we worried, every tear we cried and every prayer we prayed.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Heading home with our tree....Saturday, December 13, 2008
New Look
Hi Everyone,
If you are reading this blog right now, you might notice we have a new look! The blog is still a bit under construction, but Danielle is almost done. We want it to look just perfect and that takes tweaking. I cannot rave enough about Danielle, her work, her customer service and her kindness.
For more about Danielle and her blog designs, please visit her site: blogsbydanielle.blogspot.com
If you are reading this blog right now, you might notice we have a new look! The blog is still a bit under construction, but Danielle is almost done. We want it to look just perfect and that takes tweaking. I cannot rave enough about Danielle, her work, her customer service and her kindness.
For more about Danielle and her blog designs, please visit her site: blogsbydanielle.blogspot.com
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Ladies and Gentleman, Welcome to Ft. Lauderdale...
Today we celebrate one year since Gabriel arrived in the United States! What an amazing feeling it was to touch down on American soil and know that he had become a US citizen and that no one could take our son away from us. The adoption journey had truly ended and that was where we began a whole new phase. I cannot believe that a year has gone by and in a couple weeks we will be sharing our second Christmas at home with our son.
God indeed is very, very good. There were so many reasons why we shouldn't have gotten out of PGN in seven weeks and five days, but by the grace of God, we got out unscathed. We are living proof that God laid his hands on Greg and I (and Gabriel) during our journey -- we have no doubt.
Overlooking Ft Lauderdale, FL
Touching down at Ft Lauderdale's International Airport!
At my parent's house in Miami right before we left for the long drive back to Jacksonville.
God indeed is very, very good. There were so many reasons why we shouldn't have gotten out of PGN in seven weeks and five days, but by the grace of God, we got out unscathed. We are living proof that God laid his hands on Greg and I (and Gabriel) during our journey -- we have no doubt.
Overlooking Ft Lauderdale, FL
Touching down at Ft Lauderdale's International Airport! At my parent's house in Miami right before we left for the long drive back to Jacksonville. Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Results of First Haircut
And here he is after his first haircut sporting his new style in his then new stroller! Our sweet little guy.
G's First Haircut
Well shortly after Entrega Final, Gabriel was in dire need of a haircut! So we rushed him over to the barber in the hotel who seriously gave not only the nicest haircuts but also the best shaves according to Greg and my dad.
When we would receive Gabriel's surprise pictures or doctor's reports, we would always wonder why his hair was so long and no one would cut it. Only to find out later that we would have had to have told our agency that we wanted his hair cut. So there he is a few days shy of being seven months old, getting his first haircut.
I laughed when other moms aked me if he had had his first haircut when he was a year old. Yeah, at that point, he had had four or five haircuts!!
When we would receive Gabriel's surprise pictures or doctor's reports, we would always wonder why his hair was so long and no one would cut it. Only to find out later that we would have had to have told our agency that we wanted his hair cut. So there he is a few days shy of being seven months old, getting his first haircut.
I laughed when other moms aked me if he had had his first haircut when he was a year old. Yeah, at that point, he had had four or five haircuts!!
What a day!
Well, I couldn't let today go by without a post. Today marks one year, that's right, one year that Gabriel was placed in our arms FOREVER. What an amazing year it has been! I seriously cannot believe it has been a year. So much has happened, yet it seems like just yesterday we were waiting to hear from PGN, waiting to hear about Pink, waiting for his birth certificate. And yet, here we are, all under one roof and a baby boy in his room sleeping the night away.
This story could have ended very differently, but thankfully did not. What a journey it was to bring Gabriel home, but we would do again in a heartbeat. That child is beyond a blessing to us and we give thanks to God every day for him, for the sacrifice his birthmother made and for allowing our journey to end happily.
That picture above was taken during Entrega Final which translates to final handoff. In case you are wondering what happy looks like, you can see for yourself.
Seventeen months from beginning to end only to prove that slow and steady won this race.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Gabriel's First 12 Months
Gabriel at four days old
Gabriel ~ One Month Old
Gabriel ~ Two Months Old
Gabriel ~ Three Months Old
Gabriel ~ Four Months Old
Gabriel ~ Five Months Old
Gabriel ~ Six Months Old
Gabriel ~ Seven Months Old
Gabriel ~ Eight Months Old
Gabriel ~ Nine Months Old
Gabriel ~ Ten Months Old
Gabriel ~ Eight Months Old
Gabriel ~ Nine Months Old
Gabriel ~ Ten Months Old
Gabriel ~ Eleven Months Old
Gabriel ~ Twelve Months Old
Contact Us
If you have any questions, regarding Guatemalan adoptions or simply want to reach out to us, please email us!
To contact Maria, please email her at terps1026@yahoo.com
To contact Greg, please email him at terps717@yahoo.com
We look forward to hearing from you!
Sunday, November 23, 2008
50,000 - Check It Out!
Do you own a pair of shoes? Chances are you own more than one. Have a blog? Want to have it redone?
Check out this worthy cause! Danielle, who redoes blogs beautifully, is offering to redo people's blogs for $55 and donate $5 towards this charity that will provide shoes to those who don't have any.
If you wish to simply donate $5 which will give two pairs of shoes to needy children, here is their site: http://www.50000shoes.com/
I already emailed her to redo mine! I can't think of a better cause to donate money towards. People need shoes.
Check out this worthy cause! Danielle, who redoes blogs beautifully, is offering to redo people's blogs for $55 and donate $5 towards this charity that will provide shoes to those who don't have any.
If you wish to simply donate $5 which will give two pairs of shoes to needy children, here is their site: http://www.50000shoes.com/
I already emailed her to redo mine! I can't think of a better cause to donate money towards. People need shoes.
Ever Try Something for the First Time???
And absolutely LOVE it?? Well that's what happened when Gabriel tried scrambled eggs for the first time last weekend! Not sure at first. They're kind of squishy and then devouring them.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Prayers Requested
I normally don't post asking for prayers, but my heart is breaking for this family. A family I don't know. A family I most likely will never meet. But I am human and right now I cannot possibly imagine their pain. Her blog is below if you want to read about their journey. The bottom line is that they were ready to take their adopted child home and the birth mother changed her mind at the last minute. Having gone through an adoption myself, that concern was always there until the last moment when the adoption became final.
Please keep this family in your thoughts and prayers.
Their blog is: http://our-journey-to-parenthood.blogspot.com/
Please keep this family in your thoughts and prayers.
Their blog is: http://our-journey-to-parenthood.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Gabriel Walking For The First Time!
Below is a YouTube video of Gabriel walking last Tuesday for the first time all by himself. Of course he did it at daycare and we didn't get to see it. But I captured it on video to watch this moment over and over again. Does it possibly get any sweeter than this??
Gabriel had been walking with us while holding our hands. But he tooks his first steps all by himself last Tuesday, Nov 4, 2008. To say that watching this video moves me beyond words, is putting it mildy. Watching him take those steps are simply priceless. You might not see what I see, but that is why we love our kids above anyone else's. The smallest of achievements are like winning gold in the US Olympics.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWel4CHqf30
Gabriel had been walking with us while holding our hands. But he tooks his first steps all by himself last Tuesday, Nov 4, 2008. To say that watching this video moves me beyond words, is putting it mildy. Watching him take those steps are simply priceless. You might not see what I see, but that is why we love our kids above anyone else's. The smallest of achievements are like winning gold in the US Olympics.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWel4CHqf30
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