Ready for another seriously cool adoption story?!?!
I meet Beth through a mutual friend and although we've never met in real life, she has become one of my biggest encouragers and role models. She handles life with her 7 (yes, that's SEVEN) beautiful babies with grace, humility, honesty, and a whole lot of humor. She loves Jesus with all her heart and is one of the most "real" women I've had the privilege of meeting.
Her family is amazing and a testimony that God does BIG things when you let him!
I hope you enjoy her story and leave her some encouragement. And if you need a good dose of reality and humor, follow along with her story over at Mom's Ramblings!
Meet Caleb (6), Emma (5), Gianna (4), Luke (3), Audrey (3), Seth (1), & Baby Asher (2 months)
An Unlikely Adoption
I stood in front of the sink my hands wrinkled from the hot soapy water, tears pouring down my face.
My husband came down the stairs from tucking in our 3 yr, 2 yr and 9 month old.
Instantly he thought I must be pregnant.
Every 18 months someone new shows up at our house so it was about that time.
But I wasn't pregnant, God had just told me I needed to pray for a child or children that would one day live with us.
Jim was not sure what to do with that information. We had talked about adoption. I have always wanted to adopt an older child or a sibling group.
Jim did not--at least not while we had children so young.
Iʼm sure he said something sweet and sensitive to make the crying stop. But I couldnʼt shake what had happened in the kitchen Sept ʻ08.
And so I prayed.
I prayed for the child or children and I prayed for my husband.
Fast forward 2 months and I am throwing my hair in a ponytail, rushing the kids to a MOPS meeting barely able to keep up with what I have going on at home.
Exhausted, overwhelmed--did I mention tired?!
At MOPS that day I heard one of our mentors talk about the two little girls that they had taken in.
She tearfully told us how she was unable to care for them because of her health. She asked us to pray.
My mind started spinning and I instantly thought back to that day at the sink.
I went home that day to laundry piled everywhere, kids pulling at me and still totally overwhelmed but excited at the thought of being used by God. I talked to my husband and asked him not to answer, just to pray about it.
I was actually terrified.
If he said yes that would give us five children under the age of 5!
How on earth was I going to pull that off?!!!
He agreed to pray while he secretly researched psych placement for me.
Christmas morning I woke up to an envelope in my stocking with this letter from Jim:
1. yes
2. yes, just not older than our oldest
3. yes, even if not right now
My husband came down the stairs from tucking in our 3 yr, 2 yr and 9 month old.
Instantly he thought I must be pregnant.
Every 18 months someone new shows up at our house so it was about that time.
But I wasn't pregnant, God had just told me I needed to pray for a child or children that would one day live with us.
Jim was not sure what to do with that information. We had talked about adoption. I have always wanted to adopt an older child or a sibling group.
Jim did not--at least not while we had children so young.
Iʼm sure he said something sweet and sensitive to make the crying stop. But I couldnʼt shake what had happened in the kitchen Sept ʻ08.
And so I prayed.
I prayed for the child or children and I prayed for my husband.
Fast forward 2 months and I am throwing my hair in a ponytail, rushing the kids to a MOPS meeting barely able to keep up with what I have going on at home.
Exhausted, overwhelmed--did I mention tired?!
At MOPS that day I heard one of our mentors talk about the two little girls that they had taken in.
She tearfully told us how she was unable to care for them because of her health. She asked us to pray.
My mind started spinning and I instantly thought back to that day at the sink.
I went home that day to laundry piled everywhere, kids pulling at me and still totally overwhelmed but excited at the thought of being used by God. I talked to my husband and asked him not to answer, just to pray about it.
I was actually terrified.
If he said yes that would give us five children under the age of 5!
How on earth was I going to pull that off?!!!
He agreed to pray while he secretly researched psych placement for me.
Christmas morning I woke up to an envelope in my stocking with this letter from Jim:
1. yes
2. yes, just not older than our oldest
3. yes, even if not right now
HOLY CRAP!!! I was officially excited and terrified.
What followed was two and a half years of court cases, visits, a small stint with DFCS, reactive attachment disorder and a PTSD diagnosis, and a biological mom relinquishing rights.
Throw in two babies born just to make it interesting, and in August we officially became Gianna and Audreyʼs “last” family!
And that is our unlikely adoption story!
* You can (and should) follow Beth's amazing daily life (and life with 7 kids is sure to be amazing) over at Mom's Ramblings.
What followed was two and a half years of court cases, visits, a small stint with DFCS, reactive attachment disorder and a PTSD diagnosis, and a biological mom relinquishing rights.
Throw in two babies born just to make it interesting, and in August we officially became Gianna and Audreyʼs “last” family!
And that is our unlikely adoption story!
“Many O Lord my God, are the wonders you have done.
The things you have planned for us no one can recount to you;
were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare.”
Psalm 40:5 * You can (and should) follow Beth's amazing daily life (and life with 7 kids is sure to be amazing) over at Mom's Ramblings.
1 comments:
Love reading other adoption stories!
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