He's Ours

Isaiah was cold today so we ended up taking his suitcase to the hospital so Cheri could dress him in warmer clothes. She picked out this sweet snuggly outfit from his massive wardrobe. Thanks to JP's parents and my brother and sis-in law he is good to go for the next 3 months!!

The amazing view from the hospital room.

Day #2, "Sharing Day" was full of many blessings and quirks. Our case manager called it sharing day because it was a day of Cheri, Isaiah's birthmom, sharing him with us. One of the things we learned with Olivia's adoption, and we learned again today is that adoption is unlike any other experience; and each adoption experience is different from any other. The one thing we could take into this experience from adopting Olivia is how important it is to remain flexible, calm, and in the hands of a loving God who has an awesome plan for everyone involved. We have to throw out all our own expectations and allow God to unfold things according to His will.

So today we got to go visit with Cheri and Isaiah for a couple of hours. It was a wonderful visit full of laughing and stories and snuggling with a sweet, sweet baby. And Cheri blessed us so much with her words of why she chose us as the family. I just keep thinking of how the Lord is using her to bless us so much, and the little we have done to try and bless her in return feels so inadequate. What is a necklace, a couple of meals, and a bouquet of flowers in comparison to a precious baby? I sit speechless and in awe.

At one point one of the agency workers came in and asked what his name is. A small quiet second passed as we all knew that Cheri has given him a different name than we have; and in the hospital he is referred to by that name. After a second I just said "His name is Taji Jaleel," which is the name Cheri has given him. It's just one of those adoption quirks. At that moment in time no papers had been signed and the ball was in her court. We love her so much and respect her like no other...the gift she is giving us deserved at the moment all the respect we could give her and the only way to do that was honor her wishes. Just one of those adoption quirks...

We finished our visit and gave her some space before signing took place. Then at 4:30pm we met with our case worker in a separate room while she signed her paperwork; and then we signed our papers making him officially ours...official in a somewhat loose sense as the adoption won't be finalized yet for 6 months. And of course, we must deal again with another adoption quirk...Cheri is still in the hospital, so even though we have signed all the papers, the ball is still in her court. She has chosen to spend this last night with him (really, who can blame this precious woman?!) so after we signed the papers we walked out of the hospital and came home...I mean to the hotel...and to our last night as a family of 3.

This day has been so full of blessings and quirks it's at times difficult to process. One thing I know is that the Lord has given us peace, an extremely smooth process, and one more night to enjoy uninterrupted sleep (o: Tomorrow afternoon we will walk out of the hospital, sweet Isaiah in our arms to raise in the love and knowledge of God...what a task! What a responsibility!! What a mighty and awesome God we serve!!!