Six Years...

I was thinking about writing this post today when I got this message from a very dear friend of mine, Emmy.  I asked her if I could share it with you, and she said yes ( like she had a choice!!:))

"Five years ago today, your little boy let me hold him. Four years ago we were about ready to "pop".  Three years ago we were getting ready to celebrate the babies' first birthday knowing it was one of the last times we would do something big like that together for a while..."

I had to share this message from her because without wonderful friends in our lives, we would never have had the support for the moment that changed our lives six years ago today.  I didn't meet Emmy until a year after we brought Jeremy home, but friends like her have been a constant source of support before we brought Jeremy home and after he joined our family.  Emmy, thank you for remembering this special day.:)

Today, it has been six years since Guy and I experienced everything we had been waiting for for four years before.  All of the anticipation, worry, and preparation had finally come to an end.  We could see our "light" at the end of the tunnel, and no one could have imagined how much a small little baby born in Guatemala with black hair and rich dark brown eyes could light up our hearts and our lives...but we must have had smiles plastered on our faces for weeks when could finally hold him!!

It's funny how life can take you on twists and turns to places you never intended to go or even meant to be...but somehow when you arrive, you know that you have found your place. And six years ago, we found our place in Guatemala with our son...

March 2, 2006
Guatemala City, Guatemala

March 2, 2006
Guatemala City, Guatemala

Guy and I struggled for four painful years trying to get pregnant.  When I think back to those years, and how much of a failure I felt, it is still hard to put into words. I truly think unless you have been through infertility, you cannot fully understand the heartbreak of not being able to have a baby.  This is not to say that my friends weren't supportive and always there for me, but I was the only one of my friends struggling with this issue, and I just didn't know what to think or do.  I always knew I was going to be a mom in my heart, and I couldn't understand why it wasn't working. 

  I remember some "dark" times for me wondering why it seemed so easy for everyone else.  Why couldn't we have the baby we had always dreamed of??? After alot of prayers and talks with Guy, we decided to go to an adoption seminar many months before we even started our paperwork for Jeremy's adoption. The consultant from our adoption agency said it perfectly.  She said, " I realized the goal was to become a parent, not just to have a baby." After hearing her talk, I knew in my heart  this was one of those times in life when you understand why you have ended up in a place you never intended.   As soon as I heard her say that, I knew we were meant to adopt.  All the sad times and the heart break of seeing another negative pregnancy test seemed to make sense.  If we had been able to get pregnant, we never would have had Jeremy....

And, we COULD NEVER imagine our lives without him. ...And, I finally figured out, we were supposed to be parents, but there was just a different plan for us. And, we can't imagine our family any other way.:) He has brought so much joy and happiness to our entire family, and when I think back to the sadness I felt before we knew he was in the world, it makes me realize just how special each and every day is with him in our lives.  No matter where our lives take us, we will always be together, and he will always be our son.

March 2, 2012
Lagos, Nigeria

And, just as life has so many twists and turns, who could have known that he would begin his life in
Guatemala city, Guatemala and go to Houston, Texas, and then, come to Lagos, Nigeria???  But like every family, we will take every twist and turn together... 

Jeremy, we love you "around the earth" and "bigger than infinity!!!"We are so happy that your gentle, loving spirit came into our lives.:)
love, Mom and Dad:)