It's Been a Minute: A Pictoral Diary of the Last Few Months

Hi.  We came home from India and there's a toddler here now and I don't have time for anything but toddlering.  And my toddler game is a bit tottering-Ha!  So instead of a thoughtful Laura blog ramble, please enjoy some selected social media posts about our newest addition to the family:

April 11th- So this happened (on April 8th). It’s not all kittens and rainbows- Wren’s grief and the jet lag exhaustion is real, but we’re IN this together finally. And, you know, it wasn’t a huge heart explosion of feels (surprisingly) on my part. It just felt completely normal. Like coming home after a very VERY long time. 

 

April 16th- Yesterday -after 24 hours straight of plane, foot, and car travel- we arrived home. A home that had been cleaned, projected, reorganized, decorated and filled with food, gift cards, toys, and LOTS of love. The affection was still tangible in the air. Thank you to everyone who made our completely exhausted selves feel so nurtured upon entering the house. It was like receiving the world’s biggest hug, one that encompassed our entire family of 5.

 

April 20th-  Trying to implement some semblance of a routine for Wren. Had her gather some toys in a plush basket for an afternoon quiet time- Her in the pack n play and me on the bed beside her. Basically, I read or write for an hour and try to ignore her long enough that she will nap. Let me tell you: It’s totally working out. 

 

 

April 24th-  Many moons ago, a dear friend bought a pair of itty-bitty frilly cherry socks as a seed of hope. After infertility and a devastating diagnosis for her hubby, she was able to celebrate the birth of her second son, Matty. When I unexpectedly got pregnant with Margot, she gifted me the socks as an acknowledgment of our miracle girl. And before Wren came home, I dug them out of Margot’s saved things and had my MIL craft them into a sweet headband. The journey has been long and filled with sorrow, but this little one shines with a thousand stories yet to be told.

 

April 30th-  I wanted to write a blog this week, but all I got around to was this free verse, “Let me tell you the truth: An answer to prayer can look a lot like a work in progress. Can be contained in tired eyes and fidgeting fingers. A miracle isn’t the end of a journey; the labor before and after it simply becomes life.” This week has been hard. Traveling back in time 10 years to parent a toddler with whom you have only 3 weeks of shared personal history, less than the very basics of common language, and limited knowledge of normal daily behaviors is very challenging to say the least. Also this beauty is very strong of spirit and attitude, so Mama is weary. Daddy is endlessly patient, but not the readily chosen parent for most activities. Brother is adored no matter what (except if he leaves for school). We are ALL transitioning and showing more of our true colors on this 2nd week home. We need like next level prayer, so fasting and burnt offerings will be accepted on our behalf. Also, StarBucks gift cards.

May 9th-  Wren’s family story will always include Margot, her heavenly sister, but it is hard to form an earthly relationship with a sibling you’ve never met. Or so we thought. Since Wren has been home, she has gravitated towards a particular bear that was kept separately from her “toys.” I would put it away every night and the next day she would haul it back out- Putting it in her baby stroller, playing playdo alongside it, pretend feeding it snack under blankets on the couch. David and I never encouraged this behavior, Rangila just wants the bear close. And that’s only special because it’s our “Margot” bear- weighted to Margot’s birth weight and made from receiving blankets crafted by my MIL. So Wren lugs all 5 pounds and 1 ounce of Margot bear around -quite a feat for a peanut like her- and melts her parents’ hearts on a daily basis. So thankful for our 3 babies and the bonds they have with each other.

May 21st-  Churches, here’s some food for thought: How about making your living nativities/Christmas plays/manger scenes historically and culturally correct by featuring diverse characters.

Also, local churches, as a follow-up aside: I have a supes cute candidate for the Virgin Mary. 

 

 

 

 

May 26th-  I don’t mean to break the internet, but look at OUR DAUGHTER. Tomorrow will be 6 weeks since we met her, 5 since we’ve all been home. Not every day is a dream, but this beauty has stolen our hearts (and pretty much any other possession we’d mistakenly claimed as “ours”). 

 

 

June 1st-  Look how proud this girl is about earning NONE of her potty stickers. Not.A.One. But that Unicorn Potty chart is pretty dope tho.

 

 

 

 

 

 

June 6th- Rangila and her Gigi: Picture proof that love exists.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

June 8th- My sister-cousin Rachel and I have wanted to add to our families for quite awhile. The possibility of little people arriving into our homes and lives seemed -at times- questionable at best. Then add surrogacy plus a pandemic to an international adoption process and the littles’ much anticipated meeting felt increasingly like a distant wish. So today, watching our girls -in their matching princess dresses no less- chasing Henri to the park WAS kinda miraculous. A wonderfully “normal” moment, a bit of heaven on earth. 

 

June 18th-  After Wren’s nap, she asked for peanut butter. We both picked our utensils: I chose a long-handled spoon (because I’m no dummy) and Rangila -despite my attempts to dissuade her- chose a small baby fork. Our PB supply is dwindling so she was only able to scratch out the raggedy rim scraps, while I could reach a peanut butter payload with my appropriate deep digging tool. Being a kind individual, I told her she could use her fork and take what she wanted off Mama’s spoon. Reader, she took the spoon. I may have met my match.

 

June 20th-  3 years ago, we gifted our fathers with news of an unexpected pregnancy. And today we get to celebrate having our Indian Princess finally home. That David acknowledges he should be holding the hand of another Princess as well, that he carries sadness for missing Margot alongside gratitude for having Wren doesn’t make him unappreciative of his situation, it makes him a great and sensitive father. I hope Elijah and Wren grow up to be just like him. (And I hope they only remember enough about me to give them fun anecdotes at parties.) Really, that’s the best gift we could give them.

 

 

 July 1st-   Gross family rule: One must laugh the loudest and longest at one’s own jokes. Wren’s T-Rex is eating her apple. She could NOT stop laughing. At herself. David is so dang proud. 

 

 

 

July 5th-  Happy 5th from our family of 5! From the tip of her toes to the hair held back by a red (Margot) rose, Wren celebrated the holiday like most Americans- An excess of noise and sugar and feelings. Basically, she fits right in (to this family AND this country). 

 

 

 

 

July 9th-  E is seriously the BEST big brother. With both the ‘rents back at work, he has become her “constant” while she stays with grandparents on my library days. And boy has he stepped up to the task. From encouraging her to eat () to reading her books to helping her with the potty (!) to putting down his phone (!!!) and playing silly games with her. He is her guy. The thing no one told us about E having a (living) sibling is that watching the 2 of them connect is the literal best, the new dimensions we’re seeing in Elijah because of her -and the utter and complete adoration she has for him- makes us fall in love with them both all over again.

 

 

Thanks for sticking around.  It's nice to be able to finally chronicle from the post-adoption side of things!  Hope to write again soon!