When Love Takes You In

Our sweet miracle...

She tuckered out on the stairs...

Our song on this page is by my all time favorite recording artist Steven Curtis Chapman. When Love Takes You In is a song that captures what we believe is the heart of the message of adoption.

My husbbs and myself both felt the Lord tugging at our hearts to adopt and discussed it at the beginning of our dating relationship and actually began the process in January 2006 (little did we know our Bug was conceived during this month that we took our first step of faith). We adopted Bug in 2007. There were many more steps involved and many incredible stories where God's hand was clearly evident, and if you would like to know more feel free to ask. We were blessed far beyond what we could have ever imagined for ourselves, when we opened our hearts to allowing God to choose the child He desired to be ours. We didn't know how old our child would be, what race, what color eyes, what personality, or that he or she would know that they would be loved unconditionally and that they would be able to trust us. God chose to give us a newborn baby girl at 2 lbs. 13 oz., 2 months early in the NICU...where we would spend 7 hours a day for the next 5 weeks until we finally got to bring her home. This was completely unheard of in the Department of Children's Services to get a newborn baby. We received a perfect miracle!

Bug is now 19 months old and I am so thankful that we are out of the storm of Infantile Spasm Syndrome. She will always have the diagnosis, and we go every 4 months for EEG's to see that she remains in remission. Her next EEG is in April, and we will continue to update everyone on her condition. There is no greater fear for a mother than to see your child in a state of illness such as IS. Seeing your child go through up to 20 seizures a day and revert back to a 4 month old infant at the age of 13 months old was the most traumatic experience I believe I have ever faced. She has not had a seizure since September 15, 2008...we pray that it stays that way! We made it through by the grace of God, clinging to each other and through the love and prayers of our family and friends. Bug is flourishing in therapy...she literally smiles when she sees her therapists. I feel as though they truly care about her success. She is in speech, occupational and physical therapy...we are there 4 times a week. She tests her limits and knows how to work them and try to get her way, but they have quickly learned that she is very strong willed.

Bug does still have her heart murmur that she had when she was born and we go every 6 months to have that looked at by her pediatric cardiologist. Right now because she is continuing to grow and do well, we do not have to do anything just yet. She will have to have it repaired by surgery at the age of 2 0r 3. We will be continuing to pray that God closes the hole and we won't need the surgery.

This little girl came into our hearts and captivated us...with her tiny finger wrapped around mine on the first day my eyes saw her....I was in love...a love I had never known could exist...pure and perfect...a mother's love.

When love takes you in everything changes,

A miracle starts with the beat of a heart,

And this love will never let you go,

There is nothing that could ever

Cause this love to lose it's hold.

We are so blessed by adoption and we are so excited to be adopting again and look forward to giving our daughter, our miracle Bug a brother or sister....