“I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.” Ephesians 1:16
How do we say thank you? We know it may seem like a simple thing...just say it. However, the words don’t convey our sincere gratitude to so many people. People that have walked with us every step. People that stayed up late working on the crazy fundraisers we planned. Friends who bought 1,000’s of cupcakes. Brothers and sisters listening to our struggles throughout this process. A body of believers that has prayed for us. When we arrive home with our son it will complete a long struggle that we hope glorifies God. We are blessed to see our needs and concerns disappear not because of our capabilities or resources but because of His. Our son has, like all of our children, an amazing story. We are blessed to say thank you for being a part of his story.
On Thursday, January 9th after 2 weeks in West Africa (and 2 years of waiting before that!) we will finally be ready to come home to Hannibal with our newest addition. We are so, so excited to be coming home and to finally be together as a family of 6!
We wanted to take a moment and write a bit about David's transition when we get home. As we mentioned earlier we are very blessed by our friends, family, & church family. And while we are so thankful to have such a large support network, it may be very confusing for David at first.
For this reason, when we first get home David will be staying at home. The fancy adoption term is “cocooning” and everybody does it differently. We are hoping to cocoon for about 4-6 weeks but we are being flexible. David is used to being in one place (his orphanage) and having rotating caregivers (nannies). We are hoping this time at home will be a great chance to show him what being a family is all about and for him to figure out exactly who his mom, dad, & siblings are.
Since we know you can’t wait to meet David we are having a homecoming party the first Saturday we are home at the church. We hope it will be a wonderful celebration of ALL God has done. You can meet David then before we “hide out” for awhile. Here are some tips for interacting with him.
~Instead of focusing on the don’ts lets start with a DO. Feel free to say, “Bonjour or Hello.” He loves to wave and greet people. He is also pretty good at handshakes and high fives. Please don’t hug, kiss, or attempt to hold him in your arms or on your lap. If he requests to be picked up just send him our way! This helps him understand that his mom & dad are special.
~David loves to play and giggle once he warms up. When playing with David, please redirect requests for nurturing back to Jeremy or Jennifer. So if he is hungry, thirsty, gets hurt, needs a cuddle, etc., please direct him back to us, with a friendly, "Let's see your mom for a [kiss, drink, etc]" When we meet his needs that helps him figure out what it means to have a mom or dad to take care of you.
We need you to extend grace to us as we figure this adoptive parenting thing out! In turn, we plan to extend grace if you happen to forget and break one of the “rules.” Parenting an older adopted child is tricky business and we know we have a lot to learn! We love you all and can't wait to see you!
