Poo-Poo in the Potty - FINALLY!

Okay, so I just had to post that Eden gave me a little surprise today. I was downstairs for a couple of minutes and I heard her calling for me to come upstairs and look at something. When I got upstairs I found her standing naked from the waist down in the bathroom peering into her little potty and pointing for me to look. And what did I find? You guessed it...poop! I think of all the hours I spent reading Dr. Seuss to her (those books are so LONG I thought she was BOUND to poop while I read) while she sat on the potty and nothing happened. And I'm downstairs for 5 minutes and she poops all by herself. That's Eden for you.

Of course I hooped and hollered as she smiled and looked a little confused at what all the fuss was about. Then she said, "Tricycle?" I have been promising her one once she starts pooping in the potty. So, if she does it a few more times, we will go get that tricycle. For the time being, she got a sucker and that satisfied her just fine :0) All of you blogging moms were right. She eventually did it. Let's just pray it wasn't a fluke, right? She's such a big girl!

Hope you all have a great rest of the week! And I must brag on my amazing husband. How great was the Gotcha Day video he did for me yesterday? I've got to remember to get him to put the one up that he made for me for Christmas. It is incredible! My mom has some great photos of the Cabbage Patch adoption that she's going to send me and I'll post those, too. Eden LOVED adopting her baby!

One Year Later

It's hard to believe it's been a year since Keri and I stood in a rather sparsely furnished room in Wuhan, China on the second floor of the Civil Affairs Office and looked across an aisle of chairs at a little girl for the first time. She was scared to death and so were we. But we were also excited and anxious and ready to smother her with all the love we had been saving up on the 15,000 mile trip from Birmingham, Alabama.

A year later and much has changed in our own lives and in little Eden's life. We never imagined she would be so funny and smart and strange and interesting all at the same time. Those first few days were filled with sadness for her--but the Lord answered our prayers then to join her heart with ours. And God continues to answer our prayers as Eden grows into a sweet, loving, outgoing and beautiful girl.

This past weekend we took a trip to Georgia to visit the "Cabbage Patch Hospital" where the popular children's dolls are "born." We thought it fitting on the anniversary of Eden's adoption that we would celebrate by letting her "adopt" a doll of her very own. She chose a baby boy doll and named him "Moses"--I think she identifies with him when she sees him on the TV floating in a basket down a river in Egypt and being adopted by an Egyptian mother...

Here's a quick video of the experience, along with some recent pictures of Eden and our family. To all who have made the journey with us, personally and through prayer and friendships, thank you and God bless you. Our lives are richer than we could imagine and we give God all the credit for everything good He has done for us. Most of all, we thank Him for allowing us to shepherd the heart of a little girl that He brought to us from half a world away.

Eden Hope Eve

Today is what I call "Eden Eve." One year ago today we were one night away from meeting our sweet daughter for the first time. I remember feeling so nervous, excited, and emotional. I was about to become a mommy for the first time. And a little girl was about to become a daughter for the first time. And a foster mom was about to have to say goodbye to the child she had loved and cared for for 13 months. It was the boldest step of faith I have ever taken to begin down the road to adoption. To say God has provided and poured out His mercy and grace is an understatement. I will post more tomorrow. But here are some pictures of what we were doing in Wuhan, China this time last year...

We were filling out our paperwork to take Eden into our custody.

This is some of what we wrote.

I set up a little play area with toys we brought from home, and made up her crib.

I packed a diaper bag with diapers, toys and snacks. I had no idea what I would need for her.

Katie Lyn, one of the children traveling with us, put photos of our soon-to-be babies on our hotel room doors as a surprise for us.

I can't believe it's been a year!!!

Jaw-Dropping Moment

Sorry I don't have any photos to post...I still haven't sat down to do the slideshow. But, I had to do a quick post about something that happened Thursday that literally made my jaw drop. For those of you who know Eden, she is quite the verbal, insightful, and sometimes bossy little 2 1/2-year-old...kind of like her mommy :0) Anyway, last Sunday they had to come get me out of our worship service because she wouldn't stop crying. This is the first time in a year that this has happened. They said she just sat in a rocking chair and refused to move because she was, "waiting for mommy."

The workers in our church nursery have walked this journey with us and are sensitive to Eden's attachment issues and the process of bonding that our family has been through. As soon as I got her, she was fine. Well, this past Thursday my friend was over to visit and I was telling her what happened. She said to Eden, "Eden, why were you crying? Were you afraid mommy wasn't coming back?" And Eden said, "Yes." Then my friend said, "That's silly, you know mommy always comes back." And then Eden said, clear as day, "My China mommy didn't come back." My friend and I just sat there for a minute, stunned and jaws open.

We talk a lot about Eden's foster mom when we look at photos and watch China video. It was apparent 5 minutes after they placed Eden in my arms that she had a healthy attachment to the foster mom who cared for her for the 15 months before we adopted her. But I have never said those words to her and she has never said them to me. We always just acknowledge who she is in photos and I tell her how much mommy loves her and how grateful we are for her, and how much she loved Eden.

I was shocked when she acknowledged verbally that fear that I know lives way down deep in any child's heart who has been taken away from someone they loved so much, and then learned to love another mommy and daddy. I explained to her that her foster mom didn't really "leave" her, it was time for her to come home forever. God sent her foster mom to take care of her until mommy and ba-ba could come bring her home. And when we came, God sent her foster mom to care for another baby while they waited for their mommy. I told her that her foster mom would always love her. Then Eden looked at me and said, very matter-of-factly, "Mommy came to China to get me." I said, "yes, baby." Then she got up and started playing.

I've read and heard so much about these subconscious memories and fears, and I've even seen evidence of it in Eden's behavior over the past year. But I honestly never thought that a child adopted at 19 months would be able to verbalize so well a year later. I know every child is different and there's no "right or wrong" way to handle these issues. I've chosen to speak very openly about her adoption as a blessing. I'm so glad now that the Lord led us to parent her this way. We often look at China travel books, photos of our trip, pray for her foster mom and other orphans, and she LOVES to watch the DVD, and seems aware of the sadness she felt on Gotcha Day.

I just had to share this because it so profoundly impacted me. The thing is, she wasn't grieved or upset...it was so simple and factual the way she said it. Reading between the lines it was like she was saying, "Well, I know mommy always comes back, but my China mommy didn't so sometimes I still get scared....bare with me people."

Anyway, our Gotcha Day is next Wednesday, July 23rd and I fully expect to cry all day long. I can't believe it's been a year. I can't believe this child is home and thriving. I feel so humbled to be her mommy. I'll post photos and video soon...I PROMISE!