I almost cannot believe it, but two months ago today Mark and I met Alina! I remember how terrified and excited I was to meet her, and I remember the three of us starting to get to know each other in a hotel room in Latvia. Life in the Kimmel family has changed dramatically in the last two months, and we are finally starting to settle into our new normal. What a wild and wonderful adventure it has been (and will continue to be)!
It is so hard to know what to write on the blog when it comes to Alina. I feel like so much of what I want to say sounds fake or too cheesy for cyberspace, and I also realize that there are going to be more trying times ahead. But if I am being totally honest, having Alina in our lives has been...amazing. Wonderful. A joy. That isn't to say that it is always easy, but to be totally honest, it has been...well...mostly easy. Of course, there are a lot of adjustments, and adjustments take plenty of time, patience, and grace. And of course, patience and grace don't always (read "ever") come naturally to me. But the thing that has made this time of transition and adjustment mostly easy is that everyone is all in. Even though the road to finding each other has taken some difficult twist and turns, we are all willing to give 100% to becoming the best family of five we can be. Jude and Calvin love having a big sister, and while the "new" of this has worn off, the affection they feel for her hasn't. Mark and I have been humbled, blessed, and challenged to see how completely willing they have always been to love and embrace a sibling. It has made this transition so much better because of the hearts of these three great kids.
A friend who has done older child adoptions said that while there are some specific challenges to this type of adoption, the really neat part is that you get to experience the process of becoming a family together. While I loved the time I had with my boys as infants, and while I know I will sometimes mourn missing those days with Alina, I am so enjoying being on this journey together with her. We are able to talk and communicate about feelings and needs and joys because she is older. It is an adventure in every sense of the word.
It is so hard to know what to write on the blog when it comes to Alina. I feel like so much of what I want to say sounds fake or too cheesy for cyberspace, and I also realize that there are going to be more trying times ahead. But if I am being totally honest, having Alina in our lives has been...amazing. Wonderful. A joy. That isn't to say that it is always easy, but to be totally honest, it has been...well...mostly easy. Of course, there are a lot of adjustments, and adjustments take plenty of time, patience, and grace. And of course, patience and grace don't always (read "ever") come naturally to me. But the thing that has made this time of transition and adjustment mostly easy is that everyone is all in. Even though the road to finding each other has taken some difficult twist and turns, we are all willing to give 100% to becoming the best family of five we can be. Jude and Calvin love having a big sister, and while the "new" of this has worn off, the affection they feel for her hasn't. Mark and I have been humbled, blessed, and challenged to see how completely willing they have always been to love and embrace a sibling. It has made this transition so much better because of the hearts of these three great kids.
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| Our first meeting in Latvia |
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| Our beautiful girl! |
Tomorrow Alina and I are going to a nearby horse stable to tour the facility and get information about riding lessons. I am not sure who is more excited - Alina to take riding lessons, or me getting to see her try something new and celebrate her victories with her! These moments are the blessing of being a mom.
At two months with three children I feel a bit more tired, at times slightly overwhelmed, but mostly overjoyed. I have no doubt that there will be more fatigue and greater challenges ahead. But I also believe there will be more joy. Way more joy.
Comments
2 Cor 1:4
Thanks so much.