Our Second Adoption Journey

Brothers

2006-07-28T23:37:00.000-04:00

Joey is adjusting to being a big brother. We have had a few meltdowns (well, maybe more than just a few). He is for the most part a very doting and caring big brother. He loves to kiss his baby brother and is always asking to hold him or to sleep on the bed with him. Danny is doing a great job adjusting to being a little brother. For the most part, he is very tolerant of Joey's "love". I pray that my boys will grow up to be good friends.

He's in our arms!!

2006-07-15T22:27:00.000-04:00

Danny is officially in our arms! We left Maine on Thursday after Dave got out of work. We traveled until about 1:30 a.m. We got past NYC and we thought we were all set! We spent the night in a very overpriced Holiday Inn in Cateret, NJ. We got up at about 7 a.m. and we were on the road by 8 a.m. Our GPS said that we had about 4 hours to travel. "No problem" we thought. Our appointment wasn't until 2 p.m. Then we hit the Jersey Pike! We hit a traffic jam that took us a little more than 2 hours to go 7 miles! Needless to say, we were a little stressed! We called our pastor and he prayed for us. God is certainly good! We expected to be about an hour late and we were only five minutes late! We didn't speed, so it definitely was prayer and the Lord that got us there on time!

Anyway, we really enjoyed all of the people at Bethany Christian Services. Danny's foster mom was wonderful! She has given him such wonderful care. We couldn't have asked for more.

Danny is a real sweetheart and he is a great sleeper. He slept 5/6 hour stretches last night!

Here are some pictures

Getting ready or not?

2006-07-09T17:55:00.000-04:00

We are leaving on Thursday evening to go pick up Danny! You would think that I would be "nesting" by now. I did with Joey, but I'm not this time around. I was a little stressed out about why my feelings are different and Dave brought up the point that even if I did clean, our 2 year old tornado would tear everything apart in about 30 seconds. I think that is why I'm waiting. If I wait and clean on Wednesday and Thursday during the day, it might actually stay clean until we leave on Thursday evening.

I have done some shopping and have found some adorable outfits for our little man! I also picked up a double stroller, a new swing and a toddler bed for Joey so he as a place to sleep and Grammie and Grampa's house.

Dave and I are excited about our trip. We made hotel reservations at a suite-type hotel. We will have 2 rooms and a kitchenette! I am glad we are driving because I have a feeling I am going to bring A LOT of stuff with us and home when we come.

Joey is getting excited about being a big brother. He prays for Danny every night! He is going to be such a good big brother.

Happy 1 month birthday!

2006-07-06T21:53:00.000-04:00

Dear Daniel,

Today you are one month old. Happy birthday! I miss you so very much and I haven't even held you or laid eyes on you yet. I cannot believed that a month of your life has gone by and you are not with me. I love you so very much. I praise God everyday that he gave you life and that you will very soon be a part of our family. Your big brother Joey is looking forward to your homecoming. He has been practicing being your big brother by using a doll that my friend Jen gave to him. He carries it around and puts it to bed in your crib. He is going to be such a wonderful big brother for you.

If all goes well, your Daddy and I will come to get you in a few weeks. We love you very much and cannot wait until you are home with us. We are praying for you and your foster family every day. I know that you are in good hands. We love you very, very much.

Love,
Mommy

It's a boy!!!

2006-07-03T13:30:00.000-04:00

We are pleased to announce that Joey's little brother will be officially joining our family somewhere around July 18th. His name will be Daniel William. He was born June 6, 2006 in Maryland. He is currently in foster care. We received a call on Monday about the possibility of a baby boy. We prayed and called our social worker back on Tuesday accepting the referral. It has been pretty crazy around here trying to get ready for Danny's arrival, but we are so grateful to God for giving us our son!

Easter at the Morrison's

2006-04-17T11:04:00.001-04:00

Yesterday we celebrated the Lord's resurrection here at the Morrison house. It was an interesting day. It started out by our 40 minute drive to church only to find out as we pulled into the church parking lot that Dave had been called into work. So, back home we all went (my mom was with us). Dave went to work, mom went home to take a nap and Joey took a nap while I cooked Easter dinner. My parents came over at around 3 p.m. for dinner and Dave was still working. Apparently no one in the Northeastern U.S. had the part he needed. He ended up staying at the hospital until about 5 p.m. and then came home for dinner. By the way we had ham, potatoes, rolls, peas, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, fruit salad, deviled eggs and pineapple upside down cake! Yumm!!! After dinner, Joey and Grampa watched the Red Sox and then Joey went on his Easter treasure hunt! Except for the fact that Dave wasn't with us, we had a very good day.

I couldn't help pray for our next baby. I could not sleep very well last night and he/she and her bfamily were on my heart. I wonder if he/she will be home with us next Easter! My precious baby I love you and I am praying for you!

Our week.

2006-03-16T12:34:00.000-05:00

This last week, Joey and I have been feeling ill. It started Saturday morning. Joey woke up covered in, well, for lack of a better word, poopies! Head to toe yuckies!! I threw Joey into the shower and scrubbed him down. We got dressed and went downstairs and he threw-up on the floor. The poor little guy didn't know what was happening. He said "Mama, what was that." I told that him that sometimes when we're sick, our belly wants to be empty so we throw-up. He said "Mama, I'm sorry. Clean it up!"

So, we've spent our week cuddling on the couch. Needless to say, we've watched a lot of T.V. Yesterday when Joey woke up, there was a blue sock on the floor of his bedroom. He said, "a clue, a clue!" (from the T.V. show Blues Clues). When I told him that it was only a sock, he was majorly disappointed.

A few nights ago, I was cooking dinner. Joey was watching T.V. and started using the controls. He shut off the t.v. and came running into the kitchen. He said, "Mama, T.V. is broken." I said, "How did that happen?" He said, "Joey broke the T.V." I said, "Oh no, what are we going to do?" He grabbed my hand and said "Mama, Pray! Dear God, please fix T.V. Amen" He cracks me up!

In other news, the baby that we got the call on last week went home with another family. Please keep this little guy, his birth parents and his forever family! While we were disappointed that this baby was not our son, we are encouraged because we know that the Lord is going to bring our little boy or little girl home to us really soon!

Homestudy approved and other news

2006-03-09T20:05:00.000-05:00

Well, I got a call from our social worker today stating that our homestudy report was officially approved, so we are officially waiting now! And... our profile will be showed to a birth family either tomorrow or Tuesday of next week. The baby is a little boy that was born on Valentine's day. We are both nervous and exited. I don't know if this is our baby, Joey's baby brother or if our only purpose is to pray for this baby and his birth parents. Either way, I'm praising the Lord for his plan and for making us aware of this situation so we could be aware of it.

God certainly is good! Whether or not it is us, I know He has a family for this baby and that He is in total control.

Final home visit

2006-01-24T21:21:00.000-05:00

Our social worker visited our home today and we had our interview as a couple. It went very, very well and we are now beginning to create our profile and dear birthmother letter. We are very excited and are praying for our child's birthparents and in particular his/her birthmother. Joey did very well during the meeting. He played quietly, well as quietly as a 2 year old can possibly be.

On another note, my mom and dad are on a Holland America Caribbean cruise. They have been at sea for the last 2 days. Tomorrow they are in Aruba. Hopefully we will hear from them. Joey misses his Grammie and Bampa. He keeps saying "Bampa on plane and on boat." I hope that I am home when they call tomorrow and I can let him talk to them.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

2006-01-16T16:51:00.000-05:00

Growing up, I remember studying the life and accomplishments of Martin Luther King, Jr. I was in awe of the changes he initiated in our country. He was truly an amazing visionary and leader. I never realized, however, how much his work would influence my life. Without Martin Luther King's dream, I probably would never have been able to achieve my dream of becoming a mother. My husband and I are white our son Joey is African American. I cannot imagine my life without my precious little boy. Yet, if Martin Luther King had not had his dream, I cannot help but wonder if my dream would have never come true.

"I have a dream that one day ... little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today." ~Martin Luther King, Jr.

My Little Drummer Boy

2006-01-13T21:48:00.000-05:00

Ah the fun begins!! Today, I had my individual interview with our social worker. I can't believe that we are starting the adoption process again!

I stayed home with Joey today because we both were feeling sort of yucky! Jill, our social worker came over today for my individual interview. We talked for almost 2 hours! She told us that we could start working on our "Dear Birthmother" letter and our profile. I'm so excited to meet our next baby!

Where your treasure is...

2006-01-08T22:03:00.000-05:00

"For where your treasure is, there is your heart." Matthew 6:21

This verse hit me like a ton of bricks this morning in church. I have heard it spoken and read it countless times, but today, the Lord really used this verse to speak to my heart. The passage in Matthew that this comes from speaks about not laying up treasure on Earth where moth and rust destroy or where theives can break in and steal it, but rather, lay up your treasures in heaven where it will never be destroyed.

I need to make a better effort to invest my love, time and effort in the things that are good in my life. I need to spend more time reading my Bible and exploring what God is trying to teach me. I need to bend over backwards to show my wonderful husband how much I love him and I need to nurture the miraculous gift that the Lord has given me in my dear son, Joey. I need value my parents and extended family, especially my mom who is battling cancer. I need to honor the Lord with the work that I do with my students at my work.

So, I will spend less time in front of the t.v. and pursuing my other silly past-times and more time investing in the bountiful treasures the Lord has seen fit to give me. Because according to God's word, this will improve the condition of my heart

Back to work today.

2006-01-03T09:06:00.000-05:00

I'm back at work today. I teach middle school music and on most days I really, really enjoy my job. Today, I am sad that I am not home with Joey. I have so enjoyed being home with him for almost 2 weeks. He is such a sweet boy.

We are in the middle of rehearsals for our school's production of "Annie". That means that I will not be getting home much before 4:00 for the next 6 weeks. I'm sure we will also be starting home visits within the next few weeks. Over vacation, I started thinking more about our next child. I am so excited to see what the Lord wants to do in our lives. I can't wait to be a Mommy again!!

A year ago today...

2005-12-29T21:41:00.000-05:00

The very top picture was taken 4 days ago. The bottom picture was taken a year ago today; Joey's adoption finalization day!

It's hard to believe that a year ago today, I woke up extremely nervous, excited and relieved that our journey to adopt Joey was going to be at it's final stage. From that day forth, we were going to legally be a family! We arrived at the courthouse at around 9 a.m. We had no idea where we were on the docket.

As I sat with my family and friends waiting for our names to be called, I recalled all that had taken place for Joey to become a legal part of our family. I remembered our heartache when we learned that we were infertile. I remembered all of the obstacles that were placed in our path that were so devastating at the time only to find out it was how God steared us toward our dear son! I remembered Joey's birthmother and the pain and anguish she must have gone through when she decided to place Joey with us. More importantly I thought of the love she must have had to be able to carry Joey for 9 months in her womb only to have another mother and father parent the child she held next to her heart.

As I remembered all of those different milestones in our journey, a Bible story kept coming to me. In the book of Joshua, chapters 3 and 4, it speaks of the Israelites as they were about to cross the Jordan River. The waters were flowing and the Lord told them to enter the River with the Ark of the Covenant and he would still the waters. That is exactly what happened! He stilled the water and they crossed on dry land. He then commanded them to take 12 stones from the center of the river and place them on the dry land. The reason the Lord commanded them to do this was stated in Joshua 4:23-24."For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed, just as the LORD your God had done to the Red Sea,which He dried up before us until we had crossed; that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, so that you may fear the LORD your God forever."

I know that each of the obstacles we faced were like one of those stones. At the time, we knew the Lord was helping us to cross our river Jordan, but we didn't see that each of the stones we had to step over would serve in the future as a reminder of His faithfulness to us. I now look back at the stones and praise God for each of the obstacles. They are a constant reminder to how much He loves us. Each obstacle serves to strengthen our faith in Him and serves to remind us that when we are facing future problems that God is in control and He will get us across the river.

Introduction

2005-12-20T20:29:00.000-05:00

December 20, 2005 Last Monday we submitted our paperwork for our next adoption. We were so blessed when we adopted Joey 2 years ago and we are very excited to bring his little brother or sister home. I can't believe that we are doing this again! Our medical reports were completed today and I will be dropping them off at the agency tomorrow. Hopefully our clearances will come back soon and we can begin the update process. We have started preparing Joey for his little brother or sister. He is so sweet when he prays for his future sibling. He is going to be a great big brother.