Ours Forever

It seemed like this day would never come, but we are finally a family of four! Reagan came to live with us forever this afternoon. I can’t stop hugging and kissing her! She is doing great so far. We’ve made it through her first car ride, her first meal with us, her first bath with us, and she has already “branded” me with a leaky diaper! It feels surreal – almost as if we are playing house. I know that sounds strange; I had a similar feeling after Parker was born. After wanting something for so long, it’s amazing to actually experience it.

We are staying in an apartment this time so it’s nice to have a large space to hang out since we will be in St. Petersburg for several days waiting for her passport. We are really glad to have Parker along this time. I can’t imagine leaving him for 2 weeks, and he is loving his new sister!

Our adoption agency included the following poem in a recent newsletter, and I loved it, so I’m including it here. It is by Jill Work.

THIS IS OUR DAUGHTER.
We adopted her,
but we will NOT be
referring to her as
"our adopted daughter."
She is simply "our daughter".

THIS IS OUR DAUGHTER--
and the niece of her aunts and uncles,
the granddaughter of her grandparents,
the cousin of her cousins.

THIS IS OUR DAUGHTER.
There is no "return policy"
on an adopted child.
The whole idea of adopting
is a lot like marriage.
You make a lifetime
commitment to a person
with no biological
relationship to you.
You promise to "love and cherish"
for "richer, for poorer,
for better, for worse,
in sickness and in health-
as long as we both shall live."

THIS IS OUR DAUGHTER,
and we ARE her real parents.
She has birth parents
(sometimes called
biological parents),
but we are her Mom and Dad,
and always will be.

THIS IS OUR DAUGHTER,
and we love her.
We hope that you will too!