Can you imagine...

Adam and I have spent a great deal of time preparing for the day when we bring our daughter home from Russia. Just like the days of preparing to bring our sons home from the hospital, we have read the books, thought about names and talked with the boys about the changes in store. But daily we are reminded of how different and wonderful adoption truly is.

For example, the books we are reading having nothing to do with how to care for infants, but instead are about how to care for children who have spent their lives in an institution. Instead of just naming our daughter, we are having to consider her given name and how we will incorporate that into the name we have chosen for her. And our overnight bags we brought with us when I gave birth to our sons will be traded for several suitcases full of our clothes, and the clothes and toys for a little girl who will be up to 3 years of age.

Because of her age, our daughter will most likely join our family already knowing how to speak, the only difference being that she will speak Russian. Adam and I realize the importance of learning Russian so that we can communicate with her and also the judge we will meet at our court hearing. As a result, we have been learning Russian, and are considering starting lessons.

Through these different experiences I am constantly reminded of the changes in store for our daughter. In just a short time she will go from living among many children and a caretaker to having parents and two older brothers. She will leave the only place she has ever known and become a citizen of a new country where the sights, smells and sounds will be different. She will not understand the language we speak or the new freedom she has been given. Everything in her life will change drastically and so we find ourselves preparing in any way we can to make the adjustment to her new life a little bit easier.

We are so thankful that the Lord has called us on this journey. It has been a huge stretching experience for sure, but I have found that the more he stretches me, the closer I get to him, and the better I feel. It's funny how that works!