I made it here and lucky I knew where I was going because the taxi driver had no idea! I had to direct him around the island to the hotel. Thus far this has been a strange experience, I couldn't remember anything about being her before and all the sudden it all came back the minute I walked into the hotel elevator. I remember Harlow being in her carrier and laughing at herself in the mirrors, when I went into the bathroom I remembered her having a bath in the inflatable tub that I brought. It seems like everywhere I look I can remember another moment with her here! I can't wait to get out and look around a bit and see everything out there. I don't think that Kelli and the kids get in until about 10 pm, I am so happy they let me check into the hotel so early, this would have been a very very long day! It was 82 when we got here at 545 this morning.
The man sitting next to me was jealous of my sleeping, when I woke up he said "I think you slept 8 hours that time!" I told him I was only sleeping 3 hours a night at home and I planned to catch up a little to help with the transition! Right now it is 7 am here and 4 pm at home. I just talked to Chad and he was getting the kids ready for football, I am going to take a walk and try to skype them later so I can see them! I already miss them so much and its's only been 1 day!
Jessica A. Hillard
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
Gettin Ready!
In 1 day I will be on my way to China again. I am so excited. My friend Kelli is adopting and I will be meeting her in Guangzhou to help with her kiddos for the remainder of her trip. Did I mention that I am excited!
Don't get me wrong I am concerned about leaving my kids and hubby for so many days but I know they will be fine or at least that is what I tell myself so I don't totally lose it!
If I can figure it out I will link Kelli's blog to the post, follow us => http://smithfamily-countingourblessings.blogspot.com/
Wahoo here I go!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
How Could We?.. How Couldn't WE???
This question we hear all the time is really weighing on me. How could we? I really can't imagine how we couldn't. I know our life is very hard for other people to understand or even imagine. I won't say its always easy because come on we have kids, is that ever easy? But what I can say is in this family life is amazing and we all have our days but more often then not life is great. So I ask you, how couldn't you? How couldn't you be that change that people so often want to be but never are because the effort is too much and it is so much easier to just give up and leave well enough alone.
I often don't know how to respond when people say how lucky our kids are. I admit on the surface it appears they are lucky but underneath that there is so much more to our kids. One day they will want more information about their birth parents that we will never be able to give them. The might not want to be Chinese American, Latin American or African American but they are. I don't know their family story aside from ours and I wish I did. I don't see any of the loss they have gone thru as lucky in fact today it is down right painful.
Chad forwarded me a story today about a lady with 22 kids most of them adopted and asked if I could ever see myself like that. Yes, Yes I can. The gift of family is amazing and the love of family can heal almost anything, years from now when our kids are looking for anwers to the questions that I fear the most as an adoptive parent they will have eachother to turn to for understanding and support.
Blessed yes they are...Blessed are we.
I often don't know how to respond when people say how lucky our kids are. I admit on the surface it appears they are lucky but underneath that there is so much more to our kids. One day they will want more information about their birth parents that we will never be able to give them. The might not want to be Chinese American, Latin American or African American but they are. I don't know their family story aside from ours and I wish I did. I don't see any of the loss they have gone thru as lucky in fact today it is down right painful.
Chad forwarded me a story today about a lady with 22 kids most of them adopted and asked if I could ever see myself like that. Yes, Yes I can. The gift of family is amazing and the love of family can heal almost anything, years from now when our kids are looking for anwers to the questions that I fear the most as an adoptive parent they will have eachother to turn to for understanding and support.
Blessed yes they are...Blessed are we.
Friday, May 08, 2009
We made it home!
Introducing Nora (Eleanor Grace, DOB 8/27/08ish!) 
and Max (Maximus Cade, dob 12/11/08)
The tongue is always out! I've been telling him he's the next Michael Jordan!
This one was so funny I had to post it!
Anybody who has followed long knows that I don't blog much when I am home, sorry!
Yes, we made it home! The babies are doing great, she seems to be adjusting a little slower then him but she is older so that I what I expected. The trip was very short we were only there for 4 days, I am guessing we spent almost as much time flying as we did there! The Internet didn't work there so I was unable to post anything, it was strange we would get up in the morning and go to turn the light on in the bathroom and there would just be nothing and both times it happened there was no power until that evening. We were prepared for a different culture and that is exactly what we got, we were not scared at all the people were very friendly. Although we did get a lot of stares. I know all you wanted to see is the pictures I don't know why I keep babbling on!
and Max (Maximus Cade, dob 12/11/08)
The tongue is always out! I've been telling him he's the next Michael Jordan!This one was so funny I had to post it!Anybody who has followed long knows that I don't blog much when I am home, sorry!
Yes, we made it home! The babies are doing great, she seems to be adjusting a little slower then him but she is older so that I what I expected. The trip was very short we were only there for 4 days, I am guessing we spent almost as much time flying as we did there! The Internet didn't work there so I was unable to post anything, it was strange we would get up in the morning and go to turn the light on in the bathroom and there would just be nothing and both times it happened there was no power until that evening. We were prepared for a different culture and that is exactly what we got, we were not scared at all the people were very friendly. Although we did get a lot of stares. I know all you wanted to see is the pictures I don't know why I keep babbling on!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
And I'm outta here!
This entire thing seem so surreal, I leave in just a few hours. If you see my kids while I am gone remind them their Mom loves them very much! If you see my husband remind him what an amzaing man he is and tell him to get some sleep!
I want to post but just can't right now my mind is racing
I want to post but just can't right now my mind is racing
Friday, April 17, 2009
Packing
Wow this is coming so fast now! I leave Thursday morning to start the final leg of this journey. I just read the post about Cade and it still makes me so sad to think about. The boys still talk about him often and draw pictures of him or for him. When I last talked to the adoption coordinator she said I could possibly go to him while we are there. I don't know if I can, I want to but I am worried that I may never forget what I see and what if it's not as beautiful and peaceful as I see it in my mind. Would it be healing or would it be pain, I just don't know. This trip is already so emotional and intense, it's only 4 short days and then we leave Ethiopia and head home. My babies need their Mommy focused on them but so much of them is from him, I just don't know....I will never get this opportunity again and I feel like if I leave without going I may always regret it. Boy this post turned a different direction didn't it.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Read the blog name and brace yourself.
In 2006 when I created this blog I never knew how true the name 8 is enough would be. For awhile there we thought there would be 7 but it was not to be. The story is long and sad but if I don't tell I don't know if I will ever fully deal with it.
After being in China and seeing so many orphaned children our hearts were again opened. We knew that the need was there but to experience it first hand is completely another story. You realize that absolutely everything you have is taken for granted. Health, family, a home, food to eat, people to eat with, cars, shoes, water...the list goes on and on but the point is it makes you realize what you can do. And what we can do is adopt another child and let one more child experience the life that we live with the opportunity that we have and the family that we love. After looking into several different programs and ruling out programs for various reasons we knew that we wanted to adopt a boy. Baby girls seem to be the first choice for many families, we wanted to give a child a life that they otherwise might not have and the right choice for us seemed to be a boy.
In September we accepted a referral for a baby boy we were going to name him Cade Gentry, he was 3 months old. Papers were gathered files were sent and we were on our way. In early December we received a call that our baby passed away, how could that be we were supposed to be bringing him home in late January. He may have had a heart condition, we will never know. What we do know is that in his life he was loved both by the family that he had at the care center and by our family that was waiting here. We know that his birth mother loved him or she never would have been able to make such a selfless decision putting his needs above her love for him. I don't know that I could do the same. In the end he ended up with her in his country where he belonged. We don't know how but his mother also passed and they are buried next to each other. It was a horrible loss for us, one that we are still dealing with and will likely always deal with. Our conviction is stronger, our belief unscathed. We will adopt again.
Christmas Eve we received referrals for 2 babies one boy and one girl, not twins. After much consideration we accepted both of them, we will be bringing them home mid April. We are beyond excited, I know that what we went thru brought us to a point that we could accept the babies when they were referred, it could be no different. We mourn the loss of Cade and I am sure we will for quite some time but he brought us to these children and will never be forgotten. He lives in them and the opportunity that they are now given because of him.
These babies have brought so much happiness our adoption coordinator is amazing and seems to really understand that I can have all these emotions at the same time. While I am sad for the loss I am happy for the opportunity we are now given. Had we been given a referral back in September for a baby girl (and she was there then) we never would have accepted it knowing that there was another family that would accept her. She was meant to be with us, why she was not referred to another family is not my story to tell, she was waiting. There was no way to choose between them because he was ours no question we were waiting for a baby boy. And so there it is, 8 is enough!
After being in China and seeing so many orphaned children our hearts were again opened. We knew that the need was there but to experience it first hand is completely another story. You realize that absolutely everything you have is taken for granted. Health, family, a home, food to eat, people to eat with, cars, shoes, water...the list goes on and on but the point is it makes you realize what you can do. And what we can do is adopt another child and let one more child experience the life that we live with the opportunity that we have and the family that we love. After looking into several different programs and ruling out programs for various reasons we knew that we wanted to adopt a boy. Baby girls seem to be the first choice for many families, we wanted to give a child a life that they otherwise might not have and the right choice for us seemed to be a boy.
In September we accepted a referral for a baby boy we were going to name him Cade Gentry, he was 3 months old. Papers were gathered files were sent and we were on our way. In early December we received a call that our baby passed away, how could that be we were supposed to be bringing him home in late January. He may have had a heart condition, we will never know. What we do know is that in his life he was loved both by the family that he had at the care center and by our family that was waiting here. We know that his birth mother loved him or she never would have been able to make such a selfless decision putting his needs above her love for him. I don't know that I could do the same. In the end he ended up with her in his country where he belonged. We don't know how but his mother also passed and they are buried next to each other. It was a horrible loss for us, one that we are still dealing with and will likely always deal with. Our conviction is stronger, our belief unscathed. We will adopt again.
Christmas Eve we received referrals for 2 babies one boy and one girl, not twins. After much consideration we accepted both of them, we will be bringing them home mid April. We are beyond excited, I know that what we went thru brought us to a point that we could accept the babies when they were referred, it could be no different. We mourn the loss of Cade and I am sure we will for quite some time but he brought us to these children and will never be forgotten. He lives in them and the opportunity that they are now given because of him.
These babies have brought so much happiness our adoption coordinator is amazing and seems to really understand that I can have all these emotions at the same time. While I am sad for the loss I am happy for the opportunity we are now given. Had we been given a referral back in September for a baby girl (and she was there then) we never would have accepted it knowing that there was another family that would accept her. She was meant to be with us, why she was not referred to another family is not my story to tell, she was waiting. There was no way to choose between them because he was ours no question we were waiting for a baby boy. And so there it is, 8 is enough!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)