Face Full Of Freckles {Best Adoption Story}
We’re often told that God has has a reason for allowing bad things to happen. It’s usually little comfort when trudging through seemingly awful circumstances. But it’s the hope and trust in what God is doing that carries us through, especially knowing we would never otherwise make it on our own strength. But every once in a while, God shows us those reasons, and it is such a gift that it makes it impossible not to share with everyone.
It will be five years ago this December when we were expecting the birth of our firstborn, a little boy whom we decided to name Logan. His due date was December 10th. A Christmas baby.
Logan, however, had different plans. I was induced and delivered him on September 16th, a day after a middle-of-the-night rush to Labour and Delivery revealed that Logan had died in utero.
We held him, we prayed over him, and with tear-stained faces, handed him back to God.
We had just had our baby shower. We knew it was traditionally a few weeks early, but we wanted to have it over a three-day-weekend so that more out-of-town guests could come. While in the hospital my husband privately coordinated with friends and family to have all of our gifts removed from our apartment before we returned home.
Three days after coming back to an empty house I was admitted to the hospital with a heart rate of 32 beats per minute. To shorten a rather lengthy story, odds were really good that if I had carried my pregnancy to term my heart would not have made it. At that point it became glaringly obvious  why God had me deliver when I did. Although we could not understand why we lost our little boy, we were at least comforted with the knowledge that it was necessary for him to arrive early in order to save my life.
And so life went on. Our original plan was to have one birth child and adopt the rest. We had our birth child, for the little time that he was here with us. On the anniversary of his stillbirth, we were introduced to a woman who had foster-adopted through a local agency and were given their contact information. We were ready to move forward.
In fact, our living situation further encouraged growing our family. We had the opportunity to move from our one-bedroom apartment into the only two-bedroom unit in our building by the beach, graciously offered to us by the building’s owner. We moved, cleaned, and painted, leaving the spare room empty, a physical reminder of the hole in our family that we were seeking to fill.
My husband and I attended our foster-adoption orientation on October 6th. There we learned a number of things: Healthy, newborn babies were rare, so don’t expect one. The younger the child you want, the longer you will wait especially if you want a girl. And don’t expect a “Christmas baby.” For some reason the adoption agency gets a high rate of parents starting the adoption process right before Christmas, expecting their child to be home before the holiday. Interesting. All good things to know.
As much as we would have wanted a newborn, our hearts were open to whatever God had planned for us, so we embarked on our paperwork journey believing that we would probably end up with a sibling set of toddler (or older) boys.
For those who know me, it is no surprise that I finished our entire adoption packet in three weeks. I’m a paperwork junkie, and if there is one thing that I do well, it’s details. Besides, I had it in my head that the faster that I got my part in the adoption process completed, the faster that God could do His work in bringing our child (or children) home.
By mid-November (a month into the adoption process) our social worker finished our home visit for the homestudy, and I was left with nothing to do but wait for her to write it up and start the search process.
When pregnant mothers unpack their baby shower gifts, decorating and preparing the nursery for their babies, it’s called “nesting.” When a woman who just started the adoption process starts pulling out the gifts she received from the baby shower of her stillborn child, it’s called “crazy.” But I just had it on my heart to put the crib together, to pull out the blankets and bottles and clothes. To have everything washed and to finally start filling that empty room. I’m not a very patient person so I needed to be doing something to help with the adoption process. And that was that was all I had at the time.
Our social worker was still working on writing up our homestudy, so we received calls from her from time to time asking for clarification of this or that. So it wasn’t a huge shock to have her call me early in December (2 months into the adoption process) while I was putting the final touches on our “spare room.” Before answering her call I remember looking around and thinking it finally felt like it could be a home for someone.
What was shocking about the call was that our social worker relayed that a healthy, negative-tox, newborn baby girl was relinquished at the hospital and she wanted to ask if we were interested in adopting her!
A relinquishment is when a birthmother did not make an adoption plan and relinquishes the baby at the hospital. Rarely are healthy babies reqlinquished nowadays, and even more rarely was our adoption agency the one that was called in such instances. As such, we were informed that time was of the essence, so we needed to make a decision fast.
My head was spinning. I had just finished putting away the baby clothes in the dresser of the spare room. The baby clothes that would have never have fit a toddler. I called my husband, who was teaching, so that we could quickly discuss the situation. Up until this call we had had our minds wrapped around having toddler boys. However, we were totally open to what God had planned for us. We decided to let our social worker know that we were interested in learning more and wanted to know how we should proceed. I hung up with my husband and was ready to call our social worker back.
And then it occurred to me. It was December 10th. One year, to the day, of our son’s original due date. And I wept. From that moment forward I knew in my heart that this was the plan that God had for us all along. This is why we had our baby shower early; we were going to need those baby things, just not when we thought we were going to. This was why I rushed to get the paperwork completed so quickly. This was why I was putting together a crib and washing baby clothes when everyone around me was rolling their eyes and shaking their heads. It wasn’t just a child that God had planned for us. It was this child, and everything needed to happen exactly when it did in order for us to receive her.
We had to submit our homestudy for her, along with several other hopeful parents. And our social worker had to pull an all-nighter just to write ours up to be considered. It took three days before we heard that we were chosen to be her forever family. Â When we asked what we were supposed to do next, she said “Come pick her up.”
And that was the day we met our daughter. She was six days old, healthy, and beautiful. Although she was African American, she had a full head face of freckles. I have freckles, myself, and I loved the fact that she did too. Although they have long since faded, I like to think that God placed those freckles on her for the sole purpose of allowing me something about her to which I could immediately bond.
Her birthmother had 2 weeks to change her mind. Those two weeks ended on Christmas Eve. When we awoke Christmas morning we knew for certain she was here to stay. On the very day that God’s son was born, so was our family.
Sometimes God gives a reason for why bad things happen. By walking in faith and obedience, when one child was taken away, another was given. If Logan were to have lived, we most certainly would have adopted. We just wouldn’t have adopted this little girl. And this little girl was so clearly the one whom the Lord wanted for us to have.
We called her Zoe, which means “alive,” not so much for the fact that she was the living of the two children with whom the Lord blessed us, but because without the hope that lived within us during this whole experience we never would have known her.
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Love this post for more reasons than I can share on this blog… thank you for sharing your story. On a side note, I’m beginning to wonder if Zoe is the token name for so many adopted girls. I’ve always loved the name, actually when I was young I planned on having twin girls (w/ Jon Bon Jovi, lol)and naming them Chloe and Zoe. When we decided to adopt we decided on Zoiey in much part due to the meaning of the name and that our mama was choosing life for her sweet daughter. Of course we don’t know whether we will have a Zoiey or a Zeke (Ezekiel), but I had to chuckle when I read your daughter’s name.
This is beautiful. I have never ceased to be amazed at the mysterious ways the Lord works out His perfect plans for our lives, even in the hard stuff. What a beautiful baby. What a precious Christmas gift! I’m wiping tears…
Adoption is amazing, isn’t it? We have 2 very similar stories about how our babies came to us.
Tears streaming….I love you and your faith so much.
Fellow December 2010 mommy!
<3
Angie
Wow, what a beautiful story! You had such strong faith and didn’t even know why at the time. Your family is such an inspiration. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for sharing your story! Love to hear how God works through others lives and adoptions!
Amazing. That says it all.
xoxo
This was a beauiful story. Thanks for sharing it.
Totally in tears over here. Looking at God’s timing in retrospect is always amazing to see His plan knit together. Thank you for sharing!
thank you everyone for your kind words. it is a lovely story, created by God. i was only the person who wrote it down. 🙂
Wow…what an amazing and beautiful story! God is so good! Reading your story has touched my heart in a way I can’t even describe. I am in constant awe of how He works and moves in our lives! He makes all things beautiful. What a testimony of His love! Thank you for sharing your story!
In 12/04 we received our first foster baby (4 months old)and within a month, we took in our second (6 weeks old). One was black, one was white, and they were our twins. At first, it seemed we would definitely be able to adopt the 4-month-old as his story was horrible. Six months later, we were given the opportunity to adopt the 6-week-old! Surely, at any time we’d hear that our first little guy could stay as well . . . 2 years later, and still fostering our #1, we welcomed a beautiful 5-day-old Haitian-American foster baby. Within six months, we were given the opportunity to adopt her! But 2 months before National Adoption Day, we had to give our little #1 back, after 33 months of fostering him. In my heart of hearts, I know God knew our #1 was going to go home, and sent our daughter to ease the pain of losing him. With 3 biological children and 2 gifts from heaven, our family is now complete – and we see our #1 twice a year! So, I suppose not all was lost. God is good!
what a beautiful story. i cried, i smiled, it warmed my heart.
Love this. Thank you so much for sharing it!
Oh, you inspire me to write out our story too …
God seems to have a plan that only He really knows, but a blessing in Heaven and a blessing here on Earth is doubly blessed either way!
Our Princess came to us when she was three weeks of age, she is now 9 – her hair remains a challenge 😉
Love that I found your blog today!
And how beautifully you write.
What an amazing story. I cried the entire way through it. You are such an inspiration. Thank you for this wonderful website.
To God be the Glory! Thank you for sharing such an amazing story! May God continue to reward you for your faith and commitment and continue to bless those around you with your testimony! Even though I have not experienced the joy of adoption, I have gained two beautiful little stepdaughters. I have struggled with dealing with their hair, and my sister sent me to your hair site. I have been blessed by your story and wish all of you the best!
I love everything about this…thank you for sharing your inspiring story! God is wonderful!!
Thank You for sharing! i LOVE adoption stories! i love that you use the words FOREVER FAMILY. xo
We adopted a sibling set almost 5 and a half years ago and named(renamed)our daughter Zoe for that exact reason! CHECK OUT MY BLOG
I just want to thank my bloggy friends for supporting the guest adoption families who share here on my blog… their story inspires and encourages us to love BIG! This is such an amazing story and grateful for all the bows & headbands Vanilla Care & Chocolate Hair provided for my mission trip to Uganda!! We are all in this together!
xoxo
Thansk for the sweet story. Here is my story of adoption. There is no smooth path to adopting.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/8276033/adoption_harsh_realities_pg2.html?cat=25
Beautiful story – thank you so much for sharing.
This is so beautiful and you are amazing. May God continue to bless your family. Inspiring!
What a great and inspirational story. The great thing I have found about adoption is that every story is different. We too were very lucky to have a quick adoption. Although we met our birthmother about 3 weeks before our son was born, it was the longest 3 weeks of our lives. Congratulations on your family and wonderful story!
beautiful story. such a beautiful little girl. what a blessing!
This story was absolutely touching….wow.
OH MY! What a beautiful story, what beautiful people, what a beautiful child!!! I loved this!! Your story touched my heart. Just beautiful. SN:You are doing such a great job with her hair as well!!!!! I just love that you have allowed her to embrace her soft curls with an effervescent glow of pride & beauty! I tip my hat to you & your husband!
This is a beautiful story. Thank you so much for sharing this with the world. You and your husband are wonderful parents and Zoe is blessed to have you!
Just found your blog and love your adoption story – what a testimony! You are a beautiful family!
this just made my day. there are still folks in this world who are willing and capable of loving beyond the color barrier that is set before so many of us. Love is color blind!!! I’m just amazed, overwhelmed with joy and happiness and deeply deeply touch. I hope one day I may be in a position to become a foster to adopt parent. So many beautiful little people are born into this world with no hope, no one to love and care for them and then the Rory’s and Peggy’s of the world step forth. Love this story & Ms.Peggy thanks for sharing your story. 33 months is a long time to be with a child, but with out your love and nurturing at the tender young years of life # 1 may not have been well enough to continue on. You helped fortify and what a gift you gave to #1 big hugs♥♥♥
Every time I read this story and tear up. God is amazing!!!
Dear Rory, my heart goes out to you and Tim. I never knew this part of your story and it is God that brought it across my path today. I remember attending your shower and the joyous celebration. Praying for your dear family. ~ Jill