Tuesday, March 26, 2013

One Year After The Referral - Six Months Home!



One year ago, finding time to write a blog post was no big deal.  Despite a fairly busy work schedule and time spent running a household, there was plenty of “me time” to indulge in blogging and other pursuits.  Not so much free time these days!

One year ago today, life changed with one phone call.  One year ago today, I found out I was going to be Francis’ mother, and life hasn’t been the same since.  Two days ago marked the six month that Francis has been home.  Honestly, we haven’t marked the day even once since he’s been with us.  (Though I know the one year anniversary will certainly be a celebration.)  Each day with Francis feels more and more like he’s always been here with us.  While I’ve yet to forget about the pain of that seemingly-endless wait, it’s hard to remember life without Francis.  Hasn’t he always been part of our lives? 

This morning, Gregg and I tried to tell Francis the story of the day one year ago today, when we found out he would be our son.  After a minute or two, he hopped off the bed and said “See ya later!” and went downstairs to play.  For right now, in Francis’ mind, his life started the day we came to get him from his RSCC.  Anything before that is, essentially, null and void – it just didn’t happen.  I’m sure one day he’ll want to hear about his history again, but for right now, we’re living and loving in the present, and every day is getting better thanks to lots of hard work and having the right team of people to work with us.  Our Francis is a trooper.  He is working so, so hard to form attachments and learn to trust and to love.  We see progress every day, and I am so proud of how far he has come in such a short time.  

One year later, this is the ongoing story of a little boy who really did want a mommy and a daddy and was willing to push past his fears and prior traumas to let them into his heart.  This is the story of a mommy and daddy who waited endlessly for the gift of a lifetime and found that love takes time and patience, but is a gift worth waiting for.  I can’t wait to see how this story continues to unfold – it has already been the most amazing chapter of my life. 

 
The first picture we ever saw of our boy.

Francis on the day of his Baptism, March 10, 2013.

Oh, how I love this boy!

4 comments:

  1. So nice to hear from you, Jennifer. You are right - the journey is hard, but so so so worth it. And how absolutely perfect that your sweet boy shares the name of our new Pope! Bless you all!

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  2. I've seen these photos so many times before and when you put them together, you can not only seen the physical change but the confidence and love he's feeling. God bless all of you and may he continue to show you the way to the happiness you all deserve.
    Love you all so very much.
    Lola and Lolo

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  3. LOVE this and love you, too, Jen!

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  4. I agree, it's a tough journey, but completely worth it! Love to see you're still blogging on occasion! Murray and Nathanael wore their barongs at the girls' baptism. So neat to see Francis in his!

    Blessings!
    Deborah

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