Our Gift of Family

“I didn’t give you the gift of life,

But in my heart I know.

The love I feel is deep and real,

As if it had been so.

For us to have each other

Is like a dream come true.

No, I didn’t give you The gift of life,

Life gave me the gift of you.”

~Unknown

Liam and Amelia are by far the greatest gifts we could ask for and we are so grateful to God every day for bringing us together, for making us family, for making our dreams come true.  One may wonder how you could love a child so much that is not created from your very own flesh and blood, who does not carry your own genetic makeup, who was not born from your very own tummy, who has zero physical resemblance to you, and whose birth connections reside elsewhere in the world.  One may ask, “How can you love a child that is not your own?”  The answer is simple…our children are OUR children through the miracle of adoption, through the miracle of God’s plan for our family, through receiving God’s greatest gifts with an open heart that can love, unconditionally, our children as our VERY OWN.  Liam and Amelia are OUR OWN through what we believe to be fate, destiny, and God’s plan for our family.  Our love goes beyond flesh and blood, beyond physical resemblance, and beyond any genetic connection.  Liam & Amelia…two precious little beings, two gifts from God.  We could not imagine any greater love than the love we feel today for our son and daughter—whotogether have blessed us with OUR gift of FAMILY in every essence of the word!

The last few days in Shenzhen have been revolved around enjoying time as a family, exploring, and growing together.  Shenzhen is such a beautiful, green, lush, tropical-like area – it’s like the Florida of China!  We are surrounded by palm trees and gardens and the weather is perfect - although cloudy, warm and not too humid.  We have been enjoying a lot of down time as a family with walks to the park or time at the swimming pool being the highlight of our day.  Our focus has been bonding together as family, giving our daughter time to explore both us and her surroundings, and taking in the beauty and culture of Shenzhen, China (plus fitting in photo shoots here and there of our two precious sweethearts!).

Throughout our family time together, some of my favorite moments have been those shared by Amelia and big brother Liam.  The sweet moments we witness of them together are priceless.  However, Liam’s big brother jealousy is starting to come out in full bloom.  More and more, he is becoming increasingly demanding of our attention.  The other day, a while after a father-son lecture about being a good big brother, Liam went into a crying spell for 1-1/2 hours complaining that he didn’t feel well and that his ear hurt, “REALLY, REALLY” bad!  Well, after searching up and down for the Tylenol, giving Liam tons of hugs, kisses and much needed love…he suddenly seemed to feel all better!  Needless to say, it was our son’s first little jealousy charade and his Mommy and Daddy fell for the trap.  We know this is expected and we are putting all our heart into helping Liam through this transition.  The sweet moments Liam and Amelia share together though are priceless.  Liam walked hand and hand with her for the first time the other day, he enjoys pushing her in the stroller, and when Amelia is upset, he continues to try to help by giving her comfort toys.  We just look at our children together and are in awe.  We know their bond and their love for each other will continue to grow and deepen in the days and years ahead and we just can’t wait for the times that lay ahead for them together as brother and sister!

I have also gotten a big kick out of watching Liam and Amelia compete for Daddy’s attention.  My wonderful husband has always been a kid-magnet, even way before having kids of our own.  I remember neighbors would come to our door asking, “Can the big kid come out to play?”  I admire my husband so much and I am so blessed to have the greatest, most kind, generous, fun-loving, big-hearted, smart, loving, attentive man as not only my husband, but the father of our children.  He amazes me every day and when I watch him with our children, my heart melts and I feel overwhelmed with the blessings of God and of our life together.  The more Ben gives Amelia his attention, the more Liam tries to steal the attention back.  If Ben is carrying Amelia, Liam wants to be carried.  If Ben is reading Amelia a book, Liam wants to join in.  If Amelia is riding on Daddy’s shoulders, Liam wants a ride.  If Ben is tickling Amelia, Liam wants to be tickled.  Although it’s hard at times and we completely understand the transition Liam is going through, it’s also so sweet to witness the pure love that these two children have for their Daddy and the way Ben gives so generously and sincerely with all his heart!

One of Ben’s biggest talents is making our children laugh.  Playing with them, at their level, just comes so naturally to him and the love he gives them is reciprocated in some of the biggest smiles I’ve ever seen…

Although Liam and Amelia clearly love their Daddy so much, I have received a share of their lovin’ as well!  Liam has been extra lovey dovey lately, telling me he loves me out of the blue, wanting me to cuddle him all the time, and even rubbing my back and playing with my hair when I’m seeming stressed (no joke!).  Amelia continues to bond with me and I feel closer and closer to her heart every day.  When going for walks, she’ll take my hand everywhere she goes.  When pushing her in the stroller, she’ll look back and give me her signature, “all-face” smile, and when playing in the park, she’ll come up and wrap her arms around my legs…with me eating up every moment!

So here we are together, a new family of four.  A family brought together by marriage, love, and the miracle of adoption.   The four of us coming together from different parts of the world—with one being from Chicago, one from Michigan, one from Kazakhstan and one from China.  All four of us possessing different personalities, different physical traits, different backgrounds, and even different ethnicities.  But amongst these differences, we have all four been linked through an incredible connection…and that is the through the Gift of God, through the Gift of Love…and by Our Gift of Family!  We are forever blessed!