Happy 10 yr Gotcha Day Makenzie!

Nobody can ever know about all of the heartache, suffering and pain and pure joy that you go through while trying to adopt unless you've actually walked in those shoes and it's a bond we share with many, many other adoptives families that we have been so blessed to meet during this adoption journey.  It's a lot of work proving that you will be a fit parent for these precious children and you have worries about will it be "enough", will they pick me?  I'm sure most parents go through a lot of these emotions but it's a little different for adoptive parents because we have people come through our house for a homestudy and make sure it's ok for a child, it is nerve wracking and emotionally draining on top of all of the interviews, meetings, paperwork, fingerprinting, police records check and the list goes on and on.  Will we EVER get through this is a question we asked ourselves often.  Then the big day comes and you get a referral (we even got a picture AND a video of Kim, Sun Hwa), this adorable, chubby cheeked, black haired, almond eyed child is going to be ours after years and years of praying for a baby and exploring so many options along the way, we finally have a picture....now comes the really hard part WAITING for her passport and visa when you know what she looks like and all you can think about is that she's getting bigger and bigger and is she smiling? is she rolling over? can she say any words? is she attaching to her foster mom?  will she have attachment issues or will she bond with us? Questions, worries, waiting, happiness that you have a child in this world but you haven't met her yet...it's a swirl of emotions.  Then, the call comes in that she has a visa and passport and a lady(we love you Beverlee) that we've grown to love and trust is in Korea and is willing to bring her to us...oh happy day!  We rush to LA, California and anxiously await her arrival....but wait SURPRISE the morning she's supposed to come in we hear a knock on our hotel room door and it's Kevin's parents and my mom, they want to share this joyous, happy day with us!  Then, time seems to stand still while we pace about the LAX airport just waiting to see her and then she's here and all of the sudden all of the past 8 years of trying to have a baby fade away and are just a distant memory and our daughter is safe in our loving, open arms at last!!!  November 19th, 2000 is a day Kevin and I will never forget, God answered our prayers and gave us a wonderful, special gift of Makenzie Nicole Wedemeyer and for that gift we are eternally greatful!  The past 10 years have been the happiest 10 years of my entire life and I know it's because of this blessing sent from God with a detour through South Korea!  If you have questions about adoption please email me at adoption questions I would love to help others experience this wonderful gift!
I Samuel 1:27 For this child I prayed and the Lord has given me my petition which I asked of Him!

Please leave me a comment and tell me how your life has been touched by adoption!  November is National Adoption Awareness month!!!

Every year on our children's gotch day we eat Korean food in honor of their birth country and we give them a small gift so they know that we love and cherish them and think the day we "got" them is very special.  We look through their Korean box, which holds their baby clothes that they arrived in from Korea, an extra diaper from Korea, and any pictures that were taken while they were in Korea, some Korean money and any other items sent to the U.S. with them from their foster family.  This year we were blessed to eat lunch with the wonderful Delano family and they helped us celebrate Kenzie's 10 yr gotcha day, they are in the adoption process for a sibling group so please keep them in your prayers!