Introducing Julia...

This beautiful young lady holding Georgia Claire is her birth mom, Julia!

Up until now I have written about her by simply calling her "Georgia's birth mom". Because our adoption is an open agreement and some time has passed, I thought it was time that I introduce everyone reading this to her. (She & I text a lot and I asked her tonight before I posted this...she said YES!) Also, I know that this blog will one day be a journal of sorts for Georgia to read and we truly believe that she should know about our love for each other! Julia picked us to be Georgia's parents, and we love her and her sweet family...they are now an extension of our family!

Julia is wearing a necklace that we gave her the first day we met her on April 27th. It is the "linked heart" butterfly pendant from James Avery. We picked it because of the significance of the two hearts...symbolizing our two families being joined together by the love that we have for Georgia...a perfect representation, in our book! I can't believe that we have only known her and her family a little over 6 months! Just to recap God's perfect timing in this journey...on April 1st, Julia went to Generations for the first time. On April 3rd, we were officially on the website and approved to adopt. On April 17th (just two weeks later), Julia narrowed her search down to two couples--us and one other. On April 20th, we got the call that she chose us! And on April 27th, we met her and her mom Stacy for the first time! WOW! Now, here we are about 6 months later and it feels like we have known her forever.

We were blessed by a night of celebrating adoption last night at the "HOPE Gala", benefiting our adoption agency, Generations Adoptions. Julia, her mom Stacy, her grandparents Dale & Vicki and her great-grandmother Alma all were in attendance. (That would be Georgia's biological mom, grandmother, great-grandmother & great-grandfather, and great-great grandmother--that's FIVE generations, folks!) We sat together at a round table and enjoyed a mashed potato bar, hors d'oeuvres, dessert, and coffee, while listening to adoption testimonies and reports about the agency. It was a beautiful night. For those of you that know me, you know that family is the world to me. I am "in my element" when my family is together. That is exactly how I felt last night...comfortable, relaxed, happy, and just content. Shelby and I left feeling SO full! Georgia Claire has so many people that love her...she is one blessed little girl!

Look at this sweet picture...

This was right after we arrived...Georgia was not too enthused, at first! She came around after awhile and made us laugh a time or two.

Stacy, Julia's mom and Georgia's biological grandmother, got some good time in with Georgia. Hard to believe, I know! SO young and pretty--she doesn't look like a grandmother to me! Georgia definitely let her presence be known when she was ready for her bottle! Stacy couldn't put it in her mouth fast enough! =)

They had the coolest thing there...a mashed potato bar! We filled our fancy little glasses with potatoes and then they had all of the "fixins" to go on them...like a baked potato! It was SO YUMMY! So yummy, in fact, that Georgia saw Julia's glass and would not take her eyes off it...then she started drooling, then she started gnawing on her hand!

And then she started laughing...her little Elmer Fudd laugh...it sounds like a little baby machine gun and it is SO FUNNY! =) I HAVE to get it on video sometime!
I love this picture...Julia was laughing at Georgia laughing....
Georgia got some good loving from Dale, PawPaw Moore...I think he and my Dad would be buddies if they lived near each other. He reminds me a lot of my Dad--hard working man that loves his family dearly.
From left to right-Julia, Stacy, Alma (Georgia's great-great biological grandmother, whose husband's name just so happened to be George!), Georgia Claire, Dale & Vicki. A little side note and just another cool God thing...Georgia was born on what would have Alma's & George's 59th wedding anniversary. He passed away in 1993. Alma made Georgia a beautiful baby blanket and gave her a card and picture of George & her...something we will all cherish...it's already in the baby book! She wrote beautiful words to Georgia in the card-one sentence said, "I've made you a blanket and know its warmth will make you feel my love." Thank you, Alma! Shelby & I joined in, too...
Georgia was tired of pictures by this point, but we HAD to get one with us four!

She fell asleep before we left, but woke up as we were walking to the car...here she is getting changed from her dress to her onesie so she could sleep...

And she's ready for the 3 hour car ride home (she slept the entire way, by the way)...

Stacy gave her a stuffed cow. It's funny because Georgia's name actually means "farmer" or "tiller of soil" and her favorite toys are cows! She enjoyed feeling this one for the first time...

AND the way it tasted...by the time she fell asleep the whole cow was wet from all of the "kisses" she had given it! =)

We pulled into the garage at 12:30 and she was still sound asleep. I took her out of the car seat, changed her diaper, and laid her in her bed with a pacifier and she went right back to sleep. I walked into our bedroom and said to Shelby, and I quote, "That baby is AWESOME!" I really didn't know how she would do. I thought I might be up for a while with her when we got home, but the child LOVES to sleep! She slept until 8:00 this morning! Thank you, Lord!

When we started the adoption process (only last January), we thought we could never agree to an open adoption. I am a control freak and I thought there was no way I could do it. BUT, God had other plans! After our training with Generations, and hearing testimony of adoptive couples and birth moms, it seemed like the only way to go! I will never forget the day of our training it was like a light bulb came on in my head...not only was the birth mom affected, but the ENTIRE birth family was affected! They ALL have love to give this child. We knew, on that day in January, that we would be open to an open adoption. God was working and working fast! Little did we know that less than 4 months later we would be meeting Georgia's birth mom and less than 6 months later our daughter would be born! We love you, JULIA and the choice that you made to give Georgia life. I wish all of you reading this could meet Julia...I feel like a proud big sister. She's talented, smart, beautiful, kind, and funny, too! Thank you for bringing so much happiness and JOY to our life! "Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. I always pray for you, and I make my requests with a heart full of joy." -Philippians 1:3-4