Meeting Hannah Ruth

We realized very soon after we decided to adopt from China that we are drawn to adoption stories, and we love talking to and reading about other couples who have traveled down this path. We have a good friend at church who was attending her class reunion, and one of her classmates was also coming in for the weekend to attend the reunion.  Their baby-sitter fell through for their weekend getaway, and we're so glad! We had a nice visit with the Culps, and their daughter, Hannah Ruth.  Lori and her husband were a wealth of information for our inquisitive minds, and they were so encouraging.  Hannah Ruth spent time watching Savy's softball game, and playing with Brin.  Hannah Ruth loves taking dance lessons, but she LOVED watching Savy's softball game.  She taught Brin and Savy how to say a few words in Chinese, and they showed her how they could say "Happy New Year" in Chinese (they both learned this in their kindergarten class).

Drum Roll Please!

Kelly and I are so excited to announce that we have sold a little over 100 Show Hope shirts! We feel so much support from our families and friends, and feel extremely blessed!! Let's keep those orders coming!

We had the opportunity a couple weeks ago to speak to a women's Bible study group at our church.  Their group is reading the book "When Women Say Yes to God." We were honored to share our stories with this group of women (Girlfriendz for God), and we know they'll be praying for our journey every step of the way.  We are so happy that we said "Yes to God!"

Telling Brin and Savy About Their Sister

When Bo and I decided that we were really going through with the adoption, we wanted to take the kids out to dinner to tell them about our decision.  I wanted everything perfect! I had borrowed the book "Choosing To See" from a friend, and had already given the book back to her. I wanted to buy the book, so that we would be able to tell the kids about the book, and also to show them photos of little girls who would look very similar to their sister, Caroline.  We headed up to Lakeland, and thought for sure that Target would have the book.  After searching down the book aisles for several minutes, I left feeling discouraged.  I am one who looks for signs when making a decision, and this wasn't a good sign.  However, when leaving Target, an asian family was walking in! I could almost hear the Lord saying "Ye of little faith...." We then went to Lakeside Village....thinking that Books-A-Million would carry the book.  I looked for the book for atleast 20 minutes, and had a sales clerk looking for me as well. After looking in their computer system, she finally found the book for me.  We then took the kids to Chili's for dinner to tell them all about the new Conerly adventure.  They were very excited, and loved looking at photos of the adorable Chapman girls. 

The next day, we went to visit my family in Avon Park.  Savy wrote a sweet note to them to tell them about her new sister.  The note read "My mommy is having a Chinese baby, and her name is Caroline." I laughed when I saw the note, and immediately explained what the note meant. :)

The "A" Word

Adoption is something I've thought about now for some time...."thought" being the key word here.  I always thought it was wonderful for those families who were called by the Lord to adopt, but it just wasn't for us. 

I have always wanted three children, so when I was pregnant with Will, I had the idea that my perfect family would be complete.  I always wanted my son to be the oldest, a daughter to be my second (so that she could be the "princess" of the family), and another son to be the youngest.  Will was born on September 26th, and went into the arms of Jesus on August 29th, 2008.  Will's body had several needs and he endured much during his short time on this Earth, but he taught us so much during that short time.  One important lesson was that we can't plan our lives.  We can't plan this picture perfect family with a picture perfect ending.  When everything is perfect in our lives, then where is there room for God? We learn and grow through life's ups and downs.  He also taught us to smile during the hard times.  Will had a feeding tube, a trache, and open heart surgery; yet through it all, he always seemed to have a smile for his family, his many visitors, doctors and nurses.

Will has been with Jesus for a little over 2 1/2 years, and the question "Are you going to have another child" has come up a lot.  After testing by a genetesist, we found that Will's disorder was genetic.  We've prayed about whether or not we should have another child, but have come to the realization that we're getting older, and the thought of a pregnancy, nursing, lack of sleep, etc. sounds exhausting.  For quite some time now, I've heard the word "adoption" here and there, but kept pushing it aside.  Well, I've learned very quickly that when the Lord is calling you to be obedient, it is very hard to ignore him.  We hear the word adoption in movies, television, magazing covers and articles, radio programs, at church, etc.  I had also heard of close friends adopting on facebook, and close friends here in Wauchula had also mentioned that they were praying about adoption.  We even had a "Ladies Night" at our church recently, and our guest speaker, the one and only Sandi Patty, had shared her story about how they adopted their son, "Sam."  The "A" word has been everywhere, and it's been very hard to ignore! I'm so happy that we listened to Him, and have stepped out in faith in the journey of Adoption!!

China's Lost Girls

Tonight we watched a documentary by National Geographic called China's Lost Girls.  Lisa Ling followed several families from Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, etc., who were traveling to China to adopt their baby girls.  Some of the families weren't able to have children of their own, so they chose to adopt from China; while other families had already adopted from China, and were going through the process a second time.  We learned that it is illegal for pregnant women to find out the sex of their babies.  We also learned that having a son is honorable to a family; sons carry the family name, provide labor for the family, and sons stay and take care of their aging parents.  It showed how new parents are able to learn about and see where their baby was first found before entering the orphanage or foster home (whether in a market, a box on a street, a park, etc.).  It showed the parents' "Gotcha Day"...where they are all able to see their babies for the first time, after seeing nothing but a single photo for so long.  It also showed The White Swan hotel.  This is where all parents and newly adopted children stay just before leaving to travel back to the U.S.    Savy kept sharing with me how she knew how to say "Happy New Year" in chinese (along with showing me her squinted chinese eyes).  Bo felt so excited about what we're going to go through....right now 5-7 years feels so far away, but we know it will be here before we know it.

Bella Mei's Family

We feel so incredibly blessed to be experiencing this adoption process with our close friends, the Pazzaglias.  Their family loves the Lord with all their heart, and they are passionate in everything they do.  We had a great time with them tonight....sharing our hearts about what the Lord has called us to do, and the anticipation of our journeys to our baby girls, Bella Mei and Caroline Aubrey. 

The Book That Helped Us Start This Journey

This is the book that did it...the book that has opened our hearts.  Reading about Mary Beth's journey brought out so many emotions; especially those of loss.  It brought back all the emotions we had when Jesus took our precious Will home back in August of 2008.  Those are memories I don't allow myself to think of a lot because they're just too painful.  Choosing to See also brought awareness; awareness that Christians can make a difference, starting with one little life.

Another way this book touched Bo and I is it showed us that you don't have to be comfortable with "chaos" to travel down the road of adoption.  We are the first to admit that we like things as orderly as possible.  We have a plan for everything, and everything has its place.  Mary Beth had a plan for her life.  She wanted her life to be safe and predictable.  Her plan was to marry someone with a nice nine-to-five schedule and have a tidy, organized life-everything under control. In her words "Absolutely none of that came true!"  She also says that if she had lived the life she thought she wanted-she knows she wouldn't have experienced the grace or the miracles of God in the ways she has lived.

Now it is required that those who have been

given a trust must prove faithful.

1 Corinthians 4:2

Our First Adoption Post!

Here we are....The Conerly family.  Bo, Candice, Brin, Savy, and our dog Lucy. Our precious Will is in Heaven with Jesus.  We miss him every single day, and we know we will see him again.

Our family has started a journey; an exciting journey that will require faith, patience, and perseverence. This is the journey of adoption.  We have been lead to pursue an international adoption from China.  Adoption has been something I've thought about for years, but kept thinking it wasn't for our family.  The Lord definitely has a way of changing our plans.  I've been hearing and seeing the word adoption from all directions.  After borrowing the book, Choosing to See by Mary Beth Chapman from a friend, I saw the light.  We told our children of our decision, and they couldn't be happier knowing they will one day have a baby sister.  We already pray for her, and the kids call her by name...Caroline Aubrey.  We know our Lord and Savior has picked us to be the mommy and daddy for this little girl who hasn't even been born yet.