Rebecca Walker Photography

So much of the adoption process is having to walk by faith when there seems to be no rhyme or reason for any part of this process… You would think that this second time around that my heart and mind would remember what the lack of control feels like.  What it is like to obsessively check my phone for an email update letting us know that we have moved to another step in the journey. You would think I would remember how hard it is to watch your baby grow up in pictures.  To miss milestones like crawling for the first time, first tooth, first words, first birthdays.

It has been a struggle.  So many people have asked me is it easier the second time in our adoption. I’m not always sure if they mean if the process (aka all the paperwork and court procedures) will be shorter since we *just* did this or if they mean, emotionally is it easier since I am able to have one baby with me.  One baby home. My answer is always the same for these questions.  No.  Simple and true.  We had to go through all the same steps and procedures as we did previously with Davis, but this time, we had to do even more.  And emotionally, it has been so much harder for me and my heart.

While we were waiting for Davis, I didn’t truly know what I was missing. I loved him from the moment I saw his picture, but it was a different love when he was placed in my arms for the first time. I knew that moment that my heart would never, ever be the same.  That part of my purpose on this earth is to be his mama! And in the last 16 months that we have had him home my heart often feels like it will explode with the love I have for my child. So while we have waited the last 6 1/2 months for our baby girl, I now fully understand the love that a parent has for their babies. So it has made every emotion amplified time 100. And if you know me… my emotions are pretty much busting at the seams already anyway!! Just ask my husband

My heart is missing a piece.  Just like with Davis while we were waiting the long 11 months to bring him home.  A piece of my heart lives with our baby girl 7,000 miles away.  I ache for her to be in my arms! However, we got big news today that we have been approved for EP (emigration permit) and submitted to get a court date!! One more step completed and one more step closer to meeting our girl and standing before the judge saying we want to be her forever family!! So excited!!! We have been waiting a long 14 weeks in this one phase of the process. To have this piece completed takes a lot of anxiety away and more excitement can move into its place!

We are so thankful for the support and love we have received, and hopefully I will be writing again SOON telling everyone it is OUR turn! Our time to fly to Seoul, South Korea and hold our sweet Annalee for the first time.  Our time to meet with the judge and say YES to bringing our daughter into our family forever.  Please continue to wrap up in prayer as we wait for that moment and that God is already preparing her heart to join our family.  Thank you for walking along side us for the last two years!!

It is hard to believe that this time last year we were counting down the days (9 days in fact!!) that we would finally get to hold our sweet baby boy that we had been longing to hold.  This time last year we were filled with hope, anxiety, love, excitement, and nerves. We have now had our Davis home for 10 months! Ten amazing months of being a family.  He has brought so much joy into our lives that it is hard to remember what it was like before he became ours forever. And so, after 6 months home, we began talking about what we wanted our family to look like and how we knew it was not complete yet.  So we decided we wanted to grow our family more.  So we began the whole process again.  The home study, the home visits, the background checks, the physicals, and all the paperwork this fall.  Our home study was complete, approved, and sent into our Korea Agency on November 26th.  We had been told it could take about 6+ months for us to get matched with a sweet baby, and we were ready (as we ever would have been) to wait to see how God planned to grow our family. Just 6 weeks later, we get a call from our social worker that we have been MATCHED, with a precious baby, who I was in love with before I even knew the face I would soon call mine.

We are bringing home our sweet baby girl!!! She is 6 months old and her birthday is June 21, 2014. Our sweet Annalee Hope Walker will join our family forever and we could not be happier! We have been so overwhelmed and excited about growing our family.  We are just overjoyed to be sharing our news with everyone that has supported us through the journey to bring Davis home.  I hope that y’all will continue to pray for us as we bring our daughter home for South Korea! Just like Davis, we aren’t able to post any picture of our sweet girl until after her adoption is final, but I am happy to share any pictures we have with y’all if I see you out and about!!  Davis isn’t quite sure about what all this Big Brother talk is about, but I know he will be such a great one to our girl!!

***And because we have already been getting asked, here is the process! We send in our official acceptance letter and paperwork, we wait for lots of government and immigration forms to be sent, then we wait for EP submission and family court dates! We have a very vague timeline but truly no idea of “when” we will get to bring her to her forever home.  All we can do now is just hope and wait and pray that our sweet girl will be home SOON!!

Thank you again so much for loving on us and continuing to support us through this journey again!! We are just so grateful to be able to grow our family again through adoption!