Our Samantha

October 11, 2010 was the day we 1st saw her face!

That was the day we got the call from our adoption agency, Dove Adoptions International, that they knew who our baby girl was! I was at a friend's house getting ready to leave, when I got in my car & looked at the phone only to see that I had missed a call. Wouldn't you know it was the only time I hadn't had my phone with me for months?! When I saw the number of the missed call, I recognized the area code: 503. I looked at my friend & excitedly yelled, "503, it's 503!" Obviously, she had no idea what that meant. So I quickly filled her in, while dialing my voice mail at the same time. The message was from the director at our adoption agency saying the she, "would LOVE to talk to me today!" I called her back as quickly as humanly possible and she confirmed what I was waiting to hear...that she was looking at a picture of our daughter. We had been waiting for this moment for what seemed like an eternity! Hearing her say, "your daughter,"  was one of the most amazing moments I have ever experienced. We have been very confident that this is God's plan for our family, but to see that plan actually unfolding right before our eyes was/is an absolutely amazing experience.

As soon as we got home, the boys and I raced to the computer to see the pictures that they had sent (and yes, I did check with Dan to make sure he would be OK with me not waiting until he got home so that we could see the pictures together). Ideally it would have been great to see them together for the first time, but I just couldn't wait the 5 hours until he would be home! Seeing her face, with her huge eyes & her tiny little body brought out so many emotions. Tears filled my eyes...I had to explain to the boys that sometimes grown ups can be so happy that they cry. They thought it was silly, but we all agreed that she's the cutest baby girl we've ever seen! It was very exciting being able to watch Dan go through the same emotions when he got home and saw her pictures for the first time.

Samantha's birthday is June 9th, which makes her 5 months old right now. She is still very tiny, about 8 lbs and 11 ounces, but doing well. She's had a few illnesses which have kept her weight gain slow, but we are trusting in God to hold her in His hands until we can hold her in ours. Her most recent update stated that she rolls from her back to her belly, can reach for objects & put them in her mouth, orients to voice, and best of all she laughs loudly! God knew that I needed to know this. Our baby girl, despite all that she's been through and being only the size of a newborn, is "laughing loudly" in an orphanage half way around the world! Reading those words in her medical update truly warmed my soul and brought me peace that covered over me like a cozy blanket! God is good!