Happy 1st Birthday Chloe Elizabeth!!
Thursday, March 19, 2015
To Nicole and Phil: As parents through adoption, we will forever know that there are no sufficient words, and there will never be anything that we could give, that would be as meaningful as the life you created and chose to share with us. Thank you. Love, Tim & Erin
Happy 1st Birthday Chloe Elizabeth!!
Happy 1st Birthday Chloe Elizabeth!!
Saturday, October 4, 2014
A Dream Come True
It was a beautiful introduction to the first day of Fall. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and it was a pleasantly warm day. As Tim dropped us off by the courthouse, I walked into the building hand in hand with my girls. My girls. Chloe has never once felt like she didn't belong to me. She has been beautifully placed into our family as if she was always meant to be a part of it. And on this day, we were able to make that feeling become a permanent reality.
As we ushered through security and entered into the immense marble-clad interior, I was reminded again how very different the experiences of my daughter's entrances into the world. Molly, being our biological child, was gifted to us the moment she was born. There was no question whom she belonged to. Within days she had a social security number and a birth certificate formalizing her existence with our family. Chloe, on the other hand, had been gifted to us with a paperless trail. However, I believe, without any reservation, that her journey has been a precious example of God's immense love.
God blessed her creation from the start, protecting her safely in her mother's womb, despite the absence of prenatal care. He continued to protect her life by quieting the temptation to abort, further widening the scope of her existence being intended for a higher purpose. Arriving to the world safely in her own time, God placed doctors and nurses to care for her every need as she awaited the introduction of her forever family.
Our journey to our beautiful daughter may have been filled with sadness, despair, hope and love. But Chloe's journey has only ever been filled with hope and love. Some could say that her birth parents, upon making the decision to place her for adoption, ushered sadness by their choice. However, I view it much differently. Her birthparents gave her life. A life that has been touched by so many. Healing wounds, offering hope and continued blessings.
My heart was overflowing as we awaited our turn amidst the several families seeking the same, finalizing their own adoptions. In addition to Chloe, there were five more children that were gifted with the same hope and love that we aim for our children. Four more families that will be forever changed by the magnitude of God's love.
Judge Howe was a wonderfully patient and loving woman. You could tell that "Adoption Day" brought a sense of joy to an otherwise tense career. As she cavalierly gave her sparkly necklace to Chloe to hold, my eyes widened with amazement at her generosity, sincerity and wonderment (will she ever give it back?). The court even formally recognized Molly as an official "big sister" and our photo opportunity would not have been complete without the prominence of her treasured cowgirl boots.
After the obligatory photos, we enjoyed a wonderful lunch at Chef's Restaurant (yeah spaghetti parm), complete with a gluten free cannoli cake made by yours truly. Chloe even had a taste of her first piece of bread! We were grateful to celebrate the day with grandparents and godparents alike and culminated the event with a quiet afternoon at home.
As we ushered through security and entered into the immense marble-clad interior, I was reminded again how very different the experiences of my daughter's entrances into the world. Molly, being our biological child, was gifted to us the moment she was born. There was no question whom she belonged to. Within days she had a social security number and a birth certificate formalizing her existence with our family. Chloe, on the other hand, had been gifted to us with a paperless trail. However, I believe, without any reservation, that her journey has been a precious example of God's immense love.
God blessed her creation from the start, protecting her safely in her mother's womb, despite the absence of prenatal care. He continued to protect her life by quieting the temptation to abort, further widening the scope of her existence being intended for a higher purpose. Arriving to the world safely in her own time, God placed doctors and nurses to care for her every need as she awaited the introduction of her forever family.
Our journey to our beautiful daughter may have been filled with sadness, despair, hope and love. But Chloe's journey has only ever been filled with hope and love. Some could say that her birth parents, upon making the decision to place her for adoption, ushered sadness by their choice. However, I view it much differently. Her birthparents gave her life. A life that has been touched by so many. Healing wounds, offering hope and continued blessings.
My heart was overflowing as we awaited our turn amidst the several families seeking the same, finalizing their own adoptions. In addition to Chloe, there were five more children that were gifted with the same hope and love that we aim for our children. Four more families that will be forever changed by the magnitude of God's love.
Judge Howe was a wonderfully patient and loving woman. You could tell that "Adoption Day" brought a sense of joy to an otherwise tense career. As she cavalierly gave her sparkly necklace to Chloe to hold, my eyes widened with amazement at her generosity, sincerity and wonderment (will she ever give it back?). The court even formally recognized Molly as an official "big sister" and our photo opportunity would not have been complete without the prominence of her treasured cowgirl boots.
After the obligatory photos, we enjoyed a wonderful lunch at Chef's Restaurant (yeah spaghetti parm), complete with a gluten free cannoli cake made by yours truly. Chloe even had a taste of her first piece of bread! We were grateful to celebrate the day with grandparents and godparents alike and culminated the event with a quiet afternoon at home.
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| Our Family with Judge Howe |
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| Our families and friends who came to celebrate the day |
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| Chloe enjoys her bread |
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| Our baby girl |
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| Worth waiting for :) |
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Adoption Day!
We have a date set for the finalization of Chloe's adoption in September!! So excited to finally make our little family permanent! Thank you all who have prayed with us and for us on our journey. XO
Saturday, June 7, 2014
Our Third Grant Received!
We were blessed to receive our third and final grant from Gift of Adoption. Praise God that through savings, fundraising efforts, several grant applications, and the generous love and support of family and friends, we have been able to provide Chloe with a forever family. All without going into debt!
Monday, May 19, 2014
Our Adoption Is Fully Funded!
Tim and I feel so blessed by all of the support
from our family and friends who have helped us on the journey to adoption
through monetary donations, but also through prayer. I feel like a warm
blanket has been placed around our family through your love and we couldn't be
happier. At the start of our journey I purchased a puzzle and wrote names
on the reverse side of each piece the special people who have helped us reach
our goal. I plan to frame the puzzle and hang it in the baby's room as a
symbol of how truly loved this baby is not only to our family, but to all of
you as well. We feel overwhelmed by your generosity as all of the names
will not even fit on the completed puzzle and we plan to write additional names
on the back of the frame when it is completed.
Now that our fundraising goal has
been completed our prayers turn to welcoming our adopted child into our family.
Please continue to pray for our family, as well as our future child.
If anyone knows of someone who is looking to make an adoption plan for
their child, please pass our profile along to them. Thank you from the bottom
of our hearts. Love and Blessings, Tim, Erin & Molly
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Party Like It's Day 31
Whew! We made it!! And on day 31 they celebrated with tacos and margaritas @ the Coyote Cafe. Thank you to our friends and family who added to our family's celebration with their presence. We are truly blessed to have all of you in our life!
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| Chloe's Godmother-to-Be, Sarah |
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| Forever Friends Maria and Lillian |
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| Chloe's Grandparents, Dave and Anne, and Great-Aunt Mary |
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| Mark, Meredith, and Chiara (with our Molly) |
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| Tom, Dawn, Thomas, and Christian |
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| Carrie and Dan |
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| Chloe's Godfather-to-Be, Kevin and wife, Cathy |
Friday, April 25, 2014
Calling All Angels
On our way home to Buffalo, Tim and Grandpa Dave were having a great time pointing out Chloe's first "milestones"...her first left turn, her first red light, her first (and hopefully last) trip to McDonalds. I spent a greater part of the drive home sending and receiving text messages on Tim's phone as not only was our computer not working, but neither was my cell phone. So many of our family and friends were so overjoyed about our news...and many just as presently surprised!
That afternoon Chloe was welcomed by her Grandma Anne, her Great Aunt Mary, and the Mark Vilardo family (Molly's Godfather). Everyone brought a gift for Chloe which was very unexpected, and very much appreciated. Molly even received several gifts too as the new big sister! She was so proud to show off her new baby, and I was one very happy mama.
That first night, Tim read Green Eggs & Ham to Chloe as her first book, a tradition that we started with Molly. I wondered if she would grow to love it as much as her sister. We didn't get a lot of sleep that first night, but it somehow didn't matter. I felt as if I were living in a dream, and I never wanted to return to reality.
However, reality had other plans.
We had a scheduled appointment on Tuesday to return to Rochester with Chloe to go over some important documents and to sign the official surrender papers. Our appointment was at 5 pm, which meant that we were to leave at least an hour or two prior to drop Molly off at her grandparents. We weren't too surprised to receive a call from our social worker, expecting her call to be confirming our plans for the afternoon. However, our happiness turned quickly into anxiety as Becky relayed that there was a slight delay with our finalization.
As most things in life, there are two sides to every story. Many of you know ours. We wanted to grow our family, we couldn't do it the "old fashioned way" so we turned to adoption to further our goal. To us, Chloe was an answered prayer and her birth parents were an unexpected bonus. I had never expected to feel so comfortable with the people who gave my daughter life, but to Tim and I, we felt as if God had intended for us to be a part of their lives, and we couldn't have been more happy. Looking at the situation from the perspective of the grandparents, however, was something that I hadn't anticipated.
For Nicole's parents, receving the news that their only daughter was pregnant, delivered their first (and only) grandchild, and subsequently placed her for adoption [without ever meeting her] was more than they could bear. The phone call that afternoon from our social worker was telling us that Nicole's parents arrived at the lawyer's office, where Nicole and Phil were to sign the surrender paperwork, clearly upset.
If I was not directly impacted by this news, I might have been able to more clearly understand and empathize with how they must have been feeling. But all I could think about was the worst case scenario. We would have to give her back.
Nicole's family was furious. After much screaming and sobbing on their part, Nicole agreed to give the matter 24 hours, delaying the signing of the paperwork to the next day out of respect for her parents. Her parents felt as if she was making a rash decision, not realizing that she had about nine months to weigh her options, feeling settled with her decision to place her baby for adoption.
Hearing the news that we would have to "wait and see" broke our hearts. I hadn't cried much up to this point, but the floodgates opened as I thought about the possibility that this precious miracle may not be ours.
Twenty-four hours felt like 24 years as we circled our prayer warriors through phone and text relays and social media. As time slowly passed, we rested in the knowledge that we had chosen to trust God completely through the adoptive process from beginning to end, and we were committed to trusting in Him with this hiccup as well. I knew that Chloe wasn't mine. She wasn't Tim's or Nicole's or Phil's...or even Molly's (as much as she would like to believe). She belonged to God. And only God knew what was best for her.
We didn't ask for prayers that she stay with us, but rather we asked for prayers for all of the families that had been touched by her arrival. Prayers for the families who were not selected to parent, for Nicole and Phil as they dealt with this difficult decision and for the love and support that they needed to guide them through the process, and finally prayers for the Grandparents to receive healing. Anytime I felt anxious, I would simply close my eyes and repeat "Jesus I Trust In You" until my breathing slowed and I felt at peace. As difficult as those 24-hours were to endure, I felt great comfort in knowing that He knew what was best. God was the ultimate decision-maker and I was more than happy to relinquish control.
That isn't to say that I wasn't a mess otherwise. My stomach was churning and I felt dizzy and nauseated for a greater part of the day as we waited with bated breath for the phone call telling us that everything was on schedule. As I anxiously kept checking my phone (which was finally working again) for a call or a text, I felt my tension release as we finally received word that Nicole and Phil were at the lawyer's office signing the papers.
As we drove to Rochester that evening, exhausted from the events of the past few days, we were finally able to breathe some sigh of relief knowing that we would be returning home that evening one step closer to realizing our dream. The next 30 days of waiting would not be easy, but we rested in the knowledge that God was in the driver's seat and we were more than happy to let Him guide us closer to Him.
That afternoon Chloe was welcomed by her Grandma Anne, her Great Aunt Mary, and the Mark Vilardo family (Molly's Godfather). Everyone brought a gift for Chloe which was very unexpected, and very much appreciated. Molly even received several gifts too as the new big sister! She was so proud to show off her new baby, and I was one very happy mama.
That first night, Tim read Green Eggs & Ham to Chloe as her first book, a tradition that we started with Molly. I wondered if she would grow to love it as much as her sister. We didn't get a lot of sleep that first night, but it somehow didn't matter. I felt as if I were living in a dream, and I never wanted to return to reality.
However, reality had other plans.
We had a scheduled appointment on Tuesday to return to Rochester with Chloe to go over some important documents and to sign the official surrender papers. Our appointment was at 5 pm, which meant that we were to leave at least an hour or two prior to drop Molly off at her grandparents. We weren't too surprised to receive a call from our social worker, expecting her call to be confirming our plans for the afternoon. However, our happiness turned quickly into anxiety as Becky relayed that there was a slight delay with our finalization.
As most things in life, there are two sides to every story. Many of you know ours. We wanted to grow our family, we couldn't do it the "old fashioned way" so we turned to adoption to further our goal. To us, Chloe was an answered prayer and her birth parents were an unexpected bonus. I had never expected to feel so comfortable with the people who gave my daughter life, but to Tim and I, we felt as if God had intended for us to be a part of their lives, and we couldn't have been more happy. Looking at the situation from the perspective of the grandparents, however, was something that I hadn't anticipated.
For Nicole's parents, receving the news that their only daughter was pregnant, delivered their first (and only) grandchild, and subsequently placed her for adoption [without ever meeting her] was more than they could bear. The phone call that afternoon from our social worker was telling us that Nicole's parents arrived at the lawyer's office, where Nicole and Phil were to sign the surrender paperwork, clearly upset.
If I was not directly impacted by this news, I might have been able to more clearly understand and empathize with how they must have been feeling. But all I could think about was the worst case scenario. We would have to give her back.
Nicole's family was furious. After much screaming and sobbing on their part, Nicole agreed to give the matter 24 hours, delaying the signing of the paperwork to the next day out of respect for her parents. Her parents felt as if she was making a rash decision, not realizing that she had about nine months to weigh her options, feeling settled with her decision to place her baby for adoption.
Hearing the news that we would have to "wait and see" broke our hearts. I hadn't cried much up to this point, but the floodgates opened as I thought about the possibility that this precious miracle may not be ours.
Twenty-four hours felt like 24 years as we circled our prayer warriors through phone and text relays and social media. As time slowly passed, we rested in the knowledge that we had chosen to trust God completely through the adoptive process from beginning to end, and we were committed to trusting in Him with this hiccup as well. I knew that Chloe wasn't mine. She wasn't Tim's or Nicole's or Phil's...or even Molly's (as much as she would like to believe). She belonged to God. And only God knew what was best for her.
We didn't ask for prayers that she stay with us, but rather we asked for prayers for all of the families that had been touched by her arrival. Prayers for the families who were not selected to parent, for Nicole and Phil as they dealt with this difficult decision and for the love and support that they needed to guide them through the process, and finally prayers for the Grandparents to receive healing. Anytime I felt anxious, I would simply close my eyes and repeat "Jesus I Trust In You" until my breathing slowed and I felt at peace. As difficult as those 24-hours were to endure, I felt great comfort in knowing that He knew what was best. God was the ultimate decision-maker and I was more than happy to relinquish control.
That isn't to say that I wasn't a mess otherwise. My stomach was churning and I felt dizzy and nauseated for a greater part of the day as we waited with bated breath for the phone call telling us that everything was on schedule. As I anxiously kept checking my phone (which was finally working again) for a call or a text, I felt my tension release as we finally received word that Nicole and Phil were at the lawyer's office signing the papers.
As we drove to Rochester that evening, exhausted from the events of the past few days, we were finally able to breathe some sigh of relief knowing that we would be returning home that evening one step closer to realizing our dream. The next 30 days of waiting would not be easy, but we rested in the knowledge that God was in the driver's seat and we were more than happy to let Him guide us closer to Him.
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