Love Grows In The Heart : 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.