2 Years Ago

2 years ago I met Tatumn Hope.
I had waited to meet this baby girl for a long time. My arms ached to hold her. My heart already loved her. Our family had made a place in their hearts for her.

The anticipation was suffocating.

The journey to her was marked with great joy and hard fought faith.
There was a moment when I didn't know if the dream of holding my daughter would come to reality. It was a dark moment in our journey to Tatumn. But one that God carried us through. The truth that I had claimed, I now had to walk out. It was a difficult season, no doubt. But it was also so very sweet, too. It was a season of Manna.

We boarded the plane to China with timid steps. The months preceding had left us wounded but also with a stronger resolve to not let enemy hold us captive to fear. The flight was so long and quiet. I spent a lot of the flight in a running prayer with the Lord. Asking for strength, begging for peace, believing His promise, and asking Him to prepare Tatumn's heart for us.

And then it what seemed like a blur, we were in a steamy government building in Changsha. With a pink butterfly backpack filled with baby necessities.

And then in a flash...she was here. In our arms. She already had a place in our hearts now my arms got to physically feel what my heart already knew.

She was crying. She was terrified. She was tiny. And bald. Perfect.

I remember telling her over and over "I love you." And I will never forget the look on Kip's face. Watching their love story grow is truly one of the Lord's sweetest blessings.

And now 2 years later our days are filled with little girl giggles. Princess cups. Lip Gloss. Pink Shoes. Baby dolls. Pigtails. Hairbows. Tea Parties. Princess Pull-Ups. Peanut Butter Crackers. Almond Milk. Twirling.

I sit here tonight with a gratitude that I cannot put into words. What my heart wants to say, words just seem to fall short.