Lydia's Nursery

We've been working on and off in Lydia's room for the last several weeks.  I never wanted to do too much in the "baby's room" before we officially matched with an adoption situation so things were kind of hodge podge for a while.  Happy to say we have finally finished her space! Most of the big things we already had on hand from the boys and just tweaked them to fit the look of the room.  I didn't really have a specific theme in mind, but just picked little things I loved.  I wanted it to have a mix of old and new, with a story book and garden feel.  It's such a sweet little room!

We kept the color the same light gray that we used with Micah.  I like how versatile it is if we want to switch things up in the future. It's also just a really peaceful, calming color. 

I actually bought this pillow several years ago! We have had the name Lydia picked since before we ever had kids.  I told myself if it wasn't in God's plans for us to have a Lydia, we would gift it to a friend whose daughter was named Lydia.  Yet here we are in our sweet Lydia's room. 

Some classic books and a vintage looking bunny piggy bank. 

The rug is by Lorena Canals but I think found it on Amazon a while back. It was a little pricey but... its washable! I can put it in the laundry.  After having several spit up stains on cheaper rugs in the past, it was worth it to me to spend a little more on one I could throw in the wash. 

The dresser is from Ikea, and I switched out the dark knobs to some pale pink ceramic flower ones on top, and natural wood ones on the bottom drawers.  Love how it added a little charm. This dresser was not easy to put together (so my husband tells me), but it is awesome.  It holds more than my dresser in my master bedroom and the top drawers a perfect for the little stuff. 

The rocker and ottoman are the same we used with Micah two years ago.  The rocker is from Pottery Barn and has other legs you can put on to switch to an arm chair down the road.  The ottoman is from Land of Nod, (now Crate and Kids).  I was worried about having a white one, but it has held up well even with the boys wrestling and wallowing on it. Its faux leather, so wiping it clean is really easy. The vintage dress hanging on the wall behind the chair was actually my mom's as a baby! 

The crib used to be a dark cherry wood.  It was a little sad painting it because its the same crib we've had for all kids.  But... it needed some love.  Teething babies had left their mark. We painted it fresh white this summer using Rustoleum chalk paint in spray paint form in linen white.   

The rocking horse and baby carriage I found at consignment stores for super cheap, maybe $15 for both? I painted them the same white as the crib.  The doll house is from Hearth and Hand by Magnolia at Target. It's darling but didn't come with people.  I found some plain unfinished wooden peg dolls on amazon that are so cute and match it nicely though.

I saw a similar mobile on pinterest a while back and this was my take on it using some felt flower garland I already had planned to hang up in the room near the windows.  Using flowers that were already made, easy peasy. The hoop is just a plain grape vine wreath. Love the way this turned out! 

Have to share this lamp we found at Target.  The blush color is so subtle and pretty, and the bottom part becomes a night light! Perfect for late night diapering and feeding. 

The print is from Proverbs 31, "She is clothed in strength and dignity. She can laugh at the days to come."  I had wanted to create a new lettering piece for Lydia but just didn't have enough time.  We had this print in Lydia's hospital room though, before and after surgery, so its a special one to have in the space. 

The canopy we got for Micah a couple years ago, and I just made it a little more girly by adding the same felt flower garland to the top. 

The small pink basket on the left is hiding a wipe warmer and diaper cream that aren't so cute. ;) The changing basket is from Olli Ella. Lydia is so tiny, it has been working out well!  The boys probably would have outgrown this quickly, but it is a nice alternative to a changing pad that you can reuse later for decor. 

More classic story books and some sweet little mary janes. The boys painted the tin vase. 

This bookshelf used to be cherry wood too.  It took me a long time to decide whether to paint it or not because it was a nice quality piece, but the dark color just didn't jive with other furniture.  I distressed it and used the same chalk paint as we used on the crib. 

Still deciding about the little wall space here, so in the meantime this distressed clock works. 

The afternoon light in here is so pretty and dreamy.  A lot of time was spent in prayer in here for the little one who would one day, God willing, call it home.  I am so looking forward to watching little Lydia play and experience the joys of childhood in this space for years to come. 

Big News!

We are adopting!

When Mitch and I were dating, almost 10 years ago, we attended a church who shared about the need for believers in Christ to meet the needs of orphans and widows.  (James 1:27)  I am sure that I had heard this message before, but I can remember at that time, these words hanging very heavily on my heart. I shared my convictions with Mitch, and seeds were planted that have grown into the decision we are making today.  We know and understand that this calling to aid and care for orphans, will not look the same from person to person as to how you aid and surely there are many different ways to help and minister to these children and people. Yet deep down, I felt the calling to care for an orphan in the literal sense, and to one day adopt a child into my home.  I continued to pray that if this was the Lord's will, that he would unify Mitch and I, and place this same calling on his heart as well.  God was faithful over the years to cover our fears with faith and bring us to the same calling in beautiful ways that only He can.  He has continually and graciously reminded us of our own adoption as a son and daughter through faith in Christ (Romans 8:14-29, 1 John 3:2, Galatians 3:26-29, Titus 3:7, Ephesians 1:4-6, Ephesians 5:8, Ephesians 2:19).

After we were married and started to discuss when to try to have kids, we had said if we were unable to conceive we would take that as an encouragement to move forward with adoption.  By the grace of God, we have been blessed with two amazing, precious biological sons.  There are times now when I start to see glimpses into God's plan and how he used (and is still using) our early parenthood years for our necessary growth and humbling.  Mitch and I both have learned a lot in parenting our sons, Carter (almost 5) and Micah (almost 2).  Because of our weaknesses, I think we needed that time to learn more about the deep love the Father has for us, and to become better at sharing that love with our children, seeking to understand our vast responsibilities as parents. All of this, to prepare and equip us for, one day, loving a child who was not born from our flesh, but born in our hearts.  And furthermore, to extend grace and compassion to a courageous birth mother who will likely be in the most difficult and complex season of her life.  God continues to refine us and teach us things through parenthood, and I am sure he will be faithful to do so as our children grow.

After much prayer and research over the past few years, we have decided to adopt an infant domestically in the United States. While we know there is a need everywhere and share the desire for all orphan children to be in a loving family, we do feel led to specifically adopt a girl. We do not know what race our child will be or what her specific background will be, but we anticipate that she will be between 0-6 months of age. Please be in prayer for us, for our birth mother, and for the little one that we will, God willing, bring home one day.  We are thrilled to be finally beginning this journey and have felt the Lord's hand already at work as we seek to be obedient to His calling. We hope to give this child unconditional love, a supportive extended family, and a secure home to grow up in.

We plan to utilize some fundraising efforts in the future as our journey continues and will post updates as we can throughout this process.  We have enlisted the help of Christian Adoption Consultants (http://www.christianadoptionconsultants.com) to help guide and counsel us with wisdom and biblical encouragement in the world of adoption. CAC works with families and birth mothers in almost every state in the US and also works with special needs and international adoptions. At this point in the process, we have completed the paperwork requirements of a domestic home study, and have been officially approved to adopt! We are now applying to agencies, and waiting to be matched with a possible birth mother.

Please be in prayer for us, through all the ups and downs that we are sure to experience along the way.  Please pray for our birth mother, her difficult situation, and the precious child who we do not know yet. Please pray that we would all allow God to write this story in a beautiful way that only He can, for His glory and our good.  There will always be many reasons to be fearful of this path, but because of Christ's work in our lives, we feel confident that He has called us to represent the gospel this way.  He has already adopted us, welcomed us in, made us His own children, and we know He will be with all of us, every step of the way.  Thank you for taking the time to read this.  We are so grateful for you, as part of the community this child will grow up in, and we cannot wait to introduce you to our newest family member one day!

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

If you would like to visit our fundraising page, please feel free to do so at https://adopttogether.org/families/?fundraiser=terry-family-adoption-3 where you can read more about our adoption and consider making a tax deductible donation.

Amelia Island 2018

Its been so long since we've posted! That's life.  It is really hard to keep up with this blogging thing but I'm going to give it another try.  This year we traveled to Amelia Island again for spring break.  Mitch's parents are so generous to take us along on this trip and it is becoming such a sweet tradition.  Last year, Micah was just a baby and his first cold hit him when we were at the beach.  This year, we all miraculously stayed healthy! It was nice to escape some of the Georgia pollen for a week and enjoy watching the boys play in the the Florida sunshine.

Hopefully we will see you again next year, Amelia Island! 

Micah 7 Months

Our sweet Micah is 7 months old.  For some reason this feels like a really big milestone.  Maybe because now he is closer to being 1 year old than the day he was born... he is over half a year old! He is usually a pretty happy baby.  Like his brother was, he's been teething a lot and now has 4.5 teeth.  Because of all this teething, he's no longer sleeping through the night. But that's okay... we still love him. :) He makes us all melt on a daily basis with that sweet smile of his.  Here's to celebrating our first Christmas with little Micah!