Indescribable

Well, yesterday was the day that Emmy went to live with her permanent family. There were several teary moments on Wednesday as we packed and had a lot of "lasts"...last visit to church...last visit with Meme & Poppy...last Skype with Bebe...last meal time with our little family of four (including Layla who is very much a part of that time, cleaning up stray peas and Cheerios)...last prayer time before bed...last bath...last time to put her in her crib. She was a little sick, so we didn't put her in the nursery at church. Instead, she snuggled up with me and slept through Bible study...such a sweet time. Then, we came home and finished the final details of packing. For those of you who are curious, here is what went home with Emmy:

• Suitcase (complements of a dear friend)
• coat
• maybe 4 or 5 outfits that always remind me of Emmy
• her Hilton Head shirt from my parents, way too small now, but it's hers!
• shoes
• 2 metal spoons that she stole from restaurants while she was with us. If you spent any time at a restaurant with us, you know how magical the metal spoons were!
• stuffed monkey, Henrietta the Hippo, Thumper, and Nala
• DVD of her Blessing Service that came from her first foster family
• 5 CDs with all of the photos we have of her
• 2 of the only pacifiers she will take
• Beach pail and shovel from our agency filled with goodies that they've given her along the way, including her beach towel with her name embroidered on it.
• grocery bags with all of the food and formula we have from WIC this month, including the WIC folder they'll need in order to continue the program
• 10 or so outfits on hangers, including an outfit from Bebe, a couple of dresses we had gotten for Christmas, and a birthday outfit (12/29/10!)
• file folder with Emmy's medical information
• Gift bag of TREASURES (which we spoke about in detail with Emmy's new family)
• handmade knit sweater - made with a lot of time and love by Meme
• handmade knit shawl from Emmy's 10-year-old church friend, Rachel
• picture colored for her by her 6-year-old church friend, Olivia
• Jesus Storybook Bible with Audio CDs
• "What's in the Bible?" DVD
• Her very own Bible with scripture highlighted throughout from dear friends who've been praying for her all across the country
• Piggy Bank with a few coins from her Meme & Poppy. They brought it back from Colorado for her earlier this year.
• A very special letter to Emmy's grandparents from my mom, Bebe
• A special blessing for Emmy, written by my dear, dear friend, Terry - taken from Psalm 139

And then came Thursday. We woke up, loaded the car, dressed Emmy in her finest dress (the one that Meme and I made for her, of course!), and got on the road for our 1 hour journey to the family team meeting.

Here's where it's going to start getting difficult to describe. We walked in the room with a warm, exuberant welcome from Emmy's grandparents. They played with her for a good while in the beginning, very attentive to her and sweet to watch. Eventually, she started fussing, and I took her and got her to fall asleep in my arms again, where she stayed for a good portion of the meeting. There are a few specifics I would like to note.

First, Emmy's biological mother was on speakerphone since she was unable to be physically present in the meeting. Emmy's biological mother is not very well-loved by anyone I've spoken with. It's always broken my heart to hear people describe her to me. She seems to be a difficult person to love. That being said, when her daddy spoke with her, his tone was loving, patient, gentle, sweet. You could tell that even though she had taken him through the wringer for a long time, his heart broke for his daughter and he loved her. I got a little teary over that.

Second, when they asked Emmy's mom, who had not said much up until this point, if she had anything to say, she started to cry and said, "I just want to thank my daddy for taking care of my daughter and doing what I can't do right now." It was a poignant moment.

Third, Emmy's CASA was amazing. She asked all of the right questions. She had really done her homework. She was not partial to any one person in the room except for Emmy, and all the while, she exuded love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. I will sorely miss her. The Lord really used her yesterday to provide clarity and to bring out truth for all to see.



Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation, who orders our steps and makes straight the paths before us, and thank you, Lord, for your Holy Spirit who gives us peace that surpasses understanding. It is nothing short of a miracle that my husband and I have smiles on our faces today, and that our hearts are even now beginning to prepare for the next addition to our family.

Thank you, friends, for praying, and for loving this precious girl with us.