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Meeting Our Girl

Have you ever had something you can’t think about?

Like your child, sitting in an institution.  That would be one for us.  Our brains gave up, “Nah, I’m done,” and we agreed, too much.  Mental separation to function.

As we waited in line at LAX, with our bags, surrounded by Turkish people, it still felt like an insurmountable wall.  It still felt like it will never happen.

“I can’t do this anymore,” I told Andrew as we slipped off our shoes.  “It’s too hard.  The wait…”

“Yeah,” he agreed.  We boarded and they passed around no pork meals and played middle eastern music.  We slept, boarded another plane.

We drove through the dark African sky in the middle of the night to our hotel, not far.  The next day was not a visiting day, we explored the city, rested.  I didn’t think about meeting her once, still separated, like a hand from a spot that’s been burned by the stove.

The next day, I woke up at 5am, the alarm was set for 7.

My heart was racing.  I wasn’t prepared.  It’s the day, I’ve been longing for, sometimes in joy, other times in anguish.

I got up, I knew I still needed sleep, but I couldn’t.  I got up and stood by the window, moved back the thin curtain and gazed out at the night sky, flecked in bright stars.  I smelled the dust outside, I started thinking about what to do, but not about what was happening.  I tried to take a deep breath to quiet my racing heart.  We were here…

“You will have two hours with the child.”

“Andrew, should we have brought toys or something?” I asked quickly, the empty space in my head, filling with a child.

“No, probably not…”  He joined me in the day.  We started getting ready in the dark morning, stillness out our opened window without a screen.  My mind still not going to what was happening.

Our driver arrived.

I started crying.

I put on my sunglasses.

He was kind and quiet in a gentle way.  I sat in the back seat as the world passed me by out the window.  I watched the people along the road as we drove quickly in our car, our kind driver managing the roads well.  I feel fine, and numb, and nothing else.  I take a deep breath, focusing on what I was seeing out the window.

Beep beep, he honks at a closed metal gate, a man pulls it back and we park in a small cement square outside the building.

The building.

I’ve dreamed of this, my palms are warm.  Tears come down my face, now I don’t even know the feeling attached, I just feel the tears on my cheeks.

We are greeted by a kind woman inviting us to sit.  I try to chill.

“You want to go up?” she asks us.

Andrew and I look at each other, my heart is racing, “Yes…” we say quickly, jumping to our feet.

 

 

We walked up the stairs, piles of freshly washed clothes hanging on the banister.  Women in head wraps bow to us and smile at us kindly.  They are excited, I think.  It doesn’t smell sterile, it smells warm, alive.

We walk into a room, filled with small wooden cribs, so many pairs of deep coffee eyes find us, each with pouty lips, the sun streaming in from a window behind, I squint to see, squint to take it all in, we take one step into the room.

I don’t see her.  I will know her when I do.

I have looked at her little face so many times, our baby, just a picture, our child.  I will know her, I scan the room with my eyes to find her eyes.

Then I hear,

“Arsu!  Arsu!  It’s your mommy…” 

 

She was behind another little girl in my line of vision, and she is placed on her feet in front of her bed.

She looks into my eyes, shy.

I start to cry, but don’t want her to be worried.  So I smiled a wet smile.  “Hi sweetheart…”

She smiles back.

I pull out the bear, the one thing, the only thing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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She loves it, feeling the soft fur in her chubby hands.  I reach out my hands

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“Little one,” I whisper into her cheek, she leans her head on mine.

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Her weight in my arms, her small arms around mine, my mind couldn’t move away, because the long wait is now filled with our child, our daughter.

 

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I look at Andrew who is overcome.

He is just overcome with her.  We here, in this room, she is here, with us.

When I see his face, it makes me smile.  We are happy.

We are here.

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But when she sees him, she clings closer to me, we giggle.  She’s probably never seen a red head, plus that beard, would scare any kid.  Took her about 5 minutes, though, to be a daddy’s girl.

 

We hold her close, we tell her we love her.  She wants to be held, so opens her arms to us, doesn’t want to be put down.  She had been waiting for this too, but with what would seem a much better attitude 😉  Oh, this girl will teach us so much.

 

The only way to describe her is, angelic.  Happy, loved, cheerful.  Chubby and gentle, full of personality.  Wanting to be loved and held more than anything else.

A blessing, a gift, chosen for us, which just baffles us.

Our gift.

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To be honest, it’s hard for me to find words to capture the magnitude of this blessing, which is a good thing, I think.  She is joy and sunshine, perfectly preserved and well loved in our time apart despite my fretting heart.  Each moment of worry of no value.  God can do all things, his love reaching and filling where you ask, even oceans apart.

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Thank you for following our journey, for touching the sky and our daughter with your prayers.  Andrew and I feel so small and undeserving in so many ways for the goodness he has given us in each of our children.

And this girl, I can’t even.

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She gets her own mama and papa, forever. But the gift is for us.  When I thought I couldn’t wait.  When I just couldn’t, here she is, she gazed into my face,  seeing all of me, my tears and my joy, my shaking mama heart, eyes alive with the love we have for her, chubby hand on my arm,

You waited for me? in her eyes, on her face.

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How could we not…how could I have spent one second in worry and discouragement when she waited, right here, the entire time.  Our sweet gift, His perfect plan.

 

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‘For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.’  Habukkuk 2:3

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Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, This is the way; walk in it.’ 

Isaiah 30:21

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She spent half the time with us asleep in our arms in the baby wrap, her soft cheek squished on us as we fall deeply in love.  When she wakes up, she wakes up smiling.

The staff here love her well, they love all the children so well.

“Father of orphans, champion of widows, is God in his holy house.  God makes homes for the homeless, leads prisoners to freedom.”

That is who God is.

 

And we really want to say thank you again to each of you for helping us make it this far, your love and support and kindness fueling us more than you may even realize, even some of you we have never met have been brick layers connecting us to our girl.

 

Ultimate thanks to our God, for hiding seeds in our hearts, all of this is inspired by him entirely– and for leading us every step of the way, and his patience with us, even when we got a little impatient 😉  God, you are so good, we don’t deserve it.  Your love for us and your children leaves me speechless.  We will live our lives as a thanks to you, as people made new by your love and your guidance, as best we can, with open hands, as you teach us.

Thank you for teaching us how to open our hands even small enough to trust in you long enough to receive the goodness you had planned.

Our world is big, needs are big, and if we let him long enough, he will blow our hearts out of the water with his plan that is more good than we could ever imagine, know this in your heart.  God loves you.

God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.  Ephesians 3 /20

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So anyways, thanks to everyone who ever lived 🙂

 

For our Penelope River Arsu Brockhaus <3

Aka our Poppy

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Comments on this entry are closed.

  • kate June 16, 2015, 4:29 pm

    She is perfect. <3 (And, Poppy is one of my favorite names!)

    Wishing you all joy!

  • Kate June 16, 2015, 4:55 pm

    She is a vision! You are all so blessed, I hope she is home very very soon, you guys seemed to wait so long, I am so glad she is almost home. Love her name too <3

  • theresa June 16, 2015, 5:02 pm

    Congratulations! She us beautiful and God is good!

  • Danielle June 16, 2015, 5:07 pm

    This is so fantastic! What a beauty. I’m sorry if you have already shared this, but I can’t find it, so would you mind sharing which agency you used?

  • Meg June 16, 2015, 5:12 pm

    This is amazing! My heart is so full for you all!!
    Poppy is also a name we have set aside if we are ever blessed with a little girl, beautiful choice xx

  • Jessica June 16, 2015, 5:17 pm

    She looks like Maria!!! What a gift! So happy for you. Praying for the days ahead!

  • Gena June 16, 2015, 5:21 pm

    Joy! Praises! Love! Still doesn’t express my heart, my happiness for you and your family.

  • Lisa June 16, 2015, 5:22 pm

    So very happy for you!!

  • teresa June 16, 2015, 5:25 pm

    All JOY! Your little Penelope River Arsu is precious! Her sparkling eyes and joy-filled smile light up the room. Thank You, Father, for loving her well and preparing her for her Mama & Papa and beautiful family. Prayers with you all.
    We, also, have a little Poppy in our family. Such a joy and blessing.

  • Jillian Burden June 16, 2015, 5:29 pm

    Congratulations to you all! Thanking God for giving you this perfect gift.

  • Wendy June 16, 2015, 5:54 pm

    She’s beautiful. Congratulations.

  • pat spencer June 16, 2015, 5:55 pm

    Oh gosh she is so cute and oh Daddy is gleaming with another girl! Wait till Maria sees her this little girl is gonna be so loved. She looks in good health with her teeth coming in. Cannot wait to see the boys interacting with her. Your family is gorgeous and blessed.
    Pat

  • Laura Marino June 16, 2015, 8:43 pm

    She is beautiful and of course I am a little bias on the name considering my daughter is Penelope as well 🙂 What a blessing! I am so happy for all of you and mostly for her to meeting her mommy and daddy!

  • Stephanie June 16, 2015, 8:44 pm

    So happy for you!

  • Olga June 16, 2015, 9:39 pm

    I’m speechless and overwhelmed by the feelings and moments you shared, Amy! She looks so happy and comfortable with you! I’m looking forward to read about your new journey and to see tons on happy , smiling pictures!
    Thank you so much for sharing (finally))))) <3 love from afar

  • Marina June 16, 2015, 11:03 pm

    Oh, Amy!!! I found your blog just a couple of weeks after you got Maria and Elijah and Im so excited Im enjoying the story of your adoption from the beggining this time! I’m so happy for all of you. Can’t believe Elijah is a big brother and Maria has a baby sister! Can picture them in some years going shopping together : D what a beautiful name for such a beautiful baby. She just looks so sweet and huggable : )
    Love from Spain : )

  • Jue June 17, 2015, 12:32 am

    What a stunning beauty! Can’t wait until she meets her siblings.

  • Crystal June 17, 2015, 1:20 am

    I think I’m going to have to come back to this blog again when I too am getting impatient. I hate waiting on governments to do even the simplest things!

    She is perfect, and you are a vision of maternal beauty.

  • Miriam June 17, 2015, 4:20 am

    Oh Amy, she’s beautiful! You have me in tears reading this! 🙂 She is going to fit perfectly into your family. Thank you God!

  • Jennie June 17, 2015, 6:09 am

    Joyful tears for this beautifully written post. Poppy has Maria’s smile! She is a treasure – To God Be The Glory~

  • Jean June 17, 2015, 6:46 am

    And…I’m crying. I was following you when you brought Maria and Elijah home. Poppy looks like she is going to fit right in. I would love to know the agency – and how we can help other little ones find their mommies and daddies. I am SO HAPPY for your family. Praise be to our Lord with his parent heart.

  • Angelique June 17, 2015, 7:05 am

    What a sweet little girl, Poppy is cute!
    I wish you lots of love and joy with your 4th treasure!

    Love from the Netherlands, Angelique & Sjaak (mom and dad to 3 kids, of whom 2 adopted from China, and waiting for our 4th child from Hungary)

  • Erin June 17, 2015, 12:04 pm

    Congratulations on finally having your little girl in your arms! I’m sure the wait has been tremendous & I hope everyone is home and adjusting well to each other & working well as your expanded family of 6! She is preciously adorable by the way!

  • Abbie Caple June 17, 2015, 12:08 pm

    LOVE the name!!
    I work at the other end, taking care of babies who are waiting for families, then seeing them off. I often wonder what they look like as they get older, what their lives are like. It’s so strange (but good!) to think of them in a family, never knowing me, even though I loved them and knew them before their parents ever did. I know they can’t and shouldn’t stay in an orphanage…but while they are here…they are deeply loved. Sounds like your little one has been, too.

  • Sandra June 17, 2015, 2:36 pm

    Oh, amazing, what a joy she is, she glows, Poppy is the perfect name for your bright little flower. I can already imagine her with all of you, her family. Thank you for sharing your precious moment meeting your newest babe. Made me relive my two special “first” days. Congratulations on this most wonderful day!

  • Rojas Ann June 17, 2015, 8:28 pm

    Amy & Andrew, what an adorable munchkin!, Blessings.

  • arelyn June 23, 2015, 9:31 am

    My little guy came in and saw the tears as I was reading your beautiful update and as I was reassuring him that they were happy tears and explaining about children who don’t have mommies and daddies I remembered having the same conversation with my older son when you were bringing Maria and Elijah home. Thank you for giving me an open door into this topic with my kids. Also thank you so much for sharing your journeys and giving us the honor of praying for your babies on their ways home.

  • kate June 28, 2015, 12:45 pm

    What is your timeline now? Are you still in Africa? When will get to bring your newest daughter home?

    It’s such a different process from Russia!

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