One Month

It feels impossible that we first met our sweet Lucy one month ago today. So much has happened in that small, small amount of time. We have watched, in awe, as she has transformed before our very eyes. She is just so different from the frightened little girl we met in that government office on July 25. I can tell you exactly who I credit for this dramatic transformation.

1. God Almighty. The work I have seen in my daughter's heart over the course of the last month can only be explained by Divine intervention. Truly. It is almost like the Lord has rewired her heart for our family. She is comforted by us, wants to play with us, laughs with us and looks for opportunities to be silly with us. Her personality is coming out more and more; and she fits with us perfectly.

2. Bradley and Asher. These two kids of mine have been incredible with their new sister. I will be completely transparent and tell you that I was straight up terrified to bring Lucy home to two siblings. I thought it would be a jealousy-driven battle for the ages. I envisioned pushing, biting, screaming and tantrums galore from all three of them. BUT IT HAS NOT HAPPENED. Yes, there have been moments of tension and--ahem--heated disagreement. But on the whole, Bradley and Asher have welcomed Lucy with wide open arms and hearts. They invite her to play their make-believe games, they share their toys, they include her. They make her feel safe. It is so beautiful. More than anything else, this is what brings me to tears: watching all three of my non-related, we-look-nothing-alike, but we-love-each-other-fiercely kids.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. God has worked a miracle in our family. I mean it.

Think about it for a second. Imagine a toddler or preschooler that you know. A child who is not your son or daughter. Maybe a friend's kid. Now imagine going up to that kid and saying, "Ok. I'm your mom now." And then bringing that child to your home and convincing him that you are, in fact, his mom for the rest of time. That is essentially what we are doing. We have adopted Lucy, and we are now in the process of convincing her that we are her family, that we are forever, that she can trust us and even love us. It is holy work that cannot be done apart from God's grace. It is hard work that lasts a lifetime. It is worthy work to fight for my child's heart.

I know it can be done. I have seen God do it before in the heart of my son. During the tough moments, I look at Bradley, and I remember how far the Lord has brought us. How much the Lord has changed all of our hearts. How deeply the Lord loves our family. And how faithful the Lord is to those whom He calls.

I love you, Lucy, and I am so thankful that we belong to each other.

With love,
Baylor

Isn't It Interesting

I never get tired of God showing up. Never.

On Sunday night, hundreds of you joined us in prayer for our daughter's adoption case. You prayed that she would feel loved. You prayed that her caregivers would have extra strength. And you prayed that we would get the necessary document to move our case forward this week.

Well, I got a call from the director of our agency's China program this morning letting me know that the in-country staff says we should have everything we need by the end of THIS WEEK.

You GUYS! Thank you for begging God alongside us.

I want to say that I cannot believe it, but I totally can.

As soon as I got off the phone with her, I called Adam to tell him the news and he said, "Isn't it interesting how as soon as we share what our prayer needs are, God moves?"

Yeah, it is interesting. It reminds me that God WANTS us to ask great big things of Him. He wants us to come running to Him. Over and over again in my life--especially since we began our first adoption process--I have seen God wait. I've seen Him wait until we reach out to the world and ask you to join us in prayer to do something HUGE.

And I might wonder why, but I think I know. When we ask Him to move in God-sized ways, and when we do it in front of people, He alone gets the glory for moving the mountain. I can't claim victory over this paperwork glitch. HE CAN. And He can claim that victory in front of everyone who joined us in prayer or even just read about what was going on this past Sunday night at 8:30.

That is how we are called to live our lives, dear friends. We have to throw the spotlight back on God. That is where it belongs. Our victories are due to His hands moving.

And we are so thankful to have the opportunity to see God toss mountain after mountain into the sea for the good of our family and the glory of His great and powerful name.

So we don't have the paper in hand, but we should get it this week. Please keep praying with us.

With love,
Baylor

Wow. Just WOW.

Yesterday marked one whole month since we saw our girl's face for the very first time. It's been one whole month of being absolutely blown away by God's favor and faithfulness in the life of our family, one whole month of totally readjusting our plans, one whole month of trying to get our heads around the reality that we have a daughter who will be coming home this summer.

Referral day left us stunned, marveling at God's goodness and wondering how on earth we would be able to pull this off. And that is where we went wrong. WE are not going to pull this off. God is. A referral this soon is so beyond our capability to manage, and that reality is leading us to trust in our mighty God in a whole new way.

About a week after being matched, we came to you--our community-- with a need. A BIG one. We thought we had at least a year to get everything we needed saved in order to complete this adoption. God turned that timeline on its head, and we were left to trust Him to provide for us to bring our girl home. And He led us to you. We did something so completely out of our comfort zone, something I had promised myself I would never do. We asked you to prayerfully consider supporting us by donating directly to our adoption. My stomach was in knots when I published that post.

But then God use YOU to absolutely blow us away. In the last three weeks, YOU have donated nearly $9,000 to help us bring our daughter home.

I am speechless.

You are giving our family the most incredible gift there is. You are allowing us to become parents to this precious girl. You are using your resources, your hard earned resources, to say that you believe children deserve families. You are telling us that you love our daughter, that she matters to YOU, that her life is important and that she deserves a mom, a dad, a brother and a sister (a dog, too).

You are part of our story, of her story. And we will never be able to thank you enough. But I'll say it anyway: Thank you for loving our family. Thank you for believing in us and walking with us. Thank you for loving our daughter, for helping us get to her. Thank you for responding when God spoke to your heart. Thank you for being our village. Thank you.

Click HERE to see what you have done!

We love each of you so dearly.

Baylor

A Mountain Thrown Into The Sea: Seeing Her Face

So on Thursday morning, I was sitting in my car in our church parking lot about to go in and teach an ESL class on the proper use of the present continuous tense. As I was trying to eat my granola bar and finish my coffee, my phone rang. It was Maggie, our social worker. I immediately thought, "Which form did I forget to sign?" Our papers have only been in China since the end of November, so I knew nothing had expired, and I was planning on a 12-18 month wait for a referral.

I answered, and she responded with a very happy sounding, "Hey, Baylor, How are you?"

My heart immediately dropped into my shoes. There is only one reason an adoption social worker uses that hopeful, upbeat tone of voice.

YOU GUYS. WE HAVE BEEN MATCHED WITH OUR DAUGHTER.

I had no eloquent words for Maggie. No gracious response. I was stunned into near silence.

Somehow, I managed to listen as she told me a little bit about our precious girl and that she would email us her file and picture. I feel like I am usually pretty well-spoken, but I could barely get out complete sentences. At some point, I told her I needed to talk to Adam and that I would call her back.

I ran upstairs and told our ministry leader that I could not, in fact, give a lesson on the present continuous tense today but that my lesson plan was in her inbox. She graciously understood and I raced off to Adam's clinic.

On the way, I called him and called him and called him. No answer. So I did what I only do in emergencies. I voice paged him. He, of course, thought something was wrong, but I told him to just call me back right away.

He did, and I got to break the very best kind of news to him. We have a referral! He was just as shocked as I was.

A few moments later, in a supply closet at his clinic, we saw her face for the very first time.

These are screen grabs from a video, so pardon the blurriness. 

But I think the sentiment in clear. 

 We are in love. 

And also in shock! 

And later that afternoon, we got to do the most AMAZING thing. We got show Bradley and Asher their new little sister for the very first time.

 Bradley's first words? 

"We go get her now?" 

My feelings, exactly. 

Asher's first words to her new sister? 

"Hi!" 

Oh, dear friends, we are awed and humbled by God's abundant grace and favor in our family. With our first adoption, it seemed like we ran into every single brick wall that existed, like we would never get to Bradley. And then with Asher, well, we just didn't even think she was in the realm of possibility for us. And now, to see the Lord extend His hand of mercy to us in this powerful, tangible, real-life way....well, we are speechless expect to say, "Thank you, Lord." 

So it looks like we are going to travel to China early this summer to bring our girl home. That's in like three months. GULP. 

More is coming soon on what the next few months hold in store, but for now, we just ask you to join us in thanking our great and powerful God for working a MIRACLE for our family's good and His glory! 

“Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, 

‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart 

but believes that what they say will happen, 

it will be done for them."

Mark 11:23

With love, 

Baylor 

Time to Wait

I got a call from our social worker this morning.........

WE ARE OFFICIALLY LOGGED IN!

Our dossier has been processed and registered. We are now a logged in family, which means that the clock has started on our time as a WAITING family.

This is a MASSIVE milestone for us, and we are so, so excited! Baby girl, we are waiting for you and praying for you every single day.

AND this happened on Giving Tuesday, the one shopping day a year set aside for us to give spend our resources on causes that matter to us. So we are going to ask you again to consider joining with us on this journey by purchasing one of our mountain moving adoption shirts. These will make fabulous Christmas gifts for the ones you love, and each shirt gets us closer to our girl.

You guys have already ordered FIFTY! Y'all are incredible.

We are only selling shirts through THIS FRIDAY. Time is running out!

Click HERE to shop, shop, shop!

With love,
Baylor

Beauty from Ashes

Tomorrow marks three weeks since our sweet Asher girl made her grand entrance into the world. To say that the last three weeks have stretched me would be an understatement of Biblical proportions. Suddenly being a mom of two and having a newborn for the first time have both rocked my tiny world. Where did all of the sleep go? When is it coming back?

But truly, the last few weeks have been some of the most sacred of my life.

To hold my tiny baby girl, to be the one who has been meeting her needs from day one has been an incredible gift. To watch Bradley slowly open himself up to her and love her in his toddler way has made me so proud of him. To see him try his best to work through this tough transition after so little time home... well, that has both broken and mended my heart.

I am, once again, watching our family change, and in that change, the Lord’s hand is so clearly evident. Our family is a miracle. Both of our children “shouldn’t” be with us. Yet here they are. Both miracles in completely different but oh so similar ways.

There was a moment in Ethiopia. We had just climbed the stairs that led to Bradley’s room on our very first day. We were about to meet our son. I had never been so nervous in my entire life. As I turned to my left, I saw just the back of his head and then his face. And I had one thought.

“He’s real.”

He wasn’t a picture any more. He was a real baby boy in my arms. He was mine. It was such a powerful feeling, one I was quite unprepared for after a sleepless flight over the Atlantic. But I was suddenly overwhelmed by the reality of Bradley, and through that, the reality of God’s unwavering faithfulness. I will never forget the details of that day.

And three weeks ago, after one last push, when my head collapsed on the pillow as Asher finally came into the world, the delivery nurse said, “No, no. Look at her.” And I picked my head back up and saw my daughter in the doctor’s hands. I had just one thought.

“She’s real.”

She wasn’t a wish or a prayer any more. She wasn’t a grainy, black and white ultrasound image. She was my daughter, and she was right there. Then they gave her to me, and I was holding her. Holding my daughter. What a beautiful moment. I will never forget it.

It was exactly like meeting Bradley for the first time. Both of these children, suddenly real and definitely mine.

And in that, I was instantly reminded of God’s goodness. That He builds families in His own beautiful ways. I saw and recognized that my children are the answers to a thousand desperate prayers.

God has given me true beauty from ashes.

Right before we walked out the door to go to the hospital. 

This verse stayed in our entryway for the last three weeks leading up to Asher’s birthday. 

A constant reminder of God’s faithfulness. 

With love,
Baylor

Catching Up with Asher

I have done a monumentally terrible job of documenting our journey toward Asher joining our family. There has been so much to take in since we found out about our very unexpected blessing. And I have found myself struggling to process it all int he midst of adjusting to becoming a mom for the first time. I guess there is a reason biology doesn’t let us have two kids just eight months apart! Still, this is the path the Lord has laid out for our family, and so I know it is good. And now, with her due date just one week away, I am going to try to get in a couple of posts to catch up on the things I have not been able to write down.

Experiencing pregnancy has been an incredible thing. To feel this little life grow and move and now, especially, to think about being the one to physically bring her into the world is so overwhelming. I have marveled at God’s creative genius more in the last eight months than I ever have before. There is a human being with a soul inside my body. What in the world?

And now we are about a week away from meeting this person, this person who has been with me every single second of the last nine months, and I find myself feeling quite the mixture of excitement and anxiety. I’m so excited to meet her and to be a mom in this way, too. But I’m nervous about it happening so soon on the heels of Bradley joining our family. I feel wholly and completely unprepared. We had YEARS of preparation for Bradley and just eight VERY DISTRACTED months for Asher.

I have a feeling that this is going to be another one of those seasons in which the Lord in constantly reminding me that I need Him desperately. I can already feel the temptation to saddle up and do it on my own building within me, and I know I need to dial that down and rest fully on God. It appears that the Lord knows I like to rely on myself, and, therefore, has to put me in positions where I simply cannot do it on my own.

There is more I want to share, but the Bradley Bear is up from his nap. Hoping to write more soon.

With love,
Baylor

Her Name

I feel so much pressure when it comes to settling on names for children. It's something they will carry forever, so I want it to have meaning and, obviously, be pretty. A few weeks after we found out we were expecting babe number two, a name that I had never even considered popped into my head. It was one that could work for a son or a daughter. Adam loved it, too, and so it stuck.

All we had to do was settle on a middle name. When we were in the process of adopting, we knew our boy name right away, but we could never settle on a girl name. But we have had the opposite experience with this little one. We had our girl name picked, but could not nail down a boy middle name.

So, all of that to say, we have named our precious baby girl:

Asher Elizabeth

Asher because the Lord has made us glad with the news of another life to love. In the Old Testament when Leah gave birth to Asher, she gave him is name because the Lord had blessed her and made her glad. And that's exactly what our girl is to us: a blessing that has filled our hearts with joy. 

And Elizabeth for a woman in the New Testament, the mother of John the Baptist, who waited a long time to give birth to a child. She asked a miracle of the Lord, and He poured His grace out on her. And it happens to be my middle name, too, so that doesn't hurt. :) 

So it is with much anticipation and excitement that we await Asher's arrival early next year! 

With love, 

Baylor 

And Then God Did This

It is with such a humbled, cautious and even conflicted heart that I approach this post. My stomach is in knots for so many reasons. One of which is that I am about to share a piece of my life that has remained somewhat in the shadows until now. I'm sure you've caught the hints and implications here and there, but I have never shared the entire story outright. This is also a post that changes things. Big things. So I am going to ask you to read all the way through to the end of (what I have a feeling will be) a very long post. I am also publishing two posts today, and I would humbly ask that you read them both.

In April of 2012, Adam and I started the long, long process to bring Bradley home. We were so excited to be adopting, and we could not wait to see what the Lord would do in our lives. For about 15 months prior, we had been trying to have a biological child. Clearly, we were unsuccessful. We had always known that we wanted both biological and adopted children. We saw our family as this beautiful blend of what we imagined the family of God to look like. Our initial thought was that we would have biological children first and then adopt when we were a little older (and more mature, you know). As the months and eventually more than a year passed, we began to sense that God was telling us to adopt first. So we began our adoption from Ethiopia. And I'll be honest, it was hard to know that we would have to wait so much longer to become parents, but the more we got into the adoption process, the more I fell in LOVE with the idea of adopting first. That we would be made parents first through the adoption of our son, that I will always be able to look at Bradley and tell him that he is the one who walked me into motherhood...what a gift.

A few months after we started the process, it dawned on us that it might be a good idea to go to the doctor and make sure there was not something medically wrong (cancer, cysts, etc.) that was keeping us from being able to have biological children. I'll keep the details for Adam and myself, but after a few rounds of testing by a specialist, we were told that without serious medical intervention we would not be able to have biological children.

It was June 6, 2012. A day that is forever etched into my memory. I can tell you what I was wearing, exactly where my car was parked, exactly what the doctor said.

We were heartbroken. We wanted both. Were we asking too much?

I felt so lost and completely adrift. What happened? What did we do wrong? Where was God?

That same year, almost every single one of my friends was pregnant.

And then adoptions in Ethiopia began to slow down dramatically. It seemed like we would never be able to be parents.

Again, I began to sense the Lord asking me something. He was asking me to let go of biological children. To let go of the privilege of being able to carry a child into the world. To let go of what I thought my life would and should look like. He was asking me to trust His sovereignty over my desires.

I refused for a long time. I couldn't let go. The tighter I gripped, the more it hurt. Until God finally did the impossible. He changed my heart. He broke me down and rebuilt me into a woman who would follow Him to the ends of the earth. It was a long journey. Years in the making, but God did it.

The rest of 2012 went by. And we inched up the waiting list in 2013 until everything stopped for six months. You know the story from here.

November 29, 2014. One of the happiest days of my life so far. We saw Bradley's precious face for the very first time. Our lives changed. We had a son. A beautiful boy.

It took us eight more months to get him home, and it was a fight. A brutal battle.

He came home the day before his first birthday. We celebrated with friends and family. Kissed him a million times and hunkered down in our home to bond with our son. It was overwhelming in every single way. The jet lag. The new tiny person in our house. Not being able to leave our house. Bradley working through the loss of everything he knew. Him having to attach to Adam, the first man he had ever been around. For the first week, he pretty much only wanted to be held by me while I was standing up. Then he stopped napping during the day. I was beyond my limits. Jesus was carrying me.

Parenthood was looking soooooo much different than what I had envisioned. And I felt like I just COULD NOT get back on the right time zone. I began to grow a new appreciation of the battle the Lord fights for our hearts. He has to make us love Him. And we were having to do the same with Bradley. We had to make him love us and see us as his parents. It is (and I think always will be) the hardest thing I have ever done. And I am so deeply honored to get to do it. To have the chance to fight for this boy's heart. I would do it a thousand times.

And I finally understood why the Lord had said no to biological children for all these years. So much heartache had ultimately led to one of the greatest journeys I could imagine. In those moments of clarity, I was able to see why God ordered my life the way He did, and I was so thankful to be a mom who had the privilege of adopting, so thankful that we were able to give this beautiful boy our complete and undivided attention, so thankful that the Lord had not given up on me when I so adamantly refused His path for my life.

And now it makes even more sense. Because, unbeknownst to me, God was working something beautiful that I just couldn't see.

Ten days after walking off the plane with my boy, I found myself standing in our bathroom holding a positive pregnancy test.

I called my doctor the next day and was told that they would not see me until eight weeks. Quickly, I explained our situation (told we could not have children + one year old home from Ethiopia for 11 days now) and they said they could pencil me in. Four days later, fifteen days after Bradley got home, I was listening to the heartbeat of my second child.

Shock is an inadequate word. But it is the only one I can think of right now. I was stunned into silence. It couldn't be right. We had been told by multiple doctors that this would not happen for us. This wasn't even on our radar. It wasn't even something I prayed for anymore. God had helped me surrender this to Him. My husband was in the other bathroom bathing our one year old who had been home less than two weeks. We weren't ready.

This is where my heart twists. Having a biological child is undoubtedly something I want. Even though I gave this piece of me back to the Lord, I still thought about how amazing it would be to carry a child. I am so thankful that the Lord has gifted our family in this way.

But I know that this is something that doesn't happen often. And for years I have been on the receiving end of this news from people I know in real life and people I follow online. So I know the sting that accompanies seeing another person's prayers answered while yours seem to hang above your head. For that reason, it is with the sincerest heart that I tell you I'm sorry. I don't doubt that this is God's will for my life, and so I know I can trust that it is good. But I am deeply sorry if I have added to your hurt in any way. Please know that my heart beats for you in this, that I know what you are feeling and I honor it. Please know that I have struggled with guilt over sharing this because I hate knowing that it could add to your pain. And please know that this happening in our lives is not an indication of extraordinary faithfulness that has earned me anything. I have struggled deeply, been shaken to the core of who I am.

All I can say is that the only thing that has gotten me through the last 4.5 years on the road to parenthood is Jesus. I had to decide that the Lord was wholly and completely trustworthy, no matter the circumstance. I remember meeting with our pastor's wife in late summer 2012. I was despondent. Their story started out so similarly to ours. They could not have biological children, and after years of trying, they adopted a little boy. Soon after they got home, she found out she was pregnant. I remember sitting across from her knowing that this would not be the case for us. And she told me, "My story is not your story. I don't know how your story will end, but I know you can trust God with it." She was right. I had to believe that whatever God had for me, biological and adopted children, only adopted children or no children, whatever it was, I had to believe that it was for my good and God's glory. I know that is a really easy thing to say, and I need you know it took me literal years to get there. But I also need you to know that God can do this kind of work in your heart.

So we are celebrating this new life the Lord has entrusted to us (and still recovering from the shock). And we are trying to walk forward in faith, trusting again that the Lord is sovereign and good. Baby Knott #2 will join our family at the end of March, and we are so excited (and a bit nervous) about what the future holds for our family. I hope and pray that we can live to the calling God has for us.

I want to ask you one more thing. I mentioned at the beginning of this post that I am publishing two pieces today. Please read the next one right away. It's about pregnancy and adoption, and this is something that is so dear to my heart. Please take a moment to click HERE and read it before you do anything else.

With deep love,
Baylor

Ethiopia Trip One, Day Two: Church and More Bradley

Our second full day in Ethiopia started out with church. AMAZING.

 We arrived one hour before the actual service started so that we could attend the prayer meeting. It was so beautiful. I have no idea what was being said, but I saw men and women truly crying out to God. 

 And it was so incredible to be able to pray for our boy in a church in his home country. 

An added bonus was that this particular Sunday was Holy Communion. 

What a gift to experience this reminder of God's sacrifice that allowed my adoption into His family while we were there to adopt our own son. 

Beautiful. 

After church, we went to Woudneh's house for lunch. {Woudneh is our agency's in-country director.} It was delicious, and we were able to enjoy time with another adoptive who was in Ethiopia for court, as well. Then it was back to the hotel to change and off to see our boy. 

 Day two with our precious fella! 

 Hanging on to his daddy. 

 Smiling for mommy. 

 And here is my favorite picture of the two of us. 

 Look at that sweet face! 

 Checking out that great big world out there. 

 My two greatest loves. 

 Seriously, though. 

Look at these two guys! 

 Bradley is attaching so well to his dad. 

 Bradley and Bea! 

I love how much she loves him! 

 And half of this picture is missing. 

Do you know why? 

Because I am holding the son of one of my dearest friends. 

That's right! My boy and her boy LIVE IN THE SAME ROOM. 

And now they will grow up knowing each other. 

 Party time with Bea! 

 Look at these two studs! 

 I think they are going to be best buds. 

 Just checking each other out. 

 And getting some sweet little smiles. 

 This might be my favorite picture in the history of photography. 

 We made a little photo album of our family for Bradley. 

 And he loved it! 

 Especially the pictures of Daisy. 

 He just kept grinning and giggling. 

 And then he tried to eat it. 

Delicious. 

I just love this little boy with my whole heart. 

More to come soon about the rest of our week! 

With love, 

Baylor 

Ethiopia Trip One, Day One: Meeting Bradley

This day I am about to share with you is one of the most longed-for days of my entire life. The day when we would FINALLY hold our son. To say that we were nervous would be an enormous understatement. Our lives had been building toward this moment for years, and now here we were. But Bradley didn't know that. We were strangers to him, and I was so nervous that he would be afraid of us. That he would scream his head off the entire time we were with him, which would have been totally understandable from his little 11 month old point of view. I had my small group girls praying for this very moment, and it was now upon us. So we cast our fears aside and on 45 minutes of sleep in the last 24 hours, we set out to meet our son.

I warn you, picture overload is about to happen, and for that I make NO apologies.

And now we will walk back through the happiest day of my life so far.

Enjoy, dear friends.

 Changed, ready and in the van. 

We are really about to do this. 

 Lots of quiet on the drive over. 

Taking in Ethiopia and trying to quell our nerves. 

 We're here! 

Waiting downstairs while they get him ready. 

We came at nap time. Oops. 

 Our darling, wonderful translator, Tizita. 

I cannot say enough good things about her. She was with us every step of the way and provided so much encouragement all while answering our twenty million questions. 

OK. Nerves are seriously setting in. 

How much longer do I have to stand here when my son is in this same building? 

 I don't know what's happening here. 

Probably, my dear husband told me a joke to keep me from losing it. 

He pulled the same trick on our wedding day. So if you saw me giggling at the altar, that's why. 

We walk in and there he is. 

Let me say that again: 

THERE HE IS. 

And I take his hand. 

 Give him his first kiss from his mom. 

{Also, please note that he is not, in fact, screaming his head off.}

And then, because I know ZERO Amharic, I make the universal gesture for, "Can I hold this baby?" 

 His sweet nanny gives me a nod. 

And just like that, 

 I'm holding my son. 

 The English language does not have the right words for me to explain this moment to you. 

But I will say this, I could not love this child any more than I do. He is, without a doubt, my son. Holding him felt right. He belongs with us. 

I have been and will continue to be amazed by God's sovereignty and His goodness. He did not just bring us a child. He brought us our child. Of that I am certain. 

 And then he gets his first look at his daddy, the man who has prayed battle prayers to get to him. 

 We get a thumbs up. 

And he is just taking it all in. 

 Knott: Party of Three 

 His precious little face. 

 We cannot get enough of it. 

 Clearly. 

And I think I must have kissed him a thousand times over the span of two hours. 

 Sweet, sweet baby. 

 Then the nannies surprised us by letting me feed him. 

 We were both just in a state of disbelief. 

 Everything I love, all in one place. 

 Then we got to take him downstairs for a good bye celebration for a little girl who was going home with her mom that day. It was such a precious event. Each of this children drew her a picture and gave it to her, along with a kiss good bye. There was singing and dancing and cake. Watching these children say good bye to a friend really brought home for me the reality that while adoption is a beautiful thing, there is true sadness that accompanies it. When it is Bradley's turn to have this celebration, he will be leaving his home, his friends and the women who have cared for him up till now. It is both beautiful and heartbreaking, and I pray that we will always honor his birth country and these special people well. 

 Some face time with mom. 

 He already has my heart. 

 Attempted family picture. 

Clearly, I am preoccupied. 

 My heart. 

 Meeting his namesake! 

Two Bradleys are better than one. 

I am so thankful for my darling dad and the sacrifice he made to come on this trip with us. There is no other man we would rather have our son strive to be like as he grows. Thank you, Dad, for being a noble and honorable man. I cannot wait to watch you with little Bradley. 

And Bea! 

She got the first smile out of him while we were there, and I think it was the perfect start to a beautiful relationship in which she will love him and spoil him rotten. I feel good about it. And that dear mom of mine was our photographer for our whole week in Ethiopia. I think she took every single picture except this one. Thank you, Mom, for running this race with us from day one and for so beautifully capturing this incredible week of moments. 

 This little man is loved more than he will ever know. 

The three Knotts. 

With deep love, 

Baylor