We celebrated our First thanksgiving as a new family. First, we woke up and watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade as we got ready to go to my birthmother's home. Sonora got to meet 2 of her cousins, Riley and Silas. She already met the other 2, Kelton and Claire. We played BINGO together and had a blast trying to get all the cousins to look at the same camera while 4 cameras were going off at the same time! The kids all love Sonora and I can't wait to watch her interact with them when she is a little older.
After Bridget's, we went to my mom and dad's and had our traditional feast. Sonora sat at the table with us and got to smell all the yummy food while she slept ...
After that, we headed over to the Madrigal's new home in Naples and spent time playing Sequence with Garrett, Lori and Mallory while Sonora got passed from person to person to be cuddled while she slept like an angel. We jokingly called Daniel Hawk-eye because he would hover over everyone as they held Sonora!We came home and talked about how we just can't beleive all that has happened since last Thanksgiving! Our friends, Rob and Marie came over today and last Thanksgiving, the 4 of us were all in the process of adopting. None of us we anywhere close to getting a child and we were all frustrated with the system and wondering if it would EVER happen. Well, here we are today with our children, their gorgeous son is just under a year old, and Sonora is 5 weeks. We can't even believe it is real. We have so much to be thankful for!
I am thankful for:
Our healthy daughter
My ankles coming back
Being able to eat sugar again!
Daniel having a job
Both our cars work well and we have no car payments
Sonora has enough clothes to last for at least a year
We have food in the fridge
Hand-made blankets ;-)
We have a Christmas tree to look at and make us smile
Our health insurance (Sonora's birth cost over 15K!)
Friends like YOU who read the blog and pray for us!
AND MUCH MUCH MORE!!!!!!!!!
I can't help but think of the Tyree family who is spending their first holiday season without their dad/husband. I can't even imagine how that would feel. Especially with 4 kids to keep living for and trying to give them hope in life when all you feel is lonely because you miss your spouse. Please lift them up in prayers, as this must be such a sad time, even though they know the joy of Christ. I know they have alot to be thankful for, but it probably isn't as easy to come up with a list when you are grieving.
First off, I can't believe how many people read this blog and have asked me to update it ... I know that it is a testimony of God's grace and love towards us when you read about how He has delivered me and my baby from so many medical disasters. I guess I would be reading it also if it weren't happening to me! So, here I am updating it for you all. 
Let's just start by welcoming back a couple that has meant so much to me over the years. they have provided great support and throughout the pregnancy have been under quite a bit of pressure. They have suffered greatly as they tried to keep me going and were the cause of much tension at night when I couldn't sleep. Please, everyone, let's welcome back MY ANKLES!!!!! (They're baaAAck!)
Now, let's talk about Sonora ... what can I say? Everywhere I go, people stop me and comment on how beautiful she is ... not just women, but men also. I was at the post office at the end of the line, and a clerk who was helping someone else stopped what she was doing and commented on Sonora. Then the whole line turned around to look as see who she was talking about, and then everyone was like, "wow ... she really IS a gorgeous baby ..." I have to say, part of me still wonders if she is a mutant-monkey-looking girl, and people are just being polite ... am I brainwashed by love when I see her as the most beautiful baby in the world? Daniel and I promised each other that we would not be that couple who has an ugly baby and thinks it's so cute. We said we would acknowledge to each other if she was (how does one put this?) "not a handsome child" ... well, when she popped out, we were instantly in love with her and saw her as perfect ... and began wondering ... is she actually this gorgeous, or have we become THAT couple ... the couple that doesn't notice the pug nose and the droopy eye? Is she really homely and we just don't see it?
When the nurses began telling us how amazing she was, my instant reply was, "thanks, but you don't have to say that." And they would look at me like I was nuts. I just didn't want to have people lie to my face about my baby. Well, it started to get ridiculous when I would be at the pediatrician's office or babie's r us, and then the nurse or checkout girl would go and get other people and say, "You gotta see this baby ... she is so cute." Then I was like, "would people really go to all this trouble to make up a false compliment?" It's weird. I don't even feel a sense of pride about it ... like, I don't care what she looks like, as long as she is a kind, loving, honest, loyal, trustworthy, respectable woman full of integrity. I know I had nothing to do with her looks. I often wonder if it's the mere fact that she is a miracle that makes her so amazing to look at ... can people see a miracle and mistake it for beauty? I think that's what happening.
I know this precious little miracle will break my heart one day. She will look at me and scream "I hate you!" when she doesn't get her way. She is a sinner, like you and me, and will require a big dose of God's grace ( like the rest of us) to be able to make it in this world. I want to make sure I am prepared for the future and when she isn't the precious little angel that I hold in my arms every night. I want to love her in spite of her tantrums, and shortcomings. I want to look at her and know that no matter what she does, I will still stand by her side and help guide her to becoming a woman of God who fears and loves Him above all things and people. Some of you may have seen me do this, some of you may think I am crazy ... but every time a group of people oogle over her and go on and on about how gorgeous she is, I whisper in her ear, "Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised." That is the message I want her to latch on to and believe. Daniel jokingly tells her how the amazing beauty she possesses has a certain amount of responsibility. Seriously, it's ridiculous ...
