Grateful

Keegan turned 18 months old two weeks ago - on July 29. I can’t believe it.

From this, when he was just a few hours old:



To this, on his first birthday:



To this, at 18 months:



Over the past few weeks, I’ve thought a lot about not only the last 18 months, but really the last 2 years because not only did Keegan turn 18 months old on July 29. That day was also the two year mark of the first email we received from Keegan’s birthmother, Sarah.

Rewind to two summers ago - Matt and I had completed our adoption paperwork and website early that year and were in waiting mode. Up to that point, we had only received one other contact from a potential birthmom which, after one email exchange, didn’t go anywhere. So, I was feeling pretty discouraged.

After several years of trying to have a baby and in the midst of the waiting that comes with adoption, I had reached a low point in the process. Stopping by church on my way to work, I found myself with two requests for God that morning. I asked for some kind of sign whether or not Matt & I were ever going to be parents. And if it wasn’t part of His plan, I asked with a heavy heart, for Him to take away my desire to be a mom.

Arriving at work, I threw myself into the day as much as I could and plowed through some of my To Do's. Taking a break, I logged into my personal email account later that morning. Expecting the usual "save on your next online purchase" junk email message, I couldn’t believe my eyes when there in my inbox was Sarah’s first message to us. Some may call the timing coincidence or serendipity, but my faith leads me to believe that God has had His hand all over this from the beginning.

So, July 29 is a special day in my memory bank, marking the start of what has been an incredible, life-changing experience. I am grateful for the gift that Keegan has been to our lives, for his amazing birthmother who helped make this possible and for God whose blessings have been even grander than I could have ever imagined.