Here We Grow Again!

Perpetually shy Jacob did not want to pose for his adoption picture.

Back in May of 2011 I posted about our excitement at being able to adopt Emily and Michael at last. I commented on the long 21 month wait and how happy we were to finally have them as our own. Well, we've done it again! On August 9th, 2013, we finalized the adoption of our "baby boy", Jacob Brent. On September 5, 2013, he was sealed to us in the Seattle LDS temple, making him a permanent addition to our eternal family. The day after that, Jacob turned 4 years old. Because of his Native American ancestry, it was a little more difficult to navigate the adoption process, so it was a long 33 month process this time. We feel so grateful that everything worked out at last.

Our baby Jake came to us at only 16 days old. He was a tiny little jelly bean at only 5 pounds, 2 ounces and born 6 weeks premature. When we took him home from the NICU we fell in love immediately. He grew quickly and before long he was even bigger than his big brother, Michael. He had some health problems his first year (RSV - scary!, low tone - lots of PT, OT, and ST), but now he is a happy and healthy preschooler. He is the most compassionate of all my children. He has a wicked sense of humor and loves to make people smile. He will face challenges in the future, but who of us won't? We'll face them together.

Congratulations, Jelly Bean! We're so happy to have you in our family at last!

Jacob and Michael ready for preschool!