Hailey's Baby Dedication

Yesterday we dedicated Hailey to the Lord in front of family and friends at The Village Church of Irvine.  Hailey wore her traditional Korean dress from her "dol" (the Korean first birthday celebration), which was given to us by Hailey's foster mom in Korea.  Our church has been so supportive throughout our five year adoption journey and it was a special morning as our church family clapped, cheered, giggled at Hailey's squirminess on stage and celebrated this special occasion with us.

Mike and I often talk about the dramatic transformation we have observed in Hailey's personality.  When we accepted her referral, we were told that she was shy, withdrawn, and cried around strangers.  However, since Hailey has joined our family, she has become extreme outgoing, joyful and full of life!  The following photos reveal how much Hailey has changed in just a few months.  The first photo was taken at her "dol" in June in Korea.  The second photo was taken yesterday at her dedication.  What a difference!  Hailey's smile and vivacious personality are contagious!  We are so grateful to be part of the miracle of adoption!

Family Photos

Last month we took our first professional family photos at The Jeffrey Trail in Irvine.  We used these photos for our family Christmas card and our adoption announcement. Our friend from church, Julie Horn, did a wonderful job capturing our family on film.  Here are a few of our favorites...

Three Months of Hailey!

Has it really been three months since Hailey arrived home?  In some ways, time has flown by like a whirlwind.  On the other hand, the past three months have been filled with major adjustments for our family, life changes (yawn!) and daily victories for Hailey.  In reality, it's hard to imagine what our lives were like without her.

The biggest change this past month is that Hailey has started to explore her world.  If you visit our home, you will find our little "Magellan" crawling, taking steps, opening drawers and investigating everything.  She is less clingy and is interested in everything.  Our little baby has become a toddler right before our eyes.  We purchased child locks yesterday and will install them ASAP!  Hailey's desire to explore and venture away from me is a huge achievement, which brings new challenges and joys.  

Here are a few of our favorite photos from the past month.  

Although Hailey bring so much joy to our lives, there are days when I feel like I have no energy left to give.  One one particular day last week I was feeling exhausted and was struggling with Hailey's clinginess and whining.  In those difficult moments, God reminds me that it is pure religion to love and care for Hailey.  "Religion that God our Father accepts as true and holy is this:  to care for orphans and widows in their distress."  - James 1:27.  A friend reminded me that God desires for His children to cling to Him in everything.  I often ponder this truth when Hailey is reaching out and screaming for me.  On this particular day I was creating a photo montage for our wall (of our new family photos).  I picked up my photos at Walgreens and upon arriving home, was shocked by this note included with the photos:

I was blown away that God chose to use a total stranger to remind me of what a wondrous gift we have been given!  We have experienced the fingerprints of God throughout our entire adoption journey and there is not enough space on this blog to recount the unbelievable things our God has done!

Orphan Sunday 2012

Last Sunday our church (The Village Church of Irvine) celebrated Orphan Sunday along with thousands of churches in twenty-two nations.  Mike and I were honored to share about our adoption journey during the service.  It was a thrilling morning as we celebrated many of the ways that God is moving through our church community in orphan care.  Mike did an awesome job preaching on God's heart for adoption.  He brought Hailey onto the stage at the beginning of his message and it was priceless to hear him speak about adoption with Hailey in his arms.

To listen to Mike's message, click here:  Mike's Orphan Sunday sermon 2012

One of the highlights of the morning was interviewing the Skelly family.  Last year God spoke to the Skellys during our Orphan Sunday service about the foster care crisis in the US.  This fall they received their first foster placement of a precious baby girl.  It was so exciting to pray over their family with their foster daughter in their arms.

We also welcomed the Steele family home from Ukraine. The Steeles participated in a hosting program      last summer through Nightlight Christian Adoptions.  They met Nadia during the program and fell in love.  After a grueling year of paperwork, they finally brought Nadia home just three days before Orphan Sunday.

It was a privilege for me to introduce families in our church who have been touched by adoption.  There are approximately fifteen families in our body who have experienced the miracle of adoption and each story is powerful.  We asked all of those families to stand with their "Adopted"signs.   At the end of our service, our lead pastor, who has an adopted son, spoke about how believers are adopted by God.  Adoption into God's family is the heart of the gospel.  We organized a "flash mob" of people to hold up "Adopted by God" signs.  It was powerful!

We are so grateful to be part of a church that is passionate about the orphan crisis.  Our church partners with Lifesong for Orphans in providing adoption grants to families and has participated in two blood drives (through Blood for Missions) to raise funds for grants.  We send three short-term teams every summer to serve orphans in El Salvador and Africa.  Mike and I look forward to encouraging families in our church as they follow God's calling to foster care, adoption or orphan care through short-term trips, advocacy and beyond in the years to come.

Attachment Struggles: First Sleepover at Grandma's

Last night we took Hailey on her first sleepover to Grandma's house, just a few miles down the road.  Mike is out of town for work, so the boys and I loaded up the suitcases filled with diapers, bottles, toys, pj's (it felt like we were leaving for a week), and of course, Rocky (our dog).  Hailey hasn't spent a lot of time at Grandma's house, and this was the perfect opportunity to allow her to become more comfortable at Grandma's.  Unfortunately, it was harder than I expected.  But there's a first for everything!

Although Hailey loves her grandma and brothers (and dog!), she was very clingy.  She cried if I wasn't holding her, and that made it nearly impossible for me to unpack suitcases, settle in and even go to the bathroom!  Being in my mom's two story house made me realize what a blessing it is to live in a single story home with wood floors.  When I'm not holding Hailey or playing with her at home, I put her in the stroller with her toys.  She's happy to be "strolled" around from room to room when I move about the house, clean the dishes, get dressed, etc.  Since Hailey isn't walking yet and won't crawl or stay alone anywhere in the house without me, her stroller has become a place of safety and comfort.  She's just starting to walk, stay tuned for the "She's walking!" post!  Needless to say, carrying Hailey (and the stroller) up and down at my mom's house was exhausting.

In preparation for the sleepover, my mom bought a booster seat.   The boys were very helpful and set the seat up before dinner (their super handy dad would have been proud!).  Unfortunately, Hailey wanted nothing to do with it!  She threw a huge temper tantrum and only wanted to be held while eating.  After a quick bath, she was asleep by 5:30 pm (Daylight Savings time has thrown her off)!  And we were tired!  However, after a good night of sleep, she sat in the new seat for breakfast (and loved eating scrambled eggs for the first time).  She did seem a bit more comfortable today, although packing up was challenging since she had no desire to explore Grandma's house without my undivided attention.

Many people have asked us about Hailey's adjustment and transition, and I thought this experience would provide a window into some of the attachment challenges that we have faced.  Since Hailey was cared for in two foster homes and also spent time in the hospital and adoption agency baby home during her first year of life, she has much greater needs for attachment, touch and personal attention than most seventeen month old babies.  The good news is that she has attached to me quickly, but new situations like my mom's home can present some unique challenges.

I'm happy to be back at home tonight, where life is easier and more comfortable for Hailey, but we look forward to another sleepover at Grandma's soon.

While Hailey was sleeping last night, the boys got to watch a movie and devoured Grandma's delicious brownies.  Yum!

My mom and I enjoyed a little bit of pampering (attempting to decimate our wrinkles) while the boys watched their  movie.

Thanks Mom for having us over!  We'll be back!

Hailey's "Sip and See"

Last week we hosted a "Sip and See" open house at our home for friends and family who had not yet met Hailey.  My mom and dear friends, Tracy Guerin and Ellen Burany, organized a beautiful spread of appetizers, teas and deserts and we were overwhelmed by the excitement, support and love that we experienced throughout the afternoon.  Hailey was the "star of the show" and enjoyed being held, loved on and photographed all day long!

Words can not express the immense gratitude that we feel for the support we have received throughout our adoption journey.  Every person at the "Sip and See" has played a significant role in bringing Hailey home.  For the past five years, family members, friends and even strangers have prayed for us, encouraged us, sent financial support and gifts, prepared meals and followed our journey from near and far.  The "Sip and See" allowed us to celebrate and rejoice in Hailey's homecoming, show off her bedroom and share photos from the last three months.

On December 2nd, we will dedicate Hailey to the Lord along with our church family.  We are so grateful that after years of waiting, wondering and questioning God's timing, we are finally celebrating and Hailey is finally in our arms!

The Lord continues to teach us about His perfect timing, His faithfulness and His sovereignty, especially when we recently learned that Blue Shield of CA admitted to their error in denying health insurance to Hailey.  After reviewing our document submitted to the legal department, Blue Shield agreed to cover Hailey under our family health plan at no extra charge!  We continue to experience the powerful hand of God over our adoption journey day by day and are so grateful to be part of the miracle of adoption!

Happy, Healthy and Thriving!

We can't believe that Hailey has been in our family for eight weeks now!  She is doing so well and has adjusted so quickly.  We are extremely grateful for her warm smile, her easy going personality and her unforgettable charm.  Hailey is definitely becoming more comfortable in our family and home.  This week we moved Hailey into her own crib in her own room.  Wow!  She is starting to stand on her own and take a few steps.  So exciting!  She had her first doctor's appointment and the doctor stated that she is happy, healthy and thriving.  Yay! Here are some of our favorite photos from the past few weeks.

This Sunday we are celebrating Orphan Sunday at our church (along with thousands of churches around the world).  To learn more about Orphan Sunday, visit www.orphansunday.org.  Mike and I are honored to be speaking on God's heart for adoption.  It is going to be an incredible morning as we interview the Skellys, who are currently caring for their first foster child, and welcome home the Steeles, who fly home tomorrow with their daughter from the Ukraine.  We'll also be hosting our annual missions luncheon and hearing reports from long-term and short term missionaries, as well as foster care and adoption agencies.  We are showing this powerful video before we speak on Sunday and it sets the them for our message:  We love because He first loved us!  We adopt because He adopted us!  Please take a few minutes to watch:

Orphan Sunday video

Celebrating 4 weeks with Hailey

It's hard to believe that Hailey Jane was placed into our arms exactly four weeks ago today.  What an indescribable four weeks!  It still sounds strange when I hear myself talking about "our daughter" or "our three kids!"  This is real!  When I think about the fact that Hailey was truly an abandoned orphan with no permanent home, my heart breaks.  She fits so perfectly into our family.  She is a Ramsey.   Is it really possible that she was a statistic just one month ago?  And as I gaze upon her squishy-cheeked face, my hearts aches even more for the 149 million orphans with no permanent home today.  I often think of the babies that we saw in the "baby home" in Korea, and pray that more families will respond to the need and open their hearts and homes to these beautiful children.

The last four weeks have definitely been a major transition for our family and we've all had a few meltdowns.   But our constant response?  She's worth it!  We are trying to ensure that the boys don't get lost with all of the attention focused on Hailey.  We have been giving them intentional "one on one" time when she's napping and they love that.  Aidan and I even went to the movies last weekend!

Hailey has adjusted and attached to our family very quickly and we are so thankful for her easy going personality, her attachment and desire to be held and touched, and her huge smile, which lights up the room.  She's gotten used to many new things like cars, car seats, bibs, shoes and American food.  She no longer screams in horror at the dog and cat, and actually loves them!  Although Hailey is still a bit clingy and hesitant at times, we see a little bit of progress each day.

Hailey recently attended the boys' Cotillion (manners and etiquette) course and all three kids looked so adorable!

Hailey loves meeting new people!  Her referral papers stated that she was very shy and cried around strangers.  We were concerned about her transition and wondered how quickly she would attach to us and how she would react to new people in her life.  She has clearly become a Ramsey because she LOVES being with people, and does great when we go to school, the store, restaurants and church.  She smiles at everyone and people are drawn to her everywhere we go.  She especially loves her grandma!  

Last week we attended The Irvine Global Village Festival with our close friends, the Booys, who have two adopted daughters from Ethiopia and China.  We visited the Korean booth and the Korean women fell in love with Hailey.  They kept kissing her and thanking Jesus for her (not even knowing that we were Christians).  They were curious about our adoption and thanked us over and over again for bringing her into our family.  Needless to say, it was an unforgettable experience!

Although Hailey loves to be held, she is finally becoming comfortable enough for independent play.  She will sit on the floor and play with toys, as long as we are close to her.  Of course, like every other child, she often prefers the DVD and TV buttons over toys!

Last week Jordan spoke in his Sunday school class about adoption.  The Bible lesson was on how God chooses and adopts us into his family. It was so moving to hear the leader use our family's adoption as a picture of God's predestination into His family.  I was so proud as Jordan spoke strongly and clearly about his personal adoption journey.  He is a natural communicator and really engaged his peers.  Way to go Jordan!

The past month has been filled with some unexpected stress, including a major water leak in our ceiling (due to the air conditioning unit), which is still being restored, and Blue Shield's decision to deny Hailey health coverage until her adoption is finalized.  We have purchased traveler's insurance for Hailey until her adoption is official (we hope to go to court for finalization in March, 2013).   In the midst of these stressful circumstances, we have been extremely blessed by the outpouring of love from family and friends.  Our home is filled with cards and gifts from all over the world welcoming Hailey.  We have been overwhelmed with delicious meals from families in our school and local community.  We are so grateful for the ongoing support that we have received and we feel deeply loved.

One of my favorite things to do each day is to pick out Hailey's outfits.  The photo above shows one of her dresses which I purchased in El Salvador.  She looks great in yellow, and just about every color!  I LOVE all of the girly stuff - ribbons, bows, flowers, cute shoes, purses.... and am having so much fun with my baby girl!

Welcome to our world, Hailey Jane.  We're so glad that you're finally here!

The Raffle Winner...

Last night we prepared all of the raffle tickets for the Nexus Google Pad.  We decided to place them in the beautiful jewelry box which we received from our adoption agency in Korea.   It was such a blessing to look through all of the names and thank God for all of the support we've received!

This morning both boys picked one ticket from the jewelry box and placed them in front of Hailey.  She grabbed Aidan's ticket.  We opened it up and read the winner...  Marlene Eckert!  Jordan's ticket also had Marlene's name on it!  We are thrilled that Marlene won the raffle.  Marlene has been a tremendous support throughout our adoption journey and we're so grateful for her friendship.  

I met Marlene almost twenty years ago while I was dating Mike.  We were both volunteering for The Make A Wish Foundation and became instant friends.  We worked together to help fulfill a child's wish.  It was an unforgettable experience that bonded us together.  Marlene was the videographer in our wedding and we have remained friends for all of these years.  

Last year Marlene served on my Guatemala team and we hope to travel again to Guatemala in the future.  This photo was taken at an indigenous Guatemalan performance.

Congratulations Marlene!  Thank you for your support and prayers for our family for so many years!  And thank you to everyone else who has prayed for us, encouraged us, brought meals, sent gifts and participated in our fundraising efforts.  We are beyond grateful.  And now the real journey begins....