1st Mother's Day

Last Sunday was my first Mother's Day. It was a long awaited and very special celebration. I promised you I would be honest about what we have been through, so here is confession #1. I have not been to church on Mother's Day in two years. I am not saying that was right but it was how I coped with our situation. It was just too painful to watch other young mothers celebrate while my heart ached so badly. This year it was not only my first Mother's Day, but Anna Dixon was baptized that Sunday. It was so special! Not only did the Lord answer my prayers by making me a mother, but we claimed God's promise to us as a family with the baptismal sign that Anna Dixon is His covenant child. Our prayer is that she will come to know Him as her personal Lord and Saviour at a very young age. My cousin Bill who married me and Tommy baptized her which made it extra special. After church my mom and sister gave an absolutely wonderful celebration brunch for our families and some close friends...thank you! It was an all around fabulous day that I will never forget. Anna Dixon was baptized in the same gown as her cousins, Samuel and Mary Ryburn. Their names are embroidered on the slip along with their baptism dates as a historical record. Of course we took some pictures...

My family

Our friends Mitchell and Gigi
and our god daughter
Anna Holt

Tommy's family

Anna Dixon and Anna Holt
getting to know each other

1st Easter

Anna Dixon had a big Easter weekend. Not only was it her first Easter but it was also her first road trip. She was quite surprised to learn that there is more than one state in the USA. She did great both on the way to Bibi's house and on the way back home. In addition to traveling, she was able to meet so many close friends who have supported and prayed for us along the way. It was a busy busy weekend, and she was a champ through it all. On Friday, we had a chance to have lunch with two of my best friends from college, Lauren and Alicia. On Saturday we had lunch with our dear family friends on both sides, the Ingrams, and got to see another best friend, Monica. Anna Dixon also met my mom's sweet neighbors and two of her good friends. She smiled and cooed and slept and was just as precious as can be. It was so good to see everyone! Everybody was so excited to meet our precious angel. So many people have played a part in praying Anna Dixon home...I am overwhelmed by all the love and joy...thank you!

Easter Sunday was a wonderful day with the family. How amazing that we all get to celebrate God's fulfillment of His promise of redemption through His son Jesus Christ. Easter is a wonderful reminder of our adoption as sons and daughters of the Lord. My prayer is that Anna Dixon's earthly adoption will always point her to her ultimate adoption in Christ. Tommy and I say to each other all the time that we could not love her more...but the Lord does. Isn't that amazing? Praise the Lord for His grace freely given to us through the death and resurrection of His only son!

Now here are some pictures from Anna Dixon's 1st Easter weekend...

AD and my friend Lauren

All our wonderful friends

AD and Bibi

AD and Grand Bob

"It's Official" Party

We have been busy busy busy celebrating our newest official family member and just getting on with life! The weekend after Anna Dixon's court date our whole family came into town, and we had an "It's Official" party. It was so fun getting both sides of the family together to celebrate our precious little Bunnykins. Everyone was so excited and relieved that everything is finalized. It was a really special time. Anna Dixon has a pretty crazy forever family, but boy we sure do love our sweet baby girl! I especially loved seeing all the cousins together. My nephew, Samuel, is quite taken with his new cousin "baby Anna Dixon," and every time I see my little niece, Mary Ryburn, she says "baby!" I just love the fact that even at 17 months she knows that me and Anna Dixon go together. We also had a great Easter weekend. (I'll post about that soon.) Here are some pictures from the big party...

IT'S OFFICIAL!!!!!

"Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise;  give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." Psalm 100

Praise the Lord!!! Anna Dixon is officially a part of our family, although she has been mine in my heart since before she was born! Tommy and I had our court date yesterday, and it was such a happy day. There were 14 adoptions yesterday! Isn't that wonderful? 14 babies became official members of their forever families. God is sooo good! It has been a long and bumpy road. A definite lesson in trusting the Lord and truly learning to lean on Him, but He had this the whole time. He never let us go. It is funny. There has been so much focus and prayer for yesterday's events. As I told my cousin yesterday, "Now all we have to do is raise her!" Really the journey is just beginning. 

So, I am going to continue this blog to share what life is like with our little bunnykins. I also want to tell our whole story. I know that one of the reasons we went through what we did to find our precious child was so we could help others along their journey. I really want to do that, so I am writing this now to hold me accountable to sharing my story with you. But, it is still very raw and it is going to take some time to gather my thoughts. I'll make periodic posts about where we have been along with posts about life today. Also, as you can see I have redesigned the blog. 3 weeks notice is exactly how long we knew about Anna Dixon before she was born. Thank you all again for all your thoughts, prayers, love, and support. I cannot begin to say how much is has meant to us! Now here are some pictures of Anna Dixon's Adoption Day!!!

Last post for awhile

Just wanted to let everyone know that I have been advised to suspend the blog until AD's adoption is final. Please continue to pray that this process goes smoothly. I am looking forward to updating you when it is official!

We're still here...and growing!

I am so sorry it has taken me so long to post...motherhood is keeping me pretty busy these days! Thank you all so much for your prayers. Anna Dixon is doing great!!! All her cultures remained clear. It turned out to be nothing more that a little cold, but boy was that traumatic! Our sweet girl is growing like a weed. It is just amazing to watch her change right before our eyes. She does not look like the same baby that arrived on December 6th. When we went to the doctor for the ER/hospital follow up, she was already 10 lbs. 1.5 oz. and that was almost a month ago. She is so alert now, smiling like crazy, starting to track things with her eyes, and holding her head up like a champ when she is on my shoulder. Most notably, she has been sleeping for 7-8 hours at night since last Friday!!! Praise the Lord! She is a happy baby but is not afraid to let you know when she needs a diaper change or a bottle. This little girl does not miss a meal! Tommy and I feel so blessed to be her parents and are having a blast loving on our precious baby girl!

"I prayed for this child and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him." I Samuel 1:27

Here are some pictures to show how she has grown...

We are Home...Again

We got home from the hospital about 6:00 last night. Anna Dixon slept pretty well last night but has had a pretty bad day. The antibiotics they gave her in the hospital have given her pretty bad tummy troubles, and she has been really fussy all day long. I can just tell that my sweet girl is not feeling well. Please pray that her system gets back to normal soon, that she feels better, and that we all get some good sleep. Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers.