Home

People ask me in different ways, some direct, some not so direct, how the bonding is going with Piper. I understand the question, I used to wonder with others I knew who had adopted. I wondered what they felt like toward their child, did they have to work at loving them "the same" as their bio kids.

All I know is our experience, and I do know it's different with different people.

There are no words, but that won't stop me! There are no words to describe how we feel towards Piper, and what her life has meant to our family. She simply stole our hearts on February 26, 2007, found a comfy spot, and settled in to stay. I cannot imagine not having her for my daughter (tears are dropping by the dozen now).

Each day, I just enjoy her so much. With her, every little milestone is so sweet. The first time she kissed us, the first time she hugged us, really hugged us, her calling our names, her happiness at seeing us, her joining in a game a chase or hide and seek, her discovering the backyard, and on it goes.

I can confidently say that she loves us. We are her family. She knows that, and me knowing that she knows that, gives me unspeakable joy.

When we pull in the garage after being gone somewhere, I say to Piper, "We're home!". Today, Hunter and Ella were at school and Piper and I had just a great day together. We pulled in the garage, and out of the back seat I hear her sweet little voice, "home".

Moments like that do me in. The sweetness just overtakes me. Knowing that she has a home, and we get to be her family, that I get to be her mommy - it is one of the greatest pleasures I've ever known.

So, to answer that question about bonding and attachment, it is going great, I can't imagine it being any better really. She is ours. We are hers. Both Scott and I are totally, completely in love with our little Piper Grace, and there is an added element of gratefulness that we get to be her parents, and gratefulness that God chose us to bless in such a sweet way.

We worried that Hunter and Ella would be jealous of the attention Piper would get. We worried about a lot of things that just haven't come to be. I do wonder if God knew what we would go through with my dad this summer and just chose to just take care of all that for us. Hunter and Ella love Piper more than I could have ever imagined. They do sometimes fight over her, who gets to do things for her, whose name she called first, etc.., but she is 100% their sister. One of the biggest surprises along the way is seeing the joy they experience in having Piper. I didn't anticipate how this experience would change them, and in only a positive way.

No matter how long Scott is gone on business, Piper talks about him everyday (dada, dada), and is always so excited when he comes home. Everyday that Scott was gone, I could tell he really missed her and wanted to know every detail about what she was up to.

Our family would be so different without Piper. I don't like thinking of that option. She makes us so much better than we were before - each one of us.

Someday I'll try to put into words how Piper has enlarged our family's view of the world and our place in it. Hunter especially has been greatly impacted. He's always trying to figure out what he's going to be when he grows up. Because of Piper, Hunter now wants to be a missionary/adventure guide in either Africa or China. I see God working in him as he sorts through Piper's experience. It's so interesting to hear Hunter and Ella talk about adopting someday, and hear them refer to China in their everyday conversations and imaginary adventures.

Piper is a living, walking, climbing, talking means of God's grace to us. Sometimes someone will say something about what a great thing we did in adopting Piper. I want to say, "NO, no, you don't understand, it's not like that, it's God that's done a great thing in letting us be her family and leading us to this life changing experience."

For better or for worse, in sickness and in health, good times and bad... our hearts are forever joined. Piper is home, and we are family.