Marie Klein Burtt

One year ago I was on my way up north with a newborn baby. I was trying to figure out how the heck to nurse her. I was wondering if I would make it to her two month old birthday. I was heading to Colfax to be home for Christmas…a place I have been every Christmas of my life so far.

This year though is different. Not bad, just really different. One year later, I think my body has decided it’s time to stop nursing…but I’m not really sure I’m ready. I’m not really sure that Addy’s ready either but something tells me neither of us have a choice in the matter. On top of that, for the first time in my 28 years of life, I won’t be waking up in my childhood home on Christmas morning.

It actually makes me tear up a little as silly as that may sound. I never thought I would enjoy nursing my baby and honestly I’m gonna miss it. And there is a reason so many people sing “I’ll be home for Christmas.” Let me tell you, if I could figure out a way to get up there Christmas Eve…I’d be there.

Yeah yeah, I know we will be there on the 26th or 27th. And I have a beautiful healthy 13 month old that is ready to become a little girl. And tomorrow afternoon we will become the parents of three more girls for what we hope will be forever. And come to think of it, there will be many more Christmas to be home for.

But it’s sure a lot of changes all at one.

Where to start?

As many of you know, Christian and I have talked about adoption from the beginning…I think before we were even dating! We didn’t know what it would look like, but we knew that the Lord had called us to take care of the orphans and to adopt. After we got married, we looked into county foster care, but then we found out we were pregnant with Addysen which put everything on hold. A few months ago, we felt the call and urge all over again, so we started looking into different options. This time, we found an organization called Aspiranet. They are a private, non-profit foster organization. Their kids also come from the county, but there are a few minor differences when you go with a private foster organization. We really only started the process at the end of September, but everything went so smoothly, that we found ourselves almost certified by the first week of November! Pretty much that same week, they asked us about a prospective sibling group.

There are a few factors about these girls that affirmed in our hearts the choice we would make. There are three factors that make children considered “un-adoptable” (as horrible as that sounds). If they are a sibling group, if they are mixed race and if they are over six years old, their chance of being adopted is “slim.” It sounds horrible, doesn’t it? When they mentions the girls, our hearts were pricked…three girls, mixed race, ages 2, 4 and 7…our hearts began to melt just thinking about them.

We want to respect the girls’ privacy especially since right now, they are in a transitional phase. With time, we will be able to share more details, but for now we want to be cautious with what we share online. We were able to meet them on a Friday evening and it was everything we dreamed of…butterflies and anticipation. They came out of the room, one at a time and we curiously watched them. I think they bounced more than they walked. As of right now, we are getting to know them. We transport them twice a week, plus we get to spend other times just hanging out. This past weekend, we took a trip to a tree farm and picked out the most beautiful tree in the world. It was exhausting. 🙂 Next week, they will spend the night.

Yes, our family really is growing from 3 to 6 overnight…and yes, we are a little scared at time! But we know without a doubt that the Lord will give us just enough strength to do what we need to do! The girls are set to move in on December 21st, yes just four days before Christmas. We aren’t sure what our holiday plans will look like…for now we are just taking one day at a time. Please keep us in your prayers…we definitely need them!

Disneyland with Auntie Dora and Grandma Moo-Moo

Then just Grandma Moo-Moo, Auntie Sarah and I went back for an evening

In the middle of all the hustle and bustle, our friends Phil, Pook and Lalita came to visit (they are missionaries to Thailand). Lalita and Addy were born only two days apart!

Thanksgiving dinner with Great-Grandma Bell, Great-Aunt Debbie and cousins

Thanks to Grandma…we actually finished the stockings…seven of them!

Addy’s 1st Birthday

And finally, the pictures you’ve really been waiting for…

she was supposed to arrive on november 16th…but she didn’t. 🙂 she arrived on november 28th instead, after a two day labor that included thanksgiving and many other things. she weighed in at 8 pounds, 7 ounces and she was 21 inches long. today she is one and i really can’t believe that one entire year has gone by. today she weighs around 18 pounds, is 29 inches long, walks, talks and runs! there is never a dull moment around here, folks! her words include “ma-ma,” “da-da,” “dog-dog,” “hiiiii,” “mmm-mmm” (grandma), “dor-dor” (dora), “doh-doh” (sarah) and the latest…”noooo-noooo.”

the first few hours

one month for her first christmas

two months and already wanting to get around!

three months and heading to moldova

four months in eastern europe

cutting her mullet off at five months

crawling, standing and wishing she could walk at six months

eating everything in sight by seven months

more airplane rides at eight months

determined to walk anywhere and everywhere at nine months

ten months and one the phone already

disneyland and her cousin at eleven months

pumpkin patches

best friends

thanksgiving

and now she is one!

happy first birthday, addysen grace klein burtt.

2 corinthians 12:9
and he said to me, “my grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” therefore most gladly i will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of christ may rest upon me.