Joseph's last day as an "orphan"

Sweet boy Joseph will meet his mommy and daddy tomorrow! 

Our aunties are so wonderful. They have been talking to him, telling him, and preparing him for the big occasion. When I walked into the baby house today, Joseph was sitting in his high chair with the other "big babies." I said, "Joseph, your mommy and daddy are coming to see you tomorrow!!" His face lit up so brightly with the biggest smile ever! He absolutely knew what I was talking about. I said, "Are you ready for your mommy, Joseph?" "Yesh." So sweet.

We are also blessed to have Auntie Mel here for awhile and this little man has stollen a special piece of her heart. In fact, he has moved into her room to help transition him and give him opportunity to sleep in a different place. Every time this little boy has laid down to sleep, either for the night or for a nap, for his entire life, he has had his fellow brothers and sisters all around him. Sleeping in a room alone, without other babies, can be an adjustment for him. Mel also brought him to spend the night and a few days at my house this past weekend to explore him to a new environment. 

These are some of the reasons why I am so glad we are a small home. It makes such a great difference in the individual lives of our babies. We are really blessed to be able to socialize our babies in ways that will help them transition into their forever families. I love that we can give our babies specialized attention in the very unique, specific ways that each and every one of them needs and deserves. Yes, it would be great to be able to do this for twenty, thirty, or forty more babies, but the reality of doing that would be so very difficult. God has given us such a gift in our little home and I wouldn't trade it for the world! We are blessed to know that Joseph is leaving our safe little haven of a home in the best way we could prepare him to do so.


As I sit here tonight thinking about what lies ahead for little Joseph, my heart swells. Does he have any idea what tomorrow holds for him? Does he have the slightest understanding of how amazing it is that he has been given the gift of a forever family? Does he know that his mama and baba have prepared for years to receive him as their own, and that God has picked them specially for him? Will he remember that God brought him into our home when he was just one day old, and that we loved him, held him, played with him, sang and talked to him about Jesus and how much God loves him every day of his life until God brought his mom and dad to him? 


And now, I pray that little Joseph will grow up knowing that he is special, cherished and greatly loved by God and by his parents. I pray that he sleeps peacefully on this, his last night as a child without parents, unknowing of the change that is about to ensue in his little life. God has given him a gift, and I am so thankful and grateful to God for allowing us, the entire family of His Cherished Ones, to be a small part of the beginning of Joseph's life!