Our first Christmas

We had such a wonderful time this year on Christmas. Matt had some time off work, which gave us quality time as a family. We decided we wanted to try a new tradition, as our family of three. Christmas Eve-Eve we went out to dinner, and drove around looking at Christmas lights. It was fun, however the light looking was cut short by a teething baby who didn't want to be in the car. How she keeps us on our toes and learning daily to be flexible! :)

As you know Christmas Eve was a big day of the finalization in the courts of our Adoption! A joyous day it was, to celebrate the birth of Jesus, and the last step that we had to make in our journey. Christmas Eve service was beautiful, I love the time to be with family, singing Christmas carols with our church family and finishing the evening off with a family dinner at my grandma's house. My heart was so full that day, to hold our baby girl and know shes ours.

Christmas day was so relaxing...I know next few years will be a little different, we will have a little girl running around in excitement! I made my mom's homemade cinnamon roll recipe that she used to make for us growing up, that is a tradition I've loved continuing, cannot believe I've been doing it for nine years now! We didn't get Maryellis much, knowing that she would be blessed by grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts & uncles, etc. This year the big hit was eating the wrapping paper and the ribbon, as well as going on "rides" in boxes!

We've gotten a little "grief" that we're not doing "Santa" with Maryellis. Let me explain, its not that were abolishing Santa completely, its more that she will know that we celebrate Christmas for its the day of Jesus' birth....not for a big old man in a red suit and white beard to bring her presents for being good. She will know that Santa is fake, but she is free to pretend he is real, like Mickey and Minnie. As she gets a little older we will give her the history of Saint Nichols and legacy that he left.

New Years was a treat, we had some friends over for dinner and we rang in 2014 at 9:00 while playing some good old banana grams and sipping on cider. We wouldn't have had it any other way!

Looking forward to what is ahead this next year, I have a lot of ideas and dreams awaiting, I'm excited to see how the Lord leads us.

Hope you all had a wonderful time celebrating!

I forgot to mention that Maryellis got her first tooth on December 27th, just three days shy of being 7 months! Yay! Tooth number two on the bottom is well on its way.

We are finalized!

We are happy to announce our adoption is finalized! Christmas Eve will forever and always be extra special for our family. We had our court date for the finalization.

 

Yes, we've had Maryellis for awhile now, but the process of finalization takes time. Once you are home with baby you have to have 3 home visits with the adoption agency, more as a follow up of how things are going. Also to be sure it's a good fit, that there wasn't anything they would have missed. (That we were negligent, abbusive, etc.)

When your post placement visits are finished and the analysis has been written up, then we hired a Attourney. The Attourney was based out of Seattle and he  worked with the agency sending paperwork back and forth, to us, and visa versa. Lots of paper work people, just the legalities of it all, it has to be clearly written out. We asked if we could send our paperwork early and have it notarized in lieu of us actually being present in court. Not that we didn't want to miss the big event, but we figured the four trips to Seattle from May-June was good enough for us for the time being. Also with our date being Christmas Eve, we wanted to be home with our families to celebrate the finalization! 

I was overwhelmed with joy when I received the phone call, tears streamed down my face and there with me to celebrate was my mother in law, a special moment we could share. Calling Matt at work, sharing the news with family and friends that day, I couldn't stop from weeping....this day was one we'd been waiting for, for a long time.

Thank you lord for bringing us this perfect gift, we couldn't be more grateful. 

We are thankful for the example God is to us, that he have his one and only son, as the first ever adoption in the bible. What an example we have to look to.

Blessings to you,

The Imlach Family

Its been awhile ....

I apologize in my neglect for updating how we've been lately! This fall has been full of lots of fun and many new firsts. First trip to the pumpkin patch, first Halloween, first cold, trip to Central Oregon, first Thanksgiving and so on... I must say our calender has been packed full and tight! Maryellis has been a trooper and for the most part enjoyed it all.

October was the kick off for the festivites to begin! Maryellis had her baby dedication at church that first Sunday, such a wonderful celebration for her and our family. We chose a verse for her that means a lot to us, and pray that she sees the importance of it as well as she grows up. "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.  Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:1-2. The Lord has placed this baby girl into our lives, we couldn't be more humbled by this gift of life. 

Going to Central Oregon as a family was so much fun! Maryellis joined in celebrating our 5th year anniversary, cannot believe its been 5 years! Woah! We enjoyed the 65 degree weather the end of October brought, it made for wonderful hiking, family walks, and sitting outside on the deck for dinner! 

This little girl is growing like a weed, I cannot believe how fast the weeks go by, 4 months, 5 months, now 6 months....slow down please baby girl! Tummy time is fun, we're not crawling yet but shes moving her limbs like a turtle in my opinion. She loves to stand, jump, walking while holding on to your hands, rolling over, big belly laughs, sitting up by herself and of course her "reverse planking" move. I love that when I go to get her up from a nap, I never know where she will be in her crib, shes so sweet when she sleeps. Not to mention the ever changing "bed head".... I love it!  She started saying "ma ma" around five months and "da da" is coming along! Maryellis is really taking a liking to her dog, whenever Fisher comes in the room she will squeal in excitement! Fisher is gentle with her, I think once Maryellis is more mobile she will give the dog a run for her money! 

We started oatmeal at five months, at first she wasn't too sure about it, but then quickly realised it was a good thing. Maryellis takes after her mamma and isn't the neatest eater in the world....I think we both need to work on this. At six months we introduced her first foods, I'm so thankful that I am able to make her food. It is so much fun, I'm thankful to know excalty what she is eating, knowing that there are no substitutions in her meals. We started in this order: sweet potatoes, green beans, avacado, brocolli, pear and spegatti squash. Each new food she's seem unsure the first few bites but then digs in, however she was thrilled from the beginning with the green beans. 

Maryellis had her first "snow week"....yes it was beautiful but it stayed too long for me! She wasn't really thrilled by the snow, nor did she dislike it, more or less just "mer" as I would say. What was fun with the snow was going on a family hike, as well it made it feel more like Christmas with our house being all decorated for the holiday. The week at home forced me to slow down, and be thankful for the warmth and many blessings we have. Learning that I have to take everyday one day at a time. "Lord this is that I would like to do today, please guide us that we are doing as you want us". Trying to be sensitive to the Lord in HIS plans for our day. We recently had a fun Christmas dinner with friends a new tradition for our families, 6 adults 4 toddlers and 1 infant. It will be fun to see how each year we grow and how the memories will be made. Maryellis went to see "Santa" with her cousins that were up from California, we will be having a late Christmas with them January 1st.

I am looking forward to the next six months of her life, I know that we soon will be needing to baby proof.....a little nervous but excited to see whats to come! 

Thank you all who keep up to date with our life, my New Years resolution is to maintain the blog and share more this next year as to whats going on.

Life as of lately

I honestly don't know where the time has gone, Maryellis is 4 months and its already October! My goodness the days just fly by. We are loving the transition into Fall, the changing leaves, crisp air & warm yummy meals with some of the best fresh produce of the year! It was a treat the first of September to go as a family to the coast for a day and a hike. We wanted to take Maryellis before the weather turned! 

The end of August is always brings around high emotions among the family, its the anniversary of our mother's death. This year marked the 9th year shes been gone. Every year is different how I personally "feel"- this year there was something sweet about it. I know my mom would have been the best grandma, but the Lord took her to rest early, a role she'll never get to play. She will be Grandma Ford in Heaven, whom I can share all my memories with Maryellis about her & teach her things my mom would have taught her. There have been days where I think to myself, "mom would have done this", or "I so feel like mom today". Being a mother has been a desire of mine for as long as I can remember, I'm so thankful the Lord blessed us with Maryellis. (Secretly I love the resemblance she has with my mom!) We went on a hike with Laura & Brett on our mom's anniversary, went to where her ashes are, and out to lunch. A beautiful day to remember & celebrate her!

Its been really fun to have "play dates" with Madeline, we just enjoy the time seeing the girls (9 days apart) together. Rebecca is Madeline's mom, I've really enjoyed the friendship with her & being able to bounce questions off one another as our girls are so close in age and development. We are so blessed by the community around us and all the babies, and girls might I add, a whole flock of them!

Its been really fun to continue hanging out with Miss Shanan, we are getting together a couple times a month. Shanan is so good with babies! I'm so happy that Maryellis is creating a bond with Shanan, for she will always be apart of our lives.

At Maryellis' 4 month appointment she came in at a whopping 14lb 7oz. (74%) and 26 1/6" for height (99%). Thus far she is long and lean, a healthy little girl. Shes giggling like crazy, talking up a storm, and loves to stand. She is a pretty strong girl, mom and dad are thinking shes going to be a little athlete! Not sitting up fully on her own, but she will be there before we know it. Maryellis' personality is a sweet one, she has a very mild temper and seems to be very easy going. I just love the gummy smiles she greets me with, with those rosy red cheeks.

I sent our first "updated" letter to our adoption agency last week, pictures as well. It was the first of four letters & pictures I will be sending this year for the birth parents to have the option to know how Maryellis is doing. I basically sent a one page letter filled with what we've been up to, the development of Maryellis, what she likes & dislikes, so on and so forth. I also again thanked them and reinforced the fact that both Matthew and I never knew we could love her so much. Our eyes have truly been opened by this experience. I cannot tell you the amount of opportunities the Lord has provided for me to talk with either people who were adopted, a young women I am an acquittance of that placed her son for adoption 2 years ago, meeting random young girls in places like Target that are pregnant and came to say "hi" just to see Maryellis, as well as other couples & women who are interested in adopting and curious about our journey. The Lord is definitely using Maryellis in our lives, not only to change us to become more like Him, but as well as furthering the Gospel in ways I never thought. Until I was 16 (when I lost my mom) my life was pretty "perfect", loving parents, we were "comfortable", raised in a christian home, fun siblings, etc. I never knew so much in my life would change in the matter of 9 years. God has used my mothers death in my life to help me grow and develop in ways I never probably would have reached for.  I'm thankful that I know someday in Heaven I will see her again. These next 9 years we will see where the Lord takes us, only time will tell, but I imagine the journey will be life changing.