Forever an Anderson!

Harmony is always and forever an Anderson!  As of September 28th, she has officially joined our family as an Anderson.  Not that we ever considered her anything else but now it is legal.  What a special feeling it was to be in the courtroom, surrounded by the support of our family and friends.  We were asked the question, "Do you understand this is a permanent decision?"  And tears welled up in my eyes as I couldn't imagine Harmony being anywhere else but with Karl and I.  At the end of the series of questions, the judge officially declared her name changed to Harmony Miah Anderson!  Even though the entire court hearing only lasted about 5 minutes and may seem unimportant to some, I will never forget this day and the meaning it holds for our family.  Holding our sweet little baby girl in my arms and knowing she is ours forever.  Feeling blessed by the family and friends who were there to support us.  Grateful for the family God has created with Karl, myself, Harmony and our second baby girl.  And especially happy for the selfless choice made by her birthparents that makes us the family we are today.  God is so good and we have so much to be grateful for!

It's official!

Grateful for our family and friends.

We couldn't have asked for a better caseworker.  Thank you Rachel!

Thank you to all who were not only there this weekend to celebrate Harmony but who have walked this road with us.  While our journey to becoming Harmony's parents is complete, the real adventure is just beginning! 

It's a...

We were so excited to find out this week that Harmony is going to have a little sister!  We ultimately are just praying for a healthy baby and don't care at all what we are having but it being a girl will make things so much easier on us.  We already have everything!  It is going to be so much fun seeing these two little sisters and the special bond they will share being so close in age.  They will never know life without each other.  These little Irish twins are going to keep us on our toes but we can't wait! 

Sometimes I think I'm still in shock this is even happening.  I feel so blessed to be the mother of beautiful Harmony and this baby on the way.  God definitely has a special plan for our family and it is amazing to watch it unfold.  This past week I was remembering where we were one year ago.  We had recently found out that our last infertility treatment was unsuccessful and we were at the end of our rope with trying to get pregnant.  God had already been opening our hearts to adoption and within a few short weeks we felt so strongly convicted in this area we began the adoption process.  It was a time off sorrow as we were closing the chapter in our lives of trying to have biological children.  But at the same time it was such a joyful and refreshing time as we were finally pursuing a route that would eventually make us parents.  Now, a year later, I am in awe of how God has blessed us.  I never would have guessed that in August of 2012, we would already have a 5 month old daughter and another baby on the way.  God is so good!  And I am so grateful that we listened to God's prodding.  If we had not, the charming and lovable girl we call Harmony would not be a part of our family.  This makes me so thankful!  I'm officially halfway through this pregnancy and already getting anxious to meet our sweet baby girl. :)     

                                                                 

IT'S

A

         

GIRL!!!!

Couldn't be happier!

Sucking on her hand :)

3 Months and Growing

I can hardly believe Harmony is 3 months old!  This past month she has starting trying new things more than ever.  At 2 1/2 months old she starting consistently rolling over from her tummy to her back.  Going the other direction will be any day now.  This little girl is one determined baby!  Harmony is almost always moving.  Kicking her legs, waving her arms and smiling tons!  She does still like to cuddle with us when she's tired and ready to fall asleep, which we just love.  :)

This month Harmony and I flew to San Diego on one of Karl's trips so we could spend Father's Day with him.  It was the first time I had ever been there and we had a great time walking around and enjoying the beautiful weather.  It is so obvious Harmony was meant to be in our family...she loves travelling!  Harmony has probably been on about 10 flights and she has slept through every single one of them!

Harmony already loves books and now enjoys sitting in her bumbo, playing under her toy jungle gym,  going for walks outside and loves to talk to us.  This month she gave us a real giggle for the first time when I was kissing her neck.  She now giggles when we kiss or tickle her.  :)  Here are some recent pictures from the last month. 

Loves to kick and pull on all her toys.

San Diego for Father's Day

Daddy and daughter :)

Love this little munchkin!

Start of a New Journey!

Here is the link to the full quality version:

https://vimeo.com/43970319

One Month Update

I sit here holding little miss Harmony and can't believe how fast the past weeks have flown by.  So before too much time passes I wanted to document her first month and everything it held for us.  What an amazing time it has been as we've adjusted to being parents.  Not to say it's all been easy, but I can honestly say I've enjoyed it all.  Sometimes I just look at Harmony and still can't believe she is ours and a part of our family.

One Month Old!

Our little Easter bunny :)

Colorado Baby Shower with church/adoption friends and mom.

First Airplane Ride

Baby Shower in Idaho

During Harmony's first month she met all of her Grandparents, Aunties, Uncles and Cousins.  Everyone was so excited to meet her!  Karl's parents were able to come for a very quick visit right after Harmony was born so they could meet her before going back to Africa for the summer.  We are so grateful they got to see her in person before leaving.  Then we had my mom come visit and spend some time getting to know her grandaughter.  My wonderful Colorado girlfriends put on an amazing shower for me and Harmony and my mom was even able to come to it.  Such a beautiful day with sunflowers, bright colors and all my favorite Colorado people. :)

When Harmony was 3 weeks old we braved flying with an infant and went home to Idaho to introduce her to all of our family.  She was such a trooper and rocked all of the flights!  It was such a special time for us as a family of 3 to be with our families who were so excited to meet our new daughter.  My sister and family in Idaho put on a beautiful shower for us while we were home.  The day was very special and so much work was put into celebrating us.  It is so clear that we are dearly loved! 

I know my blog posts are few and far between right now but just know we are busy loving on and bonding with little Harmony.  We have waited so long for this and are soaking up every moment!

Behind the Name

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11 

This little girl is so special to us and we wanted her to have a name that reflects who she is, not only as an individual but as our daughter.  The meaning of names has always been very special to us and we wanted our child to have a name with a significant meaning.  Because we didn't know if we were having a boy or a girl we started searching for names for each.  We started going through baby name books and looking purely at the "meaning" column for meanings we felt were fitting for this baby.  One day I came across the name Harmony which means "A Beautiful Blending".  Because our baby would be adopted and a part of our family and their birth family, we thought this meaning was so beautiful and we fell in love with the name.

The first day we met Harmony's birthparents we talked about names.  It is very common for the birthmother to choose her own name for the baby.  This may be a name that has a significant meaning to her or it may just be the act of naming her baby that is special.  We asked her what she was thinking about naming the baby if it was a girl.  Her answer just about made us cry.  She said, "I was thinking the name Miah.  Because on the back of your profile book you have the verse Jeremiah 29:11 and I thought that verse was really cool so I was thinking I would call her Miah if it's a girl."   We were so touched that she had put this much thought into a name and had chosen a name that, because of where it came from, was so special to us. 

Then they asked us what names we had come up with.  We told them about our idea of the name Harmony and what the name meant.  They said they loved it!  They were touched by the meaning of the name. 

The night Harmony was born, her birthfather called to tell us it was a girl.  He asked us if we had made a decision on her name.  We said we still liked Harmony and thought Miah would make a beautiful middle name.  They said, "We love it...it's a great name for her!"

  Karl and I think it is just so special for Harmony that her name was a combination of choices from both her birthfamily and her adoptive family.  Also, the verse Jeremiah 29:11 has been the verse that has carried us through this journey to parenthood.  We clung to the fact that God knew the plans for us and our family.   This verse has now become Harmony's life verse.  She is a beautiful blending of both families and God does have special plans for this beautiful little girl.

Harmony Miah Anderson

"For this child I have prayed, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him."

1 Samuel 1:27



Harmony Miah Anderson ~ Arrived March 24th weighing 6lbs. 7oz. and 21in. tall.

March 24th, the day that changed our lives forever.

Karl told me he thought we would get the call about our baby's birth when we least expected it.  And I said, "That's impossible because I'm always expecting it!"  Well, our birthmother was 3 days overdue so you would think I would be expecting it, but I wasn't.  She had just been to the doctors and they told her there was no progression, so an appointment had been made for the 28th to induce her.  We were totally counting on our baby being born Wednesday.  

Karl's Aunt and Uncle were in town for a family wedding and we were planning on seeing them Sunday evening.  Saturday evening we had both gotten home from work and were just hanging around the house.  Karl got a call from his uncle to set up our plans for Sunday night.  While he was on the phone, my phone rang.  My heart about stopped when I saw it was our birthmom!  Her and I had been texting back and forth earlier in the week, but I knew her name on the caller ID meant only one thing...our baby was coming!  When I answered the call, the birthfather said, "Hi Amy, you're baby is coming!"  They had just gotten to the hospital, she was fully dilated and ready to start pushing.  We told them we were praying for them and to call us when the baby was born.  I ran down the stairs (Karl was still talking to his uncle) and yelled, "we can't get together tomorrow, our baby is coming Karl, our baby is coming!"  During the next minutes, we called all our family and friends to let them know our baby was on the way.  And 45 minutes later the birthfather called and said, "You have a new baby girl!"  We were so shocked at how fast everything was happening.  And Karl just looked at me and said, "See, I told you it would happen when we least expected it."  

Now that we knew it was a girl we could get a little bit of decorating done before heading to the hospital.  The birthmom wanted the first couple hours to themselves so we raced to Home Depot, got our paint and went right to work.  After getting about halfway through our painting project we ran out of time and needed to stop and get ready to leave.   On the drive up, these thoughts were running through our heads...what is she going to look like?  Is the hospital stay going to be really uncomfortable and awkward?  What is going to be expected of us?  What if she changes her mind now that the baby is here?  But mostly, we were just so excited to meet this new little girl!

We walked into the hospital room to see this tiny little bundle laying in her mother's arms.  She was wide awake and just looking around at everything.  This baby was seriously the most beautiful baby I had ever seen.  Ok, I might be a little partial. :)  I can't describe to you the feeling of when I first held her.  It was so incredibly special to hold my daughter for the first time.  There were also thoughts going through my head like, "Am I doing this right?  Am I showing the right emotions to the birthfamily?"  

Holding Harmony for the first time



Meeting daddy

Our birthparents are truly amazing people.  First and foremost, they chose life for this precious baby we now call ours.  How could we thank them enough for this incredible gift?  We spend the next two days spending time together in their hospital room.  Passing the baby around and taking turns feeding and changing.  We thought this part was going to be so uncomfortable but it really was neat to spend time with them and get to know them better.  It was very obvious they both love this little girl to pieces and just want what is best for her.

Leaving the hospital was such a bittersweet feeling.  On one hand we were so excited because we were leaving with our new child and starting our life together which was thrilling.  But on the other hand we were witnessing the extreme pain her birthparents were going through while saying goodbye to her.  It was hard for us to feel fully excited about our gain because we were also involved in their loss.

Going Home!

Onto happier things though...we got home with our sweet new bundle and walked into a fully decorated house!  Also, we were shocked when we walked into Harmony's room and saw the painting completed and everything put back in it's place.  Thank you Sara and Lindsay for painting and everybody else for making us feel so loved.  We have some amazing friends!

So here we sit, our baby Harmony is one week old today and as of yesterday she is officially a part of our family.  God is so awesome!  Even though this whole process to parenthood has been very long, the adoption part has been quick and fairly painless.  Only 7 weeks after going into the waiting pool, we were picked by birthmother.  The first birthmother our profile was shown to and she chose us. :)

We feel truly blessed to have Harmony as our baby...our prayers have been answered.




So in love :)

Daddy and daughter

                                                                                                                                                                                 

Our happy family!