World... Meet Pumpkin

Nearly twelve weeks ago, this bundle of sweetness was born, and immediately came to stay with our family. 

The weeks leading up to her birth were a flurry of activity, and a mess of diffusing legal issues surrounding her placement.

Suffice it to say, we navigated everything and she came home with us. She even traveled to Washington, D.C. with us when she was just a few weeks old. 

Her birth mom is unable to parent at this time, but may be able to do so in a couple years. Her story is not mine to tell, and it is immaterial to the love and care Pumpkin receives while she is with us. 

Will it be forever? We don't know. How long will it be? We don't know that, either. 

What we do know is that she's a talker -- she babbles and coos and sings at every opportunity, even talking in her sleep. 

We know she is one of the most content babies we've ever met -- she's full of smiles, and those smiles break through even when she is wet, tired or hungry. 

She is so full of love and life, and we intend to nurture her for as long as she is with us. 

We swore we would never "foster," because we couldn't stand the thought of loving and forming attachments with a child who may not stay forever, but... If any parents should have learned by now not to say "never," it should be us. 

We are not fostering through the state. We are caring for Pumpkin through a private agreement between us and her birth mother. That makes things equal parts easier and harder. 

Easier because we don't have a state agency in our lives; harder because we don't receive the board payments and services that come with state fostering. 

However, God has provided for this sweet baby in abundance! Before she arrived, we had car seats, baby bathtubs, clothing, bassinets, strollers and more waiting for her. 

See this closet? I purchased three pieces of clothing in it. The rest were donated. 

I'm grateful for our "village," who has been working in full force to come alongside our family, providing essentials and prayer. 

I hope all of you will come to know and love Pumpkin as we do!