Look Who's Talking Now

Though I can't seem to locate the first pictures I have of Andrea,  I wanted to share these with you.  In most of the early pictures, she looks like a normal, happy baby.  And she was.  Except for one thing.  he first time we saw her, she weighed just 5 pounds and she was 7 months old.

She came to the clinic where I was volunteering and I wanted to cry when I saw her frail little body.  Though I spoke Spanish, I asked the doctor to tell the mom that I would take her home and try to help her.  He told me I was crazy, that she was going to die!  I asked him to tell her and he did.  I've probably told you this before, but it's so important to who she is.

You see, I was already a mom.  In fact I was a grandma as well.  I knew the love a mom has for her children.  Her mom loved her enough to let me take her that day.  I wasn't thinking of keeping her.  I just wanted to help her get well and get home. 

She grew so quickly once we found something her little tummy could tolerate and we stopped the puking.  She grew on me as well.  We celebrated evey milestone.  At 1 year and 2 weeks, we sent her home - only to get her back sick and hungry a couple weeks later.

It was then that her mama asked us to adopt her.  We happily agreed and started the paperwork.  Andrea was happy, we were happy, her mom was happy.

Things changed a few months later.  Loaded, her mom came to the mission and ripped her out of my arms.  She wanted her baby back.  I cried as if she'd died.  I had never known the pain of losing a child.  It was the worst I could imagine. 

We got to see her about 5 times over the next two years.  She seemed to have grown well enough.  Started walking at about 2 years old.  Though it broke my heart, I encouraged her mom to take good care of her.  I prayed for their well-being.

I had more loss.  My husband and mother died in the space of 36 hours.  I was in shock and despair, but held on to the faith I had in God.  I let my life go on. Then the people in town started to tell me that my "baby" was in an orphanage and I should go get her.  All I could think was that I couldn't handle the loss if her mom took her away again.  I called the orphanage, but never followed up.

Then her mom came to me and asked me to go get her.  She was loaded to the gills and I told her I would have to pray about it.  I agonized over it all.  I asked the Lord to direct me.  A few days later, the mom found me again.  She wasn't so loaded and begged me again to take her child.  She said she would leave town if it made me more comfortable. 

The rest is history.  I went to the authorities and claimed my little girl.  I still had signed papers from her mom.  I was the logical choice.  After 3 short weeks, I took her from the orphanage and took her home with me. 

It took 5 1/2 years for Mexico to finish the adoption.  It took nearly 2 more years for us to get paperwork to bring her to the U.S.  Now we are a family.  Rob, Andrea and I have made our life together.  Would I do it again?  Adopt another?  If that's what the Lord put on our hearts, yes.  But I think just now, it's important that we just raise this little girl and do His will.  We're not too old - look at Abraham and Sarah - just want to do the best for our wonderful daughter.

Isn't she wonderful?