Levi Douglas Bradley: My Mother's Day

Our Adoption Story

Levi was born on April 21, 2007 in Chinautla, Guatemala, a small town known for pottery. He weighed 6.7 pounds and was 19.7 inches long. He was in private foster care in Guatemala City where he lived for 10 1/2 months with his foster mom, her son and daughter and Isaac, his foster brother. Throughout our difficult adoption journey, Isaac's mom, Nancy and I became very good friends. God placed our boys together and had the perfect plan in place long before we ever realized it. When I was undecided on an adoption agency, I joined an online forum where Nancy provided me with information about her agency and recommended them to us. We decided to sign with the same agency and I emailed Nancy back to let her know. Over a few months we emailed back and forth to learn we were both from TN and lived only 30 minutes apart... we thought wow, it's a small world. Little did we know a few months later we'd both get referrals, earlier than we expected, of 2 beautiful Guatemalan angels. When they turned 2 months old our agency called and decided it was time to tell us that they were in the same foster home together and had been since they were 1 day old. We were amazed they were together. Even more so, God amazed us once again when we learned shortly after that they were born on the same day and were from the same town... no longer a coincidence that was for sure. We were being told by the foster mom how attached they were and acted like brothers. But, Nancy and I got the chance in January '08 to go to visit them and see it for ourselves. It was an amazing time of bonding with our boys that we will never forget. After that trip it seemed when one of us would reach a roadblock in the crazy process of international adoption the other would be delayed with something else. We stayed right together until the very day we picked them both up. We had our US Embassy appts the same day and we flew home through Atlanta on the same flight on March 11, 2008 when they both entered the US as citizens! It was an awesome time for us in the Atlanta Airport when we rec'd the congrats they were official! We've made friends for life with Nancy, Eric, and with Isaac's extended families. We look forward to many years of watching them both grow up so close together. Over the past year, as we went through battle after battle to bring our boys home, Nancy and I both would never think of one without the other in our endless prayers to keep them safe, happy and healthy until they could be home with their forever families. We're finally parents and it's what we've both waited for, for so many years.. our families are finally complete!!!

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

My Mother's Day

Hey all- sorry I haven't had the time to post much lately with Steve in the hospital still and Levi on the go more I don't get much computer time right now. I just thought I would tell you a little about my first Mother's Day and how it went. It was a better day than I expected it to turn out to be. Steve was adamant that I take Levi to church myself on MD so, I did that because I promised him I would. He said it meant a lot to him for me to go so I did. Levi woke up so loving and sweet almost like he knew that I was going to need his hugs and kisses to make it through the day without Steve there to share it with us. We went to church where he had a blast as usual. He loves going to church and is becoming very social there as if he's always been there. He likes the attention he still gets from everybody. After church my dad wanted to take me and my mom to eat and we had a nice meal with Levi (who started grabbing at everyone who got within his reach ?? something new I guess.) After church and lunch, I headed to the hospital to see Steve and he had his sister to arrange a gift from him that he picked out while he was in the Rehab Hospital. He bought me the prettiest necklace and matching earrings and it was such a surprise. It meant a lot that he would make such an effort from ICU to beat it all. In the shape he was in he was still thinking about it being my day and trying to make it a special one. He is so sweet!! I got a good one that is for sure! I spent some time with Steve and then made it home in time to give Levi his bedtime bottle and rock him to sleep. So, all in all it was a nice day. I even came home from church to a huge bunch of flowers in an outdoor pot that my aunt and uncle and cousin brought by since it was my first Mother's Day. That was thoughtful of them and a big surprise too. The flowers were beautiful. Mom and dad made an extra effort to make it special too and they let Levi write with a pen in a card for me. I will cherish his little scribbled pen marks forever. He used the flowers she had as a weapon I think, he knocked off half the blooms within 2 seconds of having them to hand to me. Again, so sweet I guess that is the joys of having a rough little boy instead of a prissy girl-haha! Getting beat half to death with your Mother's Day flowers before they make it to a vase just makes for more memories I guess. I had a nice outfit from mom, dad and Levi too which was also nice of them to think of me. Until there is more to update... keep praying for Levi's daddy to be home with us again soon. Things just aren't the same without him there and we miss him a lot. Blessings- Tracy