They don't "get" it

There are some people in my life that just don't "get" adoption.  They don't "get" why we would want to flip our lives upside down, making sacrifices of every kind imaginable, to adopt at this point in our lives.  They don't "get" why we would be willing, or even eager, to embark on another an unpredictable journey with a child we know will have a special challenge of some kind to face.  These are the same well-intentioned folks that insist on questioning us and our parents over and over about the cost of adoption and whether or not we are 100% sure that our adoptive child's medical care will not be considered a pre-existing condition (and therefore not covered by insurance).   They just don't get it...

She's worth it!

She's worth the hours of paperwork we've put in, the money we've put away, the tears we'll shed for her, the worry of how we'll meet her needs, the sacrifices we'll make with our finances...she's worth every bit of it.

Our daughter, while not conceived in my womb, is every bit as real and already a part of our family as the two living, breathing sons playing trains downstairs right now.  I know people have a hard time wrapping their heads around that, but its true.  Our daughter will not be known as our "adopted daughter" for the rest of our life...she will simply be our little girl.  The distinction of her being adopted is going to be no more significant than the color of her eyes or the sound of her laugh when it comes to who she is.  Just as we've never wanted Sully's birthmark to define him we don't want our little girl's adoption to define her.  Its a special part of who she'll be, but its not the only part.

And just to set the record straight to those of you who still don't "get" it...yes, yes a thousand times yes! Our daughter will be our daughter in every sense of the word and that means she'll be a little Nagel to the state of South Dakota, to the United States of America, to the People's Republic of China and the ever-important health insurance company.  Whatever needs she may have will absolutely be covered by our insurance.  I'm not saying we may not need to fund raise for medical and travel expenses down the road just as we have for Sully, but our little honey will be covered.

I hope that more people will "get" adoption and that God will move in powerful ways to set orphans in the families they deserve.  He moved our lives and he's still moving people :)  I can't think of a better example of the value of life than that of Paige.  You can go here to read about her life.  She was worth it.  ALL orphans are, especially our little angel.

PS On a super positive note, our social worker is coming out the week of September 26th for our first home study visit!!!  We're also about a week and half away from being able to check the status of Hope's dossier again.  Always praying.