First things first…….
Jeremy and I would like to invite you to the Indianapolis Airport on Friday, July 27th at 7:10 pm to meet Mollie! Our flight number is DL 0815 and we arrive at 7:10 on Delta airlines from Detroit. What a time we are going to have!! 🙂 Hope to see you all there!!!
Now, on to the more serious…….
Dear Family and Friends,
As we prepare for the arrival of our Mollie, we have learned that while decorating her bedroom and stocking up on toddler essentials is important, even more important is the emotional health of our daughter. In her short life, our daughter will have gone through more changes and life altering experiences than most adults could handle. Imagine how much harder the changes will be for her. While she may not consciously remember the events, she will still experience immense loss, including feelings of grief and trauma. She’s already experienced the loss of a birthmother and will soon experience the loss of familiar and comforting caretakers as well as the sights, smells, and language of her birth country. Her world will turn upside down. She will struggle with feeling safe and secure and he may lack the ability to trust that we will meet her needs.
We have prepared to meet her emotional needs so that she does learn that we will always take care of her and we will always keep her safe. We need your support. In order to form a strong and healthy attachment we will allow her to regress so that she has the opportunity to go through all of the emotional stages with us despite her chronological age. Although it may appear that we are spoiling her, we have been advised that it is best that we meet every need quickly and consistently. Until she has learned that we are her parents, we will need to be her primary caretakers at all times. It is essential that we always hold her, feed her, and do all of the nurturing. You may wonder how long this will take, but the timeline is different for every child. We will follow her lead and trust our instincts as her parents rather than worry about what society expects.
We have all been waiting anxiously for Mollie to arrive but she has not been waiting for us. She may show her grief and confusion in many ways and we are prepared to help her through it and prove that we are a forever family and this truly is her last stop. We trust that as our family and friends you will help us to do what is best for our daughter, and we thank you in advance for your support and understanding.
With heartfelt love and deep gratitude,
Jeremy and Heidi
Marjorie Harris
We’ll be watching from a distance too great to see any of the day to day in this new life for Mollie and for you guys ~ but rest assured that we will be praying for you, all five of you, as this huge adjustment is navigated. You’ve gotten the best advice from people who have ‘been there’ and are equipped to give you the best possible encouragement there is out there. So, for what it’s worth, we ‘release’ you, especially you and Jeremy, Heidi, to do what is necessary to bring complete normalcy to Mollie’s life. I believe with all my heart that with God’s hand of strength and his voice of wisdom, you will be able to bring complete peace to Mollie’s heart and mind, and in short order she will trust you and know that she is finally ‘home’. God has led you all the way, provided in miraculous ways, send words of encouragement when you most needed it, given you strong friendships, and consistently nurtured your soul through His Word and prayer. He’s going to walk this whole journey with you. Comforting to know that all along her young life, God has lovingly prepared Mollie for you. “The steps of a righteous man are ordered of the Lord”. . . .if we believe that with all of our hearts, then we know He has ordered this phenomenal time in your life. Sending you off with lots of love and prayers……Steve and Marj
Jeanine Kaminski
Heidi,
As we have just come home from China with ours little one 2 weeks ago, this is very well spoken. We will continue to lift your entire family up in the many months/years following this great adventure. Mollie has blessed your family and she will eventually know what a blessing you all are to her. Prayers to you and your family as you spend time in China! Enjoy it for it is amazing!
Anna Burch Hull
Congratulations Heidi! I so admire what you are doing for the precious little girl. I pray that your travels are safe and that Mollie will receive you with open arms. A friend of mine adopted 2 children from Guatemala and they have adjusted well in their new home. I look forward to seeing pictures of your family and reading about your adventures.
Safe travels,
Anna
Anna