To read posts I’ve written about our sweet CJ, click here.

CJ is our four year old son, Caden.  We prayed for God to give us a child for almost five years and on Mothers Day of 2009, God answered our prayers.  Before our first meeting, I remember telling myself not to get too “attached”, because there was always a chance that something could delay or even halt the adoption process.  Of course, the moment our eyes met none of that mattered anymore because I knew in my heart that we were his and he was ours.  Without a moments hesitation, I walked over to the playpen where he was standing, scooped him into my arms and more importantly into my heart – where he’s stayed safely ever since. There was no doubt that God had a plan.  I didn’t need an official paper to know that I was his mother, any more than a woman who gives birth to a child needs a birth certificate to know that she is a mother.  I loved him before I even knew him.

God gave us the child that we were always meant to have- a child that I can not even fathom not having.  We endured more than our fair share of “labor pains” that came along with the process but it was all worth it!  We have a beautiful child who was born straight from our hearts.

Even today, there are no words to express how grateful I feel when I look into this little boy’s eyes.  I can not describe accurately enough the joy, or the blessing we received the moment we were told we could be his parents. We chose each other and that is something special.

Our little man receives an education via a preschool and homeschool co-effort.  On a quarterly basis we coordinate which areas CJ needs to focus and our activities (both at school and home) align to reach those goals.  CJ is very intuitive, imaginative, and sensitive.  He enjoys order and processes – he has an infectious laugh, literally!  He’s also our little book worm…when the house seems a little too quiet we always find him sitting in the middle of his bedroom, totally engrossed in a book.

CJ has a heart for helping people. Unlike some, he is not desensitized to the needs of the people around us.  He even prays each night for the “children who do not have homes or families…for those who are hungry”. He never ceases to amaze us.  We believe God has plans to use CJ to help people who suffer in such ways.  There is comfort, knowing that the heart-wrenching situations CJ endured his first year of life will be used by God to do good in the end!

CJ has brought life into our family and he has already taught us so much. God knew what he was doing, no doubt, when he gave us CJ as our first son.  We love him so very much and we continue to be blessed each day by having him in our lives.  He has forever changed us!