This might be long but he deserves nothing less.
A post about this baby boy should have been written a long time ago.
But now, I finally have the courage to attempt to capture this sweet child and everything he means to me in words. I know I won't even come close to scratching the surface. (I actually started writing this the day before his adoptive parents received their visa appt. date. He'll be home before his second birthday. God is good, SO GOOD.)
I met him the day the Kimball's brought him home to live with them.
He was fast asleep in a navy blue and white checkered outfit.
He was almost lifeless, limp. I got to hold him for a moment. I marveled at his sweet beauty and his eyelashes that are almost endless. In that moment, I was completely unaware of what the future would hold for the two of us.
He had been abandoned. The details of his past, unknown. Nameless. Unhealthy. Unloved.
Except.
I have seen the way our Father's hand has been upon him, always.
Indescribable.
I have been blessed to be part, a small part of this baby's life.
As it turned out, I had the honor of nursing this sweet boy back to health and caring for him daily for the next two months. He was nameless for the first portion of our time together, so I sweetly called him baby.
I think we taught each other much about love.
There were times when loving him was easy.
There were times when it was difficult;
I was new to this and caring for a baby who hadn't been shaped and influenced by a loving mother and father was difficult.
We experienced growing pains, together.
There were days and nights full of crying.
There were days full of hissy fits, temper tantrums.
There was exhaustion and frustration.
But there were days full of smiles and laughter.
There was dancing.
There was sweet lullabies, snuggling, and slumber.
There were hugs and kisses. Sweet baby kisses.
There was a look in his sparkling brown eyes that told me that he loved me every bit as much as I love him.
I can't even begin to describe the love God has given me for Quaid.
I got to wake up in the morning to him hitting on my closed door until it flung open. He'd run over to my bed and I'd be face to face with the most beautiful boy.
He is the sweetest, most loving child I've ever met. He's a snuggler. He's so lovable.
He's happy. He's incredibly special. I'm not just saying that. He is special. Everybody sees it. It's crazy but there's just something about him that is so special.
I remember the days that I thought I was crazy for and incapable of taking care of a one year old.
I remember the days he thought hitting me was the funniest thing ever.
I remember the days he thought screaming as high as he could, just because he could was the most fun thing in the world.
I remember when he was sick and refused to take his medicine every day and would spit it all over me. And I remember when he refused to eat and would spit out whatever I tried to feed him on me or all over the floor.
But more than those difficult days, I remember the bond that was built between us.
Now, I just want to talk a minute about his adoption.
I won't go into details but before he was a McDown, somebody else was going to adopt him.
It was not a good situation. Things did not go smoothly. And from the very beginning, I just felt that it wasn't a good fit. I worried and I had such doubts that it would benefit him. I know that adoption is good and some would argue that any life in America would be better than life in an orphanage in Haiti. But I just knew that there was something so much better for him, a family that would he would without question belong to and fit better in. So, throughout the whole time his adoption was being pursued, I continually offered his situation to the Lord. I prayed that if this was meant to be, it would succeed and if God had a better plan, whatever needed to happen would happen.
I remember lying on the tile floor next to his play pen as he napped, praying for him and his future.
And I remember rocking him to sleep at night, singing him to sleep, worshiping our Father.
I would sing three songs, You Are For Me by Kari Jobe, Worshiping You by Deluge, and How He Loves by David Crowder. After those three songs, I would kiss his face, lay him down, and rub his back and whisper "I love you and Jesus loves you." (And later I got to add "Mommy loves you and Daddy loves you.")
How He Loves, this song gets me every time. I'm listening to it now. And it was so appropriate to sing, holding sweet Quaid in my arms. I'm crying even now as I'm overwhelmed, thinking about how much God loves us. He loves me. He loves Quaid. I'm so grateful that God would let our paths cross. That I got to be the one He used to love His precious son when he was at his most vulnerable.
I'm amazed at how much God loves Quaid. I'm in awe of the way I've truly been able to witness His hand on his little life.
God answered my prayers for him. He let the adoption fall through.
After it was no longer taking place, I worried. I worried about another family finding him. I worried about what would happen if he were to grow up in Haiti without a family.
But I've seen Jeremiah 29:11 ring true for him, God has a hope and a future for Quaid.
Shortly after the end of the pursuit of his adoption, another meeting took place.
His mother met him for the first time. And it's just so crazy how God orchestrated it all was.
But this family, his mother, father, and three brothers (two American, one Haitian) are an absolutely perfect match. It's evident that they were hand-picked by God.
There are so many details, details that I don't even know but the short of it is, less than a year later, Quaid McDown will be going home to live with his forever family.
That's who my God is. Author of stories so beautiful and powerful as this one.
I could talk about him for days. I didn't even mention the month I got to return to Haiti and love on him so more.
This boy has been such a blessing in my life.
I just wanted to get a little bit of our story out in celebration of his adoption.
Praise God. For his faithfulness. He is good. He is miraculous.
The second time I got to hold him.
Best Buddies.
This says it all.
Photos from February's trip
Basically, we're best friends.
Is he not the cutest?
Snuggle bug.
Silliness.
I have way too many pictures. So I'll stop there.
Thank you for reading. And thank you to those of you who prayed right alongside me for Quaid. <3
Celebrating James Quaid McDown's adoption and so excited to see what God has in store for this little guy!
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