Today marks my twin’s 5th birthday. It feels like a monumental birthday. One of the big ones. They are no longer babies, toddlers, or preschoolers. They will start Kindergarten in 2 weeks, and they are blooming right before my eyes. This summer I have witnessed milestone after milestone. I snapped this picture this morning as we were out shopping:

One milestone I wasn’t present for was their birth. I missed that day, and I also missed their 1st birthday. They weren’t placed in my arms until they were 15 months old, and even then it was just supposed to be for one week. However, because of a God ordained, God purposed, God breathed plan, I have been given the honor of being called mommy.

And, the huge responsibility of raising my two special boys to embrace their birth story and the chapters that followed weighs on me. But it’s not a heavy, ill fitting burden. It’s a weight that I signed up to carry, and the explosion of beauty that came with saying yes to two 1 year old boys has been worth every struggle.

One of the beautiful aspects of our adoption is that I didn’t just gain two baby boys, I also gained a lifelong relationship with one of the bravest women I know. Their birth mother. I have watched her sacrifice again and again her heart for her babies. I have watched her mother them in ways that are the absolute best for them even when it may have hurt her feelings. I have watched her put herself aside and place them and their emotional needs on the front burner. And through the process of caring for the boys, we became friends and then we became more than that….. a family. Two mothers who desire the same goal: healthy, happy boys.

She is my hero. She chose to allow me to adopt her boys, and they will forever be “our boys”. One mommy who gave the boys the wondrous gift of life, one mommy who raises them in the day to day, and two mommies who are on the same team loving them with every ounce we’ve got.

I call her their, “Tummy Mommy”. I got the term from another adoptive mom, and it stuck. It helps them to understand the little bit they are ready for today. I pray that as time passes they embrace their story and are even proud to share it. God was and is in every single detail. He knit together two mommies who will move mountains for these boys! And she has been with us for each birthday to date..I am looking forward to spending this weekend celebrating our boys together!

Praise God that He can make beautiful things out of dust. Our story is another reminder that light triumphs over darkness. In our adoption story, GRACE WINS!!!!

Blessings to all of you!

Vanessa Lynn