Missing Hope!!

Is it possible to miss someone you have never met!! I would have never thought so until Laikyn Hope became my daughter! With Jillian, we traveled eight weeks after seeing her picture and accepting her referral. From then it was a whirlwind, so I didn't have as much time to dwell on what was happening. It has now been eight months since we first saw Laikyn in August. When we received our update in December, I was shocked. She had grown so much that at first I thought they sent me pictures of the wrong child! I began to realize how much I was missing. I began to think about what her birth was like and how fragile and scared she must have been as she was brought to the orphanage at six months old. Then how scared she must have been to be admitted to the hospital surrounded by only strangers and no mommy to comfort her. Then after a year of milestones and settling into a routine, to be suddenly sent to a whole new home with foster care. The strongest of us may not have survived it, but my girl did! That must be why God led me to name her Hope! She is the picture of Hope in a seemingly hopeless situation! Her pictures don't show a scared and fragile baby. She looks confident and happy to me. For that, she is my hero and I miss her like crazy! We are supposed to be getting an update on her before we travel, so everyday, I open my email with great anticipation, but nothing so far... I just long to see her face again. I want to know how she is doing. Her Hopeful Mommy!!!