Special Jammies

Our first photo of the boys in the jammies we brought for them.

 Well, it’s here!  Jennifer finally fits into six month clothes.  The same clothes we put on the boys when we picked them up in January 2010.  They were seven months old and the clothes were too big, but being first time parents and never having met the boys we brought all six month clothing with us.  We really could have used three month clothing, but when in Ethiopia…make do!  There’s no Target to run to and we didn’t care – and all we wanted to do was snuggle the boys. When I think back to my greatest memory of meeting the boys and bringing them back to the guest house for the first time I picture the boys snuggled in their monkey jammies. 

Thomas at the guest house in Ethiopia (7 months old).

Jennifer (11 months) wearning Thomas' monkey jammies.

David at the Guest House in Ethiopia (7 months)

Jennifer (11 months) wearing David's monkey jammies.

I bought for them on a trip to Colorado (thanks Aunt Bev and Mom for the half hour wait as I carefully decided on jammies for the boys to wear for the first time).  Those monkey outfits (blue for Thomas and green for David) have very special memories.  I not only loved how cute they were in them but the thought of bringing them to the guest house, knowing they were our boys forever and how real everything became at that moment overwhelms me to think about.  What a crazy and amazing time in our lives.  I remember Blake and I changing the boys and putting them in their monkey outfits and just staring at them on the bed.  They were finally in our arms! We were parents (finally)!  We have TWO babies!  Wow…life was about to really change for us but in that moment we couldn’t have been more proud of our boys.  And here we were half way around the world from friends and family.  Alone with our boys…celebrating their arrival into our family.  Even now as I write about this I get tears in my eyes.  Oh the emotions of that day.  Those jammies are extra special to me and hold special memories of our time in Ethiopia and so many more fun moments once we were back in the states.  Since they started out big the boys wore them for months!  I loved it!  Every time they wore them I thought of our first day together. 

 

David and Thomas home in Michigan 

(one of my favorite photos of both boys after we had been home a few months)

Then we created other fun memories and wore them until I thought they would bust out at the seams.  The boys will one day receive these jammies to put on their own children and I will hold tight to the picture of our first day together and all the amazing memories we made.  

Thomas

David

Looking out the "window to the world."

Ahhh, mom - help!

Two smiling boys, happy to be with their mom and dad.

Oh Thomas, we love your faces!

Brothers and best friends

Sweet busters!

Getting big and almost ready to bust out of the toes of the jammies

but mommy had trouble giving them up.

I can honestly say I never thought I would put those jammies on another child. Then God blessed us with Jennifer and I had to let her try them out.  So we got rid of the pink and purple for a few nights and she got to sleep in the special jammies.  All of my children are so special to me and such a blessing from God.  I am thankful for the memories that we are making together with all three kids.  And for the chance to see Jennifer in the monkey jammies.

Jennifer and her bunny.  

The boys loved sharing their jammies with her and hearing stories of when they were little.