It's All Good Hair

My cute husband brought home this GREAT book yesterday and I wanted to share it with those in need of understanding our kids hair. It's called It's All Good Hair: The Guide to styling and Grooming Black Children's Hair.

First of all, let me just say my husband is so sweet. When we talk about doing Felicity's hair or doing different things with it as she gets older he's all about helping and he's all about learning to do different stuff. Then when he brought home this book, it was just really cute. Anyways we bought it at Barnes & Noble but I also found this site that has a lot of other books having to do with black children's hair care. I have learned a ton about different textures and how often to wash, styles, etc. I am not sure what they are doing with Felicity's hair but it's cute!

Well, we are preparing as much as we can for our trip. It can be overwhelming but I am encouraged daily that God has called me to prepare to get our little one and He has sovereigly given us this court date and therefore is going to help me accomplish all the things that need to be done in time to go. We have been enjoying our family time before we leave as we complete our tasks. I have been thinking, wow, there's a lot to pack for Felicity! Diapers, wipes, formula, bottles, clothes, shampoo and lotion, etc. It's a lot for a whole 10 days. Other's have told me there are items in Addis if we need them so that's comforting to know. We are really excited and I am trying to have self-control with the girl clothes since we aren't having our shower for about 2 weeks.

And lastly, I am sure you get sick of hearing about BOOKS but I never cease to find something that is encouraging to me in one of them so if you don't read or if your adopting and you haven't really read anything PLEASE read this book! It's called Carried Safely Home by Kristin Swick Wong. Thanks to Shelly for the recommendation (check out their site, they should get their referral any day now). It's a wonderful book that weaves the theological and the personal sides of adoption. The way the author write is so perfectly how I have felt many times in this process and she explains the mysterious way our hearts are knit together with our children whom we have never met. Here's a taste (she's talking about their lengthy struggle while adopting their first boy from Vietnam):

"We love Benjamin and are committed to him, though he is utterly unaware of it. Our love is not a response to anything he has done and is not supported by any repricocity, not even the pleasure of watching him grow and learn. Newborn babes seem to take more than they give to their parents at times, yet at least they offer a soft bundle to hold and the promise of smiles and coos to come. Benjamin has no natural or physical connection to us. At this time he can offer us nothing. Yet we have set our love on him. We have chosen him, and we will do anything we can to bring him to us. God has poured out love for him into our hearts, and we cannot move away from him.

This must be a faint reflection of the love that God our Father sets on us. God has chosen us and so we are loved, even though we may go through days blindly unaware of that love, as Benjamin is unaware of ours. God loves us because he chooses to love us, not because we have performed in any way to earn his love or because we can give anything back to him. As Benjamin has done nothing to make us love him, so we have done nothing to make God love us. Our adoption is not based on our being worhty or cute or attractive. It is based on the free and sovereign grace of God planned before the world and bought for us by the blood of Christ."