Gotcha! 04/22/14

Yesterday – April 22, 2014 – was a pretty big day for our family. It will be known as Max’s Gotcha Day. Gotcha Day is the day we celebrate Max’s official entrance into our family. We know several adoptive families that celebrate their children’s Gotcha Day.

Max was born September 27 and was placed in our home October 1, but yesterday was the day the judge finalized his adoption. While we can’t imagine our family without him, yesterday was the day he legally became a Brackemyre.

It was great to celebrate the day with his four siblings, three of his grandparents, an uncle and several friends who were able to sit in the courtroom. We also had a friend who is a photographer attend to capture some pictures of the day. The photo of Max and his brothers and sister on this page was taken by her. Only a few of the other pictures have a been posted, but more are to come. You can check them out (along with other photos by the photographer) on her Facebook page – Susan Marie Photography

When Max was just weeks old, Cheryl and I gave a quick recap of how Max became part of our family. It was originally used in the worship services at CrossView Christian Church and then was shown at the Wilmington Church of Christ. It just gives the backdrop to how we got to meet and pursue the adoption of Max.

We are so grateful to have Max as part of our family and look forward to helping him grow to be a man of God.

Adoption: God At Work

In just over a week we will have our final hearing and our adoption will be complete. It is hard to believe that Max has been a part of our family for 6 months and we can’t imagine life without him with us.

In the short time he’s been with us, he’s made a remarkable impact on our family. Max has brought our family together in ways we didn’t anticipate. He has been accepted right away into the family by his siblings. They ask about him, buy stuff for him, make a special effort to see him and spend time with him (and us). He even his own hashtag on Twitter (#MaxMonday). God has used Max to make a difference in our family.

Max has been used to change us in ways we never would have imagined. Just over a week ago, we found out that Max’s birth father passed away unexpectedly. Due to some unique circumstances, Max’s birth father didn’t get the opportunity to meet his son. When we found out about his passing and the subsequent funeral arrangements, we felt like the right thing to do was attend the viewing. My wife and I felt it was important that his birth father’s relatives had the chance to meet him.

We certainly didn’t know what to expect when we arrived, but it was such a time of comfort and healing. The first person we saw was Max’s birth mother and she was grateful to see him. She carried him around and introduced him to other grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins and even his great-grandfather. Max’s sweet disposition seemed to bring a sense of peace to the time of mourning.

Several family members and friends came up and thanked us for bringing him. We have been so grateful for Max being a part of our family that it seemed natural to share him with his biological family.

While we didn’t know the whole picture of what adoption would do for our family before we got Max, we never would have imagined this scene. I have to think that God is not done using Max’s story and life to tell His story of love and redemption. Our story is certainly not unique and we are thankful for what He is doing in our family and in the lives of others through adoption.