I’m so proud to introduce you to our second daughter, Marigold June or “Goldie”!
We adopted her in July from Jiangxi, China. She accepted us right away, but over the past two months we’ve gotten to know her and bond with her in a deeper way. Her and Nova’s sister relationship is truly one of the most special things I’ve ever experienced.
For example, last night we were all hanging out in the living room listening to music and Nova was playing with a puzzle and she suddenly said, “Hey mama, I’m so glad we have a sister!”
Though our new life with two children isn’t without hiccups and tears, I go to bed every night feeling full of love and so grateful.
Emma joined us for the first half of our trip to China and was there when we met our little golden girl for the first time. It was so incredibly special to have her there with us. One of the most special moments was after we got back to our hotel for the first time. Jeremy and Nova went to grab lunch and Emma and I just sat on the bed and tried to make Goldie laugh—and it worked. It was so surreal! One of the happiest moments of my life.
Many people have asked how our adjustment has been. It’s a tough question for me to answer since every day has been a mix of highs and lows. I think that’s just how being a new parent is—you never feel 100% solid. Every day is such a roller coaster.
BUT LOOK AT THOSE EYELASHES!
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your love and support this year … and last year—AUGH adopting two kids in under two years is a pretty BIG life change. I’ve appreciated all the kindness along the way! In some moments, it made me nervous to fulfill such a huge dream and become a mom so publicly. But it turned out to be the most bonded I have EVER felt with our blog readers … our family felt overwhelmingly supported and it really was the highpoint of my entire online experience. Thank you.
For now, our family feels complete and we are excited to experience Halloween and the holidays with Marigold for the first time. There’s so much to look forward to as she has just started to say her first words and she hasn’t yet taken her first steps.
If you want to read more about our adoption stories, I have some archives here.
Love you all! xx. Elsie
37 Comments
I love reading about and seeing photos of your precious girls! Thank you for taking us along with you and spreading the joy.
Thank you Claire!
She’s a beauty! Congratulations to your family! Can’t wait for more stories about this lovely little girl! ❤️✨
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Thank you so much :)))
Congratulations! She is so sweet!
“Hey mama, I’m so glad we have a sister!”…… Awwwwwww!!
Both are so adorable. Congrats again to you and Jeremy. xo
Ah! My heart!
Thank you so much!
I’m SOOO pleased to hear it’s going so well and you ALL are adjusting normally. Your family is beautiful and so happy. Thank you for sharing your girls with us. They are a joy to watch.
Best to you all!
Carrie
(Columbus, Ohio)
I so enjoy seeing your photos and reading your updates! Thank you so much for sharing so much with all of us!
ohhhh she’s so adorable!!! I hope you will have many happy moments together as a family!
Congratulations to you guys! My husband and I have also adopted two children in two years (along the same kind of timescale as you guys) and so I can empathise with some of what you are saying! It’s truly wonderful to see your precious girls growing up in such a warm and loving home. Praying for lots of sleep and continued bonding/positive attachment for you all. Much love, Claire.xx
She is so adorable, so happy for your family. Curious — what were her first words in English? How fun to experience that together.
Hi! Her first words have been “hi, mama, uh-oh and nova” (still working on dada!)
She is BEAUTIFUL. Her name is perfection and I am so happy she is part of your family! Welcome gorgeous Goldie!
K A T E L A T E L Y || fashion + lifestyle blog
http://www.katelately.co
Congratulations to you and your sweet family!
Congratulations to you! So happy for your family. She’s beautiful. I love that Nova has a sister to grow and bond with.
I just spent the last three hours reading through all of your adoption blog posts. You had me in TEARS. Thank you for being so honest, thoughtful, and raw in your posts, and allowing your story to be shared. I really appreciate your descriptions of all the emotions, expectations, and reality checks you experienced through this whole process. My fiance has expressed many times that he has always imagined having at least one adopted child, and I have never even thought about it – so to read how you and Jeremy opened up to doing so was really eye opening. Thank you!!!
she is soooo sweet and her name is perfection!! so happy for you and your family 🙂
~Steph
https://tps-steph.blogspot.com/
Your daughter is so sweet and beautiful! How lucky you are!
She’s beautiful!! Enjoy !
Congratulations to you & your family. Wishing you all the best. Your daughters are adorable.
My heart swells for your happiness. And Goldie is such a wonderful addition to your family. Wishing you all joy as you grow the family together.
These posts make me SO happy. I can feel your joy!
We can definitely relate…. We adopted 2 girls (also from China!) in 2 years. We are SO happy, but it sure is a whirlwind! 🙂
Wishing you and your beautiful family all the best!!!!!
I’ve loved following your adoption story. Your girls are so cute!! Thank you for sharing! The pumpkin patch and Halloween were one of my favorite times with my kids. These are the best years. Enjoy!????
She is precious!!! Congrats on your beautiful family.
Such a sweet post and I love that name! I’m so glad that you’re all enjoying this time at home together. Having two little ones isn’t easy, but it’s magical in so many ways.
Welcome, Marigold! She’s beautiful, and so is Nova, and so is your family! Congratulations on the family expansion! Through photos alone you can see how the happiness and comfort in each of your girls has developed. So warming to see. 🙂
What a joy! Congratulations to all.
I am literally sitting here with happy tears. She is so beautiful and such a blessing. I wish nothing but all the happiness for Goldie and your beautiful family.
Congratulations! And I love that name–I have a friend who also just recently had a daughter named Marigold. So pretty.
I always look forward to your posts showing the girls! I’ve been following Nova since the very beginning, saw her hair grow, her speaking… and now Marigold! It is a joy to see these girls growing with so much love, encouragement, support and respect for their roots!!! Raising a child is one of the greatest challenges ever, but worth every second!!!! ????
Congratulations! What a sweetie.
Elsie, you and Jeremy are such an inspiration and I have absolutely loved watching your family grow in this way. You sharing your life publicly as it unfolds takes a huge amount a vulnerability and it’s so cool to see how your actions have encouraged others (myself included) to consider adoption. Congrats to the four (!!!) of you! x
Thank you for sharing these pictures of Goldie. You have a beautiful heart and these girls are so lucky to have you. Enjoy all the little moments. They go by so fast.
O my, so precious!! Congrats she is such a doll you guys. So happy for your new addition!!
-Kate
https://daysofkate.com/
I love hearing about your adoption and motherhood journey. I can’t wait for your podcast and I’m really hoping you’ll do at least one or two episodes on your adoption experience.
I’m catching up on your blog (I didn’t keep up so well after my baby was born this summer!), and AHHHH, I’m so thrilled for you and Jeremy! Congratulations on this new addition to your beautiful family. Having just jumped into the joy (and all the ups and downs) of new motherhood myself, my heart felt extra tender as I read this post. Sending lots of love!