Our First Days as a Family

If meeting Jacob for the first time was unforgettable, bringing him into our daily lives was something altogether different- both magical and overwhelming in the best ways.

Those first days were filled with new rhythms, nervous excitement, and the tender realization that we were learning each other in real time. Jacob was learning what it felt like to be in a home that was now his, and we were learning what it meant to be the parents he needed us to be.

The little things stand out the most. Like the way he tested boundaries- not out of defiance, but out of curiosity. Would we still be kind if he pushed too hard? Would we still stay if he acted silly or stubborn? Every “test” was his way of asking, Are you really mine? And every time, we answered with patience, love, and consistency.

We laughed together a lot in those first days- running through the house, playing with toys, sharing Happy Meals at the table, and watching him settle into the comfort of his own space. But there were also quiet moments that broke us wide open- like when he shyly brought us a toy and asked us to play, or when he finally fell asleep in his new room after a week of sleeping in our bed, little by little he felt a little safer than the night before.

As much as those days were about him adjusting to us, they were also about us adjusting to him. We realized quickly that parenting wasn’t about perfection- it was about presence. About showing up every morning, every night, and every moment in between, no matter how uncertain or tired we felt.

Looking back now, we can see that those first days were the foundation of everything. They were messy, beautiful, exhausting, and holy. They were the days when three people who had lived separate stories started writing a new one- together.