A Gift from My Husband

My sweet husband surprised me with this gift today!
I had to share it with you guys. :)

The bracelet represents our family. The cross symbolizes Jesus at the center of our story. On either side of the cross are two clear beads which stand for Aaron and me. Next to those are two beads shaped like leaves (you can see them better in the picture below) which represent our daily prayers for our babies' growth. The two larger stones represent the embryos that we will be adopting. Right now there are only two because we don't know how many embryos we'll adopt, but the six larger beads that aren't strung are for any other babies that we may be blessed to have and will be strung later. Each one has an individual shape and size, showing that each of our little children is a unique person created by God. On either side of the embryo beads are two small white shell beads. These symbolize the purity of Jesus which we believe, through God's grace, surrounds our embryos in their current state.

The gold beads that are currently at the top of the bracelet will be moved either side of our embryo beads if any of our children don't make it to birth. They will symbolize that our children will then be in Heaven with their Father. There are also several little heart beads interwoven. These of course tell how this adoption is a journey of love. The two beads that aren't yet strung in the middle of the bracelet look like developing children (see the head and belly?). If we are blessed that any of our embryos begin to grow inside of me, then they will be strung in place of the beads that represent our children in their embryo state. We'll see how the bracelet changes as we discover how God continues to write this amazing story.




A better view of the leaf beads which represent our daily prayers for the growth of our children...



One of the two (for now) embryo beads with the white shell beads around it...



And two of the developing baby beads that we hope to string soon...