Hospital Stays & Grace for Days
I’m adjusting to being a family of 5. I’ve always heard that going from 2 to 3 is difficult, and I can now attest that is not a lie. (Not that I ever imagined it was). Trying to get out of the house… Dear friend, please give up on the hope of me ever being anywhere on time again. Since arriving in Texas our little girl has been showered with love by friends and family and I absolutely love it. (She received the same in Arkansas!) Our boys have also been getting the spoiled. I fear that their idea of Christmas time now means bunches of people giving them presents day…
Things I Didn’t Expect
An extreme outpouring of love: I’m sorry, dear friends, that I underestimated you. I truly expected people to ask why we were doing this. Or worse, people who were afraid to love our baby girl because of the inevitable loss (that we’re praying is years and years away). But that’s not what we found. We found hundreds of people who are excited for our little one. Tons of people who love her and want to shower her, and us, with that love for as long as possible. Thank you for blowing me away with your beautiful hearts. Hormones: I thought if I didn’t birth a baby I wouldn’t be an…
Welcome to the World Little One
Welcome the newest edition to our family! In keeping with our theme here, let’s call her Wonder Woman. And she certainly is our little wonder. She came to us in a whirlwind of surprise and activity and we are thrilled to have her. The day before Thanksgiving we were told about two different special needs babies, one in Arkansas and another in a different state, and asked if we would like to be adoptive families for either of them. We were under the impression that there wasn’t much of a hurry to make a decision, but we knew we would make one before the offices were open on Monday. At…
The Dog Days of Summer are Over
I have a story to tell you about my youngest son. If you’re having a rough day, I think this will put it in perspective…. This morning I was attempting to get ready before I realized that all of the exciting things I was looking forward to today would be cancelled. Thanks rain. The oldest is watching TV in my bed and the youngest is running around upstairs being a handful. He wants to feed the dogs, so he opens up the container and does so, it’s very messy. I don’t complain because it’s entertaining him, but then notice that he’s not just feeding the dogs he’s also eating their…
We Are Approved
We have official approval!! May 25, 2016 is the date that we have officially been approved to adopt in the state of Virginia! Truth be told, when we attended our first meeting in October and submitted the paperwork in November, I believed that we would be approved by February. I actually know that there are a couple babies that could have been matches for us had we been approved a few months ago. But I know that this timing is all God’s. Each and every delay, even the frustrating ones, were put in place to ensure that we would not be approved until May 25, 2016. One of the benefits…
Humbled Hearts and Thank You’s
Yesterday was our fundraiser with our Crossfit box. I want to thank everyone who participated, I really cannot thank you all enough for your generosity. Between the t-shirt sales, our current GoFundMe amount, and donations from yesterday we have raised $1338.30! I truly thank God for the community He has brought us to. It’s difficult to put this into words, though it has been rolling around in my heart for some time. I think of all of the people we have met at our gym, church, work, Bible studies, and other groups and am just floored by all of the support we have received. On top of thousands of dollars…
Profile Books and Patiently Waiting
When an expectant parent comes to Bethany, or a mother who has given birth in the hospital, she will receive counseling to help her work through options for herself and her child. This really is nonjudgemental and unbiased counseling. Our social worker told us that only about 1/3 of the mothers that come to Bethany end up placing a child for adoption through Bethany. That number actually makes me happy because I know that their focus is truly on taking care of women and helping them decide what is best without pressuring them to adopt. If/when she is sure that adoption is her choice she will talk with her counselor…
Home Study and Happy Birthday
Superman is 3. That’s right folks, we’ve got a full fledged 3 year old on our hands. Which blows my mind because I can’t believe this crazy kid has been bringing joy into our lives for a full 3 years. Over the past year my son has become a very talkative and imaginative child able to be understood (mostly) by anyone without the aide of his parental interpreters. He has perfected the art of pushing my buttons and is now asking ‘why’ about everything. For a few weeks my answers were thought out and logical. Now they are ‘because I said so’. He has learned to count, sing the ABC’s…
Crazy Trains and Time Wasters
There are a lot of mothers in my group of friends and many of them are first time moms. For some reason I’ve been getting comments lately implying these mothers think I’ve got it all together. I attribute that to their sleep deprived minds being unable to see reality clearly. But as I think about it, maybe there are some factors that are contributing to this misinterpretation of life in our household. My two kids typically appear clean, well fed, and clothed, they seem to like each other and myself, many days I can be seen in public without yelling at my children, and we are intentionally attempting to add a…
Snow Days and Slight Delays
Fundraising Update: We had our first fundraiser! The amazing Stacey of Cute E’s Photography hosted mini sessions and asked her clients to donate their session fees to us. The pictures are beautiful and the financial blessing is incredible and encouraging! The sessions were $75 and 6 people took advantage of it. Because Stacey is such a kind person, she’s continuing to offer the discounted sessions for us and will continue to donate the session fee to our adoption. I am so thankful for Stacey and to God for putting her in our lives. Not only have we gotten amazing pictures but we’ve also gotten to know a wonderful and encouraging…
