Having two kids under the age of three can be challenging, and exhausting but most of all busy! Faith and Owen are always on the go.. Go... Go! There's no stopping!
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Its been a while since I posted... Honestly I forgot about the blog because we had such an amazing response in the beginning that I let it fall. However I've been contacted lately about adoption, foster care and ICWA. It's our experiences good and bad that shape us and help us become who we are. I wond sugar coat it, it's been rough but amazing!
We have now been blessed with two amazing kiddos and they have forever changed me and will continue. They have saved me in a way I didn't know was possible. Between my journey with my business (Thirty-One) and the adoption processes over the last three years I am a whole new woman. Some days I don't recognize myself, or who I was... But I definently look to the future to who I can become. Its always been a dream to inspire, advocate and make change. The struggle is how, when and can I do it. I know I can and I know I will and maybe sharing stories and resources for other adoptive families, foster families or people interested I can help make a difference. Let et me know what you want to hear about, and what I can share to help you! Let me start off by mentioning I am not a writer, and this blog post may be all over the place but I hope that it can help me work through some stuff and help others understand that they are not alone and that we can be strong.
This morning I packed my daughter up, kissed my husband goodbye and headed down the long highway to a nearby town for a 2nd consult on my fertility issues. This appointment has been a long time coming, and I had done everything to avoid it. Partially because I gave up about two years ago, and decided that having a biological child wasn't in the cards. Driving I wasn't thinking much about the appointment except "I've heard it all before, there are only two options and prayer, blah, blah, blah..." As I'm talking with the doctor it all came back to me, the disappointment, the fear, the feelings of being a failure. I asked questions, got the same answers but a promise to look through everything again and see if there's anything missing. The worst part is knowing that I more then likely did this to myself. My choices as a teen had a large impact on my body and will forever haunt me. I am forever grateful for my daughter and the joy she has brought into my life, I will continue to love her to the moon and back! She is the ONLY reason I didn't cry coming out of my appointment. Seeing her smiling face helps me get through and reminds me that I am meant to be a mom and its just going to be different. Its hard hearting what the doctors say, I just need to keep reminding myself that there are other children out there waiting for me to be their mom. I just need to find them! Where has the time gone? It has been nearly six months since I have updated the blog. I apologize for those of you who follow our blog and our journey. It has been an amazing journey to get to where we are today, it hasn't been easy, its been heartbreaking yet exhilarating. Our daughter is doing amazing. She is now 13m old and PERFECT. She is walking, babbling, giggling and has so much personality and attitude its hard not to smile ear to ear. She is the light in our worlds and we can't imagine our life without her. The first six months were extremely tiring and scary. Our daughter couldn't keep food down, and wasn't gaining weight; we ended up in the hospital with a mis-diagnosis and left with answers. We found out that our six months of projectile vomiting, colic, stomach pain, and sleeplessness were due to Acid & Silent Reflux. Once we got her on cereal formula and solid foods she was gaining weight and growing. She transformed overnight (attitude and looks). Finally at 6m old she was 10#. She was so much happier and healthier. It was a battle to get the answers and took a lot of persistence and anger from myself to get the answers. She quickly gained weight and started to develop quickly. She has a mouth full of teeth and the most beautiful smile on earth. Enjoy a slideshow of our beautiful angel! Its finalized!Our angel is finaly OURS officially! She is 6m8d old and now weights 14#5oz, 24.5"Long and xute as a button. It has been a wonderful time with her. She is a very happy baby, she has a little attitude but she's a diva. She loves clothes and helps pixk her outfits out and has a GREAT sense of style!Two bottom teeth, loves to jump, cuddle, dance, listen to music, play with her puppies and talk! She is very alert and loves to see everything. Despite the feeding issues we dealt with for nearly 5m she is doinb amazing now! We thank you all for your prayers and support.We are so lucky to finally have our angel and dream!
It's been a while since I've posted.It has been a busy time. Faith is now 4months old and doing well. She is healthy and growing into her personality. She has filled our heart with so much joy.All of the paperwork is files with the court now we are impatiently awaiting our "Gotcha Day" (the day everything will be finalized).I have been planning away for her party and can't wait for our family pictures in September and to make the official announcement and Invites to all our friends and family.We have been busy fundraising and saving money to pay for the adoption.
We are down to legal fees at this point! (Unless we have to do another post placement report)I am in the process of planning four final fundraisers (possibly 5) hoping to cover the rest of the costs.
This past month has been extremely hard and exhausting. We found out that two of our littles (past foster kids) had bee harmed. The worst part is they were removed from our home to live with family. We had planned on adopting them. We hope to get them back and persue adoption with them once more.Our daughter Faith is doing wonderful. She is growing and is a joy. We are in the process of redrafting paperwork with the lawyers office. We are one step closer to our adoption being finalized.We ask that you continue to pray for our litttles as well as for our adoption to go through without interruption. Thank you all again for everything!
"I'm going you be honest with you, the egg didnt take...
So we have 3 options... 2 more rounds of artificial insemination, invitro, or adoption... I know you want a child of your own but ONLY by a miracle and Grace of god will you have one." As im sitting in the doctors office hearing what i'd known for a long time, it was rather refreshing yet earth shattering. Refreshing in a sense that this doctor wasn't going to toy around with our emotions and was being honest. Earthshattering in that moment all my dreams of becoming a mother were faced with reality... It mayet NEVER happen. I sat there, and so many of my choices and lifestyle decicions went through my brain.. I hated myself at that moment. Was I being punished? Are my husband and I not right for eachother? Did I do this to myself - anorexia, bulemiah, drugs, alcohol, rape, overuse of painkillers? Why me, Why us? Then, I looked up and realized it was because I had lost myself and my faith for the last few years. I needed to restore my faith and become who I was destined to be. As I sit here today at 27 years old its hard for me to look back at my life and imagine how my experiences have made me how I am now. I have an amazing husband, am a liscenced foster parent and have had 7 kids in 2 years, working on adopting our first child, developed a program for at risk youth, donated time and money (even when I didnt have any) to numerous oranizations and youth programs, and I never put myself first. It seems like I maybe have had the perfect chidhood looking at who you know me as today, but I didn't. I once fought faith, lost hope but then I overcame and perservered with the hope to inspire. Tonight as I had faith cuddled on my lap looking at me cooing, cawing and smiling I decided to read the new book I got in the mail today...A Blessing from Above... a Little Golden Book....It's a story about a mama kangaroo prays every night for a baby of her own as she Spends her days watching other people with their children she feel sad but happy for them and one day a bunch of little birdies hatch and there were too many in the nest and one falls into her pouch the mama birdie is happy that her baby fell into loving arms .. "she knew her nest was not big enough for all her chicks. it made her happy to see her baby in such a warm, cuddly place.".... I looked at my daughter she was attentive and smiling.. I kissed her as tears ran down my face.. this is an amazing book and will be one of my favorites for Faith. "Now every night before the fall asleep mamaRoo and little one thank God for all the blessings but especially for each others ... in Love he destined us for adoption to himself- Ephesians 1:5
I am hosting a thirty-one catalog party and it is open now to June 18th there's a lot of new awesome products and fabrics all of the commissions earned from the consultant are going to be donated towards our adoption fees from the consultant perfect time to get those summer products and or start thinking about back to school especially this month with the special being spend 35 dollars large tote for $10 great time to stock up and get something for yourself and help us out if you have any questions please ask thank you all & have fun shopping.www.mythirtyone.com/AnneLittleclick: My parties, find my name.. Amanda ChristoffersonI Use them everywhere when I grocery shop to organize my cleaning supplies laundry traveling there are endless uses..
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