Our Adoption Story Part 3

That night ( april 9th) I got home and to my surprise- we had an email from her! I had asked her what had made her want to contact us, in particular. Her response was something like .... there's not ONE thing that drew me to you guys it was a bunch of things and i kept thinking about these 2 blond girls with big red flowers in their hair and i would always go look at your blog and profile. I figured I'd better do something about it if I kept returning to the same family...

I was SO relieved to know that 1. she was NOT a mis-directed email & 2. she was a living person and is really quite awesome!

I could go on and on about our many emails that led to texting and then one day about 2 weeks later, WE made the first CALL to chat! During all that time, Brandon would hound me with excitement about checking our email and he'd read through the texts and sometimes even text her. Come to find out- they have a very similar sense of humor, like brother and sister!!!

So, when Jessica and I did talk, It was super comfortable and easy to just open up. Even with the BOMB I dropped on her! I just laid it out there that , We felt impressed to continue into foster care and would only wait until we had to, if she decided to place with us. I asked her how she would feel if we would foster/ adopt a child older than her son but younger than Aria while her baby would be still very young. To my amazement she said: " I think it's cool and i have 2 sisters that are the same ages and a big family so, if that's how you feel you need to go, to grow your family- go for it. Not like a baby would know the birth order at such a young age"

I asked her if she feared a FC kid may lash out on her baby. She said " well, you guys are good parents, I know he will be fine and it's not like you'd be fostering a child you couldn't handle"

All this time Jessica had NOT told us that she wanted to selected us so, we were still very much in the dark, Until THE CALL from KELLY S!

He had called a few times that April Day and finally, I got back to him and He told me why our profile was down and that we were on a soft hold b/c He wanted to have us be the CRADLE CARE family- Oh, and could we come down today and pick up a baby girl???

Which we did! H was a JOY to have for a week! What a DOLL! We had been planning to see Jessica the weekend after we got H so, during that week I asked J all kinds of ?'s about How she would feel if we adopted 2 children around the same ages? She yet again STUNNED me and said " YOU WILL BE SO TIRED BUT, THAT WOULD BE COOL WITH ME!"

What trust she has in US and we hadn't even met yet! So, the following Wednesday, April 27th, we brought H back to the Agency and i cried all the way home but, the light at the end of that tunnel was that we were going to UT that weekend to meet an amazing woman who, so far, pretty much thought we were pure awesomeness! ( okay a slight exaggeration)

super ...

busy but great! Grandma Betty is up for a visit and I'm finishing up client photos and gaining some sort of new-fangled schedule to my life. I'm figuring out what i can do without and trimming the fat out of my life:) SO, bare with me... I will post more soon but , now i can only post at 6am (when i should be working out) or at night around 9-10 when kids are all asleep. But, I will not give up the blog entirely! Having THREE is so much more than two! Some may say we are crazy but we want 6 ish kids and LOTS of love and birth parents aplenty, I'm sure! Who knows how our next child will come into our family but, we are along for the ride that God has us on! P.S. I'm thanking Him everyday for our current miracles!

Adoption Story Part 2

So. After accepting that ALL THINGS can not be controlled by me or even willed the way i wanted them ( no matter how much i put into sending vibes and thoughts into the universe:), I came to that Ultimate Conclusion: God Knows what We Need, When we need it. I will do all i can to continually press on in the directions we are led.

So... We decided to finish that one last Foster Care Certification Class- CPR and First Aid. I had helped another couple in our agency see that FC wasn't so bad and that they would be such wonderful parents ( b/c they already are:) and they'd be able to give so much love to kids in need and eventually adopt one, 2 or more:) So, we conspired to do the CPR class and finish our process up.

April 7th came and we did our class and LOVED IT ( you really do remember the rhythm of stayin' alive :)! The next morning on April 8th, I called our case worker contact and later that day we went to the church building to help set up for the CO/WY Area FSA conference. We were all having a blast and getting busy when Kelly S. (adoption Super for LDSFS) Says " One of our couples got a birthmom contact today, the _____'s! " We were excited for them and it redoubled that heading to FC was the right choice b/c we'd probably have no chance at getting selected for a LOOOOONG time!

That night i get home and check my email accounts as usual and i notice that WE HAVE A BIRTHMOM CONTACT- NO FREAKIN' WAY! I was overjoyed at the possibilities, nervous and excited yet at peace ( not sure how that's possible :) I kept thinking- Why didn't Kelly tell me we had one? Brandon was just as floored as me. He thought of becoming a father again and really wanted to know what she was having but, we had to restrain ourselves just a bit. It was in fact- her first email to us!

The next morning on April 9th at the FSA CONFERENCE- i pulled Kelly aside and asked him why he didn't tell me that we too had a contact. He was shocked and said something like " You guys have one? I would have seen it in my email? Are you sure it was for you? Not that you aren't cool and all but, is it a legit one?"

Of course, i felt AWESOME at the assumption that Kelly was making " great, a scammer or a mis- directed email- go figure" I put on a happy face and loved the conference saying very little about it!...

Our Adoption Story Part 1

In February 2011, my prayers started to change. I felt this urge to start being very specific and start praying for OUR BIRTHMOM'S NEEDS! We had NOT been selected and , frankly, nothing was on the horizon. We had completed Foster Care training last October in 2010 and we had told our adoption supervisor's that we were ready to TRANSFER our profile at any given moment we just had to complete CPR training and we'd be ready to go! Kelly, said to me" Just wait a bit longer- have placement then transfer over!" Which i thought was him being crazy b/c we have felt so strongly about foster to adopt that i kind of ignored him, honestly.

My prayers would often be doubled each night- praying for HER strength, her supportive friends and family, her ability to find us and know us, her will to stand up to people who may mistreat her and so forth. I felt different things each night and just went with it and i even prayed saying that " no matter in which way she comes" via foster care or adoption- most people should care and love how and where their children come from b/c that road has led them to YOU!

And if you READ the OUR JOURNEY THUS FAR page- you will get the even further back story!

So, the 2nd to last week of March, I was watching a show where a couple had adopted some foster care kids with some delays ( usual in that setting). I was so touched and overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit and it was like i was automatically changed. I realized that instant that I was withholding blessings for our family by trying to TELL GOD what we wanted and HOW! I realized that most of my reasons for wanting another open adoption were selfish. It was about me, not about the child. My list included open contact and visits as often as possible. I wanted the BP's to be of some christian faith and much like Brielle's Birth Family! And I wanted a certain order in timing!

But at that moment- none of that mattered and i realized I was done fighting with GOD about those things and MY TIMING! I bawled on my Knees for like 10 mins. crying and asking forgiveness. I Gave UP MY WILL and said I want what you want to Bring us Lord, Whenever YOU Desire to bring it to us and in whatever form, blind, def, multiples, siblings, private, open, closed, foster care embryo adoption, etc. I DON'T CARE- I JUST WANT YOUR WILL NOW...

Of Course...

we are busy and of course, i will post on THE WHOLE STORY. Just be patient with us! I'm learning a new juggling act right now! It's a great one though!



Enjoy this Mini Man!

Our Road Trip Led Us...

to OUR 3RD MIRACLE!

GAVIN DANGER CHRISTIAN

was born to our beautiful Birth mom, Jessica H.

May 28th 2011

7lbs 13 oz. 20 Inches

All are doing great ans SOOOO much MORE to come very soon( after we unpack and get settled!)

He has a blog/registry at our3rdmiracle.blogspot.com

We are having TONS of fun bonding and cuddling right now. Come Back soon!