While I'm Waiting

A couple of years ago I signed up to do foster care.  I wanted to do foster care ultimately to adopt out of the system.  There are so many children in the custody of the state that need to be in a home where someone will love them and care for them while their parents are trying to "fix" whatever it was that went wrong in the process of raising their child(ren).  I was blessed.  I had a placement of 3 of the most amazing children I could have ever met!  I became friends with the lady who gave them life and tried so hard to get them back home.  She did.  We all worked as a team to provide stability to these children during a trying time and yet we managed to form a friendship that extended beyond these 3 precious children.  I enjoyed having these little ones in my house for months!  I got to hear laughter, paint toenails, play restaurant, and develop a love even more greater than I thought for these little people.  It made me realize how much I truly wanted to be a mommy.  It gave me a "taste" of what that moment would be like.

Along this journey I met an amazing mentor who I consider to be a dear friend.  She went above and beyond to make sure my emotions were in tact, my voice was heard, and made me see the experience of fostering as a beautiful thing.  We shared our experiences with infertility.  We shared our longing to be mommies.  She was fortunate enough to adopt her sweet baby girl and is now a forever mommy.  Earlier this evening she shared a song with me.  This song was a testament during her trying time to become a mommy.  I feel honored to know her and for her to have shared her story with me.  I've added this song to my blog and if you click on the playlist on the right side of my blog on the song "While I'm Waiting" you will feel what's it's like to walk in my shoes.  This song will be my new lifeline while I wait to get that call saying I will become a mommy, saying I've been matched with a birth mother.  We are now at 4 months, 1 week, and 1 day waiting.  DH and I are still hanging in there and praying that God's will be done and that He see fit for us to raise a child together.

Enjoy the song and God Bless :)

Weekend Wrap-Up

Another weekend has come...and gone.  This weekend we did accomplish several things and made some plans with some friends for an upcoming concert.  One of my oldest and dearest friends invited DH and I to join her and her (somewhat new) boyfriend at upcoming concert.  I've never met this guy and I look forward to seeing how well they mesh.  I love "L" and only want the best for her and she deserves a great guy to share her journey with!

DH hates country music, but I can say it's my favorite genre!  Without hesitation we booked our tickets to join "L" and her boy for a Brad Paisley concert this summer!!!!  I'm sooooooo excited for this!!!!!!  It's a good thing my hubs loves me so much :) 

One of my good friends started a crafty business on the side when she isn't busy with her teaching job.  Recently, she's been creating tons of new and different items that I just adore!  I'm a freak when it comes to monogramming and when I seen a wreath she had made for a different classroom I knew I just HAD to have one for mine!  This is the final creation...

On Saturday night, DH and I traveled to my sister's house to celebrate my nephew's 18th birthday.  It's so hard to believe that my only nephew has now entered adulthood.  He is such an awesome kiddo!  From the beginning he's had a fiery spirit that has captured everyone in my little family.  He will be a great uncle to my niece on the way and to our future child.  I can't wait to see the road that God has planned for him!

Waiting 4 Months For Our Blessing

Today makes 4 months that DH and I have been "waiting" for our child.  We both are excited that time just keeps ticking by.  Even though I'm sure we'll have a change of mind once we get our baby and will want to savor every moment.  We have started talking more about baby names and have even looked at different nursery settings for baby boys and baby girls since we don't know what the sex will be (nor do we care).  We are just so ready for that call that says we have been chosen by a birth mother!

This past weekend DH and I shared a night together in "the big city" having dinner, dancing and yummy food on a boat with about 40 other couples.  I found this Valentine's getaway a few months back and immediately booked it.  It exceeded both our expectations and we both agreed to make this a yearly ritual for our Valentine's date night.  Below are some pictures from the amazing night!

                                                                My handsome husband

                                                                           Our table

                                                             The view from our table

If anyone who visits my blog lives in KY I highly suggest this experience!

Happy Day Of Love!

I hope everyone has had a wonderful day of sharing love and kindness to those around you.  I woke up this morning, showered, and came out of the bathroom to find this letter from my amazing husband.  He loves to write me letters almost as much as I love reading them.  I can't express how amazing this man has been to me.  More than anything I find a security in so many ways with him.  I love that he is writing about our family-to-be.  I love that he is as excited as me to start filling our house with children and to be parents together.  I see so much in what we have and where our path will take us.  Every word in this letter I hold close to my heart because it's what I've wanted and prayed for for so long.  Enjoy!

Navigating

I've had several of my friends inquire about following my blog once I started sharing our adoption journey on my personal facebook account.  I'm still kinda new at this whole "fancying up my blog" thing and hope that you all can bare with me as I try to get everything added.  I've only used my blog as a journal and to connect with other mommies that have been blessed with the gift of adoption so I haven't spent tons of time working out all the kinks.  Now that people I know personally are interested in following I promise I'll work on making it more appealing.  Thanks to everyone who has decided to take this journey with us :)

Sharing Our Journey...

I recently decided to share our journey of adoption via my personal facebook account.  In the past couple of weeks I've had 2 close friends present the possibility of private adoption because they were in a place where this was being discussed as an option.  For case #1, I'm not sure the birth mother will go the adoption route, but it still may be a possibility.  For case #2, the birth mother is very sick and may be forced to sign her rights over because she has no family. 

I don't know that anything will come of either of these cases.  It may and it may not.  Either way DH and I are remaining on the adoption waiting list.  We are currently at 108 days waiting and we know with each passing day that leads us closer to our child.  But we don't want to stop there.  We want more children.  We want a big family.  We want a house full of kiddos and all the excitement they bring!

I want to thank each one of you who has taken even a second out of your day to think about this journey DH and I are taking and our longing to become parents together.  We appreciate you thinking of us when adoption is mentioned and we are hoping to expand our family one bebe at a time :)

Prayers Please!

Yesterday I took a day off work to go visit a Dermatologist.  Four years ago I had a mole removed that was found to be Stage 2 Melanoma.  I had surgery on my lower left leg that now leave a huge hole document this journey.  Luckily all cancer was removed.  After the whole melanoma debacle I feared going back to the doctor because I just "knew" something else would be found.  So it's taken me four years to reach a point where I knew I needed to see a specialist and have my skin checked out.

My awesome hairdresser recommended a place about 45 minutes from my house.  I thought I'd give it a try.  BOY AM I GLAD I DID!!  I walked into the small office yesterday not knowing what would be found or what the dermatologist might say after checking me.  I ended up having 6 more moles removed (for a total of 21).  She didn't seem to think any of them were as serious as the last.  She sent all of them off for a biopsy just to be sure and said I would know something within 2 weeks. 

I'm asking for prayers that all tests come back cancer free!  If any of you have a "weird" place on your skin anywhere PLEASE take the time to visit a good dermatologist.  Life is too short to take any chances!