My pc has died. I am posting from my phone which is not easy. Hope to fix the issue soon. Stay tuned.
In the meantime, I have been contacted by many people lately who are in the difficul waiting period of adoption. I wish I could shorten this time for everyone and ease the difficulty of it. If you believe in prayer please pray for families in waiting.
10/26/09
10/20/09
Present During Delivery
As I mentioned in my last post, I was in the delivery room when our youngest son was born. I did not ask to be present and I was reluctant to be there. I played out ways in my head to get out of it. I never mentioned it and hoped she would change her mind. She didn't. Rogan's birth mother wanted me there. She made it very clear she wanted her aunt and me to be the ones with her during the birth. I reluctantly agreed.
My reason for being apprehensive about being in the delivery room, I was scared she would change her mind. I was afraid I would share this emotional experience with her and her aunt only to have her decide to raise him. I was being selfish.
Her reason for her request, she knew I would never experience child birth. She said his birth would be as close as I would get. She wanted me to see my son born. Wow. How thoughtful, unselfish and caring of her. Was it not enough she was allowing me to parent her child? How could I say no? I couldn't. She made me realize how selfish I was being. I was concerned for my own feelings.
I was there, barely if you read my previous post. I saw him enter the world; I helped coach her through labor. His birth was my only experience with child birth. I have no sisters, no one would probably ever ask me to be a part of their delivery again. It was amazing. Something I'll never forget.
Rogan's birth mother experienced three days of labor. Brian and I were there with her during all of it. Brian made many food runs to fix all her cravings and meet all her wants. We held her hand, shared stories, got to know her. We watched her endure physical and emotional pain. After Rogan was born, we continued to visit her room until she was released from the hospital. We ate meals together and talked with her and her family. We felt like we really got to know her and we will be able to tell Rogan a lot about her. She was a special person. I believe most birth mothers are.
My reason for being apprehensive about being in the delivery room, I was scared she would change her mind. I was afraid I would share this emotional experience with her and her aunt only to have her decide to raise him. I was being selfish.
Her reason for her request, she knew I would never experience child birth. She said his birth would be as close as I would get. She wanted me to see my son born. Wow. How thoughtful, unselfish and caring of her. Was it not enough she was allowing me to parent her child? How could I say no? I couldn't. She made me realize how selfish I was being. I was concerned for my own feelings.
I was there, barely if you read my previous post. I saw him enter the world; I helped coach her through labor. His birth was my only experience with child birth. I have no sisters, no one would probably ever ask me to be a part of their delivery again. It was amazing. Something I'll never forget.
Rogan's birth mother experienced three days of labor. Brian and I were there with her during all of it. Brian made many food runs to fix all her cravings and meet all her wants. We held her hand, shared stories, got to know her. We watched her endure physical and emotional pain. After Rogan was born, we continued to visit her room until she was released from the hospital. We ate meals together and talked with her and her family. We felt like we really got to know her and we will be able to tell Rogan a lot about her. She was a special person. I believe most birth mothers are.
He Speaks!
Rogan is begining to talk up a storm. His first word was momma. Woo Hoo! Since Brice still calls me Boss most of the time, I was pretty excited to hear momma. Rogan now also says, bubba, dadda, uh oh and my momma. I think because he loves me the most ;)
What We've Been Up To
Last Saturday, my friend and former co-worker Reagan and her son Hayden came over to play with us for a couple of hours. The boys had so much fun and since Hayden is only a couple of months older than Rogan they keep each other entertained and move around the house looking for things to get into. We went to feed the ducks and played on the playground. It was a lot of fun.
On Sunday, Brian and I took the boys to the aquarium. The aquarium was decorated for Halloween and Brice loved it.
Then yesterday, I let Brice swim in the hot tub. The temperature wasn't too cool and the tub is not too hot yet so I thought he could play in it for a little while. He was in heaven. He is taking swim lessons and is becoming a little fish. He likes to show me how he can go under water and open his eyes.
10/19/09
The Call #3
June 30, 2008 Brice and I returned from Target to a message on our answering machine from Adoption Affiliates. The message said we had been chosen again! Third time's the charm.
The baby was due on August 2nd and was a boy. We were asked to meet the birth mother in Texas on July 3rd. We absolutely agreed and cancelled a vacation to Colorado we had planned to attend my cousin's wedding. Of course, my family completely understood and knew we had to adjust our vacation to go and meet the birth mother of our child. We decided after the meeting we would drive on to Galveston, Texas and have a week's vacation on the beach. Everything always works out.
We met Rogan's birth mother at a restaurant near Dallas, Texas. We immediately had a much better feeling about this meeting than the one in January. This time the birth mother had her family's support and they were there with her. They chose not to sit in on the meeting but were close by if she needed them. The meeting went well, her family liked us and she liked us too. We posed for pictures before we left and said we would see each other in about a month. We walked away feeling excited and certain this baby was meant to be ours.
July 7, 2008 we took Brice to the Schletterbahn water park in Galveston. We had been on vacation since the meeting in Dallas and having a great time. We wanted Brice to really enjoy his last vacation as an only child. While we were sitting near the pool at the water park, we decided to check our voice mail messages on our cell phone. Brice was napping and Brian and I were enjoying the sun and pool side. As Brian was listening to the messages he turned to me, his eyes bulging and he mouthed the word "l-a-b-o-r". I immediately started gathering our things.
Rogan's birth mother had gone into labor a month early and was on a med flight to Dallas to deliver. We threw our suit cases together and checked out of the hotel a day early. We had a nerve racking five hour drive ahead of us. Brice was unhappy about leaving the water park and had jumped into the half full bath tub fully clothed before we checked out of the hotel. He was protesting the end of his vacation.
While in route, we received several phone calls from the birth family and Adoption Affiliates. Her labor had been stopped for now and we would know more in 24 hours. July 8, 2008 labor was progressing and they felt the baby would be born today. We spent all day at the hospital. Labor continued the entire day with little progress and no baby. My parents drove all day non-stop from Colorado to the hospital. They picked up Brice late in the afternoon and took him to their home nearby. We were thankful to have them so close.
July 9, 2008 after waiting through labor all day the day before we received a call about 5:30 a.m., we needed to get to the hospital immediately, the baby was coming. My parents live about an hour away. We made the drive in record time and Brian dropped me off at the front door. I ran to the delivery room and our baby was born at 6:37 a.m. I made it by mere minutes to see my youngest son enter the world.
The baby was due on August 2nd and was a boy. We were asked to meet the birth mother in Texas on July 3rd. We absolutely agreed and cancelled a vacation to Colorado we had planned to attend my cousin's wedding. Of course, my family completely understood and knew we had to adjust our vacation to go and meet the birth mother of our child. We decided after the meeting we would drive on to Galveston, Texas and have a week's vacation on the beach. Everything always works out.
We met Rogan's birth mother at a restaurant near Dallas, Texas. We immediately had a much better feeling about this meeting than the one in January. This time the birth mother had her family's support and they were there with her. They chose not to sit in on the meeting but were close by if she needed them. The meeting went well, her family liked us and she liked us too. We posed for pictures before we left and said we would see each other in about a month. We walked away feeling excited and certain this baby was meant to be ours.
July 7, 2008 we took Brice to the Schletterbahn water park in Galveston. We had been on vacation since the meeting in Dallas and having a great time. We wanted Brice to really enjoy his last vacation as an only child. While we were sitting near the pool at the water park, we decided to check our voice mail messages on our cell phone. Brice was napping and Brian and I were enjoying the sun and pool side. As Brian was listening to the messages he turned to me, his eyes bulging and he mouthed the word "l-a-b-o-r". I immediately started gathering our things.
Rogan's birth mother had gone into labor a month early and was on a med flight to Dallas to deliver. We threw our suit cases together and checked out of the hotel a day early. We had a nerve racking five hour drive ahead of us. Brice was unhappy about leaving the water park and had jumped into the half full bath tub fully clothed before we checked out of the hotel. He was protesting the end of his vacation.
While in route, we received several phone calls from the birth family and Adoption Affiliates. Her labor had been stopped for now and we would know more in 24 hours. July 8, 2008 labor was progressing and they felt the baby would be born today. We spent all day at the hospital. Labor continued the entire day with little progress and no baby. My parents drove all day non-stop from Colorado to the hospital. They picked up Brice late in the afternoon and took him to their home nearby. We were thankful to have them so close.
July 9, 2008 after waiting through labor all day the day before we received a call about 5:30 a.m., we needed to get to the hospital immediately, the baby was coming. My parents live about an hour away. We made the drive in record time and Brian dropped me off at the front door. I ran to the delivery room and our baby was born at 6:37 a.m. I made it by mere minutes to see my youngest son enter the world.
July 9th, 2008
Rogan was only minutes old
10/16/09
The Call #2
The end of August 2007, we decided we were ready to adopt again. Brice would be turning two the next month and we knew the adoption could take 1-2 years. The process is sometimes longer when adopting a sibling. We called Adoption Affiliates again and said we're ready, when can we start our home study? The process is a little easier the second time. You already know what to expect and what hoops you'll be jumping through.
We began to prepare to expand our family. We redecorated the nursery and moved Brice into a larger room with a big bed. He couldn't have been happier about getting a big boy bed; he had no idea a little sibling was going to be coming too.
January 11, 2008, we got our second call. Brian received the call this time at work. I was excited we both were able to experience the emotions and excitement of "getting the call". It is a rush, your mind cannot think straight. Fortunately, Brian was in this time and not at an all day hearing.
Brian called me right away and said he had spoken to Jan at Adoption Affiliates and we had been chosen by a young couple who were due to have a boy on February 23rd. We were scheduled to meet the birth parents in Texas on Saturday, January 25th.
Two weeks later, we packed up the SUV and headed south. We arrived on Friday afternoon and spent the evening with Brice playing in the hotel pool and going out to eat. We were scheduled to meet the birth parents at 11 a.m. the next morning. The next day as the meeting time approached we received a call from Jan stating the birth father had to work and they needed to move the meeting back until 6:00 p.m. We started to get a funny feeling about things, but thought we'll meet for dinner instead of lunch. A little before 6:00 p.m. we arrived at the adoption agency with one very wound up toddler.
The birth parents were a little late, probably bad sign number two, but we shrugged it off and figured they were just nervous to meet us. We were a little nervous too, but having been through the process before we kind of knew what to expect. We all went out to eat dinner and Jan accompanied us to help keep the conversation flowing. We spoke about our interests, our neighborhood, how Brian and I met, our families, etc. I brought along a few pictures to give them an idea of what our house looked like, the nursery, our neighborhood playground and pool, and other things they would probably be wondering about.
They asked us questions but we noticed they had a hard time making eye contact. Brian and I talked about how we each kind of got a funny feeling during dinner and thought maybe it was just nerves. We discussed the possibility of them changing their minds. We were actually okay with any decision they made. We only wanted what was best for the baby boy due the following month. We knew it would hurt if they changed their minds, but they had to follow their hearts. We felt we were blessed with Brice and if/when we became parents again we would be happy.
We continued to prepare for the baby's arrival and even picked out a name. Brian left town on January 30th for business in North Carolina. He would only be gone a couple days and when we spoke on the phone that night we talked about the anticipation of waiting for another baby and how hard it was.
The next morning around 11:00 a.m. I received a call from Jan. She was so sorry but the birth parents had contacted her and said they had chosen a couple from their church to raise the baby. They hadn't spoken to Jan or anyone at Adoption Affiliates about that even being a possibility. Jan was as surprised as we were to hear of their decision. I say we were surprised, but in our hearts I think we knew the night we had dinner with them they had already made another decision. Apparently, when they phoned and moved our meeting back they were actually meeting with their minister and making plans for their baby to be raised by the couple from their church. They knew when they met us and ate dinner with us they were not choosing us. We were upset but we knew our baby was out there waiting for us.
We began to prepare to expand our family. We redecorated the nursery and moved Brice into a larger room with a big bed. He couldn't have been happier about getting a big boy bed; he had no idea a little sibling was going to be coming too.
January 11, 2008, we got our second call. Brian received the call this time at work. I was excited we both were able to experience the emotions and excitement of "getting the call". It is a rush, your mind cannot think straight. Fortunately, Brian was in this time and not at an all day hearing.
Brian called me right away and said he had spoken to Jan at Adoption Affiliates and we had been chosen by a young couple who were due to have a boy on February 23rd. We were scheduled to meet the birth parents in Texas on Saturday, January 25th.
Two weeks later, we packed up the SUV and headed south. We arrived on Friday afternoon and spent the evening with Brice playing in the hotel pool and going out to eat. We were scheduled to meet the birth parents at 11 a.m. the next morning. The next day as the meeting time approached we received a call from Jan stating the birth father had to work and they needed to move the meeting back until 6:00 p.m. We started to get a funny feeling about things, but thought we'll meet for dinner instead of lunch. A little before 6:00 p.m. we arrived at the adoption agency with one very wound up toddler.
The birth parents were a little late, probably bad sign number two, but we shrugged it off and figured they were just nervous to meet us. We were a little nervous too, but having been through the process before we kind of knew what to expect. We all went out to eat dinner and Jan accompanied us to help keep the conversation flowing. We spoke about our interests, our neighborhood, how Brian and I met, our families, etc. I brought along a few pictures to give them an idea of what our house looked like, the nursery, our neighborhood playground and pool, and other things they would probably be wondering about.
They asked us questions but we noticed they had a hard time making eye contact. Brian and I talked about how we each kind of got a funny feeling during dinner and thought maybe it was just nerves. We discussed the possibility of them changing their minds. We were actually okay with any decision they made. We only wanted what was best for the baby boy due the following month. We knew it would hurt if they changed their minds, but they had to follow their hearts. We felt we were blessed with Brice and if/when we became parents again we would be happy.
We continued to prepare for the baby's arrival and even picked out a name. Brian left town on January 30th for business in North Carolina. He would only be gone a couple days and when we spoke on the phone that night we talked about the anticipation of waiting for another baby and how hard it was.
The next morning around 11:00 a.m. I received a call from Jan. She was so sorry but the birth parents had contacted her and said they had chosen a couple from their church to raise the baby. They hadn't spoken to Jan or anyone at Adoption Affiliates about that even being a possibility. Jan was as surprised as we were to hear of their decision. I say we were surprised, but in our hearts I think we knew the night we had dinner with them they had already made another decision. Apparently, when they phoned and moved our meeting back they were actually meeting with their minister and making plans for their baby to be raised by the couple from their church. They knew when they met us and ate dinner with us they were not choosing us. We were upset but we knew our baby was out there waiting for us.
10/15/09
A Day Out
We're back! My kids are finally rid of the crud. Brice cannot get enough to eat today, which is how Brian and I were when we finally got well. The kids and I have been indoors since Saturday, we have a little cabin fever. We have been out twice to buy medicine and crackers at Wal-Mart...doesn't count.
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I decided we needed a dose of fresh, cool, autumn air. I wanted to take the kids somewhere, but I did not want to expose them to a bunch of other carrier monkeys. The schools are on break and kids are out and about. Since our immune systems are still low, no need to push it. I decided on Bass Pro. Brice could run around a little and we could manage to have fun without swapping germs with all the other sick kids. It was a big day!
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The Call
I've been asked several times what is it like to get "the call"? Well, we've received the call three times and each one was different and we experienced different feelings and emotions with each. I've decided to make this post a three part posting discussing each experience.
The call is what adoptive parents long for, our hearts ache while we wait for the phone to ring letting us know we've been chosen. The call is our water just broke moment. I think the first time we received the call it was kind of similar to parents who are giving birth for the first time. You are expecting it, but it still catches you off guard and everything that follows is complete chaos. It was a lot like that.
Our call for Brice came on Wednesday, August 31, 2005; I was working and had gone to lunch with my co-worker. While we were out eating the adoption agency had phoned me at work and left me a voicemail. I returned to my office after lunch, saw the blinking red light, and had a feeling I needed to check my voicemail immediately. Normally, when I came back from lunch, I would see the message light blinking and ignore it. Ignore it long enough to fix me something to drink, run to the restroom and prepare to spend the last half of the work day at my desk staring at the computer. For some reason, I felt I needed to check my voicemail first. I do not know why and I cannot explain it. I was not expecting an important call, except for that one of course. Brian and I had been waiting about five months when the call came.
The voicemail was from Jan at our adoption agency, she said very simply something along the lines of Anna and Brian I have good news, you have been chosen by a birth family and I would like to fax you their profile so you may review it and see if they would make a good match. My heart stopped, my stomach did a flip and I just stood there. I was shocked. I immediately called Brian, who was of course in court at an all day hearing. (Brian is a litigation attorney in case you didn't know.) Of course he was in court. It was only the most important day of our lives, but he was unavailable, perfect.
Second, I called Jan and said please fax the profile immediately. I stood by the fax machine and watched all of the 20 plus pages come through. I tried to read each line as the fax machine spit it out. I worked in a very small office, and my co-workers knew something was up, but I waited to tell them. I figured I should tell Brian before anyone else. You know, since he was about to be a dad and all.
I had left a message with Brian's secretary and told her it was an emergency and if/when Brian called to check in at the office please have him call me. She knew I never had "emergencies" so when Brian's boss who was also at the hearing phoned the office she told him to have Brian call me right away. I heard from Brian very soon thereafter and told him the good news. I read him the profile over the phone, we discussed it and I called Jan back and said we were very interested.
We then told everyone we knew, I called my parents, Brian called his parents, and I told my boss and friends at work. I got nothing else done that day, or the rest of the week actually. When I spoke to Jan she informed me Brice's birth mother was scheduled for a C-section on September 6th. We had a week.
The next few days became a mad scramble. I took leave from my work and expected to come back after my leave was over. I never did. I looked at Brice for the first time and then looked at Brian and said, I don't think I can leave him with anyone. I don't think I'm going back to work. Thankfully, he agreed and I've been a stay at home mommy ever since.
Brian and I had already planned a trip to Houston, TX for the weekend of September 3rd. We decided we would go ahead and go; it would be our last hoorah. We do not remember anything from that weekend. We were completely consumed with the thought of becoming parents. We remember we went to Houston, we watched the St. Louis Cardinals play the Astros and Brian bought a watch, which he still wears today. We remember nothing else, not even who won the ballgame. If you know us, you know we're pretty big Cardinals fans and that says a lot.
The agency told us the birth mother did not want us in the room for the delivery or at the hospital during his birth. We were fine with that. She was going to have very little time with him and we were getting the next 18 years, we would do whatever was asked of us.
After driving two days, we arrived at the hospital on September 7th. While on the road, Brice's maternal birth grandmother called us and told us he had arrived, he was perfectly healthy and baby and birth mother we doing well. We were allowed to see Brice on September 7th; he was not yet 24 hours old. We will never forget seeing the bassinet being wheeled to us in the nursery. We were not yet allowed to hold him or to take pictures of him. It was so hard not to pick him up and hug and kiss on him. I immediately pulled back his blanket and checked out his hands and feet. He didn't mind, he just curled up in his bassinet and held hands with us.
We met the birth family while we were at the hospital. It was somewhat awkward, but I believe a relief for everyone. We exchanged hugs, thank yous and shed tears. They signed paperwork to get us into the nursery to be able to hold and feed Brice. It was important to them we begin to bond with him immediately. We were able to hold him, feed him and change his diapers. We stayed in the nursery until they kicked us out each day. Brice was released two days after his birth.
I wrote in a journal during this time and I am thankful I did, some of the details get lost otherwise. Receiving the call is overwhelming, exhilarating and pure joy. Your life becomes a whirlwind and you begin to prepare yourselves to become parents.
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The call is what adoptive parents long for, our hearts ache while we wait for the phone to ring letting us know we've been chosen. The call is our water just broke moment. I think the first time we received the call it was kind of similar to parents who are giving birth for the first time. You are expecting it, but it still catches you off guard and everything that follows is complete chaos. It was a lot like that.
Our call for Brice came on Wednesday, August 31, 2005; I was working and had gone to lunch with my co-worker. While we were out eating the adoption agency had phoned me at work and left me a voicemail. I returned to my office after lunch, saw the blinking red light, and had a feeling I needed to check my voicemail immediately. Normally, when I came back from lunch, I would see the message light blinking and ignore it. Ignore it long enough to fix me something to drink, run to the restroom and prepare to spend the last half of the work day at my desk staring at the computer. For some reason, I felt I needed to check my voicemail first. I do not know why and I cannot explain it. I was not expecting an important call, except for that one of course. Brian and I had been waiting about five months when the call came.
The voicemail was from Jan at our adoption agency, she said very simply something along the lines of Anna and Brian I have good news, you have been chosen by a birth family and I would like to fax you their profile so you may review it and see if they would make a good match. My heart stopped, my stomach did a flip and I just stood there. I was shocked. I immediately called Brian, who was of course in court at an all day hearing. (Brian is a litigation attorney in case you didn't know.) Of course he was in court. It was only the most important day of our lives, but he was unavailable, perfect.
Second, I called Jan and said please fax the profile immediately. I stood by the fax machine and watched all of the 20 plus pages come through. I tried to read each line as the fax machine spit it out. I worked in a very small office, and my co-workers knew something was up, but I waited to tell them. I figured I should tell Brian before anyone else. You know, since he was about to be a dad and all.
I had left a message with Brian's secretary and told her it was an emergency and if/when Brian called to check in at the office please have him call me. She knew I never had "emergencies" so when Brian's boss who was also at the hearing phoned the office she told him to have Brian call me right away. I heard from Brian very soon thereafter and told him the good news. I read him the profile over the phone, we discussed it and I called Jan back and said we were very interested.
We then told everyone we knew, I called my parents, Brian called his parents, and I told my boss and friends at work. I got nothing else done that day, or the rest of the week actually. When I spoke to Jan she informed me Brice's birth mother was scheduled for a C-section on September 6th. We had a week.
The next few days became a mad scramble. I took leave from my work and expected to come back after my leave was over. I never did. I looked at Brice for the first time and then looked at Brian and said, I don't think I can leave him with anyone. I don't think I'm going back to work. Thankfully, he agreed and I've been a stay at home mommy ever since.
Brian and I had already planned a trip to Houston, TX for the weekend of September 3rd. We decided we would go ahead and go; it would be our last hoorah. We do not remember anything from that weekend. We were completely consumed with the thought of becoming parents. We remember we went to Houston, we watched the St. Louis Cardinals play the Astros and Brian bought a watch, which he still wears today. We remember nothing else, not even who won the ballgame. If you know us, you know we're pretty big Cardinals fans and that says a lot.
The agency told us the birth mother did not want us in the room for the delivery or at the hospital during his birth. We were fine with that. She was going to have very little time with him and we were getting the next 18 years, we would do whatever was asked of us.
After driving two days, we arrived at the hospital on September 7th. While on the road, Brice's maternal birth grandmother called us and told us he had arrived, he was perfectly healthy and baby and birth mother we doing well. We were allowed to see Brice on September 7th; he was not yet 24 hours old. We will never forget seeing the bassinet being wheeled to us in the nursery. We were not yet allowed to hold him or to take pictures of him. It was so hard not to pick him up and hug and kiss on him. I immediately pulled back his blanket and checked out his hands and feet. He didn't mind, he just curled up in his bassinet and held hands with us.
We met the birth family while we were at the hospital. It was somewhat awkward, but I believe a relief for everyone. We exchanged hugs, thank yous and shed tears. They signed paperwork to get us into the nursery to be able to hold and feed Brice. It was important to them we begin to bond with him immediately. We were able to hold him, feed him and change his diapers. We stayed in the nursery until they kicked us out each day. Brice was released two days after his birth.
I wrote in a journal during this time and I am thankful I did, some of the details get lost otherwise. Receiving the call is overwhelming, exhilarating and pure joy. Your life becomes a whirlwind and you begin to prepare yourselves to become parents.
Sept 8, 2005
Two days old
My first picture as a mom
Sept 8, 2005
Brian's first picture as a dad
Sept 8, 2005
10/13/09
Kreativ Blogger Award
Well, I just received an email from Karlinda that they awarded me a Kreativ Blogger award. Thanks so much!
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The rules for the award are:
- Thank the person who nominated you for this award.
- Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
- Link to the person who nominated you for this award.
- Name 7 things about yourself that people may not know.
- Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.
- Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.
- Leave a comment on each.
- When I was very small, I used to tell people I was adopted and my parents found me under a tree. I am not and I have no idea how I came up with this story.
- I was married on the same day I graduated from college. It was a busy day.
- I played softball and tennis in college.
- I've had three knee surgeries.
- I am a baseball fan and love the St. Louis Cardinals. Too bad they didn't love me back this year and were swept in the NLDS.
- My favorite food is Mexican food, especially fajitas.
- I still speak to many friends from high school, although now it is through email, Facebook and our blogs.
- Brown Paper Packages- She always has great products and wonderful giveaways!
- The Pioneer Woman- Her posts are funny, my firm represented her husband "Marlboro Man" when I worked there many moons ago and I love reading their stories. You'll love her recipes!
- MckMama- I started reading her blog when I fell upon it on a blogging buddies side bar. I have followed her story through her son's illness and now I'm a follower.
- Campbell Family- She won my first giveaway and we discovered we have a lot in common and live down the interstate from each other. We've bonded.
- A Sibling for Kali- An adoptive family's journey through the ups and downs of adoption.
- Green Beans and Little Things- Always interesting posts, photography, cooking and arts and crafts.
- James, Stephanie and Kayley- Another adoptive family. Her blog is full of fun posts and she always has some good pictures!
Texas
We went to Texas last week to visit my parents while Brian was out of town on business. The boys and I had a great time. The mall there has a big ol' jumping thing, I do not know what it's called obviously, and Brice loved it! He thought he was jumping high and to the sky. We had so much fun watching him on it, we took him twice. ![]()
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When the boys and I got home, we had picked up a stomach virus and were not feeling too good. Brian was lucky enough to catch it too. We did however manage to decorate pumpkins before we all got too sick. We decided not to carve or paint them this year. Instead, we bought what I call the "Mr. Potato Head Kit". The kids includes stick in eyes, noses, mouths, ears, etc. Brice was able to do it himself with a little help poking them into the pumpkin. He saw the neighbors' pumpkins decorated with the Mr. Potato Head Kit and wanted to do his the same way.
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Other than that, we've all been laying around here feeling pretty puny lately.
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We also found Brice's Halloween costume while we were there. I had searched the internet and was unable to find his size, we also searched the Halloween stores here with no luck. Fortunately, we checked out a costume store while we were visiting and there it was! He was so excited and even wore it around my parents' house. I took some funny pictures...but I'll wait to show you those. We don't want to give away the Halloween costumes before Halloween gets here.
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WHEW!
It's been a while. I left for a family funeral a few weeks ago and it's been a blur since. After returning home from my grandparents' house, the boys and I left to visit my parents for a few days. Brian was out of town on business so we thought the boys and I could go spend some quality time with them. We had a lot of fun and also got to see my cousin and her husband. Along the way, we picked up a virus and we've all been sick. The boys and I came home ill and Brian arrived home under the weather too. We've been fighting it ever since. The past week has been no fun in our house. The weather outside is dreary and it's dreary in here too. Luckily, we have not caught the dreaded H1N1, only a stomach virus that prevents us from enjoying life too much. We've been sleepy and unable to do a lot. Most of us are on the upside now, except for our oldest Brice. He was the last one of us to get it and had to miss his swim lesson today.
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So, instead of blogging and writing about adoption I've been nursing sick boys. Hopefully, life will return to normal soon. Until then, hope everyone else stays well and keep sending me emails with questions and ideas you want to know more about or to discuss.
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10/6/09
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM), this year is the 25th anniversary of NBCAM. We have a very special survivor in our family, Brian's mother Dana. Take the opportunity to support breast cancer research and help fight cancer by saving your Yoplait lids now until December 31st. For every lid, Yoplait will donate 10 cents to Komen for the Cure® up to $1.5 million. We are going to start saving our lids to send in this year. Yoplait products are common in our household so I chose them as our way to support cancer research. There are many other ways you can show your support, please visit the following websites for ideas and information.
Yoplait.com
NBCAM.org
Komen for the Cure®
Yoplait.com
NBCAM.org
Komen for the Cure®
Interstate Compact
When adopting a child from another state you will most likely be affected by the The Interstate Compact or ICPC. The ICPC is not a Federal law, but is a reciprocal law in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands. In adoption, before a child can be released to leave the state of birth and travel across state lines the proper ICPC paperwork must be filed and approved. For instance, our boys were born in Texas. We were required to remain within the state of Texas until the ICPC paperwork had been filed and approved in Austin, TX. We were told the process usually takes 5-10 days. During our first adoption the ICPC paperwork took about 7 or 8 days because our son was born during the Labor Day holiday weekend and the Compact Administrator offices were closed. For our second adoption, the paperwork went through very quickly within about 3 days. The length of time can vary from state to state.
The purpose of the ICPC is to ensure that adoption laws are followed and requirements met. During the finalization hearing for your child's adoption, proof of compliance with the ICPC will be required.
For more information on the ICPC visit:
adoption.org
thestork.com
Department of Health and Human Services
ABCadoptions.com
The purpose of the ICPC is to ensure that adoption laws are followed and requirements met. During the finalization hearing for your child's adoption, proof of compliance with the ICPC will be required.
For more information on the ICPC visit:
adoption.org
thestork.com
Department of Health and Human Services
ABCadoptions.com
10/5/09
The Fair
It is that time of year again...the state fair is here! We love the fair. We go every year and have a great time. We eat all the junk food, look at all the ridiculous items for sale at the booths, visit the animals, the petting zoo, and this year we rode some of the rides. The fair serves as a reminder of what a big ol' melting pot this world is. It seems people of all sorts come out to the visit the fair.
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The boys got balloon animals.
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Brice rode the swings
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Rogan must have been worried about how high Brice was in those swings! He looks terrified.
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The kids' building had a huge sandbox, legos, building blocks and a driving course. Our boys only wanted to play with the cars.
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Rogan rode a bucking bronco of a rocking horse. Whoa horsey!
The kids were exhausted after four hours of fun and Brice had to be carried to the car asleep on his daddy's shoulder. It was a lot of fun and is always our official kickoff to Fall.
Here We Go Again...
I had another bone head comment last week this time from my son's preschool teacher. She immediately realized her mistake and began to back pedal. She felt uncomfortable enough with her comment; I did not feel the need to say anything to her. I think she will choose her words more carefully next time.
As I mentioned before Brice is a little delayed on his communication skills and he gets frustrated easily because he cannot communicate his wants. His inability to communicate with his teacher has caused a couple of issues in class.
The conversation went something like this:
Me: Yes, Brice and Rogan were both adopted.
Her: How long have they been with you?
Me: Since birth.
Her: Really, they look like your husband. He kind of looks Hispanic. (Um okay, he doesn't but whatever.)
Me: Yeah, everyone thinks Brice looks like Brian. So, we're learning as we go along as far as behavioral issues, communication issues, etc. We met his biological sister when she was his age and believe she was probably delayed as well. She did not talk a lot and was a very active child also. Perhaps some of his communication delays are hereditary. We don't know.
Her: We'll it's like that with your own kids too. Uh, I mean, I mean...your biological kids. Uh yeah, there is always a learning process.
Me: I guess so. Well, see you later.
Whose kids does she think Brice and Rogan are? They are our own kids. We are their parents. It drives me crazy when people say, "your own kids". I know they mean biological, but it is a poor choice of words. I did not get upset because I know she realized her error. It bothers me, especially when it is said in front of Brice. He may not be able to communicate effectively all the time, but he understands everything he hears. They are our own kids; just as much as her two boys are hers. Here is a short little list of the wrong things to say. If you hear someone use these phrases or terms, feel free to correct them.
1. His/her real parents- Instead say birth parents.
2. Adoptive parents- Use this or adoptive family to differentiate between us and the birth parents. Otherwise, we're just their parents. No need to give us the extra title*. We don't call you their c-section parents or their natural delivery parents.
3. Own child- Biological, natural or birth child.
4. Illegitimate- Born to unwed parents
5. Give away or give up- Placed for adoption or made an adoption plan.
*I know the title of my blog totally contradicts this statement, but by adding the word adoptive to my blog title it separates me from other blogging mommas and leads people to my little ol' blogosphere.
As I mentioned before Brice is a little delayed on his communication skills and he gets frustrated easily because he cannot communicate his wants. His inability to communicate with his teacher has caused a couple of issues in class.
The conversation went something like this:
Me: Yes, Brice and Rogan were both adopted.
Her: How long have they been with you?
Me: Since birth.
Her: Really, they look like your husband. He kind of looks Hispanic. (Um okay, he doesn't but whatever.)
Me: Yeah, everyone thinks Brice looks like Brian. So, we're learning as we go along as far as behavioral issues, communication issues, etc. We met his biological sister when she was his age and believe she was probably delayed as well. She did not talk a lot and was a very active child also. Perhaps some of his communication delays are hereditary. We don't know.
Her: We'll it's like that with your own kids too. Uh, I mean, I mean...your biological kids. Uh yeah, there is always a learning process.
Me: I guess so. Well, see you later.
Whose kids does she think Brice and Rogan are? They are our own kids. We are their parents. It drives me crazy when people say, "your own kids". I know they mean biological, but it is a poor choice of words. I did not get upset because I know she realized her error. It bothers me, especially when it is said in front of Brice. He may not be able to communicate effectively all the time, but he understands everything he hears. They are our own kids; just as much as her two boys are hers. Here is a short little list of the wrong things to say. If you hear someone use these phrases or terms, feel free to correct them.
1. His/her real parents- Instead say birth parents.
2. Adoptive parents- Use this or adoptive family to differentiate between us and the birth parents. Otherwise, we're just their parents. No need to give us the extra title*. We don't call you their c-section parents or their natural delivery parents.
3. Own child- Biological, natural or birth child.
4. Illegitimate- Born to unwed parents
5. Give away or give up- Placed for adoption or made an adoption plan.
*I know the title of my blog totally contradicts this statement, but by adding the word adoptive to my blog title it separates me from other blogging mommas and leads people to my little ol' blogosphere.
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