As I sit here and watch my daughter I see the innocence in her being. The pure love that I have for her and the excitement in her eyes as she watches her favorite movie.
Tomorrow my baby girl turns 2. Although I feel a sense of accomplishment for raising my beautiful little girl, I'm also sad that these past two years are now a distant memory.
I feel ripped off that I had to fight for her those first 18 months and wish it had been different.
My little girl will always, be my little girl, eventhough she will be older than our next child. She is our first baby and will always hold a place in my heart for that.
I am convinced that Gabriella was sent by God to be our child. I never knew that such a deep love was possible until I held her in my arms.
Happy Birthday to my beautiful little girl!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Gabriella Julieann
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Adoption Announcments
When I looked into purchasing my adoption announcements I searched long and hard. I realized that these announcements would never be as important to the person making them as they were to me and my family. I looked up adoption sayings in hopes to determine the perfect quote for our announcements. I found myself going in circles viewing the "typical" layouts for announcements on most websites. When I found Alicia's website I was amazed at the different types of layouts and the personal look that I saw.
The moment that our court date was made for adoptive finalization I contacted Alicia. We didn't have much time to get them completed and I was worried that it was too late. She responded immediatly and assured me that she would do everything in her power to get the announcements to me on time. Alicia sent me a preview shortly after I sent her the pictures and she made the most beautiful announcements. We changed wording a few times and scripts a few times but for the most part it was EXACTLY what I had invisions when I thought about my daughters announcements.
Through all of the changes, she worked with me and never made me feel like I was annoying her or driving her crazy because I was unsure. I trusted her, a person I had never met, because her abilities were far beyond what I could do myself. My intial assumptions of never finding someone who put their entire heart into these announcements was wrong. Alicia gave me every ounce care on the announcements AND she provoked conversation about our experiences through foster care and into adoption. She expressed interest in the process we took and was happy for us becoming a forever family.
Our announcements received many compliments. We sent them to all of our daughters social workers and adoption workers. The workers told us how much of a hit the announcements were when they showed them around in their office. Another worker told us they were the most amazing announcements they have ever been sent. My daughter was worth having the most amazing announcements and I couldn't wait for Alicia to make some for our son's adoption.
Because of the wonderful announcements and excellent customer service we have recently been in contact with Alicia for completion of our son's adoption announcments. These are more than just an announcement, they mark a vey special day in our lives. A day that we are offically a "forever family". We have posted our announcement in our home for viewing and know that our children will cherish such a beautiful piece of work.
"We didn't give you the gift of life, Life gave us the gift of you!"
Check her out...
Alicia Wennstrom
Owner & Artist, The First Glimpse
http://www.thefirstglimpse.com/
thefirstglimpseannouncements.blogspot.com/
Friday, January 16, 2009
Foster mommie turned Adoptive mommie
March 28, 2007 Chris and I welcomed home our little girl. She was the most precious thing to us. Although I didn' t birth her, I felt a connection with her immediatly. I still remember the day as if it had happened yesterday.
At 8 weeks and 1 day old she weighted just shy of 8 pounds. She was the gift we had prayed for. For months we watched as her biological mother made attempts to do better for herself only to fail over and over again. We secretly wanted this baby to stay with us, but always used the caution statement that we "didn't know what was going to happen but would be happy either way". Every time I said that, my heart lost a little bit of hope. Who was I kidding, this child had stolen my heart, no matter how much I had guarded it.
When this little girl was 6 months old they had located her birth father. We said our goodbyes to her and were prepared to send her away. As we went to this meeting with him I was scared but tried to suck it up because this was just the "name of the game". I asked God to do what was best for this baby. I knew he had a plan for her, and I wanted his will to be done no matter how it made me feel. This was the first time I had EVER given the power to him. It was hard for me to give it up and not take it back when I started to feel sorry for myself, but I didn't , and I believe for that, I was given the most valuable gift... a child.
During our meeting, the biological father, asked my husband and I to adopt this beautiful little girl. This was beyond what we had imagined for her future. We were honored to be chosen by God to parent this child. He was faithful to us when we believed in him most.
We knew at that point we were not out of the woods but we'd have to make it to finalization before it was 100% final. As termination of parental rights were read by the judge, I sat next to this man as he cried. He was once a "father" biologically to this child, now a "friend of the family". He didn't cry in anger or pain, but rather in joy, that this child would have the best life possible with a mother and father who loved her more than anything in this world. He felt comforted that this little girl would be taken care of and given all of the gifts in life that new parents dream of.
9 months later the adoption for our daughter, Gabriella Julieann, was offical as we sat in court with our closest family and friends.
Through the infertility treatments, unsucessful attempts at pregnancy, & losses I thought I had felt every type of pain that could be felt. I wished it on no one and the roller coaster was mind blowing. I figured fostering and adopting was the "easy way" off of that roller coaster. I was mistaken when I thought that.
As a foster parent you are on a different type of roller coaster. A roller coaster where you are dealing with a precious life and sometimes biological parents who have done some HORRIBLE things to these little ones.
There are questions that you ask....
Q. "There's a chance you're going to give this baby back to a mother who did ______ to there child?"
A. "They have rights to there child."
Q. "Am I going to be able to adopt this child?"
A. "I've seen a case like this before, and this child is 99.9% adoptable."
" Oh wait, the judge is giving the biological mom 6 more months of services, so I don't know."
" Mom isn't showing to visits, so she's definatly not going to be getting this baby back."
" Oh wait, mom just started doing visits again, we'll see what happens."
"Oh wait, there is family who wants this child, we might be moving the child to family."
"Oh wait, family isn't approved."
Q. "What has this child been through, what type of abuse, neglect?"
A. "That is confidential information."
Your heart falls madly in love with this child and you want to do what is best for them, but the rights to these children are still attached to the biological parents who SOMETIMES don't have the best interest of the child.
You pray that the information to the judge is accurate (on both sides) and that by reuniting this child or adopting this child is what is in the best interest of the child.
You sit back as the court system plays "God" to these children. Deciding what there future will hold for them.
These past few years I have seen parents who don't show to visits and express no intentions of doing better for themselves and there children AND I have seen parents who have worked hard to do everything in there power to get there children back. My heart goes out to both types of biological parents in the foster system. I am honored to be a part of reuniting a family back together and I am also honored at being chosen as an adoptive home for my children.
My life has changed for the better these past few years. There have been a few bumps along the way, but I have made it through and have my children to show for it. I wouldn't have it any other way.
At the age of 25 I have finally found my calling in life. I believe I was put on this earth to be a foster mother. To help families reunite and to be a forever home to those little ones who couldn't.
Some highlights of what the year 2009 will bring to our foster/adoptive family......
In April-June we will be watching a family reunite together as our sibling set of 3, A, D, & N, should be returning home.
In March we will enter into our 3rd year of fostering. I am looking foward to helping families and establishing my family.
Febuary will be the month we are adopting our son, Garrett Michael.
January we will be having a big bday bash for our two children.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Well here I am...
So I figured since my friends have blogs it was time to get into the "in" thing.
I am a wife to Chris. A daughter to my best friend. I have been called mommie by 9 children. I'm an adoptive mother of Gabriella and soon to be an adoptive mother to Garrett.
Life isn't what I had planned years ago, but it sure has been an adventure to get to where I am today. I am looking forward to many more years to come doing the foster thing. I hope one day to adopt another little one. MAYBE even two!
I'm not sure if I'd rather try to have a biological child or not. Being a foster & adoptive mother is all I know. I guess I would have to try pushing out a baby to see which I prefer but by watching my friends have there children, I think adoption was the way to go!!! lol...
So, here's to a new year and new beginnings! Welcome 2009.