Adoption Update

The birthmother, H, is now 31 wks.  She continues to show signs of pre-term labor.  Looks like our little one will have a June birthday instead of July.  At least we hope June and NOT May.  All prayers are appreciated.

Trying out the NEW camera!!!!!

It felt like Summer!

 Today was very sunny and HOT!!!!!   It felt like a late June day.  Luke was so excited to break out the water slide for the yard.

Mother's Day Weekend

 We started the weekend off with Luke's soccer game.  He has informed us that he is not a fan of soccer!  He says it is way too much running.

 Luke loves playing goalie - and when he is paying attention to the action at his end of the field, he is actually very good at it.

 After the game, the boys had baseball practice.  Dominic is doing fantastic and Luke does well when paying attention.  Then we left for KC for the remainder of the weekend.

 On Sunday, my mom, sister, and Miss A participated in a Mother's Day walk/run.  We walk.  This year the weather was perfect (the runners said it was a little too warm) and the boys came too!  As you can tell, Luke was having nothing to do with a family picture - yes that is him in the background with his back turned to us!

Again - Luke not cooperating with getting a picture.  I keep threatening the kids that when they graduate from high school, get married, etc., these are the pictures I'm showing off - the ones when they were truly "being kids" and not cooperating!

 I did manage to snap a quick picture of Luke when he was not looking.  Here he is catching a ride on Dad's shoulders.

 This is one of my favorite pictures of the day.  Miss A wanted Grammy to hold her hand while we walked.  How sweet........

And lastly, silly Dominic.  He climbed this tree in front of Grammy's house right before we headed home.

Cloth Diapers!

I can't believe I have managed to convince Mark that we should use cloth diapers with our new LO!  I'm so excited.  We were able to see several different brands in a store, ask lots of questions, and even try them out on a doll.  I think Mark is even a "bit" excited about it too.  All our family thinks we are nuts.  But I (and now Mark) are trying to tell people that it is not cloth diapering from the 70's and 80's.  These diapers go on just like disposables - but instead of always throwing them away (with money and not to mention bad for the environment) - you just wash them.

Baby Update - 29 weeks

Our Little Firecracker is growing......BIG!!!  Yeah for good news.  The baby is measuring in the 60% for growth.  However, the birth mother is showing more signs of pre-term labor.  Her OB had her take the steroid shots to help develop the lungs - just in case of an early delivery.  We are praying and keeping everything crossed for another 4+ weeks.

Happy Mother's Day - To Be

I was sent this blog post - it is great.  It is copied here -actually written by the RE at a fertility clinic.  Even with all God has granted me, I am still a victim of infertility.  I still pray for all those women who will put on a brave face this Sunday and smile.  For all those women who still have empty arms.

She broke the bread into two fragments, and gave them to the children, who ate with avidity. “She has kept none for herself,” grumbled the sergeant. “Because she is not hungry,” said a soldier. “Because she is a mother,” said the sergeant. – Victor Hugo



Mother’s day is upon us. It is not that welcome of a holiday for my patients. Gifts passed out at church or given by a well meaning spouse do little to fill the void of yearning that brings them to my office. We hear stories about the great love, sacrifice and courage that mother’s have for their children, but little is said about the incredible love, sacrifice and courage of my “mothers-to-be”.


It takes incredible courage to acknowledge that there is even a problem. We all want to believe that we are in control of our lives and to acknowledge that there is a fertility problem is to internalize a lack of control over this incredibly sensitive part of their lives.


It takes courage to seek medical attention. No one likes to see doctors (I’m over a year late for my colonoscopy), and the trip to the fertility doctor is a particularly difficult journey.


It takes courage to undergo procedures that are not comfortable and are in an area where discomfort is particularly unwanted.


It takes courage to face the possibility of disappointment. Studies have shown that when a woman experiencing infertility has a period, indicating that once again she is not pregnant, she experiences the same degree of grief as if her brother or sister had just died. Most of us will go through that only once or twice in our lifetime. Imagine going through that every month for years. Then imagine going through a specific procedure to get pregnant and having it not work.


It takes courage to hope that it will work the first time and proceed , and even greater courage to experience a failed attempt and then turn around and have the courage to hope again.


These women undergo great sacrifices.


They sacrifice the intimacy of what was supposed to be a wonderful and intensely personal experience with their partner for a doctor’s office.


They sacrifice time on often repetitive visits for monitoring and procedures.

They sacrifice financial resources as they struggle to have something that everyone around them seems to receive without thought and sometimes with disdain.


They sacrifice personal comfort, sometimes thinking that if they experience pain, they will be more worthy of the “gain” they so desperately seek.


Why? Why do they do this? They do this for the same reason the mother gives her bread and goes without. They do it for love. The only difference is that they do it for a deep abiding love for a child that they have not yet held, a voice they have not yet heard, a smile they have not yet seen, and a touch they have not yet felt.

Here's to all of you.  My thoughts and prayers are with all of you that Sunday may pass quickly into the past.  I pray that this is the last Mother's Day you spend with empty arms.