Free Patterns

If you sew and you want a free pattern go to http://www.sew4home.com/. I found patterns to make this towel and hot pad set to match my mom's newly decorated kitchen for her birthday. These are pretty basic. I am definitely a beginner.

Marble Falls

The weekend before Mother's Day we loaded up Maggie and took a little road trip to Marble Falls to visit Trey's family. Here's Maggie not enjoying the ride so much. Lots of sighs from the back seat.

Down on the pier. We told Trey's nephew, Jack, we were going to the pavilion and he kept asking when we would get to see the chameleon. :) I think he was a bit disappointed when there was no lizard by the lake.

....but not too disappointed.

Sweet picture of granmama and Jack that came as a suprise on my camera. Is that how it's spelled (granmama)? I need to learn these things.

Moving Forward

Yay! We just got our homestudy scheduled for Monday, May 17. Once that is complete, they can start showing our profile to birthmoms (given that we finish our profile). Guess what we'll be doing this weekend!?

Happy Birthmother's Day

Birthmother's Day is not actually today, but the Saturday before Mother's Day.

Today Trey and I attended our first of two trainings with our adoption agency. One of the topics discussed was open adoption and relationships with birthmothers. I have to say, this was one of the things that really scared me in considering domestic adoption. Now, it is one of the things I like most about domestic adoption.

There are a lot of misconceptions about birthmothers. One common misconception is that they must not care about their child to "give them up." I've even had a few people make comments to me about how it's such a shame that a mom could just give her baby away. Two birthmothers shared their stories today at the training and I must tell you, there is absolutely no truth in that statement. We got to hear these young ladies tearfully tell the stories of how much they loved their babies and how they weighed heavily the decision to parent, choose adoption, or even abortion. Adoption for them was not an immediate, easy decision. As they considered their options, they realized there was so much they could not provide for their babies. Both wanted their children to experience the love of a father and a stable family life. Something they desperately wanted for themselves as well, but just couldn't provide. It was painful and scary for them to think about another family raising their child. The only comfort came in knowing they would forever have a link to their child, an ability to know them, and a family who would commit to communicating the depth of their love. These women carried their babies 9 months, felt them move, held them when they were born, and changed their first diapers. They bonded with their little ones and deeply love their children. I can't fathom making this sacrifice. Birthmothers are brave. One of them even faced ridicule from her family who told her adoption was just like throwing your baby in a dumpster, an act of abandonment. These words were so wounding. Both of them shared how healing it was to be loved by their adoptive families and to see their children given the same love they have for their children. This is a huge source of peace for them.

Trey and I are excited and anxious for when the time comes to meet our birthmother. We so desire a close relationship to develop. We also know relationships are risky. We know all relationships hold the potential for great pain and also great joy. We want to take the risk or obviously we wouldn't be headed down this road.

We ask for you to join us this Birthmother's Day (or any day) for praying for our birthmom. Wherever she is right now, she has a tough road ahead. Pray for us too, that God would cast out any fear.

Adoption Update

There's not a whole lot to report, but we are really excited to learn that an opening has come available for the May1 training with our agency. We are required to attend two trainings (Spring and Fall) and unfortunately the Spring training was booked when we first met with our agency in February. That meant we would have had our first training next November and the second training next Spring. We were so thrilled to hear there was an opening. Placements are not contingent upon having attended both trainings, but ideally we want to learn as much as possible before the baby comes.

We continue to wait for a home study. It will most likely be scheduled next month. We have a few more things to complete to get our profile ready in the meantime.

I look forward to sharing more soon about all we are learning!

MS 150

I am so proud of Trey for finishing the MS 150. With 8.5 miles to go, he calls me from the rest stop and tells me he's just not sure how he's going to finish. I've never heard him sound doubtful about finishing anything. He took a little rest, pressed on, and 8.5 miles later, this is what I saw:

And this is what he saw:

And the final stop:

My camera skills were not so great at capturing my friend's husband, that's him on the right.

Also, no pictures of Trey and I (bummer), but I did manage to get the bird poop that landed on Laura's head as we cheered on the riders. Thank goodness for all the riders who were carrying anti-bacterial wipes. You never know how they might come in handy.

Sick, flashback to when a bird pooped on my head when I was shopping at the outlet mall in college. I gagged both times. Sorry for any sensitive viewers!

Amazing Adoption Stories

Today I read two adoption stories that brought tears to my eyes. Oh, how I love hearing how God works through this amazing process. If you have a moment, grab a tissue, and read one or both of these:

http://s3.amazonaws.com/1142.assets/bissons-story.pdf

http://www.aboverubies.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=809:adoptions-orphans-tuckers-story&catid=24&Itemid=55