Saturday, July 30, 2011

Reminder: What Not To Say Part III

We're still adding GREAT things to our list of What Not To Say; Part III on Adoption! I'll keep the list open for another week and then we'll discuss appropriate responses... I LOVE what we have so far so keep them coming!


I have loved our What Not To Say posts.... do you have any suggestions for future posts? Please share!

Sunday, July 24, 2011

For A Sweet Boy....

Please pray for this family. I don't know them but I don't have to; their precious 2 year old baby boy is sick.... very very sick. The photos are really hard to look at but they have stuck with me. While I am beyond thankful for my girl and her health, my heart is breaking for this mommy who has to see her baby like this in what will most likely be his last days of life. Her strength and positivity stun me... she's a strong woman.

I'm also thankful for the millions of mommy's and babies and angels that will be in Heaven waiting to wrap their arms around her baby's perfect little body when Jesus brings him home.

Have you ever thought about all the sweet babies we'll get to love on in Heaven? I love thinking about 'the place' God is preparing for me!

Thanks for being such faithful prayer warriors, friends!

Thursday, July 21, 2011

She Has My Heart,,,

Every morning lately, I go into Hannah's room to get her out of bed and she says,

"Good morning, beautiful Mommy-girl."

And my hearts melts and I thank the Lord for this precious baby-girl who has my heart.




Tuesday, July 19, 2011

16 and Pregnant | Adoption Special

Did you catch last week's episode of Teen Mom on MTV? They did an adoption special and I just thought it was fabulous... educational and real. If you watched it, I'd love to know what you thought! If you missed it, click below to watch it and leave your feedback!

Watch here; 16 and Pregnant Adoption Special

~ I LOVE how open adoption is portrayed through Catelyn and Tyler's relationship with Carly's parents, too!
I'm still adding to our "What Not To Say: Part III" list so keep those comments coming!

Monday, July 18, 2011

What Not To Say: Part III

For those of you who missed What Not To Say; Part I & Part II, catch up first (and comment and add to them, if you want!), and then come back here for Part III :-)

Parts I & II were geared more toward infertility but I'm dedicating Part III to the topic of adoption. I guess a good subtitle would be...

How To Piss Off An Adoptive Parent

:-)

I know, I know... it sounds harsh. The truth is, someone cannot be blamed for ignorance. I do believe that, as hopeful, soon-to-be, or current parents (or grand-parents or friends or family, etc.) through adoption, we have an obligation to educate people to the best of our ability before we can blame them or get angry at them for saying inappropriate things... and that applies to any situation. Most of the time people have very pure intentions, they just don't know the appropriate words to use or how to ask... that's where we come in!

Adoption is a topic and process that many just don't understand and if you're one of those people.... guess what?! I (and lots of my readers) LOVE educating and teaching and talking about adoption! Lucky you ;-)
 (I even did an intro to types of adoption here.... go check it out!).

We have been on the receiving end of most of these comments. Yes, they were said (in most cases) by people who just didn't have much adoption-knowledge or experience to pull from and yes, we took every opportunity to educate and nicely correct the improper terms or inappropriate questions.... but they still stung :-/

Here we go!

What Not To Say To An Adoptive Parent

1. "How much did you pay for her?"

2. "Don't you ever want your own children?"

3. "She is so lucky to have you."

4. "You already have one beautiful child, isn't it a little selfish to want more kids when it's so hard to get them?"

5. "How often do you talk to her mom and dad?"

6. Do you think you can love him/her as much as a real parents loves their child?
~ Thanks, Misty!

8. "Where is he/she from?"
~ Thanks, Amelia!

9. "He/she's so cute.... why didn't his/her mom want her baby?"
~ Thanks, Amelia!

10. "He/She doesn't look anything like you!"
~ Thanks, Brooke

11. "I think it's completely selfish that you didn't nurse your daughter when she was an infant."
~ Thanks, Erin!

10.... Your turn! I know there are lots more so leave a comment and I'll add to the list!

Are you a hopeful, soon-to-be, or current parent through adoption? What have people said to you in the process that has stung just a bit, whether it was intentional or not (if it's not listed, I'll add it!)? How did you respond to them? Have you been on the receiving end of any of the comments listed? How did or would you respond?

I LOVE posts like this so like always, take this opportunity to share and help others' understand what's appropriate and what hurts. I'll post a follow-up soon with some appropriate responses as our list grows!

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

We've Missed You!

Hi :-)

I took a blogging break for various reasons (not a baby yet :-( ) and have missed it (and you) so much! I'll spend some time playing catch-up over the next week because we do have lots of 'new' in our lives but I thought I would come back with an amazing and easy recipe that my mom got from a friend. This broccoli salad has become a weekly staple in our house this summer... and what a stinkin' HOT summer it has been! WOW!


Broccoli Salad

Salad;
* 3 bunches (bushels? clumps? hmmm...) of broccoli
* 1 bunch (....?) of green or red onions, chopped 
* 4 slices of bacon, chopped
* Optional; sunflower seeds, grapes, apples... anything, really!

Dressing;
* 1/2 cup light mayo
* 2 Tbsp vinegar
* 2 Tbsp sugar

~ MIX!

Easy, huh? And soooo yummy!

AND I can't end without a silly picture of my girl.... she has grown leaps and bounds in the past couple of months!