breakfast and blogging

So my new goal is to blog every Tuesday and Friday. This little blog here is good for me- the things I write here, are for your information (and if you're considering becoming a foster parent- hopefully your encouragement!) but really this blog is cheaper than therapy*. Currently, I'm sitting at a coffee shop down the street from my house enjoying a superbly made latte, a ham and cheese croissant, and free wifi. Delight!

We've received two placement calls in the past couple of weeks. Both were emergency placements of 3 month old baby girls. We missed the first call, so there was no decision to be made, but the second call was so hard! She was a three month, african american, baby girl- her mom had tested positive for drugs and has had her rights terminated to 3 older children. Because we ultimately hope to adopt through this process- she was a perfect match! Except. . .that we have a six month old at home, are trying to buy a house, have two sports seasons left for Eric, grad school, and 9 weeks of teaching. . .In the end we decided that the added stress of another tiny baby would not be best for us individually or as a family. I spent the next day wondering if we did the right thing-- wondering if she was supposed to be our baby and we turned her away-- wondering and fearing the day that Aaron returns to his biological family--wondering how long our hearts will hold out in this process, but in the end (after a few tears) I know we did the right thing; our lives are wonderfully full and our babies will come to us in due time. For now, we're a happy family of 3- Mama, Daddy, and Boogs.

*Therapy is good and I have a wonderful counselor too.

month six.

Aaron turned six months old on Sunday. I can't believe how the time is flying and can't even begin to describe how he's changed our lives and moved in to our hearts. He's rolling over, sleeping through the night, and eating solid foods. He uses his voice to communicate- often times quite loudly! and loves going to school. He had his first Christmas, went to his first Rodeo, and has been on several vacations. He's licked a popsicle and been licked by a puppy. He has two teeth, sits in a shopping cart, and plays with toys. These past six months have been the most amazing, challenging, delightful months of our lives. There is no doubt- we are in love.

He still sees his birth mom weekly. Mostly, the visits go well. Eric and I talk often of the day that he may return to her. Her next court date is April 6th. We will be in attendance, but know little of what to expect. It'll be good to know first hand what the judge is saying and know where we stand. It's not a competition, but it sometimes feels that way.

if you could see me now. . .

growing boy!

On turning 30. . .

God Says Yes To Me

Kaylin Haught

I asked God if it was okay to be melodramatic
and she said yes
I asked her if it was okay to be short
and she said it sure is
I asked her if I could wear nail polish
or not wear nail polish
and she said honey
she calls me that sometimes
she said you can do just exactly
what you want to
Thanks God I said
And is it even okay if I don't paragraph
my letters
Sweetcakes God said
who knows where she picked that up
what I'm telling you is
Yes Yes Yes

Friends and Family.

If you do this- it's possible that you won't have the support of people you thought you had, and you'll find support where you never expected it.

The Beginning.

It's hard to say exactly when I knew that my children would come to me through adoption. Sometimes I joke it's because the first Cabbage Patch Kid I was given as a child was black, but most of the time I tell people that there are a handful of things I've known to be true in my life, and that my children would not be biological is one of these things. *

Long before getting married Eric and I discussed having children- being my best friend, he already knew my feelings about adoption, and he was surprisingly (to me) agreeable and felt no need to have biological children.

Approaching thirty we decided that it was time. I knew virtually nothing about how to actually go about adopting, only that I wanted to do it. I picked up a couple of books and started searching the internet for Houston adoption agencies. The more I read, the more I didn't find what we were looking for. I'm a high school teacher at an inner city school and I know a lot about cycles of abuse and poverty from my students. That's when I checked out the DePelchin site. DePelchin serves students at my school in the teen parent program and our health clinic.

So, long story shorter. . .We ended up at an orientation meeting at DePelchin. When DeNita said, "If you're here for us to find you a child, you're in the wrong place. We're not about finding children for families. We're about finding families for children," we knew we were in the right place.

And that's where this journey began.

*I've also known that I'd be a special education teacher and that I'd marry my best friend.