If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew, To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you, Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

 

 

Oh sweet baby. Mothers Day is Sunday, and to say that I'm not taking it well is an understatement.

 

Part of me wants to scream.  I want to scream out to the world to get them to understand that this isn't right. How they can keep on moving when my world has been shattered so much? I want to scream until there isn't a single breath left in my lungs, until they sting with the energy I've expended and my words hang in the air for all to hear. I should be a Mom by now. It was my turn. It's been my turn so many times....and yet here I am, at this junction again- a childless Mother on Most Definitely Not a Mothers Day.

The part of me that doesn't want to scream wants to curl up into a ball and pretend this isn't happening. I was supposed to have not one, but two bouncing babies on my lap this year. This year was supposed to be different, it was supposed to be my first mothers day.

 

And to be honest, this holiday is not just full of sadness this year- but it's also full of fear.

The fear that I will never be a mother hangs over my head like a storm cloud following me around. It's the little voice whispering in my ear when I'm searching the greeting card aisle, taunting me, "will you ever get one of these cards?" It's the lump in my throat that chokes on the tears whenever I hear another pregnancy announcement or adoption match announcement, not because I'm not happy for them or excited, but because I wonder- again- if I will ever get to be in their shoes. Will I ever get to be a mother? Will I ever find you?

It's the disdain for every greeting card, every TV commercial, every restaurant promotion, every radio ad, every magazine cover... all of these reminders that I am not, in fact, not a mother. That I failed. That what has come so easy to so many others is still an every day battle for me. That I don't have my precious baby to spend this holiday with, that I am once again knocked down, because I let my hopes get so incredibly high.

 

It's the reminder that another year has passed without you here.

That hurts most of all.

 

I know that it will all be worth it. You mean more to me than any holiday, any time table and every heartache we've endured. I know that this is just part of the journey to get to that elusive finish line, that even if I cannot see it, I feel that it's there somewhere in the distance.

 

The other day I reread one of my most favorite poems, If by Rudyard Kipling. A lot of the words spoke to me now more than ever:

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream – and not make dreams your master;
If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
‘ Or walk with Kings – nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!

 

Right now, there is nothing in me but the will to be your Mother. That is my will telling me to hold on, to not get caught up in the loss and get tired of waiting. I refuse to sink, because sinking means not getting to you- not being your mother. I refuse.

So I've been thinking of my own If's for this Mothers Day.

If I can wade through the greeting card aisle, and focus on the positives, like having my own mother and mother in law who support and love us every step of the way.  If I can hold my head up, and count my blessings. If I can believe, really believe that you'll be here soon. If I can pick myself up ten times after getting knocked down nine. If I can tie a knot and hold on with everything that is in me. If I can keep preparing, keeping moving in the direction of our dreams. If I can let myself feel that deep down, this waiting and heartache will end.  If I can let myself let go of the pain, let go of what was supposed to be and what isn't and prepare myself body and soul for the goodness that is coming down the road if I just keep on walking.

If I don't give up.

 

Then mine is the earth and everything that's in it,

And- which is true - that is you, my daughter or son! 

 

And if you're not here next year, I will just keep trying. I will never give up on you, on us being a family. I will push through all the hurt and pain and glaring reminders. I will silence that little voice of doubt in the back of my head, and replace the if's of doubt with the if's of reassurance.

 

I will be a mother. I will find you, sweet baby.

No if's, ands or buts.

 

Waiting for the earth and everything that's in it, 

With love and unwavering hope this Not Yet a Mothers Day,

Love,

Mom

 

 

You are not the momentary whim of a careless creator experimenting in the laboratory of life. . . You were made with a purpose.

 

 

Little One, we're only given this one life. Just one... and if there is one thing I want to teach you in this world, it's to find your purpose and appreciate everything in this beautiful journey we've been given. 

 

Appreciate the quiet calm of a sunset. Appreciate the purity of the air that fills your lungs and sends oxygen to your beautiful brain. Appreciate that brain of yours- marvel at the intricate, mysterious way it works without us even knowing how or why. Appreciate your sense of wonderment and your talents.

Appreciate waking up in the morning- even on the days when you've woken up on the wrong side of the bed, even on days you don't want to get out of bed...appreciate waking up. It's a luxury many see come to an end far too soon. 

 

Appreciate the bad time, for they are the shading on the bright focus of a picture. Without the bad, we wouldn't see the beauty in the good. I want you to believe that there is good in everyone, as hard as it is some days. I want you to see beauty in the darkest of places, because that is often where the beauty of life is hiding.

 

I want you to live. Really live. I want you to take the long way home, driving with the windows down as you feel the wind tickle your hair around your scalp, sending shivers down your spine.  I want you to see and do everything on your bucket list. I want you to try new things, even if they are scary or foreign. I want you to never stop learning, to want to know more always, to seek out the truth and meaning behind everything.

 

I want so very much for you, Lo.

 

I want you to have the best life possible. 

I want you to find your purpose, because once you do- you are really living.

 

My purpose is to be your Mom. 

My distinct feeling throughout this whole process has been just that... I was put on this earth to find you, to be your Momma. My purpose is to give you these things, to show you the beauty of this world and teach you everything I possible can....

And above all, my purpose is to love you. Sweet baby, I am going to love you in a way only a parent can- that fierce kind of love, the kind of love that would stop a freight train. That is my purpose in life. My purpose is to be a mother. 

 

But I know I am more than that. My purpose to be a mother was not accidental. My purpose to be a mother was set apart from the rest, because I  will be a mother through this miracle that is adoption. It's a purpose I don't take lightly, baby. It's a purpose I appreciate and try to learn from every day.

 

I will not know motherhood the way most women do. I will not know what it's like to feel the cold jelly of a sonogram machine on my stomach to find out your gender. I will not know what it's like to feel your kicks from the inside, or to hear your heartbeat for the first time. 

I will know motherhood in a completely different way. In what is possibly the coolest way. My motherhood will be so instant, and at the same time so gestational. I get to experience what most other Moms don't. I will get a call to know your gender. I will be able to hold you, this tiny person already formed,  whose soul I've been connected to for so very long, and get to know you in a way most mothers can't understand.

 

My purpose is to advocate for that amazing miracle. Once you're in our arms, adoption will still be ever present. It will be in our lives every day, in one way or another. It won't always be front and center but it will be part of the background scenery forever. My purpose is to be there for new adoptive mothers, to be a sounding board and help them through this scary process. I am so thankful for the brave women put in my journey so far to help guide me, that I want to give that back as much as possible. 

Once you've found your purpose in life, there is a fire lit from under you that cannot be extinguished until it's fulfilled. It's a drive that takes over you, body and soul, and consumes you. It's a beautiful energy that comes from nowhere. It's the will that tells you not to give up when you're exhausted from trying. It's the whisper in your ear telling you to keep on hoping after another failure. 

 

I appreciate the purpose. 

 

I don't know what your purpose will be, sweet baby. That is for you to find out... but just know your Dad and I will support you in the journey to find out, and we'll always be here patiently waiting to see what you find. We'll do everything we can to support you following your dreams. Maybe in thirty years when you look back and read this you'll think, "Really Mom? I was your purpose in life? Dream a little bigger next time.... I mean, I am going to be President*, and all you wanted to be was a Mom and adoption advocate?" (* or doctor, or lawyer, or sanitation specialist---again, that part is up to you!)

 

But then I'll look into the eyes of the beautiful child that I worked for five (or more) long years to bring into our lives, the one who appreciates life and learning and the pursuit of their own happiness... and I will smile and tell you how very worth it it was. 

 

I will always appreciate you. You are my purpose in life, and I will appreciate every breath that fills your lungs, and every thought in your amazing brain. 

 

Being your Mom is going to be the most amazing journey I've ever embarked on. 

 

I can't wait to fulfill my purpose.

 

With love and wind in my hair,

Love always and forever, sweet baby, 

 

Mom 

Confusion never stops, closing walls and ticking clocks. Gonna come back and take you home, I could not stop that you now know. Come out upon my seas, cursed missed opportunities....Am I a part of the cure? Or am I part of the disease?

Little one, it's been too long. I'm sorry about being MIA. I have not been MIA from this journey, just from writing to you. In fact, this journey taking so many twists and turns is the reason I haven't been writing to you.

Let me try to explain. 

Today marks one year since we've been on this journey. One year since that car ride with my mother, where I learned about the situation in New Jersey. One year since I frantically busted through the door when I got home, eager to tell your Dad about our new life plans. That night your Dad and I made the decision to adopt while our friends were waiting outside our house in their car for us to go bowling on a freezing January Friday night. One year since we couldn't stop smiling while continually bowling gutter balls because our mind was on you- and our friends asked us what was up with our game. 

One year since our lives changed forever.

But I'm not the same person, at all.

I'm not the same person I was one year and one day ago, either. That version of me was sad. Sullen. Heartbroken. Lost. Hurt. Confused. That person was overtaken by the grief of infertility with seemingly no way out. That person was bitter. She loathed going to happy bubbly baby showers. She would dig her heels in when going to family gatherings with children. Her heart sunk when she walked past a baby aisle in a store. 

I'm definitely not her anymore. 

But I'm also not who I was this time last year. I cannot be, because I've been through too much. I've seen too much, felt too much, talked to too many people and learned too much. I am not that hopeful person that looks at each new day as an exciting opportunity. I'm not that nervous girl frantically cleaning every crevice of her kitchen counter before her first homestudy visit. I'm not that woman who wished on stars and imagined that they could actually come true. 

 

I'm now the woman who has had five fall throughs in one year. I'm the person with all the failed matches. I'm the one who has spent countless nights this past year lying awake, wondering what went wrong. I'm no longer bitter about baby showers- I'm bitter about other peoples fast matches. I'm hurt, and a little broken. I've seen the dark, painful underbelly of adoption. 

 

One year to date and still, I'm the childless mother. I'm the one who has had so many women tell me I'm the one- only for them to drop off the face of the planet, or send an email mere hours later telling me they've gone a different way. I'm the one on the other end of the phone while a mother in crisis screams at me because I legally cannot pay her living expenses, and then threatens me with physical harm. I'm the one answering heavy breathing phone calls from sex offenders calling our adoption phone line in the middle of the night. I'm the one losing faith in humanity, in how much strength I once had, in myself. 

 

And yet sweet baby, I'm still your Mom.

 

I'm still the woman who has hope. 

A glimmer of unwavering faith.

Endless love and determination for you. 

 

I'm not going to say this past year has been easy. It just plain hasn't. There have been endless sobbing tears into a soaked pillow at three in the morning. Sleepless nights, lying awake wondering and hoping and wishing and praying for an answer, if you added them up I'm sure it would be a full two months of those nights.

And it's difficult, because with each fall through and scam we've experienced, a part of it feels like a miscarriage. Only it's not at all. Those babies are in homes, they are loved. But they have no idea about me- about the other way their life could have gone. They have no idea that before they were born, at one point in their lives they had a stranger who loved them. A mother who knew nothing of the features of their face, but held them in her heart and loved and cared about them mercilessly. 

And it's difficult to mourn these children who will still go on to have what I'm sure will be beautiful lives. In doing so, my grief is selfish- I'm only sad for myself. That isn't fair to them.

Adoption is not for the faint of heart, and I knew that going into this- but I also had no idea the year that would lie ahead. Despite this, it has been one of the best years of my life- because it's leading me to you. 

I think it's been so hard to write to you because unbeknownst to you, the idea of you just keeps changing. Throughout this year we've had so many names for you, so many names for your first mother. It feels endless. I feel like I'm failing you by not getting to the finish line. 

 

It takes a lot of strength for me to come back to the place where I need to be. I know that those babies weren't you. Those babies aren't our babies. Those little faces I've loved so much that I'll never see- they aren't the faces we were meant to love forever. 

And I can tell you this, sweet baby- it will be worth every. single. second. Every molecule of every single tear that has streaked my face for the past three hundred and sixty five days are worth all that you are and all that you'll be. You are so worth every heartache, every wrong turn, every misstep. You are worth a million days of walking through the desert without a drop of water. And sometimes, that is what this journey feels like. 

I have to keep reminding myself that one day- it won't feel like that anymore. 

One sweet, beautiful, incredible day- you will be placed in my arms. I will physically hold you. I will see your tiny nose and your soul through your eyes. I will rock you,sweep the whisps of hair from your forehead and cry a thousand tears of a joy so deep and meaningful- and you will forever be a part of who I am in a way that I can't even picture yet because it seems so far away. But I know one day, it won't be far away. One day, it will be THE day. 

And I'm not letting my heartache be the roadblock to that amazing day. 

I wish I could adequately put into words how much I love you, how much you mean to me. I wish I could explain the feeling in my heart when I think about being your mother- and the soul crushing fear that overcomes me when I fear that it will never happen. But I don't think there are enough words in the English dictionary to cover those emotions. They are far too deep. Just know this sweet little one- I am never, ever giving up. 

I am blessed by this journey. Though the road has been broken, it is the right road for us. It is the road we will keep traveling down until we reach you. No matter the pitfalls, the detours or the wrecks along the way- we won't stop until we reach you. But for that, I am thankful. I am grateful that I will never for one millisecond take for granted the gift it is to be your mother. I will study your amazing personality, I will stand in awe of your existence. Because I have seen what it takes to get a miracle, and the hard work that goes in behind the scenes. I will be a better mother because of everything we've been through. 

And it hasn't been all bad, either. This year has brought me some amazing gifts in the form of women I've talked to who are going to make (or already are) great mothers who've decided to parent. I've bet first mothers who have placed, who I've connected with in the kind of grief only those in the adoption triad understand. I'm leaving this year with great friends by my side walking the same path as me- some who already have adopted their little ones, others who are in the trenches like us. 

I'm definitely coming out of this year with lessons learned, friends made and support. 

 

And sweet baby- let me just say this- your Dad is so very amazing. We have been in this together, every single step of the way. He is taking each and every painful experience to heart just as much as I am- only he's also being the one to hold me and tell me it's going to be okay. He's the rock that keeps me grounded when I feel like it's never going to happen. He is the cheerleader by my side, whispering to never give up. He's downright amazing, and he's going to be an amazing Dad to you. 

 

No matter how hard this road gets, we're not giving up. We've made it through the first year alive, and nothing can stop us now. 

 

I keep listening to this song by Jason Mraz every time I feel down: 

And just like them old stars
I see that you've come so far
To be right where you are
How old is your soul?
I won't give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I'm giving you all my love
I'm still looking up

We had to learn how to bend without the world caving in
I had to learn what I've got, and what I'm not, and who I am

I won't give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I'm giving you all my love
I'm still looking up, still looking up.

I won't give up on us (no I'm not giving up)
God knows I'm tough enough (I am tough, I am loved)
We've got a lot to learn (we're alive, we are loved)
God knows we're worth it (and we're worth it)

I won't give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I'm giving you all my love
I'm still looking up

 

I can't wait to sing you to sleep with that song. 

 

After a year on this road, I'm not giving up. God knows I'm tough enough.  

 

And God certainly knows your worth it. 

 

Not giving up, even for a second

With unwavering love forever and ever, and still looking up- 

Love,

Mom 

A man only learns in two ways, one by reading, and the other by association with smarter people.

Little One, we must learn from others. Others experiences, others journeys- they will teach us more than any textbook in this world.

So when the opportunity arose to participate in an interview project with fellow adoption bloggers, I jumped at the chance. I never knew I would be so lucky as to be paired with Lori Lavender Luz from Write Mind, Open Heart. Lori is a  soon to be published author (check out her book debuting in March 2013 and preorder here),  a mother through adoption and an open adoption advocate. She knows far more than I do about the open adoption journey, and I learned so much from my interview with her.

Please read the following interview with Lori, and learn as much as I did about this amazing beacon in the adoption community:

STBH: What motivates you to write? Have you ever faced writers block, and if so, how have you overcame it?

Lori: I've always been a wonderer. I've always liked to see the same thing from different angles to understand it better. I find, when I'm writing a post, that in trying to be clear with my reader, I'm also finding clarity for myself. This is why some consider writing as therapy -- it requires focus to take an idea or issue or emotion and reduce it to words. It's the yoga equivalent of finding my core, of honing inward. Writing is introspective and causes me to be more honest with myself, with my motivations. I also like to write because it makes me more observant, more present as I move through my day.
As for writer's block, I do get it every once in awhile. Sometimes I just take a short break from my blog (usually not more than a week). Sometimes I just sit down with a blank page and commit to be there for an hour. If it flows, great. If not, so what. Guess what...? Usually it flows when I commit to showing up.

STBH: If there were one misconception you could clear up about open adoption, what would it be?

That open adoption is super-hard, that only exceptional people can "do" it. True, parenting in open adoption can be more complicated than parenting in a biologically-built family, but with complexity often come unexpected gifts that you don't get from simplicity.

Know what's hard? Relationships! In them we don't always feel we have the power we want. We don't always know how to get our needs met. We fear someone else being a "wild card" that makes things be beyond our control.This isn't unique to open adoption relationships, though the feelings may be heightened in OA because of strong swirling emotions -- guilt, fear, debt, regret, anger, sadness, envy.

May I address two misconceptions? The other is that love can ameliorate all possible adoption-related issues for the adopted child. Some people are probably wired to be relatively issue-less, and others not so much. Parents (biological and adoptive) don't know which they are getting. I remember thinking that my children would come to me as blank slates whom I could fully influence with my love and guidance (and my husband's). I forgot that they come to me with 23 pairs of other people's chromosomes, which -- surprise -- pack a punch! These babies already had personalities by the time I met them as newborns -- shocker!

So, because your child may have issues with identity formation as s/he grows up (and really, who doesn't?) you might as well provide what you can to them about their birth parents. Maybe that's contact, maybe it's open-hearted conversations, maybe it's just you not being threatened by their wondering and processing.

STBH: How do you feel about PAL (positive adoption language)? Do you think it affects the way your children view their family structure? 

I'm all for being mindful, for choosing one's words deliberately. But if we're too careful, if we tiptoe around the realities of adoption, we indicate that there is something to hide and that there is shame around adoption.For example, I don't say to my daughter, "Crystal put you up for adoption." It sounds so careless and impersonal, like you're talking about a discarded toy. In reality, Crystal's decision was anything but careless and impersonal. Instead, I would say, "Crystal couldn't parent a baby at that time in a safe way, so she decided we would be your parents and she placed you with us." I try to understand how the words would feel to my child.

I wrote about this topic once regarding whether it matters if I say "we adopted my son" (which indicates it's something we did -- or "my son is adopted" (which indicates it's something he is). He seemed to pick up on this distinction, as I found out one morning at Take-Your-Parents-to-School Day. But does it really matter? Some adult adoptees have said that being adopted IS who they are. Or at least a part of who they are.

As for language affecting how our children feel about our family structure, yes, I believe it matters. The more secure and issue-less I can be about the way we became a family, the better the soil from which my emotions and words grow, and the more secure and issue-less our kids will have the opportunity to be. For then they can be left to deal with only their issues and not mine.

STBH: What has been the hardest part of your adoption journey so far?

Once we set out on the adoption journey, back in 2000, most everything seemed to fall into place relatively easily. It was the infertility process that brought me to my knees. Once I learned how to relax the grip I had on controlling my life, I was in a better position to yin-yang my way through the adoption process and now the parenting process. I was always good at the yang part -- making things happen; I had to get comfortable with the yin part -- letting things happen.

STBH: What do you like to do to relax?

I enjoy practicing yoga. For an hour I try to bring my awareness to the confines of my mat. It's a practice of focusing attention, of taming the wild-child that is my mind. It yokes my mind to my body and helps me remember to be more present even off my mat. Through yoga, I'm beginning to "get" that life is a journey and not a destination and shed the "I'll be happy whens." It's still a process. In yoga, everything is a process and no pose is ever perfected.I also love to read  and write and do cool things with my kids like paint pottery. My daughter, 11, plays volleyball and my son plays whatever sport it's the season for, so Husband and I spend a lot of time cheering them from the sidelines.

STBH: Being a self proclaimed new age libertarian, how do you feel about the upcoming election? 

I wish we could break free from our two-party system. The way it is, a candidate doesn't have to get you to vote FOR him (or her); he only has to get you to vote AGAINST the other guy (or gal). So campaigns are based on smear and fear and that makes everyone feel dirty.My family lives in a purple state (and a purple home!) and are thus bombarded with ads and robocalls and fliers that indicate only jerks, idiots and crooks want my vote. My kids have been told by the campaigns that no matter who wins, we're all doomed -- DOOMED I tell you! Husband and I have been doing some damage control surrounding these ubiquitous messages

STBH: Tell about your upcoming book on open adoption.

I was thrilled to announce that my project had a heartbeat last December and that I was going to give birth, metaphorically speaking. I spent the next several months gestating The Open-Hearted Way to Open Adoption: Helping Your Child Grow Up Whole with the help of a lot of midwives (and their male equivalent; midhusbands?). My daughter's birth mom, Crystal, is a contributor to the book, as are a host of other adoptive parents, first parents, adult adoptees and adoption therapists and advocates who shared their insights, viewpoints and wisdom with me -- many who are part of this Open Adoption Bloggers Interview Project!The book will be published by Rowman & Littlefield in April of 2013, and if you'd like to be notified when the book is available, you can get on the contact list. Thanks for asking :-)

Lori Lavender Luz

Again, thank you to Lori for the amazing interview. I cannot wait to read your book when it comes out!

We can learn so much when we just open our eyes and ears to others experiences, Lo.

With my eyes and ears wide open,

Love Always,

Mom

This post is a part of the Adoption Blogger Interview Project. To read more about the project or to read other bloggers interviews, please visit the projects page . To read my interview with Lori, please visit her post.

Remember, the storm is a good opportunity for the pine and the cypress to show their strength and their stability.

 

Little One, we weathered the storm. This Monday hurricane Sandy hit, locking your Dad and me in the house until this morning. Monday night was one of the hardest we've been through together. The eye of the storm passed right over our house. We slept in shifts on the couch, one of us asleep lulled by the sound of our hand cranked operated weather radio, the other holding a flashlight, vigilant to any noise of creak that could signal a tree about to crash onto our home. We huddled on the couch as a family, your Dad and I and all the pets. We protected each other.

In the quiet hours before the storm hit, but after the electricity had gone out your Dad and I made the best of it- we played pictionary, did crossword puzzles as a team and made hand shadows on the wall. We attached glow in the dark neon wristbands to doorways and the staircase to be able to navigate our own house. It's such a weird thing when there is no light- you're in a place so very familiar and yet it all looks so different, so alien. It's like meeting someone you forgot you met the first time- so familiar, yet so distant.

When the light of morning hit, we braced ourselves to open our front door and assess the damage. Walking hand in hand out the door, we were at the ready to call insurance agents and discuss deductables. Miraculously, nothing was damaged. There were branches, leaves, even garbage cans littering our front yard- but no damage.

We weathered the storm.

The most eerie part of it all was when our home was directly in the eye of the storm. It was one of my shifts to be awake, and as I stood looking out into our front yard, the hum of the generators making the air feel electric, everything suddenly fell quiet. No gusts of wind that howled like freight trains as there had been all night, no rain drops pelting the sidewalk with force- nothing. Just calm. Eerie, scary calm. It's that calm that comes right before an accident. It's that calm you remember last before you've forgotten everything else. It's the calm where all you can hear is yourself.

And I realized while looking out that window pane, that it's the calm we're in right now.

We're in the eye of the adoption storm.

The homestudy was hustle and bustle, the fall through and the scam were a mixture of hurt and picking ourselves back up and dusting ourselves off. We've stood strong in the wind and rain, and lately it's been calm. Quiet. Waiting.

But I know that soon, the winds will pick up again. The rain will soak through to our bones, we'll have to stand strong like we always have. But after that, it's over. The storm is gone, and the sun shines again.

We can't wait for your sunrise, LO.

Today is Halloween. It doesn't even feel like halloween, because your Dad is working late to make up lost time from the storm and we have barely any trick or treaters. And yet, I'm still lonely from it. I miss the children dressed head to toe in costumes, holding out bags asking for those sugar packed candies with bright eyes. I remember the days of my youth, going out with my parents in gorgeous homemade costumes my mother had spent months stitching together. Then, as a teenager- opting for the pop culture references that adorned the party store walls. I'm ready to be on the other side. I'm ready to cross over, to be the holder of the little hand across the street, the pusher of the stroller, the impromptu coat rack when costumes get too tiresome to wear at the end of the night.

I hope that next year, we'll have our little sunshine to dress up. I hope next year, I can cross over.

I hope that we're out of the eye soon, because we're well rested now.

We're ready for the wind now.

Waiting for you sunshine, 

Love always,

Mom

Though the wait is long, my dream of you does not end.

Little One, this blank page is haunting me. I've been trying to write to you for weeks, and the words just aren't coming. I'm not really sure why, but I think I have an idea.

 

It might sound insane, but a fraction of me feels like with every passing week that goes by that you're not here, I'm failing you. I'm doing something wrong. I'm not doing enough, I'm doing too much, I'm looking but not finding. Every day that goes without you here, I feel like I'm not living up to my full mother potential.

 

I know that sounds insane. I know, logically, that I cannot control a lot of the aspects of this journey. But for some reason, I can't help feeling like a failure when people ask if we've adopted yet, and I tell them no. Or when I open up the door to your nursery, and I can almost physically feel the emptiness of the room hanging in the air. Or when anniversaries pass-- which seem to be happening more and more often. We thought we'd have you in June, but no. Then we thought you'd come into our lives in October, and we would get to buy your first Halloween outfit. But no. Then we thought, okay- by Thanksgiving- this match should come through.

But no.

 

Week after week after week.

Holiday after holiday.

Ridiculous date after ridiculous date.

 

And the craziest part about all of this is that we're making up these insane deadlines in our head. Yes, we've talked to potential matches in every one of those scenarios that haven't worked out for one reason or another (fall throughs, scams, lost contacts). But it's not the other person that is putting these ideas of a timeline in our head- it's us. We're the ones who are putting this pressure on ourselves.

And it has to stop.

 

You're going to come into our lives when you do. If a situation doesn't work out, then it just wasn't the one that was meant to be. Then it wasn't you. It's so hard to remember that, but we have to in order to keep a level head. When I think of these dissapointments, I try to remember the red thread.

I've talked about the red thread in here before: but basically it is the idea that an invisible red thread connects us all in the adoption tried- us, you, and your biological family. We're all connected by this invisible thread, and it will come together when it's meant to be, because that thread is unbreakable.

And yes, I obviously wish I had a blacklight that would light up this invisible thread and we could follow it to you. But it doesn't work like that. I am a firm believer in things happening for a reason, and though the wait is hard I'm not giving up that idea. When we have hurt, setbacks, pain and heartache- they are all for a greater good. We might not be able to see that good in the present, but in the future we can look back and realize how much we learned and grew in this time.

 

Just the other day I heard a song on the radio that took me back to my college days. More specifically, this was a song I listened to on repeat after a particularly bad breakup. And it made me think (the way music often does), that if time wasn't so linear I wish I could jump back to that time, to face that young college kid and explain to her that her tears are for nothing- because in just a few short months, she would meet the man she's going to marry- her true soulmate. That very quickly in the scheme of things, she'd be married and own a house with this wonderful man. That her life is going to be more amazing than she could ever imagine. That she is crying tears over something she doesn't even understand yet- because when she meets this man she'll finally understand what head over heels, earth shattering, life changing love feels like. That she'll be happy, very soon- for a long time.

And it made me wonder- in years down the road, will I want to travel back to this time to tell the present me that I'm worrying for nothing? To not waste the tears? That this is going to happen, soon, and that this whole waiting process will feel like a blink of an eye?

 

I sure hope so, LO. And that is one reason why I want to push myself to continue writing to you, no matter how hard it might be for me. I want you to be able to read these words and have your history with us, even before it begins.

 

Because though you're not here yet, you are here in so many ways.

 

And this way, you'll be able to look back and read and understand just how much we loved you before you ever came to be in our lives.

 

Though the wait is long, my dream of you does not end.

 

And it never will.

 

 

With love and hope,

Love,

Mom

So I'll be bold as well as strong, and use my head alongside my heart, and I will wait, I will wait for you...

 

Lo, sometimes I just sit in your room and wait.

Maybe in my mind, if I am sitting in a room that is complete, it will happen faster. I know the reality of that is wrong, but I cannot help but feel that if I physically sit there it will tell the universe somehow, "Ok, now she is really ready. Look - she's even sitting in a completed nursery. She's a real live Mom now. She deserves this now. It's her time now. It's go time."

Maybe I sit and imagine what it would be like. I let my mind wonder, finally, after having it trapped in a cage of doubt and misgivings - I let it roam free for just a moment. I imagine what it would be like, to hold you in my arms, to feel your little tiny chest heave with every breath, each breath out of your lungs the biggest gift I could ever ask for in this universe. Each tiny movement a signal from the world that it was worth all those nights in the empty room, waiting.

Maybe it is the newness of the room. The smell of the paint and fresh carpet that reminds me of a brand new house, a brand new start, a brand new chapter. The furniture fresh from its boxes assembled and everything lined up perfectly, all brand new. The crib that has never been slept in, the changing table that has never seen a baby bottom, the stuffed animals that are brand new. They are aching to be used, aching to have child spit worn into their fibers and wear and tear marring their perfectness.

Maybe I use that empty room as my sanctuary. Perhaps it is the one place in this world I can sit and feel at peace, because it is a physical reminder that one day you'll be here, come hell or high water. It's like a security blanket for my racing mind - a place I can finally feel happy and at peace. The bright walls splashed with yellow the color of a cartoon sun, the rocking chair waiting patiently to hold a new mother rocking and cooing her infant to sleep under the fake tree on the wall gives me a sense of comfort and peace I haven't had in a long time.

Maybe it's all of the above.

I feel like if I sit in there, even if only for a few moments a day, I suddenly feel centered.

I feel closer to you, in some way that seems to be slowly slipping away from me lately.

I'm trying so very hard to remain positive, to be the glue that holds this together. But lately, I'm finding myself slipping - wondering if this is real, if it's going to ever happen. Then I pull myself together, take a deep breath and remember that my job as your Mother right now is to soldier on and find you, even in the darkest of nights.

Today is your Dads birthday. I wish I could get him what he really wants, the title of Dad.

But I know its coming, slowly but surely.

 

And until then, I'll be waiting for you.

You can find me here.



 

Meet you under the owl tree soon, little one.

 

Love Always,

Mom

I've learned the hard way that some poems don't rhyme and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious Ambiguity.

Little One, life has thrown some curveballs at us recently. I'm not a big fan of change and unpredictability, but with change comes opportunity. The changes we're making right now might even lead us to you one day, and they will all be for a reason.

Last Friday a terrible storm slammed the entire east coast. It was 600 miles long, spanning across several states. Trees fell, hundreds of thousands lost power, and unfortunately, people died. We are incredibly lucky though, Little One. Even though I was mad that our power was out for three days and that we lost all of our food in the fridge and freezer, we're still lucky. We were camping over the weekend, and all we heard was the soothing pitter patter of raindrops that fell on our camper roof, lulling us to sleep. Incredibly bad things could have happened to us, but they didn't. Sometimes the curveballs that are thrown at us are for the better, even if we can't see it in the moment. 

On Saturday night, the campground pool was open late. They held a pool party with a DJ, and there on top of a mountain your father and I swam. Nothing above our heads but the clear night sky, the stars shined like diamonds. Off on the horizon fireworks went off silently- too far away to hear the noise, but close enough to see the spectacle. Your Dad and I danced, laughed and swam to the sounds of the DJ, the smell of honeysuckle tickling our noses and the summer air blowing through our hair. 

 

And on this perfect summer night, all I could think of was you. 

 

Will you like swimming? Will you be the one dancing to the music or sticking to the side of the pool wall watching? Will you think we're crazy to be your parents, or will you love our passion for fun? 

Life is so unpredictable, Lo. Right now, you're so unpredictable. In a way, that is scary for me. I'm a planner by nature. I like to know the whens and wheres of life, and if there are none I like to find them and put them into place. But over the past week, as we've been thrown things good and bad, I'm remembering a very important life lesson: it's all in perspective. Bad things are only bad if you make them that way, sweet baby. A lot of things in life are out of our control, but how we react to them and how we view them in this world is the one thing we do have control over. 

Unfortunately, as an adult, you want to control everything but you just simply can't. And sometimes no matter how hard you work or how much effort you put forth (especially if you enter the corporate workplace), someone is going to try and trample all over you. Stick up for yourself, don't let anyone ever hurt you - and take as much control as you can. What you don't have control over, have faith in. Whether you believe in a higher power or not, have faith that it will all work out in the end, and if it's not worked out yet, it's just simply not the end. 

Sometimes, it's hard to see the success you've already met. Success and opportunity are like icebergs: you only see a preview, a portion of what is to come. And when you least expect it, the larger and greater good beneath the surface will emerge. I feel like the changes we're experiencing now are just the tip of the iceberg, that what lies ahead is far greater than what we can see in the immediate future.

 

We're still in the waiting to wait phase, but it is quickly coming to an end. We should have the homestudy back in our hands in less than three weeks. I feel like now this time seems to be moving incredibly slow, but that life will move a lot quicker soon and that this time will feel like a blink of an eye in the future. 

 

But now we're prepared to get our profile up. Last weekend, your Dad and I got pictures taken in the park for our profile. It was lovely, and I love the way they turned out (here is a preview): 

And my favorite: 

 

 

I see the tip of the iceberg, sweet baby. Now comes the time to wait for the rest.

 

With delicious ambiguity and lots of love,

 

Love,

Mom 

Any man can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a Dad.

 

[caption id="attachment_2733" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Your Dad, studying[/caption]



Little One, today is Fathers Day. For some reason, I think it's hitting me harder than Mothers Day did this year. I think I know the reason (we thought you'd be here by now, and that we'd be celebrating fathers day with you) but the reason doesn't really matter.What matters today is the man who you'll one day call your Father.

Today is all about your Dad.

Let me tell you a few key things about your Dad, that you'll know as you grow up with him but I should point out:

[caption id="attachment_2735" align="aligncenter" width="300"] At our wedding[/caption]

- Your Dad is the sweetest person alive.I know all wives (well, a lot anyway) say their husband is the sweetest, but trust me. your Dad really is the sweetest. At the end of our first date I was cursed with a migraine (they happened a lot when I was in college) and your Dad offered to drive behind my car all the way home to make sure I got home safe. At that time, he lived over 40 miles away from my house, but it didn't matter to him. It didn't matter to him that it was our first date, that he had just met me, that I lived far away- he would do anything to make sure I was safe. That night I knew he was the one.

 

[caption id="attachment_2736" align="aligncenter" width="300"] On the train in Strasburg, PA[/caption]

 

- Your Dad is extremely smart. He always has been. There is an age old tale that your Dads side of the family always brings out when talking about your Dads childhood. He was young (three or four years old) and got in trouble as toddlers do. His punishment was to sit at the top of the stairs for a few minutes, and he whined to his family, "Can I get a reprieve?" What three year old says that? And now as an adult, he will try to explain computer programs or theories to me and I'm at a total loss and will usually make a joke to not look so dumb about whatever it is he's talking about.

[caption id="attachment_2737" align="aligncenter" width="232"] We Mustache you a question[/caption]

- Your Dad is silly. He's a joker, a laugher and a prankster. He can put on a silly voice and have full on conversations with me about things that don't exist, just because we think it's hysterical.

[caption id="attachment_2738" align="aligncenter" width="201"] All Smiles[/caption]

- Your Dad is romantic. Not in a traditional flowers way (though he does do that too) but what counts more is the little ways in which he shows his love for me. The everyday romantic gestures that mean so much more than big sweeping dates. The little notes left on the door, the whispers that I'm the most beautiful woman he's ever seen. I hope that one day, you either find a man as wonderful as him or become a man as wonderful as him.

[caption id="attachment_2739" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Holding our nephew[/caption]

- Your Dad is nurturing. He cares about our two dogs as if they are our kids, he cuddles with them and shows his love easily. When I'm sick or feeling down, he's right there to lend a caring hand and soothes me back to health. Every cell in his body exudes his caring, loving personality.

[caption id="attachment_2740" align="aligncenter" width="300"] In NYC[/caption]

What does this all equal out to, Little One? It all means this: your Dad is freagin' amazing. He's going to be one super Dad to you. Does that mean he won't make mistakes? Of course not. We both will. I can guarantee that there is going to be a learning curve for us since we've never experienced parenting. But I also know that now, in this moment before you're even here, he's more of a Dad than most Dads out there. He's been there every single step of the way, we've been in this journey together, one thousand percent. He cleaned the house spotless with me for the home study, he took time off of work to get things done, he talked me to sleep on tough nights when the crying wouldn't stop. He's going to be your Dad for the long haul, forever. He's always going to be there, day or night. You're going to be so incredibly lucky Little One.

I'm trying to remember how much this fathers day hurts. I know that sounds odd, but it's in a good way. My hope and prayer is that next year at fathers day, we'll be holding you, talking cavalierly about last years Fathers Day being the last painful one. I hate putting a timeline on this journey, because each time we have it's been met with hurt and pain- but I think in order to be hopeful we have to put a time on it. And if next year, we're still waiting, then we wish and hope again.

You're out there, sweet baby. It's just a matter of time.

Until then, I'm wishing your childless Dad a Happy Fathers Day regardless. He's already one of the best Dads I know.

[caption id="attachment_2741" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Your Dad and I walking on the boardwalk with our nephew[/caption]



Waiting for next June,



Love,

Mom

No matter how much you plan, it is tenacity, unyielding desire to success, and the ablity to cope with change that will eventually prevail.

Little One, today is a bit rough. Today is the day I thought you might be here. Today is the day we thought you might be due. That is until, as you know how your story plays out- that mother decided to parent.

We’re still excited for her, happy that was her decision. We hold no ill feelings towards her or her choices at all. That is how this part of the tale was meant to go. It’s how it was supposed to be, and we know that. I wish knowing that made it easier, but it doesn’t. It still aches, just a little. It still hurts to see the little tiny heart mark I made under the 11 on the calendar  by my work desk. It still hurts to think of that part of my brain that I've tried  very hard to surppress where the flowery thoughts flourish. Thoughts like maybe, just maybe, we’d be parents by Fathers day. It still stings when I think that maybe you won’t be here by Christmas the way we imagined, or that we’ll keep collecting items and filling an empty room for years. It makes my soul ache to think that it will take a long time for you to get here. Then there is that small quiet space inside my heart that whispers the words I don’t want to hear, that maybe you’ll never get here at all.

It’s difficult to pull myself together, but I have to do so and realize that this was not the mark of an end, but of a beginning. A new start for us, and for that mother. It’s like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly. It might seem like the end of the world now, but tomorrow we might grow wings and flourish and live a life so wonderful it never even crossed our minds or hearts that it could turn out that way. I know beauty lies ahead for us, that we’ll have your room filled with not just things for you, but with your laughter, your own hopes and joys. I know that one day your cry will bounce off the walls of that room and fill our hearts with a sense of belonging, replacing the longing feeling that resides there now. I know that years of magical Christmas mornings lie ahead- mornings where we wake you up with the news that Santa has arrived and brought an entire sleigh full of goodies, and those years will morph into ones where you’re the one tapping us awake to tell us that Santa came. I know that this may not be the last Fathers day that your Dad doesn’t get to celebrate with you here, but that it lies ahead, somewhere out there on our unknown timeline.

I know we’ll turn into a butterfly soon.

 

I remember writing to you months ago, saying repeatedly that I wish I had a time machine that could take me to this very day and let me know the outcome. But in retrospect, I’m glad that was never in the realm of possibility. It’s better to not know these things. Had I seen that this didn’t work out the way we’d hoped, would I have wanted to go through with it? I still think yes, but it would have caused more pain. I heard about it when the time was right for me to hear about it. Things always happen for a reason, and on a certain timeline. That is the hardest part of life, sweet baby. I don’t know if I will ever get over not knowing the when’s of this life. There are still times when I wish I knew exactly when you will be in our lives, but it’s for the better that I don’t have a clue. I have a feeling you’re going to surprise us and sweep us off of our feet, probably when we least expect it. Knowing would take away the magic, and trust me: we always opt for the magic of life than the knowledge of logic. There is a lot less of the former, so never take those magical moments for granted.

 

Behind the wound of you not being here yet lies a big abyss of wonderful- our hope. Our hope that you’re still out there, waiting for us to find you. That is what is keeping me going during tough days like this, knowing that it’s my job and duty as your Mom to find you out there and bring you home to us. I’m convinced now more than ever that I was put on this planet to do just that. I was meant to be your Mom, and when the right time and place collide it’s going to be amazing.

 

There is a Chinese proverb that reads, “An invisible red thread connects those destined to meet. Regardless of time, place or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but it will never break.” I know that read thread is already there in our hearts. We just have to wait for it to connect us. I’m not sure when the circumstances will be right, or if this will be our one and only missed connection or the start to many (we hope not), but either way we’ll find you.

I’m going to hold on to that string for dear life.





Waiting to grow butterfly wings,

Love,

Mom

It takes a village...

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="602"] Reflection: the view from the hike we took in the park by our house on Saturday.[/caption]

Little One, I've been reflecting a lot lately. I've realized lately that adoption is the ultimate truth to the old adage that it takes a village to raise a child... only with adoption, it takes a village to find our child.

And boy, Lo. We've got quite a village around us.

 

Over the weekend, we recieved gifts from complete strangers of the following:

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="570"] Your future things![/caption]

It's a baby bath tub, a co sleeper, a high chair, a changing table pad and a closet organizer. My sister has also put a lot of stuff aside for you from your cousins. Our neighbor is holding on to things for us. There is an entire community cheering us on every step of the way. It's such a beautiful thing to be thought of and given things from strangers, neighbors, family and friends. We're so incredibly lucky, Lo.

You're so incredibly lucky.

I have friends calling to tell me they've seen our flyer up at places where we haven't put it up. Our family, friends and neighbors are working hard to get the word out on our behalf. They are all so involved and caring. They ask how we're doing, they excitedly inquire about potential nursery decor and offer words of encouragement when we're having bad days. Strangers happily say congratulations when we tell them the news that we're trying to adopt. The world has been painted in a much more positive and beautiful light for us since this journey began.

 

Here is the thing, sweet baby... this whole village isn't just surrounding us for the here and now. The village surrounds every aspect of adoption. You're so lucky in that aspect. Most children have two people involved: their Mom and Dad. To make our family, there will be at the very least six people involved just for the match to be made. There will be us, your biological parents and two lawyers. That is not counting the potential counselors, social workers, physicians, nurses, extended family on both our end and your biological families end. There will be an entire team getting you to us: a team Little One. We're part of the founding members of team Lo, but trust me your team has more members on it than an NFL league.

It will take a village to even get you here, baby.

 

If you've never seen the symbol for adoption, it empitomizes this theory. It's a triangle intertwined with a heart. It symbolizes the three sides of adoption: the adoptive parents, the biological parents, and the adoptee (that would be you, Lo). They are all intertwined within a heart to show that all three sides are touched with the unwavering love of the adoption, and each other. We're going to love your biological parents so much, Little One. They are giving us the best gift in the entire world. Hopefully, they'll love us an incredible amout as well. After all, they are trusting their greatest gift with us, in our hands and our care.

 

And you will love both sides, and that is perfectly okay. We want you to love both. We want you to realize the sacrifice your biological family made for you, and realize that we're no better than they are, and vice versa. We're just pieces to a big family puzzle, Lo. We are people that love and care for you above all else, and we just happened to be in different places in our lives at a certain place in time. That doesn't mean they don't love or care about you, and we want you to love and care about them too.

 

Don't ever, even for a split second think that you loving them will make us feel threatened. It won't. And to that point, we're not the important piece here, we're not whose feelings matter in this equation. It's ultimately you who matters most, sweet angel. It's your feelings, your love to give. We respect and honor that. We realize that your heart has so much room in it, room for more than just us. And that is okay. That is a concious decision we made when we  decided to adopt, and why we would like an open adoption. We realize that you have enough love to give to this entire village that brought you here.

Love the village, Lo. Love every entire person in the equation. It will only make you a better, more well rounded person.

I've thought a lot lately about how it may seem for you as a child. Will it be normal to be adopted? Will it be special? Will you boast with pride when people ask about your family? If you have a visit with your biological family, will that seem normal to you, or will you wonder why other children don't have those visits?

No matter how you see it when you're young, I hope you see that we are making the decisions that we think are the best for you. You might go to school and talk about your Mom and your First Mom, and that may confuse your classmates. But always know that it's a blessing to have so many people care and love for you, not a curse.

It's a blessing to have this village. I hope you see it as a blessing too.

 

I'm sure it will also take a village to raise you. But I'm not worried. Between our supportive family, the beauty of open adoption and the community around us, our village will be nothing but people ready to help you and our family.

 

We have a full team of "love soldiers" working on our side. When you make your appearance, it's only going to get better. You're going to have this love and support forever, as are we- and for that, we're the luckiest little family in the world, Lo.

 

The Village Waiting Mother,

Love,

Mom

Mother Nature gives every bird a worm, but she does not throw it into the nest...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="392"] Three birdies of a feather, nesting together[/caption]

Little One, this weekend your Dad and I grew wings. We sprouted feathers out of our backs, and in perfect bird fashion and with a big swoop, we began building our nest.

 

Thats right, we're nesting.

.... Big time.

 

We kept telling ourselves we wouldn't purchase anything until the homestudy was complete and in our hands. But then we saw a swing with an owl on it, and it was half price on sale. So we bought it... Just this one thing,we thought- nothing else. But then the matching diaper bag was on sale. And before you know it, we had this lamp in the cart:

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="361"] I mean, really. It was far too adorable to pass up.[/caption]

 And suddenly, we were nesting. We're grabbing these little twigs (pretty fitting, since we're doing a nature themed nursery) and slowly building our little nest. Next thing we knew, we were trying to figure out how to finagle a bulky car seat box into the car:

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="361"] Your Dad has become quite the box wrangler. And your Mom is a giant goof who makes an idiot out of herself in stores, but has a good time regardless (don't worry- we didn't buy you the creepy pillow!):   [/caption]

I have to admit, it's really scary to be building a nest for the tiny bird we don't have yet. But it feels good, and right. It feels right to pick out nursery colors and decide on what kind of awesome mural I'm going to attempt to paint on your walls. It feels right in our hearts to get these twigs together and begin building our future. We have faith that soon our tiny bird will fill the nest we've worked so hard to build.

My nerves have been terrible lately waiting for the homestudy approval. Though I know logically that we have nothing to fear, it's a terrifying thing to put everything you've ever wanted in your entire life into the hands and control of someone else. But Lo, that is what adoption is all about. Trust, faith, and the deep unwavering knowledge that one day we'll be a family and all will be right. We're going to have to trust your first mother, we're going to have to trust our social worker, and above all, we are going to have to trust our instincts.

All of this nesting reminds me of the Bob Marley song Three Little Birds. I try to repeat the lyrics to myself over and over, "Don't worry about a thing, cause every little thing is gonna be alright." Marley knew what was up.

It's all about the positivity.

And for the record: I hope you like your nature nested nursery (try saying that one three times fast!)There will be sweet little deer, owls, trees, and of course three little birds by the doorstep.

 

Cause every little thing is going to be alright.

 

Waiting patiently in the nest for her baby bird,

Love,

Mom

There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="482"] On this journey: a shot from the trail we took this weekend[/caption]

Little One, I am realizing more and more the older that I get that every little thing is a miracle. Life is all in how you look at it, Lo. Some people feel like a miracle must mean water into wine, but I believe that it's a miracle to wake up every morning. It's a miracle that we''re in this moment, right now. Every single breath that fills our lungs full with air is a small miracle. Each and every one.

Meeting your Dad was a miracle. The beautiful life we've been given together is a miracle. And most of all, you will be a miracle.

As June looms closer and closer, I feel myself slipping. I'm not being as positive as I need to be, because the wound of having a possible match has not completely healed. I know it will, but it takes time, and I know in my heart and soul you're still out there waiting for us. That just wasn't our baby, it wasn't our time, it wasn't our lead.... it wasn't you. But the closer it gets to the date where we thought you'd be here, it's getting a bit harder. I'm trying to remain positive despite this. But sometimes, you just have to let it all out. It's almost like the summer weather in Maryland: it gets muggy until the air is heavy and hot, until finally the storm comes. As the storm roars past, the air calms and becomes cool again. I need to let my storm pass before I can see the end of this rainbow.

Even so, we are remaining positive. We're reading success stories, thinking of new angles, and looking at nursery decor. I think we're going to start getting the nursery together in the next few weeks. Tonight we spent time pouring over gender netural greens and yellows, deciding which color would work best for the walls. We were afraid of this at first, but we have faith. Having that faith means that we're no longer afraid to make steps towards the finish line. Having faith is a miracle.

This past weekend was memorial day, and your Dad and I went camping with family. On the road trip to PA, we had a long talk about our journey. We made a pact. This journey is going to get difficult, and there are going to be times when one or both of us are going to feel defeated and want to give up the fight. But we promised each other that no matter what, we're going to be each others rocks. We're going to pick each other up when one of us is feeling down, and encourage each other until we get to our destination. We're there for each other through everything, as a marriage should be. That in and of itself is a miracle.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="317"] Your Dad, leading the canoe[/caption]

Your Dad and I went canoeing in the Brandywine River, and it exemplified teamwork. I would steer as he paddled, he would lean as I would lean. We're one amazing team, Lo. Once you come along, we'll be steering this canoe for you- but trust me, we'll all always be in the same boat together. Always working together and being there for one another, the way a family is meant to be is one giant miracle.

[caption id="attachment_2620" align="aligncenter" width="260"] For your nursery- an owl and duck your Grandma made, and a bear I made for you[/caption]

 

 

On Sunday, your Grandma and I went and painted ceramics. We picked out the above picture and painted them for you. When I painted the words Little One on the bears hat, your Grandma began to cry. Having family that is support and loving is definitely a miracle.

We have so much to be thankful for in our lives, Lo. Even before you get here, this life we have is so miraculous. You're arrival is only going to make it more so. We will remain positive that our big miracle is on the way, and that all of these breaths and days we wake up are tiny miracles that all play into the larger miracle- you being in our lives.

We only get this one life Lo. We have to take in every single moment as a miracle. Though the next few weeks are going to be hard for us, we know you're still out there. We know that one day, hopefully soon, our big miracle will come through.

 

Knowing Everything is a Miracle,

Love,

Mom

Memorial Day

Little One, just a quick note.This is your Dad playing baseball with your cousin today. They had so much fun. I can't wait for days like this with you, sweet baby. Love, Mom

The secret to living the life of your dreams is to start living the life of your dreams today, in every little way you possibly can.

Little One, it's surreal. The visit part of our home-study journey is finally complete. The paper work was long ago turned in. All the appointments, the doctor visits, the faxes... all checked off, completed, finished. Now we wait for the report to be finished (most likely 3-4 weeks) and we'll finally, officially, in every capacity be paper pregnant.

It's the closest to being any kind of pregnant we've ever been.

The great news is that if we found you tomorrow, we'd be able to place with you because we're done the paperwork. So the search for officially on. We are officially expecting, and it feels absolutely amazing. After our last visit with the social worker lats night, I feel like a huge weight has been lifted from our shoulders.

 

It hit me last night how amazing your Dad is going to be as a father. I knew it all along, but listening to his answers during the interview about parenting and what he's looking forward to made me realize just how incredibly luck you're going to be to have him in your life. During the interview I was nervous, as I am during every step of the process. It's nerve-wracking to know how badly you want something and that the power lies in someones hands. But your Dad? He's a champ. He thought of every answer quickly, honestly and correctly. He remained calm and steadfast.Your Dad is my rock, and I'm his. We're there for each other, and we're going to be there for you in the same capacity.

 Not every kid has two parents in this world, and if we have an open adoption (which ideally, we would like)then you're going to have up to four parents who love you and care about you. My God, you're going to have a beautiful life, Lo. We're going to make every effort we can to make it as wonderful as possible.

I feel like our dreams are finally coming into a realization. Up until now, it's been about focus. We had a laundry list of papers to fill out, lawyers to interview, appointments to make and written tasks that we happily drew a line across each week when they were accomplished. Now, that is all done. The legwork is over, and what remains is this large vast expanse. There is no list we can check off now, it's all about the ways we can be inventive to find you out there. I'm not sure yet if that is going to be more or less difficult then having a list to check off, but either way we're up for the challenge.

Last night the social worker asked us what we're most looking forward to doing with our children in the future. I had a complete rush of blood to the head, because there are so many things we're looking forward to. Where other parents might complain about diapers, late night crying sessions and spit-up, we're pumped. We can't wait. We can't wait to take cheesy pictures on your first day of school. We can't wait to chaperone your school field trips, and help with school projects. We're excited to take you on camping trips, vacations and new adventures. We're anxiously awaiting quiet nights at home where we help you do homework and the routine that comes with it all. We can't wait to teach you how to drive (though I can totally wait to hand the keys over, because that seems terrifying). We can't wait to see you graduate high school and college. We can't wait to see you get married (if thats what you choose) or see you get your doctorate, or see you have children, or not have children. We can't wait to see the life you create for yourself with our support and love as the pillars holding it steady. No matter what your life holds, Lo, you're going to set the world on fire.

 

People have a lot of dreams and ambitions, and they are different for everyone. Some people dream of big houses, others fantasize about burgeoning careers or trips around the world. But what your Dad and I dream about is more simple. We dream about having a family.

We dream about you, sweet Little One.

 

And I know our dreams are going to come true. When they do, then our focus will shift again and it will become all about making your dreams come true. That is our job as parents, to be there for you and support you every step of the way. We'll be your biggest cheerleaders in this world, Lo. Dreams are such an important gift. They are what gives us drive, that hunger to wake up in the morning and take the day on with ferocity. We want to always add fuel to your dreams, as you've already done to ours. Anything we can do as your parents to give you the courage to dream and the bravery to act on those dreams, I promise you we'll accomplish.

 

Now the real part begins. From here on out, it's all about the search. You're out there baby. You might already be on this planet in some capacity. Maybe not. It's not for us to know right now, but for us to find out. We're done with the ground work, and now we can begin the brick and mortar. We're build our dreams, one step at a time.

 

Living the Dream,

 

Love,

Mom

Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans...

Every day, in every way it's getting better and better, Lo! I love the song Beautiful Boy by John Lennon, and I've been listening to it on repeat lately. Whether you're a boy or a girl, it doesn't matter- you are already beautiful in our eyes.

Music helps your Dad and I a lot through this journey. We've been listening to a lot of the Beatles (In My Life has been another favorite) and I've also been obsessed with  the Michael Buble song Just Haven't Met You Yet. I know it's a song about romantic love, but the lyrics are so perfect right now. It's full of hope and faith: the love is there, we're just waiting for the right moment.

And when it happens, it's going to be amazing and life changing in a way I don't think we can even understand until it happens.

Do you know that moment, Little One? That moment where you can feel something big coming on and your heart beats heavy and leaps into your throat? That moment when you know you're standing on the edge of greatness? I've had this moment only a few times in my life, but lately I have this overwhelming feeling that something big is about to happen. I had this moment when I graduated from high school, and again from college. I've gotten this feeling after a great interview when I've gotten a really good job. I got this feeling when we bought our first home. I had this feeling when I married your Dad.

It's this indescribable feeling, and I'm not doing it justice with words.

But this time the feeling is different. All of those other life events were things I controlled, completely. This is one situation where I cannot control every aspect, and I can't see the future. But I still have this feeling, and it catches me off guard some days. It's like a good surprise you didn't see coming at all.

We're almost done the homestudy. Just one more visit, and we'll be finished. Maybe that is sparking this feeling of a hopeful completion, but something in my heart tells me it's more than that. We don't have any solid leads or prospects right now, but something tells me it's going to happen. I wish I could put it into words, Lo. I wish I could articulate it to you. But it's this weird faith that I have and can physically feel in my chest and in my bones.

It feels like we're in the build up part of a story. Like when you're watching a romantic movie, and the music swells as the two protagonists kiss for the first time and it's magical. It's that moment you've waited for, and before it happens your entire body floats with anxiety and hope, and you feel weightless. It's that moment on the rollercoaster when you're at the top of the hill looking all around, and you get the feeling in your stomach that it's about to drop, even though it hasn't yet. It's standing backstage before a big show, looking at the lights and the crowd before you take a deep breath and jump out (unless you have terrible stage fright like your Dad, because while standing in the wings is exciting for me, it's dreadful for him.)

It's that moment right before the greatness.

Look, Little One- when you come onto the scene, life for us is going to change immeasurably in a great and powerful way. Life is never going to be the same. We're going to fall in love with you in a way neither of us has ever loved before, and we cannot wait. You are the greatness, and we're stuck in that moment right before the big kiss, the opening night, the adoption day.

But we know it's coming because we've got that whole faith thing down. And for now, before we get to the greatness we're enjoying the anticipation. It's going to be so life changing, so beautiful and amazing when it happens. It's going to be surreal and other wordly.

It's going to be us, as parents, and you, as our child.

Really, Lo, you're going to blow us away, just like all the dandelions we've been wishing on lately. Until then, we're holding on to the edge of greatness, and loving every moment of this feeling.

With a floating heart full of anticipation,

Love,

Mom

Hope says, "I wish my future will be bright," where faith says, "I know my future, and it is bright."

We had an inspiring weekend Little One. Your Dad and I took a trip to Virginia to attend the Families for Private Adoption Seminar. Words cannot describe how amazing it was.

We arrived Friday afternoon and stayed at a nearby hotel, so we were able to relax. We went to a movie, walked around the Tysons Corner mall and had a nice dinner out. It was wonderful to feel like we were getting away for a little while.

The next morning, we were on our way to the seminar. It was a gorgeous spring day, the sun was shining and the sky was blue as ever. We walked into the church conference room where the seminar was held, and immediately it felt like a big hug. It was such a friendly, warm environment that felt so supportive. We heard stories from all walks of adoption life- successful adoptive parents, adoption lawyers, social workers and even a birth mother. It was wonderful to get perspectives from every angle.

Looking around the room, I couldn't help but think I was surrounded by the best parents in the world. Not to pat our own back, but adoptive parents are a certain kind of special, Lo. They are the parents that fight for their children from the very start. They are the parents that want more than anything to be parents. They were just like us. We're not alone in this.

It was amazing to hear from adoptive parents who had sat where we were sitting not long before, and knew what it was like to be in the trenches. It was amazing to hear their stories of how they did it, and see their beautiful babies. It was amazing to hear from a birth mother who was still okay and proud of her decision, even though it was 28 years ago. It was amazing to hear how she was a part of her daughters life, walked her down the aisle on her wedding day with her adoptive parents. It proved that our idea of family does work, that we're not crazy and that thousands of families get there this way.

 

The last speaker of the day was a psychologist who is an adoptive father himself who gave a spirited talk about the difference between hope and faith, and it really resonated with us. Faith is knowing something is going to happen, whereas hope is, well, just hope. It's easily lost, a short fall from despair. But we have faith, now more than ever. We know this is going to happen, because we're going to make it happen.

One thing almost all of the speakers at the seminar said repeatedly was, "You only fail if you give up. If you don't give up, don't quit, you'll get your baby."

 

Well, Little One- if there is one thing your Dad and I aren't it's quitters. We're never giving up. We won't quit until we get you in our arms.

 

Tonight is session 2 out of 3 with our social worker for the homestudy. The last one is on Thursday. We're nervous, but it's a completely different feeling from the first visit. She knows us now, she's seen our home and now she's just trying to get to know us as people. It's hard to believe that soon the homestudy will be over and our focus will be solely on finding you. Hopefully the search won't last long, but we're willing to wait.

 

We're never giving up, Lo.

 

With faith,

Love,

Mom

When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child.

Little One, it's been a crazy long week! I've been in Philadelphia for most of the week for work, and Rick has been home. It's been tough being away, but it was a good distraction from the impending black cloud of Mothers Day this weekend.

That was until tonight, when your Dad and I made the pilgrimage to look at Mothers Day cards at Target. Pouring through pink envelopes filled with sappy sentiments, cheap jokes and childish poems we found an odd card among the mounds of Mothers Day greetings. A card about waiting. The label actually said it was an adoption card. It even included the phrase, "you can finally bring your little one home."

And it hit me, Lo. This card was in the Mothers Day section, because I am amother. I'm just a childless mother.

 

It's a weird predicament not many would understand.

Lately I've been thinking a lot about motherhood. What does motherhood mean? How do you define it? When in adoption do you actually become a mother? Am I a mother because this is our decision? Am I a mother when you're placed in my arms? Am I a mother when the home study is complete? Am I a mother when the final adoption paperwork is signed?

 

I believe it's all of the above and none of the above. I am your mother now. I put your needs before my own, I think about you night and day, I live and breathe and would take a bullet for you. My every breath is only an effort for me to live to move one step closer to you. For the shot to hold you in my arms. For the chance to be your mother. I'm going through hell in my own head and heart in order to just have a glimmer of hope to be your parent. I love you more than life itself.  

My God, if that isn't a parent then I don't know what the hell is.

 

I am a mother. I am expecting you, I just don't know when. I have to say, maybe selfishly, that takes a bit of the sting off of mothers day. In the past, I didn't feel like a mother on mothers day, I felt like a woman who was bitter over infertility. There is still that woman inside of me, fighting to come out and hem and haw at mothers day cards and hallmark commercials. But then the adoptive Mother bear in me comes alive and fights that bitter woman down. and roars in her protective voice, "I AM a mother, whether society sees it or not."

It doesn't matter that you're not here yet. Motherhood to me means love, protection, fighting for your children tooth and nail for them to have the best life possible, nurturing, caring, placing the needs of your kid before your own. I do all of that and more already, I am Mom.

It might not be traditional parenting yet. I'm not yet changing your diapers, feeding you a bottle, watching you drift peacefully to sleep in your car seat on a long ride home. But I'm placing fliers up, handing out our business card, cleaning up for social workers, going to adoption seminars. I'm laying the groundwork for the diapers and bottles and car seat naps of the future.

My love for you surpasses everything right now. I love you beyond what a greeting card encompasses.

 

And Hallmark doesn't make a card for that.

 

Waiting for the Mothers Day card aisle of next year,

Love,

Mom

Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter, little darling, it seems like years since it's been here...

Here comes the sun, little Darling.

For some reason lately, we've been getting signs everywhere. I'm not sure if they are signs from those who have passed, signs from God himself or signs we're just making up in our own head. But regardless, we're taking them for all they've got.

My grandfather used to collect dimes. He'd give us dimes each time we'd visit, filling our piggy banks with the beautiful click clack clack of our dime collections from him. He'd always have dimes in his pockets, large dime replicas in his bedroom and books of collected dimes on display. He died when I was thirteen, and ever since then whenever I'm having a bad day or I need some reassurance, a dime appears out of nowhere.

This has been happening quite a bit lately.

On the night of our first home study, I found a dime shining right outside of our doorway. The other night I was frustrated and tired, and I opened the door of the oven to get out dinner and there was a dime in the bottom of our oven. Shiny and silver it stood out, and I audibly gasped when I saw it there. How does a dime get in ones oven? How would that even happen? It certainly wasn't there when I put dinner in the oven, so how would it get there?

My grandmother, who has also passed, always wore the same perfume. Every time I feel scared or I'm having a bad day, I will smell the same perfume. It's a strong smell, like when I was younger and she'd wrap her arms around me and my face, snuggled into the side of hers, would get a big whiff of the familiar scent.

I know these are not tried and true signs, Lo. But this is a little something I like to call faith. I know when I see and smell these little signs that they are my grandparents up there looking out for me. I know with my logical brain that they are probably just things I'm pulling from the environment around me that I'm sensitive to, but then my spirit comes in and knocks some sense into my logical side- and I know my heart that it's them.

The other day my father had to have neck surgery. Thankfully he's doing well, and in the long run it should help him a great deal. While my mother was waiting for him to be released, she took a cruise around the hospital gift shop. Next to a pink owl, she found this:



If anyone knows anything about me, it's my love of Owls. Your Dad and I are planning on doing your nursery in owls, and what did she find? An owl frame, with the phrase Little One. Now I know logically they sell hundreds of these frames in gift shops across the US, and that Little One is not a proprietary name that only we call you (though I must admit, we sometimes feel like it is!) But here it was, a sign.

I know I probably sound a little crazy right now, Lo. But in this process, all we have to go on now is faith. Faith in each other, faith in adoption, faith in our family and friends, faith in how we're doing this, faith in God, fate, kismet...and most of all, faith in you.

And we have faith. That is something I want you to have and cherish, Little One. Life is crazy. Life is unpredictable. The surprises of life sometimes bring terrible things, but more often than not it brings joy and situations so amazing and wonderful you wouldn't have been able to plan them yourself, because they would far surpass your wildest dreams.

Have faith.

Have faith in us as your parents, that we love you and care about you more than anything in this world. Have faith in yourself, because I know you'll possess more smarts and power than you even know. Have faith in the world, and whatever God you believe in. Have faith in life, that it always gets better, that you have a purpose and meaning in this world. Have faith that things will work out.

We do.

Things will come together, I'm sure of it. You'll come into our lives when the time is right, we know that in our hearts to be true. In the meantime, we'll be clinging to the signs we have and carry them around with us for comfort.

But we have faith, Lo. And no one can ever take that away from us.

The sun will shine on us soon, little darling.



Love,

Mom