Beautiful Poem

I am lucky enough to have access to some exceptional adoptive mothers(aka 'amom'). They continue to encourage and support me through this process, to which I am deeply moved by. They share my excitement and frustration. These women are strong and gentle, courageous and loyal. They are beautiful. I continue to meet new women in the process of adoption, most recently I met a teacher who is beginning her process. She is single and has decided to take on a second job to finance her adoption. I am in awe of her for I know the task at hand can be very consuming. I've recently found an adoption newletter, via email, and have found many interesting articles/blogs. (Of course I didn't 'find' it, one of my 'a'mom's recommended it...thanks!!) This morning there was a poem listed that I think is just perfect! (see below) Each night I pray for my son's birth family. I pray that his mother has peace with her decision, that she is surrounded by a support group as strong as the one I have. I pray to know her and love her, and I pray that she has a chance to do the same with me. Though we've never met, I'm sure that she is strong, stronger than she yet knows. That she is gentle, lying under the stars talking to her ever-growing belly about the dreams she has for him. That she is courageous, allowing our son his God given right to life. That she is loyal, to the point of securing her heart's safety. That she is beautiful, in the way that the stars shine for thousands of years allowing others to wish upon them and getting nothing in return. My grateful heart is beating strong for this woman and all that she already means to me and to my son and to my family.
Thought that I would share the poem....

The Legacy of an Adopted Child

Once there were two women who never knew each other.
One you do not remember, the other you call Mother.

Two different lives shaped to make you one.
One became your guiding star, the other became your sun.

The first one gave you life, and the second taught you to live it.
The first gave you a need for love. The second was there to give it.

One gave you a nationality. The other gave you a name.
One gave you a talent. The other gave you aim.

One gave you emotions. The other calmed your fears.
One saw your first sweet smile. The other dried your tears.

One sought for you a home that she could not provide.
The other prayed for a child and her hope was not denied.

And now you ask me, through your tears,
the age-old question unanswered through the years.
Heredity or environment, which are you a product of?
Neither, my darling. Neither. Just two different kinds of Love.

© Author Unknown

Funny Girls

A few funny conversations between mom and girls:


Banking:
Mom to K: Do you want to participate in the Bank Day at school?
K to Mom: What is it?
Mom explains it is an opportunity to open an account, each month put in money for savings, the bank comes to the school, etc.
K express she doesn't quite understand, Mom tries to do a better job explaining again.
K states again, she thinks she gets it but still not quite sure.
Mom says: The banks comes to the school, you put your money...(K interrupts)
K: I get that part...but why? Why do we do it..I mean..what is the prize?
Mom (grinning): There is no 'gift', you get to save money then when you find something really special to buy then you will have the money to do it.
K (with disgust, and truly astounded I'm falling for this whole bank day): What's the Point!?! You're just giving it to them, they're holding it and we get NOTHING BACK?? That's not right! I'm not doing that! I have my own bank, I'm saving for a dog. I just can't remember where I put that little bank..but I'll find it and keep adding to it!!
Mom is laughing too hard to respond.


Toothbrush..
K: Mom, is this a Reach toothbrush?
Mom: It's MY Reach toothbrush. (thinking she was asking if it was her own)
K: Yeah, I know, but is it a REACH?
Mom: Yep, it says REACH.
K: Ha, good...I like their commercials. (she's walking away now) You know..this is like a dental instrument.

Mom is trying to remember how much t.v. she's allowed her girls watch...maybe too much??


Ethiopia:
M is really diggin' Ethiopian food. Her favorite is the injera, cottage cheese and tibs. My Favorite word of all right now is when she asks for Ethiopian....she calls it 'E-P-O-Pia". Melts my heart.

Getting Back in the Swing of Things...

We're finishing our 3rd week of school and boy have we been through the wringer!! We've had hand/foot/mouth, allergy/sinus junk, pink eye, tonsilitis and most recently a cold!! YIKES!! But we just keep putting one foot in front of the other, that's the only way!
K is enjoying 1st grade and doing so well. She was placed in the class she so wanted with her best friend..double bonus! I can already feel the change in pace from Kindergarten to 1st and I'm a little scared that I can't keep up!! ha,ha! M is attending her program 2 days a week and she is trying to figure out how to get there without tearing up. She's doing good once she gets settled in and her teacher is super sweet which makes it a little easier. I know she's having fun, it's just that initial separation. She has such a great, sweet disposition and really loves her mommy, makes it hard for me to walk away.
As for my baby boy... we finished our last visit with Catholic Charities the first of August. Our case worker came to our house for this final visit. The house was in good shape, our kids on the other hand couldn't have been more of a mess!!! The meeting was right when K arrived home from school, never her best time of day anyhow. So as the adults were gathered in the living room the girls were also making themselves known. M was throwing a stuffed animal wrapped in a pillowcase around..it hit our case worker in the head. K was whining about her level of thirst, while hanging upside down on the couch between me and my hubby. Much to my relief the girls dismissed themselves to their rooms (could have been our "squinting eye stares"), only to bust out in screaming/shouting...not in the jubilant "I love my sister" way. I took Julie on a tour while Brian attempted to resolve the issue upstairs. Our home has an intercom system, that I realized was turned on as we entered the master bedroom. I could hear the girls arguing their points while their Dad was attempting to gain control of the situation...I don't think Julie heard this or if she did she was polite enough not to laugh at the entire situation! We made it upstairs to find Mallory destroying Kendall's room and Kendall hiding behind her bed...face red and streaked with tears. Really. This was only about 25 minutes. They couldn't give us 25 minutes of digging deep for the good stuff they've been taught? Really? Thankfully our visit was over and Julie left assuring us that she thought everything would run smoothly for us and our dreams of bringing our son home by next year would happen as anticipated. She left. We decided to 'get even' with the rebel-children by laying in our room, refusing to help them for a full hour. No t.v. No snack. And most definitely no milk!! As if the girls need rescuing... my grandmother showed up unexpectedly. Mallory let her in, without us knowing, so she saw how we spend our afternoons...laying in bed while our youngest answers the door! Yep...I was glad when the day was over.
So we've had our last homestudy meeting, we've had our USCIS fingerprinting done and now we are reviewing our homestudy and making any adjustments needed. Once we finish this document then it will be sent to our adoption agency (Children's Hope International in St. Louis) and then we'll work to pull together another 12-15 documents to complete the dossier. Should take another 6 weeks or so. Once the dossier is completed then it is sent to be accepted by the gov't and once approved we will officially be placed on the waiting list. So all in all we hope to be on a waiting list sometime in November. Right now the waiting process is about 12 months, longer than it was when we started the process earlier this year by about 4 months. I'm praying that the process runs smoothly for all adoptive parents and their children and perhaps even a bit faster!! All prayers appreciated!
I have lots of pics to post, but I'm having a hard time getting them over so I'll make sure to work on those this weekend.
I will also try to do a better job about posting!
Now I'm off to buy a b'day gift for one of M's friends....I think I'll grab some hand sanitizer too!!! Our track record doesn't look so good with the swine flu lurking around!