Saturday, October 9, 2010
Thursday, October 7, 2010
372 days: Big news!
The one year anniversary of us being approached about the first adoption situation has passed. It feels like ages ago that all of that happened. Actually, sometimes it feels like it didn't happen at all. Sometimes I imagine what life would have been like if the birthmom hadn't changed her mind. We'd have a 16-month-old and a just-turned-1-year-old. Life would be insane, that's for sure.
One good thing about that situation not working out was that it made us aware that we were definitely ready for more kids - sooner rather than later.
See, the thing is, even though I don't talk about religion much or go to church, I feel like I have a very close relationship with God. I believe that He knows our hearts and what we want and what's best for us.
That being said, I also know that he won't (can't) do all of the work for you. What's that saying? Something along the lines of "You can't pray to God to win the lottery without buying lottery tickets."
The only reason I have been so zen about how we are handling the private adoption process is because I'm turning it over to Him. We have done everything that we can do within our comfort zone to make it happen and I fully believe that if/when the time is right, we will cross paths with the right birthfamily.
While we are waiting and hoping for those paths to cross... we decided to start trying to get pregnant again.
Thanks to Metformin, my PCOS is under control and we had gotten good news about Neal's sperm. My OB said he thought we may even be able to get pregnant on our own so we decided to start trying.
And trying.
And trying.
After six months of that, we went back to the OB and let him know that I was ovulating but we still weren't pregnant. He suggested that for the next cycle, we try an IUI (where they inject the sperm directly into your uterus). We agreed because it is a very simple procedure and since I was ovulating we wouldn't even need any medications, which I really wanted to avoid.
And it worked on the first try.
I'm due on Kasen's 2nd birthday.
The lottery ticket analogy? That's kind of how I feel about us trying to get pregnant again and adopting at the same time. We can't pray that we'll have more kids if we don't do something to make it a possibility. We're not going to get pregnant on our own and adopting doesn't just happen over night. Personally, I don't see anything wrong with having multiple irons in the fire, so to speak. Though I know some agencies will not let you adopt if you are trying to get pregnant/are pregnant/just had a baby because they think it somehow means that you aren't in it 100% or don't want the adopted baby as much or something. I assure you - we could not feel any differently.
What does this mean for the adoption? Nothing. If someone called us right now and told us to come to the hospital, we'd be in the car in a flash - with a quick stop at the store to pick up newborn diapers.
After the negative comments we got in the newspaper about our adoption fundraiser, I also know that some will think we are evil for trying both at the same time or that we don't truly want to adopt. There's nothing I can say to change their minds, so I won't bother. I know how we feel and that's all that truly matters.
I also know this fuels the "adopt and you'll get pregnant!" myth. There have been studies done that show that the number of people who get pregnant after adoption is no different from the normal amount of pregnancies in the population. If all it took to get pregnant was to adopt, there would be thousands of more pregnancies each year. Infertility is a medical condition - it's not wished away by relaxing or adopting or taking cough syrup any more than any other disease is.
We feel incredibly blessed and beyond lucky to be pregnant again. I was very nervous about announcing it on Facebook and on here because I know that this news may cause some hurt for some people. I hate that and pray that anyone who is waiting to adopt or trying to get pregnant can find some ounce of hope in our story and not just pain for themselves. Trust me - I understand because I have been there.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
3 more days to enter the giveaway! There are still items that haven't even been called for yet so you have a very good chance at winning!!!
One good thing about that situation not working out was that it made us aware that we were definitely ready for more kids - sooner rather than later.
See, the thing is, even though I don't talk about religion much or go to church, I feel like I have a very close relationship with God. I believe that He knows our hearts and what we want and what's best for us.
That being said, I also know that he won't (can't) do all of the work for you. What's that saying? Something along the lines of "You can't pray to God to win the lottery without buying lottery tickets."
The only reason I have been so zen about how we are handling the private adoption process is because I'm turning it over to Him. We have done everything that we can do within our comfort zone to make it happen and I fully believe that if/when the time is right, we will cross paths with the right birthfamily.
While we are waiting and hoping for those paths to cross... we decided to start trying to get pregnant again.
Thanks to Metformin, my PCOS is under control and we had gotten good news about Neal's sperm. My OB said he thought we may even be able to get pregnant on our own so we decided to start trying.
And trying.
And trying.
After six months of that, we went back to the OB and let him know that I was ovulating but we still weren't pregnant. He suggested that for the next cycle, we try an IUI (where they inject the sperm directly into your uterus). We agreed because it is a very simple procedure and since I was ovulating we wouldn't even need any medications, which I really wanted to avoid.
And it worked on the first try.
I'm due on Kasen's 2nd birthday.
The lottery ticket analogy? That's kind of how I feel about us trying to get pregnant again and adopting at the same time. We can't pray that we'll have more kids if we don't do something to make it a possibility. We're not going to get pregnant on our own and adopting doesn't just happen over night. Personally, I don't see anything wrong with having multiple irons in the fire, so to speak. Though I know some agencies will not let you adopt if you are trying to get pregnant/are pregnant/just had a baby because they think it somehow means that you aren't in it 100% or don't want the adopted baby as much or something. I assure you - we could not feel any differently.
What does this mean for the adoption? Nothing. If someone called us right now and told us to come to the hospital, we'd be in the car in a flash - with a quick stop at the store to pick up newborn diapers.
After the negative comments we got in the newspaper about our adoption fundraiser, I also know that some will think we are evil for trying both at the same time or that we don't truly want to adopt. There's nothing I can say to change their minds, so I won't bother. I know how we feel and that's all that truly matters.
I also know this fuels the "adopt and you'll get pregnant!" myth. There have been studies done that show that the number of people who get pregnant after adoption is no different from the normal amount of pregnancies in the population. If all it took to get pregnant was to adopt, there would be thousands of more pregnancies each year. Infertility is a medical condition - it's not wished away by relaxing or adopting or taking cough syrup any more than any other disease is.
We feel incredibly blessed and beyond lucky to be pregnant again. I was very nervous about announcing it on Facebook and on here because I know that this news may cause some hurt for some people. I hate that and pray that anyone who is waiting to adopt or trying to get pregnant can find some ounce of hope in our story and not just pain for themselves. Trust me - I understand because I have been there.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
3 more days to enter the giveaway! There are still items that haven't even been called for yet so you have a very good chance at winning!!!
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
355 days: my first giveaway!
So, I have 3 items left over from the raffle that I had to nix plus some handmade Scrabble tile necklaces that had been donated. I've been staring at them for weeks now wondering what to do with them and this morning, it hit me: I'll do a giveaway as a thank you to everyone for their support!
The Items!
The Scrabble Tile Necklaces, made by The Great and Wonderful Mrs. Gibby
Item #1
Tree necklace
Item #2
Stained Glass necklace
Item #3
Red Bird necklace
Item #4
Patchwork Quilt necklace
Item #5
Pigeon necklace
Item #6
Best Thing Since Sliced Bread necklace
Item #7
Shades of Blue necklace
Item #8
Spa Gift Basket
-10 oz and 2 oz bottles of Bath & Body Works Aromatherapy Body Wash (Lavender Vanilla - Sleep)
-Vibrating Sponge with batteries included
-hair clip
-rolly massager thing
-nail buffer/shiner
-Aveeno oatmeal bath
-pumice stone
-self-heating red clay mask
-1 oz Victoria's Secret illuminating body lotion
-Mary Kay Timewise cellu-Shape body moisturizer (1.7 oz daytime and 1 oz nighttime)
-.17 oz Aura Science eye recovery cream
-cute little basket :)
Item #9
Emergency Travel Case for Men
-carrying case
-Old Spice anti-perspirant and deodorant
-1.7 oz Gillette shampoo
-1.8 oz Dove body and face wash
-Gilette razor
-Chapstick
-grooming kit (nail file, tweezers, finger nail clippers, scissors and cuticle thing)
-bandaids
-Scope mouthwash (not pictured)
-nick stick to stop bleeding (not pictured)
-Aveeno lotion (not pictured)
Item #10
Wedding Emergency Kit
My maid of honor put some of this kit together for me for my wedding day and it was a blessing to have it on hand! It's filled with lots of little things you may forget on that big day that you'll find yourself needing! Would make a great bridal shower gift or just be nice to keep in your car for random other uses!
- carrying case
- protein bar
- matches
- toothpaste and toothbrush
- 4 Shout wipes
- 2 maxi pads and 3 tampons
- comb
- hairspray
- static guard
- sewing kit
- bandaids/alcohol wipes
- nick stick to stop bleeding (not pictured)
- tissues
- Tums
- ponytail holders
- bobby pins
- Aveeno lotion
- tweezers
- superglue
- clear nail polish (stops runs in pantyhose!)
- clear tape
- contact case
- saline solution
- nail file
- nick stick to stop bleeding
- small mirror
- hand sanitizer
- scissors
(The Scope mouthwash and one of the nick sticks pictured have been swiped from here and put it in the man's emergency kit, so they're not included.)
The Rules
The contest begins immediatley and will end 10/10/10. (Because that's a fun date!) I'll post the winners on 10/11/10.
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.
You have 72 hours to get back to me with your mailing address, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
Enter up to 4 times!
1. Leave a comment telling me which item you'd like to win along with your e-mail address.
2. Blog about it, leaving a separate comment letting me know you did so along with the item you'd like to win and your e-mail address. (You do not need to leave a link to your blog. We'll go on the honor system. ;)
3. Post it on your Facebook page, leaving a separate comment letting me know you did so along with the item you'd like to win and your e-mail address.
4. Twitter it, leaving a separate comment letting me know you did so along with the item you'd like to win and your e-mail address.
For each separate entry/comment you leave, you can list a different item you'd like to win or the same one 4 times - it's up to you! However, only list one item per comment.
The Items!
The Scrabble Tile Necklaces, made by The Great and Wonderful Mrs. Gibby
Item #1
Tree necklace
Item #2
Stained Glass necklace
Item #3
Red Bird necklace
Item #4
Patchwork Quilt necklace
Item #5
Pigeon necklace
Item #6
Best Thing Since Sliced Bread necklace
Item #7
Shades of Blue necklace
Item #8
Spa Gift Basket
-10 oz and 2 oz bottles of Bath & Body Works Aromatherapy Body Wash (Lavender Vanilla - Sleep)
-Vibrating Sponge with batteries included
-hair clip
-rolly massager thing
-nail buffer/shiner
-Aveeno oatmeal bath
-pumice stone
-self-heating red clay mask
-1 oz Victoria's Secret illuminating body lotion
-Mary Kay Timewise cellu-Shape body moisturizer (1.7 oz daytime and 1 oz nighttime)
-.17 oz Aura Science eye recovery cream
-cute little basket :)
Item #9
Emergency Travel Case for Men
-carrying case
-Old Spice anti-perspirant and deodorant
-1.7 oz Gillette shampoo
-1.8 oz Dove body and face wash
-Gilette razor
-Chapstick
-grooming kit (nail file, tweezers, finger nail clippers, scissors and cuticle thing)
-bandaids
-Scope mouthwash (not pictured)
-nick stick to stop bleeding (not pictured)
-Aveeno lotion (not pictured)
Item #10
Wedding Emergency Kit
My maid of honor put some of this kit together for me for my wedding day and it was a blessing to have it on hand! It's filled with lots of little things you may forget on that big day that you'll find yourself needing! Would make a great bridal shower gift or just be nice to keep in your car for random other uses!
- carrying case
- protein bar
- matches
- toothpaste and toothbrush
- 4 Shout wipes
- 2 maxi pads and 3 tampons
- comb
- hairspray
- static guard
- sewing kit
- bandaids/alcohol wipes
- nick stick to stop bleeding (not pictured)
- tissues
- Tums
- ponytail holders
- bobby pins
- Aveeno lotion
- tweezers
- superglue
- clear nail polish (stops runs in pantyhose!)
- clear tape
- contact case
- saline solution
- nail file
- nick stick to stop bleeding
- small mirror
- hand sanitizer
- scissors
(The Scope mouthwash and one of the nick sticks pictured have been swiped from here and put it in the man's emergency kit, so they're not included.)
The Rules
The contest begins immediatley and will end 10/10/10. (Because that's a fun date!) I'll post the winners on 10/11/10.
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.
You have 72 hours to get back to me with your mailing address, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
Enter up to 4 times!
1. Leave a comment telling me which item you'd like to win along with your e-mail address.
2. Blog about it, leaving a separate comment letting me know you did so along with the item you'd like to win and your e-mail address. (You do not need to leave a link to your blog. We'll go on the honor system. ;)
3. Post it on your Facebook page, leaving a separate comment letting me know you did so along with the item you'd like to win and your e-mail address.
4. Twitter it, leaving a separate comment letting me know you did so along with the item you'd like to win and your e-mail address.
For each separate entry/comment you leave, you can list a different item you'd like to win or the same one 4 times - it's up to you! However, only list one item per comment.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
amazing
I had a friend who lives across the country from me e-mail saying that since she couldn't be here to support our garage sale, she wanted to donate the $67 difference to make our total for the weekend an even $1k.
I am... humbled.
And get teary-eyed every time I think about what a sweet gesture that was.
I am... humbled.
And get teary-eyed every time I think about what a sweet gesture that was.
Monday, September 6, 2010
341 days: The Garage Sale
The garage sale was a huge success!!!
My hope was that we'd raise around $500 but our grand total was $936! We have a TON of stuff left plus we got more donations, so we're going to reopen it next weekend - Friday and Saturday from 10-4. I have no doubt we'll break the $1k mark!! That's crazy!
We also had ice cream sundaes, pop, water, coffee, hot chocolate, chips, brownies and cookies. I will definitely have food at all yard sales I do in the future. We probably made about $60 on hotdogs alone!
I loved meeting all the people who stopped by who had adopted. We met foster families, people who had adopted from China and Russia, those who had done private and agency adoptions, special needs adoptions... all of it. Seeing their families and hearing their stories was just so awesome. It also made up for all the negative nancies who left comments on the paper's article online about us being lazy for holding this "so-called fundraiser" and not being appreciative of Kasen because we want more kids. I was expecting that because I've read it all before on other blogs, but I should have warned my family. They were definitely blindsided. :(
I only sold one of the raffle items, so I still have those left. If anyone is interested in buying one, go here to see what's left and e-mail me at mollie_79@yahoo.com.
I did sell 10 of the necklaces donated by my friend! Thank you, Lauren!!! They were very popular and are adorable! She sells them online at her Etsy shop if you're interested!
Also, my roommate is now selling Lia Sophia jewelry so we opened a book show with 10% of the profits going towards our adoption fund. Just go to www.liasophia.com to see their gorgeous stuff and e-mail me at mollie_79@yahoo.com with your name, address, order and payment information. I'll pass the info onto her, she'll place the order and your stuff will arrive in the mail in a couple weeks!
Pictures!
Our garage the day before the sale. It took me a week to get everything set up.
The first morning:
Tons of clothes:
All the stuff had to spill out into the driveway:
Shoppers!
Lauren's necklaces:
Kasen had fun spending so much time outside all day long with Poppy:
Reading an enclyclopedia that was donated to us:
Matching Daddy and Kasen:
Sidewalk chalk!
So. Exhausting, yes, but totally worth it! After next week's sale, I'll be going through all the kid/baby stuff and putting it in a consignment sale to see if I can sell any more of it. Everything else is being donated to my friend whose company is holding a fundraising garage sale for the Walk for Autism!
My hope was that we'd raise around $500 but our grand total was $936! We have a TON of stuff left plus we got more donations, so we're going to reopen it next weekend - Friday and Saturday from 10-4. I have no doubt we'll break the $1k mark!! That's crazy!
We also had ice cream sundaes, pop, water, coffee, hot chocolate, chips, brownies and cookies. I will definitely have food at all yard sales I do in the future. We probably made about $60 on hotdogs alone!
I loved meeting all the people who stopped by who had adopted. We met foster families, people who had adopted from China and Russia, those who had done private and agency adoptions, special needs adoptions... all of it. Seeing their families and hearing their stories was just so awesome. It also made up for all the negative nancies who left comments on the paper's article online about us being lazy for holding this "so-called fundraiser" and not being appreciative of Kasen because we want more kids. I was expecting that because I've read it all before on other blogs, but I should have warned my family. They were definitely blindsided. :(
I only sold one of the raffle items, so I still have those left. If anyone is interested in buying one, go here to see what's left and e-mail me at mollie_79@yahoo.com.
I did sell 10 of the necklaces donated by my friend! Thank you, Lauren!!! They were very popular and are adorable! She sells them online at her Etsy shop if you're interested!
Also, my roommate is now selling Lia Sophia jewelry so we opened a book show with 10% of the profits going towards our adoption fund. Just go to www.liasophia.com to see their gorgeous stuff and e-mail me at mollie_79@yahoo.com with your name, address, order and payment information. I'll pass the info onto her, she'll place the order and your stuff will arrive in the mail in a couple weeks!
Pictures!
Our garage the day before the sale. It took me a week to get everything set up.
The first morning:
Tons of clothes:
All the stuff had to spill out into the driveway:
Shoppers!
Lauren's necklaces:
Kasen had fun spending so much time outside all day long with Poppy:
Reading an enclyclopedia that was donated to us:
Matching Daddy and Kasen:
Sidewalk chalk!
So. Exhausting, yes, but totally worth it! After next week's sale, I'll be going through all the kid/baby stuff and putting it in a consignment sale to see if I can sell any more of it. Everything else is being donated to my friend whose company is holding a fundraising garage sale for the Walk for Autism!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
328 Days: 10 days left!
10 days until the yardsale.
Today, I'm going to take fliers to all the local businesses to see if I can hang them up in their windows. I also need to get stakes because I have some signs that need to go up on Friday.
Neal got some shelves up in the basement, so we can move stuff from the shelves in the garage down there, which will clear up room for the sale stuff. Next up is cleaning the garage (fun!) then setting everything up! I want to have all of that done by Aug. 30 because I'm having a Lia Sophia party on Sept. 1 to help out my new roommate who just became a distributor. (If you'd like to place an order, I'm sure you can do so online! E-mail me and I'll get the info to you, as I don't have it yet.) Anyway, that'll leave that Thursday free to deal with last minute drop offs and random things I forgot about before the sale on Friday!
Tomorrow, I'm picking donations up from a friend and heading to another house to clear out their garage from their recent garage sale. They had said we could have their leftovers after their sale about a month ago but we haven't gotten to it yet.
Busy times but it's coming together!
Today, I'm going to take fliers to all the local businesses to see if I can hang them up in their windows. I also need to get stakes because I have some signs that need to go up on Friday.
Neal got some shelves up in the basement, so we can move stuff from the shelves in the garage down there, which will clear up room for the sale stuff. Next up is cleaning the garage (fun!) then setting everything up! I want to have all of that done by Aug. 30 because I'm having a Lia Sophia party on Sept. 1 to help out my new roommate who just became a distributor. (If you'd like to place an order, I'm sure you can do so online! E-mail me and I'll get the info to you, as I don't have it yet.) Anyway, that'll leave that Thursday free to deal with last minute drop offs and random things I forgot about before the sale on Friday!
Tomorrow, I'm picking donations up from a friend and heading to another house to clear out their garage from their recent garage sale. They had said we could have their leftovers after their sale about a month ago but we haven't gotten to it yet.
Busy times but it's coming together!
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