TOFW 2014

Here I am, said I would keep updated on this blog.  Baby steps...probably gonna be once a week until I get back into the swing of things.  After much thought of how to approach this blog, I feel I am going to continue with adoption stories and snippits of other's stories, while also adding more fun stuff like insight and inspiration that I may have had or from others that I feel I wanna share or you wanna hear...

The drive was kinda long, but thoughts were racing through my mind as I had my music blaring, with Idina voice filling the car.  I enjoyed the ride, all by myself, alone with my thoughts and I definitely found inspiration in the moments.  Having just spent an amazing weekend with Kya's birthmother (whom I will refer to as "sissy from anotha missy", affectionately, from now on), and her mother, and grandmother, and sister-in-law, and aunts, friends, etc.  Great company to be with while sitting in an auditorium bursting with enthusiastic women, on the edge of their seats, thirsting for inspiration, motivation....whatever...I know I was looking for something.  I found it and loved it.  Tune in next week

She Lives....

Wow, so I post 2 years ago and then nothin'....what a great blogger I am.  However, this blog has been through some CPR and will live again.  Gonna be makin some changes, ie, blog address, but will give you plenty of notice when that happens.  Also gonna be adding an author. 
Had some inspiration and insight this weekend that has opened my heart to new ideas and an new approach to this blog...please continue to visit...and I promise to continue to write.  You will want to meet who my coauthor is. 

a Fresh Start

I haven't been blogging for a long time here...perhaps because my two little ones, among life, keep me busy.  Doesn't mean adoption isn't still near and dear to my heart.  One day I would love the opportunity to adopt one more sweet baby...I don't feel like my family is complete yet. 

Yes, two kids, a dog, a fish, greatest husband and father in the world and the countless family members we proudly claim our own through geneology, biology, adoption and community; definitely sounds like the  completion of a family.  But are we really "complete"...in my heart, it tells me "no".

As my children grow each day, and never cease to amaze me, I count my many blessings and thank my Father in Heaven for the gift they are to me.  I know that my children are His children that I am entrusted and honored to raise while on this earth.  And I know that they are truly a gift from those on this earth that brought them here and gave them breath and life and then unconditionally and lovingly gave to us.  So is it asking too much to hold just one more teeny one in my arms, one last time, before the sands of time age us all too fast?

Well, the purpose of this blog truly is for the support and friendship of those out there needing someone to listen.  Please, feel free to share, to cry, to listen and just be there for others, here.

If you wish to share your own story or have questions, please email me your post at foreverweeks@yahoo.com
and I will post it here.  Thank you for visiting and hopefully joining me here.  I would really like to get this blog up and active again.

mother of Kya and Zander

Birthmother perspective

http://birthmamadrama.blogspot.com/2011/01/faqs-for-yours-truly.html

Finally...Zander's story

Well, it only took me a year or more to get back to this story. Again and apology to those who had been following, and probably have lost interest due to my neglect...so I am sure that the last part of this story is just for my benefit of journaling. But better late than never, right?

So after we got the call that a birthmother had chosen us...it was difficult to believe it since we hadn't been contacted personally by anyone. This was on a thursday. We left town the next day to spend the weekend with Carl's parents and while gone we recieved an email from Zander's birthparents. It was a fabulous email, they told us all about themselves, sent pictures and even told a little about how they came about to choose us.

A few months prior after we had moved and somewhat settled down (at least in my parents house while we remodeled our home) I was sleeping one night until around 2 am our daughter woke me up to potty. When I went back to bed, I lay there awake thinking about the blog that I had been neglecting (sounds like a horrible pattern) and I wasn't able to go back to sleep, it was weighing on me. So, at 3:00 am I got up, went to my computer and posted an update, clearly stating that we were busy, but I felt it was important to post something. This was on a Wednesday evening, the very Wednesday evening before we got the call from Zander's birthparents on Thursday.

In the email we received Zander's birthmother stated that she was having a difficult time choosing and had a few couples in mind. She had been following our blog and was disappointed that I hadn't been keeping up on it. She wanted to learn more about us and get to know us more, but we hadn't updated in a few months. She finally prayed and asked for some answer as to who should be Zander's parents, she asked that we post on our blog...her prayer was on Wednesday.

She said her prayers were answered when she got onto the blog and we had posted...she knew we were Zander's parents.

She was only about 14 weeks pregnant and wanted to get to know his parents and develop a relationship with us well before the birth. We met them in person two months later when they came to Idaho and stayed with us for a weekend. After we continued to email and call as much as possible. In December of 2008 I flew to Denver to spend a weekend with Zander's birthparents one last time before he was born. She wanted a little more one on one time with me.

It was a difficult road during her pregnancy; emotions ran high, things were said that I am sure we all wish we could take back, but in the process, we also developed a relationship of honesty, trust and respect. I value our open communication, it has served us all well these past almost two years.

Her due date was nearing and I told her that when she got to 4 centimeters, to call me and I would pack up and head to Denver. She had a doctor's appointment a week before she was due and called me, reporting that she was not in labor, but at 4 centimeters. This was Monday the 26th of January. I packed up, called my husband and said, "I am leaving for Denver tonight, are you able to come or should we fly you out later". He decided he would come too and so we packed up the family, taking Kya with us and we left. We stopped to stay with Carl's parents for the night and then drove the next day all day to Denver, arriving around 3:00 pm that afternoon.

I called Tess to let her know we had arrived, but she wasn't feeling well and told us to give her some time to feel better before seeing her. So we drove to our friends house to wait.

Two hours later, she called and said she was heading to the hospital. We met her there and she was admitted and we were all ready for baby #2 to arrive....the rest of the story is for another blog and another day.

An Apology

For those who have followed this blog in the past and then sat waiting for me to finish our little Zander's story...I apologize for what I can only explain as some laziness and a lot of busy-ness. I have been really busy, now with TWO little ones and Zander being "spirited", I have neglected to update on this blog.

I am headed out to do a photo session for a new adoption family and was researching to prepare...stumbled on my blog, only to be reminded that I haven't posted. I do intend on finishing Zander's story....until then, just a note for now.

Zander's Story...Part 2

So I didn't get back to the story the next week. Oops! But I am back now and here is Part 2 of Zander's Story.

When last left off, we had transferred our adoption profile from the Denver, Colorado office to our now Idaho office. This was in June of 2008. We bought a home and began to remodel, which helped us put the adoption "out of site, out of mind", so to speak. Sometimes its easier to be busy, so that everyday you are not reminded of the "waiting" period.

Sometime in mid July, Carl and I were working on the house and needed a break. We took off to grab a bite to eat for lunch. May I paint a pretty little picture: Carl and I in our grubbies, hat on head, no makeup (for me at least, ha) and just dirty, dirty, dirty. We are eating in a fast food restaurant and my cell phone rings. No thought, I pick it up. It was our caseworker saying that there was a birthmother considering us, but she was also looking at several other families.

Both Carl and I began to cry, right there in the restaurant. With the way we looked, I am sure people around us thought maybe we were homeless and at "rock bottom", when really we had hope. We were being considered. That's when it all felt real, again.

I have a little guy that needs my attention right now and a daughter that wants some attention too. So, this will be another break from the story. I will not wait so long for the next one, this time.

Zander's Adoption Story

This one is close to my heart because Zander is our son. Our story really begins on 26 of July 2008.

A little history: After we adopted Kya, we knew we would want to adopt again, but of course we decided to wait until she was one year old. On her first birthday, I asked my husband..."so, are we going to get our paperwork going now?" We both decided to wait a little bit. Carl was just finishing grad school and we had been applying for jobs. So we thought it best to wait until we find a job and settle somewhere.

When Carl and I were married, and shortly after he decided on a degree for his career (before children were even in the picture) we always talked about places we would want to live. The only place we could agree on was Colorado. So that always stuck with us. Carl was offered a job in Colorado Springs, CO in the summer of 2007, the summer Kya turned 1.

We made the move to Colorado in October of 2007. Found a town house and began to set roots. Of course in November of 2007 we started our paperwork for another adoption. We went through the process of paperwork, decisions, classes, backgrounds checks and the whole works from start to finish again in Denver, CO this time. We were approved in March of 2008.

About this same time Carl was offered his job in Idaho again, they wanted him back. And we explored options of opening a business in Idaho, plus, family is in Idaho. So we decided to make the move back home near family. We hadn't heard from any birthmoms at this point.

We moved in June 2008.

I had a blog set up for birthmoms to go to and learn more about our family. I tried to update weekly, mostly with our Friday Night Date/Family Nights. Well, with the move and so many other things going on, I had neglected the blog.

We transferred our adoption profile to the office in Idaho and then began to wait, again.

This is where I will stop my story and continue next week with....the rest of the story. I will also post a seperate post on Placement. This is kind of a ceremonial act of "placing" the baby in the adoptive home, or parents arms, really.

Until next week

My name is Mindy, my husband I have been married for almost 4 years and have been TTC for just over 2 years. We are still working with the doctors but I feel like it's taking forever and we are not sure how long it will take. The last I heard from my doctor was "depending on your thyroid problem, we will most likely have to get you on medication for at least a year before we can start trying to get you pregnant". On our long drive home from the doctors office my husband and I realized that it could be a very long time before we could get pregnant, because there was no guarantee that I could even get pregnant after that year was up. So that is when we had opened our minds and our hearts towards adoption. And words can't even express how excited I am about or decision, I know it is the right thing for us! Since then we have been filling out all the paperwork through LDS family services. If anyone would like to keep up on our journey, I would love to share it... www.randmsorenson.blogspot.com

I just want to say thank you to all those who have shared their adoption stories, they are such an inspiration and a support to me!
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(Blog Hostess: We support you 110% Mindy. You are in our prayers.)

Great Video of Adoption.

We are in the middle of experience a new story, which I will share in a few days or so. I recently came accross this video, that we happened to be in...love it. Check it out!

See Video Here