He's Mine

I am a bit behind on this post, but here it is...Three years have gone by since we got that beautiful phone call letting us know that we were selected to be our son's FOREVER FAMILY. I won't lie and say its been all gum drops, jolly ranchers, and laffy taffy. We (like bio-families) have had our ups and downs. I was informed today, while receiving some sass from my son, that my husband doesn't know "WHERE he gets that from." I think he was being sarcastic, but I know where and even though it drives me CRAZY when he gets sassy with me...I can't be prouder of him.
You see, I am a strong-willed individual. I am a fighter, a prayer, and learning to be a "give it up to God"-er. I realize more and more each day that my little sponge is learning from me. The good and the bad. He says some of the same one-liners that I do ("ARE YOU KIDDING ME?"). He stomps his feet and gives me the same looks that I give him. He is also loving and nurturing. When I cry, he runs for the tissues and climbs into my lap. He asks what is wrong, and kisses my cheeks.
I am blessed beyond measure to have him. WE are blessed to have him. He is becoming a bit of each of us and I am proud. We (our son and I, slowly we are converting my husband) are country music fans. I love Rodney Atkins songs, mostly because they speak to me and remind me of who I am and where I came from. (Farmer's Daughter?) One of OUR favorites is "He's Mine" it was my ring tone for a while, and I think it might be time to use it again. I know its written to be about a Dad being proud of his son, but when it plays I sing it to our son. Because he is MINE. He acts just like me. He's stubborn. He's witty. He's sensitive. HE'S MINE.

If you haven't heard the song, check it out HERE.

Also, have you seen the new ad campaign put out by the Dave Thomas Foundation for adopting foster children? Please watch it. I promise it will move you, but grab some tissues before you click HERE.

GET IT OVER WITH!!!

We all know the tell-tale sign of pregnancy, usually it begins with a missed cycle. For many this can be a very exciting time, and it has been for me in the early days of trying to conceive, but it has typically been followed by heartache. As I have grown older, it has become a time of indifference. Over time I have created my own set of missed period rules (sorry guys, you're gonna have to deal with this topic).

Rule #1 if your period is one-day late, get intimate. Somehow I always start after being intimate with my husband. The second tried, and true, trigger is to window-shop for baby stuff. I know, I should know better than to get excited, but the stuff is SO CUTE. Third is to share with your spouse and a friend or two. Once you all get excited...Aunt Flo is there to ruin your day. If this doesn't work, then around day four to seven of being late, take a pregnancy test. Its like your body messes with you, "oh, you just spent $9 on a pregnancy test? Lol, GOTCHA!"

Twice in my marriage have I missed a period completely. I head to the doctor, thinking "maybe?" Only to be told that I am stressed out, and that is why my body skipped a period. Most recently, I was informed that my medication was off which is why my period was skipped. Then 28 days after the first should have started, I have another. Its like clockwork.

I know we all have our stories, and our tried and true period-starters. These are just mine. My dream for myself and all of you is that we will conceive. We will all know the joy of seeing the "+" on the test. We will experience the first ultrasound of our babies. That first kick will bring tears to our eyes and a lump to our throat. Then finally after nine glorious months, we will hold our miracle in our arms. Some of us will experience that, be it through IVF, Surrogate, or another unexplained miracle. Some (like me) will just see a baby, fall in love, and know that he was meant to be ours. No matter how your family is built, there are miracles all around. Find a way to smile and be thankful.  

Fertility on Your Head

I feel like its time to talk of the silly stuff you do when trying to get pregnant. You READ EVERYTHING...and try to follow as much advise as is possible. I remember reading somewhere that sometimes sperm, which I shall lovingly refer to as "little sailors" (get it?), need the help of gravity. So for MONTHS I would toss my butt in the air and lay like that for 15-20 minutes after our rendezvous. Another thing I heard was that some women have a tilted uterus (missing the technical term, sorry) and laying on their back with their butt in the air doesn't work, so I tried (without any diagnosis of said tilt to my uterus) laying on my stomach-ish in the fetal position with my butt in the air, again.
Honestly, if I thought it would help I would've even tried standing on my head. Some of you knew me in grade school, and know that standing on my head was NEVER going to work. I am just not that talented, but I would've tried.
I often imagine an image that I read in a book (Empty Womb Aching Heart by Marlo Schalesky) that a woman spoke of. She had just returned home from church, and was telling her husband of the well meaning older women who had surrounded her, after I can imagine word of her struggles with infertility had gotten out. One older woman suggested she stand on her head, while another was telling her to "just go on vacation" because that is when she (older woman) had conceived her first child. After the young woman shared her horrifying experience with her husband, they had a moment of clarity and laughed about some of the suggestions. Their short story in the book is ended by her telling him that maybe those women were onto something, she should "stand on her head while going on vacation".
When I think of myself trying every wives tale in the book, I imagine that woman. On vacation, somewhere tropical, in her hotel room, CLOTHED, and standing on her head. That image has always brought a smile to my face and given me a moment of clarity. So when you, like me, are having trouble seeing the light at the end take a moment and imagine that woman. It might just give you the same clarity.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0764224107/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=8819029627&ref=pd_sl_48unqihg5p_e