I haven't written any updates in a while. Mostly because there hasn't been much to update on. In general life is pretty hectic, but we are having fun and pressing on towards the goals we believe God has given us.
Obviously, adoption is one of those goals! I have to be honest; after the disruption of our twins adoption I began to question if this was really the case for us. Is this really what God wants us to be pursuing? Maybe we are supposed to be involved in another way? I actually asked the "If God is truly good..." question. There has been a lot of soul searching, praying, questioning, crying, wondering, maybe even a little yelling and an occasional pity party. But at the end of the day, this calling is clear.
There are birth mothers who are in a myriad of situations all over this country. These brave women are making one of the hardest decisions of their life, out of LOVE for the life growing inside them. Sometimes they have a support system of friends or family who love them through this decision. Sometimes they are completely alone. Either way, they have chosen LIFE for their baby. For whatever reasons they choose to place their baby, it's not an easy decision. Our job is to show love to these ladies, no matter their circumstances. No matter the pain we experience by choosing to love them. I mean, how many times do we hurt Jesus, yet he loves us...unconditionally. The bible says "By this shall all me know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." Love. I can't say I'm always good at this, but The Lord is working on me :) At the end of the day if I speak with a birth mother she should (and hopefully does!) feel exactly that from me.
And these women, who have every right in the world to CHOOSE to place their babies, are going to birth precious, innocent little ones who need parents to love them unconditionally. To provide a home full of safety, security, love, and hope. Hopefully a family who will do what they can to cultivate a healthy relationship between child and birth parents.
There are couples, like ours, who have a great desire to grow their family. Some because they cannot have biological children, some because they simply desire to adopt. Either way, the extreme love they (we) have for these momma's and their babies is intense. And in the end we all want these children to grow up knowing and experiencing this love first hand.
This is enough for me to know that we have been called to grow our family through adoption. The ups and downs, the weight of waiting day in and out, the hope and disappointment, the joy and pain. Adoption is beautiful and tragic, but our God redeems and restores. We are to be a vessel for Him to do just that.
So we press on, and we keep waiting, and we keep choosing to love from afar until the day we are chosen by a birth mother and can love up close.
Monday, June 6, 2016
Thursday, March 31, 2016
6 month birthday
The twins will be 6 months old on April 3.
That weekend was such a whirlwind. We traveled to Branson for the wedding of sweet friends. Andy performed the ceremony, the boys were ring bearers. On April 2nd Timothy fell while playing outside and cut open his chin, leaving a nice scar and band aid accessory for the wedding. The morning of the 3rd Josiah ran into a tree branch overhanging a walking trail and had a nice swollen/bruised/slightly bloody eye to go with his adorable suspenders and bow tie. My momma heart was breaking for my boys' hurts and I was mentally preparing to leave them for 24 hours to go meet my other babies' birth mother. I had not heard from her for a couple of days and was worried, but remained hopeful that once we got to Atlanta I would meet her face to face and ease her mind about her decision to place those precious babies with our family. The emotions of that weekend flood my heart every time I go back there.
So this Sunday the babies I thought would be ours will turn 6 months old. I have never seen their sweet faces. Never held their little hands or felt their fingers wrap around mine. They are somewhere else, with someone else. I pray they are loved. I pray they are taken care of, snuggled, rocked to sleep, and feel safe. I pray someday they learn of the hope of Jesus. Sometimes it feels like they were born ages ago and other times it feels like it was just yesterday. Sometimes I dream about them. Sometimes I even hope for a moment that my phone will ring and I'll be asked to get on a plane and go get them. I miss them in moments that hit me out of the blue. Running errands, going to the gym, getting ready for church. The little moments of day to day life that I had allowed myself to picture with 4 little ones in tow.
Many have asked about progress regarding our next adoption. At this point we are still waiting for a birth mother to choose us. I look at Timothy and I know it's worth it. The wait is worth it. The weight of the waiting is worth it. There is hope in knowing that we are following the path we feel God has led us on. In my moments of sadness and grief I am also reminded of the goodness of my Lord. The hope we have in Him.
The Lord is using this time for a purpose and I cling to verses that speak of waiting. There is hope...
Psalm 40:1
I waited patiently for the Lord, and He turned to me, and heard my cry.
Isaiah 40: 31
But those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint.
Psalm 37: 4-5
Delight thyself also in the Lord and he shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit thy way to the Lord, trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass.
I am thankful for this journey and while I am most definitely ready for it to be over; have our next little one home and snuggled up on my chest, I know there is purpose in each moment and it is not wasted. There are two precious lives that we can pray for. Two little ones who are loved from afar. A mother, who chose to parent her children, that we can pray for as she moves forward with life.
We covet your prayers for the twins and their mom. We covet your prayers for us as we continue to wait and see how God writes this story.
That weekend was such a whirlwind. We traveled to Branson for the wedding of sweet friends. Andy performed the ceremony, the boys were ring bearers. On April 2nd Timothy fell while playing outside and cut open his chin, leaving a nice scar and band aid accessory for the wedding. The morning of the 3rd Josiah ran into a tree branch overhanging a walking trail and had a nice swollen/bruised/slightly bloody eye to go with his adorable suspenders and bow tie. My momma heart was breaking for my boys' hurts and I was mentally preparing to leave them for 24 hours to go meet my other babies' birth mother. I had not heard from her for a couple of days and was worried, but remained hopeful that once we got to Atlanta I would meet her face to face and ease her mind about her decision to place those precious babies with our family. The emotions of that weekend flood my heart every time I go back there.
So this Sunday the babies I thought would be ours will turn 6 months old. I have never seen their sweet faces. Never held their little hands or felt their fingers wrap around mine. They are somewhere else, with someone else. I pray they are loved. I pray they are taken care of, snuggled, rocked to sleep, and feel safe. I pray someday they learn of the hope of Jesus. Sometimes it feels like they were born ages ago and other times it feels like it was just yesterday. Sometimes I dream about them. Sometimes I even hope for a moment that my phone will ring and I'll be asked to get on a plane and go get them. I miss them in moments that hit me out of the blue. Running errands, going to the gym, getting ready for church. The little moments of day to day life that I had allowed myself to picture with 4 little ones in tow.
Many have asked about progress regarding our next adoption. At this point we are still waiting for a birth mother to choose us. I look at Timothy and I know it's worth it. The wait is worth it. The weight of the waiting is worth it. There is hope in knowing that we are following the path we feel God has led us on. In my moments of sadness and grief I am also reminded of the goodness of my Lord. The hope we have in Him.
The Lord is using this time for a purpose and I cling to verses that speak of waiting. There is hope...
Psalm 40:1
I waited patiently for the Lord, and He turned to me, and heard my cry.
Isaiah 40: 31
But those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint.
Psalm 37: 4-5
Delight thyself also in the Lord and he shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit thy way to the Lord, trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass.
I am thankful for this journey and while I am most definitely ready for it to be over; have our next little one home and snuggled up on my chest, I know there is purpose in each moment and it is not wasted. There are two precious lives that we can pray for. Two little ones who are loved from afar. A mother, who chose to parent her children, that we can pray for as she moves forward with life.
We covet your prayers for the twins and their mom. We covet your prayers for us as we continue to wait and see how God writes this story.
Thursday, November 5, 2015
How are you doing?
How are you doing?
This is a question I've been asked many times over the past few weeks. One I'm honestly not quite sure how to answer anymore. It's difficult to explain adoption loss. I've never experienced the loss of a biological child and most people have a way of understand the loss of a birth mother when she chooses to place her child. Many will say these precious babies were never mine to begin with. How can you love someone you've never met? They BELONG with their mother. I'm not here to argue these statements, but would love to share my heart as an adoptive mom who is grieving a "disrupted adoption."
When we were still in "limbo" as I've titled our time between learning the babies were born and learning that our birth mother had, in fact, gone to get them. There are many details that I would like to share in order to fully explain the depth of what this past month has been like. During the weeks the twins were in the NICU communication with our birth mother was intermittent and it was hard to come by solid facts as to their condition and how often they were visited. In my heart, those sweet babies were my children. Every single day I thought about them, prayed for them, cried out to The Lord that they would be safe, that the nurses would give them a little extra love, that He would make them feel safe and loved. My heart broke that these tiny, precious lives didn't have their mommy to hold them, stroke their backs and hands, sing them songs, comfort them when they cried. I didn't know, and still do not, what that time was like for them. BUT, there was hope. Hope that 20 little fingers, 20 little toes, 4 beautiful eyes, 4 tiny feet, 4 precious hands, 2 miraculous babies would be coming home. Guardedly, I allowed myself to picture our family of four, become a family of six. Thanksgiving was going to be crazy, loud and exhausting with 4 children 4 and under hanging around :) And it was going to be beautiful to have my family complete. From the moment we got "the call" I started dreaming of life with them. I also started dreaming of life FOR them. A life where they were loved by many, safe, protected, had family, friends, a church, and were introduced to Jesus. A life where they would know the love of two mothers: the one who gave them life and the one they lived life with. Would they be athletic? Musical? Spunky? Quiet? Comedic? Dramatic? Rule followers or line pushers?
So, during "limbo" when people asked me "How are you doing?" I could answer honestly with "I'm doing ok. It's not over till it's over, and it's not over yet." I had hope.
Now, I'm not so sure how to answer. I still don't know how the twins are doing. I spoke with their mom one time after she brought them home and did not get much information about how they were doing as it was a pretty short conversation. Doing my best to hold it together after she told me she had gone to get them, I ended the conversation pretty quickly. Not knowing is terrible. I still love them. A part of me always will. They were put in my life to cover in prayer, so that is what I will do. I may never know how their lives turn out and I'm working on being ok with that. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think of them. My heart aches at their absence. What I would give to be exhausted because two infants are up all night. What I would give to snuggle them up. To feel their baby skin on my cheek, to have my nose tickled by little baby hairs. To "wear" two babies in a moby wrap, while putting Timothy in a cart and letting Josiah stand on the back while I grocery shop. To haul them into church every Sunday and hope to make it through worship before one of them wakes up. I feel as if a piece of my heart is with two little people I will never meet and I miss them every moment. Life goes on though. I have two adorable little boys to mother, a husband who needs his wife, a house to keep, bills to pay, life to live. God is so good in giving me grace to do these things. He sustains me when I am weak with grief. He sends me reminders just when I need them of how His hand is in this. He is with me in my pain, with the babies as they grow, with their mom as she (hopefully!) learns how to parent. I have said through this past month that God is bigger and He most definitely is.
2 Cor. 12:9- "My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness"
I can say with absolute certainty that I have never felt more weak in my entire life than I have over the past month. No control. No plan. Nothing. And I can say with absolute certainty that HIS grace is sufficient. So while my heart hurts and at times I am more angry than I have been my entire life, HE holds me up. HE sustains me. He give me GRACE beyond measure.
So, if you ask me this question I may stumble over my answer. My eyes may fill with tears. I may say I'm fine. I'm good. I'm alright....It depends on the moment. But know this: God is good. God is faithful.
This is a question I've been asked many times over the past few weeks. One I'm honestly not quite sure how to answer anymore. It's difficult to explain adoption loss. I've never experienced the loss of a biological child and most people have a way of understand the loss of a birth mother when she chooses to place her child. Many will say these precious babies were never mine to begin with. How can you love someone you've never met? They BELONG with their mother. I'm not here to argue these statements, but would love to share my heart as an adoptive mom who is grieving a "disrupted adoption."
When we were still in "limbo" as I've titled our time between learning the babies were born and learning that our birth mother had, in fact, gone to get them. There are many details that I would like to share in order to fully explain the depth of what this past month has been like. During the weeks the twins were in the NICU communication with our birth mother was intermittent and it was hard to come by solid facts as to their condition and how often they were visited. In my heart, those sweet babies were my children. Every single day I thought about them, prayed for them, cried out to The Lord that they would be safe, that the nurses would give them a little extra love, that He would make them feel safe and loved. My heart broke that these tiny, precious lives didn't have their mommy to hold them, stroke their backs and hands, sing them songs, comfort them when they cried. I didn't know, and still do not, what that time was like for them. BUT, there was hope. Hope that 20 little fingers, 20 little toes, 4 beautiful eyes, 4 tiny feet, 4 precious hands, 2 miraculous babies would be coming home. Guardedly, I allowed myself to picture our family of four, become a family of six. Thanksgiving was going to be crazy, loud and exhausting with 4 children 4 and under hanging around :) And it was going to be beautiful to have my family complete. From the moment we got "the call" I started dreaming of life with them. I also started dreaming of life FOR them. A life where they were loved by many, safe, protected, had family, friends, a church, and were introduced to Jesus. A life where they would know the love of two mothers: the one who gave them life and the one they lived life with. Would they be athletic? Musical? Spunky? Quiet? Comedic? Dramatic? Rule followers or line pushers?
So, during "limbo" when people asked me "How are you doing?" I could answer honestly with "I'm doing ok. It's not over till it's over, and it's not over yet." I had hope.
Now, I'm not so sure how to answer. I still don't know how the twins are doing. I spoke with their mom one time after she brought them home and did not get much information about how they were doing as it was a pretty short conversation. Doing my best to hold it together after she told me she had gone to get them, I ended the conversation pretty quickly. Not knowing is terrible. I still love them. A part of me always will. They were put in my life to cover in prayer, so that is what I will do. I may never know how their lives turn out and I'm working on being ok with that. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think of them. My heart aches at their absence. What I would give to be exhausted because two infants are up all night. What I would give to snuggle them up. To feel their baby skin on my cheek, to have my nose tickled by little baby hairs. To "wear" two babies in a moby wrap, while putting Timothy in a cart and letting Josiah stand on the back while I grocery shop. To haul them into church every Sunday and hope to make it through worship before one of them wakes up. I feel as if a piece of my heart is with two little people I will never meet and I miss them every moment. Life goes on though. I have two adorable little boys to mother, a husband who needs his wife, a house to keep, bills to pay, life to live. God is so good in giving me grace to do these things. He sustains me when I am weak with grief. He sends me reminders just when I need them of how His hand is in this. He is with me in my pain, with the babies as they grow, with their mom as she (hopefully!) learns how to parent. I have said through this past month that God is bigger and He most definitely is.
2 Cor. 12:9- "My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness"
I can say with absolute certainty that I have never felt more weak in my entire life than I have over the past month. No control. No plan. Nothing. And I can say with absolute certainty that HIS grace is sufficient. So while my heart hurts and at times I am more angry than I have been my entire life, HE holds me up. HE sustains me. He give me GRACE beyond measure.
So, if you ask me this question I may stumble over my answer. My eyes may fill with tears. I may say I'm fine. I'm good. I'm alright....It depends on the moment. But know this: God is good. God is faithful.
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Double Blessings
I have had 3 dreams over the past few months in which we are handed twin girls. We've joked about the possibility. How fun that would be. How crazy that would be. But in the back of my mind I knew that the chances of twins was slim. Not many twins are placed for adoption each year so the odds were not in favor of our being matched with multiples and I really thought we would just be getting one baby.
Last Wednesday on my way to take Andy lunch my phone rang. It was Andy and I figured he was just checking to see how close I was because he was hungry! Wrong! He told me he had just spoken with our agency and had been chosen by a birth mother. Expecting twins. Due in about 6 weeks!!!! Eeeeeeeeeeeeeekkkkkkkkkkkkk!!!!!!!!!! We quickly made arrangements to talk to this birth mother and after speaking for over an hour mutually decided to move forward with our match. On Friday we received all paperwork from our agency, began process for retaining an attorney in her state, and started researching new cars to fit our whole family!
So here's the situation:
Twins
Due Nov 12 (will probably come sooner)
Will be born in Atlanta, GA area
Do not know gender
Expected to stay in Atlanta area for about a week after leaving the hospital with babies
Not expected to have birth father issues
In addition:
God answered my prayers for a match before the end of the year!
We had not had time to make a video yet and this was stressing me out so I am SO thankful He took care of that detail!!
This due date does not interfere with any major family events (woo hoo!!!)
We have an amazing attorney in GA
We have friends in Atlanta as well as very close friends just 3 hours away
Please be in prayer for:
The twins health: that they weigh enough, lungs are developed & kidneys functioning properly
That the babies don't come more than 3 weeks early
The birth mother's health and peace of mind
For support for our birth mother (emotional, physical, spiritual...she is very alone in life)
For connections in Atlanta
Wisdom as we search out a new vehicle
Finances as we prep for 2 babies instead of 1
Our boys as we prepare them for this immense change
Our families as they care for our boys while we are away
Smooth transition
**If you would like to contribute to our adoption fund, find the link below**
https://www.gofundme.com/Castro-Adoption
Last Wednesday on my way to take Andy lunch my phone rang. It was Andy and I figured he was just checking to see how close I was because he was hungry! Wrong! He told me he had just spoken with our agency and had been chosen by a birth mother. Expecting twins. Due in about 6 weeks!!!! Eeeeeeeeeeeeeekkkkkkkkkkkkk!!!!!!!!!! We quickly made arrangements to talk to this birth mother and after speaking for over an hour mutually decided to move forward with our match. On Friday we received all paperwork from our agency, began process for retaining an attorney in her state, and started researching new cars to fit our whole family!
So here's the situation:
Twins
Due Nov 12 (will probably come sooner)
Will be born in Atlanta, GA area
Do not know gender
Expected to stay in Atlanta area for about a week after leaving the hospital with babies
Not expected to have birth father issues
In addition:
God answered my prayers for a match before the end of the year!
We had not had time to make a video yet and this was stressing me out so I am SO thankful He took care of that detail!!
This due date does not interfere with any major family events (woo hoo!!!)
We have an amazing attorney in GA
We have friends in Atlanta as well as very close friends just 3 hours away
Please be in prayer for:
The twins health: that they weigh enough, lungs are developed & kidneys functioning properly
That the babies don't come more than 3 weeks early
The birth mother's health and peace of mind
For support for our birth mother (emotional, physical, spiritual...she is very alone in life)
For connections in Atlanta
Wisdom as we search out a new vehicle
Finances as we prep for 2 babies instead of 1
Our boys as we prepare them for this immense change
Our families as they care for our boys while we are away
Smooth transition
**If you would like to contribute to our adoption fund, find the link below**
https://www.gofundme.com/Castro-Adoption
Sunday, May 10, 2015
Mother's Day
I find that each year on this day I become more and more reflective and emotional. The Lord has blessed me with such amazing women to honor as mothers and I am unbelievably grateful for that blessing. So bear with me as I share my thoughts with you about these fantastic women.
For 3 years now I have also had the privilege of being a mother myself, and the weight of that is not lost on me. My children are such a source of joy every single day. Tiring? Yes. Trying? Yes. Frustrating? Yes. But oh the fun we have! The giggles. The hugs. The playfulness. The love. The innocence. The hope. The JOY! My heart could burst as I think of those sweet boys sleeping (or rather, playing at this moment) upstairs. I have the absolute best job in the entire world and wouldn't change it for anything! This day also causes me to evaluate how I am doing with this job. Am I training them to be kind, loving, compassionate boys who know how much Jesus loves them? Am I raising them to be men of God who will impact the world in an amazing way? I cannot forget the end goal. The day to day can get redundant, but it's the small moments in the day in and out that add up to creating men who will use their lives for The Lord.
I also have those moments thinking on my relationship with my own mother and how I hope to nurture that same relationship with my own children. Her wisdom, patience, kindness, attentiveness, compassion and love overflows and I pray I can emulate those qualities. I had the privilege of living in the same town as her for several years before moving away and could drive across town for a quick lunch hour and catch up or run errands on a random Saturday. I took for granted that proximity and have often felt an overwhelming sense of sadness over the past few months since moving away that I am unable to just make a quick drive across town for some face to face time with this amazing woman. Words cannot express how thankful I am that she and my dad were able to be with us for Mother's Day this year. Though the trip was short, there is nothing like a mom's hug and encouragement.
There is an amazing woman who lives just 3 minutes from my driveway. My mother-in-love is the best! Her giving, selfless spirit and genuine desire to know me, my heart and my family is overwhelming. I often hear people complain about their mom-in-law and am so very grateful for our relationship. Her unconditional love and willingness to always help out in whatever way she can is rare and refreshing and does not go unnoticed. In this transition to KC, she has gone out of her way to make me feel at home and ease the difficulties of transitioning into a "new" city. I am one blessed daughter-in-law.
I am also blessed to have a wonderful relationship with my grandmother, who I can call any time for any reason and she will stop and talk with me. I cherish the times we have together, though not as often any more. Living in town, I frequently stopped by their home to walk their neighborhood or for lunch and ended up talking for hours sometimes. She is one of the most selfless people I know, bending over backwards to help anyone in our family. She spends countless hours choosing the perfect card or the perfect gift to give. Her thoughtfulness, love and desire to provide for our family is astounding and worth aspiring to. I only hope that I can show that same love to the generations to come from my own little family.
Lastly, my thoughts drift often on this day to Timothy's birth mother. Her choosing adoption for him was difficult and heartbreaking. The pain she felt in placing him in my arms before leaving the hospital was very real. She cared for him for 9 months as he grew, felt his kicks and saw his first pictures on the ultrasound. I am forever grateful to her for loving him enough to place him with us.
I guess if I'm being honest, she isn't my last thought. There is another woman who has crossed my mind many times this weekend. She is birth mother of our future child (ren). Where is she? What must she be going through right now? Is she afraid? Does she have support? Does she know she is loved?
I am thankful for each of these women and the enormous impact they have on my life. So, Happy Mother's Day!
For 3 years now I have also had the privilege of being a mother myself, and the weight of that is not lost on me. My children are such a source of joy every single day. Tiring? Yes. Trying? Yes. Frustrating? Yes. But oh the fun we have! The giggles. The hugs. The playfulness. The love. The innocence. The hope. The JOY! My heart could burst as I think of those sweet boys sleeping (or rather, playing at this moment) upstairs. I have the absolute best job in the entire world and wouldn't change it for anything! This day also causes me to evaluate how I am doing with this job. Am I training them to be kind, loving, compassionate boys who know how much Jesus loves them? Am I raising them to be men of God who will impact the world in an amazing way? I cannot forget the end goal. The day to day can get redundant, but it's the small moments in the day in and out that add up to creating men who will use their lives for The Lord.
I also have those moments thinking on my relationship with my own mother and how I hope to nurture that same relationship with my own children. Her wisdom, patience, kindness, attentiveness, compassion and love overflows and I pray I can emulate those qualities. I had the privilege of living in the same town as her for several years before moving away and could drive across town for a quick lunch hour and catch up or run errands on a random Saturday. I took for granted that proximity and have often felt an overwhelming sense of sadness over the past few months since moving away that I am unable to just make a quick drive across town for some face to face time with this amazing woman. Words cannot express how thankful I am that she and my dad were able to be with us for Mother's Day this year. Though the trip was short, there is nothing like a mom's hug and encouragement.
There is an amazing woman who lives just 3 minutes from my driveway. My mother-in-love is the best! Her giving, selfless spirit and genuine desire to know me, my heart and my family is overwhelming. I often hear people complain about their mom-in-law and am so very grateful for our relationship. Her unconditional love and willingness to always help out in whatever way she can is rare and refreshing and does not go unnoticed. In this transition to KC, she has gone out of her way to make me feel at home and ease the difficulties of transitioning into a "new" city. I am one blessed daughter-in-law.
I am also blessed to have a wonderful relationship with my grandmother, who I can call any time for any reason and she will stop and talk with me. I cherish the times we have together, though not as often any more. Living in town, I frequently stopped by their home to walk their neighborhood or for lunch and ended up talking for hours sometimes. She is one of the most selfless people I know, bending over backwards to help anyone in our family. She spends countless hours choosing the perfect card or the perfect gift to give. Her thoughtfulness, love and desire to provide for our family is astounding and worth aspiring to. I only hope that I can show that same love to the generations to come from my own little family.
Lastly, my thoughts drift often on this day to Timothy's birth mother. Her choosing adoption for him was difficult and heartbreaking. The pain she felt in placing him in my arms before leaving the hospital was very real. She cared for him for 9 months as he grew, felt his kicks and saw his first pictures on the ultrasound. I am forever grateful to her for loving him enough to place him with us.
I guess if I'm being honest, she isn't my last thought. There is another woman who has crossed my mind many times this weekend. She is birth mother of our future child (ren). Where is she? What must she be going through right now? Is she afraid? Does she have support? Does she know she is loved?
I am thankful for each of these women and the enormous impact they have on my life. So, Happy Mother's Day!
Thursday, May 7, 2015
THE list
Deep breath. Release. Repeat. Here we go again!
We are officially back on "The List!" As of today our website is back up and we can be found by birthmother's (and father's) through Lifetime.com. Wooo! Our profile is under review and as soon as we get the word I will print 50...yes 50 of these works of art to send to our coordinator. They will then pass our profile along to birth families whose criteria we meet and vice verse. I've had a few people ask what a profile is exactly so I thought I'd explain that a little bit.
A profile is essentially a scrap book of our family. It includes pages about Andy and I individually, our home, our family, things we enjoy, a letter to potential birth mothers, lots and lots of pictures. The goal is to give birth mothers a glimpse into our lives and what life would be like for her child.
So as we move forward we will not know when we are being presented to birth families, we just have to be available for THAT moment when a birth mom wants to talk to us.
I learned a very valuable lesson with Timothy's adoption. Pray specifically. Oh my, how The Lord came through with those VERY specific requests. Things prayed, but didn't even really expect to see and yet, HE provided. So I am trusting, once again, that HIS timing and details are perfect while also praying for the desires I have currently.
1) A healthy baby and mom.
2) A match near KC. Whether that's through a friend or via our profile/website. OR a match near family or close friends where we could potentially stay with someone we know for all or part of our time waiting for ICPC to come through.
3) A girl. I would love to balance out this house a little bit! BUT if The Lord blesses us with a 3rd baby boy I will be thrilled!
4) A match before the end of 2015. This might seem ambitious, but this process is stressful. The end is the best because we get to snuggle a little one and bring a sibling to our boys and THAT is the part I am already SO ready for!
5) Birth father involvement or consent.
We are officially back on "The List!" As of today our website is back up and we can be found by birthmother's (and father's) through Lifetime.com. Wooo! Our profile is under review and as soon as we get the word I will print 50...yes 50 of these works of art to send to our coordinator. They will then pass our profile along to birth families whose criteria we meet and vice verse. I've had a few people ask what a profile is exactly so I thought I'd explain that a little bit.
A profile is essentially a scrap book of our family. It includes pages about Andy and I individually, our home, our family, things we enjoy, a letter to potential birth mothers, lots and lots of pictures. The goal is to give birth mothers a glimpse into our lives and what life would be like for her child.
So as we move forward we will not know when we are being presented to birth families, we just have to be available for THAT moment when a birth mom wants to talk to us.
I learned a very valuable lesson with Timothy's adoption. Pray specifically. Oh my, how The Lord came through with those VERY specific requests. Things prayed, but didn't even really expect to see and yet, HE provided. So I am trusting, once again, that HIS timing and details are perfect while also praying for the desires I have currently.
1) A healthy baby and mom.
2) A match near KC. Whether that's through a friend or via our profile/website. OR a match near family or close friends where we could potentially stay with someone we know for all or part of our time waiting for ICPC to come through.
3) A girl. I would love to balance out this house a little bit! BUT if The Lord blesses us with a 3rd baby boy I will be thrilled!
4) A match before the end of 2015. This might seem ambitious, but this process is stressful. The end is the best because we get to snuggle a little one and bring a sibling to our boys and THAT is the part I am already SO ready for!
5) Birth father involvement or consent.
Thursday, March 19, 2015
The countdown begins....again.
6 WEEKS! What?! I can hardly wrap my head around the fact that 6 weeks from now we will be seen by birth mothers (and hopefully fathers!) again! We are SO close to adding another little to the Castro clan! I'm feeling excited, nervous, joyful, hopeful and terrified. Between now and then I've got a pretty decent "to do" list to complete, but I'm focused and ready to get it done! The main two items are creating and assembling a new profile and make a new video for our website. The place we are working with currently operates a little different than an agency. I'm a little nervous about how things will look once we are matched, but open adoption is so encouraged through this place that I'm hopeful for a smooth process! We learned a lot going through the court experience with Timothy that we are a bit more prepared this time around. Whew!
To be honest, I'm very hopeful that we can be "matched" with someone locally through a friend who can utilize the birth mother services of Lifetime. Lifetime is so sensitive to birth mothers, offering a wonderful care package, 24-7 availability to talk, scholarship opportunities if she wants to continue her education, etc. every birth mother is different in her wants, needs, focus, support and reasons for choosing adoption. Whatever the reason, she chose life for her baby and I love the support available to her.
So, as we dive into growing our family again, I ask that you join us in prayer. For our baby (or babies-twins is an option!), for our birth parents, for birth father involvement in a positive way, for a birth location nearby us or someone we can stay with to limit travel expenses. If we are out of state we have to stay for approx 2 weeks (17 days with Timothy) so this would be very helpful.
*Many of you joined us in praying VERY specifically for Timothy and the circumstances surrounding his adoption and The Lord revealed himself to me in a huge way during that time, showing me how much He truly cares for the details. I am trusting Him again with the details as they are very much beyond my control!*
If you want to be a part of our adoption in a more tangible way we are offering a new T shirt design and have a goal of selling 50. Email me at cmarie9301@yahoo.com for pictures or check it out on my Facebook page. We will also be hosting another garage sale late spring so keep an eye out so you can check out our goodies or if we can take anything off your hands as you Spring clean! (It will be a few more weeks before we collect for this) We are also still accepting donations through gofundme at http://www.gofundme.com/Castro-Adoption
Thank you all for your love, support, encouraging words and prayers as we enter thus journey once again!
To be honest, I'm very hopeful that we can be "matched" with someone locally through a friend who can utilize the birth mother services of Lifetime. Lifetime is so sensitive to birth mothers, offering a wonderful care package, 24-7 availability to talk, scholarship opportunities if she wants to continue her education, etc. every birth mother is different in her wants, needs, focus, support and reasons for choosing adoption. Whatever the reason, she chose life for her baby and I love the support available to her.
So, as we dive into growing our family again, I ask that you join us in prayer. For our baby (or babies-twins is an option!), for our birth parents, for birth father involvement in a positive way, for a birth location nearby us or someone we can stay with to limit travel expenses. If we are out of state we have to stay for approx 2 weeks (17 days with Timothy) so this would be very helpful.
*Many of you joined us in praying VERY specifically for Timothy and the circumstances surrounding his adoption and The Lord revealed himself to me in a huge way during that time, showing me how much He truly cares for the details. I am trusting Him again with the details as they are very much beyond my control!*
If you want to be a part of our adoption in a more tangible way we are offering a new T shirt design and have a goal of selling 50. Email me at cmarie9301@yahoo.com for pictures or check it out on my Facebook page. We will also be hosting another garage sale late spring so keep an eye out so you can check out our goodies or if we can take anything off your hands as you Spring clean! (It will be a few more weeks before we collect for this) We are also still accepting donations through gofundme at http://www.gofundme.com/Castro-Adoption
Thank you all for your love, support, encouraging words and prayers as we enter thus journey once again!
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