Life Happens!

Nope, I did not fall off the face of the earth, just became a new mommy!!! Luckily, I put some seeds in the ground before she arrived because that is about all the time I have had for my garden. Luckily it doesn't take much to grow a garden. I have been able to harvest, spinach, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, watermelon, spaghetti squash, carrots, zucchini, beans, peas, oregano, and lavender.  My pumpkin, butternut squash, and birdhouse gourds shouldn't be far behind.  Canning is usually a big event around this house but I am finding that dehydrating takes a lot less time. Tomatoes, oregano, and lavender are all in there as we speak.

Here are some pictures I have been meaning to post:

This was the garden in June

I was able to make baby food with all the crops. This zucchini is all ready for the freezer. 

During the warm weather the chickens enjoyed their coop being filled with water. Standing in cold water kept their body heat down.

Now, to my favorite season of all.....FALL.  There is something about the way life slows down and the nesting occurs right before winter.  I love the cool weather and enjoy drinking a hot coffee again.  You can go outside without being eaten by mosquitoes and enjoy a blazing campfire. It is also the perfect time to bundle up and enjoy the company of someone the you love!!!

CHEERS TO FALL!

Our adoption story

2005

Our journey to be parents began 8 years ago.  Immediately after getting married we knew we wanted to start our family.  We were surrounded by nieces and nephews so being a mom and dad seemed like a natural plan for us.  After 2 years of trying on our own I brought it up to my OBGYN.  He said that 2 years was long enough to try, and he sent us to get a tubal dye test and my husband’s sperm tested.  Both tests came back normal so he ordered me to get on Chlomid.   Not only did insurance not cover chlomid, but I felt like an emotional wreck. 

2008

A year later my OBGYN said that there was nothing more he could do, so he sent me to a specialist in infertility.  It took me months to wrap my head around that word…infertility?!?!  My doctor didn’t even know what was wrong with me and now he is telling me I have infertility issues.  The specialist suggested I do a laparoscopy to see how my uterus along with my tubes looked.  It was then that he found endometriosis on my fallopian tubes.  The doctor said it was nothing to worry about and proceeded with artificial insemination. Our first time, we produced 3 healthy follicles, only to find out 2 weeks later that none of them took.  For our second procedure I produced 5 (yes you read that right!!!) healthy eggs.  The doctor asked us if we wanted to proceed with insemination.  My husband and I had to stop and pray in the exam room.  Never have we dreamed of having 5 kids, but we went ahead with the insemination. We wanted Gods will to be done.  I was sore for the next two weeks only to find out NONE of the eggs took.  We tried insemination 1 more time.  Our doctor sat us down and said our insurance benefits had been exhausted and there wasn’t anything he could do for us.  We were determined to be parents so he referred us to a well-known team of in-vitro doctors.

2010

We needed a break from it all. My husband needed an emotional break and I was physically exhausted.  One day my husband and I both came home from work and began telling each other about our day. To make a long story short, a client of mine randomly gave me a card to her in-vitro doctor. My husband told me his server at dinner handed him a card with the name of his wife’s in-vitro doctor.  We matched up all the cards and they were  from the same team our doctor referred us to. We took this as a sign from God to get our butts in gear.

Before we started in-vitro my husband and I decided 2 rounds was all we could mentally and physically afford. We knew insurance wouldn’t cover a dime.  The doctor’s office was 60 miles one way, so 5 times a week meant a lot of time in the car. We administered 4 shots per day and I had to wear an estrogen patch. Keep in mind, the doctors still had no answer to why we weren’t getting pregnant.  It is such a blessing that I have an amazing husband because I did not feel like a normal wife.  Both times we had 2 healthy embryos implanted and both times were a complete fail.  My husband I spent some time mourning the loss of those 4 healthy embryos. I never thought we would talk about being parents again. It was so heartbreaking that unless people have been through it, I don’t think that they can truly understand. To spend $33,000.00 and have to walk away with nothing to show was devestating.

2013

The idea of adopting has always been on our minds but being vulnerable again was not something we were ready for until now. We have been asked countless times if we were going to have kids but the answer never seemed clear. We wanted so badly to have kids but it seemed so far away. It wasn’t until recently my husband said, “Ya know Kel, I have never stopped wanting to be a dad.”  His eyes filled up with tears and it was then that I knew adoption was exactly where we needed to be. I knew that we were finally strong enough to get back in the saddle and do whatever it took to fill our house with the love of a child.  We are open to gender, age, race, and siblings.  We have put it in God’s hands and it gives us such peace knowing that He is in charge.  We can’t wait for the day that we get to hold God’s gift in our arms and look back at the journey it took to get us right where He wanted us.