It's November!!

Some people think of it as a gateway to the holidays, in our house it is so much more than that!

It's our dog's birthday! Zeke will be 3. But no, that's not it. November is National Adoption Month!

It's a big deal around our house. One of the happiest days of my life was the day I became a Mom. It was through the love of another woman that I got that achievement. I owe everything to this woman. My big man is amazing. He is sweet, caring, the best big brother EVER! Even when he was 21 months, he was the sweetest thing ever (that's how old he was when I brought Princess home).

I think of our birth mother everyday.

This poem makes me blubber every time I read it:

Legacy of An Adopted Child:

Once there were two women who never knew each other.
One you do not remember, the other you call Mother.

Two different lives shaped to make you one.
One became your guiding star, the other became your sun.

The first one gave you life, and the second taught you to live it.
The first gave you a need for love. The second was there to give it.

One gave you a nationality. The other gave you a name.
One gave you a talent. The other gave you aim.

One gave you emotions. The other calmed your fears.
One saw your first sweet smile. The other dried your tears.

One sought for you a home that she could not provide.
The other prayed for a child and her hope was not denied.

And now you ask me, through your tears,
the age-old question unanswered through the years.
Heredity or environment, which are you a product of?
Neither, my darling. Neither. Just two different kinds of Love.

© Author Unknown



A few weeks ago, I had the most awesome experience at work. A birth mother was delivering, the adoptive parents were in the waiting room. I worked with the adoptive family and the other nurse worked with the birth mother. I forgot (well, sort of) how awesome the experience was. I got to tell that adoptive mother all about her new baby. How much she weighed, how beautiful she was. The best part, I got to take that new Mom to the back and watch her hold her baby for the first time. As she cried tears of joy, I was back 6 1/2 years ago remembering that same flood of emotions, I cried with her. I took the first picture of her holding her new baby. It was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.

If you ever have the chance to meet an adoptive mother ask her about the first time she found out she was going to be a Mom. I have experienced both - the positive pregnancy test and the phone call that I waited years for.

Both experiences were awesome (don't get me wrong!). The adoptive experience is so unique, so unfamiliar to most. Take the time, ask the questions, investigate the story. You'd be surprised....