Dick Hoyt is one of the most inspirational parents I have ever heard of. Their story is so empowering and inspiring. My husband told me about them after reading about them in his Sports Illustrated magazine a while ago. When I think of how to love my children, this is the picture that comes to my mind now. I hope to give my child the amount of love Dick gives to Rick. Rick was born with Cerebral Palsy. While doctors encouraged Dick and his wife to place Rick in an institution, they knew that their son belonged in their home with their family. When Rick learned to talk with computer assistance, he told his dad he wanted to compete in races. Rick’s amazing dad competed in the Ironman Triathalon with his son. The last part of this video will surely force you to find some tissues if you haven’t already needed them. You can learn more about this dynamic duo at their website: Team Hoyt.
About a month ago, I started having horrible nausea. This nausea is unmistakable. It is the exact same nausea I had with my pregnancies. It consisted of the dry throat, the marker stomach turns, and the hope that you’ll throw up because you think it may relieve some of the nausea. For me, it came on worse in the afternoons and kept getting worse until I finally gave in and went to bed. No, I was not/am not pregnant! However, the only way I could describe this nausea was comparing it to morning sickness. This nausea was exactly like the morning sickness I experience with my pregnancies. Anyone who has had morning sickness knows it comes with its own unmistakable trademark.
Ahhhhh….I had just committed to adopting baby Reese. Calling it “morning sickness” makes a little sense. My body was reacting to the fact that we are preparing for a baby and we had just made a very HUGE committment and were walking into the unknown journey of adoption. So, I started googling. I could not find ANYTHING about other adoptive mothers experiencing symptoms similar to morning sickness. So, then I just assumed I had gone off the deep end and created the nausea in my head.
However, then I started thinking about it a little more and decided I wasn’t completely crazy. Here’s some things I know that made me realize this was not just “psychosomatic morning sickness.”
I had just begun preparing for a new baby. Even though my body was not pregnant, it makes sense that preparing for a child through adoption could trigger hormonal reactions, which could have triggered the nausea I experienced.
I was under a lot of stress during those first two weeks and was anxiously trying to understand what our next steps were supposed to be in our adoption process. I will credit the fact that stress, anxiety, and life changes can cause nausea.
Sometimes men have “sympathetic morning sickness” when their wives are experiencing morning sickness which tells me that if a man’s body can have a similar reaction just by osmosis, an adopting mother’s adoption morning sickness can definitely be a real thing!
So, knowing these three things, I started feeling better about myself. I will admit that I am a bit dingy in some areas, like I leave my keys in my front door when I come in from running errands (don’t tell any robber friends!), I have a tendency to bump my leg into my table corner at least once a day (there’s a constant bruise to prove it), and I sometimes call a friend at 5pm to tell her something only to be reminded that I already told her that in our morning conversation (yes, that happened today!) However I don’t think I’ve officially lost it. I think my theory on “Adoption Morning Sickness” makes sense.
We are now a month in to our adoption process and everything is going so smoothly! I am no longer experiencing nausea anymore. I guess you could compare this stage of our adoption process to the second trimester of a pregnancy! I feel good again and things are moving along.
What do you think? Am I just in denial about my mental health or do you think I have a theory going? Have you adopted and did you experience something similar in the beginning?
There are no rules when it comes to blogging. Some blogs exist to keep friends and family up to date on family happenings, some are to document weight loss, some blogs are specific to product reviews, some blogs document outfits worn each and every day, and some blogs are devoted to saving the world from “unnecessary” quotation marks. Anyone can have a blog! One very trendy way to keep your blog fresh is to participate in themes of the day. Here’s some popular recurring blog entries you can participate in to keep your blog fun to read and also network with other people on the internet! So, the next time you have writer’s block on your blog, try joining one of these hosted blog events! You may even make a friend or two along the way!
SUNDAY
Grains of Gratitude. Brady’s Bunch hosts Grains of Gratitude every Sunday and invites participants to blog about what they are thankful for. I think this is a great opportunity for people to focus on what they are grateful for and Sunday could not be a more perfect day for that reflection!
MONDAY
Magic Marker Monday! Hosted by 5 Minutes for Special Needs, every Monday participates post a picture of their child’s artwork for the week. This includes pictures of artwork made at school, at home, on the walls of your living room, or anywhere else your child has expressed his or her artistic side. They ask that you leave them a comment to let them know you participated in this event!
TUESDAY
Tackle It Tuesday! This event is hosted by 5 Minutes for Mom and invites participants to pick a household project needing to be done. They can be big or small. The idea is to take a before and after picture of you project. I have watched a friend of mine participate in this blog event and it’s been really good at keeping her motivated and productive! I’m impressed with her Tuesday productivity!
WEDNESDAY
Wordless Wednesday This has got to be the most popular blog theme event in the blogging community. It’s everywhere! On Wednesdays, bloggers are invited to post a picture without any words. I have seen some creative blog entries on W.W. You can be as creative or as simple as you like on W.W. and you can be confident that many a blogger is participating in this event, so you will not be alone!
Other Wednesday events include, Weightloss Wednesday. On Weightloss Wednesdays, bloggers blog about their weightloss journey and usually include their weight and measurements. Apparently, blogging your weight is the best kept weightloss secret around!! There’s something about telling the world how much you weigh that motivates you to lose that weight! A friend of mine lost 26.5 lbs while sharing her weightloss journey with all of her blog readers! It was quite impressive to follow.
What fun blog themes have you enjoyed participating in? What are some Thursday, Friday, and Saturday blog themes you’ve seen?
Congratulations! Over sixty of you bought a whole lot of raffle tickets and I’m so happy that we were able to help the Balsis family in this way!! They are now home from their first trip to Russia and have met a little girl who has Down syndrome and will be bringing her home very soon. Addison Veronika is the cutest thing ever! She is going to be two years old next month. While our raffle is closed, they still have a lot of expenses coming their way with another trip to Russia and the costs of finalizing their adoption. If you would like to follow the Balsis family and/or financially support their adoption, you can do so by visiting their adoption blog: Dreaming on an Angel.
Before I announce the lucky ducky winners of our fantastic prizes, I want to send a big THANK YOU to the sponsors and co-hosts of this raffle! I am blown away by the generosity of others and grateful for your support for this special family’s adoption journey. Thank you so much, from the bottom of our hearts!
Now onto the big announcement! All winners have been notified by email as well. Congratulations!!
Shay K.- Serena and Lily Rory Crib Set
Amelia S. - Dear Johnnies Robe and Gown Set
Vanessa B. – UPPAbaby G-Lite Stroller
Judith D. – UPPAbaby G-Lite Stroller
Amy A. – Born to Love Pink Argyle Visor Beanie
Shylo U. – Bella Tunno Circus Spots Chalk Placemat
Claudine E. – JessiJeanJewelry Blue Swirl Glass Pendent
Julie O. – Ellie Bellie Kids Lavender/Lime Tutu
Kim D. – SlickSugar Guitar Tee
Williams Violet – Cuddlebee Brown Dot Bib and Burp set
Robert B. – JP Lizzy Sprout Tote
Cheri P. – BabyRock Apparel Sorry Boys tee
Brian R. – Baby K’tan Camo Baby Carrier
Michael G. – Made By Angie Primary Dots Wipes Case
Kristie B. – Itzy Ritzy Bitzy Blanket in Black Damask andBlack Minky Dot
Shylo U. – Paperluxe Studio Set of 24 Notecards
Aimee B. – BabyRock Apparel Heart and Crossbones Shoes
Breanna P. – Born To Love Tan Visor Beanie
Sherry F. – Baby Rock Apparel Sweetheart Onesie
Jessica S. – Wet happened? Carnival Bloom Wetbag
Natalia D. - Baby Rock Apparel Preschool Tee
Amy A. – Clairebella Candy Stripe Blue Moses Basket
Jenna P. – Mia Moda Ciello Stroller
Brigitte V. – Bella Tunno Sweet Tooth Play Smock
Debbie B. – Born To Love Pink Visor Beanie
Sherry H. – Cuddlebee Fun Dot Bib and Burp Set
Naomi S. – Baby Rock Apparel Angelic Onesie
Kara S. – Ellie Bellie Kids Mocha Messenger Bag
Carmen M. – Little Showoffs Myself Tee
Colleen B. – Little Showoffs Rock Star Newborn Onesie
Craig G. – Ribbies Hair Clippies
Jodi R. – Sarabear Havana Diaper Caddy
Sherry F. – Mairzey Dotes Dotty Bird Bib and Burp Set
Since I was a very young child I have wanted to adopt a child someday. I loved the idea of adoption and dreamed of adding to my family through adoption someday. When I became a Christian, adoption took on a whole new meaning for me. I was chosen by my Heavenly Father and adopted to be His child.
When our biological daughter and first born was born with Down syndrome, my adoption dream evolved into adopting a child with Down syndrome in the future. The incredibly high abortion rates of children prenatally diagnosed with Down syndrome and my growing love for my own biological daughter with Down syndrome fueled my passion to adopt one of these precious children. Over 90% of these prenatal diagnosis end in abortion. That broke {breaks} my heart. Shortly after my daughter’s birth, I started researching domestic adoptions of children with Down syndrome. What I found was incredibly heart-warming. In America, there are waiting lists of families who WANT TO ADOPT a child with Down syndrome. Learning about the waiting lists encouraged me to start researching international adoptions of children with Down syndrome. What I found was not so heartwarming. A lot of countries discourage families from keeping a child born with special needs and there are way too many children sent to orphanages and later institutionalized because they have Down syndrome. Dateline recently did a special on one country’s institutions and they are under-resourced, understaffed, and basically inhumane.
While researching international adoptions of children with Down syndrome, I found Reece’s Rainbow. Reece’s Rainbow is an adoption ministry aimed at finding homes for orphans around the world who have Down syndrome. They have helped to save over 90 orphans with Down syndrome (or other special needs). While they are mainly focused on saving children with Down syndrome, they do have an “Other Angels” page where they share information about children who have special needs other than Down syndrome. Our raffle beneficiaries, the Balsis Family, is working through Reece’s Rainbow in their adoption of a little girl who has Down syndrome.
About six months ago, I started really feeling like it was time to pursue an adoption of a child with Down syndrome through Reece’s Rainbow. Several months later, my husband started feeling a heart tug as well. One child in particular really spoke loud and clear to both of us that NOW was the time to grow our family through adoption. We are very excited to announce that we have committed to adopting a very special 8 month old little girl who we are calling “Reese.” Reese has Down syndrome and also a cleft lip and cleft palate. We are hoping to bring her home from Eastern Europe in early spring. I realize that adopting a child with special needs is not the road often traveled for most folks, but I want everyone to know that my husband and I are not “special people.” We were given a very special gift when our daughter was born with Down syndrome and we have a very special love for her. While we are overjoyed to save a child who needs a Mommy and Daddy, we are selfishly ecstatic to be having another daughter who has Down syndrome and to experience the gift she is going to be to our family.
There are so many ways you can make an impact in these orphans’ lives:
Adopt! I know this may seem like a crazy notion to most of you, but before you dismiss it completely, I encourage you to strongly think about this option. You will be blessing a child, but will also be blessed in more ways than you can imagine!!
Give! We have our AWESOME raffle going on right now which benefits a specific family and gives you a great chance to win something. However, you can also donate to children who are waiting for their forever families, children whose families are in the adoption process, or give a general monetary donation to Reece’s Rainbow. All of these options (except for our raffle) can be found at Reece’s Rainbow.
Visit Reece’s Rainbow and see the many other ways you can help!
