Adoption Love Link-Up: Intros

So many adoption bloggers that I know love Kristen and her blog, Adoption Love, and I am no different.  This month she has started a monthly blog link-up and I am very excited to start participating in it! 

The discussion topic for this month is intros.  How did I become part of the adoption world and where is my family at in our journey?

I don't share all the details of our journey that brought us to where we are now, but I don't mind sharing a fair bit of it.  In the summer of 2010, we made the painful, difficult, yet relieving decision to quit ttc and instead switch to adoption.  Amongst other factors, this decision was made primarily because of my epilepsy and epilepsy meds.  I was on an epilepsy med that was safe for an unborn baby, but did not control my epilepsy very well and was starting to give me negative side effects.  I switched to one that I had been on years earlier so I knew it worked very well for me, both at controlling my seizures and giving me minimal side effects.  Unfortunately this med is very unsafe for an unborn baby.  Hence the quitting ttc.  I could've experimented with other meds to try and find a different one that controlled my epilepsy and was safe for an unborn baby, but both Hubby and I were very reluctant to, as I was already in a bad place health-wise and we know I am very sensitive to medications.  A decision had to be made and we made it.  Not to say it was easy at all; I definitely grieved for quite some time over never getting to meet the baby that I had dreamed so much of.

We contacted our adoption agency that same summer and I embraced everything adoption full-on.  We spent the following year's time switching me over from my past medication to my current one (we did it over one year so as to minimize withdrawal), getting me healthy again, saving up money for adopting (we were working on subdividing our property), we told our immediate families we were adopting but no one else, and we attended a free info night at our agency.  Also, I devoured adoption blogs like there was no tomorrow.

In the spring of 2012 when we finally went public with the news that we were adopting, and finally actually started the adoption process, I was super-eager to start my own adoption blog and start connecting with other bloggers, which I did.  I consider you my friends!

In the spring of 2013, on May 14, we were officially approved for domestic infant adoption.  We have now been waiting 1 1/4 years, and as far as we know we haven't been shown to anyone during that time.

      

How did you become part of the adoption world and where is your family at in their journey? - See more at: http://www.jkadoptionlove.com/#sthash.AWe5tsVs.dpuf

How did you become part of the adoption world and where is your family at in their journey? - See more at: http://www.jkadoptionlove.com/#sthash.AWe5tsVs.dpuf

How did you become part of the adoption world and where is your family at in their journey? - See more at: http://www.jkadoptionlove.com/#sthash.AWe5tsVs.dpuf

August 2014 ICLW

Wow, I haven't participated in ICLW for almost a year!  Well, here I am.  And here you are!  Welcome!!

Speaking of, I just updated my "Welcome" tab so feel free to click up there and read that :)

My husband and I are approved to adopt and have been waiting for 1 1/4 years to be matched.

I like cats, chocolate, scrapbooking, the sound of rain, presents, wildflowers, cheese, and a great many other random things :)

Looking forward to hearing from you and visiting your blogs!

No Fruit on the Vines

If you ever have a chance to, read Habakkuk in the MacArthur Study Bible, ESV, along with the notes (it's only 3 chapters long, and totally worth it).

I found it very inspiring, how in the hard times when Habakkuk was questioning God about how [he perceived] God was ignoring the problem, Habakkuk ultimately ended up choosing to have confidence in God, to quietly wait for Him to act, and to rejoice in Him.

"Though the fig tree should not blossom,

nor fruit be on the vines,

the produce of the olive fail

and the fields yield no food,

the flock be cut off from the fold

and there be no herd in the stalls,

yet I will rejoice in the LORD;

I will take joy in the God of my salvation."

Habakkuk 3:17-18 

Motherhood Month - 11

Progress:  It has been 1 1/4 years since we were approved to adopt.

How I'm feeling:  I've never been one for enjoying taking the time to figure out how I'm feeling.  I don't like turning introspective and trying to evaluate my feelings.  "How are you?" or "How was your day?" are some of my least favourite questions to be asked.  I have a hard time summing up an entire day as "good" or "bad" as I tend to see various events or emotions (each which rarely last long) as good, bad, mediocre, etc.  I am a very live-by-the-moment kind of person, with high highs and low lows.

As far as the adoption wait goes, my thoughts and emotions range from one end of the spectrum to the other in any given month as well.  This month, I would say my feelings about it have included, but have not been limited to: contentment that God knows what He's doing and peace that He will time everything out according to His perfect will; excitement that we could get 'The Call' any moment and become parents in a heartbeat; discouragement as I realize that everyone's getting older - my child(ren)'s grandparents, cousins, us, etc; and both doubting if we'll ever get matched and also hoping we don't get matched before we get to go on a vacation to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary in Spring! (don't get me wrong; I'd take Baby first!)

Craving:  Nothing; I just finished a lunch of Baked Eggs Napoleon.  A little something sweet to finish off the meal would be nice, though.  Maybe I'll eat an apricot yet.  There's one on the counter getting too soft and needs to be eaten.

Thoughts about our future child:  I know I say this often, but most of the time I'm simply just curious!  Gender?  Nationality?  Personality?  Things that don't matter at all but that I'm just curious about, you know?

Thoughts about our child's expectant mom:  I guess "curious" is the go-to word here, too.  What will our relationship be like?

Most recent baby purchase/gift:  Nothing for us, but we did buy a couple really neat gifts for friends of ours who just adopted their first baby.  We haven't given the gifts to them yet, so I won't post pictures here, in case they happen to read this blog ;)

This month God:  I am thankful for His Holy Spirit who lives in me and is continually teaching me, reminding me, encouraging me, prompting me.