(Written Jan 31) It has been almost a week since we heard the awesome news from J and we have been on cloud nine!!
I'm pretty sure I have some sympathy pregnancy symptoms going on over here.
Nesting: We bought a crib and set it up, ever since that night I have spent all my free time organizing our apartment. It started with our closet and it hasn't stopped. I didn't realize how strange it was until tonight. I thought... when do I ever organize and clean for the fun of it, NEVER! (for Kyle it is a normal thing, but not me.) So yeah total nestage happening people.
Pregnancy brain: I know this sounds weird, but I'm kinda useless. Especially at work. I find myself getting so distracted and forgetting everything. Tonight I forgot where I parked at the gym. Am I a spaz most of the time? YES, but this is extreme people!
I was talking to my friend about it and she thinks that my hormones are kicking in because I know it is coming soon. I kinda love that I am experiencing this because I have to miss out on other prenatal things about our little one. At least I can connect with her/him somehow.
We find out the gender of the little one on February 12!! Can't wait. Amber my sister in law is rooting for a girl for Jaycie to have a bestie and I love it. We are not partial either way. I keep imagining how cute a little boy would be and for some reason we keep accidentally referring to it as a he on accident. But then I think of little girls and how fun that would be! Seriously split! Either way a healthy baby is all we care, we are so in love with this little one already!
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Open or Closed
Our Birthmother letter mentions that we would love an open adoption. This is true. We have been to many classes and done research and we feel like open adoption could be a wonderful thing for us, our child and the birth family if everyone is on the same page and communication is clear. Our opinion about open adoptions is that our relationship with the Birthmother is like other relationships. You start small and as trust, love, and friendship grows the relationship grows bigger as well. Obviously the details would be discussed personally with the Birthmother and how it starts will depend on that discussion. But we also want Birth mothers and families to know that if they feel like a closed adoption is something they need we are willing to do that as well. We know that everyone is different and that some Birthmothers need that distance and we understand. Every situation is so different so we have no idea what the future will hold, but we are excited about it!
Birthmothers
I have been thinking a lot about Birthmothers lately. I know I can't ever say I know what they are going through, but I feel so much emotion for them. I don't know how to get my feelings into words. All I know is that whenever a Birthmother looks into placing with us I want her to know that I want what is best for her and her baby. If we aren't what she needs, I understand. I want her to feel confident about her decision of placing and in who she is placing with. She can ask us any question and we will answer honestly because we want her to know who we are so she can make an educated decision.
Here is our letter to a Birthmother that is on our profile. I realized that I have never posted it on the blog. It took us a while to write because we wanted it to really show how we feel.
Dear Friend,
We are so excited that you stopped to take a look at our profile. We look forward to us getting to know each other! We can not comprehend what you must be going through at this time in your life, but we admire you for considering adoption. We know that it is because of your selflessness and love for this child that you are here. We hope that you can be guided in the difficult decision you are faced with and we admire your courage and love in making efforts to give your child the best possible future.
Our Story
We have been married over four years now and we are so in love. We are best friends and do everything together. We are very active and love being outside. Activities we enjoy are camping, hiking, biking, game nights, going to movies, vacationing, spending time with family and friends and so much more. Our home is filled with love and laughter every day and we can’t wait for the happiness that a little one will add. We are excited that we get to grow our family through adoption.
About Kyle - by Andrea
Kyle is my favorite person on this earth! He is the most loving person I have ever known. He is always finding ways to serve others and make people feel good about themselves. He is so accepting of every one and doesn’t judge people by their looks, history, or situation. Kyle is a kid at heart and is at home when he is playing with children. I know he will be such a good dad. He is such a hard worker, he is a student at Utah State University studying Wildlife Science and works as well! As you can tell from his major he loves animals and nature. Some of his goals are to start a dog training business and to compete in a triathlon. A few of Kyle’s hobbies are fishing, drawing, and exercising. He loves basketball and is a huge Jazz fan (regardless of how bad they are). There is no way for me to fit in this letter how truly amazing Kyle is, but I can say that he is the most supportive husband and will be such a loving and fun father to a lucky child some day.
About Andrea - by Kyle
I can not live without Andrea. She finds the best in me and others as well. She forgives and forgets when someone may have offended her or hurt her. When Andrea wants to do something or feels good about something she is very determined and dedicated to get it done. For example she loves music and has been involved in it ever since she was a child. She plays the Viola and plays very well because of her determination to do well. She is the most supportive and kind person a husband could ask for. She loves children and is so great to all of our nieces and nephews, and knows how to discipline in such a loving and caring way. Andrea has always put others before herself, she is full of service towards others and loves to do it. It is one of those things that make her happy and bright eyed. One of the things I love most about her besides her kindness and love is that she is down to earth and willing to try anything new. She loves the outdoors, and loves supporting me in my goals.
We are very excited that we get to adopt. We can’t believe how lucky we are, that we get to share this experience. We would love to have an open adoption. We want our children to know and love their birth family. We can’t wait to get to know you and your family and we hope that we can become friends in this journey together! Thanks for reading about us and please contact us if you have any questions or want to learn more.
Sincerely,
Kyle and Andrea
Andrea.kyle.adopt@hotmail.com
Waitingforyouwithlovetogive.blogspot.com
Here is our letter to a Birthmother that is on our profile. I realized that I have never posted it on the blog. It took us a while to write because we wanted it to really show how we feel.
Dear Friend,
We are so excited that you stopped to take a look at our profile. We look forward to us getting to know each other! We can not comprehend what you must be going through at this time in your life, but we admire you for considering adoption. We know that it is because of your selflessness and love for this child that you are here. We hope that you can be guided in the difficult decision you are faced with and we admire your courage and love in making efforts to give your child the best possible future.
Our Story
We have been married over four years now and we are so in love. We are best friends and do everything together. We are very active and love being outside. Activities we enjoy are camping, hiking, biking, game nights, going to movies, vacationing, spending time with family and friends and so much more. Our home is filled with love and laughter every day and we can’t wait for the happiness that a little one will add. We are excited that we get to grow our family through adoption.
About Kyle - by Andrea
Kyle is my favorite person on this earth! He is the most loving person I have ever known. He is always finding ways to serve others and make people feel good about themselves. He is so accepting of every one and doesn’t judge people by their looks, history, or situation. Kyle is a kid at heart and is at home when he is playing with children. I know he will be such a good dad. He is such a hard worker, he is a student at Utah State University studying Wildlife Science and works as well! As you can tell from his major he loves animals and nature. Some of his goals are to start a dog training business and to compete in a triathlon. A few of Kyle’s hobbies are fishing, drawing, and exercising. He loves basketball and is a huge Jazz fan (regardless of how bad they are). There is no way for me to fit in this letter how truly amazing Kyle is, but I can say that he is the most supportive husband and will be such a loving and fun father to a lucky child some day.
About Andrea - by Kyle
I can not live without Andrea. She finds the best in me and others as well. She forgives and forgets when someone may have offended her or hurt her. When Andrea wants to do something or feels good about something she is very determined and dedicated to get it done. For example she loves music and has been involved in it ever since she was a child. She plays the Viola and plays very well because of her determination to do well. She is the most supportive and kind person a husband could ask for. She loves children and is so great to all of our nieces and nephews, and knows how to discipline in such a loving and caring way. Andrea has always put others before herself, she is full of service towards others and loves to do it. It is one of those things that make her happy and bright eyed. One of the things I love most about her besides her kindness and love is that she is down to earth and willing to try anything new. She loves the outdoors, and loves supporting me in my goals.
We are very excited that we get to adopt. We can’t believe how lucky we are, that we get to share this experience. We would love to have an open adoption. We want our children to know and love their birth family. We can’t wait to get to know you and your family and we hope that we can become friends in this journey together! Thanks for reading about us and please contact us if you have any questions or want to learn more.
Sincerely,
Kyle and Andrea
Andrea.kyle.adopt@hotmail.com
Waitingforyouwithlovetogive.blogspot.com
Monday, January 21, 2013
lately
Lately
Kyle
-Loving his wildlife classes at school
-Becoming a workout fanatic
-Lover of all ice cream (especially superman)
-So ready for this icy cold winter to end
-Insists that he still enjoys winter camping (Andrea still insisting that she won't ever go in the winter)
Andrea
-Loves wearing scarfs lately
-scared to train for another half marathon (but doing it anyway)
-Craving a fireplace and a good book these days
-Love's meticulous meal planning
-Currently trying to grow her hair out
Last night we went to our regular 3rd Sunday dinner at Kyle's Dad's house and had such a good time. We miss our nieces and nephews all the time and so we love playing with them. Bradley (1 1/2) has learned our names and it is so fun to hear him greet us! Karen (Kyle's Step mom) always gets a lot of the basic things for every couples first child and she decided to get ours now just in case we have a rushed situation. She had it there at dinner and we are so excited about everything. She got us a diaper Jeanie, boppy, diapers, onsies, a newborn outfit for a boy and a girl, bottles, and a bunch of random must haves for when baby comes! When we took everything home we put it in the baby's closet and noticed that we are getting quite the collection. It made us realize that we should write a list of everything that we have and what we still need. We are also going to stock up on diapers and wipes so we don't have to later. We are SO EXCITED for the day to come that we get to use everything!
Kyle
-Loving his wildlife classes at school
-Becoming a workout fanatic
-Lover of all ice cream (especially superman)
-So ready for this icy cold winter to end
-Insists that he still enjoys winter camping (Andrea still insisting that she won't ever go in the winter)
Andrea
-Loves wearing scarfs lately
-scared to train for another half marathon (but doing it anyway)
-Craving a fireplace and a good book these days
-Love's meticulous meal planning
-Currently trying to grow her hair out
Last night we went to our regular 3rd Sunday dinner at Kyle's Dad's house and had such a good time. We miss our nieces and nephews all the time and so we love playing with them. Bradley (1 1/2) has learned our names and it is so fun to hear him greet us! Karen (Kyle's Step mom) always gets a lot of the basic things for every couples first child and she decided to get ours now just in case we have a rushed situation. She had it there at dinner and we are so excited about everything. She got us a diaper Jeanie, boppy, diapers, onsies, a newborn outfit for a boy and a girl, bottles, and a bunch of random must haves for when baby comes! When we took everything home we put it in the baby's closet and noticed that we are getting quite the collection. It made us realize that we should write a list of everything that we have and what we still need. We are also going to stock up on diapers and wipes so we don't have to later. We are SO EXCITED for the day to come that we get to use everything!
Spreading the word
So... being proactive has turned out to be so much fun!! Last week we took a bunch of cards everywhere and my favorite location was at an OBGYN clinic in town. They let us put some on a table that everyone can see. We also sent out an email to all of our contacts asking them to put a little blurb about us on facebook and their blogs. So many people were willing to do it! We are hoping it reached out to someone who needs our info. We are also sending our cards to a lot of people out of state who have said they would pass them around. I can feel the adoption vibes flowing haha! I love that we aren't willing to just wait around. We are FINDING our baby!
Here is the email we sent to everyone, just in case you didn't receive it.
Dear Family and Friends,
As many of you know we made the decision to adopt a baby last year. We are incredibly grateful for the love and support we have felt from everyone around us and we cannot express how truly excited we are about starting our family. 2012 was filled with paperwork, but we are ready and waiting for an opportunity now. Our agency has the Birth Mother’s pick their adoptive parents and due to the large amount of waiting families this process could take years. We have decided that we need to take a proactive role in our adoption process; we need to get our name and information out to as many people as we can so we can find our baby. We know that many of you have already helped us out so much, but we are asking for one more favor. If you feel comfortable could you help us pass a long our information by sharing/sending our information to your friends, family and co-workers? This could be done easily by posting on facebook, sending an email, posting on your blog or just talking to people about us. Here is our basic adoption information
Kyle and Andrea- Hoping to adopt
For more information about us visit:
(Our Adoption Profile) www.itsaboutlove.org profile ID #27853256
(Our Blog) www.waitingforyouwithlovetogive.blogspot.com
Or contact us by email: andrea.kyle.adopt@hotmail.com
We are truly grateful for everyone who has supported our decision and who have helped us along the way so far. We are surrounded by amazing people. We cannot thank you enough!!!
Sincerely,
Kyle and Andrea
Here is the email we sent to everyone, just in case you didn't receive it.
Dear Family and Friends,
As many of you know we made the decision to adopt a baby last year. We are incredibly grateful for the love and support we have felt from everyone around us and we cannot express how truly excited we are about starting our family. 2012 was filled with paperwork, but we are ready and waiting for an opportunity now. Our agency has the Birth Mother’s pick their adoptive parents and due to the large amount of waiting families this process could take years. We have decided that we need to take a proactive role in our adoption process; we need to get our name and information out to as many people as we can so we can find our baby. We know that many of you have already helped us out so much, but we are asking for one more favor. If you feel comfortable could you help us pass a long our information by sharing/sending our information to your friends, family and co-workers? This could be done easily by posting on facebook, sending an email, posting on your blog or just talking to people about us. Here is our basic adoption information
Kyle and Andrea- Hoping to adopt
For more information about us visit:
(Our Adoption Profile) www.itsaboutlove.org profile ID #27853256
(Our Blog) www.waitingforyouwithlovetogive.blogspot.com
Or contact us by email: andrea.kyle.adopt@hotmail.com
We are truly grateful for everyone who has supported our decision and who have helped us along the way so far. We are surrounded by amazing people. We cannot thank you enough!!!
Sincerely,
Kyle and Andrea
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
New Year Resolution: Be Proactive!
So one of my resolutions for this year was to be more proactive about the adoption. First on the list is to pass out as many pass along cards as we can. Last night we went around to several places in town and only one Dr's office would take them, but it was sweet because they let you just put them out on a table that already has some info about adoption. Next time I go to SL I'm going to take some to the offices down there. When we were out and about a lady suggested putting them on bulletin boards at stores. So now every time I go in a store I am looking for somewhere to stash our cards haha!
Second we are going to compose an email that we will send to everyone we know and ask those people to spread the word for us.
Third we need to send out our pass along cards to family and friends out of state that we haven't been able to hand one to.
If you have any ideas on how we could get our name out there to more people don't be shy.... please leave a comment or email us.
Second we are going to compose an email that we will send to everyone we know and ask those people to spread the word for us.
Third we need to send out our pass along cards to family and friends out of state that we haven't been able to hand one to.
If you have any ideas on how we could get our name out there to more people don't be shy.... please leave a comment or email us.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
What a year!!
2012 was a wild ride! We had a lot of awesome moments that I will never forget.
-February 8th we decided to adopt.
-March we had our adoption fundraiser that was a HUGE success!
-April 6th we met with Sara our case worker and the paperwork began and celebrated our 4th year anniversary.
-May 4th our summer began,we attended the adoption classes and met some awesome people and learned a lot!
-June I started training for my half marathon and we went on a fun and relaxing Birthday camping trip for Kyle.
-July we had our final adoption interview after finally finishing our paperwork and spent every moment possible outside
-August 11 attended the FSA regional conference with my mom.
-September ran my first ever race, enjoyed more outdoor time, Kyle had surgery #2 on his foot.
-September 16 got the official stamp of approval to adopt.
-October had fun Halloween parties, made pass a long cards.
-November the holidays began, my mom and I made our future baby's quilt for the nursery, celebrated the life of Kyle's Grandfather, Kyle started walking again.
-December had two different birth mom's interested in us and didn't hear back from either, spent a lot of time with our awesome families, spoiled each other for Christmas again, and got our very first presents for our future baby.
This year sure has been a roller coaster for us, but I love what I have learned over the year. I am so excited to see what the new year will bring! Let's all pray for an adoption to be part of it!!
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