Adoption Notes
Perhaps some will open this because you will wonder if we are at it again. There is no simple answer for that but "not right now" will have to satisfy your curiosity.
Adoption is a miracle and a gift. It takes courage and love. I make every effort to let everyone know where I stand on the process. It is because of this love and courage that I have my beautiful little boy.
What you may not know about our story is that our adoption is semi-open. We are responsible for sending pictures and letters to Espen's birth mom until he is 18. Many of you are inhaling sharply at this. It is a task I do not dread. I enjoy sending those cards. Simply because I hope she knows my love for this little boy has no boundaries and every day is a giant blessing. (Certainly if you have followed my blog for any period of time, you have heard the rants and crazed writings of a struggling, frustrated, tired mom. But we all have those days!)
I send the required pictures to the agency and they send them to her. But outside of that "official" communication I am in touch with her on a regular basis. We email and send messages. I occasionally have a box of clothes to send for her little one. We are an odd pair perhaps.
Last week I had the curious conversation with Espen about growing him a brother in my tummy. He is sure he wants a brother (no sisters allowed here I guess). I am not sure where he got the information but he wanted me to just grow one. I had to explain in simple terms that I didn't grow him. He grew in another tummy and we adopted him. He is familiar with these words from the books we have read since he was an infant. Adoption is not a secret in our family but a happy celebration. So he wondered about his birth mom for a minute. I answer the questions and he moved on quickly to reminding me I needed to grow him a brother and to how long he could hold his breath. Very important ~ holding one's breath!!
I shared this story with his birth mom. It was cute to me and I wanted her to know we share her with him. To my surprise I got the most amazing message back from her and I want to share it... because she made my day. She inspired and encouraged me to be the best mom I can be. She affirmed I am a great mom.
It is so simple. Yet incredibly powerful because to me... she is amazing. She had the courage to let this little boy come into my heart. In an odd and wonderful way, our lives are forever connected.
I share this with you, my friends, because adoption is an amazing and frightening gift. It is beautiful and inspiring and lives are forever changed. My son is awesome. I have a beautiful little family because of this incredible journey. The journey has many bumps and some giant mountains to trudge across but we do it.... and we will continue to do it! Because at the end of the day when my baby is snuggled up next to me, I can be thankful to the strength of his birth mom and I can say a prayer for her.
Adoption is a miracle and a gift. It takes courage and love. I make every effort to let everyone know where I stand on the process. It is because of this love and courage that I have my beautiful little boy.
What you may not know about our story is that our adoption is semi-open. We are responsible for sending pictures and letters to Espen's birth mom until he is 18. Many of you are inhaling sharply at this. It is a task I do not dread. I enjoy sending those cards. Simply because I hope she knows my love for this little boy has no boundaries and every day is a giant blessing. (Certainly if you have followed my blog for any period of time, you have heard the rants and crazed writings of a struggling, frustrated, tired mom. But we all have those days!)
I send the required pictures to the agency and they send them to her. But outside of that "official" communication I am in touch with her on a regular basis. We email and send messages. I occasionally have a box of clothes to send for her little one. We are an odd pair perhaps.
Last week I had the curious conversation with Espen about growing him a brother in my tummy. He is sure he wants a brother (no sisters allowed here I guess). I am not sure where he got the information but he wanted me to just grow one. I had to explain in simple terms that I didn't grow him. He grew in another tummy and we adopted him. He is familiar with these words from the books we have read since he was an infant. Adoption is not a secret in our family but a happy celebration. So he wondered about his birth mom for a minute. I answer the questions and he moved on quickly to reminding me I needed to grow him a brother and to how long he could hold his breath. Very important ~ holding one's breath!!
I shared this story with his birth mom. It was cute to me and I wanted her to know we share her with him. To my surprise I got the most amazing message back from her and I want to share it... because she made my day. She inspired and encouraged me to be the best mom I can be. She affirmed I am a great mom.I love you so much shelly.. you truly are an amazing mom. You made me cry. But in a good way:)
It is so simple. Yet incredibly powerful because to me... she is amazing. She had the courage to let this little boy come into my heart. In an odd and wonderful way, our lives are forever connected.
I share this with you, my friends, because adoption is an amazing and frightening gift. It is beautiful and inspiring and lives are forever changed. My son is awesome. I have a beautiful little family because of this incredible journey. The journey has many bumps and some giant mountains to trudge across but we do it.... and we will continue to do it! Because at the end of the day when my baby is snuggled up next to me, I can be thankful to the strength of his birth mom and I can say a prayer for her.
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