Court Date

Not even 8 months old and Sienna has already been to court.

Don't worry, it was a good reason. She hasn't turned into baby clepto (although there are random toys that keep mysteriously showing up in her diaper bag). :)

Every December (usually) the Kent County Circuit Court saves up all it's adoption finalizations for one day. That day was Thursday, December 15.

Although I didn't necessarily feel like going to court it actually turned out to be a very neat thing. The judge stated that he loves working on this day because most families who come through his courtroom are getting torn apart...on this day a family was being made. He read a poem about adoption and then signed all the paperwork with his "adoption pen" (an outrageous pen with bows and jingle bells, it was quite hilarious). Finally, he came down and presented us with our paperwork and Sienna with a little teddy bear.

Seeing all the other families that were there, coming together in celebration was very cool and I couldn't help but feel eternally blessed.

Dan and I celebrated 8 years of marriage that week as well. Needless to say, I think that year 7 was our favorite. :)

Okay...a real update

Life has become even more busy since my previous (real) update in August. Perhaps "busy" is not to right word. "Exhausting" fits better.

Why?

Well, shocking as it was to all of us, I got pregnant.

Yeah.

Really.

Baby #2's due date?

April. Yes...April. You know, the same month Sienna was born.

Siblings born less than a year apart!

Craziness. I think that God has a sense of humor. :)

Other than that bit of news and the exhaustion that comes with being pregnant, being a mom to a 7 month old (!), and working....things have been great.

My extra free time has recently been taken up by researching adoption/orphan care ministry. I feel like this is something that our church should be involved in...so I've been doing a lot of research about it. Nothing concrete is in the works as of yet...this is just something I have been thinking and praying about.

Reading up on the orphan crisis makes me so thankful for such a beautiful family. The word family is so intimate. It is people who stick by your side, who love you no matter what...and it doesn't just include those genetically related to us....it has grown to include friends (like 5th brother Mike & his FIANCE, Adrianne!!!), our beautiful daughter who is such a treasure, and our birthparents. We have been so blessed.

Truly....

...life is blessed.

(I can't update without showing off pictures of Sienna....she is growing soooo much! She does something new every day and is definitely developing a goofy sense of humor. Her new favorite thing: "kissing" which consists of chewing on people's faces. Normally that wouldn't be too bad...except for her two teeth!!!)

Update...

So...I've been told I need to update.

Here you go:

UPDATE!!!

;)

Sorry....Bottles and laundry are calling me...as is my pillow.

Mmmmm....pillow....

Babies, babies everywhere!

It seems that no matter where I look I am surrounded by pregnant women. There are so many people on Dan's side of the family that are pregnant...and all are due within 4 months of each other.

Normally this wouldn't bug me. I have a BEAUTIFUL daughter who was meant to be in my life and I couldn't be more happy.

However, a couple weeks ago my doctor told me that I was "infertile." This does not mean that I could never get pregnant...it just means that it could take longer than the 2 year mark that "normal" people get pregnant in. We have been trying for 4 years and we haven't stopped trying yet. We would love to have a brother or sister for Sienna to play and grow up with.

I guess what I am trying to say is that I am just a little jealous. I remember hearing our birthmother talk about feeling Sienna moving around and kicking, all the while wishing that I could experience that as well. Because of this, seeing all the pregnant women experience what I didn't has been difficult.

That being said, if we ever do get pregnant we want people to know that it would be, in every sense of the word, our SECOND child. We have had people ask us if we wanted a "child of our own," and while well meaning, we believe this is the wrong way to think of it. Sienna was meant to be part of our family and is one of our own. A biological child would in no way be more special or somehow be more "our own" just because it would share our genetics. Sienna is our firstborn and we love her with all of our hearts.

I mean, come on, who couldn't love this precious girl?!?!

Say "Thank You!"

I have decided that you never REALLY know how much your parents love you until you become a parent yourself.

You don't realize how often you cried for absolutely no reason, your parents trying everything to make things "all better."

You don't realize that when you were a baby, your parents counted how many times you peed to make sure you weren't dehydrated.

You don't realize that your parents HAD to have a sense of humor when you go to the bathroom, RIGHT AFTER they changed you (or sometimes during the changing. Guess what? Poop shoots!).

You don't realize that after countless sleepless nights, they still love you and put your needs in front of their own (like eating, who needs that?!?!?!).

You don't realize that many parents have longed and prayed for you...some waited longer than others, some became parents in "different" ways, but in the end, they love you with all of their heart.

So this Father's Day, give an extra hug to your dad (and your mom!). Tell him how much you love him, and say thank you!

And thank you to the father's in my life!!! We love you!

Busy, busy, busy

Just when I think I have finally gotten the hang of this mothering thing, I go and get myself sick. Dan has been awesome and has sacrificed a lot of sleep to try to get me healthy again. Although this morning he did tease me about my horrible immune system. Apparently Sienna's is better than mine as well!!!
Other than being sick this week, things have been great. I love being a mom and I don't think I could love this little girl any more than I already do. I was asked at our recent Memorial Day picnic if I ever get surprised by the fact that I am a mom....Like, do I forget that there is actually a baby in the house. I don't....probably because I have been anticipating this moment for such a long time.
I love being part of the "Mommy club" and I can't remember what in the world I used to talk about before Sienna. Granted, I do still have people asking me insensitive questions like, "How long do you have to see the birthparents?" or "Does it feel weird raising someone else's baby?"
I don't want to go on a huge rant here but I want to dispel a few myths about open adoption with us:
Each adoption is different. We have a great relationship with our birthparents. We love, respect, and pray for them and we see them every week. We don't "have" to do meet with them at all. We choose to because we WANT to! We want Sienna to grow up know who her birthparents are. We want her to know what an incredible gift she was and how incredibly loved she is by ALL of us! They are not just going to go away. We don't want them to and they don't want to. They will be at events (like her upcoming baptism) and we want them to be. Without them, there would be no Sienna. :)
I'm hoping to keep up a little more with the blogging now that we are on more of a schedule. Meanwhile, enjoy the pictures of this beautiful girl!

Adjusting to Perfection

When you have a newborn, you quickly realize how little time you have for other things. Life lately has consisted of staring at Sienna, sleeping, eating when we can, and showing off our daughter. I'm not complaining at all. I LOVE it!!

Little time is left for blogging. However, I have mighty aspirations of finishing the re-design of the blog this weekend AND getting pictures done for her birth announcements!

So, as you wait for that here is a little taste of what is to come: