family

family

Thursday, November 26, 2015

all in God's timing...my thanksgiving post

almost four years exactly to date the itch to grow our family was in need of a scratch.  despite the hefty price, mounds of paper work, and the possibility of excruciating waiting periods, that could still result in the absence of a baby, we were determined domestic adoption was the hike we were willing and ready to conquer. after hours of research, long phone conversations, and picking the brains of anyone and everyone whom had been blessed with a successful adoption story, we began our home study. we were more than satisfied with the swiftness of our social worker to complete it in a timely matter.  i completed a beautiful family profile book that took me at least 15 hours of searching my photo files with a fine tooth comb, and carefully typing out words straight from my heart that hopefully would appeal to an expectant mother possibly ready to make the hardest decision of her life.

after several months of waiting our family was presented two different times to different women only to result a few yet long days later, in rejection. the story was the same both times..."she thought you were a great family however she chose a childless family." the rejection is real, and stings like a bee.  one can't help but take it personal, while at the same time you try to keep your head high and continue the not so patient wait.

nearing the year mark of  our home study completion, it was getting ready to expire for they are only good for one year, before you choose to renew it or not.  throwing around other options of family building, we were leaning towards the option of embryo adoption.  the price was more appealing as well as the fact that once the embryos were in your procession there was no chance of biological parents changing their minds.  don't get me wrong, this is far beyond a worry free option of adoption.  will my body embrace this foreign body,nourish, and protect it? if the result is negative then well your back to square one;(

right before we were going to update our home study God threw a curve ball at us.  to make a long story short, a young mother and her son were paced in our laps and i was determined to help them. here we were, faced with the choice whether to help these two right here right now, or do we turn our backs and pursue our adoption journey?? we took a leap of faith, trusted God's plan and embraced the opportunity.  co parenting for this child was not easy and had it's own ups and downs. two and a half years down the road do i regret the decision i made and the plan we put on hold...absolutely not.

  amongst  everything else going on in our lives we decided we would go ahead and try to conceive the old fashion way while providing help that was needed elsewhere.  it was effortless the first time we tried nearly five years prior.  a few months passed by and no luck. we decided to update our home study and start the embryo adoption process as well.  the clock was ticking, and the pages on the calendar were flipping month by month.  why was i not getting pregnant? i had no idea. the paperwork needed for the update of the home study was hardly progressing either.  i was finding it extremely hard to get motivated, just the thought of the entire process was exhausting.  days turned  into months, and months into years. still unsuccessful, however we were near ready to submit the final paperwork for the embryo adoption!

right around that same time, i was invited to a women's wellness night out at a chiropractic office.  that evening i talked briefly with the doctor about the ways chiropractic adjustments could possibly help with infertility.  i proceeded and made my first appointment with her, as well as an appointment with a fertility specialists, hoping for answers to possibly an underlying issue.  i started getting adjusted three times per week for the first month.  the second month we added two different essential oils to be used daily.  midway through the second month i also met with a fertility specialist who offered me a round of clomid, and also suggested a couple different test that could be done.
i picked up my prescription from the pharmacy and was waiting for the correct time within my cycle to start the clomid. the right time never came to start the prescription.  much to our surprise, a tiny miracle had already started to grow!!

to wherever credit is deserved we will never know for sure...perhaps it was all in God's timing!!



  we are overjoyed to announce baby girl schwartz is due Jan 25, 2016!!!

i am not shy when it comes to talking about adoption, in fact i love sharing the info i have absorbed with others. if you are curious about the essential oils used, and want the number of my awesome chiropractor feel free to ask...i give her much of the credit in our success!!

Sunday, November 8, 2015

Before 2015 says goodbye...

~A quick recap in pictures of life since I almost completely fell of the world of blogging~
2 scouts in the house!!!
vito taking his guinea pig for a stroll;)
super proud of this boy...only student chosen out of the entire second grade!
1st and 2nd grader!!
day of fun at the city museum
who needs a pool membership when you have city fountains! 



fun morning at ezekiel's fall festival! 

six flags!!! the boys loved having season passes~vito's biggest idol is still his big bro

pumpkin carving...





so there ya have it...i shall return soon!!!















Monday, December 1, 2014

we own the city

st.louis
our city...my city
st.louis
lets get it together
we are all better than the picture our actions are painting
st.louis
our children are watching
look in the mirror and make the change
st.louis
respect others and demand respect in return
st.louis 
it's never too late
st.louis
my boy's futures are on the line
st.louis
please be kind









Monday, November 3, 2014

nine

kyluan

my vision is clear 
i shall never forget
the sweetness you were
the day we first met

how are you so grown
how can it be
you helped shape the mother
i'm demanding to be

 memories of us
i couldn't get enough
best days ever 
you taught me so much

forever you will be 
the best kid ever 
you are very special
you mean the world to me



you gotta see this kid in action...trying out his birthday shoes
 by flipping through the store!






Tuesday, August 19, 2014

the evening before and the morning after

i was getting excited about having days to myself.  time to steal my home back from the clutter and time to accomplish tasks that are a bit challenging with little ones on your heels.  on the other hand, the thought of  my children grasping at a world of more self dependence and less time under moms sheltering shield makes me weepy. 

as slender long arms wrap gently around my neck i felt a light patting on by back.  i had my face buried into seany's neck for the words he had just delivered to me created a stronger stream of tears to fall from my eyes.  just moments prior i had been in the kitchen preparing lunches for sean and vito's first day of school. i yelled to vito in the other room about the option to buy  yet thought he would rather bring since it may make an already chaotic first day a bit easier. his reply a bit shocking to me, "i'll buy pizza". how is my tiny boy gonna carry his tray full of food, make it through the line, and find a spot to sit all by himself?  i found myself overwhelmed at the thought and got emotional.  i had been good up until this point.   shopping at target for school supplies made me a little sick to my stomach, but i had convinced myself he would be fine.  his big brother would be near by and  time away from me could perhaps improve his sour behavior he has at times.  

i walked down the hall and into the boys room.  seany was already laying in bed as i set on the edge of it.  "why are you crying mom" he asked?  i told him i was sad that my babies were growing up and i wanted them to stay little.  in true seany fashion he replied "it's not the size that matters mom it's all about love".  "we will always be your babies and even when your not around you will still be in our hearts!"  how in the world does my 6 year old always know what to say?  he has such a good way of putting things into perspective in such simple meaningful words.  

the next morning we woke up and got ready for school...

seany the big first grader!!



vito starting kindergarten!!!



"z" is for zeekie poo!!!


henry and i walked them to their classrooms.  sean found his seat like he had been there for weeks, while vito on the other hand cried his little heart out:-(  we scurried through the halls and exited the doors of the school amongst the crowds of anxious students and families adjusting to the new morning routine.  besides praying vito's tears would dry up sooner than later i felt ok.  

the next morning  without much convincing i decided we would go through the drop off line.  our car inched closer and closer to the front as i gave my morning speech...your lunch and snack are in your backpack, make good choices, have a good day, and i'll see ya later.  it was our turn.  i put the car in park and the back door opened.  i handed them their book bags and asked big bro if he would help little bro find his class.  seany shook his head yes.  they swung their bags onto their backs and without hesitation seany grabbed vitos hand!  i yelled bye guys and they both replied in a "we got this" kind of voice, bye mom.  i watched in awe as my boys walked up to the school doors alone, without the help of mom, hand in hand, together.  best brothers ever, i cried, a lot.  bitter. sweet. tears. 

Friday, August 15, 2014

summer fun, better late than never

busy
busy
busy!!!

busy camping with friends, playing in dirt, horse back riding and such...







-campfire cones-
waffle cones
mini marshmellows
chocolate chips
golden grahms
-stuff the cone with goodies, wrap in foil, and heat up over the fire







lake of the ozarks with family...










adventures with memaw and cousins...





out and about in st.louis...





always a good time when your with your best buds!!