A Baby Story - Adoption

Every time we have a child I come and share about our birth story. The little details leading up to the moment we first held that little baby in our arms. With Nixon, it wasn't anything like the others.
I was going to come on here today and share what we recently found out about our little man's birth. Like the fact that he was born at 6lb 6oz, the smallest of our babies by quite a bit. Instead, I decided to share the months leading up to his arrival. A "What to Expect While Expecting...a Foster baby" kind of post.

It all started with a call on our lives...
We always wanted to adopt but never though foster care was the route. Not until God put it on our hearts. I mean foster care is messy and scary but God is bigger and His plan is always bigger than ours. So we followed.

The prep was not nearly as long as we had thought it would be. When we decided to dive in we instantly started looking into agencies. We knew from the beginning we wanted to go with an agency vs the county but weren't sure which one. There are so many great agencies in the Orange County/Los Angeles area, if you are local feel free to email me. We will get you resources. I felt totally overwhelmed by the decision and went to FB for input. Within an hour we had talked to people and decided on Serenity Infant Care Homes. This was such a great decision for us. If you are in the area, I would highly recommend them.

The process started with an in home interview. They got to know who we are and what our hearts were.
We took classes at the agencies for 3 weekends, I believe it was. We heard the horrors stories and the victories. We were equipped with tools to face some of the hardest challenges I could imagine as a parent.
From there, came the packets and paper work (which some people did ahead of time but classes were starting right away when we called, so we did that first), Oh the paperwork. We answered questions about our past, present and hopes for our future.

Little Details were taken care of. We had DMV records mailed, a vehicle inspection and were LiveScanned. I think it all cost us around $300. If that. The fees are so minimal with Foster care.

We had a home study where we shared details that only my closest friends know. After answering things about our childhoods, sex lives and everything in between, we were approved as fit to raise foster children kinds of parents.

Then the wait. We heard how many kids entered the system daily. So when the first 24 hours passed, I questioned whether or not they really thought we were fit or if they just said that so I'd leave them alone. Haha.

On day 6, August 22nd 2012, around 10:45am, I got the call. I remember it like it was yesterday. A four month old baby boy. A few details about his case and his parents. We said yes. Well I said yes, Steven agreed after I hung up. Since we are with an agency, they had to call the county to let them know and make sure he wasn't already heading to a different home. 2 hours later, a second call. He'd be in our homes in a few hours.

That evening, a knock on the door. The transporter placed him in my arms and told me "he has a couple bags" and walked to her car. There he was. The most beautiful little guy. We soaked him in, the woman came back, handed us two raggedy bags and had us check him from head to toe. We marked anything wrong. Signed a few papers and she left.

His birth or gotcha day story had 298 days left to be complete. A million hurdles along the way. However, that was the day he entered our lives...for what we didn't realize would be forever.

Adoption Day

 Wow! What a high this has been. As many of you saw, on Friday we adopted our son Nixon. You all have known him as Little Man. I didn't know what to expect when we adopted him. I was told by other adoptive moms that it would be the best day ever. Yet, no one could really describe it.

I know why now. I am feeling what they all felt. The easiest way to explain it is that nothing changed but everything changed.

Over the last 2.5 years, we have loved and cared for Nixon just like any of our other kids. Sure, he had another set of parents that would visit and social workers would come check in on him but it was just a part of life. Then in March of 2013, the birth parents stopped visiting and we assumed that we would be adopting. As time went on we knew he would eventually be legally ours but for the time being it was just unofficial.



For the following months/years, he was just our son. He had two different names he went by and the social workers still came but other than that nothing was different than with our bio kids. So as we entered the courtroom, there wasn't much to really change.

The Fan Club...minus my siblings who were up taking photos

The signature of that judge though, it changed our life forever. This is such a surreal feeling. We have waited so long for this day. We have prayed over this child since before his life even began. He is ours. Forever.

Blooper Reel...when food is being discussed, we get serious.

Foster Care and Adoption can be scary but man can it be awesome. On our drive home, my husband shared some of his thoughts on the actual hearing. The comparison of our relationship to Christ. If I wasn't already a choked up mess. Goodness. I am not going to share any of it but instead have told him that he will be guest posting here on it. In the mean time, here are some photos of our big day.



Also, later this week I will be back with a photo dump of his adoption party. I may be in adoption mode for a while.

Introducing...

Soooo, we have been keeping a secret for a few weeks now. Today, we adopted "Little Man"! This has been quite a journey. We have been through a roller coaster of emotion. There were short periods of time when we thought he would be returned to his birth parents. Days when we didn't know what his future would look like. 

In October, we signed our adoption papers. The end to a wild ride. Again, the emotions were all over the place. My heart broke for his birth parents. I was so overjoyed for our family though. This little man has been such a blessing to us. He (and this journey) have grown me in ways that I didn't realize I needed. 

Today, I am so beyond excited to introduce you to the little boy who has been hiding behind masks in all of our photos. This is Nixon! He is pretty much one of the cutest kids you have ever seen, right?

And since I know that you are just dying to see him grow up over the 899 days that we have had him, we have this handy dandy slide show. Feel free to fast forward at anytime. I know it is long but it was hard to fit all that time in one little video.

If you need me, I will be gushing over our finally official son....and flooding instagram. Make sure you follow me there @vesselhandmade

New Bedding and a Giveaway

*I partnered with Lush Decor to bring you this post. All opinions are my own.*

Parenting styles are such a controversial topic lately. I choose to stay out of them and not give my opinion one way or the other. Seriously, we are all just doing what we feel best for our child and family, right? So , I tend not to share about certain things we do or don't do. Today's topic needs some background though. Let's just start with the controversy first, get it out of the way. We co-sleep. From birth until our kids are ready to be on their own, they start in their own beds and then climb into ours when they need us. Newborns are in the bassinet next to me until they are ready for their first feeding...which is before I ever go to sleep. It's what makes me feel safest and feel is best for MY kids. (With the exception of our foster to adopt baby, who is not legally allowed in our bed).

That being said, for the past 6 years we have had 1-3 children in our bed with us. 3 kids that spit up, leek out of their diapers, have dirty little feet, the works. Babies and toddlers are not clean. Not even when you bathe them daily. I mean, once you get to baby number four, it's at least every other day at best. Ha! They are the most delicious, snuggly, lovey little ragamuffins around but let's face it, they destroy the bed or at least the bedding.

For the past few years I have begged the husband for a pretty bedding set. My request is always met with "when the kids are out of our bed". So we always settle for the cheapest descent looking set we can find at a discount store. Not this time folks. The kids are still in our bed but they aren't babies anymore. They aren't ruining it like they used to. There aren't anymore coming either... not the kind that are allowed to sleep in our bed anyway.

Guys! We are graduating to our big kid bed. I have been on the hunt for a pretty, chic, simple but beautiful bedding set. I have waited long enough! I couldn't for the life of me find what I wanted though. Isn't that how it always works? Right in front of your face until you can actually have it. Then, poof gone. 

Everything I have found, has just fallen short. It's the wrong color. It's the right color but not the right size. It's okay but not the style I wanted. You get my drift. Nothing, Nada. Zip. Zero. Zilch.

The other day though, I was referred to Lush Decor and couldn't decide what I wanted. There were so many sets that were just what I was looking for. So I did it, I made the plunge and chose the bedding set I have been seeking. 

 Beautiful, ruffly goodness in a pretty soft yellow. Isn't she pretty?  I have seen a few sets like this in white but I am just not that daring. I mean, the kids are still technically in our bed. Like I said, so many options that I could have picked from. 

This was a VERY close second but I just couldn't commit to the lighter color.

I almost changed directions completely for this baby. The whole room, the way it is styled, just fits me. I want to duplicate it. It would fit right into our home. I am going for a different look in our room though. The husband might not be happy either if I tried to change directions after all of my begging. Ha! I may go back and buy this for the girls room though.

Isn't it all so pretty? Lush Decor was bursting at the seams with stuff that I loved. You may have seem some of their products at Bed Bath & Beyond, Kohl’s, Boscov’s, Sears, etc. Seriously though,
you need to go to their site right now to see all the cute stuff! It's not all bedding either. You need to see their shower curtains and window treatments too.


Oh, I almost forgot the best part! They are offering you, my readers 10% with coupon code LOVELUSH1 . Wait, it gets better! Enter the giveaway below for a TWO HUNDRED DOLLAR gift card to their site. Yup, you read that right $200! What would you get?



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Black Friday Brunch

Oroweat® provided me with coupons for free product and a gift card for my ultimate sandwich recipe ingredients so that I could share my thoughts about the brand but all opinions are my own.

Every year after Thanksgiving we have a fridge full of leftovers. This year instead of eating plate after plate of the same thing, we decided to switch up into sandwich form. Oh. Em. Gee!

It is too good not to share. We like to call this baby "Black Friday Brunch". I am going to give instructions for year round vs. just after Thanksgiving though...because, well I want it year round.

Ingredients:

Cooked Turkey Cutlets, 2 per sandwich

Organic Spinach

1 Tbsp Mayo
1/4 cup Cranberry Sauce (recipe included below)
Feta Cheese Crumbles
Bacon
Oroweat® Organic bread


Directions:

First off, lets start with the Cranberry Sauce. Super Easy. Add 12 oz Cranberries, 1 cup Water, 
1 cup Sugar and a Splash of Orange Juice into a pot. Bring to boil. Let cook until berries start to pop open. Let simmer about 30-45 min or until it is the consistency you like.

To make our sauce really tasty and a little bit comfortesque, mix the mayo and a 1/4 cup of the cranberry sauce. Trust me here.

Toast up your bread. I chose Oroweat® Organic bread because it is a yummy way to feel better about what I am eating and what I am serving my family. It is made with organic ingredients and whole grains. Oh, and did I mention it's yummy? I love when healthier options don't taste "healthy". 

Once your ingredients are all cooked and warm (or cooled if you prefer it that way), You are going to layer. Cutlets, Spinach, Bacon, Feta. Spread your Cranberry sauce mixture on the top piece of bread. Mmmmm. You may not think that order matter but it does. Okay, it doesn't but I think my food tastes better when it looks pretty. Ha!

Seriously though, this is the ultimate sandwich. Oh, and just for fun Oroweat® is offering some goodies for me to giveaway to one lucky reader. So you can copy this sandwich or make your own Ultimate Sandwich.

Make sure to check them out and enter our giveaway!

Oroweat® Website | Oroweat® Facebook

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Holiday Season Me Time

“This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Weave Made Media®, PEOPLE® Magazine, and The Hershey Company®, but all my opinions are my own. #weavemade #HolidayMeTimeMags http://my-disclosur.es/RgFrEH”

Be honest. Is it just me or did this holiday season sneak up even faster than usual? I feel like out of no where, Thanksgiving is here and sorry to break it to you but Christmas, it's just around the corner!

This season has been extra busy for our family. We have one thing after another piling up. The piled up therapies and classes have meant good things for our family but it can be exhausting.

With holidays near, we have been adding extra therapy days and times to make up for the sessions we will be missing. Add in rehearsals for holiday shows, the prep for Thanksgiving and Christmas...oh man. This mama has been going non-stop.

All this to say, I needed a break. I needed me time to just enjoy some guilty pleasures. Luckily, I am married to a man who recognizes when I'm overwhelmed and is willing to get the kids out of my hair for a bit so I can do whole lot of zoning.



So I decided on my guilty pleasures of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (King Size baby!), a copy of People Magazine, my favorite soda and Grey's Anatomy. I mean I'm a multi-tasker. It's a talent really.

Don't laugh at me but after I finished getting the house together for visitors I totally made a special trip to Von's to prepare for my me time. I was that excited. Ha!

In all seriousness, it was really nice to just take a couple of hours to myself, by myself. People, maybe even myself at times, tend to glorify a busy life. It is not good. We need to take time to breathe. As moms, we need to take time to ourselves and not feel guilty about it. So step back for a minute and enjoy some quiet before the storm that holidays bring. I'm challenging you to do it.

If you want to copy my guilty pleasure - me time, head over to Von's and grab your supplies. Their magazine selection is fab, there were like 3 different issues of People Magazine in stock!

Oh, and if you head to their website they have a digital coupon for 1.00 with purchase of one PEOPLE® or Sunset® magazine and one REESE’S®, HERSHEY’S® or other selected King Size bar (2.1 to 5.0 oz.) The digital coupon is available through the Safeway Just4U online portal 11/21/14 - 12/19/14 (while supplies last) You have to register for Just4U to get access to the digital coupon.

Enjoy your me time and come back to tell me what you did! Oh, and let me know if you planned accordingly or if your kids showed up home before you were done and crashed the party. Not like I would know from experience...

On My Mind : Birth Parents

When we talk about being foster parents, one of the first questions or comments most people make are in regards to birth parents. Comments on how much we must hate them. Questions about how we deal with visitations and having to face them.

Before meeting Little Man's birth parents, I feared this so much. I doubted whether or not I could face these people who put my baby in danger. I wasn't sure I could reach out to them the way God calls us to.

I prayed often that God would give me a heart for them before I ever met them. Really before we even got Little Man. God totally met me in that place. The emotions I thought I would feel towards them never arose. The ones that did were not the ones that I would have thought.

First, hurt. The first day I met them, my heart hurt for them. Seeing the uncertainty, the fear and brokenness over having their child removed shook me in a way I never imagined. Their love for their son was written all over them.

My heart ached for them then and it aches for them now. Today I sat back and watched as Little Man danced and jumped around the living room. His joy fills these walls. They are missing that. They have missed every milestone. They never see him smile, hear him laugh or get to snuggle him before bed. How much pain that must bring them.

Second, love. I prayed that God would soften my heart. He went so far beyond that. He has opened my eyes to the life these people have come from. Given me compassion. Helped me to feel a bond and a love I never thought possible.

Lastly, an emotion I can't describe. I don't know what it is. Someone else loves my son. Not like my friends or family love my children. These people love my son like my husband and I do. I know that they are his birth parents. Of course they love him..,I don't know how to explain it but it is a weird feeling knowing that someone loves your child like you do. It's painful. It's scary. It's amazing. It's not something that I can put into words.

Foster parenting brings a lot of emotions. Birth parents are just one aspect. They have been weighing heavy on my heart lately. Maybe because we are moving forward. I'm not sure. Whatever it is, it is a reminder to pray for them often. To pray that God opens their hearts and eyes to Him. That through this, somehow they would find Him. That they would lean on Him when they hurt. To be praying for the words that I will need when Little Man one day asks. To give him a perfect glimpse of their love for him but also the brokenness. To let him see that he is where he should be but also that he is loved by two sets of parents. That even though they hurt him, even though he was taken from them, even though he may never remember them but instead the hurt that they caused, that they are part of his story.