Keeping Up with The Joneses

Adoption Process Update

2012-01-01T19:15:00.000-06:00

Update on how we have been doing with our adoption process. We have started working on our adoption forms AND we have delivered all of our referrals to our friends...well, almost. I have to get one mailed because we forgot to take it with us when we went to visit. So we are working. It's going to take us some time though. The types of questions and what they need from us is such a process to get it all together...it's a bit overwhelming actually. So, that's it for now. Hopefully I will have more news the next time I write.

Fundraiser Update for December 31, 2011

2012-01-01T19:12:00.002-06:00

So, we had our first fundraiser order taken and placed. For the first time, and being so close to the Christmas holiday and people seeming to be so strapped for money this year (?), we had a decent order. However, when we got the order and I started sorting out and getting it all together to pass out, we had been sent some of the wrong products. Ugh. So, I contacted those whose orders were incorrect, and thankfully I have some wonderful friends and family who were so understanding. I went ahead and fulfilled what I had for them and will try to get everything taken care of after the holidays. You see, the company we are working with is a home business and they took time off for the holidays, so I wasn't able to reach them to get it corrected. Again, ugh.

I don't know if Casey and I will choose to work with them again. I think it will depend on how well they work with us in getting this order corrected. I'm a little frustrated and disappointed because I was hoping that this would be a great option for us to go with and earn some extra money. I have been thinking of possible other back up plans and discussing with Casey and my neighbor who have been helping me sort through details. I'm not saying right now because well, I just sometimes wonder about things. People have told me, "Oh, let me know when you start your fundraiser!" or "Let me know how I can help!", but then I never see them when I am asking for the help. Even friends that I thought would be supportive and purchase did not. It just makes me sad and kind of second guess...well, people and friendships. :(

So that is all on the fundraiser info for now. Hopefully, I will have better info the next time. HOPEFULLY!

The Fundraiser Has Started!

2011-11-13T22:37:00.000-06:00

Earlier this week, I kicked off our fundraising efforts at school. So far, I've had a few people purchase some items, but I am hoping for more support! Below is a picture that I took of the basket that holds all the samples that we are selling (ignore the foot and sock in the background). I think I may have said before, I LOVE their lip balm!!!! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!!! My lips have never felt better than when I have used this stuff. I don't have to apply it all the time like I've done with some other name brands; my lips stay more moist than usual. My lips don't start getting "cakey" like with other lip balms. I will put the stuff on overnight and my lips feel soft in the morning. I've even taken a shower with the lip balm on and when I get out, I still feel some on my lips and they don't feel dry. That is one product that I absolutely LOVE! The other product I will be excited to use when I need it in the spring (maybe even winter) is the sinus relief flameless candle. That will really open up your sinuses! If you are outside of Rockwall and might want to purchase, just give me a shout and I will contact you with info!

My students (former and current) have definitely been helping the adoption cause! They have been bringing me cans just about everyday! They are so sweet to do this...it's so nice to see kids care so much about helping a teacher of theirs start a family! I will definitely never forget them!!!

So today Casey and I tried out a new church. We went to the First United Methodist Church of Royse City. I am actually a member of FUMC Rockwall and have been since I was about 3; that is the church that I consider to be my home church. However, Casey being from a smaller town when growing up didn't feel as comfortable going to such a large church AND it is some driving to get to it from where we live. It didn't take us hardly anytime at all to get to FUMC Royse City. Casey really enjoyed going, he really likes the smaller congregation and it felt like "home" to him. Everyone was friendly and of course...they all knew we were visiting! If going here is what it is going to take to get him to church, then I will sacrifice and attend here. :) After all, does it really matter where we worship God, so long as we worship? It will take some getting used to, as I have attended a larger congregation all my life (although Rockwall has greatly increased since 1981); but the one thing that made it nice was that the pastor used to be a member of the Rockwall congregation! So at least there was one connection.

Here is a picture of the church...I love the oldness to it!

Love and God Bless!

NEW FUNDRAISER EFFORTS!

2011-11-08T20:39:00.001-06:00

I am excited to announce that besides collecting cans, Casey and I will be starting to sell some natural bath and body products by Ladybug Blessings. We are very excited about this new endeavor. After much searching on the Internet to try and find another idea to help raise money to start our family, we came across this homegrown company. I have tried some of the products and so far, I love them! I especially love the lip balm. It keeps my lips moist and I don't have to reapply as often. Also, it doesn't start caking like some other lip balms do that I have tried in the past. Also, I tend to have very dry skin. Now that we are having some cooler weather, my skin feels better after using the shea butter...more hydrated. I like that fact that their products are natural with no other "chemicals".

We are still collecting cans. Even my students, former and current, are helping us in the cause! I guess whatever they can do to drink more coke! They are so sweet and they seem to want us to hurry and adopt so they can see the baby. Kids, I hope we can adopt soon!!! Thanks for all your help!

Well, my first babies (my "puppies" Bo & Berkley) are wanting some attention - play time! Guess I had better go. More to come!

A Poem

2011-11-06T21:25:00.000-06:00

Two Women
by Lori Coleman, adoptive mother
written for and in honor of her children's birthmothers

Two women cry into the night,
their eyes are filled with tears.
Oh God why is this happening?
I need to feel you near.

One woman sits alone in the darkness,
Decisions she must make.
She wants to do what's best for the child,
It's life she cannot take.

The other woman clings to her mate
And she doesn't understand
why they can't have a child of their own
as so many others can.

These women come from different worlds.
Their lives are miles apart.
But God would deliver the pain they felt
and heal their broken hearts.

And then one precious morning
their lives became intertwined.
Both women's prayers were answered
as they felt God's plan unwind.

One woman touched her newborn's cheek
and whispered to the babe,
"Because I love you little one,
sacrifices I've made."

With the strength she felt from heaven,
to the other woman she gave
the miracle of a baby
for her to love and raise.

The other woman looked down
at her precious baby's eyes
and thanked God for the woman
who had helped fulfill her life.

Two women pray into the night
and thank the Lord above
for the opportunity he's given them both
to feel a Mother's love.

How We Came to the Path of Adoption

2011-11-06T20:58:00.002-06:00

Warning! You should be sure you have time for this post...a little lengthy. So how did we come to the road of adoption? Well, it certainly wasn't our first choice, but it is what God has intended for us.

Let me first take you back to several years ago, about 4, 5, or 6. Before Casey and I were even married, I was sitting on my couch in my apartment working on my masters homework and watching TV. I think I might have been watching Oprah, but I honestly can't remember. Anyway, while I was sitting there, I had one of those "A-ha!" moments...one of those moments when I knew God was talking to me. There was a little voice that whispered to me, "You will adopt". It was an odd moment that kind of sent chills up and down my spine. I had never thought about adopting before, and yet here I was being told this. Oddly enough, I was ok with it, as long as I could have at least one biological child and the rest could be adopted.

So a few more years went by, and when Casey and I were a week away from getting married, I found out that I had Factor V and that it was going to be difficult for me to be able to have a baby. Factor V causes miscarriages, still births and some other complications. Having it and Factor V also increases a health risk for the mother. On the way home that night from the doctor, I called Casey and told him everything. I also finally told him that if he wanted out of the marriage, that I would understand. Yes, I literally gave him the chance to have an out (my mom was even chuckling at our conversation...she was driving), but I thank God that he chose to stay with me. He said that it will be ok and we'll make it through.

Fast forward to September 2010. Casey and I started to talk about starting a family, so we figured that it was time we go visit the high risk pregnancy doctor that we were referred to. We went one afternoon after school. Unfortunately, it wasn't on a Friday and oh, how I wish that it had been. We visited with the doctor, she asked a lot of questions about my health, about my family's health history, etc. She stopped for a moment and then told us A LOT of information about how things would happen, procedures, health risks, etc. about going through with a pregnancy and having my condition. There were two things that were said that made us both uncomfortable: 1) She looked Casey straight in the eye and told him that there have been times when she has had to come out of delivery and tell the husband, "Congratulations, you have a healthy baby, but I'm sorry, you have lost your wife", and 2) that if it was her sister, she would advise her not to go through with pregnancy. I held it together, but as soon as we got in the elevator, I just broke down crying. Being a woman who wants to have a child of her own, a biological child, this was not a response I had been planning on hearing. We thought about getting a second opinion, but after another visit with my hematologist, I knew it didn't matter - getting pregnant was not in my cards. We were told that we might be able to do surrogacy. We thought about it. One of my best friend's even offered to be a surrogate, but knowing that the amount of hormones that I would be having to take so that my eggs could be taken, would be higher than if I were actually pregnant...well, if I can't have my own, then we know the risks are even greater trying to give up my own eggs. We thought of every possible scenario, anything to try and have our own biological child, but it all came down to Casey saying that he would rather have me healthy and in his life with no baby, than to not have me at all and be raising a child on his own. At that point, we knew that adoption was our only way of starting a family.

From that point on, it was another several months of, well, I'll just go ahead and say it...hell. I became depressed. It kind of started affecting my work, personal life, etc. Only my closest friends knew what was going on and they were there for me, but there wasn't much they could do. I wanted to start the adoption process right away because I just didn't want to feel the pain. But I wasn't allowing myself to go through the steps of the grief process. I realized that I needed to, and so I finally allowed myself. We also needed to get certain things taken care of before we could even start. We needed to get our finances in order, so we started the Financial Peace University by Dave Ramsey. This process has been FABULOUS for us! We are getting closer to becoming debt free! I also needed to finally be ok with the whole idea of adoption. After all, I had just lost every biological child that I could possibly have. Although I have never actually carried a child, I'd like to think that I kind of know what it's like for a woman who just miscarried. The difference is that she can get pregnant again...me, I will never be able to have one. It's not fair, but it is the life God has chosen for me.

In April of 2011, a childhood friend passed away. I would just like to preface what I am about to say by saying that God works in mysterious ways. I went to his funeral, a funeral that fit him so well, and I could tell that he was helping to teach me a lesson (everyone said at the funeral that our friend was always helping to teach others a life lesson). A woman who was giving the eulogy said that we are all God's children. That we are here on earth for only a little while. That we are on loan from God to our parents. It was those words that helped me realize that it doesn't matter if the child we have is ours biologically or if we adopt - this child that we will raise is one of God's children and we are supposed to raise it for God - according to His plan. It was at that moment, that I became OK with the idea of adoption and have been gun-ho about it ever since. I hate that our friend is no longer here on earth with us, he is greatly missed, but I will ever be grateful to him for a life lesson that I will never forget; therefore, his memory will always live on!

So, when I start to feel down about not being able to have our own biological child, I will sometimes pull up the following video and watch it. It reminds me that Casey and I did chose the right direction to start our family.

The Women of Factor V Leiden

Yes, after watching, it is possible for some women to carry their baby to full term; however, you don't know their history. You don't know that it took many times of trying, that they lost several babies, that they have to give themselves shots on a daily basis, that even with all the precautions, they can still lose their baby and they can still lose their baby when they only have a few weeks left before actually delivering. I've done lots of research and have asked my doctors many questions. This was a decision that Casey and I did not make out of haste. We want a healthy baby and a healthy momma. We don't want to have to go through the loss of carrying a baby and then losing it, or me having any more serious medical issues - we've already been through enough. And remember, most of these women are heterozygous - not homozygous like me. Therefore, my risks are MUCH HIGHER than theirs.

There have been a few people who have said things that have been very hurtful to me. To those people, I'm glad that you have been able to successfully have your own child(ren). You don't know what it is like to live with this disorder, so don't think that you understand and then question that we can't have a child. What if there was nothing wrong with me and we still chose to adopt instead of trying to have our own? What would you say then? Instead, please be supportive of our decision.We have chosen, and God has led us to this decision, to adopt.

It's getting late and I think I have caught you up. However, I may still remember things from time to time that I will share. Thanks for reading and for supporting us!

My, How Time Flies...

2011-10-26T18:37:00.000-05:00

Wow! I didn't realize that it's been almost a month since I last wrote. I kept thinking I was going to get caught up and things just happen. So, let's see if I can remember what has happened.

Well, I can tell you this much...on October 14, I was rear ended. Of course the first thing I thought was "Oh, no! My back!" Luckily, the damage to my vehicle wasn't bad, but enough to cost plenty. I thought I was fine, but the next week I started to hurt and as the week went on, it got worse. But it wasn't my back, this time it was my neck. Last spring, two bulging discs were found in my neck and apparently the rear ending aggravated one of them, so I was in pain because of a pinch nerve. So now I am wearing a neck brace and have been told that I have to wear it until I get my MRI results back, which will hopefully be tomorrow or Friday! Thank goodness it's helping though. And I hope I get my vehicle back and soon! I miss it!!

Well, I'm sure there is more to tell, but I've got things I need to do, so I will try to update more this weekend.

Diagnosis

2011-10-01T21:35:00.001-05:00

On October 31, 2008, I was admitted into the hospital with a DVT in my lower left leg. Because I was so young and otherwise healthy, the doctor who was overseeing my healthcare assigned a hematologist to me. She came in and said that she was going to do some blood work to see what might have been going on and if this was a fluke thing.

Two weeks later, and a week before our wedding, I was in her office learning of my results and that I had a disorder called "Factor V Leiden" (pronounced: factor 5 li-den). Essentially this is a blood clotting disorder that predisposes me to blood clots. But not only do I have Factor V Leiden, I am homozygous for it. That means I'm at a higher risk for blood clots than those who are heterozygous and those who don't have Factor V at all. I am part of less than 1% of the world that is homozygous for this disorder. My life is no longer like others; it's changed, but it is manageable. I will be on blood thinners for the rest of my life. This is not something that I am excited about, but it was a carefully thought out decision that Casey and I made.

So what exactly is Factor V Leiden? Well, that's a good question. There is lots of info out there, you can certainly Google it. But sometimes it's difficult to find info that is in terms one can understand (unless you are in the medical field). I have found a few examples that might help explain.

1st link: http://www.ruh.nhs.uk/gps/pathology/documents/thrombophilias/Factor_V_Leiden_info_sheet.pdf
2nd: From http://www.oumedicine.com/body.cfm?id=2859 "The factor V Leiden (R506Q) mutation accounts for 95% of the cases of activated protein C (aPC) resistance. It is found in 1 to 5% of the normal population and in 30-60% of patients with deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Heterozygotes for the mutation have a 5- to 10-fold increased risk for thrombosis or 15% lifetime risk for DVT. Homozygotes have a 50- to 100-fold risk for thrombosis or 80% lifetime risk for DVT."

Remember, I am homozygous. So, yeah, I hope you have a better understanding. I am always open to discussing it. It's not something that is well known; however, I am beginning to know or get in touch with more people who have it (especially through Facebook). Thanks for reading!

Trying This Thing Again

2011-10-01T20:03:00.000-05:00

Hello Again! So...I'm trying this blogging thing again. I have been wanting to update, but I just haven't gotten around to it. I'm starting fresh; mostly since Casey and I are in the process of starting a family and I want to keep everyone updated on how we are doing and how the progress is coming along. So here we go!