God is Good!

I have been wanting to sit and blog these past 6 days but cannot tear myself away from this little peanut. Words cannot begin to express how thankful Andrew and I are for the outpour of love and support as we begin this new chapter of our lives. The response to our blog and all the shares on Facebook have really touched us. Hopefully with everyone sharing and praying, God will protect and bless this sweet little angel.

We are truly the lucky ones. This tiny little person has filled our home with love, joy, and more laughter than I ever knew possible! She is truly a blessing and we are so proud to be her foster mommy and daddy….hopefully one day we will be her forever mommy and daddy! Bringing Amina home was truly magical. She is the sweetest baby in the whole world. So far she eats, sleeps, chats, and loves music! We are all so in love…well that isn't entirely true.  Coobie isn't too sure of her yet but is coming around. I don't think she loves sharing her momma and dad! Lol. Crazy pup!

Being a mommy to this little angel is my all time favorite thing. It has been the most wonderful experience. As I look back at the past 2 1/2 years of praying for a baby, I now realize everything happened the way it was supposed to. God has blessed us with not one but two miracle babies! Wow… blows my mind. I know Amina and Andrew will be the best of friends and siblings. I love when I am cuddling her and feel little Drew moving and saying, "Hey sissy!"

With Mother's day just passing, I can't help but think about Amina's mother. She made the ultimate sacrifice out of love. I look at this sweet little girl and can't help but think how hard this must have been. I am so in love and can't imagine our lives without her. I wish we could let her know how loved this baby girl is…not to mention spoiled. Our family, firefighter family, friends, and neighbors have been so thoughtful and generous. I can't even think about it without tearing up. Thank you for loving our baby.

All the prayers and kind words mean more to us than you could ever possibly know. Please continue praying for us and for the most selfless woman...Amina's birth mother. We love this woman and pray she knows Amina is safe and so so loved.

Some things are meant to be...

I truly believe everything happens for a reason, which brings me to today…on Saturday, April 26th, Andrew (my husband) picked up an overtime shift. He was supposed to be at one station and for whatever reason ended up at his very own fire station. Andrew was cleaning the apparatus floor (basically the garage) when a woman approached him stating she'd like to give up her baby. Andrew called his captain out as he had never had this happen. They asked where the baby was and Andrew went out to her car to bring this beautiful baby girl into the office. Andrew was touched by the mother's selflessness in giving her child up to “have the best chance.” She expressed hope in Amina finding a loving and nurturing home. As my husband listened to this loving testimony, he knew that Amina had been put in our lives for a reason. We have talked about adopting since before we were married and even before we knew we'd struggle conceiving the good old fashioned way. This felt right, like God had hand delivered this beautiful blessing. This mother's tragic and beautiful sacrifice has truly touched us. Andrew immediately called me saying, "There is a safe surrender baby girl at our station." Without hesitation, I replied, "Can we adopt her?" We wanted to give Amina the life her mother dreamed of for her beautiful baby girl.

Andrew took her to the hospital and asked about adopting. In the 12 days since this happened, we have underwent background checks, fingerprinting, and a home investigation. Today, we were granted temporary custody of this sweet baby. We are now fostering Amina with the hope of adopting her. Please keep my little family in your thoughts and prayers.

First Kicks!

I am currently 5 months (20 weeks and 3 days) pregnant. I felt the baby move for the first time this morning! As I laid in bed…not quite ready to get up, I felt an odd little tap in my belly. I froze, listened, and waited. I wanted to make sure I didn't miss a thing. As I sat completely still, I waited, and just when I thought I was wrong…3 more taps! My heart did a hop, skip, and a jump! I felt my baby boy kick for the first time! Wow! I have been patiently waiting for this moment.

At sixteen weeks, I had experienced the biggest scare of my life. I was suffering from pretty bad morning (night) sickness and couldn't control my bladder. I also had trouble controlling it when I laughed. I am a pretty giggly person so you could imagine the horror! That day in particular, I was cracking up at a group text and peed myself! Wah wah wah. After struggling to get pregnant for so long, I actually loved this new pregnancy symptom. Yes, it was embarrassing but I also thought it was funny which caused the never ending cycle. That night, I went to bed and woke up thinking, "Oops I did it again! In my sleep too! OMG!" My pjs were wet and I headed to the restroom. I sat on the toilet and when I looked down, realized it was not pee but blood. I froze. The bed was covered, my pjs were covered, and I didn't know what to do. I called my sister, Jess, and explained. She calmly told me to change, call my husband (who was working), stay calm, and get to the ER. I woke up my sister in law and as I dressed, she changed my sheets, started the laundry, and won the award for best actress. She stayed so calm even though she was as scared as I was. After a long night and early morning in the emergency room, we were finally released with the knowledge that the baby looked healthy and my blood work came out fine! The next morning, I saw my OB who told us I had placenta previa. Basically, my placenta was covering my cervix and that's where the bleeding was coming from. 

I had been told I wouldn't feel the baby until later in my pregnancy because my placenta was blocking not only my cervix but my belly. I remember feeling so sad as it was something I really wanted to experience, this little life moving inside of me. I understood and decided to just be happy with watching him kick, karate chop, roll, and relax during ultrasounds. We learned early on that he is a mover and groover…just like his momma! 

So to say today is a happy day is an understatement. Today is a miracle and I love this baby boy more than I could ever think possible.