Project Pretty

Here is a project that I have been working on for Madison's room. I just need to hang up the letters with ribbon. I will put them above Madison's crib and hopefully will do it soon and post a picture when it is complete.

Happy National Adoption Month

November is officially National Adoption Month and so I thought I would just post a few thoughts about adoption. Adoption is truly wonderful and has blessed our lives tremendously. We know that Madison is meant to be part of our family and came to us through the miracle of adoption. A quote that I like about adoption is, "In placing their faith in the Lord as they make a truly selfless choice, many unwed birth mothers find that from the ashes of their deepest pain, He makes something beautiful— for her, the baby, and a loving family."

Our birth mom is truly amazing and we will be forever grateful to her. There are no words that we can say that can adequately thank her or tell her how we feel about her placing Madison with us. Madison is the world to us and has brought so much joy and happiness into our home. Madison is so perfect and beautiful, a little angel sent from above to our home through adoption. Birth mom's are truly unselfish with the amazing sacrifice they offer.

Our Birth Mom

To learn more about adoption you can go to:

https://itsaboutlove.org/ial/ct/eng/site/pregnant/

or visit the local Riverton FSA (families supporting adoption blog at:

http://rivertonfsa.blogspot.com/

One other little tidbit that I would like to post is about some positive adoption language. Many people talk to me and use terms that are negative, but it's only because they don't know any better. I thought I would post them the terms so people are more familiar with them and could start using them. 

Negative Terms	Preferred Terms
Gave up her child for adoption	Placed her child for adoption
Real parent; natural parent	Birth parent, biological parent
Adoptive parent	Parent
His adopted child	His child
Illegitimate	Born to unmarried parents
Adoptee	Child who was adopted
To keep	To parent
Adoptable child; available child	Waiting child
Foreign adoption	International adoption
Track down parents	Search
Unwanted child	Child placed for adoption
Is adopted	Was adopted

 One last thing I want to post is some adoption myths found from the It's About Love Web Site:

Most birth mothers who place their babies for adoption are teenagers.
Most birth mothers who choose adoption are in their early twenties, although women of all ages make this decision.

Birth parents who place their babies for adoption are abandoning their responsibility and taking the “easy way out.”
There is no easy way out of unplanned pregnancy; any option involves emotional pain. Most birth mothers who do not choose abortion make the choice initially to parent their babies. Those who choose adoption do so after taking some time to carefully consider their options and the best interests of their child. Adoption is a courageous, loving choice which shows that the birth mother takes seriously the responsibility to be a parent.

An adoptive parent cannot love a child as much as a biological parent can.
Love is not based on biology. Many loving relationships are between individuals who are not related to each other, such as husbands and wives. The love of a parent comes from preparing for a child and selflessly nurturing and caring for that child.

A birth mother can reclaim her child after adoption.
Once a birth mother’s rights have been terminated, she cannot reclaim her child. Cases of birth parents obtaining custody after adoption are extremely rare and are exaggerated by the media.

After a child has been placed, a birth mother cannot have any contact with the child.
Adoption practices have changed over the years. Today most birth mothers have some contact with their children. Arrangements are agreed upon by the birth mother and the adoptive parents and are based upon the needs and desires of all concerned.

Children who were adopted are more likely to have physical or emotional challenges.
It is impossible to predict how any child will turn out, whether biological or adopted. Generally, children who were adopted as infants are as emotionally healthy as children who were not adopted. Children who were adopted when older may have challenges resulting from adverse conditions in their early lives, such as neglect, abuse, or lack of attachment. These challenges do not result from the adoption itself.

Birth mothers never recover from the emotional pain of placing a child for adoption.
Birth mothers who choose adoption go through a grieving process, which is a healthy way of dealing with loss. But most birth mothers also report finding peace in the knowledge that they did all in their power to provide the best life possible for their child. They find that the experience gives them the strength and confidence to face other challenges throughout their lives.

We LOVE Adoption!!!

Halloween Festivities

Halloween was great this year. Our cute little daughter was a pink m&m for Halloween. We thought it was very fitting for Madison. We had a Halloween party at our house on Friday night. We invited both sides of our family and had a good turn out. Not everyone was able to come, but we had a great time. We had some homemade chili, bread sticks, and pumpkin bars. and we played a few games as well. Enjoy the pictures of our great evening.

The cutest m&m ever!

Madison and Mommy

Madison and Daddy

Madison and Grandma Tini (my mom)

Madison and Uncle Stevie

Madison and cousin Sydney

Cousin Payton, Mommy, and Madison

Mommy, Cousin Drew, Cousin Sydney, and Madison

Josh and Melissa (Mat's youngest brother and wife)

Trevor and Julia (Mat's Step-brother and wife)

Whitnie and either Sophie or Lillie (I am not sure)

Drew way up high

Will didn't want his picture taken, but Mat was able to sneak a few pictures of him.

Cousin Kaiman, Cousin Aidan, and Grandpa Stan

Tyler and Whitnie with their two girls Lillie and Sophie (Mat's stepbrother and wife)

Adorable little Madison

Madison with Grandparents (My Mom and Step-dad)

Madison with more Grandparents (Mat's Dad and Step-mom)

Madison with my Step-mom.

Madison fell asleep during part of the party. She looks very cozy sleeping there on Mat.

The gang playing a tootsie roll game.

The gang playing the m&m game which is one of my favorites.

Happy Halloween from our family

On Saturday we went to a carnival at our church and it was good. We then just stayed home that night and passed out candy. We only had about 10 knocks on the door. Next year we will probably take Madison out trick-or-treating since we did not this year. On Halloween night we went to a neighbors house and made some yummy caramel apples. They were delicious. Halloween festivities this year were wonderful.