1st x grandma

Thank you Airi, When I read the word “rock” the image that popped into my head was a huge boulder type, with some rough and smooth edges all around it, a few cracks and chips here and there. BUT STILL HOLDING STRONG! ! Made my day

Thank you Airi, Sleepover was awesome for all of us especially my daughter, one of the best weekends she’s had. She was able to do things with her little one that otherwise she wouldn’t have been able to experience, like helping her get ready for bed, bed time story, nighttime prayers, and getting her ready in the morning. Such good medicine for my heart and soul. I know it will be priceless for Amber one day as well, and I hope she has someone there to capture the moments on film for her, thank you and bless you for one day giving her the opportunity. I’ll take my scolding .. I know better and not that it’s an excuse but having to take my daughter to SO MANY doctor appointments, test, and follow ups since her brain surgery, well it was all the ones I could take and handle for a long time. I am still working on trying to get diagnosis, but pretty much on hold right now, they still can’t find what is causing my right-side hip/pelvic region pain.. For my weird head cloudiness spacy feeling, GP couldn’t find anything (thought it was my heart causing it), right arm he has given me 4 steroid shots which didn’t do a whole lot. His next step was an MRI for arm and an ENT, so I contacted my daughter’s neurosurgeon who also sees patients for neck, shoulders, back, etc. and had an appointment a little over 2 wks ago for my arm and head, he is ordering MRI for my arm, shoulder, neck and head areas, but darn insurance is dragging their feet so I’ve been in limbo. Eventually I hope it will all be behind me, meanwhile I’m sucking it up and though some days are easier then others trying to stay active and not let the pains consume me Have a great week!

Great quote Mari, and a great reminder for me. Our house has a revolving door with kids coming and going all the time. We have lots of kids in our cove, and if they are not in our house, they are in our garage/yard/always close by. My kids constantly ask if they can have friends over because they know (most likely) I'll say yes! At first I resisted it a little, but then I began to embrace it because I always said I wanted to know where my kids were and who their friends were. I'm glad they enjoy having friends over, and glad their friends enjoy being here! I am blessed! Oohh, your not kidding best way to know where they are and who those friends are.. The other activity that afforded me much knowledge was being a driver for field trips, I recommend it

If your children spend most of their time in other people's houses, you're lucky; if they all congregate at your house, you're blessed. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic's Notebook, 1966 I was blessed growing up and thankful that I was also blessed with my girls.

When I was growing up I had a friend who always wanted to come to my house to play and hang out (my house was the hang out place for all our friends) mainly because we could have fun without being constantly told that we needed to “not make a mess”.. Though my mom didn’t really play or hang out with us, she didn’t mind the sheet and chair tents in the living room, the mud pies nor the racing rolly pollies on the floor to just name a few. Our imagination could take whatever turn and twist it wanted, and she knew it was in the safety of our home. Whereas my friends house, they couldn’t touch anything, they couldn’t sit in the living room, they couldn’t they couldn’t they couldn’t …….blah blah blah With my girls, hang out place, and though I’ve always worked outside the home, I took advantage of those field trips, volunteering with cheerleading, sports, girl scouts, room parent stuff, festivals, dances, sitting at a table with a few other parents while school friends hung out at the pizza parlor (for hours sometimes ) taxi driver for them and their friends.. list can go on, but reading that I couldn’t help but think what other opportunities I had missed, especially with my youngest due to me traveling a lot due to work for several years. Though I tried to make it up whenever I could some moments we can never get back. Enjoy your children, they do grow up so fast and one day they may not want mom hanging around, or need mom to drive them anywhere..

Amazing announcement! Congrats to entire family.

If I had my child to raise all over again, I'd build self-esteem first, and the house later. I'd finger-paint more, and point the finger less. I would do less correcting and more connecting. I'd take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes. I'd take more hikes and fly more kites. I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play. I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars. I'd do more hugging and less tugging. ~Diane Loomans, from "If I Had My Child To Raise Over Again

This quote speaks to me today too, Mari. I was just thinking yesterday about how much I have grown in life since we've been entrusted with Jordan. It's amazing how much she has taught me.....and she just started talking! It's an amazing honor and I am so glad she and her first family found their way to us! Jordan is at an amazing stage, but really each stage is beautiful, scary, wonderful, worrisome, fantastic, and a slu of other peaks and valley rollercoaster ride. I have always tried to spend some quiet time and think about my day and opportunities parenthood has brought into my life, the things I learned quickly, those things that I didn't and had to be knocked on my back side to learn, the beauty of it all both positives and the not so good when we happen to learn by trial and error. The journey is full of amazing highs and lows.. Enjoy your beautiful girl and each step of the way...

Thank you Jocelyn, I actually changed it a few weeks back but for some reason sometimes it would still show my previous one and sometimes this newer one..

Ah, what parent can't identify with this.. I know even as my daughters get older I continue to learn from them. The trouble with learning to parent on the job is that your child is the teacher. ~Robert Brault

It's not only children who grow. Parents do too. As much as we watch to see what our children do with their lives, they are watching us to see what we do with ours. I can't tell my children to reach for the sun. All I can do is reach for it, myself. ~Joyce Maynard

Susan, loved your post.. LOL... Kids can be brutal with a GREAT HEART and not even know it!

Thank you Jessica... I know there are a lot of other blended families who have a similar relaitonship within open adoption.. I sure would love to hear from the first families their stories, their visits and their loved children.. I know it can be seen and felt as a very private journey, but how much they would help bring hope and strength to others who may benefit from them. Maybe one day other's will feel comfortable enough to jump in here and share within the forum with others who have walked in similar shoes and travel through similar journey. On another topic... I watched a news report yesterday about a little girl taken from shopping cart at a Walmart when her mother stepped just a few feet away.... Sometimes we don't think about these dangers, it's so easy for us as parents or even caregivers to do this in stores, we get a little distracted and open ourselves up for this possibility. So grateful this little girl is safe, it sends chills through my body as to what outcome this could have had. This served as a GREAT reminder to protect our treasures, I know next time I go ANYWHERE with my godchildren or any other little munchkin I will be more alert.. Everyone have a safe 4th!!!

Thank you ladies... It is always exciting to plan our visits, planning this last trip was a little more so..I have to give credit to my angel girl's mommy for the awesome blessing of having a sleep over guest. When we were planning and she suggested the possibility I felt my heart expand a thousand x's over. We kept it as a surprise for my daughter and worked on getting rooms on same floor and as close to each other as possible. It was funny, we arrived first and checked in, when they got there, they came to our room and my grandbaby was ready to move her luggage right in... After the six of us spent time at the pool, had dinner, stopped for dessert and headed back to hotel, her mommy brought her to our room with her overnight bag and wearing her beautiful little Rapunzel dress, she was a little hesitant at first, but we all assured her that mommy and daddy were just down the hall and we would take her if she decided to go back to their room. But in no time as the pictures show she felt right at home with us, she was asking my daughter if they were going to sleep in "our bed" (her and my daughter's) in "our room".. She wanted to make sure her Lala was going to sleep with her all night. The following morning was a blast as well, pillow fights, playing pretent beach time, and so much more. I do hope that by us/me sharing pictures that tell part of our story within open adoption, our journey will encourge, bring hope, open up endless possibilities to any adoptive parent or first family that may be worried, concerned or apprhensive about truly working towards a true bond and environment of love for the most important person who is the child that is loved by them all. By us ALL

Welcome to another one of God's GREATEST GIFTS!

Thank you Jocelyn… I think I am a tough cookie But thankfully I have a wonderful network of gracious and supportive family near and far which is a silver lining in my book . This journey comes in handy to help me continue to practice patience.. A trait that eludes me too often. Thank you Jackie… I am so ready for this… I miss my exercising which I haven’t been doing since March, spring came and went and I hadn’t been able to work much in the garden (bump right wing) so it looks so sad..

Thank you for all prayers and good thoughts sent my way.. Good news is my heart is good , though I never suspected anything funny there, a lab result marker indicated some concern in the area and with the fact my father passed from a massive heart attack at my age, doc didn’t want to take a chance so I had to have additional testing. Partial good news, a marker also indicated concern with my gallbladder, and with some unexplained pain I have been dealing with for over a year, he wanted to check for gallstones, further testing with sonogram indicated no stones (which is great), but still no answer for pain , so I need to monitor my meals vs pain if correlation found go for additional gallbladder testing…yuk… sonogram also indicated a nodule on my liver which doc said could also be fatty liver, I hear this is pretty common, but I haven’t looked any further into that yet, not sure if I should be concerned there. Received two more additional steroid shots to the two I got two weeks ago in right arm if pain/range motion doesn’t improve in two weeks going for MRI and possibly will be sent to Orthopi. Also need to follow up with an ENT for funny cloudy head things that he originally thought may be connected with heart. So process of elimination continues, this will be a long summer. I used to tell my daughter thank goodness she wasn’t a horse or she’d be put down for all her sports injuries. Now I think she has GOOD REASON to tell me that as well, but I’m sure throw in the fact that I’m just getting old.. BUT ALL IN ALL...hang in there....

Thank you Amy... Jes, regarding your comment on pic of bed time story,,,Oh your right didn't upload any bed time story ones to my FB. Must have gotten distracted when I was working on them

God has a plan for you and He has heard your prayers; you may not realize how close you are to your breakthrough. Joyce Meyer Ministries

Thank you Mariann and Elizabeth.. Pictures are PRICELESS if I do say myself...

Thank you Melissa... She is a much loved little gem...so smart, funny and very animated... We had an opportunity that I wouldn't have ever assumed to have, the best was seeing my daughter experience it.

Wow, I go away from the forum for a weekend and it lights up like a Vegas billboard Thank you Elva, Leah for continued prayers and thoughts... Leah, We had a GREAT weekend spending time with my angel girl and her parents.. She is a ball to be around.. An awesome treat for my daughter and us was having our precious babe spend the night with us in the hotel, it was beyond SPECTACULAR!!! So appreciative of her parents for blessing us in such a special way.

Welcome precious baby Grant!!

Thank you ladies for the positive thoughts and prayers sent my way, truly appreciate them and you all.. I am ALMOST back to my OLD self I think.. So far I think I’m done with test for now and just waiting for results next week.. Looking forward to a relaxing weekend with a much needed shot of love and time spent with my angel girl, just what my heart and spirit needs right now and what better medicine