So, yesterday was interesting to say the least. Our week has been such a roller coaster of emotions to the point where we are in desperate need of a vacation.
First bit of good news, the baby we just miscarried was not another Molar pregnancy. A quick recap our third miscarriage was a molar pregnancy. It's a pregnancy complication that basically has to be monitored to for 6 months to a year to make sure there aren't complications (like development of a manageable cancer). We will be waiting a few more weeks for the next set of test results.
Second bit of good news, is that we were able to go to the "V's" Dr. appointment yesterday. We were supposed to find out next week but for various reasons the Lord allowed us to find out this week. All along "V" and family said that it was a boy. So, we anticipated we were having a boy.... When the Dr. said "It's a girl" we were so surprised. We are having a baby girl! This is our Talitha (pronounced Ta-lee-tha).
I was sobbing so much so that "V's" mother asked me if I was ok. "V" was crying when we were out in the parking lot because this is hard for her too (please continue to pray for witnessing opportunities to her). This is a huge sacrifice. All I could do is hold her and just say "Thank you" which made her cry more. Her mom was appreciative and it's been good for all of them to see us so excited.
Compared to our ultrasound last week... seeing a baby alive is a miracle and such a reason to thank the Lord. She has 10 little fingers & little toes. She is an active little girl always doing somersaults! During the ultrasound she was waving hi to us. My favorite picture is the one where we can see her little face and her little nose (hoping to post that in later so check back soon).
There are no words to describe what it means to be adopting our Talitha. It's more than having a baby girl. At some future point I hope to be better able to articulate this.
Emotionally this has been such a crazy week. There is a part of me that hasn't had a chance to grieve for my precious baby. There is another part of me that is elated about baby Talitha. These two sides conflict and to some degree I feel guilty over this tug of war. It's a lot to process. We are exhausted to be honest.
I do ask that you all continue to help me with our memorial project. Are there any lessons that the Lord has taught you through our trials? The Israelities often made memorials as a tribute to what God has done. It is our desire to do that as well. This will help us to honor our precious babies who have gone before us.
Our prayers are for our birthmother and family, Talitha's development, Dr. Van Zandt to have wisdom in managing our case, my continued recovery, and for us to have some rest.
You all are amazing. Thank you for showing us through this all that the Lord truly does work through the hands and feet of His church. We are amazed by your love.
With all my love (and Robert's too),
Darbi
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Building a memorial
I wish we were posting something different. Some different news. I would be lying if I told you losing this child wasn't hard. To be honest, I was so excited about having two children so close in age. It has been my dream since I was 7 to have twins, and the one we are adopting and this biological baby would have been very close in age.
I don't even know where to start to be honest. We found out just after Thanksgiving that we were pregnant. We were not trying to get pregnant. We were elated and surprised. I called the Dr., and they started to run some test on me. My hcg was low but increasing. There was the possibility of an Ecoptic pregnancy, a miscarriage, or a viable pregnancy. They scheduled me for an ultrasound. To our surprise we saw a small flickering heartbeat. This was week 5 of our pregnancy. There was no reason to suspect that anything was wrong.
Two days shy of the 10 week mark, I had some light spotting. We were supposed to go to the Bahamas the next day. Not knowing what medical care was there, I called the Dr. to make sure everything was ok given my history. We went in for the ultrasound, and there was the most precious baby. There were two little stub arms and two little stub legs. But this time no heartbeat. The ultrasound tech Sandy did three different types of ultrasounds to make sure. There was no doubt. The baby had died around 8.5 weeks. Sandy knew my history. She took my face into her hands and told me "This isn't your fault." Those are some of the most powerful words when dealing with a miscarriage. Sandy and nurse Kim stayed with me talking with me until Robert got to the office.
Dr. Van Zandt gave me a quick physical check up. Then she said "Come into my office so we can talk." Neither of us have ever been into a Dr.'s personal office. She went on to explain in great detail what our plan of action was going to be. We found out our last Dr's office found some minor things (the blood clotting issue) and decided to stop testing there. This miscarriage was not caused by my blood clotting issues. She talked with us for about a half an hour. She recommended that we postpone our Bahamas vacation (which we did). She also recommended that I have a D&C, so that we could test the baby's DNA in order to rule out some of the causes of this miscarriage. We scheduled the D&C for the next day.
When we went into the hospital many people recognized us from last time, including the woman from registration. The Lord was so gracious in so many ways that day. My dear sweet nurse was Talitha, who took care of me last time (see September 2010). She is a believer and was such an encouragement. She went out and bought me this necklace.
Last time, my anesthesiologist nurse during surgery was Sandy (a different Sandy then the ultrasound tech). She was a believer who prayed with me after surgery. It was such an encouragement for so long after my first D&C. Praise the Lord, she was my anesthesiologist nurse this time too. And, she remembered me. Both Robert & Sandy prayed with me before surgery (and I got Sandy's number so I can keep in touch with her).
Dr. Van Zandt also visited me before surgery. She told me she looked over my file for an hour the previous night and then went on to say that there is new research into what causes recurrent miscarriages. She also visited Robert after surgery.
As of this point, we don't know why we miscarried this baby. We are not naming the baby until we find out what he or she was (which they should be able to tell from the DNA testing). We should have some results in about a month. But there are many many blessings in that the Lord has given us a Dr. who cares so much. She said if they aren't able to find out why I'm miscarrying they will refer me to a specialist who deals specifically with our type of infertility (yes, she used the word infertility). Unlike all the previous miscarriages, we have hope because the Dr. has given us some hope in finding an answer.
Emotionally there are ok days and bad days. If we didn't have this adoption I think we would be back where we were a year ago (which was not a good place). It doesn't take away the grief of losing yet another baby as we are heartbroken but the adoption is a ray of sunshine in the midst of chaos. It is God's way of giving us hope.
This month also marks the 2nd anniversary of our miscarriage with Peter (our first).
We need you now more than ever. Here are ways you can help.
1) Please continue to pray for us through these trials. We can feel your prayers and treasure them.
2) Please continue to encourage us from the word of God because this has been so hard (if we don't respond right away, please know we still treasure your encouragement).
4) We still need to raise the rest of our funds for the adoption (any help is appreciated at this point as my recovery will be slow).
5) Please pray that we will be able to witness to others and glorify God through this.
Today we also find out the gender of the baby we are adopting. This is an emotional day for us.
With all our love,
Robert & Darbi
I don't even know where to start to be honest. We found out just after Thanksgiving that we were pregnant. We were not trying to get pregnant. We were elated and surprised. I called the Dr., and they started to run some test on me. My hcg was low but increasing. There was the possibility of an Ecoptic pregnancy, a miscarriage, or a viable pregnancy. They scheduled me for an ultrasound. To our surprise we saw a small flickering heartbeat. This was week 5 of our pregnancy. There was no reason to suspect that anything was wrong.
Two days shy of the 10 week mark, I had some light spotting. We were supposed to go to the Bahamas the next day. Not knowing what medical care was there, I called the Dr. to make sure everything was ok given my history. We went in for the ultrasound, and there was the most precious baby. There were two little stub arms and two little stub legs. But this time no heartbeat. The ultrasound tech Sandy did three different types of ultrasounds to make sure. There was no doubt. The baby had died around 8.5 weeks. Sandy knew my history. She took my face into her hands and told me "This isn't your fault." Those are some of the most powerful words when dealing with a miscarriage. Sandy and nurse Kim stayed with me talking with me until Robert got to the office.
Dr. Van Zandt gave me a quick physical check up. Then she said "Come into my office so we can talk." Neither of us have ever been into a Dr.'s personal office. She went on to explain in great detail what our plan of action was going to be. We found out our last Dr's office found some minor things (the blood clotting issue) and decided to stop testing there. This miscarriage was not caused by my blood clotting issues. She talked with us for about a half an hour. She recommended that we postpone our Bahamas vacation (which we did). She also recommended that I have a D&C, so that we could test the baby's DNA in order to rule out some of the causes of this miscarriage. We scheduled the D&C for the next day.
When we went into the hospital many people recognized us from last time, including the woman from registration. The Lord was so gracious in so many ways that day. My dear sweet nurse was Talitha, who took care of me last time (see September 2010). She is a believer and was such an encouragement. She went out and bought me this necklace.
Last time, my anesthesiologist nurse during surgery was Sandy (a different Sandy then the ultrasound tech). She was a believer who prayed with me after surgery. It was such an encouragement for so long after my first D&C. Praise the Lord, she was my anesthesiologist nurse this time too. And, she remembered me. Both Robert & Sandy prayed with me before surgery (and I got Sandy's number so I can keep in touch with her).
Dr. Van Zandt also visited me before surgery. She told me she looked over my file for an hour the previous night and then went on to say that there is new research into what causes recurrent miscarriages. She also visited Robert after surgery.
As of this point, we don't know why we miscarried this baby. We are not naming the baby until we find out what he or she was (which they should be able to tell from the DNA testing). We should have some results in about a month. But there are many many blessings in that the Lord has given us a Dr. who cares so much. She said if they aren't able to find out why I'm miscarrying they will refer me to a specialist who deals specifically with our type of infertility (yes, she used the word infertility). Unlike all the previous miscarriages, we have hope because the Dr. has given us some hope in finding an answer.
Emotionally there are ok days and bad days. If we didn't have this adoption I think we would be back where we were a year ago (which was not a good place). It doesn't take away the grief of losing yet another baby as we are heartbroken but the adoption is a ray of sunshine in the midst of chaos. It is God's way of giving us hope.
This month also marks the 2nd anniversary of our miscarriage with Peter (our first).
We need you now more than ever. Here are ways you can help.
1) Please continue to pray for us through these trials. We can feel your prayers and treasure them.
2) Please continue to encourage us from the word of God because this has been so hard (if we don't respond right away, please know we still treasure your encouragement).
3) I would like you to tell me how the Lord has used these miscarriages in your own life to teach you something. This is no longer just about us losing another child. This is so much bigger than Robert & I. It would so encouraging to us to hear how the Lord is working through this trial. Please either email me at butterflydarbi@gmail.com, post on Facebook, or post under the comment section here. We are hoping to somehow turn this into a memorial to honor not just this precious baby but our others who have gone before . This is so vitally important to me right now!!!! In a future post I will explain more why memorials are so important.
5) Please pray that we will be able to witness to others and glorify God through this.
Today we also find out the gender of the baby we are adopting. This is an emotional day for us.
With all our love,
Robert & Darbi
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Tears of Grief and Joy
It's been quite a while since I've written a post (many of you probably weren't even following the blog the last time I wrote), but I wish I was returning to write for a different reason.
A little over a month ago, we learned Darbi was pregnant. Everything seemed to be going well until yesterday afternoon, when we found out we were having our fourth miscarraige. An ultrasound revealed the baby's heart had stopped beating about a week ago. Darbi had a D&C surgery this morning and is now resting at home.
We would greatly appreciate your prayers during this time. While we know this little one is with our Father in Heaven along with Peter, Faith, and Eve (our first three), it doesn't change the fact that we miss this child. With loss comes grief.
There is no way I could explain the mixture of grief and joy when I think of our four children in Heaven. There is no other place I want them to be, but I miss them.
Over the last 24 hours, God has been amazingly gracious. I'll let Darbi share all that with you, since I know she'll post about it soon (well, probably within a week). The short version is that He put the right people in the right place and the right time.
With tears of grief and joy, I leave you with the words of Psalm 73:25-26...
Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides You.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
A little over a month ago, we learned Darbi was pregnant. Everything seemed to be going well until yesterday afternoon, when we found out we were having our fourth miscarraige. An ultrasound revealed the baby's heart had stopped beating about a week ago. Darbi had a D&C surgery this morning and is now resting at home.
We would greatly appreciate your prayers during this time. While we know this little one is with our Father in Heaven along with Peter, Faith, and Eve (our first three), it doesn't change the fact that we miss this child. With loss comes grief.
There is no way I could explain the mixture of grief and joy when I think of our four children in Heaven. There is no other place I want them to be, but I miss them.
Over the last 24 hours, God has been amazingly gracious. I'll let Darbi share all that with you, since I know she'll post about it soon (well, probably within a week). The short version is that He put the right people in the right place and the right time.
With tears of grief and joy, I leave you with the words of Psalm 73:25-26...
Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides You.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Friday, December 23, 2011
A birthday post
I'm so sorry I haven't written anything sooner. To be honest, it's been a chaotic month... although it seems like every month has its own set of chaotic circumstances for the last two years. There have been health issues, work issues, just issues issues issues. And, that is just the month of December.
For those of you who don't know, my birthday is on Christmas. All of my family (on both my side & Robert's) do a spectacular job of trying to keep it separate from Christmas. When I was growing up I had a half birthday on June 25th. As an adult I've decided to celebrate it on Christmas. My husband, whom I love dearly, decided three years ago to celebrate my birthday in a really unique way. It's called the "5 days of Darbi". On the first day of Darbi which is December 21st, Robert gives me one small gift (this year a funny t-shirt). Second day of Darbi two small gifts (this year it was two cups of coffee... one for me, one for him= one date)... Today is the third day.
I just wanted to take this opportunity to tell him how sweet and special his thoughtfulness is. It is one of my favorite parts of my birthday. Robert, you are an amazing man & although our lives are always full with chaos, I'm glad they are chaotic with you. You are my rock & my best friend. You daily live out God's love in your actions (and because it's my birthday I am mushy writing). You are such a blessing.
I did also want to share with you the present V gave us for Christmas. Two stockings. One said Mom & the other said Dad. I had forgotten that she has always referred to us as the Mommy & Daddy. This is so precious. I mean, this is our birthmother calling us mommy & daddy of the child she is carrying. What does that tell you about adoption? She gets it! This is our child. But V doesn't understand how adoption is just a reflection of God's love for us & our adoption into a much bigger family.
Families are created in more ways than one. Please continue to pray for witnessing opportunities. Especially for an opportunity to share God's love for her & how God views adoption. We pray that somehow we will be able to show her this. This is our biggest challenge right now.
I can't help but think of God's love for us in such a different way since we've been on the adoption journey. It has changed us. The Christmas songs are so much sweeter because we are singing about our precious Savior who died so we could be adopted. Words cannot even express what this season is really about for us. It's still the story of us being adopted by our most gracious Heavenly Father. It's always the story of our adoption.
So, on that note...
Merry Christmas!!!
We find out at the middle/end of next month what the sex is of our baby. :) I think they are waiting until 20 weeks.
Love,
Darbi
P.S.
I am posting my thankfulness list on Facebook. I need to update it here but we are upwards of 100. Let me know if you want to join the group.
For those of you who don't know, my birthday is on Christmas. All of my family (on both my side & Robert's) do a spectacular job of trying to keep it separate from Christmas. When I was growing up I had a half birthday on June 25th. As an adult I've decided to celebrate it on Christmas. My husband, whom I love dearly, decided three years ago to celebrate my birthday in a really unique way. It's called the "5 days of Darbi". On the first day of Darbi which is December 21st, Robert gives me one small gift (this year a funny t-shirt). Second day of Darbi two small gifts (this year it was two cups of coffee... one for me, one for him= one date)... Today is the third day.
Day One
Day Two
I just wanted to take this opportunity to tell him how sweet and special his thoughtfulness is. It is one of my favorite parts of my birthday. Robert, you are an amazing man & although our lives are always full with chaos, I'm glad they are chaotic with you. You are my rock & my best friend. You daily live out God's love in your actions (and because it's my birthday I am mushy writing). You are such a blessing.
I did also want to share with you the present V gave us for Christmas. Two stockings. One said Mom & the other said Dad. I had forgotten that she has always referred to us as the Mommy & Daddy. This is so precious. I mean, this is our birthmother calling us mommy & daddy of the child she is carrying. What does that tell you about adoption? She gets it! This is our child. But V doesn't understand how adoption is just a reflection of God's love for us & our adoption into a much bigger family.
Families are created in more ways than one. Please continue to pray for witnessing opportunities. Especially for an opportunity to share God's love for her & how God views adoption. We pray that somehow we will be able to show her this. This is our biggest challenge right now.
I can't help but think of God's love for us in such a different way since we've been on the adoption journey. It has changed us. The Christmas songs are so much sweeter because we are singing about our precious Savior who died so we could be adopted. Words cannot even express what this season is really about for us. It's still the story of us being adopted by our most gracious Heavenly Father. It's always the story of our adoption.
So, on that note...
Merry Christmas!!!
We find out at the middle/end of next month what the sex is of our baby. :) I think they are waiting until 20 weeks.
Love,
Darbi
P.S.
I am posting my thankfulness list on Facebook. I need to update it here but we are upwards of 100. Let me know if you want to join the group.
Monday, December 5, 2011
A new challenge
The last few weeks have been interesting in our household. Over Thanksgiving both Robert & I were really sick (the fabulous stomach virus). So, we spent Thanksgiving and a few more days sick in bed. Although we did catch up on the latest episodes of Restaurant Impossible & Chopped.
This holiday season has also been a challenging emotionally for me. There is something about the holiday's that makes me miss our kids even more (even the one we were not able to adopt). The grief is a little more profound this time of year.
What's so complicated is that somehow all the sadness is clouding out the excitement of our expectancy. We are in the process of adopting a precious baby. There is a part of me that is so afraid of another failed adoption, yet every time we are with the birthgiver & family God continues to give numerous confirmations that they are determined to place this child with us. The family has experienced adoption before & they understand very clearly what is going on here. This is very real to them.
There is a part of me that thinks most people are expecting this adoption to fail. I feel like I'm constantly having to assure others that this is the right choice. A part of me is so hesitant to have a baby shower because I think people are thinking "Oh, that's dumb... She should wait until she knows for sure she has the baby". But this is no different then if I were pregnant. There are no guarantees, but rather we go forward in faith whether in pregnancy or in adoption. I care too much about what others might be thinking & am allowing that to be my truth instead of what God thinks.
So, this is the battle... To think on what is True, to live in the Known. What we know is that God has without a doubt called us to pursue adoption. We know that adoption is precious to God's heart. Did you know that Jesus was adopted? Joseph was Jesus' earthly father. There were no biological ties between them. Yet, Joseph was given this awesome responsibility of raising this child. Fast forward 33 years, Jesus died so that we could be adopted into His family. Those who confess that Jesus alone is Lord, that He alone is where our salvation lies become co-heirs with him. We become part of His family. The truth is, God has called us to adoption because He has adopted us. If we spent the rest of our lives trying to live out His picture of how He has adopted us then that is worth all of this heartache and pain.
In order to combat all these crazy thoughts, I need your help. Hebrews 13:15 states "Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name". God desires our heartfelt worship by offering a sacrifice of thanksgiving. Perhaps the sacrifice is in the fact that we by nature are complainers. I am by nature a complainer.
Ann Voskamp wrote a book called "One Thousand Gifts". My friend Melanie & I read it together last year. With the exception of certain chapters (skip 6 and 11) and some of her crazy weird writing, the principles of the book are really good. She basically says that we need to write down little ways that we are thankful to God. If we are daily looking for these things (for example, a cup of coffee) we are actively looking for ways God is at work. We are preparing our hearts for thankfulness in the big things. Believe you me, God is at work in a cup of coffee (it's such an enjoyable beverage!). The Israelites built monuments to remind them of God's work. This is a modern way of doing the same thing.
1) My goal: to write 1,000 ways I'm thankful.
2) Your challenge: keep me accountable to write 7 a day until I reach 1,000. If I don't post call me out publicly on it (nicely please). :)
3) Do this with me. My prayer is that at least one of you will take me up on this challenge.
Hopefully by today we will have a separate tab for the list.
As always, thank you for listening and for your prayers.
Darbi
This holiday season has also been a challenging emotionally for me. There is something about the holiday's that makes me miss our kids even more (even the one we were not able to adopt). The grief is a little more profound this time of year.
What's so complicated is that somehow all the sadness is clouding out the excitement of our expectancy. We are in the process of adopting a precious baby. There is a part of me that is so afraid of another failed adoption, yet every time we are with the birthgiver & family God continues to give numerous confirmations that they are determined to place this child with us. The family has experienced adoption before & they understand very clearly what is going on here. This is very real to them.
There is a part of me that thinks most people are expecting this adoption to fail. I feel like I'm constantly having to assure others that this is the right choice. A part of me is so hesitant to have a baby shower because I think people are thinking "Oh, that's dumb... She should wait until she knows for sure she has the baby". But this is no different then if I were pregnant. There are no guarantees, but rather we go forward in faith whether in pregnancy or in adoption. I care too much about what others might be thinking & am allowing that to be my truth instead of what God thinks.
So, this is the battle... To think on what is True, to live in the Known. What we know is that God has without a doubt called us to pursue adoption. We know that adoption is precious to God's heart. Did you know that Jesus was adopted? Joseph was Jesus' earthly father. There were no biological ties between them. Yet, Joseph was given this awesome responsibility of raising this child. Fast forward 33 years, Jesus died so that we could be adopted into His family. Those who confess that Jesus alone is Lord, that He alone is where our salvation lies become co-heirs with him. We become part of His family. The truth is, God has called us to adoption because He has adopted us. If we spent the rest of our lives trying to live out His picture of how He has adopted us then that is worth all of this heartache and pain.
In order to combat all these crazy thoughts, I need your help. Hebrews 13:15 states "Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name". God desires our heartfelt worship by offering a sacrifice of thanksgiving. Perhaps the sacrifice is in the fact that we by nature are complainers. I am by nature a complainer.
Ann Voskamp wrote a book called "One Thousand Gifts". My friend Melanie & I read it together last year. With the exception of certain chapters (skip 6 and 11) and some of her crazy weird writing, the principles of the book are really good. She basically says that we need to write down little ways that we are thankful to God. If we are daily looking for these things (for example, a cup of coffee) we are actively looking for ways God is at work. We are preparing our hearts for thankfulness in the big things. Believe you me, God is at work in a cup of coffee (it's such an enjoyable beverage!). The Israelites built monuments to remind them of God's work. This is a modern way of doing the same thing.
1) My goal: to write 1,000 ways I'm thankful.
2) Your challenge: keep me accountable to write 7 a day until I reach 1,000. If I don't post call me out publicly on it (nicely please). :)
3) Do this with me. My prayer is that at least one of you will take me up on this challenge.
Hopefully by today we will have a separate tab for the list.
As always, thank you for listening and for your prayers.
Darbi
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Let's get this fundraiser started!
Our first fundraiser is Sugar Scrubs - $6.00
Sugar Scrubs help exfoliate the skin making it look healthy.
There are many options to choose from:
Base: White Sugar or a combination of Brown and White Sugar
Oil: Olive Oil (if you prefer a different oil please email me)
Pick your scent (up to two): Coconut, Black Raspberry, Lavender, Lemon, Mango, Melon, Orchid Blossom, Pink Grapefruit, Sweet Sugar, Sandalwood, Sweet Magnolia, Tuberose, Vanilla.
You get 4 oz for a delightful spa like experience. These make wonderful Christmas gifts, Hanukkah gifts, birthday gifts (my birthday is Christmas day so don't forget December birthday's).
Our second fundraiser is some beautiful Personalized Picture Necklaces. My very creative & artsy sister-in-law Cindy has recently started making these awesome necklaces. I have one and have received several compliments on it (plus I get to wear a picture of my beloved husband).
Here are your choices:
Silver w/ 24” Ball chain $20.00
Square- Antique Silver
Circle- Shiny
Circle- Antique Silver/scalloped edge
Rectangle- Antique Silver/scalloped edge
Bronze w/ 24” Bronze Ball chain - $20.00
Circle- Antiques bronze/scalloped edge
Rectangle- Antique Bronze/scalloped edge
*Bronze finish looks best with Sephia photo
Any of the above can be made into a keychain - $12.00
Child's Mini Bottle cap necklace w/ initial - $6.00
Note: Photo’s should be emailed to either butterflydarbi@gmail or cynderski@verizon.net. Photos should be of good quality.
Subjects in the photo should be fairly close together, otherwise once resized may be too small.
Pictures will not be photoshopped only resized to fit the charms.
Please specify choice of photo- Color, Black & White or Sephia
If you have any questions please let me know!
Thanks,
Sugar Scrubs help exfoliate the skin making it look healthy.
There are many options to choose from:
Base: White Sugar or a combination of Brown and White Sugar
Oil: Olive Oil (if you prefer a different oil please email me)
Pick your scent (up to two): Coconut, Black Raspberry, Lavender, Lemon, Mango, Melon, Orchid Blossom, Pink Grapefruit, Sweet Sugar, Sandalwood, Sweet Magnolia, Tuberose, Vanilla.
You get 4 oz for a delightful spa like experience. These make wonderful Christmas gifts, Hanukkah gifts, birthday gifts (my birthday is Christmas day so don't forget December birthday's).
Our second fundraiser is some beautiful Personalized Picture Necklaces. My very creative & artsy sister-in-law Cindy has recently started making these awesome necklaces. I have one and have received several compliments on it (plus I get to wear a picture of my beloved husband).
Here are your choices:
Silver w/ 24” Ball chain $20.00
Square- Antique Silver
Circle- Shiny
Circle- Antique Silver/scalloped edge
Rectangle- Antique Silver/scalloped edge
Bronze w/ 24” Bronze Ball chain - $20.00
Circle- Antiques bronze/scalloped edge
Rectangle- Antique Bronze/scalloped edge
*Bronze finish looks best with Sephia photo
Any of the above can be made into a keychain - $12.00
Child's Mini Bottle cap necklace w/ initial - $6.00
Note: Photo’s should be emailed to either butterflydarbi@gmail or cynderski@verizon.net. Photos should be of good quality.
Subjects in the photo should be fairly close together, otherwise once resized may be too small.
Pictures will not be photoshopped only resized to fit the charms.
Please specify choice of photo- Color, Black & White or Sephia
If you have any questions please let me know!
Thanks,
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Our first appointment & a picture of Baby Mills
Yesterday we had our first appointment with the birthmother whom we will call "V". It was amazing, odd, but amazing nonetheless. The last ultrasound Robert & I were at was our own. We saw Eve but her heart had already stopped two days before the ultrasound.
This was a big deal. We were nervous (obviously) and both praying that the baby's heart would be beating. It sounded like static (says the women with hearing aids), but it was definitely there. It was incredible to hear and see the baby, our baby. It was odd in the fact that there were 6 of us in the room. V, Sue (our agent), Robert, myself, the technician, and the Dr. What was so precious is that V was watching our reactions to the ultrasound & to the heartbeat. She told us the other day that "Your baby loves pickles". V also loves the fact that we call the baby "peanut". It's also odd because this baby is not in my body, yet that doesn't matter. It used to, but not anymore. This child is no less my child then one I carry biologically. It's still a little weird to be showing people a picture of another woman's uterus.
Now, you may be thinking to yourself that "We should be careful... don't call it your baby until the paperwork is signed... emotionally protect yourself". Think about it from V's perspective. Would you want the adoptive family to be excited or hesitant, emotionally distant until you sign the paperwork (after the baby is born in June)? Would you want the adoptive parents to come to every appointment with that mentality? If I were the birthmother, I would seriously have second thoughts about the adoption.
Think about it from our perspective as well. We have had three miscarriages & a failed adoption. We are keenly aware of emotionally what is at stake here. There are two choices, either we trust the Lord or we don't. He has called us to pursue this match and we must trust Him regardless of the outcome. We have an incredible opportunity to show V and her family God's love and purpose of adoption. But how can we if we are hesitant to love V, her family, or this baby?
It was an incredible experience yesterday. Here is the picture of our little pickle liking peanut. The arrow in the picture is not in the actual uterus ;).
Side note: We will be taking orders for sugar scrubs starting next week in time for the holidays. We will also be announcing our surprise fundraising project (also in time for the holiday's) in a couple of days.
As always, we are so grateful for you all. Words do not express our deep gratitude towards you all.
This was a big deal. We were nervous (obviously) and both praying that the baby's heart would be beating. It sounded like static (says the women with hearing aids), but it was definitely there. It was incredible to hear and see the baby, our baby. It was odd in the fact that there were 6 of us in the room. V, Sue (our agent), Robert, myself, the technician, and the Dr. What was so precious is that V was watching our reactions to the ultrasound & to the heartbeat. She told us the other day that "Your baby loves pickles". V also loves the fact that we call the baby "peanut". It's also odd because this baby is not in my body, yet that doesn't matter. It used to, but not anymore. This child is no less my child then one I carry biologically. It's still a little weird to be showing people a picture of another woman's uterus.
Now, you may be thinking to yourself that "We should be careful... don't call it your baby until the paperwork is signed... emotionally protect yourself". Think about it from V's perspective. Would you want the adoptive family to be excited or hesitant, emotionally distant until you sign the paperwork (after the baby is born in June)? Would you want the adoptive parents to come to every appointment with that mentality? If I were the birthmother, I would seriously have second thoughts about the adoption.
Think about it from our perspective as well. We have had three miscarriages & a failed adoption. We are keenly aware of emotionally what is at stake here. There are two choices, either we trust the Lord or we don't. He has called us to pursue this match and we must trust Him regardless of the outcome. We have an incredible opportunity to show V and her family God's love and purpose of adoption. But how can we if we are hesitant to love V, her family, or this baby?
It was an incredible experience yesterday. Here is the picture of our little pickle liking peanut. The arrow in the picture is not in the actual uterus ;).
Side note: We will be taking orders for sugar scrubs starting next week in time for the holidays. We will also be announcing our surprise fundraising project (also in time for the holiday's) in a couple of days.
As always, we are so grateful for you all. Words do not express our deep gratitude towards you all.
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