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Eric and Christy's Profile

Hopefully "Waiting"

The toddler has finally closed his eyes and given in to sleep.
The adoption paperwork is complete for LDS Family Services and we are approved to be "parents".
We hopefully "wait", yet actively tell all we know, we want to start the emotional process of trying to adopt a second child.
May our wait not be three years again.

How You Can Help...

We are grateful that you are visiting our "hoping to adopt" blog. Our intent is to give you a glimpse into our lives as a family of three that has been touched by the wonderful blessing of adoption.

Are you aware of an expectant mother who is considering an adoption plan for her child? If such an opportunity presents itself, we hope you will remember our family! We invite you to share our blog with anyone you feel may have a connection to any type of adoption situation.

We are grateful for any help you can offer us in our search for another adoption miracle!

The ABC's of Our Family

{A Work in Progress}

A - We are ADOPTION ADVOCATES!

B - We love T-Man's BIRTH MOTHER and family!

C - We love our CHILD and are excited to grow our family tree through adoption again!

D - We're a DOG family - we are currently taking care of Eric's mom's dog Gidget.

E - T-Man has the bluest EYES.

F - April 21st, 2007 - We are sealed as a "FOREVER FAMILY".

G - GRANDPARENTS are GREAT! -- "GRANDPA Glenn" takes me to the beach, GRANDMA Betty reads to me. GRANDMA Suzanne does puzzles with me. GRANDMA Cyndi and GRANDPA Tom make great toys for me with their own hands.

H - "Mommy, you make a HAPPY face?" T-Man makes sure we're all happy.

I - We live in ILLINOIS within driving distance of Chicago; FUN, FUN, FUN!

J - T-Man is a huge fan of "JUNGLING BALLS" or also known as "Kix" cereal.

K - K-I-S-S. This is currently his favorite word to spell at the moment. (As well as H-U-G and N-E-N-E-Y (??)

L - LITTLE EINSTEINS: T-Man's favorite TV show.

M - MAC & CHEESE - A staple food around our house!

N - NAP time. What is nap time?

O - We believe in as much OPENNESS in adoption as all involved are comfortable with.

P - THE LETTER P & winnie the POOH.  The first letter T-Man learned to write was "P" from a Winnie the Pooh ABC video;  "First, go down (straight line) and then around (the loop).  T-Man also got the nickname of "Opposites Boy" from a Winnie the Pooh video on opposites.  He loves to say the opposite, for example:  Daddy - "Calm down" T-Man:  "no, calm up!"

Q - QUATREFOIL - is a representation of a flower with four petals, or a leaf with four leaflets (such as a four-leaf clover). T-Man learned this shape from one of his puzzles at the age of 2!


R - At the age of 2.75, Tyler learned to locate RHODE ISLAND on map. He is now able to locate at least 25+ states.

S - Our favorite vacation spot is SUNDANCE, Utah. We went there for our honeymoon and will be going back for our 10th anniversary this year.

T - T-Man's name: Tyler. It was chosen as we were driving down for his birth! We had a different name chosen, but as we were driving, talking, being giddy with his impending birth, this name came to me. As a teacher for 12 years, there were many names that conjured up some interesting faces of previous students in my mind. Many potential names were excluded from this list for this reason :)

U - Daddy: "T-Man, you need to calm down." T-Man: "I need to calm-UP"

V - "V" - our favorite letter of the alphabet!! "V" is T-Man's birth mother and our hero!

W - We love to take walks in the WAGON around our street, bringing the dog with us.

X  - EXTRAORDINARILY blessed!  All we have to do is look around to see just how blessed we are; family, love, and a place to call home.

Y - We sool love our T-Man!  Because of this love that we have discovered, we are YEARNING for a second child to share our love with.

Z - ZOO favorite animal: The monkey. We first met our son's birth mother and family at The Rain Forest Cafe. When she chose us to raise her son, we gave her a stuffed animal of a monkey. T-Man also has one in his room -- it's their little connection together.

HOPE: Walking with Two Sisters

Walking with Two Sisters
By Larry Hiller

Faith walks before me,
Holding up her lamp
As I try not to stumble in the in-dark hours before the dawn.
Her light illuminates
One step and then another.
Beside me, Hope, arm linked with mine, encourages and steadies.
Sometimes in the tedium,
Distracted by the pain,
My mind begins to wander, then my feet. I hesitate.
Unsure, I look to Hope.
Her hand takes mine.
The touch reminds me of another hand held out to me,
One pierced and scarred
Yet oh so tender
Lifting me and blessing me when I had fallen and despaired.
remembering,
I move ahead
Buoyed up by Hope, who sees the end with perfect clarity.
Ensign, June 2009 p. 9

HOPE: The Misunderstood Sister

The Seven Year Pregnancy - Our Adoption Story

The Seven Year Pregnancy Called Adoption

A True “Labor” of Love

From the moment we decided we wanted to create our family through adoption to the day we delicately placed our son in the car seat for the three hour trip home from the hospital spanned seven years. What we learned through this life experience: Perseverance, diligence, letting go of old dreams and creating new dreams, patience, living through heartache, changing direction on life’s path, trusting in the Lord and His time table, unconditional love, and immeasurable love for a birth mother and her family.

Our adoption experience is a living testimony to us that miracles do still happen on the earth today and that we do choose our families before we are born. Some children join families in a direct way, others in an indirect way through the miracle we call adoption. Either way, we end up in the family we were destined to be a part of. There is no doubt in our minds that the little boy that is our son was meant to be a part of our family.

Our open adoption experience is also a living testimony that angels do walk the earth. Our son’s birthmother, although young, was very wise beyond her years. She is our angel, our hero, and the young lady who crowned us with the title of mother and father; something we had been longing for since the day we were married. In late May of 2006 we received "The Call" from LDS Family Services that a birthmother actually showed interest in our profile! It had been three years since our paperwork had been completed. A few weeks later we met face-to-face with our son’s birthmother and her family, whom we now call “our family”, for the first time. We felt very comfortable with them and enjoyed a three hour dinner together getting to know one another.

A week later, on a typical Saturday evening in late June, we received a non-typical email with the most beautiful ultrasound picture. The email read:

“Dear Mom and Dad,

Can’t wait to meet you.

Your new baby"

One look at that picture and we were smitten. We were chosen to be this little boy’s parents! The little baby in the ultrasound shared a similar profile as my husband and so we knew our son had found his way home! In future emails from the birth mother, I was offered the sacred opportunity to be in the delivery room to witness his miraculous birth, which I accepted without hesitation. Moments after his delivery, her concern was for me, “Has Christy held him yet? I want her to be the first one to hold him.” and not about herself and her recovery. Although young, she was wise beyond her years. She also gave us the opportunity to give him the only name he would ever be given. "He is your son, this privilege is yours."

To some couples experiencing the adoption process, the 72 hour waiting period our state requires before the birth mother can relinquish her rights can be pure torture. Will she change her mind? Is this truly going to happen? For us, it was peace. We spent some of that time in the hospital, holding our son, caring for his needs, and visiting with the birth family that we felt so comfortable with. We felt like we were catching up with extended family, not sitting with strangers we had known for less than ninety days. When the time came for her to be discharged from the hospital, many tears were shed; tears of joy, tears of pain, tears of separation, and tears of hope. Everyone knew that the right decisions had been made, as difficult as they were. We wanted her to know that this was not a forever “good-bye”, but a “see you later” we’ll be in touch often.

About one month after we had been home with our son, I was enjoying a “back roads” drive to admire the fall foliage in our area. I could not believe the vibrant colors and how blue the sky looked against those autumn colors. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I realized that for the last few years my life had felt like it had been lived in black and white. Without a child in my arms, it felt as if my life had no color. Those years of waiting to love a baby of my own held some of the darkest moments I had ever lived through.

The glorious six month mark quickly came upon us and we were able to finalize Tyler's adoption and walk through the Chicago temple doors together as a "family" as made legal by the courts and walk out a "forever family" being sealed together through the sacred ordinances of the temple in the Lord's house. Almost three years later and I still cannot hear nor sing the children's Primary song, "I Love to See the Temple" without tears welling in my eyes.

Another month passed as I anxiously awaited my first “official” Mother's Day. My poor husband thought he was free from tears on Mother's Day now that we had adopted our son, but this time there were tears of joy, love and gratitude. There were even tears of sorrow as I thought about the pain our dear birthmother and birthmothers everywhere were experiencing. It was on this day also, that I realized the errors of my thinking while we were dealing with our seven years of “waiting” for our adoption miracle. Everything felt so black and white because all I could think of was what we couldn't create; a biological child of our own. Instead, I should have been looking ahead at the blessings that would be in store for us when we would be chosen by a birthmother to parent her child. We were not cursed with infertility; we were blessed to have been chosen by a loving Heavenly Father to become parents through adoption! The two of us were a couple that our Heavenly Father knew would have strength enough to survive the challenges of the adoption process - Adoption is not for the faint of heart! We were a couple that would have the capability to raise a child placed in our arms by another woman. Not only would we have the opportunity to raise a child, but we would get to meet, know, and completely love the true angel in the birthmother that would entrust us with the sacred duty of raising her child. How special it is to be living among angels.

As we ride the roller coaster of the adoption process again and as our “wait” seems to move forward at a turtle’s pace, we find peace in knowing that the Lord is again designing our specific family. He knows each of us individually, our needs, and He has not left us alone nor will He. Creating families is a delicate process that takes time, thought, and “waiting”. It is all done in love. Adoption is truly all about love.

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” ~Jeremiah 29:11

For the Love of Birthparents . . .

"A Birthmother puts the needs of her child above the wants of her heart." ~Skye Hardwick, founder of "Lifemothers"

Birthmothers4adoption Blog

iChooseAdoption.org

Adoption Video - Tamra's Story



Each Life

Birthmother Baskets

BIRTHMOTHER
B is for the bravery of putting your child first
I is for the interest you have in your child
R is for remaining true to what you believed is best
T is for the tears you shedH is for the hours you spend pondering adoption
M is for the months you were pregnant
O is for the overwhelming and mixed emotions
T is for the terrific woman you are
H is for the honor you deserve
E is for the experience of labor
R is for the reward of choosing life
by Leslie Gallimore of Charlotte Pregnancy Center (as published in the July 2004 BirthMom Buds Bulletin)

Gianna Jessen pt. 1
Gianna Jessen pt. 2

Celebrating Birth Mothers

Adoption is a Miracle

Adoption is beautiful
Adoption is worth every minute of waiting
Adoption gave me the title of "Mom"
Adoption is HARD!
Adoption gave me hope
Adoption gives me hope
Adoption is not for the faint of heart
Adoption can tear apart your heart one day
and then fill it so full it feels as though it will burst the next
Adoption hurts
Adoption creates families
Adoption gave me my family
Adoption brings me inexplicable joy
Adoption is a miracle!

Our Family Mission Statement

"For behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and I work not among the children of men save it be according to their faith. " ~2 Nephi 27:23 ~

EXPECT MIRACLES!

Our family believes miracles have, can and will happen for us!

Hope, faith, prayer, and love will make miracles happen if our lives are centered around our Savior, His teachings, and following His example.

The family is most important. It should always be remembered that we are each a Child of God. Believing such, everyone should be treated with love, respect, kindness, courtesy, dignity and consideration.

Education is critical. Be Smart! Possessions can be lost, stolen and taken from you; your education, memories, and experiences cannot. We believe in taking every opportunity to learn about the world around us and in helping others to do the same. Life is full of teaching moments and we promise as parents to help our children to take full advantage of every opportunity afforded them.

We are each responsible for our actions and should be people of high moral character and integrity. We know that our actions have consequences that affect our family; not just ourselves. We should treat each other, ourselves, and our possessions with the utmost respect and value.

Attitude is everything. Eleanor Roosevelt said, "Circumstances may color my life, but I get to choose the color." Life is meant to be lived, loved and enjoyed, not just endured. Smiles, humor, hope, and happiness are required!

EXPECT MIRACLES!

"Thou art the God that doest wonders" ~Psalms 77:14~

Dear Expectant Parent(s)

Dear Expectant Parent(s),

It is with such gratitude, love, and admiration for you and what you are doing that we write this letter. Our journey to adoption has been a process of much thought, daily prayers, and at times overwhelming emotions. We hope this heartfelt letter will lead you in the right direction in your search for adoptive parents. Words alone cannot describe how grateful we are for the decision that you are making to choose life and consider adoption for your child.

We have come to understand that adoption is an incredible way to build a family. We do not feel that we are "cursed with infertility", but rather "blessed through adoption". Our long-awaited dream of becoming parents was fulfilled in 2006 when Tyler joined our family thanks to an amazing and heroic birth mother. We have come to love his birth family as our own extended family and have a very open relationship with them. This includes emails, photos, visits, and phone calls on a fairly regular basis. We are very willing and open to whatever contact and communication you would desire for you and your child. We have an abundance of love to offer to another child and to the loving birth parents that choose us to parent their child. You can be certain that your baby will always know what a wonderful and loving person you are and that your decision for adoption was a pure act of self-less love.

BOY MEETS GIRL BECAUSE OF GIRL'S FATHER

We began our relationship as friends and have maintained that special bond. We were introduced to each other by Christy’s father. Following that meeting, we spent a lot of time getting to know each other before committing to marriage. We have built a relationship on mutual respect, commitment, communication, and love. We were married in the Chicago Latter Day Saint Temple on a beautiful fall day in September of 1999 and went to Sundance, Utah for our honeymoon. While there we courageously took our first-ever hot air balloon ride and were enthralled by the beauty and serenity of the mountains, nature, and the great outdoors.

Family is most important to us, so we always try to place family first. We enjoy spending time with our extended family and all of our nieces and nephews. We feel blessed that both of our extended families live in close proximity to us. Family dinners are a favorite activity where we gather on a regular basis to catch up and enjoy one another’s company. They, too, are anticipating new additions to our growing family tree.

MEET OUR FAMILY

Eric is a kind, gentle, hard-working provider for our family. He is the CEO of his own corporation. He enjoys working with computers as his hobby, as well as working on home improvement projects. Following high school, Eric spent three years serving in the United States Navy, after which he attended the University of Illinois and studied computer science engineering. He is the youngest of three in his family, which includes a married brother and sister, as well as four nephews and a niece.

Christy is a soft-spoken, sensitive person who loves children and enjoys working with them. She is a graduate of Brigham Young University and is a former high school home economics/Family and Consumer Science teacher. Her schedule included teaching foods, child development, and running a preschool program. She now enjoys her new job title of "Stay-at-Home Mom" but she rarely stays at home! She and Tyler love to take walks, go to the parks in our neighborhood, attend classes at the library for Tyler, and shopping. She is very creative and enjoys using that talent when she is planning activities and play groups for Tyler, crafting, sewing, cooking, and teaching. Christy has two married brothers and loves entertaining their four children.

Tyler keeps both of us very active and on our toes. He is such a happy little boy with the bluest eyes and the biggest smile that will just make your insides all warm! He loves trains, trucks, and puzzles. He enjoys reading, and reading, and re-reading books especially books about trucks. He loves to listen for the "garbage can truck" and it is a big treat to run out and watch the truck in action! He knows all of his letters and the sounds they make. He loves to count and he amazes us with how quickly he learns. He has melted our hearts and has made us into big softies! The three of us are excited to add another bundle of joy and happiness to our home and we are confident that Tyler will be a wonder big brother. Family "Group Hugs and kisses" before bed and prayers each night are our favorite time of the day.

A LITTLE MORE ABOUT US

As a couple, we enjoy spending time reading, taking walks, watching movies, dining out, and just plain being together. We are truly best friends and we want to be positive examples and role models to Tyler and any future children. We believe that we have much to give as a couple. We have learned, even further, the importance of communication as we parent Tyler together. Tyler has taught us so much and has brought us even closer together as a couple and as a family. We are so excited to continue to grow our eternal family.

Involvement in church activities keeps us busy. Our home is located only fifteen minutes from our local church building. Our religious beliefs and it's teachings are extremely important to us and it is the foundation on which we have centered our lives, our marriage, and our parenting style.

HOME IS WHERE YOUR STORY BEGINS

We are very fortunate to have a beautiful home in the suburbs of Chicago. We live in a very child-friendly neighborhood with homes that are filled with children. There is an elementary school, three playgrounds, and a pond within walking distance from our home. We are within driving distance of Chicago, giving us easy access to all of its educational and entertainment opportunities. We have a beautiful three bedroom home, which includes a family room with a fireplace and a finished basement. The backyard is a large, fenced-in area which includes a deck that we love to use for cookouts with friends and family. It is a perfect area for children to play in. It is our belief that the home should be a place of joy, safety, and refuge from the busy world that we live in and we strive to fill ours with peace, love, and warmth.

CONSIDER US TO PARENT YOUR BEAUTIFUL CHILD

Love, education, more love, and happy memories are the gifts we want to give to our children. We have learned that love is not dictated by biology. We feel very strongly that every child should be part of a loving family with caring parents; whether or not they are biologically their own. As parents, we want to teach our children values, correct principles, trust and unconditional love.

One portion of our family mission statement reads, "Attitude is everything. Eleanor Roosevelt said, 'Circumstances may color my life, but I get to choose the color.' Life is meant to be lived, loved and enjoyed, not just endured. Smiles, humor, hope, and happiness are required!" It is our intent to make sure that our family is cared for in every way possible. Thank you for considering us for the precious gift and responsibility of parenting your child.

With Love,

Eric and Christy

“You will find as you look back upon your life that the moments when you have truly lived are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love.”
~Henry Drummond~