Ellie and Jayme

My friend Val had her baby Jayme exactly 10 weeks earlier than Ellie- We laid them next to each other a couple of days ago and could not resist taking the below picture- Just to give you a feeling for their sizes- Ellie wears preemie clothes and Jayme wears size 3 months :)

I'm Still Here!!

Hey Everyone!!
I am still here and itching to get back to regular blogging- I am hoping to have time to sit down and bust out a post tonight- that is if my 35 year old eyelids don't shut before I get a chance-

Ellie is doing AWESOME- she is absolutely adorable- we are hoping that she will break the 5 pound mark soon (she was born at 5lbs 3 oz but left the hospital at 4lb 12 oz- She is currently 4lbs 15 oz).  Eli and Ryan are adjusting great to having a little sis- Oklie is a bit stand-offish and kinda pouty but I'm sure will adjust to her little sis soon :)

Talk to you soon and I really really really miss blogging!

P.S. isn't she adorable

The Love Of A Mother

I wrote this post earlier this week but could not post it on my blog because an adoption Web Site picked the story up- the rules with their site is that they have the rights to publish your story first- To see it on their site HERE is the link- or just read below:

I just looked over my yesterday's Blog Post and knew in the depths of my soul that I wanted to share with you something really deep and profound that I have learned going through the process of adoption placement-
I have learned that the love of a mother, whether you parent or place, is a deep bond that does not discriminate.  It is there if you choose to parent your child and it is there if you choose to place your child with a forever family- I thought that the bond would be different- like women that choose to place can automatically turn off the 'bond' and feel nothing when placing their child- I firmly believe that if they tell you they feel nothing- that may be the case at the time- but deep down, maybe buried in a place in their soul that will not present itself for years and years, exists a 'forever' bond-  I believe the same is true for an adoptive child- I have no doubt that Ellie will wrestle with her placement- I know that whether she voices her wondering thoughts or not her biggest question for Heather (Ellie's birth mom) will be 'why'.....I believe Ellie will ask this question because the same God given bond that is in the birth mom is also in the birth child- Again, they may deny it, vent their thoughts of it in unhealthy ways, or face the delicate issue head on...
You might wonder where I am heading with this post- Why am I talking about something that I myself have never faced?  I've never placed a child and I have never been physically adopted (although I have experienced the trauma of a broken and divided family while growing up- which research shows brings about a lot of the same feelings that a child of adoption faces)- because I have to put a voice to what I witnessed last night (our birth mother signing the official documents for Matt and I to adopt Ellie)- The option to stay quiet is small in comparison to the option to share with the hundred or so people who will read this post- who will then share it, maybe even just in passing with their friends, and the cycle of awareness will start- I feel like I have to give our birth mother and birth mothers everywhere a voice- A voice from the other side- from the Adoptive mom's side:
I would encourage you the next time you hear someone say 'How in the world could a mother give away her child' to respond with 'because they love them'- True Love is not self seeking- It wants what is best for the other person........our birth mother, along with millions of other birth mothers, made the decision to look beyond themselves- they looked at their ever expanding belly- at the life growing inside of them- carrying their DNA- their features- and say to their unborn child...............I love you enough to acknowledge that I will always be your birth mom but I need help in raising you so you will have an adoptive mom......I love you enough to say no to my desire keep you all to myself, even though I know it would not be best for you-
I love you enough to say yes to adoption!

Ellie Marie and her Birth Mom Heather

Heather Marie

This blog post is dedicated to our birth mom- who at 11:10 p.m. tonight made probably one of the hardest decisions of her life- To sign papers to place Ellie Marie with us as her forever family- While our hearts are ecstatic at our newest addition (Whoop Whoop) we also stand with Heather in grief over the placement.
Heather- Matt and I admire your decision so very much- Thank you for Ellie- the below pictures are for you

 To God Be The Glory

Dear Ellie Marie,

Guess What Ellie...I got to spend an afternoon with you and your birth mom today-  Your birth mom and I met (in person) for the first time yesterday but only spent a few minutes together as we left the airport (where I picked her up) and drove her to where she is staying.  I was able to spend a couple hours with you guys this afternoon- enough time to learn that you are feeling quite big to your birth mom and that she can feel you stick your arms and feet out against her stomach- you are due in one month which makes you about 5-6 pounds and about 18 inches long (Ellie was born 2 days after I posted this blog post.  She weighed 5 lbs. 3 oz. and was 17 3/4 inches long).  I love knowing that you and your birth mom are staying just down the street from us and that you will be born in the same hospital that Eli and Ryan were born at- in fact, the same doctor that delivered Ryan will be delivering you.....See you soon sweetie!!

 36 weeks gestation

Adoption Update

It has been a busy week in Oregon- I just can not say enough how wonderful it is to be in my home town- The weather has been beautiful, I have had some great visits with both friends and family, and have watched the day's fly by bringing us closer to Ellie Marie's arrival....
Speaking of Ellie- Here is a quick update as to what has been going on.  I was given a very unique and amazing opportunity to spend the last weeks of our birth  mom's pregnancy with her- Our Birth mom bravely flew across country to meet me and possibly some of our family and to spend some time where Ellie will be growing up (Matt is in Hawaii until Ellie's birth)-  I can not even put into words what it is like seeing our Birth Mom- It truly is a beautiful experience and I thank God for this privilege. 
For the privacy of all involved in our adoption process, I can not go into any more detail than what I did above- but just wanted to let you all know what is going on-  Thank you so much for all of your prayers and will update my blog as I am able to.

P.S. 3 weeks.......!!!!!

Flying 3100 Miles With Oklie As My Carry-On!

I know I said I was gonna be on vacation and would probably not be blogging all that much.....But........I just had to blog a quick post and tell you that I traveled From Hawaii to the West Coast with Ryan and OKLIE!! She was my 'carry-on' today!
She has flown 2 times before- 1 of which was her flight to Hawaii when we moved- She went as Cargo (under the plane) so I did not get to see how she did flying- The second time she flew a 30 minute inner-island flight and did great-
Planning for Oklie to come with us was quite an ordeal- I had to order a special soft sided dog porter (I found it in a pearl pink color) I also had to take her to the vet to get a Health Certificate no longer than 10 days before she was going to fly (did that on June 1)- She had a special carry on fee ($175)- and was checked over pretty good this morning at the airport........
The airport law says that a dog must be in an airline approved pet carrier at all times- I learned that from the security guard as I was walking Oklie around the Airport-  I'm glad that same security guard was not with us on our stop in Honolulu cause he would have seen me walk her out onto a grassy park like area where people can wait to catch their flights and let her go to the bathroom.........hee!
It was kind of funny but a bit nerve wracking- As we were taking off on our first flight I took Oklie out of her carrier (there I go.......breaking the airport law again) and let her sit on my lap- as the plane was just lifting off she jumped up and howled- Ryan and I both looked at her at the same time and told her to BE QUIET!! She was an angel after that- It might have helped that I let her sit on my lap the ENTIRE flight.
All in all we had a great day flying with Oklie- As I am typing out this blog my girl is laying on the bed, right next to me, in our hotel room conked out- how cute :)

Oklie gearing up to do her Howl

Sitting on my lap

One of the best features of Oklie's bag is that it has wheels!

I couldn't resist snapping a pic of Oklie sleeping right now.

The Edamame Beans and Vacation

They really don't look like much- To tell you the truth, the first time I cooked them I had no clue how you were supposed to eat them- I steamed them..........and steamed them..........and steamed some more........wondering why in the world they never seemed to soften.  I finally gave up and put them on the table what I considered 'less than cooked'- I just added extra butter to compensate for the weird texture (Hey Holly...butta' makes it betta').  As we tried to eat the bean WHOLE we all agreed they were horrible-
I am headed on vacation and trying to use things up in my freezer- I never did get around to throwing out the Edamame beans that my family had dubbed horrible (again, because we tried to eat them whole) away.
In my last blog post I mentioned that our nephew Jess has been in town- For the first night he was here we decided to cook a Tri Tip- I was unsure what to serve with it and did not want to run back to the store to get a side dish- I ran out to the freezer to see if anything looked interesting- There were those Edamame beans!!
I figured they could take up space on the table and have the appearance of green beans- I put them in the micro and quickly heated them up......
Jess sat down at the table took one look at the beans and said....'those are good auntie- my family used to eat them all the time!'
We immediately had him show us how they could possibly be good- He picked one up, held it on it's side and  pinched the beans out of the outer shell............AAAHHH- the outside is only a shell- not meant to be eaten!
The box is almost gone cause they are delicious!
Wanted to mention that I will be on vacation for the next several weeks- I will post updates when I get a chance- If for some reason you do not hear from me for a bit- I WILL BE BACK posting after Ellie is born- I ask that you keep my family, Ellie's birth family, Ellie, and our Attorneys handling our adoption process in your prayers-

Looking forward to talking to you all soon!

Steph

Jess........

We've had the privilege of having our nephew Jess visit us for a couple of weeks- The below pictures are for  Jess's family- so that they can be a part of what he's been up to-

Thank You so much Wayne, Heidy, Lyd, and Kate for letting Jess come over- We are enjoying him so much!

The Plumeria is in bloom- It makes Beautiful Flower Lei's

I love you Jess

I love you Ryno

Ta Da!!

Jess and Josiah (one of Ryan's friends) Wrestling at Ryan's Birthday party 

:)

The Audience watching the wrestle

Jess and Isaiah

Jess saying 'Hi' To his dad, mom, and sisters

BBQ'in hot dogs at Ryan's Birthday Party

P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR RYAN CHASE- HE IS 12 TODAY!!

One Month Four Days

I added a little something fun at the top of this blog a week or so ago- An Internet company called Lily Pie offers 'Tickers' that you can down load on your blog for free- Tickers automatically count down on a daily basis whatever event you choose- Some of the Ticker Choices cracked me up........Breast Feeding?? Hang on, I'm going to go to their site and click on that choice- wonder what it will count down.........From the best I could understand I think it counts how many days you have breast fed- Ryan breast fed until he was 2 -can you imagine the counter on that Ticker- My friend Christy W. was my biggest fan- she thought it was gross  Great that Ryan Breast Fed for so long  :)
Our little Ellie Marie's Lily Pie Ticker reads 'One Month Four Day's'...........................................
Please know that my mommy's heart is so so so excited- Of course, with that excitement is also a very real and clear understanding that Adoption is a day by day journey- It has the potential to 'status' change at anytime-  Tonight I Thank God that I can write about our continued progress in our adoption process- That we are almost 6 weeks into our status of: 'CHOSEN BY A BIRTH MOM' and that we have about 5 weeks left until we meet Ellie......
We can hardly wait!

Going Through The Adoption Process With Black Whisker Hair in My Nose......

I looked in the mirror last night and something caught my attention-
I went in REAL close for a second look to make sure what I was seeing was WHAT I WAS SEEING!!
Dude...............I've got black whisker hair starting to grow in my nose
WHAT THE HECK???
Nuff Said :)
P.S. This post is lovingly dedicated to my friend Kristi S. from Oregon- I know she will find humor in this post and I miss hearing her laugh....................The below pictures are for you Kristi!
hee! hee! hee! hee! hee!