WOW what a difference

Tonight there is another story I want to share from another birth mother. Lets just say she is way stronger than me. I had met her right before she placed her. She had told me she was adopted herself and now that she was placing her adoptive parents didn't want her to place her little boy. I was so mad!! The way she talked about not only her birth parents but the people in her church made me mad. They never once asked her opinion. They would either say "why are you giving away your child", or "why don't you give your baby to me". I mean seriously if people had said these things to me I probably would have kept her. I would have been selfish. But I had one difference then she did. I had very wise Bishop Wassom ask me this question "Are you doing what is right for your family?" The family includes the Birth Mother, child, and if he is still in the picture Birth Father. I knew from the beginning that adoption was right for me, but for some it is not. This birth mother needed the support of all those around her but instead she had no one but the adoptive couple. I am happy to she placed the little boy with a wonderful couple who have been waiting a long long time for this child. On the other hand she has lost all faith in the LDS church . Because she was treated so poorly by her relief society sisters and those in leadership positions she has fallen away. So I ask you this question "are you doing what is right for your family?" are you judging others of their actions? I choose not to judge but to Love! We may not agree but we are not sent here to judge but to love and serve. 

I challenge you to LOVE!!! and not to JUDGE. 

Keep moving forward

So I was at work Friday and they were interviewing a new Dentist for a second location. Some how we got on the subject of children. So the interviewee asked if I had children.... How do I answer this? So i flat out said "NO". Dr. Hill just looked at me because he knows my story, said nothing at all just gave me a look as in okay I'll go with this. Later that day I was talking to another assistant and we were talking about our scrubs, she said she liked mine and I jokingly said "oh these are my maternity ones, all my other ones are dirty". She laughed and said "oh well, their cute." But what I didn't know was that the interviewee Dentist was standing just a few feet away. He said "I thought you didn't have any children". So in my attempt to avoid talking about a sometimes awkward subject I shared my story with him. All he said was "okay now I understand why you said no." There was no judgment or questions. This was the first time in a while that I didn't have follow-up questions about my situation. 

That was Friday. Saturday Heather, Mom and I walked a 5K. YAY US!!! We walked not ran. It is a jump start to our weight loss journey that begins tomorrow Monday 4-2-2012. I am so excited!! I feel like I will be shedding my wonderful baby weight and beginning a new me. I will continue sharing my story of weight loss with y'all.

Sweet Cassidy at 4.5 months old

Make a stand

So on my last post I said that I was going to write my local and state leaders. Well I did!!! I will write and let my voice be known. Now I ask you to write and let your voice be known to you local and state congressmen. I plan on writing until someone hears my voice. That is it for this week its been a slow week.

Have a good week.

23yrs later

Today I turned 23! I seriously can't believe it. I spent the first 9 months attached to my twin sister inside my mom. Then next 18yrs we had many adventures, time truly flies by. I love my sister and couldn't imagine growing up with out her. She is my best friend and I love her with all my heart. But this is not what I would like to post about tonight.

Susie left, Sarah right

But this is not what I would like to post about tonight.Tonight I would like to talk about my frustration with with world today. As a lot of you may know I have recently decided to go back to school. Yes this is a fantastic choice, I need something more in my life. So how to pay for school??? This semester I paid with my credit card... bad idea I know but that't what I did. But this next semester I will soon run out of money. So I asked the school what to do as if I didn't know...They told me I needed to fill out FAFSA online. I already did this last semester. So then I told her my parents(dad) makes to much money to receive any government funding. Banks don't even give out student loans anymore. It's all done through the government. So I have to re file with the FAFSA next semester. Then I got online to check out what scholarships I could get being a birth mother and all. Well NONE!!! There is only one that I found that only gives $500 once a year. Or you had to place with a specific company. Super frustrating. But had you kept your child and been a single mother and denied another women of being a mother you could get thousands of money for school/groceries/living expenses. Society tells us it is okay to be single women with children, that it is okay for children to be raised in a one parent home. They say this is normal. I have met many of women who have children just for the government benefits. But what about those who chose another hard road. Those who gave their children to a deserving couple. They receive a peace of heart knowing their child is being raised in a 2 parent home full of love and compassion. But no support from the government. No one there understands what it is like. If they knew there would be some form of acknowledgement to those women who did the hardest thing they needed to do for their children. Give them a loving home. So my next step in this process it to let my local and state Representative know how this makes me feel. I was not a drug addict or criminal. I simply made a bad choice and made the best decision for me. And I know many other women/girls who feel the same way. So today I am frustrated, today I am sad, but today I will begin making a difference for those who made the right decision and blessed another family and her own. Today is my DAY! 

I'm Here!!!

What does this mean "I'm here"? Well earlier I was talking to a professor, she's my College success. Earlier in the semester she asked us to write down some goals we had. So one of my goals was to go and see my birth daughter this year. I didn't know when but all I knew was that that is what I want to do this year. So as I was talking to her she asked if this goal was going to be obtainable? I said yes but all the kinks weren't worked out just yet. Then she proceeded to ask "How do you do it?" 

My answer was this. "Have you ever gotten something that you like and would keep but there was someone else that wanted it so bad and would just about do anything for it. Would you give that to them? Well I was lucky to be blessed with the ability to have children and some women are not this lucky. So what could I do with this blessing but share it with those who can not have children."

Her reaction was one that I was used to. It was a question that I have heard so many times, "Isn't it hard to know that someone else is raising your child?" My answer was this, "Yes, yes it is hard to see her all dressed up with beautiful bows and dresses. To know that they get to feed her and take to exciting places, but I know that I wouldn't have been able to do those things with her being a single mother. And she needs both a mother and a father who will love her and take care of her as I would have. She deserves better than what I could provide her." 

My professor was so impressed at my decision and the way I looked at things and all I said was "I'm here!!! It took months to get here, but I'm here!!!"  

Now my quote for this week comes from Shakespeare 

"Whate'er thou art, act well thy part"

Emotions to the MAX!!!

These last couple of weeks have been full of so many emotions. Happy, sad, lonely, angry, frustrated and  excited. Lets start with two years ago. 

2 years ago this month my ex-fiance and I were supposed to get married but instead he broke off the engagement. He was my first LOVE. My true Love. When we ended things I thought I could never move on, my life had ended. We had a wonderful time together but I soon realized that life goes on whether or not the one you love is there on somewhere else.

This is Dillon and I at Disneyland the day we got engaged.

Now then this time last year I found out I was Pregnant with my darling Baby girl Cassidy. The initial shock took about 3 or 4 months to finally realize that I was pregnant. 

Here's my first picture of Cassidy. The people I worked with called her my little fruit snack because all I could to eat were fruit snacks.

This year Cassidy's adoption was finalized and she was sealed and blessed this week. 

This is right after the Finalization. 

This was taken right after they were sealed and right before she was blessed. 

So like I said a roller coaster of emotions this month. I really hope that next month will be better. All I can say is "My soul delighteth in the truthfulness of the gospel". 

Is it really February!!!

I can't believe how time has just flown by. My math professor said Tuesday that spring break is in 4 weeks. I can't believe it. School doesn't seem so hard this time around. Maybe I'm just ready for it now. I need this change and I'm ready for the next step in my life. Well besides school I've been working, some weeks I work more than others but none the less they are still fantastic. 

What else has been going on. Well I got a Christmas gift that keeps giving all year long check out www.fillaseat.com  Seriously Mom and I went to a Texas Tornado game, then two weeks later Dad and I went. Heather and I went to the Mesquite Championship Rodeo, then Mom Dad and I went to Championship Bull riding. The seats were pretty awesome and we had a ton of fun. Here's a few pics. 

Texas Tornado Hockey Game

Championship Bull Riding

Well as we all now Valentines was this week and as some of you know I REALLY don't like the day of  "love". It really makes me sick that people only designate one day to love. I really think that we need to express how much we love someone especially those close to us everyday. So how did I spend my Valentines day. Mom and I went to the movies and Grandpa sent me flowers. But honestly deep down I wish every Valentines day that my Prince Charming would ride up on a white horse and wisp me away to a Magic Kingdom of no cooking and no cleaning. But until that day comes I will continue to dream a wonderful dream. 

Well Cassidy is now 3.5 months old. Oh my how the time has flown by. I honestly can't believe so much has changed. She has changed, she is just over 14lbs and I love getting pictures. Every time I see one I know I made the write decision and I did it all for her. Here one that brightened my day. 

This is the outfit I got her for Christmas, chances or she's already grown out of it.

My Quote for the week "If there ever comes a day when we can't be together, keep me in your heart, I'll stay there forever." -Winnie the Pooh