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Friday, May 29, 2015

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

The time has come to finally get back to this blog. I've been on maternity leave tending to this new babe, but back to work on Monday. Oh man. I had a little over 10 weeks off and I'm so grateful! I don't know how I could have gone back any sooner than this, and my body didn't even have to recover. Anyways that is a different rant for another post.  Today's post is something so special and cool that it needed to be shared a long time ago, unfortunately you all were counting on me to write it so you had to wait.

Let me start with a quick refresher; when Andy and I decided to start the adoption process we had a little money stored away, but nothing close to the amount that a typical domestic adoption runs in this country.  So, we started fundraising and one of the most successful (and fun) efforts we did was a map guessing game. For a donation of any amount you could choose where you thought baby Salonen was going to be born in the United States. 

My bff and her hubs decided to join in the fun.  They did what comes first in their life though and prayed about what to give and where to pick. I received a check in the mail with an index card with their guesses:
                           Loveland, Colorado - Arieanna

I called her and thanked her for her sweet donation and then jokingly let her in on a little secret.

Me: We aren't looking at any agencies in Colorado just so you know. Just a little insider tip if you want to change what city you think the baby will be coming from.
Arie: Well shoot! But I want to keep my guess, I really did pray about this and I just felt like God was leading me to pick Loveland. Plus, how cool would it be if you got a baby from LOVE-land.
Me: Alright, well the prize wasn't gonna be that great, but now you are going to lose because it's pretty impossible to get a baby from Colorado when we are applying to agencies in Florida & Texas. 

Fast forward a few months: in Loveland Colorado on March 10th, our sweet baby Abel is delivered into our arms. Man, how cool is that?

I love this story because it is such a powerful display of what it means to prayerfully give. To think about what you are giving to, who you are giving to, and how you are giving. My bff Arieanna does this well, and she shares what God lays on her heart. 

Because of her sweet faithfulness she wins the big bucks. Okay, no big bucks involved but what better way to say thank you & I love you then a fun photo shoot with my bff, her adorable baby, and my sweet kid born in Loveland?! Enjoy these totes adorable photos of that day courtesy of Captivated Photography!




Avery gave Abel Kisses the whole time and every time my heart melted. 


Look Ma I can fly!
 The big bellied Abel 
 The sweet Avery Jane
 Beautiful BFF & Plank Baby




                           BFF's and future hubsand and wife. #getemyoungaveryjane







Monday, March 30, 2015

Adventure Awaits

If you haven't heard, or seen let me excitedly share, we have a son! I wanted to get this post out because so many of you have given and prayed and journeyed along with us and I want you to know how incredibly fruitful those prayers were, and continue to be. So here it is...

Andy and I met Abel's birth mom through our neighbor. Seriously. It was a gloomy weekend back in November, and Andy was outside cleaning the gutters when our next door neighbor leaned over the fence and asked how our adoption stuff was going. She then proceeded to tell Andy that she knew someone who was considering placing her baby and wanted to know if she could let this woman know about us. Of course we said "yes!" but honestly didn't think much about it. It seemed like a long shot, but was still encouraging to hear that someone would think we would make good parents for this baby. Well, come Tuesday my neighbor is knocking down our door, she boldly (and almost a little insanely) tracked this woman down at her workplace, and told her she knew the perfect parents for her baby.  Our neighbor asked her if she would be okay with us calling her. So here stands my neighbor with a name and phone number in hand; "The ball is in your court," she says. 

Andy and I sat there for a little while.  We looked at that number, we prayed, we laughed with how uncomfortable this conversation was going to be, and then we picked up the phone, at this point with nothing to lose.

Fast forward a few months: We've become super acquainted with the neighborhood Panera as that is where we meet with birth mom every couple of weeks. We've traded family stories, heard hopes for the future, talked about what adoption means and looks like, laughed and cried a little too. It was clear that God arranged us meeting, and we knew instantly that we were supposed to be part of her life and this story. Whether that was to be her baby's parents, or simply support along the way.  God didn't actually reveal this to us right away. 

Our birth mom told us she wanted to wait until the end of January to decide whether or not she would place the baby with us.  So we prayed; we learned about patience and were continually reminded that we are not in control. Still, we were abundantly blessed with peace and joy through our time getting to know this incredible woman. Late in January, we met up with our birth mom and across the table at Panera, she looked down at her tummy and then directly into our eyes and said, "I've made my decision, when I have this baby I want to give him to you guys, and I want you to be his parents." 

March 10, 2015, 7:46 am: "Hey guys I'm 8 cm. dilated!  Get your butts up to the hospital, and let's have this baby."  That's how Abel's birth mom sounded the morning he was born.  It's tough to describe someone's spirit, attitude and demeanor in a blog post, but our birth mom is 100 percent authentic.  She's real.  God allowed for a true relationship to be built between the three of us over the period of a few months. 

Anyways, we jumped in the car and arrived in her hospital room in a flash. When she was ready to push, she allowed me to stay to see the birth of our  son. He arrived quickly, so quick in fact Andy was in line in the cafeteria.  He thought this whole delivery thing would take more than 10 minutes. We spent the next 36 hours bonding with him and his birth family in the hospital. We heard so much about how we might feel, or how she would feel, but I never expected to have my heart explode every time she held him and loved on him. The trials that surfaced during this journey of adoption weren't necessarily relevant in these moments as God responded by breathing beauty and redemption through the entire situation.  It was, and is incredible.

I've never felt God quite so present as when we said our goodbyes. Abel in her arms, my arms wrapped around Abel and her, and Andy's arms hugging us all; we wept. I cried for her and what she was losing for our gain, I cried for our son and hoped he would always love and respect her and her decision, and I cried for Jesus because what was done on the cross. For our sake God looked away, and Jesus gave all so that we could know Him. Oh how real and true that was in this embrace; and this is just the beginning... 









I'll be posting later this week about how we chose his name & share the sweet story of who won our Map game! 








Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Thank You

Guest Writer: Andy

I don’t know about you, but when I was growing up, my parents asked me to write thank you notes to those who had given me something.  In early years, it was actually more of a chore.  “Get your thank you notes written before you go out and play,” my mom may have said.

Ryan (my brother) and I wrote thank you notes to friends, grandparents, our own parents, cousins, aunts and uncles for birthday gifts, Christmas money and toys, small things and big things.  We even wrote thank you’s to each other!  

My parents were (and still are) master thank you note and card writers.  In fact, many of you may have received some sort of small note from my dad, or mom.  The notes are thoughtful and personalized.  After reading the card, you know and understand how grateful they are for whatever you gave them, or did for them.

However, your parents and my parents weren't actually the first people to write a thank you note.  And no, it wasn't an exercise they developed to torture their kids.  The idea of a greeting card, although very different now, is over 700 years old.  In fact, the Chinese celebrated their New Year by exchanging various messages, and the early Egyptians utilized papyrus scrolls to communicate and acknowledge one another.  

Mimi and I aren't nearly as good at writing notes to people who have blessed us.  In reality, we forget, we lose track, or we fall behind.  We cheat, and use Facebook, or texting to thank people.  What I am saying is if you received a handwritten thank you note from us last year, you’re extra special.  

No, but on a serious note, 2015 begins with so many people to be thankful for.  In 2014, you read our story; the one about the desire to start a family, infertility, the gift and opportunity of adoption, fundraising and the step-by-step journey of bringing a child home. As this journey continues, we are overcome with thankfulness.

First, thank you for reading our story, for listening.  Second, thanks for responding; for asking questions, for praying, for giving money, for being present, for sharing the joy along with the struggles.  Although we are still in the midst of welcoming Baby Salonen into our home, we take a moment and use this blog (yep, we are cheating) to thank you.  Below are just a few of the hundred ways God continues to use those around us to make the hope of having a baby a reality.

Fellow Adoptive Families:  You know who you are.  Whether we find you at church, in adoption/parenting classes, far away, on Facebook, or through other friends, we are grateful for your wisdom, experiences, time and stories.  Thank you for your inspiration and faith in adoption, too.

Prayer Warriors: Those that not only pray daily for us and the baby, but that remind us they're praying, too.  Thanks for helping us remember we must rely on God 100 percent.  He’s in control.  He, more than anyone else knows when, how and who.

Money Makers:  If you go back and read Mimi’s blog post from a few months ago, you’ll see the breakdown of what adoption costs.  Nope, we aren't buying a baby.  But, we are paying for the process.

This part is humbling for me.  Not only am I not good at asking for help, but I continue to learn how to receive that help when it's given.  Furthermore, how does a blog post, a Facebook message, or yes, even a thank you note do justice for what people have sacrificed and given over the past year?  How do we thank…

  • The family members who decided not to exchange Christmas gifts this year, but instead give us all the money they would have spent on each other?
  • The family business that donated a significant amount of money on behalf of both the business and the family, too?
  • The friends we haven’t seen, or talked to since high school, but sent money?
  • The friends and family of friends and family (who we don’t even know!)?
  • Over a hundred people for participating in our map guessing game fundraiser?
  • The friends who planned and hosted a poker tournament and invited their own friends to help out? And the family and friends who participated?
  • Our parents who have already done so much, but wanted to substantially help?
  • The friends who sent out emails, Facebook messages and letters to their own families encouraging them to support us?
  • The widow of a close friend who not only wrote a personal check, but gave directly from our friend’s memorial fund?
  • The couple who hadn't quite found a church to settle down in yet, and gave us their tithing money?
  • Those who have their own adoption expenses?
  • The friends that both own local, small businesses, but still gave?
  • The friend who donated a percentage of her own earnings from items she was selling to us?


Can you believe all this?  We could go on for a few more pages with stories of family members and friends who gave and helped, but I think this sums it up.  It’s not about how much people gave, it’s about the willingness of their hearts to help and respond.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  

As a result of your efforts, we are beyond excited to say we have met (no, exceeded) our fundraising goal.  At this point, we have raised nearly $37,000!  Our goal was $35,000.  To look back seven months ago and think we would be so blessed by the giving of others is crazy.  God uses friends (old and new), family (close and distant), acquaintances, co workers and more to provide.  We give Him the glory for this.

The Pros: Mimi and I would be completely lost without Susan, our adoption consultant at Christian Adoption Consultants as well as the team at Nightlight Christian Adoptions (specifically, Samantha and Kim).  Thanks for your advice, prayer, encouragement, knowledge, professionalism, care and instant replies to our emails and phone calls.

The Acknowledgers, Listeners and Encouragers:  This isn't necessarily an easy, happy, exciting journey 100 percent of the time.  There’s disappointment, waiting, ups, downs (as with anything). Thank you for acknowledging that Mimi and I are going to be parents, for engaging us, asking questions and listening as if we had a due date.

At this point, it's not a matter of if we are going to be parents, it's when. That's exciting! Thank you for journeying with us in our excitement.

Well, if we have properly updated our “thank you” spreadsheet, you will eventually get a thank you in mail.  The words typed in this blog post and the words written in those thank you notes don’t quite express just how grateful we are for you.  

Oh, and this isn't just a super long thank you note, it's proof of God's provision, His care, His love and the way in which He uses people like you to bless others (in this case, it's us and Baby Salonen). 

Thank you for your ongoing love, friendship, prayer and support.

May God bless you in this New Year,
Andy & Mimi