Ingredients! *It's OFFICIAL*

Last night... we received the phone call... We have OFFICIALLY been matched... woohoo... Joe and I honestly couldn't be any happier with our match!  Feeling pretty blessed...

I have had a few friends as me about how the girls feel about this... or if they even understand it... well... I seem to think they do, in a sense.

I saw a blogger friend explained it to her kids in a baking sense (like an apple pie...)  I, however, likened it to baking cookies.

We sat down and I explained to the very intrigued six year old and seven year old inquisitive minds.  It's like baking cookies.  Before you get to enjoy the cookies you have to make them first.  You first preheat the oven. In EVERY cookbook that's the very first step!

 Then..you go to all the hard work of getting together all the ingredients.  Things like the eggs, oil, water, flour, chocolate chips, etc.  You get out the mixer or grab a spoon and start mixing the ingredients together...all of this you do in hopes and expectations of getting to enjoy the outcome of some wonderful, warm, gooey cookies.




You get them all prepared on a baking sheet, just far enough apart from each other.... all about the same size... and you pop them into the oven, and then you set the timer and wait.  As kids, of course, they turn on the light to check the progress... but nothing is happening... in fact something isn't right, the oven isn't hot at all, which is odd... it's supposed to get hot right??  You check and make sure you turned the oven on.... Yes, I swear I did... chimes someone.  Ok, you push preheat again... only this time... you realize it's not working.  It may be obvious... electricity is out?  It may not be obvious... the stove top works but not the oven???  Whatever the case may be... the oven is not working.  Here you sit... with your cookies WAITING to be baked and enjoyed... what do you do?  Do you drive to a friends house, call a repair man, knock on the neighbor's door???  Or do you just give up....

It's the best way to explain it to the girls.  I have an oven that has worked for four wonderful girls already... We have met an amazing couple who have the ingredients... together we can make some cookies.  Now the cookies aren't ours.. they get that... (in fact they are pretty relieved... neither of them want another Ollie or Charley monster any time soon...)  I even think they might be excited as well.  Emery overheard me tell Joe the good news about becoming officially matched and I said "I'm so excited..." and she wanted to know why.. and I said we were matched with a couple to have a baby for, and they liked us and so we have decided to do it.  She grinned and got excited to and said she told her friends at school (oh if I were a fly on the wall for that one...)  Anyway.... kids are kids... they ask questions... but they ask the questions adults think of but don't have the guts to ask ;)  So.  This visual was great for them... can't wait to bake some cookies for M & M.

First "Date"...

Well..........

We went to church this morning and after church hit the road for Chicago... first of all I wasn't too nervous.... I was very at ease.  Church was great this morning- the message from Christine Caine was RIGHT on... i was able to focus and pray to God for confirmation... for direction... and discernment... in this matchmaking process...  on the way to Chicago I got to worship our amazing God with some music and pray.... and I kept praying for confirmation... that is is more than me, that is by divine appointment...

Anyway, we got there pretty early and hit up a Starbucks....

Got myself a new tumbler cup.... ;)  Yay me and a wonderful Caramel Apple Cider... delicious oh how I miss those...

Anyway... we got there and once we pulled in the parking lot I was a little nervous...

Joe and I kind of talked about what we hoped WOULDN'T happen... or who we hoped WOULDN'T be waiting for us... but we didn't really talk about who we wanted... I think we didn't want to get our hopes up or raised expectations???

Anyway, I want to respect privacy... needless to say, M & M were everything and so much more of what we could have hoped for.

They are such a loving couple (you could see how they loved each other), they wore their hearts on their sleeves... and I could feel the longing and emotions of their journey.  I wanted to hug her... When they shared of their years of struggles and the medical issues that ultimately brought them to meeting us..I wanted to get up and hug her but didn't want to seem insanely forward.  I believe we connected and share the same expectations and desires... There was laughter and tears... When we discuss what we both would prefer to see happen if problems arise...etc... our confirmation came.... the words ... we would pray... were all we needed to hear... we ended our hour long date (I feel like it was a date... these people are dating my uterus ;)) and Joe and I left feeling 150% committed to this.  We both were very excited about helping this couple and connecting with them.

AND... for those who know me best... you know my humor is one of my (strengths or weaknesses depending on the situation!) ... I ended the "date" with a crucial loaded question.... I asked them if they were Cubs or Cardinals fans..... and got even more confirmation when we heard Cubs!   :)  haha....

Joe and I left... truly feeling blessed, and knowing God confirmed this with us.  Thank you all for the prayers..... With the remainder of this week being National Infertility Awareness will you pray with me this week for those couple, including M & M, who feel the heartache and desire for children but are unable to conceive or carry...  Thanks all.... :)

Personal Cause... Awareness Week

National Infertility Awareness Week!

Infertility Awareness

It is only fitting that by God's design we meet our Intended Parents on the first day of National Infertility Awareness Week.... It is April 22-April 28.  Wear orange to support the cause!

Most of us know what infertility is... or assume we know.  It is a disease of the reproductive system.  It's diagnosed after a couple has had one year of unprotected sex trying to conceive, multiple miscarriages in a woman under 35, or 6 mo. of trying to conceive after the age of 35.  30% of cases are from female infertility, 30% are from male infertility, 20%-30% are unknown origin, and 10% are from both partners being infertile.

1 in 8 couples of reproduction age suffers from infertility!

Infertility effects approximately 10% of the population.  That being said- I am NOT one of the 10% obviously.

But just because it doesn't effect me doesn't mean I'm not affected by it.  Did you catch that????

I feel this guilt when I hear of these loving deserving parents that LONG for a family of their own... when I didn't have to try for mine.  I feel for them... I have what they are missing.

Please check out this AMAZING blog post....  No foot too small

I can't wait to share more of our meeting but for now... be in prayer for those waiting, for those longing, for those whose hearts ache when they see a mother and her baby, for those who see a father pushing her daughter on a swing and want that.

But for now... Don't ignore...


Don't ignore the signs of infertility, the pain of those who are going through it, the longing of those who want a family, the people around you... 

Sunday is the big day!

Well... we officially meet M & M on Sunday!!... sans kids... (phew I don't want them to know how crazy I am... and four kids in tow makes me look a little looney ;))

So.... now that it's getting a bit closer I am starting to run through scenarios in my head... like what sort of questions they are going to ask... or if there is going to be an insanely awkward silence... I don't deal well with silences... I try to fill them with randomness!

Anyway... I am not worried, I don't really get worried... I am just full of curiosity. So counting down the days... I just really hope they like us and we like them!

Match Maker , Match Maker...

Well after much waiting... we received a phone call...


test results are in and we have been matched!

I don't know too much about them yet but we are making arrangements to meet in the next couple of weeks. How exciting! :) For right now I will call them M & M to protect their privacy. Looking forward to the meet and greet and praying for God's blessing on this match.