Our first glimpse of Lia
Sisters made in Heaven
Our sweet little Lia
What was I doing at this time last year? We were getting ready for Halloween, Hannah was an energetic 2 year old and we were in the process of trying to adopt a baby. We were chosen by a wonderful young girl in South Carolina who was giving birth to a baby girl that winter. We were communicating with her on a daily basis and everything looked great. We were excited and felt a real connection with her. As Halloween approached we had fun with neighbors and friends (who we miss) and were just doing all that we could to make sure that we were ready for this next baby. It is amazing how everything can change so fast....
I don't remember feeling any different on October 25th. Sometimes I wish I would have. I wish I would have been more in tune with the special event that would change our lives forever, the birth of Lia. But, it was just a regular day for me. We had a little neighborhood Halloween party and I think I cleaned the house. I was still really excited about the idea that we already had a baby that we were pretty sure was going to be ours...until the following week. We hadn't heard from this other birth-mother for a couple of days and this worried us a little. We were not pushy and let her control the conversation, so we just had to wait. This is harder than it may seem. I remember opening my email everyday hoping for something and then the following week, Sunday, I saw her name in my inbox. I was relieved and concerned all at the same time. Then I started to read. She informed us that the birth-father of this baby was in no way going to allow her to place the baby up for adoption. And he has every right to stop it. So in so many words, she told us that this adoption was not going to happen and she was going to keep the baby, so the father wouldn't get custody. My heart sank. Through our infertility experience I had had so many disappointments, so many black days. And this was no different. It was the loss of a child, the loss of the hope of growing our family. I began to grieve immediately. I didn't really know what to do with myself. I was completely overcome with this loss. The week was hard, we were taking care of a friend's baby, which kept me busy, but also made me feel the loss a little more...as all I wanted was a baby. I was doing my best to just get through each day and try to be happy for Hannah and our guest. But, for the most part I was just miserable.
As the week went by, I prayed. I prayed a lot. And then Thursday came. The phone rang. I remember hearing our counselor's voice. It sounded different. And I thought she was calling just to confirm the cancellation of the adoption we had been hoping for. But she wasn't, she immediately said: "There is a baby waiting for you in Michigan". It took me a second to fully understand what she was saying. A baby waiting for us?! She then began to explain that a baby girl had been born on the 25 of October and the birth mother had finally chosen a family...and we were that family. I don't even know if I can explain the range of emotions that went through me. I went from being hopeless and sad to elated and overwhelmed with joy! Could it be true? She told us to get out to Michigan as soon as we could, and that we did. We made all the arrangements and finally met our new baby girl on November 12th. She was then 2 weeks old. She was beautiful! And she was ours!
Now back to my title, how can we ever express our gratefulness to Lia's birth mother? This week will be a time of celebration for us, while Lia's birth mother will probably be grieving once again. She did not want to let her baby go, but knew that she could not provide the life that Lia deserves. Lia's birth mother thought of only her baby at that moment. She gave us a life that we could not provide ourselves. Thank you Rukia for the life of our little Lia. We are so in love with her and will do our best to help her be a happy, loving young woman. It may not be enough, but thank you. Thank you.
With love,
The Martins
Our first glimpse of Lia
Our sweet little Lia
I have never been awakened by the pain of a sore muscle, but the other night that is exactly what happened. My calves hurt so bad, I couldn't sleep. I guess I have to go back to the saying, "No pain, no gain." But in my case, I hope it is, "No pain, no loss (weight loss that is)".
So, for the last 2 weeks I, along with Amy Crowther, Kara Allen, and Arianne Taylor, have been doing an exercise program called the "Rage, Bootcamp". When I was in high school, I played basketball and softball. I also ran almost everyday while I was in college. However, when I got married, this all stopped and I have gained more weight than I would have liked to. I have tried to get back into shape, but it has been really hard. So, Amy told me about this new program that lasts 4 weeks, it is Monday through Friday, which I thought would be a little difficult, but I thought, let's do it. So we did it, or we are half way through it. Can I just say that I have never worked my body so much in my life! We have a trainer, who pushes us every night. He pushes until you can't do any more. They have changed the way we eat, and it has changed my life. I am losing weight (YAY!) and I have a better knowledge now of why I couldn't lose the weight before. It has given me the edge that I needed and now I can hopefully lose all the weight that I wanted to lose and then stay healthy. I have more energy and I am never hungry, I have eaten more fruits and veggies than I have in a long time and I know that my body is happy. It is great! Thanks Amy, for asking me to go with you!
