This is the third part of a series I am sharing called The Story of Our Girls. To read the first part click HERE and second part HERE.
After finding out I was pregnant with Everly we were excited but very cautious. I had had my first OB appointment and I just didn't feel confident. I worried I would have a miscarriage and it just freaked me out. I had only told my closest friends and family.
When I was about 8 weeks along I got news from one of my closest friends that she also was pregnant. I thought she might have been due around the same time as me but when I asked she revealed she was almost 7 months along. She then told me she was placing the baby for adoption. My stomach sank. The thought of the pain she would go through made me want to run to her and do whatever I could to help her through this.
I text Branden while he was at work and his response was "Want to adopt the baby?"
I figured he was joking so I text back "Haha you know me so well."
But then a little bit later I get another message from my friend saying "I don't want you to feel like you can't be excited about your pregnancy because of what I am going through." This is where I realize even more how fortunate I am to have the friends I do. With everything she was going through she wanted me to know she wanted me to still be happy.
From there our conversation turned into so much more. She made a comment not completely asking us to adopt her baby but when she said it I laughed and said "So funny, Branden sent me a text asking if I wanted to adopt the baby." Then she said "No, I am serious." In that moment I was a ball of emotions. I was happy, scared, excited, and of course sad. I didn't want my friend to have this loss. I didn't want her to go through something that would bring her so much pain. I didn't want to be the person to cause this by "taking" her baby.
She later told me she always felt I was supposed to be Ashlyn's mother. She had told our other friend, her best friend, that she wanted me to adopt the baby but didn't think we would because I was pregnant. For some reason this always amazes me when she tells me this.
She told me to really think about it and talk to Branden. She felt we were supposed to be this baby's parents and for her to have that kind of faith in us as parents meant the world to me.
When Branden and I got home I told him what she had said to me about adopting the baby. I could see the wheels turning in his head. He of course began to think about the logistics, cost, age of the babies and would we really be able to do this? It didn't take long, though, for us to decide we were going for it. We had always wanted to adopt. We envisioned our family with two biological children and two adopted. We just always thought we would have two now and then two later on.
We realized that this wasn't what we had planned but it what was meant to be for our family.
I want to say Thank You to Dr. Brown's for sending me these products to try and review. All opinions are my own. I was not paid for this post.
I had the honor of trying out Dr. Brown's training cups and we are hooked! First of all the Training Cups are easy to clean and I love the two different styles.
The Soft Spout Training Cups are great for babies just getting the hang of using a sippy cup. My girls really liked the handles on these. As you can see in the photos you can remove the cover if you need to. I do this when I take it out of the diaper bag since my girls like playing with the cover.
The Hard Spout Insulated Cups are seriously awesome. They hold 10 ounces and since they are insulated their drinks stay cold making these the perfect cup to bring on a long day of errands. I am partial to the dinosaur one myself.
We also got to try out Dr. Brown's Healthy Wipes. I will say these seriously come in handy with 3 little ones. The nose wipes were great for Everly who never lets us wipe her face. She freaks out and these didn't bother her at all. The bottle and pacifier wipes are great to keep in the diaper bag when you need to quickly clean them up. And we can't forget about the little teeth!
Since we have two little girls who love their pacifiers we also got to try out Dr. Brown's Prevent Contoured Pacifiers. These are great because they were developed by a pediatric dentist to help prevent dental issues. I wish I had gotten these sooner. Thankfully my girls loved these and are big fans.
Now it is your turn to get this awesome prize pack! Make sure to check out Dr. Brown's on Facebook and Instagram and enter below!
I originally started writing this post to talk about how my parents passing away changed the way I look at life. I didn't intend to actually go through the day of my Dad's death but when it just started coming out it felt therapeutic. I want to thank everyone who encouraged me to publish this post. It was such a difficult time in my life. A time I would never wish anyone to experience. My Dad was an extraordinary man. He was funny, driven and kind. There wasn't a person who met him that didn't love him. He was truly my best friend. He and I could sit and talk for hours and I will forever miss those moments.
After my parents died I remember feeling numb. It was a time in my life I never imagined happening. I mean we all know our parents will pass on but we think it will happen when we are much, much older. I never really wrote about what happened at the time because it was just too much. The emotions were very raw. I feel now I can write about it and get it out. My parents passing away changed so much of my life. I have changed even. I have learned to focus even more on the good in life because so many negative things, people, and events don't matter. In the end it's only your family and closest friends who matter.
In December 2012 I had this beautiful 17 month old little boy, an awesome husband and bam my parents passed away 9 days apart.
My Mom we knew was going to pass away, we were prepared. I was grieving her when she was still here and it was such a painful experience. I went to see her every single day. I missed out on Thanksgiving with my son because I knew it would be her last. It was the day we all realized it.
When my Mom passed away we were in funeral mode. Family and friends came into town, we were busy just dealing with the aftermath. Then when it was over I got a call from my sister and she said something happened to our Dad. I called Branden and told him to go to my Dad's house because something happened, I had no idea he was gone.
I drove up to his house and I saw an ambulance sitting there with lights. I parked as close I could turned off my car and left my sleeping baby in there while I ran to the house. I still have guilt over leaving him in there even though I was only a few feet away.
I saw my Jamie, he worked for my Dad and he was like a second father to him, walking over to my uncle who had his head down and his fists clenched. I just yelled to Jaime is he alive? He looked at me with tears in his eyes. I yelled again is he alive? And he shook his head no. I instantly started screaming no. I felt like I lost my mind. I couldn't stop screaming. Branden ran out of the house, grabbed me and buried his face into chest, crying. I just kept saying "what are we going to do?" "I can't do this again."
My Dad's best friend James went and got Ace and brought him to the park right by my parents house and I went inside their house. I saw cops all standing outside my Dad's room. I got on the phone with our family doctor who needed to ask us questions so the police could release his body to my Dad's funeral home. I told him he had been complaining about heartburn and he said he had never had it before. He first felt it the night he told my Mom's sisters she was going into hospice and the night before he died. I just cried to our doctor (he has seen all of us for over 20 years). He tried to comfort me and then I gave the phone to the police.
After that it was all a blur. I remember taking their dog home with us that night. The only other thing I remember from that day was I was laying on the couch and Branden walked over to me with a couple of oreos and water. He didn't know what to do or say.
I will never forget that day. It was unbelievable. I try to remember my Dad lived a full life, he was that person that truly took advantage of his life. He made moments count. He always told me he was never afraid to die because he lived a good life. That is the only comfort I have from all of this. I got more out of my parents than a lot of people and for that I am truly grateful. I miss my parents so much. I know one day I will be reunited with them again but until then I will miss them every single day.
Don't forget to check out the latest Giveaway HERE.
Hope everyone had an awesome weekend! Ours was pretty fun.
Branden and I celebrated SIX years of marriage!
We ended up going to dinner and a movie. We are super exciting I know. We saw Trainwreck which was hilarious. I was cracking up the whole time.
Sunday night Branden and I went to see Toby Keith in concert. He was really great live.
Today Ace and I went to The Disney Store with my sister so she could let him pick something out for his birthday. She got him a Snoopy Ice Cone maker but wanted to actually let him choose what he wanted. How fun is that? He of course picked out Cars stuff. It's basically his go to.
Then we had lunch at Chick-fil-A and rode the carousel. He loves going on it when we go to the mall. I love seeing how happy it makes him. Probably the best part of being a Mom is seeing your kids happy.
And in case you missed it I posted the second part of the series The Story of Our Girls. I know a lot of people were asking for it so check it out HERE.
