18 Weeks

This week marks 18 weeks in our pregnancy. Who would have ever imagined being at this point?  Certainly not me. Dealing with infertility for as long as we did, the emotions just don't go away. My heart is sensitive to others around me battling infertility and loss. I never thought I could say this, but I am grateful to have experienced our journey. There is a certain compassion that comes from dealing with infertility and loss, that those who have not experienced one or both, can't understand. The empathy is deep.

In our case of infertility, the hurt and longing for something we never had is a specific grief. For those who have experienced loss, that is a specific grief. In our loss of our adoption, that was a different type of grief. And yet, through it all, there is hope, love, and support from the Lord, family, and friends. Once I was finally able to share with people, it became easier to talk about. My friends and family new what to ask, because I would help to guide them. Being able to share with the people I love and trust was very freeing.

Our 5 1/2 year journey has brought us here - being able to share one of God's greatest gifts - the gift of life. I think of our long awaited gift, and how the Lord has turned my mourning into dancing, and I am overcome with sweet joy. This week is our 18th week in our pregnancy, and today we should find out what we are having. I was like a little kid the night before school and was too excited to sleep - at least some of the night.

I will keep you posted as we celebrate this special day.

Much love,

The Sweetest Miracle

Hi all,

For those of you who have followed our journey the last 5 1/2 years, we thank you for your love, prayers, and support. The continued encouragement is such a blessing to us. Over the past 6 months, many people asked us where we stand in the adoption process. We kept saying "God is telling us to wait. We don't know why, but there is such a peace about us waiting." For those of you who know me, you recognize how difficult this can be for me. Even though more waiting went against everything my flesh wanted ... we waited.

Fast forward to April 9, 2011, a day I shall never forget. This is the day I took a pregnancy test, and for the first time ever, it was positive. In shock, I began crying. I ran into the other room to get Chris, and we went back in to look at the test. We both began to praise the Lord.

After a couple months of silence, we believe it is time to make our news public. We are 14 weeks pregnant! I am grateful for this incredible gift. Looking back on our journey of infertility, medications, a surgery, and a failed adoption, there were times where my heart hurt and my flesh was weak.  Because of our God, I can look at our journey with awe and gratitude while experiencing the joy of His miracles.

God has been and is at work in my life! He is good! His grace is sufficient!

1 Samuel 2:2 - "There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God."

We appreciate your continued prayers as we journey a path that is foreign to us. The sweet miracle of pregnancy!

Much love,

Changes

For those of you still following this blog, I have some changes to announce. I started this blog sharing our story of infertility and my passion for adoption. I began making items to help raise funds for families wanting to adopt. Although the monetary amount was small, we helped 2 families last year. The blog moved towards sharing our adoption journey, which has been a process in itself, and continues to move ahead slowly.

In order to streamline things, this blog will now be about our adoption journey only. We will keep the blog name Journeymark - marking our adoption journey and continuing to share the updates with those who care for us.

I have recently changed the business name to Adella Marie and plan to launch around May 1st. Our desired goal is to help families in their adoption process. With these changes come new products, new designs, and a fresh start, just in time for spring.

I will continue to update as things progress.
Much love,

Starting Over

Happy New Year to you! I can't believe it has been 2 months since I have written. As many of you know, so much has happened.

We had a failed adoption back in October, and needed time to grieve this loss. I have mentioned the possibility of a moratorium (a halt on international adoptions from Ukraine) and the Ukrainian parliament continues to move towards making this vote pass. With this in mind, Chris and I have decided not to continue our adoption process from Ukraine, but move forward with a domestic adoption.

We are having to start the process all over - our home study has to be updated, we have to find a new agency, and we are thinking of adopting a child from the U.S. foster system. Of course, we are leaving everything open to what God has planned.

I am attaching the video clip from our silent auction. The photos/video were provided by our dear friend, Sharon Miller with Sharon Miller photography. We love her work and she did a great job capturing the joy of the night.

Silent auction video clip.

We will continue to keep you updated.

Much love,
Jessica

Latest with Ukraine Adoption

Hey everyone,

We heard from our agency today with the following update:
"During the Thanksgiving break, we received new, updated information directly from Ukraine, that the judiciary committee of Parliament rejected bill 4313 after coming to the conclusion that the bill is in contradiction with other Articles in the Family Code of Ukraine. This took place after Joint Council sent us the overview of events, and we assume that this is why the new development was not mentioned in the above notice. Certainly, the opinion of the judiciary committee is very important, and always has a big influence on the final decisions of Parliament.

We also were notified that Parliament has scheduled a final vote to take place on December 16th. A large group of lawyers, including some who work as adoption coordinators, are preparing a petition to be presented prior to this final hearing. The purpose of this petition is to emphasize the importance of keeping international adoption open without any disruptions."

The situation continues to change. Pray that December 16th will mark the end of this uncertainty, and Ukrainian adoptions will continue. These children need a home, love, and a family to call their own. Please continue to pray over us as we are trying to figure out how to move forward - with Ukraine or a domestic adoption.

Much love,
Jessica