A Rocky Mtn Intro

Hello Everyone,

I'm Melissa D. and it's a pleasure to be here! I must admit, I have stalked every one of the other team members' blogs and it's a privilege to be a part of this awesome crew. The amazing Kadi is my darling younger cousin and I sincerely thank her for letting me tag along. From the looks of things, at thirty*cough*something, I do believe I'm the eldest of the bunch. Dang it! ;o)

My journey to motherhood has been a twisty one. In 2005 Darling Husband and I tried to start a little brood of our own. Since neither of us were spring chickens, time was of the essence and we gave ourselves a year. No pressure, right? Ah HA! If we hadn't conceived by then we were on to Plan B.. adoption. During that year I did my homework on all the different types of adoption (fost/adopt, private and international) because I'm a "just in case" kind of girl.

The year came and went with no luck and The Plan was set into motion.

What spoke to our hearts was fostering to adopt. Kids in need were right in our own backyard and to us it made perfect sense. In July of 2008 we became certified with a local county and in January of 2009 got "The Call" for our placements.. darling 4 1/2 year old twins I call Jack and Jill**.

To say it has been a roller coaster of emotions is an understatement but at the end of the day, we love them down to our souls. Trust me, love doesn't care about DNA. Our case is still geared towards reunification with their birth mom and all we can do is pray for strength no matter what the outcome. I blog our adventures at Full Circle.

So excited for the opportunity to contribute (thanks again, Kadi!)





~Melissa D.




**Not their real names!

Chapter 2: A Two Month Pregnancy

I like to do things on the fast track. Start a project, beat a project to death, be done. That's my way. "But Sarah! Babies take a full 40 weeks to cook. You can't rush that or shorten it in anyway. "

Sure you can! You can be oblivious, naive and me!

So we already established that Mo was a surprise. But the bigger surprise came when we went to the doctor the next week. I had been on the pill. I had been having regular (if a little lighter) periods (which I blamed on the pill). I had only gained about 10 pounds which I attributed from going from running a mile a day to eating a bag of chips a day when I moved in with Beloved. And (please don't hate me Crystal!) I had had NO morning sickness.

Imagine my shock when the doc measured me, took my blood, and told me I was either seven months along or having twins. I had been going out 3 nights a weekend and having my share of adult beverages. I had made a Memorial Day trip to New Orleans (not the most sober of places you know). I had been eating what ever I felt like when ever I felt like it and there had been no exercise (aside from the obvious)! Now the doc was telling me I had two months to get married, get healthy, move into a bigger apartment, set up a nursery, attend birthing classes, get a car that fit a carseat, pack a bag and have a baby.

I didn't go back to work after my appointment. I think I went home and got sick.

The Zookeeper Mommy Lesson #2. Mothers have more strength, determination, focus and stamina than they will ever give themselves credit for or admit they have. We think we can't possibly pull something off. It looks completely impossible, improbable and scary as hell. We don't believe in ourselves enough.

But when the rubber hits the road and it's make it or break it time; when our families, our children, and in essence, our lives are hanging in the balance, we will pull out all the stops, fight like banshees and make it happen. There is a strength that comes with being a mother that no one but a mother will ever understand.