Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Pics
I don't have much new info today, but I will post some pics of our family. First are the boys when they are little and later I will post more recent pics. I'm posting some pics of the boys with my mom and dad, there two favorite people. I also put a few in of my two sisters and brother. These will all be Iryna's new family can't wait until they can all meet her and to get lots more pics of her!
Monday, April 12, 2010
Quotes
I was just thinking about Iryna and this whole journey. I love inspirational quotes and will post a few I love here.
As you go in this world, keep looking forward to the future... to all you might be.
Don't let old mistakes or misfortunes hold you down: learn from them, forgive yourself-or others- and move on.
Don't be bothered or discouraged by adversity. Instead meet it as a challenge. Be empowered by the courage it takes you to overcome obstacles. Learn things. Learn something new everyday.
Be interested in others and what they might teach you. But do not look for yourself in the face of others. Do not look for who you are in other peoples approval. As far as who you are and who you will become goes- the answer is always within yourself. Follow your heart and your dreams. You- like everyone else- will make mistakes. But as long as you are true to the strength within your own heart... you can nevew go wrong.
- Ashley Rice
Hope is knowing that there are wonderful possibilities and that miracles can happen.
Hope is beleiving that until nothing is left, something good exists somewhere.
Hope is understanding that change is possible and that anything can happen.
Hope is being able to imagine that something positive can come out of heartache and pain and that nothing and NO ONE is hopeless.
Hope gives each of us the courage to face lifes challenges, the motivation to move forward, and the strength to go on.
- Barbara Cage
I love those to Quotes. They are so true.
Do something bigger than yourself, take a chance!
Don't let old mistakes or misfortunes hold you down: learn from them, forgive yourself-or others- and move on.
Don't be bothered or discouraged by adversity. Instead meet it as a challenge. Be empowered by the courage it takes you to overcome obstacles. Learn things. Learn something new everyday.
Be interested in others and what they might teach you. But do not look for yourself in the face of others. Do not look for who you are in other peoples approval. As far as who you are and who you will become goes- the answer is always within yourself. Follow your heart and your dreams. You- like everyone else- will make mistakes. But as long as you are true to the strength within your own heart... you can nevew go wrong.
- Ashley Rice
Hope is knowing that there are wonderful possibilities and that miracles can happen.
Hope is beleiving that until nothing is left, something good exists somewhere.
Hope is understanding that change is possible and that anything can happen.
Hope is being able to imagine that something positive can come out of heartache and pain and that nothing and NO ONE is hopeless.
Hope gives each of us the courage to face lifes challenges, the motivation to move forward, and the strength to go on.
- Barbara Cage
I love those to Quotes. They are so true.
Do something bigger than yourself, take a chance!
From the positively adopted site I read this great quote.
Risk Vs. Reward
We like to think that we would never intentionally put ourselves or our children 'at risk'. However it is helpful to keep in mind that every day we make a choice between Risk and Reward.
If we consider these unnecessary activities to be worth the risk, then surely having the love of a child and the privilege of saving a life is worth the comparably small and (according to experts) FAR less dangerous 'risk'.
HIV
On average, people with HIV need to take medications twice daily. They also need to have lab work and see a specialist quarterly.
HIV is spread through sex, drug needles and birth.
HIV is blood borne, not air borne. HIV cannot be spread by saliva, tears, sweat, urine, or feces.
HIV is not spread through casual, household contact.
As of 2009 there were over 1 million people with HIV in America.
Children with HIV are perfectly safe to be around, hug, kiss, and share food and bathrooms with. For this reason, generally people with HIV are not required by law to tell ANYONE about their condition, including schools and even dentists.
HIV
Far too many people in the United States still lack basic knowledge about how HIV is and is not transmitted. According to a 2009 national survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, one-third of Americans believed that HIV could be transmitted by sharing a drinking glass, touching a toilet seat, or swimming in a pool with someone who has the virus—all persistent misconceptions.
Iryna
Iryna is three years old and from Eastern Europe. She is a sweet, sweet little girl. We are so blessed with the most amazing little boys Sebastian 9, and Dillon. To call them amazing kind of seems like an understatement to me. they are the loves of our life and I can't imagine not ever having them. I still look at them everynight as they sleep and get chocked up. The love I feel for them runs so deep and we feel so fortunate that God has blessed us with them. I know that they are going to be amazing big brothers, and I feel so fortunate for them to have Iryna and she them. When we started this journey years ago...... we wanted to adopt a child as healthy as possible and we thought well thats just how it should and would be. well that is far from the case. Most people think with love these children will flourish. The truth is they have not spent there first few years with the love and nurturing most children do, they have been devoid of all this. So one day I came across Reeces rainbow, an adoption ministry for special needs kids. They have placed hundreds of special needs children that would otherwise be institutionalized if not adopted. that word is not to be taken lightly either, that is just what will happen. These children will spend the majority of there life strapped in a bed with no love. These children are not viewed as special like they are in the U.S. There is a desperate need for them to find the love of a family. So of course i poured over this site and my eyes were opened more so than ever before. When I came to the HIV positive section I felt drawn. So I dug deeper and educated myself. Even as an R.N. I felt like "what people would adopt HIV children" that is scary, dangerous. Well that is so far from the truth, and so many people are uneducated about HIV. There is a huge stigma that clings to HIV. The truth is HIV is no longer a terminal illness but chronic illness if you have access to the right meds and care. Children with HIV can live as long as other children without HIV. HIV is also very hard to transmit. To name a few it can not be transmitted through saliva, urine, feces, sharing cups, utensils, baths, pools, sneezing to say the least. The virus is very fragile and dies very quickly when exposed to air. It is however transmitted sexually and through direct blood to blood contact. Meaning we both would have to have large open cuts come in contact with each other. I will post a few facts I found below also. Having two other children though I also wanted to make sure and never would put them at risk. What I have learned has been an education myself even as a healthcare provider. I only wish I could advocate and educate more people, so more of these children could come home. In Irynas country though children and adults alike do not always have the access and care that we here in America do. Without the proper medications there lives could be cut short and they could suffer the nasty complications that sometimes associate with HIV. Not only that they could suffer alone and without the love of a family. There for these kids are in desperate need, no more less deserving than any other child. After all this how could we just turn away. This journey for me started out to adopt a healthy child but more so to have a daughter but for the first time that has shifted. For me this has changed it is no longer about just having a daughter but it is about Iryna. I also should mention that all along I have led (to put it lightly) my husband on this journey. He has never been gung ho about adoption, he would love to have another child through birth. We definately have not been seeing eye to eye about this for a long time. But for him that has all changed, he is charging faster ahead than me. Now if you knew my husband you would think what, never would Michael agree to adopt an HIV positive child. he on his own though has educated himself on this and would not now have this any other way or any other child. For me this is HUGE, God has layed this on his heart and I truly believe opened his eyes also. We are scared though because there are all the what ifs. But just like any person or child there are no definites. What tomorrow may bring is always a mystery. To me I have amazingly (if you know me) come to the point of given up control and found a peacefullness I have never known in this. This past year I lost my Dad, he was my rock. Every ounce of him that he ever gave me or my children was pure love. I am still angry but trust God had a very good reason to take hime. My dad was an amazing man, a humanitarium in every sense of the word. He has instilled in me the gift of kindness and love. I feel so fortunate to have had a parent like that, and I only hope I can continue to give his gifts to my children. I was raised Catholic but somewhere along the way kind of stepped out of line with my faith. Through my dads passing I have somehow felt reunited with God and feel his precense in my life stronger than ever, for this I feel blessed to have found my way back to him. And I can only think that my dad is somehow involved in this. I know I got off topic a little there and I am sorry.
Our Journey
This is the beginning-the end depending on who is reading this. The start of a new journey but the end of one started years ago. As I post I know that I we will not share this blog with everyone right away. We have been on this adoption journey a long time and had many ups and downs. There have been many times and many conversations that have pushed me to walk away, but my heart keeps coming back here. I know that God has a child, that from day one has been meant to be with us. This has all been part of his plan. To turn away from his will when I feel it so strong in my heart would be wrong. Therefore we go forward with complete confirmation that this is Gods plan for us. In all the steps he has been leading us here. When we first saw her picture something happened that has never happened to me before. I felt a certain conviction and my heart lit up. I was granted the certainty I needed. Because believe me I have had many doubts and a lot of people close to me have walked this journey with me and heard and seen all of them. I am sure some people will think we are crazy, but have no doubt that is so far from the case. I am following my lifelong dream and have so many times turned away due to fear and what if's. I have given up and not listened to my heart. This time though I will not let fear turn me away, because I know God is with us on this journey. So therefore it is only fair that we introduce to you Iryna.
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