How we got here...

Here's the minimized story.
The hubby and I have been together for almost 18 years, married 11 of those. We started trying for kiddos the day we got married. We actively tried, (like every night) to get pregnant. Come March, we FINALLY had a BFP (big fat positive!!) Just a couple of weeks later, we had a miscarriage. A year had gone by with no luck, and we went to a fertility specialist that got us on the right track. (well we thought he did) After meds & lots of bloodwork, we were expecting! We got passed the last pregnancy length so we thought we were in the clear....2 weeks later, I was rushed to the hospital and was told that the baby was in my tube, and an emergency surgery was in order. Took my right tube completely out, and left all the other junk that makes me a "woman." Yikes! Here we are...10 years later....

(It gets a bit longer here) In 2012, I mentioned to my hubby about foster care and adoption. His exact words, "No way. I could never do that!" I left it at that. If 2 aren't on board, there is no way it would work. About 4 months later, (out of the blue), he came to me and told me to contact Children's Division about a consultation! WOO! We made an appointment, and at that apt, we scheduled classes. The classes were scary. Like "Holy shit, I lived in a bubble" scary. We had NO idea what was really happening in our world. We did our classes, home study. etc., and prepped our home. And waited, & waited, & waited. Received our first call shortly after Christmas. (2 months after our last class-felt like an eternity) 2 little boys! They were already in a foster home, and their bio was expecting! AHHH!! Ok, we had no kids. Nada. And they called us about 2, soon to be 3. You know, all those crazy questions run through your mind. Do we have enough space, toys, clothes, etc?! We waited (what I felt like forever) on the phone call from their foster mom to come and meet them. That day finally arrived, and it could not have gone more perfect! First, we were greeted by their family like they had known us forever. The boys were wonderful. C @ 9 months, climbed up in my lap and went right to sleep. Talk about melting my heart. We talked for hours, but could have talked so much more.We left, and at the bottom of the driveway, the hubs looked at me and we both just started crying. We KNEW that they were the ones. The ones that God destined us to find. We just knew it! A few months went on, they stayed at our house on the weekends, and finally is was move in day! M & C were now with us for good. Adjusting to the new surroundings, the new family, etc, here comes baby just 2 months later. HOLY CRAP---WE ARE PARENTS TO 3 KIDS!!!! That call that morning was so bittersweet. "Dawn, she had the baby. It's a boy. You can come over anytime!" Whoa. Talk about your stomach dropping to the floor. I immediately called the hubs, & emotions were flying. I went over with my dear friend (previous foster mom) to see this sweet baby boy. PRECIOUS. We brought him home on 4th of July, and there is began...our family of 5. Months went by, and the boys just grew & grew. So happy & so healthy. We soon were notified that the bio parents had signed over their rights, and we needed to pick an ADOPTION date!!!! WOOHOO!! FINALLY!!! On August 22, 2014, we became the FOREVER FAMILY that we had always dreamed of. We were officially mommy & daddy. Our hearts are full. God blessed us with 3 of the greatest blessings in the world....

 We always spoke of a little girl. From the time that the shock of 3 kids all at once wore off, we really got to talking about it, and prayed. ALOT! We prayed that when the time was right, God would send us a little girl to love, and to hopefully complete our family one day. -not to mention, C had been asking Santa for 3 years for a baby sister- Fall of 2018, I started messaging our "angel in disguise" some questions about sleeping arrangements and such for a little girl. After a while, she shared some pretty exciting news with us that she had a little girl in her home that would possibly be needing a pre-adoptive home. We prayed. ALOT! After a few hoops, roller coaster rides, and such...we surprised our boys with a baby sister on Christmas day 2018. Tears flowed, and I mean FLOWED that day. Our boys were so in awe over this sweet little bald 1 year old girl. We continued with visiting with her on the weekends, her spending the night with us sometimes, and at the end of April 2019, she moved in with us full time. Shes made leaps in bounds in talking, and spews out every word everyone else says. She runs everywhere, and at the tiny little age of 2, shes almost potty trained. Our forever family is ALMOST complete! We are just waiting on an adoption date for this sweet little love.

FYI:That business at the top...I blogged during that very dark time in my life. If you'd like to check it out, http://ouremptyarmsjourney.blogspot.com/