Big Announcement…

We’re excited to announce that we are adopting a child from India!

We’re gonna have a child!!!!!! WOO!!

[*Party!*]

Let’s start from the beginning. When Varun and I were dating, we talked about kids–how many we wanted, when we should have them, etc. I shared with Varun that I felt called to adopt; several close friends of mine had been adopted, as were two of my darling cousins. As such, it has always seemed a natural and loving way to build a family.

Over the years, God has brought various families into our life who have shared their journeys in adopting children with us. Last year, we began reading and thinking about adoption. After Varun read Adopted for Life, we knew adoption would be a way that we grew our family.
We thought about it carefully, prayed, did research, talked with adoptive families and chatted with our own families. Finally, we decided in June 2012 to begin growing our family by adopting a child from India. We are adding to our family through adoption before we consider adding to our family biologically. (There’s lots of practical and ideological conversations to have about this, so I’ll probably add to my new FAQ page later.)

This week, we got our approval from the Ontario Ministry of Child and Youth Services! This is a huge milestone and means that our file can go to India and the waiting game can begin.

Despite the piles of paperwork, the home study, the government mandated parenting classes…it all still feels a bit surreal. It will likely be over 2 years (if not 3!!) before we bring our child home. (Here’s our timeline…) In the mean time, we are lovingly preparing a home for the special little one that will join our family.

(Believe it or not, we decided this in June and I didn’t blog about it for four months! Let’s be honest, I started a word doc and blogged Creed style. Anyway.)

(Not to worry, we won’t actually put chai in the baby’s bottle. At least not caffeinated…)

Special thanks to Shelly Spithoff for the amazing photos! We had so much fun taking them and they turned out beautifully! Stop by her website to get a peek at her awesome work.

International Day of the Girl

Let’s pretend it’s yesterday. Why? Because yesterday, October 11 2012, was the first ever International Day of the Girl.

“The day promotes girls’ human rights, highlights gender inequalities that remain between girls and boys and addresses the various forms of discrimination and abuse suffered by girls around the globe.” -U.N. Women 

This year, the focus is on child marriage. To learn more about child marriage and the millions of girls worldwide who are wed at early ages, check out the U.N. press release on child marriage. As is bound to happen with any issue so tied into cultural norms, child marriage has already sparked some interesting dinner conversations at our house. Is it wrong if it’s the norm within a culture? What are the rights of children? Who is to decide what is healthy and good? I’ll be honest: I’m still learning about this and don’t have an intelligent opinion to share. But let’s learn together, shall we?

In many places, girl children are discriminated against, sold as sex slaves, discarded at birth or aborted for being female. This documentary, It’s a Girl, seeks to raise awareness about the troubling state of girls around the world. Today, would you take a few moments to learn about the troubles girls face, write a letter to your MP or Senator, sign a pledge, watch a documentary, send money, hug a girl, love a girl, adopt a girl or pray for a girl?

Either I Really Meant It, Or I’ve Reached a Creative Wall

So tired I (Yup, actually wrote that. Freudian slip.) So today I wrote a blog post in my head about how it’s 2 p.m. and I’m running (reasonably well) on 3 hours of sleep and how this gives me hope that maybe I’ll be able to handle the whole Mom Thing.

And then I remembered, I already wrote this post. Last year, during a week-long intensive course. *awkward*

I’m beginning to see a pattern in my life. Social life + life usually trumps school +schoolwork. Therefore, a week long course with assignments due by Friday is a recipe for an Amelia flavoured disaster.

And so. While my thoughts on Motherhood have changed in many ways since last May; apparently this post is so apt I’ve written it twice.

___________________________________________________

This post is from May 2011.

The Mombie Diaries:

This is the title of my Mommy Blog. It is copyrighted because I said soput a © next to it. It is so named because I anticipate lack of sleep and feeling like a zombie.

You’re curious, aren’t you? A Mommy Blog, why that could only mean one thing: I have too much free time on my hands. I spend far too much time brain-storming random ideas and this was one of them. [Breathe, we’re not expecting!]

But speaking about being fruitful and multiplying. About once a week I find out on Facebook or Twitter or CBC that one of my friends is pregnant. For minutes I dream about fuzzy pink blankets and chubby baby cheeks. Then something pops up on my newsfeed from a parent who was up all night tending a screaming babe. And I doubt my own survival skills and move on with my day.

Seriously though, and I’m talking to you Mr/Ms I Don’t Want Kids Right Now/I’m Not Married So I Don’t Have To Worry About It (Whew), I am scared about the incredible responsibility and the enormous sleep deficit which parenting involves. I think parents are heroes. [Also, I think coffee is effective]

Usually, I find fatigue overwhelming and wonder hopelessly, “How can I ever be a Mom?!”. Last night, due to poor planning, an intensive course and too much socializing, I only got 3.5 hours of sleep so I could study for a test today. I woke up, wrote my test, did a presentation, went for a run…and thought, “Why, I’m awake and (mostly) alert. Maybe I could do the whole Up All Night Mom thing.” Maybe.

So, babies. Did you know there’s a website which “generates” a picture of your Not Yet Conceived/Born children? Just upload a picture of yourself and your spouse and…TA-DA!

“Our Baby”

I think this baby is seriously upset. Okay, my results were less than inspiring. Also, it saved to my desktop as “angry baby”, so I’m thinking the website is nothing more than a data base.

I dunno though, maybe she has my eyes…