Thursday, June 11, 2015

Are we done?

A couple weeks ago marked five years since we first found out we were pregnant. Five years. Wow. In some ways, it seems like just the blink of an eye. At the same time, it seems like a lifetime ago. Since then, we have lost two children to miscarriage, lost a grandfather and stepfather, parented and lost three great kiddos, moved three times, had three different jobs, and gained quite an extra 25 pounds each that we are trying to take off. So the question is, are we done? Do we plan on parenting any more kids? Biological? Adoptive? If the answer is no, which I think it is. Isn't 31 really early to decide you aren't going to have anymore kids? Do we take a surgical route to make sure we won't ever be pregnant again? If we decide to have surgery, then we eliminate all changes of us having biological children. We really and truly will never pass along our genes. We will never experience the first kicks of a child we created. We will never see which traits of ours got passed along. We will never get to pick names and decide if we want to find out the gender or be surprised when the baby is born. On the other hand, my kids are enough for me. Although I don't want to to be "left out" of those experiences, I don't want to parent another child. It all sounds so selfish when I write it all out, but it is really something to think about.

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Grandparent Trip

We are so blessed to have such wonderful grandparents for our kids on both sides of the family. I am so grateful for the love and experiences our parents share with our kids. Here is just one example. D is currently on day six of a nine day trip with his paternal grandparents. About a year ago, Nana brought up the idea of a grandparent trip when each kid was at least seven years old. This year, D turned eight, and his cousin turned seven. So off they went! At Christmas, they found out the destination, Mount Rushmore, and received book about some of the places they were going to see as part of their Christmas gifts. Nana created an itinerary to help D with his anxiety, and he has been having a blast! He called the first couple days, but he has just been having too much fun to worry about us. They have gone to Denver, Cheyenne, and Rapid City. Pretty soon they will head back to Denver to drop off the cousin and then return home to Kansas. It is amazing that Nana and Granddad were willing to take my son and all of his baggage (literal and metaphorical) on a nine day adventure. That is true love.