Unwanted pregnancies are miracle babies too...

I have noticed an interesting trend in my browsing of online mothering forums. There is a tendency for people to use the term "angel babies" for any pregnancy that ends in a miscarriage. One woman listed eleven angel babies before her "miracle baby" was born. How sad.

What makes my heart break even more is the terms with which babies of the same gestational age are described on pro-choice forums. They are called "fetuses" or the even more clinical "unplanned" or "unwanted pregnancies."

However, the one term they have stopped using is the term "unwanted child" because it is simply not true. Once the "fetus" is born and they have to recognize it as a "child," there is no denying that it is wanted! I recently read that there are currently 1.5 million American families wanting to adopt a child. A few days ago, my mom was telling me that there is a couple in her church with whom a baby is placed until its adoption is finalized. The woman told my mom that there are five hundred couples lined up to adopt the child. Five hundred!!! Simply because it is a healthy newborn.

It was never our intention to adopt a healthy newborn. Mostly because we feel that those babies should be adopted by infertile couples who might never otherwise get to experience raising and loving a child from birth. We were never on a long wait list for years waiting for Buddy. As I've said before, God brought him to us and his birthmom chose us to adopt him.

All this being said, it makes me feel so grateful and humbled that God chose us to parent Buddy--our miracle baby #4 whom God has entrusted to us on this earth for as long as He sees fit. And...I just have to add, in my opinion, all four of our children are miracle babies--whether they came to us through home birth or heart birth. :)

(Ironically, our first three children were "unplanned" pregnancies as well. So, all four of our children were the result of "unplanned pregnancies." That definitely did not make them unwanted! Each and every one was "wanted" by God before we even knew of their existence, and wanted by us as soon as we found out!!)

Something else that never ceases to amaze me is the strength and courage it took for Buddy's birthmom to continue her "unwanted pregnancy" despite pressure from numerous abortion and mental health counselors to terminate his little life.

We had the privilege of spending lots of time with Buddy's birthmom throughout her pregnancy, and in the last two months before Buddy's birth it was not particularly easy for her. She endured the sleepless nights, leg cramps, stretch marks, weight gain, mood swings and labor pains that all of us who've completed a pregnancy have experienced...with one exception: she did not bring home a baby.

She chose the hardest and the most selfless of her three choices. She will forever be my hero.

Many in the pro-choice camp might say that the pain of loss she experienced and the sacrifices she had to make in completing her pregnancy and giving birth to a baby are good reasons to abort in the first place. However, I say that I hope the joy and pride she feels in seeing her baby growing healthy and happy--surrounded by those who love him--far outweighs the pain she suffered. Also, who is to say that she would not have been one of the many for whom their past abortion haunts them with guilt for the rest of their lives?

I used to steer clear of the abortion debate because I hate conflict. But now that I have my own little "near-casualty" of the pro-choice movement I feel much more strongly pro-life.

After all, he could have just been another line crossed off an abortion doctor's list.

Random cuteness...

A few pictures from the past month...

New puppy!

More snow! :{

"Helping" Daddy

FarmDad at his last skijoring race - not sure he'll appreciate it being included in a post titled "Random cuteness" but oh well... :)

Rice & Beans Month

We are eating rice & beans in the month of March! Why, you might ask?

Every March, an organization called Lahash promotes a Rice & Beans month. Lahash is a non-profit organization based in Portland whose mission is to partner with East Africans - "advocating and caring for the vulnerable in response to Christ's love." http://www.lahash.net/

Lahash was founded in 2005 by my cousin, Dan Holcomb, who grew up in Africa as I did. He started Lahash as a means of being a voice for the voiceless. Through partnerships with individuals and churches, Lahash now works with several orphanages and ministries in East Africa as well as sponserships of children.

So, why rice & beans?

There are three reasons we are doing this:

1.Solidarity: To join brothers and sisters around the world with a commonly available dish.




2.Simplicity: To give up on wasteful and excessive consumption for one month.



3.Sharing: To give our savings to kids in East Africa that need help with their nutritional needs.
 
Here's a short video to help explain why and how to do this...




Here's what I fixed a couple of nights ago:
Lentil and Brown Rice Soup

Our family is excited to do this small thing to help the vulnerable and needy!

I John 3:16-19
"We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion--how can God's love be in that person? Dear children, let's not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God." (NLT)

Anybody got any good rice & beans recipes to share?

Here we go!!

Buddy's birth and adoption video

Here is a video of Buddy's birth and adoption that a sweet friend put together for us. Our main reason for wanting to make it was as a gift for Buddy's birthmom. The version we are giving to her includes pictures of her with our family and Buddy. My favorite picture on it is one of Buddy's birthmom and I both pregnant standing belly-to-belly. Sweet memories!