Winds of Change

You know how I love fall, the beautiful colors, the crisp cool breeze. Change is in the air AND the house...

Gemma Grace Wohlford came into the world on October 29th, at 8:11a.m, weighing 8lbs 13oz. and measuring 19 1/2 inches long. What a change for her to leave the warmth and safety of Mommy and come into this crazy world! What a change for Mommy, who already had a horrible time sleeping, to discover that I would be sleeping even less and feel like a zombie for the first few weeks of her life, if not longer. We all love our girl, but I must say that I never imagined I would feel so much like a milking machine! Literally. I had no idea it would be this hard.

Will has accepted everything in stride. He loved the extra attention from Mimi the first week of Gemma's life. Now he's just a tad moody and sensitive, but he loves his sister. Having a little cold has kept him from holding her and playing with her as much as he would like, but he kisses her feet constantly and tells her he loves her. He's making a list of all the things he is going to teach her when she gets bigger...how to play games on the iPhone being at the top of the list.

Daddy is working hard as usual and worrying (as usual), but Gemma is his newest concern. Is she eating enough? Pooping too much? Does she really have gas? Is she really as cute as we think she is?

So we trudge on through our daily lives with the same problems and concerns we had before, but now there is another bright spot...Gemma. Will and Gemma are such huge blessings to us. We love our little family. Just the 4 of us. It has a strange and sweet ring to it. The Winds of Change are good.

Family Update

I'm sorry that it's been several days since I've posted, but we've had a lot going on! The first thing that happened-- John got a new job! John was offered a position as a manager of a new pet store that will soon be opening. Many of you know that we aren't really pet people, but a good job is a good job. This couldn't have come at a better time as we have had the itch to add to our family again, so we finally decided to bite the bullet and actually get a dog. We took Will to the Humane Society and he fell in love with an adorable little Pit Bull, Great Dane mix that we brought home and named Nacho Libre. Will loves to ride on his back like he's a horse. He's only snapped at Will a couple times and got in fights with the neighbor dogs twice.

I have also decided to go back to work. I know somebody who knows somebody and was offered a job at the University of Kentucky teaching a new class about the pitfalls of teaching. It's part of their new awareness program to help students make sure that their major is a good fit. I have been busy writing down all my favorite teaching stories.

Since I will be working again, we have been looking for a daycare for Will. We found an amazing little preschool that allows you to pick a major and minor for your child. It is designed to groom them into who you want them to be. Will will be majoring in science (and doing baby science projects most of the day--some with minor explosions!) and minoring in dance (with emphasis on break dancing and ballet).

Will has also finally started talking in complete sentences. He spoke his first sentences when we were getting ready to put him to bed the other night. He said, "No way! I'm coming with you!"

John and I have also been accepted as contestants on a new weight loss show. Since the biggest losers seem to be the heaviest people, as part of our strategy, we committed to eating at buffets most evenings until the show starts taping in the late summer. If you are hankering for a buffet, give us a call.

Since my Face Book quiz said I was most like the TV mom Carol Brady, we decided that we should also get a maid. After hours of crazy interviews, we finally found one. She is going to be a live-in maid, like Alice, since we are such messes. She can follow us around and pick up after us all day, then cook us 5 course meals at night when we are tired of the buffet!

Last, but not least, we thought it would take a while to add to our family again, but the adoption rules have once again changed. As long as you can come get them by the end of the year, regardless of income, you can now adopt as many children as you want at one time from Val Verde, a South American country. By Christmas we should have four new little angels home with us. Actually, they aren't all so little. The boys are 7 and 9. The girls are 4 and 12. Look for them on the next Christmas card.

That's how it stands for the Wohlford family, this first day of April, 2009.

National Adoption Month--Soap Box Please

I had never heard of National Adoption Month until we began the adoption process. Naturally, as an adoptive parent, I wish that I could do some big, wondrous thing for National Adoption Month, but the best thing I can come up with is to show others how happy adoption has made us.


I do want to reiterate that not being able to conceive a child biologically is not the only reason that people adopt. That is not the reason we adopted. No matter how many times we tell people that, it still seems to be what people think. I can't tell you how many times we have heard how funny it would be if we got pregnant as soon as we adopted. (No hard feelings if you were one of those people!) Well, it wouldn't be funny. Not because God would be pulling one over on us, but because children, no matter how you get them, are a blessing from the Lord. We wanted our child and we knew God was telling us that our first child was in China. So we tried NOT to get pregnant. We wanted an adopted child, so we tried not to get pregnant. Having an adopted child was not our second choice. It was not our only option. It was the option we CHOSE, because we felt that's what God wanted for our family, therefore, the option we wanted for our family. Will should never feel that he's here because we couldn't have a biological child, that we would rather have someone else, but we settled for him. He was our FIRST choice.

We also plan to do it again. Biological children are a "maybe" for us. But we DEFINITELY want to adopt again.

Another thing I would like to educate people about is the phrase "a child of your own." I understand that most people use this phrase out of ignorance, meaning no harm. I've even had this conversation with my own family. The truth is, asking if someone plans to have a child "of their own" or asking if they couldn't have a child "of their own" insinuates that the adopted child is not their own. The politically correct term is "biological child." The truth of the matter is, even when said by a well meaning party, the phrase "of your own" hurts.

Will is "my own." I've prayed for Will every day since before he was conceived. I've shed many a
tear for him and spent many a penny to ensure his well being. When he's bleeding, I clean him up. When he's crying, I kiss away his tears. I dress him, bathe him, eat after him (and I'm a germ freak!) and play with him. I'm with him 24/7 most weeks. I take pictures and scrapbook all his important moments. I mourn for the time I didn't get to spend with him during his first few months on this earth. I sing to him and read to him and love him more than I love myself. He has my love of peanut butter and dancing, my optimism, my wild hair that sticks up all over his head when he first wakes up, my love of kisses. He has his father's natural inclination for guitar and all other instruments, love of books and bread, ability to take things apart and put them back together, and heart for sharing. He has his aunts love for talking. He has his grandmother's love of quilts. He has his grandfather's knack for cleanliness sense of humor. He has his uncle and his grandfather's name. He is definitely "our own."

Everyone isn't called to adopt. But God does ask everyone to care for the orphans. And adoption is VERY expensive to a common person. Yes, there are grants and fundraisers, etc, etc. But we only got one. And yes, we applied for many. So if your heart is moved by National Adoption Month and you aren't planning on adopting, consider making a donation towards someone's adoption(http://www.heartsforadoption.org) or giving to a charity that helps orphans who need surgery. If it weren't for such a charity, our Will may not have had the VSD surgery he needed when he was a baby.

Thank you for allowing me to indulge. Adoption is a wonderful thing. Will is a wonderful child. We are very blessed. We hope that, in some way, you are blessed by adoption as well.