Hello 2015.

Well, 2014 wasn't exactly the year we thought it'd be. Although 2014 had many good things to offer, we definitely thought we'd be starting our family. This past year did include the start of a new career for Jennie, the growth of our photography business, a relationship with our wonderful sperm donor and his family,  and our journey to become foster/adopt parents--all really great things. Don't get me wrong, everyday life was pretty great this year, I just couldn't help but feel there was something missing.  It got especially hard for me over the holidays, but I was able to spend time with family and loved ones (especially my super cute 4 year old nephew) so that made things a little better.  Jennie says I seem to feel the effects of not having children a bit deeper than her, so she'd probably say overall it's been a pretty great year (and really it has been).  But we do know I'm a much more emotional person than her, so that makes sense.

As for progress on our journey to become parents, we're still taking a break from trying to get pregnant and are planning on starting to try to get Jennie pregnant again in March. Also we're still waiting to see if we get a foster placement, we haven't gotten a phone call yet, but it's only been 2 months since we told them we were open to placements. We've been providing some respite care (babysitting) for another foster family that has a super cute almost 2 year old girl. We keep dreaming that maybe it will lead to adoption and she'll move in with us, but that's super far fetched hopeful thinking at this point.  Occasionally I wonder if we should have moved forward with the 2 little boys we visited with, even though I know it wasn't the right fit for us, it's hard to think we passed up starting a family. But then I remember how rough it was trying to take care of the two of them and I snap out of it :)

Another avenue we've been discussing is potentially adopting an older child. We've spent some time looking through AdoptUSKids.org at the profiles of children who are legally free for adoption, and have even put in some inquiries. The oldest we're interested in adopting is 9 or 10 years old.  We figure there are a lot of benefits of adopting a bit older (most likely they sleep through the night and are potty trained, we can teach coping skills, and have conversations when they are upset) and we really love the idea that they would be part of our family and there'd be no chance of them going back to their birth family. We do know that most likely an older child has lived through more trauma than a younger child and we're aware that they could come with some unique challenges, but as of right now we're up for those challenges.  We're waiting now to see if we're the right fit for a little girl in Kentucky.

Here's hoping 2015 is the year that we start our family--however that may happen.

Happy New Year! Wishing you all a year full of health and happiness.

Love,
Heather and Jennie

Photo by Cassie Rosch Photography