The fruits of his labors

Okay, so I really AM the worst daughter…My parent’s 21^st wedding anniversary is today and do you think I remembered?! NOPE! Not until later this afternoon, long after talking with my mom this morning, not until I was doing the bills and writing the date did I even think about it. UGH! So then I remembered that I forgot this day LAST year too and as I was going through my documents I found  this that I had typed up in hopes of salvaging my ‘favorite daughter’ status (JUST KIDDING MAKALA!!!) but I had never posted it: “So, I think I'm officially the worst daughter in history! You see, my parents anniversary was yesterday (well the BIG wedding day anniversary anyway) and in the midst of my 'crazy' life these days (which really isn't THAT crazy) I didn't even remember until my mom mentioned it in casual conversation yesterday morning. Growing up and still now I’m typically the one who remembers those special dates and initiates the celebrations and gifts. I suppose that’s something to do with being the oldest.  I gave an off the cuff "Oh yeah, happy anniversary" -as I was trying to care for my sweet 4 month old baby who was fussy from shots the previous day, and attempting to listen to my son in the background all while trying to be present in the conversation with my mom- to which she replied with a simple, but sweet "Thank you." It wasn't until this morning during my quiet time that I realized they've been married for 20 YEARS this year! Holy cow where did that time go?!? I started thinking back over the last 20 years and remembering all the things that have happened and memories made throughout that time.”

Here it is a year later and I’ve forgotten again! What is my deal?! Sure my life is a little crazier, but still 21 years of marriage is definitely something to be recognized! Especially from your own children!! Their wedding day really was amazing! 

I remember that day; it was a HOT August day on the farm that my step-dad grew up on. We had been there the whole week preparing for the BIG day! Family & friends from all over were gathering together to help with all the work that needed to be done. My step-dad had constructed a chapel complete with the stage and alter for them to be married on (little did he know then, but he would be building another one for me 14 years later for my wedding day) and it took the whole week to put it all together. It was so beautiful, in fact, that the local newspaper came out to do a story on his grand gesture for his bride-to-be. It was such a beautiful day; HOT, but beautiful!

Looking back, I don’t remember all the chaos or even being that hot. I remember smiling, laughing, dancing and watching my mom and Jay ride off in a horse drawn carriage which he had surprised her with. It was an incredibly beautiful start to an incredibly beautiful marriage!

I’ve been so blessed to be a witness to the last 21 years and I can’t wait to see how amazing the next 21+ are. Happy Anniversary Jay & Peggy Dillavou! And thank you for showing us all what true love is!

First Mother's day with multiples

Oh how full my heart is! 
This amazingly wonderful boy made me momma 4 years ago 

and now this year because of the incredibly selfless act of love of a birth mother I get to be the mother to this beautiful baby girl too. 

I can't even type this without getting emotional!
While my heart is EXPLODING with a deeper love than I could have ever imagined, it also BREAKS knowing the incredible sacrifice Lucy's birth mom made to place her for adoption. I know birth moms have their own day too, but not a day goes by that I don't think of her and thank God for giving her the strength to make that choice. She's so much stronger and braver than I could ever be and I'm so thankful and humbled that she chose me to be Lucy's mom. A year ago I would've never imagined I'd be celebrating mothers day as a mother of multiples but God is so amazing and his timing is perfect!
1 Samuel 1:27
for this child I have prayed
‪#‎soblessed‬

The whole story

In January of this year we were offered a chance to submit a profile to a birth mother here in Des Moines. We had never put a profile together before, so I spent a day working on one. Ours was extremely short compared to ones we looked through online for reference of what to put in them. We gave information about our family, a page for Teague, a page for Jonathan and a page for me. We kept it short and sweet and to the point. I printed it off on card stock, three-hole punched it and tied it with purple ribbon and turned it over to our friend who was meeting with the birth parents the next day.
(You have no idea how much I agonized over what color ribbon to tie it with)

About a week later we received a phone call stating that the birth parents wanted to meet us. Oh the excitement we were feeling, but knew to keep our hearts guarded just in case. After all, they were probably meeting a few other couples right?!?
We met the birth parents on February 5th. I remember that day so clearly. I knew I was going to be nervous and thinking about it all day, so I scheduled a hair appointment to keep me occupied. Plus, I wanted to make sure I looked my best for meeting the people that could potentially change our lives forever. On the drive there I thought, what if they don't like us in person? What if they don't pick us? Teague and I sat at a stop sign, held hands and just prayed. Our fears were washed away and we felt peace. Peace knowing that whatever happens, God is in complete control.

Our first meeting with LeeAnna & Chris couldn't have gone better if we had hand picked the situation! They were so lovely, respectful, gracious, and excited. But, as it turns out, also nervous to meet us. They had the same fears as we did; what if they don't like us? What if they say no to us? What will they think of us?

We walked in, saw them, and greeted them both with big hugs, because that's just what I do!
"I'm a hugger" I said. "Hope that doesn't bother you." LeeAnna hugged me and said "No, not at all." Those were the first words we ever spoke to each other.
It was then that they told us that ours was the first and only profile they looked at. One of the things that LeeAnna loved was the purple ribbon I tied it with because that's her favorite color. (Praise God I picked the purple ribbon! LOL)
We spend the next (several) hours discussing our hopes and theirs for this situation.  "What do you want out of this?", they wanted to know. We wanted to know the same thing. We told them we'd love to be able to foster a great relationship with them leading up to the birth and after, if they were okay with that. They shared that they'd love for us to be as involved as we'd like. One specific request they had was that I be there for the delivery and get to hold the baby right away and be with her because they know I didn't get to be with Jonathan after he was born. How incredibly selfless and gracious of them to include us like that! And throughout the last few months, we've been able to go to doctor appointments, birthing class and be involved in every little detail.

Baby Lucy was due April 29th. That felt so close but so far away. At the routine check up in Newton on April 3rd, the midwife said she'd like an ultrasound done because baby was measuring small. They diagnosed it as IUGR, a condition in which the placenta stops nourishing the baby. It was determined that baby was healthier out than in, so we were sent downtown to Methodist Hospital in case baby had to be in the NICU. On Saturday April 4th LeeAnna was induced and her water broke. After about 12 hours with little progression, the decision was made to have a c-section. LeeAnna was gracious enough to select me to be in the OR with her, so I was there the second that baby Lucy was born. What an amazing moment that was! I stayed in the room with LeeAnna and held Lucy next to her and for those next few minutes, we got to just be. The three of us, LeeAnna, Lucy and I just got to bond on a whole other level. One I never, ever dreamed I'd embrace but now can't imagine not having!
       ****Lucy Irene Boyd born April 4th 2015 9:54 pm weighing 4lb 9oz (NO NICU)****
We spent the next few days in the hospital with LeeAnna and Chris. Methodist was kind enough to give us our own room right next door so we didn't have to leave the hospital and I was able to keep Lucy in our room. We (LeeAnna and I) would shuffler her back and forth between rooms when visitors would come. But for the most part they were gracious enough to let us keep her in our room, again for the bonding that I wasn't able to have and missed out on with Jonathan. They were so incredibly respectful of that and wanting that for me with this baby.

Lucy is 3 weeks old now. The adoption won't be finalized for 6 months (per Iowa law we have to have 3 post placement visits and a final court hearing with the Judge) but she's ours in every way that counts!
Thank you to everyone who has helped and continues to help support us on this journey! Thank you to all our friends and family for rallying together on such short notice to help us make sure we had what we needed to bring Lucy home!