Open Adoption Bloggers

I've been added to openadoptionbloggers.com. I'm honored! There are some amazing blogs on there.

Yesterday and today I was lucky enough to attend the FSA Conference. What a great time! I love being surrounded by advocates for adoption. I also saw a lot of people (mostly caseworkers) that I hadn't seen in YEARS and I got to meet a lot of new birthmothers. Some of them whose blogs I've been following for quite awhile now. I loved putting faces to their stories.

Davin was able to come with me all day today and he helped with Ava a lot, which was nice. He was also on a panel, "husbands of birthmothers". It's so important to me that birthmothers who haven't found a good man to marry know that they ARE out there and they WILL accept you for who you are!

I can't wait to help out next year!

My Heart is Full

My heart is full this week. I don't know where to start.

Adoption is on my mind. Last year I was able to go to the FSA Conference in Layton and it was such an amazing thing for me. I loved so much being surrounded by these amazing women who had placed children for adoption and become so much more because of it. These are strong, good people who I learned from and admire.

I have made goals since that conference and work towards them every day:

To let people know that adoption can be a beautiful, saving thing.

To help where I can and to be an example to girls who might be in a situation similar to the one I was once in.

I made it a goal to be involved with the 2010 FSA Conference and I made that goal come true!

I share my story when I think it will help, and I support those who choose both adoption and single parenting. I realize it's not my place to judge.

This year I will be on a panel, "Ask a Birthparent". I hope I can be open and honest and portray my feelings well for those who need to hear them. Davin has also been an amazing support to me with my involvment in the world of adoption and he will be on a panel as well. He's going to do "Husbands of birthmothers". This was one of my favorite panels last year, even though I was already married to a wonderful man. These men are so supportive and prove to girls who are still looking for someone to share their lives with that their still worthwhile and they deserve a good man.

I've met so many people lately who have adopted children or who are adopted or who have placed a child. I love hearing different stories and how they affected peoples lives.

As Davin and I have been preparing to go to the temple to be sealed together as a family we met with our stake president. He asked me to share my story with him, from my depression, to my fathers death, to Samantha's birth and how I ended up marrying Davin and making our temple goal. When I was finished he asked me to speak in stake conference next month. I can't tell you how nervous I am, but I feel it's a prayer answered (even if not quite the answer I was going for...) because I'm always praying that my experiences can benifit others, and maybe save others from the pain of choices I made.

While adoption is only one part of who I am, it's an important part. Thanks for listening...or reading. I know what's so important to me isn't important to everyone, but I can't help but write my feelings, help lighten my load.

Love,

Alli; a wife, a mom, a daughter, a sister, a friend and a birthmother.

Fishing With Samantha

Today I got to spend time with Samantha, her mom and her sister. We took them fishing. I love open adoptions and I'm so lucky she has such an amazing family who is so accepting of all of us!

Today she was looking at "Baby Ava" and she was telling me how someday she'll have babies and grandkids. Then she goes on to tell me how maybe some of them will have birth mom's. "You know, like how I grew in your belly cause my Mommy's was broken." So cute!

I love this girl.

Blessing Day

Sam 4/2006

Ava Belle 7/11/2010

Mike, me and Sam 4/2006




Ava was blessed yesterday. Davin did a wonderful job blessing her and it was a wonderful day.


As I was sitting in sarament meeting after her blessing I looked over at Samantha and her cute family and thought back to her blessing day. She was six months old because they had to wait until the adoption was final. She was so cute and it was a beautiful day outside. Mike (birthfather) even came from California.


Samanthas father gave her a blessing and it was that day that I decided I wanted to marry someone that could bless our children. I was so grateful Sam had parents who were able to take her to the temple and a father who could bless her. These were some of the things I wanted for her.


It was hard to remember though. I miss my "Baby Sam". She was so fun and friendly. It's a little harder now that she's older, she isn't as willing to go to just anyone and she'd rather play then cuddle.


But I'm so happy to be in her life, I loved seeing her at Ava's blessing and I'm so happy that her father was able to be a part of both my daughters special days.