Our Story

Our story begins back in 1988, when a boy and a girl met a college and fell into - being best friends :)  I know - that isn't how things usually begin - but hey - what can I say - we're unique :)   Being best friends was awesome!  The Dad - he is just fabulously fun, witty, and adventurous :)  The best friend thing was awesome - but by the spring of 1989 it had blossomed into something more :)   The Dad proposed - on April 1st - in a grand way - and then promptly said - "April Fools!!!!"  Lucky for me, he was just kidding - and lucky for The Dad - I didn't pop him one when I said "YES" and he came back with the "April Fools" comment :)  We celebrated the happy day of the beginning of our forever family in the summer of 1989 :)

Being poor college students, you would think we would have waited before starting our family :)  But - no - the Lord prompted us early to start on that journey - or maybe I was just baby hungry ;)  I have always loved children and wanted a big family :)   Our first little pumpkin arrived in 1990, quickly followed by the rest of our children - 5 more for a total of 6 in 11 years :)  How blessed we feel to have been given so many beautiful children :)

Our last little caboose - the Little Dude - came with a bit of a surprise for us.  Not only was he extra early, extra cute, and extra cuddly - he came with an extra chromosome on the 21st pair - giving him Trisomy 21 (T21) which is also known as Down Syndrome.  We had a couple of indicators on his 20 week US, but that gave us about a 1% chance that he would have DS.  I prayed very hard and very specifically that he would be fine, healthy, and perfect.  I received a full confirmation from the Lord that he would be fine, healthy and perfect.  It was there that I had a moment of miscommunication with the Lord ;)  To me fine, healthy and perfect meant he wouldn't have DS.  To the Lord, well - Little Dude IS fine, healthy and perfect - just the way he is!  He was born a little earlier than planned, 37.5 weeks via emergency c-section, where the doctors found his placenta had deteriorated and that my uterus was paper thin and had he been any bigger than his little 6 lbs 1 oz and 17 inches long - it could easily have ruptured from the scar tissue of 5 previous c-sections.  The morning after he was born, our pediatrician came in an explained that he believed that Little Dude had DS and they would do blood tests to see, but that he was fine, and healthy, and perfect :)  Little Dude did not have a lot of the issues that many babies born with DS have, he never had to be on oxygen, he didn't spend any time in the NICU, he nursed like a champ, and his heart defects were minor and did not require open heart surgery to repair.  My prayers were answered - Little Dude WAS fine, he WAS healthy, he was PERFECT :)   Just the way the Lord intended him to be :)

Because of Little Dude - we all learned a lot about DS and advocating and the world of the disabled.  Some of it was very disheartening.  90% of women in the US who find out their unborn babies have T21 terminate :(  Geneticists preach doom and gloom about the futures of children with DS - about their disabilities, burden to society, to their families, to their siblings.  I won't deny that having a child with special needs changes things in your family - but in my humble opinion - it changes things for the better!!!  Studies show that people who have a child with DS in their family have stronger marriages - not weaker.  Siblings of children with DS are more compassionate and better adjusted than their peers without a sibling with DS.  99% of people with DS say they are happy with their lives.  I know that Little Dude sure is - he lives life big and beautiful and with gusto :)   Little Dude definitely changed us all for the better - helped us learn to advocate for others, to be less selfish, to see things in different ways, to appreciate the small things and the wonder of the world, to slow down and smell the roses, to see the GOOD in things, instead of the bad.  He taught us to be more Christlike - to see others without a worldly filter, like he does - he doesn't see ethnicity or economic status - he doesn't care what brand of clothing you wear (or he wears) or whether you have a nice car or house or job or haircut - he only cares about your heart - and boy is he savvy about that heart stuff :)  I wonder if in heaven we all have Down Syndrome sometimes :)   Cause Little Dude sure has a lot of the qualities one needs to make it there :)

Because of Little Dude - we all have a soft spot for children with Down Syndrome, and work our hardest to advocate for people with DS and other disabilities - because - they deserve it.  A person is a person no matter how small (Dr. Seuss) or tall, or smart, or cognitively impaired.  Because of our neighbors and friends - we have a soft spot for orphans.  Combine soft spot for orphans and soft spot for Down Syndrome and you get a really really smooshy spot for orphans with DS.  Enter RR a few years ago - lots and lots of orphans with DS out there.  But - we had never planned on adopting more kids.  We have been so blessed with our own, but the thought really never crossed my mind to adopt a child with DS.  After all - I already have a child with DS, and I know the inherent struggles and frustrations that come from living in a society that doesn't fully accept my son as the valued and important community member he is.  I was more than happy to share these children with my friends - because, like Reece's Rainbow - I truly believe that every family should be blessed by a child with DS.  I have later decided that many many MANY families are blessed by a child with DS - MY child - without actually having him IN their families :)  But - nonetheless - I did try and get my friends to adopt a child with DS - but they were having none of it - but told me that I should :)

Once - a long time ago - The Dad told me he was willing to have up to 7 children.  With the advent of my very thin uterus after 6 c-sections, the doctors said that was an impossibility - so I believed that we were done.  But - there was a small nagging feeling - of one more little girl - but that was an impossibility - so I put it aside.  We were 3 and 3 - that's perfect right?  Even steven - girls vs boys :)  After the Little Dude joined us, I remembered clearly a very vivid dream/vision I'd had while pregnant with the Biggest Sissy - of a darling bright sunny blonde little girl with DS.  It was more than a dream - and I remember praying when I was pregnant that she would not have DS.  When she was born and all was well - I promptly forgot the dream - until after Little Dude was born.  I didn't know what it meant - maybe Little Dude and Biggest Sissy had changed places before they came here?  Made a deal?  A pact?   Maybe I was going to meet this little girl someday?  I have looked for her ever since - but I have never found her - not with all the down syndrome connections we have, not on the Reece's Rainbow site.  But - thinking of her - led me to another little girl on RR who I was sure was meant to come to our family.  The Dad and I prayed - but his answer was different than mine - and that cute little blondie went to another family.  I was so sad :(   The Dad's answer led me in a different direction though - and has now led us to F - who literally chose us - not the other way around :)

I saw her cute face on RR one day and promptly emailed her to a friend, because she looks like my friend's daughter and told her SHE should adopt her :)  My friend didn't bite (no big surprise - I haven't had one bite yet - but that doesn't stop me from trying ;)  I just couldn't get her cute little face out of my mind - so I sent her to The Dad.  Imagine my surprise when he emailed back and asked where she was at....  I didn't know - so I emailed to find out that it was a country I had barely heard of and couldn't tell you where it was located on a map.  We emailed back and forth a few times, but I couldn't get her out of my mind.  I knew we had to pray about her and see what the Lord had in mind for us to do - whether we were supposed to advocate for her, give time or money, what He desired of us.  The answer was clear - we were supposed to start on the journey of adopting her and hopefully giving her the forever family she deserves.  We know that HE knows each of us personally, we are his children - He loves us.  He loves F - He knows what she needs.  We know that we can be what she needs.

International adoption is tricky - you can jump through all the hoops, pay thousands of dollars and for some random reason, come home empty handed, or with a different child than you have been hoping and dreaming of and advocating for.  F has already captured our hearts and we are taking a huge leap of faith to bring her home.  To get her home it will take more than just our faith, it will take the faith of a village - of family, of friends, of strangers - it will take fundraising and the generous donations of family, friends, and strangers - so we invite you to share this journey with us to our daughter, contributing in any way possible.  Faith, prayer, fundraising, donations - every little bit helps, and no amount is too small of an amount - with your help, I know we can bring F home to our family, where she will be loved, accepted, cherished, valued, and given the opportunities she is denied in her country simply because she was born with designer genes.  Please join us!!!!

With God - all things are possible!!!!