LIFE...

So, for some time I have been wanting to post some more about our adoption journey.

A couple months ago, David and I took Lincoln to Nauvoo. We had the opportunity to walk the Trail of Hope, which was originally called the Trail of Tears. It was an incredibly emotional experience, and I the Spirit pierced my heart and testified to me that their was indeed a multitude of sacrifices made by those who had chosen to follow the Lord.

I obviously didn't cross the Mississippi with the saints, BUT I can imagine what it would have been like to be following the Lord and yet to still have to struggle:


The people did all they could do, and yet, still their boat sank! Some saints were tossed and sported on the water.

Infertility feels like that.

Yet, they continued on. They did what they could. And, even through the fourthwatch, they were diligent and obedient.

They were blessed for their sacrifice.

She traveled a long way before she had her son.
BUT,
She didn't mind the hardship of her situation because, her life had been preserved;

Motherhood feels like that.

And her son(s)


were so worth the wait:



And so beautiful.

LIFE: The Trail of Tears; The Trail of Hope.

That's All...

Dear Good Morning America,

When you invite one of the 17 girls who has become pregnant, either because of or not because of a pregnancy pact, don't tell her Congratulations, ask her and her high school boyfriend the name they have chosen for their baby girl, and then tell them that it's too bad the media got involved because this should be a time in their life full of happy memories.

INSTEAD:
TELL them about how much their life is about to change!
TELL them about the early mornings, the late nights, the doctor's visits, the money, the stress, the lack of their childhood, and then...

TELL THEM ABOUT ADOPTION.
and then...

THEN tell them CONGRATULATIONS for making a selfless decision; a decision in the best interest of the child.

That's all!

Brandi

WHAT THE H-E-double hockey sticks!

---BOSTON - An investigation has been launched into an apparent teenage "pregnancy pact" that has at least 17 high-school girls expecting babies, four times more than last year, including many aged 16 or younger.
A high school health clinic in the city of Gloucester, Mass., became suspicious after seeing a surge in girls seeking pregnancy tests. Local officials said Thursday nearly half of those who became pregnant appear to have entered into a pact to have their babies together over the year.
"Some girls seemed more upset when they weren't pregnant than when they were," Gloucester High School principal Joseph Sullivan told Time magazine, which broke news of the pact on its Web site. Some of the girls reacted to the news they were pregnant with high fives and plans for baby showers, Sullivan said. One of the fathers "is a 24-year-old homeless guy," Sullivan told the magazine. Others were boys in the school.
Statutory rape charges?Superintendent Christopher Farmer confirmed the deal to WBZ-TV, saying the girls had "an agreement to get pregnant." He said the mothers-to-be are generally "girls who lack self-esteem and have a lack of love in their life." Carolyn Kirk, mayor of the port city 30 miles northeast of Boston, said that many factors could be involved in the recent surge in teen pregnancies in the community, but she doubts a dozen girls would conspire to get pregnant. Gloucester is a fishing town and has been going through an economic decline in recent years. That’s led to cuts in teachers, services and some health classes at local schools.
Still, Kirk told Reuters that authorities are looking at whether to pursue statutory rape charges. "We're at the very early stages of wrestling with the complexities of this problem," she said.
"But we also have to think about the boys. Some of these boys could have their lives changed. They could be in serious, serious trouble even if it was consensual because of their age — not from what the city could do but from what the girls' families could do," she told Reuters.
Under Massachusetts law, it is a crime to have sex with anyone under the age of 16.
The ‘Juno’-Jamie Lynn effect?"At the very least these men should be held responsible for financial support, if not put in jail for statutory rape as the mayor has suggested," Greg Verga, chairman of the Gloucester School Committee, told Reuters in a telephone interview.
Nationwide, teen pregnancies are showing signs of rising after steadily declining from 1991 to 2005. This trend was highlighted Thursday when Britney Spears' 17-year-old sister Jamie Lynn, star of Nickelodeon's popular TV show "Zoey 101," gave birth to a baby girl, according to People magazine.
"The data seem to be indicating that the declines that we had seen through the 1990s are coming to a close," said David Landry, a researcher at the Guttmacher Institute, a New York-based nonprofit group focusing on reproductive issues.
Birth rates for teenagers aged 15 to 17 rose by 3 percent in 2006, the first increase since 1991, according to preliminary data released in December by the National Center for Health Statistics. Landry cautioned against attributing the trend to Hollywood following the recent hit movie "Juno," in which a teenager gets pregnant and decides to have the baby, and "Knocked Up," a comedy about a one-night stand.
"The trend emerged before those movies," he said.
In Gloucester, the 1,200-student school administered 150 pregnancy tests to students in the past academic year. The school forbids the distribution of condoms and other contraception without parental consent — a rule that prompted the school's doctor and nurse to resign in protest in May.
"But even if we had contraceptives, that pact shows that if they wanted to get pregnant, they will get pregnant. Whether we distribute contraceptives is irrelevant," said Verga.


Dear 17 Young Girls,

I am sick to my stomach.

I am furious. WHAT the hell were you thinking?

I am praying that you will become wonderful birthmothers instead of young girls under the age of 16 who think raising a baby is all about dressing up a doll baby.

BUT.

I have a great power point presentation just in case any of you want to know the price of a baby. That's including the physical, mental, and emotional price.

AND

I know some great people looking to adopt!

Please! Make the right decision!

Brandi

Come Home

It has been awhile since I have written.
Even my Sweet husband told me that I hadn't blogged in a long time, so I guess it is time!
In the last month, many things have happened; most of them are not memorable, but for the few that are noteworthy, here we go:

FIRST:
I got cast as Mary Lewis in the production of "Come Home To Kanesville." This show is "the sing-'n-dance musical , a story of love and faith set against the heart-rending saga of the pioneer experience." Yes, I play a woman who has two young children. (One of their names happens to be Henry Lewis.) Yes, I fall in love, and have to be kissed by character Jonathan Briggs (played by 61 year old Brother Bell) My character is intense, faithful, and historically a real woman! I have been strengthened and hope that I can portray such a faithful woman on stage, and in my life.

SECOND:
Our social worker called us and told us that Anthony, bless him, has hired an attorney and has decided to sign his rights away.

DEAR ANTHONY,
Thank you for giving Henry the opportunity to come to our home. Because of your decision he will be able to learn and grow in the gospel and have a forever family. We love him more than we can express in words, and if you were here we'd probably hug you! As he grows, I hope he gains the quality of selflessness from you; the ability to put the needs of someone else above his own wants. Thank you Anthony. We love you.

THIRD:
We had a wonderful Father's Day. None of the talks in church were about fathers, no one mentioned it at the pulpit, but I think that when David came home and found his present, it made up for it. We love you Sweetheart!

Soon to come...more on our adoption journey!