Adoption Day

Adoption Day 2014 - photos by Rachel Drechsel

When it's the anniversary of your son's adoption and you had a day so trying that you're in a hot bath at 8pm and in bed at 9pm but you still love him so much that you're watching him sleep on the video monitor and thanking God for him, just as he is. I love my crazy Liam. He has taught me so much about grace, patience, unconditional love and forgiveness. The 5 minutes of genuine laughter (after he told me that Ronan "looks like a dad") was the best part of my day. Thankful for new mornings and do-overs. Happy Valentine's Day, Liam. I know you still dont understand adoption. Just know that you are SO VERY LOVED. 

Liam - Age 4.

Working Family

I am loving life with our two boys. It hasn't been easy but it's been awesome. I've been working a lot lately after shooting 4 weddings since Ronan was born and many more to come. A maternity leave is hard to come by when you're self-employed. I wanted to take a fwe months off but it's hard when you see the bank account dwindling and the inbox filling up. I like to work so I was pretty much back to work (or at least answering emails) at 5 weeks postpartum. I shot 3 weddings in December, right at the 8 week postpartum mark. I miss those lazy newborn days where my only expectation was to lay in bed with Ronan all day. But, I'm pretty much back to normal and he is ready to be out and experience the world. 

Sometimes I'd like to make more money, other times I'd like to not work at all. When I consider that I have 5.5 years until both boys are in school I figure that I'd better just keep doing what I'm doing. I could go get a fulltime job (and use my college degree that I just finished paying for) but I'm happy. I thought my dream involved a lot more money but it turns out it doesn't. My dream is building a business in Nashville and working really hard at something I love all while spending tons of quality time with my boys. The balance is difficult but we make it work. Living the dream, as they say. Only I really mean it.

These photos are from November. We were thrilled to collaborate with Lily Jade (the bag) and Vinnie Louise (the dress). If you need a diaper bag or affordable fashion check them out. They're my new favorites - and no one is playing me to say that.

Bringing Home my Foster Kid vs. Bringing Home my Newborn

Just for fun, I wanted to do a comparison of just how different their first few days at home were.

Liam's size :  Approximately 12 lbs and wearing size 3mo clothes
Ronan's size : 8 lbs. 12 oz. at birth and in newborn clothes (for about 3 weeks).

Age when he came home:
Liam : 5 months + 1 week old
Ronan :  Newborn! 41 weeks + 1 day in the womb.

Amount of Time to prepare for baby's arrival :
Liam :  About 16 hours
Ronan :  About 10 months

Liam : formula fed.
Thoughts: How much? When?
Ronan : breast fed.
Thoughts: How long? Ouch.

Mom's age when Liam came home: 28
Status: healthy, active and well-rested.
Mom's age when Ronan was born: 32
Status: exhausted, 20 lbs overweight and tore up from the floor up.


What was your bringing home baby story? Share in the comments!

Ronan, October 2015.

Liam, February 2012.