Really Real

Drumroll, please.....



Thank you.  (Man, I really love that movie....)

It's the news you've all been waiting for.  Or, at least the news WE'VE been waiting for.

We're officially approved to adopt, and listed on our agency's website.

And, you can even Google us!

We're so excited to finally be out there, where pregnant women who are considering open adoption can actually find us.  We've spent a long seven months getting to where we are, and we know it's just the beginning of a lifelong journey.  But, it feels great to be at this point, and we're looking forward to what the future will bring.

x's&o's,
Michelle

"Dear Birthmother,"

I took 11 years of dance as a child...ballet, tap, jazz. I was a cheerleader for 5 years. I even dabbled in gymnastics.

Amber is freakishly double-jointed by nature. I joke that it's her body's attempt to protect itself, because she's also spectacularly prone to falling down. The path her body manages to take between upright and flat on the ground makes Olympic divers' medal winning performances look simplistic.

With all this flexibility between us--learned or natural-born--you'd think we'd be skilled at bending and contorting ourselves into particular shapes. You'd think we'd be great at squeezing ourselves into small spaces. Turns out when that small space is a 4-page color glossy brochure, and the entirety of our lives and what makes us special is the thing we're trying to twist and mold into it, no amount of flexibility is enough.

But, that's what writing a so-called "Dear Birthmother" letter required. So, that's what we set out to do.

For those of you saying "A 'Dear Who' what?!," lemme just say, I'm with you on the mild confusion by and slight distaste for the very title. I mean, who says that? It feels a little presumptious, really. To refer to someone as the woman who will give birth to the child that will some day become ours--when we don't even know her, haven't even met her--feels strange.

And for her...maybe she hasn't even completely decided what to do yet. She's considering her options.

Or maybe not. Maybe she's already decided--like we have--that open adoption just feels right.

But either way, I imagine her sitting there, sifting through 4-page color glossy brochures, and suddenly--there we are--warm and smiling, staring up at her from the page. And she decides to look just a little closer, and learn just a little more about who we are.....

And so--without further ado--here they are.......the four glossy color pages that represent our very best attempt to show her, truly, who Michelle Pratt and Amber Amari really are:

Michelle and Amber's Open Adoption "Dear Birthmother Letter"

x's&o's,

Michelle

Living the Life We're Writing About

Ok, so apparently I'm not going to be very good at this blogging thing. It's been over a month since my last post. 

We're still busily plugging away at our adoption stuff.  We're just days away from "final file approval", the last step before we will be officially ready to wait to adopt.  Our home study is done. We have a great "birthmother letter" finished.  We hired a wonderful designer to make it look pretty, and as soon as our adoption coordinator approves it, we'll send it off to the printer!  I've been working on our website, we have our 1-800 number up and running, and we're getting ready to set up a Facebook page.

It's hard, sometimes, when you're devoting so much time to trying to package your exciting life into a perfect 4 page color glossy brochure to have any time left over to actually live your exciting life!  But we're doing our best.  So, in honor of that, here's a list of some of the fun things we've been doing since I blogged last....

We pretended it was 1985...I volunteer for a local women's health group in Atlanta, and our end-of-the-year fundraiser this year was a 1980's-themed party. The committee I'm on put a lot of time and effort into organizing this event, and it turned out really well! Amber and I had so much fun making our costumes, and laughing at how silly we looked. I had so much gel and hairspray in my hair, it was ridiculous! I even made a faux-mullet for Amber. The picture doesn't even do it justice.

I still laugh out loud when I see this pic!

We went to Mexico...We were lucky enough to attend our second destination wedding of the year when my cousin Chris got married in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. The wedding was small, beautiful, and right on the beach. We had a great time with my parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. The most relaxing part for me was laying out on the beach while eating chicken nachos from the hotel restaurant. It doesn't get better than that!! We also had a great jet ski adventure, and Amber went parasailing with my dad. Mom and I watched from the safety of the beach!!

Amber & I with my Mom & Dad in Mexico.

Getting ready for our jet ski adventure!

We had Amber's mom come visit...Amber's mom came up from Orlando to spend a week with us at the end of May. We had a great time together. She and Amber went to the farmer's market and picked out fresh ingredients to make a great Sicilian meal. We enjoyed the warm Atlanta weather, grilling out in our backyard, and we took Amber's mom to one of our favorite sea food restaurants in Atlanta. Eating great food was definitely the theme that week!

Amber's mom & I relaxing our our backyard patio

Amber & her mom grill up some great chicken & veggie burgers

Amber visited Macon...Amber and her mom also spent the day in nearby Macon, Georgia, visiting Amber's great grandmother, Nanny.  Nanny is such an amazing woman.  She's 96 years old and still lives in her own house, next door to the general store she and Granddaddy once operated. Nanny's excited about our plan to adopt, and is looking forward to meeting her great-great-grandchild one day!

Amber & Nanny.

We built a playground....Our good friends Katie & Nicole bought a GIANT playground for their two children, and we helped them build it.  I was in charge of everything organizational...there were so many nuts, bolts, and pieces of wood, and the manual was thicker than the dictionary!  Amber and Nicole did the actual dirty work of drilling, hammering, and nailing.  In the end, the playground looks amazing.  Their kids love it, and I know our child will enjoy it one day too!

I almost look like I know what I'm doing!

Amber & Nicole work on the playground platforms.

We gardened....Amber and I are both trying our hands at gardening lately.  We have a big yard, lots of plants, two decks, a swing, and a fenced area for the dogs.  I like to make things pretty, so I've been trying to grow some flowers around the yard.  So far, I've successfully kept begonias, zinnias, and marigolds alive!  We also have some beautiful lilies, azaleas and hydrangeas that bloom each year.  Amber has started an herb garden as well this year.  We're looking forward to flavoring our grilled meats and veggies with fresh dill, thyme, basil, and rosemary from our yard!  If all goes well with the herbs, we're gonna move on to vegetables next.  Fingers crossed!!

My pretty orange flowers

The herb garden.

So, that's what we've been up to over the last month or so!  My next post will be when we are officially on the books and will include the final draft of our birthmother letter.

Here's hoping my next post will be soon!

x's&o's,
Michelle