A day in the life

I think often people want to know "what do you do all day?" So I think I'll take the time to share!

A typical day for me starts at 4:00 am...(?!?!?) Call me crazy, I know... but I must say I've always been a early riser, and being a mom has made me an even earlier one.
What do I do at that hour? Well I have my homemade paleo cereal, a cup of coffee and some bible time. Depending on the day I either head to the pool for a swim or I hit the road for a run and do some strength exercises. I try my best to get my fitness done before Maryellis is up & before Matt heads to work. 

Maryellis is up most days between 6:15am-7:00....we try to keep her in bed until 7:00, but some days she is ready to go! We start our day with a little time with dad before he heads out the door for work, then its breakfast time! (and mom's 2nd cup of coffee!) I try to provide a well balanced diet for all Maryellis' meals. Breakfast can consist from eggs & sausage, homemade pancakes/waffles, yogurt & blueberries and mixed fruit. Along with a big cup of hemp milk to wash it all down and shes one happy girl.
-This is also a time I can do some food prep & unload the dishwasher, or hand wash dishes. 

For the next hour or so we play with her toys, race in the kitchen, read some stories, work on flashcards, sing songs and enjoy one another company. Then the dog starts to get a little crazy herself and she is ready to get out for a walk! We take the dog every morning, (rain or shine) for a nice long walk. Maryellis seems to enjoy it most of the time, sometimes she tells me to run, or other times we stop and look for the ducks, geese and cows. Once we are home the dog is tuckered out and Maryellis is usually ready for a snack...perfect timing so mom can get herself "ready" for the day.

Depending on the day, depends on how "ready" I get. I am a blessed women who gets to stay home to raise our daughter. But if its a day that consists of running a few errands & being at home, I will remain in some sort of athletic wear for the day. We are in a stage where I am busy chasing a toddler, playing on the ground, outside, daily chores, etc. I see no sense in ruining my "nice" clothes.
-Every morning I start a load of laundry, some days 2 loads if its a "towels day". I try my best to have it switched into the dryer before we go anywhere. 

Late morning until lunch time is a different activity everyday!
Mondays we go to mom's group & Wednesdays we have "Mommy & Me" dance class.
The rest of the days can be filled with play dates, baking, running errands such as; Costco, Trader Joe's, Target. Most weeks we make a trip to the pool, art activities, park days, Bounce, playing outside (this is often!) Library, drawing, bike rides, hikes, visiting Great grandma, or just a simple day at home.

We have lunch anywhere from 11:30-12:00. I would say no every day we are at home to eat, but I always plan ahead and bring her lunch along with us. Again, another well balanced meal.
She likes quesadillas, chicken, meatballs, fish, beans, cheese and there is always sauteed mixed veggies, cucumbers & avocado. Her treat for after shes finished her main meal is a "squeezie", She has a fairly good palate and I'm thankful for the good eater she is. (for the most part)

After lunch we have more playtime, try to keep it more on the mellow side.
We read stories around 12:30-12:45 and she is usually down around 1:00.
This is where I currently get a 3 hour gap! (I know its only a season.)
During this time I take clients for hair appointments, fold the laundry, the daily sweeping of the house, (dog hair and toddler crumbs, oh-my!) make phone calls/paperwork/e-mails, work in the garden/yard, chicken care, dinner food prep, projects around the house and on a "lucky" day I take a little time to read, or take a short nap.

Nap time is over around 4:00 and I love when she wakes up because she is quite the cuddler at this time. We get cozy in the big chair, have a snack and some milk and talk. :) Depending on the day sometimes she will go outside to play other days she loves to watch a "ABC" video on the computer while I finish cooking dinner. Matt gets home most days anywhere from 5:00-6:00... she cannot wait for him to get home! Once I get the phone call of when hes on his way, were at the window waiting!
She is so so excited when daddy gets home, its the sweetest thing, she is the best greeter I know!  

We enjoy a dinner together as a family, not all dinners are pleasant, we are dining with a toddler. She usually eats what we do, but some nights her meals are altered a little bit.

After dinner I do the dishes and that gives Matt and Maryellis time to be together!
Depending on the night and time of year, it seems there can be something most nights.
From family dinners, friends dinners, community group, bible studies, Matt's basketball or softball games, meetings, church events, etc. We try to have 2-3 evenings at home, and either Friday or Saturday is "family night"...just the three of us we have it a no "chore/project" night, but one that we do something together.

Then we have the end of the day of our bedtime routine! Bath time, pajamas, brushing her hair...then her favorite milk & raisins bed time snack. Matt is in charge of brushing her teeth at night, its my saving grace, by 8:00 I'm tired and its the last thing I want to ever have to battle through. We read a bible story and some other books of her choice. Then its prayer and kisses and goodnight.

Matt and I have a solid hour to spend time together, before my head hits the pillow at 9:00pm.
If you ever try to reach me after 8:00....good luck, its rare that I will respond, I need that free time from the connection to the world.

We try to keep a well balanced life, seems a though it never really slows down. We are blessed with the family we have and try to do life in a way that is honoring to the Lord.

blessings to you!

Hero

Hero: A person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life.

Life is a miracle, one that only God creates, not all are planned, but only God can allow such a thing to take place. When a birth mother chooses to keep this life alive in her, rather then ending it, she is a hero in my book.

Adoption is such a beautiful gift a birth mother can give to her child, as well as to the family she is helping to build.

I often don't think birth parents are given enough praise for the sacrifice they have made. They could choose so easily to end the life in them through abortion, but they selflessly choose to give their child a chance. That they realize that they are not capable to care for them as they wish, but know another family can welcome that child with open arms and loving hearts, that is wisdom beyond their years.

I'm so thankful...that our daughters birth parents chose life and in that they chose us. Matthew and I have been so blessed and humbled that we get to be parents, that we've been entrusted this beautiful girl to love and raise as our own. She has brought us and others so much joy, its been wonderful to be a family.

In Oregon in 2013 there were 8,283 Abortions that took place. I am not here by any means to place judgement, but more to share the facts. Thousands of lives were lost that year, and there are thousands of families like my own whom wish to adopt again, this is how we will build our family. I wish Adoption wasn't so hard, but it is. But I get it. I couldn't imagine placing a child that I had carried for 9 months...but people do it, they make that selfless sacrifice to give life. I think we all have something to learn from a women who can do that.

To birth parents out there, I thank you, and I pray for you, that you would know the love of God and his peace would be upon you.

Please continue to share our story, the love we have to give and family we dream to make.

(http://public.health.oregon.gov/BirthDeathCertificates/VitalStatistics/abortion/Documents/abortion13.pdf)

Lets do this again!

Hey there friends and family!

After much discussion, prayer and time we feel its time again to add to our family! Adoption #2 here we go! We've done some research and have decided we'd like to attempt a Independent Adoption. Meaning that we are promoting ourselves and hoping too that family and friends can share our video and spread the word that we're looking to add another baby to our family. There are more details to it then that, but in the end it would be that we have a attorney who would make the adoption legal. This can be risky and possibly take some time, but we trust that the Lord will guide us through.

Here is our video, please share it and pass it on...we'd love for as many people to know as possible.
 Can you help us everyone?

We also ask you continue to pray over our family and the future baby God already has planned for us.

Thank you again for joining along this journey, can you believe it?!?!!  So exciting!

Blessings to you,

The Imlach family

Summer has come and gone!

 

Oh hello there!

Here I am four months since my last post…. I must admit this blog is for me to share about my family and our life together, we’ve just been having too much fun this summer and I haven’t wanted to sit down and write. In saying that, I’m shocked it’s September, how time flies, thankful we get to enjoy our extended summer we have here in the PNW.

This summer consisted of several weddings, lots of time outdoors playing and exploring, swimming, river rock throwing, berry picking, animal visiting at various farms, going to the park, play dates, sprinklers, bubble blowing & chalk drawing. Lots of Matthew’s softball games, gardening, hiking, walks with our dog, barbeques with friends and family, a trip to the zoo and beach! We had a visit with some of Maryellis’ birth family up in Portland, she got to meet her half sister. It was a really wonderful time for us to all be together and get to know one another more. I would say that we all left that day with peace in our hearts, thankful for the time we got to visit and become more comfortable. Other then that we stayed in town a lot this summer, we were very occupied with lots of house projects, and I have still had several appointments pertaining to the healing of my body. I wouldn’t have changed this summer for anything, learning to take advantage of all the many things our town offers.

Maryellis is now 15 months old and very busy, continually keeping me on my toes.

Its hard for me to really pinpoint her personality---happy, easy going but not afraid to say “no”, she isn’t really shy- but takes in her surrounding before really letting her guard down. I enjoy seeing her as she learns more and more each day, she is quite the little explorer. She is no longer a baby, becoming more and more of a little girl. I love to watch her when she discovers something new, or accomplishes a task all by herself, she lights up! She loves to dance and the water, planning on singing up for swimming lessons soon and dance in the near future. Sign language has been a wonderful way for us to communicate, not to mention it has been helping with her verbal communication skills.

I have just been reflecting lately about how the Lord has grown our family, through Adoption. In my dark days of infertility I remember the scriptures that would come to mind,

 “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4

“For everyone who asks receivers; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Praying and meditating over these scriptures, even arguing with God “You know the desires of my heart, to be a mother, why isn’t it happening?”

Well I have to remember that God’s plans and his way is better then mine. He knew the heartache and breaking that I needed to go through. How blessed I am that he took me on that journey, he has given me the desire of my heart, our daughter- he knew that from the day she was conceived that she would be our little girl. I cannot imagine that my plans would have ever compared to what God has already done. I am so thankful that we got to choose her, yet how her birth parents choose us, they gave us the gift we’ve always dreamed of.

God will give us the desires of our hearts, we have to be willing to ask, pray, and give it up to Him, trusting that he will---and likely it won’t go the path we thought it would.

Our family grows and expands through Adoption, just has he adopted us, we too will adopt and love as He first loved us. 

Blessings. 

A year to remember

This year has been one that has blown me away by the love God has for his children. We were all adopted into his family, he first loved us, chose us as sons and daughters. How privileged we are to share with Maryellis these next few years that "we chose her".

I cannot believe our baby girl is going to be 1! (May 30th) I will always remember when we got the call she had been born, and we rushed ourselves North waiting to meet our girl. Holding her in my arms for the first time I will always remember how warm, soft, and wonderful she smelt. 

You all know how the following three weeks went, when we thought we had lost our girl forever. When we thought she would only be a memory, one we would pray over forever. God is faithful, through those next few weeks he led her back to us. 

Matt and I have learned so much this year, overall it's been amazing, but we did have our moments that continued to stretch us and the friendly reminder we are here for Gods purpose, to let Him use us. 

Maryellis is a gift, a precious one at that. I'm honored & humbled to be her mother, to daily get to spend time with her. I knew Motherhood would be a wonderful thing, but I didn't know how much my heart would grow until I was one. 

We have one year down and prayerfully many more to go! I've heard this next year is a lot of fun, yet one that will be more busy and the tantrums will begin. Oh lord have favor on us and grant us wisdom through it! 

Matt and I have been blessed by a incredible amount of support and prayers, thank you all for joining our family in the adoption process, loving us and most of all, loving our daughter. 

Many have asked what's our plan next with children, well as The Lord leads, we will follow. We pray for more children, looking to see how the doors may open.

Here we go, I cannot believe I'm a mother to a 1 year old! 

Blessings, 

Emily 

Mother's Day

It's been awhile since I've posted and  I will share on the accident another time. For now I want to talk about Mother's Day. 

Growing up Mother's Day was always special to me. My mom did so much for us children growing up that we made sure on this one day we could treat her like a queen. From breakfast in bed to my sister and I picking out her outfit & helping her get ready (which I'm sure she loved, ha!) We would do anything and everything to make her day wonderful, hoping she would know how truly grateful we were. Our mom was a simple women, who always put her children first. 

Then there was that day when we would loose our mom and have several Mother's Day come and go that felt so empty. It became a day more of sadness to me more then anything. As the years went on I was surrounded by many women who had a mothering relationship with me. It would never be the same, but I would choose to celebrate them & be grateful for the years with my mom. 

Then came not only the Mother's Day of mourning the loss of my mom, but the fact I couldn't bear children. I disliked Mother's Day even more. It's a holiday that brought so much grief and heartache for me. To grasp a bit of happiness I would try to focus on the memories with my mom, but all in all it was a day that came with much sadness. 

This year is my first year as a mamma. I'm humbled by the gift The Lord has given us in bringing our daughter into our lives. Maryellis has made me a mom. I've felt overwhelmed with emotion these last few weeks, the joy I have when I look at our sweet baby girl. God is good, he is faithful, he's answered my prayer in a way I never dreamed of, His plans are perfect. 

For me Mother's Day will always been a day with many emotions, one of remembering my mother, one of putting to rest my fertility and lastly the joy of celebrating our daughter. 

He gives the barren women a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise The Lord! 

Psalm 113:9 

Happy Mother's Day! 

Baby Food 101

When we first were able to feed Maryellis solids I was so excited! We did hold off on the baby cereals until she was 5 months, once we started we opted for the baby oatmeal. Our personal preference, we understand everyone has their own timeline and preference of when to begin. 

Maryellis did a few weeks of the oatmeal two times a day. She is definatly not the neatest of eaters- (maybe she's learned from me?!!) But all in all she eats and is happy! 

Around 5 1/2 months we started her on homemade baby food! I really enjoy cooking, being able to have the opportunity and time to make her food is so much fun for me & a blessing. I know what she's eating, and it does save us money. The time to make it honestly doesn't take too much time out of my day and I would say it's worth it. 

A good friend of mine recommend the book "Be'be' Gourmet". It's a wonderful book, inspired by a French mother, who desired to make her children's baby food and with a hope they would become adventurous eaters. I would say so far it's been a wonderful read and guide for me in the kitchen with preparing food. She gives recipes, tips & tricks, wonderful wisdom and all together practical cooking for or family. 

My goal is to that Maryellis will have a balanced diet, rich in nutrition and that she too will develop a love for cooking and healthful food. I won't deprive her of all the treats in the world, but high fattening foods & loads of sugar will have it's limits. (Sorry grandparents- I'm already looking and debating on what her first birthday cake will be.... Something I can create that's for sure!) 

Maryellis is a lover of vegetables, like her mamma! Fruit is coming along, and she's had some meat too which she's enjoyed. Today I'll share a favorite of hers: Green beans & Kale. 

I have frozen green beans and kale from the summer's garden that I rinsed and steamed  in water for about 5-7minutes.

Once they've been cooked I then put them in the blender with some of the leftover water. I also add a tablespoon of olive oil and a teaspoon of some Italian herbs. Makes for great flavor and encourages her to like flavorful
food at a young age! 

Other spices we've tried: 

Cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin, garlic, curry & rosemary.

Then blend away! You can also use a food processor, but this was a much easier route for the amount we were making. 

I have little containers that I put in the freezer which makes for  easy storing and the perfect portion to pull out the day of and thaw for lunch! 

Then we eat! And she is happy! 

Who wouldn't want to eat this? It actually is yummy! She clearly thinks so too! 

Blessings to you! 

Emily