I have a few posts for mommies that I will be putting up shortly- but I want to give a little “Shout Out” to the adoptive moms out there.  We can have a tough road, adoption is not easy, and doesn’t always have a happy ending.  The road to adoption can hurt for many reasons, and it is often a long and painful road, whether you can conceive or not.  (For the record- never assume all adoptive parents can’t carry.  It’s not true, and it’s not nice to have to talk about, either way.)
We CHOSE to adopt, and we also gave birth to a baby later.  Our daughter was adopted as an older child, and we have met many people and heard all sorts of stories- sad and wonderful, gut-wrenching and just amazing.  Adoptions from birth, as teenagers, and everywhere in between. 
All of our families are “real”, and they are also “our” kids.  You may not believe the things that we have had  said to us (IE- “Does your daughter know she’s adopted?”  while she is standing right there.  What if she didn’t???  Of course she does, but still.  Why point out her different appearance?)
And while you don’t have to walk on eggshells with adoptive families- we get stared at and point blank asked a lot of personal questions, so if you are curious- ask nicely.  We will all talk to you if you are nice about it  🙂  

Kamikaze doesn’t like me to put her pictures on the site, so I don’t post her photos unless she’s cool with it.  Once in a while, she OK’s it, LOL.  But she’s here, and though we don’t have a “fairy tale” ending and she has some issues that we have to deal with that are NOT fun at all- she’s our kid too.  Please remember the adoptive moms, too, on Mother’s Day.   They had to work hard for their kids just to get them here.  We are just moms like anyone else!    I saw about 6 posts in the past few days about how moms are moms once they give birth, and I just wanted to say- YOU ARE A MOM THE MINUTE THAT YOUR CHILD IS PUT INTO YOUR ARMS- I don’t care how long it takes that child to get there.
Just my thought of the day.
And I am sorry for this rushed post- it’s been a long day.  But I just had to say it.
Love ya, mommas!!!  (and daddies, grandmas, all ya’ll!!!  Hahaha)
TGIF!
~Samantha

Not flesh of my flesh, Nor bone of my bone,
But still miraculously my own.
Never forget for a single minute,
You didn’t grow under my heart – but in it
— Fleur Conkling Heylinger