Dayton Moms Blog

My Name is Kate and I’m an Addict @DaytonMomsBlog

photo credit: Iker Merodio | Photography Welcome, Martin (the Beginning) via photopin (license)

If you have been following any part of our adoption journey, you may know we have a good relationship with Max’s birth mom, Mommy Kate. We have the opportunity to celebrate birthdays, Christmas and other occasions together.

A little over a year and a half ago Cheryl wrote about our relationship with Mommy Kate in the blog post Her Name is Kate. You can see the original post on Dayton Moms Blog, where many have had the opportunity to read a little about her journey.

Today, Kate reveals a little more about her story in post called My Name is Kate and I’m an Addict. She recounts the days leading up to Max’s birth and some of what transpired afterwards.

Here’s a portion of her story:

My Addiction was at 110% and I was drowning in it.

The days after that court hearing, where my son took on the name of another family were so difficult. I continued the cycle of using and jail and hating who I had become. I ended up in jail one last time and then entered a rehab center (again). While trying to get myself healthy, the love of my life died of a drug overdose. I knew then and there that I needed to change or I would not make it. At his funeral services, I saw my son again. The adoptive parents came to pay their respects to their son’s birth father, and it touched me that they came and I got to take him around and introduce him to the family. I knew that I was going to be different, I wanted to stop drowning in my addiction.

Take a few minutes to read what Mommy Kate shares. Our lives are forever changed through her and Max.

Our Son @DaytonMomsBlog

Almost two weeks ago we celebrated Eli’s first birthday. We gave him his own cupcake so he could go to town and make a mess and spread icing all over his face.

His birthday wasn’t just a celebration of his birth, but also of adoption. Cheryl wrote about her thoughts about Eli’s birth mom as we prepared to have his first birthday.

In final paragraph, she writes this:

Tomorrow he turns 1, and as I tuck him in bed, and kiss him, I’m thinking of you. I’m thinking of how far you have come from a short year ago, and what the future holds. I’m remembering how God answered my prayer and made it evident to me that our stories should be woven together, with one minute to spare. Tomorrow I’ll tell him how much we love him and tell him how much you love him and look forward to when we can celebrate his birthday together.

Adoption has taught us so many things and we often think of our “extended family” as we go through the milestones of parenting. Check out the entire post on Dayton Moms Blog.

Parenting 2.0 @DaytonMomsBlog

Cheryl is back on the Dayton Moms Blog today and her post looks at parenting in this season of our lives.

Many of you have read about our adoption journey as we have added two little boys to our family over the past 5 years. This Sunday (April 22) we will celebrate our four-year old’s Gotcha Day and we finalized the adoption of our youngest on February 14 of this year.

Cheryl writes about some of the things she has learned through parenting and how her view of being a mom has evolved over the years. Here’s one example of what has changed:

At 25 and 29, I was obsessed with if my child was turning over when they should, and cooing the right way. If I had a friend whose child did things sooner or better than mine, I would fret all night and doubt myself as a mother. I wasted so much energy and lost so much sleep fretting over things that simply don’t matter.

Parenting 2.0 taught me that every child is different and unique, and comparing them to other children isn’t helpful to them or you.

Go check out the post and marvel at the wisdom of my wife!

Ready for “The Talk?” @DaytonMomsBlog

My wife is back on Dayton Moms Blog writing about having “the talk” with your kids. Are your kids reaching the age where you need to start having these conversations? This article will help.

My wife is a good one to write about this subject because she talks freely about the subject. She teaches abstinence classes for our local women’s pregnancy center and is always open to answer any questions that students throw at her.

Take a few minutes to read the post for your own benefit as a parent or share it with someone who has children that may need some encouragement to approach this subject.

As she says in the post, “You can handle it, you can do this.”

A Must Read: A Letter to My Step-Daughter @DaytonMomsBlog

I’m a little late in sharing this (it was published last Friday), but it is still worth a read. My wife has another post on the Dayton Moms Blog and it gives a little peek into our journey of being a blended family.

Before we added to our family through adoption, we took on the challenge of blending a family of three boys and one girl spaced out from elementary school through a new high school graduate. Like most families, this was new territory for us and we faced a few challenges. Cheryl writes about that in her post.

I joked with her that her post makes me sound smarter than I really am, but I loved her honesty in this particular paragraph:

He told me to be patient and that was so hard. I wanted an instant family, I wanted you to just fit right into our family with my kids, and that was so selfish of me. Being patient was hard, but oh the wonderful things I was able to see and observe in that time. I watched you grow and mature from a distance.

Take a few minutes to read the letter on the Dayton Moms Blog. Hopefully it will be an encouragement to you or allow you to encourage someone else facing a similar journey.

Cheryl Shares Our Adoption Journey // @DaytonMomsBlob

Cheryl is back on the Dayton Moms Blog this week and shares some of our adoption journey.

This month we celebrated World Adoption Day and the month of November is National Adoption Month.

You can read what she wrote on Dayton Moms Blog.

A Little DYK About Dayton // @daytonmomsblog

Cheryl’s latest post on the Dayton Moms Blog is all about Dayton. While we don’t live in Dayton, that is the direction we head when we need things our smaller town doesn’t offer. When telling people where we live, we usually give Dayton as a point of reference.

We participate in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s in Dayton. We enjoy going to Dayton Dragons games, occasionally hitting up the Dayton Mall and enjoy eating at The Spaghetti Warehouse.

If you live in or around Dayton, you may know some of the facts on the blog.

Do you know why Dayton is called “The Gem City?” (I did not).

Did you know that it took a vote by the US House to secure a title Dayton is known for? (Me neither).

Familiar with the Rolling Stones? They have a connection to Dayton.

Go find out what you didn’t know about Dayton on the blog today.

My Wife Writes About Her Mom @daytonmomsblog

My wife has had several of her posts published on Dayton Moms Blog. While I think all of her posts are good, I really appreciate this one because I know this subject is especially close to her heart; she writes about her mom.

My mother-in-law has been struggling with the effects of Alzheimer’s for the past several years. Much of what I have learned about her is not from experience, but from stories about her from my wife. This post reflects that.

I have seen the influence of my mother-in-law on my wife, especially in how she interacts with her children. Here’s a portion of what she wrote:

My mom taught me to go above and beyond. My mom is a smart woman and as valedictorian of her High School class she expected us to be just as academic as her and do well in school. My brothers followed in her footsteps, but I struggled in school. She pushed me and pushed me to do my best and then she would say, “Do extra”. I’ve instilled that in my own children and have encouraged them to do extra and go above and beyond what is expected of them.

I’ve seen my wife put that into practice in her life and encourage that in her sons.

Take a few moments to read 5 Things My Mom Taught Me. It’s worth the time. We all have things we can learn.

She’s THAT Mom // Cheryl’s Latest Post @DaytonMomsBlog

Cheryl’s latest post on Dayton Moms Blog took her on a little journey down memory lane as she thought about when her big boys were little. She is now THAT mom.

As moms, we all know what kind of mom I am referring to……..

The mom that looks at the young mom and gives a little smile.
The mom that sweetly smiles and giggles as you discipline your child in the store, and just watches you.
The mom that offers to help you with your bag, when you look like your about to drop said bag.
The mom that asks if she can help you out the door, when you have a cart in one hand and a car seat in the other.
The mom that seems to be watching you as you multi- task.
The mom that looks at you and pats you on the shoulder and says, “Enjoy these sweet moments, they grow up so quickly.”

Read the rest of the post on the Dayton Moms Blog

Thoughts from a Hoosier Fan in the Buckeye Land