Roads to Motherhood

Rilyn's doctor appointment went very well. She has grown 2 inches and is now 8 lbs, 4 oz. She had a shot yesterday, so she was a little fussy all afternoon but by last night she was back to her snuggly smiley self.

During Rilyn's nap this morning, I started browsing some friends' blogs as I've not had the opportunity to read them for the last month. I was reading my friend Rachael's blog and it really got me thinking about all the different roads to motherhood. Rachael and her husband have become foster parents in the hope of eventually starting a family in this way. They just received their first placement around the time Rilyn was born -- four children ages 5 to 2 days! Yes...you read that right a sibling group of FOUR! I thought I was going through some major changes with one baby but Rachael definitely has her hands full!

moth·er ¹ (mŭÞˈər)

noun

1. a. A female person who is pregnant with or gives birth to a child.
   b. A female person whose egg unites with a sperm, resulting in the conception of a child.
   c. A woman who adopts a child.
   d. A woman who raises a child.
   
   
   The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Each journey towards motherhood is different. Some people adopt -- either out of a desire to start a family or to add to their family. My mom talks a lot about adopting for the sake of the child; meaning that a child needs a family and your family may be just what they need. You can read more about their adoption journey here.

Some people feel the call to open their home to foster children but never adopt. These women are still mothers -- they are caring and providing for a child in need who is under their care and supervision. While they hope to eventually adopt, my friend Rachael has taken on this placement fully knowing that the hope is to reunite them with their parent(s). They've decided to use this placement as a ministry. This is incredible to me as I'm sure it will be very hard to get close to these children and then have to give them back. What strength! People do this all of the time for the sake of the children.

Some people build their families through pregnancy. But even this can look different for every woman. Some have no complications getting pregnant, while others do. Some aren't able to carry a pregnancy so another woman carries it for them.

As I've been thinking about this today, one thing continues to go through my mind. It doesn't matter how you get there, all roads lead to the same destination -- motherhood.