Birth Moms that Inspire Me

That is the look of the pure joy it is to hold your child for the first time. That's my Rinny.
One of the best mommy's I know. This is Sky, my sis, right after her diagnosis with her twin girls, Campbell and Landry.An inspiration of what it means to be a good mom.

Sky's Blessings....Landry, Jones, Max, and Campbell

So, I am up late pondering, worrying, and praying for our birth mom. I included some pics of Micah and me holding Rinn for the first time after she was born. I still remember the feeling of her skin against mine. I remember I looked her in the eyes and told her I would do absolutely anything for her, anything. I told her I would always be her mommy and would always love her no matter what. 

As I look at those pictures, my heart races for the birth mom of our child. I think, at this point our child has been born. I wonder where baby kersh's birth mom is, what she is thinking, how lonely she must feel. I love her deeply, very deeply. Our lives will forever be connected together and I thank her for the choice she has made. I hope that our child grows up knowing that his/her birth mom loved them so much that they sacrificed for them. I hope that they understand it was the most unselfish thing that their birth mother could have done. I pray that they believe that with all their heart. I pray for her, that she would be comforted in knowing that her child will be loved, snuggled, held, cared for. I am in awe of the sacrifice she has made.

This reminds me of a mom that inspires me. She really should write a book about her story. Her name is Sky, and she happens to be my big sister. (yes, we were born in the 70's and yes, my mom was a wanna be flower child!!) Almost to the date 3 years ago Sky had a severe seizure. This was a shocker for us because the only time Sky had been in the hospital was to get pregnant (in vitro...they were considered infertile) and to give birth. At that time, she had 9 month old twin girls and a 3 year old little boy. Because of God's great provision, Sky was with my mom and sister at the time of the seizure and wasn't alone (or driving) with the kiddos. After the ambulance arrived, my sister awoke with a bleeding tongue and a scratched neck and insisted that she go home to nurse her twins before she go to the hospital, turning the ambulance away. (looking back, yes...we do realize this was insane, it was just the instinct of a mom). After nursing her babies, she went to the ER, where shortly after the doctor called us all in and said that she had a mass on her brain. Sky was diagnosed with an anaplastic ooligodendroglioma. Big word...very bad news. It was an advanced form of a rare brain cancer. Sky went through it...surgeries, trips to MD Anderson in Houston, chemo, radiation, MRI's, the works. In August, while undergoing chemotherapy, Sky discovered that she was pregnant and had been for a while. It is hard for me to write about, as my eyes are filling with tears. She is amazing. The doctors all told my sister that she would need to terminate the pregnancy right away in order to continue treatment that was essentially saving her life, and that the "fetus" was surely malformed. Again, Sky's motherly instincts set in. Fast forward.....a few months later as Sky, Jeff (her husband), Rinn, and I sat in an ultrasound room we discovered that the baby was a boy, and that he had spina bifida and club feet, along with some fluid on his brain. The doctor did mention, again, the possibility of sending her to a physician that could terminate the pregnancy. Sky and Jeff were already madly in love with their child. Fast forward...her baby boy, Jones just had his 2nd birthday. What a cutie. He does have some health problems but is about the cutest little guy you will ever see (I have proof, just look at the picture). 

These two stories do tie together. Two birth moms. One, my sister, and one the birth mom to my child a world away. Both incredibly courageous. Both making the right choice, both madly in love with their children. You are both an inspiration and I love you dearly.