august 23, 2010

I wrote this in my journal for Cash nearly 2 years ago. I am in the process of writing it all into a new journal that I might one day give to him. Well, this entry stuck out to me, and explains how I am still continually feeling, even 2 years after his birth. It amazes me how I was barely 18 years old when I wrote this entry, which seems like ages ago now- but when I read it over, I clearly remember feeling the desperation and hurt my words portray. 
I still miss that little boy every day. Each waking moment of my life is spent with thoughts of him near to my heart. The sadness I was feeling during the time I wrote this is slowly being replaced with contentment, and I know one day it will grow into joy. I love my little blue-eyed boy, and am so grateful for the gift I had of bringing him into this world. I love you Cash, and miss you every day.

August 23, 2010

I still have extremely hard days. Days when I strongly question the decision I made to place you. I don't regret my decision, I know in my heart that it was the right one. But my heart calls out to you, and my arms feel empty without you in them. You are a part of me, Cash. Not a minute of the day goes by that I don't think of you.. What you're doing, how you're doing, what it would've been like had I made a different choice. I don't worry about you- I know without a doubt that you are being well taken care of. Your mom and dad are the most important people to me, besides you of course. I trusted them to raise you, and I know they are doing a perfect job. 

Cash, I know that I am being selfish. There's a part of my heart missing and you are the only one who can fill it. I want you to fill it. I deal with the pains of guilt everyday.. Please forgive me for what I have done. Never feel like I didn't love you! Please. That is my greatest fear. I worry that you will hate me once you learn that you are adopted.. Always know I loved you more than absolutely everything in this whole world, and I had to do what was best for you. Even if it was the hardest thing for me. 

The pain and sadness I feel will never go away, but it comforts me to know that you are happy. You ARE happy right? That's all I ever wanted, Cash. I know you are getting the life I wanted for you and couldn't give. I am so grateful for your parents, for being the kind of people who will carry you to the eternities. I hope when that day comes I will meet you there, and take you in my arms once again. On the day of your placement your mom promised me she would do everything she could to get you back to our Heavenly Father, and I promised to live my life in the way so that I will be there with you too. The day that happens is the day I know everything I went through was worth it. Please make your parents proud, Cash. We all love you so much.

I don't regret my decision Cash, but that doesn't make it any easier to bear. I miss you more than words can say. 

I always will. 

Forever love, 
Your Birthmother

2 years.

I'm sitting in bed at my parents house, the same bed I woke up in having contractions two years ago. This time, two very short years ago, I was on my way to the hospital with my mom. I had been in earlier that night but they sent me home, with a shot of Demerol so that I was able to relax. After getting me into the delivery room at about midnight, it all became a blur. Little did I know that at 3:59am, I was going to meet the little boy who would turn my world upside down. I wasn't prepared for the emotions I would feel during the next few days.. For those amazing days, he was known to the world as Cash Mackenzie Curtis Sloan. & I was his mom. 

I wouldn't take those days back for anything. I knew that I would have to make the heart-wrenching decision to place him in the arms of someone else, but that didn't keep me from loving him as any mother would. 

The past 2 years since that morning have been the craziest of my life, but I owe all that I have to that little boy. He didn't make the decision to come to this earth, but I thank my Heavenly Father every day for the blessing that he is to my life. What started out as being a trial has definitely impacted my life for the best, and helped shape me into the person I am today.
I couldn't be more grateful for Cash's parents, and their willingness to share his life with me. I feel blessed that over the past 2 years I have continued to play a role in Cash's life. 

Happy Birthday to my blue eyed boy. 
love and miss you always.

I loved you then, & I love you still. 

Always have, & Always will. 

"Ultimate Sacrifice" by Madilyn Bailey

This song was written by a girl named Madilyn for her friend who was placing her child for adoption. It is so hard to find a good adoption song, but this is PERFECT. You all know I've been at a loss of words lately... so as usual here is a song that explains it all. How I felt 18 months ago as I was getting ready to place Cash into his mothers arms.

I can give you all the love you want 
But I know that'll never be enough
Because a home is made of more than just well wishing
And there are so many things I can't give to you that you'll be missing
I know that love isn't true unless it's unconditional
So I don't get to chose whether or not to love you 


So with all the strength and courage I posses I'll try
To do the only thing that I can see is right


I'll break my heart to make yours whole 
Cause it's the only thing I can do
This chance at happiness
Is the only thing that I can give to you
My heart can't ache any more than it does
This is the ultimate sacrifice for love



There's this little piece of me
That you took hold of the moment that you laid eyes on me
I know that struggle here is far from done 
But the memory of you will help me through
The hard days to come
And this grieving has made my heart so weak
Not sure if I'll ever be able to love someone
With the same intensity


So with all the strength and courage I posses I'll try
To do the only thing that I can see is right

The hardest moment of my entire life. 

i'm selfish and i know it.

I've been having a little bit of a difficult time lately. Just the past few days have been really emotionally stressful on me. Life in Edmonton hasn't been going exactly as planned, and I've found myself becoming caught up in the things that are making me unhappy. 

It seems like everyone my age is getting pregnant/already having kids. This is really hitting me hard, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. One of these situations in particular is causing so many negative emotions to emerge from me that I thought I had tucked away long ago, and here they are coming out again. I feel so much resentment, anger, jealousy, regret- all selfish things, and I wish I didn't !  

Placement was 15 months ago. I thought that through this blog I was able to come to terms with it and heal to the best I could, affirming to myself and to others that adoption was the best decision for me. 

Well, now I'm starting to wonder.

Adoption was definitely the best thing for Cash. There is no way I could give him the life he has now. I know that. I know he's happy, and that makes me happier. He has a good life. But was adoption the best thing for me? 

I would've been a great mom. This is bad to say- but I would've been a better mom than most of these girls who are having babies out of wedlock. I feel like I just.... gave up on it all before it even started. I know I'm being selfish, because I made this plan so Cash could have a good life. 

But for once, I just want to be selfish. I don't have many posts that tell the ugly side of adoption, so here's the truth: I'm sad every day. Every single day, I think about that little boy and what could've been. I hate it. I'm so tired of feeling this hole in my heart where he should be.

I want this back.

9 months.

My little one is 9 months old today. 

I can't believe how fast the time has flown by. 

But that doesn't make it any easier.

I am obviously pro adoption, but I will never sugar coat these feelings I have on the 18th of every month. And just about every other day. I knew it was going to be painful. But if I knew it was going to hurt this much, I probably would have thought about it a little bit more. That's why I get so angry when people say I was being selfish by placing him for adoption. You go right ahead and feel the way I have for the past 9 months and still tell me I was doing the best thing for myself. I have been through hell and back and its a wonder I am even here to let you read this. Even after 9 months it still feels like some part of me is missing. It will probably never go away, and I guess that's okay. It reminds me of the sweetest little boy, and all he has done for me without even knowing it.  

I'm hurting today.. that's nothing new.

Yet even though it's hard.. I'll never regret a second of it.

His hat says "thinking of mommy". I hope he knows his birthmommy is always thinking of him, too. 

"It seems like yesterday has come and gone so fast... but the memories will last... If there's one thing this mother knows, the hardest part is letting go."

i miss you.

I miss you

I miss your smile

And I still shed a tear

Every once in a while

And even though it's different now

You're still here somehow

My heart won't let you go

And I need you to know

I miss you

I miss you 

I'm thinking back on the past

It's true that time is flying by too fast

I miss you

I miss your smile

And I still shed a tear

Every once in a while

And even though it's different now

You're still here somehow

My heart won't let you go

And I need you to know

I miss you

I miss you 

I know you're in a better place, yeah

But I wish that I could see your face, oh

I know you're where you need to be

Even though it's not here with me

I Miss You.

he's not mine.

I got served the Court papers today. This means Cash's adoption is almost finalized. I've known this day was coming. He is already 8 months, I am surprised it didn't happen sooner. I thought I was ready.. but I guess there was no way I could prepare myself for something I hadn't been through before. I's a hard thing to swallow. Really hard. When Curtis asked me what it was that made me cry the most, I couldn't get any words out. The emotions are there, but the words aren't. Sometimes you just can't put into words what you are feeling. There is a sincere amount of happiness for D&Y, and knowing Cash is being well taken care of. However, in a way I feel a sense of loss and pain amongst the joy. Almost as if this is the end of something. But the end to what? I wish I knew what to say. Any day now, Cash's birth certificate will be permanently changed. No longer will he have the name I gave him, or the piece of paper saying I was the one who gave birth to him. Any day now, D&Y could potentially delete me from their lives forever. Now that the papers are approved, what do they need me for? These are all the thoughts running through my head that have been making the tears fall down my cheeks all day. Nothing is different today than it was yesterday. And yet at the same time, everything is. The second I looked at that stack of papers and saw his "new" name, it hit me like a train. Any day now, it could be as though I never existed. I am hanging onto the belief that D&Y will continue to honor our agreement and keep me involved in Cash's life. They are amazing people, and I know they would never want to disappoint me or hurt me in any way. But there is always the possibility that they will change their minds, now that they don't need me for anything else. I signed my rights over 8 months ago. There was a copy of the relinquishment papers in the court order, and when I saw it I rewound in time. June 19th. Sitting in the waiting room of the maternity ward, with Curt next to me and our lawyer stating the terms. Using everything I had left in me to sign my name on the line to pass my rights over to D&Y. Tears streaming down my face while I struggled to write. Longing to get out of that room and hold my baby while I still could. Feeling like my heart was going to explode with the pain I was experiencing. I pushed all of those memories out of my head for so long, and seeing those papers again today made the pain come rushing back. I haven't even blogged about those days yet, because I try everyday not to think about it. These new court papers remind me of what the relinquishment papers proved 8 months ago. He's not mine. He never has been. And admitting that hurts a lot. I filled out his birth certificate the day he was born, as if he was a child that belonged to me. I gave him a full name, and Curtis and I are his parents on that birth certificate. That gave me a sense of attachment to him. For the past 8 months he has had the name I gave him, with my last name as his. Now, he has an entirely new name. It kills me. I know D&Y are his parents, I chose them to be a year ago, and I knew what I was doing when I placed Cash into her arms. I have not, and will not ever regret the decision I made to do so. That doesn't mean it doesn't hurt. Reading these papers made everything real once again. Signing my rights over, placing Cash with them, leaving the hospital alone, and now this. All of these events are the inevitable milestones that reaffirm the fact that he is not my son anymore. This is just one more thing I have to stay strong through and remind myself why I put myself through this. I love that little boy more than anything on this earth, no matter what the name on his birth certificate says. No he's not mine, but I still love him as if he were. 

one of those days

Ever have one of those days where you can't say exactly what is wrong, but all you know is that everything is? No matter how hard you tell yourself to suck it up, that everything is okay, you still find yourself acting like a huge baby? You were fine until that one dumb little thing set you off and now you can't stop crying? Well, today was one of those days.

Lately I have felt kind of lonely. Nikki moved to Calgary and I miss her so so much. I have felt lost without her, especially after spending so much time together this past year. She is what pulled me through it all, and now she doesn't need me, like I needed her. Karlee is getting married in a few months so she's really busy, and Curt is always playing hockey. Blah blah blah. As I was thinking about all this tonight, I remembered there was a bigger reason for all this loneliness. I remembered why, and who I was really missing. 

I'm left with empty arms and a little boy who stole my heart. 

I read a friends status on facebook today that she "didn't think it was possible to love someone that much in such a short period of time". (talking about her new niece) I can promise everyone that yes, it sure is possible. Anyone who has a child will tell you that. Now imagine feeling that huge love, and not having them there to show it to. I have felt the very same emotions any new mother feels, and loved Cash the way I would have if I was taking him home. But thats the thing- I didn't take him home. I was left with empty arms, and he took my heart with him. Over time, the grief has lessened and I am able to go longer periods of time without being too sad about things. I have found that lately I have been pushing aside my thoughts and emotions. Until today, I thought I was doing great and maybe moving past all those sad days I was used to having.  While I still think overall I am doing okay, bottling up all those feelings wasn't doing me any good. Sometimes life plays tricks on you, and all of a sudden those emotions come up again. I haven't had a good cry since before Christmas, but today I just let it all out. And I am glad that I did. I think a good cry every now and then is just what we all need. This post is for everyone, affected by adoption or not, to realize and accept that quite simply, it is okay to cry. Feel like shedding a tear or two and not knowing why? I cried for a long time today before I figured out the exact reason why. Girls are especially good at crying for no reason, so if you don't have an explanation for the tears, don't feel like you owe one to anybody. 

Tears are healthy. That doesn't mean we want you getting depressed because I say that. I mean it in positive way: Yes I miss Cash. But I don't regret my decision, nor would I change it even knowing how I feel now. His happiness is worth all the tears in the world. Even though I miss him dearly, I have been happy throughout all the hard times because I know he is happy. Yes I cry, and yes I miss him. But they are both sad and happy tears at the same time. It is okay to miss him. It is okay to cuddle up with the things that I kept, like his frog and blanket. It is okay to act like a baby sometimes yourself. It doesn't matter how old you are- we all have an inner child hiding in there somewhere. I love the following quote, and it teaches a good lesson. Always keep your head up through the hard times. Cry all you want if you feel like it, just so long as you remember how to smile. 
No smile is more beautiful than one that's struggled through the tears. 

Merry Christmas!

                        A Birthmother's Christmas

by Shonna K.

It was the night before Christmas

and all through the world

Birthmothers were praying

for their precious boys and girls.

One certain Birthmother

Was trying not to mourn

For this Christmas was the first

Since her baby had been born

Knowing her decision

Was one for the best

She lights a candle in memory

Then sits down to rest.

The wick of the candle

flickers with light

The wind outside is howling

She finds little comfort on this lonely night

For this is the first of many

She will feel this great loss

For her child reaps the benefit,

She simply pays the cost

She takes out an album

And gently dusts off the cover

It is all she has left

To feel like a mother.

She treasures each photo

of her little one

They are her only ties

To her precious son.

Silently a tear

Slips down her cheek

She wipes it away quickly

So she doesn't appear weak.

Christmas will never

be the same again

She will always be thinking

of her little man.

She knows through her pain

For him this was right

But her unselfless deed

Gives little comfort that night.

Her arms are still empty

Her heart is still breaking

He is with somebody else

And she is left aching.

Her heart sits on each page

Of that dusty book

In his eyes, his little face

The way that he looks.

The clock strikes midnight

It is officially Christmas morn

The first that he's had

Since the day he was born

She can't hide her pain

She can't hide her tears

This is the first of many

Long, painful years

But the light that she sees

At the end of all this

Is the smile on his face

He is truly blessed

With that thought

She slowly readies for bed

To sleep all night

Dreams of him in her head

She slowly lays down

And heads off to sleep

Knowing his memory

She will always keep.

Today was Cash's first Christmas, and to be honest- I wasn't necessarily sad all day because of it. Seeing him this week was the best Christmas present I could have received, and it gave me the comfort I needed. I think today would have been an extremely painful Christmas for me if I hadn't seen him and shared in some Christmas memories. Stef posted something interesting on her blog today. (Thats where I stole that poem from too !) It is so true that we mainly think of Christ at Christmas as a little child. This is exactly how I think of Cash. I still thought of him today while we were celebrating. I thought of how much differently things would have been had he been there too. I was sad for awhile when I thought of how he could have been right in there with his cousins opening presents. I know they would absolutely adore him. Brielle will be 2 in February and she just loves babies. She would be all over Cash, trying to take care of him! When I think about how one of those little kids are missing from our family, it does make me really sad. But I know Cash and his sister S had an amazing day today with D&Y, and got so very spoiled. 

I want to make Cash a part of my family traditions each year, so I put an ornament on the tree that says "The first steps a baby takes are into your heart", and it has a print of Cash's feet when we were in the hospital. I gave the same one to D&Y to give to Cash when he is older. I think I am going to give them ornaments every year. She collects them and I think it would be a nice thing for Cash to get when he is older. 

In all, my Christmas was not as emotional as I was expecting it to be. I know that my visit with Cash this week was the reason for that. I know he was being very loved today for his first Christmas, and thats what comforts me.

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas, and kept Christ in your heart as you celebrated with your families.

Lots of love!  

"Juno"

Going through life as a pregnant teenager was difficult to say the least. Fortunately, I look older than I am so people who didn’t know me didn’t judge. But walking the halls of LCI high school was an interesting experience. I think it was harder for me when people didn’t know. The first day back to school that Monday after I found out was rough. I felt very detached from the world around me, probably because I had so much going through my head. I felt “dirty” for lack of a better word- I was ashamed of what I had done. Curtis didn’t even know yet.. I didn’t want to tell him- at that time, we were at different places in our lives and weren’t exactly on speaking terms. I knew he wasn’t going to react the way I wanted him to. He was your typical 17 year old (and a hockey player at that haha) and he just wasn’t ready or willing to accept the responsibility that I had to. It was extremely difficult to see him in the halls, especially since I had such negative feelings towards him at that point. I felt really alone, and I wish I could’ve turned to him then like I can now. Right now you’re probably thinking wow, that guy needs to shape up! Trust me, he definitely has. It just took him a little while longer to realize what was happening than it did for me. While he was probably really scared too, it was way more in my face than his those first few weeks at school. Luckily I only had two classes, so I would numbly go through the morning and then run home to my mom to cry. I made the mistake of telling people I thought I could trust too soon. I needed to talk to someone other than my parents, and since I couldn’t talk to Curt I looked elsewhere. A secret like mine wont be kept a secret for long and very quickly, word spread and everyone was now giving me attention. No one said anything for a long time- but it was obvious that they knew. People I never talked to started texting me randomly “just to see how I was doing”. I felt like I had more friends just because people wanted to be in on the school gossip. Everyone was nice to me.. Not that they weren’t before, I had lots of friends. But it seemed as though the kids around me were just doing it for their own selfish reasons, not genuinely concerned about me. I knew they would get information from me and then go spread it with the rest of the audience.I kept to myself a lot- but obviously I welcomed the fact that everyone was nice to me. It was way better than getting picked on or anything. And for the most part, everyone treated me with respect and were very kind to me. I never felt like anyone was judging me or being unkind. Once I started showing, that’s when things started to change a little bit, although my friends were still really great around me. At first, I just looked fat. And that was difficult enough for me to accept, because I was normally a tall, slim size 2 haha. Previously, I was a well-known girl in my school, so most people knew me anyways. One time, probably in my 5th month or so, I was standing at my locker and two grade 9s walked by. The one (who I actually knew from awhile ago) said “did you see how fat that girl was?” RIGHT as she walked behind me. They snickered and I turned around and smiled at her. She quickly shut her mouth when she realized who I was. When I walked through the halls, I got stares. But I stared right back, and they would turn away. I didn’t care what anyone thought, there was nothing I could do about it or my situation. I held my head high each and every day I went to that school. The teachers were amazing, I never heard one comment from them and that was really nice. It was almost as though they were pretending I wasn’t pregnant, and in a way I guess I was too. I lived in denial for a very long time, that’s for sure haha. But I embraced it and tried my best not to let it get me down. Of course, I would still go home and cry but I never let on in front of my friends. On the outside, it looked like I had it all together. But on the inside, I was definitely hurting. I went through high school the same as any student would have and graduated with my class, two weeks before I gave birth. It was a really hard thing to accept not being able to have the “perfect dress” I had always dreamed of, but I was still graduating in spite of my situation and that’s what was important to me. I never once considered giving up on my education like previous girls had. 

 At a grad party 

carrying on with my weekend activities!

spending time with friends, meeting new friends


No, it wasn’t the senior year I thought I was going to have but it was memorable that’s for sure! I lived each day preparing myself for the day I would have to say goodbye to the baby I had grown to love so much. I didn’t have a boyfriend to tell me everything was going to be alright, and I didn’t feel like I fit in with my friends anymore because I was thrown into this mature situation where I had bigger things to worry about than what was going on that weekend. As I spent more and more time alone or with my family, I realized that the little things don’t matter. I wish I had placed a greater importance on my family and my inner self during my previous years in high school than I did on friends and my outward appearance. I had always struggled with self-esteem issues up until that point, but feeling like all eyes were on me all the time at school and having to keep my head up throughout everything really gave me the opportunity to become confident. I grew to know myself, and love myself during those 9 pregnant months of grade 12. Many people wondered how I was able to do it, seemingly careless of what was going on around me. And for the most part, that was true. The minute I found out I was pregnant was the minute I stopped living for myself, and started living for my unborn baby. No, I did not care what people thought about me like I used to. All that mattered to me was that I was making a life this baby would be happy to be in and preparing everything for the day I would place him in the arms of a loving family. 


 "No one ever said it would be easy- 
only that it would be worth it."

Me and Curt at my graduation, May 29th, 2010

Me and Curt before his graduation, June 5th, 2010