Adoption journey

Over the past year, the Lord has been growing, teaching, and challenging our family in so many ways! We are responding to the Lord's leading and are expanding our family through the adoption of a precious baby!

Showing posts with label orphan care. Show all posts
Showing posts with label orphan care. Show all posts

Monday, August 12, 2013

Creative ways to support Adoption

When we first began our adoption journey, we were a little overwhelmed by the entire process and finances necessary to complete an adoption. Many people asked how they could help, and all we could think to reply was sharing our need for prayer and finances or sending them to my Etsy shop. As we have progressed along through our adoption, we have been amazed and blessed to see all the creative and different ways people have supported and helped us along our adoption journey!

We have been incredibly blessed by:

  • Friends passing along baby supplies, double strollers and clothes for baby and boys.
  • The many boxes of diapers given to us from our Life Group the day we came home from the hospital
  • Church family, friends and my family caring for our 3 boys while we were meeting with birth mother and across the state for Timothy's birth.
  • Breastfeeding moms donating their extra breast milk for our baby (this was by far the most creative and wonderful gift!)
  • Friends and family (near and far) sacrificially sending finances to help fund our adoption.
  • My sweet Granny and aunt crafted, sewed, painted, and made jewelry to sell, to help fund our adoption. 
  • The almost 3 weeks of incredible meals brought to our home from our church family and friends, that tremendously helped in those sleepless crazy days;)
  • Precious friends and church family coming over to hold babies, clean and help around our home.
  • Sweet friends praying over us as we prepared for Timothy's birth. 
We are very thankful for all the ways our family, friends and church have shown us love and support during this exciting time!

If you have friends, family or members of your church going through an adoption, I challenge you to find creative ways to meet their needs and show support of their adoption.

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Goat's milk baby formula

As many of you already know...  I am pretty serious about breast feeding... I have totaled 48 months of breast feeding my boys.  I know it's the healthiest choice and I've recently learned breast feeding is also the easiest choice... cleaning, sanitizing, pumping, and mixing formula is extremely time consuming!!

Since I didn't birth our sweet little Timothy (we adopted him) my body has not gotten the memo that I'm nursing a newborn. I have only been able to produce about half of his milk needs. Not being able to provide for my baby's most basic need for milk has been pretty tough. I started to supplement with store bought formula, but his tummy didn't seem to like it. Also, I couldn't get past the #1 ingredient in formula ... Corn syrup!?!? I'm a little weird and like to make all of my family's food from fresh ingredients. We try to stay away from processed foods. I want to give my baby a good start... and corn syrup was just not what I had in mind. I began researching and looking for alternatives. I learned about goat's milk and that it's possible to make your own formula from fresh ingredients!! I have talked with my chiropractor (who is also a nutritionist) and our pediatrician, to ensure my baby's safety. 

A few things you need to consider when using goat's milk formula: 
- Goat's milk does not have the Vitamin B that babies need for development. You must add Vitamin B complex (nutritional yeast or a vitamin supplement) to the formula! (This was my pediatrician's main concern about goat's milk--a Vitamin B deficiency).
- I am not a nutritionist or specialist, please consult your doctor before giving this formula to your baby.


There are several other recipes on Pinterest, but this is the recipe I use:
Goat's Milk Formula
2 cups goats milk  (I've used Meyenberg goat milk from Kroger or goat milk from a local farmer)
1 7/8 cup distilled water (can adjust water from 1 cup to almost 2 cups)
1/4 tsp Acerola powder* (Vitamin C, NOT ascorbic acid)
4 Tbsp lactose (Now real food brand) - can get at Amazon, but cheaper at Pureformulas.com (I go through a bag every 2 weeks)
2 tsp nutritional yeast *
2 tsp gelatin (Bernard Jensen bovine gelatin)*
2 tsp coconut oil* (unrefined organic) Can purchase at Amazon or Sam's, just make sure it's is Unrefined, cold pressed)
1 tsp olive oil (organic unrefined, cold pressed)
~1 tsp Organic Maple Syrup (optional--I only add this if not using Lactose)
1-2 tsp blackstrap molasses - Adds iron and helps with constipation (this is not the molasses in the baking isle, make sure it is black strap)
1/2 capsule of fermented cod liver oil/butter oil *(optional-- it's really healthy, but pretty expensive)
Vitamin E (1/4 adult dose) optional
Probiotic powder - I use a half of a capsule

Heat 1 cup of the water and add vitamin c powder, lactose, gelatin, yeast, coconut oil and cod liver oil.  Add remaining 7/8 cup water & ingredients, add milk and probiotics last. Mix well (can use blender) and pour into sterilized container or milk bags. This recipe also freezes well in milk bags.

* You can purchase a lot of ingredients off Amazon.

To read more about the origin of this formula, visit Weston A. Price.

UPDATE (April 23, 2015) --- Our little guy is nearing his second birthday and is our healthiest boy yet! He's still drinking this formula daily, has never run a fever, is about 35lbs of pure muscle and is our strong happy, healthy boy! This formula and essential oils have greatly contributed to his incredible health! If you are unable to breastfeed, I highly recommend this recipe, as we've seen great benefits from it!

Monday, January 31, 2011

Valentines for Orphans

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27

 
Valentine's Day is a day known for showing people how much we love them, with words, acts, and gifts. Would you like to join us as we tell and show children at the Arkansas Baptist Children's Home in Paragould how much God loves them? 


How can you help?

1) Make Valentine's with your children and discuss James 1:27 with them (how God wants us to love the fatherless).

2) Join us on Monday, February 14 to deliver these cards and play with the children. We will be leaving Williams Baptist College around 3 or 3:30pm and meeting at the Paragould Children's home around 4pm. If you live in Jonesboro, please feel free to meet us there!

3) If you live in another area, consider leading a group to a children's home in your area.
 
Contact me via email/facebook if you are interested in serving with us!
kelly_goza@hotmail.com