"The truth is, she doesn’t have to choose....

"She can have us both, love us both. And she’ll become a better person because of me and because of you."

Who knows the title of this movie?  My post title is sort of not on subject if you read it in the context of the movie.  Use your imagination, people.

Drum Roll Please!  On second thought, lose the drum roll, it's kind of annoying when everyone bangs on the surface in front of them.  But anyway, we have BIG news!  We have finally found our birth mom!  So without further ado, let us introduce you to Liz!  (Liz, I hope you don't mind that I stole your picture off of facebook. ***Update: I asked Liz and she doesn't mind.)

Liz is GREAT; we totally love her.  And here's a plus-she likes that we're quirky.  Whew, that is a relief.  We met her on a no-strings-attached basis on Friday, January 7th.  But she said she knew we were the right couple the minute she saw us.  How awesome is that?  We had a great lunch and sat and ate and talked and laughed for about two hours and then we did some more sitting at talking and laughing at her house.  It was a great day!  She is seriously the best!  She lives here in Arizona, so we have been able to hang out with her since then as well.  I went to a doctor appointment with her last Tuesday and Josh and I went to the LDS birth mom support group on Thursday.  Then we went out for ice cream with her mom and dad, who were also great.  We had a very nice visit with them.

Speaking of birth moms, the ones we met at the group are amazing! (Liz is still my favorite, but I might be biased).  I just want you all to know that BIRTH MOMS=AMAZING.  These wonderful girls are funny and strong, selfless and caring; pretty much amazing.  Did I mention they are amazing?  Lindsey at the r house defines birth moms really well I think.  She says "When pressed I would say, 'Brave women who make the impossible and usually unpopular choice to choose their child above their own wants and needs and handpick the life they want them to lead while having the courage to realize that that life may not be with them as the everyday mother'."  I like the run on sentence almost as much as what she says in it.  Sitting in the same room with all of the birth moms was an incredibly humbling experience.  The sacrifice they make is HUGE and anyone who thinks otherwise is WRONG.  Just sayin'.  These beautiful young women love their babies so much, and yet they choose to give them a life they can't provide for their child at this time, even though they know how much they will miss them.  How many people do you know who would do that?  It takes a special person to be able to choose adoption.  And even though there is pain and sadness associated with their choice, they know what they did was right.  Josh and I were talking about it today, and he said "Group was pretty cool.  I would go every week if it wasn't so far away."  I totally agree.  Although I thought it was funny that Josh said that, because he was the only guy in the room, and he said about three words total.  Anyway, here is a photo that Chelsey (one of the birth moms) took.  Hi Chelsey! My husband and I thought you were really funny, by the way.  And I really loved hearing a little of your story.

So, would you like to know more about Liz?  Here is some of the important facts that I know.

~ Her favorite cereal is Crispix. Just like me.
~ She is a REALLY good singer. Not so much like me and definitely not like Josh.
~ She loves animals. Just like me and Josh, maybe a little more like Josh.
~ She just graduated as a Medical Assistant. (Help her find a job if you know of one!)
~ She plays the piano and the trombone. Piano just like me, Josh is not so musical.
~ She has three older brothers. Josh and I both have three brothers...weird huh?
~ She is funny and has a great sense of humor. Just like me and Josh.  I would never say so myself, but my friends tell me we're hilarious.
~ She likes to travel, just like me and Josh, and has been to Italy and China. (Lucky! I want that to be just like me, but no such luck.)
~ She likes ice cream. Okay, who doesn't? But still.
~ She likes volleyball. Just like me.  Are you noticing a trend?
I know other stuff too, but I am going to stop there.

Anyway, the title to this post reminded me of another quote I read on the r house blog, but is actually from Desha Wood (who is a birth mom) talking about her son who she placed. 
“He is mine in a way that he will never be hers, yet he is hers in a way that he will never be mine and so together, we are motherhood.”  
And that is totally how I feel, and why I am so excited that we are going to have an open adoption with Liz.  Yeah for Liz!  We are so lucky!