Before our son's due date I asked friends, family, and strangers on Facebook for tips on how to save money on a hotel and rental car for our stay in Rhode Island. The response was overwhelming, and extremely helpful.
The most surprising response was when Jim, a former co-worker, messaged me on Facebook to say that he reached out to his daughter who lived in RI, and she said we were more than welcome to stay with her. She and her husband had a finished basement at our disposal, and had hosted several people before. If they were crazy enough to make the offer, we were crazy enough to take them up on it! We showed up on Monday afternoon and quickly settled in. Chris and Jessalyn were amazing hosts. It was more like staying with old friends than people we had never met before. We still keep in touch, and hope to see them again someday.
Chris and Jessalyn are both pretty amazing people. Chris works in collegiate ministry, and has a very dynamic personality that makes you feel immediately at ease with him. Like an old friend... Jessalyn is an extremely talented artist. We saw a commissioned drawing of a young couple while we were there, and it was absolutely incredible! She is also an extremely talented painter. She had the idea to paint her daughter's ultrasound as a way to preserve it. That is not something I would've ever thought of, and I'm thankful she did. She painted our son's ultrasound, and it looks amazing!
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| The ultrasound pic she used |
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Jessalyn says "For some, this is the very first portrait, and for others this is the only portrait." She also says that she loves being a part of something as miraculous as life in the womb.
I may not have carried our son in my womb, but I have loved him since then! I will always cherish this painting and as an adoptive momma, I feel especially blessed to have it! Thanks Jessalyn!
update: She actually painted both ultrasounds! I just couldn't show both at the time I wrote this blog because we hadn't announced our second match yet. I love our paintings!
