Meet the Shaneyfelts

Archives for March 2024

Friday Favorites + A Little Catch Up

Happy Friday!!! As you’re reading this on Friday, I am now 39 weeks and 6 days pregnant, and I still cannot believe it! And actually, I can’t believe I haven’t had her yet with the way I’ve felt lately. But she’s still hanging on haha!

Since it’s been a while since I’ve blogged, I thought I’d do a little FAVORITES post combined with a life lately catch up.

one

Harrison is playing baseball for the first time this year. We skipped t-ball last year because with Banks coming home, we missed the sign up date and I felt it would be just too much. We skipped t-ball this year and went straight into 6U baseball. He’s loving it so far, and that makes me so happy! Both Dustin and I grew up playing ball, so it’s been really fun getting to be the parent watching and supporting.

two

I have tried to soak up as much time with Banks as I can lately since he won’t be the baby much longer. I know he and Merritt will grow up close since they will be a year apart, but I’ve really grieved the fact that he will lose his baby status at just a year old.

three

While I had originally planned to work all the way up until I delivered, last Wednesday ended up being my last day. My legs and feet kept swelling until they were extremely painful, so I took my doctor’s recommendation and took my leave early. As. you can see in the background, I’ve been resting more than I’ve been folding my laundry haha–I’ve had to keep my feet up which is really against my nature of keeping busy.

And while you really can’t see it in this picture, I’ve been living in these nightgowns and I’ve got two of them packed for the hospital. Right now while I’m a hot sleeper, they have been the perfect nightgown to sleep in and they are NOT see through! They are also on sale right now!

four

On Sundays that Dustin has to work, lately we’ve been running behind for church (I move waaaaay slower these days) so I have to wait until after church to get a picture of the boys. I took this right before I fixed lunch 🙂

five

Need a good, easy read? Even though this book takes place during Christmas, it was such an enjoyable read that I recommend it anytime of the year! The main character, Stella, owns a Christmas tree farm that’s failing financially, so she enters a social media contest making up a story about how she owns her farm with her boyfriend….that doesn’t exist. When she gets chosen as a finalist, her best friend Luka pretends to be her boyfriend–and even though the ending is pretty predictable, this book was such a fun read that I stayed up late finishing it! It has a little spice, so I only recommend this book to adults.

Okay that’s it for today! I went on two different walks yesterday and I’ll get out and walk again today before the rain hits–come on, Merritt!

A Unique Perspective of Pregnancy After Adoption

If you’ve been a blog reader for a long time, then you may remember when Dustin and I first started trying to get pregnant–only to find out that I have stage 4 endometriosis and fertility intervention would be the only way. After 2 unsuccessful rounds with a third resulting in a short pregnancy and ending in a miscarriage, we closed that door completely and realized the path God wanted us on was to build our family through adoption.

So hard, but so beautiful.

So this is how I became a mother…

Meeting Harrison for the first time when he was 4 days old.

Meeting Banks for the first time about 6 hours after he was born.

These miracle babies made me a Momma, and I’m forever grateful to their birth mothers for choosing me to be their forever Momma.

Prior to adoption and even after, I had to do a lot of work mentally and emotionally to become content and satisfied in realizing that my body would never carry a child in the way that God had intended. It’s a strange space to occupy when you’re in your child bearing years, yet you have children that you did not physically carry because you couldn’t. But with lots of prayer and emotional work, I found joy in the role that God had called me to fulfill and loved that our family was built through adoption. And our family is a beautiful picture of Heaven when we’re one day worshiping God with all of our brother and sisters of every nation and every tribe.

Well, imagine my utter and total surprise one day in August when I found out that I was pregnant–but also 9 weeks pregnant LOL. Not only had I gotten pregnant without any sort of medical intervention or even trying to, but I was also the mother to a 4 year old and 6 month old. AND Dustin and I had literally just decided that we were good with two kids and Banks would be our last baby. We had our ten year anniversary trip planned and books for summer of 2024 and had already started making plans for our family of 4.

God definitely has a sense of humor, doesn’t he?! 🙂

(Ignore my really messy room that is NEVER like this–laundry + gathering things for a hospital bag + feeling terrible = a huge mess)

During the last 6 months that I’ve known I was pregnant, I realize that God has given me a very unique perspective. Now I get to know what it’s like to carry a child, and I have been able to develop empathy for both of my boys’ birth mothers as they have felt the boys kick and move. They experienced all of that and still lovingly made the sacrificial choice to place those boys in my arms. What a gift the Lord has given me.

Now Merritt will be joining our family soon. She’s got two very awesome big brothers who she can look up to and who I know will protect her. Even though her two brothers were prayed for and wanted so badly, she is our final missing piece that God knew we needed–even if we didn’t realize it at the time. In all things, God’s sovereignty and timing is always better than what any of us could ever have imagined or planned for our own lives.

So, Shaneyfelt Party of 5…coming soon!