Meet the Shaneyfelts

Banks

Banks Turns TWO!!

I’m a little behind on Banks’s birthday post since he’s been two for almost a month, but I want to make sure I have this memory on my blog!

Banks turned two on January 24th, and I took the day off work to spend with him since I felt like last year’s birthday he had to share it with an ice storm and then an almost 8 month pregnant Momma ๐Ÿ™‚

I am so incredibly grateful that I get to be Banks’s Momma, and I don’t take that for granted. Dustin and I prayed ceaselessly for a 2nd baby, and God gave us the most perfect baby boy. He’s a Momma’s boy through and through and I love when he takes his Paci out and looks at me and says, “Kiss.” He’s average for his height and the best big brother to Merritt. He loves to get her teething toys to bring to her or pat her on the head. She pulls his hair and he doesn’t get mad. He’s Harrison’s shadow–wanting to copy everything big brother does.

We took Harrison and Merritt to school on his birthday and headed to Huntsville to a gluten free bakery where they have a cake that is both gluten free and dairy free for his birthday. Dustin had an appointment at his endocrinologist at the hospital, so he met us for breakfast at the bakery! (You’ll see that sometimes Banks doesn’t keep his eyes open for a picture when he’s cheesin’ hard)

After that we went to Target and walked around. I also tried to go to a children’s consignment shop, but it was mass chaos and we turned around and walked out haha.

We stopped by Starbucks after for a treat ๐Ÿ™‚

Then we headed back to our town to stop at our local children’s boutique where Banks followed me around sweeping the store haha!

Banks’s party was the next day (on a Saturday). He loves two things: Wall-E and Snoopy. I felt like it would be easier finding Snoopy things to decorate with–and it was on Etsy! I ordered two weeks before his party; the items shipped out quickly; but then it snowed in Florida and his party supplies were stuck at the Pensacola post office and didn’t arrive to us until the Monday after his party ๐Ÿ™

We just kept it to immediate family, and I decorated in Snoopy’s colors.

Since the party was at 3:30PM, I had a cold dip, hot dip, and little smokies in the crockpot. I served a punch that my mom made (SO SO GOOD!!), had a coffee bar, and then offered water.

A former student who goes to my church made Banks’s banner and I loved it so much!

Banksie Boo, we love you so much!

A Little Life Lately…

Happy Summer, friends! While I know it’s not technically the first day of summer, there’s something about Memorial Day that feels like the start to summer. We’ve had a busy past month so I want to update y’all before kicking off the summer blogging season LOL!

Harrison wrapped up his first baseball season this month. We skipped signing him up for t-ball and this year put him in 6U baseball. He had a great time and Dustin probably had an even better time as the “Dugout Dad” ha! Harrison’s season went from the end of February to the end of May. I started his season waddling up to all the practices and ended it pushing two babies in my double stroller :).

I went back to work on May 13 and I really struggled with even going back to work in the first place because the week before, Merritt developed pneumonia and it was so scary. I hated having to leave her each day (even though she was in the best care with either my mom or Dustin). Then she caught rhinovirus on top of having pneumonia so it was reaaaaaally rough at home. Thankfully she’s doing so much better!

I celebrated Mother’s Day this year with my hands full and my heart grateful! I made a reel to celebrate my feelings for the day. I know I didn’t do a great job on Mother’s Day acknowledging the hurt some women feel on that day–I know, because I was there six years ago. So I want to acknowledge that now and encourage those of you who feel sadness on Mother’s Day (or any holiday) to remember that true joy only comes from Christ and our hope in Him. I’m on the other side now and I can affirm that it’s true–my joy is not in my children. I love them so much but they also let me down. They are human just like I am–none of us are perfect–only Christ.

Harrison also graduated from his preschool program that he’d been going to since he was 5 months old! He’s had a great 5 years there and it’s hard to believe he’s going to kindergarten in August!

He also looks like a little teenager here–I feel like I’m looking at his senior pictures!

Banks has been so sweet toward Merritt. It’s really surprised me how great of a big brother he is. If he hears her cry, he starts to yell, “Me Me!” He wants to help me burp her. He wants to try to shove her Paci (or even his) in her mouth. He just turned 14 months old when Merritt was born, so it really is like taking care of two babies–two in diapers, two in cribs. But I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how gentle he is with her and how much he loves her!

And now we’re all home for summer break! I am looking forward to getting on a better schedule/routine (my type 1 enneagram self really thrives in one). ๐Ÿ™‚

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?! ๐Ÿ™‚

(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!