Motherhood Series- Part 1! Kyrie

May 08, 2017

I want to introduce you to Kyrie and her beautiful baby boy Luke! As someone who survived cancer twice, Kyrie knew she would likely not be able to have biological children but, that didn't get in her way of becoming a mom! The love and connection between this mama and her baby prove that you don't have to be blood. You just need the love!

My journey to motherhood has been my greatest and most rewarding challenge. Having been diagnosed with leukemia at 3 and 7 , I knew at a young age my fertility chances were limited due to a bone marrow transplant. At 13 I was diagnosed with premature ovarian failure. Basically I went through menopause at 13 and needed intense hormone therapy. I met my husband at 18 in college. It was amazing that I had even lived through leukemia. We hit it off very well and I told him not long into dating I probably would not be to have my own child. He said ok and it didn't bother him either way. We continued to date and we're married July 2013. We moved to Oklahoma to teach 2 weeks after we were married. We had talked about adoption for quite some time and decided that we were ready to start the process. In March of 2015 we started the process and became an official waiting family that November. Last May, we got a call that a birth mother had chosen our life book and would like to meet! The first time we met, we got to meet see our little guy! We agreed to the match and we were blessed with the birth of Lukas on July 30th. The 18 months leading up to his birth felt like the longest, hardest times. Looking back, it was fast.

Looking back, motherhood is exactly what I expected it to be, minus the sleep

I grew up with a lot of younger siblings so I was ready. My husband has had to learn a lot but it's been so fun!

The day I became a mom was surreal. A tiny 4 lbs 14 oz baby was placed in my arms and life began. I'd never held something so small or been worried about a tiny human before. Our son stayed with his birth mom for 2 hours before we could make the drive and we were so nervous she would change her mind. We were nervous for the first 2 weeks before rights were terminated.

My funniest/grossestparenting moment is the amount of times I've been pooped on!! The best is when Luke had diarrhea from antibiotics. I had him naked, airing out, standing up towards me... I've never seen poop fly so fast.

What scares me the most is that the world is so full of hate. I don't want Luke to ever feel alone or hated because of who he is, where he came from, what he looks like etc. I want him to be accepted.

The obstacles I face are working full time and having an adoptive son. I'm afraid I'll miss something he does for the first time or not get to spend quality time with him. Being adoptive, we will face challenges as a family. It will be hard for him to understand in the beginning but I want to have an open conversation about being adopted. I don't want him mad at us or his birth mother as he grows up.

I think Luke will face the obstacles that come with adoption- not knowing his birth mom, not understanding her decision, understanding that there's more than just birthing a child, the love we have for him etc.

I think everyone things they are inadequate for their children to a certain degree You want to give them the world, everything you did or didn't have. You don't want them to be hurt by others.

Luke's face lights up when I walk into the room. He has the biggest smile, reaches his arms for me, and says mama. Nothing warms the heart more than the love a child shows. He melts my heart with his sweet smile. He's always happy and full of life.

I only wish I lived closer to my parents or in laws, but living in Oklahoma will allow is to give so much more to Luke.

I want my children to know that they can be whoever they want to be, can do anything they set their mind to, and know that no matter what happens they can do anything for a short amount of time.

My number one piece of advice is, sleep! No one can really prepare you for an infant who gets up every 90 minutes to eat for 3 weeks straight.

The hardest part of motherhood is trying to figure out this new life. Who picks up if the other has a meeting, who watches him if neither can be there on time or have a meeting, what if he's sick. It's all the what ifs in life especially without close family.