The Menace of Mother's Day

My fetus-free womb used to convulse at the mention of Mother's Day.  At my request, my Mister and I transformed the whole weekend into a celebration of infertility.  A sushi banquet would be followed by a jetted hot tub and possible soft cheeses.  But Sunday Morning my throat still tightened when they attempted to force a pitying carnation corsage into my fisted hands.

If you've held back similarly motivated tears or are struggling to complete your family in any way, perhaps you should read about Laurel.

A Search for Children

The Baby Wedding

Mother's Day 2008

Other Stuff

Relive and Relish: The Baby Wedding Movie

i would craft a clever caption here, but clicking keys could interfere with the repeated playback of mine and the babies' favorite new film.

i fiercely fancy float away films
their services  are of the reasonably priced variety
which means you can capture the best days of your life, even the ordinary ones
portfolio here

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also float away films and i are palling up to capture
an entire set of body type films.
so if you have a body, in the greater Phoenix area, and you desire
a complimentary styling session, message me.

We Got Coco Jubilee + From Eve Handmade Blooms Winner

Channel the finale carnival scene of Annie and you've discovered the inspiration for our Baby Wedding Reception.  All I wanted was a live elephant, a 250 ft diameter ferris wheel, illegal fireworks, and light-up dancing steps.  This came pretty close.

Menu: Homemade Pretzel Sticks (Cinnamon, Salt, & Parmesan) with Specialty Dipping Sauces (Sweet Cream Cheese, Zesty Cheddar Jack, Marinara); Candy Coated Caramel Apples, Italian Sodas, Kettle Corn, and Cotton Candy

A Sampling of Beloved Guests & Well Wishers

Levi + Pop-Pop

Miss Coco

Thanks to:

Becky for Cheddar-Jack Bliss

Beth & Aileen for sparkling the dingy corners of my house

Chad for providing the evening's entertainment

Debbie for lending me all kinds of carnival decor and then coming early to set it all up

Kara for Kettle Corn Magic

 Kathryn for acting as Cotton Candy Fairy

Gram-Gram & Pop-Pop, Sister Sara & Sister Lizzy well, for everything

Now the From Eve Handmade Blooms Giveaway Winner:  

Missus Anna Jones

Time to celebrate your luck, because you have won your very, very own From Eve Handmade Bloom. Message me to claim your prize.

The rest of you may also celebrate, because you may procure adorable stuffings for some lucky girl's stocking at From Eve.  Buy One , Get One Free, just let Jenna know you're a CE certified reader.

My Baby Wedding

Six days ago was the culmination of every breath I have taken in thirty-one years: 

holding my soulmate's hand, smiling into the giggling eyes of my son, pronounced an eternal mother to my daughter.

Amidst the sparkle of crystal luster and smiling dear ones, our sealer discussed the affinity of families. In his words: before we come to earth, certain spirits have an affinity to one another.  A child may choose a family as a result of this affinity.  Whether a child comes to a family through birth or adoption, there is no difference.  

In my words: I was engaged to my babies before they ever came to earth.  My heart yearned for these exact spirits long before they were cradled in my arms.  I felt the comfort of their gentle promise years before I ever felt the softness of their hands.  Nothing and no one will ever be able to divide us again.  Not courts, not death.  

Wife and Mother. I want to print business cards with these titles and my name, then put one in every pocket I see.

And I plan to dedicate every breath I have left to keeping this family together, forever.

and perhaps if I'm really lucky we could grow it.

Sneak and Peak + From Eve Handmade Blooms Giveaway (Closed)

A little over two years ago I was alone, in an out of state hospital, being wheeled into emergency surgery.  An undetected ectopic pregnancy had ruptured my fallopian tube, and I had lost nearly a third of the blood in my body to internal bleeding.  

As they lifted the guard rails on the gurney, I didn’t think about the hoards of unanswered e-mails in my inbox or the decay of dirty dishes in my kitchen sink. I could tolerate leaving behind all these untidy details of my temporal life.  My heart did not wish to lay last eyes on financial documents, nor cradle any diplomas or honors I had received.

The heaviest weight on my mind and soul was five pounds seven ounces.  The baby daughter that we had sought for more than half a decade had finally been found by a selfless birth mother and placed in our arms only days before.  A dear sweet friend had rushed me to the hospital and taken charge of my less than week old daughter, but Andrew was still a state away, and I hopelessly frightened. 

My uninterrupted prayer amidst the squeaking wheels on sterile linoleum was: Heavenly Father, I haven't been sealed to my baby yet.  I need to get home alive, so Andrew and I can take her to the temple.  

Last Saturday we were finally able to tie that eternal knot.  Coco’s Native American heritage caused some unexpected delays but I would have considered waiting twice as long a bargain in exchange for the honor of being her mother. 

This darling baby girl with tender dark eyes, a mischievous grin, and the elusive scent of green apples is my daughter.

From Eve Handmade Bloom

In consequence of my abundant emotional frolic, I have a present for you.

Tell me the celebration you're currently anticipating
in the comment and you will be entered to win your very own From Eve Handmade Bloom.  Giveaway will close Sunday, December 3rd and a lucky winner will be announced Monday, December 4th.

(Get an extra entry for every tweet, blog post, facebook mention, or other word spreading device you execute)

In the meantime, procure adorable stuffings for some lucky girl's stocking at From Eve.
Buy One through December 4th, Get One Free, just let Jenna know you're a CE certified reader.

Officially & Legally Grateful Giveaway (CLOSED)

This beautiful, perfect baby girl is my daughter.  Stamped, Signed, and Recorded.

Well, I suppose I should say "our" daughter as An-doo constitutes about her every third word.

We even got the world's prettiest judge to tell us we could drop the "foster" prefix from our relationship to Coco.

Saying I'm grateful, it's like trying to put a barbie bikini on a walrus.

Completely inept.

Speaking of baby acquisitions, meet Coco's latest adoption: Miss Stella Grace. 

Since baby Stella arrived in the mail this weekend she has taken 18.3 stroller rides around the house, received 42.1 kisses and/or hugs, had both ponytails orally investigated by Levi 2.2 times, attended 3.4 tea parties, watched 1.6 episodes of Sesame Street, and sat by herself about 0.4 minutes.
    

Enter to win your customized baby Jo or Jane doll by commenting what you're grateful for.

Giveaway ends Thursday, November 24th at midnight

Winner Announced Friday, November 25th

Or order up now in time for Christmas at 15% off.

Use STELLA15 at checkout.

We Got Coco!!

We got clearance to finalize Coco's adoption, November 19th.  National Adoption Day. 


Generous gratitude for your pleadings, prayers, and petitions.

My Foster Daughter

After waiting half a decade for this cherub, it's now in the hands of a judge as to whether "daughter" will be a legally binding term.

Que Sera Sera (Jennifer Terran)

Will you do what you do to make this happen?  I have no greater wish than to take my darling to the Mesa LDS Temple and have her sealed to our family Christmas 2011.  

In return for you Faith, Coco, Levi, and I will show you how to make your kids clothes last longer.

Coco's Christmas Present

For Christmas Coco received her very own storybook. Written by her mommy with a lot of help from a very dear, and very talented illustrator, Lady Beth Allen.

View Full Screen

And I have another Christmas surprise to share...

But first, what did you give for Christmas?

Blue Lily & Coco

In response to queries of, "How is Coco?" See for yourself.


As captured by the expert eye of Wendy Whitacre of Blue Lily Photo, who has the prettiest red hair and sweetest demeanor you've ever met. She's also a virtuoso with the camera. And she owns the same thrifted couch as the Bagley's, I think that makes us bosom antique shopping companions.

At Last

The wait is over.
I have some friends helping me out this week, come back to meet them.

Children's Fashion: Missing Children

As many of my empirical associates know, Mister Bagley and I are searching out our children. To aid our hunt we recently joined LDS Family Services and completed the three inch stack of paperwork required for official adoption registration. Below is the letter I have written to our future birth mommy. My fancy friends get the uncut version where Andrew did not remove all words greater than three syllables long and any collection of multiple adjectives modifying a single noun. Keep reading for your final chance to win the Lia Molly sweater.

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As Andrew drove away from my apartment following our first meeting, he phoned his childhood home to inform his mother of the identity of her future daughter-in-law. I jubilantly obliged to his proposal, and five months later we were married in the Mesa, Arizona LDS Temple.



As we planned our wedding, we set aside thirteen wedding invitations to give to our future children as a keepsake. I initially suggested six, but Andrew wanted thirteen invitations, just in case. Together we compiled lengthy lists of charming baby names, plotted suburban family scooter rides with little helmets bobbing in sidecars, and fancied a regular international supper night – experimenting with chopsticks and organic edamame. Andrew & I anticipated floating film festivals - watching the projection of classic musicals flickering across the faces of our lovely children with dozens of their close cousins floating on inflatable loungers in the family pool. The two of us outlined itineraries for road trips to quaint locations and cataloged holiday traditions including hand-sewn Christmas sleepers, back to school fashion catwalks, and elaborate blueprints for Santa forts to be built each and every Christmas Eve. But the wedding invitations are still in their plastic. We sold the scooter and the family wagon in favor of a fuel-efficient hybrid. And all the pregnancy tests have been negative.

We have not yet been able to fulfill the command to multiply and replenish the earth, but “childless” does not accurately describe our situation. We have been temporarily borrowing children our entire marriage. We take our four godkids out for annual reviews on their birthdays; get knee hugs from primary darlings in our ward, host carwashes with the children of neighboring families, and devise secret handshakes or exchange voice mails with our almost thirty nieces and nephews. We believe ownership is not a prerequisite for love, and we have gained rich relationships with the little ones around us.

Unexpected years of infertility have allowed us Bagleys a long period of nesting. We pray regularly that our home will be ready and prepared for the children that are to enter in. As the Strategy Director for an advertising agency, Andrew relishes his day’s work developing and executing intellectually sparkling marketing campaigns. His weekends are spent remodeling the house, tending the garden, and scouring thrift stores for mid-century modern furniture. As his wife, I can honestly and impartially state that he is the most cleverest gentleman I know. I resigned a high-responsibility marketing position in favor of my family. Traveling thirty percent of the month to the home-office a state away, left inadequate time for Andrew’s and my dedicated search to find our children. Now I own my own personal shopping business, which includes cleaning out closets, restructuring fashion styles, writing a fashion blog, and teaching fashion courses at Mesa Community College among other activities aimed at helping the world feel prettier. Together we’ve completed a decade of higher education; lived, studied, and traveled to Brazil, Thailand, Italy, England, China, and at least a third of the fifty United States.

Our service in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints also bring us incalculable joy, Andrew serves dutifully with the men as the Elders Quorum president. He enjoys man-richment, when the local males can join and exchange tips on how not to trim your fingers with a jig-saw and how to rewire lightswitches without electrocuting yourself in the process. I too adore my responsibilities as the Young Women’s President. I am so proud of my little ladies, and I am devoted to our regular Saturday Morning Sun Salutations together.

Andrew & I have tried to make our home beautiful and cozy not just with furnishings but with the way we speak to and treat each other. Our marriage is steadfastly united by eternal covenants, the ability to laugh at ourselves, and the commitment to give each other the benefit of the doubt. We love one another fiercely and have found comfort in our companionship and the mercy of Christ’s atonement through the trial of infertility.


But our hearts still ache with emptiness when we allow ourselves to recognize the absence of our children. We want to hold a child and know that God entrusted him/her to us. They don't need my hazel eyes. They don't need Andrew's dimples. We just need to know that they are an eternal part of our family.

We all have to "[become] as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon [us], even as a child doth submit to his father." (Mosiah 3:19)

You may not yet be prepared to raise a child, but you are a precious child of God. Heavenly Father has a plan for each of us. We are searching for our children, as you are searching for a home for your baby. We anticipate getting to know you and continuing our relationship through letters, pictures, and visits. We invite you to pray over your decision as we will pray for you and the children we are searching for.

In faith,


Reachel & Andrew

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Now below I've included a digital collage of our imaginary children. If you see any little ones resembling these descriptions and in need of a home, will you let us know?

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Today's way* to enter to win the Lia Molly sweater, post a comment responding to this question:

"What did you (or do you) imagine for your future family?"

*This is your last chance to enter! Winners will be announced on tomorrow morning, September 1st.