Court Date

Not even 8 months old and Sienna has already been to court.

Don't worry, it was a good reason. She hasn't turned into baby clepto (although there are random toys that keep mysteriously showing up in her diaper bag). :)

Every December (usually) the Kent County Circuit Court saves up all it's adoption finalizations for one day. That day was Thursday, December 15.

Although I didn't necessarily feel like going to court it actually turned out to be a very neat thing. The judge stated that he loves working on this day because most families who come through his courtroom are getting torn apart...on this day a family was being made. He read a poem about adoption and then signed all the paperwork with his "adoption pen" (an outrageous pen with bows and jingle bells, it was quite hilarious). Finally, he came down and presented us with our paperwork and Sienna with a little teddy bear.

Seeing all the other families that were there, coming together in celebration was very cool and I couldn't help but feel eternally blessed.

Dan and I celebrated 8 years of marriage that week as well. Needless to say, I think that year 7 was our favorite. :)

Okay...a real update

Life has become even more busy since my previous (real) update in August. Perhaps "busy" is not to right word. "Exhausting" fits better.

Why?

Well, shocking as it was to all of us, I got pregnant.

Yeah.

Really.

Baby #2's due date?

April. Yes...April. You know, the same month Sienna was born.

Siblings born less than a year apart!

Craziness. I think that God has a sense of humor. :)

Other than that bit of news and the exhaustion that comes with being pregnant, being a mom to a 7 month old (!), and working....things have been great.

My extra free time has recently been taken up by researching adoption/orphan care ministry. I feel like this is something that our church should be involved in...so I've been doing a lot of research about it. Nothing concrete is in the works as of yet...this is just something I have been thinking and praying about.

Reading up on the orphan crisis makes me so thankful for such a beautiful family. The word family is so intimate. It is people who stick by your side, who love you no matter what...and it doesn't just include those genetically related to us....it has grown to include friends (like 5th brother Mike & his FIANCE, Adrianne!!!), our beautiful daughter who is such a treasure, and our birthparents. We have been so blessed.

Truly....

...life is blessed.

(I can't update without showing off pictures of Sienna....she is growing soooo much! She does something new every day and is definitely developing a goofy sense of humor. Her new favorite thing: "kissing" which consists of chewing on people's faces. Normally that wouldn't be too bad...except for her two teeth!!!)

Update...

So...I've been told I need to update.

Here you go:

UPDATE!!!

;)

Sorry....Bottles and laundry are calling me...as is my pillow.

Mmmmm....pillow....

Babies, babies everywhere!

It seems that no matter where I look I am surrounded by pregnant women. There are so many people on Dan's side of the family that are pregnant...and all are due within 4 months of each other.

Normally this wouldn't bug me. I have a BEAUTIFUL daughter who was meant to be in my life and I couldn't be more happy.

However, a couple weeks ago my doctor told me that I was "infertile." This does not mean that I could never get pregnant...it just means that it could take longer than the 2 year mark that "normal" people get pregnant in. We have been trying for 4 years and we haven't stopped trying yet. We would love to have a brother or sister for Sienna to play and grow up with.

I guess what I am trying to say is that I am just a little jealous. I remember hearing our birthmother talk about feeling Sienna moving around and kicking, all the while wishing that I could experience that as well. Because of this, seeing all the pregnant women experience what I didn't has been difficult.

That being said, if we ever do get pregnant we want people to know that it would be, in every sense of the word, our SECOND child. We have had people ask us if we wanted a "child of our own," and while well meaning, we believe this is the wrong way to think of it. Sienna was meant to be part of our family and is one of our own. A biological child would in no way be more special or somehow be more "our own" just because it would share our genetics. Sienna is our firstborn and we love her with all of our hearts.

I mean, come on, who couldn't love this precious girl?!?!

Say "Thank You!"

I have decided that you never REALLY know how much your parents love you until you become a parent yourself.

You don't realize how often you cried for absolutely no reason, your parents trying everything to make things "all better."

You don't realize that when you were a baby, your parents counted how many times you peed to make sure you weren't dehydrated.

You don't realize that your parents HAD to have a sense of humor when you go to the bathroom, RIGHT AFTER they changed you (or sometimes during the changing. Guess what? Poop shoots!).

You don't realize that after countless sleepless nights, they still love you and put your needs in front of their own (like eating, who needs that?!?!?!).

You don't realize that many parents have longed and prayed for you...some waited longer than others, some became parents in "different" ways, but in the end, they love you with all of their heart.

So this Father's Day, give an extra hug to your dad (and your mom!). Tell him how much you love him, and say thank you!

And thank you to the father's in my life!!! We love you!

Busy, busy, busy

Just when I think I have finally gotten the hang of this mothering thing, I go and get myself sick. Dan has been awesome and has sacrificed a lot of sleep to try to get me healthy again. Although this morning he did tease me about my horrible immune system. Apparently Sienna's is better than mine as well!!!
Other than being sick this week, things have been great. I love being a mom and I don't think I could love this little girl any more than I already do. I was asked at our recent Memorial Day picnic if I ever get surprised by the fact that I am a mom....Like, do I forget that there is actually a baby in the house. I don't....probably because I have been anticipating this moment for such a long time.
I love being part of the "Mommy club" and I can't remember what in the world I used to talk about before Sienna. Granted, I do still have people asking me insensitive questions like, "How long do you have to see the birthparents?" or "Does it feel weird raising someone else's baby?"
I don't want to go on a huge rant here but I want to dispel a few myths about open adoption with us:
Each adoption is different. We have a great relationship with our birthparents. We love, respect, and pray for them and we see them every week. We don't "have" to do meet with them at all. We choose to because we WANT to! We want Sienna to grow up know who her birthparents are. We want her to know what an incredible gift she was and how incredibly loved she is by ALL of us! They are not just going to go away. We don't want them to and they don't want to. They will be at events (like her upcoming baptism) and we want them to be. Without them, there would be no Sienna. :)
I'm hoping to keep up a little more with the blogging now that we are on more of a schedule. Meanwhile, enjoy the pictures of this beautiful girl!

Adjusting to Perfection

When you have a newborn, you quickly realize how little time you have for other things. Life lately has consisted of staring at Sienna, sleeping, eating when we can, and showing off our daughter. I'm not complaining at all. I LOVE it!!

Little time is left for blogging. However, I have mighty aspirations of finishing the re-design of the blog this weekend AND getting pictures done for her birth announcements!

So, as you wait for that here is a little taste of what is to come:

Sweet Sienna

I will update about the hospital story later. I don't have enough energy or brainpower to do that right now. For the moment I thought I would let you all know our schedule so you can come and visit! Many of you have been waiting and praying and we can't wait to see you!

This week:

Tuesday - In the afternoon (We have our first doctor's appointment in the morning).

Wednesday - Late morning/early afternoon. We are seeing our birthparent's that night so we won't be available.

Thursday - Anytime!

Friday - Anytime!

Saturday - We have a wedding so we won't be around...

Next week:

I'll let you know for sure but pretty much every day works!

See you all soon! I know there are many people who are anxious to see this precious little one!

Sienna Noelle

Sweet Sienna was born Thursday, April 21, 2011 at 7:24am.

She was 8 lbs. 14 oz. and 22 1/4 inches!

She is also the most beautiful baby I have ever seen. She is such a good little girl and sooo alert! We haven't brought her home yet...maybe tomorrow.

It really will be a glorious Easter!

Thank you for all your prayers!

Update

No baby today...she is stubborn.

The inducement is scheduled for Thursday.

Day 369

Could today be the day?

The day I have waited not just 9 months for...but YEARS for?!?!?

The day where I get to hold my daughter in my arms?

Our birthmother has her appointment at 2:00 today. This appointment will determine whether they induce today...or Thursday.

Please be today!

This morning I am trying to think of last minute things to get done: Laundry, vacuuming up Sam hair, going to the recycling center, showering...

By the way, I think all of your prayers are doing the trick because I actually slept surprisingly well last night.

Please continue to pray for our awesome birthparents, Dan and myself, and our baby girl.

We'll keep you up to date!

Stay tuned...

Impatiently Waiting...

We aren't the only ones waiting impatiently for Baby Girl!

Day 364

Well, today is the day that Dan picked for Baby girl to come. Normally, I don't like Dan to be right but in this case, I'm fine with that! In an effort to distract ourselves while waiting for her Dan and I have been going to town on our house. On Tuesday Dan built and put in our kitchen island. It looks AWESOME! I have so much more room to cook! What is super-cute is that Dan made one side more deep so that baby girl's high chair will be able to fit under it. Dan just needs to sand it down, stain it, and put the poly coat on it. Here is a picture of it so far: Dan has also been working on covering up the ugly wood paneling that has been in our living room. Dan thought it looked fine but finally agreed to cover it up when he had our house appraised and the appraiser said, "With all the work you have done on this house I'm surprised you didn't cover that up." Haha! Score! It already makes our living room look so much brighter! Dan just needs to sand the last coat, apply primer and paint. Needless to say, Dan has been very busy. I have been cleaning up after Dan's messes..and waiting impatiently for our baby. Who knows, perhaps today will be the day that I finally get to hold my child in my arms...

Day 357

Well, Baby Girl still hasn't decided to come out yet. E has just made too good of a home for her. Truthfully, I'm hoping she waits until at least tomorrow to start because I woke up today feeling horrible. I think the anticipation and lack of sleep is just getting to me.

We do have more guesses to add though:

Aunt Deb - Sunday, April 3. Weight: 8 lbs. 8 oz.

Lindsey D. - Monday, April 4. Weight: 8 lbs. 6 oz.

Shannon - Tuesday, April 5 at 10:40pm. Weight: 7 lbs. 15 oz.

Bonnie - Friday, April 8. Weight: 7 lbs. 5 oz. 20"

Day 356

In the spirit of March Madness (and perhaps because his bracket is doing so poorly) Bryan decided at staff meeting yesterday that we all needed to place our bets as to when Baby Girl will be born.

So...here we go, Baby Girl will be born:

*Trisha - Wednesday, March 30 at 8:57pm. Weight: 7 lbs, 8 oz.

*Beth - Friday, April 1. Weight: 7 lbs. 14 oz, 20 inches

*Ben - Friday, April 1 at 1:35am. Weight: 10 lbs. 4 oz. (Ben is mean by the way...)

*Brenda - Friday, April 1 at 4:00am. Weight: 7 lbs. 3 oz.

*Marcia - Sat., April 2 at 3:00am. Weight: 7 lbs. 4 oz

*Linda - Sat., April 2 at 8:47pm. Weight: 6 lbs. 13 oz.

*Mom - Sunday, April 3 (I think she want her born on their anniversary). Weight: 7 lbs. 6 oz.

*Rick - Tuesday, April 5. Weight: 7 lbs. 1 oz.

*Dan - Thursday, April 7. Weight: 8 lbs. 2 oz.

*Bryan - Sat., April 9. Weight: 7 lbs. 12 oz. (Hopefully he is as bad at guessing this as he was at his basketball bracket). :)


If anyone else wants to put their vote in let me know soon!

How We Entertain Ourselves on a Lazy Saturday Morning...

Day 350

Why has it been so hard for me these last few weeks of waiting?

I will give you a couple reasons:

1). I can't listen to my body...I can't tell how Baby Girl is doing, or if it seems close. I have to wait for a phone call (and that is fine...it is just harder). There is progress though...E is dilated one cm already!

2). After years of waiting we are finally getting close to having a child and my arms are literally aching to hold her...

3). I'm afraid that I will wake up one day and find out my dream of being a parent is just that...a dream.

So bear with me as we near the end.

On a side note:

My cousin Carrie had her baby girl yesterday! I can't wait to see pictures and celebrate with her.

Also, two other women from my Bible study are due this week....I'm hoping we all have our babies on the same day. :)

Day 347

We have had a very busy weekend. Friday night Dan and I went to pick out our glider. For those of you who don't know this is like a rocking chair but better. Perfect for those early morning feedings. The nursery is nearly complete now...as you can see in the pictures below.





























































Dan still needs to install the closet doors....but at least this way you can see how many clothes she has! These have all been washed and are ready to go! I need to hang a couple more pictures or shelves...but other than that I am pretty happy with how it turned out.

It is so crazy to me how close it is. We meet with our birthparents last night (also, because I'm sick of typing and formulating sentences around "our birthmother/father," I will call our birthmother "E" and our birthfather "L"). E is getting very uncomfortable and her back is just killing her. We are all hoping that baby girl comes sooner, rather than later. Actually, I was hoping that this past weekend's "super moon" (http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/16mar_supermoon/) would suck Baby Girl out. No such luck though.

I'm so excited, and nervous, and scared, all in one package. I know I should be getting as much sleep as possible right now but I keep thinking that the phone is going to ring in the middle of the night and we'll have to spring into action. Already this child is wrecking havoc on my sleep schedule. :)

Tonight is my shower thrown by the high school/college girls and their leaders. I'll try to post pics of that and my other showers....if baby girl doesn't come before then!!!

Day 343

Phew! Not too much longer to go! Baby girl could be born any day now. I can hardly believe that I will be a mom soon! After waiting for such a long time, after so many dashed hopes and dreams, it is finally happening!!!

I talked to our birth mother last night and she said that Baby Girl is happy and healthy (and perfect...which, given our birthparents, isn’t a surprise). Although Baby Girl seems to be trying to stretch out her ‘home’ as much as possible. Our poor birthmother...she is a very petite person and now that Baby Girl has grown to a larger size it is getting pretty hard on her back (if you could all say a prayer for her that would be great).

Dan and I got the car seat this weekend and are going to get a car seat tech to install it later this week or early next week...and...the nursery is nearly ready. After two wonderful showers, two weeks in a row we are almost prepared! We really only need a couple more things before we are set (glider, burp clothes, and everyday onesies). I swear, this child has more clothes than I do already! Can we say SPOILED!!!

What is really sweet is that the high school and college girls at our church want to throw me a shower. How sweet is that? I know you hear (read) this all the time from me, but we are so very blessed and this child is already soooo loved. I can’t wait to see and hold her!

FYI – Two people were able to guess Baby Girl’s name...only one guessed it off of Dan’s silly (and confusing) riddle last week. Good job Dave & Tim!!!

Husband Guest Blog #2

So guest blogger Dan is back. It is only 3 ½ weeks away from baby girl’s due date. Everyone wants to know what her name will be. Now, Trisha probably doesn’t want to give more clues, however, there has been a massive security breach and a bunch of people have discovered her name. No one really guessed it except for Tim, but games are fun so I will give more clues. A person could easily discover the name by reading the following:

A woman had six necklaces. Each necklace has a pink bead at the beginning of each string. The women worked at a zoo with six pairs of giraffes. Now each of these necklaces belonged to one of the pairs of giraffes, but she could not figure out which was which so she asked the grizzled old janitor who had worked there for years. The man replied, “Show ‘em the first bead in the sequence, but remember to start with the first paira giraffes.”

Couldn’t be clearer.

Day 326

So, Dan called me this morning freaking out because tomorrow was March. We have a little over a month until the due date! Ahhh!!! After waiting for so very long it seems so strange to finally be at this point.

I was reading through a couple of my adoption blogs this morning and came across an article about open adoption. This is such a great article that really tries to explain the mystery behind open adoption...something that not everyone understands. So, take a peek:

What Do You Think About Open Adoption?
Posted on 18 February 2011 by Kari Gibson

I live in a house full of boys (even the dog!), but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Our oldest son is 4½ and our newest addition is not quite 3 months of age. We were present in the delivery rooms of both of our sons, and brought them each home from the hospital. Each adoption was completely different, though in both we have open relationships with the boys’ birth families.
We chose to have to pursue open adoption for a variety of reasons. When we started thinking about adoption we had no idea what open adoption was and assumed all kinds of things – the birth parents would still have some kind of parenting role in the baby’s life; the baby would be confused about who his/her “real” parents were; seeing the baby would make the birth parents want to take him/her back; etc… You see, we were thinking of our children as OURS, hubby’s and mine, like possessions. But they’re not. Way before they were part of our family, they were part of other families who loved (still do love) them. And, in my opinion, by having no further contact with those other families, we’re trying to pretend that they didn’t exist, or at least like they don’t matter. But those other families are the only reason these phenomenal kids exist. Also, they know parts of the boys’ stories that I don’t know, parts that I think they have a right to know.
What we learned in our adoption classes is that continued contact (in some form) is actually beneficial in the child’s development, and in helping the birth family heal. Kids do have questions as they get older – who do I look like, do other people in my family have certain characteristics or talents, does anyone else in my family have a history of asthma, and biggest of all, why did they choose to make an adoption plan? These are all huge questions that I can’t answer for my boys. And while we certainly realize that so many kids who are adopted won’t be able to get these questions answered, we have the opportunity and shouldn’t we use it??!
As far as our children being confused about who their parents are, it’s simply not an issue. I’m the one who nursed them (yes, I breastfed/am breastfeeding both of our sons). We changed all of their diapers. We go camping with them. Hubby watches Dinosaur Train with them. We color together. I’m the one they call for when in the middle of the night, or when they’re sick. They came out of L’s and R’s bellies. I am Momma. Hubby is Poppa. There is no confusion.
In regards open adoption being beneficial to birth parents, think how it would feel to put your baby in someone else’s arms, walk away, and never know anything else about him/her. To look at the faces of kids as you walk down the sidewalk, and wonder “is that her?”. To think, “I wonder what they’ve told him about me?”. To want to know what your kid looks like. Some people have said to me that birth parents loose the right to those answers when they “give up their babies”.
That’s an important distinction – birth parents (in the vast majority of cases) don’t “give up their babies”, they make a plan for them. They choose whether they’re ready/in the position to parent their children, or whether it would be in their/the baby’s best interest for someone else to do it. And this is another benefit of an open adoption – the birth family chooses the family who will adopt their child. This is an active choice; it’s not simply giving up. This decision is being a parent, in a different way. It’s a heart-wrenching, difficult decision not made lightly. And, I think, if I can do anything to make it easier for them (like the simple act of visiting every once in awhile, calling, sending pictures, etc…), then I should. Because as a human being, it is my job to do what I can to ease others’ suffering. If I can’t feel some empathy and love towards the people who gave my children life, then I am a poor excuse of a human being. It’s about them knowing that their children are ok, are loved. They have a right to that.
Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely do NOT believe in open adoption out of some sense of guilt (and nor do I believe it is the only way adoption should be done – as a social worker, I know there are situations where it isn’t the right thing for anyone involved). I don’t feel guilty that I’m raising these amazing children and they aren’t. Both boys’ birth families made an informed decision about what they thought was best. I AM absolutely and completely grateful for them. And I love them for the spectacular gift they’ve given us. I want to help and support them in whatever way I can.
We have different relationships with each of the boys’ birth families. With my older son, we saw his birth family regularly throughout his first 2-3 years, and they then disappeared. I grieve the loss of that relationship though we are hopeful they will resurface in the future. With our youngest son, he is so young, and the relationship is so new, that I have no idea what will become of it. As of right now, we see his birth mother almost weekly. It is by no means easy, watching her grieve the loss of her child. My hope is that by seeing him so surrounded by our love, and by us all navigating a new kind of relationship with her, it will ease her suffering and allow her to be in all of our lives. There is also a feeling whenever she looks at him of someone else claiming my child, which is difficult for me to sit with. I remind myself that he is also her child, and she does have some claim to him. I am still Momma.
Open adoption is a gift. It is a gift to our sons, to know where they came from. It is a gift to the birth families, to know who their sons are becoming. In many ways, the biggest gift is for us, as parents. It is hard some days, but we know, in the long run, it is better for us all.

I loved this article and agree with everything in it (except for the part about her breastfeeding...that's just weird. I have heard about other adoptive parents teach their bodies to do that but I just can NOT see that ever happening here).

Anyway, hope that was informative for you. I'm off to take stock of the nursery and see how many more diapers we are going to have to purchase (is anyone else shocked by how expensive diapers and formula are!?!?!?!).

Please continue to keep us, our birthparents, and baby girl in your prayers.

Oh, and no one has guessed baby girl's name yet. Keep trying! :)

Day 322

Have I mentioned how blessed Dan and I are?

So many amazing things have happened during the course of this adoption. From having the perfect birthparents find us, to picking out the perfect name for baby girl, to being informed this week that I will be getting a paid maternity leave! I'm not saying that this road has been easy....it hasn't. But in the end we will have a beautiful baby girl who will have more than just one set of people who would lay down their life for her.

Like I said earlier, we did pick the perfect name for baby girl this weekend. I thought it might be difficult to have four people on the same page...but it really wasn't. There was pretty much just one name that stuck out to all four of us. It is perfect and I love the fact that we all worked on it together. Now, I could say what her name will be...but I think I am going to try to wait as long as possible before I announce it. I've made it 4 days so far.

10 points to the person who guesses her name though!

Your clues:
1. It is a unique but not weird name
2. No one I know personally has this name
3. It does not start with a 'P' or a 'K'

Good luck!

Day 313

Hey Everyone!



The ultrasound was amazing! I forgot Kleenex! What was I thinking? It was amazing to see the baby moving and kicking! Man, that girl can kick! She did not like being poked! :)


And yes, I did just say "she."




Its a girl!!!!


Please go easy on the pink people! :)

Day 308

This has been a very good week. Yesterday, I got a text from our birth father asking if we would like to go to the ultrasound! YES!!! How awesome is that? I cannot tell you how excited I am that I won't miss this. So, on Tuesday both Dan and myself are going to the ultrasound appointment with our awesome birth parents. We are hoping that baby will be in a position where we can find out what "it" is.

In other news, I have decided that in order to prepare for baby I am going to need do some push-ups or something. I have held two babies today for a total of maybe 30 minutes and my arms are super-sore! How ridiculous is that? Seriously? My arms are sore from holding and 8lb babies?!? Come on!

Hi, this is guest blogger Dan. I am no good at blogging. I never really know what to talk about and I have a tendency to just ramble. I made brownies yesterday, that really isn't the sort of thing that goes in a blog though. I have mainly been working on the house. During snowmagedon I couldn't get out of our subdivision because the plows never came through. Since I could not make it into work I decided to work on the house. I spent the whole day up in the attic installing baffles in each of the roof rafters to help with air circulation. It was pretty rough. I had to crawl around in insulation for hours and wedge myself into tight spaces with insulation surrounding me. It was a clausterphobics nightmare. I am trying to get all of these little projects out of the way before baby comes. I figure once there is a baby around there will not be as much time to do these sort of things. Here is my list:


Fix the gutters


Put in a new front porch.


Rewire and insulate the basement


Finish the nursery


Obviously the nursery is the most important. I think it is coming along quite nicely at the moment though.

This picture is right after I finished painting the stripe on the wall. The colors in the picture don't look right, but this is the general idea. It looks cuter now though. Trisha moved the crib and put some furniture in there. I think it looks nice. Ooop, Diet Coke break.

Oh, sad times. My Diet Coke is partially frozen. We keep the box of cans in the garage and since it is negative ridiculous degrees out, which I believe equates to about absolute zero, I now have a Diet Coke slushy.

We still have to stencil in the animals on the stripe since we are going for an African safari theme. Then I have to install a closet organizer and put in doors for the closet. I took the old ones out because they were old, ugly and hard to use. Well that is it for today.

Day 302

It was a short week this week. I was thankful for a day off on Wednesday...although my arm and back muscles were not thankful for the snow (and I didn't even do the majority of the shoveling. Seriously, we NEED to invest in a snow blower!). We had to shovel ourselves out of our driveway yesterday because they had only plowed one side of the street. There is still a 3-foot snow drift that needs to be plowed, so pretty much everyone on our street has not been able to get their mail all week. Boo!!!

Tonight Dan and I are going out to pick up some material for his mom to make curtains for the nursery. I'm pretty sure Dan is very excited about this. What man wouldn't be excited about spending the evening in a fabric store picking out material for window treatments?!

Also, you will be happy to know that tomorrow you will be hearing from a "guest blogger." Yes, Dan will be writing since he 'complained' that I am the only one who writes the blog. This might be the last time he complains about that! Muhahahaha!

Day 300

So...I figured I would put you out of your misery (Jessica...I'm talking about you!) and tell you about our meeting with our birth parents on Monday night.

We met at Grand Traverse Pie Company and we went in a LOT less nervous than our last meeting....it really helped that there weren't two social workers staring at us. Everyone seemed more comfortable with each other, making it much easier to talk. Plus, we had delicious pie to eat so you can't go wrong there! We also were able to meet our birthmother's mom. She was very nice and asked us if we were getting nervous about having a baby. I haven't even thought about being nervous...I'm way too excited to be nervous right now! Wait until mid-March though....I'll be soliciting the nurses in our family for tons of baby information (prepare yourselves Melissa and Kristen!!!).

I am no longer afraid about open adoption. It really helps that we have the most awesome birthparents ever. They are both smart, cute, and "normal." We don't have to worry about weird situations or legal battles. Dan and I are completely comfortable with them. Looking back, I now know why we were "rejected" 8 times...because God had this couple and this baby waiting for us. Our birthfather actually said to us, "We feel like this baby was meant to be yours." Everything about this situation just feels right and our love and respect for our birthparents just keeps growing.

Our birthmother will be sending us the ultrasound pictures. I am so excited!!! She will also be trying to schedule another ultrasound so that we can all find out if we are having a boy or girl. I am really looking forward to buying the cutest baby clothes. It has been so hard trying to hold myself back (I haven't completely though. I did find the cutest "bring home baby" outfit...but that may change if we can find out what we are having).

I felt like I could have talked to them for so much longer, but we didn't want to keep them out too late. We will be meeting with them again on February 15. I feel so blessed by this couple, so blessed that this baby is going to have SOOOO many people who love him (or her).

Today we are snowed in because of the blizzard (Dan is going to attempt to run....literally...to Ace Hardware to get some stuff to work on the house...because he is crazy). He did try to bribe me with pancakes this morning....which didn't matter, he still is crazy to go out in this.

Please keep praying for our birth parents. They are amazing and are giving us the best gift ever...but that doesn't mean that it will be easy for them.

Day 298

I LOVE OUR BIRTHPARENTS!!!!

We feel so very, very, very, very blessed. We met with them again tonight (incidentally, it is a lot less awkward when you don't have two social workers staring at you...just sayin') and Dan and I feel so very lucky.

I'll give a more detailed update tomorrow...Right now I am going to attempt to get ready for bed (unfortunately, I drank a big cup of coffee tonight...what was I thinking!?!?!).

Day 294

I know all of you have been anxious to hear about how the meeting our birthparents went. We've still been trying to process the fact that someone is willing to give us the most wonderful gift that I haven't gotten around to updating the blog. Sorry.

I was ridiculously nervous all day. Around 12:30 I started shaking and had so many butterflies that I couldn't really eat anything. Ugh, it was the worst feeling. I'm pretty sure I have never been that nervous in my entire life. As we were waiting to meet them their case worker popped in and said, "I hope you guys are talkative because these kids are so nervous." I looked at Dan and laughed...It is a good thing Dan wasn't as nervous as I was because he was going to have to be the one to do all the talking.

When we walked in I gave them both a big hug. Oh dear, they looked so young! I wanted to wrap my arms around them and tell them everything would be okay...but, unfortunately, I was so nervous that I wasn't able to say what was on my heart. Plus, it was a little awkward because we had two case workers in there (basically they were just watching us because they try not to interfere.) and since I am initially quiet AND our birthmother is shy, it was just a little hard to get a conversation going.

I really wanted to know why they picked us. Apparently, before they even had a meeting at Bethany, they were looking through family profiles online and saw ours. Something "clicked" and they wanted us. After meeting with their case worker a couple times they found out that we were still available and, before they had even left Bethany, had decided that we were the ones....before Dan and I even knew it!!! They said that we were a lot like them...so I guess that means that they are pretty awesome! ;)

They THINK they are having a boy...we don't know conclusively though. No matter what, we will be happy.

To be honest, right now, our love and respect for them is just growing. I was talking to Dan today and I mentioned that I feel so much love for them and all I want to do is protect them. We exchanged phone numbers and it was all Dan and I could do to not call them and talk to them tonight. We don't want to scare them away with our excitement.

So, all in all, the meeting went really well. We are so happy that we have been chosen by these wonderful people. I can't wait to meet my son or daughter, but I also can't wait to get to know the ones who are giving that gift to us.

I want to thank all of those who spent their day praying for us and for those who tried to calm me down. My poor co-workers, I really wasn't any good to anyone. Good thing they love me!!! :)

Day 292

30 weeks today!

We meet with the birthparents tomorrow. I am super nervous, anxious, excited, etc. What if they don't like us? What if they want more contact than I'm comfortable with? What if...? What if...? What if....? Ugh, so many questions.

I keep reminding myself that this is the path God has called us to walk and it takes a lot of trust. I'm so thankful for the friends and family that have been by our sides, who have not only helped Dan and I through this time, but have also given me grace in dealing with my scatter-brained-ness and my one-track baby mind.

I know many of you are curious what we ended up picking as the 'traditional' birthparent gift. I did not really know what I would be getting until I found it. I picked out a photo album and in that album I'm going to write something about the relationship they will have with us and the assurance and promise of pictures of their baby (birthparents dictate whether or not they would like pictures sent to them and I have no problem doing that. They are giving us the best gift ever, so sending them pictures is not a problem). Along with that I also got them a gift card to a restaurant for a 'night out.' I figured they could probably use one with all the stress that they are under.

Tonight I need to work on my letter...Tomorrow is the big meeting day. Please, please, please pray for us. Pray that this meeting goes EXCEPTIONALLY well. Pray that I am not so nervous (when I meet new people I tend to clam up and get really shy, sometimes giving off airs of snobbishness...I sooooo don't want them to think that!!). Pray that I may get an ultrasound picture (this seems like a small thing, but...yeah). Pray also that the contact situation that is dictated will be comfortable for everyone involved; Dan and myself, the birthparents, and the birth grandparents.

Thank you all!

Day 286

I'm 29 weeks pregnant!!! :)

We got a call from our social worker saying that we will be meeting with the birth parents next week Wednesday. We will also be meeting with the birth grandparents following the meeting with the parents. That isn't nerve-racking at all!!!! (YIKES!)

So many thoughts are going through my head, "What if they don't like us?" "What if they change their mind?"

The only thing we can do is pray and put our hope and trust in God...the God who lead us to where we are today.

Please pray for peace for Dan and myself. Pray for the birth parents and grand parents. And please pray that this meeting goes well. We are supposed to bring a gift for the birthparents....and I am going pick that out on Monday. Pray that I pick the right thing!

This is so nerve-racking...
....but I'm 29 weeks!!!

What We Need From You

I know that adoption is an entirely new situation for most of you and you may be wondering how to respond to the fact that Dan and I have been chosen by birthparents so here are some helpful suggestions that Dan and I thought of:

1. BE EXCITED!!! Both Dan and I are very excited about this news!
2. DO NOT tell us horror stories of birthparents who have changed their mind. Yes, we do know that this is seemingly "risky," but this is the road that God has called us to travel and He will help us through anything that comes our way. I realize that this is an entirely new situation for many of you...but just as no pregnant mother wants to hear stories of giving birth to a 20 lb. baby that could split her in two, we don't want to hear stories of birthparents who changed their mind or attempted to take their child away years later.
3. Treat us as you would any other first-time parent!!!
4. Pray for both Dan and myself as we prepare for our first child, pray for health and safety for our baby, and pray for the birhparents. Our birthparents are very, very young but are making very important "adult" decisions. They are going through lots of counseling at Bethany on what to expect at the hospital but this will still be an emotionally charged situation. Pray that they have peace that Dan and I will love this baby with all of our hearts.
5. Do NOT call us at 11:00pm, 2:00am, 4:00am, to prepare us for feeding time. I know where you live and I will come after you!!! :)
6. Please keep collecting those pop cans!!! We will have $15,000 due to Bethany 6 months after the adoption is final. Having a baby "normally" is expensive...without the cost of adoption added in there! Yikes!!!

Hope this helps and please ask us if you have any questions!!!

Baby Mama Update

There was a small miscommunication as to when we will be meeting the birth parents:



Next week the birth parents and their families will be meeting at Bethany with the head of the domestic adoption department to sign paperwork, make decisions, and go over information regarding meeting us. The following week is when they will be meeting with us.



I'm a little bummed becuase I wanted to meet the birth parents who are selflessly making the hardest decision ever in giving us their baby. However, I guess until then Dan and I can work on getting that nursery done so that we have something concrete to show them!

Continued prayers that this situation would go smoothly would be much appreciated! Thank you!!!

Here is a pic of the nursery so far. This weekend we (I mean Dan) will be painting the dark brown stripe on the wall and then we will be stenciling in the safari silhouttes!!! Yay!!!

The Call

I did not expect that January 10, 2011 would be a day that I would remember forever....You never do when amazing things happen. I think that is why things are so amazing, leaving you to thank God for everything He has done in your life!

Around 2:30pm I got a call from Dan saying: "Guess what? WE GOT PICKED!!!"

Unfortunately, I didn't even respond with excitement. I was like, "Oh, okay" (After having 7 birthmothers look at our profile and not getting picked by any of them I had somewhat given up hope). So, when Dan called saying that we had actually gotten picked I didn't really believe him!!! Poor Dan!!! He was holding back tears and I was acting like he was saying he would bring home pizza for dinner!!! :)

Flash forward 10 minutes:
You would have found me crying, shaking and in shock.

I guess it just took a bit for it to sink in.

We had been told that these birthparents would be looking at our profile on January 5...I actually wasn't really paying any attention to the date because that can just make a person crazy. Anyway, the only information that I can really give out right now is that they are a younger couple who just want to make the right decision for their baby. We do not know the sex of the baby...we might find out next week when we meet the birthparents at Bethany. She is due April 11.

We are so excited and tried to call/text/email/facebook everyone!!! Phew!!! After a celebratory dinner and spending some time with Dan it is finally sinking in. We are going to be parents very soon. What an awesome God we have!!!

The happy parent's to be!!!