A very long catch up post!

Yep, this post should include a warning also - this is another very long one! But there is so much to tell so bear with me!

On Friday October 28th  I came home on my 11am lunch hour to find a perfect little package tucked between the two front doors. I carefully brought it inside, and tried to call Jeff on the phone. (He had taken the day off for a celebratory hunt in the woods) :) The night before I asked him to please not open the package without me if he was the one to receive it first. BUT, I did not ask him if I could open it without him! EEK! I knew what the package contained, but I needed to see it, as soon as possible. I stared at it, running my fingers across the pull tab that was calling my name. Please pick up the phone!!! Finally with 15 minutes of my lunch to spare he called. "Open it" he said as though it was silly me to have waited. haha So I grabbed that pull tab and ripped it open! And inside....

I found a letter: "Congratulations, _____________ has chosen you to be the parents of her baby! YES! It was our official letter! The package also included all of the medical records since the first doctors appointment to confirm pregnancy and about 10 sheets of detailed info on our precious birth mom, in her own handwriting. This included info on her parents, grandparents, hobby's, childhood memories, etc. She also spoke openly about her reasons for placing this child for adoption and her future goals. She wrote things that she would want her baby to know in the future. These are things we hold very near and dear to our hearts and respectfully we will not be sharing them on this blog. Bu we will tell you that we both have the most amazing peace. Her confidence in herself radiates. Her love for the Lord is so evident. Her LOVE for this child is beautiful. She is beautiful. The last 2 pages were her widespread smiling face. A frontal view and a side view (insert smile with little baby belly). It was several minutes before I could stop looking at her face long enough to look at the rest of the picture. She has the kindest hazel eyes and the most natural, genuine smile. Like someone we know, like someone we could easily know.

The agency gives adoptive parents 5 days to review the information and make an informed decision. We didn't need 5 days. We knew. There were so many things that we have in common with our BM (birth mom) that we know without a doubt it is a "God thing" And what a beautiful chapter in our journey.

On Monday, October 31st we received a call from the agency at 3:09pm. __________ had had an ultrasound that morning, all are healthy, and we were told she is carrying a BOY! A son, we will have a son. I called Jeff and asked him if he wanted me to tell him over the phone and he didn't want me to wait, so I shared. Honestly, I know allot of men desire to have a son, but Jeff loves his daughter so much, I knew he would truly be happy no matter what. All that being said, he is thrilled! :)

That night Jeff told Amber she was having a baby brother! She hasn't stopped talking about her baby brother! Joy. Simple Joy.

So now I will try to answer some of the most popular questions we have been asked and probably a few that people are scared to ask!

1. "What happens now?" Well, now we wait. haha This waiting is different already because we have such peace. Sometime during the next week ________ will be working with her social worker to determine how she would like to communicate with us. This could be done via email, cell phone, text, or even to meet in person. Or, she could choose not to communicate with us. We really pray that she will like to get to know us more and give us the chance to know her more. I want to memorize as much as possible.

2. "It's so long until March!" Actually, it's not that long. It gives us time to really prepare now that we have a date and know it's a boy. And, it hasn't been as long as it has been. Every day is one day closer.

3. "Can she change her mind?" Yes. Yes she can. That is her right. She can not sign termination papers until 2 days after baby boy is born. It is a possibility, but we choose to not focus on this possibility. And if you are thinking this, please don't say it out loud. Please and thank you. :) Please just pray for her continued confidence and peace in her decision.

4. "Names?" Yes, there is a name. I think we are pretty set on it. Just not ready to share with the entire world yet.

5. "How can I help?" Pray Pray Pray. If you feel led to donate to help with our large expenses you can order one of our homemade cheesecakes for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Or buy one of our few T-shirts we have left. We covet your prayers and will be eternally grateful to all of those friends and family that have felt led to help us bring our baby home. We have been good stewards of your resources and we are so thankful.

This is probably long enough for now. Thanks for reading!

Love ya - Karen & Jeff