Today is a special day in our blog! We have a guest blogger! A very PROUD big sister Amber!
Hey everyone how are you? I am soooooooooo happy that my mom and dad got me a brother. I do help allot. i have only changed 2 diapers and a bunch of bottles. I am really glad that I have a brother now. Even though he might cry a little bit it doesn't bother me one bit. Thank you everyone for following this blog I know how much It means to my mom about the baby and thank you for all your prayers. The End.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Caleb's birth parents
Hi! So I'm finally getting around to updating the blog again. I will try to make more frequent posts, we are just still getting settled into a routine (sort of), and have been blessed with lots of visitors. I promised I would write a post about Caleb's birth parents. So here goes....
We don't have much information on them, only a few pages of self disclosed info in their own handwriting. And since this match occurred so quickly we did not have months and months to build a relationship. Although, this match could have been different than our first match and they might not have wanted a relationship with us. Either way, I am grateful for the info we do have on them and the single picture of Caleb's first parents S. and E. The picture was taken in the hospital after delivery and what struck me first is that they were both smiling. S. is 5'3 blond hair, blue eyed, attractive 23 year old with shoulder length hair and freckles dotting her cheeks and nose. E. is 6'1, 24 years old with dark hair and eyes. Caleb's pretty complexion and dark features is compliments of his birth father being Hispanic. I can't wait to see how my beautiful son tans in the Summer.
S. and E. love each other greatly and were high school sweethearts. S. loves to draw and dance while E. loves to play the guitar and write music. So Caleb may inherit some artistic genes. S. loves math while E. excelled in History. (Both of Jeff's faves) S. is left handed (like me) while E. is right handed (like Jeff). They have 3 children together, ages 4,3,2 so yes, this means that Caleb has 3 full bio siblings. They must really love Caleb to choose adoption. I can't imagine how hard that decision was. They had already left the hospital when we arrived but the nurses told us that S. and E. both said their goodbyes to baby boy. They chose to give him a life with two parents who could provide for him and meet his every need. They loved him enough to choose us to be his parents. They have asked for a closed adoption, and we will respect that. The agency requires us to send monthly photos for the next six months, and these will be stored at the agency if S. and E. would like to receive them.
I wonder daily how they are doing. We do know S. called the agency a couple of days after placement to see how things had gone for us. They asked if we were excited and the social worker assured her we were beyond excited.
One day maybe we will get the chance to meet them or one day maybe Caleb would like to know more about them and seek them out. We would definitely support him in that and help him in any way. As I am rocking him to sleep in his nursery I tell him about his first Mommy, how she loved him so much. How we prayed and prayed for him and how God gave her the strength to choose us to raise him. He will know the sacrifices they made to ensure that he had the life they wanted him to have.
We don't have much information on them, only a few pages of self disclosed info in their own handwriting. And since this match occurred so quickly we did not have months and months to build a relationship. Although, this match could have been different than our first match and they might not have wanted a relationship with us. Either way, I am grateful for the info we do have on them and the single picture of Caleb's first parents S. and E. The picture was taken in the hospital after delivery and what struck me first is that they were both smiling. S. is 5'3 blond hair, blue eyed, attractive 23 year old with shoulder length hair and freckles dotting her cheeks and nose. E. is 6'1, 24 years old with dark hair and eyes. Caleb's pretty complexion and dark features is compliments of his birth father being Hispanic. I can't wait to see how my beautiful son tans in the Summer.
S. and E. love each other greatly and were high school sweethearts. S. loves to draw and dance while E. loves to play the guitar and write music. So Caleb may inherit some artistic genes. S. loves math while E. excelled in History. (Both of Jeff's faves) S. is left handed (like me) while E. is right handed (like Jeff). They have 3 children together, ages 4,3,2 so yes, this means that Caleb has 3 full bio siblings. They must really love Caleb to choose adoption. I can't imagine how hard that decision was. They had already left the hospital when we arrived but the nurses told us that S. and E. both said their goodbyes to baby boy. They chose to give him a life with two parents who could provide for him and meet his every need. They loved him enough to choose us to be his parents. They have asked for a closed adoption, and we will respect that. The agency requires us to send monthly photos for the next six months, and these will be stored at the agency if S. and E. would like to receive them.
I wonder daily how they are doing. We do know S. called the agency a couple of days after placement to see how things had gone for us. They asked if we were excited and the social worker assured her we were beyond excited.
One day maybe we will get the chance to meet them or one day maybe Caleb would like to know more about them and seek them out. We would definitely support him in that and help him in any way. As I am rocking him to sleep in his nursery I tell him about his first Mommy, how she loved him so much. How we prayed and prayed for him and how God gave her the strength to choose us to raise him. He will know the sacrifices they made to ensure that he had the life they wanted him to have.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Another long update post - Homecoming
Hi ya'll! Hope you haven't given up on another post, things have been a little busy :) And I wouldn't have it any other way. Honestly, I have no idea how the hours slip by one by one so quickly. In between two hour feedings, changing, laundry, dishes, snuggling, staring, kisses, rocking, singing, and melting over and over, there definitely needs to be more hours in a day.
Ok, so let me back up. On Thursday of last week, we had been in TX for 8 days and although we were having a great time with our friends and loving on our baby, we were so ready to be home. Skyping was only getting us by on a thread, my family was so ready to hold Caleb in their arms. Thursday afternoon I called the agency and they informed me that they had not heard anything yet but promised to let us know as soon as they did. In our paperwork, they specifically said NOT to call our home state to check if paperwork had been received. Well.....I don't always play by the rules......so I called Raleigh DSS, and was transferred to the Interstate Compact Dept. and after answering some questions, the rep was able to confirm that they had received our file and that a caseworker was reviewing it, but that it still needed to be sent back to TX. We were ok with this news, just relieved they had actually received it already from TX. Well, about 30 minutes later I received a phone call from the adoption agency Director. My first thought was that I was about to get reprimanded for calling our state office. LOL But, nope, she was calling to let us know that we were approved to go home!!!!!! Yipeeeeeee
We already missed the flight home, so we would be leaving on Friday at 1pm and arriving home about 7:30pm! We quickly called our parents and I jumped on the laptop to order airline tix for the flight home. Baby boy could have been a lap baby for free, but we really wanted him to be able to stay safe and secure in his car seat with the ability to remain covered up. This also prevented a 3rd person from sitting with us on the plane. This Momma wanted to prevent as many germs as possible!!
We spent one last night of fun with our precious friends at their home and prepared to leave the next morning. Caleb did so so so good on the flights home! In fact, he slept through the entire 2.5hour flight from TX to Charlotte, NC, had his bottle and stretched in Charlotte, and then fell back asleep for the 35min flight. Oh, and his little umbilical cord finally fell off....in the TX airport! LOL
We knew that we would be welcomed home by some of our family and friends, but we had NO IDEA just how many people would be there to welcome home our family. Absolutely overwhelming. These 40 family members, life long friends, co workers, prayer warriors, and encouragers were anxiously awaiting us to round the corner into the lobby of our small airport. At first sight of them we heard screams, clapping, cheers, and lots of awwww as they caught sight of us and the little miracle I was holding. These folks have never given up on us. They have encouraged us, prayed for us, given of their time and finances to support our fundraising adventures, and they BELIEVED that our family would grow through the miracle of adoption. There were handmade precious signs, balloons, stuffed animals and more pictures than could be counted.
Amber was the first in line to see Caleb for the first time. A moment she had been waiting for with baited breath. She jumped up and down, she squealed, she cried. She kissed his head and hands. She fell in love.
Next, my Momma finally got to see her grandson and exhaled for probably the first time in who knows how long. Having struggled for many years to grow her family she knows first hand the heart ache we have endured over the years. She has always been so supportive and hopeful and was completely on board when we told her we wanted to adopt 20 months ago. She never doubted us and always did everything she could to help us succeed. And she also had the very tough job of keeping a VERY excited big sister for the nine days we were in TX! Whew, I'm sure that was a big job! Jeff's parents were next and just loved on him so sweetly. Everyone has been waiting for so long! I found my brother, and he hugged me so tightly. Tears were starting to sting my eyes, but I knew I couldn't completely let them go. He kept telling me over and over "Good job, Good job". I knew what we meant was much bigger than that, but that was all he had to say. Many hugs later, I finally found my Vesta, my best friend, cousin, and fundraiser cohort. Vesta has given of so many many hours baking cheesecakes, dipping fruit, and anything else I ever asked her to help me with. I almost lost it when I hugged her neck. She is my sister and I adore her.
After lots of hugs, kisses, tears, and baby holding, we headed for home sweet home. Mom drove Amber, Caleb and I in her car, and Jeff rode with his parents in their car as we were out of room with all of the luggage. My brother and future SIL and her mom followed in their car, as did my Aunt Valerie. Jeff stopped off at the store to buy more formula (we had plenty of diapers and wipes at home, but no formula). When we arrived home we were greeted by a few others that were not able to make it to the airport but wanted to share their well wishes. Mom, Amber, and Vesta had decorated the house with balloons, little blue footprints, streamers, and other baby boy decorations. It was beautiful! In fact, the decorations are still up! haha, not sure when we will take them down.
Mom had made us a lasagna, yellow cake with chocolate icing (my personal fave), and there was also chicken to enjoy. The house quickly filled with visitors and we had the best time loving on sweet baby boy, who was perfectly behaved by the way. I may be biased, but he is so easy going. I pray he stays that way! haha
After awhile we said our last goodbyes and settled down for the night. We couldn't believe we were finally home, our little family of four.
I wish I had the perfect words to explain how we felt. How very thankful we are for this most precious gift that has been entrusted to us.
Ok, so let me back up. On Thursday of last week, we had been in TX for 8 days and although we were having a great time with our friends and loving on our baby, we were so ready to be home. Skyping was only getting us by on a thread, my family was so ready to hold Caleb in their arms. Thursday afternoon I called the agency and they informed me that they had not heard anything yet but promised to let us know as soon as they did. In our paperwork, they specifically said NOT to call our home state to check if paperwork had been received. Well.....I don't always play by the rules......so I called Raleigh DSS, and was transferred to the Interstate Compact Dept. and after answering some questions, the rep was able to confirm that they had received our file and that a caseworker was reviewing it, but that it still needed to be sent back to TX. We were ok with this news, just relieved they had actually received it already from TX. Well, about 30 minutes later I received a phone call from the adoption agency Director. My first thought was that I was about to get reprimanded for calling our state office. LOL But, nope, she was calling to let us know that we were approved to go home!!!!!! Yipeeeeeee
We already missed the flight home, so we would be leaving on Friday at 1pm and arriving home about 7:30pm! We quickly called our parents and I jumped on the laptop to order airline tix for the flight home. Baby boy could have been a lap baby for free, but we really wanted him to be able to stay safe and secure in his car seat with the ability to remain covered up. This also prevented a 3rd person from sitting with us on the plane. This Momma wanted to prevent as many germs as possible!!
We spent one last night of fun with our precious friends at their home and prepared to leave the next morning. Caleb did so so so good on the flights home! In fact, he slept through the entire 2.5hour flight from TX to Charlotte, NC, had his bottle and stretched in Charlotte, and then fell back asleep for the 35min flight. Oh, and his little umbilical cord finally fell off....in the TX airport! LOL
We knew that we would be welcomed home by some of our family and friends, but we had NO IDEA just how many people would be there to welcome home our family. Absolutely overwhelming. These 40 family members, life long friends, co workers, prayer warriors, and encouragers were anxiously awaiting us to round the corner into the lobby of our small airport. At first sight of them we heard screams, clapping, cheers, and lots of awwww as they caught sight of us and the little miracle I was holding. These folks have never given up on us. They have encouraged us, prayed for us, given of their time and finances to support our fundraising adventures, and they BELIEVED that our family would grow through the miracle of adoption. There were handmade precious signs, balloons, stuffed animals and more pictures than could be counted.
Amber was the first in line to see Caleb for the first time. A moment she had been waiting for with baited breath. She jumped up and down, she squealed, she cried. She kissed his head and hands. She fell in love.
Next, my Momma finally got to see her grandson and exhaled for probably the first time in who knows how long. Having struggled for many years to grow her family she knows first hand the heart ache we have endured over the years. She has always been so supportive and hopeful and was completely on board when we told her we wanted to adopt 20 months ago. She never doubted us and always did everything she could to help us succeed. And she also had the very tough job of keeping a VERY excited big sister for the nine days we were in TX! Whew, I'm sure that was a big job! Jeff's parents were next and just loved on him so sweetly. Everyone has been waiting for so long! I found my brother, and he hugged me so tightly. Tears were starting to sting my eyes, but I knew I couldn't completely let them go. He kept telling me over and over "Good job, Good job". I knew what we meant was much bigger than that, but that was all he had to say. Many hugs later, I finally found my Vesta, my best friend, cousin, and fundraiser cohort. Vesta has given of so many many hours baking cheesecakes, dipping fruit, and anything else I ever asked her to help me with. I almost lost it when I hugged her neck. She is my sister and I adore her.
After lots of hugs, kisses, tears, and baby holding, we headed for home sweet home. Mom drove Amber, Caleb and I in her car, and Jeff rode with his parents in their car as we were out of room with all of the luggage. My brother and future SIL and her mom followed in their car, as did my Aunt Valerie. Jeff stopped off at the store to buy more formula (we had plenty of diapers and wipes at home, but no formula). When we arrived home we were greeted by a few others that were not able to make it to the airport but wanted to share their well wishes. Mom, Amber, and Vesta had decorated the house with balloons, little blue footprints, streamers, and other baby boy decorations. It was beautiful! In fact, the decorations are still up! haha, not sure when we will take them down.
Mom had made us a lasagna, yellow cake with chocolate icing (my personal fave), and there was also chicken to enjoy. The house quickly filled with visitors and we had the best time loving on sweet baby boy, who was perfectly behaved by the way. I may be biased, but he is so easy going. I pray he stays that way! haha
After awhile we said our last goodbyes and settled down for the night. We couldn't believe we were finally home, our little family of four.
I wish I had the perfect words to explain how we felt. How very thankful we are for this most precious gift that has been entrusted to us.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Where I left off......
Hey everyone from Texas! Yes, we are still here, waiting for word from the agency that we can fly out, but still enjoying every moment that we are here!
So what have we been up to the last few days?
On Friday, we made a special visit to our sweet D. We still had a couple of little things to give her, and I just needed to hug her! We all had been through so much and so much had changed since the last time we had seen each other just 8 weeks ago. As soon as we walked through the door and set lil man's car seat on the floor, D. was on the floor helping him to escape into her arms. That was such a sweet moment. She nuzzled him close to her and loved on him. She and her husband are genuinely happy for us and so thankful for this miracle. Loved spending sweet time with her. We both never regret the times we were matched and spent getting to know each other. We both are looking forward to seeing each other again when we return in 6mo for finalization. Please continue to pray for her and baby as her delivery could be very soon.
Saturday afternoon we checked out of the hotel and "moved" in with our amazing friends Briana & Noel and 6mo old son Hunter. We stayed with them back in January for our first visit to TX and they so graciously invited us to stay with them again when we returned. Even though our return was last minute, they still opened their doors wide open and have shared in our joy! They have been so very helpful since they adopted their son from the same agency and especially since they are only 6mo from the newborn phase. Briana was right there as I gave Caleb his first bath, she had a wonderful photo shoot with lil man (can't wait to share), suggested the swing (which he LOVES), and has just been so wonderful!! We have taken turns cooking dinner this week and have thoroughly enjoyed spending time together. Noel is on vacation this week and Jeff has really enjoyed helping him restore an old Jeep. It's definitely helped pass the time while we are here.
On Monday, baby boy had his first well baby check up, and believe it or not it was a little difficult to find a pediatrician that would take a new patient for a one time visit. We kinda found a way around it, and was very pleased with our visit. The pediatrician was awesome and she just raved about baby. She said he was perfect, and was just the sweetest thing, even when he peed on her pretty dress. She's probably used to that though. Caleb had gained 5oz since birth, and I'm pretty sure it has all gone to his cheeks! He's getting quite the little jowls now. So good for kissing!!
He is still consistently eating a little over 2oz every 2.5-3hours, sleeping most of the time in between, although his periods of alertness are getting closer together and lasting longer. Such a sweet little bug. He was pretty fussy last night and just couldn't get right. We suspected it was because he was having a little problem going potty over the last 2 days, but THANKFULLY that seems to have worked itself out, and he is back to being chill lil man.
We have had the pleasure of skyping with several of our family members - both sets of grandparents, Amber the big sister, Uncle Kevin & Aunt Laura, and lots of cousins. It has been truly awesome to see everyone oooohh and awww over Caleb. I'm pretty sure Caleb likes all the attention too. :) Hopefully soon he will get to meet everyone in person!
We have spoken with the agency regularly and they are very hopeful they will soon receive the word from Austin that our interstate compact is complete and we are approved to leave the state!!!! Oh Happy Day! Then it's on to airport homecoming, a moment I have played over and over in my mind.
Ok, so this post is long, so I will close for now. I promise next post will cover what we know about Caleb's birth family.
In the mean time, is there anything you are just curious to ask?
Can't wait to see everyone!! Thank you so much for the prayers, encouragement, and sharing in our excitement! We are so very blessed!
Love - K.
So what have we been up to the last few days?
On Friday, we made a special visit to our sweet D. We still had a couple of little things to give her, and I just needed to hug her! We all had been through so much and so much had changed since the last time we had seen each other just 8 weeks ago. As soon as we walked through the door and set lil man's car seat on the floor, D. was on the floor helping him to escape into her arms. That was such a sweet moment. She nuzzled him close to her and loved on him. She and her husband are genuinely happy for us and so thankful for this miracle. Loved spending sweet time with her. We both never regret the times we were matched and spent getting to know each other. We both are looking forward to seeing each other again when we return in 6mo for finalization. Please continue to pray for her and baby as her delivery could be very soon.
Saturday afternoon we checked out of the hotel and "moved" in with our amazing friends Briana & Noel and 6mo old son Hunter. We stayed with them back in January for our first visit to TX and they so graciously invited us to stay with them again when we returned. Even though our return was last minute, they still opened their doors wide open and have shared in our joy! They have been so very helpful since they adopted their son from the same agency and especially since they are only 6mo from the newborn phase. Briana was right there as I gave Caleb his first bath, she had a wonderful photo shoot with lil man (can't wait to share), suggested the swing (which he LOVES), and has just been so wonderful!! We have taken turns cooking dinner this week and have thoroughly enjoyed spending time together. Noel is on vacation this week and Jeff has really enjoyed helping him restore an old Jeep. It's definitely helped pass the time while we are here.
On Monday, baby boy had his first well baby check up, and believe it or not it was a little difficult to find a pediatrician that would take a new patient for a one time visit. We kinda found a way around it, and was very pleased with our visit. The pediatrician was awesome and she just raved about baby. She said he was perfect, and was just the sweetest thing, even when he peed on her pretty dress. She's probably used to that though. Caleb had gained 5oz since birth, and I'm pretty sure it has all gone to his cheeks! He's getting quite the little jowls now. So good for kissing!!
He is still consistently eating a little over 2oz every 2.5-3hours, sleeping most of the time in between, although his periods of alertness are getting closer together and lasting longer. Such a sweet little bug. He was pretty fussy last night and just couldn't get right. We suspected it was because he was having a little problem going potty over the last 2 days, but THANKFULLY that seems to have worked itself out, and he is back to being chill lil man.
We have had the pleasure of skyping with several of our family members - both sets of grandparents, Amber the big sister, Uncle Kevin & Aunt Laura, and lots of cousins. It has been truly awesome to see everyone oooohh and awww over Caleb. I'm pretty sure Caleb likes all the attention too. :) Hopefully soon he will get to meet everyone in person!
We have spoken with the agency regularly and they are very hopeful they will soon receive the word from Austin that our interstate compact is complete and we are approved to leave the state!!!! Oh Happy Day! Then it's on to airport homecoming, a moment I have played over and over in my mind.
Ok, so this post is long, so I will close for now. I promise next post will cover what we know about Caleb's birth family.
In the mean time, is there anything you are just curious to ask?
Can't wait to see everyone!! Thank you so much for the prayers, encouragement, and sharing in our excitement! We are so very blessed!
Love - K.
Friday, March 9, 2012
March 8th - Day 2
Thursday morning we woke up early, neither of us sleeping very well the night before. We were anxious to get to our son, and find out if we would be discharged that day.
We were told the day before that our physicals had expired (because we were on the list for awhile) and that we would need to have new ones completed before we could take placement. Thankfully, the agency called several clinics and found one that accepted walk ins. So we quickly got dressed found the clinic and after about an hour and $120 later, we had to updated physicals. When I say physical there really was nothing to it but about 10 questions, "are you on drugs" "do you have a history of mental illness" etc. But anyway, we were updated, headed to the agency, and one step closer to Caleb.
When we got to the agency we were greeted at the door by the Director, and the two social workers that we had been working with on this short case. They were all very excited and thankful for the miracle that had taken place. We then went to a small conference room and proceeded to go over all of the birth mother and birth father information (we had received via email on the way to the airport so we knew some things), and then we started signing! And signing, and signing, and more signing. And it was W O N D E R F U L
I should also note that on Day One we were very excited, but I had not cried yet, probably because it was such a whirlwind. But in the office, it started building. I held it in because I knew that if I opened the valve, there would be no stopping the flood. And there simply wasn't time for that yet! After we finished signing, we took a few pics with our social worker (yes, I will post once I find the member card reader), and then we were off to the hospital!!!!!!!
We arrived at the hospital as quickly as we could (I am convinced that every single thing in SA is 30 minutes apart) and we walked in with the diaper bag, car seat and stroller, hoping we would be able to bring him home soon.
We made our way to the nursery and little boy was waiting for us wide awake! I finally got to see those beautiful dark pools for eyes! I could stare into them for days. And then it happened. The nurse said we could hold him. And I lost it. When I snuggled him close to me and whispered sweet promises in his ear I thought my heart would burst. But at the same time I felt complete. This was the moment, the culmination of a lifelong dream, a decade of dreaming of holding my baby, and nearly 18 months of adoption process. As my heart was bursting with joy and thankfulness it was also being rebuilt. All of the nasty seeds of disappointment, failure, and frustration fled from my body as I held on to 7lb7oz of redemption. God is so very good. So so good. And Caleb Alexander will know of his goodness and grace, he will know that his heavenly father loved him so much that he gave him a birth mommy that would make the most difficult decision to place him with us. We were able to hold him for quite a while and even feed him. He is such a good eater, he sucks down 2oz like it's nothing, and usually takes just a bit more. And he burps as soon as he sits up, such a good good baby! The nurse said they all enjoyed taking care of him cause he was so easy! I'm a lucky girl!
After a bit they needed to take him for his little boy surgery, :( He took it like a champ though, cried for a minute, but then calmed right down. Such a big strong boy!
After his procedure they needed to monitor him for a couple of hours to make sure he urinated and all was ok. Well, that two hours turned into nearly 5 hours cause of shift change and no discharges are done during that time. So we took that time to head to the nearest Walmart and stock up on the same kind of formula and diapers they were using. Finally, at 8pm we could head back to the hospital and an hour later we were being discharged! The hospital has a policy that all new moms, regardless of whether I birthed the child or not, I had to ride in a wheel chair holding Caleb to the front door where Jeff was waiting with the car! Haha Jeff thought that was the funniest thing and of course had to take pictures. I felt a bit foolish, but oh well! So we loaded into the car and headed to the hotel. I think we both said several times "Is this happening??" "Is this really happening?" "Are they really letting us take him home??" I bet all new parents feel the same way.
He did great riding in his car seat. At this point he is such a good baby, so calm, and honestly doesn't even cry that much, only when it's meal time and we aren't fast enough for his liking!
A few friends have asked me about his race. Caleb is a beautiful mix of Caucasian and Hispanic. S. is blonde hair, blue eyed, and E. is full Hispanic. Caleb has a perfect shaped head, compliments of only being in labor TEN MINUTES!!! Well, this pretty much sums up Day 2. Next post I will share some of what we know about the birth parents and an update on what happens now.
Until then, thank you so much for your prayers, encouragement, love, excitement, and friendship! Caleb is very excited to meet his family and friends!
PS - I knew that I was madly in love with my husband and that he is an amazing father to Amber, but I had no idea how wonderful he would be with our newborn. We make a perfect team, he jumps right in there with diapers, feeding, etc. and thankfully he handles the cord cleaning, cause I get a little queasy about that. Give me poop, spit up, or pee, but leave the umbilical cord cleaning to Jeff!
We were told the day before that our physicals had expired (because we were on the list for awhile) and that we would need to have new ones completed before we could take placement. Thankfully, the agency called several clinics and found one that accepted walk ins. So we quickly got dressed found the clinic and after about an hour and $120 later, we had to updated physicals. When I say physical there really was nothing to it but about 10 questions, "are you on drugs" "do you have a history of mental illness" etc. But anyway, we were updated, headed to the agency, and one step closer to Caleb.
When we got to the agency we were greeted at the door by the Director, and the two social workers that we had been working with on this short case. They were all very excited and thankful for the miracle that had taken place. We then went to a small conference room and proceeded to go over all of the birth mother and birth father information (we had received via email on the way to the airport so we knew some things), and then we started signing! And signing, and signing, and more signing. And it was W O N D E R F U L
I should also note that on Day One we were very excited, but I had not cried yet, probably because it was such a whirlwind. But in the office, it started building. I held it in because I knew that if I opened the valve, there would be no stopping the flood. And there simply wasn't time for that yet! After we finished signing, we took a few pics with our social worker (yes, I will post once I find the member card reader), and then we were off to the hospital!!!!!!!
We arrived at the hospital as quickly as we could (I am convinced that every single thing in SA is 30 minutes apart) and we walked in with the diaper bag, car seat and stroller, hoping we would be able to bring him home soon.
We made our way to the nursery and little boy was waiting for us wide awake! I finally got to see those beautiful dark pools for eyes! I could stare into them for days. And then it happened. The nurse said we could hold him. And I lost it. When I snuggled him close to me and whispered sweet promises in his ear I thought my heart would burst. But at the same time I felt complete. This was the moment, the culmination of a lifelong dream, a decade of dreaming of holding my baby, and nearly 18 months of adoption process. As my heart was bursting with joy and thankfulness it was also being rebuilt. All of the nasty seeds of disappointment, failure, and frustration fled from my body as I held on to 7lb7oz of redemption. God is so very good. So so good. And Caleb Alexander will know of his goodness and grace, he will know that his heavenly father loved him so much that he gave him a birth mommy that would make the most difficult decision to place him with us. We were able to hold him for quite a while and even feed him. He is such a good eater, he sucks down 2oz like it's nothing, and usually takes just a bit more. And he burps as soon as he sits up, such a good good baby! The nurse said they all enjoyed taking care of him cause he was so easy! I'm a lucky girl!
After a bit they needed to take him for his little boy surgery, :( He took it like a champ though, cried for a minute, but then calmed right down. Such a big strong boy!
After his procedure they needed to monitor him for a couple of hours to make sure he urinated and all was ok. Well, that two hours turned into nearly 5 hours cause of shift change and no discharges are done during that time. So we took that time to head to the nearest Walmart and stock up on the same kind of formula and diapers they were using. Finally, at 8pm we could head back to the hospital and an hour later we were being discharged! The hospital has a policy that all new moms, regardless of whether I birthed the child or not, I had to ride in a wheel chair holding Caleb to the front door where Jeff was waiting with the car! Haha Jeff thought that was the funniest thing and of course had to take pictures. I felt a bit foolish, but oh well! So we loaded into the car and headed to the hotel. I think we both said several times "Is this happening??" "Is this really happening?" "Are they really letting us take him home??" I bet all new parents feel the same way.
He did great riding in his car seat. At this point he is such a good baby, so calm, and honestly doesn't even cry that much, only when it's meal time and we aren't fast enough for his liking!
A few friends have asked me about his race. Caleb is a beautiful mix of Caucasian and Hispanic. S. is blonde hair, blue eyed, and E. is full Hispanic. Caleb has a perfect shaped head, compliments of only being in labor TEN MINUTES!!! Well, this pretty much sums up Day 2. Next post I will share some of what we know about the birth parents and an update on what happens now.
Until then, thank you so much for your prayers, encouragement, love, excitement, and friendship! Caleb is very excited to meet his family and friends!
PS - I knew that I was madly in love with my husband and that he is an amazing father to Amber, but I had no idea how wonderful he would be with our newborn. We make a perfect team, he jumps right in there with diapers, feeding, etc. and thankfully he handles the cord cleaning, cause I get a little queasy about that. Give me poop, spit up, or pee, but leave the umbilical cord cleaning to Jeff!
Day One
Hi from Texas!!!! I can't wait to share a great story with you! I'm sorry in advance if it is jumbled, my brain is going in a million different directions! LOL But I want to try to remember everything!!
Yesterday was a very exciting, emotional, rushed, shocking, amazing kinda day. But I need to share a little back story first.
As you know, we were matched with our sweet D. in October and formed an incredible friendship over the next four months. Her induction date was to be March 7th, at 37 weeks and we were to be there. You also know, that the birth father showed out of nowhere and rocked our little world of plans on Valentine's Day. It has been a really really tough time for all parties involved, and D. still needs your prayers. She has not yet given birth to the precious baby inside of her and so many logistics have not been ironed out yet, so peace is sometimes hard to hold on to. But she is so strong and so faithful. It is so hard to know what God's plans are. But God knows, and I trust He will bring all parties through this. On a side note, we will definitely be seeing her while we are here and so looking forward to it!
After our match fell through, we pushed all the baby shower gifts and his packed suitcase inside the nursery and shut the door. Little did we know we would need those things only 3 weeks later! Last week, we told our social worker that we guessed we should go back on the list, still dreading a long time til another match, and also dreading waiting a long time for delivery, but we were willing to do whatever it took of course. Turns out, we didn't have to wait long at all for the miracle God had in store for us. On Monday March 4th, 2012 we receivd a phone call from the agency letting us know that a woman (S.) had given birth that morning to a baby boy and that she wanted to choose adoption for him. Our profile was one of the several that were taken to her to choose from. We couldn't believe it! At that point we had no idea that we would be chosen, but just the though that something like that could happen so fast had us very excited and amazed!! We had prayed for something to happen quickly, but we still had no idea........
We only told our parents and a couple of friends but our adoption in general was lifted up in prayer by so many people, most people only knowing that something was brewing on the adoption front but no specifics. S. did not choose a family that day, but we were told she would make her decision on Tuesday and that the birth father (E.) would be signing his papers on Tuesday as well. Tuesday came and went, possibly the longest day of my life. With no phone call!!! I knew that S. would be signing her papers on Wednesday morning and that baby would possibly be discharged that day as well. We had no idea if she had chosen a family or not. I finally caved and called the agency at 11am our time and was told that our social worker would call us right back. Um........ I had a meeting to attend so I sat in that meeting staring at my phone for the nearly 2 hours willing it to ring! But not really sure if I wanted it to ring because they could have said we were not chosen. The knot in my stomach was aching. Finally, my phone buzzed and I left the meeting and rushed to the hall.
Our TX social worker was on the phone and she sounded so calm and almost sad. She said it had been a busy couple of days, etc and finally she said, "I'll just cut to the chase, are ya'll ready?" AAAAGGHHHHHH She had really been dragging it out, building the suspense for what seemed like an eternity, but was really about 20 seconds. I found the nearest desk and starting taking notes, baby birth stats, the hosptial, etc. Finally, I said, I gotta get home, we gotta a plane to catch!" I called Jeff and told him it was game time! HAHA But Amber had come home early from school that day and since she didn't know any of this was happening, he had to cover his excitement, at least until I got home. Next I called my Mom who was in her classroom. I asked her how her day was going, if she was busy, etc. I then asked her if she could leave work and come help me pack cause we had a plane to catch!! hahaha I loved making that phone call! I wanted to talk to her more, but I had to rush down to the branch, clear my desk, lock my drawer, and run!
I finally made it home after what seemed like the longest drive from work (It's only 7 minutes) and walked in the door to find sick Amber laying on the couch. I asked how she was feeling and after she said "horrible" I said that I had something that would make her feel better...... I told her that we had been matched again and she was so excited. I told her it was a boy and she was ecstatic.....I told her that Jeff and I were flying out in about 2 hours and she didn't even know what to say! She didn't know whether to scream or cry or both! It was awesome!!
Then the scrambling began! Thankfully I had never unpacked the baby suitcase so that was pretty much set other than adding a few little things. Jeff packed his items while I called in a favor. My coworker/friend was a travel agent for years and offered to help us at any time if we needed help making travel arrangements. She saved us so much time, in 20 minutes she had our flight, hotel, and rental car booked with all the confirmations emailed to my phone. She is good!! And I will always be grateful for her help!
Mom made it to our house and quickly jumped in to help us get everything packed! 2 suitcases, 2 carryons, a stroller, carseat, and base were loaded in the car and away we went to catch the flight of a lifetime......
We made to the airport with not much time to spare, but the agents worked quickly and assured us we would make our flight. Mom and Amber were able to watch from the window as we boarded the plane and were still waving as we taxied down the runway. Even on such short notice we had 2 seats together and on the exit row which meant even more room. It was perfect!!
The transition from Charlotte to San Antonio was smooth once we picked up our luggage and rental car it was after 9pm already! Our social worker called and had received permission from the hospital to allow us to visit even though it was pretty late!! We couldn't wait!! Thank goodness for GPS, because we have been all over this huge city with no problem at all! We made it to the hospital, which is wonderful by the way, and quickly found the nursery. We told them who were were and after being ID'd a couple of times were ushed to our son.......
No words will ever be able to describe what I tought the first time I laid eyes on him. His perfect complexion, head full of silky dark hair, and long eyelashes. I think this is what Heaven would be like. That feeling of seeing your children for the first time, I wish I could capture it and relive it over and over and over. He was all wrapped up like a burrito and had just fallen asleep they said, so we didn't want to unwrap him, but I REALLY wanted to see those hands and feet!!! We only stayed about 20 minutes, kissed him goodnight with a promise to see him as quickly as we could the next day.
We then went to Briana & Noel's house, the precious friends who allowed us to stay about 8 weeks ago on our first trip. They were going to be out town for a few days so we are staying in a hotel until they get back, then we will move into their home for the duration of our stay. They are so hospitable, helpful, kind, encouraging, and I could go on and on. And since they adopted their son 6 months ago through the same agency, they have been a world of help! Anyway, we visited them for a few minutes and loaded the car down the lots of things they wanted to let us borrow for our hotel stay until they returned. We will always be so thankful for them!!
Finally, after a really long day, we hit up a drive thru after realizing I had not eaten that day, stumbled into our hotel room and passed out abour 1:30am. Only 12 hours before we had gotten THE CALL, hopped on a plane and had seen our son.
I can't even begin to express how amazed and in awe we are of all that has happened. We are so very thankful that God gave us the strength to continue, surrounded us with loving family and friends and orchestrated such a wonderful miracle.
So, that pretty much sums up day One.....lots more to share, lots of questions to answer, and many cute pics to post! Wait till you hear about day TWO!
Love - K.
Yesterday was a very exciting, emotional, rushed, shocking, amazing kinda day. But I need to share a little back story first.
As you know, we were matched with our sweet D. in October and formed an incredible friendship over the next four months. Her induction date was to be March 7th, at 37 weeks and we were to be there. You also know, that the birth father showed out of nowhere and rocked our little world of plans on Valentine's Day. It has been a really really tough time for all parties involved, and D. still needs your prayers. She has not yet given birth to the precious baby inside of her and so many logistics have not been ironed out yet, so peace is sometimes hard to hold on to. But she is so strong and so faithful. It is so hard to know what God's plans are. But God knows, and I trust He will bring all parties through this. On a side note, we will definitely be seeing her while we are here and so looking forward to it!
After our match fell through, we pushed all the baby shower gifts and his packed suitcase inside the nursery and shut the door. Little did we know we would need those things only 3 weeks later! Last week, we told our social worker that we guessed we should go back on the list, still dreading a long time til another match, and also dreading waiting a long time for delivery, but we were willing to do whatever it took of course. Turns out, we didn't have to wait long at all for the miracle God had in store for us. On Monday March 4th, 2012 we receivd a phone call from the agency letting us know that a woman (S.) had given birth that morning to a baby boy and that she wanted to choose adoption for him. Our profile was one of the several that were taken to her to choose from. We couldn't believe it! At that point we had no idea that we would be chosen, but just the though that something like that could happen so fast had us very excited and amazed!! We had prayed for something to happen quickly, but we still had no idea........
We only told our parents and a couple of friends but our adoption in general was lifted up in prayer by so many people, most people only knowing that something was brewing on the adoption front but no specifics. S. did not choose a family that day, but we were told she would make her decision on Tuesday and that the birth father (E.) would be signing his papers on Tuesday as well. Tuesday came and went, possibly the longest day of my life. With no phone call!!! I knew that S. would be signing her papers on Wednesday morning and that baby would possibly be discharged that day as well. We had no idea if she had chosen a family or not. I finally caved and called the agency at 11am our time and was told that our social worker would call us right back. Um........ I had a meeting to attend so I sat in that meeting staring at my phone for the nearly 2 hours willing it to ring! But not really sure if I wanted it to ring because they could have said we were not chosen. The knot in my stomach was aching. Finally, my phone buzzed and I left the meeting and rushed to the hall.
Our TX social worker was on the phone and she sounded so calm and almost sad. She said it had been a busy couple of days, etc and finally she said, "I'll just cut to the chase, are ya'll ready?" AAAAGGHHHHHH She had really been dragging it out, building the suspense for what seemed like an eternity, but was really about 20 seconds. I found the nearest desk and starting taking notes, baby birth stats, the hosptial, etc. Finally, I said, I gotta get home, we gotta a plane to catch!" I called Jeff and told him it was game time! HAHA But Amber had come home early from school that day and since she didn't know any of this was happening, he had to cover his excitement, at least until I got home. Next I called my Mom who was in her classroom. I asked her how her day was going, if she was busy, etc. I then asked her if she could leave work and come help me pack cause we had a plane to catch!! hahaha I loved making that phone call! I wanted to talk to her more, but I had to rush down to the branch, clear my desk, lock my drawer, and run!
I finally made it home after what seemed like the longest drive from work (It's only 7 minutes) and walked in the door to find sick Amber laying on the couch. I asked how she was feeling and after she said "horrible" I said that I had something that would make her feel better...... I told her that we had been matched again and she was so excited. I told her it was a boy and she was ecstatic.....I told her that Jeff and I were flying out in about 2 hours and she didn't even know what to say! She didn't know whether to scream or cry or both! It was awesome!!
Then the scrambling began! Thankfully I had never unpacked the baby suitcase so that was pretty much set other than adding a few little things. Jeff packed his items while I called in a favor. My coworker/friend was a travel agent for years and offered to help us at any time if we needed help making travel arrangements. She saved us so much time, in 20 minutes she had our flight, hotel, and rental car booked with all the confirmations emailed to my phone. She is good!! And I will always be grateful for her help!
Mom made it to our house and quickly jumped in to help us get everything packed! 2 suitcases, 2 carryons, a stroller, carseat, and base were loaded in the car and away we went to catch the flight of a lifetime......
We made to the airport with not much time to spare, but the agents worked quickly and assured us we would make our flight. Mom and Amber were able to watch from the window as we boarded the plane and were still waving as we taxied down the runway. Even on such short notice we had 2 seats together and on the exit row which meant even more room. It was perfect!!
The transition from Charlotte to San Antonio was smooth once we picked up our luggage and rental car it was after 9pm already! Our social worker called and had received permission from the hospital to allow us to visit even though it was pretty late!! We couldn't wait!! Thank goodness for GPS, because we have been all over this huge city with no problem at all! We made it to the hospital, which is wonderful by the way, and quickly found the nursery. We told them who were were and after being ID'd a couple of times were ushed to our son.......
No words will ever be able to describe what I tought the first time I laid eyes on him. His perfect complexion, head full of silky dark hair, and long eyelashes. I think this is what Heaven would be like. That feeling of seeing your children for the first time, I wish I could capture it and relive it over and over and over. He was all wrapped up like a burrito and had just fallen asleep they said, so we didn't want to unwrap him, but I REALLY wanted to see those hands and feet!!! We only stayed about 20 minutes, kissed him goodnight with a promise to see him as quickly as we could the next day.
We then went to Briana & Noel's house, the precious friends who allowed us to stay about 8 weeks ago on our first trip. They were going to be out town for a few days so we are staying in a hotel until they get back, then we will move into their home for the duration of our stay. They are so hospitable, helpful, kind, encouraging, and I could go on and on. And since they adopted their son 6 months ago through the same agency, they have been a world of help! Anyway, we visited them for a few minutes and loaded the car down the lots of things they wanted to let us borrow for our hotel stay until they returned. We will always be so thankful for them!!
Finally, after a really long day, we hit up a drive thru after realizing I had not eaten that day, stumbled into our hotel room and passed out abour 1:30am. Only 12 hours before we had gotten THE CALL, hopped on a plane and had seen our son.
I can't even begin to express how amazed and in awe we are of all that has happened. We are so very thankful that God gave us the strength to continue, surrounded us with loving family and friends and orchestrated such a wonderful miracle.
So, that pretty much sums up day One.....lots more to share, lots of questions to answer, and many cute pics to post! Wait till you hear about day TWO!
Love - K.
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