Week 31

We made it to week 31!!! 5w6d and counting!! Things are still on track for delivery at 37 weeks, but the Doc did say that they may be able to push it back to 38 weeks cause D's apt went so well last Friday! This, of course, is such a blessing, and we will take any days given, Of course, we all want him here! But, if waiting a week means an easier delivery for her and a little more cooking time for Caleb, then waiting is just what we will do!

Our travel plans are still up in the air at this point (no pun intended). We have not bought plane tix yet because we don't have a set day or week. We are kinda waiting to see if they are going to push it back. Here is my dilemma: If I buy the tickets now, we save a bundle, but they are non refundable and we would pay about $150 each to change the tix. If we wait too long to purchase them, then the price goes way up. And, we can not buy a round trip ticket because we have no idea how long we will actually be in TX before Raleigh, NC sends the interstate compact to TX and tells them that it is OK for us to cross state lines. Speaking of....can you just go ahead and pray for this in advance?? Being away from our families is going to be tough. I know we will cherish every single minute we have in TX. With D. and T. with our new friends Brianna, Noel, and Hunter, and loving on our precious miracle Caleb. It will be a roller coaster ride for sure and I am so thankful that I have a husband like Jeff that keeps me steady, holds my hand when I get scared, and wipes my tears when I can not hold them in any longer. I truly am looking forward to that time with him, seeing him with Caleb.

I also can't wait to see my precious D. again. We plan on arriving in TX a couple of days before the delivery (if we have a scheduled date). I am so looking forward to hugging her again! We have shared some wonderful laughs and I just want to drink it all in. Every second. Because a friendship and bond like this is so special. A miracle really. God has not only chosen Caleb to be our son but he has given him the finest first Mom and a true friend to me. She has sat in her home on bed rest, day in and day out, following doctors orders, growing Caleb, and I know it has been so tough to just sit around! But she has done it, and continues to do it! I have no idea what Caleb's birth day will be like, but I plan on being whatever D. needs on that day.

I was thinking of some of the things I love about D. and thought I would share.....

I love that she loves Jesus. I love that she laughs so hard sometimes that she snorts....just like me. I love that she values family traditions, history, and memories. I love that she loves to take pictures and record the memories in scrapbooks. I love that she loves bright and fun socks. I love that she loves chocolate, and lots of it. I love that she is one of the bravest women I have ever met. And not just because she has chosen adoption, but because no matter what she holds her head high and she pushes through. I love that she loves board games, Disney movies, roller coasters, yellow cake with chocolate icing (my fave), and Twilight books. I love that from the first phone call on November 4th, it was easy and natural, like I was talking to an old friend. But, I think most of all, I love that she thinks enough of me to share these things with me.

With all that being said...............here is 31 weeks and counting!!

Who else is in love with the fact that our sweet D. is radiant in our adoption T-shirt?? :)

THANKS for the many prayers and words of encouragement! Love you all!!

30 weeks & counting!!

Hey Folks! Well, we have made it to 30 weeks! Yippeeeee! I thought I would share what 30 weeks looks like, but first.....I thought I would share the earlier ultrasound pics and snapshots of D. that I haven't shared yet.

This is what LOVE looks like........



Caleb Alexander @ 6w5d!! What a little miracle!

11w2d!!! Grow Baby Grow!  

Side view @ 23w5d

Beautiful D at 23w5d!

A birthday surprise for me! D & Caleb enjoyed a bday cupcake in honor of my birthday! 25w5d

Happy 26 weeks!

29.3 weeks!!!!! Love her smile!


And here is today's pic at 30 weeks....................

I can definitely tell Caleb has grown since we were there just under 2 weeks ago!

She makes it look good!!! I adore her sweet sweet spirit, witty sense of humor, and the fact that she takes such good care of herself and Caleb!

Please continue to pray for her as we have 7 weeks (6w6d) :), to go before delivery at 37 weeks. I ask that you pray for peace especially since I imagine bed rest is not the most enjoyable time in the world. Pray for her health, and Caleb's health. Pray he continues to grow grow grow. Pray for our beautiful growing relationship for now and in the future.

Love ya'll! K.

Belly love, couch time, baby love, and Scategories! (TX post #2)

So after the doctor dropped the bomb on us that D would need to be on strict bed rest until further notice we needed to come up with a different plan for the weekend. D and T offered us to spend our days/evenings at their house! We were so excited!!! We hugged goodnight with a promise to see each other in the morning. Hated leaving her side.

We then headed to see our new friends Briana & Noel and their precious son Hunter. These folks are so wonderful! They completely understood that we were running behind and they acted like it was no big deal that we finally made it to their house at 8:30pm! Instantly felt welcome in their home and loved the fact that I was handed their son shortly after walking through their front door. Oh how precious he is! What a blessing to their family! Since they have recently adopted through the same agency they have been so helpful and encouraging! They took us to Big Lou's which I mentioned in the previous post. It was awesome! And we were starving!!!!! We went back to their house and even though we had been up since 4:30 that morning we manged to hang out and visit until nearly 2am. Love these folks! Good Christian couple who could not love their child anymore than they already do. It is beautiful. Their journey to Hunter was long and rocky but so worth it when he joined their family. I can't wait to watch him grow. They gave us Hunter's room for the weekend and he stayed in their room. They even had a wrapped gift for Caleb, a beautiful "C" hanging from a ribbon that Briana made for his room. Love it!

Saturday we woke to a great breakfast cooked by Noel and we so enjoyed our time visiting around their table! They encouraged us to spend as much time with D & T and not to worry about them. They really are that wonderful! That morning I received a text from D that her blood pressure had shot back up after her shower but after sitting for a while it went back down. Hmm, we all started to believe that maybe the doctor was on to something and it wasn't a fluke! We went to Wal-mart to stock up on magazines and chocolate for D since  it seemed that she would be confined to bed or recliner for weeks and then we were on our way to their house.

They have a lovely home, very neat and clean and welcoming. Over the next 2 days we laughed and talked and laid on their couch.






Introducing my sweet D. Isn't she lovely? Oh, and how about that beautiful round belly..introducing Caleb Alexander. :)




Just love her.



We played Scatagories...this resulted in lots of laughter!



We took pretty smiley pics




We sent our men out for lunch and dinner, moved to the kitchen to eat, then back to the living room.





We played with Cat who I tried sooo hard to come over to me!



Our husbands posed for silly photos

Ever see the album of scary family photos on TV recently? This was their rendition. haha

I have no idea what my sweater is doing in this picture.....but it is the best one of the 3 of us, so I will love it always!

We took more funny shots....

And our own intentional rendition of scary family photo... she is a real pro at this, look at those eyes! I couldn't stop smirking!

We also spent time looking over scrapbooks and photo albums, from childhood vacations to honeymoon and beyond. Loved sharing their life. Then D gave us a most special gift for Caleb. She gave us her receiving blanket from the day she was born and also one of her childhood bears. How precious is that? I don't know how I managed to not ball up and cry my face off. She also gave Caleb two stuffed lions for his nursery. I think I mentioned in an earlier post that she had read that when lionesses in the wild are unable to care for their young due to sickness or whatever reason, they will befriend another lioness and place the cub with them. Love it! I also came home with a couple of baby pictures of D. These things are priceless. This weekend is something I will carry with me always. I think we all needed it. No matter what our future relationship looks like, this weekend was a gift. And we will cherish it forever.

I think the greatest compliment was the statement that they wished we had all met under different circumstances because they knew we would all be great friends. We feel the same way. God is so good!

Sunday at 3pm came way to early. We hugged, as much as we could. No goodbyes because we knew we would see each other in just a few months. But it was hard. Knowing that she has to sit in a recliner or couch and grow Caleb makes me wish I could do it for her. We know and trust that this is all part of the bigger plan. The plan that was written so long ago. To watch it unfold piece by piece is life altering and not just because a baby will soon be born. God is so faithful. His love and grace never fail. He never leaves us or forsakes us. I have learned so much through this journey and I will never be an eloquent writer but I hope anyone reading this will truly get the gist of our story. Every day that passes, my little infertile heart is being remade. The sorrow and pain from a decade of being infertile is being replaced with hope and thankfulness. We have so much to be thankful for in just this weekend!


Thankful for:
safe travels
Careful doctors
Watchful hospitals
Husbands who love their wives
New friends who go out of their way to welcome us and make us comfortable and who also offered their home again when we return for delivery!!
Friendship
Healing
Laughter
Brisket - hahaha
Family who will take care of things at home while we are away
Amber...whose excitement has reduced her to squeals and tears many times lately
An agency that does a phenomenal job
A church family that I know lifts our adoption up faithfully!


And so much more! We made it home Monday morning around 2am after a long delay in Charlotte, NC. Least it was on the way home and not on the way to TX!


As of this afternoon - D's BP is still fluctuating but under the really dangerous mark. Her doctor has said that she will not allow her to go past the 37week mark, which moves our due to March 7th! If her BP elevates to a certain level then it will be before that date. Please pray specifically for D's health, Caleb's growth, and all aspects of this process.


**Just so there is no question, D allowed all pics in this blog to be shared, so now you have a beautiful face to go with the name you have been praying for**

LOVE......the size of Texas!

This is going to be a long one folks, but there is just so much to tell!!!

This weekend I fell in love with so many things!

Big Lou’s where they serve pizza on trays large enough to be car hoods. Really, no kidding, these pizzas are huge which makes sense since they were featured on Man Vs Food show. And the people watching at this joint was really good!

Beef brisket and BBQ chicken and of course a gigantic “tea bucket” from Bill Miller BBQ. I had never had brisket before and it was sooo goood!

Salsarita’s Mexican - TASTY!!! And I thought our NC Mexican food was good..........

We did not meet a single person in SA, Texas that was rude or impolite. Seriously, I know we are in the South here in NC, but some of the people we met in TX could really give a few lessons to some folks here. Jeff and I looked at each other several times and said "Everyone is so nice here!" Yes, I know that not everyone is nice there, but we were really blessed that everyone at the airport, car rental agency, restaurant, etc. was just really nice! Even the lady at Wal-Mart was pleasant, what a change! haha 

Flying….but only with Dramamine, half full stomach, and no soda.

But most importantly I fell in love with a few special people we flew across the country to see. This trip was life changing. I am so so so thankful D wanted us to visit and I am so so so thankful that our new friends Briana, Noel, and Hunter were so accommodating and allowed us to stay in their home!

Ok....let's start from the beginning...

Friday morning we woke at 4:30am, showered, loaded our car and headed to the airport. We arrived in plenty of time.

We got our boarding passes and passed through security with no problem with plenty of time to spare. Our flight was supposed to leave at 7:15am......we did not board until 8:05....to say I was panicking was an understatement! Apparently there was a mechanical issue with the plane and they were waiting on the mechanic to come in so we could leave. Eventually the mechanic showed, he looked about 10 years old and was wearing a Mohawk toboggan. Not real impressed. But, he did was he needed to do and we finally boarded. That flight delay left us REALLY short to make our connecting flight in Charlotte! Ok, so picture this..... 2 relatively new flyer's that had to wait to retrieve their carry on cause the plane was so small, had 10 minutes to cross Charlotte airport, throw in the fact that when I rush I am even klutzier than usual, and you have a disaster! Those people moving sidewalks are ridiculous, I nearly busted my face on more than one of them. I felt like we were on an episode of the Amazing Race. I guess I looked pitiful enough cause when I asked a guy driving a cart if he would give us a lift, he kinda rolled his eyes but relented. We told him where we were going and he drove so fast that my hair was blowing in the wind! Oh, and for the record, we would have NEVER made it on time had it not been for that guy! We board with seconds to spare, buckled up and we were off! Thank GOD! I was so afraid we would miss our flight and in turn miss our apt at the agency but most importantly miss our Doc appointment with D. I didn't know at the time how important that appointment would be.....

We landed in SA 2.5 hours later and picked up our bags and rental car. And despite the fact that my pants leg got caught on the escalator, I did not fall or hurt myself. Surprisingly. Thank goodness for GPS! We quickly found our agency...

We arrived at the agency about 12:30pm and were greeted by the nice staff and followed Miriam into the room to meet D and her husband T. Finally!! I was able to hug this precious friend that I have been talking to daily. Finally I could see her sweet smile first hand! Oh, and her belly??? Um yes, it is beautiful. Miriam stayed in the room with us for just a few minutes before leaving us. We talked easily and laughed and it was so easy! And fun! Jeff and I talked later and we felt no awkwardness at all. God has blessed us so much and has been a part of this from the very beginning. I just can't believe this. Anyway......after the agency meeting the plan was to have lunch and then head to D's appointment. They offered to let us ride with them so that is just what we did. Bless her heart it was glucose test day and she had to drink that nasty fruit punch stuff, ugh. She took it like a champ though!

And that’s when the plan changed…..when we got there we went to the room with her and they checked her blood pressure, and it was really high! It has not been high during the entire pregnancy so we all kinda thought it was a fluke. It was really warm that day; she could have been excited/nervous about our visit, etc. But thankfully the doctor took it serious and she sent us all to the hospital!!!!!! Oh my gosh!! I was so worried for her! But she just took it in stride. We arrived at the hospital and went right up to labor and delivery where they had her changed, hooked up to a monitor, and resting in a bed in just a few minutes. We were able to hear Caleb's heart beat for a long time, what a beautiful, strong, sound that was. It struck the core of me. I am so in love.

Amazing hospital, nice docs, seriously great place! Oh, and they play a little nursery rhyme over the intercom every time a baby is born. Awwwww. Seriously??? Her BP was still really elevated when we got there but after about 30 min of her lying down, it went down…….the doc said she could have early signs of preeclampsia and she is now on strict bed rest until delivery! We were all floored! She was upset that our plans for the weekend were changing and the sight seeing was out of the question. We assured her that her health was priority one!

Ok, so I am going to stop here for a minute, publish this post, and start another in a few. So thankful the Doctor's took this seriously, D takes such good care of herself, her husband is doting and loving, and it really was a blessing in disguise because we were able to spend some major quality time together..........stay tuned for the next post to hear about the rest of our weekend. This was only the first 5 hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A year in review and leaving on a jet plane..........

Can not believe it!! It is 2012!! Yes, I am only behind a couple of days in writing this post, but I have been writing it in my head, does that count??

Our New Year's Eve was great! We spent it with some great family, sittin' round a fire, eating delicious food, and lots of laughing! We watched the ball drop and I was actually able to kiss my Love at Midnight, since he is usually working. What an interesting year 2011 was! Lots and lots of highs and lows and everything in between! Our family and friends were there to pick us up and encourage us and were most certainly there to rejoice with us when we were matched. Ya'll will never know how much the calls, cards, texts, and PRAYERS have made this journey possible. At the beginning of 2011 we were having a high level of anxiety about which way to go with moving forward with an agency. The NC agency still was unable to let us know if they could take additional families, and we just were not sure where to stand. After much prayer and some kind friends suggestion of looking into an agency in TX, God started to put things in motion for us. He took away my anxiety and gave us great peace in knowing we were headed down the right path. Now, don't get me wrong, you can look back at some of the posts from 2011, there were definitely some down days wondering if we would ever get chosen. But I am so grateful we did not get chosen until Oct 27th, cause then we would not have this most amazing relationship with D. We would not be able to stare at sonogram shots of Caleb. We would not receive texts, emails, and phone calls from a most amazing woman across the country. God is so good and so faithful!

Since we have gotten to know each other we can talk openly about what how God was working in our lives over the last year, months before we even knew about each other. My sweet NC social worker Dawn told me that God likes to wrap things up in a nice neat little bow, a God of order. She is so very right!

In three days we are boarding a plane to San Antonio, TX!! I can't even stand myself right now! Jeff is really excited too, which is hard for some people to picture cause he is Mister Calm most of the time, but he is so ready too! Our flight leaves early Friday morning with a layover in Charlotte, NC of about an hour. Then off to San Antonio we go, landing around 12:20ish..... From there we pick up our rental car and head about 20 minutes to the agency where we will meet D and T and our social workers face to face for the first time! Oh my gosh, I am so going to cry! I know I am and there is not a thing I can do about it. haha I have already warned D. that I am an "ugly crier" so hopefully it won't be too bad! She assured me she was as well, so I think we have an agreement.... no mascara! Gosh, I can not wait to hug her. I hope Caleb cooperates and let's us feel him kicking! After the agency visit we will head to her 3pm Doc appointment!!!! So so so so so thankful that they are allowing us to share in this time! I can't believe how blessed we are! Yes, I know I am using way to many exclamation points but do you blame me????!!!??? haha

Can't wait to share all of the weekends adventures and pictures with ya'll! Please pray for safe travels, healthy pregnancy for Mom and Baby, friendships, courage, PEACE, encouragement, healing, relationships, that I don't wake up with a mouth full of fever blisters (HUGE FEAR OF MINE!!!), no flight delays, WOW, I guess just pray allot!

Love ya'll - we will check back in soon! J & K

Christmas 2011

Hey everyone! Well, another Christmas season has come and gone! Soon 2011 will be over and we will be rushing in the New Year! We had a great Christmas, very busy, but really great! We did things a little different this year and it worked out really well! Christmas Day is usually a mad dash to make sure we see everyone all on the same day but it usually ends up with everyone tired, cranky, late night driving, and not enough time with our families! Plus, this year Jeff had to work, so that complicated things even more. So on Christmas Day he went to work, I went to Mom's for our traditional Christmas morning breakfast, and this was the year Amber was with her Mom for Christmas morning. After breakfast, Mom, Kevin and I exchanged gifts, then off to the nursing home to see Grandma. Then back to Mom's for lunch with Aunt Vicky and Aunt Valerie, then around 4 I was off to travel the hour & half to my in laws for the night. We usually don't stay the night, but we were SO HAPPY we did! It gave us all plenty of time to eat dinner, open presents, watch TV, play board games, it was great! The next morning we had breakfast and headed back home with the in laws in tow to see what Santa had left for Amber in Jacksonville! It was so much fun!!! I have lots of pictures to post....sometime.....

Caleb even received a few gifts this year. He had a stocking at our house and at my Mom's house, with little lovies and toys. Aunt Valerie gave him a sweet set of bibs, and my great Aunt Carol gave him the softest blanket. AND my brother and his fiance Laura gave him a brown cushy blanket that has a lion on it and they had his initials embroidered in one of the corners. So sweet!! I know he is going to LOVE IT!

Our sweet D. went to visit her family out of state but we were still able to text and talk on the phone over the weekend. We all prayed this visit would go well, and I truly believe our prayers were heard. She had a nice visit and is back home safe and sound.

I can't believe we get to meet them in ten days!!! SERIOUSLY!!??!!?? We are so excited!! I am not really nervous at all, but really really excited!! haha I am a little nervous about the plane ride though. I have only flown one time and that was over 5 years ago, and I was really sick with a sinus infection and double ear infection at the time and it was NOT PLEASANT! So bad that we seriously contemplated renting a car and driving back from NY. (Remember that trip Shannon?) But since I have a cold now, I am really praying that it will be gone by the time we board that plane! You can tell I'm nervous about flying because I think I have been to United Airways and TSA websites daily making sure I don't miss anything. I have looked at our flights and car rentals several times also, I am just afraid something will happen and we will miss this trip. We can't miss this trip! I can't wait to hug D!!! I just adore her so much, like an old friend. I can't wait to visit! I'm also looking forward to being the house guest to a special friend! (Hi Briana!)

Oh and we finally made it to the 3rd trimester!! Yippee!!! D. is doing well and feeling good and has already had braxton hix contractions. Eek, I am so nervous about delivery day! I know it's not possible for me to take her pain, but I truly wish I could! I hope it is physical as easy a labor as possible. That's a dumb statement, I know. Anywho......

This is all so wonderful and we feel so very blessed to be on this journey. On Christmas I really took time to reflect that after all this time, this will be our very last Christmas without Baby Clayton. I have no idea what I did in life to deserve such goodness, kindness, blessing, gift.

Caleb is not the only thing growing......

Hi! Thanks for reading!! Thing are going great here! I know I have said it before, but things are going so much better than I ever could have dreamed of! Love how God does that!!! As the title implies,Caleb is not the only thing growing around here. Our relationship with D. is blossoming every day. We now not only email daily, but text as well. And today we talked on the phone for nearly 35 minutes. And it was EASY!!! It was so easy and comfortable! We talked about work (we both work at credit unions), we talked about Christmas shopping (we both love to shop), we talked about Caleb (we both love him), it was just EASY and FUN! She texted me after we talked and said I had the most calming voice and she could talk to me for hours! I feel the same way! Her and I have so much in common, even little things, it is really interesting!

Little Caleb will be 25 weeks tomorrow and as of last Monday was measuring a week ahead of schedule which puts his due date at March 21st. D's bday is March 22nd so that's the date we are pulling for! Her doctor (who is very supportive of the adoption) has said she would induce at 39w if she had started dilating on her own. We don't care when, just as long as they are both healthy!

In just a few weeks we will actually get to meet! We are beyond excited! The plane tix have been purchased, the rental car has been reserved. We will be staying with some new friends who also adopted just a few short months ago! I am so very thankful for them and so excited to spend the weekend in their home!! What a blessing! (Hi Brianna :) )

We still have not heard any additional info on the birthfather, as far as we know he has not made contact again with the agency. We continue to bathe this in prayer and would appreciate if you would also.

So lots of people ask me what our relationship is like with D....... It is beautiful. It is compassionate. It is selfless. It is fun. It is sharing.

I thought I would copy just a few pieces of some of her emails. I hope you can hear her heart and know...like we know....that we will have a son in a little over three months.

"Please don't ever hold back your excitement about Caleb! To be honest, it helps me to hear that and it brings such joy and peace to my heart! There is no pressure whatsoever! Seriously! I hope this doesn't sound heartless but I KNOW in my KNOWER that God is calling You and Jeff to raise this sweet and precious life. And for me to back out or change my mind would be in disobedience to the Lord and I am DONE with not being obedient! :o) Like I have said before, I will never have to worry about Caleb. I will think about him daily and pray for him but I know that he is where he is supposed to be. And that is with you, Jeff,, and Amber. I love you and your family so much and am SO THANKFUL that there is so much excitement and love for him already! It is very healing for me to know that and see that! I am getting chocked up in typing this. Wish I could just hug your neck!"

 

"I get emotional thinking about handing Caleb to you but not in a sad way..just a rejoicing emotion.. more of a thought that WE MADE IT! Haha. To be this blessing for you and Jeff and Amber is quite a blessing for me as well! I am learning and growing through all of this! I bet y’all are too! How could you not? I appreciate y’all being so easy going about Caleb’s birthday. It really is just a sigh of relief! But I too want to help make that day special for you guys in every way I can. This is YOUR big day too! You’re getting to meet your son, love on him, and all of those wonderful things! I am so thrilled for you Karen! I really am! This isn’t just about me..I recognize that"

"We really liked the video you sent! Caleb was moving a lot when it was playing! I thought that was too sweet! That was very sweet of them and how wonderful it is to have a church family that is so loving and supportive! That is just like our church! Great song too! Do you still have t-shirts left over? If so, I would love to buy one from you! I think it would be neat to have and that way, I can be that support down here in Texas! :o) "

 

" I love your home! It's so pretty! I think it's awesome that y'all are in your forever home! How cool! Gotta love all that land! Caleb is going to have so much fun!! When I was looking at profiles I wasn't looking at the home or income but really trying to figure out the personalities and wanting to see if God was in the picture. Well based off the first picture that I saw and after reading your letter, I knew y'all were the ones.  The main thing for me is that one, y'all love the Lord and two, that y'all will love this baby no matter what I don't have doubts about any of those things!! God knew all along who he had for you...I never would have thought it would have been me though! Haha But I am truly honored"

 

So, do you now know why I love her so much? :) Looking forward to meeting her in person in just a few short weeks, rubbing on that beautiful belly, hearing his heartbeat at the doc's office, visiting new friends, and spending some time with my honey!

 

Please continue to pray for D. and her family, healthy pregnancy, restoring of relationships, healing, forgiveness, the social workers, travel safeties, whew - maybe just pray for everything!!

 

Love ya'll, Karen & Jeff