BABY P WILL BE JOINING US...

...ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3rd!!!!!!   YAAAAAYYYY!!!

Can you tell we're just a little excited???  We have been waiting for this day for so very long!!!

Our hospital plan that we worked out with S and the caseworkers, is to give S and her family some private time with sweet Baby P on the first day (Feb 3rd).  So that means that we will be heading down to Austin on Tuesday afternoon... checking into the hotel... CELEBRATING... and then finally meeting our baby boy on Wednesday, February 4th.  OH HAPPY DAY!!!

"And let it be said among the nations... The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy!"  Psalm 126:2-3

"For You, O Lord, have made us glad by what You have done.  We will sing with joy at the works of Your hands." Psalm 92:4

"For You have been our help; in the shadow of Your wings we sing for joy!" Psalm 63:7

UPDATE!!!

...Baby P's not on his way quite yet...little stinker!! =)  He's proving to be quite stubborn, so that assures us that he will fit in VERY well with this family!  Haha!

We did receive an update today (LOVE the updates on our little guy - they put our hearts and minds at ease and we get so stinkin' excited!)...  S had another doctor appointment and everyone is still doing great and very healthy.  Unfortunately for S, her doctor is not going to let her go another week past due.  She has to go in for another appointment tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon and they will be setting an induction date for early next week.  We know that S really didn't want to be induced...  but... we are SO EXCITED that we are only a few short days away from meeting Baby P and holding this precious gift!  We obviously, won't know the exact induction date until we get another update... But, how cool for Ben and I if our little guy was born this next Monday (February 2nd)???  That is our 7th wedding anniversary and what a PERFECT way to celebrate!

And...because I have several messages/texts on my phone in regards to this...  Many of you who live in the DFW area have been invited to one of our two baby showers (I have the greatest friends in the world!!)  The Keller/Bedford shower will still be held on Sunday, February 8th - no changes there.  The Keystone Shower is being moved from Thursday, Feb 5th, to Thursday, Feb 12th.  You will be receiving an email/evite confirming those changes... but wanted to let everyone know.  As I said... I have THE GREATEST FRIENDS AND FAMILY in the world and am so appreciative for all that they are doing!  They all scrambled to put the showers together, and now some of them are having to scramble to move the date.  They have all gone above and beyond.  Thank you...we love you!  Baby P's just making sure we know that he will NOT be following our schedule...he's got his own plans!  haha

Update on Baby P =)

We're still waiting, folks! =)  Ben and I have been joking around that this could be a good sign that sweet Baby P is much more laid back than the two of us - which works well in his favor!  =)

Our case worker has said that S has not been admitted to the hospital yet.  There is some progress into natural labor, so the doctor is holding out to see what happens over the next several days - hopefully she will not have to be induced.  Thank you for all of the prayers and well wishes - we'll do our best to keep everyone updated!

Still Waiting...some more.

Enough said.  Just wanted to let you all know... =)

To pass the time...

No new news yet, my friends... sorry if I got you excited with a new blog post.  Hopefully we will find out later today about our little Baby P's induction date - we CANNOT WAIT!!!  (Have I mentioned that before???  Ha!)  Most likely, we will be heading down towards Austin to meet our little guy on Tuesday or Wednesday...  Believe me, we will keep you posted! =)

A lot of our friends have been asking us what in the world we're doing to pass the time - this waiting is so hard!!!  Our answer... not much.  Sticking to our normal routines.  Work, hanging out (trying to enjoy our last few days with just the two of us), I've been frantically reading Baby 411 (AWESOME book for new and veteran parents!), we packed the little dude's bags yesterday - everything's ready to go.  Oh!!!  And my glider for the nursery came in on Saturday (8 WEEKS EARLY - yea!!!)!

And... my big distraction for the waiting... has been planning our trip to Maui for the end of March!  This trip was on the calendar long before we ever knew about our sweet new addition to the family... so we'll see how everything pans out with a precious newborn in the mix! =)  Should be a truly incredible time!!!  We'll be staying at the Grand Wailea Resort and Spa for 6 nights...check out the pics below - we're so excited!

And...before anyone gets up in arms about how in the heck we're affording this trip just two short months after adoption expenses... no, we did not win the lottery.  This is a COMPLETELY FREE trip for us (which makes it that much sweeter!).  Ben won this trip through work - I'm so very proud of him!  It's a great reward for the many hard, long hours he has put in to provide for our family.  And, we're getting to go with some of our greatest friends that we spent a year with up in Minneapolis during training.  We haven't seen any of them in a very long time, and we can't wait to spend an entire week with them!  

Ok... that's about all the distraction I can take... back to checking my email and phone every 2 minutes to see if we've received an update from our caseworkers!  Hopefully we'll have exciting news very soon =)

The flow of adoption in the state of Texas

Several people have asked about the finalization process for our adoption of sweet Baby P, so I thought that this info would make for a good post...just killin' time people...SO ANXIOUS for our little boy to get here!  =)

In the state of Texas, relinquishment papers cannot be signed for Baby P until 48 hours after his birth.  Our case workers will be at the hospital during this time to facilitate this whole process.  Baby P's birth mom will sign her relinquishment papers at this time, then Ben and I will complete a short round of paperwork for Baby P to be placed with us in our home before we leave the hospital.  Then the finalization begins...  The state of Texas will not finalize an adoption until 6 months after Baby P has been placed in our home.  During those 6 months, we will send reports and pictures to our case workers on Baby P's progress (one report each month).  We will also have two post-placement visits with a caseworker in our home (one immediately after we get settled, and the other at the 5 month mark).  When we hit 6 months, our finalization paperwork will be filed in San Antonio where we will appear in court on a Monday morning for approximately 10 minutes.  At that point, the court will declare sweet Baby P to be in our FORVER family...hallelujah!!!!

It truly is a remarkable process...one that protects Baby P's rights, mine and Ben's rights, as well as the birth family rights.  And...because I know some people are wondering...  No, after the 48 hour relinquishment period, there is no way that the birth family can come back and change their minds or reverse their decision.  I think that this would be so much easier on them because I cannot imagine going back and forth in my mind for a 6 month period until finalization.  Not every state does it this way, but thankfully our great state of Texas is making this process as smooth as possible for all parties involved.

Thank you for your continued prayers - please continue to lift up our precious baby boy, S, and S's entire family.  We'll keep you posted...

Still no news...

... Baby P's original due date was today, but no signs of labor yet.  Thank you for all of the prayers and well wishes!  Looks like our little stinker's going to be late =)  We'll be sure to keep everyone posted!

Still Waiting...

...on our little guy to be born!  This week has seemed like an eternity!!!  Baby P's due date is THIS TUESDAY...  but the doctor said that he will most likely be a little late.  So...we could be waiting at least another week or so.  We'll keep everyone posted =)

We finally feel prepared, though...(if that's even possible! ha!).  We have all of the necessities we need to bring him home... have all of his little clothes and blankets washed and ready to go... bottles sterilized... house sterilized... nursery organized... bouncers, beds, and bassinets all put together... Ben and I even got a date night in on Saturday night.   All I have left to do now is pack his little bag =)  I've been loving every minute of preparation - we are so, so, so ready to meet our sweet baby boy!

Reflecting on this week...

Ben and I both have been completely blown away this week...time and time again...by God's ultimate provision and how His hand has been in every last detail of our journey.  I have been privately journaling about all of our adoption miracles, and folks... we are just floored!!! His  blessings have overflowed in some very unexpected ways - through our families... through our friends...in ways that we could have never even imagined.  Ben and I have learned some incredible truths this week about sacrifice, love, friendship, and faith.  Truths that we will never forget.  We thank you all...we love you greatly...and we will never have enough words to express our gratitude for your unfailing love and support.

Sweet Baby P will be home before we know it!  God is good ALL the time!

Update on our baby boy!!!

We were absolutely THRILLED to receive an update on Baby P's (hopefully final) doctor appointment yesterday...  Everything is progressing very well,  both S and sweet Baby P are doing wonderfully!  The doctor said that she would be very surprised if we were able to meet this precious little boy before the 20th (his original due date).  More than likely, he will be making his debut a little late...  however, she will not be letting S go more than a week or so past her due date.  We know that S is not wanting to be induced, so please pray that everything happens naturally for her.  We want this to be the very best experience possible for both her and Baby P.  By the way... I CANNOT WAIT to refer to Baby P by his real name on here...it's killin' me!!!  =)  But...we have decided to wait and announce his real name after we meet him... and I'm becoming impatient!  Surprise, surprise...ha!

Here's a little fun picture for the day...  I received the very basics of Baby P's nursery bedding this afternoon... It is just too cute!!!  (The picture doesn't do it justice... the bumper is a very soft cashmere feel and the sheets are so comfy!)

I ordered it from Restoration Hardware Baby & Child (www.rhbabyandchild.com)... and I love it!   Can't wait to see the whole nursery put together... We are blessed with truly wonderful friends and family who have already jumped all over the shower planning... so I'll make sure to post more pics of the nursery after I have it all completed.  Every time I walk by it, I stop and imagine our sweet baby in there... we are so very close to meeting him!

And, of course, I had to post his little chubby-cheeked picture again...WOW...we will never grow tired of looking at this little face!!!

Is this what they call "nesting"???

That was Ben's question to me just a few minutes ago as I was examining the stroller/car seat and pack-n-play that he had just put together. =)

...so if you're wondering what I've been up to tonight...

...I've been organizing... and organizing some more... I love each and every moment of this crazy, insane, busy week!!!  This is the very last week that we have to be without Baby P - praise the Lord!!!

There are no words...

...to describe how stinkin' cute all of these sweet baby boy clothes are!

I mean, seriously...LOOK at that little jean jacket and sweat suit...

So, yeah...we've been shopping!=)  I think Baby P now has more clothes than I do... Ben was cracking up that this is the first time EVER I've walked in and out of the mall without ever once looking at something for myself.  It's amazing us at how quickly and fiercely we love this child that we have never even met... "Me" has definitely faded to the background.

Just another pic of some clothes piles that I am quickly trying to organize.  Have any of you ever noticed that the baby boy sections in these stores normally takes up only a tiny little corner?... then the other 3/4 of the store are all pink...CRAZY!!!  Somehow, we still managed to find more than enough.  =) Let me tell you, though... Ben has some definite opinions on what his little man is going to be dressed in!  We are ALL BOY... and I love it!

Enough about the clothes, though (even though they are so much fun!)... on to the real reason for my post this afternoon.  We just had the incredible honor of meeting and talking with S for the first time - what a precious, precious time that was for us!  Thank you so much for all of your prayers...the call went wonderfully!!!  We feel overwhelmed at the abundance of God's blessings... to know that our sweet boy has been so loved and prayed for right from the very beginning by this incredible birth family... this exceeds our wildest expectations!!!

Baby P and S have their last doctor appointment tomorrow before the birth - S is incredible and will be filling us in on all of the details from the appointment as soon as she can.  I can't wait to hear them!!!  At their last appointment about 2 weeks ago, Baby P was already weighing 6.5 - 7 lbs...   So they are estimating his birth weight to be 8lbs or greater - what a big boy!!!  S also said that he is VERY active... so I'm sure our home is about to be filled with lots of laughs and all things little boy! 

I can't even describe to you the emotions running through us right now... we are ELATED...floating on cloud 9!!!  I don't think that the tears have stopped flowing since Friday afternoon... 

Oh!!!  And we do have a name picked out for Baby P!  We were able to share it with S today, and it is so very special to us!  We will announce it publicly as soon as he is born... we can't wait to meet our baby boy!

Rejoicing and praising the ultimate Giver of Life!

Our CRAZY FUN day...

First of all, we want to express how truly humbled we are by the number of you who have commented on my blog, on Facebook, on Myspace... those who have called and texted... I think we currently have 161 emails to read in our inbox... WOW!!!  What incredible love and support you have shown - we are forever grateful, and know that we would not be where we are today without your prayers.  We love you!

With that said... today was CRAZY, CRAZY, CRAZY!  But we had such a wonderful time!!!  

I do have to start this blog off with another adoption miracle we received to start off our day...  As I mentioned in my last post, finances have been a huge strain because this all came so quickly and is costing us more than we had originally anticipated.  The plan for this morning, was that our parents were meeting up over at our house for a quick breakfast then heading out to hit the stores and REGISTER!!!  Well... when my parents walked in, they held in their hand a piece of paper... a piece of paper that they had completely forgotten about.  It was a life insurance policy they had taken out on me as a child...and it has sat...and accumulated cash.  And wouldn't you know that GOD IS SO GOOD... it was the exact mount of money we needed to complete the adoption expenses this week.  Who would have ever thought that this seemingly useless  policy started 29 years ago, would finish out the funding we need to bring Baby Boy P home!?!?! PRAISE THE LORD!!!  We firmly believe that there are no coincidences - the Lord knew 29 years ago...when Ben and I were both babies ourselves... that this money would be used to start our own family and bring our little boy home!  It literally takes my breath away...

So today...CRAZY!!!  We registered like mad dogs (still not done quite yet) and also bought a whole loot of baby gear that we will need immediately to bring Baby P home.  You can see the picture below =)

 

What amazes me, is that this is only the very tip of the iceberg...things that I apparently can't live without when we get Baby P.  It's astounding that a little person so small, could need so very much.  Ha!  But...we have to confess... Ben and I are both shopaholics - we loved every minute of it!  All of our parents were so gracious and helped out as well - they've gone above and beyond - and then above some more...  It's our prayer that we are able to do that for Baby P as he grows up.  We're so ready to meet this little boy and kiss those chubby little cheeks!

Officially 9 days and counting...!!!

Introducing Baby P!!!!

"WE HAVE PRAYED FOR THIS CHILD, AND THE LORD HAS GRANTED US WHAT WE ASKED OF HIM.  SO NOW WE GIVE HIM TO THE LORD..." 1 Samuel 1:27

Tears are streaming down both of our faces as we write this post and stare at this precious sonogram pic for about the thousandth time tonight...  

We are blessed beyond measure and proud to announce that we have been picked as the parents for this sweet, beautiful, baby BOY!!!!  That's right...Baby P is a BOY!!!!  How wonderful it feels to know that...to say that... to see this little face that we have been praying for for so very long!

And here is the greatest news of all... buckle up because this one has definitely taken us for a ride tonight!!!  Baby P's due date is JANUARY 20th!!!  In case you're as shocked as we are, and having trouble doing the math in your head at the moment... THAT'S ONLY 10 DAYS, FOLKS!!!   HOLY COW!!!  Deer-in-the-headlights doesn't even begin to describe us right now. =)

Obviously, we wanted to tell each and every one of our precious friends and family in person who have been so faithfully praying and walking beside us through this journey...  However, Baby P's birth mom could literally go into labor at any minute, so we are on obvious baby over-drive of making all of the necessary arrangements.  We pray that you forgive us and understand that we are not able to tell anyone in person outside of our parents and siblings - everyone else is finding out RIGHT NOW.   We can't wait to give you all huge hugs and thank you for your support in person!  This is COMPLETELY blowing our minds...WE'RE GOING TO BE PARENTS IN 10 DAYS OR LESS!!!!  WOW!!!

There isn't a single detail that I want to forget about this afternoon and evening...I will do my best to give a very brief synopsis right now, but will most likely be adding further details as the week goes by. =)  

Ben and I both had normal work days today...  About 4:00pm this afternoon, Ben called me to come pick him up at the car dealership because the Volvo had to go in for some repairs.  I picked him up, got home about 4:20pm, and then sat down in our room thinking I had a good hour or two before having to get cleaned up for a dinner at Esparza's with some friends tonight.  About 4:25pm Ben came running into our room where I was catching up on "The City" (I'm not ashamed...), and frantically told me that our adoption consultants/attorneys were on the phone and needed to speak to both of us on speaker.  Right then and there, I knew we had been picked.  HALLELUJAH!!!  Tears were immediately streaming down both of our faces...

I'm not going to go into all of the details that our adoption consultants went over with us for several reasons.  The first, is that this is Baby P's story and above everything else, we are protecting that for him.  Of course, we will disclose every last little detail he wants about his birth family as he grows up, but it will be his decision about what he wants the world to know and what he wants to share.  So... all of that to say, if you have any questions... you can just ask him one day. =)

But these few details I will share... WE ARE INCREDIBLY BLESSED!!!  "Blessed" is the word that keeps ringing in my heart and head in regards to Baby P's birth family.  We truly could not have asked for a better situation.  There are some very specific things we have been praying for... and let me tell you, friends... GOD IS SO GOOD... SO FAITHFUL!!!  

Baby P's birth mom (whom I will refer to as "S" to protect her privacy)... S and S's parents are a wonderful, close, loving, CHRISTIAN family - Prayer #1...answered!  And... please remember that we have been open and approved to adopt anywhere in the United States...but...  Baby P is being born right here in AUSTIN, TEXAS!!!  Prayer #2 - answered!!!  And finally... the third answered prayer that I will share with you (although there are many, many more)... Ben, myself, and our families have been welcomed with open arms to be at the hospital at the time of Baby P's birth.  AMAZING!!!  I could go on and on about the love and respect we have for S... and for the maturity and grace she has shown in making all of her decisions....  We can't wait to share her wonderful story with Baby P!

To sum up our call with the adoption consultants... we were floored to receive over 40 PAGES of background information on Baby P... medical records all the way through his great-grandparents on both sides... WOW!!!  The kicker, was that we had to make a decision to move forward within the hour, due to the impending labor that could take place at any moment... At first this was hard for us to fathom...ONLY AN HOUR???  TO MAKE THE BIGGEST DECISION OF OUR LIVES???  The reason we had such a short time span, is that S chose only us.  See, usually the birth moms are made to choose 3 families so that there are some "back-up" plans (especially in a case like S's where she is due at any moment).  If we would have decided to not move forward, then tomorrow they were beginning the grueling process of starting from scratch to find another family.  But, S wanted us...she chose us - she said that she KNEW we were supposed to be this precious little boy's parents!  How forever grateful we will be to her!  Words cannot even describe... 

So here's how the rest of our evening went:

4:25pm - 5:25pm - Phone conversation with adoption consultants and attorney's

5:26 - 6:00 - HAPPY CRYING...PANIC CRYING...ONLY AN HOUR???... LOTS OF PRAYER... and some very wise counsel of two very special social worker friends.

6:15 pm - Conference call with all 4 of our parents... more crying =)

6:20 pm - oops!!  Need to tell our friends we won't be making dinner... can't talk to them in person... just sent a text (they all probably thought we were fighting...haha!)

6:35 pm - We called back the adoption consultants and happily agreed to parent this beautiful, healthy baby boy!!!  We have finally met Baby P!!!

6:40pm - Holly' parents arrive at the house... more crying... 

7:00pm - All go grab a quick dinner where Ben's parents meet up with us... more crying...more hugging...  Ben calls both of his brothers - Uncle Jeff, Uncle Joe, and Aunt Candice (we wish you all were here in person!!!)...

8:00pm - Back to our house... Aunt Neely and Craig arrive... more crying and hugging... are you seeing a theme???

11:00pm - Everyone leaves... and our shock of reality once again sets in... WE'RE GOING TO BE PARENTS... IN 10 DAYS!!!

Needless to say, the next few days are going to be C-R-A-Z-Y!!!  But wonderful!!! 

Tomorrow (Saturday) we'll be running all over town with our mom's to get all of the necessities we will need to bring Baby P home.  Not to mention registering, booking arrangements for our Austin stay, making arrangements for absence from work, etc...  My head hurts just thinking about all of it... but I am SO EXCITED!!!

THREE HUGE PRAYER REQUESTS for the next several days:

1. We get to meet S this Monday at 1:00pm!!!  Please pray that we are able to lift her up, encourage her, and have a beautiful start to such an important relationship.

2. Finances!!!  This seems petty during such a happy time, but this has happened MUCH more quickly than we ever expected and we are definitely short in the financial area.  I mean...9 WEEKS PEOPLE!!!  It will only be 9 WEEKS from the time we were eligible to adopt to the time that we get to bring Baby P home.  How wonderful that it went so quickly!  But, that means that we will have only had a total of 9 weeks to fund the ENTIRE adoption.  Financially, we were planning on having a little more time (ha!) to save and prepare for the funding that we needed.  We are confident that God will provide and it will work out, but prayers in this area would be greatly appreciated!

3. Please pray for our sanity... We are over-joyed, overwhelmed, CRAZY HAPPY, and scared out of our minds!  All normal emotions at the prospect of becoming parents... but all in need of prayer, none the less =)

I can't tell you enough about how much we love each and every one of you... even those faithful prayer warriors whom we have never met in person, but have followed our adoption journey via the blog.  THANK YOU seems so inadequate to describe our feelings...

Here are a few more pics from the evening...  Just a small warning...I look HIDEOUS... no make-up, baseball hat, crying... Apparently, this is my attire for the huge events in my life - I looked the exact same in all the pics from the night Ben and I got engaged - ha!!  But I don't care... I treasure each and every moment!

Ben and I with "Doc", "KK", and Aunt Neely =)

With Ben's parents... Grandma and Grandpa-to-be!!!  We very much missed having Uncle Jeff, Uncle Joe, and Aunt Candice with us tonight!

And here he is again... Baby P!  Hoping you love seeing this sweet little face that we have been praying for for so long! 

Welcome home!!!  WE LOVE YOU, BABY P!!!

Happy New Year!!!

So I'm way behind in blog posts...  I don't have time to fully catch up today, but I did want to post a few pics from our FABULOUS NEW YEARS EVE!  (photographs compliments of Jayme and Sayard)

We started off the evening with dinner reservations at Fireside Pies...

Pictured: Shaun, Ben, Me, Jayme, Grant, and Jill

Benjamin and I =)

Then we headed over to "the biggest party of the year"... The New Year's Eve bash at John and Amy Bain's house...what a blast!!!  Tons of our friends were there and it was so much fun to ring in the New Year with everyone. 

Angie, Me, Jill, and Sayard

And, of course...there was LOTS of dancing...

This is actually a kind-of embarrassing photograph of me that Sayard happened to catch...but I thought it was too funny not to share - looks like I was having a good time!

I hope that you and your family had a wonderful start to the New Year as well!  Ben and I are so excited for all that this year will possibly hold... hopefully our little family will finally get to welcome Baby P!