Saturday, January 10, 2009

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!!!

53 comments:

martha said...

I was just praying about timing for Baby P YESTERDAY!! I am freaking out and overjoyed. This is so wonderful and I know your hearts are overflowing. I am praying for you and for S. ANd just so so so HAPPY and ELATED for you!!

Justin and Jessica said...

Congratulations! I was just thinking about you last night - isn't God great! We couldn't be more excited for you! We'll be looking forward to more exciting news in the next 10 days! :)

The Rowe Crew said...

Praise GOD!!! Scott and I are SO happy for you and Ben! Enjoy this week and we can't wait to see more pics of your precious baby boy!!!

Danielle said...

O.K. You KNOW I'm not a crier... TEARS are flowing this morning as I read this. I am truly rejoicing with you guys and our awesome God!!! I am so happy for you and can't wait to meet Baby P! I will continue to pray for you as you become wonderful PARENTS. Congrats you guys...

Amanda said...

OH MY GOODNESS!! OH MY GOODNESS!! God is SO FAITHFUL!! Friend, I am so, so, so excited for you (and I would type this entire comment in caps if it weren't annoying). My heart is bursting with joy for your sweet family. There are not enough words of praise to tell God how I'm feeling about this right now. His faithfulness stuns me. Praise you, God!!

Thank you for letting us know how to pray. I think we need to throw together an impromptu baby shower for you. How quickly can you get registered?

Kristin said...

Congratulations!! We are truly overjoyed for you & have felt that same panic/joy you have right now as you prepare QUICKLY for this little miracle to come home. That is just the only way we even know how to welcome a baby into our home (who says you need 9 months to prepare? :) - ha)!! We will most definitely be praying for you guys, your entire family, sweet baby P/a safe delivery and all of the birth family during this time. What a huge blessing that this courageous birthmother will have the opportunity to meet such an incredible famlily. How blessed you all are to have the opportunity to love on her. Yay, God is so good and faithful all the time. We rejoice with you and will continue to lift every detail up to Him as you go through the next few days :)!! Thank you Jesus for this answer to prayer. Wrap your arms around these families during this special time. Calm nerves and allow all details to fall into place perfectly. We thank you, thank you!
Love,
Kristin and Anthony

Amanda said...

P.S. I'm borrowing Baby P's beautiful picture to share on my blog. Hope you don't mind...

Kylie said...

I am thanking and praising God! I am SO excited for y'all and yes, shedding a tear or two in the process. I know I don't know you that well, but I have thoroughly enjoyed following your journey via blog. I happened upon it "by chance", but I know that is because God meant me to be praying with you. So today I add a sweet girl S to my prayer list as well, along with YOUR baby P! 10 days! Wow, that's like only being pregnant for 10 days :) I will pray for all logistics (baby stuff, finances, work, etc.) Congratulations and I can't wait for his birth-day!

Unknown said...

So excited for you Holly! Please let us know if we can help you by running errands for anything that you might need or anything at all. God is so good, ten days that is amazing. What an amazing day and days ahead for your family as you anticipate his arrival and coming home with your precious family. Looking forward to continuing to hear about this exciting time...God bless you and your sweet family and new baby boy! Praying for you!

Crdean1 said...

Ben and Holly,
Ryan just came in and said, "Ben and Holly got their baby!" and then he started to tell me more and I couldn't get to your blog fast enough. I am just in tears and can't believe this day, this moment has arrived for your precious family. Little P is an absolute miracle and God's hands are so amazingly guiding this every step of the way. We will be praying for so many decisions to now be made for your little boy and for the delivery and for all involved. Ahhh!!! Can't wait to visit with you....love you guys and talk to you soon.
Love, Ryan and Jen

Jaime said...

OH MY GOSHHHHH!!! I'm crying reading this, Holly and Ben! BEYOND happy for you guys. I cannot wait to see and meet him. I will be praying for you guys every step of the way! If you need an extra set of hands to hold him OR anything on advice, etc. while in Austin PLEASE let me know. YAY!!!! Oh, lastly, boys rock!

Meggan and Trent said...

What AMAZING news!!! I am so excited for you guys. Congratulations!!! Your amazing journey will only continue from here with your baby boy!!!!

Anonymous said...

Ben and Holly,

I am so overjoyed with you and crying tears of joy!
What an amazing God to answer all of our prayers!!
I cannot wait to meet your precious angel and in a few years set up an arranged marriage for him and London! :)

Love you guys!

Lindsey said...

wow, holly, this is great news. i was crying as i read this. we will continue to pray for a safe labor and delivery and for you and ben as you get everything ready. can't wait to meet baby P!!

Anonymous said...

We are so excited for you all and asking God specifically to answer all of your prayer requests. "For this child we have all prayed".....love the miracles of God and the testimony of you and Ben and your faithfulness through this process. Today we are praying Jer. 29:11 for Baby P...what a joy and I'm sure God is loving your response to His blessing of this precious one! Love to you and your family!! Jim and Jan

Anonymous said...

We are so excited for you all and asking God specifically to answer all of your prayer requests. "For this child we have all prayed".....love the miracles of God and the testimony of you and Ben and your faithfulness through this process. Today we are praying Jer. 29:11 for Baby P...what a joy and I'm sure God is loving your response to His blessing of this precious one! Love to you and your family!! Jim and Jan

Eric and April Colquett said...

WOW! CONGRATS! God never ceases to AMAZE us! We can not wait to meet your baby boy! What will his name be? Let us know what we can do!

Diana said...

congrats. I am so excited to have found you here. I am excited to read your story!

Sarah said...

You have been in our thoughts and prayers throughout this whole process... God is so good! We are rejoicing with you and can't wait to 'meet' Baby P. Congrats!

Kris, Holly, Kait, and Jack said...

Congratulations!!! I knew that you would be picked quickly. We are so happy for you and cannot wait to meet Baby P soon!!! We love you guys and you are in our prayers.

Unknown said...

Holly...I am sitting here in tears! This is just such wonderful news!!! You Peterson's have God on your side that is for sure!!!!

Love you so much...I feel so lucky to get to watch your journey and meet this new precious child very soon.
Donnine

Steve, Tracy, Wesley & Reeve said...

I could not stop smiling and jumping up and down as I read this post!!!!! Who-hoo!!! God is so faithful! What is really funny is that Steve and I drove by your house last night (on our way home from a date night) and we saw all these cars in front of your house. We said, "Let's crash the party!" :) but then thought better of it. As we drove by I prayed for baby P. I cannot WAIT to meet this precious baby that we have been praying for!!!! He is PRECIOUS!!! I know you guys are thrilled and overwhelmed and all those feelings! We are praying and please, please, please let me know if there is anything we can do to help. Love you guys!

Melissa Darby said...

AMAZING! Yay God! Your story is just beginning...it's it already a great one. Thanks for sharing and just know we are praying for you. 10 days-- WOW MOM!!! Ahhh! What a rollercoaster ride :) Love you guys! I'm in tears by the way...

Unknown said...

PRAISE THE LORD!!! So, much for my make-up this morning!!! I am so thrilled beyond belief for you guys, what an incredible journey! We can't wait to meet this precious little one! Our boys will be just days apart, so they are destined to be buddies. We'll have to have some play dates! Love you guys, thank you for sharing with us and allowing us to pray along side of you.

Noodles & Hot Dogs said...

Ben and Holly- Congratulations!!! What an amazing gift....I can't stop crying...this is such a precious story!!! Thank you for sharing your journey with us. We will continue to pray for you and look forward to meeting your precious baby boy!!! Love, Jody and Amy Franke

Unknown said...

WOW!! God is so good! I am so so excited for you guys! I cried as I read it. We will continue to pray for you guys and for Baby P..wow...so exciting! Please let us know if there is anything we can do to help.
Congratulations!!
Kim Swaney

Kelley Ross said...

Teary and speechless....I don't know what else to be after reading your blog. I was logging into my email getting ready to check your blog to see how you were doing, and boom, there was your note! What indescribable emotions you must be experiencing right now. Praying for you that this time would be precious and all of the details will work out! Love and hugs to you all!

Steph Watson said...

Sweet Holly and Ben,
CONGRATULATIONS! I am rejoicing in answered prayer for you and with you. God is so good. Holly, no worry about the tears... they wash the windows of our souls. :-) I am delighted Baby P is a boy. Maybe we can have a play date after baby Jack arrives in February. Have fun today in all the crazy prep for his arrival.

Christian Family said...

As tears of JOY and HAPPINESS and THANKFULNESS fill my face(and shirt)...we just wanted to send a WONDERFUL email to say WE ARE SO EXCITED!!!
GOD IS SO GOOD...and I know SO MANY have been praying for Baby P and the entire adoption process!
We love you all and cannot wait to meet Baby P!!!

Jenn said...

Holly and Ben,

Mark and I are SOOO excited for you!!! I (Jenn) am crying such tears of joy for both of you and for how AMAZING God is!!! This is such a precious story!!! We will continue to pray for you both!!! Get ready for the most amazing experience you will EVER have...your life will NEVER be the same again!!! Congratulations!!!

Unknown said...

SOOOO EXCITED! I am bursting with tears as i read and am so encouraged by this sweet time in yours and Ben's lives! God is so good and so faithful to provide JUST WHEN WE NEED IT!!! Isn't that something! I love you friend and I cannot wait to meet this precious little being!

Joel and Jenny said...

Woo-hoo!!! Praise the LORD. We are so happy for you guys and can't wait to meet Baby P. His story is such an encouragement to others considering adoption or going through this process. Thank you for sharing your hearts with us.

The Dansbys said...

WOW!!! Praise God. I will keep praying for your growing family and your SON!

The Trotter Family said...

Precious Ben, Holly and BABY P!!!! I have chills all over my body!!! I am crying sweet tears of joy for you and your precious, precious, precious family!!!! Toby and I and the kids are HONORED to lift your prayer requests to the Lord......what a beautiful story, Great is the Lord to you and your special family!!!!

Love and many, many sweet blessings!
Toby, Cari, Cade and Ainsley

Shae said...

God is so good! Many people's prayers have been answered. I always knew God had the perfect baby that he picked out for you guys. This just made my day!!! 10 days...EXCITING! I just got goose bumps! Baby P is so lucky to get you two as parents.

Anonymous said...

We're singing the praise song now!

"Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!"

We are so happy for you... and we know what is in store because we have a one year old boy running around our house right now! Gosh, I am about to cry! Thinking of the day that we found out that we were expecting, the day we found out that it was a boy and the days right before we actually met him.... and you are having all three at once! Baby boys are wonderful. They smell like dirt, they are always sticky and they give their mommies the best hugs and kisses that you will ever receive. Welcome to the mommy club Holly!

Anonymous said...

Ben and Holly, Congratulation from the Kersh family. What a wonderful way to begin 2009. May God's richest blessings be upon you.
Love, Ted and Jerri Kersh

David and Bethany said...

Oh Holly & Ben, I read this early this morning and couldn't stop bawling! Dave and I are both so excited for you. Thank you for being so open and sharing your hearts--this is incredible! We will be praying for you & thinking of you in the next few weeks especially! Much love! the Rinns

Anonymous said...

Praise God from whom all blessings flow! Brad and I will be praying for you in the next coming days! So excited for you guys!
Jen and Brad Fisher

Anonymous said...

I'm sharing your joy and crying my own tears of rejoicing with you! God's child chosen for you and you chosen for to be parents of God's child - Wow! I'll be watching this blog daily now!! So glad Grandma Carol sent me an email today!

Many Blessings for the whole family- yours and S's!
Shirley Person

Diana said...

okay i just read the entire thing.....my theme....CRYING!!! I am so thankful for your faithfullness. We will be praying for you.

Anonymous said...

WOW! Holly and Ben! That was SO fast! Obviously this situation is completely of the Lord! Who else could have orchestrated such a completely amazing story! Lots of prayers and love and happiness being sent your way!

Sincerely said...

Ben and Holly,
I just tried to call you--we have quite a few baby boy items that might help in a pinch. I haven't been this excited about a baby since my own!! I have a swing, a bouncer, a boppy, some books, some diapers, some recieving blankets and a few other things that we'd love to share with you and lil' P.

Thank you so much for opening up this journey to all of us--I am so happy!!!!

Sundey and Mike McClendon

Molly said...

YAHOO! How cool is adoption? How cool is our God? Isn't it amazing how much HE loves you two, now three?

We'll be praying! You'll be so glad you have all of this documented down the road! Can't wait to see this little guy!

D Fam said...

Oh my gosh... CONGRATULATIONS! What an amazing God we have who meets our hearts desires.

The Dess Family

The Huey's said...

amazing! What a wonderful blessing! I am so excited for you. He will be a very blessed little boy to have you two.

Karen said...

I just popped in from Amanda's blog to tell you congratulations! I go to Keystone but don't think we have actualy ever met. I just have to say God is amazing - so very, very amazing! My sister just got picked by a sweet girl to adopt a baby girl due in March, then Amanda announced her pregnancy, now this wonderful answer to prayer.

Brian, Shelya, and Blythe said...

We are so excited for you guys! God has done such an amazing work in your family and you are so blessed. We will be praying for you guys through the rush to prepare and the transition that comes with bringing any baby into your home. Can't wait to see him grow!

Meg said...

holly!! i am so so glad i just logged on and saw this!! our God is truly a God of miracles, and He astounds me with His goodness and mercy every day!! HALLELUJAH for you guys and your precious baby boy. your life is going to be forever changed in the most wonderful way. i could not be happier for you!! XOXO,
meg

Anonymous said...

WOW!!! How amazing and how fast! I teared up reading this!!! God IS so GOOD and so sovereign! I am so excited for you two and your patience, faith and perseverance is such an amazing witness!! Glory to Him! Will continue to pray for you guys and can't wait to read more!!!!

Jennifer said...

wow...what a whirlwind! i'm thrilled for you and ben. this is so amazing. god is good ALL the time! congratulations! cant wait to see pics of this precious baby!!

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful answer to faithful prayer! Im so very happy for the both of you!

Sally said...

oh wow...i know i am late in learning all about this adoption journey for you, but M. Darby told me today to check out your blog and i have gone this far back to get caught up and it has been so worth it!! i am so so so happy for you and seeing God work in this situation for you both just encourages me so in my own family planning unknowns!!! God is so good, congrats to you both!