We are doing really well hanging out in our hotel room. My parents left Sunday afternoon. Monday our big adventure was going down to the front desk and meeting the nice hotel owner/manager. Then Yesterday's adventure was going to his first Dr.'s appt. All is well and he is almost back up to his birth weight. (now 6lb /birthweight 6lb 1oz) We also adventured out to Target. We used some gift cards from a shower and one I got in the mail right before we left. He did so well on these little adventures and it really did me good to sight see a bit.
My favorite moment of the day was gettin lost driving down gorgeous country roads in GA. Not having any agenda and sitting in the back sear with this amaIng little fella.
I can't post pics due to us not having our computers here. But Jeremiah's Aunt Deb was able to on her blog. For some cuteness check out : http://deborahdoss.blogspot.com I'm not even sure I can link it with my phone, but it will be so worth it to actually copy and paste it yourself....I promise. :)
Last night Jeremiah's Aunt Lolly (Holly Salmons) my bff from college came to see him. She and a friend were planning a trip to Atlanta anyway and journeyed out of the way a bit to meet the little mister. It was so good to see her last night.
Today another friend from college (that we found out lives nearby via facebook) is going to come visit.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Saturday, December 26, 2009
The Rest of the Story
When I was little my dad used to listen to Paul Harvey tell the Rest of the Story. So I thought I'd share some more details of our adoption story.
Part of the confusion may have been with the fact that we were matched with a birthmom this past September. She was due with a baby boy and she had chosen the name Jeremiah. We fell in love with this name and all the scriptures in the book of Jeremiah that were so meaningful to us during this time. That baby was due December 23rd. But within a couple of months of being matched with her, after visiting her, and helping her out monetarily, she found out that the birthfather's family wanted to raise that baby. We continue to pray for her and her baby as well, we had to grieve that loss, but we still didn't want to give up on our adoption journey.
After that our Consultant- worked really hard to find the perfect match for us. My best friends surprised us and came to visit for a late birthday. We were standing in PayLess when Courtney called and told us about a birthmom who was going to have her baby possibly by the 21st of Dec. by C-Section. It was a baby girl and the birthmom was in Gary, IN. My heart was numb. We had to talk ourselves into being excited since that last heartache was so fresh. We decided to name the baby girl Darby Layne. This time we had to really start getting things since her arrival date was nearing. Then we got a call that her doctor had changed her due date and she would not be able to have the C-Section that early. At her last Dr's appt. the Dr. would not plan a C-Section and the birthmom was getting anxious to have that baby. She wanted a closed adoption so we knew very little about her. We never got to speak to her over the phone or anything. She was ready to move on with her life and had plans for that in early January. She wanted to be completely recovered, but the Dr's in Indiana would not plan her C-Section early. She was working with an agency out of Utah. They have birthmother housing and a doctors that their clients use in Utah. She found out that in Utah the doctors would do a C-Section up to two weeks early. So she made up her mind to travel to Utah. This was her personal decision and we don't blame her for putting us out of the equation. Her decision to travel to Utah made the adoption much more expensive for us so we had to say no. 1. Her medical expenses were all covered in Indiana, but not in Utah. 2. We would then have much higher travel expenses traveling to Utah versus 30 minutes down the road.
If you adopt a baby from another state there is something called ICPC. That is the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC): An interstate compact, or agreement, that has been enacted into law by all 50 states in the United States, and the District of Columbia, which controls the lawful movement of children from one state to another for the purposes of adoption. Both the originating state, where the child is born, and the receiving state, where the adoptive parents live and where the adoption of the child will take place, must approve the child's movement in writing before the child can legally leave the originating state. This Compact regulates the interstate movement of both foster children and adoptive children. (Taken from: http://glossary.adoption.com/interstate-compact-on-the-placement-of-children-(icpc).html
Because of ICPC we would have had to stay in Utah for up to two weeks.
I posted on my Facebook for everyone to pray for the birthmom to be ready to have that baby! (Now you know the rest of the story- we knew if she wasn't ready to have that baby then we would not be getting baby girl.)
We came to Martin, TN to enjoy Chirstmas with Daniel's family early and postponed Christmas with my family because we just knew that baby girl was going to be born early so that she could come home with us.
The wonderful ladies of Gracepoint had a shower for us and finally our home was filled with tiny little baby things. (I'm very excited to announce that the major purchases were all gender neutral and can be used, but some of the sweet little pink things may have to be returned or tucked away for the possibility of our next baby being a girl.)
So we were in Martin and spending time with family. I knew that Indiana birthmom had a Dr's appointment on December 23rd and if she wasn't ready to have that baby we would be finding out that day. We were just hanging out. We had come for a 3 day vaca. (We only bring the basics to Martin...like for instance we know there are toiletries there and such. We packed light. We left our computers at home so as to get a much needed respite. I mean it was only to be for 3 days right.) :) Luckily I had a cute outfit I was going to wear to the extended family dinner little did I know that would be the outfit that I'd wear to pick up little Jeremiah.
Ok so I'm skipping around a little....back to Martin.
We were sitting there visiting with Daniel's parents, his sister, and Daniel's aunt and Uncle. We were telling them that Darby Layne was coming (praying internally that she really would) and catching them up on the story when it suddenly changed before our eyes. I had my phone attached to my hip that day awaiting a positive dr's report from Indiana birthmom. The adoption agency called to give me an update. The Doctor said that the little baby just wasn't ready yet and that he would not schedule a C-Section. The lady from the agency confirmed that the birthmom would indeed be flying to Utah in hopes of having the baby early. Before I even got a chance to let that all sink in she said....there is a baby boy that was born YESTERDAY. (In adoption world = that is huge. An already born baby is huge considering the fact that some birthmoms change their minds about the adoption decision at the last minute.) So she told me about this birthmom who had just called in a couple of weeks ago, but wasn't due until Jan 16th. She had gone into labor early, but the baby was completely healthy. She was not matched with a family yet and the lady on the phone wanted to know if we were interested. I think she phrased it like this- I mean you would have to spend the holidays in Georgia. I'm pretty sure I squeeled. A BOY! Oh My Goodness. A willing birthmom. Oh My Goodness. He was already here and needing a forever home. OH MY GOODNESS. SIGN ME UP!!! Then I was anticipating the other shoe falling. I was thinking she is going to say he's so stinking expensive that my heart was really going to break. But guess what- HE WAS RIGHT IN OUR PRICE RANGE. (I know that is so strange to say, but that is what we have grown accustomed to. Adoptions range in price due to states laws allowances of birthmother expences, her health care expenses (some birthmoms have healthcare, some don't- some have C-Sections, some have natural births), and the agency fees.
So we were waiting for a phone call from the agency that said that the birthmom would like to chose us after we told them we were DEFINITELY wanting to be presented to her. They were also trying to find a lawyer that would come out to the hospital to go over the paperwork with her and have her sign it. (Remember the agency works in Utah, the Birthmom is in Georgia and we are in TN)
We packed up everything from Daniel's parents house, took showers really quickly, and were ready to head out in record time. We left Martin (after quickly opening gifts) and headed towards GA. Luckily it's two hours from Clarksville and we were able to give some good friends a heads up. Kent and Teresa Hughes made a Toys-R-Us run and got some baby blue things. (I had the diaper bag, but it was full of baby girl things and was only ready with necessities- thinking that if we were headed to pick up a baby straight from Martin it would be all the way in Indiana and we would then get to go straight home. Kent, Teresa, and Taylor Hughes met us at Burger King off exit 4 for the drop off. And my mom met us there for the pick up of our dog Suzy. She'll be staying with them till we travel through and pick her up on our way to Indiana.
We rushed (safely) to Georgia. The trip was 9 hours from Martin, and we stopped about 2 hours short of our final destination since it was getting late. The trip made for a great time to call family and friends and get even more anxious to meet our little man. We hit the hotel and I was up bright and early the next morning (December 24th!!!)
We headed out early and then stopped by Kinko's to pick up one of our adoption profiles our consultant had sent there. We got to talk to the birthmom on a 3 way call the day before and she really liked us, but she had never seen our pictures or anything. We wanted her to have our profile to keep forever and ever. We called her to see if she needed anything or wanted breakfast and then stopped at Target. I roamed the aisles thinking WHAT DO I GET AS A GIFT TO GIVE THE BIRTHMOM OF OUR CHILD....I ended up picking a cute little candle and a bath/lotion set. Really this is a drop of sand in comparison to the gift she is giving us. I was totally embarrassed to even come in with such a shallow gift. We tucked in a CD of Daniel's and the profile to complete the package. (While we talked on the phone with her the night before she told us that she also liked to sing-something I will treasure forever and tell Jeremiah someday.)
So we headed to the hospital. Couldn't find a parking place. Couldn't find the front entrance. Couldn't find the nursery. We were so anxious, excited and nervous all at the same time. We were about to meet the mother of our child. We walk in and she was so cute (birthmom N- from here on out she'll be called N. (She said she didn't even look like she had a baby over the phone...and boy was she right. Cute as a button and so very nice.) She is 23 years old and 5'9" (same height as me!). When we walked in the room Jeremiah wasn't there, she had kept him in the room with her most of the time and was so sweet to cuddle him and love on him until we got there. He was in the nursery getting something checked out when we got there so she asked if we wanted to go see him. We walked down the hall to a windowed nursery, but she declared that he wasn't in sight. She asked at the desk and they said he'd be out in just a few minutes. We went back to the room and gave her her gift. As we got to know her we liked her more and more. Luckily we got one pic of us together. We were able to spend most of the day together as the lawyer couldn't get there till 3pm. We were so glad that the lawyer could come out on Christmas Eve it didn't make that much of a difference what time he came.
A little bit later as we were telling each other a little bit about ourselves they wheeled the baby in. N's perspective was amazing. She immediately was saying things like- "this is the baby's mom and dad"- to the nurse as she introduced us. I know it was still super hard on her, but we were so glad she was steadfast in her decision to give baby Jeremiah up for adoption.
Before the lawyer even got there both the birthmom and baby were discharged. We were allowed to stay in the room until the lawyer arrived. He met with N alone---which took forever by the way and made me super nervous. It was just taking a really long time to fill out all of the paperwork. Then he met with us alone and just like that we were done.
Utah's laws govern the adoption since the agency we were working with is from Utah so once she signed we were good to go. The revocation period- (the time in which the birthmom has to change her mind)- is at the time in which she signs in Utah.
We walk in and N is so so very sad. IT BROKE MY HEART. She KNEW she was making the best decision for her child, but it was still a very very hard decision. I was ecstatic and overjoyed, but seeing her pain made me feel the need to stifle my joy. Hospital policy was that the mother had to carry the child out of the hospital while being wheeled out in a wheelchair. It was literally one of the hardest things I've ever seen. She was so very very sad. There are no other words. I gave her a charm bracelet that I had worn the past few months. It had one charm that said believe. I told her that we believe in her and that we believe she made the right decision. (for me it meant that I believe that someday I would be a mom.) One charm said E- so she would remember who she passed on her child on to to be his mom. And a moon (I saw adoption jewelry that said UNDER THE SAME MOON and it was so precious, but was way too expensive- I got a moon charm at Target and told everyone what it symbolized.) We got outside and loaded Jeremiah in our brand spanking new pimp car seat and N was wheeled to her mom's car. I got out of the car (the nurse told me to get in so that I could strap him in good) ran over to N and said THANK YOU while giving her a hug.
We both had tears. Mine of great joy and hers of great sadness. What a crazy thing this adoption journey has been so far.
We drove quite a ways so as to get closer to home for when they tell us we can leave GA. It seemed like it took forever. I kept thinking is this real- do we really have a BABY in our CAR! OH MY GOODNESS.
And that is the rest of the story of how we met Jeremiah Cole Doss.
Part of the confusion may have been with the fact that we were matched with a birthmom this past September. She was due with a baby boy and she had chosen the name Jeremiah. We fell in love with this name and all the scriptures in the book of Jeremiah that were so meaningful to us during this time. That baby was due December 23rd. But within a couple of months of being matched with her, after visiting her, and helping her out monetarily, she found out that the birthfather's family wanted to raise that baby. We continue to pray for her and her baby as well, we had to grieve that loss, but we still didn't want to give up on our adoption journey.
After that our Consultant- worked really hard to find the perfect match for us. My best friends surprised us and came to visit for a late birthday. We were standing in PayLess when Courtney called and told us about a birthmom who was going to have her baby possibly by the 21st of Dec. by C-Section. It was a baby girl and the birthmom was in Gary, IN. My heart was numb. We had to talk ourselves into being excited since that last heartache was so fresh. We decided to name the baby girl Darby Layne. This time we had to really start getting things since her arrival date was nearing. Then we got a call that her doctor had changed her due date and she would not be able to have the C-Section that early. At her last Dr's appt. the Dr. would not plan a C-Section and the birthmom was getting anxious to have that baby. She wanted a closed adoption so we knew very little about her. We never got to speak to her over the phone or anything. She was ready to move on with her life and had plans for that in early January. She wanted to be completely recovered, but the Dr's in Indiana would not plan her C-Section early. She was working with an agency out of Utah. They have birthmother housing and a doctors that their clients use in Utah. She found out that in Utah the doctors would do a C-Section up to two weeks early. So she made up her mind to travel to Utah. This was her personal decision and we don't blame her for putting us out of the equation. Her decision to travel to Utah made the adoption much more expensive for us so we had to say no. 1. Her medical expenses were all covered in Indiana, but not in Utah. 2. We would then have much higher travel expenses traveling to Utah versus 30 minutes down the road.
If you adopt a baby from another state there is something called ICPC. That is the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC): An interstate compact, or agreement, that has been enacted into law by all 50 states in the United States, and the District of Columbia, which controls the lawful movement of children from one state to another for the purposes of adoption. Both the originating state, where the child is born, and the receiving state, where the adoptive parents live and where the adoption of the child will take place, must approve the child's movement in writing before the child can legally leave the originating state. This Compact regulates the interstate movement of both foster children and adoptive children. (Taken from: http://glossary.adoption.com/interstate-compact-on-the-placement-of-children-(icpc).html
Because of ICPC we would have had to stay in Utah for up to two weeks.
I posted on my Facebook for everyone to pray for the birthmom to be ready to have that baby! (Now you know the rest of the story- we knew if she wasn't ready to have that baby then we would not be getting baby girl.)
We came to Martin, TN to enjoy Chirstmas with Daniel's family early and postponed Christmas with my family because we just knew that baby girl was going to be born early so that she could come home with us.
The wonderful ladies of Gracepoint had a shower for us and finally our home was filled with tiny little baby things. (I'm very excited to announce that the major purchases were all gender neutral and can be used, but some of the sweet little pink things may have to be returned or tucked away for the possibility of our next baby being a girl.)
So we were in Martin and spending time with family. I knew that Indiana birthmom had a Dr's appointment on December 23rd and if she wasn't ready to have that baby we would be finding out that day. We were just hanging out. We had come for a 3 day vaca. (We only bring the basics to Martin...like for instance we know there are toiletries there and such. We packed light. We left our computers at home so as to get a much needed respite. I mean it was only to be for 3 days right.) :) Luckily I had a cute outfit I was going to wear to the extended family dinner little did I know that would be the outfit that I'd wear to pick up little Jeremiah.
Ok so I'm skipping around a little....back to Martin.
We were sitting there visiting with Daniel's parents, his sister, and Daniel's aunt and Uncle. We were telling them that Darby Layne was coming (praying internally that she really would) and catching them up on the story when it suddenly changed before our eyes. I had my phone attached to my hip that day awaiting a positive dr's report from Indiana birthmom. The adoption agency called to give me an update. The Doctor said that the little baby just wasn't ready yet and that he would not schedule a C-Section. The lady from the agency confirmed that the birthmom would indeed be flying to Utah in hopes of having the baby early. Before I even got a chance to let that all sink in she said....there is a baby boy that was born YESTERDAY. (In adoption world = that is huge. An already born baby is huge considering the fact that some birthmoms change their minds about the adoption decision at the last minute.) So she told me about this birthmom who had just called in a couple of weeks ago, but wasn't due until Jan 16th. She had gone into labor early, but the baby was completely healthy. She was not matched with a family yet and the lady on the phone wanted to know if we were interested. I think she phrased it like this- I mean you would have to spend the holidays in Georgia. I'm pretty sure I squeeled. A BOY! Oh My Goodness. A willing birthmom. Oh My Goodness. He was already here and needing a forever home. OH MY GOODNESS. SIGN ME UP!!! Then I was anticipating the other shoe falling. I was thinking she is going to say he's so stinking expensive that my heart was really going to break. But guess what- HE WAS RIGHT IN OUR PRICE RANGE. (I know that is so strange to say, but that is what we have grown accustomed to. Adoptions range in price due to states laws allowances of birthmother expences, her health care expenses (some birthmoms have healthcare, some don't- some have C-Sections, some have natural births), and the agency fees.
So we were waiting for a phone call from the agency that said that the birthmom would like to chose us after we told them we were DEFINITELY wanting to be presented to her. They were also trying to find a lawyer that would come out to the hospital to go over the paperwork with her and have her sign it. (Remember the agency works in Utah, the Birthmom is in Georgia and we are in TN)
We packed up everything from Daniel's parents house, took showers really quickly, and were ready to head out in record time. We left Martin (after quickly opening gifts) and headed towards GA. Luckily it's two hours from Clarksville and we were able to give some good friends a heads up. Kent and Teresa Hughes made a Toys-R-Us run and got some baby blue things. (I had the diaper bag, but it was full of baby girl things and was only ready with necessities- thinking that if we were headed to pick up a baby straight from Martin it would be all the way in Indiana and we would then get to go straight home. Kent, Teresa, and Taylor Hughes met us at Burger King off exit 4 for the drop off. And my mom met us there for the pick up of our dog Suzy. She'll be staying with them till we travel through and pick her up on our way to Indiana.
We rushed (safely) to Georgia. The trip was 9 hours from Martin, and we stopped about 2 hours short of our final destination since it was getting late. The trip made for a great time to call family and friends and get even more anxious to meet our little man. We hit the hotel and I was up bright and early the next morning (December 24th!!!)
We headed out early and then stopped by Kinko's to pick up one of our adoption profiles our consultant had sent there. We got to talk to the birthmom on a 3 way call the day before and she really liked us, but she had never seen our pictures or anything. We wanted her to have our profile to keep forever and ever. We called her to see if she needed anything or wanted breakfast and then stopped at Target. I roamed the aisles thinking WHAT DO I GET AS A GIFT TO GIVE THE BIRTHMOM OF OUR CHILD....I ended up picking a cute little candle and a bath/lotion set. Really this is a drop of sand in comparison to the gift she is giving us. I was totally embarrassed to even come in with such a shallow gift. We tucked in a CD of Daniel's and the profile to complete the package. (While we talked on the phone with her the night before she told us that she also liked to sing-something I will treasure forever and tell Jeremiah someday.)
So we headed to the hospital. Couldn't find a parking place. Couldn't find the front entrance. Couldn't find the nursery. We were so anxious, excited and nervous all at the same time. We were about to meet the mother of our child. We walk in and she was so cute (birthmom N- from here on out she'll be called N. (She said she didn't even look like she had a baby over the phone...and boy was she right. Cute as a button and so very nice.) She is 23 years old and 5'9" (same height as me!). When we walked in the room Jeremiah wasn't there, she had kept him in the room with her most of the time and was so sweet to cuddle him and love on him until we got there. He was in the nursery getting something checked out when we got there so she asked if we wanted to go see him. We walked down the hall to a windowed nursery, but she declared that he wasn't in sight. She asked at the desk and they said he'd be out in just a few minutes. We went back to the room and gave her her gift. As we got to know her we liked her more and more. Luckily we got one pic of us together. We were able to spend most of the day together as the lawyer couldn't get there till 3pm. We were so glad that the lawyer could come out on Christmas Eve it didn't make that much of a difference what time he came.
A little bit later as we were telling each other a little bit about ourselves they wheeled the baby in. N's perspective was amazing. She immediately was saying things like- "this is the baby's mom and dad"- to the nurse as she introduced us. I know it was still super hard on her, but we were so glad she was steadfast in her decision to give baby Jeremiah up for adoption.
Before the lawyer even got there both the birthmom and baby were discharged. We were allowed to stay in the room until the lawyer arrived. He met with N alone---which took forever by the way and made me super nervous. It was just taking a really long time to fill out all of the paperwork. Then he met with us alone and just like that we were done.
Utah's laws govern the adoption since the agency we were working with is from Utah so once she signed we were good to go. The revocation period- (the time in which the birthmom has to change her mind)- is at the time in which she signs in Utah.
We walk in and N is so so very sad. IT BROKE MY HEART. She KNEW she was making the best decision for her child, but it was still a very very hard decision. I was ecstatic and overjoyed, but seeing her pain made me feel the need to stifle my joy. Hospital policy was that the mother had to carry the child out of the hospital while being wheeled out in a wheelchair. It was literally one of the hardest things I've ever seen. She was so very very sad. There are no other words. I gave her a charm bracelet that I had worn the past few months. It had one charm that said believe. I told her that we believe in her and that we believe she made the right decision. (for me it meant that I believe that someday I would be a mom.) One charm said E- so she would remember who she passed on her child on to to be his mom. And a moon (I saw adoption jewelry that said UNDER THE SAME MOON and it was so precious, but was way too expensive- I got a moon charm at Target and told everyone what it symbolized.) We got outside and loaded Jeremiah in our brand spanking new pimp car seat and N was wheeled to her mom's car. I got out of the car (the nurse told me to get in so that I could strap him in good) ran over to N and said THANK YOU while giving her a hug.
We both had tears. Mine of great joy and hers of great sadness. What a crazy thing this adoption journey has been so far.
We drove quite a ways so as to get closer to home for when they tell us we can leave GA. It seemed like it took forever. I kept thinking is this real- do we really have a BABY in our CAR! OH MY GOODNESS.
And that is the rest of the story of how we met Jeremiah Cole Doss.
Friday, December 25, 2009
So not prepared
We headed to Martin on Tuesday to spend a couple of days with the Doss's in case Darby Layne came early. I was soooo praying that the birthmom would be ready for her c-section when she went to her check-up on the 23rd because I knew that if not it would all fall through. The car seat has been in the trunk for awhile just in case we needed it real quick and to free up space in the house. ;) I also made sure to bring the baby bag. It had just some blankets and newborn GIRL outfits in it. I had taken out all the neutral ones since we were forsure getting a girl. Ha!
Once we got the call that baby girl was not ours, but baby boy was we opened gifts with the Doss's and headed to GA. Luckily the gifts I asked for were clothes since we had only packed to stay 3 days and now we will be hanging out awhile. I have found a laundry mat down the street, but of course it's not open for Christmas Eve or Christmas. (our hotel has a washer and dryer, but the washer is broken) they called the Hampton inn down the street to see if I coul wash Jeremiah's things there. Luckily they said that was fine and we are all set for his clothes and things.
Our hotel room has a microwave and a fridge. Last night I ha made a long list of things we could use to help us out and was headed out to walmart to get them knowing that EVERYTHING would be closed today. Unfortunately Walmart was already closed. I drove a little further and found an open gas station where I was able to get us some food for today and snacks and drinks. (The hospital sent us home with enough formula for the baby and we got diapers an wipes on the way down.) We are making it just fine and are taking turns getting some shut eye. :)
Jeremiah is sweet as can be and we are just So blessed! Thanks for your prayers.
-Emily
Once we got the call that baby girl was not ours, but baby boy was we opened gifts with the Doss's and headed to GA. Luckily the gifts I asked for were clothes since we had only packed to stay 3 days and now we will be hanging out awhile. I have found a laundry mat down the street, but of course it's not open for Christmas Eve or Christmas. (our hotel has a washer and dryer, but the washer is broken) they called the Hampton inn down the street to see if I coul wash Jeremiah's things there. Luckily they said that was fine and we are all set for his clothes and things.
Our hotel room has a microwave and a fridge. Last night I ha made a long list of things we could use to help us out and was headed out to walmart to get them knowing that EVERYTHING would be closed today. Unfortunately Walmart was already closed. I drove a little further and found an open gas station where I was able to get us some food for today and snacks and drinks. (The hospital sent us home with enough formula for the baby and we got diapers an wipes on the way down.) We are making it just fine and are taking turns getting some shut eye. :)
Jeremiah is sweet as can be and we are just So blessed! Thanks for your prayers.
-Emily
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
It's a BOY
Regretfully Baby Girl's birthmom is headed to Utah. She is desiring to have an early C-Section and the doctors in Indiana aren't willing to do an early one. With that said the costwent up substantially and we were unable to follow her to Utah. But on that same phone call we got this amazingly wonderful news- there is a baby boy who was born Dec. 22nd who is healthy and awaiting adoptive parents. He and his birthmom are in a hospital in Georgia. It's 11:15 Valpo/Clarksville time and we just hit Atlanta. We are about to stop at a hotel then drive a few more hours tomorrow, BUT we get to meet baby boy Doss- Jeremiah Cole and birthmom N tomorrow!!!! I can't edit this cause I'm on my phone so please excuse any typos.
We are VERY VERY excited!!!
We are VERY VERY excited!!!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
GracePoint Christmas
We had an AMAZING Christmas service at GracePoint on Sunday.
We had to rent out a different location and ended up having a night time service instead of a Sunday morning service.
Let's just say it was unbelievable.
A whole bunch of us had to stand THE ENTIRE TIME. We ran out of chairs. I mean not just 2 or 3 of us stood, but tons of us. We were having conversations about safety issues and wondering if we had reached capacity.
So crazy how many people showed up (OVER 275!!!)
Valpo Life ran an online ad. That's a local website that lets people in the community know what's going on.
We had so many people invite people. (Someone looked at me and said I didn't expect everyone we invited to actually show up. ha!)
The music was FABULOUS- thanks the Daniel Doss's efforts.
The message was SPOT ON- thanks to Ben Lamb's efforts.
There were tons of volunteers who got there early and stay late- completely a team effort that did NOT go UNNOTICED!
The whole service was so God honoring and I believe truly impacted our community for Christ.
Here are some pics taken from Daniel's iPhone...hard to see I know, but look at ALL THOSE PEOPLE!
We had to rent out a different location and ended up having a night time service instead of a Sunday morning service.
Let's just say it was unbelievable.
A whole bunch of us had to stand THE ENTIRE TIME. We ran out of chairs. I mean not just 2 or 3 of us stood, but tons of us. We were having conversations about safety issues and wondering if we had reached capacity.
So crazy how many people showed up (OVER 275!!!)
Valpo Life ran an online ad. That's a local website that lets people in the community know what's going on.
We had so many people invite people. (Someone looked at me and said I didn't expect everyone we invited to actually show up. ha!)
The music was FABULOUS- thanks the Daniel Doss's efforts.
The message was SPOT ON- thanks to Ben Lamb's efforts.
There were tons of volunteers who got there early and stay late- completely a team effort that did NOT go UNNOTICED!
The whole service was so God honoring and I believe truly impacted our community for Christ.
Here are some pics taken from Daniel's iPhone...hard to see I know, but look at ALL THOSE PEOPLE!
Sunday, December 20, 2009
We're both right.
I showed Daniel my blog the other day.
I really love my blog. And wanted to share it with him (especially since it's so festive right now). He's not an avid blog follower and I really don't get my feelings hurt by that, but I wanted him to see how cute it looks.
This part made me laugh though.
I was showing him the pics from the shower and the last few posts and his response....
Are you ready?
"You misspelled eying."
He knows best that I'm not a good speller, but you see Blogger has spell check, and it approved of my spelling so I was off to prove him wrong.
After looking it up in the online dictionary we found that there are two spellings acceptable spellings for the word eyeing and eying.
We were both right. :)
I really love my blog. And wanted to share it with him (especially since it's so festive right now). He's not an avid blog follower and I really don't get my feelings hurt by that, but I wanted him to see how cute it looks.
This part made me laugh though.
I was showing him the pics from the shower and the last few posts and his response....
Are you ready?
"You misspelled eying."
He knows best that I'm not a good speller, but you see Blogger has spell check, and it approved of my spelling so I was off to prove him wrong.
After looking it up in the online dictionary we found that there are two spellings acceptable spellings for the word eyeing and eying.
We were both right. :)
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Baby Shower From GracePoint Ladies
So much fun! I can't believe all the fun stuff we got!!! Wow! So grateful for our church family!
The Cake:
The Food:
The Banner- "IT'S A GIRL!"
The goodies!!!
The Diaper Cake. (one of two!!!)
Me opening gifts!
Lots of oohs and ahhs from the ladies!!!
THE CRIB!!!
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!
The Cake:
The Food:
The Banner- "IT'S A GIRL!"
The goodies!!!
The Diaper Cake. (one of two!!!)
Me opening gifts!
Lots of oohs and ahhs from the ladies!!!
THE CRIB!!!
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Fun Fun Fun
A list of random fun things:
I hate doing laundry, but I love the smell of Dreft.
I've never owned socks so small.
I've been googling baby lotion for extra dry skin since this Indiana weather has been hard on my own skin.
I've been eying babies out in public to see how other families are able to keep them warm.
I've never owned cold weather garb like I do now. We had to go shopping last night for some things to keep us warm. (It was 4 degrees when I left for work on Thursday, but I managed to stay warm.) It's amazing the things they have up here to help keep out the cold.
We haven't heard much about the details of the birthmom's doctor's appointment, but we do know that at her next appointment she will have her C Section scheduled.
So excited to be having a baby shower on Wednesday from our GracePoint family. I had to go to Toys-R-Us/Babies-R-Us and Target to update our registry to include some baby girl things.
Today we watched Say Yes to the Dress in a whole new light; we are going to be parents to a baby girl!!!
I hate doing laundry, but I love the smell of Dreft.
I've never owned socks so small.
I've been googling baby lotion for extra dry skin since this Indiana weather has been hard on my own skin.
I've been eying babies out in public to see how other families are able to keep them warm.
I've never owned cold weather garb like I do now. We had to go shopping last night for some things to keep us warm. (It was 4 degrees when I left for work on Thursday, but I managed to stay warm.) It's amazing the things they have up here to help keep out the cold.
We haven't heard much about the details of the birthmom's doctor's appointment, but we do know that at her next appointment she will have her C Section scheduled.
So excited to be having a baby shower on Wednesday from our GracePoint family. I had to go to Toys-R-Us/Babies-R-Us and Target to update our registry to include some baby girl things.
Today we watched Say Yes to the Dress in a whole new light; we are going to be parents to a baby girl!!!
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Adoption Auction
Go check out my cyber friend's blog for her Adoption Auction- she goes to church at Grace Community in Clarksville, but somehow we never met in real life.
She is also using Faithful Adoption Consultants. So hopefully she will need that money sooner rather than later. :)
She's got lots of goodies and all for sale to raise money for their adoption- shop away!
http://www.erchickyrn.blogspot.com
She is also using Faithful Adoption Consultants. So hopefully she will need that money sooner rather than later. :)
She's got lots of goodies and all for sale to raise money for their adoption- shop away!
http://www.erchickyrn.blogspot.com
Crazy Dream
Ever have a dream that shakes you even after you wake up?
Last night I dreamed that someone we love dearly came to Daniel and I and told us that we owed them lots of money. That they knew we had some money set aside for the adoption, but that we needed to pay back this debt first. We had no idea that this debt was out there and that it needed to be paid back so it was a shock to us. I was in tears because we couldn't adopt since we had to pay the debt we didn't even know about first.
CRAZY DREAMS! I guess since we've heard about so many adoption situations and none of them have worked out then my subconscious is making up things to happen so the adoption won't go through.
Back to real life: The birthmom was supposed to have an ultrasound and check up yesterday, but I haven't heard anything yet. She is a tiny little thing and the last time she went for an check up they pushed her due date back to Jan. 14th. Every other appointment said her due date would be Jan. 4th. (If everything checks out ok she will have a C-Section two weeks before her due date...which is VERY common in adoption situations.) ***That would be as early as Dec. 21st!!! THAT IS IN 11 DAYS!!! OH MY!!!
:) :) :)
Last night I dreamed that someone we love dearly came to Daniel and I and told us that we owed them lots of money. That they knew we had some money set aside for the adoption, but that we needed to pay back this debt first. We had no idea that this debt was out there and that it needed to be paid back so it was a shock to us. I was in tears because we couldn't adopt since we had to pay the debt we didn't even know about first.
CRAZY DREAMS! I guess since we've heard about so many adoption situations and none of them have worked out then my subconscious is making up things to happen so the adoption won't go through.
Back to real life: The birthmom was supposed to have an ultrasound and check up yesterday, but I haven't heard anything yet. She is a tiny little thing and the last time she went for an check up they pushed her due date back to Jan. 14th. Every other appointment said her due date would be Jan. 4th. (If everything checks out ok she will have a C-Section two weeks before her due date...which is VERY common in adoption situations.) ***That would be as early as Dec. 21st!!! THAT IS IN 11 DAYS!!! OH MY!!!
:) :) :)
Sunday, December 06, 2009
Introducing Baby Girl
On Friday, December 4th, 2009 we found out about baby girl. Courtney from Faithful Adoption Consultants has been working hard to find a birthmom for us to match with. We signed up with Heart to Heart adoption agency in Utah recently. We were thinking we'd probably be flying out to Utah any day to pick up our little bundle. One birthmom didn't get on the plane to fly to Utah, one birthmom had the baby early and they placed the baby with a waiting family in Utah, then we heard about a birthmom in INDIANA!!! Heart to Heart advertises nationally so any birthmom could work with them. Our birthmom just happens to live ~30 minutes from us!!!
Hopefully we will get to talk on the phone to the birthmom tomorrow, but other than that she wants a closed adoption.
She is due January 4th, but may be able to have a C-Section as early as December 21st if everything continues to check out ok at her appointment next Wednesday.
The only thing that would make this adoption fall through would be the birthmom changing her mind. Please keep her and baby Darby Layne in your prayers. :)
~Emily
Hopefully we will get to talk on the phone to the birthmom tomorrow, but other than that she wants a closed adoption.
She is due January 4th, but may be able to have a C-Section as early as December 21st if everything continues to check out ok at her appointment next Wednesday.
The only thing that would make this adoption fall through would be the birthmom changing her mind. Please keep her and baby Darby Layne in your prayers. :)
~Emily
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Play by Play
We heard about a birthmom that needed to be matched with a family this past week. She was headed to an agency in Utah and was to arrive on Monday or Tuesday. The agency is in Utah, not sure where she was from, but she was going to fly there. She was to deliver her baby on Thursday (as in tomorrow)!!! She however decided not to get on the plane. She changed her mind about her adoption decision.
This time around I wasn't sad. Hopefully another situation like this will come up quickly.
But my eyes were opened even more to the decision these birthmoms face. I can't even imagine. Please join me in praying for birthmoms who are making such a selfless sacrifice out of love.
And specifically for one special birthmom that is going to chose us.
**Someone asked if we were next in line. The lines are kinda blurry. Some families might only want a girl- so they would be first in line for girls, but not boys.
Some families have preferences on race so they would be next in line for a certain race they chose. Some families will only find out about situations that fall within their price range...and for some strange reason all adoptions cost different amounts. (That's another post altogether.) Some families decide once they hear about the details of the situation. Some families have different things they are willing to accept as far as the birthmoms drug and alcohol use. So there really isn't a first in line thing with the situation we are in. (Maybe next time we'll go the international route where you are the next in line to get a referral.) :)
From what I understand the agencies that we would be working with get as much info as possible from the birthmom. Then let us know if we want to be presented. If we say yes based on our preferences- which are basically a healthy baby. Then she would get a chance to see our profile. At that time they try to present her with more than one profile so she has some options. She may have 2 or 3 profiles in front of her to pick from. Then (in most cases) if she picked us we would get to have a phone conversation with her and her caseworker.
We would then make travel arrangements based on when the baby was due.
--This is the more exciting part of the roller coaster ride so far. :)
This time around I wasn't sad. Hopefully another situation like this will come up quickly.
But my eyes were opened even more to the decision these birthmoms face. I can't even imagine. Please join me in praying for birthmoms who are making such a selfless sacrifice out of love.
And specifically for one special birthmom that is going to chose us.
**Someone asked if we were next in line. The lines are kinda blurry. Some families might only want a girl- so they would be first in line for girls, but not boys.
Some families have preferences on race so they would be next in line for a certain race they chose. Some families will only find out about situations that fall within their price range...and for some strange reason all adoptions cost different amounts. (That's another post altogether.) Some families decide once they hear about the details of the situation. Some families have different things they are willing to accept as far as the birthmoms drug and alcohol use. So there really isn't a first in line thing with the situation we are in. (Maybe next time we'll go the international route where you are the next in line to get a referral.) :)
From what I understand the agencies that we would be working with get as much info as possible from the birthmom. Then let us know if we want to be presented. If we say yes based on our preferences- which are basically a healthy baby. Then she would get a chance to see our profile. At that time they try to present her with more than one profile so she has some options. She may have 2 or 3 profiles in front of her to pick from. Then (in most cases) if she picked us we would get to have a phone conversation with her and her caseworker.
We would then make travel arrangements based on when the baby was due.
--This is the more exciting part of the roller coaster ride so far. :)
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