We Wait

No word about the February baby.  It is the weekend, so I'm hoping to hear something tomorrow.  Even if she sees our profile, it doesn't mean that we will be chosen.

Getting very excited and nervous about meeting J tomorrow.  Just wanted to make it clear that she has seen our profile as well as others and she has chosen us.  The attorney said that J is very happy with her choice, so now, it's more about us deciding if we want to move forward.  There are a few concerns that we have and of course, lots of financial decisions that need to be gone over, but I am feeling pretty confident about this match.  Can't believe that this could be "it".

Dave and I went and looked at baby stuff yesterday.  We enjoyed looking around and testing out strollers, as much as one can enjoy things like that.  haha

We announced our adoption plan this morning to our church family.  Some of them already knew, but it feels good to know that we have our church family praying for us through all of this.

If you have any questions, feel free to comment or email me.  I plan on answering some of them throughout this week.

Thanks for waiting with us and praying for us.  :)

Oh My!

I don't even know what to say other than that you guys must really be praying for us.

So, not only do we still have a birthmother looking at our profile that is due in May, a meeting with a birthmother on Monday that is due in March, but........

...I got an email today from a lady at an agency in the Tampa area (that I had talked with at one point about a possible baby).  She has a birthmother that is looking for a Christian couple that does not have any children and this mother is going to be looking at our profile either tonight or tomorrow.  To make things even more crazy, this birthmother is due in FEBRUARY.

We don't know much about this baby besides the month it is due and the race.  Hoping for more information soon.

I can't even begin to explain the thoughts and feelings I am going through.

Thursday Update

I called the attorney around 12:30 and we are going to meet with her and J on Monday.  It's hard to wait, but yet, after some advice from the attorney, it will give us time to get some questions written down for both the attorney and J.  This way, we don't forget to ask things that we want to know.  So, it's probably for the best.

The attorney did tell me that J is very happy with our profile, so she doesn't see any problems there.  I know that we still have to meet with her and things could change, but it was very encouraging to hear.  Thank you, attorney, for giving me something good to hold on to over the weekend.

I did get an email from BOH, our agency, today.  I hadn't heard a word from them for over a week and then all of the sudden, I get an email.  The birthmother that is looking at our profile still hasn't made a decision and we found out that she isn't due until the beginning of May.  Jenn, the lady at the agency, told me that they also have had more activity lately, meaning that there are other possibilities.

So, for now, we wait, knowing that not only does one birthmother want to meet us and has "chosen" us, but we still have another birthmother looking at us as well.  Looking forward to seeing God work through all of this.

Just Because

I'm blogging just because I know that some of you are itching to know if we've heard anything!!!

No calls from the attorney today.
Now, she did call me the other night at 8:45, so I guess I could still get one tonight, but I'm not holding my breath.  So, for now, we're still waiting to hear when we'll be able to meet with J and get more info.

There are pieces of me that want to shout from the rooftops and to go shopping and pick out paint colors, but there are also pieces of me that are very cautious and hesitant and refuse to allow me to get my hopes up.

Adoption is scary stuff.  It's not for the fainthearted.  Even if everything goes well with J, even if we move forward, even if we decorate the nursery, buy the baby stuff, etc, etc, she still has the right to change her mind once the baby is born.  There is no guarantee and this scares me, a lot.  I would be lying if I told you that I wasn't scared out of my mind.  (I do plan on writing a blog about all of this-her rights, our rights, etc.-soon, since I know many of you have questions.)

I just have to remind myself that there is no guarantee in getting pregnant either.  Pregnant people miscarry, babies are born with horrible illnesses and defects, some babies die before they are even born and have to be delivered, never to take their first breath, even though their bodies look perfect.

In life, we take chances, some big and some little.  For this, for the chance to be a family of three, I will buckle up and ride this emotional roller coaster, even if it takes my breath and throws me for a loop.  :)

I forgot

I forgot to mention, that if everything works out, then we are "due" on March 23, 2010!!!!!!

Still in a bit of shock.

Still trying to remind myself that we have a lot of red tape between now and then.

Still trying to be realistic, even though I want to run to the baby aisle and buy boy clothes.

Still trying to remember that God is in control and that even if this doesn't work out, that He still has a plan.

Still realizing that I may have a son in March!  :)

Pround to Announce

So.........

I am proud to announce that...........




....... we are potentially matched with a birthmom!!!!!!!!!!

There are still many, many things that need to be worked out and information we need to know before we sign any papers or commit to anything, but I got a phone call today from the attorney telling me that we had been chosen by a birthmom, who I am going to call J.  I even got to speak with J on the phone.  We are going to be meeting with J and the attorney either later this week or early next week and we'll go from there. 

For now, it feels surreal.  I'm trying not to get too excited, knowing that we still need to meet and discuss many things, but wow.  It's hard to believe that this might be my son!!!  By the way, it's a boy!!!!!!!  :) 

Monday Update: Lots of Info

I'm sorry if you've been holding your breath waiting for me to update.  Dave got home on Friday and wasn't feeling well.  We left early Saturday for a winter retreat with our teens and didn't get home until Sunday night.  Needless to say, we're both pretty exhausted and right now, I feel like the laundry will never end.  :(

We still haven't heard anything from the agency or attorney.  No calls or emails.  If I get a chance, I'm going to call tomorrow and see if I can get an update.

Here's just a few reminders/info about the above situations:

Agency-Last we heard, our profile was being looked at by a mother living in a maternity home.  The original news was that it could possibly be a baby and an older toddler sibling, but they were unsure if both would be place, or even placed together.  No idea on due date or gender.  

Attorney-I met with an attorney last Monday about a possible baby.  This baby is due March 23rd and is a boy.  We do know, however, that this baby may have issues due to the mother being on drugs (Doctor given).  When I left the attorney's office, I was told that our profile as well as another couple's profile were going to be looked at and the attorney would let me know the outcome.  We have done some research of the drug side effects and it appears that while the baby may go through some withdrawal issues at birth, that there are no long term effects.  We'll have to make a decision if we are chosen.

Dave and I have also started to consider international adoption.  When we first started this journey, as some of you know (and if you read the beginning of the blog, you'll see it) that we were going to adopt a baby this past October domestically (in the US) and it fell through about a month before the baby arrived.  That started our journey looking for opportunities in America.  I've made a call to an agency that deals with domestic and international adoptions to get info.  We're not ready to make any decisions about that quite yet, but it's very interesting and definitely an option.

I did get a call this morning from the contact that we have through the local hospital.  A baby was born over the weekend.  According to what we know, a mother walked into the ER, had the baby, was discharged, and left.  The baby will be put up for adoption.  We do know that the baby is perfectly healthy, but we do not know any specifics (gender, size, etc).  I called the social worker to get info, but was unable to get in contact with her, possibly due to it being a holiday.  Hopefully, I'll get in touch with her tomorrow to learn if this baby is still available and get more info.

Thanks for all of your prayers and words of encouragement.  Hopefully, I'll find out something tomorrow, even if these situations are a no.  It's hard to wait and be patient.