Baby D, Update

Thought I would post about what we have found out the last few days. We hadn't heard from the family all weekend and we were beginning to get a little worried. However, Allen talked to the BM's mom yesterday and got a few things figured out. They said they would get in touch with our lawyer and hire their own. We are in charge of paying for her lawyer. She knows she has a lot of paperwork to fill out and she is fine with that. She is very sure of her decision. She cannot sign anything until four days after the baby is born and then there is the 10 day period where she can change her mind. We are still unsure if we will take her home the day after she is born or wait until the 4 days is up. I'll be honest; it will be very hard knowing our possible daughter is in a hospital close by and we won't have her at home :( But we will see what we decide to do. She scheduled her Dr. appt for next Monday at 2:15. She still wants us to come. Hopefully she won't deliver before then so that we can at least meet her, and talk to the doctor about any complications etc...

Today she was pursuing the possible fathers. I know it sounds like a soap opera but she has to figure all of this out. I wish it was just some cut and dry perfect situation, but it's not. Obviously our ideal situation would be to get pregnant and have a child of our own :( For whatever reason God is not answering that prayer right now so adoption is the path we have chosen. We know there are risks when adopting and we are just trusting God that He will take care of everything. One guy acts interested in keeping the baby, however according to her, he has been living off of her for a year and a half. He doesn't sound very capable of caring for a baby, but if he is the biological father there is nothing we can do. We still will pursue the adoption though because she doesn't want him to have anything to do with her. He may change his mind too. Also there is another possible father and he is very supportive of the adoption. So we are hoping he ends up being the father. There would be less complications where all of that is concerned.

We are hoping to hear back from our lawyer this week after the BM has contacted her. Please pray for the health of the baby. She needs to stay in the womb a while longer for many reasons. Please pray that the entire situation go smoothly and that we will be blessed with a child through this whole ordeal. I want to be so hopeful yet I allow doubt and fear to creep in sometimes. Everyone at school is so encouraging. We know we have alot of people praying for us and will continue to support us in the whole process. Jessica Conatser is letting us borrow a cradle and a bouncy seat. I brought those home today. Our pack n play came yesterday and the stroller came today.

My sweet friend Lauren from church brought over an adorable outfit Sunday night! Her and her husband have been trying almost a year to get pregnant. I am hoping and praying they will be blessed very soon!

Hopefully I will be posting in the next week or so with really good news. We know we have a long road ahead. It could be 6 months to a year before the adoption is final, but we are prepared to do that if this little girl is supposed to be ours!!

Babies, birthdays and hockey!

The last few days have been a whirlwind to say the least. Everyone has been so sweet and helpful to help get us ready for the possibility of a baby in our home very soon :) As of right now we have our crib, pack n play, stroller, and bedding already bought for us! All of it will arrive this week probably :) We made a few more purchases this weekend at Babies R Us. I can't wait to go shopping when we know it is somewhat official. It was still fun to imagine everything we may buy!! We picked up some burp cloths, blankets, and sleepers. Karen is making a nb gown with her initials on it. It will be monogrammed in purple and have ribbon underneath and bows on the bottom. She also is giving us a headband with a sweet bow. I can't wait to see it!!

Friday night we went to Abuelo's for Rachel's birthday. I finally had an excuse to wear my new dress!!

All the girls and our hubbies!

After that we went to get some icecream and just talked and hung out! I seriously love these ladies. We always have such a blast together!! And it definitely helps that our husbands like each other ;)

The girls and Noah

Saturday we got up and cleaned. I have been trying to organize things in the nursery. I cleaned out the nursery closet and moved things around in the guest bedroom. Around lunchtime we ventured out to Babies R Us to look at gliders. My mom wants to buy that for us. We still haven't found one we like yet. I'm being picky because I know it has to be comfy!! I may be sleeping in it some nights! HA!!

We also went to Noah's first hockey game yesterday afternoon. He is such a good little skater! He was very nervous and scored some goals in the wrong net (He is 5 ;) but overall he was great! They even announced his name over the loudspeaker! It was pretty cool. I'm not gonna lie....kind of made me want to let my kid play hockey ;)

The boys cheering Noah on!

The girls supporting #9!! (Rachel was sick and unable to come :(

#9 Noah

Action shot!

It was cold in there!!

The Clawson's and Us. Don't we look cute in our black and red? HA!

The Mallery's! Such proud parents.

After the game we had a nice dinner at Fuddruckers! Noah spent most of his time playing games and buying dinky toys, but he did pause for a quick picture with Allen.

This morning after church I decided to organize some things in the nursery. I am preparing a diaper bag in case we get a phone call this week. I bought some Dreft yesterday and washed some of the blankets, birth cloths, and sleepers. I know it may sound silly, but I was so excited to finally get to buy that expensive baby detergent. Just another thing I have dreamed about in my journey to parenthood! Here are a few pics of what we already have done in the nursery.

View from inside the room. We are keeping that changing table until we can get the one that matches the crib.

Packing the diaper bag

Our car seat and the cute and warm blanket to put over her!!

Allen is speaking with our attorney tomorrow to figure out what our next steps are. We are hoping to hear from her about the doctor's appointment. I've already spoken with my family and my mom will probably come down as soon as we know anything and stay around a week. I know my sister and sister in laws have both mentioned coming in as well. One thing for sure; if this little girl joins our family she will be loved!!! A LOT!!!
Please continue to pray for God's will to be done and that everything will go smoothly in the coming weeks. I have an unannounced observation at school this week...YIPEE! On a good note tho, I already have a sub lined up for my maternity leave. If everything works out, I will take off from the time she is born until right after Spring Break. I have already chosen a pediatrician,and I have to call tomorrow about my insurance and make sure everything is covered. There is a lot involved whether you have a baby or adopt one! I will miss my teaching girls, but am so excited at the possibility of staying home for a few weeks with a sweet baby girl!!

Exciting News!!!

Most of you probably remember the post back in December about the possible private adoption that we heard about. Well, we have been waiting to hear back from them and had begun to wonder if they were even still interested.....However, about a week ago we received an email from our social worker about a Birth Mother profile that we needed to look at and decide if we wanted ours shown. We read through it and were very discouraged. This Birth Mother had done every drug imaginable, and not just occasionally :( We got some advice and prayed but after a few days decided we didn't feel at peace about the situation. It was very hard to email and tell her that we were not interested!! Sunday at church we really opened up in SS and shared how we felt. It was so nice to hear everyone be so supportive, especially when we feel like we are being so picky. We just didn't feel prepared to raise a child that would probably have a whole lot of problems. So, all of that to say...we have been praying this week that God would guide us and that we would hear about the private adoption so we would at least know one way or the other.


So, last night after church Allen's mom called. She had spoken with the Birth Mother's Mom. Originally we thought the baby was due the end of Feb. Turns out, she is actually due in the next 2 weeks!! Like, she is already dilated and has lost her mucus plug (sorry TMI :). She still was very interested in placing the child in our home!! We went to bed last night feeling pretty hopeful and feeling a little anxious, knowing that if the baby is born soon, that we could potentially bring home a baby in the next few weeks!! YIKES :) HOW EXCITING!!

So, this morning I shared everything with the girls at prayer time :) Then I met with our principal to discuss the possibility of me being out very soon. If she is born in the next few weeks I will probably take off until mid April. I really wish I could take off the rest of the year but it doesn't seem likely :(  During our planning the girls decided they needed to buy something for us!!! HA :) So right there they bought our stroller!! And apparently Allen's mom bought our crib today. The most exciting part of the day was when Allen spoke to the Birth Mother. Let's just call her C. He said he got really choked up....she told him that she was sure she wanted to do this and that this was the one unselfish thing she wanted to do in her life. She wants her little girl to have a loving home and she wants us to take her from the hospital. She asked if we would like to come to her next Dr appt and of course we said YES :) She also said she doesn't need contact after the adoption. Our only issue may be with the father. He does have rights, but C said that he is not very responsible and probably cannot take care of a baby. We also will have a 10 day period where they can change their mind, and then a 6 month time period where any relative can come forward and ask to adopt the child. The only issue with this is that they will have to go through a process, home study etc...So I'd say the chances of that happening would be slim.


Anyway, we know we are in for a long road but hopefully once that is over we will be one big happy family. It sounds like regardless we will be taking this baby girl home from the hospital in the next few weeks!!! I am at peace with everything and know that even if it doesn't work out, God has a plan and purpose for all of this. Right now we are trying to gather everything that we need right away. We went and ate at Cheddars tonight to kind of celebrate the possible exciting future!!!

After that we ran to Target and bought a few things. I talked to my stepmom who is a lactation consultant and has worked in pediatrics for years. She told me a list of things I should get right away so we got a few things from Target and each of us picked out an outfit!

Allen picked out the green dress and I picked the romper!! I love them both :)

When we got home I put everything in the nursery. We still have a long way to go, but it's a start. I am just glad we painted the nursery last weekend and moved everything around this week. Once we get the crib in there and stain the changing table, I think it will look good! As far as decorating, we may have to do that after she's here. I do know that I want a wall cling with her name on it, and the verse in Samuel about praying for this child. I am also looking at having a coming home from the hospital outfit made :) It's one thing I've dreamed about for years :) I would like a simple gown with her initials on it. It looks like we are still planning on naming her Delaney Jane, unless something changes with C when we meet her.

Please pray for us as we make some very important decisions in the next few weeks. Please pray that C remains healthy and is open and honest with us about everything. Also please pray for our sweet baby girl and that she will be born healthy. Please remember us as we step forward and we place our faith in the Lord that He will provide through this amazing opportunity for us to become parents.

Visit to Nashville & House Decoration!!

Well, the snow dance worked last week! We got out Friday :) It was such a nice 4 day weekend!! I spent most of Friday cleaning and trying to get the skunk smell out of our house. A week later it is better, but still there!! I ran some errands Friday afternoon and got some really cute lamps for Marshalls for our bedroom. I am super excited to get started on painting and decorating our house!

We traveled to Nashville to celebrate my sister's birthday on Saturday. They had heard about an opportunity to foster some puppies for the weekend and asked if we would mind. I said of course not!! I love puppies :) When we showed up the lady had told Leslie she would be taking a 4 month old yellow lab. However, she ended up giving her 2 eight week old pups! They were cold, hungry and thirsty when we picked them up! But once we got them in the car they were wide awake and moving around! Then the brown one pooped in the crate....GROSS...and we were ready to be home!!!

After a nice bath and a little cuddle time they were ready to go! They were so sweet and cuddly, and I have to admit....I REALLY wanted to take one home. That did wear off eventually though when I realized they weren't house trained, chewed on things, and would keep me up at night. Not to mention, Hank was not a huge fan! I think he didn't like them because they liked to grab onto his ears and tail and chew on the hair :( Poor fella!!!

Hank and Duke didn't know what to think!!!

 

 

We spent most of the afternoon hanging with the pups! After much debating we decided on the names Sampson (brown one) and Jack (white one).Then we ate dinner at Cinco De Mayo for Leslie's birthday. After that we came home to watch the Broncos...Tim Tebow didn't do so hot :(

Jack & Sampson hanging in the crate!

Precious pup

I was so sad to leave, but Monday Thomas took them to another foster home. I hope they get adopted soon!!

Sunday morning we went to church. Leslie leads worship there and it was awesome! We came back to the house and ate pizza then got on the road. I started reading a book Sat on the way down called The Bungalow. By Sunday evening I had the book finished. It was incredible!! One of the best books I've ever read!! I literally couldn't stop reading!! It had so many twists and turns that I was captivated :)

Monday my buddy Amanda had to get a cavity filled so I watched her son Noah for a bit! He's one of the coolest kids ever :) She said he was very excited about me coming over, and that morning he put gel in his hair and sprayed cologne! HA!!

After that we did a little shopping. We walked into Home Goods and I saw the table I have been looking for! It was an extremely good deal and a beautiful table!! We did some more shopping there and Hobby Lobby and I got several things for our house :)

It looks great in our kitchen!!

I got these for the top of our cabinets!! I love the colors :)

I went to Noah's hockey practice and then we met Allen and Matt for dinner. Allen had to bring the truck to get our table home. I made Allen eat dinner at it Tuesday night. It probably won't get used a whole lot until we have kids or have company over, but I am so glad we found a nice table for a really good deal!! Hank also got a new basket for his toys. I think he really likes it better than his old bucket because he can actually see all of his toys :) HA!!

Tonight I tried out a new recipe...chicken & cheese lasagna. Vanessa gave me the recipe. I am always hesitant to try new things because a lot times I end up not liking what I cook...BUT tonight I loved it!! It was a little bland but very tasty! I think I'll add some garlic next time!

Before the oven...chicken & cheese mixture rolled into the noodles. Spaghetti sauce on the bottom.

Add sauce to the top and sprinkle with cheese.

Bake @ 375 for 30 min! YUMMY :)

Still no adoption news :( We are praying for God's wisdom and guidance and that HE will direct our paths and lead us in the way we are supposed to go. I really hope we have a baby soon.

Right now I am doing the East TN teacher Snow Dance :) Living here the weather is so unpredictable!! We are in the valley so most of the time snow just passes over us :( As a teacher with 10 snow days BUILT IN to our school year (we lose them if we don't use them), I am all about getting out for some snow :) Anybody who wants to give me the speech on all the time off I have all year, I'm not listening ;) Anyway, the temperature has dropped very quickly tonight and we are supposed to be getting some snow. I would love to have a 4 day weekend!! We are going to Nashville this weekend to celebrate my sister's birthday so it would be nice to have a few extra days off!

This was our "surprise" snow last week! We weren't in school yet so we didn't get out :)

Last weekend Amanda came over and helped me pick out colors for the rest of the house. She also gave me some decorating ideas and told me some different things I'll need to buy. I'm very excited!! We have to paint the nursery first, but after that I'm hoping we'll be able to paint the kitchen, living room, our bedroom and bath. The colors we chose are: Raw Cinnabar for the kitchen (a darker red), Macchiato for the living room/entryway, Saffron Strands for our bedroom (sort of a goldish color), and Roasted Nuts for our bathroom! (chocolate brown). I got these 2 really cute framed pics from Kirklands the other day. I am going to hang them above our night stands!

I seriously think I could spend an entire paycheck in Kirklands or Hobby Lobby! They have such great sales and adorable things :) After Amanda helped me pick colors, we met her husband and Emily and James at Soccer Taco for dinner. The wait was outrageous but very worth it because it was so yummy!!!

The girls

On Saturday we went to lunch at PF Chang's for Vanessa's birthday. Little Hannah is such a ham! She is growing up so fast. She has such a sweet personality :)

Hannah and Auntie playing with the iphone :)

Saturday night we went over to Allen's parents and ate pizza and played Just Dance! Well, Allen, Vanessa and I played!! Nobody else would dare do it :)

 

 

 

 

I love this pic! Check out her face :)

 We are still "waiting" to hear on our private adoption. We did find out earlier this week that the BM still hasn't told her father, and that is all we are waiting on. Once that happens then they will make the final decision and let us know. I think it was really hard for me this week because it has been a month since we were told about this baby. I was very hopeful that when we received the news that we would move forward from there, and instead it has still just been a waiting game :( I know God is protecting us or teaching us patience still, but I am so ready to know something. I want to start decorating the nursery :) Hopefully we will hear either way in the next week or so considering she is due the end of February!!

Last night after church I came home to a not so pleasant surprise....... Sadie had been sprayed by a skunk! This is the second time this has happened. The first was during the summer so we didn't have to worry about cold weather and it seemed easier to get the smell out. This was horrible!! It must have sprayed her 25 times!! Anyway we bathed her in vinegar and apple cider and then some skunk remover shampoo. Then we had to leave her in Hank's crate overnight so she wouldn't try to get on our bed. She thrashed around and cried a lot
during the night, and between that and the strong smell I barely slept :( Needless to say I was exhausted  today and a little embarrassed about smelling like a skunk. It didn't seem too bad at first but throughout the day it somehow got stronger...how is that possible??? I love the girls I work with :) Have I mentioned that? They were so sweet all day about my skunk issue! I tried not to spread my smell too much HA! Allen was able to buy a odor reducer bomb and so he came home during lunch and set it off and took Hank to work with him. When I came home this afternoon I had to open all the windows to try to air out everything. It got a little chilly in the house!! I really hope the smell goes away soon. Well, still praying for snow this evening!! The forecast says up to an inch possible and its going to get really really cold tonight!! So....we shall see :)
I'll leave you with a pic of my favorite little buddy! This was one day over Christmas break during his noon naptime. I mean, really, do you know a dog that sleeps like this, in a chair??

And yes, he is asleep!!! I love my sweet dog!!

Christmas and Mom's 60th!!!

Well I have to say that I am very sad my break is coming to an end :( I have really enjoyed my time off, especially spending time with family and friends!! I am so glad I have tomorrow off...I think I am officially instituting pajama day tomorrow ;) The whole break I have been so busy and had so much to do that I have not had one day to just stay home and relax. So, that is what I will be doing tomorrow!!

I guess Christmas started for us on the 22nd when we celebrated with Allen's family. His sister had to work Christmas Eve so we had to open presents a few days early! Little Hannah is still the cutest ever. She is walking, or running everywhere now! And into everything!

Allen's family is way too generous at Christmas! They always spend way too much on us!! This year I was really wanting some new shoes....so...that's what I got :) His parents got me the black boots and the TOMS and his sister got me the brown leather boots. I have gotten so many compliments on those already :)

Our presents to each other

Christmas Eve Allen and I did a little shopping. I needed to return something to the mall (HA!) and he wanted to go to Bass Pro Shops!! YIKES! It actually wasn't all that crowded. We went ahead and drove up to the outlets in Pigeon Forge! Allen bought me the Wii game Just Dance 3 for my stocking, but he let me open it early. We had so much fun playing it. Allen always beats me no matter what, and this game is no exception!! :(

We had a blast playing this with everybody we hung out with over Christmas though!!!

Even Hank got an early present :)

Christmas morning we woke up and exchanged gifts! As usual, Allen did way too much!! He got me some Nike shorts, a jewelry box, an Amazon gift card, Forever 21 gift card, and the cowboy boots I've wanted for a while!! Allen loved his AE shirts I got him! He also was very excited about his wheels for his BMX bike! I got him some Nike tennis shoes too. We got ready and drove to JC to meet up with my family. We dropped Hank off and then went to Kingsport to have Christmas with my dad's family. My grandparents were there and it is so weird to see them slowing down. My Papa has a very hard time doing anything by himself :( I love them so much and wish I could see them more often. We had lunch and opened some presents. It was wonderful to visit with all my aunts, uncles and cousins, and of course my cousins kids! I still cannot believe we are old enough to have families of our own. It seems like just yesterday we were kids ourselves. I always loved spending time with my cousins around the holidays. We would spend all day together and then usually go to a movie or go shopping the day after. Now that most of us have families of our own, or in laws to visit with, its usually just a few hour visit and then we go our separate ways. It is nice that we can still get together.

One of the best parts of the trip was getting to see my best buddy Laura!! They live in Canada now and she had a baby in July named Grayson. I was so excited to meet him and to see her little girl Claire. They can only come in once a year so it is so strange to think a year has passed since we last saw them. I went over to her parents house Christmas night to give the kids their presents, and then Laura, her husband Charlie and Grayson came over to my parents house to hang out and play Just Dance. We also went shopping with them the day after Christmas and visited one more time the morning we left. I was so happy to get to spend so much time together! I miss Laura sooooooooo much!!

They are such sweeties! Claire loved her Princess Barbie and Grayson loved his book!

Claire showing that she will be 3 on her bday!!

My bestie!!

Auntie Beth and sweet Claire and Grayson

I didn't take any pictures of my Dad, Glo or Nick :( BOO!! But we had an awesome time with them as well!! They got us some wonderful new sheets, a PF Chang's gift card, a couple of other little things and some cash to help with baby expenses. We all went in together to get Nick a guitar and I think he was really surprised. Allen even gave him a Blue Chip Pick and a box to keep it in with his name engraved. We had some fun times hanging out, playing the Wii, and we even watched The Help! Glo even hooked us up with a few boxes of formula in case we have an adoption happen soon :)

We left JC Tuesday morning and our original plan was to stay the night at home and then get up Wed and go on to Indiana for Mom's bday and Xmas. But Allen decided he would rather just drive on up Tues night, so we stopped off at home to pack a few more things and grab some more presents and headed on to Indy. We got in about 9 Tues night which wasn't bad at all! We were definitely ready to get out of the car!! Wed morning we went over to my brothers house. Anne and I made some things for Mom's party and we got to hang out with sweet Grace. I swear, I have the most beautiful nieces. Grace is 7 months old and is already pulling up on her own. She even stood on her own a few seconds while we were there. Look out world, she will be walking soon!!

Our co-pilot, Hank

Aunt B with Grace (she is wearing the bib I had made for her!!)

Leslie and Thomas got into town Wed afternoon. We all ate pizza and opened gifts at Shane's house. We draw names now instead of getting everybody something. Leslie drew me and Anne drew Allen. Leslie has such a creative gene and made me this beautiful wall art for our future nursery!! I love love love it!!

Thursday we did a little shopping. My Forever 21 gift card was burning a hole in my pocket :) I got a cute dress and some jewelry! We had dinner at Mom's Friday night and played the game Quelf. I don't know if anyone has heard of it but it is a silly nonsense game, but actually a lot of fun. If I drank I think it would be hilarious. You would almost have to have some alcohol in your system to really enjoy it! We had a lot of fun playing tho! Friday was my mom's 60th birthday. I personally think she is the best looking 60 year old out there! I really really hope I continue to look as good as her as I get older :)

Me and my Momma

We had a party for her Friday night. Instead of gifts my mom wanted donations made to a local pit bull rescue. She has always had a love for animals and felt this was a way to give back. My sister made an awesome slide show that really recapped all of the animals in my Mom's life so far. She has always had dogs, cats and horses it seems, and has passed on that love of animals to her kids. Shane, Leslie and I all have rescued pups. Leslie had the pictures blown up and hung them above the donation table. It was really really neat! We had desserts such as puppy chow, cupcakes, fruit and sugar cookies in the shape of fire hydrants and dog houses. The party went really well. She had lots of friends show up and I know the pit bull rescue was very grateful for all the donations.

Mom, Grace and Me

Mom and her 1st grandbaby

Mom, her kids and grandbaby

Grace was getting sleepy!!

Mom with me and Allen

Mom with Shane, Anne and Grace(yep, she's asleep!)

Mom and Dan with Thomas and Leslie

My Dad and Gloria gave this picture to Mom! So of course we had to get a picture with the picture. I'm looking real chunky in the picture  :) HA!! 

All in all it was a wonderful week of fun times with family and friends. We got to see sweet Grace one more time before we left Saturday morning. She is such a cutie pie!

I hope you and your families all had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! The New Years party we usually go to was canceled, so we spent the evening eating pizza, watching E.T. and Super 8 (Allen's fascination with BMX bikes), and watched the ball drop. Then watched those crazy men on ESPN jump motorcycles and snow mobiles really far distances :) HA!! Hoping 2012 brings many blessings your way :)