Delaney Jane is 1 month old!!!

Delaney Jane you are 1 month old today!! I cannot believe it has been a month since we got the phone call that changed our lives forever. You have grown so much in the past few weeks. You now weigh 7 lbs 5 oz and are 19 inches long.

You are still in newborn clothes and newborn diapers. You are eating about 3 ounces every 3 hours.

You keep changing daily! I think you become more beautiful every morning. You have such a sweet personality and are very rarely fussy. You let me dress you up and put hair bows in your hair!!

You love to ride in the car! I hope this means you won't mind road trips because we have family spread out all over :) You still enjoy swinging and laying on your belly. Hank is still enamored with you and wants to know where you are at all times :) It's very cute!!

I think you look so big in this photo. You may have long legs!!

Your hair looks like it is getting lighter, but you still have plenty of it :) I hope you don't lose it!!!

There are some days when I just stare at you in awe wondering if you really are mine... I know there are still some legal issues we have to go through, but you, sweet girl, have been ours from the beginning. God knew what He was doing and I believe we are your forever family. I cannot wait to see how much you grow and change in the next month!!

We love you so much sweet girl!! You are so beautiful and so loved by everyone who meets you :)

Timeline of Events

I thought I would take the time during this post to recap our infertility timeline. Back a few months ago, I documented roughly everything we have been through since we started trying in June 2008. The last date I had entered then was December 8th when we sent our last check to our agency. Well, God had such a bigger plan for us because on December 9th, 1 DAY after sending off the last check, we got the phone call about our sweet baby girl. Two months later she was born!! And here we are tomorrow, celebrating her 1 month birthday :) I copied and pasted the old post up until Dec 8th, then added in the last few months dates that were important. It's still crazy to see God's timing in all of this. As I've said before, if I had known 4 years ago this was the plan, I'm not sure what I would have thought. I do know that I couldn't imagine my life as a mother to any other child right now. If we had not been there, who knows where she would be :( Her little life, and ours has been changed forever :)

June 22, 2008 : Allen agrees to start TTC
December 2008: 1st doctor visit
February 2009- HSG (made sure tubes were open)
April 2009- Changed doctor
June 2009- Started rounds of Clomid and IUI's (took several breaks during this time)
February 2010: First laparoscopy to check for Endometriosis (had mild case)
June 2010- 1st appt with an actual fertility specialist. They decide to try HMG shots
July 2010- Another round of HMG shots
August 2010-Jan 2011: Took a break from everything (This was the point where once a week I got a phone call announcing someone was pregnant.)
Jan 2011: Decided to try one last round of shots (Started getting curious about adoption.)
(took a break for a bit)
April 2011: 2nd laparoscopy (still had some Endometriosis. Removed and very hopeful!!)
June 2011: Poured out my heart to Allen about our childless family :( Prayed about and decided to pursue domestic infant adoption. Contacted a family friend who works for Lifeline Children's Services in Birmingham, AL.
June 24, 2011: Turned in application to Lifeline
July 2011: Approved and began home study paperwork
August 2011: Fingerprinted and went to open adoption seminar
September 2011: 1st home study visit (We traveled to Nashville)
October 2011: 2nd home study visit (She came to our house.)
November 2011: Started getting overwhelmed and felt we would never finish. Paid for home study and finished up all the necessary paperwork for both agencies...bi racial questionnaire, desire of child form, etc...
Started working on our profile. Found a really good deal on photo books on Shutterfly so worked diligently to finish before the deal ended!!
November 29: Amy looked over our profile, we made a few changes and ordered the next day!
November 30: Profile books ordered
December 7: Profile books arrive at Lifeline
December 8: Sent last profile fee check (When this arrives we will officially become a "waiting" family)
December 9- We receive a phone call from Allen's Mom about a potential birth mother who is willing to let us adopt her baby. We don't hear back from them for over a month. This was a very stressful time for me. 
During this time we did receive word of 2 possible birth mother profiles through our agency that we could look at and decide if we wanted our profile shared. Both were very discouraging to us and we felt so torn. :( However looking back now, I know God was preparing our hearts for this blessing :)
Jan 25- We got a phone call from Allen's mom stating that she had spoken to the BM's mom and that she was still very interested in the adoption and that she may have the baby sooner than March 1st!! We started preparing for a baby at this point. I lined up a sub and got all the necessary paperwork filled out just to be on the safe side. (We literally had just finished painting the nursery the weekend before :)
Jan 30- Found out about the doctor's appt scheduled for the next week. BM wants us to come and meet her
Feb 6- Doctor's appt where we got to meet BM and see our little girl for the first time!!
Dr scheduled a follow up visit for that Thursday to check everything.
Feb 9- On our way to the doctor's appt Allen got a phone call from BM's mother saying she was not going to the Dr visit. We weren't told why and we began to worry :( She re scheduled for the next morning but was unsure if she would show up for that one either.
Feb 10- Allen talked to the mom again and said she couldn't get a hold of BM by phone and she wasn't answering the door. She feared her boyfriend was back in the picture and that was why she was avoiding her. We were devastated. I spent all day at school trying not to worry, but I feared the worst and was just certain we were going to lose this baby. (What we didn't know at the time was that our precious baby girl was born at 10:22 a.m.)
Feb 10- 10:30 PM While at a friend's house playing Xbox and eating pizza, Allen receives a phone call from the BM's mother saying that the baby had been born, that she was in the NICU because drugs were found in her system, and that the social worker wanted us to call her. Allen calls the social worker and our journey begins. That night we pray fervently that God protect this baby and our hearts!!
Feb 11- The morning started out horribly as I feared the situation wasn't one in which we should venture down. Allen comes home and says we can go the hospital to meet our daughter. We get ready and head over to the hospital. After figuring out who we were, the NICU nurses let us back and we set eyes on our daughter for the very first time ...

 Feb 20- Delaney is discharged from the hospital and we take our baby girl home :)
March 10- Tomorrow our little angel will be a month old!!

I don't know why I ever doubted God's plan or His timing!! We  knew He had a much bigger plan than us and it has been more than we ever dreamed possible.And now that we can see some of the plan, it's neat to go back and look at how He was working even when we didn't know it.... Like for example, we started the adoption process in June, when she was conceived. We spent 9 months from the time of starting the process till her birth, waiting, just like a normal pregnancy. Isn't that neat how God works all of that out??

I know that our story is far from complete, but I do know that God answered our prayers...We prayed for 3 1/2 years for him to bless us with a child, and we now have that blessing. God is so good!!

Sweet Delaney Jane

I hope everyone has had a great week! We have enjoyed spending time with this precious little girl :) Today was her first day completely off of the Phenobarbital. She has done great! She was on such a low dosage the last few days anyway, that I don't think we'll be able to tell anything :)

Sunday afternoon we ran to return a few things to Babie R Us & Target (again :) We took turns going in again!! While we were out there my sister sent a message saying they were driving through Knoxville. I called her and it just so happened that they weren't far from where we were at! For those who don't know, she is a recording artist. Her and a guy named David Leonard started a group called All Sons & Daughters and they are currently touring with Chris Tomlin in Canada!! So she will be gone pretty much the whole month of March. We were able to stop and hang out for a bit and she was so excited to get to see Delaney again. She loves this little dollbaby :)

Monday we just hung out around the house. I am slowly but surely working on getting birth announcements and thank you cards sent out!! I really can't stand to not have that done :( Monday afternoon Pam & Bekah came by! They hadn't seen Delaney since the day she came home from the hospital!! Pam was SOOO excited to finally hold this sweet little girl. She has been praying for years for us to have a baby because she wants so badly to babysit ;) HA!!

Monday evening some sweet friends from school stopped by and brought us dinner! The Meal Train thing is incredible and we have had so many people help out :) We have eaten some incredible meals!! I don't wanna go back to cooking!! HA!!

Debbie & Jessica have been friends of mine since my internship year! They were so excited to meet Delaney :) Jessica brought her 3 sweet girls!!

Yesterday we had a pretty low key day. Our sweet friends The Hardy's bought Delaney a Phillies outfit and wanted to bring it by. We will definitely be cheering the Phillies on together this Fall!

Cameron wasn't too sure about his Mommy holding another baby :) Love this face!!!

After they left we decided to venture out to eat! I know we shouldn't have her out in public yet, but I really wanted to take her somewhere small and not very busy. Joel & Kendra and Tina, Shane & Izzy met us to eat Mexican :) It's our favorite place to go!!

Kendra LOVES to hold her :)

Tina, Izzy, Kendra & Delaney

Memaw, Papaw & their girls :)

I had to share these pictures with you! Delaney was wide awake for quite a while yesterday, so I decided to take a few pics ;) She is such a cutie!

This one is so sweet with her hands on her little belly :)

LOVE the b&w :)

Check out her silver shoes!!!

Delaney continues to grow and change everyday! We feel so blessed that God has given us this precious gift. We are so glad He chose us to be Delaney's parents! We hope all of the legal stuff works out and that she will "officially" be a Goins very soon. Thank you all so much for all of the prayers and encouragement! We have just been overwhelmed by all of the love everyone has shown us the past month!! Stayed tuned later this week for Delaney's one month update! I can't wait to take her picture and chart her growth/progress :)

Girls Night Out

We've had a nice couple of days here at home! Thursday night Joel and Kendra brought us dinner! They made chicken casserole, macaroni & cheese, mashed potatoes, corn, bread, and lemon cookies! I mean...seriously!! I think I'm just going to start going to her house to eat...AMAZING :) And of course, when they come over they HAVE to love on our little girl. We just love them so much. They are a wonderful example to us, and we feel so blessed to have them in our lives!!!

After they left, my sweet friend Lori who teaches Kindergarten at Claxton came by with her little girl Lynnlee! They were so sweet :) Lynnlee just couldn't keep her hands off of her...it was so precious!! Hank also really enjoyed Lynnlee!! He decided he wanted to play and tried to get her to chase him around the couch. It was hilarious!!!

So sweet!

Last night I did end up going to the concert! We were unsure at first because there was a tornado warning for Knox County, but luckily we all made it to the restaurant safely!! It was so nice to visit with my girls. I really miss them!!!! Poor Jennifer was sick and wasn't able to make it though :(

Emily, me & Amanda

Girls Night Out!

We got to the concert a little after Scotty started. He was really good! Crazy to think that a year ago he was just a normal guy in high school. American Idol does crazy things!!

Hanging out at the concert!!

After Scotty, The Band Perry played! They were also really good. It's neat to see so many people locally who have made it so big. They seem like really sweet people too. Very humble and very appreciative to the fans for helping them become big hits!!

Rockin our cowboy boots!! Hot mommas :)

Lovin some Brad Paisley!!

Finally Brad Paisley came out :) I really don't think I realized how many songs he has out! Good grief! The man writes some good music. He played A LOT of my favorites. He was also very entertaining... and speaking of American Idols....guess who made a surprise appearance during the song "Remind Me" ...

YEP! Carrie Underwood!! The crowd went crazy!! She came out from behind a curtain and all you could see at first was her silhouette. Then she started singing and walked out on stage! It was awesome. She is so talented and very beautiful too!!! He played a few more songs and wrapped it up! All in all it was a fabulous night! The real bad storms hit while we were in the concert so the drive home was just fine. Allen and I checked in with each other all night. Sweet Delaney was great! And of course, I knew Allen could handle it, I just hated being away, especially if the weather was bad. It was nice to spend a night out with the girls though. It is very weird not seeing them everyday, but I am so grateful to have the chance to be a mommy :) When I got home there were a few people happy to see me....

Hank is never far away from wherever Delaney is :)

3 weeks!!!

Our little Delaney Jane is 3 weeks old!!!! So hard to believe!! She is really starting to fit into her newborn clothes and is much more alert for longer periods of time.

She is starting to eat 3 oz more often and can usually go 3 hours. She still gets up after 2 hours occasionally overnight!! She is still such a good baby. Very happy, rarely fussy and just cute as a button in my opinion!!

We are really doing well at home! We have somewhat of a schedule going, but it will be nice when we can get out and about a little. Right now she does sleep A LOT!! Which is nice for me because I can get some things done around the house!

Yesterday my friend Rachel brought her little boy Stephen over and we walked around the neighborhood. It was such a beautiful day!!

2 little cuties!!

Today we are having severe weather :( I really hope it passes quickly because I am supposed to go to the Brad Paisley concert tonight and I really don't want to be driving in bad weather!!

It's hard to believe in just a few days Delaney will be a month old! Time is already flying by! I love being at home with my little sweetheart :)

Day to Day

Sorry I haven't posted in a few days! Really, not too much has gone on! HA :) We've had a little more low key week, still some visitors but not quite as many :) Tuesday was another beautiful day so we took our afternoon walk again. Delaney and Hank both enjoy it so much, and it's nice for me to get out of the house for a bit!! Tuesday night Rachel Blakney brought us dinner. It was delicious!!! Saucy Island Sandwiches, twice baked potatoes, and monkey bread ;) YUMMMY!! I feel ridiculous having others cook for us when I clearly am capable!! And especially Rachel, who is off of work because she has a baby at home. People are just so generous!! Anyway she hung out for a bit and Joel and Kendra, AKA Papaw & Meemaw came by to visit too! They love this sweet baby that's for sure! Around 7, our sweet friends Kelly & Kalee came by to meet Delaney Jane!

Aren't these ladies beautiful? :) And they are as beautiful on the inside as on the outside!! So blessed to have them as friends!!

After they left, we settled in to watch American Idol. I don't know how many Idol watchers we have this year, but I feel like they let some really good people go home, and some not so good people stay. I really have no idea who I want to win!!

Delaney has been having some gut issues this week. I had started worrying because her poopie diapers were fewer and then none. (Sorry if this is TMI :) So I kept praying every time I changed her that it would be a dirty one! HA :) Oh, how our priorities change, right? So I called the doctor yesterday and the nurse told me a few different things but also reassured me that irregular stools are pretty normal. Luckily she went last night so we didn't have to do any of those ideas the nurse gave me!! Shew....

Wednesday was sort of a lazy day around here. We literally stayed in our pj's all day! I probably wouldn't have even bothered, but Tina had told me about Picky Chick Consignment Sale and really wanted me to come. They open early for new moms to come and shop before everyone else. So, I hurried and got ready and Allen came home a little early from work to stay with Delaney! The sale was slightly overwhelming, but I did come away with some adorable outfits. All of them are very nice clothes, in almost perfect condition and I didn't pay over 5 bucks for anything!! A mommy can get into some trouble in those kind of places, especially if you have girls!! My goodness the amount of stuff they have that is so cute! I thought I did pretty well. I got an adorable basket that matches her room, 2 pairs of shoes, and 13 outfits (mainly dresses) for 59.50! 16 items for under 60 bucks! I think that's a steal. Some of these outfits probably cost 20 dollars new!!

Hard to see, but oh so cute!!

These 2 smock dresses look brand new and were 5 bucks!! Unheard of :) One of them I'll probably use for baby dedication.

I also got this adorable outfit in the mail from my sweet cousin Lindsey!! I just love it!! She will probably be able to wear it next year :)

Last night Allen's parents came by to hang out and love on sweet Delaney! They stayed and watched American Idol with us too. Allen's dad is so much fun to talk to about American Idol. He always has such strong opinions, and he is very musically talented so it's nice to hear what he thinks!!

I thought I'd share a few funny Hank stories on here too! He continues to be such a good dog around Delaney. He spends most nights asleep in front of the pack n play. I like to think he is protecting her!! The other day when I was changing her diaper she was pitching a fit, screaming really loud!! Most of the time if she is crying, Hank will come running. And he did. But this time he jumped up on the bed and started howling. Needless to say I couldn't stop laughing. It was sooo cute!! He also loves to push her in the swing. He is one hilarious dog. Most nights when I get up with her I trip over him because he's right in the way. Last night though, he must have been off duty. He slept ALL night, through all the feedings, in Allen's recliner in the living room!! And where did I find him a little while ago???

He is such a funny dog!!!!

Joel & Kendra are bringing us dinner tonight, and my sweet friend Lori from school is coming by! Tomorrow night I have tickets to see Brad Paisley, The Band Perry, and Scotty McCreary. I've been hesitant about going because I don't wanna be a loser mom right off the bat and leave my sweet baby!! But Allen will be home with her and I know he will do great! I'm going with my girls from school, so it will be nice to visit with them and hang out. Plus it's an awesome country concert!!!
I'm sure I'll post some pics from that in the next few days :)
I better go wake up my beautiful baby girl!! It's time to eat again :) HA!!

It's upside down again...can't figure out what's wrong :)