He's growing...

I took Isaac to the doctor this afternoon. Our doctor was so happy to see me carrying in an infant. Just 3 weeks ago I went in for my wrist and told him we were STILL WAITING, and now we have our baby boy. Isaac's birth weight was 6 lbs 2 ounces and he was 18 3/4 inches long with a head circumference of 12 1/2. Today he weighs 6 lbs 8.8 ounces. He's 19 3/4 inches long and has a head circumference of 13 3/4. I'm so happy that he's steadily gaining. I need to get him out of those preemie clothes!!!!!! Most stores don't carry much for preemie clothing. I had to make a trip to Dollar General to pick up some diapers to get us by for a few more days before we get to Sioux Falls. Would you believe the smallest size they have is for a 8 pound baby. So I had to go to the grocery store and buy some there.

9 days old

Isaac is now 9 days old. I can't believe he's been home with us almost a week. Today we go to the doctor for a check up. I'm anxious to see how much he's grown since leaving the hospital. He's drinking about 2 1/2 ounces every 3-4 hours. He seems to have his days and nights mixed up right now but hopefully that will change soon. We are so in love with our little guy!!!! Here's some pictures for your enjoyment!

Adjusting at home

Isaac is doing well at home. Grandma and Grandpa K, Great Grandma and Grandpa W, and Uncle Nolan all got to meet him Wednesday. Thursday my parents came over during the day to see Isaac and then Brad and Gina and Caden came Thursday night. We've had a few phone calls too so we are keeping busy. I've been doing a lot on my own as Ross has to finish combining. Once that is done he'll be able to help a lot more. It is so amazing to see Ross with his little boy. The love he has for him is amazing. I know everyone is anxious for me to post pictures on the blog. I will do so as soon as the revocation period is over which is Saturday at 5:35 pm.
Today my best friend Sheila is coming over to meet Isaac. It should be a fun day!

Day 3

Today was very emotional and stressful, but oh so worth it. We went to the hospital around 9:30 am. We spent time with Isaac and gave him his bath. He's such a wonderful baby. He had an iv in since birth. Isaac's birthmom didn't have prenatal care the entire 9 months so they gave Isaac antibiotics just as a precaution. His iv was removed this morning so that was nice not having to haul that thing around. Bonnie came in the afternoon and talked with us for a while. Kim (the director from Orange City) also came to see us. It was good to finally meet her. Around 5:00 Bonnie brought a bag of items that Isaac's birthmom had purchased for him. She is amazing and so sweet. She bought him a piggy bank filled with items, blanket, 2 outfits, and a teether. We will cherish it always. Ross and I then left the hospital and birthmom and birthdad would be there to sign papers at 5:35. I left my camera with Bonnie so she could get a picture of Isaac with his birthmom. We came back about 6:45 or so after both birthparents had left. They each spent more time with Isaac (which is a good thing for him). I know it has to be hard for them but I truly believe they are doing the best thing for him. We signed our papers and left the hospital around 8:00. The ride to my parents went well. Isaac slept the whole way.

My parents and Grandma J got to meet Isaac. They love him of course. How can you not love this little guy. We stayed a short time and headed back home. Sam came with us. He wasn't sure what to think but he's adjusting well too. The first night was a little rough. Isaac was up every 1 1/2 to 2 hours. We didn't get much sleep and we had a little problem with a diaper change, but all is well. We love this little boy so much! We have been so blessed.

Day 2

Today was another wonderful day. We got to the hospital around 9:00 am and met with the social worker again. We spent an hour and a half with Isaac and fed him a little formula. He is so sweet. We then met with "N" again. We told her how much this means to us and how much we love her son. She was so happy to hear it and she still feels she is doing the best thing for her son. After meeting with "N" she went to hold her son before being released. Ross and I went shopping and went out to lunch with our social worker. We then headed back to the hospital. The social worker met with the birthdad. "M" then he met his son for the first time. He held his son and our social worker took pictures with our camera of him holding Isaac. We will treasure this forever. We were able to meet "M". He is such an awesome person. He gave us pictures of his family and is so thankful to us. He is very sad but very happy at the same time and I feel for both "N" and "M". Ross and I spent another 3 hours with Isaac bonding with him. I love this parenting role. Ross and I were able to go pick my nephew Josh up and meet with him for supper which was a lot of fun.
Tomorrow the birthparents come back to the hospital to sign the termination papers and hopefully we will be able to head home tomorrow night. We have to pick up our other baby "Sam" and all the Grandparents want to meet Isaac. Well I'm off to bed. I couldn't sleep last night but I sure hope I can tonight as I know the sleepless nights will be here starting tomorrow.
Please continue to keep us in your prayers this week. Once Isaac is ours I will be posting pictures.

What an amazing day!

Today I wasn't feeling the best so I stayed home from church and Ross went. At 11:15 am this morning, Bonnie from the Mason City office called to ask permission to show our profile to a birthmom. She indicated this person had given birth yesterday at 5:35 pm to a beautiful baby boy. I told Bonnie to go ahead and show our profile. She indicated 2 other families would be shown. At 2:45 pm Bonnie called us back and informed us that birthmom has chosen us and asked if we could come to Fort Dodge to meet our son. We met the birthmom around 8:30 tonight. "N" is a wonderful person. She is so sweet and we are so thankful to her for many reasons. Ross and I then spent a couple hours with our son. He is the most beautiful baby boy I have ever seen. His Birthmom named him Avery Daniel. She told us it was totally up to us what we wanted to name him. We are going to name our little guy Isaac Avery. Birthmom and birthdad can sign termination papers anytime after Tuesday 5:35 pm. After they sign, the revocation period is 3 days. Keep us in your prayers!!!!

Disappointed

Our social worker emailed today to let us know that our profile was shown to one of the birthmoms in North Carolina today. This was the situation where the bmom's parents were encouraging her to parent. Anyway, this particular bmom selected another family. It is pretty disappointing and it sort of feels like a rejection. There are still 2 other bmoms in North Carolina that may be looking at our profile in the near future. Ross and I have decided we do not want to be notified when our profile goes out unless the agency needs our permission about a certain situation first. I think it will be easier not knowing.

Profile going to North Carolina

Today we got an email from our social worker. She was wondering if she could send our profile to North Carolina for a few birthmoms to look at. There are 3 pregnant African American moms right now and she briefly described the three situations.

Situation #1- In this situation there is unknown drug or alcohol use and the birthfather is aware of the situation. The birthmother is 20 years old and they have just begun to work with her, so some information is limited.

Situation #2- In this situation the birthmother is 18 years old who is looking at adoption. There has been no drug or alcohol use and the birthfather is in support of adoption. The birthmother's mom is encouraging the birthmother to parent, but the birthmother is still considering adoption.

Situation #3- In this situation the birthmother is 19 and is looking at adoption. She has been receiving prenatal care, and the birthfather is not involved in the process. The birthmother is receiving little support through the pregnancy.

We decided to pass on situation #1 because we really feel we need to know if there was any type of drug or alcohol usage. We may not know anything for a while as it's up to the birthmom as to when she looks at profiles. She may wait a little closer to her pregnancy. In all of these situations, they are all due within 3 months. I looked up North Carolina state law and it appears that after the parents sign the papers, they have 5 days to change their mind. If we would happen to be chosen we could end up having stay in NC for 3 weeks or so.

Prayers would be greatly accepted at this time!

9 months today!

Today marks our 9 month wait. I can't say it has been easy because it hasn't, at least not lately. I know that we could wait another 9 months, maybe even another whole year. It's just a matter of the right birth mom finding us. It's just bittersweet I guess you could say. If I were actually pregnant (instead of paper pregnant in the adoption world) I would be expecting a little one any time now. Unfortunately that is not the case. I have contacted our social worker and director at Bethany. Both have informed me they are still working with various birth moms in various stages of their pregnancy. Some are due yet this year and some are due in 2008. I know on the Bethany boards there are two Iowa gals that have been placed this month. Both were very fast placements. Baby was born and they were with their child within a day or two. Both of these women waited about 10 months so I could be next.

Sometimes I feel like all of our friends will be done having children by the time we receive our little one so that's hard too. I know we will get our baby some day, but it couldn't come fast enough for me.