Meet the Birthmother

Well I let the cat out of the bag on Facebook last night because Levi was doing engineering on the computer.  For those that don't know, at the meeting with Danielle yesterday, she revealed the gender of the baby.  It's a GIRL!  Finally, my dreams of smocked dresses and flower headbands are coming true.  She has named her Gwendolyn, which we like LOVE!  We will call her Winnie.  Levi and I are both fans of The Wonder Years.  The girl on the show was named Gwendolyn, but they called her Winnie.  So Winnie will be placed in our home in either August or September.  Danielle is due September 2.

So now to talk about the meeting, now that I got the really exciting news out of the way.  God was present in that room with us and it was a wonderful feeling.  When Danielle greeted us, she had the biggest smile on her face.  She talked about how nervous she was.  In fact, she called her mom before our meeting to talk about how nervous she was.  Her mom told her, she guaranteed that we were more nervous that she was.  Danielle was adopted, so her parents know first hand what we are going through.  We learned that Danielle has a 15-month-old daughter, Scarlett who lives with her parents.  Danielle plans on moving back home after placement to help raise her daughter.  Her parents have custody of her right now, but they want to give Danielle custody as soon as they feel she is ready.  Danielle talked about how God had given her an enormous sense of peace last week after reviewing the profiles.  She finally knew she was making the right decision.  Cindy, had told her before she viewed the profiles, that God had whispered her name to one of these couples, but didn't tell her which one.  When she called Cindy to let her know she picked us, Cindy informed her it was me who God had whispered her name to.  Danielle cried and knew God was in control of this entire situation.  That actually affirmed her decision.  We were there for close to two hours learning more about her.  She has big plans after placement.  She wants to go to school to be a psychologist and hopefully help birthmothers.  She said she would LOVE to attend A&M!  That of course brought I smile to our faces.

Danielle has dark hair and brown eyes.  She is a little taller than me with a beautiful olive complexion.  She is part Hispanic.  We learned that she is contact with her birthmother.  The birthmother (birth grandmother of our child) lives in the Spring/Woodlands area.  She has numerous birth siblings.  Her birthmother knows that Danielle has decided to place and has been a huge encouragement.

Danielle's adoptive father, Mason and my dad share a birthday.  That came as a shock to us.  What are the odds?  Only God!  Her adoptive father is a design engineer.  Her adoptive mother is a high school spanish teacher.

Our next meeting will be with her parents.  They want to meet us since we will be the one raising their granddaughter.  I'm so excited to meet them.  They have a unique perspective since they to have been in our situation.  I think that will make it easier for them.

Danielle is planning on giving birth at the hospital that my brother and sister were born, Brazosport Memorial.  Again, only God could make this possible.  This means that our daughter will be born in the same county as me!  Danielle's adoptive parents are from Lubbock, which is where Levi was born and still has lots of family there.  Just thinking about all the things that interconnect us already is nothing short than AMAZING.

Now on to a prayer request, the maternity home Danielle is staying is currently having some financial struggles.  Please pray that the maternity home can keep her there until placement.  Danielle is in a loving, stable environment and we wouldn't want that to change.

Thank you for your many prayers, texts, e-mails and messages the last couple of days.  It was so encouraging that so many people were praying for us.  The prayers of the righteous are heard LOUD and CLEAR!  We are so blessed to have so many friends and family praying for this incredible journey.  What huge testimony Winnie will have!

Now off to go buy smocked dresses and flower headbands!

The Call

Memorial Day Weekend is a bittersweet holiday for me.  My dad passed away on Memorial Day Weekend two years ago.  I already knew that this weekend would be tough.  Little did I know that, we would receive the call we had been waiting for.

We finally heard this weekend that Danielle, the birthmother due in August, chose our profile and asked to meet us.  We were beyond excited to receive this news especially on this holiday.  We are scheduled to meet her TOMORROW at 4 p.m.  We're so nervous and anxious to meet the possible birthmother of our child.  Cindy from New Life, mentioned she kept saying on Wednesday, she really liked this profile (ours).  Cindy told her she had to review all the profiles before making a decision.  The great news is Cindy said Danielle sounded the most confident she had ever heard since working with her.

Everyone keeps asking if she's having a boy or a girl, we don't know.  Hopefully we will find out tomorrow.  She has a doctor's appointment in the morning, so we hope it will come up!

Levi and I both feel in our heart of hearts that it's a girl, but it could be a boy.  Either way, we will be thrilled to bring the little one home and love them forever.

Keep in mind that it has been 62 days since we placed a call to New Life!  Only God could make this process go as fast and as smoothly as it has.  We give Him all the glory!

Life's a Beach

We finished the nursery last week.  We went with a beach theme and it turned out great!  We decided on a beach theme since the beach is our favorite place to go as a family.  We thought it could be gender neutral until we find out what we are having!  We can boy-it-up or make it girly very easily.  We are still trying to figure out what verse to put on the wall above the crib.  Any thoughts?  The dresser and glider came from a ministry at The Woodlands United Methodist Church that provides baby items for adoptive and foster families.  The crib we bought from Target.  I thought it was perfect for the beach theme.  We have received many other baby items from church members and friends.  We have bedding for a boy or a girl, so we are waiting to see which bedding we get to use!  Will it be pink or blue, we'll find out soon!  The beach decorations were found at Hobby Lobby and Garden Ridge.  The window panels are from Home Depot of all places!

UPDATE:

We found out yesterday that the birthmother of the four-month-old either chose another family or decided not to place at this time.  That led to some exciting news that Danielle would be shown our profile TODAY!!  We're both nervous and excited to find out what the verdict is.  Our prayer is that His will be done.  We aren't in control, He is.  Again, this a huge faith walk, full of ups and downs, but it's a thrilling ride and I'm not quite ready to be finished.

Until another update...

The Roller Coaster Ride Continues..

Yesterday we heard from New Life that Melissa, the birthmother due in June, picked another family.  I thought we would be upset about it since we rushed to get the nursery ready, just in case she picked us, but Levi and I both were at peace with the news.  The blessing is another family was told they are going to have a child within the month!  God is GOOD.  God is sovereign and He knows the child He has for us.  We will wait patiently for His plan to unfold.  Cindy from New Life said something to me yesterday that stuck with me.  She said, "It's been a roller coaster ride, right"?  I responded, "It has, but I'm enjoying the ride and I'm not ready to get off".  

We are now awaiting news on a birthmother with a four-month-old girl who viewed our profile yesterday.  We were supposed to hear back this morning.  It has been a long morning.  Cindy told us if this mother doesn't pick us, then our profile will be shown to Danielle next.  Danielle is still on my heart.  I pray for her several times a day.  She's part Hispanic and was adopted.  She has a one-year-old little girl that lives with her parents.  Danielle is staying at a maternity home in my hometown.  I just can't help, but think this is the child God has picked out for us.  When Cindy spoke about her in our pre-adoption counseling session, Levi and I both felt she was speaking about our future child.  We are waiting patiently for the phone call to say "you have been chosen".  The Bible says in Ephesians 1:11-12 "In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ might be for the praise of His glory."  That has been the scripture I've been focusing on yesterday and today.

On another note, we are still looking for a fixed side crib.  So if you know of anyone who has one for purchase, please let us know.

Thank you for all of your prayers and encouragement for our family.  The response to this blog has been amazing.

Our Story

 ^"Religion that is pure and good before God the Father is to help children who have no parents and to care for women whose husbands have died who have troubles. Pure religion is also to keep yourself clean from the sinful things of the world." - James 1:27

Fourteen years ago, a boy met a girl in college.  On one of their first dates, the boy tells the girl, God had put it on his heart to adopt and he wanted to make sure the girl was okay with that.   He goes on to say he will have biological and adopted children.  He didn't know what that looked like.  He wasn't sure if the adoption would just happen or if we would go looking for it.  The girl's response was "ok".  The boy is named Levi and the girl is named Lacey.  This is the beginning of our story.

Two years later, we were married.  After graduation, came time to start a family.  We found it difficult to get pregnant.  We started Clomid, a pill to help me ovulate.  Then we began to get pregnant, but my body couldn't hold on to the baby.  My miscarriages would happen between 6-8 weeks.  Finally, after five years of trying, we were pregnant with a baby boy, Trey.  My first trimester was rough.  Morning sickness was awful.  I lost ten pounds, but the baby was growing.  My second trimester was going great until I got food poisoning which threw me into labor.  I happened to be in Lamaze class at the hospital when I went into labor from the food poisoning.  They gave me medicine to stop the labor.  Then two weeks later, a typical check up went a direction I wasn't expecting.  My blood pressure was high.  I had pre-eclampsia.  I had to be hospitalized to get my blood pressure stabilized.  They gave me steroid shots to strengthen Trey's lungs in case they had to induce.  I was discharged from the hospital a couple of days later and put on full bed rest. I went into labor at 35 weeks.  Trey was born 41 minutes after arrived at the hospital.  He was 4 lbs 15 oz and 19 inches long.  He was perfect.  Thanks be to God.

Three years later, we got pregnant with Mason after being on Clomid for a year.  My pregnancy was relatively easy compared to Trey.  On December 25th, while opening presents I began to feel contractions.  I went into labor.  They were able to stop labor that morning.  I was put on bed rest.  I went in for a check up a couple of weeks later and the PA said I was having contractions.  My blood pressure was starting to rise.  She gave me a steroid shot and wanted to admit me.  The doctor on call said no and sent me home.  She decided to order the pre-eclampsia test against his orders.  All weekend my blood pressure kept climbing.  I began to have headaches and blurry vision.  I went to the doctor four days after that for a sonogram to see if Mason was head down.  The sonogram technician asked if anyone had talked to me about my placenta. I told her no.  She called the doctor in and he looked at the sonogram.  He asked me to get dressed and come to his office.  The doctor said my placenta was deteriorating  and he needed to get Mason out now.  Luckily, the PA had run the test and it came back as toxemia.  He explained that this would be completely different than Trey's delivery.  I would be induced at 34 weeks to the day and Mason would be admitted to NICU for at least 2 weeks, maybe longer.  He wasn't sure if the steroid shots I had received a few days before worked.  I was induced that morning at 8 a.m. and Mason came into the world at 10 a.m. on the dot.  He was 4 lbs 2 oz and 17 inches long.  He was tiny, but perfect.  They immediately rushed him to NICU and I didn't see him again for 36 hours.  My blood pressure was at stroke level as I delivered him.  There was some hairy moments in the room right before delivery when they thought they might lose one or both of us.  I only know about Mason's delivery because of what Levi has told me.  I can't remember his birth at all.  It hurts my heart to know that I can picture every moment of Trey's birth, but have no clue about Mason's.  Mason spent the longest ten days of our lives in NICU.  Levi and I were there from 7 a.m. till 10 p.m. every day.  The NICU nurses told us the preemies whose parents where in there everyday holding and feeding them, get out quicker.  So that's what we did.  We held him so much, he had flat-head and had to wear a helmet for three months, but that's another story.  

A few weeks later, my doctor advised me against having any more children.  He explained if I did get pregnant, I would be on bed rest beginning in the second trimester.  I always felt our family wasn't complete, but I learned to be content with what we had.  

Two years ago, while Levi was in El Salvador on a mission trip with Compassion International, God gave him a clear vision of us adopting a Hispanic girl.  He came home and let me know God was calling us to adopt.  I began to pray.  I was on board, but didn't know how we would do this.  On Memorial Day weekend that year, my dad passed away suddenly of a heart attack.  This turned our world upside down.  Life happened and somehow we let a year and half go by before we revisited the adoption thing.  This past February when Levi returned from El Salvador, I told him I was going to start looking for an adoption agency.  A couple in our Sunday School class have an adopted Hispanic girl.  I asked them which agency they used.  She told us about New Life Pregnancy Center  She wasn't sure they were taking new couples, but told me to give them a call.  I sent an e-mail requesting information about adoption.  They sent an e-mail with a screening packet attached.  We filled out all that was involved with the screening packet which included our testimony and Christian questionnaire. Susan, told us that we should hear back in a few weeks.  We received an e-mail in two days from Cindy, the director requesting an interview.  We met with her for two hours hearing about New Life's adoption stories, policies and all the legal jargon that goes with an adoption.  At the end of the meeting, Cindy mentioned a birthmother that matched our criteria.  Levi and I both grabbed each other's hand and we both thought she's talking about our baby.  Then came the mountain of paperwork that comes with an adoption.  Inspections, physicals, taxes, etc.  I thought to myself I'm never going to get through this.  Two weeks later, we finished most of the paperwork.  I sent off what we had.  A few days later, during my personal quiet time while folding laundry, God gave me a name Danielle.  I thought he was telling me to name our daughter, Danielle.  I began to look at girl names that would go with Danielle.  I sent some to Levi that morning.  It was fun.  Later than afternoon, I received an e-mail from Susan saying our home study had been started.  Then 15 minutes later, we received an e-mail from Cindy asking us to pray about showing our profile to a birthmother named, Danielle!  It took my breath away. Of course, we told her yes.  Last week, while on our way to meet the social worker at the agency, we received on e-mail from Cindy telling us about a birthmother named Melissa, who met our criteria.  She wanted us to pray about showing our profile to her.  At first, I was hesitant because of Danielle.  But Cindy explained that God was sovereign and if He wanted us to have Danielle's baby, Melissa wouldn't pick us.  So we agreed to have our profile shown to Melissa who is due in June.  While meeting with the social worker that afternoon, she encouraged us to begin putting the nursery together.  I placed a call to a friend of ours who works in a ministry at the Methodist Church who gives baby items to foster or adoptive families.  She said she had just received a call from a church member than had a nursery full of furniture.  I told her we would take it.  We found out that the crib had been recalled, but luckily a member of our Sunday School class had a new crib, still in the box that they never used.  We had a crib and furniture! So one post on Facebook and we were able to get everything for the nursery we still needed.  Thank you, Lord for social networking!  So as I write today, it has been 46 days since I made contact with New Life Pregnancy Center.  Levi and I have such a close walk with the Lord, we feel him right next us, walking hand and hand through this process.  He keeps showing us doors and we keep walking through them.  This has been an amazing 46 day journey and it's just beginning.  Yesterday was Mother's Day and Levi just knew we were going to get a call saying we had been picked.  He was little disappointed yesterday evening and today he told me to keep the phone near me in case someone calls.  He just knows that a call is coming soon.  I feel Danielle is our birthmother and we will get a call in the future.  We will have to wait and see!  Our favorite verse is Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you, not to harm you.  Plans that will give you hope and a future. "  We know that God's plan is good and that only He knows what the future holds for our family.  To God be the Glory!