Transracial Adoption

We still have a lot to learn and will always be learning, that is what life and parenting are all about....

This is a great video clip highlighting transracial adoption. I pray that our son will feel this way when he is all grown up....

The guessing game is over!

It's a BOY! (that is just a facial profile picture...didn't want our son to blame us later for damage incurred by showing everything!)

Walter and I traveled to SC to be with C while she had her ultrasound appointment. Though after talking with her on the phone prior to our visit, she did say she only felt comfortable with me being in the room with her. I think mainly just because I was another "girl" and we had spent a little more time together. Luckily we were able to get a disc of the images and one is a brief "video" image.

It was incredible to see all of the "parts", the heart chambers, the spine, the head, arms, legs and of course finally knowing if we should paint pink or blue. He was a little stubborn, keeping his legs crossed, wasn't sure if we were going to be able to find out. The first thing C said after the tech said it was going to be a boy, "well, you won't have to worry about doing hair". (meaning a little girl...which we had joked about me need to learn...) Everything else looked great, normal measurements, he's 2 pounds right now which is pretty normal for 28 weeks and we're on target for December 3rd.

The tech printed out the images and gave them to C, some were duplicates and she was showing me which ones I could have. Still reminding me that this is the baby she is carrying. She was very gracious and comforting to us. We took her out for dinner and had a really good conversation. She sincerely feels she is making the best decision for herself and for her baby. We already love this little guy and can't wait to meet him. This will definitely be a Christmas to remember this year!

Now, on to look at nursery items and paint colors!

September 5th, 2010

I went with C last Wednesday to her doctor's appointment (first OB appointment in Greenville). Turns out it was an intake appointment with the nurse, she took vital signs and they did lab work including a glucose tolerance test, but no ultrasound. Apparently Medicaid does not pay for a new OB appointment and an ultrasound on the same day. Plus the ultrasound machines and techs were in another building. So, no news yet about the gender. They scheduled her for September 10th for an ultrasound and Walter and I are both planning to go. It will be nice to have him come this time. Those 3 hours driving there and then back get lonely! As far as we know all the lab work was fine.

After C's appointment, I took her out to Ruby Tuesdays for a late lunch/early dinner and then we went to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things. She still doesn't have cable and since you have to have a converter box now to pick up antenna channels, she's a little bored shall we say! We got another dvd tv series and I had brought her a puzzle book to help keep her busy. We hung up some pictures in her apartment to make it a little cozier.

This time was definitely less awkward, C was quiet at first but after her appointment and drinking that sugary drink (for her test) she was very talkative! It was nice to have some "bonding" time and we planned to go get nails done, but we ran out of time.

We are still nervous and excited and at times feel like we are dreaming but continuing to pray for C and the baby's health.

Our first meeting...expanded version

Two weeks ago we left on a Saturday morning a little after 8:30 filled with excitement and anticipation headed to Greenville SC to meet our birth mother. In these updates, I will just call her C to respect her privacy. After stopping a few times to make sure none of the furniture was going to fly off the back of the truck, we finally made it to her apartment around 12. We had to wait a little bit for C and her birth mother liaison Danielle to get back from grocery shopping. They arrived along with a guy to help Walter move the furniture into the 2nd floor apartment.

When C got out of the car and our eyes met, I felt at peace, we hugged and said our hellos and proceeded into the apartment. Danielle suggested I stay in the apartment with C while she and the guys unloaded the truck. I helped C put away groceries, we chit chatted nervously and tried to think of things to say. I showed her some of the things our family and friends had given us to bring and she was very thankful. Her favorite color is yellow, but she loves bright colors, so we had a yellow rug she put in the kitchen, another great friend gave her brand new green towels and bathroom set and she loved those too.

I left the bolts/screws that held the kitchen table legs to the table and Walter needed to get a few other things, so he left and went to Lowes and Danielle was finished so she left too. So it was just me and C. We sat in an awkward silence for a little while, I would ask some questions about her college or her family and she would answer. I think she was just shy, nervous and tired. She even dozed off for a few moments sitting on the couch. Then she had the idea to go sit in her room where we had set up the tv and dvd player. I had brought her Miss Congeniality 1 and 2 because she had said those were her favorite movies, but she also had a movie with her, and when she pulled it out, it was funny because, I said that's my favorite movie...How to Lose a Guy in 10 days! ;) So we watched part of that while we waited for Walter to return.

Once we got everything settled at the apartment, we left and went to Olive Garden for a late lunch. We were all starving. She said she had never been to an Olive Garden. Lunch conversation was still kind of awkward silence, but we did talk more about her family and ours. She says she talks to her dad everyday. She seems to be closest to her dad out of all of her family but I don't think that was always the case. It did sadden us a little because when we talked about Christmas, (she said, you guys will have a nice Christmas present) she said Christmas was like another day to her, she didn't really spend it with family, she wasn't close to a lot of her family.

After lunch we took her to a store to get a shower curtain and bedspread, we picked up a few other necessities and when we got back in the car,and you could tell she was a little overwhelmed, she said thank you so much for everything. This is my favorite moment of the day: Walter replied, "You're family, that's what we do for family."

Even with all the awkward silence and nervous moments, I think the day turned out very well, I feel more comfortable about everything and I am planning to go with her to her first doctor's appointment.

Please continue to keep all of us in your prayers. We thank you so much for your love and support.

A lot to digest

We met our birth mother for the first time today. I think we were all nervous and anxious and just overwhelmed. But we hugged and smiled and had a few laughs here and there. Almost need to sit back and reflect some more before writing more about it....but my favorite moment of the day was when C (our birth mother) said thank you in response to furniture and items we brought to her and bought for her, Walter's immediate response without hesitation was, "you're family, that's what we do for family." That totally warmed my heart and sent goosebumps down my arms.

Tomorrow is the first step....

In a new journey....yes....we were matched with a birth mother and we will meet her tomorrow for the very first time! We have talked with her on the phone and shared some texts back and forth but tomorrow will be the first face to face meeting! We are nervous, excited, thrilled, anxious, every great emotion rolled into one. Will she like us? Will we be good enough for her?

She sounds so sweet on the phone and really seems to have a good head on her shoulder.

I just pray that God will guide us all in the right direction, calm our nerves and relieve any fears we all might have. I know this is a HUGE decision for her and I am grateful that she is trusting us with the opportunity to parent her baby.

The past 2 1/2 years of waiting, going through potential matches, etc have been a roller coaster of a ride....but I am putting my faith in God that this is the ONE and that the wait will be worth it all.

News to come....

We've had some recent activity and while I can't say much now, I hope to be able to really soon.... God is good. All the time...