1/2 Birthday

Today, we received a tremendous blessing in our mailbox.  An anonymous donor sent us $500 towards Oliver’s adoption.  We just wanted to take a moment this Christmas season to thank each and every one of you who gave to help us on our adoption journey.  We are so very grateful for each and every one of you.  God is so good to us and He provides for us when we least expect it. 

Oliver is a tremendous blessing.  He is 6 months old today.  He is so good natured and also so physically strong.  Putting him on a blanket these days is a waste of time.  He rolls both ways, and he’s getting up on his hands and knees and rocking in a most reckless manner.  He’ll be crawling soon and Lincoln will be sorry he ever hit him with that highchair tray.  He is such a happy baby and always laughs as the silliest things.  Now if we could just get him to sleep at night!  This has been such a wonderful year and we are so excited about this Christmas with our two blessed boys!  

Photo courtesy of Sycamore Lane Photography – check it out!

Show Hope

Today John brought in the mail and handed me an envelope with a Show Hope return address.  He said he was to nervous to open it.  So I took it, ripped it open, and quickly scanned the letter.  These words stood out: “On behalf of Show Hope and the donors who make our grants possible, we rejoice with your family as you step out in faith to experience the miracle of adoption.  We are pleased to inform you that you have been awarded an adoption assistance grant in the amount of $5,000.”  We immediately bowed our heads and praised God for such an incredible gift!  We have been so blown away by God’s faithfulness through Oliver’s adoption process, not just financially but just in the way he orchestrated all the little details.  Our little family is so blessed!

Now for baby eye candy:

 

This and That

We are now half way through the second week since John’s return to work.  I’m taking all the night time feedings because I don’t want John to have to do that while he’s working (though I know he would take one if I asked – he’s a good man).  I’m exhausted but I feel like I’m somehow adjusting to very small amounts of sleep.  I feel awful from lack of sleep but somehow God just keeps giving me the grace/strength to get through one more day.  By this age, Lincoln was already sleeping through the night but I think we may still have a long road ahead with Oliver!  Bring on the coffee!!

For anyone who didn’t hear through Facebook or the grapevine, the court date for Oliver’s birthparents to terminate their rights went perfect.  Thank you for praying!  His birthfather didn’t even show up – something we are extremely grateful for!  After the hearing, Oliver’s birthmom texted me to tell me things went well and that she felt so happy knowing that Oliver was in a safe place and loved.  It has been such a blessing to us to be able to keep in contact with her.  She is an awesome person and we just love her.

Last night I received an e-mail from Show Hope – one of the foundations from which we are hoping to receive a grant (ranging from $1,000 – $7,000, so a pretty big deal).  They wanted to know if our adoption went through and how things were going before they presented our case to the grant committee.  We’re taking this as a good sign that maybe we still have a decent chance of receiving a grant!  I typed up an e-mail and attached a family snapshot (shamelessly trying to schmooze them with a picture of my adorable family) and sent it right out.  Then after I sent it, I felt so nervous.  What if we don’t get it?  What if in my sleep addled state I didn’t word things right and I blew our chances?  And then I looked down at Oliver sleeping in my arms and thought “Who cares?  I doesn’t really matter – I’ve got everything I ever wanted right here in my arms.”  So whatever God’s will is in this, I’m okay with it.  In other financial news, you might notice that we’ve hit the $4,000 mark in our fundraising!  Wow!  We are amazed at how God has used so many of you to bless us.  Our hearts are so happy and full of love for all of you!

And in just general randomness:

Lincoln loves water so we’ve been trying to go to the lake as often as possible for picnics and then swimming.  He has no fear of the water and will walk out as deep as he can (up to his chin) and then try to let go of my hands!  The first time we let him get in the water, he reached down and splashed his hands and then stood up and yelled “Oh YAY!” in his crazy little boy voice.  I love to see the joy it brings him!

Oliver smiles and coos all the time now.  He is the happiest baby.  I can’t tell you how many times I look down and he’s smiling up at me!  Oliver loves to eat and is getting so round!  I think he’s playing catch up.  I’m looking forward to his next doctors appointment to see how much he’s gained!

Lincoln has developed a climbing obsession, as I suppose most little boys his age do.  It’s adorable and frightening at the same time, he’s a little too confident sometimes.  I don’t know how many times I come into a room to see him trying to climb something.

 

That’s it for now.  If you think of it, pray that if it’s God’s will, we would receive a grant.  Thanks!

 

Court Date

John and I heard from our caseworker today and Oliver’s birthparents have a court date scheduled to sign off on their parental rights on July 29th, at 11:00am.  We’re so excited to have the court date scheduled so soon.  It’ll be nice to breathe a sigh of relief once that is over.  We don’t have any worries about his birthmom but there’s been some concern about the birthfather trying to contest the adoption, and from what we know it would not be a safe place for Oliver.  But we know that God is in control and that he loves everyone involved.  Please continue to cover the whole thing in prayer.  Thanks!

An Update with a Splash of Sleep Deprivation

Things are going well here.  We’re quickly learning how to juggle two under two.  Not to whine but it’s harder than it looks!  We’re tired but we’re surviving.  I say a lot of things I don’t remember.  Apparently one night I said we ‘needed to eat Oliver’.  I meant ‘feed Oliver’.  There’s lots of napping and caffeine.  Since I’m a night owl and John’s a morning person, we have a system worked out where I take the late night feedings and he gets up with the boys in the morning, while I catch a little sleep.  It’s been working out pretty good for both of us, but I have no idea what I’m going to do when he goes back to work!  Today when I woke up, I bent down to kiss Lincoln and his eyes flicked up to my hair and he grinned and laughed.  The lack of sleep must really be showing if my 16 month old notices!

Oliver is doing great.  He’s such a sweet but spunky baby.  He let’s you know when you’re not doing things the ‘right’ way.  I know that no one will believe this but last week I was talking to him and he looked up at me and smiled – with his eyes and everything!  For such a little guy, he can really eat.  At his last doctors appointment he weighed 6 pounds 8 ounces – he’s gained almost a whole pound in two weeks time!

Lincoln is doing really well adjusting to Oliver.  Sometimes when Oliver cries Lincoln will bring Marcel (Lincoln’s lovie) over and throw him at Oliver!  Good thing Marcel is really soft!  We’re still working with him on how to be gentle with Oliver.  Almost every night they both drink a bottle (or cup in Lincoln's case) of milk on my lap.  It makes me so happy hold both my sweet boys at the same time.

I don’t know if you’ve noticed our thermometer to the right of the screen or not, but this week we broke the $3,000 mark!  It amazes me how God has been using each of you to bless and support us through our adoption.  For those of you who are curious, Bethany Christian Services has graciously agrees to let us make monthly payments of $2,000 until our post-placement fees are paid in full.  Thanks to all of you, we were able to make our first monthly payment without having to borrow anything!  And we’re half way to making next months payment as well!  It’s pretty amazing and exciting what God can do.  Thank you so much for all your prayers and your support!

~Katie

 

 

Home

Our baby boy was born on June 20th at 4:50PM and his name is Oliver Finn.  He is perfect in every single way.  He weighed in at 5lbs 9oz  and 18 inches long.  When Lincoln was born (he weighed 9lb 10oz)he didn’t fit hardly any of his newborn clothes because he was so big.  Oliver has the exact opposite problem.  He was swimming in his coming home outfit!

When I’ve had more sleep I’ll try to post more about our hospital experience.  It was a hard and beautiful thing.  Please continue to keep everyone involved in your prayers.

One last thing, I was getting Lincoln ready for bed tonight and I took him over to where John was holding Oliver.  I told him to get a kiss from Daddy and then to tell Oliver goodnight, and I moved to put Lincoln’s face next to Oliver's and Oliver turned his head right up against Lincoln.  I exclaimed, “Lincoln, Oliver just kissed you!” and Lincoln got the biggest smile on his face!  It warms my heart to see my two boys getting to know each other.

Garage Sale

We have had a couple of amazing days.  Yesterday we received exactly $1,000 in donations for our adoption!   Wow, right!?  Then today was our big garage sale to raise money for our adoption and I think it was pretty successful – we brought in $318!  It was such a blessing to meet so many interesting people and to be able to share with them what a blessing adoption has been to us.  I never get tired of talking about adoption!  It’s a pretty awesome thing.  So, that brings our total money collected to $2,243 – the thermometer is rising!  The generosity and love people have shown us just blows me away.  It makes me slightly teary and very happy to think of each of you that have so generously given of your time and/or money.  We are so thankful for you! 

 

Thinking about this verse a lot tonight:  “Your love, LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.”  Psalm 36:5