October 2009

Monthly Archive

Less Than Three Weeks

Posted by on 24 Oct 2009 | Tagged as: Adoption

Emily and I are getting more excited every day for the baby.
We have been busy preparing the nursery and have almost everything in place and in order. Emily had a surprise baby shower at work yesterday. She came home and showed me all the wonderful things her coworkers had given her and she was so incredibly happy. I really enjoyed seeing her so happy.

We’ve also been reading some books to help us prepare for the transition as adoptive parents. I’m about halfway through the book Black Baby, White Hands, which is a memoir of an African-American baby who was adopted by a white family in 1968 (the year Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated). The author is very candid about how he viewed race as he was growing up and has given me a lot of insight into how my African-American son is going to view race as he grows up, too.

Emily and I had the opportunity to talk with the birth mother over the phone about a week ago. It was a really great conversation. The birth mother gave us some insight into why she is giving her baby up for adoption and also as to why she chose us as adoptive parents. We also talked about the snow up here in Indiana–she’s in Florida, so she’s never seen snow before. She was excited the baby would get to experience playing in the snow and making snowmen.
This phone conversation did take the place of us actually flying down and meeting the birth mother before the baby is born. The reality of meeting us in person before the birth was just too overwhelming for her, which is common in an adoption.

The due date is less than three weeks away at this point. Exciting!

Adoption: Lots to do…

Posted by on 07 Oct 2009 | Tagged as: Adoption

So Emily and I just got back from our vacation in Brown County and we’ve spent a lot of time talking about our upcoming adoption. We have a lot to get accomplished in just four short weeks!

We are making plans to visit the birthmother, who is out of state, in about a week or two. A weekend flight to and from, and meeting the birthmother is both exciting and nerve-racking. We’ve researched flights and hotel, and it just heightens the expectation we have.

The baby is a boy, which makes me excited to eventually get to teach him to throw a football, kick a soccer ball and catch a baseball–you know, all the father-son activities. Makes me smile. I’m smiling right now just thinking about my boy.

The birthmother has three children she is currently caring for, and has had a pretty hard life. We would appreciate your prayers for her as she goes through this difficult time.

Through all this excitement, the reality is the birthmother can always back out, even after the baby has been born (but before she relinquishes parental rights). Our prayer has been for God to give her peace in her decision to allow her baby to be adopted. Above all, we pray that God’s will prevails in our lives, the birthmother’s and the baby’s life.

REALLY, REALLY BIG NEWS!

Posted by on 05 Oct 2009 | Tagged as: Uncategorized

This week, Emily and I are on vacation in Brown County. We just got a phone call this is going to change our lives.

About a month ago, Emily and I finished all the paperwork required for a domestic adoption.
We were given a general time estimate of 6-9 months, meaning we were expecting to get the call around March to June of 2010.

We just got this call tonight!

We are very excited! The birthmother is due in about four weeks.

At this point, that’s about all we know. More info soon to come.