December 2009

Monthly Archive

Good Night!

Posted by on 31 Dec 2009 | Tagged as: Adoption

Raegan did SO well last night! Nathan and I got a ton of sleep compared to the night before. Little miss Raegan only got up to eat and then went right back to sleep until her next feeding. We both woke up refreshed and ready for the day. We’re going to give her a “bath” today…just a nice scrub with the wash cloth. She tends to let her milk drool down the side of her neck while she eats and she’s starting to smell more like formula than sweet little baby. Here are some more pictures since we know that’s what you’re looking for!

Raegan giving us her one eyed stare


Raegan and daddy wanted to match today


Daddy's little girl


So sweet!

Pictures…

Posted by on 30 Dec 2009 | Tagged as: Uncategorized

We’ve been doing great.
Reagan likes to be awake from midnight-4 a.m., and wants to be held during that time. Emily and I got to sleep from 5-8 a.m. this morning, and we both wokr up feeling really refreshed, so that was very nice to get 3 hours of solid sleep.
We stopped by the adoption agency today to pick up some paperwork, and then stopped by Costco. It was the first time any of us had ever been to Costco. That place was rocking busy for 2 p.m. on a weekday. Pretty cool stuff there–thanks Uncle Stan for recommending it!

Now we are just chillaxing in the hotel room, and wanted to share with you some more pictures of our Princess Raegan.

Raegan

Raegan preparing for her first pediatrician visit.


Raegan with the pediatrician.

Raegan with the pediatrician.


Raegan didn't quite fit into her 0-3 month pants. I am NOT stretching the waistband--this is really how tiny my Raegan is!


Our new hotel room with the kitchenette--AND running water!



Nathan & Raegan


Emily & Raegan


My girls!

Next Steps

Posted by on 29 Dec 2009 | Tagged as: Adoption, my life.

So with an inter-state adoption like this one, we cannot take the baby across state lines until we have the approval of both the State of Florida and the State of Indiana. This process will take about a week, maybe a little longer. If we would happen to cross state lines, we would technically be committing federal child trafficking.

Emily and I checked into our new hotel this afternoon. It is SO MUCH BETTER than the old hotel. The room is twice as large as out old one, has a couch, fridge, stove, sink and a microwave. Oh, and it has running water!

Tonight I went shopping and picked up some food so we can eat here at the hotel instead of having to eat crappy bad-for-you fast food twice a day.

We took Raegan to her first post-hospital check-up at a local pediatrician office. She passed everything with flying colors. We have a very healthy little baby girl. She is still very tiny, but is eating a healthy amount every 3 hours like clockwork, so that’s great. Raegan does prefer to be held when she sleeps, and she tends to be fussy when we let her sleep in her pack-and-play bassinet.

Thanks everybody for your words of encouragement. We look forward to getting the approvals to come back to Indiana so you can all meet the most wonderful little girl ever! I am such a proud daddy!

The First (Unforgettable) Night as Parents

Posted by on 29 Dec 2009 | Tagged as: Adoption, my life.

Emily and I spent our first night with Raegan in a small hotel just 5 minutes from the hospital. It was an unforgettable experience. Not just the first night as parents, but the HORRID HOTEL! Let me tell you a little bit about our hotel experience.

Nathan and Raegan

Nathan holding Raegan for the first time, shortly after her birth.


We bought the hotel room online, and when we arrived, the hotel told us it wasn’t prepaid. So I argued with her that I was not going to pay again, and she relented and said she would give us the key and she would check with her manager in the morning. So I did, and as I thought, it was indeed prepaid. So that was Saturday night when we arrived.
Monday morning we got up, showered and were on the way to the hospital. We arrived back to the hotel with Raegan around 6:30 p.m.
We had no water pressure. I called the front desk, and she didn’t believe me, so she came and checked. Sure enough–would you believe it–we had no water pressure. She called her manager, and he said we just needed to turn the knobs under the sink. Ummm, no, the knobs under the sink don’t control the shower and toilet water pressure, too.
So I argued my way into getting a second room for the night, and we were able to stay in the first room, and use the restroom and shower in the second room. That was annoying.
This was the worst experience I ever had in a hotel.

But, at least I got to share the experience with my daughter! Made it all worth it!
And now, I’ll let Emily share a bit about the first night with Raegan:

Raegan!Well, what can I say that you don’t already know about a night with a newborn? She slept a lot. She ate and dirtied her diaper every three hours and I didn’t get much sleep. Raegan’s little cry isn’t too loud, but being in a hotel I was concerned about disturbing the neighbors, so I didn’t want to let her cry. She didn’t like to be alone in her bassinet, so every time we’d put her in there, she’d squeak a little and then start to cry. So, I held her most of the night. Luckily I had a Boppy pillow (thanks to Chris & Robyn!) with me so my arms didn’t get tired. I was able to doze off just a bit while holding her. After she eats, she likes to be awake at night for a little bit, so once her diaper was changed, I just held her and let her stare at me and look around to take in her surroundings. It was a precious time. She is a precious girl. Hopefully we’ll get a little more sleep tonight. I’m pretty tired and anxious to get into our new hotel once Raegan has her first doctor’s appointment this afternoon.

And Nathan again…
Our new hotel is supposed to be MUCH nicer. It has a kitchenette with range, microwave and fridge, so we’ll be able to finally get back to eating normal food instead of fast food crap. It had better have running water, too.

Raegan Elizabeth Diehl

Posted by on 28 Dec 2009 | Tagged as: Adoption

It is our distinct pleasure and honor to introduce you to our new daughter, Raegan Elizabeth.
Raegan Elizabeth
Raegan was born on Saturday, December 26 at 2:42 p.m. in Florida. We drove down, leaving early on Christmas morning.
Raegan was born weighing in a very petite 5 lbs. even, 16 inches long.
Emily was able to be in the operating room with the birthmother as she was delivered by C-section. Emily was able to snap some photos of Raegan getting cleaned up just moments after her birth.

We have spent much of the past two days at the hospital with Raegan, the birthmother and birthfather. It was really a great experience to get to know the birthparents. I think we got the best birthparents of all time!
Here are some more photos of her. When we have some more down time, we’ll post some more about the whole experience.

Raegan on the scale