Adoption Update - Our first match

For those of you who don't know, we were match with birth parents April 9 and we found out she was due around April 20. Of course when I got the call Shaun was out of town. He left that morning and wouldn't be back until Sunday the 11th. So we get the call and of course I start crying - I had a lot more emotions than I thought I would have. Shirley from Love Basket gave me all the details including their phone numbers so we could call them since we weren't sure we'd be able to meet them before the birth. I couldn't wait to tell Shaun but knew he was in conferences so I sent him a text. He called when he had like 2 min. to talk to I just said "We've been chosen!" I finally got to talk to him later and we decided we would drive to St. Louis (were the birthparents live and our home town) on Monday so we could meet them before Shaun had to leave for another conference in D.C. on Wednesday.

So we talked to them Sunday - I was so nervous, what do I say, will she like me - all these things were going through my head. We talked for about 5 min because we were both so nervous and knew we would see each other on Tuesday. Shaun had a really good talk with Rodney, the birthfather. He was way more confident than I was.

So we hit the road Monday morning, something we said we would never do again. Oh, and the kicker, we know have 2 good size dogs that were traveling with us. JoJo, our pup we got in January, who is about 40 lbs. and Cody, who we inherited back from Shaun's mom and stepdad, who is over 100 lbs (we're working on a diet plan). So most of our stuff had to go on the roof. It was cramped but we all did good. I think Owen only said "I can't do this anymore" a hand full of times. He's now moved up to "Are we there yet?" which started 20 min after we left the house.

We drive through the night, stopping for about 2 hrs to try and get some sleep - yeah right. I can't sleep in the car for anything. First Owen pees on me b/c he is in front on my lap, then after the clean up we finally get settled again and the pups think it's time to wake up and eat breakfast (it's like 2am). We get them settled down and fall asleep and then comes the garbage truck and of course we're right by the dumpster. Needless to say I didn't get any sleep and Shaun might have gotten an hour or so. We forge on.

We get in to STL about 8:30/9am, unload, take Owen to daycare (Shaun's aunt owns), sleep for about an hour (Shaun got to sleep a couple of hours), get a hair cut, then get ready to go meet the birthparents for dinner with Jo and Shirley from Love Basket. I was so nervous I think I was have panic attacks but dinner went great. We all talked about everything and felt we had a great connection. Brittany, birthmom, told us some of her family, including her mom, was wishy-washy about the situation, which we knew ahead of time. But she told us she felt adoption was the best for the baby.

So here's where everything starts to go down hill. Brittany missed a couple of meetings w/ Love Basket and they can't get a hold of her. Shaun talked to Rodney Saturday night, after he gets in town from D.C. - he tells Shaun Brittany is having a hard time especially with not having support from her family. I talk to Brittany on Sunday and she feels she is being torn in all directions (between her family and Rodney). I let her know she has to be at peace with her decision and to focus on what she thinks is right for her and the baby. There is a lot more but this is the gist of it.

Monday we get the dreaded call (actually Shaun did) that she has decided to parent. She said she really liked us and didn't have any reservations about us but she just wasn't at peace with the decision. Which we were ok with because we know God will bring us the right child at the right time. We decided to stay in STL for the rest of the week to relax and visit family. Then we took off again for El Paso on Friday. This time we decided to stop over night which help a lot. And we also got Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol" on audio book (17 1/2 hrs worth) so we listened to that the whole way. So were back home and back on the market. I told Shaun we'd either get matched again next week or in 6 months.

It was a very crazy and emotional trip but totally worth it. I think it would have been much worse to meet them at the hospital for the first time, meet the baby (a boy by the way), and then have her decide to parent. So there you have it - our first major adoption experience. Shaun jokes he feels we deserve twins now. I don't know about that.

The random pics -
- Owen on the way to STL. He still loves his boppy.
- Owens favorite ride at Americas Incredible Pizza (virtual roller coaster)
- Dinner at a hibachi restaurant (Owen's first time)
- Go carts with daddy

Owen and the Dentist

Owen had his first dentist appt. today. I know, I know, he's 3 1/2 and he just had his first appt. I'm not going to lie - I was scared. Plus Shaun didn't set up dental for us until last summer and we were gone most of last year so it's not entirely my fault. Anyway, he did awesome. Going to the dentist now is not the same as when I was a kid. There's a play area on one side of the waiting room and a movie area on the other side. They have a toy machine (just little toys like bouncy balls) in the room you get your teeth cleaned so when the kids are done they get 2 tokens for the machine. He also got a new toothbrush and his own toothpaste, a gold medal, a balloon, and ice cream. What dentist gives ice cream out? The most awesome dentist in the world - that's who. Owen had to get x-rays and they said he did great. They do it the same way as adults and I don't know about you but when they stick those plastic things in my mouth I want to throw up every time. Not Owen. It didn't seem to phase him at all. He also got his teeth cleaned but not with any sharp, pointy objects. Just the good ol' fashion way with toothpaste and a toothbrush. And while you get your teeth cleaned you get to watch a movie. Cars was the choice of the day. I'm happy to say no cavities were found. Here's a pic taken with my phone:

Tubing, toilet training, and travel (sort of)

Just a little update about what's been going on lately. On Monday we decided to drive up to Ruidoso, NM - it's about 2 hrs north of us. It's so beautiful there. Shaun actually went skiing there last week - yes, his first time and nothing got broken. So we took Jojo (we finally decided on a name) to a dog park they have there which was awesome. It's a big area fenced in so he was able to run free with the other dogs. We let him do that for about an hour then we went tubing at the Winter Park they have. We had so much fun, although Owen was a little upset that he couldn't go alone and he couldn't go on the hills higher up. But he still had fun.

I'm happy to announce that our 3 1/2 year old is finally . . . wait for it . . . wait for it . . . pooping on the potty. I haven't been this excited in I don't know how long. It's weird the things you get excited about once you have kids. This was a long and hard battle for Shaun and I. It's been 4 days now and no problems. Whoohoo!!!! Now, we just need to start working on making it through the night dry and we're done with the diapers - at least until the next one comes.

And here are some pictures of Owens trip to San Antonio yesterday, at least that's where he told us he was going. This is his new obsession. How much stuff can I stuff into one place. I think he's just reminiscing about all of our trips last year where the car was stuffed to the brim and we had the roof storage bag. Yes, that is a picnic table on top. We also have a broom, a trampoline cover, a water sprinkler, and who knows what else. I have no idea how he got in there (or out).

And just a little adoption update - we have almost everything in except our training form. We've watched the video and are almost done with the books we have to read. Our home study should be completed this week. Next is our phone interview with Love Basket and then I think we will be on to our profiles. It's crazy how fast this has gone.

Our new addition

No, not a baby yet - well, not of the human form. We got a puppy, which I totally said we were NOT going to do when we first started talking about dogs. Last Sunday, we went to the Animal Rescue League of El Paso (ARL) and fell in love with Baldwin. A male dog, 5-6 months old, about 25-30 lbs, boxer mix. We think he is mixed with an english pointer. He's so adorable. We first saw him through petfinder.com and read a little about him. ARL saved him on his last day of death row at the pound. Doesn't that just break your heart. So far he has been wonderful. He hasn't had any accidents - not even close calls. He loves his crate - we've tried to make it his sanctuary. We've told Owen "No Kids Allowed" in or around the crate (maybe I should put a sign), "Dogs Only". It's so weird he doesn't inhale his food like a certain lab that I know and he doesn't seem to like the treats we've gotten him. Does he know he's a dog? He's adjusted really well to us. He likes to nibble on things but I know that goes with the puppy phase. Unfortunately, he is off right now getting his manhood cut off but it's for the best. I hope he still loves us tomorrow. We are still debating about the name too. Baldwin is cute but it doesn't really have a nickname (Baldy - no, Winy - no). Owen loves JoJo. Not sure why but that's what he wants to call the puppy. I was trying to think of something relating to El Paso since that's where he is from but came up with nothing (I'm so not creative with names). Then I thought about Rex (as in T-Rex) because Owen loves dinosaurs and I thought Rex was a cute name. Owen liked it for about 20 min and then went back to JoJo. So that name may stick. We'll see. Any suggestions?

Home Study: Check

Well, we just had our home study yesterday which only took about an hour. We weren't really nervous, which was great, but we weren't quite sure what to expect. Heather, who did our home study, was awesome. She was very comfortable to talk to and helped us with questions. She did a quick sweep of the house to make sure everything was ok but we mainly talked. Owen was, of course, trying to show off by showing her the big rocket he built with his legos. He such a little flirt. Next up, fill out the rest of Love Baskets second application, watch the training video they sent us and Shaun has to get fingerprinted (I was fingerprinted when I helped out at Owen's school last year) as part of the background check. We're getting closer to building our profile and I can't wait. We'll keep you updated. Here's some pictures just because:

Owen the other night after his bath

Christmas 2009

So, back home to St. Louis it was for Christmas - and we chose to drive. . . again. . . that would be the 2nd time of the year. Yes, we're crazy but thought it would be a little cheaper than paying for 3 of us to fly. We will ALWAYS choose flying over driving 1400+ miles (that's about 20 hrs with stops). Owen had a couple meltdowns but I had my stock of $1 matchbox cars to distract him. Anyway, we had lots of fun and we were totally exhausted. We celebrated Christmas with the usuals -

Christmas Ever with my mom side of the family

Christmas with my dad side and Shaun's side

The day after Christmas (and a wedding - Owen was the entertainment) at my step moms

We got a little snow in before celebrating with Shaun's dad and grandma. It was so great that she got to come up.

We also celebrated Shaun's 29th birthday and my 30th (yes the BIG 3-0) which I have finally excepted. They had a surprise party for me which was awesome. My dad took pics (thanks dad) for me so I'll post them when I get them.

Glad to be home. Here's to a great year.

We're ADOPTING!!!!!

We're so excited for the whole process. After 2 long years of trying for another child and extensive lab work only to show we're both healthy and have no known infertility, it was either IVF or adoption, so we chose adoption. We've always talked about wanting to adopt and we feel God is calling us to do it now. We chose the agency Love Basket (christian based agency) who's main office is in Hillsboro, MO (not far from our home town) and they also have offices in Kentucky and Minnesota. We got the best feeling from them and we were actually able to drop of the application in person when we went home for Christmas.

We already have our home study set up for Jan. 20 which is a lot sooner than we thought it would happen. The person doing the home study is already flying out (she's coming from Waco, TX) for another couple who is doing an international adoption so it worked out perfectly. We just sent off all our information for the home study today. That is the most paper work I think I have ever done but soooo worth it. We are doing domestic and will probably do international sometime in the future. We're open to any race so we could have a new baby in 6 months to a year which is pretty crazy. Well keep everyone updated on the process.