Pajama Day

I know that when I don't feel well all I want to do is put on my PJs. So today is Briar's first Pajama day. His 2 month doctor appointment was scheduled for 9:45am however they actually took us back at 9:35 am, can you believe it most doctors offices are always behind by at least 1/2 hour. Everything went great! I love the pediatrician we picked, she is super nice and has a great bed side manner (and didn't laugh at our newbie parent questions). She said that Briar is a very healthy baby. He weighed 10 lbs 6 oz and 21 1/2 inches long. Wow! He received three shots and one oral immunization and did as well as can be expected when you are only 2 months old and getting an huge needle stuck in you. Poor little guy :(

So as soon as we got home I changed him onto his Whinnie the Pooh PJs, I hope that has given him some comfort. He has been very fussy and his naps have been a bit out of sorts as well (has been making grunting and groaning sounds during his naps). I have a feeling it's going to be a very long night for him and I. So I had better lay down for a nap to prepare. Maybe I'll go put on my PJs too ;-)

One Week!

I can't believe it's been one week. In one respect it feels like Briar has been a part of our family for longer and then it seems like the time flew by! Dan had to go back to work today :( It was fun having total family bonding time, so that will be missed. However we both were getting on each other nerves towards the end of the week LOL! I will be taking 3 months leave (now only 11 weeks left) and then when I go back Dan will take his other 3 weeks. We won't have to put Briar in day care until beginning of November, yay!

Now that I'm on my own during the day and I'll also have the nights I will definitely need to learn to sleep when Briar is sleeping, instead of putzing around the house or on the Internet. I'm sure after a couple of days of barely any sleep I'll learn fast but right now I'm a newbie mom ;-)

Tomorrow we will be taking him for his 2 month check up. I'm sure he is now at least 10 lbs, he is such a little butter ball which is great considering his weight at birth. I will post an update after the appointment.

Here is a link to some hightlights from last week.

Our first offical outing

We took a big step today and went on our first offical outing! We had to go to Costco to pick up formula and of course coffee ;-) We also had to buy some cloths for Briar since he wouldn't let us leave without them (oh wait, that was Dan that wouldn't leave without them LOL!). I don't even think Briar knew we left the house, he was completely out once we put him in the car seat.

We also had to stop at the police station to get finger printed once again. There was a new law passed (Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act) that any adoptions not finalized by June 30, 2007 the individuals need fingerprint-based FBI checks. The other finger prints we had done last fall are now null and void due to this law. It's a pain but we are okay with complying for the safety of children.

The last few days have flown by, can't believe it's been 4 full days since we have had Briar home with us. We are definitely getting to know him and he is starting to recognize us and our voices. He is eating on a regular schedule, every 3 to 4 hours. The other night he did sleep for 5 hours before waking up famished. He is having some problems with gas, poor little guy. We have taken him and Roxie for walks in the morning before it has gotten to hot (the last few days here in MN have been humid and hot). He seems happy and of course we are in heaven having this little one as part of our family.

My diaper bag came today, very exciting! I did my research and found one that is environmentally friendly (Fleurville Sling Tote) it is PVC-free and Teflon-Free and has great customer reviews. We like that! It can be carried 3 ways: over the shoulder as a tote, as a messenger bag, or attached to your stroller. Dan even said he wouldn't mind caring it around, however they do have a Daddy style diaper bag so if he changes his mind we might have to order it. Here's a picture of it (the rings on the side are for attaching to the stroller):

First Full Day (updated with new links)

It is almost the end of our first full day with Briar, wow!
We all survived ;-) .....well not sure if Roxie has, she is a bit mopey and still wondering what the heck this little thing is that we brought home with us, LOL!

Last night went rather well and today has been good up until this evening. His bottle at 8pm has cause some serious gas and the need to burp. I think we have finally worked it out and now we are trying to tuck him in for a couple hours before his mid-night feeding.

I still feel like this is all a dream, do we truly have a son?!

Here are some links to some more pictures:
Welcome Home Briar
The Nursery

Thank you all for your wonderful comments. I'm so glad to be able to share this amazing journey through this blog.

Updated
For those that don't have an account with Kodak Gallery try these links:
Welcome Home Briar
The Nursery

Introducing....

Briar Elijah

Roxie not sure what to think yet but had to check out the comfy blanket

Amazing!

This is the most amazing journey ever!!! It finally hit me sitting here thinking about what to say regarding our son's visit last night. I'm over come with tears of joy! I'm truly grateful that our path led us to Adoption. It is such an amazing experience. I don't have the words to really express it right now but one day it will flow out of me.

Last night was not the easiest (and we're alittle tired), it was a long night but we all got through it and our son is okay (LOL!). We are getting to know him better, he is sensitive and demanding. He likes things on his terms and can be stubborn. I don't think the foster mom really had him on a set schedule so hopefully when we do he will be more relaxed. We'll see.

He got to meet Grandma and Grandpa today (my parents). I was so excited to introduce him and you could see the joy in their faces. We've only had girls in my family so having a grandson will be a new and exciting experience for them.

I can't wait to post a picture of him after placement tomorrow. Less then 23 hours!!!!

So Busy!

OMG! There is so much to do and I feel like I'm going at super slow speed even though I know I'm not. It just dawned on me that I didn't post an update as to how yesterday went, oops!

The doctor appointment went great! Our boy is 9 lbs 2 oz and 20 inches long. I still can't believe how big he is, he's almost doubled his weight from birth. The doctor said everything looked great however the foster mom wanted to know if we should have his eyes checked since he was born at 35 weeks. He thought it would be a good idea but he didn't seem too concerned. So we need to find a pediatric ophthalmologist or he suggested that maybe a regular one could do it to just call and ask or to maybe check with our new pediatrician.

Then yesterday afternoon we met with the birth mom and social worker to discuss the Cooperative Agreement (visits, pics, contact, etc...). That meeting went great as well! I'm so glad we found someone that wants to have a very open adoption cause that is what we want too. She is so sweet and such a caring person, I can't wait to build a relationship with her.

There has been a change in plans. The birth mom is going to take him during the day on Saturday and then she will drop him off at our house to spend the night :) Then on Sunday we will take him back to the foster mom. Placement will happen on Monday at 5pm, whooohoooo!

Some of you may not know about MN law on adoption so here is a high level overview. The birth mom needs to sign Consents of Adoption, she has up to 60 days to sign these once the baby is placed (she will be signing these sometime next week). Once she signs these she has 14 days (10 business days) to revoke, on the 15th day it is irrevocable. Then we wait 90 days to finalize the adoption. So even though he is being placed with us on Monday it is not a done deal. So until the Consent is signed and we are at the 15th day after that I may not be able to breath easily. However I feel it is highly unlikely that the birth mom will change her mind, at least from what I currently know about her and also what the foster mom has said to us since she has gotten to know her pretty well. I will keep everyone posted as to progress on the Consent.

Another visit : )

We saw our son again tonight, it was a wonderful visit! We spent a couple hours there and it was just us and the foster mom. He was much more awake this time and I can already see his personality coming through. He is definitely going to be head strong and as I said before a talker. He is so strong already, he is lifting his head and looking around as well as standing up as you hold him. Those little legs will definitely make good hockey skater legs (Dan is on cloud 9 of course).

We have the doctors appointment tomorrow morning and then we will meet with the social worker and the birth mom to do the Cooperative Agreement (visits, pictures, contact, etc) in the afternoon. Placement will happen on Monday. The birth mom wants one last day with him on Sunday. At first I was bummed but then the more I thought about it and talked with others it really is a good thing for her to have this and besides we will have a lifetime with him so what's another day or two.

We did ask the foster mom if we could take him on Saturday for the day and she thought that was a great idea. I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!

I'm in L-O-V-E!

Our son is such a cutie pie!!!! Oh my, look out class of 2025 cause he is going to be a heart breaker!!!! He has a ton of brown/black hair and has the biggest eyes, there are kind of grey brown. And he has the cutest smile ever, it is so big and he will definitely be a full smile kind of kid, showin' all gums or teeth depending on the age!

We were only there for an hour and we both got to hold him for 30 minutes each. He had just finished his bottle when we got there so he was kind of in the nap mode but every once in awhile woke up to check us out. He is also going to be a talker, he kept making jabbering noises even while asleep. The birth mom was there and both her and the foster mom were trying to provide as much info on him as possible, of course when I was holding him I was having a hard time listening to them as I was in such awe of him.

We hope to visit him again this week since both the birth mom and foster mom said it was okay. We will call tomorrow and see if Wednesday works out.

We did not take any pictures, just didn't feel right, we will wait until later this week or at placement. I felt somewhat awkward and feel bad for the birth mom, it's like I'm taking her baby away from her. Not sure if that makes any sense, I guess unless you've been in this situation it may be hard to understand what I'm feeling.

Anyway, I hope this next week goes by fast and that we are able to take placement this weekend!

It's Official

We've been matched!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The social worker finally called us around 5pm, she had been playing phone tag with the birth mom all day. Didn't they both know I was waiting by the phone all day long (literally I was).

The birth mom wants to go ahead with us as the adoptive family, however she wanted us to know that when she visited the baby yesterday the foster mom made a comment that he has been quivering and hasn't been focusing. I think it is because he was born 4 weeks early (on June 1st) so technically he is only 2 weeks, so I'm sure it has to do with that. The birth mom feels guilty cause she did not have much prenatal care and would understand if we decide not to parent him. Ummmm.....that's not going to happen unless it is very very serious.

The baby has a regularly scheduled doctor appt at the agency on Thursday with a doctor that has seen him before so we have decided to keep that appt and attend. Thinking that since this Doc has seen him before he should be able to tell if something is up. We will wait to take placement until after this appt.

In the meantime the birth mom wants us to meet him this weekend on Sunday so the social worker called the foster mom to let her know and that we will be calling her to set up the time. When the social worker called us back she said that the foster mom didn't seem too concerned and said he has a sparkle in his eyes. The social worker thinks the birth mom may have read into the comments and/or misunderstood with the foster mom was saying.

I still can't believe this is happening and maybe being alittle reserved because of last time. However I'm sure once we meet our son on Sunday the flood gate will open and I'll been on cloud 9!

The Meeting

The meeting went really good and it looks promising, Dan feels pretty confident. However I don't want to get my hopes up to much, you just never know what can happen. She is very smart, pretty and knows that adoption is the right choice for her baby. She wants him in a stable home with a Father and Mother, something that she did not grow up with and currently cannot provide. She asked alot of good questions and wants us all to think about this for a couple of days before a final decision is made by either of us since it is life altering. Dan and I, of course, have already made our minds up and if she asks us to parent her baby we will say yes! We should know something hopefully on Friday.

We also found out that the other couple didn't even meet with her and has been pulled from the book at the agency since they have said no to a couple of potential meetings, guess the agency wants them to really think about what they are looking for in adoption.

Is it Friday yet???? LOL!!!!

Another Placement Meeting

First just want to say DON'T GET YOUR HOPES UP!

Okay...really that was for me ;-)

The agency called today and we have another placement meeting with a birth mom. This one is different, it was a hospital intake. Meaning the birth mom gave birth and then the agency was contacted. The baby was born on 6/1/07, not sure of the due date but social worker said it was alittle early but not considered a preemie. At the time of birth he (yes, it is a boy!) was 4lb 14oz and healthy. He is now 6lb 150z and 18 inches long.

The birthmom chose another family but that match fell through. She has since chosen our profile and wants to meet with us. She is not under age and is originally from another state and moved here during her pregnancy. We have quite a bit of info on her and she has also provided some on the birth father, who does not want anything to do with this (he is in another state). The baby is at a foster home and the birth mom is visiting and has spent time with him. She knows though that adoption is the best choice for him.

So we are meeting with her next week on Wednesday afternoon. Here's the other thing, we are leaving for Canada on Thursday and we're suppose to be gone for over a week. Well guess what?! We are cutting our trip short, of course! If she likes us and we like her it would be an immediate placement, meaning we could be parents within 9 days, OMG!

We are trying hard not to get our hopes up. This could be the one or it might not be. However, I did have a dream a couple weeks ago that we got another call from the agency about an immediate placement. At the time I brushed it off thinking no way it will happen through the agency cause they have been so slow this year and that I only had the dream cause I want a baby so bad. Now I'm thinking it might have been sign from the guy upstairs. Maybe, just maybe it is. We will know next week.