Friday, May 16, 2008
Thursday, May 15, 2008
I'm no Joia
Well I am not sure how Aunt Gabbi or birthmom Bri will feel about this entry being without a photo. However, all I can say is, "I'm not Joia, okay?!"
Another true story. I just got off the phone with sod delivery company. We were expecting sod today so JB can work on the yard this weekend. Unfortunately, the guard at the gate wouldn't let them through because it didn't say "Eglin AFB" on their invoice and because we didn't answer the phone to indicate we were home. The lady was quite angry with the whole situation, and when I asked her how we could rectify the problem she said, "Well, could you punch that guard in the head for me?" Ummm, no, but we'll try to be home tomorrow during delivery so we can help get them onto base. How's that for a compromise?
Another phone call today from a glass company in town. Could JB call them back in regards to the sheet of glass they were working on for him? What? I told the man there must be some mistake. Why would my husband order a sheet of glass? He assured me there was no mistake and provided all of JB's details to prove it. Yep, that John matched my husband John. John has been working on adding a small salt water fish tank to the decor of our living room (in addition to the fresh water tank in our dining room.) From all I can figure this is where the sheet of glass comes into play? Why else would someone by glass? For a second I thought maybe I ruined some sort of surprise he was buying me, but I'm pretty sure the fish tank is the answer. I'll check when he gets home.
If you can't tell from me trying rather pitifully to handle these two phone calls, John has returned to work as of this morning. He has two days left on his Fort Walton Beach rotation which is a pretty easy and enjoyable two days to emerge back into the real world with. He had to be in at 6:30 but was told the day would end by early afternoon. We were so blessed to have John with us for the last week as we adjusted to our new adventure. He is an amazing Dad, and the fact that he is a doctor, comes in pretty handy as well.
My mother, has been a godsend. As I sit here typing, she just delivered a plate of leftover lasagna (via Joia) and leftover enchiladas (via Tiffany) and instructed me to eat. Unfortunately, my typical "get busy and don't eat" nature has kicked in which my mom thinks is absolutely ridiculous so she decided that if she makes food and puts it in front of me, I will be sure to have nourishment. This is how I have been my whole life. If my routine ever gets disrupted or my focused shifted, I have a tendency to skip meals and eat smaller portions. This even stretches to dessert as I have successfully not gorged on the abundance of delectables that have dribbled their way into our home over the last few days -- between Joia's Butterfinger dessert, Tiff's brownies, Adrienne's cookies, and the three musketeer bar that Tiffany thought I just had to have, I've had my choice of chocolate satisfaction. But even those have been eaten in moderation. That's when I know my mind is occupied on other things.
But my Mom has been the best first visitor ever. She has helped with laundry, Isaac, the dog, bottles . . . anything she can think of. When we left to go to the doctor yesterday, we returned to find our carpets vacuumed and our floors mopped. My normal rule of "you don't help with dishes" at my house has gone out the window. I don't think I have washed one dish since she has been here.
That other thing that my mind is occupied with is obviously Isaac. I don't know what a good baby is to compare him to, but it appears I have one. He is currently wanting to eat every 3.5-5 hours and when not eating, he either likes to sit in our arms, listening to us talk or lie in his bassinet with the vibrator on. Many times, we have to start rousing him around 4-4.5 hours as he is not indicating any intention of getting up to eat again, and we want to make sure he is eating enough for the day. Every feeding he takes about 1.5-3.5 ounces of food. The only times he cries is when we are changing him (he doesn't like to be exposed and cold) or when he is dirty or hungry. Otherwise, he just hangs out with us. I don't know that he will be this way forever, but this is the way he is right now, and it's been quite a pleasure!
I've also been working intently on incorporating Isaac into a family that already has one child. That one child's name starts and ends with an S and rhymes with flubs. So far, our spoiled pup has done wonderfully with Isaac. He sniffs him eagerly, his tail wagging harder and harder as he gets closer to the diaper. He knows we don't want him to lick Isaac so he will often run up and try to steal one ear lick before moving away. He sits by the crib and watches him and gets up to check on him when he cries.
What is difficult is that Scrubs' routine is shot to heck. Scrubs' pre-Isaac-life consisted of following me anywhere around the house that I go. (His favorites are to the bathroom and to do laundry.) But now there are more adults than he is used to, and we are moving in different patterns than he is accustomed to. Sometimes he just looks at me as if to say, "Could you please figure out where you are going to be so I can settle down and relax?! All this having to stay alert thing is wearing me out when you won't pick a spot." Instead of being nestled in front of my computer working most of the day, I am bopping from place to place. This has left Scrubs a little worn out. He has been a little more naughty -- stealing a disposable diaper, cloth diaper (three times), piece of paper, and my mother's entire workout gear -- however, he seems to mostly bring these to us, show us that he can still accomplish his thievery, and then walk away from them or let us take them without any fight at all. We laugh as his little eyes say, "I just want you to know that I am fully capable of stealing anything I want, but I'm too tired from moving around from room to room with you and I recognize you are busy so I'll just leave it right here to prove my point." Our dear pup.
For now, I have reached the four hour mark between feedings. Time to go snuggle with Isaac a bit. I'll work on a picture to include tomorrow.
Another true story. I just got off the phone with sod delivery company. We were expecting sod today so JB can work on the yard this weekend. Unfortunately, the guard at the gate wouldn't let them through because it didn't say "Eglin AFB" on their invoice and because we didn't answer the phone to indicate we were home. The lady was quite angry with the whole situation, and when I asked her how we could rectify the problem she said, "Well, could you punch that guard in the head for me?" Ummm, no, but we'll try to be home tomorrow during delivery so we can help get them onto base. How's that for a compromise?
Another phone call today from a glass company in town. Could JB call them back in regards to the sheet of glass they were working on for him? What? I told the man there must be some mistake. Why would my husband order a sheet of glass? He assured me there was no mistake and provided all of JB's details to prove it. Yep, that John matched my husband John. John has been working on adding a small salt water fish tank to the decor of our living room (in addition to the fresh water tank in our dining room.) From all I can figure this is where the sheet of glass comes into play? Why else would someone by glass? For a second I thought maybe I ruined some sort of surprise he was buying me, but I'm pretty sure the fish tank is the answer. I'll check when he gets home.
If you can't tell from me trying rather pitifully to handle these two phone calls, John has returned to work as of this morning. He has two days left on his Fort Walton Beach rotation which is a pretty easy and enjoyable two days to emerge back into the real world with. He had to be in at 6:30 but was told the day would end by early afternoon. We were so blessed to have John with us for the last week as we adjusted to our new adventure. He is an amazing Dad, and the fact that he is a doctor, comes in pretty handy as well.
My mother, has been a godsend. As I sit here typing, she just delivered a plate of leftover lasagna (via Joia) and leftover enchiladas (via Tiffany) and instructed me to eat. Unfortunately, my typical "get busy and don't eat" nature has kicked in which my mom thinks is absolutely ridiculous so she decided that if she makes food and puts it in front of me, I will be sure to have nourishment. This is how I have been my whole life. If my routine ever gets disrupted or my focused shifted, I have a tendency to skip meals and eat smaller portions. This even stretches to dessert as I have successfully not gorged on the abundance of delectables that have dribbled their way into our home over the last few days -- between Joia's Butterfinger dessert, Tiff's brownies, Adrienne's cookies, and the three musketeer bar that Tiffany thought I just had to have, I've had my choice of chocolate satisfaction. But even those have been eaten in moderation. That's when I know my mind is occupied on other things.
But my Mom has been the best first visitor ever. She has helped with laundry, Isaac, the dog, bottles . . . anything she can think of. When we left to go to the doctor yesterday, we returned to find our carpets vacuumed and our floors mopped. My normal rule of "you don't help with dishes" at my house has gone out the window. I don't think I have washed one dish since she has been here.
That other thing that my mind is occupied with is obviously Isaac. I don't know what a good baby is to compare him to, but it appears I have one. He is currently wanting to eat every 3.5-5 hours and when not eating, he either likes to sit in our arms, listening to us talk or lie in his bassinet with the vibrator on. Many times, we have to start rousing him around 4-4.5 hours as he is not indicating any intention of getting up to eat again, and we want to make sure he is eating enough for the day. Every feeding he takes about 1.5-3.5 ounces of food. The only times he cries is when we are changing him (he doesn't like to be exposed and cold) or when he is dirty or hungry. Otherwise, he just hangs out with us. I don't know that he will be this way forever, but this is the way he is right now, and it's been quite a pleasure!
I've also been working intently on incorporating Isaac into a family that already has one child. That one child's name starts and ends with an S and rhymes with flubs. So far, our spoiled pup has done wonderfully with Isaac. He sniffs him eagerly, his tail wagging harder and harder as he gets closer to the diaper. He knows we don't want him to lick Isaac so he will often run up and try to steal one ear lick before moving away. He sits by the crib and watches him and gets up to check on him when he cries.
What is difficult is that Scrubs' routine is shot to heck. Scrubs' pre-Isaac-life consisted of following me anywhere around the house that I go. (His favorites are to the bathroom and to do laundry.) But now there are more adults than he is used to, and we are moving in different patterns than he is accustomed to. Sometimes he just looks at me as if to say, "Could you please figure out where you are going to be so I can settle down and relax?! All this having to stay alert thing is wearing me out when you won't pick a spot." Instead of being nestled in front of my computer working most of the day, I am bopping from place to place. This has left Scrubs a little worn out. He has been a little more naughty -- stealing a disposable diaper, cloth diaper (three times), piece of paper, and my mother's entire workout gear -- however, he seems to mostly bring these to us, show us that he can still accomplish his thievery, and then walk away from them or let us take them without any fight at all. We laugh as his little eyes say, "I just want you to know that I am fully capable of stealing anything I want, but I'm too tired from moving around from room to room with you and I recognize you are busy so I'll just leave it right here to prove my point." Our dear pup.
For now, I have reached the four hour mark between feedings. Time to go snuggle with Isaac a bit. I'll work on a picture to include tomorrow.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Meeting the docs
Here are a few pictures that Jayne took when we were up at the residency room on Monday. Today we had to go up to get the circumcision done. JB was there for the procedure, but I kept myself busy doing other things. It wasn't much fun, but it's done, and I don't want to talk about it anymore. Dr. G. is wonderful with kids and took good care of Isaac. Enjoy some pics!
One week old
Here's something that is hard to believe. Isaac is one week old. Bri, can you believe that it was a week ago today that you delivered him, we drove ten hours, and he entered the world? Quite hard to believe. In fact, I am not sure I really do believe it.
Yesterday my dear friend from church and care group, Adrienne, stopped over to visit. She took a few pictures from her time with us that she later sent to me. Here they are. She tried to get Scrubs and Isaac in a photo together but neither of them would cooperate.
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Today is an exciting day for Isaac as, if all goes according to plan, he will be circumcised today! Actually, we aren't sure how excited he is by the prospect of this procedure so we have attempted to only whisper our intentions so not to scare him. JB got him into the computer system yesterday so hopefully they can get the procedure done. There is only a small window in which they can do this before they will have to put him out for the procedure so we definitely wanted to get it done today if possible. The lawyer sent us everything they could to prove he is our son. Apparently it was enough, and he is now an official military child. Prior to this paperwork, the only thing I had was his footprints from the hospital. Doctor G. laughed when I handed the piece of paper to her. That was probably not enough to prove parenthood.
Life in our household is wonderful. Last night Isaac went nearly five hours between feedings! My dear mother took a three hour nap yesterday, waking up at almost 5:00pm. So when I told her to head to bed for the evening, and I'd be with Isaac, she looked at me like I was crazy. She was completely wired and ready to have a party. So I left Isaac with her and got a few hours of sleep before returning to spend more time with him. The first few nights he was home, he seemed to have his days and nights mixed up. But this seems to slowly be evening out.
We continue to be asked how we are feeling. Our friend Ronnie called and said, "So take me through your emotions ..." Wow! What a question. Honestly, I'm not sure that I can possibly put our emotions onto "paper". Things are starting to feel a bit more real, but we continue to think that this is a dream we will soon wake up from. I have often heard the expression that you need to pinch yourself. I really feel that way! How can he be our's? How can he live at our house? How can he not be going home soon? Is it really possible?
We also feel like every moment is an incredible gift. I am not sure if every mother feels this way, but I surely do. We do not know if we will ever parent a newborn child again. We do not know if we will ever change those itty bitty diapers again. Isaac currently has three onesies that fit him and that we are washing every day. (Thanks Cali Tara!) Everything else is way too big. He's so tiny (except his feet -- they are huge!) We don't know that we will ever have this privilege again. It therefore causes everything you do to be looked at in an amazing light -- treasuring every little moment you get to spend with him with incredible appreciation.
I am also still dealing with the fact that I have left one world and entered another. During the last few days, I have had the opportunity to speak with some of my friends from my infertility circle. I have trouble finding the same words of encouragement for them when Isaac is here. My heart will always be with the barren. How can I continue to minister, encourage, and love these women when I now don't wake up to a quiet house? I am not sure. Many people had warned me of this "transition to the other side." I am making it slowly. Even though I am technically still infertile, I still feel childless as well. I am not sure when or if that will completely change.
I continue to be amazed that after so many years of waiting, our house is more than just two people and their mischievous dog. But it is. And I love it.
Yesterday my dear friend from church and care group, Adrienne, stopped over to visit. She took a few pictures from her time with us that she later sent to me. Here they are. She tried to get Scrubs and Isaac in a photo together but neither of them would cooperate.
Today is an exciting day for Isaac as, if all goes according to plan, he will be circumcised today! Actually, we aren't sure how excited he is by the prospect of this procedure so we have attempted to only whisper our intentions so not to scare him. JB got him into the computer system yesterday so hopefully they can get the procedure done. There is only a small window in which they can do this before they will have to put him out for the procedure so we definitely wanted to get it done today if possible. The lawyer sent us everything they could to prove he is our son. Apparently it was enough, and he is now an official military child. Prior to this paperwork, the only thing I had was his footprints from the hospital. Doctor G. laughed when I handed the piece of paper to her. That was probably not enough to prove parenthood.
Life in our household is wonderful. Last night Isaac went nearly five hours between feedings! My dear mother took a three hour nap yesterday, waking up at almost 5:00pm. So when I told her to head to bed for the evening, and I'd be with Isaac, she looked at me like I was crazy. She was completely wired and ready to have a party. So I left Isaac with her and got a few hours of sleep before returning to spend more time with him. The first few nights he was home, he seemed to have his days and nights mixed up. But this seems to slowly be evening out.
We continue to be asked how we are feeling. Our friend Ronnie called and said, "So take me through your emotions ..." Wow! What a question. Honestly, I'm not sure that I can possibly put our emotions onto "paper". Things are starting to feel a bit more real, but we continue to think that this is a dream we will soon wake up from. I have often heard the expression that you need to pinch yourself. I really feel that way! How can he be our's? How can he live at our house? How can he not be going home soon? Is it really possible?
We also feel like every moment is an incredible gift. I am not sure if every mother feels this way, but I surely do. We do not know if we will ever parent a newborn child again. We do not know if we will ever change those itty bitty diapers again. Isaac currently has three onesies that fit him and that we are washing every day. (Thanks Cali Tara!) Everything else is way too big. He's so tiny (except his feet -- they are huge!) We don't know that we will ever have this privilege again. It therefore causes everything you do to be looked at in an amazing light -- treasuring every little moment you get to spend with him with incredible appreciation.
I am also still dealing with the fact that I have left one world and entered another. During the last few days, I have had the opportunity to speak with some of my friends from my infertility circle. I have trouble finding the same words of encouragement for them when Isaac is here. My heart will always be with the barren. How can I continue to minister, encourage, and love these women when I now don't wake up to a quiet house? I am not sure. Many people had warned me of this "transition to the other side." I am making it slowly. Even though I am technically still infertile, I still feel childless as well. I am not sure when or if that will completely change.
I continue to be amazed that after so many years of waiting, our house is more than just two people and their mischievous dog. But it is. And I love it.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Shout outs to Isaac
I will start this post, which promises to present itself with a hodge-podge of pictures and information, with a few links. Since this blog will be something we (and Isaac) can look at years from now, I wanted to link to a few other posts by other bloggers that celebrated Isaac's arrival.Yesterday we had a few visitors. Sarah and Della stopped over for a few minutes, but since Della was sick, they just stayed outside. Tiff and William came by. Tiff brought us a delicious dinner and picked up a few things from the store for us. Jodi came over later that evening, much to Scrubs' delight. He goes crazy when he sees her. More crazy than normal. Here's a photo of Scrubs' girlfriend Jodi with Isaac.
Joia and Keenan also stopped by. The first three photos that this blog started with are courtesy of Joia who is a great photographer and getting better with every picture she takes. The one of Isaac's feet shows off his very long toes! Joia was sick, so she didn't get to hold Isaac, but this gave her the opportunity to concentrate on photography instead! To see more of her photos, take a look at the link below: We also took a few photos ourselves yesterday. Scrubs knows he is not allowed to put his paw/s on the couch. This was a rule established when we learned of Isaac's impending arrival. Watch him trying to be slick by going very slowly and being very sweet in hopes that JB won't catch him. JB let me take a photo before instructing Scrubs to quit breaking the rules!
Monday was also Isaac's first doctor's appointment on base. Unfortunately, we are having a few issues getting him into the computer due to the fact that his adoption paperwork is still in the works. We are hoping we can get him in the system today so that we can get him circumcised as soon as possible. The plastic surgeon will also look at Isaac's ear once he is an official military kid. They believe it will be a very simple procedure but want to confirm there is no cartilage in the tag.
Isaac has dropped from 7.5 pounds to 6.15 which Dr. G. says is fine. She gave him a super clean bill of health. A tiny bit of jaundice but nothing significant. He also has a little "divet" in his chest area typical of premies which she said will basically be non-existent as he ages. After the appointment, Jayne, the residency secretary came in the room, scooped Isaac up, and left to go wander and show him off to everyone. We found her with Isaac in the residency room. We also made a stop by JB's desk which Joia had decorated in preparation of Isaac's arrival! Don't I have the best friends!?!?
I loved this comment on the blog yesterday from our Pastor's wife at Crossway. How wonderful our church family has been during this journey as well. Shelly is the mother of two adopted children and two biological. I think what she wrote perfectly sums up how it feels to be an adoptive parent and how JB and I currently feel. "Welcome to the world of adoption. Recovery -- excellent, energy level -- normal, excitement level -- elevated, gratefulness -- off the chart. :) What an awesome God we have! Can't wait to welcome baby Isaac to the Crossway family."
Those few sentences are so accurate!
Here is a picture of me enjoying my off-the-chart gratefulness.
Monday, May 12, 2008
So good to be home
We are back on good ol' Eglin AFB. It feels so wonderful to be home. Being as Isaac has his days and nights mixed up, the drive here was amazing. He slept nearly all 600 miles. We only had to make two stops for about 45 minutes each time for a change/eat/burp session. He did wonderfully. When we got home, I was so excited to see that I finally got to be one of the houses with a sign in the front yard. Look what the wifia put up outside our door!
The decorations didn't stop on the outside. They had put up this sign and gotten me my favorite: Tulips for Mother's Day with a "Happy Mother's Day" balloon. Honestly, I cannot express how blessed I am to have these wonderful women in my life. They have been my rock during our year here. I truly feel that they are family to me. Thank you girls!
My heart is so full right now. Full of appreciation for all the people who have loved, encouraged, prayed, and blessed us during the last five years of infertility and the last year as we prepared for Isaac. Full of emotions I cannot put into words for the gift we have been given by two young people ten hours away. It still feels as if I am floating above these events, watching from afar, waiting for the moment that I wake up and realize it isn't real.
The decorations didn't stop on the outside. They had put up this sign and gotten me my favorite: Tulips for Mother's Day with a "Happy Mother's Day" balloon. Honestly, I cannot express how blessed I am to have these wonderful women in my life. They have been my rock during our year here. I truly feel that they are family to me. Thank you girls!
We got home around 5pm. Scrubs was ecstatic to see us but surprisingly, fell asleep mere moments after we walked in the door. I read the note from Jodi to find out she had taken him to play Frisbee just thirty minutes before we got home. He was plum tuckered out!
Jodi had made us a WONDERFUL dinner of baked spaghetti, salad, and bread. In addition, Joia had left her awesome Butterfingers dessert. What a blessing this was.
Since coming home, Scrubs has been amazing with his new pack member. He mainly sits by me or the pack-n-play, which is currently "home base" just watching. The first time Isaac cried, his ears perked up so high, but now, he has become used to it and doesn't seem fazed. We are also allowing Scrubs to choose where he will sleep at night. We think he is old enough and this allows him to make his every-other-hour checks of me and Isaac before returning to his couch to sleep. Here are a few photos taken early this morning.
My heart is so full right now. Full of appreciation for all the people who have loved, encouraged, prayed, and blessed us during the last five years of infertility and the last year as we prepared for Isaac. Full of emotions I cannot put into words for the gift we have been given by two young people ten hours away. It still feels as if I am floating above these events, watching from afar, waiting for the moment that I wake up and realize it isn't real.
I also find it difficult to admit that my life, and this blog, will transition. For so long I was the one watching as everyone else came home with their babies, sad when the blog I read became a place that could hurt my heart sometimes. Now I know that my blog is one of those blogs. It is a place that some people may no longer be able to visit as pictures of Isaac grace its pages. I know this is part of the seasons of life, but I still don't know how to make sense of all this. I'm still trying to process it all. I know his story makes it less painful to infertile women reading -- knowing that he was a gift of another sort -- but it still means I am leaving so many women behind. I am so sorry for that but yet so happy all at the same time. I am sure I will process this more as time passes.
For now, I am just enjoying this amazing moment of my life. I do not know if I will ever bring a newborn through our doors again so I am treasuring every moment and learning to process all the new emotions. JB is home with us for a few days. He has to work on Thursday and Friday and will then have the weekend off before starting nights on Monday. Having JB here with me means the world to me.
And of course, more to come ...
Sunday, May 11, 2008
A few photos for the road
It is early Sunday morning, and we are off for Eglin. As my Tante Jan commented, I get to take him home on Mother's Day with my own mom there too! We can't wait to be home! "See" you all there! Here are some photos for the road!
Isaac
Bri & Isaac
Our new familiy
High five! Success! Hand-off complete!
Isaac 
Bri & Isaac 
Our new familiySaturday, May 10, 2008
Bri stops by for a visit!
My mom, me, Bri, and Bri's mom Joan
After a wonderfully active night, my parents' house has been a whirlwind of visitors today, the first of which this morning was Bri and her mom Joan. We didn't think Isaac would see Bri again before we left so we were amazingly blessed when Bri called to say she'd like to come by. Bri brought a stuffed giraffe for Isaac and a Mother's Day card for me. She shared in our excitement that Isaac was able to make his debut before Mother's Day. Just in time!
We reflected back on Bri's labor during our visit this morning. She has given me permission to share anything on the blog that we want to. From the first start of discomfort around 11:00 in the morning while she and Joan were at Brookstone in the Galleria mall, until delivery at 8:20pm EST, the entire "ordeal" didn't even break the ten hour mark. I know we had been praying for a fast delivery and fast he was! Unfortunately, there were some issues with her epidural that meant it needed to be redone. However, by the time they tried to redo it, she had advanced too far and Isaac was determined it was time to show up! Due to the absence of much medication, Bri said that the labor was "traumatic but fast" -- so fast that his head was not even cone-shaped at all when he finally emerged into the world -- and so fast that we weren't even in Orlando yet! When we saw her a few hours after delivery, she looked great, had gotten some McDonalds, and was greatly relieved it was all behind her.
The thing I remember most about the visit this morning was Bri saying, "I am just so filled with happiness." Many of you have asked me how Bri is doing, and I think I can summarize appropriately when I say she is doing great. She feels at total peace with her decision and knows that Isaac will always know how much he is loved by her choice to let him grow up with us. She is also comforted with the knowledge that she can watch Isaac grow up with so many people who love us and him. She said she truly does not feel any sadness. I think the blog will be a great tool that she can use to follow his life. She can check in as often or little as she wants and catch up on a week, a month, or a year. She's also very glad Isaac will have a dog. She had one growing up and thinks its quite important! We agree.
Some people may wonder how I feel about Bri holding and being with Isaac. I feel great! We feel great! We know that Bri being involved in his life and these early pictures will be an amazing blessing to Isaac when he is older -- that he can see the love that surrounded his birth and understand that Bri's decision was based solely on love for this little boy. We continue to look at this with the perspective that this is not our child or Bri's or Chris' child. This is God's child. We get to help him grow up but when you keep the outlook that no one "owns" this child, it really changes everything. He is God's son.
We are planning to leave on Sunday morning -- tomorrow -- bright and early. JB has been working on all the things we have to pack into the van for our departure. Jodi has informed us that Scrubs is doing well, successfully retrieving dirty clothes from the laundry basket with the hopes that Jodi will give chase! We have started calling Isaac's socks "Srubby snacks" knowing they will be a huge delight to our little puppy who waits anxiously for us to return with his girlfriend Jodi by his side! (He LOVES her!) We are so blessed to have him so well taken care of while we are gone.
And we are so blessed by everyone who is loving and praying for all of us. Honestly, this is one of the first times in my life that I feel prayed for. I am so relaxed and at total peace. I am not anxious or nervous or worried at all. I feel so calm. I know this is prayers from everyone following our story.
More to come . . .
Friday, May 09, 2008
We are "home"
Yes, we are now at my parent's home after quite a long day. Let me back up and provide some more photos that have wandered my way.
Here are some more photos from our family meeting on Thursday night.
Uncle Keith with me and cousin Grace
Here are some more photos from our family meeting on Thursday night.
Uncle Keith with me and cousin Grace 
Aunt AD in the middle of talking to Isaac
Me with my Mom
So, moving on to today -- Friday. JB and I spent a lot of time at the hospital as we waited to get confirmation that Isaac was in fact going to be discharged today. For awhile there was some debate as to whether they were going to wait until Saturday afternoon for discharge. We took a brief break to have lunch at Bimini Boatyard (one of my favorites!) and rest at Roy & Joan's house while we allowed the lawyer, doctor, nurse, and social worker, to hammer out the details of his dismissal. But at 8:30pm we finally got word that, in fact, we could go home! Here are some photos from today. It looks like I am wearing the same shirt as yesterday, but it is actually a different one! Some people asked for more photos of me with Isaac so JB made a point to take some today. JB and I were able to spend a lot of time just the three of us in a room off the nursery.
JB changing Isaac right after we got word that we could go home. We are waiting for the lawyer to arrive.
Fritz (our lawyer) and our nurse going over the final details of the release.
Isaac in his car seat on the way home!
We are now back at my parents' house with Dad, Mom, Keith, and AD. Tomorrow, this will be "home base" while family comes to visit here. Thank you to everyone for all your love and prayers. We are doing wonderfully and are so glad to finally have Isaac with us.
First full day in the world
JB with Isaac
At long last -- Aunt Gabbi 
Gracie's first cousin (she's happy even though he's a boy!) 
Uncle Ray (JB's brother)
My mom
JB's mom 
Aunt Elizabeth (JB's older sister) 
Where to start ... where to start ...
Thursday was our little guy's first full day in the world. Despite the fact that we were not with him for most of it, the time we spent together was blessed.
Thank you for all of you have been praying for our family. To say our spirits have been at rest is an understatement.
Wednesday evening, or make that very early Thursday morning, when we finally went to see Isaac for the first time, we did not think we were going to get to hold him. This is a large hospital dealing with many babies, and their policy is to only let the two people who are issued armbands into the nursery.
Thursday was our little guy's first full day in the world. Despite the fact that we were not with him for most of it, the time we spent together was blessed.
Thank you for all of you have been praying for our family. To say our spirits have been at rest is an understatement.
Wednesday evening, or make that very early Thursday morning, when we finally went to see Isaac for the first time, we did not think we were going to get to hold him. This is a large hospital dealing with many babies, and their policy is to only let the two people who are issued armbands into the nursery.
Joan, however, vehemently disagreed with this policy, and as I watched Isaac through the nursery glass and listened as the nurse explaiened why JB and I could not visit with him, I waited patiently for Joan to explain that us not seeing him was not really an option. At one point I started to get upset, but JB reminded me our pact: to not forget that the first 48-hours may be difficult, but he would go home with us at the end of it. But Joan had one of the "magic bracelets" and was determined that its power would get us inside that nursery. And she isn't the type to take no for an answer! We watched as the head nurse's face began to slowly recognize this fact and her emotions at seeing our faces finally got the best of her. The door finally buzzed, and we were able to spend over an hour with our son.
Due to the difficulty of seeing him Thursday morning, after a few hours of sleep at Roy & Joan's house, JB and I made the decision not to return to the hospital until the sea of paperwork began to part. Our lawyer, Fritz, was on top of things. We were in constant communication with his assistant, Tracy. Things needed to get done. We knew they would get done. And we decided that having nurses tell us we did not have the right to hold Isaac wouldn't be very fun or uplifting or encouraging. So we spent the day with JB's family. Many of you may be sighing deeply at the frustration of this thought. But don't! It may appear that this day was torturous as we waited, but truly, it wasn't. We were filled with peace. We knew that no matter what, within 36 hours, we'd be able to hold him to our heart's content, and we were patient in waiting. I took two naps, and we caught up with his family and talked to a few of you on the phone.
During this time we got a call from Bri. They wanted her to name the baby. So she had. She had named his Isaac John Kit. -- a huge gift as, thanks to Chris and Bri, our last name was the first to go on the birth certificate. "I just want to make sure I remembered how to spell your last name, " Bri laughed on the phone. We confirmed she had it right. The lawyer's assistant and the hospital kept asking Bri what she wanted to name the baby. Chris and Bri had every right to name him something and let us change it later. But Isaac John Kit. went onto the birth certificate.
Due to the difficulty of seeing him Thursday morning, after a few hours of sleep at Roy & Joan's house, JB and I made the decision not to return to the hospital until the sea of paperwork began to part. Our lawyer, Fritz, was on top of things. We were in constant communication with his assistant, Tracy. Things needed to get done. We knew they would get done. And we decided that having nurses tell us we did not have the right to hold Isaac wouldn't be very fun or uplifting or encouraging. So we spent the day with JB's family. Many of you may be sighing deeply at the frustration of this thought. But don't! It may appear that this day was torturous as we waited, but truly, it wasn't. We were filled with peace. We knew that no matter what, within 36 hours, we'd be able to hold him to our heart's content, and we were patient in waiting. I took two naps, and we caught up with his family and talked to a few of you on the phone.
During this time we got a call from Bri. They wanted her to name the baby. So she had. She had named his Isaac John Kit. -- a huge gift as, thanks to Chris and Bri, our last name was the first to go on the birth certificate. "I just want to make sure I remembered how to spell your last name, " Bri laughed on the phone. We confirmed she had it right. The lawyer's assistant and the hospital kept asking Bri what she wanted to name the baby. Chris and Bri had every right to name him something and let us change it later. But Isaac John Kit. went onto the birth certificate.
Around 4pm we finally got the call from the lawyer. Actually, the call came in from Joan's cell phone so when I saw her name pop up I answered in my playful, "Yo yo yo Joanie. Wus up?" I heard a throat clear as my lawyer said, "Wendi. This is Fritz." A bit embarrassed, I recovered quickly, not even attempting to explain my greeting since there was no reason for it except a delirious state of happiness.
Fritz recovered as well and informed us that Chris and Bri (who had been discharged from the hospital early that morning) had signed the paperwork and the nursery workers at the hospital now expected John and Wendi to come visit their son!
Needless to say we were there as fast as rush hour traffic on I-95 would allow.
Once at the hospital, we were blessed as the nurses welcomed us in, gave us a small room, and encouraged our family to visit as long as they liked! So they did! Grandparents, Aunts, and Uncles (including finally-an-Aunt-Gabbi) each took a turn! Big cousin Grace even got in the action and did a great job holding little Isaac. He was content the whole time, never crying, as he was passed around the room. JB and I had a little time just the two of us before the family came in, but after that, I was fine with sharing him with everyone else. (The pictures at the top are from this introduction. I don't have any of Keith and AD as they were on their camera. I'll try to get them later. AD, can you send them to me?!)
We spent about three hours at the hospital and then decided we would go get some dinner and some rest before we worked with Fritz on Friday for final discharge. We don't see any reason that we will not be taking Isaac home, for good, sometime today. We hope to spend Saturday here in Fort Lauderdale, celebrating with family, before making the drive back to Destin on Sunday morning with my mom along for the ride.
We finished the evening with a dinner at Cheesecake Factory to celebrate. JB and I returned to my mom's to open a bunch more gifts that have arrived. We will spend this morning trying to organize all the things (leftover from the showers I had earlier in April) we need to take back to Destin. We'll also be getting things together to bring Isaac "home" for good and preparing to sign paperwork that will make it more final.
Fritz recovered as well and informed us that Chris and Bri (who had been discharged from the hospital early that morning) had signed the paperwork and the nursery workers at the hospital now expected John and Wendi to come visit their son!
Needless to say we were there as fast as rush hour traffic on I-95 would allow.
Once at the hospital, we were blessed as the nurses welcomed us in, gave us a small room, and encouraged our family to visit as long as they liked! So they did! Grandparents, Aunts, and Uncles (including finally-an-Aunt-Gabbi) each took a turn! Big cousin Grace even got in the action and did a great job holding little Isaac. He was content the whole time, never crying, as he was passed around the room. JB and I had a little time just the two of us before the family came in, but after that, I was fine with sharing him with everyone else. (The pictures at the top are from this introduction. I don't have any of Keith and AD as they were on their camera. I'll try to get them later. AD, can you send them to me?!)
We spent about three hours at the hospital and then decided we would go get some dinner and some rest before we worked with Fritz on Friday for final discharge. We don't see any reason that we will not be taking Isaac home, for good, sometime today. We hope to spend Saturday here in Fort Lauderdale, celebrating with family, before making the drive back to Destin on Sunday morning with my mom along for the ride.
We finished the evening with a dinner at Cheesecake Factory to celebrate. JB and I returned to my mom's to open a bunch more gifts that have arrived. We will spend this morning trying to organize all the things (leftover from the showers I had earlier in April) we need to take back to Destin. We'll also be getting things together to bring Isaac "home" for good and preparing to sign paperwork that will make it more final.
Your comments and well wishes are a treasure to me and to our whole family. (If you didn't have a chance to comment on yesterday's post, please do. This will be a memory for us forever!) My mother has made sure to catch up on reading them each time she returns to the computer, and I have read each of them many times. We are so blessed. It has been a very long journey and one wrought with tears and frustrations. We still do not feel that this is real. We both feel that we are floating somewhere outside of ourselves, looking down and watching but not participating. We know this feeling will soon change -- maybe during the first midnight feeding.
More pictures (of Isaac and the beautiful Mother's Day necklace I received from JB) to come. Blessings all!
More pictures (of Isaac and the beautiful Mother's Day necklace I received from JB) to come. Blessings all!
P.S. 'Nother bit of exciting news. Yesterday, as we were leaving Roy & Joan's, we saw Scottie Pippen riding his bike with his family! How cool is that? :)
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