A Mommy Lifesaver

Being a full time stay at home Mommy is a lot harder than it looks. It is really difficult to find some time to do any other than cleaning and attending to Liam. I love it, but at times its all I can do to get the dishwasher loaded and the house swept. I am learning to work around Liam's ever changing schedule and have a few moments for myself every once in awhile.



My biggest ally in this is our Infant Carrier that I can just strap Liam on to me and run around the house getting things done. Unloading the dishwasher is difficult though with him right on my chest, it makes leaning over a pain in the back and hard to balance the two of us. I have found that wearing tennis shoes while wearing this is so helpful and soothing to the back. Liam usually falls asleep after the first 20 mins, and so that makes it less stressful. Liam seems to enjoy it though, looking around and seeing the world from a different perspective.  I can only imagine his little view of the world is much like the view of those reality ghost hunter videos. Otherwise it is really a nice resource to have as a new Mom who is a bit of clean freak when it comes to the house. Organization keeps me sane.

This weekend is a big weekend for our family. We have my nephews soccer game and at the local pro soccer stadium and the pro soccer game on Saturday. Then Sunday we have our visit from our lovely social worker and then our widely anticipated baby shower. I am so excited to see everyone and play those goofy games that I absolutely love! We are really looking forward to that and then Monday we are doing nothing but relaxing. I hope you all are doing well! Take care!

Full Circle

Prayer has been a constant source of strength and purpose during our journey through adoption. Our lives have forever been changed by our new little addition to our family and I don't think I will ever fully understand why I have been so blessed to have my little family complete (for the moment). This Sunday was Liam's first time going to church...ever. To me this was a miracle in itself. I can honestly say that if he had been raised by his birth parents that this day may never have happened. I am so thankful that this day happened and all I can say is its a miracle that our little boy has us, but such a greater blessing and miracle that we have him.

As I sat in the sanctuary this Sunday holding my son in my arms and listened to our preacher preach, I was in complete awe of the realization of so many answered prayers. I had sat in that very spot, Sunday after Sunday, praying for just that moment. Pleading for a child. Promising to raise him in the Christian Church. And vowing to do my very best. I know now what I did not know then, that God has a plan of his own in his own very perfect timing. I know that only through his grace did he bring Keith and I together, that only through him did Keith and I find little Liam, and only through him did he make it through his rough first month of life. Babies are resilient, but God is eternal.

Thank you all for following our journey and helping us bring our son home. The enthusiasm and excitement you have all shown (hem, hem...Becky :)), truly brings tears to our eyes and we are so thankful to be here. Even at the 3 a.m. feedings and the screaming baby in the grocery store times. Thank you all for all these moments.

God Bless!

Settling In

Settling in at home is going smoothly. Liam is now sleeping predominately in his own room in his crib, which he doesn't seem to mind. We are starting to see his own littler personality coming out this week as he is awake more than just a few minutes at a time between sleeping and feedings.

Liam had his first doctor appointment with our pediatrician this past Monday. That went really well, Liam did not enjoy it at all, too much poking and prodding for him to enjoy the experience. The Doctor said he is doing fantastic. We really trust this doctor, he is also our family doctor and has always been very helpful explaining things to us in a nice non-condescending manner, and just being thorough and over all helpful during this whole adoption experience.

Liam has grown two full inches since birth and he is now at 21 1/2 inches long, and weights 8lbs 14oz. He's putting some weight on and doing great. He's becoming quite the little piglet now too. He's eating 4 oz of formula every 4 hours now, which allows us to sleep a little bit longer now (Such a blessing).

Over all Keith and I are doing really good! We couldn't be happier to be home and to have our little guy with us. We are easing into a routine, slowly, but surely. We really enjoy spending the evenings on the couch cuddling with a movie, or just relaxing and reading while we take turns feeding and changing Liam.

I discovered that buying Liam's formula online at Amazon.com is so much cheaper, especially with the free shipping, and so I ordered a case of six that saves us at least $12, which is awesome! You got to love technology.

Yesterday, was my first outing with Liam without Keith. This was a little scary. We went over to the daycare where my Mom currently works and I use to work to introduce Liam to all the women I use to work with. It was crazy trying to get out of the house. I meant to leave at 1PM, but leaving with a baby is proving to be quite a challenge. Liam did good and let me put him in the car seat without fussing too much. He seems to like car rides now. Go figure. I packed about a million things in the diaper bag (I was worried I'd forget or need something, so I brought everything.) that made it weigh about a thousand pounds.

So I loaded him up in the car and we headed over. Its only a few minutes from my house to the daycare, but I was so nervous it seemed a bit longer. Once we got there it was really quite easy and we had a good time. I got to see most everyone that I knew that still worked there and met a few new faces too. Then of course Grammy got there and that was it. Grammy gave him his bottle and then we took off to home. I would have to say the trip went really well. Liam did well being the center of attention and didn't seem to mind being passed about. Though he did seem to like some ladies more than others. lol.

After our trip we came home and rested for awhile before I attempted to clean house and Liam woke up. We are looking forward to Keith's side getting a chance to meet him later this week and just watching him grow. Thank you all for all the prayers over this entire process. We truly realize how fortunate we are to have such a network of friends and family to lift us all up. Thanks so much!

A New Life

A New Life is perhaps the best way to describe my new reality. Life has completely changed. I have a month old brand new baby and we couldn't be happier. We are learning Liam's different cries, looks, and noises. He is such a joy to all of us. We are slowly easing into a new routine, being at home is making that so much easier.

Last Friday was one of those days I will always remember, Liam was discharged from the hospital and we brought our little boy home. Over the weekend we had a blast, the initial excitement has not worn off quite yet. It is definitely much difficult to do daily things with Liam in the mix, but it is worth it. The Little guy is just such a ham and quite content when he is rested, fed, and dry. If those three things are not met, boy does he let you know.

Once our ICPC came through (48 hours after filing...another miracle to count) we hit the road towards home. We left on Wednesday at 8:00 o'clock that morning, we meant to leave at 6:30 am, but babies make simple things take much longer. Needless to say, we hit the road and Liam did a great job. Keith and I shared the driving duty while the other sat in the back with Liam, making sure his binky was in and he was content. He did a great job. We stopped every 3 to 4 hours for a feeding, which turned our 14 hour car ride into 18 hours.  It was exhausting, but we were able to catch a few naps in the back with Liam. As soon as we got into town we headed next door to my Parents for Grammy and Grandpa to meet the little guy. My Mom cried of course and Dad beamed. It was so nice to see them after being away for so long.

The next two days we spent time getting settled in, resting, unpacking, and cleaning up the house. Liam is sleeping in his newborn napper in our room at night, and taking short naps in his crib in his room. He doesn't seem to care for the napper, but I don't like having him too far away at night just yet. He wakes up about every 4 hours at night, and every 3 hours during the day still to eat. We are going through diapers like crazy! Liam is definitely one of those babies that does not like a wet bottom, which I am fine with. Much better than the poor thing getting diaper rash.

Liam's new favorite thing is puckering his lips. When I'm not getting his diaper done quick enough or his next bottle to his mouth quick enough he pops out that lip and looks so very unhappy. He leaves it out for effect for a few seconds and then he just yelps out a shrill cry. It is perhaps the cutest thing I have ever seen. I know I should be like, "Oh no!" But I truly cannot help, but smile and hurry up a little bit.

Being a Mommy, is as I expected full of change and responsibility; but the new love I have for this little boy seems to compound exponentially every day. Keith and I are so happy and our little family of four (with our puppy Katey) is fantastic. Adoption was our answer and I am so thankful for the blessings, answered prayers, and this gorgeous little man we now call our Son.

Our 50th Post

What a day to remember. Today was just another reminder of how very far we have come on this road to build our family. Today Liam was finally released from the hospital in good health and quite happy. He is showing us how new we are to parenting and we are trying to learn how best to ease his transition. We are crowded into our hotel room where we are relaxing, me writing, and Keith holding Liam as he watches a movie.

Yesterday it felt like Christmas day and today Christmas. We had some bumps in the road today with getting all the discharge information and paper work in order. The biggest problem lay in getting Liam a doctor appointment for this Monday down here in Florida to comply with NICU policy that the child be seen within two business days of discharge. Some people do not try to appreciate our circumstances, but in the end with a lot of help from our nurse and case worker, we were able to find a private practice down here that totally understood our predicament and were able to help us.

By two we were riding down (me in a wheel chair with Liam) down to to the car where Keith loaded Liam into the car seat and we set off. Pulling out of the hospital drive gave us both such a feeling of relief and happiness. I am glad that I did not have to drive. Liam feel asleep shortly after we set off and slept all the way through lunch and arrival at the hotel. All in all a good trip.

Since getting here we have changed 5 diapers, one outfit, and two pairs of socks. Welcome to the family Liam! Thank you all for all your prayers and encouragement. We could not be any happier than we are right now. Now we just have to wait till the ICPC, where Florida and Ohio both say we can leave the state and return home to Ohio. Please pray that this process goes quickly. The nostalgia of living in a hotel wore off about two weeks ago. Thank you all!