Coming out from under the radar

Dear friends and family – We’ve been under the radar for the past couple of weeks and deeply appreciate your understanding, care, and prayers. We’ve got some wonderful news to share and a significant prayer need. Over the weekend of February 26-27, our profile book was under consideration by a 30-year-old birth mom in a Seattle hospital for a preemie birth by Caesarian section due to the mom’s health issues. The baby was born at 8:30am on Monday, February 28th, about four weeks premature. She was 5 pounds, 14 ounces and 18½ inches long. Our portfolio was one of three the mom selected, then one of two and we were asked to come to the hospital and meet her. We were blessed to talk on Tuesday evening with friends who are also adopting about their first meeting with their birth mom and, thanks to a “Ministering to Birth Parents” discussion at our church, felt a little less nervous about the interview than we might have otherwise.
On Wednesday, March 2nd, we met the mom and baby (here she is in her isolette in the Newborn ICU); she’s got a CPAP machine supporting her breathing just like I do at night and the isolette is helping to maintain her body temperature. We came out of the meeting feeling pretty confident we were picked and found out the next day that she had “officially” picked us as the adoptive parents for her baby – only one major hurdle to overcome.
The birth mom is Native American (Cheyenne-Sioux from Minnesota) so our selection requires the approval of the tribal court under the provisions of the Indian Child Welfare Act. Our attorney has sent off the relevant paperwork; the tribe has 10 business days so should be done around Friday, March 18th or early the following week. We have a slot on the court schedule here in Seattle on Friday the 25th at which the birth mom formally relinquishes her parental rights. Katie dropped down to 5 pounds, 4 ounces and was back up to 5 pounds, 8 ounces when we were finally able to visit her on Saturday, March 5th. She was also off all breathing assistance and out of the isolette. This picture is Amy feeding her her first bottle. The nurses in the NICU were great at encouraging us and teaching us to care for her.
On Monday, March 7th, Katie was moved from the NICU to an intermediate care level where one of us could spend the night in her room. Amy spent Monday and Wednesday nights with her, Ken spent Tuesday night. This formal six-week job search period Ken is in has been an incredible blessing has it has provided him the schedule flexibility to spend a lot of time bonding with Katie and supporting Amy. By Tuesday, the 8th, Katie was up to 5 pounds, 11 ounces and continuing to love eating from a bottle. She’s a very calm baby and eats every three-to-four hours during the day and every four-to-five hours at night. On Wednesday, Katie aced her hearing and car seat tests so, good news and bad news, she was going to be discharged from the hospital on Thursday. That’s good news because it’s wonderful that she’s so healthy but bad news because she can’t come home with us until the tribal court rules. We were pretty unhappy at this and really struggled. Meanwhile, the adoption agency was working to identify a foster family for Katie and hoping to find us one where we could visit during the 16 days until the court hearing. This has been a specific example for us that God has a better plan than we could ever conceive of. The foster family are strong Christians and, while we would certainly prefer to have Katie home with us, she’s in a safe home that honors Christ and cares for and prays over Katie and we’re able to honor the legal process. The wonderful story that is Katie’s will now include three moms – her birth mom; her foster mom, Karen; and Amy. The Lord is truly caring for her and for us. Karen invited Amy to attend a Christian women’s conference this weekend; they shared a room and Amy was able to care for and bond with Katie all weekend. Tomorrow, we’re going with them to Katie’s first post-discharge doctor’s appointment. Katie’s going for her first car ride; it was unimaginably tough for us to deal with it not being our car. This is Katie’s story over the first dozen days. We ask for your prayers for the tribal court’s consideration, for Katie’s birth mom, and for Katie and us – that we can continue to bond with her and continue to recognize the Lord’s many blessings in this process. Ken, Amy, and Katie

Training!

I love to run. The freedom, energy, and time of worship that running brings is an amazing gift. I also love to run in races. I'm pretty competitive and love to push myself further. Training is part of preparing for the race. I try to push myself, set goals, and do what I can to be ready for the race. Yet, no amount of training can fully prepare you for race day. The crowd, weather, route, and a number of major and minor obstacles can either help you reach further than you thought possible or hold you back.

We just took another class today to help us in our "training" to become parents. This one was an "Adoptive Family Baby Care Class." We were in a small class (only two other couples) learning more about infants and basic infant care. It was fun and informative and watching Ken hold, wash, and feed the "baby" brought a big smile to my face. We talked about new baby safety (things sure change) and when to call the doctor. We also talked about the uniqueness of adoption and the emotions of bringing our new baby home. Taking yet another class should give us more confidence when the big "day" arrives.

Yet, no amount of training (CPR, first aid, infant care classes, meeting with our family physician) can prepare us for the moment we actually are at the hospital and preparing to put the baby in the car seat and bringing him or her home. The questions, fears, and excitement will be there, just like for every new parent.

We are just so thankful that we have a God who has given us all we need to become the parents of the child He has picked for us. Just as in a race I can only see a little bit of the route ahead, God has seen the whole route. Ken and I are in a stage where we are only seeing one minute, one day at a time, we serve a God who has the path we're one planned out and we can trust Him.

Where we are right now: We are on the waiting list. Our profile books are in different offices in Oregon and Washington waiting to be looked at. Some may be mailed to a situation in a different state. We have no idea where our child will be born. If a birth mom is interested in us, we may be contacted to meet her. If the meeting goes well, she may pick us to parent her child. This is the most likely course. There is a chance we'll get a call that a mom is due very shortly or in labor and we may be asked if we'd be interested in the child. Bethany would feel this child and situation would be a great fit for us. Either way, we are getting prepared.

Our nursery is taking shape. Pictures will come when it's closer to being done. We now have a crib, pack and play, Moses basket, and booster seat thanks for my brother, Eric, and his darling wife, Ginger as well as our dear friends, Doug and Amanda. I've bought some neutral infant clothes (onesies and sleepers) and some necessities to take care of the baby (bottles, diapers, wipes).We've chosen the stroller, car seat, etc.

We are trying to be wise though and not move too fast. It is such a hard balance. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. Blessings and a Happy 2011!