Silas

Although we've adopted before, this time around our journey looks and feels a lot different.  In reality the process hasn't been any longer it has just SEEMED longer!  I guess we are more anxious to grow our family this time around!

Nathan was what our adoption consultant would call a "stork drop".  His Birth Mom did not make an adoption plan for him prior to giving birth.  Once Nathan was born the hospital staff had to quickly scramble to find an adoptive family for him.  We found out we were to become Nathan parent's on the day he was born!

This time around we were matched with a Birth Mom who is still pregnant.  It's been exciting and nerve wracking to have a date we are counting down to.  We were only matched just a few short weeks ago and our baby is due February 15th!  Although I was pretty prepared for Nathan's arrival (I'm a planner--what can I say?!) this time I've found myself more anxious about having everything ready for this new little one.

Our baby isn't due for another two weeks and there's no telling when our Birth Mom will actually go into labor.  I've got the hospital bag pretty much packed.  The bottles that I have leftover from Nathan have been washed and sanitized.  The crib is set up and made.  Newborn and 0-3 month clothes are washed and hanging in the closet.  We're ready!  Right?! I've even booked our flight and hotel room although these may need to be changed at the last minute!

It feels weird to be ready and having to still wait.  With Nathan was there no processing time.  There wasn't time to really worry.  We got a phone call.  We threw stuff in the car.  We drove to the hospital. We met our son. We took him home the next day.  Becoming parents was the quite the whirlwind adventure!

Because everything with Nathan was so rushed I didn't get to spend time picking out an outfit for him to come home in.  In fact I ended up buying a sleeper at Wal Mart of all places.  No offense.  I shop at Wal Mart quite often.  But I wasn't planning on buying such a special outfit for my first born son there!

This time around I shopped and found the perfect outfit for our son!  And yes we are now officially announcing his name: Silas

We are so excited!  Thank you for your prayers as the due date draws closer.  Please be in prayer for our precious Birth Mom as well.  She has an important decision to make that very well may be a source of heartache for her.  Silas will be born in Utah.  Once he is born his Birth Mom will sign consents 24 hours after delivery.  We then wait for our ICPC (Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children) to be approved before we can return to California.  

Death and Life

Today in church our Pastor preached about what it means to be marked by the presence of Christ. This is one of our core values as a church body.

When we are marked by the presence of Christ it means we experience death and life just as Christ did.  Christ was crucified on our behalf so we could be set free from our sins.  But he also was resurrected into new life!

As Christians we all have experienced death in some form or another.  The death of a loved one.  The death of a dream.  But in Christ we also have new life!

Our pastor described the Christian life in this way:  We live at the intersection of resurrection and crucifixion.  In this life we will face death but we will also experience new life.  And unfortunately you can't take resurection lane without crossing crucifixion way.

This sermon reminded me so much of our adoption journey.  It felt like something died inside me when we couldn't get pregnant.  When we chose to focus our energy on adoption it felt like I was alive again!

If you think about adoption there is death and life wrapped up in it as well.  The Birth Mothers of our children probably did not plan on getting pregnant when they did.  But they chose life for their baby by carrying that baby to term and then placing it in someone else's arms.

The decision to place a child for adoption is never an easy one and in some ways when that child is placed in someone else's arms I can only imagine it feels somewhat like a death has occurred.  Being on the receiving end of adoption I can't tell you the indescribable joy that has radiated through me when a baby, that is not my own, is given to me to parent.  Death and Life.  Crucifixion and Resurrection. These two opposites are blended together to make something beautiful through the gift of adoption!

And that's how God writes our stories as Christians as well.  We have to experience death in order to experience life.  And we aren't alone in these experiences.  God experienced them first when he died on the cross and was resurrected!  And the best part?!  He did it all for us!

Build-A-Bear

When I dreamed of getting pregnant one of the things I've always wanted to do to prepare for our baby is go to Build-A-Bear and make a stuffed animal for our future child to love on.  When we couldn't get pregnant and chose to adopt instead I still planned on making this special trip once we were matched with a Birth Mom, but that didn't happen either because Nathan was a hospital call!  However, today my dream finally came true!  We went to Build-A-Bear today and Nathan picked out a stuffed dog to make for himself AND we picked out one for baby brother!  So much fun!

Nathan picked out this cute bull dog to make.  He didn't understand the process at first and insisted on getting the stuffed one!

Ready to stuff his bulldog!

Daddy's got the puppy Nathan picked out for Baby Brother!

Checking out the sounds you can put inside (We passed on this feature)

Staring in awe at the machine that adds stuffing to the animals

Stuffing his bulldog!

Hands in the Mouth = Nathan's not sure what to think

Adding the heart to his bulldog

Stuffing Baby Brother's Puppy

Giving the dogs an air bath and brush

He loved this part!

All Clean!

Trying out the Dog Beds

I brought the "Little Bro" onesie to put on Baby Brother's Dog that matches Nathan's "Big Bro" Shirt

Nathan briefly looked at clothes for his dog but I told him dogs only needed collars and leashes! (He fell for it and my wallet gave a sigh of relief!)

Creating a Birth Certificate for his dog.  He named it "Bull Dog".  We helped him name Baby Brother's puppy, "Floppy"

All ready to go!

He loves his Bull Dog!

The dogs made it home and now Baby Brother's puppy is waiting for him in his crib!

Baby!

It's hard to believe that's it's been over 3 years ago that I wrote a post just like this one.  (You can read that original post here.)  And even though it's the second time around it's just as exciting!

If you haven't heard already we have been officially matched with a Birth Mom who is due with a baby boy on February 15th!  We got to talk to our very young and very sweet Birth Mom on the phone today and we are looking forward to growing our little family of 3 into a family of 4!

Please be in prayer for us over this next month as we wait for the call telling us our Birth Mom is in labor!  We will be traveling out of state for this adoption and although we are trying to plan ahead as much as possible some things are going to have to be thrown together at the last minute.

Please also be in prayer for our Birth Mom.  She is making a very self-less and brave decision by placing her child for adoption and we are forever grateful she has chosen LIFE for her baby!

Lastly, with a due date looming in the very near future we ask with humble hearts for your financial support.  We have received 2 grants already and are waiting to hear back about 2 more.  But if you have thought about making a donation to our adoption fund and haven't done so yet, now is the time your financial support is needed!  You can donate via our Paypal "Donate" button or if you would like to make a Tax Deductible gift you can do so through our profile at: AdoptTogether.Com/TheGeorgeFamily.  Also if you aren't following Raising Up 1 on Instagram and Facebook we are their featured Adoptive Family for the month of January.  They are gathering donations, selling items through their online shop, and hosting an auction all to raise funds for our adoption!  You can visit their website to learn more by clicking here.

Thank you for your prayers and support everyone!