As I come to the end of my maternity leave both children come down with their first sickness. Eden started a week ago, this past Monday, with the runs. She doesn't act or look sick and she's not had a fever. A week into the "bug" I called the doctor and they saw her to only tell me what I already knew. They said to check back in a week. So Eden keeps going with this nasty little bug. The good news, it's not all the time, it fluctuates in its' severity, and she's not received a diaper rash in the process. I guess we will wait it out until Monday to see if it really lasts 2 weeks.
Then today, what I thought was a cold or allergies for Gabe turned into a fever of 101+ and a rush to the doctor. They immediately became concerned at his pulse oxygen levels of 93/100 (they like it to be 100) and started talking about the hospital. But they instead decided to do a nebulizer treatment and run some tests since he was comfortably resting. After the treatment his levels bumped up to 95/100 and he seemed to be doing even better. Test results came back for normal white cells (no bacterial infection) and negative for RSV (praise God). So we leave with a brand new nebulizer, an Rx for an ear infection, and a much happier baby.
Tonight, Eden is happily snoozing away in a quiet nursery and Gabe is sleeping in a swing in our bedroom. He has to sleep upright (he's always slept on his belly) and he gets a nebulizer treatment at 1am.
In retrospect it hasn't been that bad. God continues to amaze me with His blessings. Just when I begin to get bummed out about returning to work and my kids get sick, He shows me His mercy and blesses our family.
The twins are almost 14 weeks old; Eden weighs 10.5lbs and Gabe weighs 16.3lbs!!! God is good!
Friday, April 23, 2010
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Sleeping Through the Night
At the beginning of the month we decided that we had t0 do something different because neither one of us were getting much sleep and we were both getting more and more grouchy! So with the guidance of my wonderful Sis-in-law, Kori, (I have to give credit where it's due) we started Gabe and Eden on a strict eating routine.
A normal day is the following:
Feedings are at 5:00am, 9:ooam, 1:00pm, 5:00pm, and 9:00pm
Gabe eats at the above times and Eden eats 30 minutes later because Gabe is much more demanding.
Starting with Gabe at 8:30 is bath time followed by rocking and singing until their last feeding then straight to bed.
I won't lie, it got worse before it got better. Gabriel didn't like the new schedule because it meant he couldn't eat in the middle of the night. After a couple nights he got used to not eating but he still wanted to make up at 2:30am and be held or rocked back to sleep. It wasn't until Monday night that Gabe stayed in his bed all night even though we still got up when he did but we didn't rock him back to sleep.
Eden doesn't have much of an interest in eating anyways so this was a lot easier for her. Her only problem is that she likes to be wide awake at 3:00am and when she's wide awake she doesn't want to be in the dark.
Last night, Eden woke up at 3:15, I changed her diaper and she went right back to bed. I couldn't sleep from then until 5:00am because I was listening for Gabe and in my mind encouraging him to keep sleeping. I had to help him find his passy at 4:00am then he slept soundly until 5:00!!
I'm sure there will be nights where they relapse and don't sleep so well but my #1 goal before returning back to work was that they are sleeping through the night. Since I still have 3 weeks left at home with them I'd say we're on our way! Praise God!
A normal day is the following:
Feedings are at 5:00am, 9:ooam, 1:00pm, 5:00pm, and 9:00pm
Gabe eats at the above times and Eden eats 30 minutes later because Gabe is much more demanding.
Starting with Gabe at 8:30 is bath time followed by rocking and singing until their last feeding then straight to bed.
I won't lie, it got worse before it got better. Gabriel didn't like the new schedule because it meant he couldn't eat in the middle of the night. After a couple nights he got used to not eating but he still wanted to make up at 2:30am and be held or rocked back to sleep. It wasn't until Monday night that Gabe stayed in his bed all night even though we still got up when he did but we didn't rock him back to sleep.
Eden doesn't have much of an interest in eating anyways so this was a lot easier for her. Her only problem is that she likes to be wide awake at 3:00am and when she's wide awake she doesn't want to be in the dark.
Last night, Eden woke up at 3:15, I changed her diaper and she went right back to bed. I couldn't sleep from then until 5:00am because I was listening for Gabe and in my mind encouraging him to keep sleeping. I had to help him find his passy at 4:00am then he slept soundly until 5:00!!
I'm sure there will be nights where they relapse and don't sleep so well but my #1 goal before returning back to work was that they are sleeping through the night. Since I still have 3 weeks left at home with them I'd say we're on our way! Praise God!
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Our First Easter
Wow! This was a busy holiday! We had a lot of fun with friends and family. This Easter is really the first family functions we have been to since the twins were born and Daryl and I are exhausted! I can't believe how much stuff is needed to visit family for the day. 
The funniest Easter story takes place Easter morning while trying to get out the door for church. Me being paranoid that they would get something on their clothes, wanted to wait until the last minute to dress the babies before leaving. We are already 5 minutes behind when we realize that Gabe has exploded in his diaper. Daryl goes in for the challenge to find halfway through that Gabe isn't quite finished. We will just say that there was a big mess EVERYWHERE except for the white pants Gabe is supposed to wear to church! Praise God the pants were spared! We were super late to church but we made it none the less!
The funniest Easter story takes place Easter morning while trying to get out the door for church. Me being paranoid that they would get something on their clothes, wanted to wait until the last minute to dress the babies before leaving. We are already 5 minutes behind when we realize that Gabe has exploded in his diaper. Daryl goes in for the challenge to find halfway through that Gabe isn't quite finished. We will just say that there was a big mess EVERYWHERE except for the white pants Gabe is supposed to wear to church! Praise God the pants were spared! We were super late to church but we made it none the less! Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Busy Day!
I kind of feel like today was a trial run of returning back to work. I got up, got the babies ready and dropped them off at their Nana's house. I stopped by IESS (a local teacher store) to spend the rest of my yearly stipend then ended up at PGE to do report cards. I worked and socialized until 3, head to Walmart for grocery shopping, picked up the babies, cooked dinner, and put the groceries away.
It sounds like I did a lot but I guess I failed to mention that all of this was done with 6 hours of sleep, 3 hours of house work this morning before dropping them off at their Nana's, no students at school, and a visit from my mom this evening which allowed me to cook dinner.
I'm glad I still have 4 more weeks before going back to work full time. It's going to be hard but it's got to be done. My only hope is that it all seems this easy when I do go back!
It sounds like I did a lot but I guess I failed to mention that all of this was done with 6 hours of sleep, 3 hours of house work this morning before dropping them off at their Nana's, no students at school, and a visit from my mom this evening which allowed me to cook dinner.
I'm glad I still have 4 more weeks before going back to work full time. It's going to be hard but it's got to be done. My only hope is that it all seems this easy when I do go back!
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Smiling Faces
Eden and Gabriel are almost 10 weeks old and they are taking off! It seems like everyday they are getting stronger and their personalities show more and more. Here are a couple pictures of them smiling and lifting their heads! They are growing too fast!
Friday, March 26, 2010
How our family was formed
My husband and I met in the summer of 2003, he proposed in December of 2005, and we were married in October of 2006. We moved into a new house in May of 2008 and tried to start our family. After trying for a year and no success we decided to seriously look into adoption. Daryl and I both felt called to adoption before we even met each other but we didn't think it would be something we would do right away. We prayed and researched adoption agencies and when we found Bethany Christian Services we knew this is God's plan for our lives.
We put in our first application with BCS in July of 2009 already feeling God's plan beginning to unfold. The next few months were full of paperwork, meetings, and prayers as we pressed through the process. In December of 2009 we began our home study and in January of 2010 we eagerly awaited the finalized home study so we could apply for loans and grants.
Before going any further, I must take a moment to tell you that the swiftness with which our placement occurred is unusual but definitely directed by God. Daryl and I felt God's calling to have an open heart and mind in our adoption process in regards to the birth family. The rest of our story is nothing short of a miracle but it may be difficult to hear for those that are currently waiting to adopt. Our social worker had this to say about the waiting process . . . if it's God's will, it will happen. It doesn't matter how long you wait God has the perfect child and situation planned for your life, you just have to wait for His plan to unfold.
Back to the story. . . On January 20th, 2010 Daryl called BCS to ask them a finance question (keep in mind our home study paperwork isn't finalized yet) and while on the phone our social worker told him that they are on their way to the hospital to talk to a perspective birth mother who gave birth to twins on Monday the 18th. She wanted to know if we were interested so she could show our profile and of course we said YES! Our social worker (from here on refered to as Angela) called us back that evening with no new information and promised to call tomorrow. Thursday, Angela calls us to tell us that the birth mother chose us to adopt her twins! We were on cloud nine! But there's a catch . . .
The catch: The birth father is African American and the birth mother is Native American registered with a tribe in South Dakota. Because Native Americans are a protected people federal laws states that in addition to obtaining permission from the birth family, we must also obtain permission from th
e tribe. Angela assures us that contact has already been made with the tribe and we should have an answer before the weekend.
I have never hit my knees so hard! I prayed like I have never prayed before. What we thought would be a quick decision turned into a 10 day prayer fest on an emotional roller coaster. All during this time, we didn't know anything about the babies other than they are 8 weeks premature, in the NICU, and doing well. Angela and Cindy (another social worker) were doing everything possible to close this case. Their fear is that the babies would need to be discharged from the hospital before the case was finalized. If that happened the babies would more than likely go to the state or this could drag on and on for months (keep in mind I've not even seen a picture of the babies).
Monday February 1st, I am snowed in. I'm a 5th grade teacher about to go stir crazy if I have to spend another moment in my house, alone, trying to get my mind off of these babies! So I decide to go to the chiropractor. I've got a lot of tension and neck pains so I decide it's best to get out of the house. While in the doctor's office I look down at my phone (that's on silent because I'm in a doctor's office) and see that I've missed several calls from Daryl. I call him back and he says PRAY!! So I pray the best I can while getting my neck cracked and while waiting to check out I notice he has called several more times. I return his call to hear the sweetest words possible "The tribe said Yes!" Through the tears I turn to those in the office and gladly exclaim that I am the mother of twins! A boy and a girl!
Wednesday February 3rd, we head to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte to meet our social workers, to meet the birth mother, and to meet our babies! The birth mother, Rachel, is so sweet and we agree to an open adoption. She goes to spend more time with the babies while we talk to Angela and Cindy. Now it's our time, we head back into the restricted area to see the babies. We immediately go to their beds and I pick up the boy (now named Gabriel Hunter) and Daryl stares at the girl (now named Eden Michelle) a little afraid to pick her up. Rachel comes over to Daryl and Eden, picks her up, and hands Eden to her forever daddy. At that moment we knew that our lives have changed forever. Our family of two quickly became a family of four!
We put in our first application with BCS in July of 2009 already feeling God's plan beginning to unfold. The next few months were full of paperwork, meetings, and prayers as we pressed through the process. In December of 2009 we began our home study and in January of 2010 we eagerly awaited the finalized home study so we could apply for loans and grants.
Before going any further, I must take a moment to tell you that the swiftness with which our placement occurred is unusual but definitely directed by God. Daryl and I felt God's calling to have an open heart and mind in our adoption process in regards to the birth family. The rest of our story is nothing short of a miracle but it may be difficult to hear for those that are currently waiting to adopt. Our social worker had this to say about the waiting process . . . if it's God's will, it will happen. It doesn't matter how long you wait God has the perfect child and situation planned for your life, you just have to wait for His plan to unfold.
Back to the story. . . On January 20th, 2010 Daryl called BCS to ask them a finance question (keep in mind our home study paperwork isn't finalized yet) and while on the phone our social worker told him that they are on their way to the hospital to talk to a perspective birth mother who gave birth to twins on Monday the 18th. She wanted to know if we were interested so she could show our profile and of course we said YES! Our social worker (from here on refered to as Angela) called us back that evening with no new information and promised to call tomorrow. Thursday, Angela calls us to tell us that the birth mother chose us to adopt her twins! We were on cloud nine! But there's a catch . . .
The catch: The birth father is African American and the birth mother is Native American registered with a tribe in South Dakota. Because Native Americans are a protected people federal laws states that in addition to obtaining permission from the birth family, we must also obtain permission from th
e tribe. Angela assures us that contact has already been made with the tribe and we should have an answer before the weekend.I have never hit my knees so hard! I prayed like I have never prayed before. What we thought would be a quick decision turned into a 10 day prayer fest on an emotional roller coaster. All during this time, we didn't know anything about the babies other than they are 8 weeks premature, in the NICU, and doing well. Angela and Cindy (another social worker) were doing everything possible to close this case. Their fear is that the babies would need to be discharged from the hospital before the case was finalized. If that happened the babies would more than likely go to the state or this could drag on and on for months (keep in mind I've not even seen a picture of the babies).
Monday February 1st, I am snowed in. I'm a 5th grade teacher about to go stir crazy if I have to spend another moment in my house, alone, trying to get my mind off of these babies! So I decide to go to the chiropractor. I've got a lot of tension and neck pains so I decide it's best to get out of the house. While in the doctor's office I look down at my phone (that's on silent because I'm in a doctor's office) and see that I've missed several calls from Daryl. I call him back and he says PRAY!! So I pray the best I can while getting my neck cracked and while waiting to check out I notice he has called several more times. I return his call to hear the sweetest words possible "The tribe said Yes!" Through the tears I turn to those in the office and gladly exclaim that I am the mother of twins! A boy and a girl!
Wednesday February 3rd, we head to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte to meet our social workers, to meet the birth mother, and to meet our babies! The birth mother, Rachel, is so sweet and we agree to an open adoption. She goes to spend more time with the babies while we talk to Angela and Cindy. Now it's our time, we head back into the restricted area to see the babies. We immediately go to their beds and I pick up the boy (now named Gabriel Hunter) and Daryl stares at the girl (now named Eden Michelle) a little afraid to pick her up. Rachel comes over to Daryl and Eden, picks her up, and hands Eden to her forever daddy. At that moment we knew that our lives have changed forever. Our family of two quickly became a family of four!
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