Growing Boy

It is still hard to believe that I am REALLY a mommy! Dallas is such an amazing baby. I honestly can't remember what life was like before him. Here is a little flashback over the past 5 months ...

March 4th, 2015

This is the very 1st picture we saw of Dallas before we went back to meet him. We got the text from a lady from the agency that was in the room when he was born. His tiny little 6lb 4oz 19 1/2in body was perfect. The cord was around his neck when he was born and he had a little bruising around his chin for about a week. 

This was the moment we saw Dallas for the first time. That day still feels like it was yesterday. I remember the flood of emotions and knowing the EVERYTHING that we had been hoping and praying for was right there in my arms.

*Photo Credit: Amy Horton Photography

This picture was taken on our first night home,March 20th (Dallas' original due date). It was an amazing feeling to be home. We were even able to surprise our friends and family because we didn't let anyone know we got the all clear to leave Louisiana.

Dallas was actually about 3 weeks old when Amy took his newborn pictures but my sweet love was still wearing preemie clothes and was OH SO ADORABLE!!!

*Photo Credit: Amy Horton Photography

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1 month old. 7lbs 14oz. 21ins. 

He hated sleeping on his back so we would prop him up on his side in his crib at first but we quickly found out that the only way Chris and I were going to get any sleep was if we used his little seat. I kept it next to the bed and I would just lay there and listen to him breath and watch him sleep. At this point he was sleeping for 3-4 hours at a time at night.

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2 months. 9lbs 7oz 22ins.

He had his 1st real tears on April 21st and on April 24th I was able to get a real smile out of him, it wasn't just gas. :) Both times I cried!! He also rolled from his tummy to his back that month. 

When he was 2 months and 1 week old we celebrated my 1st Mother's Day and it was perfect!

*Photo Credit: Amy Horton Photography

 I went back to work when he was 7 weeks old and the night before he slept 6 hrs straight. By the end of the 2nd month he was sleeping 8 hrs at night.

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3 months. Over 10lbs. (no checkup so I don't have his exact measurements). He started giggling and it was so sweet. He also realized that he LOVED his little toys that were hanging from his little play mat. We stopped letting him sleep in his little seat and he did awesome in his crib. This was also the month that the drooling began.

Amy got some great 3 month pictures. 

*Photo Credit: Amy Horton Photography

At the end of the month we celebrated Chris' 1st Father's Day.

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4 months. 13lbs 6oz. 24ins.

He started playing with his hair and rubbing his left eye when he gots sleepy, he still does this. He would also pull his hair when he would get mad (thankfully he doesn't do that anymore). He started scooting all around the floor and putting down a blanket for him to stay on became pointless. He rolled from his back to his tummy but I never saw it because he would do it at night in his crib (sneaky little dude). He began sleeping 10 hrs each night which was awesome but a little scary the first night he did it. I went in and checked on him a few times. He began to crawl/scoot across the floor with his face on the carpet and his butt in the air.

Here are the pictures from his 1 month, 2 month and 4 month check ups. It's crazy to see how much he has grown.

At the end of the month we took him on a vacation to the Galveston with my family. 

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While we were at the beach Dally turned 5 months old...

Over 14lbs. (again, no checkup so I don't have his exact measurements). He sleeps on his side for an average of 10 hrs each night. He goes down at 8ish is up at 6am like clockwork. He can fit in 2 outfits that are size 3-6 months but mostly he still wears 0-3. We let him try his very first food (other than formula). He had a popsicle, and holy moly he LOVED it. It felt so good on his sore gums. No teeth yet, but he drools like Niagara Falls so it's got to be coming soon.  I actually saw him roll from his back to tummy across the living room floor today.

I guess that's all the updates for now. Stay tuned for Dallas' first airplane ride at the end of the month (this should be interesting).

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Prayer Request/Update:

Chris and I will be traveling back to Louisiana for the trial on Sept 15th. I spoke with the lawyer this week and he said he goal is that we will not actually have to take the stand but it is one of those things that he will not know until that day. Please continue to keep the lawyer and the judge in your prayers. Also pray that EVERYTHING is resolved on Sept 15th!!! 

Summer/Update

Summer 2015 - our first summer with Dally has officially begun!

We plan on spending LOTS of time by the pool, enjoying the extra snuggles and spending special time as a family!

He is a growing, happy and healthy, perfect 3 month old!

Update:

This past Tuesday morning the judge, lawyers and Dallas' birth father had a conference. They met to reviewed a few things and set a date for a trial. 

After the conference one of the ladies from the agency called to fill us in on the details. She said we have the best possible judge and lawyer available so the prayers for the judge were answered! The trial date has been set for Sept 15th and they have asked that Chris and I be there as witnesses! The lawyer said that by us being there will put a face to a name and it will give us the chance to fight for OUR baby! They feel that there is a very good chance that his birth fathers rights will be taken away but they also said that over the next few months it will all come down to Dallas' birth father and if he decides to change his ways. 

The agency said, "No new is good news!" so our prayer now is that we don't really hear from them between now and then!

We are selling our shirts again and it's an AWESOME deal!

The over all cost of Dallas' adoption is increasing due to all these complications. :( 

Just click on the link below to place you order:

http://goo.gl/forms/nwGdsvdMp4

You know you wanna match this cutie pie!!

Mother's Day 2015

My VERY first mother's day that I was able to celebrate with Dallas in my arms!!

It was an amazing feeling that I will never be able to explain.

I got Dally and myself the perfect shirts to wear yesterday ...

**He has the best facial expressions :)

Mrs. Amy of Amy Horton Photography did family pictures after church for mother's day ...

*please ignore the fact that we don't match (we forgot about the picture) and my flipped up pants (I forgot I left them like that after walking in the rain).
ALL that matters is that Dallas is in the picture!!!!!

Chris got me a new charm to add to my collection ...

On the back I plan to have 2 very important dates engraved:

The day Dallas stole our hearts: 3/4/15

The day he stole our last name: *TBD

*This will be the day we go to court and we legally change his name to ours.

In all the excitement of the day I received MANY well wishes as I'm sure most/all moms do but there was one that made my heart smile ...

When I got out of church I turned my phone on and a text came through from Dallas' birth mom, "Happy Mother's Day! I am so happy that you get to celebrate it this year. Thank you for loving Dallas as much as I do!

All I have to say is GOD IS SO GOOD!!!

I could NEVER have planned this for my life!

"Every good and perfect give comes from over ..."

James 1:17

Update/Prayer Request:

All the original dates have changed so at this time we are waiting for judge and lawyers to agree upon a date for the conference in which they will present evidence to the judge. He/She will then decided if there is enough evidence for Dallas' birth father to fight for his paternal rights. We do not know when this will happen. PLEASE pray for guidance for the agencies lawyer as well as for the judge that will be assigned to the case.

Settling in

I wanted to start with an update and prayer request:

The possible birth father has been ordered to have a paternity test done by May 6th. If the results prove he is Dallas' birth father a hearing will be set for the beginning of June. At that time he will either sign over his rights or he will plead his case for wanting to parent. Also at this hearing, Dallas' birth mom and the agency will be there with evidence to testify against him. 

The agency has been very honest with us, they said that though it does not seen that the birth father has a leg to stand on in court it will all come down to the judge that is appointed to the case and whether or not they feel it is in the best interest of Dallas to remove his birth fathers parental rights.

So between now and the final hearing we are loving and snuggling and soaking up as much time with Dallas as we possibly can. 

I know God has it all under control and you would think that by now I would be pretty great a patience but this is definitely testing that. PLEASE join us in our prayer that God will allow us to raise Dallas and continue to be his forever family!

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We have been home about a month now and wow, a lot has happened. Our sweet boy is growing and changing faster than I could have ever imagined! I took 7 weeks of maternity leave and I have 1 week left. It is going to be so hard to go back to work but I know he will be in good hands between my best friend and my mom. Plus I MiSs my kiddos at school! 

 Our first official night home was Friday, March 20th which was actually the day the his birth mom was going to be induced. 

At his 1 month check up he weighed in at 7lbs 14oz and 21 in.

He is a pretty good baby. He makes great eye contact and I just know that any day now I will be able to get a smile out of him that isn't caused by gas. ;) He's eating every 3 hours during the day. At night we believe in "never waking a sleeping baby" so he makes it about 4-5 hours between feedings. Chris and I are alternating nights so that neither of us get too tired.

We celebrated our 1st Easter as a family of 3.

A lot of people have been asking to see his nursery and I have been trying to get everything together since our little booger decided to show up 3 weeks early. I officially got everything done last night. It's small and cozy and perfect for our little cowboy so without further ado ....

* I accidentally cut it off in the picture but the sign above the window is one of the famous quotes from the book that we picked Dallas' name from, The Outsiders, and it says "Stay Gold". It was a gift from a friend of mine from high school 

*The rug was a gift from my room mom and it fits perfect!!!

*His name sign was a gift from a family friend!

*This magnet board is above the crib. 

*The banner was a gift from girl that went to high school with Chris.

*The bedding was a gift from a girl that I use to teach with. 

Thank you for all your prayer, love and support PLEASE keep the prayers coming!

OUR Son

Here is the story of how we became a family of 3 ...

MONDAY:

It all started the evening of Monday, March 2nd. I had been talking with Dallas' birth mom on the phone, just getting to know each other better. She was filling me in on everything that her and the doctor talked about at her last appointment and we ended the conversation with her saying, "If my water does break early I will call 911 and then I will call you!"

TUESDAY:

The next morning (Tuesday, March 3rd) Chris and I got up like normal at about 5:30 a.m. and got ready for work, thinking that it was going to be just another normal day. At about 9:30 a.m. (snack time in kindergarten) I was by my desk and my phone started ringing. I looked down and saw his birth mom's name on the screen and thought I would call her back during my break then I walked to the other side of the room to put up some papers. As soon as I made it to the other side of the room her words from the night before went through my head, "If my water does break early I will call 911 and then I will call you!" so I immediately ran back to my desk and answered my phone. My heart began pounding as I heard her say, "I think my water just broke!"
I said, "Oh my gosh, okay, I'll call Chris, we'll get home, get packed and be on the way!"
While she was still talking I ran to Marilu's classroom (next door to mine) and told her I had to leave. I then proceeded to run to the front office to let my principal and assistant principal know what was going on, I was literally going in circles. I knew I NEEDED to leave but at the same time I didn't know what to do with my kiddos back in the room! My mind was RACING!!! I called Chris praying he would answer his phone, he NEVER answers while at work, and he did!!! I was BAWLING while trying to tell him to get home QUICK and that her water broke! Once he was able to understand what I was trying to tell him, he began running around like crazy at work trying to tell everyone that needed to know and get out of there.
While we both were trying to get home as fast as we could we were trying to call everyone and fill them in. Our original plan was to have one of my bffs, Amy Horton Photography, come with us so that she could capture all of our first moments with Dallas. Since he was coming almost 3 weeks early I figured she was not going to be able to make it and would probably have to come up later.  By the time we made it home and started packing Anna, Amy and my mom had already starting packing and were getting everything organized so that they could be there with us when we met our sweet boy for the first time.
After Chris and I got home we began packing and going in circles around the house trying to make sure we didn't forget anything. Thankfully I had already packed Dallas' bags and had them sitting in his room ready to go.  Ashley, our caseworker from the agency, called and said that she would let us know what the doctor said after she checked her. Not long after that his birth mom called me and said, "I know it was my water so if I was y'all, I'd get on the road!"
At about 11:45 a.m. we hit and road and began, what felt like, the LONGEST and so far the only car ride that I stayed awake the whole time to Baton Rouge, LA.

We arrived at the hospital at about 7pm that evening. The whole ride there we were receiving updates from the birth mom and her progress. We were so worried that we were not going to make it but she was progressing VERY slowly and Dallas was very comfy right were he was.
We got to the waiting room and made ourselves as comfortable as possible ...

WEDNESDAY:
Throughout the night, the nurses and our case worker would come out and give us updates.
It was a long night!! These 2 were taken at about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday morning ...

At 3:37 a.m. we received a text from Ashley (who was in the room with her) that she was dilated to 7cm.  Not long after that text, the birth mom asked Ashley to go find  the doctor. By the time Ashley got back in the room, Dallas was already making an appearance. The cord was wrapped around his neck so his poor little face was purple and bruised but he is doing so much better now!

Dallas arrived at 3:48 a.m. on Wednesday, March 4th.

He was 6lbs 4 oz. 19 1/2 in long.

After he was born they let us come in and see him for the FIRST time!

I am so thankful Amy was able to come and capture all of it .

Click on the link below to see the amazing video she put together!

http://video214.com/play/izIR9z2mbwaHKz81AaPWBA/s/dark

After we were able to spend some time with him and his birth mom, a nurse came in to evaluate him and told us that they were going to take him down to the NICU to keep a closer eye on him. He was about 3 weeks early and he is going through some withdrawals from the medication the birth mom was  on while pregnant so his little body needs some extra attention as it is healing.

Over all, Dallas is doing great but they have to keep an eye on him and at times they give him a little bit of morphine to help his body relax as it is healing. Thankfully we can come up or call 24/7 to check on him.

THURSDAY and FRIDAY:
Chris and I spent as much time with him as we possibly could. They let us both do "skin to skin" for hours at a time so that he could relax, listen to our hearts beat and bond. We wanted to spend as much time with him as possible even though in the back of our minds we knew that if his birth mom changed her mind, this would be our last time to spend with him.

SATURDAY:
This was the day that Chris and I had been waiting for since we began the adoption process. The birth parents were supposed to sign their rights over at 10 am but we were told that it may take little longer but we would get the text when everything was done! It was a VERY emotional day for us as well as Dallas' birth parents. My dad, brother and future sister-in-law came down to night before to be there for support. We got the text at 10:47 a.m. and it felt like an elephant was lifted off of our shoulders.

The baby that we had been snuggling, cuddling, changing, feeding, soothing, and LOVING was really OURS!

Now we get to love on him knowing that he is OUR son and we are his MOMMY and DADDY! :)

Little Dally will be in the NICU for another 3-4 day as his little body makes it through the withdrawals of the medication and he is able to go 72 hours without any morphine to keep him comfortable.

Starting Monday, the agency will begin the process of getting all the paperwork in order so that we can have legal permission to cross the state lines and bring our little bundle home. We have been told this part can take 10-14 business days but after talking with the agency they are hoping and going to try to get everything done by this coming Friday.

THANK YOU!!!

Thank you so much to everyone for all the prayers, words of encouragement, congrats and support. We would not be here if it were not for y'all!!
**We also owe our forever thanks to Dallas' birth parents for picking us and trusting us with this AMAZING gift!!! 

Thank you God for our perfect little boy!!!