Getting closer

This is really long...I apologize!

We are definitely getting closer to the arrival of our little one. It is still surreal to think that in just 2 ½ to 3 weeks, he’ll be a part of our family. I’m now at the point where I just want him to be here. At first, I was a little terrified at the thought of caring for someone else. Now, I’m just excited.

The nursery is well on its way. We painted over the weekend, keeping beige on top and adding blue to the bottom. Last night, Matt and our friend Jeremy installed the chair rail around the room. We’re lucky to have such handy friends!! Now, we just need to spackle the nails and paint it white. There are a few touch ups we’ll have to do on the walls, but it is pretty close to complete. We’re hoping to put the furniture back in on Friday. The theme is sports…which should not be a surprise. If you’d like to see what the bedding looks like, you can peek at our Babies R Us registry.

The big event this week was visiting with Brooke. We met up to discuss the adoption and birth plan. During the first year, we’ll meet up with her significantly more than in future years, which is pretty normal. We’ll have regular phone calls and e-mails as well. We’ve promised to take a lot of pictures, which will be sent to her or given during our visits. Throughout the meeting, we realized that we are all on the same page about frequency of visits and different expectations. I think we all walked away feeling very good about the arrangements.

Probably the most amazing part of the meeting came when she asked us if we had chosen a name. We shared it with her (sorry to those who have asked and been denied that info, I think she’s earned the right to know ). Some of you know that she had already chosen a name for him, so we were concerned that she would not appreciate a new name for him. Ultimately, it is our decision, but we want to be sensitive to her as well. She surprised us all by asking the counselor to change the plan so that our name will be listed on the birth certificate instead of the one she chose. She was very firm in her decision, even though we suggested that she think about that a little longer. She said that if we are going to be parenting him, that she wants our name to be used. When the counselor wrote his name on the documents, I got a little choked up. We’ve talked about the name, and even written the first and middle, but I had not seen it all written out. It was awesome to see!

I’m also very excited about the birth plan. Brooke has invited into the delivery room with her. Matt is still trying to decide how he feels about that, but I’m looking forward to it. The hospital will set us up with a comfort room, so that we can stay with the baby. Brooke will be the first to hold him, but he’ll remain with us until he is discharged. On the final day, when Brooke signs the relinquishment papers, we will have an “Entrustment Ceremony.” It will be very simple, but a chance to pray a blessing over the entire adoption. It is a symbolic way for her to entrust the care of the baby to us. For those of you who watch “16 and Pregnant” (I’m guessing you won’t admit it, but you know who you are), they had a similar ceremony in the first season with Catelynn and Tyler.

Meeting with her really cemented my feelings about this adoption. I have been confident that this is where God wants us to be, but a piece of me was still a little nervous about the whole thing. After talking more with Brooke, and reviewing the adoption itself, I am even more excited about it. It is hard to describe, although I’m sure it is a similar feeling to finding out that you are expecting.

Please continue to pray for Brooke, the baby and us. While everything is looking good with the process and their health, you just never know. Please also pray for Heidi and Brandon (couple in MN). We told them that we were not going to be able to move forward, and I’m not sure they took it well. Pray that they connect with an agency that can provide them with the support that they need right now.