Monday, December 29, 2008

Adoption Update

As we are approaching the new year, I wanted to add one more post regarding the adoption. Our caseworker, Vickie, sent us a copy of the Home Study for us to review. After reading it over, and talking it over with Mark, she submitted a final copy to the agency last week. Once Christian Adoption Services looks it over and had the final approval, we will be one step closer.

Now, the big question.....what's next? I know that Mark and I have to complete come on-line courses and we must work on the photo book for the perspective birth parents to look through. Other than that.....WAITING is the name of the game. It seems like this whole process is just a lot of waiting. It is, but we are doing our best to be patient. I am not sure when CAS will post our family album on their web-site, but I am sure it will be soon.

Thank you again for all of your prayers and support through all of this. We are leaving on Tuesday night to go to Nashville for the Music City Bowl. Cheer on the Comodores! We wish everyone a happy and healthy new year.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Mom is out of hospital and at home

Hello everyone! Sorry it has been so long since the last post. After returning home from Wisconsin we had our adoption home visit and then we left on Sunday to attend the Denver Broncos vs. Carolina Panthers game and then off to the Biltmore for a night. It was very beautiful by the way....I will post pictures later!

Mom is out of the hospital and doing very well. She stayed with my sister for a few days, but then was very anxious to get back to her house and sleep in her own bed. They moved her bed down to the main floor so she would not have to climb any stairs. She gets tired very quickly, but so far she is listening to the doctors and trying to take it easy. Which, if any of you know my mother...this is extremely hard for her to do.

Adoption meeting went well. She came to the house and sat and visited with us for about an hour and half. Took a tour of the house..which did not take long..small house! Then we sat down and she documented a lot of our finances and then it was over. She wants to have the final copy for us to review by this week, and then she will submit it to the agency. Once that goes into effect, then we can get this ball really rolling.

Mark and I would like to thank everyone for their prayers and thoughts over the last few weeks while my mom was sick. God truely had a hand in her recovery and we feel very luck to have so many people that love us. Thanks again.

Hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!

P.S. In case you didn't know....Vanderbilt football is going to a bowl game for the first time since 1984....and we will be there! They are playing in the Music City Bowl on Dec. 31. GO DORES!

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Mom is out of ICU

God is so wonderful! My mom moved out of the Intensive Care Unit today and into a regular room. I am so thankful for all of the prayers and good wishes. Her heart is doing fine, her lungs are clearing up, and her mental status is improving every day.

When I left the hospital tonight, she was getting ready to sleep a little...(very hard to sleep in the ICU...to many bells and whistles!) so she needs to rest. I will be back up there all day Monday and Tuesday. I fly out Tuesday afternoon, if the snow is not to bad. We are supposed to get 6-12 inches of snow in the next two days. Please pray for my safe travel.

Please continue to keep mom in your prayers, as she is not out of the woods yet. She still has a long road ahead of her, but this is so much better than it was.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Mom's Status

I am writing to continue to ask for your prayers for my mom. She is still in the ICU and they are not sure when they will move her out. Her heart is doing as expected and her lungs are clearing up slowly. She is not in a lot of pain other than when she coughs. She is still very disoriented and confused. She continues to see people in her room who are not there and tells us stories every morning about what happened the night before, which are all false.

My sister's fiance was reading up on some of the drugs she was on for the sedation and some of the side effects are hallucinations, and dementia. Not sure to what degree mom has these, but they also said that even though she is not on the medication anymore, it could take up to weeks to fully recover from the side effects.

It is very frustrating to sit in there with her and tell her that those are stories and it did not happen, because she gets so frustrated with me and gets mad. I know she does not mean it, but it is so hard. Yesterday was a long day. I think it was a combination of lack of sleep and just overall stressed out over everything that has happened. My sister and I are going in there today and we are going to bring her a St. Nick present since last night was St. Nick night. She would always give us an ornament growing up for St. Night night.

Please keep her in your prayers and lets hope by Tuesday she is moved up to a regular room. It is also snowing here, 4 inches Wednesday and another 6 coming today....oh what fun!

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Mom Update

Just wanted to write an update on my mom. She is still struggling through recovery. Today she got up in a chair (with lots of help) and sat up for an hour and got a bath and her hair washed. Her heart is doing better, but her lungs are not so good. They think she has gotten an infection and she has phnemonia now. She had a fever tonight and trouble breathing. They were bringing in a specialist to see where the infection was coming from. I have not heard back to see what they think, lets keep our fingers crossed it is good news.

I will be back up there tomorrow all day. I am so glad I am by her side to help her through this, because i could not imagine being alone.

Please keep my mom in your prayers. She is a strong woman, but this has really gotten her down.

God Bless....

Monday, December 1, 2008

Visit Update

Well, our second visit is today. this is our second meeting and we are meeting separately. This morning was my visit, and this evening is Marks. My visit went just great. It was hard being in there by yourself, and answering all of those questions, but it is just answering questions about your life and growing up and things like that.

Mark will meet her tonight and go through the same thing. Our home visit will most likely be sometime late next week. So we are moving along. Once they come into the home, they are just making sure that the home is a good and safe environment to raise children. She told us it was by no means a home white glove inspection. So, I am thankful for that.

I will post more late next week. I am flying home to Wisconsin to be with my mom. She had open heart surgery last Wednesday and she is having a hard time with recovery. My sister called this morning and she is a bit scared and I am too. So, I booked a flight to fly home tomorrow. I will be gone for a week....so please keep my mom in your prayers...she needs all of them.

Hope everyone had a good thanksgiving. I will update the blog when I get home next Tuesday. Keep praying....!

Last Yankee/Boston series in Yankee Stadium

Nursery Pic 2

Nursery Pic 2
Nursery Pictures

Nursery Pic 1

Nursery Pic 1
The crib