Growing Up

 Where has my itty bitty baby gone? It seems like overnight he lost his baby look. He officially looks like the very sad T word, a toddler. We went for his 15 month well check this week and he is doing awesome! He finally grew taller! We were so excited to hear that! He was 31.5 inches which put him in the 56% percentile and he weighed a whopping 27 pounds 12 ounces and he was in the 96% percentile.  He is quite the talker and loves to let you know what he thinks. We don't understand his language but he is learning and saying lots of new words. When we start to count he can say two, three. He says choo choo, that, this, out, mama, dada, and bye bye. He is pointing to pictures when we ask him where certain things are. He loves to read! We spent Saturday and Sunday morning snuggled together reading book, it was perfect. He would get a book from his bookshelf, climb into my lap and we would read. When we finished he would throw it in the floor, get up, get a new one and start the process again. There is nothing better than watching his eyes get big and a smile spread across his face when we start reading his favorite books.
We had our first family outing to the zoo and it was wonderful! We spent about 5 hours at the zoo and our boy was wonderful. He took it all in, ate a good lunch and went right to sleep when he was tired. We did not get to ride the train due to his nap but we did get to ride the carousel. He wasn't quite sure what to think about it but he seemed to enjoy it for the most part.
We have adjusted well to being back from break but counting down the days to summer! Our boy absolutely loves it outside and there just isn't enough time in the day when we have to work. We are thankful for jobs that allow us to have breaks so that we can spend time with our sweet boy. We have our vacations planned for the summer and it is nice to have something to look forward to. We will be at the beach for a week and also going to Disney World! We are blessed to have the opportunity to take trips and so thankful our sweet boy will be going with us.
Currently, there aren't many updates on the case. At the end of the month we will complete another step in the process. It will still take awhile but hopefully we will continue in the right direction. Both workers said once the goal is changed to adoption it is usually not changed back which took a little stress away. There's always a chance and I constantly remind myself that. We ask that you continue to pray for our case and that it continues to progress toward adoption. We are getting there! Slowly but surely!

This made me smile! Daddy took his sweet boy to look at the fish while we waited for the doctor :)

 The best big cousin spending some time at zoo with us!

 Enjoying the beautiful weather playing with his water table!

Outta my way Momma!

 Reading books!

Enjoying a Break

I am officially on spring break and i am loving all of the time with my sweet boy! We had a wonderful weekend celebrating Easter with family. Four Easter baskets later I would say our boy is more than loved! We have loved being able to get outside and swing, take walks, and play with bubbles.

Our worker came today for our monthly home visit but had some good insight on where things are headed. As always, he stated anything can happen but things are "overwhelmingly in our favor." YAY! There are still several things that have to occur before we will know without a doubt he will be ours but we are getting there. The ongoing worker will be here tomorrow so I'm going to see if she feels the same way. If everything goes as planned, termination will happen this summer. I get butterflies just thinking about it. I cannot wait for the day that we know he will be ours forever!

Our boy is growing like crazy! He is running everywhere, climbs like a little monkey and has the sweetest smile and giggle. We are hoping to have our first trip to the zoo this week if the weather cooperates. If not, we will go to the aquarium for the first time. He loves to explore and is very curious so I'm hoping he enjoys our day out.

Thank you for your prayers and we ask that you continue to pray for everyone involved.

Swinging is tiring!

 Easter Egg hunt last year...

Easter Egg hunt this year! Where has the time gone?

 All this for me???

Today Was the Day!

Well today was another court day. I started the morning surprisingly calm. I would love to say that my calmness lasted but that would be a lie. The closer we got to the courthouse the more nervous I got. We were there early and I was in no hurry to go inside. We parked the car and I just wanted to sit. We prayed before we got out of the car and walked to the courthouse. Thankfully we didn't have to wait near as long as the last time. There are still some things that have to occur before termination can happen but….we got a goal change! Yay! Such a relief to know we are one step closer! I couldn't wait to get home and hug my sweet boy!
Thank you for all of your prayers. Please continue to pray as we work through the remainder of this process. There is still a lot of time before everything is finalized and we constantly remind ourselves that anything can happen.
We received a special gift today from my sister and niece. Two teddy bears made from the pajamas our sweet boy wore when he was itty bitty.

 Sweet boy holding momma's hand before bed

We love playing outside with the best cousin ever!

Cauley-Stein has nothing on me!

That Five Letter Word

That five letter word is quickly creeping up again. Next Tuesday we will be going back to the dreaded five letter word…court. This is a big one where there is potential for big decisions to be made. I am so anxious and trying to stay calm. I know it is out of my hands and putting my faith and trust where it should be!
Our sweet boy is so incredibly busy! He is from one thing to the next and is a bundle of energy. He lights up the room and you can't help but smile when you are around him. He just makes you happy! Reading books and listening to music are two of his favorite things to do. He loves to sit in momma's lap while I read and momma sure enjoys the extra snuggle time.
We have had several snow days the past few weeks. We enjoyed our time at home and hanging out in our pjs. We spent so much time inside that we had to get out! We had our first adventure to Totter Otterville. We had a great morning exploring and playing. As much as we enjoyed our snow days we are ready for spring and summer! We have enjoyed the beautiful weather and have been spending lots of time outside. Going for walks, running in the backyard and sitting on the swing have filled our afternoons. I count down the time so I can rush out the door, get my boy and spend time together. He is growing so quickly and I feel like each time I blink he is doing something new.
We ask that as court approaches you pray extremely hard. As of tomorrow, he will have been in our home for 15 months with no visitation in 7 months. I know that anything can happen and do not want to get my hopes up. He is our priority and we pray that God's will be done for him.  We also have a special friend who is going to court tomorrow and we ask that you pray for her family as well.

Busy

It has been awhile since I have updated and this boy has been keeping us busy! When I posted last we had gone to Children's to have his tubes put in and they decided to reschedule. Since then, we have been to the doctor more times than I count and he has been sick for what seems like forever. We rescheduled for February 2 and were so excited to finally have the procedure so he could feel better. When we were arrived they were very hesitant to do the procedure. He had a nasty cough and sounded a like he was wheezing. Our boy never likes to do things the easy way and we ended up with 3 different anesthesiologists in the room to evaluate him before proceeding with the procedure. We were so torn because we wanted him to have the procedure and feel better but didn't want anything to happen to him. The main anesthesiologist was confident that it would go smoothly since it was a quick procedure and would be taking extra precautions just in case. He finally got his tubes! We thought that would take care of him but we were wrong! We have been back at the doctor for more wheezing and coughing. We had a chest x-ray and it came back normal which was a big relief. He is taking some yucky medicines and doing albuterol breathing treatments as well as inhaled steroids. He seems to be doing much better and we are praying he stays well!

Our sweet boy is growing and changing like crazy. He is as rotten as they come and we would not have it any other way. He is into everything, tests us to see what he can get away with, talks and jabbers, loves to play peek-a-boo, loves to read books, and enjoys snuggling. 

We have been so blessed to be home with him this week due to weather. We have all gotten a little spoiled spending so much time together. A lot of people complain about the snow but we have thoroughly enjoyed having a reason to stay home in our pjs and just spend time together. It is so much fun to watch him explore and learn new things. He is very curious and we can see his little mind constantly work. He will sit and look at books for a very long time and point to pictures and say "dat" over and over. We love having him walk to us and hand us a book then smile as we read.

Our worker comes tomorrow and he hasn't had any new information the past few times I have talked to him. I keep telling myself no news is good news but we are ready to find out what is going to happen next. 

I will try to do a better job of updating more frequently! Keep praying!

 Nothing sweeter than praying hands while he sleeps. 

 Makes me so sad to see him with this silly mask :(

 It is tiring being so dang cute!

I love this outfit even though it makes him look like a big boy!

Giving himself a kiss in the mirror :)

He is so smart!

Life Changing

One year ago I sat on my couch folding laundry and said a simple prayer, "Dear Lord, we just got approved to get a placement, if You're going to send us a child today would be a great day! We are home for a snow day and we are off on Monday. " One hour late my phone rang and it was a number I did not recognize. I yelled, "This could be them!" My heart was beating out of my chest, my hands were shaking, and I didn't know if I would be able to speak. The person I spoke to asked if we would take a placement and before she even finished her sentence I said "YES!" very enthusiastically. She told me to be at the hospital at 3:30 to pick up a four day old baby boy. Four days old? Everyone told me that it is very unlikely to get a newborn. We were a nervous wreck. We cried, we walked in circles trying to figure out what we needed to do, we made a list and more than all of that, we just prayed. We had no idea what we were doing or what to expect but we were so excited. 

We had the longest day waiting for 3:30. We would look at the clock and it would seem like an eternity so we would check again and it would be just a few minutes later. When it was finally time to go to the hospital we were a mess. We were shaky, crying, antsy, a bundle of emotions all in one. The nurse had us wash our hands and walk back to his room. Through the window we could see a tiny baby bundled up in a blanket, that was my baby! I was officially a momma. We were parents! I could not wait to pick up the 6 pound 2 ounce gift God had just blessed us with. I'm not going to lie, several times throughout the day I wondered what we had gotten ourselves into. We had no idea what we were doing and now we were taking someone else's child into our home. We knew we were fulfilling God's purpose for us and we had to trust Him.

Since bringing home that sweet bundled up baby our lives have changed drastically. We sleep less, we do tons more laundry, our house is always a mess, but we are happier and more fulfilled then we ever thought possible. I never knew being a momma would be as amazing as it is. There are challenging days but his sweet smile, hugs, and kisses make the worst days perfect. When my sweet boy walks towards me reaching his sweet chubby hands to me, my heart melts. I tell him every day that I couldn't have picked a better boy if I would have been given the chance. We thank God every single day for choosing us to be his parents. He is the biggest blessing in our lives. I would go through the anxiety, heart break, fear, and sadness a million times over just to be his momma again. 

The possibility of adoption makes this day even more special. There were so many times I thought he would be going home and my heart shattered. Some days I cried more than I smiled. Today, I am crying as I write this but not out of fear, out of joy, happiness, and thanksgiving. He is my baby, my sweet boy, and thought of knowing that he may legally be mine makes me feel like I could explode. 

It amazes me how God uses us and we don't understand. We question God and the things that are happening but we can't see the big picture. We put our trust and our faith in him and at times it was the hardest thing to do. I'm so thankful to serve such an Almighty God!

*Thank you for everyone who prayed for his ear tube procedure. Unfortunately, due to his congestion and cough they felt it would be better to wait. We are praying he is well enough next time so he can get some relief!

Excitement!

We can definitely say that our New Year has started off great! This week was full of excitement and this coming week holds some exciting things as well. 

I had a snow day this past week which is always wonderful. Nothing is better than an unexpected day home with my sweet boy. Both workers came to visit that day we were told they are trying to "expedite" our case so that court can be moved up and they can change the goal to adoption! I immediately got tears in my eyes and could not stop smiling. Just to hear those words made my heart skip a beat! Even if court cannot be moved up just to know that is where we are headed is a huge relief.  As always, until things are finalized anything can happen but they are moving in the right direction. I have been so excited and just full of joy after hearing the word adoption come out of their mouths. 

On Saturday we celebrated our sweet boy's first birthday with family! We had a wonderful time celebrating his life and his time with us. He was surrounded by people who love him and pray for him daily. He of course loved all of the attention! He wasn't very fond of cake but loved all of his presents!  Tuesday will be his actual birthday. We are going to celebrate his birthday again but just the three of us. 

Our boy is officially walking all over. There is no stopping him now! He is so smart and we could sit all day and watch him explore. I will show him something one time and he can do it on his own. He constantly amazes us! We think he is absolutely perfect in every way!

On Friday, our sweet boy will be getting tubes. This is very scary but also brings excitement. Our boy has consistently had ear infections for almost three months and we are so thankful he will get some relief. We are praying for a quick and painless procedure without any side effects. He is tough and I know he will be ok, I'm just worried about how I will handle it! 

Please continue to pray for our case and also our sweet boy's procedure!

-Philippians 4:4- Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again, Rejoice!

-1 Thessalonians 5:18- Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you Christ Jesus. 

 Modeling his outfit to eat his cake in :)

 Happy Birthday Sweet Boy!