We are not lucky

Today as I spoke with a women about adopting Addison, she told me how "lucky" I was to be able to adopt a new born. I agreed with her, but as I thought about it I decided that I was not really "lucky."

We are not lucky...that I knew the birth mom.
We are not lucky...that two generous donors paid the majority of the fees.
We are not lucky...that our church family stood beside us in prayer and tears.
We are not lucky...that so many families just happened to have girl clothes and baby accoutrements to hand down.
We are not lucky...that the birth families are supportive and sacrificial.
We are not lucky...that our dogs are gentle.
We are not lucky...that the car seat was free with the stroller.
We are not lucky...that our families are excited and accepting.
We are not lucky...that there is so little time between when I have to go back to work and Jason gets off.
We are not lucky...that ...

We are blessed!

God's orchestrating hand has been so clear in all of this that it is ridiculous to chalk it up to luck. Luck takes away the divine intervention that has been so clear. God has given us a gift beyond our imagination and He has delighted in opening our eyes to His glory in every step. It seems rare that we get to see the plan of God unfold before us, but this was one time when we were able to see each turn.

We are blessed that God has brought all of us together: Jason, Anna, Addison and you.

 
James 1:17 ESV 
 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 

Thank you for being part of our blessing!
 

So, I was thinking...

So, Daddy, I was thinking since you love me so much you should go ahead and put that down payment on a pony.

Week 1 pics.

Things I Learned the First Week about my Daddy

In an effort to plan ahead, I started this post before Addison was born.  I was thinking out loud about some of the things that Addison would learn her first week about her mom and I and thought it would be cute to put them into words, even though of course has none yet.

However, after one week, I realized what a foolish and shortsighted idea that was and in reality, this whole first week has been about me learning things from Addison.   So, it really should go the other way and therefore, I'm changing the title to:

The 10 top things my daddy learned about me and about himself the first week...

1. Daddy can actually survive (barely) on 10 hours of sleep in 4 days.  What's more, he can get only 4-5 a night and still do pretty good.  Albeit, he looks pretty odd and keeps running into stuff, he is still handsome.

2. You can teach an old dog new tricks.  Although daddy has never changed a diaper in his life, I am already turning him into a pro.   I'm giving him ton's of practice and he's getting much quicker.   And on that note, I also taught him that:

3.  Boys are not the only ones that can pee on you during a diaper change.  I'm actually quite good at it myself.

4.  Daddy learned that poop comes in an fantastic array of colors and textures.  More than he ever thought possible.  

5. My daddy learned that I am kind of particular about when and how I eat and that if he doesn't burp me properly I will get gas, and I will let him know that I have gas.  Often.

6. Daddy learned that mommy is much better at feeding me and she makes a much smaller mess at it than he does.   I don't mind though.   He likes to sing and dance with me when I'm eating.

7.  I am teaching my daddy that getting straight A's in school is not really all that important.  He will still be a really good physical therapist.  I love that when he comes home from school he spends time with me.  

8.  Daddy said something about me and dating and marriage and boys, I'm not sure what exactly he's talking about but he seemed concerned...

9.  Daddy learned how much he loves mommy and that we he sees her taking care of me, he loves her even more.  

10.  Daddy learned that that he loves me more than he ever imagined possible.

And still more.

This is what happens when you have two iPhones and no real camera.

A couple more photos

Addison pics from hospital.

First Night

Addison's first night was incredible.   Not a lot of sleep but was all wonderful.  She was born at 8:38PM, and weighed in at 7lbs, 2 oz and was 21 inches long.   And...she is beautiful.

Julia, the birthmom was incredibly strong and tough throughout.   She had been at the hospital without any real food for over 18 hours and then gave it everything she had for almost 2 and a half hours of heavy pushing before Addison was born.   We all got separate rooms last night and after Julia did the first feeding, Addison slept with us all night.   Slept, of course being a rather loose use of the word...

I've never had such an incredible nigh in my life.  Anna and I slept a little but took turns holding and feeding her.   She got her first bath around 3am.  I held her for at least an hour on one occassion, dancing around the room listening to music and just staring at this beautiful little girl.  I'm absolutely toast.   Not sure how to put all these feelings into words so I'll save it for another time.  

She does have an infection of some sort so they just moved her to the NICU for the next 48 hours.   Sounds like this is somewhat common for babies that are in the womb for longer periods of time after the water breaks but either way, Dr says it's nothing to be worried about.  Everyone, including the hospital staff is trying to navigate the unknown topography if an open adoption with three parents and a baby all needing rooms and clearances.  

Please pray for Addison's little immune system to be strong and for her body to fight this infection quickly.   We won't know until 24 hours from now if they intend to keep her longer or release her on Monday.  

Feel free to call us today.  We will do our best to pick up the phone, if not, we are sleeping, feeding, or changing a diaper...hopefully not all at the same time. :-)

Oh and the Diaper scoreboard...

Jason: 1  Blow-out: 0