Waiting in Florida

Look at those sweet lips!  I can’t get enough of her cuteness!  I love the little nursing blister…..

After being discharged Cassidy and I headed to a hotel and checked in to wait until we were able to come home.  The hotel was in a little shopping center so we went for several walks just enjoying the fresh air. She really likes the MOBY!

On Thursday we went to the doctor for her checkup.  They checked her bilirubin and it was elevated- 16!  The doctor said she needed to be on a biliblanket.  They arranged for a home health care agency to bring one for me to the hotel.  Several hours later she was hooked up.  I am thankful that she didn’t have to go back to the hospital.  She seemed to do ok with the biliblanket.   Which is really just a blue light pad that goes on her back.  But it was hard to get her comfortable to sleep because it has a big power cord that comes out by her diaper.  It also meant that we had to stay in the hotel room so she could be plugged in constantly.  We went back to the doctor on Friday and her bilirubin had come down to 14.3 but they wanted to keep her on the blanket.  At this point I was DYING of cabin fever.  I started trying to find someone to come to Florida to be with me and help me out.  I called Tim who couldn’t come due to work and our other kiddos.  I called several friends to see if they knew anyone in the area.  I even called our pastor’s wife and several women I knew from Bible study. 

was really struggling there for a bit- exhausted, claustrophobic, and lonely. That’s when God stepped in! He prompted Tim to call a coworker he knew used to live in Florida. They called some friends and one of their friend’s son lived in Miami. They called and talked to them and they said they would be willing to help me. Dave called me on the phone Saturday night and I was SO relieved! I could tell by his voice he was a really nice guy and he put me totally at ease. They invited me to come stay with them for the day and spend the night the next night and see how things went from there.  The next day I went and met our birthmom to hang out with her and Cassidy for a bit.  We had a great visit and I got this picture of them together

Afterwards I headed to Dave & Diane’s house.  It was a WONDERFUL!  I can’t describe how wonderful they were to me.  They loved on us, fed me, held Cassidy so I could sleep and so much more!  It was wonderful to have people to talk to, to share my beautiful baby with, and to just be around!  They told me I could check out the hotel and stay with them until I could leave the state!  They didn’t have to tell me twice!  I was SO glad to be out of the hotel!  Cassidy and I really enjoyed being at their house.  I am SO thankful to them for all their love to us- they truly were Christ to me.  I know it was a God thing for us to even find them.  They will forever have a place in my heart!!

I love this picture- one of the first ones with her eyes open!

First hair bow

Sweet sleeping girl!

We got the call on Wednesday morning that Cassidy & I could go home!  I was overjoyed!!  I packed us up, booked a flight and headed home!  Florida was nice but HOME is SO MUCH BETTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Meeting Cassidy Jane at the hospital!

I got a text Sunday Jan. 13th while I was sitting in a computer class for work.  It said “I am 6cm & 60%- today is the day Cassidy Jane is going to meet the world!”  I was so excited!!  After I made sure it was go time I stood up and said “I have to leave- my baby’s being born!!”  I quickly left and drove straight home- blowing up Tim’s phone.  He and the girls had just gotten to church and he had just gotten upstairs.  I told him I needed him to come home so he went and got the girls and headed home.  I got a direct flight from Greensboro to Miami (which I had never seen before that day!!- Thanks God!!)  I packed my stuff and off I went.  On the way to the hospital I got a text that Cassidy Jane had been born!!  Although sad to have missed her birth it did make traveling a little less hectic.  She was born at 11:06 and I got to the hospital around 5pm that evening.  She was in the room with her birth mom and I scooped her right up!!

The hospital has an awesome service called the “Stork Inn” where they offered me a room and meals for $85 a night.  I was so happy that they offered this!!  I took Cassidy into my room and we did some skin to skin.

It took her awhile to wake up but once she did she nursed for the first time!!

I put an outfit on her and snuggled her up!!

Her stat’s card

Sweet feet!

Love her sweet face!!

Biiiiiiig yawn!

We spent a lot of time over in her birth mom’s room hanging out with her.  She is an amazing woman that we love so dearly!  I am so happy to have these pictures of them together!

 

Me trying to make her a paci girl- she’s not too much of fan so far….

Snuggled in ready to go home (well out hotel home)

No she didn’t ride in the front seat- it was just the best place out of the wind for a picture!

Our experience in the hospital couldn’t have been better.  I am so happy to have such a good relationship with her birth mom.  I treasure our time spent together, our conversations, and our mutual love for this squishy little girl  

 

A quick version of her birth story as told to me by her birth mom.  She contracted all night but early in the morning they got more severe.  She went to the hospital where they checked her and she texted me.  They took her to labor & delivery and there were nurses running all around getting things set up and starting her IV.  They broke her water and started talking about an epidural.  Then she got the urge to push and it was time!  No time for epidural!  Cassidy came out in 3 pushes and had no complications!  What a wonder woman her birth mom is!!!

More pics and stories of our time in Florida to come.  Just want to end with saying God is awesome!  He was so present with me in the hospital!  Such an overwhelming peace!  I appreciate all your prayers, texts, emails & calls! 

Welcome to the world Cassidy Jane!!

cassidy jane was born on jan 13th. 2013 at 1106.  she was 7 pounds and 11 ounces abd 21 inches long.
i am posting this from my phone which is being silly and not letting me use my caps or alt functions....... and i cant get a picture to post. oh well.
i am so in love with this little girl already
she is super cute. quiet and is nursing well
we will be discharged later today......
hope to be able to go home sometime next week.
prayers are appreciated for our birth mom.  we love her so much. this is a hard time for her and she loves cassidy so much. we will be forever thankful for her and her sacrifice.  cassidy will grow up knowing how much her mom loves her.
i will try to update more later......
just wanted to say welcome to the world cassidy jane...... you are so very loved

Christmas 2012

Christmas was different this year.  We were in Florida waiting for our baby to be born.  Tim and the girls flew back home on Christmas morning.  Before he left he had set out the Santa gift for each girl so when they got home Santa had come!  They were super excited to get what they had asked Santa for.  Izzy and Easy Bake Oven and Piper a Doctor Mommy doll.  We had explained to them that we would open the rest of the presents when Mommy got home and they were fine with that.  That night Tim’s mom Grandma Diane came with two cousins to spend the rest of the week with the girls.  Thanks so much Diane!  Tim had to go back to work and it was so nice of you to come and help us out!!  The girls had a blast with her and their cousins!

I spent my Christmas in the hotel room.  I finished reading “Children of Dreams” and started “Hope for the weary mom” both really good books!  I missed my family so much but knew God was in control.  Over the next few days I got a little more homesick each day, crying on the phone with Tim, asking God why…. but multiple times a day I would give it back over to God and trust He knew what was best.  As I described in the last post we found out our birthmom’s dates were off a month.  So I came home on Sunday the 30th. 

I was SO happy to see my family!  I snuggled and kissed and snuggled some more!!  That night we opened our stockings.

 

Piper still has a baby’s first Christmas stocking…. guess we will have to hand that down and get her a new one next year!

Both girls got a new pair of goggles!

They were so happy for Daddy to open his present from Izzy.  She came up with the idea all on her own.  It is so cute to watch them watch it together.  The girls love to see Tim laugh and get such a kick out of laughing with him   I heard “uh oh this is not going to turn out good” so many times! 

That night Tim and I finished wrapping all the presents and we had Christmas morning on New Years Eve morning.  I didn’t take any pictures…. just enjoyed being with my family and seeing them so happy!

I am so thankful for my family!  Soon we will have another little girl to add to the mix!  Although this Christmas was different it will always be one we will remember. 

Catching up

There are so many title I contemplated for this post: The twist we didn’t see coming, Fam visit to Florida, Fam meets birthmom, God’s plan, but settled on catching up… so here we go.

I last updated while I was in Florida waiting on our baby to be born.  Our birth mom was 40 weeks and we expected baby any day….. I was staying with Katie in Fort Myers.   

(The pic I tried to put on last post….)

I was missing my family and since we thought it was likely that baby would be born soon Tim and the girls went ahead and came to Florida.  They got there on the 19th.

I was SOOOOO happy to see them! 

We spent our time checking out all the parks in Miami and surrounding areas

The girls thought the astroturf was awesome!  And I thought the sun canopies were.

We hung out at our hotel…..

Checked out the mall

The mall had a really cool Ice Age winter wonderland to walk through on the way to see Santa.

The girls had fun making snow angels

The got to visit with Santa

We went out to eat at a Colombian restaurant (we were looking for Mexican….)  It was pretty good! A little off our normal routine

We went to a cool place in the mall that is kindof like a children’s museum/restaurant.  The girls had fun doing art, playing dress up, getting their faces painted, and playing on the playground.

She kills me with her legs crossed- growing up!

I <3 the boobs on her face…..hahaha

A few more parks….

One of the highlights was meeting our birth mom at a park.  The girls were so excited to meet her!  We love her and are so thankful for her courageous choice!

This is an awesome Bible verse I kept running across.  I definitely agree that when your hope is put off your heart is sick…..  I am holding out for part B of this verse- when I hold our baby there will be SO MUCH JOY!!!

The girls and Tim left on Christmas morning to head back to Greensboro.  I was so sad to see them go but was very thankful they had come!  Two days later on the 27th our birth mom had a doctors appointment that I went with her to.  She was 41 weeks at that point.  Her doctor told her she was 4cm and if she hadn’t gone into labor by Monday then he would induce her.  We went home a little sad that we had to wait but trying to trust in God’s plan.  For the next two days she had contractions on and off.  On Saturday I picked her up and we went to the hospital.  When we got there the nurse said she was 3cm and called the doctor.  The doctor said to go ahead and admit her and start her induction.  So we got put in a room and the ultrasound tech came in to check on baby.  That is when we found out we are having a GIRL!!!  So exciting to be able to say she/her instead of it or baby   A little while later the nurse came in and told us that the baby was measuring small and looked only about 36/37 weeks not the 41+ we were thinking.  Due to not having an early ultrasound there was nothing to compare it to so they didn’t want to take a chance and induce her and the baby not be ready and have breathing problems.  So they monitored her and did another more in-depth ultrasound.  Both of those showed that SHE was doing fine, fluid levels were good and the placenta was good.  So they decided to discharge us.  We were a little sad to not be holding our baby girl just yet- but are thankful that she is healthy! 

Later on that night in the hotel room it hit me….. 2 weeks before I had been praying so hard that her doctor would induce her.  I couldn’t understand why God was dragging this out, why our baby just couldn’t go ahead and be born.  Looking back now I see.  Had she been born she would have only been about 34 weeks gestation and would most likely had breathing problems….and have been in the NICU.  I am so thankful His ways are higher!!!! 

I flew home on Sunday and was VERY happy to be back with my family!!  I missed them so much!  We have been catching up, having our Christmas and New Years in one   Our birth mom has an appointment tomorrow so we will go from there.  Trusting in God, waiting on His timing, He is writing our story.  One day soon we will introduce our new baby GIRL!!

Thanks to everyone who prayed for us while I was gone, who texted, called and emailed.  It meant a lot to me!  I was lonely and every time I was getting a little down someone would call or text.  I really really appreciate all the support of family and friends!  Thanks so much for your love!!