The beloved cradle...

My dad made this cradle 16 years ago when my uncle and aunt were pregnant with my cousin. We knew from that moment that it was going to be a special piece that was passed on for generations to come. I used to imagine the day that I would get the turn to use this cradle...I would imagine being half asleep in the middle of the night to a fussy baby and nudging the side of the cradle so it would sway back and forth to calm the baby. Not too long ago I often thought I would never be able to get that opportunity....it deeply saddened me that I would never be able to use the family heirloom that my own dad crafted with his own two hands. Today, Jason and I moved the beloved cradle into our room. What a special, special day. There aren't enough words that I can type right now to fully describe how this feels. Just know my heart is smiling. I love you dad!

The time is drawing near...

Washing clothes, washing bottles, buying formula, buying diapers....yep, that's what's going on in the Oliver household. We are days away from meeting our precious miracle baby boy. Despite the November 21st due date, the doctor is certain the baby will be born prior to that. In this past Thursday's weekly appointment he told birth mom that he would see her next Thursday (the 4th) for another weekly check....and then he expected the next time he would see her would be in the delivery room!!! November 5th is becoming a popular prediction for the birth date.
I've been asked this question a lot lately - "Are you ready?" You can take that question one of two ways....Are you ready, like do you have all the necessities - bottles, diapers, car seat, etc.... OR..... Are you ready, like emotionally, mentally, etc. I'll answer both sides to that question. We are ready with the necessities. We have the basics and frankly, we are so thankful to have as much as we have. Emotionally, mentally???? Jason and I have waited for this moment for a long time, but I don't know how anyone can truly mentally prepare for becoming a parent. With everything that we have endured the past couple of years...I can't help but think it's going to be the coolest most refreshing feeling ever. I know it's going to be hard - we are going to be sleep deprived and it will be a challenge - but YES, we ARE ready. I'm ready to snuggle with that precious miracle and start the next chapter of our lives.
Continue to stay tuned!!!! :)

The sweetest sound...

Today I got the pleasure of going to the doctor with birth mom. This is something I've been waiting for since the day we met her. We knew this was going to be an open adoption which means we get these kinds of perks. :) We wouldn't have it any other way. What a special memory to tuck away in my memory!! Hearing his heartbeat was the sweetest sound I've ever heard. I was all prepared to cry.........if you've been around me lately you know...I can cry at the drop of a hat....the emotions are just so intense and real that the tears flow freely these days. I even wore my waterproof eye make up....but nope....no need for the tissue. I guess it was more excitement so it kept the tears at bay. Although, now as I'm typing this....I'm starting to tear up. :)

Doc report: birth mom is right at 35 weeks and the baby is measuring just as he should be. The heartbeat fluctuated between 152 and 162, right where it should be. His head is down...hopefully it will stay that way. The doctor said the chances of her going into labor in the next 2 to 3 weeks are slim. She starts going every week now, so next week they will start checking to see if she's dilated at all. The doctor said we can go and tour the labor and delivery area to check things out. Jason and I will definitely do this so we know what to expect the day of the birth.

Birth mom's sister was with her today. This was the first time I've met her. She welcomed me with open arms just as birth mom has and both were so excited to see me!! I can't even begin to express how all of this feels. It's like the most grateful feeling I'll probably ever feel. This family has just taken us in and have become our biggest cheerleaders....they are all so excited to be giving us this incredible gift.

This is definitely not a "typical" adoption. But like I've said before....nothing about Kara & Jason Oliver is "typical".

We are in the homestretch now. I know so many of you are following along with such excitement and anticipation....a lot of you we don't even know. God works in amazing mysterious ways and I know, more now that ever, that He is using this situation for His glory. Thanks and praise be to God!!!

Stay tuned............. ;)

Updates!

Hello everyone! We are getting so close to the due date I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel. :)
A lot of you keep up with little updates here and there when I mention the adoption on Facebook but a good long blog update was definitely due....and then this afternoon I get fabulous "medical" updates on birth mom and then I knew it was really time to share with you all.

Our annual family beach vacation was last week....7 whole days in wonderful beach bliss. The second day we were there we got a call from our attorney telling me that birth mom wants to go ahead and sign the paperwork with the judge that names us as parents. Cue the excitement and more relief that one more essential hurdle was being crossed. We thought it was going to actually happen that very next day, however, due to some scheduling conflicts with the judge....the papers are being signed next Friday, October 8th. This just takes stress off of all parties involved to get this process taken care of before the "birth day". She still has five days after the birth day to change her mind...however, we are confident and prayerful that the decision that has been made, stands true. :)  I've never felt more that this is the baby that God intended Jason and I to have. And I know for certain that birth mom feels good about this decision and that she feels special to be giving Jason and I such a special gift. Remember those tissues that I've mentioned before that I need??? yeah, I pretty much have already been using them.

Today we got a medical update that I would like to also share..... The doctor listened to the baby's heart beat which was loud and strong and he responded just as he should at this point to the doctor's actions. He determined that the baby will be between 7 and 7-1/2 lbs. when born. Birth mom is measuring 32 weeks and five days along. Her stomach measurement was exactly where it should be also. Her next appointment is Oct. 14th and then she continues to go every week from then until she delivers. I actually get to go with her to the doctor on the 14th which I am so thrilled about. It's such a rare thing that an adoptive mom gets to share so much of this with the birth mom. I consider myself truly lucky and blessed to get to experience so much of this. Because I'm not able to concieve myself, I'm beyond excited that I get to still experience part of the process....hearing the heartbeat, seeing the ultrasound, doctor visits, etc.
Back to more updates.....The care coordinator that handles all the adoptions at the hospital explained that only two people can have the identifying wrist bands for the baby on their wrists. We found out today that one of those will be birth mom...and I will be the one to wear the other. They have birthing rooms and up to four people can be in there besides the mom giving birth. Jason and I get to be 2 of the 4 people in the room. We will get to see our precious baby boy enter this world. I am crying just typing this out because I truly can't believe this is happening. It's starting to sink in and I'm back to feeling the emotions I felt when we first learned about this adoption....which basically just makes me cry all the time now. Is it possible for me to have "PRE-pardum" emotions?!?! LOL....I can cry at the drop of a hat these days. God bless Jason for the next couple of months. :)

Specific prayer requests....
*pray for the continued healthy progress of baby boy Oliver and for the health of birth mom.
*pray for the mental/emotional state of me and Jason...no matter how exciting this is, it's still stressful and emotional.

So many of you are sharing in this excitement...I've said it before, and I'll say it again...I'm more convinced than ever that sharing our journey was one of the best decisions I've ever made.

Hugs and Love to you all!!!!

Let the transformation begin...

So, Jason and I decided it was time to empty out the guest bedroom and get to setting things up for Baby O. With only about 10 weeks to go...and constant reassurance from birth mom herself...we decided it was safe to proceed. :) Of course I decided to document this glorious occasion.

"before"

1/2 way there...

New furniture brought in...

The crib directions were quite confusing...

With our heads put together...we figured it out...here's Jason putting in the last screw. :)

The shelving unit we put together....far less complicated than the crib...

The finished result of our labor!

I couldn't wait to add our recent purchases to the shelf.

Jason's baby shoes....and his favorite Ernie doll. :)

Some of the things we have been collecting...

We have a ways to go to complete the room...but it's such a surreal feeling to have done this much already. To see a crib in a room in this house is very very odd....but in the most amazing way. If it feels this great to set up his room...I cannot even fathom the feeling to see him in it. Could someone had me a Kleenex? or a thousand....I'm going to need them. :)

A few of my favorite things...

It's been a while since my last post. I know everyone is searching for an update. :) So many of you are carrying us along on our journey and we couldn't be more thankful for you all. All is well in our adoption world. Birth mom is doing great and feeling good. Baby O has become very active and is kicking and moving around all the time. We are so thankful to get updates like this and to hear reassuring words that prove to us that everyone is still on the same page. Very soon I should be going with her to the doctor. Words can not even express the joy that I am sure will fill my heart when I get to hear that heartbeat for the first time. It's things like that - hearing the heartbeat, seeing the ultrasound - that I wouldn't want to miss out on just because I'm not carrying the baby myself. I feel privileged that I get to experience these things and will treasure the day I get to share those stories with baby O. I was having a conversation with our attorney today and we were talking about how this is not a "typical adoption"....meaning typically things don't go this smoothly and fall right into place with adoptions. "This is not the norm" Jeannette explained. My answer - "Nothing about me and Jason has been - THE NORM"...we have always been the exception to the rule....from the way we met....to how quickly we broke ground on our house...how quickly we got engaged (yes, in that order). Most recently in the past year we have been the exception to the rule for bad reasons. What were the odds that I would have to have both fallopian tubes removed? What were the odds that we would have such unsuccessful attempts at IVF? We pray that we have suffered down those difficult roads enough to where we can now be the exception to the rule for the GOOD! How awesome would it be to beat the odds and prove that adoptions CAN be a successful experience and fall into place without any major stumbling blocks??? Maybe God is trying to show us that we've suffered enough. I like to think that is what is happening here.

With that being said I would like to share some of my favorite things that we have been collecting for baby O.

The burp cloths that Anne Rae made for me. I adore these....the colors are perfect and I can't wait to use them!!!!

The adorable sock monkey that I bought at the Chelsea Antique Mall....and the lion and lamb were gifts from our very special friends. We were given these the night we found out baby O....is a baby BOY. :)

This shirt is a "hand me down" from my nephew Hudson. Jason and I brought this back to him from our honeymoon trip to Peter Island. I was so touched when Jennifer gave this back to me and said - baby O needs this shirt now. Awww.. :)

The blue baby blanket that Jenny gave me...that has not left our bed since she gave it to me. I snuggle with it every night and it stays tucked in between our pillows. Jason likes to joke that I am not even going to let the baby have it....I am going to keep it for myself. :)

The vision...

I realized today that's it's been over two weeks since I've written a blog update. The last time I wrote I was having a really hard time. The fact is, every day is tough....but not nearly as tough as it was that day. We've had a lot of good days too...allowing ourself time to get excited. I even bought a crib. :) The bargain of the year...at a yard sale for TEN BUCKS! I am going to sand it and paint it...I love a good craft project. I also started getting the vision together for baby O's room. I bought some amazing fabric that I'm going to use. I love the way it's all starting to come together. There aren't many things that we can control right now....so I'm clinging to the things I CAN control and have a part in. :) With that being said, here is a picture of the said fabrics. Yes, yes, yes, my loving Auburn friends...that IS houndstooth. I assure you that it has nothing to do with Alabama....I'm just a sucker for the print. I just love it. I'm not sure yet how I'm using all of these fabrics, but I got a great deal on them, so I couldn't resist. :) So it's looking like the colors are going to be chocolate brown, cream, aqua, and green. I am also wanting to throw in touches of red and orange. I can't wait to see it all come together.

Other than that, there really isn't anything new to report. We are just in the long waiting stretch of this process. It is hard not having that daily bonding with the baby. Since I'm not physically carrying the baby, it's hard to feel that connection. That is when our faith really has to come into the spotlight. Hopefully in the near future we can spend some time with birth mom and her family. We would love to be able to talk to baby boy O and let him start to hear our voices.  :)

Please continue to pray for everyone involved in this situation. We can't believe in just a few short months all the things we have dreamed for, prayed for, and hoped for are that much closer to becoming our reality.