We Are a Family of Four (well, almost!)

Elias James was born on Friday September 5, 2014. Since the beginning of his little life, I have been his mama. Perfection!

This whole adoption process had many ups and downs, was quick but expensive, and full of many, many new emotions. But, overall, just so much easier than infertility. Every step we made, we were actually one step closer to bringing our baby home. We kept looking at each other and thinking, "This is too easy!" After many, many, many years of infertility, 2 miscarriages, plenty of surgeries, treatments, medications, ultrasounds, blood draws and tears, adoption was a breath of fresh air.

Ella has been a super, amazing big sister and taking to Eli so quickly. She  just loves him so much and was so ready to have a sibling. The little moments we have all shared are really some of the most joyful I have ever felt. Now that Eli is cooing, smiling and laughing, his favorite person (besides me) is Ella. 

In our state, the birth mother's rights are irrevocable 33 days after birth. We have thankfully passed that milestone and we will finalize sometime before the end of the calendar year and at the same time the birth father's rights will be terminated by publication. 

We have learned so much about the adoption process throughout this last year but overall we are pleased with our agency. Another adoption is probably in our future at some point!

We had Eli baptized in October and it was such a glorious day! I know that I felt incredibly loved by our friends and family and I hope that Eli did, too. 

Gratitude isn't enough of a word to describe my feelings for Eli's birth mother. We are in communication with her and are trying to find a time for a brief visit with her. Our appreciation for each other is mutual which makes everything easier. We are all blessed to have each other. 

Our Day and Prayer Buddy Prayer Request

I love reading other blogger's daily diaries. Since it is midday I thought I would just give a snapshot of the our last 24 hours.

12 noon: drop DH off at the airport, he is going on a retreat at Clear Creek Monastery. Big hug and kiss goodbye. ;(

12:30 PM arrive home and put E down for a nap. Check email, then start making dinner, homemade pieroshki, yum, and talk on the phone to various friends (I talk on the phone way too much.)

3:30 PM get E up from nap, change diaper and feed her in her highchair (yogurt, graham crackers and peaches). Continue to make dinner.

4 PM Pick up friend and her baby and drive to local farmer's market. Buy watermelon, peaches, plums, salad greens, and enjoy the summer air and good convo with friend.

5:20 PM arrive home where my MIL is waiting for us, to play with E and eat dinner. Finnish dinner.

6 PM eat dinner, E wasn't too interested in eating, but drank about 8 ounces of milk and ate a few bites of sweet potato fries and cantaloupe. (This child loves anything orange.)

6:30 PM clean up dinner while MIL plays with E on the deck.

7 PM get E dressed for bed and MIL reads her books. I slip out of the house to meet with some homeschooling moms from my parish at Panera. (I'm not sold on homeschooling but appreciate the fellowship with other moms of like minds and varying ages.) Eat a wonderful cookie and enjoy decaf as well as the convo.

9:45 PM arrive home and chat with MIL some more. She tells me about an article she read in Catholic Digest. :) (Please pray for my MIL to convert, she would make a wonderful Catholic).

10:30 PM check email, read a few articles online. Give myself HcG injection. At least they are subQ now.

11:20 PM get ready for bed, say nightly prayers from Magnificat and go to sleep.

2 AM up to pee, ugh, is it the HcG I'm taking!?!?!

6:20 AM wake up, say morning prayers, take thyroid meds and shower. Clean up some clothing, etc.

7:30 AM get E up, dressed for the day, get her cup of milk and bagel.

8:15 AM drive to daily mass

8:30 AM walk into church, hope E will stay in the pew. At the first reading, she books out to go play with the doors in the back. Oh well.

9:00 AM call friend on way home from mass to arrange to get together today

9:15 AM arrive home, cook eggs for myself and feed E some fruit, juice, a plum and rest of bagel.

9:30 AM call friend chat for 15 minutes and then clean up my desk a little.

10 AM E gets frustrated playing by herself so we read books and play a little

10:45 AM go upstairs, put in a load of laundry, clean up E's room, change her diaper and get her ready for nap

11 AM naptime. ahhhhhhhhh....try to motivate myself to clean up kitchen but get sucked into the computer. Still here at noon. Oh well.

Usually if my DH is home he gets E up and dressed for the day and then goes to work after mass. He usually doesn't arrive home until E is ready for bed and we are reading books. We look forward to the weekends when we are all together. I love being home with E. She is so easy going and fun. I feel incredibly blessed to have friends that also stay home and we can get together during the day. I noticed that I am pretty social, I like my alone time, but love hanging out with friends and meeting new ones.

Prayer buddy: Please pray for my family of origin. My dad is very ill and they are all in desperate need of conversion. Lord have mercy on us all.

Friends are Good for the Soul

We just got back from a visit with a great college friend. She has 3 kiddos 5 and under and her baby is just 2 months older than Ella.

When she told me she was pregnant (for the third time), I was truly happy for her, even though she wasn't so sure she could handle another baby at the time. Then, when I was finally pregnant, she was so happy for me and seemed to know more about my pregnancy than her own! I remember her calling me on Thanksgiving, 2009, and telling me her baby was a girl. I called her, "God's Plan baby." She is truly a gift from God.

During my drive home, I was reflecting on myself and how I have grown. I have visited this friend for many years before and after she had children. After each of her boys, I would visit and help out. I truly loved it and felt at those times I could put my infertility aside and just be there for my friend. Now, I knew just where to pitch in and assist with the caring of the children, dinner, and picking up. It was so great to be a part of her daily routine and also help out. Plus, we could sit and chat and have a cup of coffee!

I feel so refreshed. I feel calm and taken care of. I just love talking with her, we can just dive right in, since we know each other so well. Having a close friend is truly a God given gift.

I feel that he has truly blessed our friendship and know that He will for years to come and also the friendship of our little girls!

Practice

We just got home today from visiting my family. Last Wednesday, I got to spend a few hours with my 3 year old nephew and my little E. My sister had to work and so was everyone else in my family! But, I feel like it was good practice for if someday we are blessed with another.

It was freezing here in PA on Wednesday, but I had to take the kiddos for a walk anyway! So we all bundled up, little E in a snowsuit and the Bjorn and my nephew in the stroller. We literally had to walk up a hill that was like a mile to get to the main drag in my mom's town. But my destination was just perfect, a kid's consignment store! It was so great! Toys for my nephew and cute clothes to buy. Needless to say, I had to take off the baby and my coat because I was soaked with sweat, but it was so fun. I had to buy a hat for little E that tied underneath and mittens for my nephew. We then walked down to the library where I fed the baby a bottle and read a few books to my nephew. I thought little E would fall asleep in the Bjorn on the walk home (which thankfully was downhill!), but no way. She just would look up at my and say, "BA!" It was kind of funny.

We had a grand time. But, I wasn't supermom because my nephew got waffles for dinner. Oh, well!

Joy and Sorrow

This week has been quite busy. Monday I had my progesterone level retested and I am staying in high zone 2 so my doctors are comfortable with me discontinuing drawing levels and staying off the progesterone! Yay!!

On Saturday my great Aunt Eileen died at the age of 89. She is my maternal grandma's older sister. My grandma is one of 6 siblings (actually 7, but the first died in infancy). My grandma is the last one living.

I headed home for the funeral viewing and mass. This was the first funeral I have been to that I haven't really felt sad. Aunt Eileen wrote her own obituary, planned her funeral mass and even had planned what she would wear in the casket. She really lead a life of joy and was always a pleasure to be around. A family friend who is a deacon delivered the homily and it was so personal. The whole 2 days were really a celebration of her life and it was all so hopeful. The deacon had some powerful words about life after death and what it really means to do the Lord's will and love the catholic faith. It was so uplifting.

During the mass, I couldn't keep my hands off my growing belly. Aunt Eileen had told her daughter-in-law about my shower next weekend and that she was excited to come. I will truly miss her laughter and smile. The baby was so active during the mass, I think that she really loves being in church!

Another good part of the funeral was seeing tons of extended family. My mom has 32 first cousins, so I probably got to see about 20 or so of them and that isn't including spouses and children. I really love being a part of a big Irish Catholic family. Most importantly, I am beyond joyful bringing in a new life to our family!

Valentines Day Significance

Exactly 10 years ago my husband and I went on our first date. It was actually a "anti-valentines day" date with a group of other friends. None of us were dating anyone but we all wanted to go out.

We went to one of our favorite hang outs and drowned our sorrows in a few beers. We all had a great time and even went back the the boys house after to watch some TV. My DH and I talked the entire night and realized that we had so much in common. At the time, I didn't want anything serious. He was going to graduate from pharmacy school in 3 months and I had no idea where my life was going.

I didn't hold out real long, we started dating in March of that same year and the rest is history. Looking back to that time in my life, everything was so uncertain. I was spending a year serving in Americorps and didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. I had been kicked out of school to by a physician assistant the previous year and my life dreams had to be re-done. I did get a college degree but knew I needed additional training. I did end up getting a master's degree in health education, which I don't think I would have finished without the support of my DH.

What a gift he has been to me. Sitting at that bar that night, I had no idea what the Lord was giving me. My DH is so supportive and understanding. There is no one else in the world I would have chosen to ride the roller coaster of IF and now parenthood with. He is amazing and I thank the Lord everyday for my DH.

Here is a picture from a wedding we attended in 2002. I don't have any digital pictures before that!

Cardiologist and Friends

Yesterday DH and I went to see the cardiologist for these heart palpitations I have been having. My EKG was normal and he didn't hear any murmurs. So, I got a lovely holter monitor to wear for 24 hours. I just took it back. Of course, I didn't have any palpitations while I had the monitor one. Oh, well! The cardiologist thinks that I have sinus tachycardia which means that at times my heart beats fast. He said there isn't anything that I can take to help that would be safe for the baby. My next idea is to talk with Dr. S about it possibly being my thyroid. If that isn't the answer, then I am just weird.

I think the reason the reason I had no palpitations was because I got to spend the last 20 hours with LifeHopes, Sew, and This Cross I Embrace. I got to hold LifeHopes' baby and just relax with my friends. It was a glorious time!

Today when I went to return the monitor I stopped to see my MIL. We chatted about the ultrasound and told her about the placenta previa. She had exactly the same thing when she was pregnant with my DH. She had some bleeding at about 24 weeks and was on bed rest for the rest of the pregnancy. I just wonder if infection plays a role here...

20 Week Ultrasound

Our baby is a girl! I can't believe it! I am total shock. All along, I thought that we would always have boys. God always surprises me!

Overall, the baby is healthy. We did see that I have a placenta previa, which means that the placenta is cover my cervix by about 1 CM. I am on pelvic rest until our next ultrasound in 4 weeks. Also, I have been having some episodes of an irregular heartbeat so I saw one of our docs today and now have to see a cardiologist. My thyroid levels were normal as where my iron levels. Good news is that my progesterone is up to 47! I am going to stay on the prometrium and if it stays up, I can hopefully lower my dose.

DH and I are going to be stepping up our prayer life. We really need it. For starters we are going to pray together every morning, go to daily mass on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Also, we are going to look into attending a retreat before the baby comes. Any suggestions are welcome!

Some pictures for your viewing pleasure. Baby D had her hands up by her face (praying?) and her legs crossed (modest). Can't wait to meet her!