Baby Natalie is here!

October 27th at 8:05 a.m. weighing 8lbs 6oz, and 20 inches long! She's quite a beauty if I do say so myself=)
She is working on a 3 hour schedule of eating, and doing pretty well with it. Her wide awake time is between midnight and 3 a.m! She's not super fussy, just fidgety and not wanting to be put down. After that she does really well.  Brian and I have been working in shifts to stay up and feed her, but once I go back, grandmas might be taking over=)

                                                      Calling the Hogs already=)

Loving daddy

My little Sumo girl

Ready to see my new home

No news is good news

Today is uneventful and boring. We are propped up in the hospital room with Natalie right next to us snoozing away!  She is so content, and we love to listen to all the little "puppy" sounds coming from her. From the tiny sneezes to the whimpers and big sighs.......so precious! She passed her hearing test and they will do her jaundice test around 8p.m. tonight. Natalie loves to eat and is eating about an ounce and a half every 3 hours right now. We are about to bump it up to 2 oz.

Our case workers came by again today to visit with us and with M. So far things are still looking good. M is staying strong and always calls us mommy and daddy. We are still trying to be really careful about saying too much, but she makes it hard. She has had several friends come to visit her and Natalie which is good for her to have that support.

Right now our Entrustment Ceremony is set for 11 a.m. on Saturday morning so please be praying for M's strength when she has to watch us walk away with the precious baby she delivered. It will be an emotional time for both sides. We should be making our grand entrance to our house with family awaiting around 4 Saturday afternoon. We have a photographer scheduled to come and capture that moment!

She's Here!

At 8:05 this morning, Brian and I met our little girl (well, I did before him but that's not important!). She weighed 8 lbs 6 oz and was 20 inches long. She is a healthy little chunk and I love it! Our little sumo wrestler we said! I am dying to post pictures but to protect our birthmom and us, we are waiting until papers are officially signed on Saturday. Then I will post away!  I will tell you that she is beautiful, and doing so well. She is eating well, wetting her diaper well, and has already pooped that black tar poop!

I was able to be in the operating room for the C-section but did not see anything until they pulled her little head out. Then the nurses were oooohhhhhing and ahhhhhhhing over how cute her face was, shortly followed by  gasps of how sweet she looked! I watched them clean and weigh her and check for vitals. Then she was wrapped up and handed to me to be the first to hold her! The nurses got a picture of the two of us, as well as a picture of Natalie and I with her birthmom. This will be a priceless photo in years to come. She will see that God brought 3 together to love her and provide for her.

Right now she is snuggled in daddy's arms with her Lil Hogs Fan toboggan on! OF course we have received a bit of flack over that one! Gotta start them young; especially when you live in Texas.=)

The Lord has answered SO many prayers today. Everything has gone smoothly, we have a healthy baby girl, the birthmom is doing well, we have had an amazing peace over us today, and the nursing staff has been so supportive!

Tonight we are going to take a couple of hours to go out to eat, grab our bags from the hotel, and head back to the hospital for the week. We are hoping the hotel will refund the money for the rest of the week since we are not able to stay there.

For now, we are off to feed her, change her and let her birthmom see her for a bit before dinner. Keep the prayers coming because we might go crazy with no visitors, 4 hospital walls, and 2 1/2 more days of this!

I am blog illiterate

I think I fixed the problem with the comments. Try it out! I also figured out how to post pictures again. They keep changing it on me and I can't keep up.
We had our last shower this weekend, and once again were blown away. So many wonderful things we needed, and other things that were just special! Thank you all so much for your time and effort. I don't think I have blogged about the special news we received on Friday from some friends. Three ladies I work with and another special family paid for our hotel costs for the week! We were humbled and touched in ways you may never know, but wow! The Lord is good, and we thank Him for every special blessing.

2 days or less really. It is currently 7:41pm and Brian is burning the midnight oil to wrap stuff up at work. Tomorrow is his last day for two months! The man will be useless by Christmas=) Just kidding! I am so thrilled he gets this time off for his own sanity. He needs a break. We are just worried he may never go back! I may have to be his sugar momma! ha! Currently, I have swept and Clorox wiped my baseboards, bathroom, and window sills. I have completed 2 loads of laundry and have at least two more to go! I have not eaten, but there's no time for that, right? Of course, I am kidding. There is ALWAYS time for food in my world. I have to prepare some Halloween treat bags for my kids since I will miss the Fall party (oh darn), and mop. Then we will pack and be ready for a week away! So much to do! What time did I say it was?!!? I will leave you with some random pictures of gifts, showers, etc.. Enjoy!

                                              diapers and wipes "purse"- Isn't it precious?!

                                        This basket was given with gifts inside and I thought
                                        it made the perfect book basket right next to the rocker!

                                                   Mom made this to hold all of her bows;
                                                   and let me tell you....this girl will not be
                                                   without a bow!

Is anybody reading this?

Just checking if I am writing all this in vain or if people are actually reading these posts????

This weekend marks the LAST weekend Brian and I are just Brian and Whit FOREVER! Kind of strange but exciting all at the same time. We are headed to Arkansas for our final game of the season that we can make it to. We better stomp Ole Miss! I'm still bitter about Alabama and Auburn so this is a big weekend for the Hogs. Sunday we will be showering it up again. The Lord has GREATLY blessed us with friends and family that literally want to "shower us with blessings." We are so thankful!
I am also looking forward to seeing some old faces that I used to work with, and those I just never get to see, but love so much! Brian will be in attendance at this shower. I will have to make him wear a purple shirt or something=)
I am going to try and upload some pictures of some of the gifts we have received recently. Too cute! One of them is like a little purse for a few diapers and wipes so you don't have to take an entire diaper bag somewhere. It is hand made by a dear friend's "mother."

Diaper bag packed.....check
My bag packed.......hmmm guess I should think about this
Dogs taken care of............check -thank you, Momma D!
house cleaned......who are you kidding?!?!?
thank you cards written.......almost!
lesson plans in for a week.........check (so proud of this one)
final payment ready..........I hope for check on this one

I still have much to do! Guess I better hop to it!

7 more days

I receive daily countdowns from our birthmom. It really makes me laugh! After today's daily countdown, I received a most special texts from her that I thought I would share. This is one reason we feel so blessed by her. "One week from today you will be holding your daughter and I will be sleeping"

Warms my heart..........thought it might warm yours too.=)

Countdown

We are now in the single digits for our countdown. 8 to be exact! We spent the weekend making returns on some double gifts, buying last minute outfits we might need for the hospital stay, and enjoying our last weekend together with no travel plans. It was wonderful! Saturday was my 30th birthday and Brian surprised me with a one hour massage at a local place and dinner that night! It made for the perfect weekend. He really is the best, and I couldn't imagine life without him. I am so excited to see him as a daddy to this precious little girl. Makes my heart smile.....

Yesterday I spent about 45 minutes on the phone with our case worker. She has really been a God-send! She is always very supportive of our opinions and goes to bat for us when needed. She called to work through last minute details of our hospital plan and the entrustment ceremony once she is released. Right now Brian and I are thinking that we will just keep our hotel reservations for the whole week and stay there no matter what. We think it would ease our anxieties to be able to leave the hospital intermittently throughout the day for a nap or a trip to the mall to relax. We are also thinking it will be a good time to get some sleep being away from the hospital. Our case worker really suggested this option as well. We hate to spend the extra money on the hospital (especially since we are in crunch time at this point) if there is another option, but it will make us feel more comfortable. Everyone who has been in our position has said it is a grueling 48 hours. And we will be there 72!!!! So we are trying to keep our sanity in any way possible.

We are taking books, magazines, headphones w/ipods, and anything else we can think of to preoccupy our time while sitting around in the waiting room at times. Currently, we are having trouble coming to an agreement on our entrustment ceremony. Brian and I obviously are wanting it short and sweet and as soon as possible after discharge. We will have a 3 hour drive with a 4 day old baby, and our families will be waiting! Please pray that our birthmom will see this from our perspective as well, and be willing to make some compromises.

School Shower

This past Monday my Kindergarten team members planned a shower for me, and it was beautiful! My friend, Kayla makes cakes and she created a gorgeous 3-tiered cake! It was white icing with black and purple decor. I will try to get pictures soon. I received some really great gifts including lots of items with her name on it.....blanket, burp cloths, towels. IT was so much fun! My team went way overboard with the amount of money spent on my gift cards, shower decor, and gift. I am truly blessed! I did not realize the amount on the gift cards until I got home, and teared up instantly.
Today Brian and I went to Target to get a couple of outfits for baby girl while we are in the hospital. We really aren't sure what to expect on how much we feed and clothe her so we are just trying to be prepared. It was a lot of fun!

Home study complete

Well 30 minutes later our update is complete, and that was the last step before BABY! I hated that the case worked had to waste 6 hours of her day for only 30 minutes, but at least it is over.

Some of you have asked what we need or how to help.....since we are staying in a hotel or hospital room for 4 days we will obviously be living off 3 meals a day out to eat. Cha-ching. Fast food gift cards would really help save some money. This is one of those "not included in the $17500" moments.

Thank you for praying for us in the midst of craziness!

First Shower and Home Study Update

Busy busy weekend! My folks came in Friday night while we were cheering on the Rockwall Yellowjackets! They spent Saturday at Canton while we spent the day near Waco meeting with "M" and our case workers. We talked through our Open agreement plan, and the hospital plan. The open agreement just states the communication between us and M once she is home with us for the next 18 years! We are very comfortable with what is offered. I just pray we never forget anything! The hospital plan lines out details of who will be there, who will be in the delivery room, who will hold the baby, where we will stay, how long we can visit, etc, etc.
Please be praying that the hospital will have one extra room available during our time there. This would really save Brian and I a lot of money from staying in a hotel. It would also allow us to room in with the baby! M wants us to hold her first and attach with her. She also would like for the baby to room in with us if we get a room. She will get some time with the baby for herself when she is ready and feeling a little better. IF we can't stay at the hospital, M called and already booked a room for us at a discounted price at a nearby hotel! Didn't I tell you she is amazing?

Sunday was my FIRST SHOWER EVER! My girlies from Sunday School were amazing! Beth hosted it at her house, and it was gorgeous. The Lord provided an absolutely gorgeous day for us to open windows and doors and enjoy the Fall weather! Here are some pics from the shower:





Tomorrow at noon is our home study update. A case worker comes out to re-visit the house and everything else from the last time around. They are basically checking to see if there are any updates since the last time. Should be quick and easy!