He's here!!!

Whew! It's been a whirlwind few days but I am finally at a point where I can fill you all in!

First off, thank you for all of your prayers for Timothy, us and his birth parents! God has been so good to us, from safe travels, to Timothy being super healthy (despite being tiny), to smooth transitions so far, to a wonderfully supportive hospital staff and fantastic family members providing us with a hotel room. We are more grateful than words can say.

I will take you through these first few days with as much detail as I can, but please know that there are many things I cannot write for legal reasons as well as out of respect for Timothy's birth family.

Monday, February 17:

Learn that Timothy is measuring a bit small (just under 5lbs) and that induction about a week early was likely.

Tuesday, February 18:

37 weeks!

Wednesday, February 19:

Do taxes. This might seem silly, but it was the earliest appointment we could get after getting everything we needed. I really wanted these done before we had to travel because I expected a return. (We got one!)

Thursday, February 20:


I got the oil changed in my car.....just in case.

Friday, February 21:

Andy's parents came to visit us for a day. It has been a few weeks since we had seen them and wanted one more visit before things got too crazy. While Josiah was napping Linda and I went shopping. I picked up an adorable wedding outfit for Timithy (just in case!) and one premie outfit. I also got a gift for our birth parents. I found it the week before but wanted to make sure it was an ok gift before I got it. We got home and I decided to rest for about 5 minutes, then jump in the shower for an early
dinner. My head had barely hit the pillow when my phone rang. I assumed it was Andy telling me he had gotten off work early. I was wrong. Our social worker's name showed on the screen and I got a little nervous. I heard the words "Well....M is in the hospital. You better pack up and head to Kentucky."  I ran into the living room and told Andy's parents. Then called Andy.


Andy: Hey, can I call you back in 5 min.
Me: Ummm, not really, no. M is in labor. You need to come home. It's go time!

Then I'm pretty sure I went up and down my hallway 12 times trying to decide where to start. I had my lists made, but my brain momentarily turned to mush. While calling my mom and grandma I started packing. Somewhere in there Josiah woke up, pretty confused. 1 1/2 hours later we were on our way. It was perfect because Josiah got to stay at home with Andy's parents until my parents got off work to come get him. And, as predicted, I pulled out in tears.

Once we got to the hospital (at about 1:30AM) we visited with our birth patents for a few minutes, then the hospital got us set up in our own room and we continued to wait. We also got to sleep a couple of hours. When we woke up we went to check in with everyone and discovered we were still
waiting. I also learned that I was welcome in the delivery room when the time came! They had not slept well so Andy and I went to get breakfast in the cafeteria. The moment we finished eating my phone rang. It was birth dad calling saying it was push time!

I got to be in the room through the entire process and at 10:10 a screaming baby boy came into this world! There was concern before he came out that he may be too small and need to go to the NICU. I had asked you all to pray he gain some weight and we had been specifically praying he was over 5lbs. He weighed in at a whopping 5lbs 10.8oz and healthy!

We spent the rest of Saturday in the room with birth parents, with a small nap time for all where we took Timothy with us. Sunday was much the same, going back and forth between rooms. But at night it was just the three of us (and the nurses).


On Monday Timothy's birth parents went home. I wish I could accurately put into words what this experience was like. Heart wrenching. To watch them say good byes was so hard and it was easy to see how much they love him. This will be a tough transition for them.

Tuesday we got to leave the hospital!! There was not hot water in our room and I had not been outside for 2 days so it was wonderful to move on and settle into our hotel, take a hot shower and relax.

Paperwork was filed today and now we wait for a court day. We are hopeful for next Wednesday, so prayers for that (or sooner!) are appreciated. After court we wait another 2-3 days for KY and MO to say we can head home.


To answer a few questions...

No, we cannot post pictures yet.
No, I'm not sure when we can. I think after court.
Josiah is with my parents at night and my grandparents during the day.  He will also hang out with my aunt some. He is doing great! He is not missing us at all! On one hand this is sad, but really it's good. He is happy and well cared for :) Thanks awesome family!
We cannot say exactly where we are.
Yes, it looks like we will make THE WEDDING!!!!!!


God is so good! We are so thankful for Timothy, his parents, our social workers, the nurses who cared for him (and us), our family and friends who have been so supportive. We are blessed beyond words for the love that surrounds us right now.
A few prayer requests...

A quick court process.
That we are approved to leave by Friday the 7th.
Weather to hold off over the weekend so my parents can come visit.
Safe travels going home.
For our birth parents as they grieve their loss and transition to a new normal.