Just some pics...

Our little girl is getting so big already so I thought I would post some pics of her from the last couple weeks. She is such a great baby and I'm looking to celebrating my first Mother's Day with her and Mike tomorrow.

She's so cute it hurts!

Our friend Christina said this when she came over to visit Emsley! And boy is it true. Our little girl gets cuter every day and we fall more in love with her. We have had so many visitors and been absolutely loved on. We now know what her cues are for wanting to eat, going poo, and when she wants to be held. She has already started eating 1 more ounce of formula...our girl is growing so much. She has fuller cheeks and even stays awake without being fussy so we enjoy her beautiful eyes more.

I thought it was about time to share her birth story...

On Saturday the 16th, Amy called me at like 11:45 pm and let me know that she was headed to the hospital because she was having signs of preeclampsia (headache, blurry vision, and high blood pressure). After texting through the night and letting us know she was waiting most the night, we got a text from her at like 7 in the morning saying that they decided to admit her to the hospital and they were going to induce her. We got ready (didn't even feel rushed!) and headed to Loma Linda to watch our daughter be born.

We were at the hospital in her room for over 12 hours before the baby was born. During that time, we just hung out with her, played cards, talked, shared funny stories. All the while, Amy was having pretty regular contractions but didn't even feel them. She is the toughest woman I have ever known. It wasn't until about 6pm that she started hard labor. She was feeling the contractions and was definitely feeling this little girl moving into position. She got her epidural and her water finally broke and then the pushing started. Mike and I were able to be in the room for the birth. Mike took a place in the room that where he couldn't really see much but I got the full view. At around 11 pm, the doctors realized that the baby was sunny side up and was having a hard time coming down the canal and with each push, her heart rate was dropping. They decided that they would need to suction her out so that she didn't have any complications. Once they brought the whole team in, they let Amy do one more big push and it was at 11:59 pm that Emsley Breanne made her grand entrance into the world! They looked at the group of us with Amy and asked who would cut the cord...Amy looked at me and told me to go for it. It was such a beautiful experience getting to not only be there as my daughter was born but to also be such an important part of it as well.

They wisked Emsley over so the NICU team could look at her...her color wasn't great and was a little floppy but within a couple minutes she perked up and gave her a bath. That night feels like a blur but yet I cannot forgot the emotions and events that transpired. We took Emsley to the nursery and finally got to our own room to rest at 4:30am. It was a rough night, Emsley probably had a headache...birth is an absolutely traumatizing time for a baby. People always assume that it is hard for the mother but I saw it all from a different perspective this time. I had an emotional morning (I will write about my experience with adoption post partum another time).

On the 18th we were able to visit Amy and just hang out. She held her daughter and we just hung out. Like friends, which is exactly how I would describe our relationship with this amazing woman. After a great time with her and her mom that afternoon, we took a nap with little Emsley and came back later. We left the baby with Amy and our adoption coordinator Michelle and grabbed everyone Claim Jumper (Amy's request!) and brought it back to enjoy together. It was a celebration dinner. We gave Amy the gifts we got her...a recipe book for her culinary aspirations, some bath goodies for relaxing, and an engraved jewelry box with a bracelet. The bracelet had a heart pendant that we engraved Emsley Breanne on one side and "a gift from above" on the other (that is what Emsley means). Amy cried and hopefully she got a tiny glimpse of how much we love and appreciate her for what a gift she gave to us. Amy went around the room and shared how she was feeling and how God just has given her such a sense of peace and led her to this decision. It was AMAZING!

We left the next morning and let Amy hold her one more time and we all left the hospital together. It was so hard to leave Amy...I told her we are not saying goodbye but merely saying see you later (which now seems cliche but oh well!) We miss her often and love that. It means that God worked something absolutely beautiful in this relationship and will continue to bless it in the future.

Now Emsley is 10 days old and as of this past Monday at 5pm, Amy's rights were officially terminated and she is ours. No one will come and take her away from us. Our daughter. Wow...

Introducing Emsley Breanne

Well, after what felt like a long wait for us, the time finally came for our daughter to make her grand entrance into the world!! After Amy (birthmom) had a tough and somewhat long labor, she finally arrived on April 17th at 11:59 p.m. She weighed 7lbs 10 oz and is 20 inches. I want to do a longer post with some of the details of her birth and our time with Amy in the hospital but that will have to be for another time (because it is an amazing story!)...I have a beautiful little girl I would rather stare at!

First Family Photo

Here she is!

Our Daughter's Room!!!

Finally!!! I took some pictures of the baby's room today and decided it was about time to show off this room. There are still a couple little things that we have to decorate the room but one of them is a thing with her name (which we can't put up till after she is born!) and the other a good friend is helping us design. It is definitely a room that we are so happy about. We have worked hard at making this room comfortable and beautiful for our child to be in (well, maybe more for us to be in!). Mike worked hard at painting the cabinet a year ago with my dad and then painted the bookcase (which we both LOVE LOVE LOVE!).

This is the view of the room from the door. The colors are neutral so we were ready for a boy or a girl. We have tried to make it more girlie since finding out we are having a girl.

This is the crib, cabinet and bookcase that Mike painted.

Our gorgeous dresser! I love the window treatments...so sheer and light but adds a little something.

This the bookcase that Mike painted. He did such a great job and I love that he is wanting to do these projects and take on his dad role! Mike took such time and care in painting this cabinet and picking the colors just right...I think it looks amazing.

This is the recliner and closet...lots of space for this little girl!

My parents bought this baby bedding for us over a year ago. We love it and I personally think it is very girlie with that print on it. And the colors are so neutral and calming...which is what we wanted in our baby's room.

Mike also painted these canvas for the room...we like the stars and moons. We also have a moon nightlight by the door so it keeps with the theme.

We have bought and gotten so many bows for this little girl. She is gonna be such a girlie girl!

Even though the room was blue, brown and yellow...we had to do some pink somewhere. She has some cute outfits...which I cannot wait to put on her!

Last is the cabinet...I know you can't see the outside but this is all the diapers, wipes, formula and bottles we have so far. I know we will need so much more but this is a good start.

Well, glad I could show off our little girl's room for you all! We are so happy and have LOVED preparing this room for her. It has been waiting for her a year and a half and know that it has been totally worth the wait. We have taken our time getting this room together and now we will actually get to meet her and welcome her home with her own beautiful room!

Blog Redesign and Update...

Welcome to my new blog. I updated the page and I love how it turned out. It's about the growth in our family and the little girl that will soon be home with us. So instead of this blog being about the journey, it's about the life we live as a family. A family of THREE!

I also added a baby countdown to my page...I wish I would have added it earlier. Now it says that we are 10 days away from the baby's due date. Mike and I keep saying it feels like just yesterday we said we have 50 days, then 30 days and so on. Tomorrow we are in single digits. Kinda feels like that day was never gonna come. Ok...enough about that!

Little update...baby is doing good. Birthmom is having one contractions every day now so she is progressing. The baby is growing and our next appointment is next Wednesday. We found out that our homestudy is no longer valid. So 11 days before our daughter is born, we have had to get physicals, paperwork from the DMV, CPR class for Mike, and meet one more time with our social worker. No big deal, right!?! Well, we have been jamming through it and working hard to get it all done. So be praying that we work hard and diligently to get things done. And also that our paperwork is processed quickly so that it doesn't hold things up. We do know that not having it done (in case our little one decides to enter this world early!) will not hold us up from bringing our daughter home after she is born. Praise the Lord!!!

Well, I always think that each post will be the last one that I will have before we bring the baby home. So you never know...

Our vacation recap!

Well we have been home a couple weeks now from Hawaii and are trying to hold onto our bronze glow that we got! Our trip was fun and completely memorable. Between ziplining, snorkeling, going to a luau, and a tsunami warning in the middle of the night...this will be a trip we will NEVER forget! Our time together was so sweet and conversation about this next chapter in our lives was amazing. We are so in sync with our thoughts and feelings about becoming parents it is wonderful. The picture to the right is the view we enjoyed for 8 glorious days. Here are some highlight pictures of what we did.

Well I hope you enjoyed seeing a few pictures of our trip. Hopefully I can take some pics of our now finished nursery to show off. I know that my sis reads this sometimes and I want her to see her niece's room!

Almost there

This Sunday marks week 37...we are just a mere few weeks away from meeting our daughter. We are starting to get our bags for the baby packed and the car seat in the car. We now sleep with a phone in our bedroom and know that anytime we could get a call saying that Amy is going into labor. I went to a Dr's appointment with Amy today and the baby is doing well. She let me feel her move but I only could feel her tiny little booty pushing up the side. Still...precious.

The real purpose of this post...how are we feeling as we near full term and the soon-to-be arrival of our daughter? We are trying to enjoy our time together and soak up these last few weeks (or days!). We know that this arrival will completely change our lives and relationship and for a while it was making me nervous but something happened last night that changed my heart. I was imagining our family and friends coming over to see our daughter and introducing them to her. How excited they will be to see her and how happy we will be (even if we are extremely tired). It was these little daydreams that got me absolutely giddy for the birth to finally get here. I just wish it would happen right now...I know that might sound crazy but seriously I just can't wait!

I truly think that she is going to make our relationship so much better. She is going to be a huge part of our love and life. She will be a reminder of how much we love each other and also of the time we should still take to have dates and alone time. I want her to know that we are still madly in love and that our marriage is a top priority (right after our relationship with God). That way she will grow up to have this same love for someone one day.

Well, coming soon will be letters written from both of us to our daughter. I asked Mike to write one of these and I am going to as well. We want to write her to let her know the way we are feeling and about how we have prayed for her and loved her for so long. Something for you all to look forward to!

Ugh...

We leave for Hawaii on Monday...and we cannot be more excited. 9 days away, just the two of us to connect and be together in a beautiful place as we prepare for our daughter to be born. It will be an amazing time. But...

Mike has been working 6 days a week and also is working late every night too. He even has to go in on Sunday for a few hours...the day before vacation. I am so mad at his boss. On one hand, I am grateful for him having a job and the overtime money that we get but that poor man is so stressed and overworked that it is RI.DIC.U.LOUS. He comes home, drinks a beer and we watch TV. He looks so tired and I feel completely helpless. Here I am with a job that I only work 4 hours a day at and then come home to relax all afternoon and sometimes I just feel so guilty. At least when our baby is here, when I am home with her everyday, my job is being her mommy and taking care of Mike full time.

I hope that when we are gone he can put all the crap of his job and how hard he is working aside and just relax and be present. I know that right now he is constantly thinking about the projects he is working on and it keeps him from getting a great night of sleep...so hopefully after being away from it for a day or two, he will forget he even has a job.

So ugh...my ugh is for Mike. But the huge grin that I have had on my face since 1:30 when I got off work won't go away...I am so excited for this vacation. This is the first time we have gotten away to a relaxing vacation since our honeymoon.

Aloha for now everyone!!! See you in a couple weeks!

Think Pink!!!

That's right...we are having a girl! Mike and I could not be more happy knowing that our daughter will be born in less than 2 months. Here is the latest ultrasound pictures of her. She is absolutely beautiful. Right now she is just about 4 1/2 pounds and is doing well. Birthmom is about 32 weeks and 5 days so it might be a little earlier than April 17th. We go back to the doctor with her on Monday and get to hear how our little one is doing.

Last night at our girls group, they asked me how I am feeling now that Baby Girl Wise is on her way...and soon. A few weeks ago, before the gender reveal, I felt nervous. Nervous about being a mom and about what to expect and especially nervous about all the change that will be coming. But now that we are closer and to know that we will have a daughter, I just have a sense of peace about me. In our years of waiting for this little one, I have never felt so happy ever before. I still don't know what to expect and what the next couple months will look like but I cannot wait to find out.

This little girl will be so loved....oh my gosh! I already love her so much and daydream constantly about what it will be like to hold her and know that I don't have to give her back and that she is ours. I know that this is still an adoption and the birthmom can change her mind but I am trusting God. He has led us this far and I think He is working this all out for our good and of course, for His glory!

Already in love...

It's so strange to feel such love with something so quick. But yet I am. This little baby has already stolen our hearts. God has blessed us beyond our wildest dreams with this little one and I am in awe of His work.

This past Monday was Valentine's Day. This is the day of love and the day we first saw our baby. It will be the day that we will tell our child we first saw that gorgeous face. We were able to be with the birthmom at her doctor's appointment. Although the appointment started out pretty awkward (being that it was her appointment and all!) but it turned out to be wonderful. The doctor ended up doing an ultrasound and we got to find out what we are having. After the dramatic reveal (which will be another post!) the birthmom looked at us and said congratulations. It was so kind of her and we are so lucky to have her in our lives.

Our little one is already so loved. And in 60 days, we will get to meet Baby Wise!!! Amazing!