They're Here!!!

August 18th, 2013 at 8:48am we welcomed Lauren Hallie and Tinley Corinne. Lauren is 2 lbs and 5.5 oz and Tinley is 2 lbs and 5 oz both 13 1/2 inches long. They were born exactly 3 months early. I woke up early Sunday morning with what I thought was Braxton hicks. I decided I would go up to the hospital hoping they would tell me it was no big deal and go home and rest. Not the case, I was already at a 5 and no turning back now. They slowed the contractions down so they could get 2 transport teams flown in. Once the Bend team arrived they took the girls via C-section. Next the OHSU (panda team) arrived. The hospital and teams were amazing. Their excellent care gave the girls a better start. Both girls received serfactin (sp?)to help their lungs. Once stabilized they life-flighted them to Bend. The Medford Nicu was full, so they sent them to Bend. We are so glad to be in Bend where my parents live. More to follow...

Oh Baby!

Well, I said yesterday that I'd post an exciting update to our blog, but didn't even know at that time how exciting it'd be! First, as you know (or may just be finding out), we decided to adopt a child about a year and a half ago. Those of you who have been following the blog know that we've really not had many updates or exciting news in that time. It was always our contention that we would be blessed with a baby when God felt the time was right and that He would choose the right little one for us. Long story short, we found out about 6 weeks ago that Emily is pregnant! We've never had an "oopsie" in the (almost) 10 years we've been married, so we felt as though God had shown His plan for us. We were a bit scared at first (since Em had both boys premature), but know that if God can bring us to it, He can bring us through it. When I posted the "teaser" yesterday, it was my intention to let you all know about the pregnancy, but we wanted to wait until we had our appointment with the specialist before we told you. Well, we had the appointment and received confirmation that we do have a little one on the way! Emily is just over 10 weeks pregnant and is due toward the middle of November. To preface the "rest of the story", I'll let you know that the night before we had our appointment, I had a dream. In that dream, I dreamed that our baby was not just a baby, but babies, as in twins. I thought to myself "What a funny dream that was..." And now, the rest of the story... This particular specialist likes to do an ultrasound at the first appointment instead of just using doppler to hear the heartbeat. This way he can check to see if the baby is growing appropriately and to see if there are any other obstacles to know about ahead of time since Emily is a higher risk pregnancy. He started the ultrasound with "Do you see that black thing right there? That's your bladder." "OK, normal enough", I thought. Literally the next words out of his mouth were "Well, that changes everything." I was trying to think of why he would say that. What could possibly be in there that would change everything? I immediately looked closer at the screen and saw what I believed to be 2 little objects. "There's no way", I thought. "Do you know what that is?", he said. Emily had a look on her face, and I knew she was thinking what I was thinking "Are there two?" "There sure are", he said. We both let out a "Whaaaaaat?!?!?" and a "NO WAY!" before we started laughing. I'm thinking the laughing came because we literally had no idea what else to do. So, there it is. We have not one, but two little ones on the way. The adoption blog will now turn into a pregnancy update blog and we'll try and keep everyone as updated as we can with pertinent info. Feel free to call, e-mail or Facebook us with any questions you have for us. We're excited, and hope you are as well.

Update! Exciting Adoption News!

Hey Everyone! I just wanted all of you to know that we have exciting news on our adoption journey. I'll leave you with that teaser for now, but will be giving the details in the next 24 hours or so. Thanks for being a part of this journey and for all of the thoughts and prayers. -Bryan

Here's your sign

New knob signs that I've been making. $20.00 Really fun! Come in other colors and knobs. I'm making decorative signs too. They are 24 inches by 5 inches, with a nice routered edge. My dad has been making them for me and I only have one left.. so he's making more. Yeppy! Thanks Dad you're awesome! =))

Hurry Up And Wait

The last blog entry focused on the changes in our program, and we wanted to expand on it.  Basically, we chose the expansion option of sticking with the placing agency in Georgia and also sending our family albums out to a Catholic placing agency in Louisiana.  We continue to believe that we are on God's time, not ours and that we will be matched with a birth mother when He makes it happen.  In the meanwhile, Emily is busy making bibs & custom wood signs to sell and Erin (Sister-In-Law) is working super hard making items to sell to raise money for the adoption.  Please keep us in your prayers that we may continue to be patient through this process.

Program Update

Hey Guys, it's Bryan.  Em's been pretty good about updating the blog; me - not so much.  Anyway...some exciting news on the progam we're in: I received an e-mail from our adoption coordinator late last week stating that the agency we're with has not only expanded the number of placing agencies it's working with, but the program itself has now been expanded.  Instead of including just African American infants, the program will now include infants of every race.  The previously named "African American Infant Program" is now called the "Domestic Infant Program".  This means that our waiting time should be drastically reduced.  I have to admit; based on the time frame we were given, we thought we'd have our new little one by now, but we realize this is on God's time, not ours.  We are also excited about the changes to the program and trust in Him and His plan for us and our family.  Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we go through this process.  Thanks for taking the time to read this entry and to be a part of our adoption journey.

Thank you!

I'd like to thank Lisa K. who hosted a 31 party for me last week. She raised $77.00 for our adoption fund! How awesome is that! She did a catalog party for me and had 4 people purchase from her party. Her party was only $300. Every little bit helps! Thanks again Lisa you're awesome!