Introducing...

Introducing the newest addition to the DeVol clan!  Case Robert DeVol was born at 4:42am eastern time this morning. He is 6lb 15.6 oz and 19.75 inches.  He is in overall good health but high risk (early birth, etc).  So he will be monitored closely for the next several days.  Hopefully, he will be released over the weekend. 
I will remain in Kentucky with my family until we have permission to return to Ohio. 
Thank you all for your prayers and support.  We are thrilled to have biological brothers!!  It is an adoption miracle!
God is so good.  His plans for us are most certainly bigger than we could imagine asking for! (Ephesians 3:20)  Today was truly an E3:20 moment!

My Gramma Lucille and Aunt Tootie have already visited.  They just could not wait one minute to get in the car to meet him!

I must also give a "shout out" to Connie - whom I woke at 4am to say "wake up! We are having a baby!" To which she replied, "Bring me the monitor for Levi. Drive safe!"  Gotta love her.  Nothing ruffles her feathers.

I will attempt to attach some photos from my phone.  (I  running out of steam and I have been running on 2 hours of sleep all day!  Blissfully exhausted.)  Please excuse any typos - haha.

Just when we thought we were done buying formula....

Levi is getting promoted!

In June, Levi will be promoted to big brother.  His little brother is due on June 3.  We are all very excited to have him join our family.  They will be approximately 16 months apart in age difference.  We hope this is a recipe for them to be best friends as they grow up.  Rob and his brother are very close in age, and it was a fantastic childhood for them. 

Things have been very busy around here.  I have spent quite a bit of time sorting through adoption agencies, lawyers, etc trying to find a good fit.  Unfortunately, we cannot use any of the same "players" in last year's learning session.  So, we are back at square 1 with about a month to get it sorted before the little guy makes his grand appearance.  Adoption can be a complicated road...especially interstate adoptions, as we discovered less than a year ago.   But, with God, every thing is possible.  I hold this belief high and hold those that we hire (lawyers, agencies) to this same standard.  If, during our initial conversation, they felt it might not be possible, I simply moved on to the next.  After many phone calls (and much frustration), I finally found the ones that agree.  "This is possible, and we will do our best to make it not so complicated."

Rob is still away in training for the Army National Guard.  It seems like it has been forever.  He has been gone since February.  Last week, we went to his graduation from the first phase of Basic Training. It was absolutely wonderful to spend quality time with him, but it was only a short amount of time before he was to proceed to his next training session.  He is now in Alabama, and should be done with this portion of his training about the end of June. 

Here are some photos of the graduation event.

March on

March was a cold month here in Ohio.  Lucky for us, Levi and I spent most of it in the slightly warmer south. 
First, we visited Mimi and Papa T in Myrtle Beach.  Levi LOVED being outside in the sunshine!  He and Papa T spent a lot of time there together.
Then we went to Houston to visit friends.  We stayed with the "surrogates" Lynn and Ed. Levi liked picking the fresh strawberries and kumquats and eating them. 
Thank you to all of our friends and family for the love, support, and hospitality!
I am sending this blog from my phone so I hope the photo upload works.

Photos from Kentucky Birthday Party

Here are some photos from Levi's birthday party in Kentucky last weekend.  Enjoy! 

"The BEST Birthday Party EVER!"

"This is the BEST Birthday Party EVER!"  That is a direct quote from 6 year old Lorelei Franklin - Levi's cousin.  This past Saturday (Feb 9), Levi and I drove down to Paintsville, KY for a birthday celebration there.  It really was a great party.  We had a lot of fun, and many people were able to make it.  Thanks to Mamaw Lucille (aka Mamaw Woocy, G-ma, Gramma, and Queen Bee) for the cake and ice cream and to Nana Tootie for planning the event.  Also, thank you to all of you who were there to celebrate Levi's first year with us. 
I promise to upload pictures as soon as I get them off of my camera - which hopefully will be by this weekend. 
Levi is walking on a regular basis now, choosing to walk over crawling more often.  He is able to bend and pick up things from the floor as well as push himself into a standing position without using something to hold on to. He is also babbling a lot - and getting some words out.  Mostly Momma.  (He is somewhat of a Momma's boy) and sometimes Dadda.  He is experiencing the typical seperation anxiety of a child this age, but it is perfectly normal and expected to be short lived.  He is eating almost all table food at this point - well, he eats whatever he doesn't throw at the dogs. haha.  Vinny doesn't seem to mind.  He has a feast when Levi eats. haha.  He is also officially off of the formula and drinking strictly milk.  I'm happy to not have to purchase any more formula!
Oh, I forgot to mention we went to the doc for his 1 year wellness check. He is 30 inches tall - and about 20-21 lbs. 

So, here we are on Valentine's Day 2013.  One year ago today, I was sitting in a courtroom for the first time in my life (scared out of my mind) asking a judge to let me bring this little boy home to Texas.  She was the only person in this world that could grant me permission to do so.  (Typically, the child cannot leave the state until the adoption is final.)  By the miraculous power of God, she ruled that we could go home.  I wasted no time in calling the airline from the car while leaving the courthouse, rushing to the airport and hopping on a plane for what would be Levi's first flight ever. My cousin Rachel must have thought I was nuts - but she supported me 100% and even helped me at the courthouse after letting us crash at her place for a week or so while it all was sorted out.  I can't thank her enough!

Upon our arrival home, Rob picked me up at the airport, and I said, "I'm starving!  Do we have food at home?  I haven't eaten since this morning!"  He said we did have food - and it was such a pleasant surprise to come home to a home-cooked meal cooked by our neighbors Lynn and Ed.  They would eventually become Levi's "surrogate" grandparents by coming over every day and visiting, bringing us meals, babysitting, and in general just knowing exactly what we needed and when we needed it - even when we didn't know we needed it.  They were a God-send for us and we also cannot thank them enough.  It was scary for us, and we had no idea what we were doing.  They were a big help, in addition to tons of other people in our lives.  I would name them all if I could. For now, I'll just stick with those that were a big help on that day - February 14, 2012.  The best Valentine's Day ever!