We have insurance!

Whoop! Whoop! After a few hoops, we have insurance for Levi! Now to make the appointments....

Slumber Party

Levi had a busy night.  He spent a lot of it telling Daddy that he was hungry - then deciding that he didn't want to eat....but when Daddy tried to go back to bed, Levi would "make" in his diaper and get him up again.  In the end, he ate 9 ounces of food in about 3 hours.  It's way above his usual 1 time wake up of 3-4 ounces in the middle of the night.

I left for work today and put tiny Baby Levi in Mimi's arms.  I returned home to find a boy that was about 3 times larger! I guess all that waking up last night was because he had a big day planned for today - he had big plans to GROW!!

Tonight Mimi D is giving us a break - and letting us SLEEP!!   Praise the Lord!  She has been offering to do this all along...but we've declined her offer until today.  So, our little boy is going to have a slumber party with Mimi D tonight.  She was pretty excited to have him - and we are excited to get some sleep. 

So, I'm going to do just that right now.  It's late.  So - GOOD NIGHT EVERYONE!  :)  Sleep tight.  Don't let the bed bugs bite!

Keepin tha Fans happy

Not much new in Levi's world. He had a bath on Saturday. We thought he may have poo'd in the tub, but it turned out to be just bubbles. He didn't think the bath was so bad until he had to have his bum washed. He expressed his dislike for this idea. In the end, he survived.

I've had several requests for pics. I'm sorry! Nothing exciting is happening so not many fun things to take pics of. I snapped a shot today when he was on Mimi D's lap.

We will try to get some more photo ops this week. The fans are getting restless.

Insurance....again...

Mimi is here! Mimi is here!  Mimi DeVol arrived late last night.  What a trooper!  She is terrified of flying, but braved the skies just to see her little grandson!  Oh, what power this little guy has already - and not yet even 3 weeks old!   She was so thrilled to see him, and couldn't believe how he had already changed from only a short while ago. 

I guess he has...but since we see him every day, we don't see it as much.  I did notice his little baby hair is getting longer.  It won't be long before he has hair longer and thicker than mine...but then again, that isn't saying much, for as thin as my hair is.  haha.

It is such a blessing to have her around during this time.  She was able to spend the day with him, and said he was so good.  Of course, she's comparing him to another grandchild -  who shall remain un-named - but we all know who he is, and we all love him for his high-maintenance and very entertaining ways.  :)

We are almost done with all of our steps necessary to take on the Texas end.  Today I got my fingerprints done for the FBI background check.   The lady that did them said my info was coded wrong - that I was there for a concealed carry permit, which is only $10, not the $45 that I paid....so, I guess I will have permission to pack - I wonder if they mean I can conceal the Pack N Play?  Nonetheless, I found it interesting that you can get fingerprinting that provides permission to carry a gun for a quarter of the cost of the adoption.  I wonder what the difference is? Why the cost difference?  And, why is it so much more for adoption than to pack heat?  Interesting...

While Rob is ironing out all the details of paperwork with Texas, I'm still working with Kentucky and now on the medical insurance.  Seems like it's so simple to add a child to your insurance, but with this unique situation, I'm not sure.  I asked the HR department how to add him...and they wanted the adoption paperwork.  All we have currently is the temporary custody forms....it could be months before we have the final paperwork. I hope that will work for them!  They also wanted his name....and legally, he does not officially have a name.  So, I had to tell them the story of why he doesn't have a name, and his "legal" name on all documentation is "Unknown Baby Boy". Funny how questions that seem so simple leave us guessing at how to answer them.    Every day brings an interesting and thoughtful situation.

Levi is doing well.  His little personality is becoming more and more obvious every day.  He isn't yet sleeping through the night...but he sure is trying to! 

Sleep tight everyone.  And, when you wake in the middle of the night...think of us.   Our little family. 

God Bless!

More visitors

I think Levi is officially the most popular baby in the country! Today more visitors came by to meet him. Our friends Chuck, Cean, and two of their kiddos (Ceanna and Nico) stopped over. It was so nice to have them finally meet, since Levi will be staying with Cean during the days we are working. She is pretty excited as are we. She will be an excellent mentor for Levi. Nico wanted to hold Levi. He did a very good job with him! And Ceanna was a natural, of course.

We will be picking Mimi DeVol up from the airport soon. We are honored that she braved a plane ride just to be here to help us. She sounded pretty excited when I spoke with her earlier. I guess she can overcome a fear of flying for Levi!

Home Study

After a long sleepless night, we had a home study this morning. 

The reason for the sleepless night is unknown.  Much like everything else with a newborn, it's just a lot of guesswork and chronic sleep deprivation.  :)

The home study was ok.  It took about 3 hours.  Three hours of questioning.  No waterboarding involved.  Though, there were some very hard questions.  We made it through, and the social worker said she "sees no problems".  I guess maybe we are normal people?  I'll admit it was strange to have a complete stranger come into our house, ask a bunch of very personal questions, have a look around, and type notes on her computer the whole time. 

Levi stayed in his little sling wrap the whole time she was here.  This was my view:

It was hard to be bothered by anything she had to ask when I had this view!

We'll know what she had to say in about a week or two, depending how long it takes her to complete her report.

After that, we decided to enjoy the beautiful weather together.  We packed up the dogs and Levi and went to the dog park. The four-legged boyz had a blast running and playing, and the two-legged boy stayed safely in his stroller and slept peacefully the whole time we were there.  We also stopped over for a quick visit to see Miss Lynn and Ed.  They love him so much and if we don't stop by for a look-see every day, they'll be sure to come on over!  :)   We don't mind at all of course.  They are great people.  Honestly, we don't know what we'd do without them!   

After a nap, dinner from a church-family member arrived.  YUM!!  It is nice to have something to eat that we don't have to think about preparing.  They brought two giant meals, so we certainly will not starve. 

Rob and Levi have enjoyed some bonding time recently....here are some pics.

In the evening, Miss Allison and Mr. Ben stopped over for a visit.  Allison took the opportunity to feed Levi his evening meal.  She is a natural!

We are looking forward to more sleepless nights and lots of work still to do in order to complete this adoption!  The most common question is:  "is it final?"  The answer:  "No.  It will take at least 6 months to be final."  We have to go through this home study visit at least 6 more times (once/month) before it's final.  The second most common question, "Can the birthmother change her mind?"  Answer:  "Not really".  She can, according to the Commonwealth of Kentucky.  She has 20 days from the day she signed her paperwork (that would bring us to next week sometime) to "change her mind."  But the result of this would mean that the child would then enter the foster system. She does not have the option to 'keep' him.  She is adamant that he does not go into the foster system, and is thrilled that we are caring for him.  So, while she can still legally change her mind, she is not willing to allow the alternative to happen.  As for the birthfather, he is not in the picture.  There is no one listed on the birth records.  I hope that clears up some unanswered questions.   We know that sometimes these situations can be awkward and you all love us and worry that something could happen.  We appreciate your concern and welcome your questions.

Again, thank you for your love and support! 



Churchin'

Levi went to his first church service today. He did very well. It was so nice to be back and to be so missed. Many people came by to meet him and to offer love and support. Our church family is going to start a meal chain for us - they will bring us meals for a couple of weeks.

We didn't realize how much we hadn't been eating until my cousin Mark and his family came by on Friday night with a complete meal. It was probably the first meal we had sat down and eaten together since valentine's day! it is truly a blessing to have such great family around. Thanks Mark, Jennifer, and Nikos!

Tomorrow the Texas adoption agency will be by to conduct the interview and home inspection portion of our home study. Wish us luck! It is scary to think that someone is coming in to your home and then will write a report about what they observe.
Though, I'm thinking after my time in front of the judge, I'm ok with anything that comes our way. Haha. I was a nervous wreck! It was, after all, my first time in front of a judge-and in a real courtroom! But I survived.

We have already completed part of the background checks - the ones for Ohio are done. Now we wait for the Texas checks, the FBI checks, the child abuse checks, and fingerprint checks. I think that is all of them. I'm sure there are more. Seems like they check a lot. This is a good thing. We must keep the little kiddos safe! Rob was able to eek out a fingerprint appointment last week. I have one for this coming week.

Connie (rob's mom) will be coming to lend a hand starting Wednesday -she will arrive late on Tuesday. We are really looking forward to her visit.

This afternoon, we had a nice family walk around our neighborhood. I put on the baby sling, tucked Levi in, and we hit the road with the doggies in tow. We love walking together so it is nice to be able to continue to do this with our boy.

Speaking of the dogs. Many have asked how the dogs have reacted to Levi. Well, if you know our dogs at all, what you might predict happening is exactly what is going on. Rocco is playing mother. He worries and frets about Levi. He will lay beside his bed and jump if Levi makes a peep. He attempts to get in a "drive by licking" from time to time simply because babies' faces taste so good with that food on them. Lol. We discourage it, of course, but he did manage at least one "face cleaning" lick that i know of.
Vinny, on the other hand, he doesn't care one way or the other as long as he gets quality lap time with Rob. I've attached a pic here of Vinny trying his best to get on that coveted lap. He is nearly there when Levi decides to use Vinny's back as a footstool. I guess Vince didn't mind so much, considering he got a little "petting time" in at the same time. Who cares if it is from feet?! You can see it a little better in the close up. (Sorry for the diaper shot.)

Also, many people have asked what we need. At first, I'd simply say "everything!". Since we literally had nothing, that was so true. Well, as you can imagine, the outpouring of support had changed that answer significantly! So, to keep it simple, we registered at Babies R Us. Thank you all for everything.

Good night for now. Rob is already in bed preparing for his late shift on feeding duty. (or should I say doody!?). I'm looking for some toothpicks to hold the eyelids open.

As always, keep birthmom "Jane" in your prayers. we thank God for her and pray she is coping better.

Levi's first day with a sitter

Today Levi stayed with our neighbor Miss Lynn and Ed. We have reports that he was very good. He ate well and slept a lot. That's our boy!

After work, we had our first family outing. To where else but Babies R Us!? Lol. We used a very generous gift card and got a combo car seat/stroller (with shocks, per Rob's request) as well as portable crib with a bassinet and a changing table. That should help with my poor back pain for those midnight changes. It converts to a pack n play so it should be handy for years to come.

That is our exciting day. Not exactly what everyone dreams of, but we had fun doing it nonetheless. We are really enjoying this adventure together.

Well, my feeding shift is over so time to hit the sack. Rob gets next shift. :).

Cousins!!!

Note: Sorry-in all the chaos of yesterday, I didn't actually click on "publish" - so please forgive me that this one is out of sequence.

This morning my brother came down from Ohio (4hr drive) with his two boys so they could meet their new cousin. They were so excited to meet him.

Shane had the courage to hold him and did a very impressive job of doing so.

Thanks for coming David, Shane, and Adam!

Back to the grind....well, sort of!

Levi and I made it back home in Seabrook, TX at about 9pm.  Lynn and Ed (neighbors across the street) had a whole Valentine's Day dinner made up for us!  So sweet!  They had everything decorated in red and white and even brought the fancy plates out for the occasion!  It was quite a homecoming!

Rob pulled midnight duty and fed Levi his midnight feedings.  What a trooper!  He is doing a great job with Levi - and as you can imagine, is just thrilled to pieces to have him home.

Today I took Levi to work with me. He met all of my co-workers, who were so excited to see him. What a warm welcome home! They even had a whole baby shower for us! It was incredible. I was speechless - they gave us so much stuff that it filled our little SUV! 

My boss, Pat, is a huge Texas Longhorns fan, so he was sure to show Levi how to do "Hook Em!" with his little hands already. 

We had a little bit of work to get done, so we plugged in and got to work. Levi worked hard right there with me - he is a pro at taking a nap in the Moby Wrap. It may look a little silly, but it sure does work well. We sat there and worked and enjoyed our little pizza as we worked through lunch.

After seeing these pics of myself, I can see how terribly tired I am!  How awful.  lol.  Oh, well. I won't hide the pics from you for it.  It is what it is. 

Anyway - We just wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone who is so supportive of this situation.  I reckon people must think we are either off our rockers or incredibly brave - but either way - we are overwhelmed with the outpouring.   Complete strangers have given us things for Levi.  Our neighbor knows someone who knows someone who loaned us a bassinett.  They don't even know us!  Every day there is a box of something on our doorstep.  Today, it was a box of newborn and 0-3 month clothes from Jessica Wise and the second day in a row that we received a gift from Irene & Brian Batty.  Jess - those clothes are exactly what I was going to go look for this weekend.  Levi is just too small for the 0-3 months yet - and so he needed lots more Newborn stuff.  Your care package saved the day! Irene - I can't tell you how much Levi loves those Swaddlers! He just loves to be swaddled!  The book has already come in handy as well.  Great reference material.

We really have experienced the wonders of God in this situation.  Babies really bring the best out in everyone - and that includes us.  We are very excited to have this Chosen DeVol home. 

Texas bound!!!!

Well. The judge found in our favor! We have temporary custody of Levi!!! She told us to go home - so we went straight to the airport. We will be home later tonight! What an awesome Valentine's Day!!!

God is so good. He has plans for everything. Everything!

ICPC

Today I was able to talk with the ICPC administrator for Kentucky. She outlined the items remaining for her end of the paperwork. It seems like we are on the right track. Yay!
Tomorrow afternoon we (Levi & I) will stand in front of the judge and request official custody. If granted, we will ask for permission to go to Texas while we iron out the rest of the paperwork. As I understand it, there is a 50/50 chance we will be given that permission.

Levi had his first doctor appointment today. He weighed in at 7 lbs (birth weight was 6 lb 9 oz). So he is already an overachiever! Doc said that they don't usually even get back up to birth weight by 2 weeks. He is back up and then some! He was so good at the doc. He didn't cry once. Not even a peep when we removed everything in order to weigh him or when she put the cold stethoscope on him -not even when she poked prodded and rolled his legs around. The doc said he is the best baby she has ever met. Wow. That says a lot! Let's hope that continues.

Well, wish us luck tomorrow and please pray for wisdom and insight for the judge. I have faith that God has an amazing plan. We are thrilled to be a part of it.

Please keep birthmom in your prayers. She is doing ok, but my heart just breaks for her. She is dealing with some rough things.

Baby Shower!

Today my gramma, cousins, and aunts came over bearing lots of gifts. Levi was held and fed by lots of experienced people and is now crashed out after his day of flirting with the ladies.
Tomorrow should be another exciting day so it was nice to rest from the "legal" drama. Thanks everyone!

Quiet day for a change

Today Levi hung out with Aunt Ra while I got some much needed rest.  Thanks Aunt Ra!

Then, Mimi & Papa D came by for a visit before they hit the road back to Ohio. 

We filled out some forms for the adoption agency in Texas, then "took the day off".  We had a nice quiet day, for a change.  We definately had some nice quality time together today. 

Then, this evening, we had a little "tailgate party" here at Aunt Ra's place and watched the UK game.

A nice ending to a nice day.  Thanks to everyone for the love & support!

Much better day today

Levi's sleeping habits didn't last two nights in a row.  Darn!  Oh, well.  It still wasn't too bad.  He is still a very good eater and sleeper, so no complaints here. 

Today I was able to reach out to several (almost 20) adoption agencies in Texas.  In Texas, adoption agencies will only do home studies for their own clients.  For an independent adoption - such as ours - you would hire a contract social worker to do your home study.  However, that is not acceptable to Kentucky, so I had to find a licensed adoption agency that would do the home study for our situation.  I finally found someone that could help!  We are getting the ball rolling on this right away.   It could take about two weeks to complete.

I was also able to contact the ICPC (Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children) administrator in Texas.  She sent me a list of the items that we will need to provide.  It was pretty clear cut.  I don't think we'll have too many issues meeting their requirements. 

The ICPC Administrator in Kentucky was out of the office today.   I hope to get in touch with her on Monday to get a similar list of requirements.

We have completed the paperwork for the Temporary Custody Order and Levi & I expect to get in front of a judge some time next week.  Once that is done, we will hopefully get a better idea of when we might be able to return to Texas.  We love the time visiting with the family, but can't wait to get home to Rob!  It is killing him that we are not there with him - or that he isn't here with us dealing with this situation.  He is contributing by filling out all the crazy forms that need to be completed.  He works all day, then spends his evenings in front of the computer working on things like forms and research.

Mimi & Papa DeVol have enjoyed visiting with him and he certainly enjoyed being spoiled by them.  He found a new "nap buddy" in Papa D. 

We are looking forward to "tailgating" at Aunt Ra's place tomorrow night.  Levi already has his UK gear all set to go.  GO CATS!

Mimi and Papa DeVol

What a DAY!

Sorry it took me so long to update today.  It was another one of those days....

Levi slept pretty well throughout the night.  He has been going about 4-5 hours between feedings and eats about 3 oz each time.  So, I did get a little sleep.  Thank goodness.  I even got up and got some work done this morning.  It was very productive.  The guys at work have been so great about this situation.  They are very happy for us and very supportive.  I really owe Jeff Butcher BIG TIME for covering for me so much. 

I went to the adoption agency today.  I did not hear anything I wanted to hear.  It seems that everyone wants a piece of the adoption financial pie, and I'm the baker.  I'm basically back to square one when it comes to getting permission to get this precious child out of the birth state and into the home state. 

Meanwhile, we are living it up.  Well, Levi is, anyway.  :)   His Mimi & Papa DeVol came to visit today. So, after our visit to the agency, we went over to their hotel and visited.  Papa fed Levi and Mimi changed not one but TWO poopy diapers.  Levi is certainly a poop machine!  I'll never complain about my in-laws! haha. 

Tomorrow is looking to be another frustrating day.  We are going to try to get in touch with the Kentucky Cabinet directly to find out exactly what information they need and who can provide it to them.  Please pray for guidance, wisdom, and more ironic connections to help us out, as we have had so far.  God is clearly watching over this baby and His hand is so very obvious in every move we make. 

Pics to follow...I have them on my phone, so I'll upload from there.  (Can you believe I forgot my camera for this!?!  I just can't believe it - but then again, I was lucky to have remembered to bring ANYthing.  Tomorrow, I'm going to have to break down and get some wintery shoes - and socks.  anything is better than the tiny sandles I wore here from Houston! haha)

2:30 am

My first 2:30 am feeding. He is eating well and hates to have his diaper changed. Lol.

Home sweet Aunt Ra's Home

After a long stressful day of lawyers, social workers and adoption agencies, "Jane" signed the paperwork and the hospital allowed me to take him home. I have to stay in Lexington for a few days by request of the adoption agency. Levi has a dr appointment on Monday here in Lexington with the pediatrician that saw him at the hospital. so, we will be here for a while.

We have a long road ahead of us... But one huge hurdle has been crossed today. God is good all the time. All the time God is good.

We also had a visitor today. Miss Elizabeth came over for a visit. She was so fun to have and gave me some much needed love and support when I really needed it today. She has been such a blessing to us.

We are at Aunt Ra's house tonight. She is loving the visitors and is taking such good care of us. She fed Levi and then changed his poopy diaper. Now he is all fat and happy... And swaddled up in the warm cozy polar fleece that Nana Tootie got for him.

Thank you for the prayers and support.

Oh baby!!

I am leaving the hospital with Levi!!!

Visitors yesterday

I can't believe I forgot to tell you about two more visitors we had yesterday! Nana Tootie and Uncle Papaw came by as well. (Tootie and Leo). It was a joy to have them.

Side note

The IVF clinic called today and wanted to schedule a follow up appointment for the test results. I told them what is going on and the girl there started to cry! I was sitting in the nursery holding Levi. Her sweetness made my eyes leak!

Things didn't go as planned....

Today the birthmother ("Jane") went to the lawyer to sign the paperwork. She was there, but is still experiencing some effects of having just had a baby.  She is exhausted - which is understandable, considering she has just gone through a very difficult situation.  She was a little overwhelmed while at the lawyer's office today and was unable to sign the paperwork.  We have rescheduled for tomorrow when we'll try again. 

I know you all are showing your love and support for us at this time with your phone calls and texts.  I'm really trying my best to return all messages, but please do not be offended if I don't get back to you.  Rest assured I'm on the phone with a lawyer or a social worker or someone else who is either charging me a fortune or who has a lot of say in who Levi can go home with - and when! 

Please pray for Jane as she continues her struggles.  She is a sweet sweet girl and truly has the best interest of Levi at heart.  She is just having a hard time.  With patience and love, she will pull through. 

As for Levi - he was a precious baby again today.  When I arrived, it was feeding time.  Boy oh boy was he hungry!  He is such a good eater - he took the whole bottle pretty quickly.  Then, he fidgeted around while waiting for Aunt Wow to get there.  I guess he was as excited as she was.  Because when he finally got into her arms, he settled pretty quickly.

She finally arrived, and the funniest thing happened!  We were walking down the hallway - and Jill spots someone she knows.  Even better than that - it's someone that she is RELATED to!!  The Charge Nurse, Diana, is married to Connie's cousin!  INCREDIBLE!!  Yet one more connection in this crazy situation.  Diana helped me gather a lot of information today.  She was so helpful to me - what a blessing it is to have a relative right there on the floor helping me sort through all of this.  She has all kinds of fantastic advice for newborns, and has all kinds of connections in the hospital. 

Ok - back to Aunt Wow's visit.  Jill managed to fight back tears when she met him.  And, she even staved off the desire to pick him up while we wheeled him in his little cart bassinett to our little private room for the day.  I was proud of her for that - I'm sure that 60-second walk was painful for her. LOL!  I posted a pic of her with Levi earlier today.  Then, Miss Christine came in to visit.  She was so sweet and gentle with him and he really loved snuggling with her.  There is also a pic of her with the little bundle of joy on my earlier post today. 

Though this is a stressful time, it will all be worth it in the end.  I was thinking about his story - he was only born on Thursday - and we aren't even a week into his little life, and already, it's a great story.  I know that when we tell him his story as he grows up, he will love that he was instantly loved by so many.  It is incredible the amount of love and support he has already experienced...people coming from far and wide to see him.  People in his new hometown preparing for his arrival. 

I think I forgot to mention shout outs to people in the Houston area who have already pitched in to help.  My cousin Mark Warren stayed overnight with our doggies on Saturday night when we rushed up to Lexington with no notice.  Our neighbor Lynn Toney fed the boyz (Rocco & Vinny) and played with them all weekend - and she even swept and mopped the floors while we were gone! God love her! We left in such a rush, our house was a mess!  She is also feeding Rob dinners while all this is going on - she really is priceless.  With all this hustle and bustle, it's easy to loose track of dinner time.  I know I've been forgetting to eat until about 9 or 10 pm every night.

In the words of our friend Chuck, "It's all good."  We have faith that God is in control.  Thank you for your continued prayers. 

Photos

Well, you all are for some REAL TIME updates! I now have blogger on my phone!

So-since we are waiting for the lawyer to call, I will take this time to post some photos. Sorry if these are duplicates. Enjoy!!