Getting Closer Now

The shock of all has finally ended and the excitement has started, as well as all the planning. We are less than 2 months away from the due date for our baby girl. I have a corner in my bedroom dedicated to all things baby, from a suitcase packed full of newborn clothes to a baby bathtub and everything in between. I pick up baby items each time I go to the store now, diapers, some wipes, pacifiers, bottles just enough to be prepared but knowing that is just the start of the things I will need when she is finally here. We have been in contact with our lawyer answering most of our previous questions. The expected length of stay in Arkansas is 3-4 weeks after the baby is born. The baby cannot leave the state during that time. There is a chance that everything happens much faster than that (our prayer) but also a chance that it takes up to 6 weeks. When the time comes we will receive a phone call from our lawyer that our baby is on the way. We will pack our things and Travis and I will make the 9+ hour trek to the hospital. The kids will stay home for a while to make sure everything goes smoothly with the birth and the transition. Our baby girl will leave with us from the hospital to a nearby extended stay hotel (our home away from home). There we will await what we think will be 2 court dates, 1 to give up rights and 1 for the actual adoption. Sometime in those first few days someone whom we love very dearly will bring our kids to us and meet our new baby girl (that person is to be determined)! They will stay some time with us, that is also to be determined, and maybe come home or maybe stay for longer!
 It is in all the above facts that I feel the stress level rising! New baby, 9 hours away, hotel, 2 other kids, formula, diapers, food, packing, planning, pacifiers, sheets blankets, newborn, no sleep, hotel cost, no work, money, diapers, formula...you get the picture. I have tried to plan the best I can but in reality there is only so much I can do right now. I do not have paid maternity leave or any vacation at work but I will be off for as long as I need. Right now God has allowed me to work more hours in preparation for the time off, probably helps me not to freak out too! When I start to worry, I picture that that little girl in my arms and the joy that she will bring to our whole family and realize that it will all work out. We only live once, may as well make it an adventure!
One of the many blessings that has come with this adoption is the ability to communicate with the birth mother. We are able to text back and forth often and show our support for one another. She is in the process of trying to find another MD, so please be in prayer for that as she hasn't been to the Dr. for quite some time. We have received several ultrasound images, which makes it all so real and also confirms the due date to March 11. Pray for our stay in Arkansas, that everything goes smoothly there and we can come home quickly. Pray for the health of our birth mother and baby girl.
Thank you for the prayers that you have already lifted up for us, for asking how things are going and being generally interested in the process. Many have asked us about things we need. The only large things we really still need are a swing and a travel system. Other than that we have plenty of clothes, blankets, burp clothes, all handed down from Anna and others, but we have very few of the daily necessities for taking care of baby. We know that God will supply everything we need, He always does, we just have to trust Him and enjoy the ride. Till next time...