We finally have a finalization date! If you recall from my previous posts, birth parent rights are terminated after 10 days in Arkansas, but our adoption still has to be finalized in front of a judge. We have been waiting for our agency's attorney to finish all of the paperwork for Carter's adoption, get it sent to the judge, and schedule a time for the lawyer and us to meet with the judge for our adoption. Well...we finally have our date set for November 2nd, at 9AM! We are very excited! Though we are obviously Carter's parents, I think technically until finalization we are only considered legally to be his guardians, and I think that our agency may still have some legal tie to him until finalization. It was interesting at the hospital, because Carter was signed over to our agency worker, and then she gave him to us. So...technically I think she may legally still be his "guardian" as well until all this finalization is complete. Anyway, I don't even PRETEND to understand all the legal stuff involved with adoption, I just know that we have to meet with the judge, so that's what we're gonna do! After finalization, (according to our agency) we have to wait 6 months before we are able to receive a new birth certificate with our names listed as Carter's parents. That kinda stinks because that is right around tax time, which means we may not get it before our taxes need to be submitted, which means we will have to try to get Carter a temporary ID number. Not only is it a hassle, but I'm not even 100% sure we will be able to do that. But...we shall see.
We are definitely excited about this day and are looking forward to it. If we decided to celebrate any sort of "Adoption Day" or "Family Day" this would be the day we celebrate. We can't celebrate "Gotcha Day" because that doesn't make much sense considering we "got him" on the day he was born! Also there is some controversy in the adoption community about the use of the term "Gotcha Day". So if we decide to celebrate anything special besides Carter's birthday, it will be one of the ideas I mentioned earlier, and we will celebrate it on November 2nd! Please pray everything goes smoothly!
PS Make sure you look at the post below this one to see Carter roll over!
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Carter Rolled Over!
Well last Tuesday our darling little boy decided to roll over for the first time! Unfortunately, it was at his babysitter's house, but luckily, she was able to get him to do it a few times, and she got a video of it. Without further ado, here is our smart little boy rolling over!
Of course, now that he's done it, he doesn't seem to be too interested in doing it anymore. I have only been able to get him to do it twice for me, and he has started this thing where instead of lifting his head off the ground like he normally does, he is using his legs to lift his bottom off the ground. Any ideas what he's trying to do there? Anyway, his doing that makes it difficult for him to roll over. But he's a cutie and we are sssooooo proud of him, so I had to share.
Of course, now that he's done it, he doesn't seem to be too interested in doing it anymore. I have only been able to get him to do it twice for me, and he has started this thing where instead of lifting his head off the ground like he normally does, he is using his legs to lift his bottom off the ground. Any ideas what he's trying to do there? Anyway, his doing that makes it difficult for him to roll over. But he's a cutie and we are sssooooo proud of him, so I had to share.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
3 months!
My baby is 3 months old now! Where has the time gone??? Carter is getting to be a big boy! He is now 14.5 pounds and 26 inches long. We have done a lot this month! The biggest event being my return to work this past week! Luckily we have a church friend watching him, so we don't have to worry about him being around a bunch of different people or sick kids. It's been difficult for Nate and I getting into a new routine, but Carter has done amazing. He hasn't acted like the change has effected him at all, and he has even been taking better naps for his babysitter than he does for me.
Carter has been an amazing sleeper and now sleeps from 7:30 PM to 6:30 AM. Since I've been back to work though, I have been trying to wake him up a little earlier so I can feed him before I have to leave. He's had a few times (especially this past week) where he woke up before it was time to get up, but he wasn't hungry and will fall asleep after I put his paci in his mouth. We had to start making 8oz bottles for Carter this past week! We had already switched to 8oz bottles, but we were only filling them 6oz full. After Carter started consistently eating 6oz at a time though, and was still acting hungry afterward, we decided to move him up. It's a little sad, my boy is getting so big!
He is still working on laughing, and has the cutest little "laugh". He has also been squealing some, and making other noises and blowing bubbles as well!
Carter has gotten really good at holding his head up, and can now sit in his bumbo for short lengths of time unassisted. He still only tolerates tummy time, though he is really good at lifting his head and chest up off the ground. This month he discovered his hands! He will clasp his hands together, and especially loves sticking them in his mouth! He has figured out how to suck on his thumb, though he hasn't figured out how to curve his fingers while doing so, which means he ends up gagging himself with a stray finger or poking himself in the eye! Poor kid! He also likes to hold on to me or whoever is feeding him. He will grab my fingers, my shirt, or my arm while he is eating. So sweet!
(Warning this paragraph is about poop!)
We have had some issues this month with Carter and digestive issues. He has some reflux, though the doctor doesn't want to treat it with medicine because he is still gaining weight and it doesn't seem to be effecting his sleeping (and medicine's aren't that great for babies!) So, I tried switching to a different formula that would help with that. Unfortunately, this new formula is thicker, and gave Carter constipation. The doctor suggested Karo syrup, which worked, but only as long as Carter was on it. As soon as we stopped, he was constipated again. After going through an ENTIRE BOTTLE of karo, I didn't feel comfortable giving it to my baby anymore. Then, the doctor suggested using 2 oz of pear juice. I have been doing this for a while now, and I dilute it with 2 oz of water. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to help much at all. Carter is still pooping, and will occasionally have semi-normal poops, but the majority of them are way more solid than they should be! I have just started on my own trying to substitute one scoop of regular similac formula for one scoop of his regular formula. This helped his constipation very quickly, but has caused his tummy to hurt him because he isn't used to the formula. I would like him to be able to get used to the similac so he won't be constipated, but not sure if that's going to happen or not. We shall see.
We traveled to Texas and West Virginia in September to visit all the grandparents, and let some of Carter's great-grandparents meet him for the first time. Carter did a great job on both trips. He did well in his carseat, let me feed him in it, slept a lot in it, and still kept a regular sleep schedule even though he was sleeping in a pack-n-play in strange places. It was an exhausting few weeks, but I'm glad that we got to see family and they got to see Carter!
Carter has been an amazing sleeper and now sleeps from 7:30 PM to 6:30 AM. Since I've been back to work though, I have been trying to wake him up a little earlier so I can feed him before I have to leave. He's had a few times (especially this past week) where he woke up before it was time to get up, but he wasn't hungry and will fall asleep after I put his paci in his mouth. We had to start making 8oz bottles for Carter this past week! We had already switched to 8oz bottles, but we were only filling them 6oz full. After Carter started consistently eating 6oz at a time though, and was still acting hungry afterward, we decided to move him up. It's a little sad, my boy is getting so big!
He is still working on laughing, and has the cutest little "laugh". He has also been squealing some, and making other noises and blowing bubbles as well!
Carter has gotten really good at holding his head up, and can now sit in his bumbo for short lengths of time unassisted. He still only tolerates tummy time, though he is really good at lifting his head and chest up off the ground. This month he discovered his hands! He will clasp his hands together, and especially loves sticking them in his mouth! He has figured out how to suck on his thumb, though he hasn't figured out how to curve his fingers while doing so, which means he ends up gagging himself with a stray finger or poking himself in the eye! Poor kid! He also likes to hold on to me or whoever is feeding him. He will grab my fingers, my shirt, or my arm while he is eating. So sweet!
(Warning this paragraph is about poop!)
We have had some issues this month with Carter and digestive issues. He has some reflux, though the doctor doesn't want to treat it with medicine because he is still gaining weight and it doesn't seem to be effecting his sleeping (and medicine's aren't that great for babies!) So, I tried switching to a different formula that would help with that. Unfortunately, this new formula is thicker, and gave Carter constipation. The doctor suggested Karo syrup, which worked, but only as long as Carter was on it. As soon as we stopped, he was constipated again. After going through an ENTIRE BOTTLE of karo, I didn't feel comfortable giving it to my baby anymore. Then, the doctor suggested using 2 oz of pear juice. I have been doing this for a while now, and I dilute it with 2 oz of water. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to help much at all. Carter is still pooping, and will occasionally have semi-normal poops, but the majority of them are way more solid than they should be! I have just started on my own trying to substitute one scoop of regular similac formula for one scoop of his regular formula. This helped his constipation very quickly, but has caused his tummy to hurt him because he isn't used to the formula. I would like him to be able to get used to the similac so he won't be constipated, but not sure if that's going to happen or not. We shall see.
We traveled to Texas and West Virginia in September to visit all the grandparents, and let some of Carter's great-grandparents meet him for the first time. Carter did a great job on both trips. He did well in his carseat, let me feed him in it, slept a lot in it, and still kept a regular sleep schedule even though he was sleeping in a pack-n-play in strange places. It was an exhausting few weeks, but I'm glad that we got to see family and they got to see Carter!
Monday, September 5, 2011
2 Months!!
Our little boy is 2 months old! I can't believe how fast it's gone, and how big he's already gotten. Looking back on his pictures from the hospital he already looks a lot different. He has started losing some of his hair in a "male pattern baldness" formation, but there is also some baby fine hair coming in as well. It's just taking forever! His eyes are starting to get lighter and are looking like more of a light blue/grey instead of the dark blue that they were. Not sure how much longer we have to wait before we find out his permanent eye color. He has been smiling all the time and seems to be practicing laughing. We haven't heard a "true" laugh yet, but I think he's getting pretty close. He has been a lot more vocal though, and not just when he's upset. He is really a pretty happy baby, and if he's crying, I can be fairly certain that he is either hungry or tired. If he just ate then I will go rock him or sing to him and that usually does the trick. His favorite song to calm down to is "God Loves Carter," which you have probably heard me sing if you've been around us when he was getting fussy. He is getting stronger and still moves himself around in his cradle and on the play mat. He can hold his head pretty steady while being held in a sitting position, and he is starting to push himself up a little to raise his head when he is on his tummy.
He is going to bed around 8PM and sleeping until 5 or 6AM every night. He has still been sleeping in his cradle up until this point, but we are planning on moving him to his crib in his room this week. I'm a little worried because he does have some times that he wakes up in the night, but I will just put his pacifier back in his mouth and hold it there a few minutes and he falls back asleep. Now I won't be able to stay in bed and reach through the cradle bars to do this, I will have to get up and go into his room. Hopefully this won't happen often!
We had to switch him to the 8oz bottles a few weeks ago because he was completely finishing his 4 ounce bottles, and either needing to eat more right then, or getting hungry again 45 minutes later. We are only filling them to 6oz right now, but he is consistently eating 4.5-6oz at every meal, and we have had quite a few times where he ate all 6 ounces. I can't believe what a big boy he is!
He is going to bed around 8PM and sleeping until 5 or 6AM every night. He has still been sleeping in his cradle up until this point, but we are planning on moving him to his crib in his room this week. I'm a little worried because he does have some times that he wakes up in the night, but I will just put his pacifier back in his mouth and hold it there a few minutes and he falls back asleep. Now I won't be able to stay in bed and reach through the cradle bars to do this, I will have to get up and go into his room. Hopefully this won't happen often!
We had to switch him to the 8oz bottles a few weeks ago because he was completely finishing his 4 ounce bottles, and either needing to eat more right then, or getting hungry again 45 minutes later. We are only filling them to 6oz right now, but he is consistently eating 4.5-6oz at every meal, and we have had quite a few times where he ate all 6 ounces. I can't believe what a big boy he is!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Legal documents
On Thursday we received the legal documents from Bethany's lawyer for us to look over and sign. Somehow the lawyer got our house number wrong, but luckily our postal worker figured it out. We also had some questions about the papers because they made it sound like Carter had to remain in Arkansas until finalization. We contacted our agency, and luckily that isn't the case. I think our "residence" just has to be in Arkansas, but Carter is allowed to travel out of state. We are glad about that because we have family still waiting to see him!
After going through the documents, we had to get them notarized and then mail them back to the lawyer who will then complete everything, and send it to a judge in White County. The judge will put us on his "docket" (hopefully within the next few months) and we will go before the judge and answer a few questions to finalize our adoption. Six months after finalization we will be able to receive a new birth certificate with our names listed as Carter's parents. Unfortunately this timeline puts us very close to tax time so we will probably have to get a temporary identification number for him since we can't apply for a SSN until we have his birth certificate.
I'm a little confused about the "six months after finalization" rule, because my understanding had always been it was six months after placement (when we took Carter home). I was talking to a worker at Searcy Children's Homes and she was surprised it was six months after finalization as well. Not sure how that works, but our agency has been around many years and done tons of adoptions so I assume they know what they are talking about! Does anyone else familiar with the adoption process have any insight on this? It's not a huge deal except we have to wait until the period is up before getting Carter's new birth certificate. Oh well, by this point we've definitely gotten used to jumping through hoops!
We are loving spending time with our little man, and he is getting cuter by the day! He has started smiling at us daily, and seems to be practicing laughing (not quite a laugh yet but sounds like he's trying!). We can't imagine life without him!
After going through the documents, we had to get them notarized and then mail them back to the lawyer who will then complete everything, and send it to a judge in White County. The judge will put us on his "docket" (hopefully within the next few months) and we will go before the judge and answer a few questions to finalize our adoption. Six months after finalization we will be able to receive a new birth certificate with our names listed as Carter's parents. Unfortunately this timeline puts us very close to tax time so we will probably have to get a temporary identification number for him since we can't apply for a SSN until we have his birth certificate.
I'm a little confused about the "six months after finalization" rule, because my understanding had always been it was six months after placement (when we took Carter home). I was talking to a worker at Searcy Children's Homes and she was surprised it was six months after finalization as well. Not sure how that works, but our agency has been around many years and done tons of adoptions so I assume they know what they are talking about! Does anyone else familiar with the adoption process have any insight on this? It's not a huge deal except we have to wait until the period is up before getting Carter's new birth certificate. Oh well, by this point we've definitely gotten used to jumping through hoops!
We are loving spending time with our little man, and he is getting cuter by the day! He has started smiling at us daily, and seems to be practicing laughing (not quite a laugh yet but sounds like he's trying!). We can't imagine life without him!
Friday, August 12, 2011
My first smile! (caught on camera anyway!)
Carter has been up a lot more during the day, and he seems to be in pretty good spirits every morning. Here is a smile his grandma caught on camera. Isn't he adorable???
Monday, August 8, 2011
1 Month!
I can't believe our sweet boy is already 1 month old! It has gone so fast! He has definitely gotten bigger, he weighs 10 lbs 5 oz, and is 22 in long. He has been eating every 2-3 hrs during the day, and 4-8 hrs at night. Yes we have had two 8 hour nights! Unfortunately that 8 hrs started around 8pm so we didn't get to sleep as long as Carter did! He usually makes it about 6-7 hrs though which is really nice!
He has started making really good eye contact, and he's gotten better about holding his head up on his own. He isn't a huge fan of tummy time but he will tolerate it for short stretches, and he can lift his head up briefly and move it from one side to the other while on his tummy. He likes laying on his back and looking around, but he MUCH prefers being held while he's awake...which makes it difficult for me to get alot done! Hopefully I can wean him of that once he starts staying awake more.
He likes taking baths, and has finally started enjoying being changed more (this used to be the WORST thing in the world!) He has smiled occasionally, and Nate said he even heard him laugh once. He likes to stare at our faces, and will follow things with his eyes. He makes little "eh" noises alot whenever he's awake.
He still likes being swaddled and sitting in his vibrating chair. Those can usually calm him down, even though he rarely gets upset unless he needs something. He has started using his pacifier more as well. He is still a big mover, and will move himself around in his cradle or on his blanket while on his back. He is already in size 1 diapers, and wearing 0-3 month clothes, though we have some of those that are starting to get a little small on him.
I've enjoyed getting to stay home with him, though it is difficult to get much done. I have to make good use of the times he's asleep. Luckily I've usually been getting a good night's sleep so I don't have to nap during this time!
We had Nate's parents come visit right after Carter was born and my Mother-in-law stayed to help out the next week. Nate's brother Eric and his wife came down at the end of July and stopped by to see Carter, and then my mom and sister came down at the end of July with my nephew Jaxon. Now Nate's parents are here again along with his sister Rachel to watch Carter while I'm gone all this week to in-service at school. Even though I'm taking 7 weeks off at the beginning of the school year, I still have to get my in-service hours. Thankfully they were able to watch him so we didn't have to figure out something else!
We have been enjoying being a family of 3 and cant wait to see what the next month has in store! Here are a few pictures!
Jaxon giving Carter kisses!
He has started making really good eye contact, and he's gotten better about holding his head up on his own. He isn't a huge fan of tummy time but he will tolerate it for short stretches, and he can lift his head up briefly and move it from one side to the other while on his tummy. He likes laying on his back and looking around, but he MUCH prefers being held while he's awake...which makes it difficult for me to get alot done! Hopefully I can wean him of that once he starts staying awake more.
He likes taking baths, and has finally started enjoying being changed more (this used to be the WORST thing in the world!) He has smiled occasionally, and Nate said he even heard him laugh once. He likes to stare at our faces, and will follow things with his eyes. He makes little "eh" noises alot whenever he's awake.
He still likes being swaddled and sitting in his vibrating chair. Those can usually calm him down, even though he rarely gets upset unless he needs something. He has started using his pacifier more as well. He is still a big mover, and will move himself around in his cradle or on his blanket while on his back. He is already in size 1 diapers, and wearing 0-3 month clothes, though we have some of those that are starting to get a little small on him.
I've enjoyed getting to stay home with him, though it is difficult to get much done. I have to make good use of the times he's asleep. Luckily I've usually been getting a good night's sleep so I don't have to nap during this time!
We had Nate's parents come visit right after Carter was born and my Mother-in-law stayed to help out the next week. Nate's brother Eric and his wife came down at the end of July and stopped by to see Carter, and then my mom and sister came down at the end of July with my nephew Jaxon. Now Nate's parents are here again along with his sister Rachel to watch Carter while I'm gone all this week to in-service at school. Even though I'm taking 7 weeks off at the beginning of the school year, I still have to get my in-service hours. Thankfully they were able to watch him so we didn't have to figure out something else!
We have been enjoying being a family of 3 and cant wait to see what the next month has in store! Here are a few pictures!
Jaxon giving Carter kisses!
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