Final!

I am so late on posting this, but I am so excited to let everyone know that on June 29th Isaiah's adoption was finalized! Woohoo! It was finalized in Utah, and the judge waived our court appearance (a huge answer to many months of prayer) so we celebrated by going to the Stone Hearth restaurant here in ETown. I have to say that it is a gem of a restaurant...yummy, yummy food.

Right now I just praise God for the two beautiful children we have! What a blessing far beyond what we ever hoped!

Home Sweet Home

After 2.5 weeks in Utah we finally got to come home as a family of 4! As we were leaving the hotel Tuesday morning Olivia kept making sure we were bringing Isaiah with us and counting the number of people in our family...I think she can barely believe it too.



Waiting in the airport to catch our plane. Both Olivia and Isaiah did great! Of course Isaiah slept all day, so when we got home midnight Wednesday morning he was awake for several hours. But we were all too excited to go to sleep anyways. Olivia kept doing her "I'm Home" happy dance.

Meeting Lucy.

Such sweet memories of Olivia in this swing, and now I can't believe we have another sweetie to enjoy our baby swing...truly, I am amazed. There were days I thought this day would never come!

Many Thanks

The Lord is good! He is good in this season of joy in our lives, and He has also been good in the difficult seasons. I know so many of our friends are going through difficult seasons of their lives right now, and believe me when I say that my heart prays for each situation as so many of you have cried and prayed with us through our difficult seasons. Life is so full of ups and downs and the challenge is to find ways to be thankful whether we feel like we are on the mountaintop, in the valley, or somewhere just in between.

Even on the moutain top it can be too easy to focus on small things that are not exactly perfect and forget to see all the ways God is taking care of us. This week for example, JP and I have so many things to be thankful for...so many!!! And yet when we found out we will be here until at least Tuesday my heart sunk. And we had met two other couples here adopting babies one born the same day as Isaiah and the other the day before...well, both couples got their clearance to return home and my heart sunk even more. But why should my heart fail me when the Lord has showered us with grace upon grace; and it is only 4 more days in a beautiful city! It just reminded me of how human we each are and how much we need to actively give thanks and glory to God for all the things He has done for us...no matter how we feel life is going!

So here is my post of praise and thanksgiving to Almighty God for:

• Sending His only Son Jesus to die on the cross for my sins so that I could spend eternity with Him.
  

• Bringing me the perfect husband for me. He is not perfect, nor am I, but God's plan is and JP provides for us, protects us, loves us, and makes us laugh.

• Olivia Hope and Isaiah Love are far beyond anything I could ever imagine for children!!


• My family in Colorado who I missed terribly today, but who support and love us in everything. They are so flexible and would do anything to help us out.

• JP's family in Arkansas who are quick to answer calls of help, support us, and are excited for us.


• Hotels with indoor swimming pools, all you can eat breakfast, adoption agency discounts, 3 nightly meals, a special baby gift, cookies on our front door one morning, and a sweet cleaning lady who smiles at us daily and laughs when JP uses the Spanish word for grandma instead of open (o:


• Meeting and fellowshipping with other families in the hotel who are here to adopt their precious babies!!!

• Finding an awesome church here that we get to attend 3 Sundays in a row, and where we met a family who also adopted a baby boy from the same agency two years ago. They adopted us today into their family and had us over with their own family for Thanksgiving dinner! While I missed my family terribly what a blessing for God to give us a faith family here. If this is not God's goodness, then I don't know what is!
• A beautiful place to do fun winter things.

Gotcha Day

Buckling him into the car seat to leave the hospital.

Walking out to the car.

Family of 4!!!

Olivia helping to give Isaiah a bottle.

Sweet big sister holding baby brother.

Lots of kisses.

Hanging out in the lobby at the hotel.

Snuggle Time.

Yesterday was Gotcha Day - the day we got to bring Isaiah Love home! We saw Cheri one more time in the hospital as she was leaving, gave her a hug, and she gave Isaiah a bunch of kisses. I know I've said it before, but she is amazing! I've never seen a woman of such calm strength. Then we strapped him into the car seat and brought him home. It was very surreal. This whole thing has gone so quickly that when we look at him it's hard to believe he's really ours...but he is. Each minute that passes with him in our continued presence seals more and more into our hearts.

I wasn't sure what to expect from Olivia when we got back to the hotel, but she could not have been any sweeter. We had him covered head to toe with the blanket because it's pretty cold here, and she asked if he was in there. She bent down and tried peeking in, but she was a little hesitant to actually pull the blanket back. But when she did the ooing and ahing started. She said: "Oh, he's so cute. Cootchi, cootchi coo. Look Papa and Nema I have a baby brother." So, so sweet...and very excited. She wanted to hold him, feed him, burp him, change him and bathe him all at the same time. She sang him Hush Little Baby, Rock A Bye Baby, ABC's, and Twinkle Twinkle little star. I am so thankful she has been sweet, helpful, and so far hasn't shown any jealousy. I know things can change and swing back and forth as time goes by, but right now she is a great big sister!

The hotel we are staying at even brought up a little receiving blanket as a gift...this has been an awesome hotel to stay in. She took the little sticky note off the top and said, "It says, To Baby Isaiah, keep away from batman." Olivia makes me laugh every day!!

Over the last 24 hours Isaiah has been an angel! He's a little gassy, but he's not fussy...so far (o: Even last night after each feeding and diaper change he was content to sleep in the crib all swaddled in his blue blanket, so we all got some good sleep. He's eating about every 3 hours and getting completely spoiled during the day with all of us taking turns snuggling him. As I type Papa Bob is taking his turn.

The Lord has showered us with grace upon grace and we are so completely grateful and amazed! Please keep us in your prayers as we are all anxious to return to KY, but have another week or more here. Olivia keeps asking if Utah and Kentucky have told us we can go home yet. She's doing amazingly well in this hotel room, though...again the Lord's grace upon grace showered on us!

He's Ours

Isaiah was cold today so we ended up taking his suitcase to the hospital so Cheri could dress him in warmer clothes. She picked out this sweet snuggly outfit from his massive wardrobe. Thanks to JP's parents and my brother and sis-in law he is good to go for the next 3 months!!

The amazing view from the hospital room.

Day #2, "Sharing Day" was full of many blessings and quirks. Our case manager called it sharing day because it was a day of Cheri, Isaiah's birthmom, sharing him with us. One of the things we learned with Olivia's adoption, and we learned again today is that adoption is unlike any other experience; and each adoption experience is different from any other. The one thing we could take into this experience from adopting Olivia is how important it is to remain flexible, calm, and in the hands of a loving God who has an awesome plan for everyone involved. We have to throw out all our own expectations and allow God to unfold things according to His will.

So today we got to go visit with Cheri and Isaiah for a couple of hours. It was a wonderful visit full of laughing and stories and snuggling with a sweet, sweet baby. And Cheri blessed us so much with her words of why she chose us as the family. I just keep thinking of how the Lord is using her to bless us so much, and the little we have done to try and bless her in return feels so inadequate. What is a necklace, a couple of meals, and a bouquet of flowers in comparison to a precious baby? I sit speechless and in awe.

At one point one of the agency workers came in and asked what his name is. A small quiet second passed as we all knew that Cheri has given him a different name than we have; and in the hospital he is referred to by that name. After a second I just said "His name is Taji Jaleel," which is the name Cheri has given him. It's just one of those adoption quirks. At that moment in time no papers had been signed and the ball was in her court. We love her so much and respect her like no other...the gift she is giving us deserved at the moment all the respect we could give her and the only way to do that was honor her wishes. Just one of those adoption quirks...

We finished our visit and gave her some space before signing took place. Then at 4:30pm we met with our case worker in a separate room while she signed her paperwork; and then we signed our papers making him officially ours...official in a somewhat loose sense as the adoption won't be finalized yet for 6 months. And of course, we must deal again with another adoption quirk...Cheri is still in the hospital, so even though we have signed all the papers, the ball is still in her court. She has chosen to spend this last night with him (really, who can blame this precious woman?!) so after we signed the papers we walked out of the hospital and came home...I mean to the hotel...and to our last night as a family of 3.

This day has been so full of blessings and quirks it's at times difficult to process. One thing I know is that the Lord has given us peace, an extremely smooth process, and one more night to enjoy uninterrupted sleep (o: Tomorrow afternoon we will walk out of the hospital, sweet Isaiah in our arms to raise in the love and knowledge of God...what a task! What a responsibility!! What a mighty and awesome God we serve!!!

Isaiah Love Arnold

Our sweet baby boy is here!!! I can barely believe it, but he's here. He was born at 3:33pm Mountain Time weighing in at 6 lbs and 13 oz. He is 19" long...and his birthmom Cheri was absolutely amazing! She allowed me to be in the labor and delivery room with her and even cut the umbilical cord. It was the most amazing experience ever. And Cheri was so calm and peaceful the whole time. She is truly an amazing woman. After he was born we went and bought her some dinner from Olive Garden (broccoli cheese ravioli because she is a vegetarian) to give her some time with this sweet baby. When we returned we got our time in the nursery to hold him and watch him get his first bath. His lungs got a good workout during his bath (o: But look at all that fluffy, curly hair...I love it!

Now we are back at the hotel trying to love up on Olivia, who got really serious and very quiet after seeing the pictures. She would start a sentence, then stop and lapse into silence. I could really see the wheels turning...I think she is a little overwhelmed.

So his name...Isaiah we chose because we love it. It means "God is Salvation." Love we chose for two reasons: 1. It is a family name on my dad's side...it's my dad's middle name and his grandfather's last name, 2. I liked that it is "parallel" to Olivia's middle name Hope. I guess now we just need a "faith" (o; Of course, Olivia is still insisting his name is Twist from her new favorite TV show "The Fresh Beat Band." This is a battle I'm not going to fight...so if you hear us refer to him as Twist...that's why (o:

So, where do we go from here? Well, we get some rest tonight...our last baby free night for a while (o: Tomorrow will flow minute by minute as we wait to see what Cheri desires. Then at 4:30pm Mountain Standard Time we do the signing placing him officially in our care. At that point Cheri cannot change her mind. Please pray for all of us over the next 24 hours. These are the most emotional hours of a placement and we could all use prayers.

First Couple Days in Utah

I am so thankful Olivia is such a good traveler. Our 3.5 hour flight from Chicago to Salt Lake City couldn't have gone smoother. Dare I hope for such a good flight on the way home?

I love Salt Lake City! It reminds me of home, and I have to keep reminding myself that we are in Utah, not in Colorado.

On Sunday JP took Olivia to the Children's museum while I stayed at the hotel and did absolutely nothing! It was fabulous after my non-stop pace last week. And it has helped me mentally prepare for the non-stop pace that we are about to enter into tomorrow morning (o: I am so thankful my parents are here to help us out with Olivia!

We really feel like the Lord has been with us on this trip. On our Chicago to Salt Lake flight we met a lady who had been in Louisville on a medical missions conference. She said that as she watched us, our empty infant car seat, and then as we got onto the flight to Salt Lake she figured we were going to adopt. She had lived their for a while and apparently many adoptions occur here. Who knew? Then on Sunday morning we actually visited a local church and ended up meeting a family who had adopted through this same Utah agency two years ago. The agency is A Guardian Angel, and they have been so attentive to us! It's been a very smooth process so far...praying when the bumps come we will have the grace to handle them smoothly as well.

My Sweet Little Helper

The Lord really does know the perfect timing. If it had been up to me I would have had another child when Olivia was around 2 years old. JP and I had even started the adoption process when she was 15 months old knowing full well he would be deployed. Looking back now I can see that I would have been totally overwhelmed, and Olivia would not have been ready...not to mention the fact that JP would not have even been home! But according to God's perfect will we never were able to complete what needed to be done.

But now, He is lining things up perfectly so far. He's even had to give us little motivations along the way to get our slow minds in gear. It's funny, when we were adopting Olivia it took a mere month for us to turn around our paperwork. How long this time? Well, we received the packet in June and as of today it is still not completely in...though it will be hopefully by tomorrow...and yet here we are anticipating the arrival of our son a week from tomorrow! God is so good! JP is home. And Olivia is as ready as any 3 year old could be.

With her active imagination, Olivia loves to act out stories. Most books we read turn into a little play performed in the kitchen...of course she assigns JP and I our roles. Well, ever since the announcement of a baby brother she has been acting out what she thinks it might be like. In my previous post I described how she acted out the trip to Utah to pick him up. Today she was acting out helping me with diapers...and we did it over and over and over again. And each time it brought a big smile to her face. It went something like this:

I set up the bassinet and changing station in our bedroom already stocked with a few diapers and wipes so we will be set to go once we get home. So Olivia grabs the diapers from the station, leaves the room, and tells me to stay there. At first I wasn't sure what she was doing, but then she came walking back into the room saying, "Here's your diapers." Then she proceeded to count them out as she put them back in their place. I caught on to the act quickly, fortunately, and started pretending like I was in distress and in desperate need of some diapers. When she would walk into the room, hands full of diapers, I would say, "Oh thank you Olivia! You are such a good helper!" Then I would bend down and give her a kiss. She loved it! I loved it! Praying all this excietment carries into reality!

It's a Boy!

We are so excited to let all our family and friends know that on Friday afternoon we were matched with a birthmom who is due with a boy!!! Her due date is December 1, however she is being induced on November 17. She is having the baby in Utah, so we are flying out on the 14th, and we plan to be out there for 2 weeks (that's how long it takes for Utah and Kentucky to agree to let us take the baby home). I knew that it could come quickly, however, I didn't think it would come this quickly so my mind is racing! Right now I am so thankful that the Lord put the desire in my heart last week to get the nursery ready and make a place in the kitchen for all the bottles. So the basics are done...he can sleep, be clothed/diapered, and eat.

On Friday morning I was packing and making preparations for us to come to TN for the week-end where JP ran his first (and he says his only) half-marathon (he did awesome!!!). Somewhere along the way...I can't quite remember all the details...Olivia casually mentioned "I wish I had a baby brother." We had been talking with her about eventually getting a baby, and she actually even helped pick out the color for the nursery; but at that point we weren't matched, though we did know our profile was being shown. It was exciting for JP and I to tell her just a couple hours later that she is indeed going to have a baby brother. We "practiced" getting on the airplane, picking him, getting back on the airplane, bringing him home and showing him his new bedroom and crib. She loved it and wanted to play that "game" over and over. Now my prayer is that the excitement of the "game" for her carries over into the reality. We really would love every prayer you have for our sweet little girl who is about to become a big sister.

I know everyone has tons of questions so I'm going to do my best to keep up with the Blog as we move forward...but please forgive me if I fall behind some. The next weeks are going to be very busy. This week we are not only going to be preparing to bring a baby home and travel, but we have some urgent items to take care of for our home study since it's not even done yet. Our case worker is coming to the house on Monday and then we have to travel to her office on Wednesday to get the necessary visits done. In addition, we have some paper requirements to meet for the agency in Utah. Please pray for us!

We also ask that you pray for the birthmom. We got to talk with her on Friday, and from our perspective it went great. She is a dear sweet lady who is funny and easy to talk to. We had a good laugh over one of our profile pictures. Olivia loves the show "Wonder Pets" where 3 baby animals rescue other baby animals. Well, a while back JP found a turtle in our neighborhood, and we had a "Wonder Pet" resuce mission to take it back to the neighborhood pond. We got pictures of Olivia holding the turtle and throwing it back in the lake that we included in the profile. She laughed at that because her two other children also love that program and they sing the theme song to get everyone working together to clean up..."what's gonna work? team work." Well, at one point on the phone we were all singing the theme song together. It was a fun moment...and it reminded me of how God worked in our conversations with Olivia's birthmom. Among all the emtions and awkwardness He gives us moments of connection and fun. What a good and awesome God!!!!

We feel fairly confident in this situation, however we know that even the "safest" adoption situations are never 100%. We know that at times the birthmoms we never expect to change their minds actually do once the baby is born. What we do know is the birthfather has already signed his waiver, she flew to Utah to have the baby because of their adoption friendly laws, if she does follow through she will sign her waiver 24 hours after the baby is born, she cannot change her mind after she signs the waiver, and if she does change her mind the only money we will will lose is our travel money. Please, please pray for her! Her well being and the well being of the baby is upmost in our hearts! Our greatest joy is her greatest loss...this is one thing we never forget. So while we need lots of prayers, please don't forget this birthmom does too.

Round 2 Begins

Here we go again...adoption, round 2!!! We officially started filling out the paperwork today; though, we have had the packet now for almost 2 months. We are definitely moving slower this time around. One huge blessing is that about a month after we moved here Bethany Christian Services got their Kentucky license! We will be working with people we already know and a system we are already familiar with. Maybe that's why we aren't as anxious this time around. We know it will get done, and we know in God's timing He will place the child of His choosing into our home.

I really don't know what all to blog about in regards to this journey right now. We are very excited to have another child, yet we are already tired thinking about the months ahead and all they hold--paperwork, medical exams, interviews, waiting, waiting, and more waiting. We know the months will go quickly and before we know it we will have another child, yet we desire to savor every moment with Olivia as our first miracle and pray for her to be ready for big sisterhood. I can't wait to hold another baby in my arms, yet the freedom of a potty trained 3 year old is fantastic! But I can't believe how quickly we got to this stage with Olivia! Time moves so quick. I want time to slow down to savor every moment right now, we absolutely love this little 3 year old girl with an imagination and smile as big as the sky; but at the same time I want it to skip ahead to when we have another child so we can try and make time slow down again. I pray and pray and hope and hope that the next one will be as wonderful! That Olivia will think it is wonderful too. But I know reality is that sometimes it's difficult. I pray for God to prepare us for His perfect plan for our lives! Many, many emotions...

...and I guess that's all I really have to say for now (o: