The date is set...

for Thursday at 6 AM!! Mary will be induced then if the baby has not come by Oct. 2. We have decided to head that way tomorrow. We're tired of waiting around here and trying to work and make plans every day is getting draining. Not to mention all the well meaning people who constantly ask us about the baby! :) So I think the plan is to get up tomorrow and drive 6-7 hours. End up wherever we do and then Wednesday, drive the rest of the way. Then we can be rested for Thursday morning and we don't have to rush around to get there. It's getting sooo exciting and at the same time seems like it's still a LONG way away! :) Just wanted to give a quick update. You'll hopefully be getting a call soon about the baby's birth!! Love you all!

Waiting....

Patience is a virtue
Good things come to those who wait
Love is patient, love is kind

And the list goes on...
There are so many Bible verses and sayings about the importance of being patient. But waiting always seems the hardest when it's the unknown. As you all know, we are still in Indiana awaiting the birth of our baby (who is 5 days overdue now, not that we're counting ;) ). Let me tell you though, we have become experts at waiting. We've become experts at waiting on test results, phone calls, matches to be made, visits, and now a birth. And through all of this waiting I am constantly reminded that I am NOT in control. God definitely has the upper hand! :) And even though I would love for all of these things to happen quickly, they are happening in God's time and I am trying to enjoy my days of waiting...but it's not easy! :)
What's been the hardest thing you've had to wait for?

We're still here...

in Indiana that is! With our baby's due date coming (and it looks like going by), it is SOOO hard to try and stay patient! :) I tried to set myself up for the baby coming late because I know that most first borns do, but of course I was secretly hoping that I wouldn't have to go back to school this week that instead we'd be headed to Virginia. :) We talked to Mary on Friday and she is still 1 cm dilated. Her doctor guesses the baby is 7 1/2 to 8 pounds and told her that if he doesn't come on his own this week then next Monday, Sept. 29th, they would schedule an induction. I guess we should be thankful that he's taking his sweet time because it gives us more time to agonize over a name! :) And no, we really DO NOT have one picked out yet. We may have it narrowed down to two...but that might also change by tomorrow! :) Thanks so much for continued thoughts and prayers as we anxiouslly wait for the phone to ring.

I almost forgot! :)

Matt talked to Mary today on the phone. She said she is feeling pretty good. She had another doctor's appointment and the doctor thinks she will probably be pretty close to her due date. And she is 1 cm dilated! :) I know she still has a long way to go, but it's exciting none the less!!

Can I fit it all in one post???

It's seems like months since I've posted instead of a few days! SO many amazing things have happened and tonight is the first night I've been able to stay home and catch my breath in awhile! It all began a week ago Thursday with my first baby shower thrown by incredible friends. We met at BW3's and then to the Smith's for games and dessert. Each friend has been so supportive during our journey and a big thank you goes out to Jess, Jessica, Jenn, and Victoria for planning a great evening.

Followed by that was a great day to bond with Jenn, Jessica, and Jess during a scrap session on Saturday (even though I am only a card maker! :) ) and an evening with the Moellers, Packards, and Coles at Jenny's house. Jenny graciously volunteered to host our September event (even though it was my turn) and threw a bbq/shower for Matt and I. It was a great evening topped off with a spectacular cake handmade by Amy. Below are Delaney Packard and Carter Moeller waiting for a piece! :)

Sunday was opening day of football so the Frye's invited us for a party to watch the games. It was a great day with the Bear's winning (even though I lost in fantasy football) :) and :(.

Monday-Bible study

Tuesday-bbq for friends who helped us move this summer

Wednesday-helping Jenn move

and Thursday was a baby shower given by my co-workers. Jessica hosted while the rest of the 2nd grade team supplied the food. It was so nice. Everyone at school has been so supportive and curious about our journey. It's so great to work with wonderful people (even though I can't say the same for the lovely people who work at the administration office!! :) ).

During the previous weeks, we have also been given gifts from our drop off shower on the Berger side of the family.

I have been totally overwhelmed by everyone's generosity in the past few weeks since we've learned of the adoption. I knew friends and family were out there praying for us and thinking about us during the waiting process, but it's a whole different experience when you get all of those thoughts from everyone within a week! :)

She's great!

We had a really nice time with Mary this weekend. We picked her up from the Elkhart train station around 7:45 a.m. and needless to say Matt and I were both quite nervous. I'm sure she was too! :) We spent the rest of the morning eating breakfast at Cracker Barrel and getting to know each other better. She taught us to play Cribbich (spelling??) and we taught her how to play corn hole. The afternoon was spent eating grilled Italian chicken salad for lunch and taking naps. She barely slept on the train ride here...and I can't pass up a Sunday afternoon nap! :) That evening, mom and dad and Todd and Cathy came by for a bbq and to meet Mary. We also celebrated her birthday (a few days late). I was so amazed at how comfortable she seemed with everyone. She was so friendly and easy to talk to. All of us slept in the next day and then finished up last minute paper work before our phone meeting with the adoption counselor. We went over hospital procedures, naming of the baby, and legal issues. Then we ate ribs on the grill (which were fabulous!) and took Mary for a "tour" of the area. We drove by the schools and church where the baby will attend. We also stopped by the "grandparents'" houses for a quick visit. And then took her to Amish Acres to learn a little more about the Amish. She had never seen them before! :) Mary took another nap after we got back while I tried to put together the pack 'n play that we got from the Dave Berger family! I know those things are supposed to be quick...but it took me close to an hour to get everything assembled from the changing table to the bassinet! :) I'm sure it will go smoother once I figure out how everything is supposed to be put together!! After her nap we took her out to supper at Steak 'N Shake (one of her favorite restaurants) and back to the train station to depart a little after 10 p.m. She called today around 1:30 p.m. to say she arrived back home safely. All in all, I think she had a good time. It was so nice that she made the effort to travel this far to meet us in person. I hope she feels even more confident in her decision!

Thanks so much for all the prayers that the weekend would go well. God definitely answered!!

Looks more like a nursery

We got our crib this weekend (thanks to mom and dad who so graciously purchased it for our little guy)!! It is oak and it converts to a transitional bed, day bed, and full size bed. We picked it up on Saturday afternoon and I could hardly wait to put it together. So as soon as we were finished eating lunch on Sunday, I persuaded Matt to help me put it together. I think we did pretty well. We only screwed two pieces on backwards, put 4 brackets upside down, and couldn't get the last screw to line up...other than that we did great and we eventually figured it out! :) And I absolutely love it. It really makes the room look more like a bedroom!! Can't wait until we've got someone sleeping in it! :)

The week in review

This past week has been full of activity:

• I started back to school. It's always so hard to get back to a routine after summer break and I could barely keep my eyes open by the time I got home today!
• My class, I've discovered, is full of "active" children, which will take some creative planning so I can keep my sanity. :)
• I definitely, for sure, I think...cannot use my sick days to cover my maternity leave (this after talking to multiple people who aren't sure, but this was the conclusion that was decided upon! ) according to my contract (that is not current since we are currently not working under a contract!) Does that make much sense? :)
• Mary, our birthmother, has a train ticket to come visit over Labor Day from Sunday morning until Monday evening! YEAH!
• The men's softball season has ended with....a loss. :( Although, it is still a great time for the "fans" to get together each week to chat!
• Mr. Rainbow (the turtle :) ) has a new, bigger home. He's in an aquarium in the living room for now until he will go to school with me when I go back in January!
• And Matt and I will, if all goes well, be going to pick up a crib tomorrow afternoon, so the newly washed bedding doesn't have to keep sitting in the corner of the nursery! :)

Ok, I think that's about it! Have a great weekend everybody!

Perfect Match

Picture A (as most of you know) is a picture of our nursery wall. We think it is quite adorable and the walls are already blue for our little boy. But I have been having an impossible time trying to find bedding with puppies on it to match the walls. I've looked in stores and online hoping to find a cute puppy motif that wouldn't cost too much but have not had any luck so far...
which brings us to Picture B! Mom and I went last night to look for a crib and bedding for the nursery. We went to about 4 or 5 stores and found a couple cribs and 1 pretty cute bedding set until we went to Babies 'R Us and found the EXACT match to our wall. The set came with 10 pieces (including a lamp and mobile), it was the last one, and it was on clearance!! We could not believe it. We are sure that the family before us had this exact bedding set and copied the design onto the wall.
So now, since I don't believe in coincidences, I can only believe that God led us to the perfect match for the nursery since He has already given us the perfect match for a birthmother and baby. God Rocks! :)
And by the way, we did not end up getting a crib yet, but we've still got some time!

I Can't Wait Any Longer!

Ok, so you may have noticed that I've been a little absent in the blogging world. That is because I knew if I wrote about something else, that this wonderful news would just pop out! We have been so blessed to be matched with a mother who is due on September 21st with a baby boy!!! YEAH! We are of course bursting at the seams with excitement! We talked to her for the first time last Wednesday and by Friday, August 1st, she had made her decision to choose us to raise her child. This is definitely a God thing. There's no other way to describe it. The mother, Mary, had gotten a box of letters from our agency in May and narrowed it down to 4 families to contact. The first family did not contact her back, we were the second family, and after talking to us, she didn't contact the others. We have talked to her a few times since and she seems like such a mature young lady who has really thought about this difficult decision. She is from Virginia and in the military, so the agency needs to check out the legal aspects of the adoption, but we should hear from them early next week. Mary's plan (if her doctor oks it) is to come here to visit over Labor Day and stay with us, meet some family and friends, and we'll talk about details of the hospital and afterwards.
So, we definitely have something to make a joyful noise about this week! God is so amazing. I don't know if we would've stuck with this baby journey without Him and all of our supportive friends and family. WE LOVE YOU! (And keep praying please! :) )