Monday, August 10, 2015

Love You to the Moon and Back!

It is with great excitement, elation, gratefulness, and relief that we are able to finally announce the birth and adoption of our son Lincoln Xavier!  It has been a 2+ year journey and we have finally arrived at our goal: parenthood!  When we began this process we had no idea how it would turn out, where it would take us, or who we would meet, but we could not be happier at the turn of events that led us to our son.




Just the facts:
Lincoln was born 7.2.15 at 9:09 am at Community North Hospital here in Indy (Shout out to our wonderful nurses, Angela, Brittany, Neda, Casey and Nadine).  He was 8lbs, 8.6oz, 22 1/4 inches long.  We were able to be in the hospital from the day before he was born until the day we took him home.  We shared his care in the hospital with his birthmother and her family.  Papers were signed and he came home with us on the 4th of July!  It really was a beautiful experience.  He was welcomed with fireworks! Last 4th of July, we set off paper lanterns with our wish for a child written on them.  This year we set off lantern's thankful that our son was home!  On the legal front, we were not certain until this past week that his adoption would not be contested.


The background:
We were contacted by Lincoln's birthmother back in late March and began developing a relationship with her.   We decided it was best to keep our relationship private due to our close proximity.  This was also a new relationship and we wanted to guard our hearts and expectations after what we had already been through.  We continued to talk and we met several times to get to know each other better.  In early May we had our official "match" meeting where we both committed our intentions to each other and talked in more detail about what the hospital plan would be and what we imagined for the future in an open adoption.  We were able to accompany her to 2 doctor's appointments.  Her last doctor's appointment was 4 days past her due date.  We were able to see baby on ultrasound to check his estimated weight and mom's fluid levels.  We had no idea we would end up staying for the next 3 nights.  They decided to prep her for induction that afternoon!  We were going to have a baby!  It was a bit of a shock, we had to have our family bring us some overnight things, but it all worked out. 


Lincoln's Birth Family:
We have been blessed beyond measure with a young woman and her family who have been incredibly supportive of her adoption plan. She was steadfast in her decision, and never made us feel uneasy that she was going to change her mind.  Her family was with her in the hospital and we got to know them much better in those few intimate days in the hospital.  We truly hope that they came to see our love for Lincoln and for his birthmom.  We continue to develop our relationship and we look forward to more meetings and get-togethers with his birthfamily in the future.  It was really important to us to include her in Lincoln's first portraits.  She is a very important part of his life, and we want him to know that she has been involved in his life since the very beginning. 


Parenthood:
Lincoln has been a really perfect baby so far! (knock on wood)  He has slept like a baby :)  He has gotten on a pretty regular 4 hour schedule for several weeks now.  He is growing and eating and playing.  He is starting to smile, and coo.  We are learning his cues and adjusting our sleep schedules to his needs.  






To those of you who followed our story, who shared our story, and who prayed and sent good vibes, we Thank You!  It really was networking and lots and lots of sharing that helped Lincoln and his birthmother to find us.  So what's next?  We have to wait for a court date for finalization.  Finalization is a formal legal process where we will stand before a judge and he or she will officially sign the paperwork and we will legally become his parents, and that is still several months away.  We have to finish our homestudy update, because it has to be current at the time of finalization. Home studies have to be updated annually.  After that, it should be lots and lots of love, hugs, learning, growing, and more sharing.  We are so happy that we can now share with you our amazing news! 

32 comments:

  1. So extremely happy for you both! What a story! No doubt you both will make wonderful parents. Here's to many years of happiness. - Carrie

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  2. So Happy!!! Tearing up with joy for both of you!! Hi Lincoln!!!

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  3. Congratulations! So happy for you all!

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  4. I just want to say congratulations your guys are amazing

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  5. I just want to say congratulations your guys are amazing

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  6. 💜💛💚💙 God has always had a plan. So happy for you three!

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  7. I'm crying. So happy for all of you. Congratulations and welcome to parenthood. It's a great ride.
    - A loyal listener.

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  8. Congrats! What an answer to prayer, blessings to your family!

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  9. This is just amazing! I am so happy for you both. You deserve all the happiness in the world! Enjoy him while he's so little. They grow do fast!!

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  10. This is just amazing! I am so happy for you both. You deserve all the happiness in the world! Enjoy him while he's so little. They grow do fast!!

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  11. Congratulations, Will and Adrienne! Lincoln is such a handsome little guy and he's so lucky to have you both and his birth mother to love him so much. This truly has been an amazing journey for you all. Welcome home, baby Lincoln!

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  12. CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

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  13. I'm so incredibly happy for you both! This is such wonderful news. Congratulations. Noah's best friend for life had finally made his entrance!

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  14. God Bless you, Wil, Adrienne, and sweet baby Lincoln. I'm so thankful for you that God answered your prayers and brought you your sweet bundle of joy... I truly believe adoption is the most selfless thing someone can do for their child and I'm so thankful you met that selfless person.

    May God continue to bless you all in your future years as parents.

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  15. Absolutely Amazing! Congratulations! What a handsome little bundle! I'm ecstatic for you all! God Bless! Xoxo

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  16. Dear Lincoln, Be prepared for lots of pretty pictures taken, by your sweet Momma and lots of belly laughing with your silly Daddy! Welcome to the world and your life with TONS of Aunts and Uncles that you may not meet in person, but they'll always be cheering for you and your beautiful family! <3

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  17. Yay!!! Will and Adrienne I was in tears hearing your story this morning!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!! I am So Incredibly Happy for you Both!!! For All of you!! I've always been praying for you that this day would come!!! Welcome to little Lincoln Xavier!!! He is a Very lucky little boy to have you both as parents!!!!!! Continued Blessings as you start Your Parenthood Journey!!!!!!! Enjoy Every Minute of it!!!! Even the pees and poops!!! :)

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  18. So happy for you! I've been following your story and I'm so glad you are getting your happily ever after!

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  19. So happy for you two! It's wonderful how things come together when they are supposed to. Congratulations & good luck on the many adventures to come!!

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  20. Congratulations! We are waiting for our match and it is stories like these that continue to make us hopeful!

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  21. What a blessing! So so happy for you!!!

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  22. Aw I always say love you to the moon and back to my kids!! Congratulations!!! You two are so deserving of this, I'm so thrilled for you! Lincoln is going to have a blessed life with you as his parents!

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  23. Just bursting with joy for all three of you! I am a birth other of 2 and I also am a mother to my 9 year old son. My name is Amber Updegraff and i am very happy to have been able to bless two,families. I do love and miss my babies but at the time it was what was best. I was very young and didn't have a family. I miss them but I don't regret anything 😊

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  24. What a blessing! Congratulations to you all!

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  25. I am so excited and happy for you both. This truly is a rewarding, wonderful new chapter. Much love ♡

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  26. Aaron and I are so happy for you <3 <3 <3

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  27. Glad you all are doing well! Enjoy this wonderful journey you've been gifted with. I wish you all the best! You make an amazing parenting pair and were such a pleasure to meet!

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  28. So excited for you both!!! Thank you for the shout out😀 Proud of Community Hospital North, Labor and Delivery. Love being a labor and delivery nurse. So fulfilling to know that everything is complete and final. Thank you for letting us be a part of such a wonderful and special time in your lives. Lincoln is a pretty lucky baby to have you both as parents. Angela Snyder!!!

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