The Boat Gets Rocked

Emily received an email today from the baby's birthfather, Colton. He is not sure if he is on board with the adoption plan. He has questions and concerns. He wants to do what is best for his son, however adoption just seems like a foreign word to him.

We are on our knees. Praying for Emily. Praying for Colton. And praying for the destiny of this baby boy.

A few Scriptures that encouraged me today:

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." Philippians 4:6

"What He opens, no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open." Revelation 3:7b 

God has opened this door! He will see us through this. He will protect and He will provide. We will stand strong and be anxious for nothing.

Pics of Baby Boy!

Emily just sent us these ultrasound pics today. She had a 3D ultrasound a few weeks ago.  

AMAZING!

A Name for Baby Boy

I was up late tonight searching for baby boy names.  Since Sam and I have wanted children for years, this is something we have discussed often.  But, all the names we had picked for a boy just didn't seem to fit this special situation and long-awaited answer to prayer.

It didn't take me long to find THE name. In fact, I had a big legal size sheet of paper and was prepared to write down every boy's name I remotely liked to share with Sam. When I finished my "research" I had only three names on the big sheet and one seemed to stand out bolder than the others.

Maximus Samuel

When I shared the name with Sam, his first reaction was "I really like it. What does it mean?"  I can't believe I didn't look it up! In fact, I always look up meanings to names, it's important to me. So, we jumped on the computer and found this out:

Maximus - the greatest

Samuel - asked of God

We looked at each other and just knew the name fit. 

This baby boy is the greatest gift one person can give another. This baby boy represents the greatest testimony of our lives. This baby boy is the greatest miracle!

Done deal. 

Oh ya, and we are all about nicknames and love the name Max!

P.S. Ever watched the movie Gladiator? One of Sam's favorites and the hero of the show (Russell Crowe) is named Maximus.  Confirmation or what?

Memories!

We just arrived home from the most AMAZING trip ever. We weren't sure exactly what to expect. How much time would we spend with Emily? Would we hit it off in person now that everything has changed? Would we get along with her family?  

So we just gave it to the Lord! He knew the details, He had arranged this from the beginning of time..so let's enjoy!

And now, all I can say is I am overwhelmed.  Overwhelmed with God's goodness. Overwhelmed with Emily's selflessness. Overwhelmed by the gift of life. 

These past few days exceeded ALL of our expectations. From morning 'til night we were with Emily. Laughing, crying, telling childhood stories, talking about our futures. 

I can't describe the chemistry we all seem to have together. This journey is not only about the future of this baby boy, but also about a lifelong friendship with this amazing young woman. 

God had our world's collide "for such a time as this."

P.S. Isn't Emily beautiful?  

TN Bound!

And yet another cool God-thing!

For Christmas, I surprised Sam with tickets to a hockey game in Tennessee: Columbus Blue Jackets vs. the Nashville Predators.

The trip is scheduled for January 30 - February 1.

Only God could have had a trip already on the books. We are already planning to spend time hanging with Emily!

Yay God!

God's Intricate Tapestry

So now that I have had a chance to catch my breath...and pinch myself all day everyday to make sure I am not dreaming...I want to relay some of Emily's side of the story.

When I went to meet Emily in early December, she was thinking along the same wave length as me when I left. We got along great and instantly hit it off. She thought I had a great, healthy story of placing my baby for adoption, but wasn't sure exactly where our friendship would go from there.

Well, only a few weeks later (the day after Christmas to be exact) she went to her mother overwhelmed and simply said, "I don't know if I can do all this. I don't know if this will be what is best for the this baby. I think adoption might be something I should consider." (Let me just take a break here to say - WOW - what an amazing, mature, selfless thing to say and do.)

So Emily and her mother started the process of finding an adoptive couple. The cool twist in all this is that Emily is adopted! So they made an appointment with the same agency that placed her into her parent's home 18 years ago. Emily and her mom spent hours meeting with a social worker and looking at profiles. Nothing clicked.

On the way home from the appointment, Emily's mom casually mentioned that "that girl" you met in early December is hoping to adopt.  (Emily's mom knew this information from Yvonne). Emily shared with me that her first thought was, "I can't believe Jen didn't tell me when we met. How incredible that she left that out, that she was only there to see me and relate to me!"

Right away, Emily asked her mom if we had one of those profiles. Emily's mom didn't know, but thought a good place to start would be to call Yvonne.  (Quick sidenote - I had sent Yvonne our completed profile only weeks before!)

Yvonne literally had our profile sitting on her kitchen counter. She jumped in her car immediately and practically met Emily at home with our profile in tow.  

Emily sat down and started reading our story and looking at our pictures. She said she knew the moment she read our profile that we were the couple this baby was created for.  She said she carried the book around for days and read it over and over again. Each time even more convinced that this was God's plan. 

Two weeks went by before we talked on the phone. She wanted to be sure.  She wanted to be sure she had the strength to do this. She wanted to be sure this was absolutely the best for this baby.  She wanted to be sure she was setting Sam and I up for a future full of hope and excitement.  

I am speechless. 

What an amazing, amazing birthmom.

Answered Prayers

So I called Emily this evening.  With butterflies in my stomach, I picked up the phone and called her. 

All day I kept asking myself, How do you start this conversation?  A simple, "how are you?" seems so inadequate. I know how she is! She is pregnant. She is only 18. She is considering placing her baby for adoption...with us! Again, how do you start this conversation???

So with all the confidence I could muster, I picked up the phone and called Emily.

Within a matter of moments, I knew it was going to be the easiest and most natural conversation. It was like we were old friends catching up. She told me of all the things that had transpired over the past weeks. She shared her heart about wanting Sam and I to raise this baby...this baby BOY!

I stand in awe of God right now.  What an awesome God we serve. Sam and I have prayed for a situation like this.  We have prayed for our birthmom. We have prayed for our family. And He has answered our prayers with a girl named Emily and this precious baby boy she is carrying. 

Tears of joy, let them come!