Lucas Isaiah Herr

Hello from a Mommy,
We've now been a daddy and mommy for 1 week and 1 day.  Lucas Isaiah was born on 1/11/11 at 1:43 pm.  He was 8lb 4oz and 20" long.  He was scored a 9.9 out of 10 on the Apgar scale.  I was allowed in the O.R. when Lucas was born and was able to cut his umbilical cord. 

Here is a picture of Lucas fresh on Earth.

From the O.R. I wheeled him into the nursery where Mike joined me while he was warming up, being measured and bathed. 

After we left the nursery, the nurse showed to our room where Mike, Lucas and I stayed until Thursday, Jan. 13th.  This time at the hospital was exciting and surreal.  But it was also exhausting because we didn't get a lot of sleep and we shared a twin hospital bed.  Also we had the pleasure of having visitors. 

A few times a day we also went to Charmaine's room a few doors down to spend time with her and her family as they came in.  By the way, Charmaine had a smooth c-section and she's healing nicely.  She is in good spirits and I talk and/or text with her everyday.  I'm blessed to have her as Lucas' birthmom and a friend.

We came home about 4:30 last Thursday.  Oh boy were we happy to come home!!  Since then Lucas has been settling in and he has good sleeping habits.  He sleeps anywhere between 3 and 4 hours between diaper changes and feedings.  He's a healthy eater and we're relieved about that.

Lucas had his 1st medical check up on 1/14 with his pediatrician and it went very well.  Yesterday we took him to get circumcised and he did so well.  All swelling and redness already seems gone.  He's such a trooper!

Lastly, the best news of all...Lucas' birthfather signed the adoption papers!!  This means that we only have to wait 30 days until the adoption can be finalized compared to about a year if he didn't sign.

Well, it's time to change his diaper and give him a bottle.

Lots of love,

Brenda

Birth-Day!

For once I am speechless. I'm sittings here not feeling overwhelmed, anxious or stressed, to my surprise. Instead I feel calm and warm knowing that all the details of the day are in God's strong and loving hands. Today and over the next few days, if your thoughts wonder to Lucas, Mike, Charmaine, her mom, her sons and/or me, please pray for us.

I will blog more later with more details. We hope there is wi-fi at the hospital. If not, then it will be a few days.

Big day for us...we will be meeting our son!

Hugs and love,
Brenda

5 Days and Counting

The sun is shining and the Son is blessing us.  What more could we ask for? :)

We met with our adoption attorney, Joy, on Tuesday and she is wonderful!  Joy verbally drew out a map of events for us from now until the day Mike & I become Lucas' legal adoptive parents.  The journey is crystal clear.  I won't bore you with all the details, but if you're curious just ask me...I don't mind sharing.  Charmaine met with her adoption services provider, Loren, to be explained her rights as the birthmom and what she should be expecting throughout the next month.  We also met Loren and she seems very helpful and knowledgeable.  Our last meeting on Tuesday was with Charmaine and Sarah to discuss the hospital stay and the communication we'd like after we bring Lucas home.  Charmaine said that she wants Lucas to be handed to me as soon as he's born, Mike & I will be doing all the feedings and diaper changes in the hospital and Lucas will be staying in our room.  She would like a little alone time with Lucas, which we understand and respect.  But a lot of our time will be together during the hospital stay.  We expect to be there anywhere from 2-4 days.

Someone asked me if it was appropriate to send Charmaine flowers to the hospital and my answer was YES!  If anyone is interested in sending flowers or a card to Charmaine, we will be at Palomar Hospital in Escondido and her last name is Garibay.  I won't know a room number until we get there on Tuesday, so you can always call the hospital at 760-739-3000 or me at 858-342-6943.

Charmaine and I will be having lunch and going to a movie this afternoon.  I really enjoy spending time with her and getting to know her.

Have a wonderful day!

Much love,
Brenda

The Latest

Hello All,
The days are passing so quickly and 1/11/11 is almost upon us.  Charmaine, Lucas' birthmom, is officially on leave for 2 months. Thank goodness because her job as a massage therapist is tough on her body and feet.  Now she gets to take it easy.  Her hip and back have been bothering her non-stop for almost a week now. 

Mike and I went with Charmaine to her sonogram on 12/29 and we got to see Lucas moving around.  He even kicked at one point during the sonogram.  It was an awesome experience.  The doctor estimating Lucas weighed about 7 lbs 12 oz.  He's going to be a healthy, big baby boy.  After the sonogram we went to the hospital where Lucas will be born, Palomar Hospital.  Charmaine had to give them her insurance information and Mike & I had to sign some papers so the hospital acknowledges us as the adoptive parents.  Then the 3 of us went and had lunch.  It was a very fulfilling day.  We are really enjoying getting to know Charmaine.  She's a kind, positive and calm person.

The next steps will be for us to meet with our adoption attorney this coming Tuesday.  I'm not exactly sure what the meeting will entail, but she said it will take about 2 hours.  Later on Tuesday, Mike and I will be meeting Sarah (adoption director) and Charmaine at the Adoption Center to figure out the details of the time at the hospital, such as who will be handed Lucas first, who's room he'll sleep in, who will be feeding him, etc.  Also, we'll be discussing how often Charmine will want to see Lucas after we adopt him, how often she wants to see pictures, etc.  Mike & I are confident that the meeting will go smoothly, because we've been comfortable discussing most of these issues with Charmaine.

I think these next 11 days will pass at the speed of light, so I apologize if I don't blog as often as before.  We've received so many kind words and shared excitement and we give praise every evening for such wonderful families and friends.

Lots of love,
Brenda