ETERNAL

Yes, that is one way you could describe our family!!!! 11/6/10 is the day we were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple as an eternal family!! :) It couldn't have been a better day! I got the red carpet treatment...I got to wear a beautiful dress (like the one you get to wear on your wedding day), I got to get ready in the brides room, and then we waited in the Celestial Room until the ceremony began. It was actually really funny...I imagined it would be emotional (not actually knowing what it would be like) but instead I was just so happy and couldn't stop smiling. Although, it may have been less emotional and more funny since everyone was treating us like we were getting married. I thought it was super funny how all the temple workers who spoke to me leaned in and said, "you look beautiful today". As if I had done something so different on "my special day" and then before Wes was brought to the Sealing Room the Sealer who was conducting, bless his heart, gave a marriage speech. Giving us marriage advice and talking about being true and faithful in our marriage. I leaned over to my mom and said, "I think he thinks we are getting married!" Every once in awhile he would glance down as his paper and throw in a statement like, "and with this precious child..." then I was assured that we were in the right room and that we were not just getting ready to "renew our vows". :)

Wes was, of course, amazing in his little white outfit and just kept looking back and forth between his mom and dad. It was just an amazing experience. I was so happy to have our close friends and family there with us to witness such an amazing event in our lives.

The Temple is such a special place. A place that takes family members who are not biologically related and binds them together as if they were, for eternity! It takes my breath away!

Ryan's dad was there to help document our day forever...

After the Temple we went back to our house for lunch.

Wes had a bottle and the rest of us had...

These... So freakin yummy!

There is something about a mini cupcake that makes me feel like it is ok to eat about 12! :)

There is also this thing inside me that makes me want to do things the hard way like make cupcakes with 3 different colors of frosting...

Why I do things like this to myself I may never know.

Ryan's dad is a great photographer and every time we are in Indiana or he is Utah I make him take family pictures. Here are a couple of my favorites...

Wes smiled for most of them and Chase just happened to participate in the same ones...it worked out! :)

The one on the bridge is hanging on our house, we just cropped out the left side of the bridge and the sign in the back ground.

Finally a family picture I really like.

October 29, 2010

A very important date in the life of the Jones'. This is the day Wes LEGALLY became Wes Ryan Jones! :)

We finalized the adoption Friday morning. It was a new experience since neither of us have ever been to court before. It was very official. The only thing missing was the Law & Order "Ding Dong".

After we were all sworn in our Lawyer asked our case worker questions, then Ryan, then me. It was actually all pretty cool. I did get teary eyed at one point when the Lawyer asked Ryan what life has been like having Wes in our family. Just hearing him talk about Wes being in our family and having felt the joy he described made me choke up a bit (but no tears!). Then it was my turn to answer the questions and it was over. The Judge was AWESOME!!!

He gave tribute to Rachel as a birth mother and said how amazing she is for carrying Wes full term "when we live in an abortion world". I can't agree more. I tell Rachel all the time how awesome she if for what she did for Wes and us. We would not have the family we do without her. She is such a special person to us. Sometimes I wish we could adopt her too. :) Adoption is an amazing thing and it has truly changed my life in more ways than I can count.

Enough of the blabber...here are the pictures

This was Wes's court attire (just like Great Grampy! :)). The Judge said, "a hat fit for court". We thought so...

Kim (our case worker), the FAM, Judge Davis, Todd Wahlquist (our Lawyer)

(Say "I" if you think I need to lose about 50 lbs... "I" ...didn't I do that once upon a time?

Why does it always take a piture to make you REALLY see it?)

Judge Davis and Wes (He got down off the stand and put his robe on Wes and let him hold his gavel...it was pretty funny)

Pictures of breakfast at Jim's afterwards...

Look at those eyes, they kill me...

THIS IS WES, HE'S OUR SON! :)

See You on the FLIP Side!

We're off...

It's kind of weird to know the exact date and time your baby will be born!

MONDAY @ 7am!

You may be sleeping but, we will be becoming parents! :)

It hasn't fully set in yet but I'm getting nervous for the whole thing. I'm not really sure a person can prepare themselves for what awaits us in the next two weeks! I'm just now starting to think about the emotional roller coaster it will be!

I'm not sure what kind of Internet access we will have but trust me, I will do my best to get an update ASAP! :)

OK, for real this time...Wish us luck--we'll accept prayers as well! :)

I was going to post a picture of how well rested and pretty we are because it might all change very soon but, you'll all just have to remember our beautiful smiling faces before parenthood! ;)

FALSE ALARM!!!

Sorry for the fake out! From talking to her last week it sounded like it was going to be this week at the latest...but, after today's appointment the dr. said they are still on for the c section but not until her 39th week!!!! So, that's after next Friday. Unless she goes into labor before then and then they will do a c section then. Anyway, sorry for the false excitement--but imagine how we feel...we are packed and ready to go!!! So, I am off to unpack and get ready to go back to work tomorrow am and explain this 100 more times!

BUMMER!!!

On a bright side...Birth mom and baby are doing GREAT! :)

Adoption Update... & Name Spoiler

WE ARE ON OUR WAY!!!! The baby has been upside down for the past couple of weeks and the dr. does not want the birth mom to go into labor and wanted to schedule a C-section last week but she was really nervous and started crying so the dr. agreed to give the baby one more week to turn on his own. As we have been told this is not likely since he is so big so, we are planning on the C-section being scheduled for this week and we are getting ready to drive to Oklahoma tomorrow night or Tuesday morning so that we can be there for sure! :) So, if you think to your self, "I wonder if they are freaking out?" the answer is YES!!! We are freaking out for so many different reasons but really just can hardly wait.

Here are some pictures of the nursery. I am sure we will add things here and there but for now this is how it looks...

I made the bed skirt and valance too but here is my secret...you might say lazy but I say GENIUS! The bed skirt is actually velcroed to the bar holding the mattress. That way I don't have to mess with it every time I change the sheets or if it gets dirty I can just rip the one piece off and wash it without taking the whole thing off...I think I am on to something here! :)

To view more room pictures click here: NAME SPOILER
But, as you can see if you click there you will have a name spoiler! If you don't want to know...DON'T CLICK! Although, if you want to know...CLICK ON!

It has been so much fun getting ready for everything. We have our birth mother gifts and I will be posting pictures of those soon as well. We can't wait to meet her and spend time getting to know her better. She really has been AMAZING!
Anyway, here we go...wish us luck! :)

Suggestions...

I was wondering if anyone knew of a great infant photographer that will not cost an arm and a leg...

I just want to have someone in mind so when it comes to getting his pictures taken when we get back for Oklahoma we have someone set up. :) thanks!

Just Waiting...

So, excited but just waiting. I am still working on the bedding and had to out source the binding--it was killing me. But, I am excited to have some one help me make it look nice. I talked to the birth mom tonight and she is doing good. She is so very nervous for the actual giving birth. She say that he moves around so much and she feels he is just trying to "break his way out!" :)

Oh, and we picked a name but you will just have to wait to find out what it is until he is actually here. Not, that we don't want anyone to know but half the fun is the anticipation of finding out what the babies name is...but it's a good one! :)

Bedding Decision...

After not being able to find anything I was in love with...Although, all the comments were very helpful! :) My friend Jess who also does SEW DARN CUTE talked me into making my own bedding. So, this is what I am doing! I surprised myself when I did a DIAPER BAG, maybe I will surprise myself again! :) But, this way i know I love the colors and can choose how it looks and is put together! :)
Here are the colors and a picture of the paint job (that stripe goes around the whole room)!

This room was inspired by a sock monkey quilt that a lady in our ward is making us. It is so cute! I loved it and thought Sock Monkeys would be a cute little boy room! Here are just a few of the fabrics she is using in the quilt...

"Neutral" or just less Girly?

Ok, so I think that both these sets are SO CUTE!! But, they are under the "NEUTRAL" category. What do you think? Do they just look LESS GIRLY or could they be used for a boy? I am not in to really bright colors or the dark blues/reds that most boy sets are. But, I can't decided!

It is very likely that it will be neither of these...this experience of getting ready for a baby has shown us that Ryan and I have such different tastes! We have a hard time agreeing on the same thing. I never new our styles were SO DIFFERENT! And Ryan isn't the kind of guy to just say, "Whatever" and give me my way...he wants his opinion to be heard. I respect this about him. He had a say in many of the details of our wedding and I don't know why this would be any different. It makes us meet in the middle and find something we will both be happy with...but boy, agreeing with me would be much easier!!! :)

Baby Slings...

Has anyone ever used these? What's your opinion?

Baby on the Brain!

Ok, is this normal? I can think of nothing but BABY!!!! Here are some examples...

Story #1: I am the camp director in our ward and this past Thursday we had a big stake "kick off" meeting. We also had a meeting Wednesday night and talked about camp. I was well aware of the meeting but, I also told the assistants that I may not be there because the first Thursday of every month there is an adoption class through LDS services. They are required but we have finished our required 6 classes but I wanted to keep going to review all the info. So, Thursday night I had a camp meeting that I knew about and an adoption class that I wanted to attend. Sunday morning I woke up and realized that I missed the camp meeting. Thinking back to Thursday night I tried to remember what I did...yeah I got home from work, cooked dinner and sat down to watch our Thursday night shows with Ryan!

NO CAMP MEETING AND NO ADOPTION MEETING!!!!

All I think about is baby and there is no space for other things in my brain!

Story #2: I praise myself on being a good employee and doing things right the first time. Well, in the last monthly meeting with all the Director's and Administrator's my boss mentioned that, "Nici never has anything returned from the "main office" and gets things right the first time" Well, this past week I had THREE things returned!!!!! One of them the only thing that was wrong was that I forgot to SIGN MY NAME!!!! I think I am going crazy!

It's kind of funny but is it normal? I constantly think about the birth mother, the adoption, and the baby!!! I even dream baby! :)

So, Crazy or Normal?

Although, we did wear ourselves out on baby. Saturday we went and registered at Babies R Us and by the time we were done I was worn out!!! After thinking of every little thing we might need and scanning so many bar codes--my brain was fried! :) Registering is a work out! :)

The Details...

Thank you for all your support, we are really excited about this. We can hardly believe it is happening and so quickly! But, right now I wouldn't have it any other way. This will be a very hectic month and a half--but I would probably drive myself crazy if I had to much time to wait. :)

Question/Answers:

Boy or Girl?
-BOY!!! :)

Race?
-White/African American

Where from?
-Oklahoma (we will have to stay there for a couple of weeks after the baby is born. Our case worker has to file paperwork to allow us to leave OK and enter UT with the baby, they said it could take 10 days to about 2 weeks. Nothing like spending your first two weeks with a newborn in a hotel room!)

Names?
-Ryan VETO'S just about everyone I throw out there...so, NO. Boy names are tough! Any suggestions? :)

Due Date?
-4/4/10 (which will be 40 weeks) but on Monday the dr. told her she will be to term at 37 weeks and that he thinks she will be early!!!

The Birth mother:
-Amazing! She has been so great. We get a long really well and we are looking forward to having an open adoption with her. She is 15 years old (16 in Feb.). She has an amazing understanding of the purpose of adoption--we often have to remind ourselves that she is only 15. She found us through the LDS profiles. The father is her 17 year old boyfriend.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? :)

ANYBODY KNOW A GOOD PEDIATRICIAN?

67 days to go till 40 weeks!

The doctor says...be ready at 37!!!!

PINCH ME!!!! :)

Button, Button, who's got the Button?

Ok, so after much hard work and tons of research on how to do this here are my BUTTONS!

(SEE SIDEBAR--they are kind of hard not to miss)

Please grab one and put it on your blog...you never know who knows someone, who knows someone!

The BUTTON takes you to our LDS Profile which has our adoption blog address on there but if you want one that takes you to the blog instead of the Profile let me know.

Thanks again for all your support!

If you don't know how to add the button to your blog just click on the code in the scroll box and copy it. Then go to the Layout page of your blog and choose "Add Gadget" then choose the HTML box. Paste the code in the box that pops up and save it. Then you can move it around to where you want it to show up on your blog by dragging the box from your Layout page. Save your changes and then view your blog.

I hope that helped!

WE ARE APPROVED!!!

So, our big news is that on December 16th we were officially approved for adoption! What this means is that our profile is given to birth parents when they go into any of the LDS Services office in Utah (if we meet their criteria) and we also have a profile on-line that is available for anyone and everyone! So, if you know of anyone who may be placing a child for adoption encourage them to look at our profile or just check out LDS services if they choose us or not. They offer so many services to prospective birth mothers and fathers.

We have also set up a blog specifically for our adoption process. I have not posted about us being approved because the blog is not done and still is not and will go through many changes until it is but, right now it has some good info and bit by bit I will get more on there.

I am also going to make a BUTTON for anyone who would be willing to put a link to our online profile from their blog. As uncomfortable as it may be since we are kind of private people (really we are!) we are going to get ourselves out there! So people know what we are doing and can help!

We can't wait to expand our family and we know that it's through adoption that this will happen for us at this time. I are so grateful for every ones support, prayers, and love. We have been blessed with a GREAT support system! Thank you!!

Click here:

OUR PROFILE!

ADOPTION BLOG

Picture Collage

We need to submit 15 copies of a picture collage of our family for our adoption profile. When perspective birth mothers go into the agency and we fit the match they are looking for the agency gives them a family picture, a letter we have written to the birth parents, and also a picture collage. So, here is what I have done so far...

I think I am done with it but, if you were looking to place a child for adoption what kinds of pictures would appeal to you? Do these work? Thanks for you input... (hint, hint)

I am planning on changing some of the font colors to make them easier to read but, do you see anything else?

Oh, it is not supposed to have any identifying information, that is why it only has our first names on it.

The Application is OFFICIALLY Submitted

This week we submitted our application for ADOPTION! We still need to be approved to be shown to birth parents which takes a month or so due to the amount of paperwork that needs to be completed, the interviews that need to be conducted, and the home visit that need to take place.

We are ready, over whelmed, and very excited! :)

It has been a long emotional road so far, I can't imagine the emotional rollercoaster the next couple of years is going to bring!

Name Spoiler!

Yesterday I got really board (Ryan was taking a nap) and so I got this idea to make something for the bare walls in the babies room so....here it is! Ok, not to boast of my own work (because it is not that great) BUT...This turned out better than I could have planned! I think it is adorable. You may share me enthusiasm or not but I love it and I think he will too! :) Sorry for the name spoiler but I had to share!

The back side is this cute polka-dot that matches all the fabric in the room. I just sewed the two fabric and used felt letter. The tie is just a ribbon ironed in half. This whole project took me less than two hours and I wouldn't be happier with it. :)