Thank you, God.....

for little girls! AMEN.

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jim and I are SOOOO excited that we will have a little girl to spoil in January. We are going to a consignment sale this weekend, and Jim has made me promise not to spend our entire paycheck on pink items! It will be difficult, but, I *THINK* that I can restrain myself. Let's hope so......

J & D - Jim, Ian & I pray for you both every day. (Of course, we pray for Kira, too.) We just wanted you to know that you are loved and thought of every single day.

Lots of Love,
Kris

It's A............

GIRL!!!!!!!!

We KNEW it!!!!!!!!!!!

And we couldn't be happier!!!

See you soon, Baby Kira!!!!

We love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mommy, Daddy, and Big Brother Ian

Humbled to be chosen, and, THREE MORE DAYS!!!

I am SO excited that I can barely think of anything else. I wake up and go to sleep with Baby Noah or Kira on my mind. I can't imagine what it will be like after we know for sure whether we will be adding a son or a daughter to our family. I just can't wait!!! And, this is so special to me, because, if I were able to have a biological child, Jim would not have "allowed" me to find out the sex of the baby - so this is pretty much the only way that I would have ever found out the sex of one of our children BEFORE it is born! I keep imagining little chubby cheeks and brown eyes and dark hair. Even though I predict pink to be added to our household palette, I will be JUST as happy to welcome a little boy into our family. When I am out and about in our community, I see the pregnant bellies and the infants all around me, and I stop to imagine what Noah or Kira is looking like right now, and what he/she might look like in the future. I imagine teaching him/her all of the things that Jim and I have so lovingly taught Ian. I think about what it will be like to finally have him/her home with us - we won't be getting much sleep, but we will be perfectly happy. I won't complain at all. This baby is such a miracle, and I am in awe EVERYDAY that God knew just the right time to pull a miracle out of His hat for Jim and me. We are eternally grateful to J & D. We can't wrap our heads around their feelings, but we are so thankful to them for choosing life, and for choosing us to parent their child. Thank you (FOREVER), J & D!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Baby Jesus....and FIVE MORE DAYS!!!!!!!!

Dear Noah or Kira,

OH MY GOSH!!!!! ONLY FIVE MORE DAYS until we know whether you are a "Noah" or a "Kira". Of course, if Ian gets to name you, then you will be called "Jesus", LOL. (No, we're not REALLY naming the baby Jesus....) We told Ian that he will someday have a brother or a sister. He said, "Can I help? I can feed the baby! Can I hold the baby too?" We of course said, "Yes", and then we told him our choices for names: "Noah" and "Kira". "Kira" was a name that he liked right away. "I like Kira," Ian said. HOWEVER, he apparently wasn't too jazzed about "Noah". Ian said, "NO! Not Noah...Let's name him something else......Let's name him JESUS!" Jim and I looked at each other and then looked at Ian and said, "NO". Ian was pretty disappointed. Then later that evening, when it was time to say our bedtime prayers, Ian said, "Dear God, Bless J & D, and keep Baby JESUS healthy and strong." Jim and I just died laughing. We couldn't keep it in. Ian thinks that we should name his possible future brother - JESUS. You can't make stuff like this up. I wonder what is going through his adorable 4-year-old head sometimes? LOL!!!!! Goodnight Kira/Noah Alexander Jesus. (Just kidding!)

Love,
Mommy

Dear God

Dear God,

Thank you for J and D, and for their tremendous love for Noah or Kira. Thank you for creating Baby Noah or Kira. Thank you for keeping Noah/Kira safe and healthy. Please continue to allow Baby Noah or Kira to get stronger and to stay protected for the next 5 months. Please be with J and D, and help them to overcome any obstacles in their lives that may be troublesome at this time. Please help all of the members of our families to be accepting of our unique adoption arrangement. Please help D to feel healthy and energized, and help J to know how to best take care of D as she now goes into her 5th month of pregnancy.

In Jesus's Name I Pray,
Amen.

Week 17, and EIGHT MORE DAYS TO GO.....

17 weeks
(gestational age: 103 days / 15 weeks)
163 days remaining

Noah or Kira,

Only EIGHT days to go until we find out if you are "Noah" or "Kira"!! Wahoo!!
Currently, at 17 weeks, you are approximately 4.5" - 5.5" long, and you weigh in at 4-5 ounces. You are about the size of the palm of D's hand. You are also beginning to hear sounds as your ears are starting to stand out more. You can now hear voices and music! (Break out the Mozart, J.) You will begin to form fat this week. The fat begins to deposit under the skin and is important in heat production and metabolism. If D were to get an abdominal x-ray, your skeleton would be visible! Your movements are becoming stronger and more frequent now. Reflex movements are fully functional: you are able to suck and swallow, and loud noises outside the uterus may actually cause you to become startled. You are able to show the reflexive movement of sucking your thumb. This activity appears remarkably similar to thumb-sucking in newborns.

AMAZING!! We can't wait until the 27th!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

We found it!!!!

YAY!!!!! We FINALLY found it! This is the crib set that we have been searching for since we arrived home from Texas! Just imagine that the picture of the United States in the photo above is actually a nicely framed Texas flag, with the picture frame the same color as the wood of the crib.....Isn't that nice? This set is entitled, "Denim Star Crib Bedding" by My Baby Sam, and can be found at www.dreamtimebaby.com. It's expensive, but we'll save and get it. It matches the Texas flag! Now, we just have to put our plan into action. We need to get the office/baby's room cleaned out some more, have a garage sale, and get the crib out of storage. We're definitely getting closer!

We're getting so excited! :-)

Mommy & Daddy

At 15 weeks gestation.....

Dear Noah or Kira,

I am sure that you could care less about HOW you are growing. Your only concerns are this point are whether or not D eats regularly, LOL. But, your other Mommy finds these things fascinating, so here you go:

How you're growing:
At around 4 inches long, crown to rump, you now weigh about 2 1/2 ounces. You're busy inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid, which will help develop the air sacs in your lungs. Your legs are growing longer than your arms now, and you can move all your joints and limbs. That means that your hands are more functional, too. Sweat glands are appearing, and although your eyelids are fused shut, you can sense light. If D shines a flashlight at her tummy, you're likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for you to taste at this point, but your taste buds are beginning to form. And when your birthmom, D, has and ultrasound done on August 27th, we may be able to find out whether you are a "Noah" or a "Kira"! (We can't be too disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down the gender depends somewhat on how clear the picture is and in the position of the baby during the ultrasound; Noah/Kira may be curled or turned in such a way as to keep us all in suspense.)

Love,
Mommy

Praising God for you

Thank you, God. Thank you for miracles. Thank you for hope. Thank you for new life. Thank you for the opportunity to parent another child. Thank you for the gift of selflessness that J and D have given to their baby. Thank you for Noah or Kira. Thank you for keeping our baby safe until we can meet him/her in January or February. We praise you, God, for taking care of Kira or Noah, and we ask for your continued strength for J and D.

In Jesus's Name,
Amen.

25 more DAYS

Until we find out if you are "Noah" or "Kira". WAHOO!!!!!!!!!