Down That Forever Road

Finalization day was so special for us, so we invited along one of my dearest friends who is also a photographer to capture the day. This friend has been there for us every step of the way, not only as a friend but also capturing our special moments. When the judge announced that he granted the adoption and name change to be officially Benton, I about lost it. That is until Benton let out the cutest squeal of excitement. I think he was excited it was official as well!  These pictures were too cute not to share. So, here are a few from finalization day!

Fifteen days after my last blog post, you know the one 10 months ago, we were supposed to have a call with our adoption agency to hit pause and take a break. After 3 failed matches we needed time to heal before jumping back in. That day, November 14,  I was at work when our social worker's number popped up on my phone. I was in the middle of a work project so thought I would just call her back later. I was putting off having the call to go inactive as long as possible. Because as much as we needed to heal, my heart also broke at the thought of missing out on the baby that was meant to be ours. Less than 10 minutes later the agency number popped up, so I decided to answer and let them know we could chat later in the day. I was not expecting the words on the other end of the phone. "Ashley, we have a healthy baby boy who was born two days ago. He is ready to be discharged from the hospital, and his birth mom has chosen you to be his parents. If you want to proceed you need t...

The last week of September we officially became a waiting family with our agency. This is such an exciting time for us! And an anxious one as well! The first few weeks of being active, every time my phone would ring or vibrate my heart would stop. That got old quickly, ha! It seriously had me that on edge. Now that we have had time to get used to the waiting, it has been less about waiting to get the call and more about preparing for a baby. A few weeks ago we had the realization that if we were to get one of those calls that says travel within 24 hours to  get your baby, we would be scrambling! We have a few things from when I was pregnant with the girls that we pulled out of the attic - swing, bouncy seat, etc. But, we have none of the true necessities. So what does that mean? It means I went in to full research mode! Who knew there were SO many things to start considering?! Glass bottles vs plastic, cloth vs disposable diapers, wipes, formula, car seats, strollers, and the lis...

We are just one step away from being activated with the agency, and then we will start the waiting game!! The last step is making a video four profile. The agency shipped us the video equipment, and we should have it by Tuesday. We have to return it with footage within 14 days, and then they will put it together for us. After that our profile will begin being shown to birth parents! Wow! I am at the point where I am really allowing myself to get excited on this journey, while still guarding my heart. There are times I can't believe this is really happening! My co-workers have been taking guesses on us receiving a boy or girl - most say girl. I have been looking at cribs and gender neutral nurseries. There are so many options I don't know how I will ever decide! It is surreal to allow myself to be so hopeful again. I know we still have a long road ahead, but I am trying not to think of what could go wrong. I feel like it is time for some good news for us, so hopefully we will...

We took a break from all of our adoption paperwork, and that's A LOT of paperwork, to take some photos to announce we are adopting and also for our profile - to help make us look like fun parents to be. I LOVE how they turned out, so thought I would share a few here. We also went facebook public with the adoption. We received a ton of support and love. Plus, we were able to raise $510 within 24 hours on our site. It was amazing to see. We are blessed!  youcaring.com/babysully We kind of like each other . . .. and are excited to be on this adventure! He makes my heart happy! This was our facebook announcement photo.