Heading home

Our six-day trek back across America began yesterday, this time with three (three!) babies in the back of the van.

We're taking it slow this time. That is, if ten hours of driving in one day can be considered "taking it slow." I'm still not sure how we did it in two-and-a-half days last weekend.

We're really doing great. Baby Essie is wonderful (and gained weight at her check-up before we left. Yay!). And I'm pretty sure it's a powerful combination of grace and adrenaline that's getting us through. And videos. Not sure how parents survived before portable DVD players.

Nursing is still going well, although I can't wait to be able to do it while just relaxing on my couch. So far I've breastfed in two restaurants and one church. And I'm sure that tally will only go up over the course of the week.

We just pulled off the highway because it was snowing, and thankfully we got one of the last hotel rooms in town. Now the kids are running around our spacious room, acting a little nutso. We're hoping they wind down sometime before 2 a.m. (our expectations are very low lately).

Before I go, here are some scenes from our trip home so far, taken with my phone. Anyone recognize the house in the last one (hint - it was taken in Albuquerque)?

Introducing...

Esther Grace Therese

Born December 23

A teeny 5 lbs., 14 oz.

It's official! Well, as official as it can be before it's finalized, which won't be for several more months. It all went very smoothly, to the point that we have already been cleared to leave the state. We had prepared for a wait as long as two weeks!

We are so blessed. So, so blessed. Our little baby girl - who we call Essie, just like my grandmother Esther was called - is the most precious, calm, sweet baby (which is quite a change from our last one). She sleeps, wakes and cries a cute little cry when she's hungry and latches on likes she's been doing it for years. She even latched by herself in the dark last night! Her tongue is tied, though, so she nurses for a long time. But hopefully that will get better after it's fixed.

I also wanted to share something that happened to us right as Essie was being born. We stopped quick for Mass in the middle of Texas and when I took Luke out for being loud, I came upon a large statue in the back of the church. It was Our Lady of Grace, who I had a devotion to throughout this entire adoption journey. And by her side was a vase of roses. Roses, a sign from St. Therese. The two middle names we had already picked out - Grace and Therese - were right there in front of me, just as Essie Grace was being born miles and miles away.

 

My stress melted away. Okay, maybe that's overstating it, but I did take comfort in that sign. I knew that I would give her the name we had chosen. 

Please continue to pray for her birth mom. She is very, very special and will always be my hero.

We love you, sweet Essie. Welcome to your family :)

 

Christmas photo.. take two!

Our family Christmas photo is already a little outdated, so we took a new one this morning.

Merry Christmas from Arizona!

We're in...

Arizona!

Every so often, Ryan or I will just look around and say, "We're in Arizona. How did we get here?" The whole thing is pretty surreal.

Baby girl is latched on and nursing like a pro. I have no idea what she's getting but she's already had a couple dirty diapers so that seems like a good sign.

Oh, and look who I got to see today...

She's perfect

We met her last night at midnight and we're in love. She's absolutely amazing and beautiful. And so is her birth mom.

The kids even got to come with us to meet her. It was awesome... even though they were literally bouncing off the hospital room walls :)

And to our surprise, we're told she's coming home with us - at least to her home away from home, for now - this afternoon!

I'm going to wait to share her name and birth details until things are a little more official, hopefully in two more days.

But I will show you this for now...

She's here!

She was born earlier today, and we are racing to get to her. I've never been so happy to see 80 mph speed limits in my life!

A little over six hours to go! Although I have no idea when we'll get to see her. Praying it's soon!

And these two are pretty excited. Hot messes and exhausted, but excited...

Day two

Seven states. 16 hours. 1,150 miles. Five fast-food stops. Countless potty breaks. One spilled hot coffee debacle.

And we are only half way :)

We have eight more hours to drive today alone! Overall, the time is flying by and I can't complain. Our kids are amazing (hopefully they won't start losing it as soon as I hit "publish"). They have watched the new Thomas movie (about the new train Luke, of course) about fifty times. They love their new Leappad Explorers (don't tell them they're not iPads!) and take a good, long nap at least once a day. Oh, and Clara randomly will tell us she loves us and we'll even hear kissing noises periodically, to which we are to respond with our own kissing noises. I'm not sure how we got so lucky!

It's not all sunshine and roses, though. Luke was a bit crazy last night. We got in around 2 a.m and since the poor kid was all thrown off, he was wired and I'm pretty sure he didn't fall asleep until about five. Needless to say, the entire hotel could hear a very tired little boy screaming as we got ready this morning.

Now for what you're all probably waiting for... no baby yet as far as we know. And there's even a chance we might make it in time! But at this point, we're close enough that we won't get there too long after even if baby comes soon.

Oh, and one more thing - until around noon, we were following the same path as we did when we went to get Clara. So, for old time's sake, and because we're weird, we made a pit stop just so we could recreate a photo we took almost three years ago. The reason it's weird is because we're not Alabama fans! But apparently it has become a family tradition. And if we're passing through Tuscaloosa ten years from now, I'm making him hold her like a baby then too :)