It's a Boy!

We finally got matched with a beautiful baby boy!  After a whirlwind of paperwork, we are excited to let everyone know that we officially accepted the referral of a sweet baby boy named ShiHyeon.  We got a mountain of acceptance paperwork to complete and I'm happy to say I got all of it turned around and overnighted back to our agency in 24 hours!!!  The first thing everyone wants to know is, "When does he get to come home?" Our hope is that he is home by the end of 2013 and before his second birthday.  The second is, "What is his name going to be?" No, we don't plan on keeping his birth name and really don't have a clue as to what his new name will be. We've been tossing around a few names here and there, but after seeing pictures of him, all of those names went out the window. They just didn't fit. So, we are open to any suggestions! I've gotten a few lists of names, which have been great and entertaining at times too!

I must share with you about the moment when I got "the call." I was a bit in shock.  I was already so overwhelmed with moving, being surrounded by mountains of boxes, that I almost panicked when our agency called; my brain can only handle one life changing event at a  time!! :)  Despite the shock, reality quickly set in that I am now a mama!  Even though I took the call, David and I opened the e-mail with photos and other information together, over the phone.  It's a crazy feeling to immediately fall in love with a photo, but I did and knew at that moment, he was my baby!  I didn't care what his paperwork said.  I knew it was meant to be and this little guy was destined to be part of our family.

Thankfully, he is a very healthy 6 month old!  His birth mother provided a lot of information about herself and the birth father, which we are thankful to have.  He was full-term and born without any complications.  He has grown steadily over the past few months and according to the doctor is happy and healthy.  He does go to the doctor each month for a check-up, but we don't always receive updates every month.  We get to request two updates throughout our process and should automatically receive an update on his first birthday.  Sometimes, updates may come at random (which I'm hoping there will be a a lot of), but I've prepared myself to not receive as many updates as I'd like to.

He has been with the same foster family ever since he was 2 days old.  We did receive a photo of his foster mother (who is married and has two children of her own).  It's nice to know a little about his "family" and that he has one-on-one care and attention.

Obviously, we are over joyed and in a bit of shock still!  You wait so long to get matched that when it happens, it almost doesn't seem real. I wish we hadn't moved quite yet and were still in Indiana to celebrate with everyone, but we are happy to celebrate with everyone over Facebook and email.  We appreciate everyone's prayers and support and ask that you continue to keep us in your prayers throughout the duration of this process.  We will be sure to share any updates we receive and of course photos!

Hugs and love,
Amanda (and David)

PS: We will be hosting a Thirty One fundraiser in September! Stay tuned for more details.