Family of Four, We're Home!!!

Hello All,
Sorry for the delay with this post. WE'RE HOME! (I think pretty much everyone knows that already :-)We were actually cleared to head home Wednesday, May 13th- we arrived home that evening about 8:45pm. Since then things have been great! We are loving life as a forever family of four! We are blessed. Thanks to all of you for your love and support. Chicago would not have been the same without our family who came to help and filled that apartment will love, laughter and wonderful cooking smells (thanks Mom!!)- we are grateful and appreciative of this.
Here's a picture from last night, bedtime for Oli.. the cutest two of us four :-)

A bit longer in the Windy City

Sounds like we'll be here a little longer than we planned. After such a long wait for Bell, it's nothing to do a few more days in the city. Hoping to get a call from our agency on Friday releasing us to go home. In the meantime...we're trying to have us much fun as we can. Love, TAOB

Planes, Trains & Automobiles

This morning we headed down to the Museum of Science & Industry. Olin had a fantastic time, as there were trains & planes galore. The trip to Chicago would not have been complete without a visit here, as this place is a museum that truly speaks to Olin's heart. Bell slept through nearly the entire visit (no surprise, given that this activity took place during daylight hours).

Olin got to drive a HUGE combine harvester. We couldn't believe the size of this thing.

Happy railroad workers (must belong to a union).

The Carman-Dobbs family will probably be here yet another day as there were a few things the Illinois Interstate Compact office asked for at the end of business yesterday, before they felt that they could send the paperwork on to Madison. Stay tuned...

More Cute Pix...

And at long last...we can have fun!

It's been a crazy week here in Chicago. Friday was the first day that we woke up with nothing on our to-do list. The Interstate Compact paperwork is in motion, and there is nothing to do but wait for it to get processed. Hopefully by next Tuesday or Wednesday our agency will call us and let us know that we are cleared to go home. Until then, we can start to finally enjoy Chicago!

Today we went to the Shedd Aquarium with Grandma. Olin could not have had any more fun. He loved EVERYTHING (especially the shark tank), and we continue to be amazed at his ability to correctly name species of underwater creatures. Perhaps we are raising a future ichthyologist. Bell slept through almost the entire visit, waking up only to eat. She timed her meal right after our lunch, and could not have been any more well-behaved. It was nice of her to give big brother such quality time with his parents and Grandma. We were so happy to see our little guy after his sojourn to Nana & Papa's Tuesday-Friday (and big thanks to Nana & Papa for saving us a great deal of hardship by entertaining him for a few days). Paperwork, court, and doctor's offices are not exactly ideal agendas for 2 and a half year olds.

Up All Night, Sleep All Day

Part of the court process down here in Illinois is that a summons must be served to Bell, and it's actually got to touch her. Here is a Cook County Sheriff's Deputy serving Bell her summons. Bell of course slept through nearly all of court, waking up only to poop and to eat. She sleeps through just about everything...except the night. She likes to party with her Daddy during the hours of 12-3, and then tear it up with Mom until the break of dawn. She's sweet enough to get away with it.

Busy Day

Thanks to everyone that has called and wished us well. We are really busy today and the next few days. Today was final surrender, Bell's first doctor appointment (she's doing great!), and we're excited to be hanging out with the birthmom this afternoon at a very beautiful park near our apartment. With luck, we'll be in court tomorrow afternoon, and we've got a ton of paperwork to do tonight. Friday we'll have an appointment with our adoption agency to do even more hours of paperwork! In the meantime, we're having a blast with Bell. She slept almost 5 straight hours last night, which was a wonderful gift to her parents.

Olin is in Milwaukee for a few days with Nana & Papa, as doctor appointments, court, and agency paperwork are not among his interests. This weekend & next week we'll have to spoil him rotten down here in Chicago.

Love,
TAOB

Presenting...Bell Berneice!!!

Final Surrender

Just waiting on final surrender to be done, should be happening as I type...stay tuned for pix...

Welcome Baby!!!

Hello All,
The call we were waiting for came on Sunday morning 5/3. Baby GIRL! 6 pounds, 2 ounces was born on Saturday, May 2nd around 7:55pm. We arrived in Chicago yesterday to meet her at the hospital.. she's tiny and beautiful (pics soon to come). I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to spend the night here at the hospital with birthmom and baby. We hope to be bringing her back to stay with us here in Chicago.. one step at a time.
I know this is brief, we'll update more later, just wanted to share the good news.

dance please

Can everyone do a bring the baby dance and chant!!!!

Down to the end...

We're going down to the wire here...no more appointments are scheduled for the birthmother. Hopefully, any day now. Stay tuned...

Still waiting

Hello,
I know everyone is anxious to hear some news and believe me SO ARE WE!
But, at this time, we have nothing to report. Yes, tomorrow is April 29th. I think the way we have to think of things is that the 29th was more than likely the "actual" due date- that being said, there could be many more days of waiting.

The Latest...

Hi everyone,

Birthmom is doing very well, but is still very pregnant. She has an ultrasound scheduled tomorrow. Hopefully they will just decide to induce, for everyone's sake!!!

Love,
TAO

Deep breaths

Hello,
Our social worker shared that the birthmom had a doctor visit yesterday, all is well and she is scheduled to have an ultrasound tomorrow. Birthmom plans to call if she should go into labor before then. It's been a really difficult week for us and we've reflected on all the ups and downs there are along this process. We also know we have a ways to go yet. We have strength, we have the love and support of our family and friends,we have each other, we think about this and know we can get through whatever may come our way.In all honesty, we are scared, but we are hopeful. This is our road to travel, we would choose no other path for ourselves and we will grow from whatever experience is presented to us.

Thanks for being a part of this.

March for Babies

This year, we are once again planning to raise money and participate in Milwaukee's 2009 March for Babies (to be held Saturday, April 25). We are trying to raise awareness and funds to help prevent premature birth. Following is our story, and information on donating to what is a most worthy cause.

On October 26th, 2004 our sweet baby girl Siddha Elana Carman-Dobbs graced us with her wonderous presence. To our great sorrow she came to us too soon. I was hospitalized on October 22 and diagnosed with severe HELLP Syndrome, the only cure and hope for me to live was to deliver. Siddha was born by emergency caesarean section and was extremely premature, weighing just under one pound. She came into this world kicking and was fighting her best to stay with us. She lived for 11 days, although it felt like 100 days for each of those days that she was with us. She passed away on November 6, 2004. Siddha's birth has changed our lives in a multitude of ways, unimaginable ways and we miss her desperately. We think of her each and every day that goes by. We are better people for having known her. We know in our hearts that we are better parents, now, to her brother Olin, because of her.


On this day we will walk, with everlasting love in our hearts, for Siddha.

To donate please use the following link:
http://www.marchforbabies.org/personal_page.asp?w=201028003&u=tcarman

Checking in...

Olin & Grandpa wave to the crowds at the Milwaukee County Zoo on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. Or were they waving goodbye to the nice weather?

No adoption news to speak of over the weekend. This past Tuesday the birthparent counselor visited the birthmom at her home and reported back that she is "really big" and "has dropped" but the main event has yet to occur. It's hard to repeatedly hear how close she is, but get ready to enter yet another workweek.

SPRING BREAK!!!

Most spring breakers take to the warm beaches of Mexico to engage in bacchanalian behavior. The more hardy souls take it upon themselves to conquer new, unexplored ground rather than engage in such frivolous behavior. Here, Admiral Sam & Commander Olin explore the North Pole in clothes not remotely appropriate for the hostile conditions, to say nothing of the fact that they appear delicious in the eyes of a lurking arctic creature...

No baby for Easter...

but the Easter bunny did bring Olin a monster truck, which had him very excited.

Tera spoke with the birthmom yesterday, and had a good conversation. She's very tired and ready to have this baby, which is to be expected at this point in the pregancy. It sounds like she'll have another doctor's appointment this week, either Thursday or Friday.

Closer, maybe??

Hello,
I just spoke with sw, Kathy, who shared that birthmom went to the hospital last night because she was experiencing contractions but was sent home last night or this am (sounds like false labor, maybe?). It was said that things will happen, more than likely, before April 29th! It sounds like birthmom is going back to see the doctor tomorrow. I'm hoping to be able to chat with birthmom directly today or tomorrow, over the phone. I'm feeling a little sick to my stomach.. nervous and excited (along with at least 12 other emotions!), I wonder if a birthday margarita will help this :-)
Stay tuned!
Much Love
Tera (Aaron and Olin too:-)

A bump in the road...

Hello everyone:

Today brought some unexpected news. The good news is that both birthmom and baby are healthy and doing well. Baby currently weighs about 7 pounds, though he may not be coming out as soon as we anticipated. As it turns out we're looking at more of a due date range than a specific due date. The birthmother had a doctor appointment and the dates given by the doctor are anywhere between April 9-29. So we most likely have a longer road ahead of us than what we were anticipating, but all other plans remain the same. It's hard to not be a little disappointed at this news, but we're trying not to get down about it. Maybe it can inspire us to live our lives with a little less anxiety, a little less worry, and have a lot more fun. We were getting pretty tense about the wait, and perhaps this bit of information can serve as a reminder that there is only so much control you have over life's events. We have a lot to look forward to in the coming days as it is. Tera's birthday is Thursday, which will be awesome to celebrate. Easter is on Sunday, and I can't wait to see the look on Olin's face upon finding what the Easter bunny left for him. As always, we'll keep you all posted on any news we have.

Still nothing...

An Easter egg hunt at the Bay View Library this morning provided some much needed distraction from the agonizing wait that has been dominating our lives lately. Oli found a golden egg amongst the library books and won a prize -- egg-shaped sidewalk chalk. Being Wisconsin residents, it comes as no surprise to learn from the weatherman that any work we do today, will probably be covered in snow tomorrow. Such is life in April, in Wisconsin. It was really fun to watch Oli run through the aisles looking for eggs. This is the first year that he will truly be able to experience the full excitement of the Easter bunny, and we plan on having a blast with him (hopefully in Chicago!!!)





We spoke with Kathy (our Social Worker) this morning and things are going really well, but there really isn't anything to report. Birthmom is good, she has a doctor appointment next week and we'll hopefully have an update on that later in the week (though we'd prefer a baby to an update). I suppose no news is good news, but we are very anxious to receive "the call" sometime soon. It is difficult to express in words just how hard this wait is and how much it occupies the mind. You walk out of work on a Friday and hope you won't return until the sun is high in the summer sky. You go out to eat and think "this could be our last meal out with just one kid." You have friends over and say "next time you see us, hopefully there will be one more." It's all very difficult, and feels utterly out of our control. We're as prepared as we can be, we just have to hope and believe that everything turns out for the best.

Waiting..

Hello All,
Nothing really to report, this has become the story of our life. Minutes feel like hours, ugghh!!
We got an update from our SW last week (Thursday) who said the due date was still April 9th and the birthmom had a dr. appt./ultrasound last week and all is well. I hope to hear some sort of update today so stay tuned...

No news yet...

The Milwaukee chapter of Carman cousins eagerly await the addition of a fourth to their motley crew (ok, more cute than motley).

Not too much new to report on the adoption front, but when you've got a photo as cute as this, that's reason enough for a post. The only real news is that we've secured a place to stay during our time in Chicago. We'll be staying at a nice 2-bedroom apartment above our adoption agency, which should provide us with much more space than a hotel would. Our lawyer advised us to plan for a 10-day stay, so we'll be seeing quite a bit of Chicago. Any tips on kid-friendly dining locales & attractions would be most welcome!

update today!..

We found out today that the baby is a boy! And NO not because she gave birth yet, the baby isn't here yet, but we were just told the birthmom is having a boy! So it looks like Olin will be having a little brother :-)
The birthfather signed termination papers today (BFs are able to sign these documents legally before the birth) but he does have 72 hours to decide differently. The birth father shared a name that he would like to be used in some way for this baby, for us to consider. Of course you know we are not going to share any names until the baby has arrived :-)
Birthmom really wants us to be there at the hospital to care for the baby, so the next step is for all the hospital release forms to be signed that give us permission to be there and caring for the baby. Our social worker has said some hospitals are very adoption friendly and unfortunately some are not. The anticipated due date is still somewhere around April 9th and we can expect that we may be getting a 2am phone call!!- so, our cell phones will be on us at all times. WOW!!
Please keep us in your prayers..

Meeting with the birthmom

We had a lunch meeting with the birthmother yesterday in Chicago and things went well. Our social worker, Kathy, called us 30 minutes after the meeting just to share with us that the birthmother "really, really" liked us and is solid on knowing that we are it! We understand that this is how she is feeling right now, feelings and emotions can change at any point in time. We remain hopeful. We feel fortunate to have been able to meet with her. The sex of the baby will remain a surprise until the birth (we are really excited about that) and she is open to us being at the hospital and me in the delivery room, if possible. Olin is calling the crib in his room "the baby's bed" so I think he may be thinking more about what it might be like to have a baby brother or sister. Olin had a very busy weekend, he did not go with us to meet with the birthmom, instead he spent the day with Grandma and took a trip to Discovery World. Then he spent the night at Nana and Papa's house allowing Aaron and I the opportunity to have dinner out and see Missy Higgins perform at the Pabst Theater. It all sort of feels a little unreal right now. We have no control over what the outcome will be, but we know in our hearts if this baby is meant to be with our family forever, this will be.

Meeting with the Birthmother scheduled

Hello again everyone,

Just a quick note to update you all. Our agency called this morning and we've got a meeting with the birthmother tentatively scheduled for Saturday afternoon (3/14) down in Chicago. We're really excited, please keep us in your thoughts & prayers.

Love,
Tera, Aaron & Olin

The call...

We thought by creating this blog we'd be able to keep our friends and family in the loop as we start our new journey. This is where it really begins...


We got a call from our agency in Chicago on Wednesday, February 25th. Our social worker said we've been selected by birthparents! The birthmom's due date is April 9th..this also happens to be my birthday. We are planning to meet with the birthmom sometime next week or the following week, and we can't wait! We won't know the sex of the baby until the day of the birth which is really exciting. It all sort of feels unreal. We are trying to remind ourselves that this situation could go any way, but we could soon become a family of four. All we can do is remain hopeful and jump in! Time to start planning.... so much to do!