We get to keep her!!!

We officially have a new baby Gilchrist!  The cousins stayed up until midnight last night to welcome in the arrival of Baby girl into our family!  After much discussion we have decided not to use the name the birth mother chose, Alina.  We have considered it, and have used it since she was born, but have chosen to go back to our original name.  Our new baby is Tessa Danielle Gilchrist!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!

Leaving the hotel

We got the okay from our agency here to leave Georgia as soon as ICPC goes through today. ICPC is the interstate laws that allow us to take our baby out of state before the adoption is finalized. Finalization will take place in 6 -12 months from now, after home visits are completed with our case worker in Colorado.  On Wednesday night at midnight the 10 day wait period will be up and we will officially be able to call Alina our baby.  The case worker who keeps up with the birth mother told us that there are still no red flags and things look good.  Our plan is to leave tomorrow and go back to Tennessee and stay with our family there.  We are eager to introduce them to Alina and celebrate Thanksgiving with them!

Little Tree Frog

We heard from our case worker and she said the birth mother is still good with the adoption.  We have 5 days to go, so keep praying, but things look very good!  The birth mother still needs so much prayer for comfort and that God would work on her heart in the months ahead.  Our case worker gave her a devotional that is only scripture and she is hopeful that it will be an encouragement.  The birth mother's mom is in the hospital again so this continues to be a sad season for her.

This stay has brought about some humorous hotel experiences for us.  We had ear piercing fire alarms go off for 30 minutes yesterday while we were on the 4th floor and we had to hurry down the stairs, one of us in socks.  There is a lot of work going on below us so we can hear the loud banging of jack hammers off and on during the day.  The power went out one evening for a while.  The cable was out for a day. At one hotel, the phones did not work in either room, neither did the remotes,the heater was broken in the pool, and in another the handle kept falling off in one of our doors.  Today we found out the laundry room has been gutted so Gary is getting ready to take our mound of clothes to a laundromat (Blake's only clean pair of pants are his Christmas elf stripped pajama pants that he wore downstairs to breakfast this morning).  The children are now afraid of the elevator breaking with us inside and their concerns brought a great deal of humor to the man who had the privilege of sharing the elevator with us this morning.  Our family has probably brought a great deal of amusement wherever we go. We are very thankful for health and no serious issues on our travels, although we have had some rather funny challenges!

Sleepy Girl

Alina is a cutie!

Things have been crazy, but lots of fun!  The official name at this point is Alina Danielle.  The birth mother's middle name was Daniella, and we both were teary when we realized that we had almost exactly the same middle name and wanted to give it to the baby.  Alina (pronounced with the short u sound for the a), is a night owl and has kept mommy in a state of extreme sleepy brain each day.  Alina had a check up yesterday and looks very good.  We changed hotels yesterday and have now decided to move back to our other one tomorrow.  Hotels are filling up quickly with the holiday weekend next week.  We are thankful to have a place to sleep.  All of us are loving this precious little one so much!  She is a delight!  Alina loves sounds.  She enjoys it when we talk or sing to her and will often quit fussing to stare and listen.  We may have yet another extrovert in the family.  We are sending daily pictures and updates to the birth mother and are praying that God is giving her comfort and peace.  Last we heard, she is telling the case worker she is staying with the adoption.  We continue to pray and are thankful for every minute with this incredible baby girl!

Baby Alina!

She is such a beautiful baby!  Last night I found out that she is a night owl, but not at all a fussy baby.  To get Alina to eat I usually have to change her and get her really awake  She weighed in at 6 lbs 2 oz last night so she is quite a little bit.

Yesterday it did not look like we would even have a chance to hold baby Alina, but God has miraculously allowed placement papers to be signed today and we are snuggling at the hotel!  We still need to wait the 10 days out and there is a risk, but we are enjoying each day God gives us with little Alina!

Update from Gary

Just a quick note to update everyone on where things stand.  We went to the hospital yesterday and met with the birthmother for a while.  The meeting went really well!  After we left, the birthmother signed the adoption "surrender" paperwork, and checked out of the hospital.  This means that we are officially in the 10-day "revocation" period - Georgia state law allows the birthmother 10 days to change her mind.  So, we will see what God will do.  There has been a fair amount of, shall we say, "unexpectedness" associated with everything lately, so anything can still happen.  But, God is good, and we are working to trust with patience.

Jamie stayed last night at the hospital with the baby.  Which means I stayed at the hotel with the 4 kiddos.  We're good... um... yeah... we're good.  I handled it somewhere in between these 2 guys...

Seriously, we really appreciate everyone's prayers.  Please keep praying for us and this whole process.  And, don't worry, Jamie will no doubt put a "real" post up soon, complete with all the emotional descriptions that, well, aren't really me.   :^)

On our way back to the hospital to sign more paperwork.

Gary

Prayer

Please pray for our time at the hospital.  There are big red flags now and our case worker is concerned.  We really want to be a light and gracious no matter how this plays out.  We know that God is good!

The Baby Has Arrived!

Baby girl was born today early afternoon as we were driving to Georgia.  She and birth mother are healthy and well.  There are a few concerns from our case worker, so this is not set until paperwork is signed and the 10 days are up.  There is now a desire for possible future visits and we are praying for wisdom and peace in this whole situation. The birth mother wants today with the baby but has said she wants us to come before surrender paperwork signed tomorrow so she can meet us.  We should be going to the hospital early afternoon. The case worker sent pictures of the baby and she is perfectly, perfect!  I have decided to wait to peek at her again until after we are back from the hospital and then I can have my fill of the real thing! Thank you for all your prayers, we are trusting God and resting in His goodness.

Plans for the weekend

Still no news on the birth mother so we are assuming the baby will come Sunday night or Monday when they start inducing.  We will leave tomorrow and head to a hotel in Georgia near the hospital. This will give us a little time to get settled in before the baby comes.

After breakfast this morning we saw one of the cats curled up under the bird feeders.  I thought is was a funny picture.

Tuesday

Gary is right now with Lisa picking up our now repaired van.  We are so thankful the part we needed was replaced this morning.  It would have been challenging to get the van fixed in Georgia and could have been hazardous on the road.  God is so kind to give us a quick repair and safety!  Thank you for your prayers!

We heard from Victoria this afternoon and she said that the birth mother is not in labor yet.  She is progressing some and the doctor did a procedure that may help speed things up.  The doctor scheduled her for induction on Sunday if the baby does not come before.  I am guessing that between the contractions and procedure today the birth mother is probably in a lot pain again today.  It sounds like the birth mom's mother was released from the hospital.  Her mother may be able to be with the birth mother for the birth which would be a huge blessing.  We are praying she will not have to be induced and the baby comes soon.

Monday update

We just heard from Victoria that the birth mother is in quite a lot of pain and will be checking in with her doctor.  It sounds like she is unsure if this is labor or something else.  We should know more after her talk with the doctor.

Our van is making a noise and Gary is going to spend the morning trying to figure it out.  We are praying that this will not keep us from getting to the hospital in Georgia if we need to leave today.  If we take the van to a mechanic it could take a day or two before we can pick it up.  Please pray that God would work this out and give wisdom, thank you.

Waiting

We are still waiting for things to pick up with the baby.  As we wait we are thankful that the birth mother has had this extra time with her mother in the hospital.  We are praying that the baby would come in the next few days because the last day of the 10 day period cannot end on a weekend.  This means that if the baby is born Wednesday then the birth mother has 12 days to take back the baby, 11 on Thursday.  Because of the doctor's report last Tuesday we should have a baby any day now.

Birth Mother Update

We had an update from our case worker on the birth mother today.  The birth mother has been going through a very difficult time as she visits her dying mother at the hospital.  We ask prayer for comfort for the birth mother and wisdom for us as we try to love on her in whatever ways we can.  During our talk Tuesday we were unsure how to encourage her and we really want her to know that we care.

Baby Update

We arrived here safely in Tennessee and are having a wonderful time with Lisa, Steve, and their children.  The cousins always have such a fun time together!


Today the birth mother asked to talk with us again.  She is still very supportive of the adoption, but she is suffering from some significant family loss at this time.  There was also more emotion about the adoption as well.  As I said, she is verbally committed to the adoption because she believes it is best for the baby, but this is also a very difficult time for her emotionally.  Please pray for her, that God would give her comfort and strength for this season.


The birth mother saw the doctor today and is progressing more.  She is in a lot of pain and is watching her contractions closely.  The doctor told her she could have the baby in a few days or a few hours, but things look really good. 


We are very hopeful and asking for God to keep our hearts resting in His perfect plan, remembering that He is good!


Psalm 9:10

And those who know your name put their trust in you,

for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.