A weekend with family

Jim and I flew to Montreal, Canada this past weekend to celebrate brother Sam, and Rachel get married! We weren't planning to attend since we would just have come home with a newborn, and I think the agencies frown upon adopted children leaving the country before everything is finalized, (not to mention we wouldn't have a passport for her). Any who, as you all know, we ended up being available and Mom and Terry were gracious enough to make it happen. And we are very grateful.

Albeit tough to talk about, we did appreciate the lengthy, tighter hugs we received from our friends and family that have been thinking about us since we lost Nora. Several people throughout the weekend expressed their sentiment and love for us. In the end, as I have said before, we feel your support. Thank you. 

Here's a few pictures from our family time this past weekend.

Family is the most important thing in the world.

~ Princess Diana

Thy Will

Thank you Father that your plans stand firm even when I try to take over. Help me to wait patiently on you and to trust you to bring your plans in your way and in your time. Amen.

How to Survive?

Yes, I Googled "How to survive a failed adoption placement".
I stumbled across this post, and I'm glad I did. We all heal in different ways. We all need to go through the process. But these simple reminders give me hope.

Momma

Messy hair, shirt inside out & no pants. 

This is one of my favorite pictures of us. Mommy and baby, talking with our eyes. I loved being her momma. I loved no sleep. It meant our dreams had come true. That we had our sweet child to care for. I loved getting to know her; what she liked, what comforted her. I loved how she held so tightly to her pacifier. I loved her yawn. I loved her waking up and that it was a 20 minute process involving some of the sweetest sounds only God can create.  I loved every hot mess second. And the depth of my longing for her is inconceivable. 

It Is Well

A friend from high school, Shannon, that has supported Jim and I for months through our adoption journey, sent me this song today. She prayed that it would speak to me. It did.

"Far be it from me to not believe,

even when my eyes can't see.

And this mountain that's in front of me,

will be thrown into the midst of the sea. "

This song is on repeat in my office this morning. It was harder than expected to get to work today. But I did it. And the encouragement and support I needed this morning came in all forms: calls, texts, funny pictures, animal pictures, and this song. It's impossible to put into words what your support means to us. 



How are we doing?

Oh man, I don't even know how to answer that question. We are back at home. It's weird. It's weird because it feels normal. Normal but quiet. Normal but somber. Normal but empty. Normal but not. We never planned to walk back into this house without Nora. If this is normal, what was last week? A dream? It's all very confusing. 

I'd like to say that everyday gets a little easier, but we haven't gotten to that point yet. Today, for example, has been hard on me. It's my fault, I looked at pictures and videos as soon as I woke up today. Jim and I are doing what we need to be doing; we get out of the house (mainly to walk Leonard), we talk about her, we snuggle, we're loving each other, we do side projects, etc. The littlest things make us exhausted. Neither of us have returned to work yet. But we're shooting for Monday. It's just going to take time to find peace, I guess. 

For now, I'm laying on the floor in the nursery with Leo (he loves this rug), just thinking about our adoption journey so far. It's been harder than we thought it'd be. But everyone keeps saying there's a bigger plan just waiting for us. We really hope that's true. 

The Unthinkable

This is a post I never dreamed I'd have to write. 

Yesterday afternoon, we got word that the birthmother revoked her rights and we needed to place little Nora back with Ayanna. We knew there was a risk. But after all of our time with Ayanna and the many conversations we had, we just weren't afraid. We were led to believe we would be Nora's parents. That we had nothing to fear. We were wrong. 

We spent all of last night loving Nora. I kissed her thousands of times and told her how much we love her. That we know she'll be okay. That I'm sorry I couldn't stay her momma... She will never know of us. But we will love her for the rest of our lives. We loved being her parents for 7 short days.

Coincidentally our moms made the trip to Decatur just moments before we got word of the revocation. We are thankful to have such a strong village. They are a tremendous help. In fact, they drove sweet baby girl back to Statesboro to Ayanna. I wasn't strong enough to do it. I could barely strap her in her car seat knowing I'd never see her precious face again. We are absolutely sick and heartbroken. At this point we are just in survival mode. And that's probably for the best. 

Here are a few pictures of our time with sweet Nora Wynn; including our last photo as a family. 

Ayanna, if you read this, we forgive you. We want the best for you and your girls. Please cherish every moment with sweet Nora. Raise her with compassion, respect, patience, education, comfort and love. We will think of you often and keep you in our daily prayers. 

Anne & Jim

Decatur

We made it to Decatur where we will spend the rest of the 10 days in Georgia. Meg and Brandon have graciously offered to host us until we head back to Illinois. Not only that, they have opened their doors to our parents, who are anxious to meet Nora. 

It was bittersweet leaving Statesboro. We truly enjoyed every moment spent with Ayanna and her girls. Specifically, our time in the hospital. Nora's due date was originally 8/15, with a scheduled c-section for the week prior. However, Ayanna's blood pressure was dangerously high, and the doctor saw it best to deliver much earlier. Jim and I were present in the OR. I'm so grateful for this. Mainly to be there with Ayanna and support her. Of course it was incredible to see Nora moments after birth, but being together for that moment was so special to me. We were fortunate to have a room down the hall from Ayanna and spent most of our time sitting at her bedside so she could hold Nora. We talked, we watched tv, we even played Uno! Ayanna is doing her best to physically heal from her surgery. I wish we could make that part of it easier for her. In fact, we want to make all of this easier for her. She is our hero. Her act of love to give Nora her best life has answered prayers we have been praying for many, many years. The love we feel for Nora's birthmother is unexplainable. 

So we're settled here in Decatur now. Thank you for all of your prayers and well wishes. We are more in love than we could have dreamed. Here's our first family photo of the three of us (Nora is a little camera shy). :)

Nora Wynn Meek

She's here! 

Nora Wynn Meek was born at 4:32 pm on Friday, July 29th. Weighing in at 6 pounds 3 ounces and 20" tall. 

She's absolutely beautiful and we are completely and undeniably in love. I will write of her birth story soon, but wanted to let all of you know that she's here and she's perfect. 

God is good. Grateful doesn't even touch our emotion. 

With joy,

Anne, Jim, and Nora 

The waiting game

We've been in Georgia since Saturday evening. All is well - we thought today might be the day as Ayanna's blood pressure is really high. We spent time at the clinic and the hospital. Luckily, they sent Ayanna home with some blood pressure medicine in hopes baby can cook until 38 weeks (Monday). 

In the meantime, we have spent a part of each day with Ayanna and her girls. We are glad we are here. We love spending time together and being here to support Ayanna in any way we can. Our hearts are hopeful and anxious to meet little girl. We will do our best to keep you posted via this blog and texts/phone calls. We feel your prayers and we are grateful. 

Last night at home

Momma took a picture of us before she drove away with Leonard. Our last picture of just the two of us at home. 

This afternoon Jim and I took a much-needed nap. Leonard at the foot of the bed and Lilly came in and slept on my side. I thanked God for the moment of reminding us how beautiful our small little family has been for so many years. And I was very aware that the next time we're all laying in our bed we will be a family of five. We are so blessed.

It takes a village

Whelp, looks like we are heading to Georgia TOMORROW! Doctors don't think she will make it to 8/08, and it's just too important to us to be there, than to cross our fingers and wait. 

As you can imagine, our stress and anxiety levels skyrocketed since we thought we had another week and a half to plan and purchase items. Thankfully, our village is strong. Within 4 hours, we had a changing pad, crib mattress, swaddle blankets, wipes, pacifiers, newborn clothes, and more. 

It takes a village. It always has. Our village is strong. And we are grateful. 

We promise to keep you posted. 

Baby Registry

Some of you have asked about registries. Yes, we are registered. We have a few things, but defiantely not all of the essentials. If you wish to purchase from any of our registries, you can find them listed on the following link. http://babyli.st/baby-meek
We can't say it enough...thank you for all of your love and support.

Anne meets Ayanna

First of all, a huge thanks to Meg and Brandon for not only hosting me this past weekend, but for making arrangements to travel 3 hours each way on Saturday. Your support through all of this adventure is greatly appreciated. And thank you to everyone that called, emailed, or texted us this past weekend; wishing us love, encouragement, support and prayers for a good visit. Your prayers were answered.


Ayanna and I spent several hours together on Saturday, July 9th in Georgia. As I pulled in the driveway, I could barely contain my excitement. Maybe 98% excited, 2% scared... or the other way around, I'm not sure. As soon as she walked out, we hugged. I needed that. I brought some small gifts, and a letter that Jim wrote to Ayanna since he wasn't there to meet her. Throughout lunch we talked about our families, our friends, baby girl, birth plan, adoption plan, transracial adoption, etc. Ayanna is so caring and kind. Traits I know baby girl will carry from her; and that makes my heart happy. We walked around the local mall just chatting, joking and laughing, just like old friends. When I dropped her off at home, and pulled out of the driveway, I immediately started to sob. God had answered my prayers. Every detail of our visit was exactly as I had prayed. I was overwhelmed with emotion.


As I was pulling up to the restaurant Meg had been sitting at for hours, I received a text from Ayanna. It read:

Just read the letter. After meeting you today and reading that I know I am making the right decision. And I'm happy to experience this with you and for you to have something that you have always wanted. Drive safely!

What's next? Jim and I head back to Georgia in 3 short weeks for the birth of our daughter. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we get through these next few weeks, and of course the unpredictability of the adoption process.

Georgia on My Mind

"Georgia, Georgia
The whole day through
Just an old sweet song
Keeps Georgia on my mind"

This Friday I head to Georgia to meet Ayanna, the birthmother we have been connected with since early May. I'm not nervous. I am anxious. I am anxious to meet the woman that has become such a close friend in such a short time. The courageous woman that wants only the best for her unborn daughter, and sacrifices her happiness to provide it. The woman that is carrying this sweet baby girl that we hope to raise as our own in a few short weeks. I am anxious to meet the woman that is my hero.

I've been praying to God for all the details surrounding this meeting. For calmness of all involved. For Ayanna to feel and believe the support, love, trust and gratefulness we have for her. For this to be the beginning of a growing relationship for our daughter. That we will always be a part of each others life; sharing our families and learning from one another. For God to keep Ayanna and baby girl protected until it is time for baby to enter this world, and continue to protect for all of their days. I thank God for all the blessings He has provided for us.