Life without sleep

We have had Olivia home since Tuesday and I now appreciate what 6 consecutive hours of sleep can feel like. Luckily enough, Nann (Court's mom) has been here helping and has volunteered for the 3am feedings. Olivia is now up to 6 lbs, which is good, because we were a little worried since she hasn't been taking her whole bottle very often. The home healthcare nurse came by today and weighed her and said that as long as she has 3-4 full bottles each day she is doing well. Courtney is adjusting well to being a stay-at-home mother and is great with Olivia. I finished with my finals on Wednesday and now am cramming for my boards on Monday/Tuesday. Then I will really be able to enjoy the Holidays until Jan. 7th. I will updating the slideshow soon and am going to try to post some video also so stay tuned.

It's Offical (Well . . . Almost)

What a day! Well, we have finally crossed the biggest and next to last hurdle. Today, around 12:15 we stepped into a Platte County court room and met with Judge Schafer. On our way in, we passed Beth and J.L. We were able to say "Thank You", which seems so inadequate for the gift that they gave us. We will be forever in debt to them and their selflessness in gifting us Olivia.

Inside the courtroom, Trent took the stand and I followed. We were asked about our background, whether or not we felt that we would be able to provide Olivia with a good home. It was a little nerve racking, but the judge seemed happy to be presiding over our adoption. We emerged the proud new parents! We couldn't believe that after all of the waiting it was finally done. We now have a 6 months of temporary custody. At the end of that time, we go back to court and hope that we have proven that we have been good stewards over our daughter.

6 months and counting . . .here we go!

Olivia update

Well, Courtney's mom is coming in this afternoon to help get everything ready for when Olivia can come home. We don't have a day yet, but we think it could be this weekend or early next week. The doctors say that she has eat really well for 48 hours before they will release her. Good news is that she was taken out of her incubator and put in a crib yesterday. The custody hearings are set for 11am on Friday and then unless the birthparents can prove some sort of illegal thing or fraud about the adoption she is all ours. We can't wait to bring her home. Heading up to the hospital a couple times each day is getting old fast. Things have been pretty hectic for me with finals and my big national boards exam coming up in the next couple of weeks. I have been trying to study as much as I can and still get everything done that needs to be done. I know that I have been strengthened by the Lord through all of this. I know that I couldn't have the energy that I have had this last week without him. I am grateful for that and I grateful for all of you who have prayed for Olivia to get healthy. Thanks again,
Trent

Day 4 - The Olivia Adventure

We have made it a whole 4 days as semi parents! I am very proud of us. Semi because the birth parents haven't signed the waiver form yet due to the weekend and Olivia is in the NICU, so we still haven't had those infamous midnight feedings yet. So far we have given her a bath, fed and held her.

Livvy is doing better. She has gained some weight back (she now weighs 5 lbs, 4 and 2/3 oz.), her color is good and her bilirubin is still up but no one is worried b/c she is older. I have no idea why, it keeps going up but, well, I'll leave it to the professionals.

Livvy was so cute today. She was up and awake, staring at Trent as he held her. She really looked like she was enjoying the sound of his voice. It didn't last too long, within about 20 minutes she was sleepy again. It was the longest that i had seen her awake. We tried to feed her with a bottle at that point but she quickly fell asleep and was only able to eat about 15 ml, the rest had to be given through her feeding tube.