[MIRANDA12503]

Wonderful news!! How wonderful to have such a great birth family to work with and now a son to love. Enjoy every min.

Miranda

[sarah16]

Congrats!! Enjoy every minute of your little baby.

[Kari]

Motherhood is the best gift ever! Jaxon is doing very well. I love watching the faces he makes and hearing his little squeaky noises. I value the alone time I get with him in the middle of the night, though sleep would be nice too.

Right now I am carrying him in a hotsling carrier. They are a great way to bond with the baby - I highly recommend for adoptive parents. Our golden retriever who has no interest in Jaxon is very intriqued by the baby carrier I'm wearing. We're convinced he thinks I'm carrying a football! lol!

Would love to post pictures, but I don't think I can until things are finalized.

I hope those of you still waiting get to experience this real soon. He's well worth the wait!

[sarah16]

I definately want a sling, where did you get yours? Do you love it?

[mittons]

OOH I am so happy for you guys!! Congrats!

So now you have 3 weeks to count down to "gotcha day"?

[Kari]

I bought a hotsling and really like it. They do come in different sizes so you'll have to guess which one would fit since it's not adjustable. I also bought a Bjorn for when he gets a little heavier.

Mittons, that's a good question. Is "gotcha day" TPR day or finalization? If it's finalization, we have another 6 months. It would be kind of neat to celebrate Jaxon's birthday, and then adoption day every 6 months!

hotslings - Hotslings Catalog

[sarah16]

Originally Posted by Kari

I bought a hotsling and really like it. They do come in different sizes so you'll have to guess which one would fit since it's not adjustable. I also bought a Bjorn for when he gets a little heavier.

Mittons, that's a good question. Is "gotcha day" TPR day or finalization? If it's finalization, we have another 6 months. It would be kind of neat to celebrate Jaxon's birthday, and then adoption day every 6 months!

hotslings - Hotslings Catalog

Awesome thanks!

[mittons]

finalization is what I mean for gotcha day.

How fun will it be to be celebrating every 6 months!?!

So three weeks for TPR then finalization.

Silly question but is it just the courts that take so long to get every thing finalized?

Thanks in advance for showing me the ropes )

~Becky

[MaggieMoo]

Congrats!!!! I am so happy for you! You and dh must be over the moon happy with your little boy! I love them spelling of his name too...very cute!

I use to babysit for a family who had two adoptive girls. They would celebrate their actual birthdays and then celebrate their "family day", the day the were officially finalized into their family. As they got older, they get to pick out what they want to do on their family day and what dinner they want to have. It is really nice that they recognize that.

[Kari]

Tricia - I love the "family day" idea!

Becky - court is what holds up the TPR in Wisconsin. However, it shouldn't really be a factor in finalization. There is a 6 month period in which the agency visits to verify we are good parents. We will have 4 in-home visits from the agency- the first one is 2 weeks after he has been in our care, the last visit is at 6 months.

We received a call from his first mom - she is coming to visit this weekend. I'm sure it will be good for her to see us with him, the house, and the nursery. Yet, we are terrified!

[rebecca0130]

kari, in Illinois we have a 3 day waiting period until the birthparents can sign the surrenders. After that, if they make their final adoption decision, it is final and there is no going back at that point. We did have to wait for 6 months with the courts to "finalize" everything, but in that time from 3 days until 6 mos nothing could change, our son was ours, unless the agency determined via the home visits that we were unfit.
Is it that much different in WI? When his birthmom comes this weekend, is it still an option for her to change her mind?

[Kari]

Rebecca,

WI is very different in that respect. Most states only require 24-72 hours before signing the TPR. In Wisconsin,the first mom needs to testify in court for the TPR. Therefore, our wait is however long it takes before the next open court date - for us it's August 26. Typically, the baby goes into BridgeCare (foster care) until the court date. In our case, the first mom requested he go directly into our care. So, she is able to change her mind and take him home anytime until Aug 26. After that, we won't be worried.

My preference for future adoptions is to go through a different state to avoid this long interim period.

[rebecca0130]

Originally Posted by Kari

Rebecca,

WI is very different in that respect. Most states only require 24-72 hours before signing the TPR. In Wisconsin,the first mom needs to testify in court for the TPR. Therefore, our wait is however long it takes before the next open court date - for us it's August 26. Typically, the baby goes into BridgeCare (foster care) until the court date. In our case, the first mom requested he go directly into our care. So, she is able to change her mind and take him home anytime until Aug 26. After that, we won't be worried.

My preference for future adoptions is to go through a different state to avoid this long interim period.

Got it. Wow, that is different. I hope the visit goes well this weekend, I am praying for you in the next few weeks. I wish I could give you a magic answer on this wait period, but I can't. Just have faith and pray and love that little boy as much as your heart will let you.
We actually ended up waiting 2 weeks for our son's birthmom to sign, because he was born premature and was in the NICU for that period. It was agony as I sat there day in and day out in the NICU helping my son grow, and hoping/praying that it would all work out as planned.

May angels watch over you, DH, Jaxon and his first mom, right now.

[sarah16]

Kari, just want you to know I'm thinking of you!! Hope you have a good weekend.

[Anastasia]

Kari -

I too, have tears in my eyes reading your posts. How absolutely wonderful, and I hope everything goes perfectly with his first mom, this weekend, I am sure she will see what wonderful parents you and your DH are for little Jaxson and that will solidify that she is making the right decision.

It is so difficult in WI for adoptive families, I think. I believe I told you that I am a family law attorney in Appleton, WI and everytime I do an adoption, I am always so anxious that everything goes smoothly. The good news is that the vast majority go just perfectly.

Congratulations!!!

Ana