Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Abby is Ours!
At about 2pm Amanda signed relinquishment papers and turned custody over to LDS Services. At about 2:30 we singed placement papers with LDS Services, then picked up Abby from Amanda and family, and by 3:15 we were alone with her in our own hospital room. Right now we're just waiting for some duplicate papers to get notarized and then Amanda can leave. After she leaves we will leave the hospital. We're so excited!
Photographs and video will be forthcoming.
Photographs and video will be forthcoming.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Placement is Scheduled
Placement will occur at noon on Wednesday, February 13. Amanda will sign the papers and Abigail will be under the legal custody of LDS Family Services, who will immediately give us physical possession. In six months we can finalize the adoption in a court of law where LDS Services will surrender legal custody to Jen and I. We are so excited!
Monday, February 11, 2008
Day 2 with Abby
Today is our second day with Abigail. Her birth mother, Amanda, is a saint. She has been so kind and willing to share her with us at an early point. We spent a couple hours with Amanda and Abigail last night and then a few more today. We'll take off this evening as Amanda's parents arrive so that they'll have their time too. We are so grateful for Amanda.
So here are a few more pictures to keep you coming back for more.
So here are a few more pictures to keep you coming back for more.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Abigail Amanda Garrett
Baby Garrett Born
Baby Garrett was born at 10:28 this morning in Ogden Utah. Her name remains undetermined. Photographs will be forthcoming. For now you'll have to settle for my poor description. Baby Garrett weighs in at 4 pounds 4 ounces and is 16.5 inches long. She has brown hair and long fingers. She is a bit early but a perfectly healthy little girl. We dont have a name yet because we're waiting until we can see her, and as of yet we've only had a couple minutes with her. We're trying to patiently wait for Amanda, the birth mother, and her family to have their time with her first. Amanda's mother is really having a tough time letting go of this little girl, but she and her family know it is the right decision. It is obvious to us that Amanda is acting out of love for the child more than anything else. Baby Garrett is so fortunate to have two families that love her so much. It has almost been six hours since she was born and we're very anxious to see her, but we understand that Amanda and her family need their time first. Once we get to spend time with her we'll decide her name and take some photographs and videos. You can be sure I'll have them up on the blog as soon as possible. Check back for updates.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
As requested, by Amanda, the final nursery photos are now online. The nursery is complete except for the soft fluffy chair that will go next to the crib. We already ordered it and it should arrive in three weeks. The chair is a white antique wood with big green pillows that perfectly match the green in the crib. So without further delay,... the photos:
Here is a close up of one corner. Note the sharp tight brown paint. Yup, that is my work. I'm very proud. I cant believe how clean the lines are. The secret is to tape off the area you want to paint, paint a base coat that is the same as the color underneath (to seal off the tape), and then paint with the color you want to see.
Here Jen tapes the wall in preparation for the painting (but dont let the photo fool you, Matt spent plenty of time in there).
The crib with bedding and the painted wall. I think we'll get a chocolate brown bed sheet to go over the currently white mattress.
Here is a close up of one corner. Note the sharp tight brown paint. Yup, that is my work. I'm very proud. I cant believe how clean the lines are. The secret is to tape off the area you want to paint, paint a base coat that is the same as the color underneath (to seal off the tape), and then paint with the color you want to see. And finally, here is the bookshelf turned storage unit and the former desk turned changing table. We'll put a cloth over the plastic table that matches the room, and an elevated changing pad so I dont have to hunch over too far.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Anticipation...
Well, we're about one month away from Amanda's due date. We're very excited. We also resumed school last week but we just can't seem to focus on that when there is a baby coming. We just sent Amanda a small package with photos and can't wait to see her in a few weeks. We still need to paint the nursery but we've got the crib and everything ready to go. All we're missing is the pastel paint on the walls. Jen has a baby shower coming up on February 9th, and then after the birth the girls at my department want to throw an after-baby shower. Mostly they tell me they just want to see the little girl and the shower is just a cover for them to swoon.
So I should tell you that you are being tracked. I just installed a new feature on this blog site called Google analytics. Essentially it allows Google to track this site--who visits, where they come from, how long they stay, if they are first time visitors, where in the world they are accessing the Internet, etc. It is incredibly fun to log onto my stats and see that somebody in Utah, near American Fork, spent some time on the blog just the other day. I guess it means the pressure is on to make sure that I get good photos and some interesting commentary because Amanda, her family, or friends were probably reading this. We also got a hit from somebody in Las Vegas, and since they connected to our site from a similar blog maintained by friends in Vegas, we're pretty sure we know who it is--Natalie. What a fun tool.
Well, I should stop procrastinating schoolwork. Today I read The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution and to my disgust I enjoyed the book (I usually hate political history). Now I've got to write a paper on that so I must conclude.
Oh, one other update. We spoke in stake conference last Sunday. That was a bit intimidating. Fortunately I only had to fill six minutes. Jen was assigned eight (they know who the spiritual powerhouse in the family is). We were asked to speak about trials drawing us closer to the savior and service. It went over well. We also got to see two friends visiting from Nebraska who attended conference. Before it started he came up to the stand and said, "Matt, don't say anything stupid."
On that note I'll end this post. Thanks for reading. I'll get some photos up soon.
So I should tell you that you are being tracked. I just installed a new feature on this blog site called Google analytics. Essentially it allows Google to track this site--who visits, where they come from, how long they stay, if they are first time visitors, where in the world they are accessing the Internet, etc. It is incredibly fun to log onto my stats and see that somebody in Utah, near American Fork, spent some time on the blog just the other day. I guess it means the pressure is on to make sure that I get good photos and some interesting commentary because Amanda, her family, or friends were probably reading this. We also got a hit from somebody in Las Vegas, and since they connected to our site from a similar blog maintained by friends in Vegas, we're pretty sure we know who it is--Natalie. What a fun tool.
Well, I should stop procrastinating schoolwork. Today I read The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution and to my disgust I enjoyed the book (I usually hate political history). Now I've got to write a paper on that so I must conclude.
Oh, one other update. We spoke in stake conference last Sunday. That was a bit intimidating. Fortunately I only had to fill six minutes. Jen was assigned eight (they know who the spiritual powerhouse in the family is). We were asked to speak about trials drawing us closer to the savior and service. It went over well. We also got to see two friends visiting from Nebraska who attended conference. Before it started he came up to the stand and said, "Matt, don't say anything stupid."
On that note I'll end this post. Thanks for reading. I'll get some photos up soon.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Happy New Year!
As I look back on 2007 I must conclude that it was a great year. We purchased a house, Jen and I completed most of our coursework, and Amanda selected us to adopt her baby. Things could not be any better. We met Amanda a couple weeks ago and it was fantastic. After our first face-to-face meeting she invited us to the hospital where they ran a few tests and we got to hear the baby's heartbeat. The nurses say she is very active. We've not settled on a name yet, but the leading candidates are Abigail, Adalyn, Sydney, and Hayden. We want to use Amanda for the middle name, but we may use Rae instead (Amanda's middle name). We think Amanda is wonderful and would like the baby to know about her from the start. Our plan is to introduce photos of Amanda just like we would other family members, and teach names and relations as the child grows.
We've been gathering cloths and furniture for the nursery. Jen's sister Tiffany has twin girls and two of everything, so we now have lots of cloths for a 0-1 year old. Tiff has good fashion sense so we appreciate all the clothes. They would cost a ton to purchase. Also, we did purchasae some furniture at IKEA and painted an old bookshelf white to match.
The nursery will probably get painted a light pastel green or yellow--Tinkerbell is our motivation but we'll keep her images to a minimum. We both love Disney so there will be some of that in the room, but again, we're also minimalists so that stuff will be limited.
Today we're off to Baby's R Us with our new found 15% off coupon. We still need to purchase a crib and a sliding/rocking chair. Thank goodness my mom gave us a lump of cash for Christmas. It was specifically addressed to the baby. That makes much of this possible. LDS Services is a very inexpensive compared to other adoption agencies, but it is still pretty pricey for a couple of graduate students. That, with all the materials to prepare for a baby, can break the bank. It is a good thing we have such generous family and friends.
We've been gathering cloths and furniture for the nursery. Jen's sister Tiffany has twin girls and two of everything, so we now have lots of cloths for a 0-1 year old. Tiff has good fashion sense so we appreciate all the clothes. They would cost a ton to purchase. Also, we did purchasae some furniture at IKEA and painted an old bookshelf white to match.
The nursery will probably get painted a light pastel green or yellow--Tinkerbell is our motivation but we'll keep her images to a minimum. We both love Disney so there will be some of that in the room, but again, we're also minimalists so that stuff will be limited.
Today we're off to Baby's R Us with our new found 15% off coupon. We still need to purchase a crib and a sliding/rocking chair. Thank goodness my mom gave us a lump of cash for Christmas. It was specifically addressed to the baby. That makes much of this possible. LDS Services is a very inexpensive compared to other adoption agencies, but it is still pretty pricey for a couple of graduate students. That, with all the materials to prepare for a baby, can break the bank. It is a good thing we have such generous family and friends.
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