bodner004

I can hardly believe that it has been a full week since our lives were forever changed by the birth of our miracle baby girl! I really want to recount all the details of that event not only to share with everyone who has been following us on this journey, but also in an effort that as life happens I don't forget or mix up the details. So here we go........ Sunday morning, Feb. 19, 2012 Derek and I show up at the hospital at 7:50am for the 8:00 induction of the birth mom (M.) of our highly anticipated little princess that we now know as Gabrielle! I was as nervous as I had ever been about anything else in my entire life. I had not been able to sleep the night before for the anticipation of her birth! I was armed with my Dunkin' Donuts coffee though which was certainly helping to make me wide awake. Actually I am not sure that it was even needed because as much as I was nervous I was incredibly excited! I wanted to yell through the halls of the hospital that my daughter was being...

To my Daughter's other Mother: All the words in the world could never express the way I feel about you. I know our paths were meant to cross I hope you feel that way too. I wish for you a wonderful life I know great things are in store for you because you are strong and will never give up you will make your dreams come true. The day I had the pleasure of meeting you I saw your beautiful face My heart was filled with great peace I felt our spirits embrace. You have given me a treasure worth far more than silver or gold A beautiful daughter, a child of God, a precious new life to shape and mold. I am grateful to you for giving her life you knew abortion was not to be her fate You chose to take the harder path You proved your love for her was great. I promise you that I will tell her of the great courage that you have shown, And that she is deeply loved by another to her you will not remain unknown. I hope you will find comfort in knowing she is deeply loved and cherished too she will...

So here we are. The day of our baby girl's birth has come!  It has been quite a journey to get here.  Over the last week we have put the entire nursery together, purchased or been given all the necessary baby gear and clothes and prepared our hearts and minds as best we can for this amazing change in our lives.  We began to seriously talk about names for our baby girl last Friday when we knew that this was really going to happen and quickly.  Pretty quickly we had narrowed our favorites down to Gabrielle, Isabella and Eliana.  I researched the names meanings and that had helped us to decide on these three as final "contestants".  Gabrielle means "God is my Strength" Isabella means "Consecrated (pledged) to God" Eliana means "God has answered" All very appropriate for this little girl!  Derek and I discussed but he didn't really say much other than that he liked them all just fine.  On Friday, Feb. 17th, M (birth mom) and I went to a docto...

I can hardly believe that we found out we were going to have a newborn baby girl joining our family about 1 week ago. SO much has happened in that week. In order to help me keep track (and pass the time while I wait anxiously for my baby girl - these things are the only things I seem to be able to concentrate on right now!) I thought I should update my blog with more details that have unfolded. As you know from last Friday's post, we certainly expected that we would be holding our baby girl today based on what that day's doctor visit's outcome was. Birth mom, "M", and I were told that if she made it through the weekend without going into labor (which was unlikely in the doc's opinion) then she would surely induce her by Thursday (today!). However, we went in Tuesday for a Non-stress test to hear a very happy and healthy heart beat that indicated to another doctor in the practice that we should continue to wait it out for the rest of the week. According to her ...

As I write this I anxiously keep checking my iPhone for a text to say that I need to head to the hospital for the arrival our baby girl. Sound crazy?? It FEELS crazy - crazy GOOD!!!!! Let me start from the beginning....pull up a chair, this one may take a while :) This Tuesday was like any other Tuesday for the most part....kid's off to school, I went for my typical run, then a trip to the grocery, kid's back home from school, homework, made dinner, etc. Little did we know what was coming on this "ordinary" night. It all started when Tanner brings me a "fortune" (yes, I know we seem to have alot of fortune cookies and related stories to those little pieces of paper tucked inside, but stay with me here! ;) that he saved from his treat at lunch. "Look at this mom", he says. "I kept this because look what it says!" This learn Chinese phrase simply said, "I live in America". I told him that was really neat and thanked him for bri...