There's no place like home...

So Saturday morning TJ, E, and Omi packed up and left Gainesville Florida to cross the border into Georgia! With one last goodbye to Gator country.

The Hardest Part

So TJ has discovered Tom Petty and it has been revealed to him that yes, in fact, the waiting is the hardest part!

Reports have been completed and paperwork has been submitted and now E, J, and TJ wait until they are told it is legal to come home. 

TJ continues to grow and excel at everything he does (which at this point means he is a champion eater and an olympic-caliber sleeper).  E and J hate being apart from each other right now, but it will get better soon.  If things aren't approved, J is heading back down Saturday so that everyone can celebrate Easter together.

E continues to faithfully document the early days of TJ's existence and furthered his wordly experiences today with a drive around scenic Gainesville.  (something about furthering TJ's love for all things Gator).

J remains unamused...

And now for a short movie!

One Week!

It's been one week, since TJ was born!  E & J have learned a lot, like the white noise app on the Ipad is one of the best thing in the world (after TJ of course) - and FaceTime is great for Grandparents - thanks Apple!!!

E, J and TJ are still in Florida for the unforeseeable future ("thanks" Lutheran Services of Georgia for making things difficult... again).  For those unfamiliar with this saga, a brief recap... Lutheran Services of Georgia has over the past three years first prevented E and J from being matched with a birthmother by suggesting that they were not open to adopting children of other races.  Second, LSG denied E and J access to their homestudy and didn't change it for many months after the problem was discovered.  Third, LSG failed to provide E and J with all of the forms and questions needed to complete a homestudy in Georgia, but then approved E and J anyway (causing them, and their attorney, to think that E and J were ready to go), finally LSG lied to their attorney about the ICPC requirements for Georgia, leading to E and J having an incomplete ICPC package, leading to them being forced to stay in Florida and unable to return home.

E and J are remembering the important thing though, they have a beautiful baby boy,  and TJ isn't going anywhere - even if we have to live in a hotel for a couple of weeks.  This child is loved and cherished (and healthy and happy!)

The bad news is J has to go home for two days to work, preach, and deal with some paperwork issues in person ("thanks again" Lutheran Services of Georgia for making things difficult again).  J is having major issues with leaving his sweet boy.

J had to have a talk with TJ today and explain that, no, E and J do not practice some radical form of observing passover by actually wandering in the 'desert', it was just a coincidence that Passover occurred at the same time.  (J is also quite impressed with TJ's biblical knowledge, of Seder meals, at so early an age.  At dinner last night he asked why it was different than other nights )

The GOOD news is that Omi (E's mom) is coming to Gainesville to be with E, while J is gone.  All the Grandparents have been impatiently waiting to meet TJ.  

Additionally, TJ's umbilical cord fell off today.  He is officially a big boy now at one week.

TJ also talked to E and J about how he was looking forward to meeting all of you, but most especially his Bubbe and Granddaddy in Chattanooga. 

Day 4 - Florida is a very long state!

The original plan had been to leave Boca on Saturday afternoon and drive north to Gainesville to be closer to the border (also, E felt that TJ might need more Gator apparel.  J knew that this was not a battle worth fighting). 

But when J tried to secure a room, he found that they were all full in Gainesville on Saturday night.  Yes, that is correct, there was no room at the inn.  So a long drive on Sunday was in order.

So a long drive got even longer when we encountered crazy storms around Orlando.  Not just rain, but rain, wind, thunder, lightning.  J felt like the car was going to flip on several occasions.  Fortunately it didn't.

Had there actually been exits, shelter would have been sought, but E and J chose to take 'the turnpike.'  This created new challenges as the few exits that did exist were 'service plazas', or rather, glorified food courts that also sold fuel.  And they were packed with hundreds of people. E & J were very nervous taking TJ into such a crowded area, but in order to change and feed, they didn't have much of a choice.  J had to feed TJ standing up because there were no seats.

But TJ is such a good baby and he didn't seem to mind!

Finally after what seemed like the longest car ride ever, all arrived in Gainesville (Go Gators!) for a change of clothes and a nap.  E and J promised TJ, that they really do have a house and don't just live like nomads in hotels - but they are not so sure he believes them right now.

and now, the most exciting 11 second video you will ever experience...

Day 3 - Birth Family

Sometimes there are days that you will always remember.  Sometimes these are for good reasons (maybe your team won a big game, kinda like when Manchester United won the Treble back '99), sometimes they are for reasons that aren't so good (we'll not dwell on those days).  And then there are days that you will remember because they exceeded any expectations you had and were such a blessing that they serve as a reminder of how God is active and present in our lives.

Today was that third kind of day; a day of emotions and grace and wonder.  Today, E, J, and TJ were blessed to see M again, outside of the hospital, and we got to meet part of TJ's birth family.

The day began normally enough (if normal involves waking up with a 4 day old child in a hotel room). TJ continues to stick to the routine he has developed.  We eat every 3 hours or so, get changed, and generally go back to sleep.  Sometimes he decides to stay awake for a bit, which makes E and J quite happy.

Before we get to the main portion of this article, a few random asides after the break (This one is LONG, be aware):

Day 2.0

E and J had been told (often) that they should expect the worst at night, and should be prepared to actually sleep again in about 18 years.

TJ proved to be a bit of a contrarian and developed a nice routine, only crying when he needed to be changed and was hungry, never just because.  Though E and J expect that will happen in the future, TJ decided to ease us into our first night of parenthood.  We'll let you know how night two goes...

But, today was a busy day with our first trip to the Pediatrician!

Baby TJ got a big thumbs up from the doctor!

After the doctor, and a quick bite to eat for TJ (E and J had to wait till they got back to the room), we visited the wonderful people at our attorney's office who helped bring TJ into our lives, they loved him (but really, who wouldn't?  Just look at the face!)

We also found out that we unfortunately we still can't cross the Florida state line or it becomes kidnapping - so, if all goes well, our goal is to be back home by Tuesday.

Tomorrow we will say good bye to Birth Mother M, and Baby TJ's Birth Grandmother and drive to the Florida border - so that we are that much closer to home when we get the all clear from our home state ICPC approvers.

J would also like to note that little TJ apparently understood the concept of 'J has to take his Hebrew midterm' and slept the entire time.  J has chosen to interpret this to mean that TJ is looking forward to receiving a set of Hebrew and Greek wooden alphabet/aleph-bet blocks.

First Day

So TJ can't actually type right now, so either E or J will be doing the actual posting, at least for now.

Today was TJ's first day with us and we are beyond excited.  We met him at the hospital, and got to meet M, his birthmother; which was an unexpected, but greatly appreciated, blessing.

TJ will remain in Florida, with us, until some paperwork is finalized and we are given the official 'ok' to leave the state.  This could happen tomorrow, or this could take a few days.  Regardless, TJ is with us and we are happy.

He's been eating, sleeping, etc all afternoon.  After we got home, we changed his clothes and swaddling blanket from the hospital provided stuff to what we brought, which seemed much more soft and comfortable.  So far the little man is doing well.

Tomorrow offers the promise of a visit to the pediatrician and a visit to the attorney's office to pick up some paperwork and let some of the kind people who helped us out through this process see the beautiful thing that God has brought us.