Just wondered if anyone was curious where I've been lately...
Here's the little email that I sent to other family and friends to update them:
First of all (because I know that some don?t want to hear the story), here?s the website where you can find pictures of our son:
http://photos.yahoo.com/kellyandcandaceEveryone?s been so interested in finding out how this adoption came to be so here?s our story:
The whole adoption process began on May 7, 2003 when I sent our application off to the Marcia Barker, our Adoption Coordinator. She helped us create our lifestyle presentation (or profile?it?s what the birthmothers look at to choose the adoptive family) and find the adoption agencies that was right for us. I then frantically worked on the profile for about 3-4 days (it often takes people weeks and months to get theirs done).
I started sending out applications and getting our paperwork ready for our Home Study (where a social worker comes to your house and interrogates you?why do you want to adopt, what makes you fit to be parents, are you over you infertility issues??, etc. She also reams you about all the bad choices and decisions you might?ve made in the past). The Home Study was done on May 26, 2003 and we were told that unless we had some criminal history, we were approved.
Now we just had to wait. We were told about several situations, but none of them turned out to be the one for us.
On Saturday, June 7, 2003, I woke up at 8am and decided to check the internet to see if our agency had posted any new situations?and there it was:
Full CC baby boy. Will be born on Monday June 9th. Fees to be $19,500 + full medical (approx $5000). If I have your profile and Home Study and you are interested call 801-712-5090.(T)
I immediately began praying?I just knew this was our baby. That was one of the longest days ever. At 5pm we got a phone call from Heart to Heart Agency, ?Candace?birthmother Toni has selected you and Kelly. How quick can you get to Utah?? As you can imagine, my heart dropped?I cried?I thanked God. It took us 4.5 hours to get our plane, rental car, and hotel reservations together. We left Abilene at 930pm and drove to Austin, TX. We arrived at my parent?s house at 130am and went to sleep (yeah right) at 2am. The alarm went off at 4am (didn?t really need the alarm?I hadn?t slept at all). We hopped on the plane to Utah at 645am and arrived in Utah at 1030am Sunday morning. It was a very interesting flight?there was a lot of turbulence!! At one point, we were told that the plane dropped 200 feet in 1 second!!! I was SO scared! Once we got to the Salt Lake City airport, we found that our luggage had been ?misplaced?. I was beginning to get worried that this was a sign of things to come, but luckily, they found our luggage about 45 minutes later.
Sunday was a long day?we were restless with excitement and anticipation. We knew very little about Toni and her situation?she has 3 other kids, she?s from Florida, the birthfather is in jail for domestic abuse?AND she didn?t want to meet us. Once again, we had to wait.
Monday morning finally came. We met with representatives from the Agency at 12pm and they told us that Toni had been induced, she?s doing ok, she?s dilated to about 3-4, and she still doesn?t want to meet us.
At about 1250pm we got the phone call?our baby boy had made it safely into the world and we could come to the hospital. We were there within the first hour of his life. I got to give him his first bottle, we got to be there for his first bath?it was just too awesome!!
There was still something there that was holding us back?w e still had to get through the 24 hour waiting period so that Toni could sign over her parental rights. We called our family and let them know he was here, but we didn?t share with them his name just yet. We just couldn?t bear to share the name we were going to give him until he was ours.
At 130pm on Tuesday, June 10th, Toni signed the papers and we gave the agency our life savings?man was he worth it.
Welcome to our family:
Brendan Kelly Banks
Born Monday, June 9, 2003 at 1238pm,
Weighing in at a whopping 5lbs, 3oz and 20? long.
It was all so perfect?he was ours and we finally had a family!! Brendan had to stay in the hospital for another 24 hours because of his low birth weight. It was a long night, but we got though it. The next day (Wednesday), we had him circumcised. He tolerated the procedure very well. We were told that he looked like he might have Jaundice and so we spent the next 2 days getting his heel pricked. The doctor told us the best way to help him get better is to feed him as often as possible. I took that very seriously and nursed him every hour on the hour. It must?ve worked because we found out on the 2nd day that he was ok.
We now had to wait again?this time it was for the Interstate Compact to go through so that we could take him home. At 3pm on Monday, June 16th, we were told that we could finally go home and boy were we ever ready!!!! We made our travel arrangements and flew home to Austin the next morning. We stayed in Austin, TX for a day & now we?re finally home?hallelujah!!! Abilene, TX has never looked so good!!
From start to finish, our adoption story was only 35 days long?that?s pretty much unheard of in the world of adoption. I personally feel that it?s all because we?ve had so many people praying for us. Brendan is such a blessing to our lives already and we are loving every minute of it!
Much love to you and yours,
Kelly, Candace, and Brendan Banks
P.S. I am breastfeeding and it is going great!! I was on the protocol (Yasmin & Dom) for only 12 days before I started pumping. Within a few days, I got a full milk supply in. In fact, it's going so good that we found out tonight that Brendan is now up to 5lb 3oz (that's 10oz more in only 5 days!)
