Just another day in paradise!

Every day with Kara in our family is absolutely wonderful! We wouldn't change anything in this whole adoption experience. We were starting to get a little "hotel fever", so we ventured out in the mid-90 degree heat in Tulsa. Tim starts the car and blasts the AC for us for a few minutes before Samantha, Kara and I get into the car--thank goodness! We drove around Tulsa for a little bit...past the Guesthouse Suites Hotel (which may be our new home starting next Tuesday) and LifeChurch.TV. That is where we plan to go to church tomorrow. You can look the church up online to see just how cool it is. We are very excited to check it out! Our pastors at The Living Room in Martinsburg, know the Senior Pastor, and highly recommended going to LifeChurch while we were in Oklahoma. We'll tell you about our experience tomorrow, so check back then! We also made a trip to the local shopping mall, Wooodland Hills. It is huge compared to the mall in our little town, and of course Samantha wanted to know why our town couldn't have a similar-type mall. All I can say is that it was nice and cool inside, and it's great when people "ooh and ah" over how cute your baby girl looks!

More pictures of Kara!

Kara is 1 week old!

Can't believe it's already been a week since our sweet Kara joined our world! We are so blessed, and this past week has been the best ever! Our world definitely revolves around Kara, and we wouldn't have it any other way.

The first picture looks like Kara is posing in her sleep. I love to get pictures when she is wide awake and alert, but when she's asleep...Kara looks so angelic!

Kathy took Samantha to see the new Harry Potter movie today at the IMAX theatre, and it was really cool! Both of us enjoyed the movie a lot! If you're a fan of Harry Potter like we are, you should definitely check it out. BTW...we do not believe in witches, wizards, witchcraft or magic. It's just a good piece of fiction. Daddy enjoyed some alone time with Kara.

We did get some good news from our attorney today. Apparently Oklahoma approved the ICPC agreement, and sent it overnight to WV yesterday. We are hoping and praying to get a phone call on Monday to let us know that WV approved ICPC, and we can go home! Thanks for all of your prayers!

Daddy and Kara

What a peaceful picture! Kara has had a great day and has eaten a very good amount--so much so that "everything" is happening in her diaper, just as it is supposed to happen. :-) Obviously Kara feels very comfortable in daddy's arms and I just couldn't resist taking a picture!

Our 8th day in Oklahoma

The cute pictures were taken of Kara and Samantha today. When Kara is hungry she makes the face you see in the first picture...and emits a healthy cry!

We just wanted to reassure everyone that we (Kara, Tim & Kathy) had a MUCH better night last night! The new formula and bottles seem to really make a difference. Kara doesn't seem to have as many gas pains, and she is eating much better! Kathy & Tim were able to sleep about 5 to 5 1/2 hours last night--which is great!

Our current reservation at Candlewood Suites goes until next Tuesday, July 24th. We thought we could just extend the reservation if we were required to stay in Oklahoma longer. Tim found out today that the hotel is completely booked for the rest of next week. Please pray that we will get the approval we need from ICPC (through our attorney) to leave by July 24th! Otherwise, that means we will have to move to another hotel--not our idea of fun. :-(

Pictures of the Sisters--Samantha and Kara!

Kara's Follow-Up Appointment with Doctor

We took Kara back to Craig General Hospital for a follow-up appointment with Dr. Kohl today. The appointment was originally scheduled for Friday, but after another night of Kara's colic-type behavior, Kathy called and asked for an earlier appointment. Kara seems to have a lot of gas and pain associated with it--which makes her cry throughout the night. It's so sad to see her in pain and crying really hard. We were wondering if she was having trouble digesting the formula, and if there was something we could do to make it easier for Kara, and of course, us too. The doctor suggested we switch her to Enfamil Gentlease Lipil formula, which is made with reduced lactose and partially broken down proteins. It's supposed to be best for babies who are fussy with gas and colic. We are hoping and praying for a night with less pain for Kara, and more sleep for all of us! Kara's weight has dropped almost a full pound from birth, from 6 lbs 7 oz to 5 lbs 6 oz. I think she has been swallowing too much air while drinking from the bottle--she has the hiccups all the time it seems--and feels fuller than she actually is. So, basically she stops eating too soon, and isn't getting as much formula as she should. She is having plenty of wet diapers, so we know she's not dehydrated, but we still want her to gain weight and get bigger! Please pray that Kara will eat more and gain the weight she needs to.

Now in Tulsa, OK!

Hi Everyone! Thanks for all of the prayers and good wishes! Everything went smoothly with Cammi yesterday at the hearing. We have moved from Vinita to Tulsa today and are getting settled in a very nice room (feels like an apartment) in the Candlewood Suites. We made a trip to Super Target (Martinsburg has GOT to get one of those) to get groceries and stock up on some more diapers and wipes. Our hotel is right behind a Babies R Us--can't get any more convenient than that! Although we are at maximum capacity in the SUV we rented and in the suitcases, so we probably shouldn't purchase any more baby items! It sure is fun to look, though!

Kara is doing very well, and Tim and Kathy are doing their best to adjust to the lack of sleep. Samantha sleeps like a rock through everything--she doesn't even hear Kara fuss during the night when she needs a diaper change or eat. We will be driving back to the hospital in Vinita for Kara's checkup on Friday, the 20th ,with one of the doctor's that delivered her. In the meantime, we will be enjoying this special time together and waiting for ICPC (the interstate agreement between Oklahoma and WV) to be completed. We will definitely let everyone know when we find out that we can head home to WV! Enjoy the pictures!

Kara's 1st Outing

Late afternoon on Sunday, we took Kara over to Micara & Dan's house (Cammi's mom & step-dad) for a Buffalo Barbecue! That's right...buffalo! Kara's birth-family in Strang, OK, raise buffalo for food, just like their Cherokee ancestors. This was a new experience for Kathy & Samantha (we had never even seen a live buffalo), but Tim already knew he liked buffalo meat a lot! The buffalo burgers were delicious, and the Coates family was so kind to also give us some Buffalo summer sausage, and Buffalo snacks stix. We are looking forward to sampling it today for lunch. The barbecue was fun--Samantha loved playing with Elizabeth (Cammi's 9 yr old step-sister) in the pool, and Tim and Kathy enjoyed meeting and getting to know all of Cammi's extended family. They're support of the adoption and genuine affection for our family, has made the adoption so very special and better than either Tim or Kathy could have ever imagined.

We are waiting for Micara to send us some pictures from the barbecue and then we will add them to the post. We forgot the camera....it's hard to remember everything now that we're packing a diaper bag and accessories for Kara!

Please pray for Cammi today. She appears in court at 1:30 Central time (2:30 EST) to give her consent to the judge for our adoption of Kara. Cammi has been the most wonderful birthmother God could have ever blessed us with. Her attitude has been so positive, and her concern for us and Kara is so humbling. Today, although Cammi knows that placing Kara for adoption is what she wants, and believes that it is best for Kara--the hearing will be hard for her. We have grown to love Cammi over these short few weeks we've gotten to know her (since she chose our family), and we know that God has wonderful plans for her. We feel so blessed to have her and her family become a part of our family.

We're out of the hospital!

Kara was discharged from the hospital today at approximately 1:30 pm. She's doing great, and we thank you all for your prayers! We will update with more information later.

More Pictures

Special thanks to Cammi's mom for sending us these wonderful pictures!!!

Kara's 2nd Day

Kara is doing really well. When the doctor checked her out this morning, he said she looked just perfect! She's had more wet and dirty diapers, which is a good thing, but considering she's only eaten a few ounces of formula, we're wondering where it's coming from?! Today, we (including the doctor) are hoping and expecting Kara to become a more aggressive eater. Please keep her in your prayers, because we would love to be discharged from the hospital tomorrow. If eating is a problem for Kara, we're not sure if we can be discharged. The experience has been wonderful, and we couldn't be happier! Kara definitely feels a part of our family, and we can't imagine life without her. We are anxious to introduce her to all of the people we love and care for once we are able to leave Oklahoma.

1st night with Kara

Kara did pretty well her first night at the hospital. Her head has been congested since birth (thankfully it's not in her lungs), and it made for loud breathing, as well as snorting! She sounds like a little piglet. :-) All those noises made it hard for Kathy to sleep. Kara is doing what babies are supposed to do--she sleeps a lot, had 5 dirty diapers and 2 wet ones. Kathy is pretty tired today, but she expected to be, so no surprises there!

Kara's First Day

The first day has been wonderful!! Kara slept most of the day and has taken a little bit of the bottle. Tonight, Samantha and I went back to the hotel and Kathy stayed the night at the hospital. The hospital told us today that we have to stay for 48 hours before Kara can be released.

Kara's Birth!!!

Our sweet Kara Anne Lang was born at 12:57 pm today!! She is absolutely beautiful, as you can tell by the pictures. Kara was born weighing 6 lbs 7 oz and 18 inches long. She has a full head of very dark, pretty hair! Kara and birthmom, Cammi, went through the C-Section wonderfully! We are so thankful for God taking care of both Cammi and Kara during the surgery! Kara is sleeping quite a lot, and isn’t really interested in eating yet. Thank you to all of the people that were praying with us today! Your support means everything to us.

Dinner w/ Cammi & Family

We just got back to our hotel after having dinner with Cammi and her family. It was an awesome experience to be able to meet Cammi in person! We also loved getting to meet Cammi's family. They were so welcoming and made us feel incredibly comfortable. The time we spent together was fun and special, and we will be able to share it with Kara as she gets older. It's so great that we can tell Kara about the special family she has in Oklahoma that love her very much. Cammi's mother, Micara, is quite the artist. She does gourd art, and gave us one of her beautiful pieces that is pictured in this post. It will have a very special place on a shelf in Kara's room.


The three of us are convinced after spending a terrific dinner with Cammi and her family, that God chose the perfect birthmother for our family, and we couldn't be more thrilled that Cammi chose us to raise and love her baby. We are so excited about tomorrow and looking forward to spending some more time getting to know the wonderful family we met tonight!

1st Day in Oklahoma!

We finally made it to the hotel in Vinita, OK last night at 10:30 pm. Needless to say we were exhausted. Traveling itself, even though all we have to do is sit (on a plane or in a car) is tiring, but the adrenaline and excitement we've been experiencing for the last three weeks keeps us going! We are very thankful that we arrived safely, and all five pieces of luggage made it too. There's always a chance when the airlines change your flight, and especially when you switch airlines, that your luggage won't make it. God is definitley looking out for us!

It is a gray day in Vinita, and the thunderstorms will be with us throughout the day. Tim is a wonderful husband for many reasons, but today it's because he remembered to pack an umbrella! We will be meeting Cammi and many of her family members tonight at Chili's Restaurant, and I appreciate that I will not look like a drowned rat! Samantha plans to swim in the hotel's indoor pool, and Tim and I are just going to relax and catch up on some sleep before Kara is born .

We appreciate everyone's wonderful support and prayers during this exciting journey. Tomorrow is the BIG day! The C-Section is scheduled for noon CST, which is 1 pm in WV. Please help us flood heaven with prayers for Cammi and baby Kara's health and well-being! We love you all!

The joy of flying!

We left our house at 5:45 am this morning to drive to Dulles Airport for a 9:30 am flight. We found out at 9:20 that the flight was cancelled by American! We now get to hang out at the airport until our Northwest flight at 4:17 this afternoon~fun, fun. We are connecting in Detroit and are supposed to arrive in Tulsa around 8:30 tonight. Thankfully we planned the trip to arrive a day earlier than was necessary. We just hope and pray that nothing like this happens on the return flight to WV, when we will have a new addition to our family with us!

Pictures of the nursery!

Making Plans for Oklahoma

We found out 12 days ago (while on vacation in Destin, FL) that we were chosen by a birthmother--Cammi--in Oklahoma! She is due to deliver a baby girl by C-Section on July 13th! Samantha cannot wait to become a big sister! We can't believe that we will get to meet the sweet baby girl, Cammi has chosen for us to love and parent--our new daughter-- in 13 days! Her name will be Kara Anne--hence the name of this blog. We have been very busy making arrangements to go to Oklahoma. We are flying in to Tulsa, OK on American Airlines on July 11th, and plan to take Cammi and her family out to dinner on the 12th. We are really looking forward to meeting all of them! We have reservations in Vinita, OK at the Holiday Inn Express for the first six days. Then we'll be off to Candlewood Suites in Tulsa for the next week. Our return flight isn't scheduled until August 1st, but we're hoping and praying that everything will go smoothly (and quicker) and we'll be able to return to our home in WV sooner! Please check back regularly (especially after Kara's birth) for updates and pictures!