Cute pictures!

Today was the baby shower for my sister, Krista, who is due to have a baby boy on September 24th. Krista's sister-in-law, Lisa, and her mother-in-law, Lyn, were very thoughtful and brought gifts for Kara too. It was nice to be able to bring Kara to the shower, so that everyone could meet her in person. I think she enjoyed all of the attention. :-) These pictures were taken this evening after we arrived back home. The blanket over Kara is from Lisa. It says 'Love Bug', and is so adorable--just like our Kara!

Kara is 2 weeks old today!

These pictures were taken today. Tim and I like the one where Kara is sticking out her tongue! Maybe she's sick of having her picture taken? Well, she better get used to it, because we don't intend to stop anytime soon!

It's so hard to believe that our beautiful Kara is already two weeks old! On one hand, it seems like Kara has always been a part of our family, and on the other it feels like just yesterday that we were able to hold her for the first time! Our family of four feels just perfect together.

First Day at Home

Our first full day at home was very nice. We spent time getting Kara accustomed to her new bedroom, crib, etc.... We took a trip to Wal-Mart to get groceries, because after being gone for two weeks, we had no food in the house. We also made a trip to Toys R Us to get a much needed diaper pail! :-) It's just feels great to be home, and we're still hoping and praying that Kara will sleep more as the days go by--which means we will get to sleep more!

Yea...we're home!!!

It is wonderful to be home! The plane trip from Oklahoma went very well. Thank goodness it was nothing like our trip to Oklahoma. Kara was just great as a first-time flier! She is eating like a trooper these days, and didn't have any ear problems on take-off or descent. We want to thank everyone we met and developed friendships with in Oklahoma for making the past two weeks an amazing experience that we will always treasure. We will post more pictures tomorrow! It's time to try to catch up on some sleep!

Our Last Night in OK!

Tonight we had dinner with Cammi's mother, Micara, her stepfather, Daniel, and her sister, Codie. The cute pictures above were taken by one of them and emailed to us. The second picture is Cammi's sister, Codie. We spent a couple of hours talking, eating, and taking lots of pictures of one of another...with Kara, of course! Unfortunately, Cammi could not be there because she is still recuperating at her grandmother's home in TX. Kathy talked with Cammi on the phone today to tell her that we are finally able to return home to WV. Cammi was very happy for all of us, and wished us a safe trip. Cammi is feeling good these days and anxious to get back to OK. I'm sure we will see Cammi and her family when we return to OK in 6 months for the finalization. She is such a wonderful person, and we feel very fortunate and blessed to have gotten to know her and her terrific family. Kathy plans to put together an album of pictures of Cammi and her family for Kara to look at as she gets older. Kara will always know what a big heart her birthmother, Cammi, and her birthfamily, has in OK!

Good News!

Hi Everyone! Kara had another doctor appointment today, and she is doing great! The nurse said she gained approximately 12 ounces in weight, her head circumference is larger, and she is about 1/2 inch longer in length! Dr. Kohl says Kara is progressing wonderfully!

The other great news is that we were told today that ICPC in WV has approved us to go home! We are leaving tomorrow on a 7:25 am flight. The downside is that we fly into National Airport, instead of Dulles (where our car is parked). :-( Thankfully, Samantha and Kara's Nana & Papa Hennessey, are meeting us at National and taking us back to Dulles. They wanted to see their new granddaughter anyways! We are hoping to be home in Martinsburg around 5 pm.

We look forward to all of our friends and family coming to visit to meet Kara once we're home. FYI...afternoon visits would be easier for us and much appreciated. Just call and let us know if you want to come over!

Kara on Monday Morning!

Sorry we didn't put up any pictures of Kara on Sunday. Here are a couple that Kathy took this morning. Kara is just relaxing on Kathy & Tim's bed after a night of many feedings! Does her face look fuller to you? We think so!

A Great Day!

We are having another great day! We really loved LifeChurch's Tulsa Campus--it was awesome! The series is called "At the Movies 2007", and their concourse was filled with amazing creatures and outer space items from the movie 'Star Wars'! Hans Solo's spaceship was hanging from the ceiling, and there was a huge tree (floor to ceiling) with vines hanging from it, where the ewoks lived! We were pretty much in awe of everything...it's a wonder that people didn't notice our big eyes and open mouths, as we were checking it all out! :-) The church has done a great job of creating a very inviting and exciting environment--especially for children. We went to check out the children's classrooms, because what we saw online was really cool. It was just as cool in person! I'm sure if we were living in Tulsa, or near one of their other many campus' (in OK, TX, AZ, NY or FL), we would definitely be going to LifeChurch. The message by Senior Pastor Craig Groeschel was terrific, and I'm so glad we decided to take the opportunity to go see him speak. Kara didn't make it through the whole service, but we sat in the back, and I scooted out to the lobby to watch the message on one of the flat screens while Kara ate. The rest of us ate lunch at Olive Garden after church, which was yummy!

Please pray that we'll get good news tomorrow and be able to head home to WV!

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.