Update and pics of "little man"

These pictures are in no particular order. Mommy goofed when uploading the pictures. Aidan is doing great. We had a rough night last night but he has been a dream today.He is so much fun. We feel so blessed. Bonding has been very natural and easy. He is already a "mommy's boy".


Coming home from the hospital. His first car ride.
Pooh Feet!
They made me ride in a wheel chair from the hospital room to the car. All patients have to exit the hospital via "a chariot". Since Aidan is a patient I got to ride for free! It felt a little weird.
This is his "going home" outfit. His newborn clothes barely fit him.
Where did we go after we left the hospital? Chili's of course. This is his first meal out. He slept the entire time. What a good baby!
First time Clinton fed Aidan. He seems to take the best pictures when he is with dad!
Aidan and his Nana.
Aidan and Mama.
Sweet Feet!
First bath in the hospital

It's Official!!!

At 6:15pm Pacific Daylight Time Aidan Kai officially became a Swaine. The birth mother had signed off the paperwork over an hour earlier and after being briefed and given all the information we signed the paperwork (after reading to see what we are really in for!!!) We are in the process of getting hospital release and will be taking him back to our hotel room this evening. We are not able to get him across the state border legally for another five business days so we will be waiting for some more days for paperwork however he is complete as a Swaine.

More news to come............

Pappa Swaine signing off.

Such a cutie pie!

Daddy met Aidan for the first time last night and I have to say that Aidan Loves his dad. As soon as he got there at midnight Aidan decided to wake up for the day. He was being very animated and smiling. I was able to get a great shot of him.The nurses put us in a room so we could stay with him. He decided that he would be a very good eater last night and was up every 2 hours. This morning he was so hungry that I gave him 2 of the newborn bottles ( 4 ozs)! That is a lot considering he would only take 1/2 ounce at a time after her was born. BM is terminating her rights at 5:00 this evening and we sign our paperwork at 6:00. Please pray that everything goes well. I am already soooo in love with this little guy.

Aidan Kai has arrived!

07/27/07 is a great day to have a birthday! Aidan Kai was born at 4:15 this afternoon. He weighed 8 lbs 11ozs and is 20 inches long. He has the cutest chubbiest cheeks and lots of brown hair! He is soooooo precious. Lisa is doing well. She was having a hard time during the labor and decided not to have me in the room. I can't say that I blame her. I was really having doubts this afternoon as to whether she would change her mind.However, as soon as I saw her and Aidan I felt much better. She wanted me to be the first one to feed him. I spent about 5 hours with him in the nursery. I got to see them do his hearing screening and his first bath. Unfortunately I won't be able to post any pics until Sunday night when Clinto gets here. I will post again tomorrow night.

nothing yet

Just a quick post to let everyone know that there is no news yet. Aidan is now 3 days overdue. The waiting is driving me a little crazy. Of course I am going through the natural anxiety of "I hope she doesn't change her mind". Clinton left yesterday to get some work done so he can return Sunday night after his event is over. I have an appointment tomorrow to have someone inspect our carseat to ensure it is installed correctly and then I pick my mom up from the airport. Things will be much better once she is here ( moms always make things better!) As always I will continue to trust in God and know that everything will work out the way it is meant to be.

Tonight I think I will get started on Aidan's Lifebook. For those of you not familiar with adoption, a Lifebook is a book created for the child. It is written in simple words so the child can read it at a young age. It basically will be all about Aidan with much of it being about his birthmother and how he will come to be with us. This will let him know a little about his "roots" so he does not have to "fantasize" or make things up about where he came from and his birthparents ( as many adopted children do). We will talk about adoption to Aidan from the time he is born, so there is no "big day" when he discovers he is adopted. It will just be a natural part of his life.

Well Clinton took the computer and I am using the one in the business center and my 20 minutes is up. I will post as soon as we hear anything. Please continue to pray for all of us.

We are in Las Vegas and we met the BM

We have arrived in Las Vegas and we had lunch with Lisa and her mom yesterday. She seems to be a very outgoing girl. They are both very nice and friendly. I can tell that Lisa loves her child and wants him to have a good life which she is not in the position to provide right now. I am finding adoption to be more amazing every day. God knows what he is doing. Already I can tell that I could not love this child more if I were giving birth to him. I know the day he is born will be filled with all different emotions including sadness for Lisa.

I got some really good information about her yesterday -favorite colors, things she enjoyed as a child, hobbies, favorite foods, etc.. for the Lifebook I will be creating for Aidan.

Lisa now thinks that she will not be going into labor anytime soon, so we might be here awhile. I can tell you that I am filled with anticipation, nervousness, and excitement. We went to see Harry Potter last night and the only thing I could think about was " I want Aidan to be here!"
Today I will find things to keep myself busy. We bought some more baby gear - warmer blankets and more long sleepers ( you are right Suzanne this hotel is very cold!) I am going to see if I can find a Laundrymat somewhere near by so I can make sure it is all clean and snuggly. I will also probably go to the mall ( shopping always keeps my mind occupied). Perhaps Clinton and I will even go out for an exra special dinner tonight! We might as well enjoy Vegas while we are here!

I found a picture of the pirate gear.

I just a found a picture of all the "stuff" that I ordered.

2 horses

Clinton made it safe and sound from Houston and we are getting all packed for our trip to Vegas in the morning. It is hard to believe that if it is God's will that we will leave here as 2 and return as 3! We are sooo excited! Everything is coming together as far as Aidan's room. Oh yeah. I forgot to mention that his name will be Aidan Kai ! I picked up his dresser yesterday and we have a friend coming over this afternoon to help Clinton carry it up 2 flights of stairs. I have decided that he will stay in our room for at least the first 3 months. His dresser, bassinet, and a rocking chair will be upstairs in our bedroom. I will leave the full size bed ( for the sake of the grandma's that will be visiting!), his crib, and his glider in his room for the moment. In a few months we will move the bed out and move his dresser into his room.

I talked with the birthmom yesterday and everything is going fine. She is very excited to meet with us face to face. We will take her out to dinner tomorrow night. We have made reservations at a hotel that is 5 minutes away from the hospital where she will be giving birth. Who knows when she will give birth as we all know that babies have their own time table. My plan is to stay put until she gives birth. Unfortunately Clinton has an event next weekend that he cannot cancel ( people are coming from all over the US and Canada and already have plane/hotel reservations). He will be leaving Vegas on Thursday and returning on Monday if need be. The good news is that my mom is flying into Vegas on Thursday ( to help me with the baby and/or be there with me as we wait for her to give birth). I am sure that everything will end up working itself out. I believe that God has a master plan and everything will work out the way it is supposed to!



Here are a few pics to enjoy. I will give one of these horses to the BM and one to Aidan Kai!
Aidan is truly "a dream come true". This sign is over his closet.

Here is the crib that Clinton and I just assembled this morning. His pirate themed nursery gear still hasn't arrived.

My next post will be from Vegas!

Going to Vegas on Saturday ( or before)

I just wanted to report that there is still no action. I looked at Clinton's schedule wrong and he is going to be in Houston tomorrow and Thursday (luckily it is just an overnight trip!) We talked to our attorney today and he said for us to plan on being in Las Vegas for a week. This means we will have a newborn in a hotel room for several days. Our plan is to drive to Vegas Saturday morning ( if she hasn't gone into labor by then).This will give Clinton and I a chance to have a "mini-vacation" in Vegas while it is just the 2 of us and to give us a chance to meet Lisa face to face before the birth. We will be sure to take our computer and camera so we can post pictures.

I think I have just about everything we will need. I purchased a moses basket today. I think I will take that instead of the bassinet for him to sleep in the hotel. Does anyone know of those "must have" items that I will need in the hotel? I plan on taking an electric bottle warmer, bottles, diapering items, bathing items, clothes, baby tylenol, blankets, onesies, boppy pillow etc.. I would love any suggestions, especially from those Guatemamas that I know have spent lots of time in a hotel room with their babes.

Busy Weekend

It has been a busy weekend. On Friday Clinton and I woke up at 3:30 AM and drove to San Diego for his Sales Course he is teaching this weekend. I decided to help him after all with set up and registration but was back in Newport by noon. I have been working on lots of different "projects" this weekend. I painted the nursery, made a couple of different decorations for the nursery - including a name plaque -( I will announce the name later) , set up the changing table area in our bedroom, and did some more shopping for some necessities. I also began packing for our trip to Las Vegas. Suzanne, a fellow Marshall University alumna gave me a bunch of great clothes today. I am beginning to feel less stressed and more prepared. We got through this weekend without getting "the call". Clinton will be home late tonight and does not have to travel anymore for 2 weeks. Yeah! One other thing I did this weekend was buy a gift for the birth mother. I know that she loves horses so I bought 2 super soft stuffed horses. I will give one to her and let her know that the baby will have a matching one. I am also considering buying her a locket. What do you think?

Tomorrow we have to go pick up the crib, changing table, and glider. The dresser will arrive on Thursday or Friday. I will post pictures of the nursery later once we get the furniture assembled. Only 7 more days until the due date!

We talked to the Birth Mother

Boy has it been hectic around here for the past 24 hours. I have been busy doing some heavy duty shopping and we have another house full of people getting ready for Clilnton's event this weekend. I was supposed to go but now I am staying home to paint the nursery! I was able to purchase a crib, dresser, glider, changing table, stroller, and many odds and ends today. We are going with a pirate theme in the nursery. They aren't mean pirates but very cute looking pirates. I am not sure what color to paint the walls but I would like to do a big mural on one of them with the ocean, sky, palm tree, etc... Clinton also did some shopping while I was out today and purchased a little Lakers basketball outfit ( it is sooo cute, but he probably won't be able to wear it until he is 3 or so.)

Now for the big news.... Clinton and I spoke to Lisa today (BM). She sounded very nice. I let Clinton woo her with his accent. I asked her if she was sure about her decision and she answered with a definite yes. I asked her if we could be present at the birth and she said yes. She said that she thinks the baby will be big and when she had the ultrasound he had very long legs ( the birth father is 6'3 -6'5). Clinton is very excited about this as he will have a basketball buddy! Lisa said that she has not been feeling well for the past couple of days. I think the birth will be very soon. Hopefully she will not go into labor this weekend because I don't know what we would do! I guess I would drive to Vegas and Clinton would fly there Sunday evening. I really hope this does not happen because I want both of us to be there for the birth. So please continue to pray for us.

She picked us!

I am going to be a mama in about 11 days! I can't believe it! She picked us! I am soooooo excited right now. I have been crying for the past 30 minutes ( although I am sure this is just the beginning). I now have a new frame of reference for the saying "so much to do and so little time". Let's see... I have to find a pediatrician, plan and purchase an entire nursery, clean out the room that is going to be the nursery, clean the house from top to bottom, pack, and so much more I can't even think of right now. With God's will this adoption will proceed without any hitches and we will be the parents to this baby boy. So much to do. gotta run.

For some reason I have not been able to put a title for my blog entry. Oh well. We received an e-mail this afternoon from our attorneys office. They let us know that they overnighted our resume to the BM and confirmed that she did receive it. She does not get off of work until later tonight. She will review it this evening and then give our attorney a call tomorrow morning. They also included a picture of the BM! I have to say that this is more info. than we have ever received before. For some reason I have a very good feeling about this baby. I am very excited but very calm. Usually I am a nervous wreck for days waiting to hear something. Today I have been very calm and peaceful. This time it is Clinton who is a wreck! He was running errands all day today and kept calling me to see if there was any news. He is finding it hard to contain himself!

The BM lives in Las Vegas and plans on giving birth there.This will make the adoption a little trickier ( more parties involved). She is due in 12 days! I got my car serviced today just in case we have to make a road trip. Yeah! Vegas Baby!!!!

I just got off the phone with our attorney. We have a possible birthmom! Of course we will be one of the three resumes that he sends for her to review, so at this point it is just a possibility. The baby is a boy and is due July 22 ( in 2 weeks!) I have a different feeling about this one so I am staying optimistic. However, I am totally surrendering and putting it in God's hands. Please pray for us.

100 things about me- 100-75

100 things about me. Just for fun.

100.My favorite colors are purple and orange
99.I am an only child
98.I grew up in southern West Virginia
97.I love the ocean
96.I have jumped out of an airplane
95.I love to white water raft
94. I love whales and dolphins
93.I have lived in West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, and now California
92.I once thought about moving to Alaska before I met Clinton but decided I didn't like snow that much.
91.I wanted to become a marine biologist when I was a little girl ( really a dolphin or whale trainer)
90. I stink at science so I didn't become a marine biologist.
89. Although I enjoy camping- I couldn't do any "real camping" for any length of time. I must have a bathroom and shower.
88.I love shopping especially with my mom
87.I really love buying purses and shoes.
86.I "just don't feel right" if my outfit is not coordinated.
85.I am mom to one amazing Lhasa Apso named Annabelle
84. I have owned 5 dogs throughout my life - Boxcar, Charlie, Buttons, R.P., and Annabelle
83.I owned 1 cat and I am embarassed to say that I can't remember her name.
82.I have never been much of a cat lover.
81.I have only been fired once and that was from my first job at the age of 15. I was a receptionist at a beauty salon. I don't think I was mature enough to handle all the responsibility.
80.In high school I had a job piercing ears at Claires.
79.In college I got a summer job working at an amusement park in Charlotte N.C.
78.In college I moved to Myrtle Beach S.C. for the summer to work. I lived with 8 other girls.
77.I am a member of Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority.
76.I graduated from Marshall University in 1994
75.People who have dogs that lack social skills drive me crazy.

74-50 more things about me still to come. Stay tuned....

I still feel my heart being pulled towards Guatemala. I find myself checking the Guatadopt website nearly every day. Maybe it is because there seems to be so much support within the Guatemalan adoption community- something I feel I really need right now. I just love reading the posts on the other Guatemama blogs ( actually with time off of work I am getting a little obsessed with them). As of yet I haven't found any blogs of people adopting domestically. I have found a few but they already have their children home. It's nice to have someone who is experiencing the same frustrations as you. If only we had the resources to pursue the adoptions from Guatemala and from the good 'ole USA. WPA still has a big chunk of our money and will keep our file open for another 1 1/2 years. It is hard to say what will happen with the Guatemalan adoptions- things don't seem to be to promising. It seems they might stop adoptions from Guatemala in December. Who knows how long it will take to find a birth mother-technically it could be another 1 1/2 to 2 years. UGGHH! I am just having a case of the adoption blues today.

Fireworks and Southern Dawgs

For the 4th of July we were supposed to go hiking but had a change of plans. Instead we invited some friends over for a swim and barbecue. Kalisto and her mom came over. We had such a great time playing in the pool. We then went to our friends parents house -the Milunas' to watch the fireworks. We got the chance to babysit Kalisto for a couple of hours. It was so fun.


Mr. Milunas made these cookies for Kalisto ( he is such a nice man). She was very nice and shared them. She loved them so much that she closed her eyes so she could really enjoy them. She is such a character!

Kalisto kept me company while I was getting ready to watch the fireworks. She decided that she loved my headband so I promptly found another one that matched her shirt. I fixed her hair and gave her a "Kelley Makeover" ( as Clinton called it). So below is me and mini me!

This is the cake I made for the 4th using angel food cake, cool whip, blueberries, and strawberries.yum!

Mr. and Mrs. Milunas are originally from North Carolina. They are fellow "'good Southern Folk". They served Southern Dawgs. This is how you make a Southern Dawg North Carolina Style!

Clinton and Kalisto. She just loooooves him. She stayed snuggled up with him all night.

The view was beautiful from the Milunas' house. Their back deck overlooks the ocean. We were able to see the fireworks from 3 different coastal towns. What a great night.
What a wonderful 4th of July! Spending time with Kalisto has really gotten me in "mommy mode". Hopefully we will find a brithmom soon...