{OuR BirTh sTorY} - REPOST with PICS

***Not sure why my 1st post didn't show all the pics....so here it is again with pics***

This  is a very long winded post......mostly for scrapbooking/journal  purposes......so go ahead and just skip down to the pics!!!!!  But this  is our "birth story"......and no, you don't have to "give birth" to have  a "birth story"!

When Jeremiah and I first got married, we talked about how many kids  we  would have.  I came from a family with 2 kids....he came from a  family  with 4 kids.  We decided that 3 would be our lucky in between   number.....I was positive that I wanted more than 2 kids.  I always   wanted a sister and I am sure my brother wished I was a boy....we were   also 5 years apart, so when we were young, we spent more time hating   each other than we did playing with each other.  I knew that I wanted my   own kids closer in age and thought with more than 2, they were bound  to  be friends!!  When we realized that we were going to be dealing with   infertility problems, we realized we were going to be lucky to even  have  1!!!

After Zoe was born, we realized how blessed we were.....we had not only  been blessed with a little boy, but also a little girl!  One of each!!!   And they were close in age......so they were bound to grow up to be  friends!  :)  We were blessed!  Jeremiah was convinced (and tried his  hardest to convince me) that we were done.  We were convinced.  We were  done.  We sold everything that had to do with a baby.  We were lucky to  have 2.  We were lucky to have 2 that were healthy.  We were lucky to  have 2 that were adorable.  We realized how nice it was to have kids  that were growing up and becoming independent.  And then we realized  that we had kids that were growing up and becoming independent.......I  realized I missed the baby stages.  Although we were convinced we were  done, the "2 kid" thing was always in the back of my head.....remember, I  always said I didn't want only 2 kids!?!?!!?

On a hot July afternoon, I took the kids to Golden Spoon for a frozen  yogurt snack.  We were having a regular conversation about meaningless  things when out of the blue, Zoe asked "Mommy, why did you and Daddy  only want 2 kids?"  I told her that we were so lucky to have 2  kids....and we loved having a boy and a girl!  She said she wanted 1  more baby in our family....a girl of course!  Ayden then chimed in and  said he wanted more babies in our family....a boy AND a girl!  Then I had to remind them that "Mommy can't have babies in her tummy and if we wanted another baby in our family, we would have to find another birthmom like Crystal or Lydia that has a baby in her tummy and wants to let the baby be in our family."   They then suggested that we ask my good friend Angela to have a baby  for us!! HAHA!!  I thought that was funny....if only it was just that  easy, right?!?!?  Well, now that I look back, they obviously knew  something that we didn't.....and that conversation was needed to get  that baby hunger feeling embedded in my head which was necessary for  what was about to come in the following months! 

Quickly after that conversation with the kids, I starting getting a baby  itch.  What???  "A baby itch....but I thought we were done!?!?!"  Yes,  those were Jeremiah's exact words to me when I told him I thought we  should have another baby.  I couldn't really explain myself.....all I  could do was tell him "I just have the feeling we should have another"!   I can't really explain it any other way.....it was a feeling I  had.....a VERY strong feeling.....an URGENT feeling.....the kind of  urgent where if you don't do something about it is going to eat away at  your insides!  It was a feeling that I recognized and had had twice  before.....once when we were getting ready to adopt Ayden and again when  we were getting ready to adopt Zoe.  I can't explain it......if you  have been through adoption before, you probably know exactly what I am  talking about and if you haven't, you probably have no idea!  So I knew  that this feeling had to mean something and it wasn't something I could  just let pass up.  In fact, I had just been talking to a friend from  church the week before who was struggling getting pregnant and  considering adoption....I told her to pay attention to that "urgent"  feeling....cuz that feeling usually means that there is a birthmom out  there somewhere that might be thinking about adoption and that baby  might be the one meant to come to her family!  Who knew that I was  really doing self talk with myself.....teaching myself a lesson on  paying attention to that urgent feeling that I was going to feel very  soon myself!

It took me a while (well, only a few nights of keeping him up past his  bedtime telling him all the reasons it would be great to have another  baby), but I was finally able to convince Jeremiah that we were indeed  meant to be a family of 5!!  We decided that we would turn in our  adoption papers at the beginning of the year....in January or February.   We thought for a minute......and it was a very short minute......about  maybe trying IVF again.  And then we remembered what a nightmare roller  coaster that was and decided against it.  I also had a really strong  feeling that there was another baby out there that we were supposed to  adopt!  Not only that, but another birthmom out there that we were  supposed to fall in love with!  We have had the GREATEST experience with  both of our adoptions.....we have loved both of our birthmoms......and  the thought of another one being out there gave me the chills!!  I  remembered the emotions that exist with adoption and the ups and downs  and the chance that you may not get to bring home the baby that you  thought was meant for your family.....all of a sudden, that was all very  clear in my hand.....so clear that I remembered it like it was just  yesterday.  I knew there was that risk, I knew it would be a roller  coaster of emotions, but I KNEW without a doubt that I wanted to  experience that all over again!!


Although we decided that we should wait til early next year to turn in  our adoption papers, I couldn't get this "urgent" feeling out of my  mind.  Patience has never been one of my strengths.......so again, this  was a test!!  My mind was consumed by baby thoughts.....I was obsessed  with the idea.....it drove me nuts 24/7!!  :)  And January felt so far  away!!!!


The next few things that happened all happened so fast that I don't even  know where to begin!  On September 12th (only about a month after I  convinced Jeremiah that #3 was a good idea), we got a call from an  amazing birthmom, Jayci that was 33 weeks pregnant.  We had met her  before and her parents were very good friends of ours.  That phone call  was one of the best phone calls I've had in my life!  She was officially  "picking us" to adopt her baby!!  For anyone that has never adopted,  that phone call is about as EXCITING and AMAZING as the moment you get a  positive pregnancy test!  I couldn't have been happier during that  phone call.  I was sitting at Ayden's soccer practice with Zoe.  When I  told her that she was going to be a big sister, she got the BIGGEST  smile on her face.  And after practice, when I told Ayden, he started  jumping up and down and screaming with excitement!  He kept yelling,  "We're gonna have a baby....we're gonna have a baby"!!!!  Needless to  say, we were all excited and it was a day of CELEBRATION!!   The next  night we were in the adoption agency's office starting the process!!   This was so much different than we had done before....with Ayden and  Zoe, we had decided to adopt, filled out our paperwork, turned it in,  waited and waited and waited to get approved......then waited and waited  and waited for a birthmom to pick us!  This time, we did everything  backwards.....we were picked first and had to get approved  quickly....very quickly because this baby was due so soon!!! 


The next day, Jeremiah took the day off work and we were starting the  process.....first step, 3,124 sets of fingerprints!!  HAHA!!  With our  first 2 adoptions, LDS Family Services always tells people to expect it  to take 3-6 months to fill out your paperwork and return it to the  agency....and then expect another couple months to get approved!!  With  Ayden and Zoe, I thought I was super fast....finishing everything in  about a month!  Well, that first day we started with this one was a  Wednesday and we were finished with EVERYTHING we had to do and  everything we had to fill out by the next Monday!!!  And the agency had  us approved about 2 short weeks after that!!  Wow....MIRACLE to say the  least!!  In fact, we have experienced miracles along the entire way with  this adoption.  This adoption has been one of the most spiritual  experiences I have ever had......some things are even too private to  share out loud.....but we have witnessed miracle after miracle!  And  because of that, I am even MORE convinced that this baby was meant to be  in our family! 


A little bit about our birthmom.  She is an amazing girl.  She is  strong.  She has unwavering faith.  She performed one of the most  unselfish acts that most of us can't even IMAGINE doing.....let alone  being strong enough to follow through with.  I love birthmoms.  There is something  special about them.  They are all amazing.  They all have stories.  They  all love their babies so much that they want to give them more than  they can give themselves.  With adoption, we are not only blessed to  have children that we can't have on our own, but we are blessed to have  birthmoms in our lives!  Lucky us!!  A double blessing!!  The first time  that Ayden and Zoe met Jayci, they loved her and were attached.  They  didn't need to warm up to her at all....it was love at first sight!!   Jeremiah and I both noticed a special bond that we have seen them have  with their own birthmoms.  It's funny how with adopted kids, not only do  they love their own birthmoms, but they love each others birthmoms.   Zoe and Ayden love each others birthmoms like their own.....and their  birthmoms are just as good to one as they are the other!!  So seeing  this bond that they INSTANTLY felt with Jayci was exciting and  refreshing!!  When they saw that Jayci had a baby in her tummy, they  immediately asked us if we could adopt her baby......Zoe even flat out  asked her one day!!  We couldn't believe it....we obviously didn't tell  her to do that, but she did and it was cute!  :)  Once again, she  obviously knew something that we all didn't know yet!  We have been  amazed over and over and over again throughout this experience at the  things that Ayden and Zoe have said......and all we can think to say is  "out of the mouths of babes"!!  AMAZING!!!


Now that we were "chosen" and approved, we spent the next couple weeks  getting to know Jayci more and getting our house ready to welcome a new  baby!!  Since we had sold and gotten rid of all of our baby stuff, we  really had nothing!!  I didn't want to buy EVERYTHING brand new since we  knew this was our last baby for sure!  Luckily we had friends that were  so nice and willing to let us borrow all their baby stuff....there were  only a few must haves that we had to buy ourselves!!  YAY!! 


So we were ready.....the crib was up, the car seat was installed, the  drawers were filled with clothes, formula was in the pantry, diapers and  wipes became part of our grocery list again and the infant car seat was  installed!!  And it's a good thing we were prepared!!  Jayci had a  pre-term labor scare at 34 weeks and started having regular contractions  at 37 weeks!!  So we knew this baby was coming soon!!  She had the baby  2 1/2 weeks early by C-section.....he weighed 6 lbs 11 oz and was 19 in  long!  I was able to go to the hospital the night he was born and see  him and Jayci!  He was perfect.....he was adorable!!  She was amazing  and I felt more love for her than I did when she picked us!   Seeing  Maddix, it was love at first sight.....the same feeling that I felt the  second that I saw Ayden and the second that I saw Zoe in the hospital!   It is a funny thing about adoption.....funny that when we were having  trouble getting pregnant and thinking about adopting that my #1 concern  with adoption was that I wouldn't be able to bond with a baby that I  didn't carry for 9 months.....and that we wouldn't feel like they were  meant to be "our" babies!  For the 3rd time in a row, we were proved  wrong!!  That couldn't be farther from the truth and we were in love!   Jayci was so sweet to let us come to the hospital and see him each day  that she was there!  The kids were so excited that they could FINALLY  meet their baby brother!!  It was such a neat thing to see them meet him  for the first time!  They were in love!  And the bond that they felt  towards him was instant as well!!  To them, he was already "brother",  even while still in Jayci's tummy!!


We were able to bring Maddix home from the hospital on Sunday, October  9th!  The kids couldn't wait for that day!  It was like the greatest  Christmas they had ever had....2 months early!  And it has only gotten better every day!   They are still in love.....we are all in love!  I think our love grows  more and more for him every day!  Ayden will randomly say at least 20  times a day....."I love baby Maddix......I am so glad that he is my  brother"!  I forgot what a great feeling it is to have a newborn in the  house again.  And this time, I feel like I am enjoying it 100%!!  When  Zoe was born, we came home to a 21 month old little boy as well....I had  2 babies to take care of....I was busy!  Life was definitely harder then!  Life is  good now.....I can sit on the couch all day and hold this sweet newborn  if I want!!  Yes, I still have 2 other kids to take care of, but at  least they play so well together and can keep each other company and  they are independent enough to get themselves dressed and fed and  bathed.......and they are both the greatest helpers ever....grabbing  diapers or wipes for Mommy.....or a binky or toy for Maddix!!  It has  only been 2 weeks, but #3 is definitely fun and easy so far!!  I am actually  enjoying getting up in the middle of the night.....sitting in the quiet  house feeding that little boy a bottle while I hold him close, stare at  him, think how lucky we are to have him, and thank my Heavenly Father  for ANOTHER great blessing!! 


He is the sweetest little boy with the sweetest little spirit!  He has  fit into our family since day 1!  He is calm....he hardly every  cries....he eats and poops like a champ....and he is already on a  schedule!!  I LOVE having 3 kids.....it's funny, but I really do feel  COMPLETE now!  I cannot imagine our lives as just a family of 4.  For  some reason, family of 5 seems to be ideal....it is perfect for us!  I  love having the 3 of them in the back of my car.  I love having the 5 of  us around the dinner table.  I love having 3 kids to tuck in at night.   He completes our family.....and that is such a good feeling!  We are so  blessed to have him in our family.  We are so very grateful to his  birthmom for sacrificing for us.  We can't wait to see him grow and  become best buddies with his brother and sister!  And I can't wait to  see him change and become his own little man.....he has changed so much  in 2 weeks, that it makes me excited to watch him develop over the  years!  We love you little Maddix!!


Here are loads of pictures from the first time we met the little guy!!   It's crazy to see how much he has already changed in just 2 weeks!!!!   


Meeting Mr. Maddix for the 1st time at about 10 pm on Thursday night....a couple hours after he was born! 




All cleaned up.....

 Ayden meeting Maddix for the first time.....

Zoe meeting Maddix for the first time...

 Entering the hospital.....bearing gifts for Jayci & Maddix.....

 Proud big brother and sister (even tho Zoe looks less than thrilled).....

I love those chubby cheeks!!  :)



Sunday afternoon......just getting home from the hospital with baby  Maddix!!  Ayden and Zoe were at home with Grandma Brenda and couldn't  wait for us to walk through the door!!!



And then the holding marathon began......we just couldn't get enough......







I'm so lucky to have 3 cute boys in my life.....





And I could just sit here.....forever.....just like this......

You gotta laugh when the binky is almost as big as the baby's face!!  :)



The Grandma's have done plenty of lovin' on baby Maddix!!  Grandma Brenda and Maddix......

 Grammy Con and Maddix......can you believe that I caught that smile on  camera?!?!?  Neither can I!!!  And can you believe that his dimples are  THAT big?!?!  Neither can I!!!  :)

 My mom came and stayed with us for almost 5 days......it was a GREAT  help!  She did everything.....washed bottles, put Ayden and Zoe to bed,  folded laundry, made dinners, and EVEN woke up in the night to help feed  Maddix!!  I'm so lucky to have her!!  

 Grammy Con reading Halloween books to all 3 babies.....

 As soon as we brought Maddix home, Zoe became "Mommy" to all her  babies!!  She almost always has a baby in her arms....feeds them, burps  them, rocks them.....she does it all!!  Baby Maddix is going to help her  become a great Mommy one day!!

Dang we are lucky that all 3 of these little ones are ours!!  Seriously.....what did we do to deserve such great kids?!?!?  



And if that smile alone doesn't say it all, then I will tell you that  they have been BEYOND happy!!  I thought Disneyland or toys made my kids  happy......I've learned that nothing hits that happy spot as much as a  newborn baby brother does!!!  LoVe!!!!



Check out those lashes....

 He absolutely LOVES his swing.....he would be content being in here  24/7!!  Ayden and Zoe loved this same swing too....we sold ours last  year and my parents bought us another one....greatest purchase EVER!!

First sponge bath....not too happy....





I love carseat pics.....can't ever seem to get enough of them....



Big sister checking to make sure everything is ok in there....  :)



So cute.....I love those perfect little lips!!





Another happy brother/sister moment.....







All conked out on Daddy's chest!!  Jeremiah and I secretly look forward  to bedtime when we can put Ayden and Zoe to bed and the house gets quiet  and we can have this cute little guy all to ourselves!!  :)





Ayden is such a good helper.....even wants to help changing diapers and feeding!!!  





We have definitely been cooped up at home more lately than we are used  to!!  Ayden and Zoe have had to get creative to pass the  time.....witches riding on a broomstick.....

 Ayden loves that his little brother picks him up at school every  day.....he shows him off to EVERYONE he sees!!  And he makes sure to  tell everyone that they "can just look, but no touching"!!  HAHA!

LOVE this picture SO MUCH!!!!



Our first "family of 5" picture!!!!  To me, this picture spells.....C-O-M-P-L-E-T-E!!!!



Just "hanging" out!!  Maddix loves being on his tummy!!!

 He fell asleep in the tub during his first "real" bath after his  umbilical cord fell off!!  Does that tell you what an easy and content  baby he is?!?!?

We're so lucky to have Jayci, Maddix's cute birthmom, living so close to  us for a couple more weeks before she moves to Utah!!  We have seen her  a couple times and love spending time with her!!  :)





Ayden, Jayci and Maddix....with Jayci's parents, Mark & Lori....

 Ayden and Zoe have accepted Mark & Lori into our family as their 3rd  set of grandparents!!  :)  They love them!!  Mark & Lori were  reading stories to the kids while we were visiting with Jayci....

Maddix and Grandma Lori....

Ayden, my bestest helper.....I love his face in this picture!!  The kid does NOT stop smiling when Maddix is within reach!!



Big boy...



Grammy Con came to stay for a couple nights again....we love her help and the kids love bedtime with Grammy around.....

 It's been a wOndeRfuL 2 weeks!!  We have enjoyed every minute of it!!  We are grateful!!