Eliana was born at 10:04 on Sunday June 26th, weighing 3lb 6oz and was 16 1/4 inches long. She is now in the NICU at Walnut Creek. As I heard the news it was time to start finding out the details.!!!
As I sit here at the Oakland Airport and reflect on the day it has been a whirlwind of an experience. I (Jim) arrive last night at the Hilton Concord, CA at 12am to get a little sleep before going to the hospital on Tuesday. It was an information gathering day. I talked to the birth mom (BM), her mom (GM for grandmother), the kids of the BM, the husband of the BM (HBM) the social worker of the hospital, the nurses, the doctor, the information desk, the insurance coverage people and others that I probably forgot. Adoptions are situations that be definition are not perfect, hence the fact that you won't meet the parents on the blog as it would be an invasion of privacy in a very important moment in their and our lives.
All of the family are wonderful people and we had a great time getting to know each other, discussing details of adoption, forms to fill out etc. I can't wait to go back and see them this weekend. God has really put this together in an amazing way and I hope to be able to articulate that over time.
Eliana is an energetic little 3lb 7oz baby. She moves and won't sit still. She will fit right in with Patrick. Because she is preterm there are a lot of hurdles to jump over but she is very healthy according to the doctors and should fare well. She is Jaundice right now but that happens to many full term babies so they have her under the blue light to help the situation. I took a picture and may share it but it doesn't look like much since her eyes are bandaged to protect them from the light. The light is not dangerous but annoying to little eyes. She has a loud cry, some big feat and hands and a head of black hair for now. They feed her 2ml of milk each 3 hours and the nurses take care of her in an amazing way. There is nothing more amazing to me right now than the NICU. A bunch of dedicated and very nice nurses in doctors looking after the ones that need their help the most.
We will see BM and the family this weekend and I think they will be involved in the process until Eliana is allowed to leave the hospital. They are very generous and I am sure Patrick will enjoy playing with their kids. It is odd how I can love a little girl so much already and I haven't even been able to hold her yet.
The estimate now is that Eliana will be in the hospital at least until July 30th and possible to the original due date which is August 29th. So if you don't find us in Southern California you can find us at Kaiser Walnut Creek.
The community of support is so important, through prayers, encouragement, help with other tasks etc. Vivian and I are thankful for you all. Whether on Facebook or on the blog take a moment and comment and share the experience with you.
Let the adventure continue
Jim
4 comments:
Jim and Vivian, I send so many blessing to you, Patrick and your new baby girl! My twins were born at 32 weeks and little Leah was in the NICU for 51 days. It was a long journey, but Eliana's behavior reminded me of Leah's because she was a fighter too. Her feisty nature will be her strength to get through the next few months. Take care!
Elisa
Wow, Jim...just saw a status on FB, and came to this -- I had no idea, and am glad to know so that I can also send prayers for you all! What a beautiful entry...you have already noticed so much about your tiny, precious daughter. You SEE her already, and there are invaluable gifts that come with that ability -- for her, for you, and for your family as a whole. In addition to having you all in my prayers, I may be able to come visit in Walnut Creek at some point, as my boyfriend is working there currently, and I go over now and then. If I come over when you're still there, I'll let you know. Give Vivian big hugs for me, and keep being the amazing parents and people you are!
What a testimony to answered prayers. You know how touched I am personally by adoption. You are in wonderful hands at WC Kaiser they were one of my partners when I was with March of Dimes. Top of the line staff. Thank you for the blog so great to allow us to share the experience and how wonderful for Eliana and Patrick to read later in their lives.
Love, Stacey
What a journey! So encouraged by how God works in these situations. We will be praying for little Eliana, for the rest of the process to go as smoothly as possible and for our loving Father to be glorified through it all. Excited to read the updates. God has given her a wonderful family!
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