Our Goodbyes to Colby

The next day in the hospital was full of different emotions. We all joyfully welcomed little Colby the day before but this day we would have to say goodbye to him forever. That morning we all passed him around looking at him, wondering what was in his future, what his life was going to be like.

Amanda's family left early in the day and had one last moment with their grandson.



Lisa hugged Colby's new mama, and thanked her for taking care of her grandson.


The rest of the day we took it all in. Shea was amazed that he was holding Ricky's baby.

but taking it in was hard........


Colby was so alert and stared at Amanda.



Ricky and Amanda held him for the rest of the day.

They played with him and talked to him, and he knew their voices.



achooooo!

(I know that really doesnt fit in with context, but it was too cute)

Ricky and Amanda made it official that afternoon and signed the paper to give him to Daniel and Bonnie. This was a great relief for his new parents but the hardest part was still to come for his birth parents.

Ricky and Amanda asked to be alone with their son one last time and we all left the room.

We all cried those last moments in that room. Signing the papers and doing what was right for their son wasnt nearly as heavy as telling him goodbye was.
I believe that they made the best decision for their son. I know that neither one of them will ever experience greater pain than they did that day that they kissed him for the last time.

But I know that the love they have for that little boy out weighs that pain. It was love for him that lead to this painful decision and it was unselfish love.



I dont know if Ricky will ever know how proud I am of him. As his big sister, I still cant keep from crying when I speak or write about how proud I am of my little brother. He broke the mold in doing what he did for his son. He chose the hard path....the painful one and instead of doing what would feel good to him and taking a "shot" at fatherhood he chose to walk through the pain of that goodbye so that Colby Daniel would have a life full of love with parents that are ready for parenthood.

Ricky, I am honored to be your sister.
One day we will be in a hospital room and you will being holding a brand new baby and that day will be your day. You will not leave empty handed with a tear stained face. You willl be father and you will be ready to be one.
I pray that Colby will thank you both oneday for choosing this path for him, for taking the road less travled. I pray that he will know that telling him goodbye was the hardest thing you ever had to do but you did it because you loved him so much.

We all love you Colby. We will think of you often.

The Day of Colby's Birth

I have wanted to sit down and put my thoughts from this day down for several days, but I have so many thoughts and emotions that it is hard to know where to begin.
The story began unfolding 9 months ago when two young people made a choice that would change their lives and the lives of another family forever. One of those young people was my little brother Ricky. Through tears, he and Amanda made the tough decision to take the road less traveled and instead of being parents when they were not ready they decided to find a family that is already ready. This process wasn't easy. And these two people had to make a very grown up decision and choose a family for their son.
On April 14th the family that would be chosen entered the picture. They put their hearts on the line and said yes to God and yes to being candidates. Within days they dropped everything and made their way to Charleston. They were vulnerable and already so in love this little boy that was still being formed. They submitted their desires to the Father. The next 2 weeks were agonizing for them as they waited, not knowing if this baby that they already loved so deeply would be theirs. On May 3rd they got their answer.....he was theirs!

Throughout this journey we witnessed the hand of God as He made the impossible possible. We saw Him answer prayers and overturn court decisions.

Amanda's due date was moved up from July 5th to June 29th and we hoped that he would come that day but he chose a very cool birthday instead, July 4th.

July 4, 2011 is a day I will never forget. I found out early that morning that Amanda was in the hospital with contractions. Later that morning I got the call that she would be induced. Daniel and Bonnie were only 3 hours away and we prayed and prayed that they would be there to see their son come into the world. And even though Amanda up until this point had been moving along in labor at a rapid pace, prayers were answered and she stayed 4cm until Daniel and Bonnie arrived.

Bonnie rushed to get to Amanda's room and see how much longer it would be.


They watched the monitors, anxiously. We all could tell that they were so nervous.


Then the time came to push.


And 45 mintues later Colby Daniel Hoover entered our lives.


And he was loved instantly.

The first time I saw him he was in Bonnie's arms as she rocked next to Amanda's bed.

He was beautful. I had a hard time not crying when Bonnie handed him to me and asked if I wanted to hold my nephew.


The day he was born was so joyful. It was amazing to see him of course but also to see how much Ricky and Amanda loved him and to see the work of the Lord as Colby was handed over to Bonnie and Daniel.


We all stood outside of the nursery and watched them as they had their first moments alone with their son.




We talked about how beautiful he was and how happy they looked with him and we all took in the reality that he was theirs.

And even though we were sad in a way for us, we were so happy for them. We were all happy to see how happy he made them.


to be continued..................................

motown under the moon

Motown under the under moon

enjoying some Myma time

William has discovered BUBBLES! He loves them!




But hasnt quite figured out how they work.




William and Dianne

I didnt get ANY pictures of the motown performers. But of course I got a ton of this little star.

He fell asleep in Myma's arms.

one BIG post!!!

Okay, I am not doing great with the 365 project. The hard work is not taking the photos but editing, and uploading them. I wish I could actually get one up everyday but it is almost impossible. So with this post I am going to do all of the recent ones at once.

Day 42 He fights sleep so hard! While eating, he constantly fights to sit up because he does not want to fall asleep. He refuses to play on his tummy if he is tired...because of course that could result in him falling asleep.
I know he will be out within minutes when he does this move. He has done this since he was tiny. I guess he has a flare for the dramatics.


Day 41


Day 40 Poppy's 60th Birthday.

Day 39


Day 38 I just love this picture! Watching Saturday football with Uncle Ricky.

Day 13

a sweet moment with Ricky and William