Getting Carter

Carter Ellis Lyman - born: July 14, 2009 4lb 14oz to Jamie (to whom we are so grateful!); born in our hearts July 22, 2009

Las Vegas, Nevada

Carter is an answer to many, many prayers and we are so overjoyed to have him in our family!! (this photo is our first sight of him)

I will quickly bullet point the chain of events that lead us to our sudden departure for Las Vegas:

February 26 - Joanna Pope gave me the name of an adoption consultant (unsolicited)

February 27 - Christina Crays gave me the name of the same consultant (unsolicited!) - Maybe God is leading us to Domestic Adoption!

Early April after lots of prayer and discussion, we decide to update our home study - we fill out lots of paperwork and start saving funds! God unexpectedly provided extra from the check that came the day after we decided to do our paperwork to another check from my Grandmother that would cover a nice amount of the cost. I think she's smiling from Heaven!

April 26 - We met with the home study agent at our home.

June 15 - We had our home study and profile book ready to be shown to birth mothers!

July 19 - John and I prayed for encouragement that we were on the right path in the adoption process (Parker is at the lake for the week with Nanannette & Grandpa Marvin),

July 20 - We found out about a baby boy already born in Nevada and wait all evening for the information

July 21 - We finally find the information in the AM and spend all day getting hospital and doctor information on this precious baby. At 7:30pm we talk to the care giver and the choice is made - we call the agency and say "this baby is ours!" We stopped at the store to buy some premie clothes for the baby and rushed home to check and double check paperwork and book flights. We said 'when' about 12:30 AM

July 22 - Up around 6:00am back at packing, making arrangements for animals and the house. Friends stopped what they are doing to help us out with items we need to buy, dropping things at the house, even stopping by to switch baby laundry to the dryer! We left home at 2:17 and MADE a 4:00 flight in Atlanta where the parking decks all said FULL! We landed in Vegas at 5:17 and had our baby in our arms by 6:30. All of our paperwork was there! We left the agency around 8:30, stop at Wal-Mart for supplies and go check in at the hotel. WHAT JUST HAPPENED??

July 23 - We had a good night! Very regular feedings and sleeping! Before anything else, we called Parker to check in. We put him on speaker phone and Carter was turning his head and eye's looking for Parker's voice. Parker was thinking of a book he had been reading "Double Fudge" which has two brothers six years apart in age. He said "hold on one second please," and Marvin said he started running around the house looking for something. He came back to the phone with that book and read and read some fun parts of the story about the brothers! I was just sitting there crying! We went downstairs to grab breakfast and take a deep breath. We had a little set back in that our check wasn't in Washington yet. We were told that our paperwork would have to wait another day but we received grace and were told that if Dee looked at the check to verify it, that she would be able to mail our package to Nevada. Dee said, that never happens!! We talked to Parker about 5 times that day and he usually doesn't have time for us. At one point he said, "We've decided on the name right?" Parker had chosen the name Carter a couple of months ago. Coming home from seeing Dee and buying groceries, we found out that Parker was on his way to the ER with the fish hook in his nose! :) He was a trouper and it turned out fine!

July 24 - We took little Carter to the Hoover Dam - can't let him leave without seeing the major sights! On the way back, we got a call that we needed two references because two of them weren't what they needed. We made three phone calls, had three references electronically within 15 minutes and had them emailed off to Dee. Technology was a HUGE blessing that day!

July 25 - We took Carter out for breakfast at Peppermill at the Riviera - this was evidently the choice spot for Frank Sanatra, Dean Martin and rat pack. We headed to the airport and by wrong turn ended up at the airport instead of Babies r Us where John wanted to take us before getting on the plane. In reality, there was no time for him to stop with us - he would have missed his plane! After dropping a very nervous (about leaving us) Daddy off at the airport, Carter and I did a little shopping and then settled into the hotel for the evening. John set us up so nicely - we are very comfortable!