Baby Beethoven

Our friends, the Pattersons, just borrowed us a ton of new toys for Isaac!  One of his favorites is this toy piano.  He occupied himself with this toy piano for quite a long time yesterday!  I, of course, was thrilled!  I'm sure that he was thinking about composing a sonata when I snapped this picture....didn't Beethoven start composing around 7 months? 

Isaac had a big day yesterday!  Not only did he discover this toy piano, but he also sat behind it on his own for nearly 5 minutes without tipping over!  He hasn't been too interested in sitting lately; whenever we try to "practice" sitting, he straightens his legs and tries to stand.  He'd much rather stand and jump than sit!

Isaac also starting "rocking" back and forth on all fours yesterday!  Life's about to change pretty soon! 

Isaac: 7 Months

Isaac's new "accomplishments"

--Eating everything he can get his hands on!  His new favorite foods are Puffs and baby MumMums!  Isaac gets so excited when he sees me get the box of MumMums out of the cupboard.  (This might not be a good sign?)

--Rolling over & over & over & over....I think we need to put baby gates up soon!  When he's on his stomach, he's also pushing up and "scooting"...crawling is just around the corner!

Highlights of this month

--Gotcha Day!  On April 26, Isaac's legal name became Isaac David Rinn!  His adoption was finalized at the Bexar County Courthouse in San Antonio.  We've always known that Isaac is ours, but we're glad that the State of Texas now recognizes him as a Rinn, too!

--Moving to our new house!  I was surprised at how aware Isaac was of his new surroundings.  It seemed to take him several days to "adjust" to our new house.  His eyes still get huge every time we walk up & down the stairs!

--First trip to Minnesota and meeting Great-Grandma Dolores!  Isaac & I had a great visit to Minnesota, and he was a great traveler.  It was so special to me that my grandma got to meet Isaac!  I loved hearing her sing songs to him.

Happy 7 month birthday, Isaac!  We love you!

Mother's Day 2010

My heart couldn't have been more full this Mother's Day...it was my fourth Mother's Day, but the first with a baby in my arms.  For the past few years, Mother's Day has been one of the most difficult days of the year.  My heart ached to have a baby to hold....and Mother's Day was such a poignant reminder of what I didn't have in my arms.  In the past, Dave had always been so thoughtful to plan special getaways on Mother's Day weekend to take my mind off our infertility.  Last Mother's Day weekend, we had just been matched with Isaac's birthmother, so it was an especially sweet Mother's Day.  But, even that was nothing compared to having this precious baby in my arms this Mother's Day!

  On Sunday morning at church, our pastor, Brandon, prayed an incredible Mother's Day prayer.  He prayed for moms whose hearts rejoice on Mother's Day....for moms whose hearts are breaking because their children aren't following the Lord....and for women whose hearts are breaking because they desperately want a baby.  Dave & I were sitting next to our dear friends Mark & Corrie, & I think Corrie & I used half a box of Kleenex just during Brandon's prayer.  It was such a reminder of the pain I had felt so deeply that has now been replaced with such joy....but also a reminder that Mother's Day is still difficult day for many women, regardless of their circumstance.
I couldn't be more grateful for the gift of Isaac...Isaac is proof that God does make beauty from our ashes (Isaiah 61:3)!

Saying "goodbye" to our first home was much more bittersweet than I ever imagined it would be. As we packed box after box and walked through empty rooms, it was impossible not to remember all the memories this home contained. There were so many happy times in this house--holidays, parties, progressive dinners, our gazebo--and also a lot of tears. 

This is definitely our favorite memory from this house:

We are so grateful for all the help we received moving!  Last Friday morning, we had several friends along with my cousin Nate & uncle Kym who helped us load the truck.  We started at 8 in the morning, and we were completely out of our house by 4 that afternoon....it went so quickly! 

After our friends had left with the moving truck and the trailer, Dave & I took a few last minutes and walked through the house one more time.  It was so strange to see it completely empty.  I cried a lot as we walked through each room, and even Dave was sad as we looked at the gazebo one last time. 

But, there wasn't too much time for tears because we had a lot to unload at our new house!  We unpacked enough bedding on Friday night to sleep in our new house, and then we hit the ground running early Saturday morning.  My mom helped me set up the whole kitchen, which was a huge help!  My dad tore out a lot of bushes, weeds, and even a tree, while Dave & Nate did tons of projects throughout the house.  Even though this was a foreclosure, it is in great shape and hasn't needed many "huge" repairs.

To make it feel even more like home, my parents planted a lot of flowers in front of our house on Saturday, too.  Slowly, we are making this house our home, & we are looking forward to many years of wonderful memories here!

Isaac's Gotcha Day!

It's hard to believe that Isaac has already been a part of our family long enough to have his GOTCHA DAY!  But, when we look back at the past year or so, it's amazing how quickly everything happened.  The truth behind that is that God perfectly orchestrated every single one of these events in order to bring Isaac into our family...and we couldn't be more thankful. 

• On April 3, our profile went live on Adoption Network's website!
• On April 4 and April 10, we surprised our parents with the news that we were adopting!  
• On April 8, we received a call from Adoption Network that a birthmother had chosen us (less than a week of being on the website!).  We endured a heart-wrenching 24 hours before we decided that we weren't the right family for this baby.  This was a very difficult decision to make, but we didn't feel any peace about it.  As a sidenote, we found out one month later that this birthmother ended up backing out of her adoption plan and chose to parent her baby.  We realized that God had led us to the right decision and kept us from much heartbreak (though we also didn't know what heartbreak was ahead of us).
• On the evening of Thursday, May 7, we received another call from Adoption Network that we had been chosen by another birthmother.  Ever since the April 8 call, we had been praying that God would give us a very clear sense as to whether or not we would accept a placement.  Before we hung up the phone that night, we both knew that this was the baby for us!  (This also made for a very joyful Mother's Day weekend!)
• On Friday, May 8, we accepted this placement!  Baby Rinn was officially on the way!
• On Tuesday, May 12, we spoke with our birthparents for the first time on a conference call.
• On June 6, we drove down to Waco where we met our birthparents for dinner. 
• On June 10, I went to an ultraound appointment with our birthmother where we found out that Baby Rinn was a boy! 
• On October 16, 2009, Baby Rinn was born!  David & I were able to hold him about an hour after delivery.  The next two days were completely blissful as we cared for Isaac while he was in the NICU. 
• On October 18, 2009, minutes before our birthparents were supposed to sign their relinquishments, they changed their minds.  This was definitely the worst day of our life.  After spending one more hour with Isaac, we drove back home with an empty carseat and broken hearts.  It was absolutely devastating. 
• On October 31, 2009, our birthparents changed their minds about parenting and chose to give Isaac back to us.  It was definitely the greatest day EVER! 
• And today--April 26, 2010--was Isaac's Gotcha Day!  His name has been officially changed from his birth name to Isaac David Rinn.  We couldn't be more thrilled! 

What a special day for our family!  Isaac's adoption was finalized at the Bexar County Courthouse in San Antonio.  We headed down to San Antonio yesterday afternoon along with my mom (a.k.a.: Grandma Missy).  :)  Our lawyer was Melissa Hines, and she did a great job of putting us at ease and also making sure everything went smoothly. 

This court starts the day with uncontested cases, since they usually go so quickly.  Since Isaac's finalization was uncontested, ours was the second case that was heard. 

Once we were called to the bench, we were sworn in by Judge Renee McElhaney.  Melissa began asking Dave & me a series of questions regarding Isaac and our placement.  I cried through most of them, especially when she asked,  "Do you understand that, after this date, this adoption is permanent and cannot be changed?" 

After the questioning, Judge McElhaney cooed with Isaac for a few moments before signing his Decree of Adoption!  We took a few pictures before leaving the courtroom, and then we went to the clerk's office with Melissa to have the copies of the Adoption Decree certified. 

We are now able to send in one last round of paperwork in order for Isaac to receive a social security number.  (Up until this point, he has only had a temporary dependent identification number so that we could claim him on our taxes.) 

We are so thankful that Isaac's finalization went smoothly and that his adoption is final.  We have kept up a good relationship with Isaac's birthparents, and we haven't been nervous that anything would happen with Isaac's adoption.  But, it is comforting to know that he is now truly ours on paper and in name, though he has always been ours in our hearts.

Isaac's signed & certified Decree of Adoption

God has brought us through so much through our miscarriage, infertility, and adoption journey...He is faithful! He has taken our pain and turned it into unbelievable joy & happiness! Isaac's "Gotcha Day" is proof that God can and does take our ashes and turn them into beauty.

Thank you, Jesus, for our Isaac!

"Gotcha Day" is Coming Soon!

As if next week could get any busier (we are closing on both houses on Thursday and moving on Friday), we found out that Isaac's finalization is scheduled for Monday at the Bexar County Courthouse in downtown San Antonio!  Of course, we are ecstatic about moving into our new home, but that is nothing compared to having Isaac's adoption finalized! 


The date to finalize an adoption is set once the child is 6 months old & the adoptive parents have met the necessary requirements.  For the past 6 months, we have sent monthly letters & pictures to our birthparents via the San Antonio adoption agency.  We were also required to provide proof to the agency that Isaac was going to the doctor for his regular checkups.  Additionally, our social worker has made 2 visits to our home in the last 6 months to interview us jointly and individually as well as watch us interact with Isaac.  Following his last visit, our social worker sent a report to the adoption agency recommending Isaac's adoption to be finalized.  Needless to say, we are very relieved that all the piles and piles of paperwork are done....but, best of all, it is absolutely wonderful to know that the State of Texas will now officially recognize Isaac as forever ours, too! 

When we leave the courthouse, we will have certified copies of the final decree of adoption!  We will also be able to obtain a new birth certificate for Isaac which will replace his birth name with "Isaac David Rinn" as well as list our names as his parents. 


In adoption circles, the day an adoption is finalized is known as "Gotcha Day!"  We had our own little "Gotcha Day" on October 31 when we brought Isaac home, but we are ecstatic that Isaac's real "Gotcha Day" is coming up so soon! 


(Also....we are so excited that our dear friends Mark & Corrie have the finalization for their daughter Landrie's adoption set for the day after Isaac's!  We have gone through nearly every part of our adoption journeys together...so it just seems fitting that we finalize at the same time, too!)

Isaac: 6 Months

It's amazing how quickly half a year passes!  Isaac had a great sixth month appointment with Dr. Dalton yesterday!  He now weighs 17 lbs. (46th percentile) and is 26 1/2 inches long (54th percentile).  During the appointment, he tried stuffing Dr. Dalton's stethocope into his mouth, and he also managed to find some tongue depressors from Dr. Dalton's lab coat to play with....Dr. Dalton said he's a "curious fellow."  :)

Isaac has changed so much this past month!  He now eats rice cereal, oatmeal, squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, green beans, peas, blueberries, mangoes, peaches, & applesauce!  He seems to like sweet potatoes and mangoes the best, but he'll eat anything that is presented to him (along with necklaces and hair).  :)  He also started sitting in the highchair for all of his meals this month.   

Isaac's favorite new toys are the Johnny Jump Up and the Exersaucer.  He also loves to roll around & has recently started rolling in his crib at night & during naptime.

Isaac still loves when anybody sings to him, and he sometimes likes to "join in"--it's precious to hear his little voice!  We are so thankful for this baby boy and that God gave him to our family.  We also just received notice that Isaac's adoption will be finalized in Bexar County (San Antonio) in early May!  We can't wait for that day! 

Happy Half Birthday, Isaac!  We love you so much!