3/6/06

For those of you that don't know, I'll start at the beginning (after all, it's a very good place to start!) This past Sunday, March 5th, Steve and I met a birthmom. She's 18 years old, very intelligent and to quote her mom, "wise beyond her years." The meeting went very well...better than we expected from the impression we got from our social worker before the meeting. We spent 2-1/2 hours talking to the birthmom and her mom. Steve and I both felt that we had made a connection. Sunday night at 8:40 p.m. the birthmom called and had a few additional questions. No problem...so I talked to her for about 20 minutes, answered her questions and some other random chit-chat.

It's so hard to know how to feel! You want to be excited, but you're also so nervous that everything could fall apart in a moment's notice! We exchanged phone numbers and went our separate ways.

This morning about 10:45 a.m. the phone rings and it was the birthmom wanting to know if I had any plans for the day or if I could do lunch. Of course, I was willing to go (after all, any place food is involved count me in!) We went to one of my favorite restaurants in town and ate sandwiches and talked for another 2-1/2 hours. The conversation ranged from loving ketchup to why birtmom was choosing adoption. It went really well also. Then birthmom floored me by asking me to go to the doctor with her next Monday! There won't be an ultrasound, but we will hear the baby's heartbeat (which makes mine skip one!)

However, there is a catch...birthmom did meet another family two Sundays ago and now she's having a hard time deciding which family to choose.

Please pray with us that if this is the baby God wants us to have, everything will work out in his perfect timing. I'm a little nervous as hearing the baby's heartbeat will take me to the next level of emotional involvement, but God knows what is best and after all, He is in control! The birthmom's name is Jenny. Please pray for us through this situation. I'll keep each of you posted to any changes.

Thank you so much for all of your love and prayers in this matter!

Lovingly,
Melissa

3/23/06

Hello!

Just wanted to give those of you near and dear to our hearts an adoption update

Things with Jenny are going very well. According to Lisa (our social worker) Jenny has already begun the process of grief and loss. This is a good thing as it will alleviate her sense of loss after the baby is born. Of course there are still some minor issues to work through, but nothing out of the ordinary according to Lisa. Jenny is a sweet girl and I have become quite attached to her. Today she brought me brownies to work. I text messaged her to thank her and she told me it was the baby's idea .

Speaking of which, Jenny, as of tomorrow, is 32 weeks...only 8 more to go!!! The last two weeks have gone by quite quickly for us--Much faster than the week of waiting after we met Jenny! Jenny has been having some Braxton Hicks conractions, but nothing to scare us...well, mostly me! She lets me feel her tummy and I have felt the baby several times. It's so cool to feel his little feet and legs and head. I can't wait to see him! I have yet to feel him kick, but today Jenny told me he was quite active. I thought it was the sound of my voice that made him happy I didn't tell Jenny this, but thought it to myself and smiled.

We also got some excellent news yesterday, the details of which I have yet to receive from our social worker. According to Jenny, Brian (the birthfather) relinquished his parental rights yesterday! This is huge as this sometimes can be a problem...even tracking the birthfather down. I met Brian on Monday and he seemed like a nice guy. He's 28 and lives in town. We're praising the Lord for His goodness in this matter.

We've also chosen a name! This was quite a debate and the list was rather long, but we (Steve, me and Jenny) decided on Carsyn. We may change the spelling to Carson on the official adoption birth certificate, but we'll wait and see. We're keeping the middle name a surprise until Carsyn is born. Of course Wayne is involved, but there's a bonus name too! You'll just have to wait and see what it is.

As for Steve and I, the reality of the fact that we are soon becoming parents is very overwhelming. I have been working on cleaning out the office for over a week and I'm STILL not done! There sure is a lot of stuff in that little room!!! I have gotten most of my scrapbooking stuff into the guest room closet and it actually looks quite nice. After I paint it pink, it will look FAB! We also decided on nursery colors...french blue and chocolate brown. I know, I know, not your typical nursery colors, but I'm not your typical girl! I'm thinking of painting the walls a khaki color with random brown stripes...not sure on the stripes yet, but definitely loving the khaki. Lori, Mom and Ann will be helping to make the bedding...not a task I would take on my own. It'll be the sewing machine brigade in a few weeks

Lastly, my friend, Casey, has planned a layette shower for me. I'm pretty excited about this as little Carsyn needs so much stuff!!!! Jenny has said she'll come to the shower, which I think will be very nice. Hopefully the nursery will be set up by the shower date...or at least everything, but the completed bedding. The shower is going to be on April 22nd, just a small shower with a few friends at our house. I'm looking forward to it as I LOVE gifts!

Please keep praying that things continue to go smoothly. As most of you know, Jenny could change her mind at any point until she relinquishes her parental rights. I have no sense that she is waivering in her decision, but I'm sure this is because of all of your faithful prayers!

Thank you so much for all your kind words, (e-) cards, e-mails and phone calls. Each of you have made this time so special and so much easier.

Lovingly,

Steve, Melissa and soon to be Carsyn

3/31/06

Hello Everyone!

It's that day of the week...time for a baby update!

The last week has been pretty hectic for both Steve and I. I started working last Thursday and have worked every day, including today. I feel like a caged animal at the Hampton Inn! On Saturday, Steve was re-hired at Feeny Chrysler Jeep Dodge (where he worked before). things just weren't working out at the Ford store like he had anticipated. So bright and early monday morning, Steve became a Mopar man again! He was so excited to bring out all of his Dodge gear again. He already delivered one car and hopefully has two more going today. Then on Saturday we went to Red Mesa Grille to celebrate my birthday (which wasn't until Wednesday...still can't believe I'm 32 years old!). We figured the times for us to go out to eat alone will be dwindling in the future so we should enjoy them while they last!

So needless to say, working everyday hasn't allowed a lot of quality time with Jenny. We text message all the time...one of Jenny's favorite ways to communicate!

On Monday Jenny had a doctor's appointment. Her regular doctor had a death in the family so she saw the other doctor in the office. She ended up liking him so much that she actually switched physicians. Apparently it was no big deal since they share an office. The doctor said that everything is going well...Jenny gained 2-1/2 pounds (I'm sure she'll love that I shared that with everyone!) and Carsyn is growing and growing!!! Jenny's tummy has gotten quite a bit bigger over the last few days. Jenny has been very accomodating with letting me feel her tummy and feel Carsyn's head, body, legs, etc. It's so amazing to me that our child is growing in there!

Jenny likes to pop in at the hotel and see me. I really enjoy her visits as it gets me out of working! No, seriously, she is becoming a dear friend to me. There were a couple of minor issues that have cropped up in the past week or so. I had a long talk with our social worker and she explained to me that most of them were normal...Jenny dealing with grief and loss issues. I can't imagine what Jenny must be feeling and thinking! I'm so thankful that she is willing to make this difficult decision and give us such a precious gift!

Last night we went to Red Mesa (again) with Jenny and her mom to celebrate my birthday (again!). Steve and I love Red Mesa and we'll take any excuse we can get to go there! We had BOGO coupons and it ended up costing only $23 for all four of us to eat until we were so full they had to ROLL us out! YUMMO! We had a talked freely about everything under the sun and had a really nice time. It was the first time Debbie (Jenny's mom) saw our house and she really liked it.

So to sum it up, things seems to be going very nicely. Jenny has made herself a spot in our hearts and Carsyn has taken up the rest! Amazing how we can love this little person so much that we haven't even seen! Oh...one more thing. We won the cutest adidas sneakers on eBay a few weeks ago and I got them in the mail on Wednesday. They are the BOMB! They're only about 2-3 inches long and have rubber soles and laces...just like big boy sneakers! I know he'll look so cute in them!

Please continue to pray that everything keeps going smoothly. There will be some rough topics that need to be dealt with in the next month or so. Pray specifically that God will give Jenny strength, courage and wisdom.

We love you all...thank you for your prayers and supports!

Love,
Steve. Melissa and Carsyn

4/10/06

Hello Everyone...

Wanting to hold up my end of the bargain...keeping everyone posted on our adoption progress...while you keep up yours end...praying that everything continues to go smoothly!

Today I went to the doctor with Jenny. I told you in the last update that Jenny switched to Dr. Miner, so this was the first time I met him. Not sure if he knows I'm the adoptive mom, but he seemed comfortable with me in the room. He even let me record Carsyn's little heartbeat on my cell phone! It is so awesome to hear it! I tried to record it into a file I could e-mail out, but my computer wasn't cooperating...sorry. I went to Feeny to see Steve and played it for him. He said, "What's that?" (as he's never heard a baby's heartbeat before) and I told him, "THAT is your son!" You should have seen the look on his face...priceless! One of his co-workers thought it was a recording of Steve chewing cereal...MEN!?!?! Everything is going well according to the Doctor. Jenny's belly is 34 inches and she gained 4-1/2 pounds since her last appointment. Dr. Miner indicated that the baby is approximately 12-14 inches long and is in "the launch position" (his words!) Very exciting news Jenny has to go back to the doctor in two weeks and then every week until Carsyn is born. When I met Jenny, she had 10 weeks to go...now it's only 5! The time has FLOWN by.

Our relationship with Jenny continues to develop nicely. Things have calmed down a little bit as far as meeting every day goes. I now go out with Jenny between one and three times a week and we talk on the phone quite a bit. A local coffee shop has become one of our favorite haunts to hang out and talk. We talked today about Jenny's future plans. She is still contemplating joining the Air Force, but the logistics of all that need to be a little clearer. I think we're going to try to go to the recruiters office together sometime in the near future to clear up some confusion on some issues Jenny is concerned about. Jenny's family invited us over for Easter dinner! This was a nice and unexpected surprise, as we had no where to go for dinner. The whole family is coming over so please pray for us that we make a good impression on everyone and represent open adoption well.

As far as Steve and I, Steve's move to Feeny has proven to be a good one. He sold four cars last week and sold one today! This has been such a blessing as we were really struggling financially and with a baby on the way, we were pretty nervous. Things definitely seem to be on the upswing and we are thanking God for His goodness to us! It's been amazing how God has made a way in every aspect of the adoption...even down to finding the perfect paint color on the "OOPS!" rack at Lowe's! God is so good to us. On Tuesday of last week I painted the nursery with a friend of mine (Kyla) and finished it up on Thursday night. We had a couple of snaffoos, but it is done and I must say it looks very nice. The paint is a khaki color and we just retouched up the baseboards, heat register and trim. I attempted a brown on the trim, but it ended up looking like I spread a diaper on the window trim...yeah, it was that bad. I ended up re-painting it white (three coats!). I was going to send a picture of the nursery, but decided to wait until we set up the nursery furniture (which is supposed to tomorrow night...we'll see ! Steve and "some assembly required" are not on very good terms!) If the furniture does not get set up tomorrow, I'll send a picture as is on Friday.

The house is finally looking somewhat normal from all the shuffling of rooms. I cleaned up my new scrapbook space over the weekend and it looks quite nice. I also found some pink paint on the "OOPS" rack at Lowe's today for $1.50! Who can pass up a bargain like that?!? So hopefully sometime this week we'll be painting that...super cuteness!

My sister, Lori, got all the material for the crib bedding this past week. She sent me samples which I got in the mail today. It is SO cute! I think it will look YUMMO when it's done! Only one slight problem...the stripey fabric is still on backorder and is supposed to be in on Friday. This is the fabric for the bedskirt, back of the comforter and back of the bumper. PLEASE, please, please PRAY that it comes in as I wanted the nursery all done for the shower on the 22nd.

Well, I think I've rambled on quite long enough. Thank you so much again for all your prayers, encouraging words, e-mails and phone calls. Your support means more to me than you could possibly know.

Love,

Steve, Melissa & Carsyn


4/12/06

The nursery furniture was successfully assembled last night in...get this...only TWO HOURS! We were so surprised. Steve and I both thought that it would take FOREVER, but the furniture came pre-assembled and only had to be "constructed"...not a bagillion little bits and pieces.

We're very happy with how it looks and the room is looking more and more ready for Carsyn with every passing day.

Still no news on the stripey fabric...maybe on Friday. I did find the bins on the changing table at Wal-Mart tonight. The blue was the perfect color to match the fabric, but we couldn't find a price. When we got to the register, Steve scanned them and they were....$3 DOLLARS!?!? I put back the natural ones and went back and got the green for the same pricce! We were so thrilled! They were originally $14.88 for two and we got them for $3 for two. So cool how we've been hitting all these bargains lately to make ready for baby.

I'll still be sending out the regular update on friday so I'll stop for now.

Take care!

Love,
Steve, Melissa & Carsyn

4/14/06

Hello Everyone!

I thought I would have more thrilling news to share by the time Friday rolled around, but it has been a pretty quiet week around here...which has been refreshing for a change!

We've been working on the nursery little by little. It's really looking nice. We're both so happy with it. It's still seems so surreal that we even have a nursery! We are very excited for Carsyn to be living in there. I found the cutest door hanger yesterday for a mere $1.49! It was a stuffed car {perfect, considering the salesman I married!} that says, "BABY ZONE" on it. I hung it on th door of the nursery. So cute!

Someone from the Ford store gave Steve a $50 gift certificate to adidas.com. So last night I went online and ordered this: so cute! I can't wait to see Carsyn in it with the adidas sneakers I got off eBay...ADORABLE!

I guess the biggest news of all is this...I've created a website to follow our adoption journey! the link is http://adoptingbabyevans.com . If you click on the link "Journey Updates" you can read the old updates. They will only be up for a few more weeks and then I'll be archiving them. So, if for some reason you don't get updates by e-mail, you can follow the journey there. Also, there's a link for pictures. New and fun stuff there on a random basis.

I'm also attaching a picture of Jenny with her ever growing belly. This was taken yesterday when Jenny stopped by the hotel. Her belly has doubled-tripled in size since we first met.

Please continue to pray that things continue to go smoothly. We sure do appreciate it!

Love,

Steve, Melissa and Carsyn

4/25/06

WHEW! That's all I can say after one jam-packed weekend! Thursday night my dad, mom, sister, neice and nephew got into town. Jenny came over for dinner to meet the initial "wave" of family members. She stayed until around 10:30 p.m. and we all had a good time. Jenny and my neice, Heather, really hit it off and were chatting and getting to know each other. After Jenny left, we were up until around 1:00 a.m. working on curtains and bedding for the nursery.

We woke up around 8:00 on Friday morning and started all over again. Around 12:30 p.m. we were all hungry and had had enough of sewing so we headed into town and ate at BC Pizza. Then it was a whirlwind tour of Gaylord! Seriously we went to Merchandise Outlet, Wal-Mart, Old Navy and Kohl's in less that 2-1/2 hours! It was ROBUST! We got home around 5:45 p.m., just in time for Steve's Mom, Gramma, Aunt, cousin, brother and sister-in-law to pull in! Earlier in the week we invited the whole family over for a cook-out to meet Jenny. Around 8:00 p.m. my brother, sister-in-law, neice and nephew arrived from Ohio. It was alot of fun to have everyone together under one roof. Jenny was really comfortable with the family and was talking to everyone and making herself at home. Around 9:45 p.m. we went to the hotel where I work to go swimming and soak in the hot tub. It felt so good! Jenny loves to swim as it takes the weight off her feet and helps with the swelling. I feel SO bad for her! When we got home, we had to set up the house for the shower in the morning as it was starting at 10:00 a.m. Who's great idea was that anyway?!?! Oh yeah...mine! We had to move a TON of furniture to get the chairs in for 25 to 30 people.

Saturday morning was the big day! I was so excited that I was up bright and early...step two of my sleep deprivation program! We made homemade cinnamon rolls and got everything ready for the guests to start arriving. Lori was ripping the bedding apart to make some modifications and we were sewing and cleaning and preparing right up until the first guest arrived! The shower was a lot of fun...and not just from my opinion either! Several people said it was one of the best showers they'd been to. Heather planned some really fun games like eating pudding and mushed up chocolate out of a diaper! It was QUITE hilarious! I opened presents for over an hour and got so many nice things. Carsyn's closet is packed with clothes, the drawers are full and he's already taking after his father...he was EIGHT pairs of shoes!!! Only a few returns/exchanges and there was only one thing I asked for that we didn't get...a contoured changing pad. It was so much fun.

Jenny came to the shower and seemed to enjoy herself. She even brought us a present. I told her that she didn't have to, she WAS my present! We gave her a bag with some jammies, flip-flops, an Air Force scrapbook and a book to read at the hospital. She seemed to really like it. It was really a special weekend. After the shower all us girls headed up to Old Navy to do some shopping and Jenny got a new outfit. My mom was nice enough to write her a note and give her $20 to buy something comfy to wear for her last few weeks. Jenny was exhausted by the weekend, but in a good way.

Photos of the shower, the finished nursery and some new random photos are posted on the website, which is http://adoptingbabyevans.com

All in all it was an amazing weekend. Jenny meeting the family, Carsyn's room is now ready and us absorbing the fact that we really ARE going to be parents. It's only a few more weeks!

On Wednesday we're meeting with Lisa to go over the hospital and how Jenny wants things to be during that time. One step closer to the big event!

Thank you again for all your thoughts, prayers and gifts! It won't be long and we'll be a FAMILY...in every sense of the word.

Love,
Steve, Melissa & Carsyn


5/1/06

Hello Everyone!

I waited to do this week's update since Jenny had a doctor's appointment today and I wanted to be able to report on that!

The doctor's appointment went fine. We heard Carsyn's heartbeat again {which I always LOVE hearing!} and it was basically a routine visit. I asked the Dr. how much he thought Carsyn would weigh and he said 7 to 8 pounds, but of course it could be 6-1/2 to 9 also! WOW! Could he be any more vauge! As far as Carsyn's length, he measured Jenny's belly and then held up his hands...another astounding estimate! Of course, it's difficult to predict these things, but I was just curious. I was a little surprised that he didn't check to see if Jenny was dilated at all. After all, it is only 3 weeks until her due date. But the Dr. did say she would either go to her due date or after. We went to Brothers afterwards for tea/Bosco sticks {Jenny's fave} and hung out for around 1/2 an hour.

On Wednesday we had a meeting with Jenny and our social worker, Lisa, to go over the details of Jenny's time in the hospital. Jenny is still not wanting us in the delivery room and only at the hospital a limited amount of time. None of this information is new to us as it is how Jenny said she wanted it from the beginning. Of course, in my heart of hearts I was hoping she would change her mind and let me be in the delivery room...even if it was only standing in the corner and not saying a word. My friend, Eileen, who is a doula {labor/delivery assistant} will be in the room with Jenny and she said she would take tons of pictures for me. These will obviously mean the world to me as they will be my only glimpse into Carsyn's first moments in this world.

I'm experience mom-to-be jitters...wondering if I'm ready to be a parent, nervous about how our life is going to change, anxious over sleepless nights and not really knowing how to best care and raise this little person who depends on me. I'm told that this is normal, but it's just hard for me to grasp that something we have waited TEN YEARS for is right around the corner! I just want everything to go well without any problems...I don't think my heart could handle it. So if you think about it, please pray that I keep my sanity and that Steve and I do everything within our power to be prepare to be the best parents we can be for Carsyn, our son. WOW...still so weird to say that!

As far as we go, Steve had a great month at Feeny ending up selling 11 cars. PRAISE THE LORD! After the desert dry time at the Ford Store, this was a welcome delight! I got a promotion at work to Guest Service Manager. I'm basically doing what I'm doing now, but a few additional responsibilities, a raise and my own office {something I've always wanted!} I'm still entitled to a maternity leave when Carsyn is born and when I come back, I will only need to put Carsyn with a babysitter on the days I have to work the front desk, which is 2 or 3 days a week. A lady from our church has offered to babysit Carsyn. Today I had the revelation that Steve could drop him off at the babysitter in the morning and he would only have to be there 3 hours on the days I'm working desk. After 11:00 a.m., Casey said I can go and pick him up and bring him to work with me. I'm sure those 3 hours will seem like an eternity, but right now it's the best choice for our family situation. After all, Carsyn does need a roof over his head, heat, food and warm bottles! As far as clothes on his back...the Grandma's will take care of that!

Please continue to pray that things go smoothly. We're on the homeward stretch...only a few short days and Carsyn will be in our arms!

Thank you for all your words of encouragement and the many gifts for Carsyn. We appreciate them and each of you so much!

Love,
Steve, Melissa & Carsyn

5/17/06

Hello Friends and Family,

As I write this it's 3:30 AM and I'm in the middle of dual training...for night audit at the hotel and middle of the night feedings with Carsyn! WOW! I'm really feeling the old eyelids struggling to stay open. It's only a glimpse of things to come...and we can hardly wait!

Sorry it's taken me so long to get this week's update out, but with my odd schedule at work this work combined with special meetings at our church, time has been limited.

So here's the latest...the time for Carsyn's grand entrance is right around the corner! On Monday Jenny went to the doctor. He FINALLY did an internal and told her she was 75% effaced, 2 cm dilated and he stripped her membranes...okay...really quick update...

now, it's 3:35 a.m. and I just got a phone call from Jenny's mom that Jenny's in LABOR!!! They went to the hospital about 12:30 this morning and they weren't sure if they were going to admit her so they waited to call. They just decided to keep her and she's progress about 1 cm per hour to hour and a half. We could be parents today!!!

By the time most of you read this, Carsyn could already be here. I'm so excited right now and my stomach is full of butterflies. This is the dream of our hearts for the past 10 years. God is SO GOOD!

Love,
Steve, Melissa and REALLY SOON to be Carsyn!!!!!!!!!!!!


5/18/06

Hello Everybody!

It's a Boy!!!
Carsyn Edward Wayne Evans
May 18, 2006
8 lbs., 1 oz., 19 1/2 inches

Thank you all for your prayers and support! We should be coming home on Friday or Saturday. We can go see him tomorrow so I'll be taking plenty of pictures to share with all of you. Please continue to pray as the next couple days could be very emotional for all of us.

We would appreciate it if any calls could wait until after the e-mail is sent that we're home, however, e-mails and e-cards are very much appreciated. Thank you.

Love,
Steve, Melissa & Carsyn Evans...finally!

5/19/06

hi everyone...

just wanted to let you know we talked to the social worker this morning and jenny is really struggling emotionally with her decision. she has told lisa six times in the last 12 hours that she has not changed her decision, but it's very hard for her emotionally.

steve and i are in a very fragile state right now. i'm hoping that a month from now we'll look back on this day and laugh, but i guess now is the time for our labor! it's just so hard knowing that carsyn is 10 miles down the road and we can't see him! please just pray that everything goes through okay. honestly, our hearts can't handle this. it's so hard.

love,
steve and melissa



5/20/06 (12:19 p.m.)

It's over.

Jenny has decided to parent Carsyn and they'll be going home today.

It has been a rough few days at the Evans house. We did go to the hospital late Friday night/Saturday morning at Jenny's request. We held Carsyn and kissed his little head. He is absolutely precious. We thought it would help Jenny follow through with her decision, but it didn't. Now, it only intensifies the pain.

Please pray for us. This is harder than we can even imagine it ever would be.

Love,
Steve & Melissa


5/20/06 (8:32 p.m.)

Wow! It has been an amazing day...

At 2:00 this afternoon I got a phone call from Jenny. I rejected the call because I just wasn't wanting to talk to her. It was too hard. We were in the car with friends and one of them said, "You need to call her back. You don't know what she's going to say." So I returned the call. To make a long story short, Jenny decided that placing Carsyn with us was the best choice for her and for Carsyn. She apologized for all she had put us through and told me she loved me. I told her I was sorry for her agony she was going through and told her we loved her and we would love Carsyn.

At 2:45 p.m. we were at the hospital going to OB/GYN and picking up our boy. He is gorgeous! All we can say is...

GOD IS SO GOOD!!!
Thank you for everything. Please continue to pray that all goes well. Please pray for Jenny...I can't even imagine her grief.

We love you all,
Melissa

5/23/06

YAWN!!!! Oh, sorry...It's the sleep deprivation kicking in! Actually, the nights haven't been too rough once you get past the initial shock of getting woke up in the middle of deep sleep!

Things are going really well with our new addition to the family. Carsyn is so Cuti-o (as my sister would say!). He really is an excellent baby and we're all quite taken with him.

My parents are still here...thank God! I don't know what I would do without my mom. She has been SUCH a help! She keeps trying to leave, but I keep convincing her to stay! I know at some time I'll have to turn into a full-time Mom. It has been really helpful to have them here during this adjustment period. We're all so tired that we just laugh hysterically at absolutely nothing! Tonight Steve was walking out of the house with a stinky old body pillow and a broken heater. As he walked toward the door he said, "I'm sleeping outside tonight!" We were all dying laughing!

We tried Carsyn in the swing, but he really wasn't loving it. So today we traded it in for a Fisher Price glider. WOW...it is amazing. It's fully automated and glides from side to side or front to back. Carsyn loves it. He is SO spoiled! He's either in someone's arms or in some "Cadillac" style bedding to relax in! Yesterday we had our first Wal-Mart outing. Carsyn slept through the entire thing...no shocker there!

We saw Jenny yesterday. She looked great and seemed very happy and at peace with her decision to place Carsyn with us. She said that she knows it is everyones prayers that have made her feel the way she does. Please pray specifically for a couple of things for Jenny:
1) That she finds a job.
2) That she finds good friends to encourage to pursue her dreams.
3) That she continues to find peace with her decision.
These request come from Jenny directly. She is a part of our family now and we love her dearly. It was so nice to see her doing so well after all of Saturday's events.

Well, it's getting late (in Mommy time, that is!) so I'm heading off to bed for a few minutes...tee hee! Thank you all for your calls, cards and e-mails. What a wonderful support system you all have been. I know you're all begging for more pics of Carsyn, so I set up an album through Snapfish.com. If you didn't receive the invitation to view the photos, let me know and I'll send you one.

Please continue to pray for us. We love you.

Steve, Melissa & Carsyn

5/31/06

hello everyone!

being a parent certainly is a full-time job! all the silly blogs i read religiously and time wasted on the internet and TV are no longer. instead i'm spending my days feeding, diapering, hugging and kissing carsyn...so much more rewarding!

carsyn is such a sweetheart! he already has displayed a bit of a temper at feeding and burping times. steve and i were talking last night and i said i thought carsyn would give us a run for our money when the time comes! at least we can start preparing now.

carsyn and i went to our first pediatrician appointment yesterday. carsyn behaved so well...only cried when the nurse stretched him out to get his length. he is now 8 lbs. 8 1-2 oz., 22 inches long and his head is 14 cm/inc? around. the doctor said he is a very healthy boy and is growing at a good rate. he does have thrush...a yeast infection in his mouth...which apparently is very common anymore. so we had to get some medicine for that. please pray that it goes away quickly since my friend amber tells me it can be quite a long haul treating it!

steve and i are adjusting well to being parents. steve has been such a wonderful help. i knew we would enjoy the title of "dad and mom" but i wasn't sure how we would cope with the actual duties. however, steve has gotten up every night with us and helped get the bottles ready and hold carsyn to settle him down while the bottle is warming up. it makes me smile to watch the two of them together...which leads to the picture of the week! carsyn loves his changing table! these pics were taken the other day after we changed his diaper. you can just see the love on steve's face.

i have talked to jenny a few times. she's doing well, but has good and bad days, which is to be expected. please continue to pray that she finds a job and surrounds herself with supportive people.

thank you for all your e-mails and prayers. i would love to answer each one individually, but this way is faster since my time between bottles is limited!

love,
steve, melissa and carsyn


6/5/06

Hello Everyone!

I've been trying to send this e-mail out since Thursday, but the hours sure do fly by with my new baby boy! Carsyn is such a delight and we are quickly adjusting to our new role as "mom" and "dad." Steve has been a wonderful help...he actually has surprised me quite a few times. On Saturday night he let me go to bed at 9:45 p.m. and stayed up with Carsyn until 2:00 a.m. It was so nice to have a few hours of uninterrupted sleep! Carsyn is sleeping between 2 and 3 hours at a time. Not too bad, but we'd like it if it was a little longer! We had a little projectile vomiting incident over the weekend so we switched his formula to Soy and he seems to be tolerating it much better. We're so glad! He is growing so quickly! Although I don't know what his current weight is, I can feel a difference in my arms when I hold him. Also, he is growing out of the wee little newborn sizes and fitting a little better into the 0-3 months. He is absolutely adorable and he just tugs at my heartstrings when I'm feeding him and he just stares at me! I always say to him, "You think I'm pretty, don't you!"

Things with Jenny are going well. She hasn't been calling as much as I thought, but as long as she's comfortable wtih the amount of contact we're having that's alright by us! She did come over on Friday night and had dinner with us. She was out near our house and asked if she could come by. She held Carsyn, but as soon as he cried...gave him back to me! Steve and I both feel that Jenny has truly made peace with her decision. Only a few more weeks until our court date (hopefully) and then everything will be final and official! That day we will all sigh a big sigh of relief!

We also want to again thank everyone for their prayers, love, e-cards, cards, gifts and words of encouragement. You have been/still are a wonderful support system for us and we can't tell you how much we appreciate it!

The picture I'm attaching was taking of Carsyn on Thursday, June 1st, on his 2 week birthday. The sign didn't show up as well as I wanted, but it says, "Carsyn, June 1, 2006, 2 weeks NEW!" The outfit he has on is the one that Steve was brought home from the hospital in (insert sentimental tear here! )
I'll TRY to send one out every week in the same chair so you can chart his growth

Have a great week.

Love,
Steve, Melissa & Carsyn


6/12/06

Happy Monday Morning!

Wow, the time sure has flown by fast! This past Thursday Carsyn celebrated his three week birthday! He is changing in so many ways...getting bigger and stronger and longer...he's also starting to develop a little personality. He's on the verge of smiling (although he's already smiled for Steve, but I didn't see it!) and he's starting to coo...it's so adorable! His hair is filling in more and so are his clothes! The 0-3 months are still a little bit big, but we're almost there. It's just so funny to me that he still doesn't fit into them as so many people warned me that I had too many! I'm definitely trying to cherish every moment of this time as I can see already how quickly it goes by.

Sorry this week's pictures aren't that great, but I wanted to take them before it was too late and Steve was out mowing the lawn! I think you can get the general idea of how much growth has occurred. Carsyn was in a really cute outfit when I put him down for a nap, but I fed him when he woke up and he spit up on it so I switched him to a sleeper...which is also cute...but not what I had originally wanted...oh well!

Carsyn remains a good baby. Last Monday through Thursday he was a little irritable. We think it was because the Dr. switched us to soy. Well, on Thursday I had reached my wits end. Carsyn was crying for hours on end and nothing would soothe him. A friend of mine told me she took her baby to the chiropractor because she (the baby) was so fussy and afterwards she was a totally different baby. So I thought...hmmm...I think I'll give it a try! I took Carsyn to a chiropractor who goes to our church that I trust enough to manipulate my 3 week old baby! The adjustment only took a few minutes and afterwards Carsyn passed gas (to put it politely!) for over 1/2 an hour...until I put him in the carseat...and who knows how long after that! Hmmm...I think we found the source of the problem! He was acting like his "old self" again after that...Praise GOD! Last night he was a little fussy again, but it may have been magnified by the fact that I really wanted to sleep and he really wasn't letting me. But, I did get to sleep in a little bit this morning since Steve took care of Carsyn before he want to work...thanks, hon!

Things with Jenny continue to go smoothly. Please continue to pray for her that God leads her down the right paths and helps her make right decisions. Of course, continue to pray that everything stays smooth until our Court date...which is yet to be determined.

Please pray for us as we're traveling to Ohio this weekend to see my brother and his family. They're moving to California at the end of the month...sniffy...and we don't know when we'll see Craig again. We're going to see Ann (his wife) and the kids again when we travel to New York for the 4th of July.

Thank you for again for all your love, prayers and support!

Love,
Steve, Melissa & Carsyn


6/21/06

hello family and friends!

wow, the time sure does fly by when you a little one to take care of! the past month with carsyn has flown by faster than any time in our lives! he is growing and changing so fast and he is such a joy. on father's day, june 18th, carsyn celebrated his one month birthday. he has changed so much in his looks and he's starting to develop a personality...and he's already got an attitude! he's got a little red tint in his hair and his temper definitely reflects it. he's starting to smile and make those sweet little baby noises. today we went to wal-mart on a spur of the moment and got some pictures taken. carsyn was so alert and just looking around at everything. they turned out really cute...i was thrilled!

my parents and my sister, lori, are here for a visit, they arrived yesterday. my neice, caitlin, came home from ohio with us on sunday. it's been very nice to have some extra hands around to help out. becoming parents is a wonderful experience, but very overwhelming at times.

on this past thursday our social worker came to the house and we signed all the paperwork to petition to adopt carsyn. we should have a court date within the next 2-3 weeks. this will be the second to last step to finalize the adoption. at the court appearance, jenny will be signing papers relinquish her parental rights. what that means is she will not have any opportunity to change her mind concerning the adoption, unless there were legal grounds. the judges in these situations are very thorough as they know what is at stake if they mess up. there is no reason legal grounds would ever be an issue. after that, we are on "supervision" by the agency for six months. i'm not sure if this is a state law or an agency requirement. basically, the agency checks in with us at 3 months and then 6 months to make sure all relationship are going well between birthmother/baby/adoptive family. at 6 months we'll go into court again and have our official "adoption day"...this will be a celebration for our family and friends. please continue to pray that everything continues to go well.

jenny is doing well. she calls usually once a week. she's still undecisive about her plans for the future, so continue to pray that God leads in her life.

take care...until next time...

love,
steve, melissa & carsyn

6/23/06

here's carsyn's 5 week picture...sorry we missed week 4, we were traveling. also, i'm sending some pictures my sister, lori, took yesterday in petoskey. someone specifically asked me why there are no mommy pics...so here ya go!

enjoy the weekend!

love,
steve, melissa & carsyn


6/26/06

hi everyone,

just a quick update...

due to some unforeseen circumstances, we are going to have our court date sooner than we anticipated. obviously, this is not a bad thing! we found out today that our court date is this wednesday, june 28th at 3:20 p.m. please pray that everything goes well. as i said before, this is the final step for jenny and then our 6 months of supervision. i'm really not nervous, just anxious for everything to be officially wrapped up. as i'm sure you can all tell from our e-mails, we are SO in love with our new baby, carsyn. he is the joy of our hearts...even at 3:30 in the morning!

we really do covet your prayers for this important day. of course, i'll send an e-mail out on wednesday evening to let you know that everything went okay. God has been so good and so gracious to us throughout this whole process. we are SO blessed!

love,
steve, melissa & carsyn


7/25/06

Hi Everyone,

Sorry it's been so long since I've sent out any e-mails. Life is just generally busy. With going back to work and all that involves, time seems to fly by faster than a locomotive! We are all getting a great morning routine. Hop in the shower before Carsyn wakes up, give Carsyn a bath, I start Carsyn's bottle while Steve irons his clothes, Steve takes over so I can get dressed and do my hair, I take over so Steve can get his pressed shirt on and we hop in the car. It's a well oiled machine now.

Carsyn is still a very good boy. He hardly cries except when he's hungry or sleepy...then he likes to throw a little fit until he finally gives in to sleep. He's so cute...just smiling and laughing. Today I was at a friend's house and her little girls is 4 mos. She had a pair of sunglasses on the dresser. I put them on Carsyn and he looked so cute that I started cracking up. Well, Carsyn was laughing because I was laughing which got Amber and Brianna laughing...all over a silly pair of sunglasses! He really is developing his own little personality...some of which scares me! He definitely has a mind of his own and a little temper to match it! Overall, he is a great joy and a wonderful addition to our family.

I posted some recent pictures on the website. To see them, click here. Hopefully, this eliminate all the problems that some of you had viewing pics.

Have a great day and enjoy the Carsyn pics...he's getting SO big! It's hard to believe that 10 weeks have already flown by. He's the love of our lives!

Love,
Steve, Melissa & Carsyn


8/19/06

Hello...

I can hardly believe that yesterday we celebrated Carsyn's 3 month birthday! The time has gone by so fast. It seems unreal that something we waited for for so long has happened and 3 months of our life as an official family has already past. Carsyn is getting so big! He's changing and has quite the little personality for a 3 mo. old. He loves to smile and laugh and squeak in this really high pitched little voice. Carsyn will entertain himself in the crib or swing for a while, but then he wants attention...and we're all more than happy to give it to him! I had to put away all the tiny clothes (0-3 mos.) in the last week. He's just getting too big and too long to fit into any of them! He's rolling over onto his back and trying to roll over from his back to his tummy, but only makes it about half way. Carsyn is starting to notice all of his toys and the fun things around him. He notices Nugget and Zoe when they come around. The other day I was holding Carsyn and Nugget kept staring at him so I put Carsyn near Nugget and Nugget gave him a big puppy kiss! A little gross, but very cute none the less :-)

I've posted some pictures from the few weeks on the website. You can look at them here.

Until next time...

Love,

Steve, Melissa & Carsyn


9/19/06

Hi Everyone,

I know I've said this before, but the time sure has flown by since Carsyn came into our family! We sure are having a lot of fun. Yesterday was Carsyn's 4 mos. birthday. We went to the doctor and Carsyn weighs 15 lb., 3 oz. and is 25 3/4 inches long...a far cry from the 8 lb. 1 oz, 19 1/2 inch bundle of boy we brought home! He is doing really well...hasn't been sick one time since he's been born. We sure are blessed! The doctor said that everything looks great...no problems to report. And we got to start solid foods yesterday. Steve gave him his first few bites of Rice Cereal with Apples. I think the jury is still out as to whether or not Carsyn's really crazy about it, but I'm sure his taste buds appreciate something besides formula! We can introduce one new food a week to make sure Carsyn doesn't have an allergic reaction. Carsyn also got his second round of shots yesterday. It about broke my heart to hold him and have him cry because it hurt! I think I was crying almost as hard as he was...some support I am :0) But he did do well the rest of the day and was only slightly crabby.

We did make a move since the last update. We now live in Gaylord. It's nice to live closer to work and the stores, etc. Makes things a little easier with Carsyn in tow. The house is cute. We're mostly settled in but I've been working a ton of hours since we moved so some things had no choice but to be put on hold. I'll post some pictures of the interior in the next week or so.

Carsyn has a very busy social calendar...as you can see in the pictures! Gramma and Grampa Evans came to help us move and then Great Grampa and Great Gramma Shoults came, then Gramma Evans came. Whew...that's a LOT of company, but Carsyn ate it up! He put on quite the performance for everyone...smiling, laughing and just being his adorable little self. Carsyn has such a great personality. The people we pass in the stores and stand in line behind, etc. always comment on how cute he is and how personable he is. He sure does make us laugh! Tomorrow, Carsyn and I are flying out to San Diego, California to visit my brother Craig and his family, Ann, Jon and Cait. This is obviously Carsyn's first flight and I'm hoping he does really well. I'm sure he will as he loves being held best of all! We'll be there for a week, then two weeks after we get back we're leaving for Las Vegas for a family vacation. Carsyn is quite the little traveler!

Other than that, things are going well with Steve and I. Car sales have been down generally speaking which definitely affects the income. Please pray that car sales pick up, specifically for Steve! I'm still plugging away at the Hampton...enjoying it...most days :0)

We'll post some more pics while were in California so keep checking the website. You can look at the recent pics here.

Love you,
Steve, Melissa & Carsyn


11/8/06

Hi Everyone,

We know some of you haven't heard from us in awhile so we wanted to let everyone know how things are going. We LOVE being a family...Carsyn has definitely filled that huge void in our lives and in our hearts. He is growing and changing more each and every day. Right now he's in a major "reaching" phase. Very aware of everything around him and wanting to touch everything and put it straight into his mouth! It's so fun to watch Carsyn experience the world around him...even when it involves grabbing glassess off our faces and almost pulling the hair out of our heads! Carsyn is definitely trying to sit on his own, working on pulling himself up and rolling over every time we put him on the floor. He hasn't started crawling yet...for which we're a little thankful! Carsyn is such a pleasant baby...hardly ever cries and just makes everyone who sees him smile.

Anyway...I took some pictures as recently as Sunday that I couldn't resist sharing...he's just so darn CUTE! You can see them here. I also made a new page on the website titled "Archives." I'll only be posting recent pictures under the "Pictures" tab as it was starting to take too long to upload for those of you with slower connections :0) If you want to look at the old pics and information, just click "archives" and they'll be there waiting for you!

Hope you enjoy them...take care and enjoy as we enter the holiday season!

Love,
Steve, Melissa and Carsyn