Halle's adoption story:
We had received a phone call from our caseworker about being selected for an adoption just one week after our special cat, Charley, had passed away. Brenda was also recovering from surgery that same week. The timing was a godsend for us, and we couldn't believe it.
A few weeks later, we met Halle's birth parents in California and we had such a good feeling about them. Everything felt right. But the baby wasn't due for another five months, so we had some time to wait.
Then, 7 weeks before her due date, we got the call to come to California. She had been born. What a shock, but we were out the door as soon as we could wrap up work and pack our bags. We had no idea how long we would have to be there because we knew she was in the NICU. The time turned out to be 14 days. It was faster than expected by the doctors, but her biggest obstacle was just staying awake long enough to eat and gain weight. Our first day in the hospital, we met her birth parents again as well as grandparents. It was such a blessing to be able to see them again.
9 Months Later:
We were able to seal her to us in the temple after we finalized her adoption. She has a funny look on her face because it was starting to rain and she didn't like it on her head. We just couldn't get her to smile before we had to run for cover. It was such a special day and we were glad to have so much of our family there to share it with us.
Her First Year:
We can't believe how fast time will change a little child. It's hard to pick just a few pictures because there are so many. But here are some pictures from her first year.
Her Second Year:
Her second year flew by faster than the first. We moved three times. She had learned to walk, and now the whole world was waiting. She discovered the wonders of dress up, play dough, easter eggs, and Halloween. Oh, and did we mention dress up?
We had received a phone call from our caseworker about being selected for an adoption just one week after our special cat, Charley, had passed away. Brenda was also recovering from surgery that same week. The timing was a godsend for us, and we couldn't believe it.A few weeks later, we met Halle's birth parents in California and we had such a good feeling about them. Everything felt right. But the baby wasn't due for another five months, so we had some time to wait.
Then, 7 weeks before her due date, we got the call to come to California. She had been born. What a shock, but we were out the door as soon as we could wrap up work and pack our bags. We had no idea how long we would have to be there because we knew she was in the NICU. The time turned out to be 14 days. It was faster than expected by the doctors, but her biggest obstacle was just staying awake long enough to eat and gain weight. Our first day in the hospital, we met her birth parents again as well as grandparents. It was such a blessing to be able to see them again.
9 Months Later:
We were able to seal her to us in the temple after we finalized her adoption. She has a funny look on her face because it was starting to rain and she didn't like it on her head. We just couldn't get her to smile before we had to run for cover. It was such a special day and we were glad to have so much of our family there to share it with us.Her First Year:
We can't believe how fast time will change a little child. It's hard to pick just a few pictures because there are so many. But here are some pictures from her first year.
Her Second Year:
Her second year flew by faster than the first. We moved three times. She had learned to walk, and now the whole world was waiting. She discovered the wonders of dress up, play dough, easter eggs, and Halloween. Oh, and did we mention dress up?
Here are a few videos that have never been seen since they were before we started our blog.
This was the first time DaNalli actually got close enough to Halle to even play with her. It was about a month after her first birthday.
Once she started to talk, there was no stopping her despite the fact that we couldn't understand a word.
This is another kitty moment. Her laugh has always been so contagious.
