Now What?

We have been matched for about one month now, so what have we been up to?

Hands up if you've ever been on a blind date! Chatting with our expectant mother has felt a lot like that. We communicate through texts with her and the questions often range from what is your favorite dessert to who is your favorite character on Grey's anatomy. We have started to compile a list of things to share with our child about their birth mother and have started to think about traditions, trips, or activities we can incorporate into our lives once the baby arrives. It goes without saying that we want our child to know about their background, to appreciate their culture, and to know how brave and strong their birth mom is.

We are slowly starting to learn about the baby. Our expectant mother had an ultrasound recently and we know that the baby was a healthy 4 pounds at about 33 weeks. Like many babies, they are active at nighttime when mom is trying to rest and sleeps during the day as she moves around.

On our end, we have set up and continue to organize the nursery. We have had fun creating a gender neutral space that embraces a woodland adventure theme. Mountains, foxes, and arrows are key pieces to our decor.

We have also completed our registry and have started to enjoy opening packages that have arrived at our home. The generosity of others has certainly been appreciated and does not go unnoticed. We can feel the love that is pouring from each of you and we are so fortunate to be able to share this journey with you. Thank you for spoiling us and the baby!

In addition to things at home, we have booked places to stay after the expectant mother gives birth. We are planning for up to a month in another state. This certainly throws a wrench in the "create a routine with a newborn plan" but we are trying to make the most of it by finding locations within small towns and/or new outdoor spaces that offer walking trails. Thankfully, both of us like to travel and we are looking forward to exploring new places together with the newest addition to our family.

Other happenings that have occurred in this whirlwind of a month include: meeting with our lawyer team to discuss the legal aspects of the process, updating our homestudy, meeting with our human resource directors to plan time home with the baby next school year, planning freezer meals to prepare for the next few months, and figuring out the best way to manage the never-ending list of questions that continue to pop into my brain (hello, google keep!).

We are looking forward to the end of our school years in the next couple of weeks so we can devote more time to preparing for the baby and rejuvenating while we can until the baby comes!

Registry: babylist.com/baby-jill-and-lianna-houtz

T-shirt Fundraiser: https://www.bonfire.com/houtzs-adoption-village/