One Month!!

Zac is officially one month old...4 weeks & 3 days with our precious little guy.  

I thought I'd post a little about the 1st month with our little guy, to continue to share God's grace in His life...
On July 3rd, Zachary was transferred to the NICU to Florida Hospital for Children in Orlando.  We had met  and fallen in love with him for the first time at 3:30 am, when he was 7.5 hrs new =)  We went to a hotel to get a couple of hours of sleep that morning, and I called to check in on him around 9:30 am.  I spoke with his birthmom, K, and she was in tears at the news that he would be leaving ASAP. We got there as soon as we could!
Zac initially had respiratory issues but had to be transferred for treatment for something unrelated. Please know we have chosen to keep some details of his birth from social media, and to share with him as the timing becomes appropriate.  The story we choose to tell is first of the love of his birthmom and God's grace in allowing us to be his mommy and daddy! July 3rd will be a day I will never forget as we spent time with K in the nursery, and ultimately watched her say goodbye, hand him over to the transportation team and desire for us to become mommy and daddy to our precious son.
We spent time taking pictures and loving our sweet boy as 3 parents. When transport came to evaluate Zac, we spent time in K's room with her.  When they had him stabilized and brought into her room, it was an emotional time for us all.  They agreed to take him out of the incubator for her to hold him one last time.  Brett and I stepped out to give her that time, and boy did the tears flow!! I was not prepared for the emotions that that one moment would bring. It was by far, one of the best days as we got to meet our son, but one of the hardest as we watched his first mother say goodbye. Despite any misconceptions people may have that are outside an adoptive family, the love and sacrifice she made that day will never go unnoticed or forgotten.

Brett and I walked out of the hospital that day, drawn even more closely to our Father as His love and sacrifice on the cross was magnified and made even more beautiful. If you can see the weight of the sacrifice of a birth mom handing over her son, how much more is the sacrifice of a loving Father, sending His only son, to die on the cross to redeem us! Such  LOVE & GRACE!

Wow! K, our hearts broke that day watching you say goodbye and at the picture of what you were losing, and we will never know the extent to which your heart was breaking. At the same time, we were joyful knowing you chose us to love Zachary all the days of our lives and it is our prayer that your heart gains peace knowing we will cherish and love him forever!

The weeks that followed in the NICU were some of the most difficult days. Brett stayed with me the first week and both our parents came on July 8th. For the next 3 weeks, they would take turns staying with me during the week while Brett was in NC, and he would come back on the weekends. We were extremely blessed to be able to stay at the Ronald McDonald House, a HUGE blessing to families! (Go help your local one out by taking a meal or making a donation!) The days were very long, and it hurt to watch our son hurt. As medicines were adjusted, tremors got worse, every little thing counted, blood drawn, and times where we only held him to change and feed him, we cried out to The Lord on his behalf-something I pray we never take for granted getting to do: pray to the Lord and pray on behalf of the precious son he has blessed us with. It is our biggest prayer that Zac will one day cry out to the Lord for his salvation, that he would know the love of the Father and that he would grow to love the Lord with all his heart, soul, mind and strength!

As a NICU mom, there are definitely ways I know I will be more protective and particular about the way others interact with and care for him. Watching him experience effects of too much stimulation, having to be put on medicines at a day old, and walking this journey will do something to a mothers heart.

But back to the last month...We were blessed with an amazing team of nurses (which, I'm not going to lie, at times I thought to myself, I never care to meet a new person for the rest of the year, as every couple of days we had to adjust to another new nurse, another person having to learn our sweet boy! It was overwhelming!). However, they took great care of Zac, and along with his doctor, and our social worker, they all helped take good care of us as well.

After 3 weeks of treatment, Zac was officially able to come off of the medicine, but had gotten an infection that put him staying for another week for IV antibiotics. Long story short here, I happened to stay the night when he ran an extremely high fever. The nurse practitioner on call wanted to keep watching him, but I knew something was wrong. Thankfully, we had an amazing primary doctor that ran a full blood panel the following morning and caught the infection! I learned right off, Always go with your gut when it comes to your children! He got a total of about 6 IVs during our stay (they did not last long in him each time at all!), which was also tough to watch. There were a couple of nights I just held him and cried. Our Zachary is one tough little guy and I know the Lord has great plans for him!

After a week on antibiotics, we finally got discharged on Sunday, July 31!! The main story in this...God's Grace. There are so many little ways that the Lord encouraged our hearts & provided (ok, in small and big ways here!). We had family and friends pray continually for us, He provided lodging and meals through RMH, and put nurses in our lives that were believers and spoke of Him! In the medical side of things, there are actually three medicines that could have been used for Zac's treatment, and we were blessed to have only had to use one! God's grace was shown to our little man in even the timing of his birth. Because we were chosen to be his parents and with me out of work, I was able to stay with him & love on him all day, which nurses and doctors say helped his recovery time. Please join me in praying for those babies and families that this isn't possible for various reasons!

The Lord also taught us so much in the little things. Being surrounded by NICU babies, most of which have to stay in the incubators for extended periods of time, you definitely get new perspective! I will forever be grateful in the little things-that we were even able to hold him and feed him at all. Zachary James, you are a fighter, cherished & loved by mommy and daddy, and loved perfectly by God!! We are forever grateful to be your mommy and daddy!

July was a long month, but each day full of loving on our sweet boy and having renewed strength from the Lord! We were cleared for travel on August 1st and we couldn't think of a more perfect 7 year anniversary gift than to bring Zac HOME to North Carolina!

So now, officially at 1 month old, weighing 10 lbs 5 oz, you love to be on the move, enjoy hearing Jesus Loves Me, adore your daddy and love cuddles from mommy.

7.3.16 A picture K took!
Through the eyes of his

birthmom! 

7.6.16 Worth it all!

Katie, One of our favorite nurses

7.6.16
Announcing his arrival!

7.6.16
The cutest feet I've ever seen

Elizabeth,
Another favorite nurse!!

7.6.16 Adores his daddy!
P.S. Also peed on dad
for the 1st time today!

7.7.16 Lowered medicine
dosage, but made better 
by Love from Daddy!

The best transport nurse, Sarah!

7.9.16
1 Week Old!
Had to go back up on meds.

7.8.16 Meeting grandparents
for 1st time

7.9.16 Grammy &
Grandpa Doc

7.9.16 1st bath with
Mommy and Daddy

Janet,
One of our great night nurses!

7.10.16 Hard weekend for our little man
(up on medicine again!)
& daddy headed back to work!
We missed him!

7.10.16 Snuggles with mommy
after a rough weekend!

7.16.16 2 weeks old!
(Lowered meds on 7.14.
So far so good!)

7.16.16
loving snuggles with daddy

Gerry,
Our awesome respiratory therapist
& such an encouragement
 in the Lord!
Told us to pray for our
sweet Zachary by name daily!

7.20.16
 Mommy sleepover
Cool bath during a rough night...
onset of infection!

7.22.16 New gear for IV!
Also pooped on mom for first time!

7.21.16 Daddy is back!

7.23.16  Three weeks old!
Stopped morphine meds today!!
Sweet boy still not feeling well
but loving and resting well on tummy!

7.23.16 Talking with daddy!

Head IVs are better!
Holding daddy's fingers are BEST!

7.27.16 Yawns are the best!

Laura, Another favorite nurse!

Elizabeth & our Amazing Doctor
Dr. Kamdar!
We love her!

We LOVE our Ashley!!

Our Favorite
Occupational Therapists!
Kelly & Heaether

7.28.16 Graduated from NICU
into Pediatrics = awesome room
complete with a couch for mommy
to stay every night!

Mommy loves it!

7.29.16
 Yet, another IV! Poor little guy
was a hard stick!

7.29.16 Kisses from Mommy

7.30.16 Love my boys!!

7.30.16
Four weeks old!
Daddy is back again!
This time to take us home!

7.31.16 Discharge Day!

     

7.31.16
          After exactly 4 weeks in hospital,
       we are getting to leave!!

7.31.16 First time in carseat!

7.31.16

7.31.16
Snuggles outside of the hospital!

8.1.16
 New snuggle buddy on
Mommy and Daddy's
anniversary!

8.1.16 Surprise!
We get to go HOME to NC!

8.2.16 One Month Old!
Excited to wake up in NC!

                             

                                    8.2.16 One Month Old!
                                   Snuggles in bed with daddy!

8.2.16 First Dr. Appt
Weighing 10 lbs 5 oz!

   

8.2.16 First Bath at Home!