Our First Road Trip

For my parent's milestone birthdays this year they wanted to take a family trip to the North Shore. So we packed up and drove north. We had a great time though I certainly didn't feel rested. Vacations with an infant are much different than those we've taken in the past :)

Dru did great! She spent LOTS of time being held, in her stroller or in her car seat. She slept through night even in the strange place. We hope she will always be a good traveler.

Here are some pics from our vacation.

 

Keeping Dru from the bright sun :)

Jamie

For those of you who have been anxiously waiting for a picture of the man who helped us in creating our beautiful daughter, here they are.

I met Jamie at a friend's wedding in October of 2000. The weekend following the wedding in North Carolina, we (Julie, my sister, my mom and myself) met him in NYC where he was living at the time. He went with us to the Statue of Liberty and took us around Greenwich Village where he lived. He showed us his tiny apartment on the 6th floor of a building without an elevator. Yikes.

When we were deciding how we would start our family, I thought of Jamie right away. If he would have been unwilling we would have chosen an anonymous donor.

In August of 2002 we asked Jamie if he would be donate for us. He put plenty of thought into his decision and said yes in January of 2003. He was amazing through the multiple obstacles we had to deal with and we are very thankful for his generosity!

Here are pics of him as an infant (one in his mom's arms) and one of him when he visited us in January to meet Dru.

Dru's Baptism

With Dru's sponsors, Heather and Jason (holding cousin Reed), and Pastors Harvey and Lois

 

Dru is wearing a shawl made at our sister congregation in Guatemala

Dru's baptismal gown was made by our neighbor, Barb.

 

Dru was baptized today! Our family and a few friends were there to celebrate this joyous day!

Adoption News

Just after the adoption was granted with our lawyer (on left) and the judge

Julie's adoption of Dru went well and now we are an official family! The hearing was brief and I guess I was anxious for no reason. There was a few strange moments when the judge made sperm jokes. Yikes! Julie's name with now be on the birth certificate with mine.

Thank you to those who joined us at the hearing and those who had us in their thoughts that day. It was a very pivotal moment for us. We try not to take for granted we will be accepted by everyone, and are extremely lucky with all of the support of our friends and family.

7 months

Ok, so I am a bit behind and am learning quickly how the camera doesn't get used nearly as often now. A brief update: she still only has 2 teeth, can sit up well on her own (if placed in a sitting position), and has started to rock back and forth on her hands and knees in an effort to crawl. She had a full haircut that she was not very pleased with, but it was very much needed. Now seeing her before pics, she was really shaggy!

On the 4th of July we had friends and family over for a BBQ and took Dru for her first dip in the pool. The water was a bit too chilly for her so it lasted about 60 seconds. We'll keep trying because she will need to be a water baby.

 

This week will be busy for us so important posts to come soon...

High class

Second Parent Adoption

Julie and I are in the final phase of Dru's adoption! Our court date is just a few weeks away. According to our lawyer, we shouldn't be worried about the hearing. If there were to be issues the judge would have had objections already. We are still a bit anxious. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.
For those who are interested in how important this is...
Second parent adoptions provide children being raised in same-sex families numerous financial and legal protections not otherwise afford to them including, but not limited to, the rights to:
· Inherit from the "second parent;"
· Receive damages should the "second parent" be wrongfully injured or killed;
· Receive worker's compensation benefits based on the "second parent's" work-related injury;
· Receive social security benefits should the "second parent" become disabled;
· Receive health insurance benefits from the "second parent's" employer;
· Have visitation with the "second parent" in the event of parental separation; and
· Receive child support from the "second parent."

Second parent adoptions also protect the integrity of the family should the child's biological parent die or become incapacitated. In the absence of an adoption, the child could be removed from the non-biological parent's care to be placed with relatives of the biological parent or in foster care. This may be true even if the biological parent has designated the other partner as the child's guardian in his or her will, as such designations can be successfully challenged in court.
Moreover, second parent adoptions are critical should the child become seriously ill. A "second parent" can take parental leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act, can consent to emergency medical treatment for the child, and cannot be prohibited from visiting the child in a hospital or medical facility.
(excerpt from www.mckinleyirvin.com)