Adopting Baby Shupp

Where to Begin

jennshupp — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 07:37:41 +0000

As you already know, it’s been a while since I’ve written. As Jenn mentioned, it’s been a whirlwind and a flurry of activity getting to know our birth-mom and planning for the arrival of little Jackson Reed.

It’s difficult to adequately express the feelings and thoughts that accompany us, particularly through this stage of the journey. There is a mixture of joy, excitement, caution, anxiety and that’s just the emotions about the process.

There are also the thoughts and emotions specifically related to getting to know our birth-mom. Her story is amazing, really. I’m repeatedly impressed by the strength of her character and the details of her life are astounding. This little child truly will be a miracle.

It’s been a joy getting to know her thus far. We’re looking forward to next week when she visits the doctor again for any updates. We’re also enjoying the process of building relationship. Some time soon it would be good to talk about the unique nature of this type of relationship, the immediacy of proximity and emotional closeness and vulnerability are quite unlike any other relationship I can imagine right now.

In any case, suffice it to say – we’re excited.

One. Step. Closer

Brandon

Christmas Eve

jennshupp — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 07:14:11 +0000

On Christmas Eve, we picked up our birthmom and drove to church together to celebrate our Christmas Eve Candlelight Service. She met Grant, Grandma and Grandpa Gurney and Grandma and Grandpa Shupp. The church was packed. The mood was merry. The candles flickered. The music was outstanding…little drummer boy was epic. I enjoyed introducing her to many families, friends, church members. Everyone received her so warmly and she glowed just like all pregnant women do. It was wonderful letting her be a part of our world and showing her unconditional love.

After church, we went to dinner at McKenzie’s Chop House…YUM! She ordered the surf and turf…she loves seafood…especially lobster. I shared a shrimp cocktail with her. The conversations around the table were so cheery. Brandon and his dad told stories about him as a teenager. I shared funny stories about family thanksgivings and the fiascoes about baking apple pies.

We ended the night with creme brulee. What a wonderful evening to celebrate the birth of Jesus and also celebrate the upcoming birth of baby Jackson.

This is a night I will always remember and hold dear to my heart.

One Step Closer.

Jenn

It’s a BOY!!!

jennshupp — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 07:02:11 +0000

I picked up our birth mom and drove to First Glimpse Ultrasound. We wanted to see pictures of the baby! The ultrasound room was so peaceful and tastefully decorated. The tech was so considerate and took great care of our birthmom. The first image that popped up on the monitor was indicative that our baby is a BOY! Yeah! We finally know the gender and can start getting BOY clothes, toys, etc.

The best part of this appointment was during the ultrasound the tech recorded the 4D images onto a DVD for us but she also captured the birth mom’s voice and my voice. It was priceless. Hearing our hearts and emotions, listening to our tears of joy, giggles and more. I will want to listen to this ultrasound for many years to come…and so will our baby!

Oh, if you’ve been wanting to know… we have picked a name…

“JACKSON REED SHUPP!”

Let us your know thoughts!

One Step Closer.

Jenn

Maternity Clothes

jennshupp — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 06:55:50 +0000

I had the privilege of taking our birth mom shopping for maternity clothes. We spent a few hours at Chapel Hills Mall and found many great deals at Motherhood. Her favorite color is green and blue is a close second. We even found a pretty gray blouse for her to wear with her new black pants to our Christmas Eve Service at church. I had such a ball shopping with her and spoiling her rotten. My dear friend Barb accompanied us on this adventure. It was fun hanging out with just the girls. We enjoyed an orange julius and cinnamon sugar pretzel. I can say that our shopping venture was very enjoyable…I”m getting to know her better and she is getting to know me better. And it was very natural. This open adoption is going extremely well. In my heart of hearts, I do hope that she and I can remain friends for a lifetime.

One Step Closer.

Jenn

We’ve been matched!

jennshupp — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 06:48:30 +0000

You never know how things will work out…

We had finalized all of our paperwork with our Colorado agency as well as submitted all papers to the Oklahoma Agency/Crisis Pregnancy Outreach. We were done as of Aug 7. Now we just have to wait for a call that a birth mom has picked our book…our family.

We waited. We waited all of August. We waited all of Septemeber. Until…

September 30, 2010. One of our dear neighbors knocked on our door and told us she knew a young lady who was pregnant and was considering adoption for her baby. Our neighbor thought that we would be a great family to inquire more with this birthmom about the possibility of adoption.

We were elated! We didn’t wait more than two days before we arranged a time and place to meet with her. Brandon and I knew right after meeting her that yes, this was the birthmom for us. Yeah! My heart was doing cartwheels! Of course, we have to take this whole process one step at a time. But my dear friends, this step of meeting and matching with a birthmom is the quintessential step to being ONE STEP CLOSER.

And that’s why I haven’t written since October! Because my time has been captivated by spending time with our birthmom…visits, lunches, dr appts, shopping for maternity clothes, church, etc. It’s going extremely well…we are so blessed. Will tell more soon!

One step closer.

Jenn

Long overdue…

jennshupp — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 06:35:29 +0000

So it’s been three months since I’ve updated our blog. A lot has happened in the past three months. Wonderful things. So I will do my best to update you. I apologize for neglecting to keep you in informed. I will try to rectify that absence of writing.

The Chili Cook Off and Live Auction was a huge success! We had over 200 people attend the event. Delicious pots of chili. Memorable conversations with friends. Spectacular views from the Cave of the Winds. Exciting bidding on the live auction…the privately guided spelunking tour, the 15 person ropes course and the private swim lessons were all in the top bids.

Thanks to everyone who made it out to the event…we raised over $2,000 toward our adoption! A very special thanks to Jeremy and Andrea Stiles for hosting the event at the Cave of the Winds…it was perfect! Also a big thanks to all the chili cooks…Papa Shupp, Barbara Gooden, Sue Ellen Rodwick, Sarah Kallberg, Sharon Tincher, Kathi Wickizer! And the first place winner was Sarah Kallberg…congrats!

My favorite part of the event was sharing the GOOD NEWS that we have been matched with a birthmom! Yeah! We explained our adoption process from the start last May…starting the blog, applying at the Colorado Agency, homestudy, education in Tulsa, CPO requirements, Shutterfly family profile book, setting up the nursery, and how we met our birthmom…will share more on this in the next post…you’ll want to find out.

One Step Closer.

Jenn

Chili Cook Off and Live Auction at Cave of the Winds

jennshupp — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 18:23:43 +0000

Hey Everyone! Come support our adoption by feasting on homemade chili, exploring the Cave of the Winds, and bidding at our Live Auction! You can vote on your favorite pot of chili…and Sarah Kallberg is in it to win it again this year! The Cave of the Winds will be open for you to explore. There is a maze and movie for the kiddos as well as cotton candy and face painting. Children are very welcome!!!

At the Live Auction, you can bid on prizes such as passes to Seven Falls, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Narrow Gauge Railroad, Mr. Biggs, gift cards to Raven’s Nest Coffee, Like No Other Bakery, Aspen Auto Care, Silpada Jewelry and a free family photo shoot right in time before Christmas! Also up for auction is a 4-hour Ropes Course from La Foret Conference & Retreat Center (10 people). One of the most thrilling items in the auction is a privately guided spelunking tour for you and 6 of your friends, worth over $900! And there will be many more items to bid on, so come check it out!

Please note there is no charge for admission to this event, but please consider making a donation toward our adoption. Please invite your family and friends…but RSVP so we have an idea of how many people to expect. Looking forward to eating chili, caving, bidding and hanging out with all the people we love. Thanks for believing in our dream as we expand our family…Help us bring home baby Shupp!

The Chili Cook Off and Live Auction Adoption Fundraiser will be at Cave of the Winds on Friday October 15 from 6-9 pm. See you there!

Feeling Guilty…

jennshupp — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 17:49:23 +0000

Ok, so you know how you need to do something, and you know it’s important, and you also know that it’s going to take time and thought to do it well…and you also know how sometimes you get busy and then you keep pushing it off but you feel guilty about it?

That’s how we feel about the blog right now. Jenn and I are having lunch right now and we finally decided to buck up and update the blog.

Life is good, it’s been pretty busy lately so the waiting process for “the call” has been emotionally muted a little, which is probably good. We know that it will happen when it’s supposed to happen, but sometimes you think about it and wonder when it’s going to happen. Obviously we’re trusting God for His timing, but it’s good reminder to make sure that we’re staying in touch with his timing and not letting ours get in the way.

Jenn is sending out invitations today for our next fundraiser -it’s going to be a chili- cook-off at Cave of The Winds. We’ve got some really cool plans, activities and prizes to give away, it’s going to be a great time. In any case that will be on Friday October 15th at 6pm. Jenn will post more details on that soon so stay posted!

One. Step. Closer.

Grant and Baby Shupp

jennshupp — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 15:23:17 +0000

So this weekend we put the nursery together. Reassembled the crib, washed all the bedding materials, brought other baby furniture out of storage and arranged the room. Grant helped us and he had plenty to say about baby. Everywhere we went over the weekend he wanted to know if he could buy something for the baby, shoes, clothes, toys, et al. Then when we were home Monday he remembered all the stuffed animals he had saved for baby, he dumped them all into the crib, climbed in and the video below is him in the crib talking about it.

38 stuffed animals closer!!!

Roller Coaster

jennshupp — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 02:36:23 +0000

Anyone who knows me, knows I don’t like roller coasters. But Brandon and I have been told over and over again that the adoption process can feel like a roller coaster…up one minute and down the next. I think I got my first taste for that.

A few weeks ago I received an email that notified me that my finger prints were unclear and rejected. Brandon’s were clear and readable but mine were not. So that meant that I had to wait for the rejection paperwork and go back to the police station and redo my fingerprints, hoping for a better press and roll the second time.

Well, just yesterday all that changed. I received an email from our Colorado social worker that said they received all our clearances from the FBI and CBI (federal and state). This was amazing news! It appears they were able to read my prints. I was so elated, I called our social worker just to confirm that everything was good to go. She said “Yes!”

So now we just wait for the final draft of the home study. Brandon and I both sign it and it gets sent off to Crisis Pregnancy Outreach. Now that the clearances are all done, our names can be on the drop-in list for adoption. Yeah! The drop-in list refers to families that can be called when a birth mom goes into labor and picks a profile book while at the hospital…a very quick process…we could get a call and they might say, “Be here in 24 hours…you’ve been picked and the baby is coming now!”

Oh, we are getting soooo close!

One Step Closer.

Jenn