The Update You Have Been Waiting For (for two months!)

Dear Friends and Family,


First of all, let me please apologize. This blog update is way overdue.  My only excuse is that I have been busy being a mommy.  The last two months have been an incredible, unpredictable, and a bit exhausting journey for Mike and I. But, so worth it in the end. God has blessed us with the most amazing, beautiful, delicious, beautiful boy. We are two lucky parents! So, sit back and enjoy...because this is going to be a very long post.

Thursday, March 26th...Exactly one week before our sweet baby's due date (April 2nd), we were told that he was going to be induced on the following Thursday.  Mike and I were very excited because we really wanted to be there for the delivery, especially since birthmom was going to allow us in the delivery room. This allowed us to head down a day early, get checked into our hotel, and have everything set up. The perfect situation!!!   I had already had my clothes laid out and his bag packed since 2 weeks prior we were told he would be arriving early.  Mike had not packed yet and was planning on throwing together his clothes on Saturday since he now felt that he had some time.

Saturday, March 28th... Since it would be the last weekend before the big arrival, we decided to hang out and watch basketball with our good friends, Jeff and Kristi. We never expected what was about to happen next...10:30 pm the phone rings and as soon as I saw the caller id, I screamed. "It's Amanda, the caseworker!  Oh my gosh!" When I picked up the phone, Amanda told me that our birth mom was starting to have contractions and was on her way to the hospital.  When I asked what we should do, she said, "Get in the car and head on down!"  I started to cry. Mike started to panic. Thank goodness Kristi and Jeff followed us home so that they could help us pack. Neither Mike or I were able to think straight so it was nice to have our good friends be by our side.

Mike immediately called our hotel room to see if we could check in early. We were planning on bringing our dog, Bella. All rooms were booked so thankfully Jeff and Kristi took Bella for us until she could be boarded that Monday. Thank goodness there were no rooms because if we would have had to stopped at the hotel, we would have missed the birth. God works in mysterious ways!

About 11:45, we were finally ready to hit the road. We had about a 6 hour drive ahead of us so we needed to hurry!  Kristi shot this video of us before we left...

 

Amanda (the caseworker), kept us posted on our birth mother's status throughout our trip. About 2 hours into our trip, she was at 6 cm. About 4 hour into our trip she was at 8 cm and about an hour from the hospital, she was at 9.5 cm. I knew there was no way we were going to make it in time and I just had to be at peace with that. Amanda was very optimistic and told us not to give up. God showed us another one of us amazing blessings by allowing us to arrive at the hospital in time. About 30 minutes before our son was born, our birth mom's epidural stopped working and she refused to push without it. The doctor gave her another and as soon as it started working, I was invited to come into the room. Mike had to wait outside. I was so nervous but fortunately Gram (our bm's grandmother) helped me to feel calm. About 5 minutes after being in the delivery room, I could already see our son's head. It was the most beautiful (and strangest) thing I have every seen. I couldn't believe his full head of black hair. One push later, he was out!  "Oh my goodness!  He is beautiful!" was the first thing I said. Mike came into the room and didn't even realize he had been born. He was caught off guard but as soon as he saw him, Mike's face was priceless. He was one proud daddy!

Here are a few pictures of our beautiful son, Jack William Molloy, born on March 29th at 6:13 a.m. He weighed in at 7 lbs. 3 oz.  and 19 inches long.

Jack William Molloy!

Mommy and Daddy's first picture with baby Jack.

After only two days, Jack is very alert. Look at those beautiful eyes!

The nurse turned Jacks hat into bunny ears for Easter.

The next couple of days in the hospital were a roller coaster of emotions. Jack had to stay in the hospital for 4 extra days. Mommy and Daddy were at the hospital every day loving on our sweet baby Jack.  During that time, we found out that he had a heart murmur which required him to get an echo cardiogram. The echo came back as showing that he had a small-moderate VSD (ventricular septal defect), which is basically a hole between the two ventricles in his heart. The news was heartbreaking, especially for two new parents. It forced us to really place our trust and faith in God.  We had to wait until Friday to find out whether he was able to be discharged from the hospital. Fortunately the cardiologist allowed him to go home with the recommendation that he get followed up by a pediatric cardiologist in Atlanta.

Tuesday, March 31:  Today we said good bye to our adorable, beautiful, kind, and selfless birth mom. We had a special farewell allowing us to tell our birth mom what she means to us and to reassure to her how much Jack is going to be loved and taken care of.

Friday, April 3rd: Today our sweet Jack was discharged from the hospital and placed into our care. This was the day that we signed the legal paperwork with our caseworker and became Jack's temporary legal guardians. What an exciting day!

We get to take Jack back to our hotel.

Jack is wearing his daddy's going home outfit. The blanket and hat were handmade by a group of ladies who donated them to the birth care center.

Over the next two weeks, we played the waiting game. Florida ICPC says we have to stay in the Florida until paperwork is sent to Georgia and were are cleared to leave the state. It can take up to 14 days for approval to take place. Fortunately, we were staying in a very nice hotel that near everything that we needed. Plus, who doesn't mind a vacation in Florida? During the 2 weeks since Jack was discharged from the hospital, we celebrated Easter, visited St. Augustine, took a trip to the beach, celebrated Daddy's birthday, and visited with Uncle Michael. Not too shabby!

 Jack's first Easter outfit.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Exploring St. Augustine.

Jack's first trip to the beach.

Jack was lucky to meet Uncle Mike while in Florida.

Friday, April 17: WE GET TO GO HOME!!!! We finally received the call that we have been approved to bring Jack home. We couldn't have been more excited. We were both ready to introduce him to his new home and his big sister, Bella (our dog).

The day after arriving home, we had the pleasure of taking Jack to get his newborn pictures. Wow! What an amazing experience and our photographer, Carrie Gantt was awesome!  We can't wait to fill the walls with this cutie-patootie. Check out a couple of these pics of this gorgeous little boy.

 Since arriving home, the Molloys have been on quite an adventure.  Everyday we are learning to adjust to parenthood and are loving every minute of it. We really couldn't have been blessed with a sweeter or more beautiful son. Sometimes it still feels so surreal that in 9 months since we started the adoption process, we have become parents. I wouldn't substitute the life that God has blessed us with for anything in the world.

Bella loves taking a nap with her baby brother, Jack. 

Sunday, April 19: Jack meets Nana and Papa Carter for the first time. What a lucky guy! Nana and Papa fell in love instantly. Nana loved rocking and feeding Jack every second she got, while Papa loved singing songs and making "cooing" sounds with Jack.

Papa loves to be silly with Jack. Lots of singing and coo-ING!

Nana couldn't put sweet Jack down. She loved holding him every second she could get.

Wednesday, April 29th: Today we celebrate our sweet boy's one month birthday!

I love to try and  hold my head up! I weigh 9 lbs and am 20 inches long.

Thursday, May 7: Jack meets Grammy and Grampy for the first time. You couldn't pull the two of them away from Jack. Grammy loved taking naps and taking pictures of Jack, while Grampy loved cuddling with him (and avoiding changing his diapers!)

 Jack loves his Grammy.

Taking a nap with Grammy.

Saturday, May 9th: My good friends, the Williamsons and the Pitts hosted an amazing adoption shower for Jack. It was so much fun introducing Jack to several of our closest friends. It was a celebration that we will remember forever.

Our adorable invitation. 

 BBQ and Bowties was the theme. The food was delish!

We love showing off sweet Jack.

Jack meets my maid of honor, Stacy

My church friends love Jack.

Jack loved meeting my good friend, John.

 

The best part of May was getting to celebrate my first Mother's Day. I could never have imagined how wonderful it feels to be a mommy, especially to the most delicious little boy. Jack surprised with with a beautiful charm bracelet. I love you Jack William.

I could look at Jack all day.

My beautiful Mommy bracelet from Jack...the best gift ever!

Saturday, May 23: My mom, Sharon (sister-in-law) and Jennifer (sister-in-law) hosted an adoption celebration shower in Nashville. Nana and Papa were very excited to introduce many of their close friends to their new grandson, Jack. It was also a great time to celebrate Jack with both of the grandparents at the same time. My nieces and nephews were attached to Jack. It was so adorable.
 

The hostesses did such an amazing job with the food.

Sweet "Jack" banner given to me by my sis-in-law, Sharon.

Such a precious gift given to Jack by Grammy and Grampy!

Such a sweet verse to describe how we feel about Jack. 

The cousins adored Jack! Cousin Matthew and Cousin Mason thought he had the coolest clothes.

Friday, May 29th: We celebrate Jack's 2 month birthday!  He is getting so big!

I am starting to smile, love to suck on my fingers and kick. I weigh 10 lbs/4 ounces and am 21 inches long

 It's is kind of hard to see but this video is the cutest of Jack scooting! 

 As you can see, we have had so much fun loving on our little boy and introducing him to family and friends. We are so excited to watch him grow and change (although I have to admit it is already happening way too fast!). I have to remind Mike that we need to cherish every moment because it is going to move by so quickly. We promise to keep you updated on Jack's most important milestones. 

In the mean time, please pray for our little boy and his heart. Over the 3-4 months, he is going to be seeing a cardiologist regularly because what we thought was a small-moderate VSD is actually larger than expected. We are not worried because we are leaving it to God. We have found an amazing Dr. and know that he will be well taken care of.


Thank you for taking the time to read our blog. 

In Him,

Mike and Leah