We arrived in Florida late Saturday night and not without the 4th false alarm. Once we crossed into Florida, our Birth Mom sent us a text stating that she was going to the hospital due to high blood pressure. At this time, we were about 2 hours away from Daytona Beach. Once we were about 20 minutes from the hospital, they sent her home. WOW... what a night.
Today came with a termondous amount of stress for me. Of cource Johnny was calm, cool and collective the whole day long. We got to meet our Birth Mom, Shawna, and her family for the first time. For the past several months, she and I have been texting back and worth to each other. We have actually never spoken to one another. This was hard for me, because I was afraid (and still am) of what she thought of Johnny and I. Where we everything she hoped that we would be? Are we were good enough to raise this child she is carring? These are just two of thousands of questions that went through my head today.
I feel in love with her three children. They are just adorable. She has a 3 1/2 year old boy, 2 1/2 year old boy and 1 1/2 year old girl. The 2 1/2 year old came right up to me and started talking to me. The little girl finally let me hold her and then she screamed when it was time for them to leave. If Baby Gracie looks anything like her, lookout boys... she will be a heartbreaker.
One highlight of the dinner was when Johnny asked if the kids could have cotton candy. Shawna stated yes, but they never have had it before. The two boys LOVED it. The little girl liked playing with it. This was a memory that I will never forget.
Johnny and I brought each of the children a bag full of clothes, a coloring book, crayons for little hands, bubbles and side walk chalk. Shawna really did like the clothes and the kids LOVED the bubbles.
As Sunday finally comes to a close, I'm reflecting on how much God has really blessed us with not only this adoption but everything that we have, including loving us unconditional. God not only loves Johnny and I, but he also loves Shawna, her boyfriend, these three children and every other person in the world. Sometimes we may get so caught up in 'our moment' that we forget other people are fighting their own battles. This has been close to my heart lately as this date has gotten closer. For a women to carry a child nine months and chose to give it life, and then allow another women and man to raise it as their own, is one of the hardest sacrifices she will every make and it's one of the biggest gifts this couple will ever receive.
Johnny and I are very grateful for this gift, but we are also grateful for Shawna and her family.
Tomorrow is a new day and hopefully the day that our daughter, Morgan Grace, will be brought into this world.
As always, Johnny and I thank everyone that is following Morgran Grace's journey. We love each of you and can not wait to share her with you.
Good night and please stay watch for more updates.
Love always,
Misty & Johnny
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Friday, June 29, 2012
Emotions
To start this blog off, I want to apologize for not posting anything new since the first of May. The last couple of months have been pretty calm. Now the last three weeks have been VERY exciting. We have had three false alarms and finally, we received the call we have been waiting for. IT'S TIME TO GO TO FLORIDA!!!
Emotion.... Webster.com states the below:
Definition of EMOTION
Emotion.... Webster.com states the below:
Definition of EMOTION
1
a obsolete : disturbance b : excitement
2
a : the affective aspect of consciousness : feeling b : a state of feeling c : a conscious mental reaction (as anger or fear) subjectively experienced as strong feeling usually directed toward a specific object and typically accompanied by physiological and behavioral changes in the body
My definition of Emotion is simple: ADOPTION - Getting the final call. Since Wednesday, June 27th, I have felt every emotion known to man. I've been so happy, I felt I was jumping out of my skin. One night I was telling Johnny I was terrified and scared to death. All other emotions have fell somewhere in between. What about Johnny you ask, well he has been very,very quite.
So here is the latest. For the past several weeks, our birth mom has been experiencing high blood pressure. At one time they were concerned for Preeclampsia. This condition is near to my heart, as I almost lost a cousin and a dear friend of mine to this condition. This is serious condition and I did not want our birth mom to have it. Due to the danager of Preeclampsia, our birth mom was admitted to the hospital on two different occasions for monitoring. This was very scary for Johnny and I as we were literally waiting on that phone call in the middle of the night. With God's help, the blood pressure came down and on both hospital stays, our birth mom was sent home.
On June 27th, her blood pressure was still high, even with medication. At this appointment, she was 37 week and 2 days. The doctor stated that since she had not dilated, he would send her home, BUT he wanted to induce her on Monday, July 2nd. So about 11:30 AM on Wednesday, Johnny and I got the call we have been praying for, for so long, it's time to come to Florida for the birth of our daughter.
WOW... those words were sweet words, once I confirmed that birth mom and baby were okay. At this appointment, Baby Gracie had an estimated weight of 6 lbs and 8 oz.
As I'm typing this blog, we are 99% packed. Our plans are to travel to Florida tomorrow and rest Sunday. Monday our world will change forever and we will start a new chapter in the Long family.
There are so many people that mean so much to us, but if Iwould list them all, I'm afraid that I will miss someone. Please know that if you have supported us by prayer, encouraging words, financial donations, gifts or simply a card, you have helped make this journey possible and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We have stated from the begining that this adoption is all God's doing. He is just using us. We still feel 100% about this statement. If it was not for our Saviour, this adoption would not have taken place. We give him all of the praise and glory for this precious child, Morgan Grace Long.
Below are a few pictures we wanted to share with everyone.
 |
| These ultrasounds Pics were taken at 36 weeks and 2 days. |
 |
| Gracie's Crib with the BEAUTIFUL Orange Bedding. |
 |
| Gracie's 1st Rabbit "Bugs" and her Orange / Brown Bedding. |
Once we hit Florida, one of us will update the blog with details about meeting the birth mom and her family and of cource, the wonderful birth of Morgan Grace.
Thank you for taking the time to read this blog and for following the journey of Morgan Grace.
May God be with you, as he has been with us.
Love,
Misty & Johnny
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Time to Breath....
WOW... WOW... WOW.... I may have said this in previous post, but I can not express enough about how AWESOME our God is. If you have been following Gracie's journey from the beginning, I'm sure you have heard Johnny and I say over and over, that this adoption is God's doing.
When Johnny and I first contacted the Adoption Consultant, Christian Adoption Consultants, they gave us two pages of scripture reference to help us during our journey. I'm going to share with everyone four versus that have special meaning to us.
Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths.
Isaiah 43:5 Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west.
Isaiah 30:18 Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you; therefore he will raise up to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.
It has been a few weeks since my last post. During the time, God has continued to remind Johnny and I that HE is in control and he wants this adoption to take place.
For two weeks in April, Johnny and I took Mary Kay make-up catalog orders. We both took orders from co-workers, as well as church family. When our total was calculated, we had $858 in total sales. Our consultant, Vickie Spurling, was gracious enough to donate $257 to Gracie's adoption fund. This was amazing and very much appreciated. Vickie is a jewel to me and I'm very thankful that she was open to the fundraiser suggestion.
On Wednesday, May 2nd, Johnny and I were in the Catoosa Community insert of the Chattanooga Times. We knew the article would be there, we just did not know how big the article would be or the contents of it. AGAIN, God showed us that HE is in charge of this adoption. Katie Ward, with Chattanooga Times, did a wonderful job of capturing our story. When I read it that morning, I cried and cried. Little did Johnny and I know exactly how much awareness that article would give us.
On Saturday, May 5th, Johnny and I had our last fundraiser for Gracie's adoption. We had prayed and prepared tremendously for this pancake breakfast. We had tried to sell as many tickets ahead of time as possible. Many people would tell us that they were coming, but wanted to pay at the door. This was okay with us; however, we could not come up with a final head count. So going on faith, we prepared for 100 people, hoping for the best. We had all of our wonderful volunteers there at the church bright and early eager to serve hungry friends, family and supporters from the community. The first hour or so was very slow and discouraging; however, around 8:15 AM, people started coming in and we were very steady until around 10 AM. Johnny and I met so many people that neither of us knew. It was so touching to know that they came to support an adoption for people that they didn't even know. We met one lady that went to school with my father, Troy Dyer, Sr. She was telling me stories about when I was first adopted. We also met another couple that read about the breakfast in the paper and felt God telling them to come and support us. There were several people from not only our church, Boynton United Methodist, but also Boynton Baptist and Ringgold United Methodist. We had friends show up that drove as far away as Dalton, GA, as well as members from our own family. The support was so overwhelming at times, that we both had to step back and just say WOW, Thank You God. The breakfast success was miraculous. We raised a little over $900.00. Again, God is a wonderful God. Both Jeremiah 29:11 and Isaiah 30:18 keep repeating in my mind.
There are so many people that we owe so much gratitude to. Our journey could not have made it this far without the love, support, prayers and financial gifts from everyone at Boynton United Methodist Church, our family and close friends.
Gracie's due date has been pushed back until July 16th; however, an inducement date has been scheduled for July 9th. For many of you, you already know that July 9th is a very special day in our family, as it is Johnny's birthday. We know this date could change again, but for right now, we have our eyes and hearts set on July 9th.
Please continue to follow the journey of Morgan Grace Long. I will continue to update the blog with any updates that I receive regarding our precious baby girl. Before I end this post, I want to leave you with the below.
"Before you were conceived I wanted you
Before you were born I loved you
Before you were here an hour I would die for you
This is the miracle of Love." ~ Maureen Hawkins
Approximately 62 days till her arrival.
~ Love ~ Misty
When Johnny and I first contacted the Adoption Consultant, Christian Adoption Consultants, they gave us two pages of scripture reference to help us during our journey. I'm going to share with everyone four versus that have special meaning to us.
Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths.
Isaiah 43:5 Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west.
Isaiah 30:18 Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you; therefore he will raise up to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.
It has been a few weeks since my last post. During the time, God has continued to remind Johnny and I that HE is in control and he wants this adoption to take place.
For two weeks in April, Johnny and I took Mary Kay make-up catalog orders. We both took orders from co-workers, as well as church family. When our total was calculated, we had $858 in total sales. Our consultant, Vickie Spurling, was gracious enough to donate $257 to Gracie's adoption fund. This was amazing and very much appreciated. Vickie is a jewel to me and I'm very thankful that she was open to the fundraiser suggestion.
On Wednesday, May 2nd, Johnny and I were in the Catoosa Community insert of the Chattanooga Times. We knew the article would be there, we just did not know how big the article would be or the contents of it. AGAIN, God showed us that HE is in charge of this adoption. Katie Ward, with Chattanooga Times, did a wonderful job of capturing our story. When I read it that morning, I cried and cried. Little did Johnny and I know exactly how much awareness that article would give us.
On Saturday, May 5th, Johnny and I had our last fundraiser for Gracie's adoption. We had prayed and prepared tremendously for this pancake breakfast. We had tried to sell as many tickets ahead of time as possible. Many people would tell us that they were coming, but wanted to pay at the door. This was okay with us; however, we could not come up with a final head count. So going on faith, we prepared for 100 people, hoping for the best. We had all of our wonderful volunteers there at the church bright and early eager to serve hungry friends, family and supporters from the community. The first hour or so was very slow and discouraging; however, around 8:15 AM, people started coming in and we were very steady until around 10 AM. Johnny and I met so many people that neither of us knew. It was so touching to know that they came to support an adoption for people that they didn't even know. We met one lady that went to school with my father, Troy Dyer, Sr. She was telling me stories about when I was first adopted. We also met another couple that read about the breakfast in the paper and felt God telling them to come and support us. There were several people from not only our church, Boynton United Methodist, but also Boynton Baptist and Ringgold United Methodist. We had friends show up that drove as far away as Dalton, GA, as well as members from our own family. The support was so overwhelming at times, that we both had to step back and just say WOW, Thank You God. The breakfast success was miraculous. We raised a little over $900.00. Again, God is a wonderful God. Both Jeremiah 29:11 and Isaiah 30:18 keep repeating in my mind.
There are so many people that we owe so much gratitude to. Our journey could not have made it this far without the love, support, prayers and financial gifts from everyone at Boynton United Methodist Church, our family and close friends.
Gracie's due date has been pushed back until July 16th; however, an inducement date has been scheduled for July 9th. For many of you, you already know that July 9th is a very special day in our family, as it is Johnny's birthday. We know this date could change again, but for right now, we have our eyes and hearts set on July 9th.
Please continue to follow the journey of Morgan Grace Long. I will continue to update the blog with any updates that I receive regarding our precious baby girl. Before I end this post, I want to leave you with the below.
"Before you were conceived I wanted you
Before you were born I loved you
Before you were here an hour I would die for you
This is the miracle of Love." ~ Maureen Hawkins
Approximately 62 days till her arrival.
~ Love ~ Misty
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Cookie Anyone?
On Saturday, April 14th, Johnny and I had our 1st fundraiser for Baby Gracie's adoption fund. Our church, Boynton United Methodist, was having a yard sale to raise money for the mission team. The church was gracious enough to allow us to have a bake sale at the same time.
Many people from our family, work and church blessed us with baked goods and/or monetary donations. At first, I was a little worried that we would not have enough goodies to sale, then I was worried that no one would buy the goodies. Johnny has also told me worrying is a waste of my imagination. In this case he was right.
On Friday, April 13th, Johnny and I met at church to set up for the bake sale. After a couple of hours, we both were over-whelmed with the generosity that people had shown us. We had three tables full of wonderful goodies to sell.
Bake Sale day started at 4:30 AM for us. We were at the church making homemade Sausage & Biscuit's by 5:30 AM. Before we knew it, it was 7 AM and almost time to start making money for Baby Gracie.
I had a dear friend of mine to come to the church and help me and Johnny during the bake sale. Johnny and I were both grateful for her help. At times, all three of us were helping customers. It was AMAZING.
After the bake sale was over, we had some items left over. Our pastor told us we could try to sale what was left before and after all three morning services. So we did. After each service, Johnny and I were trying to sell the last bit of these homemade goodies.
After two days of selling and monetary donations, we were able to raise over $600.00 for Baby Gracie's adoption.
Have I told you lately how AWESOME our God is? He showed off that weekend and reminded us that this was his plan.
Johnny and I appreciate the love, support, encouraging words, prayers and donations that our family and friends continue to provide. This process is a journey that has had many mountains and valleys, but with God and each of you, it has been a little easier to travel.
Please continue to follow the journey of Morgan Grace Long. Approximately 10 weeks until her arrival.
Love - Misty
Many people from our family, work and church blessed us with baked goods and/or monetary donations. At first, I was a little worried that we would not have enough goodies to sale, then I was worried that no one would buy the goodies. Johnny has also told me worrying is a waste of my imagination. In this case he was right.
On Friday, April 13th, Johnny and I met at church to set up for the bake sale. After a couple of hours, we both were over-whelmed with the generosity that people had shown us. We had three tables full of wonderful goodies to sell.
Bake Sale day started at 4:30 AM for us. We were at the church making homemade Sausage & Biscuit's by 5:30 AM. Before we knew it, it was 7 AM and almost time to start making money for Baby Gracie.
I had a dear friend of mine to come to the church and help me and Johnny during the bake sale. Johnny and I were both grateful for her help. At times, all three of us were helping customers. It was AMAZING.
After the bake sale was over, we had some items left over. Our pastor told us we could try to sale what was left before and after all three morning services. So we did. After each service, Johnny and I were trying to sell the last bit of these homemade goodies.
After two days of selling and monetary donations, we were able to raise over $600.00 for Baby Gracie's adoption.
Have I told you lately how AWESOME our God is? He showed off that weekend and reminded us that this was his plan.
Johnny and I appreciate the love, support, encouraging words, prayers and donations that our family and friends continue to provide. This process is a journey that has had many mountains and valleys, but with God and each of you, it has been a little easier to travel.
Please continue to follow the journey of Morgan Grace Long. Approximately 10 weeks until her arrival.
Love - Misty
Pictures of our precious child.
WOW... God is an AWESOME God. Need I say more?
Less than a week after we matched, the agency sent us the ultrasound pictures of our baby girl. I was thrilled to have seen these, much less receive as many as we did. I have decided to share a few of my favorites with everyone. The ultrasound pictures are both regular and 4D. Baby Gracie is approximately 20 weeks and 13 oz.
Please continue to follow the journey of Morgan Grace "Baby Gracie".
She is sucking her thumb.
4D of her whole body. She loves to cover her eyes.
Her feet and one hand.
Less than a week after we matched, the agency sent us the ultrasound pictures of our baby girl. I was thrilled to have seen these, much less receive as many as we did. I have decided to share a few of my favorites with everyone. The ultrasound pictures are both regular and 4D. Baby Gracie is approximately 20 weeks and 13 oz.
Please continue to follow the journey of Morgan Grace "Baby Gracie".
She is sucking her thumb. 
4D of her whole body. She loves to cover her eyes.
Her feet and one hand. Sunday, April 15, 2012
The very beginning
Gracie's Journey is the story of how Morgan Grace Long became a part of our family. For almost 7 years, Johnny and I have wanted a family. After years of unsuccessful fertility treatments, we finally followed God's path to adoption.
We started adoption classes (Adoption Discovery) in August 2011. In October, we started our home study process and eventually signed with our Adoption Consultant Group, Christian Adoption Consultants. Cheri Denmon was assigned to us. Luckily, we already knew Cheri, as she was our social worker for our home study.
After pages and pages of paperwork, and several background checks, Johnny and I were finally approved for adoption the week before Christmas in 2011.
In January of 2012, we started applying to several agencies. We started out with a total of four agencies. Two were in Utah, one was in Kansas and the other was in Arizona. After weeks of applications, phone conversations, and more paperwork, our agency list was down to two agencies. In mid-February, Cheri talked to Johnny and I about applying to an agency in Florida. After various conversations, we decided to go ahead and apply and send in our application fee. At this time, Cheri also provided us with information about Adoption & Family Support Center, which is also in Florida. Johnny and I decided to go ahead and send them our profile as well.
On Sunday, March 11th, 2012, our wonderful church family gave Johnny and I our first baby shower. We received many wonderful and special gifts from our church family. There were three ladies that told me separately that they would pray that we would get 'the call' that next week. I smiled and said 'Thank You' and thought, God that would be great.
On March 13th, 2012, Adoption & Family Support Center (A&FSC) welcomed us to their family and also provided us a profile to review. Johnny and I reviewed this profile and we both knew that this could be our 'match'. We asked A&FSC to go ahead and show this birth mother our profile. I also asked them to tell this birth mother that I, myself, am adopted and Johnny and I feel that we have a lot of experience to offer this child. A&FSC asked me if I would be okay with writing the birth mother a letter, telling her myself about my adoption experience, and I did.
We knew that the birth mother would be presented our profile, as well as my letter, on Friday, March 16th. Johnny and I asked everyone we knew to pray. If this child was ours, God would make it happen. At approximately 3:00 PM, I received the phone call that I had dreamed about for so long. This birth mother had chosen us to be the parents of a baby girl that is due around July 6th.
Johnny and I are so very blessed to have been chosen. That Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday was a joyous time in our lives. We have God to thank for it all. We also had a lot of people praying for this match, this baby and the birth mom.
Once the excitement settled down, Johnny and I reviewed our adoption budget and realized we were about $3,000.00 short. After much discussion and planning, we decided to have a bake sale (April 14th), Mary Kay Make-up Catalog order (April 15th - 29th) and a Pancake Breakfast (May 5th). We prayed that between these thee fundraisers, God would provide all of the money that we needed.
On Wednesday, March 25th, Johnny and I received the ultrasound pictures of our baby girl, Morgan Grace. At the time of the ultrasound pictures, the birth mother was approximately 20 weeks along. The baby weighted approximately 13 ounces. Johnny and I are an EXTREMELY set of proud parents.
From the very beginning of our journey, we knew that this was God's calling for us. God's Grace led us to Gracie... now we just have to bring her home.
Please stay tuned for additional updates regarding Baby Gracie.
Love,
Misty
We started adoption classes (Adoption Discovery) in August 2011. In October, we started our home study process and eventually signed with our Adoption Consultant Group, Christian Adoption Consultants. Cheri Denmon was assigned to us. Luckily, we already knew Cheri, as she was our social worker for our home study.
After pages and pages of paperwork, and several background checks, Johnny and I were finally approved for adoption the week before Christmas in 2011.
In January of 2012, we started applying to several agencies. We started out with a total of four agencies. Two were in Utah, one was in Kansas and the other was in Arizona. After weeks of applications, phone conversations, and more paperwork, our agency list was down to two agencies. In mid-February, Cheri talked to Johnny and I about applying to an agency in Florida. After various conversations, we decided to go ahead and apply and send in our application fee. At this time, Cheri also provided us with information about Adoption & Family Support Center, which is also in Florida. Johnny and I decided to go ahead and send them our profile as well.
On Sunday, March 11th, 2012, our wonderful church family gave Johnny and I our first baby shower. We received many wonderful and special gifts from our church family. There were three ladies that told me separately that they would pray that we would get 'the call' that next week. I smiled and said 'Thank You' and thought, God that would be great.
On March 13th, 2012, Adoption & Family Support Center (A&FSC) welcomed us to their family and also provided us a profile to review. Johnny and I reviewed this profile and we both knew that this could be our 'match'. We asked A&FSC to go ahead and show this birth mother our profile. I also asked them to tell this birth mother that I, myself, am adopted and Johnny and I feel that we have a lot of experience to offer this child. A&FSC asked me if I would be okay with writing the birth mother a letter, telling her myself about my adoption experience, and I did.
We knew that the birth mother would be presented our profile, as well as my letter, on Friday, March 16th. Johnny and I asked everyone we knew to pray. If this child was ours, God would make it happen. At approximately 3:00 PM, I received the phone call that I had dreamed about for so long. This birth mother had chosen us to be the parents of a baby girl that is due around July 6th.
Johnny and I are so very blessed to have been chosen. That Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday was a joyous time in our lives. We have God to thank for it all. We also had a lot of people praying for this match, this baby and the birth mom.
Once the excitement settled down, Johnny and I reviewed our adoption budget and realized we were about $3,000.00 short. After much discussion and planning, we decided to have a bake sale (April 14th), Mary Kay Make-up Catalog order (April 15th - 29th) and a Pancake Breakfast (May 5th). We prayed that between these thee fundraisers, God would provide all of the money that we needed.
On Wednesday, March 25th, Johnny and I received the ultrasound pictures of our baby girl, Morgan Grace. At the time of the ultrasound pictures, the birth mother was approximately 20 weeks along. The baby weighted approximately 13 ounces. Johnny and I are an EXTREMELY set of proud parents.
From the very beginning of our journey, we knew that this was God's calling for us. God's Grace led us to Gracie... now we just have to bring her home.
Please stay tuned for additional updates regarding Baby Gracie.
Love,
Misty
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)