~ Leap Of Faith ~




The Collins Family
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Tuesday, August 11, 2009

~ Gottcha Day! ~

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Finally, he is in our arms!! It has been a long day...full of joy and full of emotions. Heart of Mary Villa had a very special visit prepared for us. While it was a short visit, it will be very memorable for years to come. Very emotional. They prepared a life book for Levi which has pictures and notes throughout each month of his stay at Mary Villa. Included were several pictures of his birth mother, pictures of his special caregivers, and playmates. They also included the nursery schedule with the routine that Levi has followed his entire life. Levi's birth mother also left us a letter and a letter to Levi for when he is older and the time is right. We also received a complete updated medical report to pass along to our physician. Before leaving they had a little prayer ritual ceremony praying for blessings during our journey with Levi.

Levi is wonderful! The caregivers had so many great things to say about him. They would laugh as they told us about his eating habits...anything and everything. Whatever we want to sit in front of him, he will eat. They have tried to reduce his bottle feeding to one at night since he has mainly been on solids since he was 6 months old, but they said he gets upset when he sees younger kids with their afternoon bottle so they usually give him one to. He also runs to the door as soon as it is feeding time so that he can be one of the first ones to eat. When they were talking about the multi vitamin they have been giving him, they also made the comment that he probably doesn't need a multi-vitamin because they were pretty sure he was getting in all his nutrients.

On the ride to the hotel from the orphanage he never made a sound. He sat on Wes's lap for most of the trip and his arms were stretched out to his side as if he was afraid to move. His eyes were so big and he would just look out the window at all of the vehicles that would pass us by. He finally relaxed a little and fell asleep for part of the drive. Our social worker who went with us to meet Levi was surprised that he never made a sound on the way back to the hotel as last week when he went to his visa appointment he babbled the entire time. She also said that he is very mobile and wanted to be walking around.

Tonight, we have yet to hear him make a single vocal sound. He hasn't even cried. Levi has finally relaxed and has been sitting up on the bed playing with several books that I brought. He really likes the musical greeting card that I brought along. I am not sure how long that will hold up as it is starting to looking like a crinkled mess, but he is enjoying if for now. Wes finally did get a smile from him about an hour ago. We fed him fresh Mango pieces and tiny pizza pieces for dinner and he ate every bit of it. We have taken several trips up and down the hallway of our hotel room to let him walk. He likes to walk, but only if he can hold one of our hands...very cute!

That's all I have to report for now as I really just want to go snuggle with him before we lay him down for the night. Enjoy the pictures!

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19 comments:

Renee and Brian said...

Wow, how your lives have changed in the past 24 hours!! Congratulations on being with your beautiful son. It must almost seem like a dream to have him in your arms. I hope that things go well today and that Levi settles in nicely. Take care and thanks alot for posting all those great pictures.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations - your blog made me cry. Can't wait to hold him -
4 more days. I get to leave work tomorrow to go stay with the girls. I am counting the minutes. Love ya both XXOO

Jennifer said...

I'm so happy for you two. What a precious little boy! I too am crying now. Can't wait til it's our turn.

Rachel said...

Yay yay yay!!!!!!!! I love seeing this post. It's funny, you guys are the first thing I think of when I wake up in the morning and are on my mind a lot throughout the day. I get nervous for you and giddy for you. You'd think it was our trip all over again or something.

I love seeing the pics of you guys with Levi. I especially love seeing the pic of Wes with his son!! They are going to have so much fun together. And you guys as a family of 5 (!!!!!) are going to be awesome. I can't wait to read now about when the girls meet him :)

Janice said...

Geez Jenny, waterfalls!!!
Congratulations once again. I am so happy for you guys!
Enjoy every second, I'll be following your blog even more closely, if that's possible :o)
What a precious little boy.
:o)

Haley and fam said...

O my goodness I am SUCH a cry baby! We are overjoyed for you guys. He sounds a lot like his cousin Heston! He is such a cuttie. Cant wait to see more pics. We love you guys

Amber said...

Wow, congratulations! I'm so happy for you guys! My eyes are welling up as I read your post...
I think it's so beautiful that his mother wrote him a letter for when he is older. I'm very glad that everything is going so well, enjoy your last few days in the Philippines!
Now you finally get to spend some time with your son Levi :0) Enjoy getting to know each other!
Take care, and thanks for sharing those wonderful pictures...

Julie said...

All I can say is WOW!! Congrats and have a great trip.

emilie said...

congratulations! i'll have to come back and read the post (don't want to miss my bus) --but just wanted to say congratulations and have a wonderful time together.

Anonymous said...

It was very emotional for me reading your comments and seeing your son/our grandson. I know it is a very memorable/proud time for both of you.
Can't wait to meet Levi in person and to play with him and the girls.
Levi is a very lucky ittle boy!!!!
PaPa J.R.

Anonymous said...

God is so GOOD! I jumped out of bed early this morning to get to the computer and there HE was! Levi is adorable and I can not wait to see you all together. I am so thankful the day went well. It sounds like it went better than we could have even hoped for. The letter from his mother is just another affirmation. I will continue to hold you up in prayers as you return home safely. Love you all. MaMa LaLa

joanne said...

ohmygoodness, levi is SOOOO incredibly cute and he looks very comfortable with you guys! i can't wait to see him with his big sisters :) thank-you so much for sharing your gotcha day and posting all the pictures!

Kelly said...

Jenny I am so excited for you guys, Levi is so handsome. I wish you guys the best as you get him home and get him settled :)

Kelly

Brett said...

Congratulations! This is a special day that you will always remember. Glad things are going so well.

Aunt Haley said...

Just checking in again for more pictures...we are so excited.

Allison Family said...

Congratulations! He is adorable! How special to have a letter and pictures from his birth mother. Enjoy your final days in the Philippines with your precious little one!

Anonymous said...

We are so excited for you both! Certainly a day that you have waited to arrive for a long time. Thank you for sharing your precious feelings with us in your blog, allowing us to enjoy your excitement! We can't wait to help welcome Levi into your/our big, warm family.
Love, Cheryl and family

Rachel said...

Congratulations! Levi is precious! I hope you enjoy the rest of your stay in the Philippines.

Melanie said...

Congratulations!!! I am so very happy for you.... Reading your story, and seeing the pictures taken at Heart of Mary Villa brought back so many good memories... My daughter was there... we adopted her in 2005... We are now waiting for our second child and I pray to God that he (or she) comes from that orphanage... Such a great place! Congrats!!! :o)