Please help us bring Nathaniel home....

Pics of Nate.....

2007-12-31T08:44:00.000-08:00

......Can be found on my other blog.....

http://jodiegirl.blogspot.com

Enjoy!

Nate Is Home!!!

2007-12-30T10:34:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's true! We got home last night around 6:00. HOOORRRAAYYY!!

So, I must admit that I am tired. I think I had forgotten the sleep deprivation part of having a new baby. :) Actually, Brent stayed up with him most of the night last night because I was up on Friday when I stayed with him at the hospital. Nate is a pretty easy going boy, loves to eat, LOVES to be held, and is generally pretty happy. Ty and Emma are so funny with him. Ty isn't too sure what to think and has tried to poke his eyes out a couple of times! Emmalee is in love. She holds him and kisses him and rubs his head and calls him Ate. She keeps telling me "thank you for bringing him home, Momma." Last night before going to bed she said, "don't take him back, Momma!" She was very happy to see him again this morning when she got up. She was afraid to take a nap this afternoon though, and wanted me to put him in bed with her. I know after a couple of days she'll realize he isn't going anywhere. Cutie bug. The cat is very, very curious....too much so almost. She kept jumping in his bed last night and I finally had to put her downstairs. Hopefully she'll settle in as well. All in all, things are going well. Just trying to get used to the feedings and such again. Not that I'm complaining! We are so happy to be home and life is good. Nate is a miracle!!

I'll post pics soon....Nate is calling.

More Pics

2007-12-22T09:24:00.001-08:00

I have to be honest....by the time we got home last night, I was so exhausted that I didn't really have the energy to do too much so I only posted three pics. But, I have more so I wanted to post them today. Enjoy!!

Beautiful Boy!!

2007-12-21T17:39:00.000-08:00

Well, today was the day we have been waiting for. We got to meet our beautiful baby boy today. Nathaniel is just a love! He has come a long way from the tiny little preemie he was. He is now over six pounds and has some very chubby cheeks!! Holding him was heaven and having to leave him was, well, you know.

We signed all the paperwork and Nathaniel is officially our child. What a Christmas gift! He has one additional surgery next week and then hopefully he will be able to come home shortly afterward. He is a strong little one and he has done so well! The next week or so will be busy with going back and forth to the hospital and such. But, it is all worth it! We can hardly wait for the day that we get to bring him home!

Sometimes Things Don't Go As Planned

2007-12-20T22:58:00.000-08:00

Most of you already know that our plans to sign papers and meet Nate on Tuesday did not work out. There was a minor glitch to our paperwork and we had to get things in order before we could sign. Fast forward to now. We are headed to STAR tomorrow, or rather, later this morning.

I keep worrying that I will jinx myself or something. But I can't sleep. It's two in the morning and I can't sleep. I keep thinking of the moment that we'll get to see Nate for the first time. You know, it's a funny thing. When I went to bed Monday night and again when I woke up on Tuesday, I had a strange feeling that something wasn't going to go as planned. On the way to Buffalo Brent asked me if I was excited and I really wasn't. I was nervous. I thought that was a strange emotion for going to sign adoption papers and meeting Nate for the first time. But all the way there that's all I could feel.

Tonight it is different. For one thing, I have been running around like a chicken. I think I am nesting. I keep cleaning things and putting stuff away. I am actually cracking myself up. I just want to be ready in case, by some miracle, Nate is ready to be released tomorrow, (or really, later this morning.) I am not at all nervous now. Now I am just excited. I have that same anxious excitement that I can remember feeling as a little child on Christmas Eve. It is a good feeling. Much better than the nervousness of Tuesday. I have butterflies.

I tried to spend time with the kids today as much as possible. This is the last day that we are a family of four. Soon Brent and I will be outnumbered by little people. Tyler and Emmalee have no idea how their lives are about to change. I am really excited to see their reactions to Nate, especially Emma. She keeps talking about how she will kiss the new baby on his head and hold him really nicely. She is going to be a great big sister.

And, of course, I just hope and pray that I am not wrong. I really believe that in a few short hours, I will be holding my son for the first time. I thought this day would never come. I was beginning to wonder if it was all a dream. But it isn't. This is really going to happen. Miracles do happen and dreams really do come true. I can hardly wait!!

Life Is Good!

2007-12-17T20:47:00.000-08:00

As most of you probably already know, we have decided to change the baby's name. After careful consideration.....our little man will be Nathaniel Roger. We are so excited!!! Nathaniel means Gift from God and Roger is the name of a very dear friend of ours.

We also have amazing news! We are going to Adoption STAR tomorrow to sign the paperwork and then we get to go to the hospital to meet our son!! I really, really can't believe it. I don't think it has hit me yet. I can hardly wait. We'll keep you all posted!

And The Winners Are.....

2007-12-15T13:43:00.000-08:00

Hooray!! Today's the big day for the raffle drawings! Thank you to everyone who purchased raffle tickets.

I used http://www.random.org/ to help me make the drawings, well, random. :) There were 20 tickets total sold for the Spa Raffle...here's the results.

List Randomizer
There were 20 items in your list. Here they are in random order:
0019 -- Winner!!
0003
0002
0001
0016
0004
0018
0013
0008
0015
0006
0014
0007
0017
0011
0009
0005
0010
0012
0020
Timestamp: 2007-12-15 21:43:26 UTC

And for the stamp sets there were 12 tickets sold.....

There were 12 items in your list. Here they are in random order:
0005 -- Winner!!
0003
0002
0011
0001
0004
0012
0007
0010
0008
0006
0009
Timestamp: 2007-12-15 22:09:46 UTC

Hooray! I will notify the winners. Thank you all again!!

~Jodie

Raffle Update

2007-12-03T12:12:00.000-08:00

It has been brought to my attention that I failed to give an update on our raffle drawings. I am so sorry! I have not yet drawn winners so if you have bought tickets, never fear. :)

I will be drawing on December 15. If you would still like to buy tickets, there's still time. The prizes would make great holiday gifts.

Remember, the raffles are for two sets of stamps and a $100 Spa Finder gift certificate.

Personalized Letter From Santa Fundraiser

2007-11-28T10:52:00.000-08:00

***Thanks to everyone who ordered!!***

Hello All!

I will admit that this wasn't 100% my idea. However, I have fine tuned it a bit and I'm hoping this will be a great fundraiser.

We are excited to do personal letters from Santa for your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, friends, etc. The letter will be from Santa, with your child's name mentioned throughout. Santa will also include other information that you provide such as sibling's names, pet's names, birthdays, special interests, etc. Really it is up to your imagination how personal you want this to be. Letters will be printed on nice Christmas paper and will be signed by Santa.

All orders must be in no later than December 12. They will be mailed on December 15 in order to arrive in time for Christmas. Letters will be addressed to the child and will be postmarked from the North Pole!!!

Letters are $5 each which includes shipping. Payment through paypal. Just click on the button below.

Please email me the information you want in your letter, jodiegardner@gmail.com

Thank you so much!!

Current Fundraiser

2007-10-24T15:42:00.001-07:00

We are doing a fundraiser with Current. For those of you who know Current, you know their products are great! With the holidays just around the corner, this is a great time to buy your cards, wrapping paper, etc. and also help us bring Patrick home. Current will donate 50% of sales to us! That is awesome!! If you'd like to contribute to our fundraiser, please go to http://www.currentfun.com/ You will choose your items and then proceed to check out. Once you do that, it will ask you to choose your participant state, New York, and choose your organization's name, Gardner Adoption Fund. That's it! Current just put out their new holiday stuff and there are some really cute items in there. Thank you all in advance for your support. Please feel free to pass this along to anyone you think may be interested.

Patrick Update

2007-10-22T19:27:00.000-07:00

I spoke with the agency today and found out that Patrick is now over three pounds! HOOORRAAAYYY! He is recovering well after his surgery so we were happy about that also. Please keep him in your prayers. I'll update more as I know.

Another New Fundraiser

2007-10-19T15:15:00.000-07:00

Please check out our magazine fundraiser. (Simply click on the picture to be taken to our fundraiser.) There are more than 650 titles to choose from and you can save up to 85% off newsstand prices. Plus, we earn 40% of all sales. It's a win-win situation! With the holidays just around the corner, magazines make a great gift. Take a look and once again, thank you for your support!!

Patrick Update

2007-10-17T06:02:00.000-07:00

I got a call from the agency last night. Patrick is doing well. His surgery went well and there were no complications. Thank you all for your prayers and love and all the emails we received. Heavenly Father continues to hear and answer our prayers and we are so thankful for that. That little boy is a miracle!!

Prayers Needed

2007-10-16T16:05:00.000-07:00

Patrick had open heart surgery today to repair a hole in his heart. We haven't heard any updates yet and likely won't until tomorrow. I have been on pins and needles all day. Please say a little prayer for him. I'll updated once I know more.

Attention Scrappers & Stampers!!

2007-10-12T17:20:00.000-07:00

Here's another fun raffle!! This is for two, new in package, stamp sets from Close To My Heart. The first set is called Sun, Moon and Stars and the second set is called Go Fly Kites. Both of these sets are retired and come from my personal collection. I have so many sets that these were never even opened!! Perfect to add to your collection!

Raffle tickets are $1 each or six for $5. You can purchase your ticket(s) by clicking the Buy Now button below and using either paypal or a credit card. Please be sure to indicate how many tickets you want. I will email you your ticket number(s).

Drawing will be held on Wednesday, October 31! Good luck and thanks for playing.

Online Raffle!!

2007-10-12T16:36:00.000-07:00

Thank You!

2007-10-06T11:19:00.000-07:00

I am in tears as I sit here writing this post. I honestly don't know what to say. The response we have received so far is just overwhelming.

I had very high hopes when I decided to do the $1 fundraiser. My goal was to raise $1000 in two weeks. I figured if we did that much in two weeks, we'd be doing great. Apparently I underestimated my family, friends and even complete strangers.

We have raised nearly $600 in less than 72 hours!!! I am truly blown away. If we can keep up this pace, we will meet our goal in no time!

The words thank you simply do not convey our true appreciation. Your love and support mean the world to us.

Many people have written to me to let me know that although they can not donate right now, they are thinking of us and keeping our family in their prayers. This also means the world to us. We know that these prayers are heard.

I will keep updating from time to time. We are also planning some additional fundraisers.

Thank you all again!

How You Can Help

2007-09-30T20:24:00.000-07:00

Hello!
Thank you so much for taking the time to visit our blog. We are thrilled that we have been chosen to adopt this special little guy. We are also humbled that Heavenly Father has once again entrusted one of his special little ones to our family.

The baby, who we are planning to name Patrick Christopher, is doing well. He is a strong little guy! He still has a long road ahead of him but he is making progress day to day. As you know, Brent and I are committed to adopting children with special needs. We know in our hearts that this is our purpose in this life. Because of that, we jumped at the chance to adopt this special little boy. Yes, he needs medical care and on going assistance. But, what he needs most of all is a family who will love and support him every step of the way. We are so happy that we can be that family.

Adoption, of course, is not free. There are many costs associated with adoption. There is a home study fee, the placement fees, fees to do post placement visits after the child comes home, legal fees, etc. This is often overwhelming and daunting to adoptive parents. Although we have been planning to adopt again, and have even done some fundraising, we were not expecting this little miracle to come about at this time and therefore we are not in a position to pay all of the adoption fees on our own. Quite simply, we need your help.

We would like to ask you to take a moment to click on the "Donate Now" button and donate $1. That's right, just $1! (Of course, please feel free to donate more if you'd like.) Then, after you have made your donation, please forward this website and the information along to everyone you can asking them to donate $1 and then pass it on. Given how broad reaching and global the internet and email are, we are hoping that this $1 adoption fundraiser will help to make our dreams come true.

**Please Note**
You do not have to have a paypal account to donate with the Donate button. It will give you an option to pay with credit card. If you would prefer to send your donation another way, please email me at jodiegardner@gmail.com

Thank you all so much for your continued love and support. We are truly hoping that we can bring our little guy home soon.

With Love,

Brent, Jodie and Family

2007-09-30T20:22:00.000-07:00

Click to play Make your own Smilebox

Collin is thirteen and is Brent's biological son from his first marriage. He is a great kid and we love the time we have with him!

2007-09-30T20:18:00.002-07:00

Click to play Make your own Smilebox

Tyler was born June 1, 2004 and adopted on August 11, 2004. He has special needs including Down syndrome. He is an amazing little boy and we are so happy to have him in our family!

2007-09-30T20:18:00.001-07:00

Click to play Make your own Smilebox

Emmalee was born April 6, 2005 and adopted on April 20, 2005. She was born drug and alcohol exposed and pre-maturely. She is now a healthy, thriving two year old. She brings such joy and laughter to our family!

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