Introducing Olivia Rose Morris

Olivia Rose Morris

Born: 6/15/15

Weight at Birth: 5lbs. 9oz.

Length at Birth: 18 in.

Hair Color: Blonde with hints of red

Eye Color: Maybe blue

     We would love to introduce y'all to our newest daughter, Olivia!  We started seriously considering adoption 19 months ago. We completed our lengthy applications 14 months ago.  We became a "waiting family" 11 months ago. Then on Monday, June 15th, we got a call in the afternoon that our birth-mother was going into to labor and to get there quick.  It took us 7 hours to get from Lubbock to the little town in south Texas!  

     Our drive was filled with excited conversations, debates on names, and beautiful signs from God. At one point we switched on the radio and happened to catch a praying of the 3rd Joyful Mystery of the rosary, the Birth of Jesus. We saw some amazing, towering outdoor crosses in different towns we drove through.  As we passed San Antonio, a beautiful firework show decorated the night sky.   We were called at around 5 pm to find out that we had a healthy baby girl waiting for us.  We had no idea what the sex of the baby would be before that point.  It wasn't until just before midnight that we drove into town and made our way to the hospital.  

     We quietly entered the nursery and got to see Olivia for the very first time.  She was so tiny and in an incubator.  The nurses couldn't really tell us any details due to legal constraints, but it was such a relief just to hold her little hand for the first time.  She ended up being fine and had no real complications.  

    Our birth-mother (I'll refer to her as "Eve" for privacy sake) originally wanted a closed adoption.  This means she did not want to meet us, know who we are, or have any contact with Olivia. This was kind of a shock to us because the agency showed us how beneficial to everyone an open adoption can be.  As we left the hospital in the wee hours of the morning, our social worker called us to say Eve wanted to meet us and could we come to the hospital right away.  

    It was very nerve racking to walk into that little hospital room.  As much as we wanted to meet her, I was terrified about making a good impression.  Eve is wonderful.  She's strong, brave, selfless, and gracious.  She told us that she had been to three different abortion clinics, but couldn't go through with it.  Eve knew that despite her cruel and painful life circumstances, it wasn't this baby's fault.  As Eve and I made our way to the incubator for her to see Olivia for the first time, the fierce love she had for Olivia filled the entire nursery.  The tears that streamed down her face will forever be etched into my memory and on my heart.  It brings to mind this quote:

      The next few days were a blur of nurses, beeping machines, night feedings, meeting Eve's youngest son and mother, rocking Olivia, Skype calls to our parents and Clare, and talking with our social worker.  After a long and intense 48 hours, Eve and her husband signed the papers to offer Olivia up for adoption.  Every emotion possible was pulsing through those hospital halls.  Eve still wished for this to be a closed adoption even though we assured her that she could change her mind.  Praise God though that in the weeks since, Eve has asked for more pictures of Olivia.  We hope we are on the path towards a real relationship with her.  

      We are back home and have been overwhelmed with love, support, and gifts from so many loved ones.  We can never thank all of you enough.  We are truly blessed to be surrounded by such an amazing group of people.  Clare is over the moon in love with Olivia.  She is so happy to be an older sister and can't get enough of her.  Life is great. God is good. Our hearts are full.

Clare Quote's - 5 year old Edition

This last year, Clare had some real great quotes that I want to remember forever.  So I give you Clare's 5 year old quotes:

"Someday I want to build a machine that will get daddy home from work early"

After Kevin ate a "poisened apple",  She gave him a kiss, looked at me and said, "Bleh, you try."

Said while looking at my feet, "You have fur on your toes?"

When talking to her about Lent.  "Oh I like this, because after lent is pom pom day" also known as Palm Sunday

"Mommy I love you more than I thought I would when I was in heaven before I was born,"

"Sometime I taste a creamy taste.  And I really like that."  Said while eating ice cream.

Me: "After this we can watch a movie." 
Clare: "Brilliant!"

"Can someone hold my beer?"  Said very loudly in a crowded parking lot while she had a cup full of root beer.

"I don't want to make you sad by talking about it, but why do they never ask you if you want a lollipop at the bank?"

"I'm dancing the cha-cha with Batman."

Waiting for the Newest Morris...

The Morris family has an announcement we would like to make.  We are going to be adopting a new baby!

FAQ

1. What kind of adoption are you doing? We are working through Lutheran Social Services of the South to have an open adoption for a domestic infant. (That's legal speak for a newborn in Texas)

2. What will an open adoption mean?  It means that we want to have contact and a relationship with the birth mother long after the baby is born. Both her life and ours will forever be changed with this event, and we want to make sure to do this right.  Her child will want to know where they came from and hundreds of more questions that she can answer.  And she deserves to know how her baby is growing and changing throughout the years. The type of connection varies greatly between different cases.  We are hoping for phone calls, e-mails, picture exchanges, and then see how the relationship grows from there.  

3. What has happened so far? We started talking about this in January, pre-applied in March, went through training in May, completed the applications in July, and were officially approved in August.  Now we are on a waiting list with other approved couples.

4. What happens next? We wait and work on our patience.  When a potential birth mother is 6-7 months along, the agency will help her find a match. She looks through photo albums/scrapbooks we've made that show our lives and who we are.  She's the one that picks us, so we have no way of telling how long this will take.  We hope to be matched within a year though.

5. How can you afford this?  With costs totaling over $18,000, we can't.  But we have been overly blessed with gifts from family and friends that will make this dream a reality.  We will forever be grateful to those who have donated. How do you properly thank a person who has helped change your family and your future?  We have longed and hoped for another child for over 4 years, and now loved ones are making this dream a reality.  

6. Why are you adopting?  We have tried to get pregnant for the last 4 years, but have not been able to conceive. We both feel called to have more children, so we're entering the adoption process to open another avenue for God to bless us with a child.  

Please keep our family in your prayers as we walk through this journey!