cason & colleen: November 2012

Our Little Bundle (Thanks to our friend Rachel, from Selah Photography, for taking some shots of Cashel)

This cute little guy makes it tough to get any blogging done!

Wow. Being a dad makes it tough to get anything done! I had grand plans for blogging and getting projects completed on our house this fall, but not much of that has happened since Mr. Cashel came into our lives - obviously, I wouldn't trade having him for anything, but I definitely have gained respect for fathers who find time for those things! It has been so much fun to watch Cash grow and develop - can't believe he is already almost 3 months old! He is doing wonderfully and we are loving being his parents. He definitely has his moments (don't we all), but pretty much as long as his diaper is clean and his belly is full, he is a content, happy, and healthy little guy.

Our friends, family, and church have been an incredible blessing during our first few months of parenthood. From giving/loaning baby clothes and gear, to throwing fantastic showers, to donating toward our adoption fund, and just generally being excited with us, the three of us feel so loved. Our attempts to express our gratitude seem feeble and wholly inadequate. We are particularly grateful to those who helped organize the three wonderful baby showers - Colleen's sister, mother, & aunts, friends at Grace PCA, and my mother & sister. It was a blessing to see so many friends and family at those gatherings; we're so proud to share our little guy with our loved ones!

Cashel loves Bibi (aka Grandma Wittig)

We have been overwhelmed by all of the gifts we've received and by the contributions towards our adoption expenses. (So many gifts, in fact, that we are still working on writing all of the thank yous!) Through our church, friends, and family, our adoption fund has swelled to more than we could ever imagine, enough to cover a significant portion of our expenses. Words really can’t describe the thankfulness and relief those gifts have brought - God is a great Provider!

Some may know that we closed our house the same weekend that Cashel was born. We had grand plans for renovating and fixing it up, but those were obviously slowed with suddenly becoming parents. Though we haven't done as much as we planned on our house, thanks mostly to my parents coming down for "work 'n baby" weekends, we've been able to finish Cashel's nursery, repaint our living room area, begin to restore the original floor upstairs, and get a few other projects going. We really don't know what we'd do without all of the help!

August 2012 Cousins: Cashel & Graham

Another blessing in our lives this fall has been the fact that Colleen's brother, Brian, sister-in-law, Michelle, and their two beautiful children moved from south Florida to 2 blocks away from us! It has been incredible to have them around, and we are so excited that Cashel will grow up with his cousins - particularly Graham, who is just 19 days older than him. Brian and I are already planning soccer training strategies for "the boys," and are wondering when is too early to start practicing with them. Michelle and Colleen have enjoyed visiting each other often and going on walks with the kids. We’ve loved having them so close and hope they stay that way!

Colleen and her little man

Thanks again to Rachel for these great shots!

Colleen is such a great mother. Like I've said in previous posts, she's been ready for this for a long time, and I'm so thankful that she's knowledgeable, comfortable, and happy in her new role. Our new house is a few blocks from my office so I walk to work every day and come home for many lunches to see my lovely wife and sweet boy. Being a parent definitely isn’t always easy, but we have loved working at it together. Having a son is an amazing, sometimes scary, privilege that I believe we appreciate more because of some of our life experiences. It really has been an honor being Cashel’s father and I am so excited to watch him grow over the coming months and years. If time flies as quickly as it has these first three months, it’ll be over far faster than I want it to!

We still have a few days before we can officially apply for a court date to finalize the adoption. Please pray that everything goes smoothly and quickly. There is very little chance now that anything could disrupt the process, but we just want it finalized as soon as possible.

These last few months have been an incredible ride. Our house feels like a mess and our lives are hectic, but between Cashel, our dog Indy, and our own general ridiculousness, we definitely laugh all of the time - and you can't ask for much more than that. Thank you to everyone who has journeyed with us these last few years - they have been the most difficult, but best of my life, and I’m excited to see where the Lord takes us from here. Thanks again!

-Cason