Check THIS out!!

Check out what we did last weekend and leave me a comment will you! After several days of looking at these photos I can actually make it through them without crying.

Today was the first time I left the house alone in two weeks (it felt sooo good) since we received our precious little Zad. Louie Armstrong's What a Wonderful World came on the radio and I found myself crying all over again and almost turned around just to hold him and kiss him. He is such a wonderful baby and Steve is an amazing father...I'm in awe watching him lately. I feel like I am falling for him all over again. He has been staying up or getting up with Zad every night, wouldn't you love him too?

Happy Valentine's Day to the sweet boys I live with now. I love you both so much!

Our 1st Week as a Family

This week has been so many things: wonderful, overwhelming, exhausting, and seeing the hand of the Lord in our lives everyday. I started a very detailed post all about my feelings and the events of this last week...I'm still working on it and will post it later but here's a quick recap.

Zad and I took several naps together in my favorite chair, Grandma Dutton took several pics of him the his first morning with us, and my long time faithful visiting teacher Alicia came for a visit.

This my absolute favorite sleeping position he works himself into. He maneuvered into it during one of his naps on his first full day with us and I had to catch a quick pic. I still love it, maybe even put it as my new background.

Flowers arrived from several people; Steve's work buddies, Great-Grandma and Grandpa Frost, and Steve's sister Becky and her family (yes, the one with 5 boys, 4 years-old and under)! They are all so excited to meet our new little guy and all of Becky's boys were happy to learn their first cousin had finally arrived.

These flowers are from G&G Frost.

We took several more naps together...I love him laying on my chest while we sleep. You would think I would be more rested but no, I am still wanting more sleep. But how can I possibly sleep when all I want to do is look at my beautiful new babe.

Zadok had his first bath at our house. Norma was right, he hates to be cold and cried through most of it but that is about the only time he cries....yes we know we are lucky. Doesn't he have such a cute little body, I love it! We spared him the full nudey shots.

Zad's hair has to be one of his best features right now, it is GLORIOUS! I say this because I have very thin baby-like hair, he probably already has more than me. I love combing it, brushing it, and yes I even gave him his first mohawk! I had to, besides it fits him when he's in his little surfer outfit (pics are coming).

His hair feels like downy feathers...seriously. I love burping him and feeling it against my cheek. My brothers started calling him Zadok Black Feather this week. It is just so silky and soft and beautifully black and thick. I have been underestimating how much baby shampoo it needs and have to go back for some more. It is board straight until it gets wet and then it curls.

My cousin Jenni drove all the way from Salt Lake to be here for his placement Monday night. She is a NICU nurse at University of Utah Hospital.

Zad checked out and she said he was a very healthy boy but thought he was HUGE after taking care of all those little babies. We hope she moves closer so we can start taking hikes with her.

Two of my favorite Young Women Karlee and Shannon dropped by with their moms. I had Karlee and Shannon when they were Beehives. I can't believe they are both driving now! I also took a trip to New York City with these girls and their moms in '05 so really they all feel more like my sisters. I love these girls and really loved Zad.

Of course the week would not be complete without a visit from our Mesa cousins. Blake, Kayla, and Elizabeth take dibs on who gets to hold him first and they all have to have the same amount of turns holding him. This is only the 2nd boy cousin on my side; Steve is already excited to wrestle with Blake and Zad.

I woke up to this the 2nd morning we had him and my heart melted. I've always loved those sleeping pictures of dads with their babies and here they were...my two handsome boys.

These pictures are for Sue (Norma's mom). She is Irish and when Steve and I saw this we had to buy it. Yes, he's Irish and we smother him in kisses everyday.

We had our first visit with Norma. Mexican food at Abuelos, YUM! She held him all through lunch and gave us a chance to eat. Unfortunately, he has not figured out how to be awake during the day and asleep at night and slept for all four hours we were there! I think Steve and I have adapted more to his sleeping schedule than he to us.

Grandma Dutton visited again (thank you Mom) and my friend Jen flew down from Salt Lake to take lots and lots of pictures. We had him nude for most of the shots and because he hates to be cold so much we pulled out the space heater to keep him warm and happy. In fact he got so warm Steve noticed his little buns getting red and realized he was probably a little too warm! Norma came too, so we will be posting some of those in a week or so. I can hardly wait to see them. If you want to see some of her amazing work, check out her website link on the right Beyond Beautiful Photography (my name, not hers).

Zad and Dad chillaxed a lot this week together. Steve introduced him to all his favorite cooking shows and lots of basketball. Zad's fingers are longer than his palm right now so Steve's already talking about him palming a basketball at 5!

Steve took 4 weeks off (thank you, thank you, thank you Schwab) for lots of bonding time and lots of help for me. I know it was a stretch to cover for him at work, so thank you Schwabies! Steve is great, keeping bottles clean, getting up at night, and dancing with him around the house. I love watching them together and I love being boy trapped (as any 5-year-old will call it) again!

Thoughts on Norma tonight...

I am soooo exhausted, happy, emotionally drained, and gleefully happy every time I look at my new baby all at the same time tonight.

I was just leaving a little note to Norma (wow even writing her name makes my heart swell) and I thought I would let all of you in on a few of my personal thoughts I am feeling for her tonight.

"Just wanted you to know tonight that I think of you constantly, every time I look at Z the image of your smiling face with tears streaming as you walked into my house Monday night comes to mind and my heart feels as though it will burst with love for you. I asked myself tonight who I thought I had grown to love more in the last 5 days since I met you, you or Zad? And then thought I am so grateful for Heavenly Father cause he allowed my heart to grow bigger than I ever thought a heart to grow, I love you both so much. My old heart could not have contained it. I love you with my giant heart, all of its new size and all and Z just as much. Yes, I think I have a Grinch heart now, you know the kind that breaks the little measuring tool they use to measure hearts in that movie, the original? I just hope I wasn't that awful before I met you.

Thinking of you tonight..."

And he shall be called Zadok

Angie is letting me, Grandma Dutton, update her blog while she gets ready today! They have decided to name the baby Zadok Paul Owensby. Norma chose the middle name of Paul after her beloved brother, and Angie and Steve want to keep this name as a tribute to her. Zadok is the name of Angie's great-great-great grandpa Zadok Knapp Judd. Zadok Knapp Henry Judd crossed the plains with the pioneers searching for a place where they could practice their religion without persecution. He also marched with the Mormon Battalion in the Mexican-American War before he married. His wife Mary Minerva Dart crossed the plains as a little girl, and watched her mother and brother die from cholera. They were married in Salt Lake, and were called to settle southern Utah. In their life together they moved and settled more than 15 times, often in frigid winter weather. Zadok and Mary buried 7 babies and adopted 3 native American children. We have often walked the beautiful cemetery in Kanab, Utah and read the inscription on his tombstone "Prepare to Meet us in Heaven."

Surprise Surprise Surprise

This is the song that I woke up with running through my head this morning..."Open up your heart and you'll find love, love, love." Love for so many I feel today, here's our weekend!

I can't even begin to tell you how amazing our weekend has been. All within 24 hours (literally) we went from trying to get our pictures resized for the new website for our adoption profile, to getting a phone call from our friend and birthmom case worker, to then meeting a birthmom and her family a few hours later, to then having a wonderful chance to seen her again the next morning, to finding out SHE CHOSE US!!!!

Here is a quick recap of our morning yesterday, pic style.


Our beautiful nieces Elizabeth and Kayla anxiously awaiting the birthmom, birthgrandma, and of course the baby.


Me, feeding our NEW LITTLE ONE for the first time!! I still can't believe he will be ours ON MONDAY!!!!!


My dad with him...


I don't even have the words....just tears.


Elizabeth and her new little cousin!! She has waited for so long for us to have a baby!! In fact I sit here this morning remembering all the times holding her and pretending in my heart that she was ours. Watching her grow up Steve and I have always been so fascinated with her as she is the oldest grandchild on both sides just like both of us were. I can't believe we will not have to pretend anymore!! It is truly surreal.


This is one of my favorite pictures. She kept saying things this weekend like, "So you are preparing to be a new mother?" Then right before they left she asked, "So do you get to keep him?" I didn't know what to say except, "I hope so, we will see!"


This is our new sister Norma. She will never know how much we have to come to love her in the last two days. Not only for the beautiful, amazing little baby she is entrusting us with but because she is truly a wonderful woman who follows the Spirit of the Lord and is willing to sacrifice everything she loves for the life of her son. Words can not express how much I admire and love her for her courage and amazing faith is us. I have spent so much time praying the last two days that we will be able to live up to all she wants us to be for him and all the Lord expects us to be. Please pray for us, her, and her amazing family.