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 Grace - means God's Blessing & represents God's amazing grace. Ann - means graciousness & was Christie's grandmother's middle name. Nicole - is the birth mom's middle name. Reiland - is my awesome last name! |
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She was born December 10, 2004 at 3:33pm and the adoption papers were signed 48 hours later and she blessed our home at 9:30pm Sunday evening December 12, 2004 -- Wow! What a Christmas Blessing from Our Creator and an early Birthday present for Christie!!!
Thank you so much for your prayers… GraceAnn Nicole was born weighing in at 6 lbs. 5 oz., and 19" tall...she has strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes and is very beautiful and blessed with a clean bill of health. Christie was with Tiffany Nicole (birth mom) through most of the labor and the delivery (where there were no complications and the birth happened fairly quickly for Tiffany a first time pregnancy) and Christie was asked to cut the umbilical cord and first to hold, bathe and feed sweet GraceAnn.
The Lord continues to bless us with grace, mercy and answered prayers for a peaceful and smooth adoption process with the birth parents Tiffany Nicole and Daven. Their courage, uncommon wisdom, strength and love for this baby girl ministered to all of us.
1. What are the chances that the birth parents would invite the adoptive parents to sleep in the living room area of their hospital suite for the baby's first
night?
2. What are the chances that we would have history and photos of both birth mom and birth dad showing love and affection for GraceAnn, and that the
concept of a loving open adoption is working for both parties?
3. What are the chances that one month ago today (Nov. 13th) one of my best childhood friends calls about his cousin living near Dallas who was
seeking adoption for their baby girl whose due date was actually today December 13th - but the doctor moved the due date up to Dec. 10th
because the hospital was full on the 13th.
4. What are the chances that the phone call came the day after we turned in completed adoption paper work to a great Christian Adoption agency not
knowing where the money was going to come from and that the cost of this private adoption is substantially less?
5. What are the chances that our printing business Integrity Images would be blessed with several large contracts the very same month that
GraceAnn is born and in our home. And that we also have been blessed with a new Director of Customer Service already trained to allow me to
stay home this week to bond with baby Grace?
6. Also, what are the chances that the birth mom would pick Michael and Christie over her own birth mother to adopt this baby?
7. And finally, do you think it is ironic that this "Season of Blessing" comes so soon after we both recently completed our commitment to finish
reading the Purpose Driven Life -- the 40 Days of Purpose? His promise is so simple "Draw near to me and I will draw near to you." -- James 4:8a
Thank you all again for your prayers and other expressions of love!
Humbled and Very Happy,
Michael, Christie, GraceAnn and lil' Mikey in Heaven