Busy, Busy, Busy!

Whitney and her rubber ducky that she did not let go of.
Her crib from the 1940's, thanks to Whitney, the hospital is now getting new cribs.

Tired puppy.

Daddy was so tired, he just fed her a red popscicle.

Whitney is doing much better now. She is still recovering from Salmonella and from being in the hospital. She is eating very well and drinking better than she did before going into the hospital. She is now saying mama all the time, I think she replaced saying dada with it. She also just started saying uh-oh! She is walking more and loving it.

Everyone asks the question, "How did Whitney get Salmonella?" Everyone comes in contact with it more than you think. Most children and adults can fight it off and will have small symptoms and they don't even know they have it. Whitney's symptoms were NOT severe at all, threw up just two times, a low grade fever and some diarrhea. Had she not had all her medical issues, we wouldn't have been in the hospital at all. Usually they just let it take its course and don't give antibiotics. This was the first case our Dr has seen of an infant with Salmonella. Whitney just can't fight off normal things like other kids can. That's why even though Whitney is getting better with her medical issues everyday, we still have to be so careful. Thank you to all that prayed and gave her well wishes, it worked!

Next week Whitney and I will be taking a two week tour of Texas. Starting in Lubbock and ending up in Dallas. We are excited to see everyone that we can. At the end of September Aunt Becca will be meeting Whitney and I in Denver. Whitney has an appointment to see the Feeding Clinic and her GI doctor at The Children's Hospital. We will be staying with Uncle Kyle and Aunt Lisa, we are so excited! Last time we stayed with them, Uncle Kyle was so awesome, cooked us dinner and everything! We are going to take Whitney to the Denver Zoo while we are there. September is going to be busy and we are looking forward to it!

Please Pray

Long story short: Whitney has been sick since last friday. Saturday we took her to the ER where they admitted her for dehydration and her lab work showed increased white blood cells. They diagnosed her with gastroenteritis and sent us home last night. The results came back that Whitney has salmonella. They want us back up at the hospital for IV antibiotics and to keep her hydrated for a few days. Its been tough on Whitney and us. Please pray for a speedy recovery and that she can come home soon.

Our family, forever!

We just wanted to take a few minutes to thank everyone who has been supportive of us during the past 9 months. We knew when we started this, it wouldn't be easy, but we did not know how hard it would be. Any way that you become a family isn't easy, Whitney is not flesh of our flesh, nor bone of our bone, but she is still miraculously our own. From the day we got Whitney, both Bert and I, have treated her like she was our own. Some people don't understand that, we knew not everyone would. We did not ask that anyone understand what we were doing, but most did anyway. We are so lucky to have the family and friends that we do. It amazes us just how blessed we are to have such wonderful people in our lives. We had nothing for a baby when we got Whitney, we did not get nine months to prepare, not long after, through gifts and love, we had more than we needed. We did not ask for anything, but got so much anyway. We are a family, forever, now our dreams are coming true. We still have a long road ahead of us and we know that we have so many people in our corner, we are not afraid, but excited for what is to come. When God introduced Bert and I He had a much bigger plan that I had ever imagined. What a huge blessing and job God has given us to be Whitney's parents, we are blessed beyond belief. We can not wait for the future, we can not wait to see what else He has in store for us.

Whitney Makenna Maples!

Whitney's Adoption Cake!

Whitney waiting to see the Judge!

Aunt Becca and Whitney getting ready for the adoption hearing.

Our family with The Hon. Anne Paine

All our workers who worked so hard to get Whitney adopted.

All of the Hazen family, Whitney's former foster family.

Daddy being a great Chef!


Whitney was adopted on Tuesday, August 5, 2008. They day was fabulous, we had a great time. We are so excited that we now have a beautiful daughter that is all our own, what a blessing!