OK...Now that we have thoroughly surprised everyone...

And yes...no one knew! We surprised everyone! (So don't feel bad!) Actually we were a little surprised ourselves....he came 2 weeks earlier than his due date! Here is a better update:

We are doing great! (Noah is 10 days old) Baby Noah is so precious and peaceful (which is the meaning of Noah- peace or Peacemaker- we thought that would be very fitting for a 2nd child (coming from a middle-second born child ;) ) Josh and I are tired, but we have a system down! Noah is eating about every 3 hours at night...so we feed him right before we go to bed, then Josh gets the first feeding between 1-2am (I have a wonderful husband! He's such a wonderful Dad too!) and I get the second feeding between 4-5am. Other than night time, Noah is great, he eats, sleeps and has awake time during the day (which has been increasing the last couple of days) Mateo is doing great with Noah...but...everyday seems to get rougher with day to day stuff! He is definitely reacting to the change in our family! And he seems very concerned with/for Noah especially when he is crying. (If you would pray for him and for wisdom for us that would be appreciated!)

About to get changed...he was so alert here.

Mateo drinking his "leche" or milk too. (he likes pointing out similarities with brother and mommy and daddy)

Yes I have been on the phone a lot recently...my two little guys!

How cute is that angel smile???!!! And yes those are DIMPLES!!!

Kisses on his cheek...

Too precious for words...

Mateo's first time holding Noah.

Right after this picture Mateo said "Here Mommy..." :) Letting me know he was done.

I must have missed turning this.

He always curls up in a ball in the carseat...isn't he so little?

Oliver is so great with our little ones...remind me to tell you what he did the first night Noah was home... Here he is getting some Daddy time too!

Uncle Marty and Aunt Erin came by last night and took Mateo to the Zoo! How nice! Mateo has never been to this zoo before...wish I could have been there to see his reaction! But Erin took pictures yeah!! Here are a few.

Uncle Marty must be pretty strong, because Mateo has gotten pretty heavy recently! In the last couple of weeks he has filled out into a little buff dude! :) (Mateo not Uncle Marty;)

Our first attempt at a bath...He did not like it (don't blame him)

As for how this adoption came about...I will try to give you an abbreviated version. About 2 months ago (right about the time we were celebrating having Mateo home for a year) we decided we were ready to adopt again. We decided that due to all the changes going on with International Adoption this time we would try a domestic adoption (one within the US). We mostly narrowed it down between doing a local adoption with Catholic Social Services (only adoption agency in town) and finding a birthmom on our own (with the help of friends and family spreading the word and keeping their ears open) and then working with a local adoption attorney to finalize the paperwork. After meeting with the attorney, we decided to do both (since CSS had a slow track to start), we had our fingerprints done for our homestudy (they can take 3-4 months to get back and we didn't want them holding up the process) and within 2 weeks we found time to sit down one weekend and write a Dear Birthmom Letter. (this is a 2-3 page letter introducing our family to a perspective birthmom.) The next week we printed it in color (lots of pictures of us and our life) and gave our family free reign with it. A week later we had a phone call letting us know about a women who was pregnant and was choosing adoption for her child. We know God was in this all along for so many reasons, but the main one was leading us to this precious and special birthmom. We feel so blessed to know her and care for her as if she is family (she really is). We are proud of her for choosing life and for loving her child so much!! She is so brave and we pray for her every day!
We talked on the phone for a week and then went to meet her in a little town in western Alaska. We had a great time together! Then we came home with the plan that in about a week in a half Maria and Mateo would go stay in this town to wait for her to have her baby. Well...God had something else in mind! Exactly a week later she called us saying she was at the hospital in labor...three hours later Noah was born! They both were doing great...we couldn't get up there until the next day (due to last minute flight stuff on a Sunday- quite the bummer) but we got to spend some precious time all together at the hospital (for 2 days after we got there). Then we came home Tuesday night (Noah was 4 days old) to our immediate family and have spent the rest of the week adjusting and surprising everyone! (Which I do say has been great! If you can imagine the humorous shocked responses we have gotten.) We are only so prepared for a little one! We have been doing laundry like crazy because what I thought we had enough of for a week only lasts for a few days (note the lack of variety in the pictures :) but...my sister Melissa and good friend Kristi, are throwing a Welcome Home Noah Shower for us Monday Aug. 25! That is so sweet! And will be so wonderful celebrating with all of you over our little boy! I can't wait for you all to meet him! Thank you all who have emailed or called your "congrats"! It means so much to us that you all are just as excited for us as we are! :) Love Ya and keep checking for updates!