Greetings from Florida Billy and I became father!!

Yes, you read that right. Billy and I have become fathers to a beautiful little boy. I will tell you more in this article.

But wouldn't it take a long time?

Exactly – we thought so too. In fact, I totally saw it. After all the hustle and bustle of all the adoption paperwork, writing book 2, the huge renovation and our wedding , I had it in front of me: we're going to rest, sweeten the house and prepare the baby room, book launch in between and hand out a lot of FREE HUGS, and then – who knows – we will get some good news sometime in the autumn.

Well – the good news came. And it came FAST . The last documents had just been sent out when we woke up three days before our wedding with a bizarre email: URGENT – a birthmother selected you as parents for her baby boy .

She was already walking at 38 weeks and could give birth at any time. As you can imagine, we were very happy and yes – we had to take a breather.

And then it all happened very fast

It was a perfect match and it felt right. We tied the knot within a few hours, and then the paper mill started. And it was quite a bit of paperwork, because our wedding was planned. And so a lot of documents had to be changed to put the adoption on two names.

All organizations switched incredibly quickly. And as the FedEx envelopes flew across the planet, we anxiously awaited what lay ahead.

On March 29, we received the first reassuring news. Our son was born and everyone is doing well . We received the first photos (what a special moment!) and a few days later the paperwork was completed. A little over a week after he was born, we were on a plane to Florida.

Madhouse.

Ready for the first pictures?

I hear you thinking: all nice, but I want PICTURES!! ????

Yes I know. Here they come.

This is him, our little Jake van der Gaag-Hermus .

This is where I held Jake in my arms for the first time.

What now?

As you will understand, we are currently sitting on a huge pink… no – rainbow cloud! ???? We are overjoyed to be fathers to Jake and grateful that his birth mother chose us to care for him.

It is an incredibly special feeling to become a father . And I also found it a bit swallowing. After all the craziness at home I suddenly got my son in my arms. So small and cute. The first day I was very emotional because so much was coming at us while there is an ocean between us and our loved ones.

But after a day (and FaceTime sessions with the home front) the crying disappeared and joy and gratitude remained. Our little Jake is doing well, and we learn new things about parenting every day.

Billy and I are now in Fort Lauderdale, Florida where we will be staying for a month. That time is needed to arrange a passport for Jake and at the same time bond our new family without the stimuli of our life in the Netherlands.

So we're now sitting comfortably in an AirBnB where we give bottles, change diapers, pet a lot and take afternoon naps. ????

Can we send cards?

Um, YES of course! Don't hold back! ???? We have already received a number of tickets and it makes us very happy. If you also want to welcome Jake to our beautiful country, this is our postal address:

Billy, Jelle and Jake

Professor Snijdersstraat 2

2628 RA Delft

We hang all the cards in his nursery, which is now lovingly refurbished by family members and friends. So that he can immediately feel at home and welcome when we arrive in Delft.

And how are you going to do that with soChicken?

soChicken has been working as reliably as a Swiss watch for over ten years, with a new article every Monday and Thursday and a newsletter every Monday.

This may change temporarily. With some old favorite articles here and there that I share again, and maybe sometimes only one article in a week. Since I was not yet prepared for such a fast match, soChicken (and you as a reader) will have to bend along. I hope you will understand that.

And you don't have to worry that from now on I will only write about children. I will, of course, occasionally weave my experiences in parenting into my articles. But even if you don't have, don't want or (currently) can't have children, soChicken will still be there for you. So no worries on that front. ????

And the book launch?

Yes, it continues. In fact – it all seems to fit perfectly. In a few weeks I will be sharing more details about my new book. Now I'm going to talk to my son in a high voice while I change diapers. ????

I AM FATHER!!!

Yes – it's still a bit hard to comprehend at times. But it is what it is - and I love it.

If you want to see more of Jake and enjoy a little bit of our adventures in the USA, I will occasionally post something on Instagram when I get around to it. So if you follow me there you will stay informed. ?????????

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