Dear Peepso,
The last two weeks there have been visits to Suckstown and Happyburg in Babyville. Just after returning from a wonderful three day family trip to St. Louis, Missouri during August 2-5 many things started happening rapidly (posts to come). We went to an appointment with WW and things were looking like baby girl could come early. We were all worried and spent a long day at the doctor's for monitoring and a trip to the hospital for monitoring of semi-regular contractions, some effacement, 2cm dilated and a steroid shot that left WW's bum less than happy. With relief, things stayed put and by the following Thursday there were no further changes. We had our match meeting that went awesome. Then, we got word that Steve's grandma Hazel, GG, was getting weaker and the decision was being made to call in hospice. We spend the week with her and said goodbye on that Friday. About the same time Daddy's Aunt Kelli, age 44, was loosing her battle with cancer in California. A super tough two weeks in our family. Luckily after we returned home from GG's we had a wonderful evening with Aunt Krispie and Aunt Currie. We got some hot dogs and no dogs and marshmallows, lit a fire in the fire pit and had a great time together around the fire talking about the tests and sadnesses of the previous week.
I love these women. You do too. Glad they live so close. We are fortunate for that.
Love, Mama
Dear Peep,
Back in the winter Mommy mentioned that we were starting the adoption process for number 2...then Daddy got very sick for the first time ever and we put it on hold. In late May we picked things back up and
completed our paper work, our profile and website... Our home study was
scheduled on June 26. On June 23 (3 days prior) we attended the
agency's (Independent Adoption Center) annual picnic. I wrote about that here... I mention in that post how we made some "interesting connections"...WELLLLLL...
At the picnic a friend we met at our first weekend intensive meeting during your adoption process encouraged us to talk with her friend and son's birth mom, a woman
who was at the time 7 months pregnant and likely looking to make an adoption plan. Mommy
started texting with her in the days following. We seemed to click and have a similar mindset about adoption and the contact we were all hoping for. She chose us for the family to parent her baby! We are in shock and elated that this situation has happened for us all! It is such a fast development for us! We love this woman already and were relieved to have an instant rapport and ability to talk easily and freely. We went to her
first doctors appointment and found out together the exciting news that
it is a GIRL!
A VERY active girl that kicks and rolls like crazy, wakin' WW up and making her have to talk to baby girl and ask her to cool out from time to time! W has beautiful long hair, big brown friendly eyes and an easy going attitude. She is a very caring mom and thoughtful friend and if all goes as we laid out today in our official match meeting (also Daddy's 38th birthday) she will make you a big brother! I'd also like to add how much the IAC's process has further evolved to really listen to and set up everyone's needs in the situation while staying sensitive to the hard choices and the possibilities for any and everything to change. I really appreciate the time and energy spent during the match meeting process. She is due
Sept 21st and baby girl is already around 4.12lbs! WW has done a great job taking care of her and helping her grow and develop. WW is such a skinny mini short stuff to start with I look more pregnant than her little frame does.
She is really starting to pop out though and we all feel baby may come sooner so we are getting things ready. We have told you. You think you're excited but without it in front of you it seems too distant to get too worked up about yet. You are trying to wrap your mind around the birth mom of your sibling not being JoJo so when you say WW's name you add a JoJo at the end. We all know by now there is only one JoJo in this world and we are so lucky to have her as our JoJo but WW, while very different from JoJo is uniquely awesome in her own right and you will get to know and love her well too. When we talk about baby girl you worry she might take your blankets but was reassured when we went to get fabric for her own. Other times you offer up that you could share your blankets with her if she needs it. You love yelling out in stores, "MOMMY! This would be perfect for the baby sister! She'd like this one!" You also declared that her name will be Jennifer, you know, Marty's girlfriend's name in Back to the Future. That will not be her name but you will be an amazing big brother! We are elated that open adoption has proven to be so amazing again for our family and we will likely get to add a baby girl to our home and hearts, as well as WW. Our world is about to change sweet peep peep. There it is! Possibly baby girl and WW's first blog post of many!
Love, Mama
Dear Bust,
There has been a lot happening lately and I've neglected to keep up on your life on the blog. I think it has been a couple of weeks. Oh! and my camera broke and had to be sent off so that put a crimp in my lifestyle for a month or more. We went on a trip to St. Louis and have some big changes coming. So what have you been doing in the mean time? You've been playing super hero a lot. Spending time with cousin Tony and Jonny. We even took Jonny to the Wonder Lab, he loved it to. We met JoJo, Tommy and Uriah at the park for a fun afternoon, by the end of it Daddy had all three boys and a girl nobody knew hanging off of his chair taking rides around the park.
You've been taking showers as if I am a car wash and you are the car, scooting around in a circle around my legs while I spray soap on, give you a pressure wash and you call out for the buffer pads (two washcloths I swish back and forth over your back) and finally a spot free rinse. You've been making a lot of comparisons and contrasts lately. Yesterday you touched the asphalt in the sun and comment how freakin' hot is is and then touched in the shaded area and made me touch to show me how cool things are in the shade. You've been caring for your stuffed things a lot, having me teach you how to swaddle. You will dragged them all into the kitchen to get them to bed or pile them all on top of me or daddy.
We've gone out to Heather's new house a couple of times and gotten muddy fossil and animal hunting in their super awesome creek. You are still into Marty McFly and Back to the Future. You make us listen and dance to The Power of Love regularly and really had a big day when we found an orange vest at the garage sales for three bucks.
You've also been testing us a lot. Mostly you're really sweet and well behaved but you like to pull out your rebel a couple of times a day. You've picked up a few bad phrases from your Back to the Future obsession, one example would be 'Butt Head!'. Mommy is REALLY over being called butt head, so today you called me lemon head instead. A small improvement. We may need to get your hearing tested again because I feel like I am saying the same thing a lot... like just now, "Please pick up Mr. Potatoe head." I repeated it 4 times before you sprang to action.
You giggle a lot now, race a lot and love to listen to chapter books begging for just one more chapter before bed time. Tonight we are going to find out who stole the skeleton in "School Skeleton." You cry, "But Mommy! I just NEEEEEEEEED to know." Tonight little buddy.
We love you peep peep and still, could you please pick up Mr. Potato head?
Love, Mama
