Back to School

Dear Peep, 
You started back to preschool 2 days a week for a few hours.  You were so handsome your first day, well and everyday of course.  You were so excited, right up until we got to the door.  You begged me not to leave ya.  You didn't want me so far away.  So it went the first three times you went.  You came home and chit chatted at length about your day but you didn't want to go back for sure!  Now you're in the groove and while yous till beg to "just stay home with you Mommy," before every school day you are having a grand time playing with kids and talking the teacher's ears off about your new baby sister.  You did tell them that your sisters name is Boingy Furry.  I walked in one day you telling them "she doesn't cry much and her hair is just so soft!"  You've already made some wonderful crafts, such as a cute little apple guy with three eyes, a nice smile and the only one with green arms and legs.  You were super charged during the Teddy Bear theme week.  

You had a very hard time choosing a teddy bear to take in.  The first day you choose a blue Care Bear teddy that plays the alphabet with a good squeeze.  

I'm taking this one.

"Did you get them all in?"

You know that GG bought this for you, one of your first gifts from her.  I asked you if you would tell them your GG gave it to you and you looked at it, squeezed it tightly and told me you'd just keep that a secrete.  You also were asked to bring in some books that featured bears.  You selected Bear Snores On and You Can Do it Sam.  I'd say you're doing really good these days playing with buddies and participating, though Zumba is not your cup of tea and you choose to sit back and enjoy watching instead.  They will never know what a dance machine you truly are.  It is divine to pick you up.  You run to me full gusto, toss your arms around me and squuuuuuuuuuuuuuuueeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeezeeeeeeeeee so tight and give me kisses, kisses and more kisses.  You tell me you miss me.  This makes our hours a part so worth while.
Love you! Mama

McFly Squashed?!

Dear McFly, 
What the heck!  The weekend before baby sister was born we took you to the Smithville festival and annual car show.  We have been looking forward to this since the great all day fun we had last year.  When we drove up this year we could tell things were different.  Last year had a few bounce houses, a ton of cars and was spread out a lot more, there was a storm coming soon, and we all seemed to start out in cranky moods.  We drove up hoping to find the DeLorean we saw there previous to your Back to the Future obsession.  We had been telling you for weeks that we were going to go to this and see a real life DeLorean so you were pretty pumped pulling into the parking lot.  We got out and went to the cars and I spotted it first in the middle of your quickly shouted, "Where is it! Where is it!"  From the minute I said, "There it is!"  withdrew and got very quiet and statue-like.  We couldn't get you to pull out of it.  So the owners were very nice but you wanted nothing to do with them.  You told me you were angry they were even there and that there even was an owner and that you couldn't buy it.  So you laid limp on the side of the car. 

Where did my little ham go?  Here were were, you in your McFly get up in the midst of a real DeLorean and you couldn't move?  At one point when I tried to get you to stand up by the car you feel to the ground an laid there.  

Better yet when I tried to remove you from sitting in the car door you held on for dear life nearly ripping off the weather stripping around the door!  Holy cow! My guess is that wouldn't be an inexpensive repair on an old DeLorean!  

The owner even offered you a DeLorean Back to the Future match box car and you turned it down!!!  Were you just so overwhelmed by excitement you didn't know what to do?  Who knows.

We got to the car and you cried that you wanted to go back.  We were done with the day in around 30 minutes.  But hey! as least you got to look at a DeLorean. Daddy asked the lady if we could take some fall pictures with it to which they got excited about and said sure!  So we will see...
You're sure a squirrel sometimes.
Love, Mama

The Perfect Evening

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

3 to 4

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