Our Lunch Date

Alex and I had a lunch date yesterday with a fellow blogger. I recently discovered that Lori lives very near to me. So, she and I (and Alex) met for lunch yesterday. It was wonderful to meet her and hear about her journey. They are waiting to bring their son home. (I got to see pictures, and he is ADORABLE)

Now we can't wait until he is home so Alex has even more people to have play dates with!!

Thanks Lori - we had a great time.

I Need Your Help

I've got two things I need your help with.

1. Jay goes to a couple conferences every year, and I usually go with him to at least one. We then turn it into a mini vacation. (for example, one year we went to San Francisco for his conference - rented a car - drove through wine country - the mountains - ended up in Reno where we spent a couple of days)

We've decided that Alex and I are going to try to go with him to one of his conferences again this year. I think I know which one I want to go to, but thought I'd get your opinions. The choices are:

a. Boston
b. Philadelphia
c. Williamsburg

What do you guys think? (I'll let you know my choice later!)

2. I'd like to start planning (so we can start saving) for a vacation for just Jay and I. I'm thinking sometime next late spring (Mayish) or later. (Jay can't go anywhere from after Thanksgiving until about the end of April) We don't have tons of money to spend, and I think we would like to stay in this hemisphere. Any thoughts? It doesn't have to be exotic - just nice for the two of us. Cruises are out - Jay refuses!! We aren't outdoorsy types (I mean the hiking kind) but we like to look at pretty outdoors stuff!

I can't wait to hear what your thoughts are!!

Happy Birthday and my SBP

Yesterday was Alex's 10 month birthday. I can't believe he is 10 months already. It won't be long before he is celebrating his first birthday. That's just not possible!!!

Yesterday was just more proof that Alex is very laid back. I had a meeting in Frankfort, so the plan was that I was going to drop Alex off with Jay while I had my meeting. Most Friday afternoons are pretty easy for Jay. They were still in session when we showed up (which I didn't expect) so I had to haul Alex over to the capitol (where Jay proceeded to show Alex off to everyone). They we had to go back over the annex where Jay and I got something to eat. I then ran off to my meeting. Alex played in Jay's office, until Jay had a meeting at which point some of his co-workers watched him.

By the time I got back there, it was 4:00 and he hadn't had his afternoon nap!! He was as pleasant as ever. He didn't fuss at all. I gave him a bottle, and he was asleep in 2 seconds. We are SO lucky to have this little guy!!!

Then I get home, and my SBP struck again. We got another cute spring/summer outfit for Alex, and a great bath book. Alex has been reading/chewing the book constantly since I took it out of the package.

Thanks SBP!!! You've done TOOOOO much!!!

Alex Eating

For some reason, the latest group of pictures I took are all of Alex eating. I'm not sure what that means, but it probably means something. :)


Ok Mommy, what are going to feed me today?

You call this cheese? Let's see........

Um....I'm not so sure about this mom!

Oh, wait....maybe I do like this.

Ummmm......let me stick my tongue out at you!!

He LOVES cheese. He usually wants to have it with every meal. I guess it's getting some protein in him.

We Must Be Good Luck!

When Jay and I first moved to Kentucky, we boarded our horse with a wonderful family - Susie and Jack. They have three kids. Their son lives in Wisconsin, their oldest daughter, Amy, lives in Indiana (just across the river), and their youngest daughter Jen lives near us. When we got our own place and moved our horses to our house, we didn't see them as much.

We just found out (after Christmas) that Amy and her husband are in the process of adopting their son from Guatemala. We ended up getting together with the whole family on Sunday. (Jen has a one year old son, now) We had a great time. It was nice to talk to Amy and Rob about their adoption process. They've been at this for a long time. They started in another country that got shut down, and then switched to Guatemala.

Their son was born in September, and they were a couple days away from being in PGN for 3 months. (they had one kickout)

They got out of PGN today

I'm SO excited for them!!! Bobby will be coming home soon. I'm so excited for them, and I can't wait to see him!!!

So - if some of you need some good luck, my house is open - come visit!!! :)

Fishy Pic

Ok - here's a picture of Alex at the pool. We're having a busy weekend, so it might be awhile before I post again. I really need to clean the house and do dishes...and laundry.....and.....and.... :)

Thank God for Great Friends!!!!!

What a day I had!! I had a meeting at work that lasted until 5:00. I already had my computer shut down, but by the time I got everything pulled together and out to my car it was almost 15 minutes after 5:00. I then had a 40 mile drive (in rush hour traffic) to get Alex. I had to have him picked up by 6:00. I knew that I would be cutting it close.

Well........there was an accident on my interstate. I went about 5 miles in 40 minutes!!!

I ended up calling my friend Michelle. She dropped everything - packed up her kids - and tried to get there on time. She didn't think she was going to make it, so she called her sister-in-law Debbie who was 3 minutes from the daycare. Debbie picked Alex up and then sat with him in the parking lot until Michelle got there. Then, Michelle sat in the parking lot with Alex as the carrier we are using can't be strapped into the car without the base. I ended up there at 6:20.

Not only that - but then Michelle fed both me and Jay!!! She's such a great friend.

Thanks Michelle and Debbie!!!!!!!!!

My Fish and Catch-Up

I took Alex to the pool for the first time today. He LOVED it!!! He was laughing and smiling the whole time. He didn't care when the bigger kids splashed water in his face, and he really enjoyed floating on his back. I think I'm going to have to make that a regular feature.

I finally downloaded more pictures, so I can do some catch up.

This is what my SBP sent for Alex. It says "Heartbreaker in Training" He looked SOOOO cute in it!!

Here he is getting into the stereo equipment. I'm pretty sure he thinks the name for all of that stuff is "no." He will crawl over to it, pull himself up, shake his head no and then touch it.

Here he is getting into the clean laundry for the first time. He was having fun throwing our underwear all over the family room floor.

Here's a good picture of him standing. He's really getting good at it. He LOVES his books - here he is picking out the next book he wanted to look at.

Here he is saying hi. He's starting doing it this way. His hand goes up in the air and his mouth goes open. (and his shirt says Born 2 Love Daddy) :)

And here he is on the night he decided to feed himself sweet potatoes. He had it EVERYWHERE!!! It was pretty funny. Needless to say he went straight into the tub.

He Did It! He Did It!

Alex did his first signs!!!

This morning he was playing just fine and then started having melt down. Both Jay and I thought me must be tired. Jay tried to get him to sleep, I tried to get him to sleep, and then I put him in his crib. (sometimes when he is really tired, the only way he will go to sleep is to be put in his crib) Nothing was working.

I got him back out of his crib, and was going to start rocking him again. As I sat down in the glider he signed (plain as day!!!) Milk - More - Milk. And his more was perfect!!!

I threw him at Jay (ok - maybe not a throw - but pretty close), ran into the kitchen, and made the quickest bottle ever.

Sure enough - he took the whole bottle, smiled up at me, and went back to playing - as happy as could be.

I'm still amazed that my 9 1/2 month old was able to tell me what he wanted!!!!! I'm SOOOOO happy!!!!!

(oh - and he's now cruising EVERYWHERE - and getting into EVERYTHING!!!)

It's My Turn for a Montage

Tomorrow marks the 4 month anniversary of being home with Alex. I can't believe it's been four months!! It's gone by so quickly.

In honor of this, I thought I'd do my first montage. These are all pictures of Alex during the time that he wasn't with us. I have them pretty much in order. The first picture is the very first picture that I ever saw of Alex. The pictures are from our medical updates and the disposable camera that the foster mom used for us. Then there are pictures from our visit trip (and us giving him back to his FM and foster sister!!) and then the pick up trip.

Enjoy!!

Make an online slide show at onetruemedia.com

Just 'Cause

Ok - I needed a picture of my little guy near the top!! (we are good - I'm sick now - worked from home today so I didn't spread the germs!!)

If You Were a Girl in the 70s

Ok - I got this email from a dear friend today. I don't think I remember seeing this exact one before. Oh boy - it's SOOOOO true!!! The original email includes great pictures. If you want the email with pictures either email me (in my profile) or leave me your email and I'll forward it to you.

For those of you who didn't grow up in the 70's - I'm sorry - you missed a good time!!!

If You Were a Girl in the 70's

- You had that Fisher Price Doctor's Kit with the stethoscope that actually worked.

- You owned a bicycle with a banana seat and a plastic basket with flowers on it.

- You learned to skate with actual skates (not roller blades) that had metal wheels.

- You thought Gopher from Love Boat was cute (admit it!!).

- You had nightmares after watching Fantasy Island.

- You had rubber boots for rainy days and Moon boots for snowy days.

- You owned a Slip-N-Slide, on which you injured yourself on a sprinkler head more than once.

- You owned "Klick-Klacks" and smacked yourself on the face more than once.

- You had either a "bowl cut" or "pixie," not to mention the "Dorothy Hamill." People sometimes thought you were a boy.

- Your Holly Hobbie sleeping bag was your most prized possession.

- You wore a poncho, gauchos, and knickers.

- You begged Santa for the electronic game, Simon.

- You had the Donnie and Marie dolls with those pink and purple satiny shredded outfits.

- You spent hours in your backyard on your metal swing set with the trapeze. The swing set tipped over at least once.

- You had homemade ribbon barrettes in every imaginable color

- You had a pair of Doctor Scholl's sandals (the ones with the hard sole & the buckle). You also had a pair of salt water sandals.

- You wanted to be Laura Ingalls Wilder really bad; you wore that Little House on the Prairie-inspired plaid, ruffle shirt with the high neck in at least one school picture; and you despised Nellie Olson!

- You wanted your first kiss to be at a roller rink!

- Your hairstyle was described as having "wings" or "feathers" and you kept it "pretty" with the comb you kept in your back pocket.

- When you walked, the "wings" flapped up and down, looked like you were going to "take off!"

- You know who Strawberry Shortcake is, as well as her friends, Blueberry Muffin and Huckleberry Pie.

- You carried a Muppets lunch box to school and it was metal, not plastic. With the thermos inside!

- You and your girlfriends would fight over which of the Dukes of Hazzard boys was your boyfriend.

- YOU had Star War action figures too!

- It was a big event in your household each year when the "Wizzard of Oz" would come on TV. Your mom would break out the popcorn and the sleeping bag.

- You often asked your Magic-8 ball the question: "Who will I marry, Shaun Cassidy, Leif Garrett, or David Cassidy...?"

- You completely wore out your Grease, Saturday Night Fever, and Fame soundtrack record albums.

- You tried to do lots of arts and crafts, like yarn and Popsicle-sticks, God's eyes, decoupage, or those weird potholders made on a plastic loom.

- You made Shrinky-Dinks and put iron-on kittens on your t-shirts.

- You used to tape record songs off the radio by holding your portable tape player up to the
speaker.

- You had subscriptions to Dynamite and Tiger Beat.

- You learned everything you needed to know about girl issues from Judy Blume books (Are you there God, it's me Margaret)

- You thought Olivia Newton John's song "Physical" was about aerobics.

- You wore friendship pins on your tennis shoes , or shoelaces with heart or rainbow designs.

- You wanted to be a Solid Gold dancer.

- You drowned yourself in Love's Baby Soft - which was the first "real" perfume you ever owned.

- You glopped your lips in Strawberry Roll-on lip gloss until is almost dripped off.

(editor's note - I still have my Donny Osmond doll!!!!!!!)

Climber, Beaver and Oranges

We believe that Alex is going to be a climber. He can't even stand by himself yet, but he tries to climb on, over, around everything. It's actually kind of cute. I think I'm going to find him on top of the refrigerator someday.

We also believe that Alex was a beaver in a past life. He's learned how to stand up in his crib, and Jay found him gnawing on his crib. Jay is going to have to lower the crib to the final level and I'm going to have to find something to protect the crib.

I keep experimenting with new food for Alex. I tried Manderin Oranges this week. Oh my gosh!!! I've never seen him eat something so quickly. He's really getting good at chewing things now. I bought some mango, avocados, pears and peaches at the grocery store today, so I guess we'll try that. He still loves his puffs, and yogurt, but he doesn't like cottage cheese. He had some pasta this week also. He liked it but it was hard for him to pick up with his little fingers.

The medicine seems to be helping Buddy a little bit. We are actually able to get some sleep at night. It's obvious that he isn't all there anymore, but he still likes to go out to the barn and run and play. He's always been Jay's dog, but lately he wants to just hang out with me. I think it's because I was home for those 11 weeks, and I'm home most of the week now. I just hope we know when the right time will be. :(

Strength

As I've been reading adoption blogs over the past couple of weeks, it's evident that many of you are not in a good place right now. I think it's post-holiday frustration. I know that one mantra that many of you are using is

"Do not confuse waiting with being defeated"

Let me suggest another one. This one comes from the new Kleenex commercials. These are the ones with the guy and the couch and people come, sit down, tell him their story, and of course there are Kleenex available. It's part of their new Let It Out campaign. There is one with a women from New Orleans who is speaking about her loss from Katrina. As she begins to cry she says,

"My tears don't compromise my strength. They never have."

So, for those of you who have cried recently - or maybe need to cry - remember that doesn't mean you aren't strong. You are - you have to be to go through this craziness!

Random Thoughts...Again

- Alex has another cold - the joys of daycare! He's coughing again and all snotty. He's had a pretty good week at daycare except for yesterday. He also had a rough night sleeping. Hopefully he will get through this one quicker than the last one and we don't end up with an ear infection again.

- Our dog, Buddy, has not been himself lately. I started doing research on his symptoms, talked to my sis-in-law (who is a vet) and then took him into our vet. Everything is pointing to Canine Cognitive Dysfunction - which is basically Doggy Alzheimers. I'm heartbroken. Buddy is 11 years old and we've had him since he was 4 weeks. There is no cure. There is medication that can be used to try to increase his quality of life. We are on a trial period right now of the meds and they seem to be working. The medication is not cheap (somewhere between 45-72 dollars a month). I know he won't be around forever, but I'm still having a hard time with this.

- I did my first business travel yesterday since getting Alex. Luckily it was just to Chicago for a one hour meeting. I was able to fly up and back in the same day. (and this was a big meeting - and it went REALLY well!!!) Jay did great with Alex, but I still missed him. I would see these babies in the airport, and every one of them reminded me of Alex. (which was stupid, since most of them didn't look anything like him!)

- We've now been home almost 4 months, and Alex is still alive!! We actually haven't broken him yet. :) It's actually been easier than I expected.

- OK - confession time - I'm an American Idol FREAK!!! I haven't missed an episode in ANY of the seasons. I'm hooked - addicted - need an intervention! I'm so excited that it's back on. Next week starts the real competition - no more audition shows. (and I just bought Chris Daughtry's new album - LOVE IT!!)

- For those of you who are still waiting to bring your babies home - I wish I could say something to you to make it easier. There isn't anything I can say. All I can tell you is that it is worth it. Every second of waiting - every penny spent - all the sleepless nights - all the stupid questions from well meaning friends/acquaintances - all the heartache - all of it. Hang in there!!!

Where Has the Time Gone?

I can't believe it's been so long since I blogged!! I blame it all on my parents. :)

My mom and dad came to town Wednesday night and stayed until Sunday. They are on their way down for a few weeks in Florida, so they stopped here for a couple days and will stop for a couple days on their way back home.

I've also realized it's hard to blog when you are a mom and working!! I just don't know where the time goes.

It was nice to have my parents here. It gave me an opportunity to get out and get some stuff done - specifically my hair. (Jay was starting to call me root girl!)

We had a "date night" Saturday night. I was looking forward to getting out with Jay when my parents were here. I had grand plans for a nice dinner (at a nice restaurant) and then maybe a movie (there are a lot of movies out right now that I would like to go see). Did we do that? NO! We had to go to a state-wide political fundraiser. I did get dressed up (which was fun) but we were then in a room with 1500 other people, eating the worst pork chops I've ever had in my life, listening to politicians talk. Not exactly what I was hoping for - but we did get a night out.

I'm way behind in reading the blogs - I'll try to get caught up soon! And, I received some wonderful gifts from my Secret Blog Pal. I promise to take pictures and post soon!!!!!!

And - here are some more pictures of the reason why you come to this blog. I really need to take some more pictures of him.

Some Pictures

Here are some more pictures of my beautiful boy!!

Our BIG Weekend

Everyone has told me that kids Alex's age change so quickly. Boy - they weren't kidding.

By the time Sunday night rolled around Alex learned to do the following:

• Crawl (and I mean real crawl - hands and knees, not the army crawling he has been doing)
• Pull himself up to his knees (he will crawl to one of his toys and get himself to his knees)
• Pull himself up to a stand using mom or dad
• Walk holding onto mom or dad's hands

He wasn't doing ANY of these things on Friday. He even pulled himself up to a stand tonight in the bathtub!!!!

Here are a couple pictures of Alex pulling himself up to his knees. He did this all by himself.

Here's Alex playing with his new Elmo table. My cousin's little boy has this same table, and Alex LOVED playing with it at Will's birthday party. So, I found a used one on eBay and Alex is just stoked about it. Here he is - standing by himself!!!!

My little boy is growing up!!!!!

I'm Freaking Out!!!!

Ok - a couple of posts ago I mentioned that Alex was watching his Signing Time video in the picture I posted.

Last night I got another comment on that post from Rachel Coleman. Rachel and her sister are the founders of the Signing Time Videos!!!!!! She is the songwriter, singer, and main person in the videos. I'm totally freaking out. I can't believe that she posted a comment on my blog!!!!!! Holy Cow!!!!! I literally watch her everyday on tv. :)

The videos are really good. You can learn more about their products at www.signingtime.com

(and Alleen - Alex will ONLY sit still for these videos. Nothing else catches his attention like these do)

Alex Has Been on the Blogs

I didn't think Alex was paying much attention when I'm checking out other people's blogs. I think he's been paying too much attention to Gia's blog.

Alex says, "Gia, I'm with ya sista! Let's get those babies out of PGN!!!"