Happy Easter!

BFF

Anna is three weeks younger than Colt and they are both in daycare class together now. The other day Liz (Anna's mom) found matching outfits at BRU for them, pink for Anna and blue for Colt. They were the hit of the class Easter party and made for some cute pictures. Especially when they were holding hands and looking off into the distance!

Clothes Horse

Here is all of Colt's newborn and 0-3 month clothes. An entire tub for 3 months worth of clothes. he is quickly growing out of his 3-6 month clothes as well.

Bittersweet...

Don't hate me because I'm awesome

Boyz II Men.

Tonight, in concert.

With 5 AWESOME girlfriends.

A sit-down dinner with no kids first.

Then slow jams from high school prom.

My friend told me to "have fun tonight at the end of the road".

I will.

The making of a perfect photograph

For every awesome photo we post, there are a million others trying to capture both the smile AND the adorable clothing with hilarious sayings. An example of this process is below. Actually, I thought they were all cute so I wanted to post them all. #2 is about to make me rush to daycare and eat him up...for real y'all, I'm starving.

Here's what I imagine Colt is thinking as we snap 200 photos of him in the same position and same outfit each day:

"Yo, what's up? Good lord, not that stupid camera again. Geez, people, I'm not going to give you a show...I'm a dude, not Lindsey Lohan. Stop asking me to smile...I don't smile on demand. Oh, wait HA, the big guy tripped. Hilarious. Anyway, if I'm not giving autographs, why on earth would I give you a smile? I just want my privacy. As soon as I'm able to crawl, I won't even have to pose for these stupid photos. Me and Joaquin Phoenix will be livin' life large in a shack in Baja. We'll grow beards together and write rap songs and wax poetic about how we hate the entertainment industry. The paparazzi is so overrated. Sigh...do you have your shot yet? Can we get this show on the road? I've got bubbles to watch in 30. Peace."

You've been warned...

Woe is me

Woe is me...been struggling with this illness for 8 glorious days. I felt better over the weekend and Monday, but I'd obviously pushed myself too far. I missed yet another day and a half of work. I've been a less-than-fun wife and mom. And in case you missed my countless lamenting updates on Facebook, I also missed the concert I've been dying to go to for years: Billy Joel and Elton John. Luckily Julia was still able to go with her friend Amanda...but John and I skipped out.

THAT, my friends, is how sick I was. I gave up a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see two great pianomen superstars perform together and in-person. Sigh...unfortunately I know it was the right decision. I would be worse off than I am now.
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In not-so-sick news I've had a great time the past few weeks spending time with my best friend, Melissa. We've been friends for over a decade and we're SO different. We always have a good time together and leave each other wondering why our friendship works, but awfully thankful it does.

Melissa and I were both in the school musical in 1997 "The Wizard of Oz". Our alma mater was actually performing "Oz" this year and we thought it would be fun to check out the new generation's version. It was FABULOUS. Seriously, professional quality. We had a mini-Oz reunion from '97 and caught up with several old friends that came that night. We brought Cameron, Melissa's son, and enjoyed watching him watch it. He really wants to see the video of our performance, so he can see his mom and me as Munchkins.

After watching this year's show, I'm not sure that video should ever make it to the light of day. How far Edmond North drama has come!

Also this past weekend, we went and got Melissa registered for her summer wedding. I'm so excited, she and Eric have been together for 10 years and it's about time they tie the knot! And when I say "we" got her registered, I actually mean "I" got her registered. I practically picked her dishes out for her, that girl is so indecisive!

Her wedding shower is in a month...I've got a lot of work to do to make it extra special. She deserves it.
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Family is fabulous. John got new golf clubs so, uh, woo-hoo. It actually just means more time away from me and Colt but whatareyagoingtodo? Colt is doing very well. Growing like crazy, I swear he's the size of a 6-month-old.

Work is super stressful, especially since I've missed so much with being sick. Looks like I'm going to have to travel on a day I really don't want to travel...but again, whatareyagoingtodo?

Life is pretty good these days! Now, just get rid of this cough...

Signed, Sealed, Delivered...I'm Yours!

Our little Stevie Wonder! He's already got the head bob and lips poised for singing. Adding the sunglasses was a natural.

Put a piano in front of him and he can be signed, sealed, and delivered right to you!

Colt's not the only one that goes to the ER!

So Tuesday night I started feeling very achy. It just hit out of nowhere, and my muscles ached and my skin was sensitive to anything touching it. I went to be hoping to sleep it off.

I was wrong.

But Wednesday morning I knew I was in bad shape. I had a fever and felt very weak and still achy. Assuming it was the flu, I sent John to take care of Colt in the morning and immediately called my doctor to get in. This is the same family doctor I've been seeing for over 20 years. He's also in practice with 4 other docs. The receptionist curtly told me they were booked for the rest of the week and I'd need to see another doctor. Then she hung up on me. Without even giving me a referral to somebody else!

Total sidenote: this is the way it's been for the past couple of years and I'm thinking it's time to find a new family doctor. My doc is close to retirement anyway.

So I decided to self-diagnose myself with the flu. I called Dr. Laura (my resident physician and one of my best friends) and she said the flu in OK is resistant to much of the medicines on the market. She said drink plenty of fluids and rest.

Well, see, the thing is, I didn't have much of an appetite and too tired to drink anything. So I didn't. Then, naturally, the headache started. And then, naturally, the vomiting started.

By Wednesday at lunch I was still in tremendous pain and throwing up even one sip of water. Definitely not keeping any meds down. My mom ended up taking me to the ER where they administered 2 bags of IV fluids and gave me different combinations to help with nausea. Nothing for the headache pain.

As if it couldn't get any worse, I had an allergic reaction to one of the meds they were giving me. I started freaking out. Screaming and kicking my legs and my arms were flailing. My head hurt SO BAD. I just cried and cried and I'm sure my mom was about to lose it. At that point, I couldn't do anything but yell.

Finally, they brought another medicine in the IV to counteract my reaction, and after much screaming and begging they brought in morphine and an anti-anxiety medicine. I dozed for a while and finally finished the IV. They sent me home and I still had a migraine, but the pressure had lightened up. I slept from 5pm until about 8am this morning.

John has been sleeping on the couch for two nights. And last night my mom and Bill took care of Colt for us...his first overnight and I didn't even know it was happening! He may stay there again tonight because John is exhausted (not much sleep on the couch) and I'm still very weak and not moving very quickly.

All I can do now is pray that John and Colt don't catch it. Really, really, really terrible two days.

Happy Belated Birthday, Little Blog!

I didn't even appropriately celebrate the 4th birthday of this blog. 4 years ago on February 28th I started writing about building our new house. Well, now we're in a different house than that one and we have a baby. We've also traveled to a few awesome places, got promotions, and spent an inappropriate amount of time trashing celebrities. Ok, well, that was mostly me.

What an awesome 4 years it has been.

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah

I know, I know.

Nothing. No updates. I've probably lost any and all readers I had before the adoption.

I'm not giving up on this blog just yet! More to come soon!

Wrong side of the bed

Good Lord, I am, like, the most boring person on the planet.

Today in particular is a day I'd rather just close out and start over. Nothing all that bad, just little things that irritate me. Maybe I just need to sniff a dose of Colt crack and everything will feel better.

I traveled this week for work, and I'm glad that first trip is out of the way. Proof positive that I can function in the outside world! I actually think I make a pretty good mom...well, maybe that Colt makes a pretty good son which in turn makes me appear to be a pretty good mom. The kind of mom that can make drug references with her son's name attached is awesome and apparently very mature. Anyway, to travel for work helped me realize that I can still be good in my other life.

However, things are a-changing. I am super stressed, but very inspired at the direction in which I want to take my career, my position, the people I manage, and literally the entire PR department at my work. I don't know if it will work out like I have it pictured in my head (I'm having a difficult time even finding the words to express it in a relatable form, even to my boss) but the fact that I see new opportunity and new direction lift me up.

It's going to mean a lot of work outside my comfort zone, though. And that is stressing me out.

This morning I had a terrible time waking up. Felt like I was in and out of a coma. I know I got up to feed Colt at 2:30 (which is random because he hasn't been waking up at night lately) but I have no recollection of actually feeding him! Soooooo tired.

So, of course I woke up late, John had to help me get him ready so I could get myself ready, and I was STILL 30 minutes late to work.

And, oh yeah, my car is falling apart. Some plastic piece on the bottom has come loose and is scraping the ground as I drive, which I'm pretty sure is not a good sign. Luckily I have a man who is in the insurance industry and has a lot of contacts with body shops, so we'll get it fixed today for relatively cheap.

Which brings me to a whole other topic: money. Our lack of it. I know it would appear that the owners of 2 new iPhones have tons of money, but John had been saving his blow money for a treat (golf trip, golf clubs, etc.) and decided he'd rather spend it on something for both of us. Anyway...money is crazy tight. Medical bills for Colt's first few weeks are piling up, homeowner's association dues are due, legal fees for the adoption coming out of nowhere, blah blah blah. Sob story that I know most people don't care about because HEY - WE HAVE JOBS and a HOUSE. But still, I continue to stress, just as everyone else does. We at least have a light at the end of the tunnel (taxes for the next few years are going to be very good to us). I know it could be a lot worse.

Anyway...it just made me wake up on the wrong side of the bed. Plus it's supposed to be 90 degrees today and it's March 5th and that's just wrong. If it's 90 in March, good Lord what will July look like? I HATE hot weather.

In the good news column, I'm going with girlfriends on April 5th to see Boyz II Men in concert at one of the many local Indian casinos. My life is, in a word, awesome.

It's going to be a long tornado season

A few weeks ago we had our first major storm of the season. Well, actually tornado season hasn't officially started, but the tornadoes weren't listening.

Edmond was hit pretty hard, and the destructive tornado first touched down a mere 3 miles from our house. Colt and I spent the afternoon cooped up in the closet. Colt was in his car seat, Faith was in her carrier, Mom was freaking out and twittering between Gary England warnings.

Colt was SO good and quiet. Eventually he fell asleep, around the time baby Anna and her parents showed up because there was still a threat and there was no power at their house. Anna and Colt stayed safely asleep in the closet while the rest of us stood outside and watched the fourth storm begin circulating over our house. It's Oklahoma, y'all!

Also, major hail. Nope, those aren't golf balls in our backyard...it was hail stones the size of golf balls!

Eye of the Tiger

I can't imagine anything more boring than watching 4 hours of a golf tournament on DVR. And watching commercials just because Tiger Woods is in practically every one of them.

Hey, I like Tiger as much as the next guy.

But it's John who has the biggest crush on Tiger in this house.

People Watching at it's Finest

I am breaking my two-week silence on this blog for a very good reason. One, I KNOW you all miss me. You're all tired of hearing blah blah adoption, blah blah baby...get back to randomness and useless information! I know, I know.

I think I'll keep Here's to Hope going for a while so this doesn't turn into a dreaded mommy blog or something. Not that I read any (128) of those or anything. MmmmmK....

ANYWAY, last night John and I went to eat at Chili's because we had a gift card (SCORE) and we're poor. And it provided the best opportunity for people watching I've ever experienced. EVER.

We all SAY we love people watching. "Oh, I love the state fair to people watch" and "nothing is more fun than a mall on black Friday to people watch" and "Blog stalking is an acceptable, anonymous form of people watching". But truly, last night, I understood people watching.

A lady we will affectionately refer to as Crazy Psycho Hosebeast (CPH for short) came in and was seated at the table next to us. The best way I can describe her is that she looked EXACTLY like LaFawnDuh in "Napoleon Dynamite". No lie. She ordered two drinks including a margarita, John and I hardly noticed. We assumed she was waiting for someone.

I guess I really noticed her first when she began licking the salt off the margarita glass like a dog laps up a discarded hot dog. Full on tongue out, licking the glass and turning it like an ice cream cone as she went.

Then the laughter began. Out of the corner of my eye I could see her physically laughing (you know, leaning forward in a full belly laugh, sitting back and twirling her hair in a flirtatious giggle) and hear it. Then John kept watching her. She was talking. Carrying on a conversation is more like it.

I immediately assumed she had a blue tooth in. On more than one occasion I have pinpointed someone as a CPH and it turns out they're just talking on a blue tooth. I imagine Nathan looks like that as he drives home from work since the Versa has blue tooth built in. ANYWAY....

She then finally placed her order as the waitress came by for the third time to ask for it. "We'll have the tacos" she said. It was then that I began to think maybe she was seeing someone that I couldn't.

Not long after the waitress left, she began arguing with someone. Actually, she began arguing with air. It was a full on, wagging her finger, shaking her head, elevated volume of speech "oh no you didn't" argument.

There was no one there. She was talking to no one. Air. Air that had it's own drink and was apparently splitting tacos with CPH.

And then the second margarita arrived, which I thought was fitting because nothing takes the edge off a difficult conversation like a second round of alcoholic beverages.

I don't know how it ended up because we left. It seemed CPH and Air had made up briefly when we left, as she flirtatiously giggled.

It was, in a word, awesome. Totally awesome and John and I laughed about it all night.

You never know when people watching will really pay off. If you try to hard and look for it you can be sorely disappointed. It's little gems like this that take you by surprise that really make you realize: there ARE people out there crazier than you are.

Family

Only in Oklahoma

Only in Oklahoma can a layer of ice and arctic temperatures shut down state offices and schools for 3 days and less than 48 hours later your husband will be golfing in shorts and a short-sleeved shirt. Pure sunshine and 70 degrees today...

Tagged on Facebook

So, I've been tagged on Facebook too many times to count. Some for "16 Random Things" and some for "25 Random Things". And I have done similar tags on this site before, so I'm probably reusing a lot of thoughts. Heck, this whole site is pretty random most of the time!

Since I'm not tagging anybody (seeing as how everyone has already done this) I won't write the rules. But here are my 25 Random Things!

1. I am currently obsessed with sweet potato fries and chocolate pie. Not together...those are just my obsessions.

2. I have a tendency to be obsessive about my house being neat and orderly. Notice I didn't necessarily say clean. Clean is part of it, but I'm not a germaphobe by any stretch of the imagination. It's more about order.

3. My mom is my very best friend.

4. My other best friend and I have been friends for 12 years, and have been through just about everything together.

5. I loved college. I loved pretty much every minute of it.

6. In my younger years I was, what do you say, boycrazy. I'm sure there are all kinds of subconscious and psychological reasons why, but mostly it was a lack of self-confidence. That is probably the number one thing I would change about myself if I could.

7. I eat M&M's after dividing them into color groups, then making sure the color groups have the same amount of candies in them, then I eat one piece at a time until all that's left is one blue one. Blue M&M's taste the best, and I save the best for last.

8. I am definitely a morning person. If I can get myself out of bed, I am happiest in the morning. Mostly because nothing annoys me yet. By afternoon I'm pretty tired and irritable. The key is getting me out of bed--that's pretty tough!

9. I like alone time. I really do. I like watching TV or reading or cleaning or sipping coffee all by myself. I especially love seeing movies by myself, but I make sure that's a true treat saved for Christmas.

10. I am annoyingly early most of the time. Luckily I married someone who shares this with me. We are the annoyingly early couple to every event. Sometimes we arrive so early we drive around town just to make a fashionably late entrance and STILL are the first ones to arrive.

11. See #10...all that said except for work. I'm 15-30 minutes late to work every day.

12. I love, love, love living in Oklahoma. I have lived here my whole life, but I really appreciate it now. I have a lot of pride in this state. Believe it or not, my position at work is actually kind of rare for someone in a field office to have, technically it should be done out of Dallas. So when I travel for work and tell people my job description and where I live they always seem surprised. I love being able to relay all the reasons why I love Oklahoma and would never leave.

13. I love that our families live in the same town. If we're bored, there's always a parent or a sister we can go hang out with. It is especially nice now that Colt is here.

14. My favorite sweatshirt is one I got in middle school. I only wear it to bed, but it's the best. It's actually an American Girl sweatshirt (yes, like the dolls). It was way oversized at the time, and has stretched and thinned out enough to still be oversized as I grew!

15. I wish I was an accessories person.

16. When I was deciding on colleges, I pretty much had OSU set in my mind. I applied to OSU, OU, and Oklahoma Christian (though OC was never really in the running for me...chalk it up to living in Edmond my whole life). How different would I be if I had gone to OSU?! But the OU campus tore me away.

17. I was baptized in a river of melted snow water in the mountains of New Mexico. It was nighttime, and two other girls were baptized that night, too. It was cold. Really, really cold but worth it.

18. I am easily swayed one way or another in politics. But in my core, I'm Republican. But if you really got me talking, you'd be surprised at how much I agree with the other side on certain issues. At the end of the day, I think everyone in politics is crooked. Even if they didn't start out that way, they end up crooked. How else can you rise to the ranks of power in your state or in Washington if you're not making deals with the devil and promises and favors to lobbyists? It's a fact of life.

19. I shamefully contribute to the obsession with celebrities. I have a subscription to People magazine (best birthday gift ever!), I love Go Fug Yourself, and sometimes send multiple e-mails a day to a certain friend talking about celebs like I know them personally.

20. I am not a closeted Britney Spears fan. I'm out in the open.

21. I like lots of other music, too. Music you would consider "good". Like, for instance, in march we're going to see Elton John and Billy Joel in concert and I couldn't be more excited!

22. I was an award-winning journalist in high school, also wrote some for the Edmond Sun. I even had several articles published in the OU campus newspaper when I first arrived. But I quickly realized: I hate interviewing people. So then I went through 5 other majors before I finally decided on PR.

23. I used to write stories all the time. From the time I was in 3rd grade through high school, I wrote short stories. I have notebooks full of short stories I never finished. I was convinced I would be a novelist. But once I got to college, I stopped writing. Maybe that's why I have a blog...it's an outlet for the writer in me. Though I don't try very hard here!

24. I hate to cook, John does all the cooking. But I do like to bake every now and then.

25. I really, really love traveling. For fun. Business travel was fun for a while, it made me feel important. But now it's just tedious and annoying. You don't get to see anything or do anything fun...you just fly in to your meeting and hotel and fly back out. But traveling for fun...there's nothing I love more!

Wow...that was hard! But now I'm headed back to bed. I succeeded in my quest to get sleepy again after feeding Colt. But he's due to wake up again in about an hour! Oh the life...

Maternity Leave in January

Kind of wishing I'd had a baby in spring, when we could do this every day! Here in OK it's 75 degrees, sunny, and the perfect day for a walk. He slept, but I got in some relaxation and iPod time.

Now I have to change clothes since it's so warm I was sweating! All you Northerners...eat your heart out with your snow! ;)

So, I guess we're not National Champs...

A good friend pointed out that the last time I posted I promised the next time I posted OU would be national champions. Did you think I wouldn't post for a whole other year until OU is actually National Champs next January?!

Why haven't I posted? I don't want to blame it on Colt. So instead I'll give you 10 other reasons I haven't posted:

1. I'm scratching my head trying to figure out the meaning of Saraphina Affleck's name. I think it sounds like an eau de toilet. Or a makeup store. I'm just hoping there is good reason behind it. Violet=cute. Saraphina=bad Sylvester Stallone offspring.

2. Remember last year when I turned crazy and started watching American Idol? Well, I've actually been looking forward to it. AND...watching the auditions which normally I hate as much as I hate the sound of people gulping. Or the sound of the windows locking in the car after John has farted.

3. Watching the entire season of CSI:Miami that I never got around to. That Horatio Caine is such a bada$$.

4. Getting a new dishwasher instead of the GAP jeans I really wanted.

5. Thinking about how I don't have very many pictures of me and Colt together (I'm always the photographer), thinking about how I haven't sent birth announcements, thinking about how I never sent Christmas cards so no one knows that we had a baby. No one. It's not like we have 2 blogs, 2 Facebook pages, 2 MySpace pages, 4 grandparents, various aunts, and a thousand friends who've been praying for us for a long time.

6. Trying to figure out how my house could be making me sick. I'm convinced something in my house is causing my daily headaches. Maybe it's my couches. I need new couches. Yes, it's the couches that are causing my headaches!

7. Refreshing Facebook status updates on my phone every 30 seconds.

8. Not fitting into anything but hooded sweatshirts. Thanks for all the good food everyone is bringing and the good restaurants we go to.

9. Wondering why every movie Sean Penn makes means Oscar buzz. "This Christmas, Sean Penn is deranged, retarded, gay, sensitive ponytail man in Sean Penn: The Movie. Ebert hails it as the best movie of all time." Ugh. Irritating.

10. Holding the child every second I can, soaking up the moment before it passes.

So, I've been busy. Love you, mean it, will post more when I go back to work!

No Sweets!

I can't believe I almost forgot to post about this!

12:01 on January 1st marked one year of a sweets-free year for John. He made a CRAZY resolution last year to go one whole year without eating sweets. No one, and I mean no one (including me), believed he could do it. But he did!

There were a few things he was allowed: sugar substitutes in drinks (as in diet soda or Splenda in coffee) and condiments (jellies, syrup, honey) and natural sugars in fruits. But he didn't even eat sugar-free candy.

That meant no desserts, no snacks, no birthday cakes, no candy canes or conversation hearts at holidays, no chocolate, no pie, no ice cream...nothing.

He is 50 pounds lighter for it, and SO proud of himself. Honestly, I couldn't be prouder myself. I tell everyone about it. He's one person I know that really stuck to his resolution in such a big way! This photo is of his first bite of ice cream with Jacqui's famous caramel sauce at 12:01.

He's gone a little crazy this last week with the sweets...but plans to continue limiting them to once a month for special occasions.

So proud of you, Honey! You did it!

Hello???? Anybody out there?

So....hi!

What's going on in the world? How are all of you?

I'm a dazzling conversationalist right about now. I can talk about poop and swaddling and pediatrician visits and anything related to a 3-week-old.

I can also give you rousing recaps of all my DVR that I'm finally caught up on.

Beyond that, I might as well be comatose. I do a pretty good job of updating Facebook, only because I can do it one-handed from my phone.

The rest of my time is spent holding our little angel. He likes to be held, what can I say? It's invigorating that he wants his mom to hold him to stay calm, and frustrating that I can't put him down for 5 seconds all at the same time!

I've lightened up on myself a little in regards to what "accomplishment" means from day to day. I'm proud to say I've showered, fixed my hair, put makeup on every day since Colt has been home, even if we don't go anywhere. I always have the diaper bag ready, and I've ventured out by myself with him several times though I prefer to have someone with me to prevent screaming in the car!

I'm not sure when this blog will be back to it's "normal" excitement. This is a new normal, I suppose. But I promise I'll be much more interesting once I go back to work in February. I'll have time to read things on the internet, catch up on world events, ready each delicious daily entry of Go Fug Yourself.

In the meantime, I'll update when I'm not sleeping or holding Colt!!

And, uh, BOOMER SOONER tonight! Next time I update, OU will be national champions!!!

I'm not going anywhere!

Many more trips to church in oversized clothing to come! N terminated her rights today. We still have a wait with the birthfather, but our level of anxiety is much lower with that and we're grateful for each and every step that gets us closer to our forever family.

Court

Tomorrow is a big day for us. Colt's birthmother, N is going to court to appear before the judge and permanently relinquish her parental rights.

We have a lot of thoughts and prayers on our hearts for tomorrow for so many things. Hopefully by this time tomorrow night John and I will be breathing a sweet sigh of relief that we're one step closer to Colt being ours forever. There will still be a wait for the birthfather but we're not too worried about that.

I took Colt to our agency's offices today to visit, and I brought a gift for N. It was a photo album full of photos (since we take a picture of every outfit it's easy to fill an album in two weeks!). There was also room for more photos that we send her as he grows. I also got her a bracelet with a heart charm and his full name engraved on it.

A heart because:
"The heart is a symbol of God's love, humanity, and charity. The heart is also considered to be the source of understanding, love, courage, devotion, sorrow, and joy."

So please keep us in your prayers tomorrow. Around 2:15 she should be appearing in court, and I can't imagine how hard it is for her, and how wonderful it will be for us.

More family visits

So almost everyone in the family has spread the love with Colt...here are the most recent family portraits!

Merry Christmas from John, Jessica, Colt and Faith!

We hope this day brings as much joy to you as it has to us.

Our new favorite pastime!

Colt is no longer under those obnoxious lights! Doctor says he's doing much better, and I can tell. Colt is more alert, eating more, sleeping less, and even more fun. Lots of fun faces and such.

We officially went stir crazy so we have been running around. Despite the cold, nasty weather we've needed to be out and about and it's been nice. When we're not running around town visiting the doctor, family, and friends, we're sleeping. Naps come most often when Colt is cuddled on our chests.

So forgive my lack of posting. Days and nights are blurring together and I can't believe a week has already gone by! More updates soon!!!

Poor Baby

In case you couldn't tell from previous pictures, Colt has jaundice. But luckily, rather than admit him to the hospital they brought a phototherapy machine to the house! So the centerpiece on our coffee table is now a tanning bed!

It's not been bad, except he hasn't slept in a while so he's active and wild in there, meaning not as much light can be on his skin...we have to protect his eyes. Hopefully it won't take long to make him better!

Family Visits

Forgot to get one of Uncle Matt holding him...but hopefully we'll get that tonight when they come back and bring the cousins by!

Colt is a little socialite already!

Posted by John: Introduction

Ladies and Gentlemen,
We are proud to introduce to you Colton Thomas Anderson.
He was born on December 16th, 2008 at 1:06 P.M. He weighed 9 lbs. 7 oz and was 22 inches long. He has a full head of hair and at this time is receiving a full belly of formula! Birthmother and baby are fine. Possible discharge (from the hospital, not the other discharge!) tomorrow. We will keep you updated!

We're having a baby today!

We're having a baby today!

The roads are pretty bad, but not terrible. We're waiting until around 3:00 (2 1/2 hours from now) to head out with T, our caseworker. Then it's a 2-hour (maybe more with the ice) drive to the hospital. Where likely Colt will be waiting on us!

N was dilated to a 6, had an epidural, and the doctor was coming in to break her water when we last talked to her. That's right...I got to talk to her on the phone. She sounds so nice. She even told me "oh, you sound so sweet"! She wants us to call on our way so she knows when to expect us, and she told us to drive safely. She also checked to make sure I knew how to get to the hospital!

Her dad, sister, grandma and three best friends are there with her.

We're having a baby today. I'll keep you posted as much as I can! Ongoing status updates will be on Facebook, so feel free to follow me there. Either Liz or I will update here as soon as we know more.

Pray for safe travels, safe delivery, and ease and comfort for N. We're having a baby!!!!

Dear Zachary

Yesterday was a banner day to stay curled up in bed, which I did. And after watching some real life mystery show on MSNBC this documentary started called Dear Zachary. And I was immediately entranced in the premise. It started out as a film about how one person's life can affect so many people. About how one average, everyday person can leave an impression and touch other lives in a profound way. About how much one person can be missed by so many when they're gone.

It started out as memories of a man named Andrew Bagby. And it was sweet and profound. Even the filmmaker, Andrew's childhood best friend, admitted that he started making the movie to preserve memories of Andrew before they were gone. He was an only child, people's stories would be precious to his parents.

But as he began his journey around the world to talk to pretty much everybody who ever knew Andrew it quickly turned into a different story. It became a movie about a father...Andrew had been murdered by a crazy woman who turned out to be pregnant with his child. So it was even more important to make the film so one day his son would know more about the father that had been selfishly taken from him.

It doesn't stop turning and twisting into more. By the end I was in shock, awe, and tears. I can't shake the story. I think everyone should watch it. It was that powerful and amazing to me. I had not heard of the story before seeing the film, so I didn't know the horrific twist it would take. Which made it that much more effective. The end is absolutely horrifying. And it's all TRUE.

If you get the chance to catch Dear Zachary on MSNBC sometime, do yourself a favor and watch it. You'll hurt for those left behind, cry out at the way the law often fails to protect, and wonder how one family can suffer so much incredible pain. At the same time, you'll walk away wishing that you have even a fraction of the effect on your friends and family that Andrew had on his.

Really, I can't stop thinking about it. It's really, really good. Just watching the trailer gives me chillbumps and brings tears to my eyes. Just watch it.

New Computer

So I'm typing this blog on our new computer. It has Windows Vista, so there is A LOT to learn. So far, the coolest things about it are the built-in webcam, fingerprint scanner, and the fact that I can automatically pull up a window for this blog without logging in through the internet. I don't know how to explain it, but we'll see if it works!

I want to openly admit it now: I'm addicted to blogging and Facebook. And I've been more away from it than usual, but not really too far away. I'm an addict....Cary, did you hear me? This is my "blog binge" confession.

Anyway, not too much going on except WAITING! Lots of waiting and I really thought Colt would come last night, with the fullest and brightest moon of the year. But he obviously has other ideas. I'm pretty sure he must be related to the Bladcox clan with his tendency to arrive late...he obviously isn't getting that from me and John who are always annoyingly early.

Anyway...we wait. And I keep reading embarrassing journal entries from my middle school and high school year (thanks, Courtney, for bringing that up) so maybe I'll feel like posting some of them here. Or not. They may just be too ghey for public record.

Update

Well, I mentioned that I'd be back with good news. And while on the surface the update I got yesterday is not good news....there is still good news to be found.

Our birthmother, N had a doctor appointment yesterday. She's made no progress and the doctor is refusing to set an induction date. She's very frustrated, tired, and upset. John and I are equally frustrated and upset. It's a bad deal, everyone is ready for Colt to make his grand entrance, like, yesterday.

Also, there are major ice storms predicted to hit Sunday night through Wednesday of next week. Which means we'll likely either be driving through them to get to the hospital or to get home. And if it shuts down the city and county court systems it puts us at legal risk longer than we'd hoped.

But, hey, who likes a person with a "glass half full" kind of attitude. Well, besides me of course! Here are the positives that came out of that update:

-Colt is still very healthy and growing
-N is still healthy, even though she's uncomfortable
-The doctor still thinks he can be delivered without a C-section
-N is still confident in her decision to make an adoption plan
-I get to work a few more days to add a few more days to my maternity leave in February
-More nights to sleep a full 8+ hours

So, see, I can handle it.

But, really...I want Colt to be here. I want to see him and kiss him and snuggle. I'm ready to know he's safe and healthy. So...prayers for patience but also a speedy delivery are much appreciated!

Totally separate re-entry into Blogworld and it doesn't really count because I'm not really back.

Dear Emily,

Please join Facebook. Just do it. It's time. I'm not asking for Twitter just yet. Just Facebook. I bet there are others who would join me in my plea.

Love,
Jess

P.S. - Liz, you're next.
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Thank goodness I erased all episodes of "Pushing Daisies" that I had on my DVR last season. Also that I stopped watching "Dirty, Sexy Money" because I didn't have the time. There is nothing more frustrating than seeing one of your shows get canceled. I'm still recovering from "My So-Called Life" 13 years ago.
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Reunited with my childhood friend Courtney via Facebook last night. Spent this morning reading her hilarious blog. She then wrote about some of our good times over the last 22 years. OMG...always good to have friends who knew you back when...we got into a lot of trouble together. Which I recounted in my journals from the turbulent middle school years that I never shared here, but Courtney doesn't mind sharing and it made me cry I laughed so hard.

I remember Courtney for many things over the years in youth group and Girl Scouts. One of the best things I remember about her was her Barbie dream house. It was three stories and had a pink elevator in it. I used to LOVE that thing! Did you ever have toy envy with your friends?

She's straight up funny, and apparently knows everything there is to know about water. Just trust me.
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I've laughed a lot today. Not the least of which is because of the conversation posed between Angelina Jolie and JLo at my new favorite website.
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I left my cell phone in the car after lunch today and it was a touch decision about whether to go get it or not. Ultimately the cold won out and I've not gone to get it (parked very far away). It has been liberating spending and entire afternoon not staring at it and willing it to ring.
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I couldn't sleep last night. That doesn't happen to me very often, and usually when I have the rare instance of insomnia I just watch TV until I drift to sleep. But I was REALLY not tired, so I got up and wrapped all my Christmas presents last night! Finally fell asleep around 4 a.m. this morning but the wrapped beauties under my Christmas tree and the check on the to-do list make it all worth it.
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Penn Square Mall two days in a row. Because apparently I did something really bad and I'm asking for punishment.
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The end, lovelies. Hope to have good news for you soon!

Out

It has to be stress causing the headaches. I'm completely stressed out and feeling another one developing.

I will be out of Blogland for a little while. Long story short it's making me crazy with doubts and freak-outs are following. I love that everyone loves us and is excited to know what's going on, but it's making me irrational and downright obsessive. And stressed. And while I may be one or another at times, I'm never all of them at once.

I need to have a calming, relaxing last week with my husband and not worry anymore about how things are out of my control.

I will update here as soon as we have news on the baby. In the meantime, I'll try to work on a good post about how annoying Nicole Kidman is to me. That's what you are all here for, I know.

I am not on narcotics. clearly.

Know what's awesome? A Sunday morning trip to the ER! What's even more awesome? Being treated like a narcotic-seeker.

I'm not sure what triggers these occasional migraines. John's best guess is that it's stress because they really started increasing in frequency and severity in January of this year. Only three times have I been so bad off that I end up seeking the care of a doctor. Usually I can medicate and sleep it off.

But Saturday I woke up with a feeling. Just knowing I was going to get a headache. But I second-guessed myself thinking some food would take care of it. By 4:00 it was a full-blown migraine. By halftime of the OU game (Boomer Sooner! I totally called it!) I was throwing up because of the pain. By Sunday morning I couldn't take it anymore...either have a headache or be nauseous...I can't take both.

So John took me to the local hospital that advertises seeing you in 25 minutes or less. Sure enough, they got me in in less than 5 minutes. Saw a doctor pretty quickly but it took almost an hour for the nurse to come give me a shot. AN HOUR. Let's examine this: the pain and nausea are bad enough that I've dragged my husband out of bed on a Sunday morning, I'm in a ballcap and wearing NO MAKEUP...an extra hour may, in fact, kill me. For real.

Did I mention NO MAKEUP? No shower, and a ballcap. It's serious.

The doctor was very clear he was not giving me a narcotic. Very clear. Like, repeated it 10 times in the three minutes he was with me. I wanted to say "ok, it's not like I'm Heather Locklear here please just give me something...anything. Narcotic or not."

Eventually I got a shot of anti-nausea meds and a shot of something else (NON-NARCOTIC) and by then I was feeling better anyway. Kind of a waste of a day and a $100 co-pay. I felt well enough by that afternoon to eat (because I threw up everything I'd ever eaten), get a Sam's Club card, shop at Sam's (and kind of wig out because shopping at Sam's while still on sleepy meds...wicked), have coffee at Starbucks, and see a movie.

And my Sooners are Big 12 Champions, and I'm calling it now...we're winning the National Championship. It's going to be awesome.

The Perfect Day

Here is what a perfect day looks like if your baby decides not to come:

-browsing blogs and Facebook in the morning
-lunch with your husband at Friday's (hello Jack Daniels burger!)
-Rush to the theatre to buy tickets for "Four Christmases" with only 5 minutes to wait. By yourself!
-Wander the mall
-Stop by eyeglasses shop and end up filling your 2-month-old perscription and getting frames AND lenses for $99!
-Get two people DONE on your Christmas list
-Grab a Diet Dr. Pepper
-Stop by the chair massage kiosk in the mall
-Get a 25-minute massage where you're only charged for 20 minutes
-Feel awesome and hazily call your husband to leave work and come get a massage right then
-Walk around the mall with your husband, buying clothes at Baby Gap
-Browse e-mail on the phone while he gets his massage
-Meet 4 great friends for dinner at Cheesecake Factory...where you end the day with cheesecake and coffee
-Come home to crash and get a great night's sleep

Not too shabby, eh?

Colt's First OU Game

Also, you heard it here first. Colt's first OU game will actually be watching us win the National Championship, since he probably won't be out in time to watch us crush Missouri this weekend in the Big 12 Championship.

That's ok...his OU outfits will fit him better for that game anyway. Boomer Sooner!

No baby today!

Just FYI, Colt will not be arriving today. The induction date was today, but the doctor canceled it and wants to wait another week to see if he will come on his own. Sigh...kind of frustrating but we're ok with that!

Hate to do it, but the long drawn out story is at Here's to Hope. Just know last night was terrible, but we're ok today, and we're doing our best to be patient! He'll come any day now...so we're ready!

I will be back to regularly scheduled boringisms once my heart stops pounding and I can breathe again. I'm going to see "Four Christmases" today by myself (I LOVE seeing movies by myself!) and doing some Christmas shopping...we'll talk soon!

The weekend in a flash

Just a few thoughts from the last week:

-I am awfully proud of myself, seeing as how I called the Big 12 Championship spot back when we lost to Texas. I'm a believer, and my Sooners didn't let me down. On to beat Missouri and into the National Championship. Where we're going to win. Calling it now....you heard it here!

-If we don't win, I still love my Sooners and have lots of faith. But I think this is their season. We're doing it!

-I passed my cold on to several people at work and in the family. I'm a giver, y'all.

-Yesterday was a full-on marathon of "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" and I couldn't pull myself away. That is one crazy family. And I'm dumber now for having watched it.

-John made "trash" this weekend, so guess what we'll be snacking on for a while? For those not in John's world, that's fancy chex mix that he mixes and bakes for hours and hours.

-Had my first Black Friday experience. Probably because I couldn't sleep on Wednesday or Thursday night because of the cold. John and I were both awake all night Thursday. At 1:30 John said that if we were still awake at 3, we were going out. So, we headed out around 3, got donuts, and were fourth in line at Target! We got some great deals and about half our shopping done. Those people are crazy. Let's just say there was sprinting involved down the aisles.

-Thanks to my dad's visit, we now have a real live leg lamp to add to our Christmas decorations. One of our favorite Christmas movies is "A Christmas Story" with Ralphie and the Red Ryder BB Gun. You know, his dad gets a "major award", it's a mannequin leg with fishnet stockings that goes in the front window? Surely you guys have seen it. Anyway, that was John's Christmas present. Nice!! I am trying to find a spot in the front window for it. I'm that kind of wife.

-We saw "Bolt" this weekend. WAY cute and I highly recommend it!

-For the first time in our married life, I bought frozen pizzas yesterday at the store. He will tell you otherwise now, but John has ALWAYS told me he hates anything frozen including pizzas. They're not crispy enough. But seeing as though I will be home during the day with a baby for the next 8 weeks...I bought myself some frozen pizzas. And fish sticks. And curly fries. And pizza rolls. And bagel bites. And I'm finally looking forward to eating at home!

And that's all I can think of for right now!

I am thankful

Though never worthy, I am blessed. I am blessed that I can't even count or name all the blessings in my life. But I can try, as this day also signifies the last Thusday, the last Thanksgiving, the last week as a family of 2. Awfully reflective, if you can imagine.

I'm thankful for traveling the country:
-for sinking my feet in sandy beaches on both coasts and on the most beautiful island I've ever seen
-for the chance to explore the mountains of Canada
-the coolness of the Alaskan rain forest
-eating delicious food in Savannah
-writing my son's name in the sand of South Carolina
-being rocked to sleep by the Pacific Ocean
-napping on my grandparent's couch

I'm thankful for my family:
-with whom I travel the country with
-with whom we can call up for last-minute dinners
-that pick me up from the airport
-that go to concerts with me
-that believe in God and attend church each week with us
-that listen and hug and cry when I'm in pain
-that buy us amazing things to support our growing family

I'm thankful for my friends:
-that listen to us drag on and on about our frustrations and still stick around for more
-that spend hours in my favorite coffee shop talking about life
-that bond over similar experiences
-that believe in me
-that share in hope
-that pray for me when I can't pray anymore
-that make me laugh until I cry
-that throw showers meant for someone far more deserving than I really am
-that love us as close to unconditionally as possible

I'm thankful for my husband. My wonderful, caring husband:
-for listening to me talk football and not think I'm stupid
-for rubbing my head when I have migraines
-for not calling me a hypochondriac
-who holds my hand each week when I give myself a shot
-that runs to the store for Kleenex and milk and toilet paper
-that tells me I look beautiful before church on Sundays
-that takes me to get donuts even though he can't eat them
-who tucks me into bed every night, whether we're angry or not
-who cries with me in good times and in bad
-who writes beautiful essays about our readiness as parents
-who surprises me with a nursery
-who buys a dream vacuum in a vacuum emergency
-who takes care of our bills so I don't have to worry
-who jumped head first into our journey to find our baby
-who prays for our baby, our family, and our troops overseas

I'm thankful for a brave young woman:
-who tried for love and didn't get it
-found herself a new love instead
-who knew that her new love needed more
-who knew SHE needed more
-who trusted in an amazing adoption agency
-and fell in love with two strangers
-who chose life for her love instead of an easy way out
-who suffers physically and emotionally in school each day for the one she loves
-who will go through unbearable pain to give her child life
-who will go on to accomplish her dreams
-and who will watch from afar as two strangers accomplish their dream
-who will watch her heart grow and grow and live and learn and love all from the outside
-who is trusting us to make this happen

I'm thankful for a little heartbeat that isn't even in the world yet:
-for staying strong
-for growing up healthily
-who will soon learn to trust two strangers
-who will one day meet his creator and understand the love she has for him

I'm thankful that next Thanksgiving we'll be a family of 3 dropping in on the rest of our growing families.

I'm thankful that I have trust in my God who provides far more than I deserve, who takes care of me, who trusts me to handle as much as I can handle.

I'm very, very thankful today. Still a little nervous, but thankful we've come this far and that hope will live on...no matter what happens.

Happy Thanksgiving!

ANNOYING!

Sorry for the serious lack of blogging. I could give you lots of excuses but I already did that on my other blog so no duplication. What I can blog about is a super annoying blog thing.

First of all, before I start, I apologize to anyone who reads this for sometimes asking you to link over to my other blog to read what I wrote instead of just writing here. My intention is to make this blog my main blog once the baby is born, I plan on retiring Here's to Hope once our journey is complete. Sometimes I know I share readers back and forth, and I don't want to repeat things...blahblahblah.

Which leads me to my biggest annoyance about blogland. Bloggers who get too big for their britches, write a million different places and all but abandon the blogs that made them interesting and funny and unique and addictive in the first place. Example entry of such annoyance:

"Sorry it's been so long, I've been busy writing here and here. And check out my newest article here. Catch you later!"

You know, if I wanted to read you in other places I would. But I found you because of your original amazing blog and now it's just a cheap way to get people to click over to your paying gigs and it takes all authenticity out of your writing.

Second biggest annoyance, the advertising. No, not the links down the side. But when you know that bloggers are being paid or incentivized by companies to talk about their products. Now, I know this is ironic, hypocritical, etc coming from me...I'M IN ADVERTISING AND PR!! I know that blogging and Twitter and the likes are the "wave of the future" and I'm in the middle of figuring out how to work with bloggers to reach people. I'm not against the idea. But recently there have been some bloggers who have been so wrapped up in their "paying gigs" that's all they talk about. Numerous upon numerous entries about "check out my recipe here" or "I was contacted by said company and now I love them". Moderation is the real key. I wish people could understand that. You have to be authentic and real....talking about it in every entry and not discussing your normal everyday things that made your blog great in the first place is not authentic and it's not real.

Ok...rant done. I had to cut some blogs loose this week on Bloglines. It was just too irritating! I'm not against making money on blogging, or advertising in general. But I just hate it when blogs lose what made them great...they stop being authentic and real.

I promise to be a better blogger. I have a whole entry on sensitive ponytail man in line at a restaurant who was talking about picking up girls at the "Twilight" premiere...

WARNING: What you are about to see may shock and disgust you

So neighborhood Bunko is playing at my house tonight. It's a fun group, but they are all relatively strangers. Which makes the pressure for the house to look nice (especially among ladies who live in similar houses on my block) especially strong. So when we figured out that our vacuum was fried (and probably had been for a long time, which makes sense since I've been saying it just isn't working) I sent John to the store for a cheap solution. Knowing DYSON was a long way away.

And he came home. With a magnificent, yellow Dyson and a grumbling-but-friendly greeting of "Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday".

So then we stood around all night and watched it transform our carpets. Watched the nastiness build inside the vacuum with every run. What you see below is the first run of the living room. JUST the living room. I was appalled. And fascinated. Apparently, this is not abnormal. But for me, the total clean freak that I am, I was appalled.

We vacuumed each room and came with the same nastiness as the living room. And I'm told if we vacuum again tonight, we'll probably get the same amount of stuff. So after Bunko tonight, I'm doing it. Welcome to my new (literally) dirty little secret.
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Also, I've started doing the crazy little thing called Twitter. If you Twitter (or start) please send me a note with your Twitter name so I can follow you! Mine is jandj621.

My Husband

I came home this week to the most amazing gift I've ever received. I left for Hilton Head for 6 days and the back bedroom was a white, empty, completely blank slate. I came home to this.

And then after a challenge/tag from Emily to write something very nice about my husband I thought what better time than after he blew me away with his handywork?

My husband is amazing. I guess the main thing I love about him is that he makes me laugh. All the time. It's constant laughter. Even if I'm really mad and we're yelling, he flares his nostrils and gets this grin and I erupt into giggles. Try yelling at someone who's nostrils are flaring...it's awfully hard.

He has been so supportive of everything I do. From the extra hours I work to the traveling I've been doing for the last 2 years to the phone calls and e-mails I accept during the evenings and weekends...he's been a great support in watching me grow my work responsibilities. I think he's even proud of having such a kick-a$$ professional wife!

He has made friends with my friends, supported our search for a church home, and been the more outgoing of the two of us to build relationships that will last us a lifetime.

He took over the budget from me after one year into our marriage and has single-handedly saved us thousands of dollars in doctor fees from all the stomach and psycho doctors I would see because of the ulcers money gives me. He takes great care of our financial life, allowed us to enjoy the dream home we're in and drive nice cars that won't fall apart. And gives me my monthly luxury of DVR and digital cable!

And all of that doesn't even touch on the support he's offered me over the last THREE years of trying to grow this little family of ours. The first year of trying to have a baby that almost broke us, the second year of expensive specialists and treatments and needles and testing, and now this third year of adoption. The fact that we have survived this long, and truly grown stronger because of it, makes bringing our son home in a few weeks all that more meaningful. Not everyone would be strong enough to go through the things we went through to have baby....I'm so glad I found the right person to stick with it.

He's funny, he's handy (just look at those nursery pics!), he's sensitive, he's personable, he loves his family, he's a loyal friend, and he's currently sugar-free! Still going strong over 11 months of not eating sweets...that right there is a feat within itself and I'm very proud of him.

I love you, Babe! Thanks for being the perfect husband (most of the time...pick your socks up off the floor and then you'll be perfect!) and for building a dream room for me and for Colt. You're amazing!

No Celine

Bad, bad blogger I am...it's a good thing I didn't sign up for NaBloPoMo this year. I'm in terrible shape!!


Before I give you pictures and a recap of my trip to BEAUTIFUL Savannah (including a complete recount of every food I ate at The Lady and Sons Restaurant), and before I show you pictures of the AMAZING nursery I came home to yesterday...I just have to say how much this week sucks.


On the list of "things to do before I die" includes seeing Celine Dion in concert. I mean, I know some of you think that's completely stupid but I LOVE her and have for so long and have always wanted to see her in person.

Last year for Christmas my sister gave me tickets to her concert in Tulsa on November 13th. So you can imagine how exciting this week was supposed to be. I've been looking forward to it for almost a year, but really waiting on it for, like, 15 years.

The concert has been postponed due to Celine being sick. Which, I think, means it will never really happen. It's supposed to happen on February 2nd and I really, really hope it does. I was so ready to go see her and sing power ballads all night with my concert buddy sister. I even warned Julia I was probably going to cry like a baby the whole time because it's that kind of thing for me.


So...no Celine this week. Sad, sad, sad.

I'll post pictures soon!

Middle of the Night Ramblings

So, yeah, it's 2:00 in the morning and I'm not asleep. I'd like to say it's because I just got in after a crazy night of partying with the retirement community here in Hilton Head. But, that is not the case.

After an afternoon of outlet shopping (and a little beach combing) I ended up with a ridiculous migraine right before we were supposed to leave for dinner with fun clients. I decided I could not sit through 3+ hours of small talk so I grabbed a burger from the hotel bar (because the room service is not very good), quickly ate and ended up crashing around 7:00 p.m.

Sounds like a dream, right? Well, the only problem is that I woke up from what was essentially a nap at 11:30 (in time to see Texas Tech beat OSU which ONLY pleased me because it helps us get to the Big 12 Championship). I'm wide awake....wide awake. I could work, but that's not sounding all that appealing.

In case I haven't mentioned it, we have a baby due in less than a month. If he has not arrived by December 4th, that's the day he will join us! But I've had a feeling for a while we'll have a Thanksgiving baby (sometime that week) and the doctor is saying he would not be surprised if that's the case. It's looking very promising.

The amount of things I have between now and then add up so much I'm not sure where to start. Luckily my business trips for 2008 are over as of Monday. Then it's back to work where I need to conduct a survey, get my team squared away on their plans for the rest of the year, create my "while I'm out" list of roles and responsibilities for my boss and team members, pack up my office for the office move in 2 weeks, figure out insurance and flex plan details for 2009 with a new baby, assemble my last presentation for 2008 to update all my agency's offices, and make sure everything is together for while I'm on leave.

Also, in between all the things I need to get together for work, I have Liz's baby shower, Celine Dion concert, my next baby shower, Riley's birthday party, Thanksgiving, my dad visiting, unpacking all the gifts and organizing the nursery, cleaning (and more cleaning), writing Thank You notes, reading Book Club book (may not happen), spending time with family and friends, and OH YEAH getting some time in with my husband before our life changes forever.

And then there is the worrying and waiting and daily changes to think about with the whole adoption process and birth parents. Contacting our lawyer, daily calls driving our caseworker crazy, anxiety about the hospital experience (all the unknowns), and the terrifying reality that this may very well be it. We're going to be parents, it's happening...and I have no idea how to do that.

So forgive me if I'm a little on edge or out of touch the next few weeks. In fact, just typing all that out is helping with this insomnia and making me very sleepy. I think I'll head to bed and try to get a little more sleep. Big day tomorrow...we're headed into Savannah, GA to shop and eat at The Lady and Sons restaurant (Paula Deen's place) for some good ol' butter-soaked, deep fried southern cooking!

Good Night (morning)!

It's a hard life

It is literally the perfect day here in South Carolina. See the view from my balcony? How about the view from my stroll on the beach? No clouds, no wind, 75 degrees. Absolutely perfect.

Free afternoon today, tomorrow will be spent playing Wii, Rock Band, and browsing Facebook. Because we have to. Sigh...I really do love my job! I just wish John was here, but he is busy painting and assembling a crib. I will go home on Monday to an almost-complete nursery!!

What If

Dude, what if I didn't vote, and just said I did?

You all would never know the difference! I could spend the next 4 years griping and complaining (or high-fiving, depending on the outcome) and totally play the part and you guys would never know!

Don't freak out, I'm going to vote this afternoon. I'm just saying...what if I didn't?

I would tell everyone to go vote, because I do believe in it, but I don't think you need direction from me. I will say one thing about the day...I believe today's election is very important. But I also believe that THIS election is as important as it is every 4 years (and in between).

Voting for president, and senators, and congressmen, and state legislators, and school board representatives, and judges, and state questions are ALL important. Each one a vital part of the way our country works. So, yes, please vote today. Take it seriously, just do it, blah blah blah.

But what's really important is to KEEP voting. Whoever takes office after this election will have, at most, 8 years in office. I'm pretty sure we're all going to continue living long after 8 years has passed. We have to have as much passion and drive for future elections as we do for this one. So today is no more important to me than 2004's election, or last year's state elections, or 2012's election. I just like to vote, I like to feel a part of this system no matter how small.

And, yes, I think American politics (politics anywhere actually) are incredibly corrupt. But that doesn't mean I can't exercise my freedom to TRY and have a say in the way it works. That was for my husband.

OMG! It's so cute!

Yeah, this is pretty much how I looked all day yesterday. And pretty much all I said was "aaawwww! it's so cute!!!".

I'm still processing the amazement of yesterday. More pics and updates to come. In the meantime, thanks to my amazing friends and church family. I'm overwhelmed.