Catching up

Each day I mean to blog to document this time in our lives. You know what they say about good intentions. Anyway, as usual things are crazy busy here with trying to get house projects completed - it's amazing how long it takes just to get the bids, still unpacking and figuring out where the furniture goes, helping the Bean decide on new bedding that needs to be on her bed until she leaves for college (!), still 'do' life, and remember to make dinner each evening! We finally got our bedroom painted this weekend so the carpet could go in yesterday. Yay! I told Bean that I had so many projects to do it was akin to digging through a mudslide with a popsicle stick. The good news is there is tomorrow!

A couple of weeks ago we organized a Southern California Gladney playday. We all had a lot of fun, had a great time talking and getting to know each other while the kids played on the playground, or in the Bean's case managed to climb and get stuck up a tree! There was a mix of international and domestic families and it was really interesting hearing the similarities, differences and each others stories. We are hoping it's the start of getting a Family Association out here.

Monday the Bean was off school so after her orthodontic appointment we had lunch with my sister and my nephew, little wombat as I call him. Bean is so good with little kids she's going to be a great big sister. She held her cousin and got a good hug from the little guy as he was yawning his head off. The Bean and I had such a fun day together doing nothing in particular. She has such a great sense of humor, and can be very self-depracating, can hold great conversations, has a ton of questions, and has a dear, kind heart. Love that little one!

We've had a couple of updates on the girls who thankfully continue to be healthy, sweet little easy-going babies. One seems to be a left thumb sucker, the other is already rolling onto her side and can sit a few seconds. Yikes! I was counting on a month or so of immobility after we got home which I might not have! Have to add gates to my list. We cracked up that one of them had a 'big man on campus' shirt on. The Bean thought it was a hoot! I've decided that I'm going to try positive thinking and that we'll hear about a court date by the 15th. I'll keep you updated on that one!

The journey so far

This month is a year since John and I decided to adopt and contacted Gladney. We'd always agreed we wanted more children and our original thought was to have one more biologically and also adopt. As we got into the adoption process though it all changed for us. One week I just started feeling that it felt more 'right' to me to adopt two, but I didn't know how John would react to not having another biological child. When I brought it up the next weekend it turns out he'd been thinking about the same thing and felt the same way and we've never looked back. Since we made that decision it felt so right and exactly what was supposed to happen. I loved being pregnant and feel so fortunate to have experienced that, but this 'adoption pregnancy' has been a wonderful, special and incredible journey, just different. This has been a lot more emotional and no less an experience, and I think we've only just scratched the surface. Traveling for court, meeting the girls, experiencing Ethiopia, leaving them, picking them up and especially (hopefully) meeting their birthmother will be a tremendous few weeks. I am so excited about traveling to Ethiopia, and so excited to have the Bean travel with us.

We've been really lucky to have an update and some more photos and videos from traveling families/moms. The girls are getting so big, look so healthy and well looked after. This week we saw a photo of one of the girls smiling for the first time, and the other sucking her left thumb. They are so sweet. Their eyes are still SO big and they have the most perfect little mouths! Their thighs have little rolls and the backs of their little hands have dimples! The videos are precious. It's so different to realize that it is via electronic media that we are getting to see them move for the first time! They seem so startling real in the video and I have to admit I watch them over and over and they still make me tear up. It has also been a treat to see the lovely caregivers and how proudly and sweetly they look at the girls. I have found that waiting for a court date is harder for me than the wait list. I have these two sweet little people that I now have seen that I really want to go and pick up. I remember when we first made the wait list it was so exciting but getting a referral felt so far away it was as though it would never happen. That is what waiting for a court date feels like now! That 'will it ever happen' feeling. Many thanks to everyone that has taken the time to photograph and video our little ones. What you've sent us is cherished.

An Emmy, Another Wait for a Wait, among other things

Our new pets that came with the house!

the smiling fur person!

The Bean and her fur person

A week before the Emmy's that are televised, the technical Emmys are handed out also in grand style in Century City. We are so excited to give our congratulations to our good friend Christian Sebaldt for winning his first Emmy for cinematography on CSI, and also to his wife Mary, who holds down the fort while he works the crazy long hours and takes care of sweet Luke. We are so happy for them!

The Bean started school a week ago. Can I mention way earlier than I was ready for! What happened to after Labor Day? Last week after each school day she looked at me and said "Mummy, I'm brain fried," and boy, did she look it! This second week is looking more manageable, but I do miss having my Bean around during the day. She is a crack up and a lot of fun to be around! But there again, I am getting more stuff done...

And now, about the wait. So first it was the wait for the referral right? Honestly, as I've mentioned before, it went by quite quickly until WE HIT RAINY SEASON. Yup, rainy season wasn't in my thoughts or my plans, and now time has slowed to a screeching halt. Seriously, it has taken me by surprise how hard this time has been. Once we saw the pics of the two sweet little girls, their huge brown loving eyes, the cutest little mouths, and their little peanut bodies all I want to do is scoop them up, hold them, rock them and be their mummy. I do think that waiting for the court date is hard, but now it's waiting for the courts to re-open to be able to wait for the court date. It seems like a never-ending horizon of time. Yes, I know eventually we'll get there, but after seeing the photos it is lloonngg. I do want to say thank you to all those that got in touch after our referral for all your kind words and support. It is so nice to know you're all out there :)

My blog-post disclaimer: I'm hoping when I re-read this in a week it'll be coherant and make sense with not too many spelling problems. Last Thursday the Dr decided I couldn't wait 'til my surgery date to have my gallbladder out and we did the surgery last Friday. I had this idea that since it was laproscopic we'd whip it out, I'd be a tad sore, but we'd go on. Not! I was definitely more sore than I had thought and can only thank my incredible, patient, kind husband for getting me through the weekend. Oh, and the vicodin. Usually I won't take the stuff, but this weekend it was a necessity, but the haze is yukky. John took such good care of me, patiently helped me walk, put up with my squawking when he helped me lie down. I am such a lucky woman :) Anyway, much better today and I'm hoping he can come home to a home-cooked meal tonight.

What a week

I can't believe how fast this last week flew by. On Monday morning I woke up my mind was totally focused on calling the doctor at 9am (looked like I might have to have my gallbladder removed) what I would have to pack for The Bean to stay at her friends house, all that I'd have to reschedule etc etc. When the phone rang at 8am I looked at caller ID, saw 817, and couldn't figure out where 817 was. DUH. I know! What waiting family doesn't know what 817 is? How many blog entries have I read about looking for the 817 ID? Thank goodness i picked up. Honestly I thought about not because I thought it could be a telemarketer! Then when Sara said it was her it still didn't raise a flag. We were very certain we'd be waiting until at least the end of November. Part of this was mental preservation to make the wait easier, but also the reality of the average months of the list, especially with siblings. Then I thought she was calling to followup about something we were chatting about the week before. It's amazing how much can go through your mind in a split second! Then when she said she had our referral I was shocked. The most shocked I have ever been in my entire life. I mean ever. The only thing I could say was 'No' 'Oh my Gosh' 'No you're Kidding' 'No, really?' Over and over again. The Bean was in the room and getting a completely worried look on her face because it sounded like something was very wrong, so I told her it was our referral and she got so excited that she almost started hyperventilating! Perfect! I can't remember if I told Sara I had to call her back or if she told me to call her back after I found John and took care of Emma but there we go! When I finally got word to John, got him home and we called her back I was still so shocked that I was having a hard time remembering how to work the computer properly and it seemed to take forever to figure out how to download the attachment. I was in a total dither which is pretty unlike me!!!! Then wow, twins! The weird thing is for the past 4-6 weeks or so The Bean has been referring to them as twins and we've been laughing at her. The other cool thing is they were born on John's Fathers birthday. He died a couple of years ago, and John's sister Laurie said this was his way of saying everything was going to be ok and it was a good thing. Life is good:) Now we had better start fixing up the nursery and unpacking the rest of the boxes in the house!

Our referral :)

We are so excited. John made it home and we called Sara. We are going to be parents to 3 month old twin girls. Yay!!! We are really so amazed and thankful, but also humbled. As happy as we are I am also thinking of their birthmother and this hard, courageous decision she made. Tonight she will be in our prayers as well as these sweet babies.

The Call!!!!!

Oh, my goodness. Sara called at 8am, and said she had our referral. Total shock, surprise, excitement. Totally unprepared! Went to call John and realized he'd left his Blackberry in the kitchen and I had to get a message to him on set in the middle of Simi Valley somewhere. His office found him. He's on his way home. The Bean and I have run around trying to find the still and video cameras in the midst of moving boxes. Oh my gosh, I'm so excited to find out who our babies are. Hoping he'll be home SOON.

Happy Birthday Bean!

Happy Birthday Sweet Pea:)

The card that told her she was getting the long-asked-for hamster for her birthday!


The Bean, her BFF, and Molly her hamster

Yesterday was The Bean's 12th birthday - yay! I can't believe she's twelve:) My babys a tween. Yikes!!!! It was a day to remember for me because after she found out we were giving her a hamster, I spent the whole morning with her telling me I was the best Mummy ever, and how kind I was. Ahhhh. Soak it in because with this age I might not be tomorrow. Three pet store stops by 9am and we had found the perfect hamster - Molly. Likes to be held, doesn't bite, totally cute to boot. You know, the basics. The Bean had an awesome day, and then our family came over to swim, BBQ and do cupcakes for dinner. Happy Birthday Bean!

We're also thinking about 'No Blog - P Family.' We're keeping our fingers crossed for you that you get the call SOON! It's almost an 11 month pregnancy and we hope you have good news next week!!!