Hello ICLWers!
-I'm 31, married to Neal for almost 5 years.
-PCOS w/ insulin resistance and severe male factor. 3 years of TTC, 4 failed IUIs, 5 rounds of Clomid, IVF w/ ICSI turned into our son, Kasen, who was born in June 2009. He's awesome and we are totally ready to add more to our family!
-Co-worker of Neal's knew we were talking about adopting in the future and put us in touch with someone he knew who was considering adoption for her baby. (aka Situation #1) Though she decided to parent, this got us started on the private adoption path and showed us that home studies can be done in two weeks for $300.
-Started networking on our own and were called this month about a Situation #2: Newborn girl in Texas. Currently waiting for more news but not feeling very hopeful that it's all going to work out at this time.
For those who don't know what ICLW is, it stands for International Comment Leaving Week and was started in the Infertility/Adoption/Loss blogging community as a way to get to know one another and lend support. It happens once a month and anybody can join in! (See link in sidebar!)
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
142 Days: beautiful blogger award
No new news on the adoption... I still haven't received a call back so, um, yeah. More waiting and seeing!
But - thank you, Baby Interrupted, who nominated me for The Beautiful Blogger award! How fun!
The rules of this award are:
•Thank the person who nominated you for this award.
•Copy the award and place it in your blog.
•Link the person who nominated you for this award.
•Tell us 7 interesting things about you.
•Nominate 7 bloggers.
•Post the links to the 7 bloggers you nominate.
1. I can't do accents. No matter which ones I try to do, they all come off sounding slightly Southern, and even that sucks. Heck, I can barely speak English sometimes. My words come out all jumbled... luckily, my husband totally knows what I mean. At least he claims to...
2. I'm one of those people who is terrified of the dentist. As in, I have to have valium before I go in to chill me out thanks to a few really bad and painful experiences. I even called my insurance company recently to find out if they would cover anesthesia and was very bummed to find out they will only cover it for surgeries. So - valium it is!
3. I got Neal into the Twilight series. He fell in love with it and was always all randomly, "Every time I look at our dog, I think of Jacob." or "When I see Kasen doing -fill in the blank- I imagine Renesmee doing that." Just today he pointed out that the lady fitting us for our new glasses had very Alice-like qualities... and he was so right! I love my husband. He's got a girlish bone in his body somewhere and he's not ashamed of it!
4. I love The X-Files. Me and my friend were even extras and ended up on one of the episodes! Yeah, totally awesome.
Here's a shot from our scene. That's the back of David Duchovny's head taking up the left part of the shot. I'm the blonde right next to his head and my friend is next to me!
5. I love reading and have already read 6 books this year. I'm so thrilled that we live within 5-10 minutes of two separate library systems. If one doesn't have something I want, the other one usually does! I'm also excited to start going back to story time... Kasen really liked it but we stopped going during flu season because he wasn't old enough to be vaccinated.
6. I've started liking going to the gym. It really is addictive if you stick to it! I've been going three times a week to Zumba, yoga and Body Pump but am now working on adding another Body Pump into my routine. My parents come 2-3 times a week to watch Kasen so I can go... and so they can get their Kasen fix!
7. I can't wait for the weather to get better because we have really nice parks around here as well as a bike trail. Poor Max misses his walks and hasn't been for a bike ride in almost 2 years. (Yes, we taught him to heel to a bike - he loves it!) For Christmas, my parents got us a bike trailer to pull kids in, so once it warms up, we are all hitting the trail for a ride and a picnic!
And the nominations are...
Egg Drop Post (private adoption)
Losing the Baby Wait (agency adoption - just matched!)
Heart Cries (parenting after adoption)
Life According to Leah (international adoption)
Birth Mom Missions (birth mom)
Full Circle (foster adoption)
No End in Sight Except Heaven (childhood cancer)
But - thank you, Baby Interrupted, who nominated me for The Beautiful Blogger award! How fun!
The rules of this award are:
•Thank the person who nominated you for this award.
•Copy the award and place it in your blog.
•Link the person who nominated you for this award.
•Tell us 7 interesting things about you.
•Nominate 7 bloggers.
•Post the links to the 7 bloggers you nominate.
1. I can't do accents. No matter which ones I try to do, they all come off sounding slightly Southern, and even that sucks. Heck, I can barely speak English sometimes. My words come out all jumbled... luckily, my husband totally knows what I mean. At least he claims to...
2. I'm one of those people who is terrified of the dentist. As in, I have to have valium before I go in to chill me out thanks to a few really bad and painful experiences. I even called my insurance company recently to find out if they would cover anesthesia and was very bummed to find out they will only cover it for surgeries. So - valium it is!
3. I got Neal into the Twilight series. He fell in love with it and was always all randomly, "Every time I look at our dog, I think of Jacob." or "When I see Kasen doing -fill in the blank- I imagine Renesmee doing that." Just today he pointed out that the lady fitting us for our new glasses had very Alice-like qualities... and he was so right! I love my husband. He's got a girlish bone in his body somewhere and he's not ashamed of it!
4. I love The X-Files. Me and my friend were even extras and ended up on one of the episodes! Yeah, totally awesome.
Here's a shot from our scene. That's the back of David Duchovny's head taking up the left part of the shot. I'm the blonde right next to his head and my friend is next to me!
5. I love reading and have already read 6 books this year. I'm so thrilled that we live within 5-10 minutes of two separate library systems. If one doesn't have something I want, the other one usually does! I'm also excited to start going back to story time... Kasen really liked it but we stopped going during flu season because he wasn't old enough to be vaccinated.
6. I've started liking going to the gym. It really is addictive if you stick to it! I've been going three times a week to Zumba, yoga and Body Pump but am now working on adding another Body Pump into my routine. My parents come 2-3 times a week to watch Kasen so I can go... and so they can get their Kasen fix!
7. I can't wait for the weather to get better because we have really nice parks around here as well as a bike trail. Poor Max misses his walks and hasn't been for a bike ride in almost 2 years. (Yes, we taught him to heel to a bike - he loves it!) For Christmas, my parents got us a bike trailer to pull kids in, so once it warms up, we are all hitting the trail for a ride and a picnic!
And the nominations are...
Egg Drop Post (private adoption)
Losing the Baby Wait (agency adoption - just matched!)
Heart Cries (parenting after adoption)
Life According to Leah (international adoption)
Birth Mom Missions (birth mom)
Full Circle (foster adoption)
No End in Sight Except Heaven (childhood cancer)
Monday, February 15, 2010
138 Days: Cryptic
So I'm going to be kind of cryptic because I want to respect the privacy of those involved and not come off as talking about their business... especially when what I'm going on is heresay at this point. Needless to say, I may come back and edit this post if I say something that turns out to be completely wrong.
I'm still waiting for a return call from my contact, a pastor in Columbus (we'll call him Pastor T), but I did talk to my neighbor after he talked to him the other day.
Baby J is in emergency foster care in Texas because both of her parents are in jail and her grandparents cannot take her. I believe Baby J is now at the point that they are looking for extended family to take her.
Having foster care already involved definitely throws up a red flag for us... we are not approved to adopt from the foster care system. I don't know when "emergency foster care" goes from being a temporary thing to actually being in the foster care system. Because her parents are in jail, they may have automatically terminated their parental rights... I have no idea how that works with those incarcerated. (I do know that if they will be in jail for two years or more, then their rights can be involuntarily terminated.) If their rights haven't been terminated, I believe there's a chance that we could do private adoption between us and them, again depending on what the laws are for inmates. My attorney suggested that I contact an attorney in the county she is in to get basic things answered,* but I don't know where she is yet. Anyone have any insight to this type of stuff?
I don't know how Pastor T knows this family, but there are other things going on that he is looking into so even if we can't get Baby J, something else may work out. I hope to hear from him today, but if I don't, I'm going to call him again tomorrow.
*I know, you're thinking "isn't that something your attorney should be doing...?" Not necessarily. With private adoption, the adoptive parents (APs) do the majority of the footwork, especially with basic things like getting questions answered. The more we do, the less fees the attorney has to take out of the retainer. So far all advice and stuff he's given us has been free!
I'm still waiting for a return call from my contact, a pastor in Columbus (we'll call him Pastor T), but I did talk to my neighbor after he talked to him the other day.
Baby J is in emergency foster care in Texas because both of her parents are in jail and her grandparents cannot take her. I believe Baby J is now at the point that they are looking for extended family to take her.
Having foster care already involved definitely throws up a red flag for us... we are not approved to adopt from the foster care system. I don't know when "emergency foster care" goes from being a temporary thing to actually being in the foster care system. Because her parents are in jail, they may have automatically terminated their parental rights... I have no idea how that works with those incarcerated. (I do know that if they will be in jail for two years or more, then their rights can be involuntarily terminated.) If their rights haven't been terminated, I believe there's a chance that we could do private adoption between us and them, again depending on what the laws are for inmates. My attorney suggested that I contact an attorney in the county she is in to get basic things answered,* but I don't know where she is yet. Anyone have any insight to this type of stuff?
I don't know how Pastor T knows this family, but there are other things going on that he is looking into so even if we can't get Baby J, something else may work out. I hope to hear from him today, but if I don't, I'm going to call him again tomorrow.
*I know, you're thinking "isn't that something your attorney should be doing...?" Not necessarily. With private adoption, the adoptive parents (APs) do the majority of the footwork, especially with basic things like getting questions answered. The more we do, the less fees the attorney has to take out of the retainer. So far all advice and stuff he's given us has been free!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
134 Days: a possible situation...?
So I got a call a little while ago from my neighbor about a 2-week-old baby who needs a home. He left a message with the birth family so now we wait to see if they call.
Yes - a 2-week-old. As in already born.
I'm going to call the attorney tomorrow just to triple check that everything is in order as this could happen very fast.
:::eeek!:::
Update
It's a girl and she is 3-weeks-old now.
Yes - a 2-week-old. As in already born.
I'm going to call the attorney tomorrow just to triple check that everything is in order as this could happen very fast.
:::eeek!:::
Update
It's a girl and she is 3-weeks-old now.
Friday, February 5, 2010
128 Days: hair
I haven't had my hair cut since July. Partly because I'm cheap frugal, but mostly because I just haven't gotten around to setting up an appointment and getting a babysitter.
Needless to say, my hair was becoming quite difficult - even in a pony tail - so I planned on just going to one of the walk-in places this morning and getting it trimmed and thinned out. They couldn't do a worse job than the last time I got it cut and I just wanted it done with.
Long story short, one thing after another happened and I didn't get out of the house in time before it started snowing.
And snowing.
And snowing.
Within two hours we were under a Level 1 snow emergency. It took Neal 30 minutes to get to the Kroger that is literally five minutes away from here. Getting my hair cut is not worth the hassel of dealing with panicking people facing snOMG 2010!*
Instead, I puttered around the house while lamenting over my highly annoying hair.
Then it hit me.
I'll just do it myself, darn it!
Kasen wasn't so sure when I told him of my plans:
"You're going to do what!?"
I've cut other people's hair forever and have spent years watching different techniques and was confident that I understood the process. I hopped online to see if I could glean any tips, broke out my scissors and went to town.
I brushed. I flipped. I trimmed. I thinned.
(Note to self: When using thinning shears, make sure you actually grab the thinning shears and not the regular scissors BEFORE you start cutting a big chunk out of the middle of your head.)
And in the end...
It turned out great! And I saved $30!
(I guess we know where Kasen gets his blue eyes from!)
(Where did all those wrinkles come from? Stupid aging.)
(Speaking of aging, my birthday is Sunday. More wrinkles!)
*totally stolen from someone on twitter. cracked me up.
Needless to say, my hair was becoming quite difficult - even in a pony tail - so I planned on just going to one of the walk-in places this morning and getting it trimmed and thinned out. They couldn't do a worse job than the last time I got it cut and I just wanted it done with.
Long story short, one thing after another happened and I didn't get out of the house in time before it started snowing.
And snowing.
And snowing.
Within two hours we were under a Level 1 snow emergency. It took Neal 30 minutes to get to the Kroger that is literally five minutes away from here. Getting my hair cut is not worth the hassel of dealing with panicking people facing snOMG 2010!*
Instead, I puttered around the house while lamenting over my highly annoying hair.
Then it hit me.
I'll just do it myself, darn it!
Kasen wasn't so sure when I told him of my plans:
"You're going to do what!?"
I've cut other people's hair forever and have spent years watching different techniques and was confident that I understood the process. I hopped online to see if I could glean any tips, broke out my scissors and went to town.
I brushed. I flipped. I trimmed. I thinned.
(Note to self: When using thinning shears, make sure you actually grab the thinning shears and not the regular scissors BEFORE you start cutting a big chunk out of the middle of your head.)
And in the end...
It turned out great! And I saved $30!
(I guess we know where Kasen gets his blue eyes from!)
(Where did all those wrinkles come from? Stupid aging.)
(Speaking of aging, my birthday is Sunday. More wrinkles!)
*totally stolen from someone on twitter. cracked me up.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
112 Days: adoption choices
So I was watching the new Grey's Anatomy/Private Practice crossover last week and cringed at the following conversation:
Addison: If you want to consider adoption, I can help you.
Sloan: What, like pick a family out of "The Pennysaver"?
Addison, kind of chuckling: No, that's just in the movie "Juno." :::proceeds to tell her all about adoption agencies making it sound like that's the only way to go about adoption.:::
Actually, you *can* "pick a family" out of Pennysaver-type publications. It's called private adoption.
While agencies can be helpful, they are not the only way.
There are tons of choices for people who are considering adoption for their child. When we were approached by a birthfamily in October, they didn't know anything about adoption so I did a bunch of research for them so that they would know what all of their options are. Here's what I wrote up:
~~~~~~~
-Whatever option you choose, there is no cost to you.
-It is suggested that you seek counseling, to help you sort through your feelings and make sure you are absolutely comfortable with your choice. (The agency or couple you choose pays for this.)
-Until you sign over your parental rights, which depends on the laws of the state you live in, you make all of the decisions for the baby and yourself. You can change your mind at any time up to the point that you sign those documents.
To get started, the first thing you have to do is choose how you want to proceed:
1. Contact an adoption agency or adoption attorney that matches.
-They have waiting families who are ready to adopt that you can choose from and they take care of the legal side of everything.
If you call before the baby is born, you can meet with an agency or attorney and they will show you scrapbooks that the families have put together to help you choose. You can choose more than one and meet with them to get to know them better before making your final choice.
If you wait until the baby is born to contact an agency or attorney, let them know what kind of couple you are hoping for and they can choose one for you. (Though if you want an open adoption with visitation, it is probably best to call sooner rather than later so you have the time to get to know the couple beforehand to make sure it's a good match.)
If you decide to have a closed adoption, you can call an agency or attorney at any time - before the birth, after the birth or when you are being discharged from the hospital - and they will find one of their waiting families to come get the baby from the hospital.
If you do not have insurance or Medicaid, medical care can be arranged at no charge for you. This is paid for through the fees the adoptive families pay to the agency or attorney.
2. Find a couple who is interested in adopting on your own. (This is private adoption.)
-Their attorney will take care of the legal side of everything. They will also pay for you to have your own attorney so that there are no conflicts of interest.
a. look in the classified sections of publications under "Adoption." (Not all states allow this - Ohio does not.)
b. look online for blogs created by waiting families. :::waves!:::
c. ask friends/family if they know anyone who wants to adopt.
The couple you choose can pay for certain expenses relating to the pregnancy depending on the laws of your state.
3. Inform the hospital at the birth that you will not be leaving the with the baby.
-They will contact the state and the baby will go into foster care until a family can be located to take him/her. You would have no contact and would not know what happens to the baby.
The downside with this option is that there are hospital staff that will pressure you to keep the baby or look down on you for your decision. Obviously not all hospital staff are like that, but from what I've read, it's more likely to happen than not.
4. If you decide to parent and change your mind, you can do any of the above things at any time.
-In addition, all states now have a Safe Haven law, which allows a birth parent to leave a baby (up to 30 days old) with a medical worker at a hospital, a medical worker at a fire department or other emergency service organization or a peace officer at a law enforcement agency - no questions asked. You would not have to give your name or anything, but they will ask you to fill out a form with basic info like the baby's date of birth, if it was full term, any known medical issues for the baby, if you had any medications/drugs/alcohol during the pregnancy, and whatever you know about your own and the birthfather's health backgrounds. You would have no contact.
~~~~~~~~
So, as you can see, there are many choices with adoption. It bothers me that a lot of people only know things based on what they see represented on tv and in movies. (And I'm not just talking about adoption - I'm talking about, well, everything in life.) TV/movies are for entertainment and therefore not always accurate... there are usually stretches made so things are more exciting to draw people in to watch.
Addison: If you want to consider adoption, I can help you.
Sloan: What, like pick a family out of "The Pennysaver"?
Addison, kind of chuckling: No, that's just in the movie "Juno." :::proceeds to tell her all about adoption agencies making it sound like that's the only way to go about adoption.:::
Actually, you *can* "pick a family" out of Pennysaver-type publications. It's called private adoption.
While agencies can be helpful, they are not the only way.
There are tons of choices for people who are considering adoption for their child. When we were approached by a birthfamily in October, they didn't know anything about adoption so I did a bunch of research for them so that they would know what all of their options are. Here's what I wrote up:
~~~~~~~
-Whatever option you choose, there is no cost to you.
-It is suggested that you seek counseling, to help you sort through your feelings and make sure you are absolutely comfortable with your choice. (The agency or couple you choose pays for this.)
-Until you sign over your parental rights, which depends on the laws of the state you live in, you make all of the decisions for the baby and yourself. You can change your mind at any time up to the point that you sign those documents.
To get started, the first thing you have to do is choose how you want to proceed:
1. Contact an adoption agency or adoption attorney that matches.
-They have waiting families who are ready to adopt that you can choose from and they take care of the legal side of everything.
If you call before the baby is born, you can meet with an agency or attorney and they will show you scrapbooks that the families have put together to help you choose. You can choose more than one and meet with them to get to know them better before making your final choice.
If you wait until the baby is born to contact an agency or attorney, let them know what kind of couple you are hoping for and they can choose one for you. (Though if you want an open adoption with visitation, it is probably best to call sooner rather than later so you have the time to get to know the couple beforehand to make sure it's a good match.)
If you decide to have a closed adoption, you can call an agency or attorney at any time - before the birth, after the birth or when you are being discharged from the hospital - and they will find one of their waiting families to come get the baby from the hospital.
If you do not have insurance or Medicaid, medical care can be arranged at no charge for you. This is paid for through the fees the adoptive families pay to the agency or attorney.
2. Find a couple who is interested in adopting on your own. (This is private adoption.)
-Their attorney will take care of the legal side of everything. They will also pay for you to have your own attorney so that there are no conflicts of interest.
a. look in the classified sections of publications under "Adoption." (Not all states allow this - Ohio does not.)
b. look online for blogs created by waiting families. :::waves!:::
c. ask friends/family if they know anyone who wants to adopt.
The couple you choose can pay for certain expenses relating to the pregnancy depending on the laws of your state.
3. Inform the hospital at the birth that you will not be leaving the with the baby.
-They will contact the state and the baby will go into foster care until a family can be located to take him/her. You would have no contact and would not know what happens to the baby.
The downside with this option is that there are hospital staff that will pressure you to keep the baby or look down on you for your decision. Obviously not all hospital staff are like that, but from what I've read, it's more likely to happen than not.
4. If you decide to parent and change your mind, you can do any of the above things at any time.
-In addition, all states now have a Safe Haven law, which allows a birth parent to leave a baby (up to 30 days old) with a medical worker at a hospital, a medical worker at a fire department or other emergency service organization or a peace officer at a law enforcement agency - no questions asked. You would not have to give your name or anything, but they will ask you to fill out a form with basic info like the baby's date of birth, if it was full term, any known medical issues for the baby, if you had any medications/drugs/alcohol during the pregnancy, and whatever you know about your own and the birthfather's health backgrounds. You would have no contact.
~~~~~~~~
So, as you can see, there are many choices with adoption. It bothers me that a lot of people only know things based on what they see represented on tv and in movies. (And I'm not just talking about adoption - I'm talking about, well, everything in life.) TV/movies are for entertainment and therefore not always accurate... there are usually stretches made so things are more exciting to draw people in to watch.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
104 Days: my MIA-ness
I truly did not intend to go this long between posts.
The holidays started it. We had my family's Christmas early and waited to put up a tree and stuff for when Neal's parents, sister and youngest brother came out to visit. Kasen made out like a bandit and of course enjoyed playing in a box the most. (Though the John Deere tractor toy was a huge hit as well.)
The following weekend, I had my nieces over. They are my late fiance's nieces, but have only known me as Aunt Carrie and I don't ever see that changing. We played the game of LIFE about a billion times and had a good time. Unfortunately, that weekend will also forever be the weekend that Grandma was dying. All of their family came in from out of town and we all spent time together at the nursing home. We all got to say our goodbyes while she was still able to speak and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to do so. She truly was an amazing person and I am so glad that I not only knew her but was able to consider my grandma as well.
New Year's was hilariously lame. Neal had the weekend off so we made a bunch of our favorite appetizers and Sangria de Cava and planned on staying up watching movies to celebrate. After one movie we looked at each other and said, "Sleep?" We were in bed by 9 p.m.
We did not make any resolutions. I usually don't... I figure why should a specific date spur me on to make changes in my life that need to be done? Though, I do really want to get wills, guardianship, life insurance, etc. in order this year. Those things are just way too important to ignore.
I had a cold that has either been passed on to Kasen or he's started teething. Poor little guy is sneezy and snotty and can't breathe, so he's pretty miserable. Though if I keep on top of his medicine, he's still in a pretty good mood. Until I break out the bulb syringe to suction his nose out. I was hoping it would come and go quickly like mine did, but I think it might be getting worse. I elevated the head of his mattress, broke out the vaporizer, am keeping his nose as clean as possible and vasolined so it doesn't get raw from all the wiping and hoping it doesn't progress to a sinus infection.
We are currently researching minivans. My car is starting to groan and wheeze and squeal so it's about time. It's got 113,000 miles on it and has been a great car. Now that we finally have a baby and are hoping to expand our family by at least 2 more, I am looking forward to having more space! Right now I'm leaning towards a Chrylser Town & Country. Pros/cons, suggestions, etc. are welcome!
Anyway, all of that to say I have been a busy lady! I did start Twittering and added my feed to this site so people will still know I'm alive even if I don't get around to actually updating with a post. :)
In adoption news, I did manage to get 100 Christmas cards/letters out letting all of our family and friends know to please spread the word that we want to adopt and keep us in mind if they overhear anything. I included "busines cards" with this website address on it for people to keep on themselves so they have quick reference in case they are out and about and find someone who would be interested in learning more about us. I've got about 300 more cards that I can pass out and/or post around, but I'm not sure how I feel about doing so. I've passed out a few to random people who have crossed my path, but I worry that if I post them on bulletin boards and stuff that it'll just open us up for scams.
Anyway, we'll see where things lead. If we aren't talking to any birthfamilies come October when the home study expires, we'll rediscuss things at that time. It would only be about $100 to update it each year so we'll probably do that just so it is always ready in case the networking we are doing now pans out years from now.
Okay, this post was incredibly boring. Sorry! I am tired (sick baby = no sleep) and don't feel like I'm thinking completely straight. :)
The holidays started it. We had my family's Christmas early and waited to put up a tree and stuff for when Neal's parents, sister and youngest brother came out to visit. Kasen made out like a bandit and of course enjoyed playing in a box the most. (Though the John Deere tractor toy was a huge hit as well.)
The following weekend, I had my nieces over. They are my late fiance's nieces, but have only known me as Aunt Carrie and I don't ever see that changing. We played the game of LIFE about a billion times and had a good time. Unfortunately, that weekend will also forever be the weekend that Grandma was dying. All of their family came in from out of town and we all spent time together at the nursing home. We all got to say our goodbyes while she was still able to speak and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to do so. She truly was an amazing person and I am so glad that I not only knew her but was able to consider my grandma as well.
New Year's was hilariously lame. Neal had the weekend off so we made a bunch of our favorite appetizers and Sangria de Cava and planned on staying up watching movies to celebrate. After one movie we looked at each other and said, "Sleep?" We were in bed by 9 p.m.
We did not make any resolutions. I usually don't... I figure why should a specific date spur me on to make changes in my life that need to be done? Though, I do really want to get wills, guardianship, life insurance, etc. in order this year. Those things are just way too important to ignore.
I had a cold that has either been passed on to Kasen or he's started teething. Poor little guy is sneezy and snotty and can't breathe, so he's pretty miserable. Though if I keep on top of his medicine, he's still in a pretty good mood. Until I break out the bulb syringe to suction his nose out. I was hoping it would come and go quickly like mine did, but I think it might be getting worse. I elevated the head of his mattress, broke out the vaporizer, am keeping his nose as clean as possible and vasolined so it doesn't get raw from all the wiping and hoping it doesn't progress to a sinus infection.
We are currently researching minivans. My car is starting to groan and wheeze and squeal so it's about time. It's got 113,000 miles on it and has been a great car. Now that we finally have a baby and are hoping to expand our family by at least 2 more, I am looking forward to having more space! Right now I'm leaning towards a Chrylser Town & Country. Pros/cons, suggestions, etc. are welcome!
Anyway, all of that to say I have been a busy lady! I did start Twittering and added my feed to this site so people will still know I'm alive even if I don't get around to actually updating with a post. :)
In adoption news, I did manage to get 100 Christmas cards/letters out letting all of our family and friends know to please spread the word that we want to adopt and keep us in mind if they overhear anything. I included "busines cards" with this website address on it for people to keep on themselves so they have quick reference in case they are out and about and find someone who would be interested in learning more about us. I've got about 300 more cards that I can pass out and/or post around, but I'm not sure how I feel about doing so. I've passed out a few to random people who have crossed my path, but I worry that if I post them on bulletin boards and stuff that it'll just open us up for scams.
Anyway, we'll see where things lead. If we aren't talking to any birthfamilies come October when the home study expires, we'll rediscuss things at that time. It would only be about $100 to update it each year so we'll probably do that just so it is always ready in case the networking we are doing now pans out years from now.
Okay, this post was incredibly boring. Sorry! I am tired (sick baby = no sleep) and don't feel like I'm thinking completely straight. :)
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