Milestones

Our sweet baby boy has taken his first steps! Like any other parent, I captured it on film and am dying to show them off. It is so difficult to keep from sharing all the adorable pictures and milestones. I have this vision of making a video for adoption day and catching everyone up with pictures.

In just three weeks, he will be celebrating his first birthday (we will be having a "Gymboree Style" party in two). It was a bit interesting composing the invitation. I ended up with "Our Darling Son is Turning One" and leaving out a name altogether. In this in between time, he is becoming less of an "SBR". On video and in his baby book, I try to limit my writing of his given name, though his name does appear frequently in both. This is who he is right now. Maybe I just need a better nickname??

H is super excited about the birthday party. I think she is still holding out hope it will actually be a party for her. She talks about it all the time. I feel so bad for the baby...I rarely get a picture or video of him without her jumping in front of the camera and begging me to film her instead. For the first steps, I had to sequester her to her room...even still, the video is full of "MAMA DO YOU WANT SOME COFFEE??" as she is shouting in the background.

Over the last month or two SBR's bio dad has composed several letters to be read to his son. They are really sweet...and they tear at my heart. Dad clearly has not let go (again...we are thinking this will be an involuntary termination of rights) and talks about being together as a family, etc. It is in these instances I realize how different this process is from a traditional adoption. Even though birth parents most always long for their child....they are willingly giving them up. It adds an extra dimension to process when that is not the case. I am not sure exactly what to do with these letters. One may go in his baby book, but we are now considering a memento box to keep the rest tucked away. The last one especially....I have a hard time thinking of giving to him. I am so glad he has bio parents who love him so much. I really imagine it would be harder (eventually) if that was not the case. But, figuring out where we all fit together is the challenge.

We are traveling to VA for Thanksgiving (6 hrs) and so thrilled to spend the holiday with family and new babies we have not yet met. For Christmas we are driving to FL (20+ hours). It will be a crazy season of traveling. I am sure I will have some stories to tell.

God bless everyone reading and may you have a wonderful blessed Thanksgiving!!

So Grateful '08 :)

What blessings God has bestowed! We continue to be immensely grateful for the gift of H in our lives. She brings so much joy and teaches so many lessons. How awesome to have a child to demonstrate the life Christ calls us to live.

In this month's Faith & Family magazine, the suggestion was made to sing a short hymn at the Thanksgiving table, in addition to saying grace. So yesterday, before we had a glorious meal, Paul, Keith and I sang "Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow." H watched on in delighted curiosity.

It is such a gift to be able to pass on your faith to your child. She has not yet mastered the sign of the cross, but she clasps her hands during grace and kisses her picture of Jesus and Mary at bedtime. Well, she also kisses the couch and random other inanimate objects....but I know this is more special - especially when she sees a picture and points to "zeeezus" at Church.

So...in our hopes to continue to teach our faith, now we enter the season of advent. For Paul and I - the ultimate sacrifice is reserving Christmas for the Christmas season. While we have tagged a glorious Christmas tree this morning - we will reserve picking it up for a few weeks.

I found online a book that was a special tradition in our house growing up called "Family Nights." We hope that it will help prepare our hearts to enter in to the real meaning of the season.








Okay...so now for the less "storybook" parts of our holiday, here is a video clip of H's favorite way to entertain us: