Are you ready for an update? I'll try to keep it as short as possible so I don't bore you with too many words.

WE HAVE A BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On April 27 I was subbing at an elementary school. I was sitting at my desk eating lunch when my cell phone rang. I didn't recognize the number so I figured I'd just wait to see if they left a message. They did. The message was from Lara at the adoption agency. My rep is Jennifer. Jennifer told me back in October that when we were chosen by a birth mother I would get a call from the birth mothers rep. This person named Lara simply asked me to call her back. That's when my hands started shaking.

I called her back and she said a baby boy was born at 3:03 this morning. If I am interested in the match I needed to be in Mississippi in 24 hours. The shaking continued! After I got all of the details about the birth parents, the baby and the location I sent an email to J. Actually, three emails as I have three different addresses for him that he checks daily. I decided to give him 30 minutes to call me and then I was going to get ahold of my neighbor K who has the same secret squirrel email that J has. Then I called my mom and said "Do you want to meet me in Mississippi tomorrow to meet your Grandson?". She was speechless. I gave her the details and hung up so she could get back to work (yeah right!) and I could get ready for my next class to come in.

J called after about 15 min. I asked him if he was ready to have a son. He was as shocked as I was that someone chose us while he was depoloyed! The connection was horrible and we were disconnected 4 times but I was eventually able to give him all of the details. All he kept saying was "I can't believe I have a son". He had just worked 16 hours and was ready for bed when he got my email. I have a feeling he didn't sleep well that night.

My class came in at 1:00 and probably thought I was nuts. I have little memory of the next few hours. I know I was vibrating for the rest of the day. And I know I called my neighbor L and gave her the details. She asked great questions that I didn't know the answers to so I started making a list of what I need to ask the agency.

When I walked into my house from the garage, L was walking in the front door. I had a long list of things to do. Print out the adoption match contract, read and understand it. Yeah, right! I had to find a notary who would accept my power of attorney. Then I had to drive around town getting everything done. Drive...I was in no condition to drive. I couldn't even get my eyes to focus! We decided to wait until P got home from school and then L would drive me around town.

When P came in the door I asked her if she was ready to have a baby brother. She said "Are you telling me?" and I said "yes, that's what I'm telling you". She was SO EXCITED!! She squeeled and jumped around the house like a crazy child. When she calmed down we hopped in L's van and headed out. I was able to get the contract notarized, faxed and UPS'd next day. We found a little gift for the birth mother and came home to make hotel reservations, purchase airfare for my mom and I and reserve a rental car. I had a list of names, addresses and phone numbers for the adoption agencies and social workers, hospital, hotel, etc. I'm not sure how, in my state of shock, I was able to keep all of this organized. L played a huge part in my preparations!!

P and I packed that night and talked about activities she had coming up and how Nana would take care of everything. She was not happy about me leaving.

I think I slept that night but I'm not sure. I woke up at 4:30 and decided to get up and start getting ready. The plan was for P to go to school and then L was going to take me to the airport. P was VERY upset so we decided she would go with us to the airport and then L would take her to school. That didn't fly either. So P spent the day with L.

I won't go into detail about my trip to Mississippi. There is just too much to type. I will however say that after three days of P crying, L and P hopped in my car and L drove P down to Mississippi. L flew home the next day and P spent the remainder of the time there with my mom and I. I will also paste a link to my mom's blog about Mississippi. It sums everything up.

http://parisgramma.blogspot.com/2010/05/dear-mississippi-i-wouldnt-exactly-say.html

Since we came home it's been a little crazy. I forgot how exhausting it is to have a newborn. I realized that I'm not as young as I used to be! We were home for about two weeks when J came home for R&R. He finally got to meet his son!

My exhaustion eased up a little be with J home. He took over one of the midnight feedings and helped A LOT during the day. Whether it be general household duties or playing with the kids, he was on it. His time home went way too fast, as it always does and before we knew it, it was time for him to go back to the desert. The goodbye's were tough but knowing we only had a short amount of time before he's home again helps.

P is a fabulous big sister. She feeds her brother, changes his diapers, feeds him, burps him, talks to him, rocks him, etc. There are times when I have to remind her who the Mama is.

We had two baby shower/meet and greet's. One in NC given by our friends and one in OH given by my parents. Both parties were a blast and we're so happy our friends and family got to meet little K-man.

So our spring/summer so far has been very eventful. We're going to stay home for awhile and get used to our new normal life. We have more friends coming in from around the US over the next few weeks who are very excited to meet our baby. By mid-July life should settle down.

I am enjoying the summer chaos. Really, really enjoying it. But I am also fantasizing about the fall when J will be home and our family will be together again.

There are tons of details that I've left out and visits from friends and family that I've neglected to mention. We love every one of those details, friends and family. It was just too much to write.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. LIFE IS GOOD!!!

March update

So much is going on in the near future and I'm so excited.
First things first, my wonderful husband decided it was time for me to get a bigger diamond. So he tripled the size. It is beautiful!!!!!!!!
In less than two weeks my awesome friend H is coming down to visit me. As soon as I pick her up from the airport we're heading to a Washington Capitals vs. Carolina Hurricanes game. H has never been to a hockey game so I'm excited to be the first to take her. I'm sure she'll become a Capitals fan in no time :)
The weekend after that, D, P and I are heading up to VA to visit some ex-Army friends. They are a fabulous family and I can't wait to see them! When we leave their place we're going up to DC to catch a Capitals game on home ice. I'm sure I'm more excited than D and P. D is a Canes fan and P can do without hockey all together. Tough, they're going to have to suffer through it.
We're going to spend a couple of days in DC for the Cherry Blossom Festival and then we're going to Baltimore. While there we're going to check out the HUGE aquarium and a catch the traveling Broadway show of The Phantom of the Opera.
We'll have a few slow weeks before J comes home for R&R but I'm sure with Spring upon us we'll be able to pass the time with a lot of fresh air.
It's been a LONG deployment but we're more than halfway through it. It's just starting to feel like there's an end in sight.
P has been doing very well. Last semester she made the A-B honor roll. We are very proud of her for all of her hard work. It really paid off. Now we just have to keep her on the ball so she can have a repeat performance.
D just got engaged to K and is so happy. They are planning on moving to Florida and getting married. They would like to renew their vows in Ireland in the next few years. J and I will miss having D here but we couldn't be happier for her.
No word on the adoption yet. Hopefully as the deployment comes to an end birth mothers will be more comfortable with choosing us.
That's all for now :)

It's been a long time...

It's been a long time since I've updated. We're not doing anything much different these days.
On Nov. 30, D and I went to a Carolina Hurricanes vs. Washington Capitals hockey game in Raleigh. I was in full Capitals gear and a little afraid of the Canes fans. Luckily, most of them were very pleasant. I met an awesome family from Virginia Beach, VA who gave me a ticket to sit RIGHT BEHIND THE CAPITALS BENCH with them. It was almost more than I could handle! If not for the plexi-glass separating me from the team I think I would have hugged them all. To sit that close to Ovechkin...there are no words!! And now I have new friends who may move to NC in the near future. YEAH!!
P is doing well in school. She really likes her new teacher and enjoys going to school again. She's taken a break from horseback riding which is fine with me. I'm not a barn girl and it was getting a litte too intense. She's now taking piano lessons and really enjoys being able to play actual songs instead of just beating on the keys. Her best friend this year is S and she spends the night with us almost every weekend. P and S get along so well and have so much fun together. We love having her over and she's always welcome. We may even take her with us when we move :)
J is getting through this deployment day by day. They have moved to a new location that is a bit more remote. He hasn't had running water in about four weeks and he just got heat in his sleep tent on Christmas day. From what I understand things will get better. It just takes time. He'll have to depend on wet wipes for showers for a while. He's eating well and working out which is good. This is definitely the hardest deployment so far for both of us. I can't even describe how much I want him home and he wants to be home just as much. We're hoping that after this deployment we'll have a good year and a half together before he heads out again.
Thanksgiving was a lot of fun this year. We celebrated with our neighbors and a good time is a given when we hang out with them. L is one of the most awesome people I've ever met and her boys, N and A keep us laughing. They are fabulous "big brothers" to P.
Our Christmas was good this year. We traveled up north and I have to say, it was the most interesting trip I've ever had. Due to the weather it took P and I 21 hours to get to our desitination which is less than 10 hours away. We sat on the WV turnpike, literally not moving, for 7 hours.
While in our home state we were able to visit with a lot of friends and family but there were so many that we didn't get to see. I always come back home with some guilt for not being able to fit everyone in. P got everything she wanted and more. As did I. Next year will be even better when J is with us.
Our New Year's celebration took place in Raleigh at J's uncle's wedding. It was a beautiful little ceremony at his house with food, fun and hockey :) We left the crowds at his place around 10pm and went to Aunt J's house for a quieter New Year. Our fabulous friends D and D were with us and they can light up a room with their presence. Good times were had by all.
As far as the adoption goes, we're still waiting. Our profile is out there and getting good exposure. I'm pretty sure the deployment is hindering us but I try to think positive. When the right baby is out there, the birth mother will choose us.
In order to stay sane while waiting I got a job substitute teaching on post. I took on a position in a special ed inclusion class for 7 weeks replacing an aid who was out on maturnity leave. There were 5 kids in that class and I really enjoyed my time with them. Now I'm taking positions here and there in the different schools. Just today I subbed in an elementary Spanish class. I don't speak Spanish so it was very interesting. I'm shooting for 2-3 days per week.
So that's my update for now. Everyday I hope to get a call from the Agency. When I do, you'll be one of the first to know.
Happy New Year to all.

October

We're finally active with the adoption agency!! Our profile is now going out to perspective birth parents. Let's just hope our wait isn't too long.
J is working long hours and sleeping short hours. Hopefully this will level out as the deployment goes on. His R&R is expected in May or June which is nice since it will be more than halfway through the deployment. He seems to be doing well and hasn't requested anything in particular to be mailed to him.
I applied to the schools here on post to substitute teach. I had an interview with one of the principals Thursday and now I'm just waiting for HR to call me to start my inprocessing. It will be nice to get out of the house 2-3 times a week and hang out with some germ magnets :) Should I buy stock in Purell now or later??
P is enjoying 5th grade. She loves riding the bus to school. A lot of kids in her class were in her class in 4th grade too. She has made a really good friend, S who spends at least one night with us on the weekends. They play SO well together. There is constant giggling!!
Not much else to talk about right now so I'm off to watch a movie.

Today was P's last official day of summer. She starts school Monday. Middle school, bus rides and uniforms are in store for us this year. There are a lot of kids in her class that she knows from last year and her teacher seems very nice.
The adoption process is going fairly well. We're waiting for our home study to be completed and approved by the home study agency as well as the adoption agency. We just found out today the FBI messed up our clearances so we had to re-do that. I have all of the documentation that we needed so it was a matter of getting a money order and heading to the Fed Ex store to get it all sent out. I'm still hoping to have our profile out to birth mothers by mid-Sept. But it's out of my hands and my controlling little brain is still trying to grasp that. Grrr...
We're getting closer and closer to deployment. J is spending the weekend packing and finishing up last minute details. We're very excited for this deployment to be over. A lot of good things are expected during the deployment and when he gets home we'll finally be moving! I'm SOOO ready to move. I love it here and this place feels like home but going somewhere new will be really nice. We have another station or two here in the states and then hopefully off to Europe we'll go.
That's all for this edition of The James Adventure. Maybe next month I'll have some really super good news about the adoption. Wishful thinking...

Adoption

A very wonderful friend of mine sent this to me. I thought it was fabulous so I'm posting it for all of you.


Different Trips to the Same Place

Deciding to have a baby is like planning a trip to Australia. You’ve heard it’s a wonderful place. You’ve read many guidebooks and feel certain you’re ready to go. Everyone you know has traveled there by plane. They say it can be a turbulent flight with occasional rough landings, but you can look forward to being pampered on the trip. So you go to the airport and ask the ticket agent for a ticket to Australia. All around you, excited people are boarding planes for Australia. It seems there is no seat for you; you’ll have to wait for the next flight. Impatient, but anticipating a wonderful trip, you wait-and wait- and wait. Flights to Australia continue to come and go. People say silly things like, “Relax. You’ll get on a flight soon.” Other people actually get on a plane and then cancel their trip, to which you cry, “It’s not fair”. After a long time the ticket agent tells you, “I’m sorry, we’re not going to be able to get you on a plane to Australia. Perhaps you should think about going by boat.” “By Boat!” you say, “Going by boat will take a very long time and costs a great deal of money. I really had my heart set on going by plane.” So you go home and think about not going to Australia at all. You wonder if Australia will be as beautiful if you approach it by sea rather than air. But you have long dreamed of this wonderful place, and finally you decide to travel by boat.It is a long trip, many months over many rough seas. No one pampers you. You wonder if you will ever see Australia. Meanwhile, your friends have flown back and forth to Australia two or three times, marveling about each trip.Then one glorious day, the boat docks in Australia. It is more exquisite that you ever imagined, and the beauty is magnified by your long days at sea. You have made many wonderful friends during your voyage, and you find yourself comparing stories with others who also traveled by sea rather than by air.People continue to fly to Australia as often as they like, but you are able to travel only once, perhaps twice. Some say things like, “Oh be glad you didn’t fly. My flight was horrible, traveling by sea is so easy.”You will always wonder what it would have been like to fly to Australia. Still, you know God blessed you with a special appreciation of Australia, and the beauty of Australia is not in the way you get there, but in the place itself.-Author Unknown

June 2009

It's already mid-June!! I can't believe how time is flying. We have a very busy summer this year. P is currently in 4H Horsemanship Camp. She left last Saturday and she'll be home tomorrow. I haven't talked to my little girl in 6 days!! But no news is good news, right? I bet she's having a great time.
Next week I fly to San Antonio to see my friend S. The day after I get there we're taking a road trip back to my house. Her girls are here in NC with their Dad so she'll be taking them back home with her.
The week after San Antonio we're going up to OH for the 4th of July. We're bringing our friend S with us. She's never been to such a small town so it'll be fun to show her around. Two days after we get back from OH we're going to VA to camp with some very wonderful friends. Tents, campfires, fishing poles, bugs, dirt... the whole sha-bang!!
After we get home from VA, P goes to horsemanship camp at the place where she takes lessons. That's always a fun camp for her. Her teacher is a very fun and patient person. P has a lot of respect for her and feels very comfortable in her care.
The little girl who used to live next door to us is coming to stay with us for 2-3 weeks after horse camp. She's the sweetest little girl and we're very excited to have her. After she leaves P will be starting 5th grade. WHEW!!! That's a busy summer!!
On top of all that J and I signed with an adoption agency. We have a mountain of paperwork to fill out, meetings to attend and people to meet. It's a little daunting at times but we're very excited. After all of the fertility treatments that didn't work we're hoping with every fiber of our beings that we end up with a baby within the next 12-18 months. Luckily for us the Chaplain in J's unit, and his wife have adopted two children and are in the process of adopting another little one. They are wonderful people and a wealth of information. We can really count on them to help us through this process. So JS, if you're reading this, thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
J will be deploying around mid-Aug. for 12 months. It's amazing how much life changes in 12 months! I will (hopefully) be bringing home a new baby during the deployment. I can't even imagine how hard it will be for J to be so far away during this time. We're thankful that his LTC is an understanding individual and works with his soldiers in a variety of situations. And I'm not just saying that because his wife reads my blog :) Hi Sherri :) So possibly we could schedule J's R&R around the time of our new arrival. We'll just have to wait and see.
I think it's safe to say D officially has a boyfriend. He's a very funny man who likes to take her out and do things. I don't know if they use the term boyfriend/girlfriend but they talk on the phone at least 10 times a day and see each other at least 4 times a week. It's like having a teenager in my house.
D recently had to put her dog Callie down. She was 12 years old and in a lot of pain. Her hips bothered her, she had severe arthritis in her spine and an enlarged heart. She was D's last tie to her old life in OH. We will all miss Callie very much. Oz and Dorothy sometime roam around where Callie's bed was. I know they miss her too.
I'm off to eat my lunch now. Has anyone else discovered the delicious chicken ceasar salad from Quizno's? I have a healthy little addiction.