Long Awaited Child...

jaxson is 2!!!

2010-11-08T20:38:00.000-06:00

jaxson turned 2 on friday!! pictures of the birthday weekend will be coming soon. meanwhile... here are some jax stats...

FAVORITE FOOD: pizza (pronounced sipisa by jax)

FAVORITE TOY: a yellow cancer bracelet and a dog collar. good thing we have a house full of toys.

FAVORITE FRIEND: his cousin emry. he talks about her everyday...several times a day.

FAVORITE MOVIE: shrek and pongo & perdita

FAVORITE THING TO DO: turn lights on and off, talk about turning the lights on and off, play with addy, take a bath, go bye bye, watch a movie, and make us laugh

FAVORITE TREAT: dippin dots... he's got his mommy's love of ice cream

FAVORITE PHRASE: buh bye emry yeah which means "lets go see emry"

FAVORITE BOOK: ten friendly fish & i love you more than

We love you Jaxson and continue to be amazed at the joy you bring us each & everyday. You truly are a gift and we couldn't be prouder!!

some guilt... and an oh so cute puppy

2010-11-03T22:40:00.000-05:00

So this is going to be a spewing post...sorry. I read a blog today and boy did it resignate with me. Ever feel like you are failing at everything? Uhh hello... that's me. I never really used to have those feelings until I became a mother. That's when I had TIME. Oh time... where did you go? I feel like I was on top of the game back then. Not so much anymore. I feel like I can't be as good of a friend, as good of a wife, as good of a daughter, as good of a sister, as good of a granddaughter, as good of an aunt, as good of a cousin, as good of an employee, etc.. etc... Man - mommyhood sure does come with some guilt, eh? Slap on being a working mom on top of it all and you have a big ole' heap of ugliness. Now... don't get me wrong here - I LOVE being a mom more than anything in the entire world. But, I have the guilt of everything else that isn't at the top of the list anymore. Is my grandma doing ok? Is she sad because I haven't called or stopped by in awhile? Do my nieces wonder where cool aunt dawny went and why I don't spend as much time with them anymore? I used to be the friend who didn't miss a birthday or a special day.... hmmm... can't say that anymore. So... reading that blog today at least made me realize that I'm not alone. I think everyone feels like that to some extent - right? And why do I keep comparing myself to the person I was before Jaxson came??? I'm NOT that person anymore. I CAN'T be that person anymore. So... my question to you... how do you make that guilt go away? Man is it consuming... help....

Happy Wednesday Friends.

P.S. my little puppy is going to be 2 on Friday! :)

Randomness by Dawn

2010-10-10T21:05:00.000-05:00

Well...well...well.... time sure has flown since my last post and since Troy has resulted to calling me out, I better get to it. I can't be outdone by him...no no no. Life is busy. Very busy. Work is busy. Very busy. I'm still working on that whole balance thing. It's definitely a work in progress. So, I don't have anything in particular in mind to post about, so I'll just give ya a little sampling of what's going on in this noggin of mine - mmkay?

First off - Jody is going back to Ethiopia on Oct. 20th and I'm SUPER excited for her. She's going to visit the school that Meheret is at and give her a little package for us and give her some love. I'm looking forward to an update on Meheret when Jody gets back. So... keep Jody Jo in your prayers - k? She would appreciate that. :)

Jaxson's halloween costume is ridiculously cute. When I put it on him - I teared up. Yes, I'm a nerd. But seriously... just wait until you see a picture of him in it. Oh my... he melts my heart.
I have like no food in my house and really should be grocery shopping right now and not blogging. Eh.. oh well.
The 49ers are 0-4... if they do not win tonight... I am going to be mad. I really do not want a crabby husband for a 5th Sunday in a row. Seriously guys... get it together. Please. Please.
Last night I made some banana caramel ravioli. Delish. You must make it. So good. Here's a link to the recipe. You will not be disappointed - I promise. And if you are - well then you just are not normal. http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=1194911
Tim has been busy busy with his photography. Fall is a popular time for pictures with the leaves changing and so he is found behind his computer editing most nights. If you haven't checked out his work - you should. http://timothyprustphotography.blogspot.com.
Jaxson is going to be TWO on Nov. 5th. I know I sound like a broken record, but he is getting so big so fast. He is soooo much fun. He wears me out, but I still miss him when he's sleeping. I know you think I'm crazy, but I do. Sometimes I go in while he's sleeping and just pick him up and rock him and then put him back in his crib. Love the cuddles and love when he sleeps on me. :)
So... Jaxson's new thing now. Oh man. When he's being naughty (which hardly EVER happens - ha yeah right) and we are ~~yelling~~ talking to him in a very calm voice about being naughty he looks at us and says "how are you?" Now how am I supposed to not laugh at that? He is a stinker and a half and knows how to charm.
I ~~want~~ need to start working out. I even went and bought some new tennis shoes. So, it's a step in the right direction. I'm thinking "30 by 30". 30 lbs by the time I'm 30 yrs old. Hmm... not sure how I feel about typing that. Because now you know. And if I don't succeed I'll be a big lame-o. Eek. Ok... I said it...now I have to do it. Stupid caramel banana ravioli. I ~~love~~ hate you.
I need some good crockpot recipes. Do you have any good ones? Keep in mind that we are kinda picky eaters in this house, so don't be suggesting recipes with spinach and mushrooms and all that weirdy stuff.

Alright... that's all I got. It's time for me to go check in on Tim and the 49ers and hope that it's good news. Wish me luck folks... wish me luck....

winner winner chicken dinner!!

2010-09-24T18:59:00.000-05:00

Thank you again to everyone who donated!! We truly appreciate ALL of you!! We will be sure to keep you all updated on how Meheret is doing.

and the winner is.....

Awww stink

2010-09-20T21:33:00.000-05:00

Well, apparently we broke the rules. PayPal considers raffles gambling. Stink. So, our paypal button had to be removed. Double stink. We certainly don't want to be rule breakers. However... the raffle will continue on! If you have not entered and would still like to - leave me a comment with your email and I will give you the scoop on how to enter.

Thanks so much for all of your support so far! Only a few more days to enter - don't wait!!

I'll leave you with a picture of my little fireman. :)

Some good videos...

2010-09-15T20:56:00.000-05:00

Wow - thanks to all of you that have donated already!! You guys are awesome!! Keep it up!!

I wanted to give you some more information on Korah to those of you who don't know much about it.

A few facts:

Korah in Amharic means "cursed".
75 years ago the Ethiopian government moved everyone with leprosy to this area of Addis Ababa.
Approximately 100,000 people live in the slums of Korah - the "outcasts" of society.
The city dump is located in Korah.
The people, both adults and children, spend their days digging through the dump searching for anything to eat or sell.

Our sponsorship includes summer camp where she received one decent meal a day, and then in September she started boarding school 3 hours away. This covers her room, 3 meals a day, books, tuition, hygiene needs, uniform and transportation to and from school when needed during breaks.

One of my closest friends visited Korah in July and she saw first hand the devastation that is going on there. She's done an awesome job at spreading the word to others - hence the reason Tim and I got involved. Please watch this video to get an idea of where your dollar is going.

The Village of Korah - A short documentary from Session 7 Media on Vimeo.

I have one more video for you. This is my little ~~baby~~ boy who is growing much too fast. But, when you watch this video... think of the kids in the previous video. Jaxson could have easily been one of those children. Just think...

KORAH DONATION!!!

2010-09-13T22:05:00.003-05:00

Ok... I lied. This post was SUPPOSED to be last week, but well life got in the way. It has a habit of doing that a lot... hmm. But, as long as I post more than Troy... then I'm all good. hehehe.

As most of you know we are trying to raising $$ for our sponsored child in Ethiopia. Her name is Meheret and she is 12 yrs old. Check a few posts back for more info. Little update - Meheret has now started school & and is not living in the trash dump - yay!! We just received a letter from her and a new picture, so I'll post about that soon. :)

So.....Are you ready?? Drumroll please....

Yes - an ipod touch (8GB)!! Ok, so here is how this is going to work. A donation of $5 will get you one entry and a $20 donation will get five entries. And you can do as many entries as you'd like. If you want to buy 10 entries I wouldn't be mad at you. Just sayin. Who doesn't want an ipod touch? Come on now... get with the times people - you need one! (We had to remove our paypal button... so contact us on how to enter).

As I said before... all proceeds will be going to Meheret. And yes the ipod touch is brand new and never been opened. It's just lonely and waiting for you to take it home. All of the entries will be put into a bowl and we will draw the lucky winner on Friday - September 24th. Why that day? Because it's Tim's birthday! So... click away and get it on the FUN!

Timothy Prust Photography

2010-09-06T20:25:00.000-05:00

have you checked out tim's blog? what??? you mean you haven't? then you are just plain crazy. go check him out and then email him and book a session.

http://timothyprustphotography.blogspot.com/

so.... a couple of weeks ago i mentioned there being a fun raffle where proceeds go to meheret (our sponsored child in korah). it's coming... it's coming... so... check back this week. right here. this is where all the action will be. mmmkay? don't forget now. come back.

When did...

2010-09-01T22:27:00.000-05:00

When did these little toes...

Turn into these toes...

When did this little bit of hair...

Grow into all this hair...

When did this little tongue....

Become this giraffe tongue....

When did this gummy smile....

Turn into these toothy smile....

How can this be my little baby Jaxson? Look how big he is!! Oh boy do I love him, but this mommy needs time to slow down just a tad....

Mondays are stoooooopid!!!

2010-08-23T13:32:00.000-05:00

I suck at laundry...

2010-08-19T20:43:00.000-05:00

So... basically I suck at laundry. There... I said it. I'm usually always behind and I tend to do laundry when it gets to the point where we are running out of underwear or something. Hey... don't judge.. just keepin it real. But, when I DO do laundry it really annoys me when I have a hodge podge of items left. A few white shirts... a few red shirts... etc.. Doesn't that annoy you? It's not enough for a full white or full color load. Ok.. so I found something that I'm lovin. Shout Color Catcher. Ever tried it?

Let me say that I work for the company that makes this product. We've had it for I don't know how many years now, but I've been too chicken to try it. I thought how is this dryer sheet looking thing going to keep the red dye from getting onto my whites. Well, I'm happy to report that it WORKS!! Seriously. I was very impressed. You get a box of these white dryer sheet looking things and just stick it right in the wash with the rest of your stuff. Then when you take your stuff out of the washer you can see all the dye that the sheet soaked up. It's magic! This picture doesn't really do it any justice, but you can kinda see how it soaked up all the red/pink dyes.

Ok I'm done sounding like a salesman now... ha! Let me know if you want to try one - I'll send ya a FREE sample... who doesn't love a free sample???

Meet Meheret...

2010-08-17T20:37:00.000-05:00

Doesn’t she look sad? I’m sure you would be too if you lived in a trash dump. That’s her reality. She is 12 yrs old and spends her days there. She’s not alone though, 130,000 are also living there. If you haven’t already read my friend Jody’s blog about her day at Korah, please do so here. It's long, but SO worth the read.

I'm happy to report that Meheret won’t be in the dump much longer though because Tim and I are now proud sponsors of Meheret! Her future is looking brighter and I’m hoping to get a picture of her smiling in just a few weeks. $700 from us and her life is now changed. She gets to go to summer camp where she will get one decent meal a day, and then in September she will go to boarding school 3 hours away. This covers her room, 3 meals a day, books, tuition, hygiene needs, uniform and transportation to and from school when needed during breaks. We are very excited for Meheret and are looking forward to exchanging letters with her and building a relationship.

PLEASE consider sponsoring a child. There are about 15 teenagers left waiting to be sponsored and their time is running out. Is $700 a lot of money? Sure it is. But, you are talking about completely changing their lives and giving them a chance. They’ve never been given a chance – PLEASE consider being that person for them. Tim and I are saving birthday money, having a rummage sale and we also have a fun little raffle we’ll be doing soon – so check back with us soon to get in on the FUN!! Please think about it and see if you could maybe get creative and find a way to come up with some $ to be “mom” or “dad” to one of these desperate teens!! You can read lots more on Project 61 at their website – www.p61.org.

Like my neckace?

2010-08-09T21:26:00.000-05:00

Isn't it PRETTY?!?! Do you want one? Good news - you can have one too!! Troy & Amber are selling these necklaces as a fundraiser for their adoption. So... hop on over to their blog and snatch one up for yourself and while you are at it you should probably buy one for your mom too! Troy & Amber's son Silas was at Hannah's Hope with Jaxson and I'm so excited that they are in the process of adopting a baby sister for Silas. Go check out their blog - there are a few ways you can help support them.

http://luchtadoptionblogspot.com/

The Worst Mom of the Year Award goes to....

2010-08-08T21:51:00.002-05:00

Me. Yes... *big sigh*..... Me.

I've been laying in bed all weekend sick and this morning Jaxson crawled up into bed with me and was playing. He was climbing off the bed and decided he wanted back on. He was slipping off the side and was saying "Ep Ep", which means "help help". So I grabbed his arm that was closest to me and... POP. Just like that... the tears started coming. Something was out of socket - we just didn't know what. Oh boy did I feel horrible. He wasn't moving his arm at all and if you touched it - he would cry. Tim took him into the emergency room while I sulked at home and gathered my things that I was going to take to jail with me. Because certainly the police were going to come and handcuff me and take me away for child abuse or something... I was certain of it. The doctor popped Jaxson's elbow back into socket (doesn't it sound painful?!). Eek. Thankfully he started using his arm right away and all was good in the world again. I was so happy to see him when he came home. Jax could push every button on the tv and get into any cabinet he wanted without hearing "no" from mommy. Just for today though. Oh and I'm happy to report that I'm blogging from my couch and not from a jail cell. Phew...

The Come Back Kid...

2010-08-03T20:16:00.014-05:00

Look who's baaaaack!! After spending the weekend in Nashville with all my adoption peeps - it inspired me to get back into blog world. I've been gone far too long don'tcha think?? AND... the blog is public again. Hoping that there are no weirdos out there. So, if you are weird - please go away. thank you. moving right along...

Well, let's just dive into some pictures.... mmkay? Because really... that's all you want to see. So, for those of you who don't know.. AGCI had their annual picnic in Nashville and we loaded up the car and headed out to see our friends!

Off we go...

We made a pit stop in Indianapolis to see the Alexander crew! :) Hannah & Chloe are too cute! See you all again in a couple weeks!!

Then we stopped in Louisville for the night...

Couple more hours of driving and we made it to Nashville. This happy camper loved the king size bed!!

Friday night we went to the Luchts & met up with some other families. All these little ones are within months of eachother in age - SO fun! Well, Jaxson's little tantrum was not so fun.. but just ignore that. And look at sweet little Ab up there.

Saturday was the picnic. BIG group. Little game of where's waldo for you.. can you spot J and I?

We got to meet up with lots of our "online friends". It was so nice to meet some of them in person. Whitney is one of the sweetest people!

Noah is a BUSY 2 year old. It's hard to get a picture of this little cutie because he is always on the move!

Silas has some of the prettiest eyes. I always love his facial expressions.

Oh sweet Zoe! This girl is cRaZy fun!! She is a HOOT!

Jax and Finny playing in the water.

Tim, Pat & the kiddos in downtown Nashville

So... as you all know... Jody and I have been planning Jax & Zoe's wedding for like umm the past year and a half. Well, little did we know... that Zoe would just be the bridesmaid. Look 2 pictures below...

These 2 little lovebirds hit it off. Well, I don't think Callie had much of a choice. Jaxson LOVES Callie. And I mean LOVES. He could not keep his hands off of her (no I am not exaggerating). He wanted to be sitting on her lap, hugging her, touching her leg, standing by her, staring at her, etc... It was pretty funny. So... we'll just have to see how this little love triangle plays out.

Jody & I. Apparently someone didn't tell me to put a brush through my hair. Sheesh Dawn - get it together.

Ok.. don't judge me. But, this was Jaxson's breakfast one morning. Hey... we were on vacation so whatever.

Aren't they cute?!?! Oh how I love them...
Sunday we went to Centennial Park... gorgeous!

Jaxson & Finny had lots of fun playing. They had us cracking up!

They put on a dance show for us. Finn has some serious moves...

Does it get any cuter than this??? Sweet little buddies.

Fun night with the Hulls!

And that's it. That was our first little roadtrip as a family of 3! :) We had such a great time and wish we could have spent more time with everyone, but all good things must come to an end... right? Well... at least that's what they say.

(Ok... so since I was a MAJOR blog slacker - did I at least make up for it with the gazillion pics I posted?!)

well hello there...

2010-06-17T20:17:00.007-05:00

Ummm... it has come to my attention that it has been 2 months since I've posted. What?! I'm surprised that I even remembered what my blog address was. My brain is usually done for by the end of the day. I can't possibly think of something to write that people will actually want to read. But, I guess I better fill you in on the past 2 months. My grandpa passed away last month after a 10 month battle with cancer. Losing both grandpas in 6 months is just not fair. It's been really hard. I think about him everyday and think "how can he REALLY" be gone. I know he is in a better place and know he's not in any pain. Tim's uncle also passed away a couple weeks ago, so it's kinda been depressing over here. But, Jaxson has definitely been the sunshine for us all. Even in your saddest moment... he can ALWAYS make you smile. Oh how I love that boy. Here's a picture of my grandparents meeting Jaxson for the first time at the airport last year. He was SO proud of Jaxson!

Jaxson is 19 months old and talking more and more. Everyday there is a new word he's saying. The new one today is bubble and it sounds more like bub-ol. So cute. Jaxson and Addy are still the best of friends. Jaxson would rather play with Addy over any of his toys anyday.

Ok... some fun stuff now. Most of you should know Jody, but in case you don't please go to her blog and to her etsy site here. She is going on a mission trip to Ethiopia this summer and is raising $$ for some AWESOME organizations. So, PLEASE go check out her stuff. It's cute! I have 2 necklaces and LOVE them! That's Jody in the picture below - how can you not buy something from that pretty lil face?!?!

And then Jody has this friend Kelly who I met last year when I was visiting. She is selling some cool stuff for their adoption. I am totally getting a tote... actually I think I'll get TWO totes and use one as a gift. So... go on over to her site and support them!!

Ok... that's all I got. All this posting has wore me out. Ha - just kidding. Well.. sorta.

Happy Gotcha Day!!

2010-04-20T21:13:00.005-05:00

One year ago today we held our son for the first time. I can remember it so clearly. We were walking up to the gates at HH with our hearts about to pound right out of our chests. All of this love we've been holding in for so long was about to pour out... oh and did it ever!!

We've decided to always spend Gotcha Day together as a family. So, that's exactly what we did today. We went to breakfast this morning and headed to a children's museum in Milwaukee.

We drove...

We played with sand...

Took a little boat ride...

Played blocks with Dad...

Took a little break...

Made some music...

LOVE seeing my reflection and making funny faces...
peekaboo!

the star of the show... Jaxson!

Chillin...

Then we went home for lunch & a nap (umm a nap for mom too - I was pooped!) After nap we headed to the park for some more fun.

Jax LOVES to swing...

all smiles...

mommy stealing smooches....

have to go head first down the slides...

lovely :)

gorgeous eyes...

Then we ended the day with some snuggles...

and more kisses...

Jaxson, we love you SO much!!! We had so much fun with you today and thank you for all you have given to us this past year. We are so proud to be your parents and couldn't possibly imagine our lives without you. You bring so much joy to our lives!! xoxo

Oh that crazy day last year...

2010-04-01T13:27:00.005-05:00

One year ago today... I woke up with my stomach in knots, a pounding headache, no sleep, a complete meltdown the night before... I went to bed knowing that a decision was made on if Jaxson would be our son. A judge was making this life changing decision for our family. And.... we had to wait. It was all too much for me when the moment came and it wasn't pretty. I went home from work at 9:30am to drown my sorrows into my pillow. Knowing that we were going to wait a few more days to hear the outcome was more than I could handle. Thankfuly, that call came shortly after I got home that we passed court. Hallelujah!!! Oh, I can remember like it was yesterday. Go read my blog post from last year here. I was reading my posts from March last year and I remember those crazy feelings swarming all over. Stressful but exciting. Can't help but smile. It does freak me out that almost a year has past. A year. 365 days. When did that happen? Did I sleep for like 6 of those months because surely I haven't been around for a whole year with Jaxson. Crazy.

Here are some pics from our happy home!

Mom... I'm not going to smile...

Umm... maybe I'll give you a lil smirk...

Nah... I'm not gonna smile

Just teasin... I LOVE to smile for the camera!!

Raise your hand if you love mommy & daddy!

My Ethiopian Cutie

2010-03-25T21:55:00.005-05:00

don't you want to just smooch him!?!?

I'm a Mommy

2010-02-21T20:26:00.002-06:00

Everyday was a struggle when Tim and I were dealing with infertility. I woke up thinking "I'm not pregnant" and was reminded several times throughout the day that I wasn't pregnant and then went to bed with the same thoughts. It was a very difficult time. Now... I'm reminded ALL day long that I'm a mother.

I wake up to Jaxson's sweet little ramblings over the baby monitor.
I get ready for work while he is following me around the house and pulling at me to pick him up.
I drive to work in my car that has cheerios here there and everywhere.
I sit at my desk that has pictures of Jaxson plastered all over.
I get little text messages with pictures of him during the day.
I go in my purse to pull out my id badge and pull out a nuk instead.
I come home to screams and hugs and kisses everyday.
I talk about Jaxson's poop at dinner time with Tim.
I constantly trip over his toys all over the house.
There are little tiny socks to fold now in the laundry basket.

I have a heart that overflows with LOVE for this little boy!! I love being a mommy and love my little reminders all day long. That will never get old. Never.

a long overdue update... like way overdue

2010-02-10T21:54:00.005-06:00

I'm ALIVE!! If any of you out there still check my blog (which I highly doubt) I'll give you an update on what we've been up to! It's been a month - yikes. Well, I'm happy to report that I have not had anymore dreams of pooping a hamster.

First off I'm still trying to figure out what happened to my baby because I have a little BOY in my house - no baby. He is growing up SO fast.

Jax is now the proud owner of 7 teeth (and more on the way)

Jaxson's favorite thing to do is to hang out in a laundry basket. He is way too cool to play with toys. His favorite things to play with are a spoon, a sock and a straw. Doesn't take much. He also loves to shut doors. If there is an open door it will be shut within seconds.

Jaxson said MAMA for the first time on 1/16!! He's been saying Dada since May, so I was getting quite jealous and ready to hear mama. And it was WONDERFUL!! He hasn't been saying it a lot, but we're working on getting him to say it more and more.

We also had our very good friends from Australia here for a visit so we enjoyed our time with them VERY much!

We got together with other families that have adopted or are in the process of adopting from Ethiopia. Here are just some of the cuties that were there. (3 of the babies are from Hannah's Hope)

I finally broke down and gave Jaxson his first haircut this past weekend. It was getting out of control and I was feeling quite confident so went at it. The only place Jax would sit still was in the laundry basket of course. So, that's where I cut his hair. Hey... it worked. I do have a pic, but I'm too lazy to upload it right now so just close your eyes and imagine me cutting his hair in a laundry basket. Yep - it looked just like that. Moving right along...

Things in the Prust house are going well. We are very ready to be done with winter and have it warm enough to chase Jax around outside. I'm still struggling with the whole balance issue. It's really hard working fulltime, but it is what it is and I enjoy my time with Jaxson that much more. He is SO much fun. He is such a complete ham and cracks us up everyday. His smile is infectious. I am still amazed at how much joy this little human has brought to Tim and I. It's simply amazing. And to top off the mushy love fest I have going on here... Jax blew me a kiss this morning for the first time when I was leaving for work! Awww! Talk about having a hard time leaving. Ugh. It was tough. But, I'm hoping for another spit blown kiss tomorrow. :)

Analyze This

2010-01-07T20:14:00.003-06:00

Alright. So, I have had some weird dreams and wake up thinking "where in the world did that come from?" But, the one I had last week has me completely stumped. So, for all of you who like to try and analyze dreams... try analyzing this one and let me know what you come up with.

So, I had a really bad stomach ache and went to the bathroom. I was sitting on the toilet... you know trying to do my business. I was having a real hard time... pushing and pushing. (Hey I'm just being honest with my dream here). So, finally "plop"... oh thank goodness. I take a little peak in the toilet (don't act like you don't look after you're done!!) and want to know what I saw???

This...

Yes, that's a Zhu Zhu Pet. I pooped a hamster. Now come one. Who dreams that they poop a Zhu Zhu Pet?!

Our Referral Day

2010-01-04T21:34:00.008-06:00

Tomorrow is our referral day! One year ago we saw the sweetest little face we had ever seen. I just went back and read my post from 1/5/09 and couldn't help but get all anxious, excited and of course.... teary eyed all over again. I can remember like it was yesterday. We went into Christmas break at #1 on the boys list and #2 on the girls list. We have spent so many of our holidays sad and wishing we had a child to share it with, so I wanted that referral before Christmas last year more than anything. I knew when AGCI opened the Monday after break that our call would be coming, it just had to. And boy am I glad it did! I can't believe it has been a year, I really can't. This Christmas was amazing. Best Christmas Ever. Period. I fought back the tears several times just looking at Jaxson and thinking "wow - this is MY son". "This is MY family". We are starting OUR family traditions. Simply amazing. I remember thinking that this moment would never come... and it did, it's here and I'm living in it. I'm blessed beyond my wildest imagination. God sure did hand pick the PERFECT son for us.

Here is one of the first pictures we saw of Jaxson

And here is our happy little family on Christmas morning

Note: as you know I made our blog private now. Tim has been wanting me to make it private ever since we came home because there are so many craziess out there and I just had been putting it off. Well, since Kristi has been having some crazy stalker problems I figured it was a good time to just do it. I feel much better knowing who is out there reading the blog. So, if you know of someone that would like to follow along, just shoot me an email at dawnprust@gmail.com and I'd be more than happy to add them. And my goal is to post lots more now in 2010 - so keep me accountable!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-23T19:33:00.002-06:00

Wishing you a blessed Christmas!!

Going Private...

2009-12-13T20:45:00.002-06:00

Heads up! I'm going to make my blog private within the next week, so if you would still like to have access and keep up with us - just leave me a comment with your email address or send me an email at dawnprust@gmail.com.

Mr. Cover Boy

2009-12-02T20:00:00.006-06:00

Check out who made the cover of the 2010 DOC Band Calendar. Woot woot!

And look at cutie Elias in March!!!

And Zoe as Miss August!!!

How cool is it that all these Ethiopian cuties made the calendar!! There were 3400 entries and had no idea these babies came from the same little home in Ethiopia. Love it!

Nerd Alert

2009-11-25T16:05:00.004-06:00

I'm nerdy... let's just get that out of the way right now. I love browsing through the gadgets & gizmos at Bed Bath & Beyond and other kitchen stores. You never know what you might find and there are so many quirky things out there. Well, you will never believe what I found today. My new friend... Brown Sugar Bear. I will never have hard brown sugar again! Do you know how happy that makes me?!?! I get so frustrated when I'm baking and I go to take out the brown sugar and its just a brick. Now, I've tried putting a piece of bread in there, but I just end of with hard as a brick bread and hard as a brick brown sugar. So... I'm hoping that Brown Sugar Bear is the trick! Not only does it do that, listen to what else it can do...

~keeps cakes & cookies moist

~keeps raisins, coconut and other dried fruits fresh

~keeps licorice fresh

~keeps spices dry

~keeps salt dry

~keeps crakcers & chips crispy

All of that for a $3.99 Brown Sugar Bear. It's a good day folks... a good day.

P.S. I know what you are thinking... "did Dawn really just do a blog post 3 days in a row"?! Yes... Yes I did. That's how I roll.

Artwork from Ethiopia

2009-11-24T19:56:00.003-06:00

I've been meaning to show you all this picture for ummm like 6 months now. So, today is the day. Here's the picture that we bought while in Ethiopia. I'm SO happy that we bought this canvas. It's a picture of the road to the U.S. Embassy. So, we thought it was meaningful & beautiful. We absolutely love it and I think it will be a great gift to give Jaxson one day.

Thankful

2009-11-23T21:31:00.003-06:00

As usual, I'm behind on the blogging, so I'll catch up soon. But, seeing as Thanksgiving is this week, I thought it would be appropriate to do a post about what I'm thankful for.

1. I'm thankful for the 28 years that I had with my Grandpa. He is the strongest man I know and I am so proud of him. He will be deeply missed, but we carry him with us.

2. I'm thankful to have my other 3 grandparents alive and apart of my life.

3. I'm thankful for 2009. What an AWESOME year!! Jaxson has brought us more joy than we could have ever imagined. Ever.

4. I'm thankful for all of our friends & family. They have been such a great support system to us when we've needed it the most.

5. I'm thankful for the roof over my head. I often complain about how small our house is and how we need to get a new one. Then, I think of our time in Ethiopia. Do I really need a new house? No. So, I'm thankful for my itty bitty 1100 sq ft home that is packed full of toys and stuff and lots of love.

6. I'm thankful for my super comfy pajama pants that I'm currently wearing. Hey... not gonna lie... somedays I can't wait to get home from work and slip them right on. It's the simple things in life...

7. I'm thankful for my health, Tim's health and Jaxson's health. Cancer sucks. Too many people that I love and care for have strugged or are currently struggling with it.

8. I'm thankful for my husband. I knew that I hit the jackpot with Tim. He's wonderful, but once Jaxson came along, a whole new side of Tim came out that I didn't know. He amazes me everyday with his patience, love and compassion. He is the BEST dad. The look in his eyes when he looks at Jaxson melts my heart. The way he talks about Jaxson... melts my heart.

I'm blessed.

Birthday Boy!

2009-11-05T22:12:00.010-06:00

Today was the little man's 1st Birthday! We spent the day just hanging out as a family, it was really nice and very much needed. My grandpa is not doing well, so stress & emotion levels have been very high. So... here are some pictures from our day...

Pumpkin Farm

2009-10-26T20:53:00.006-05:00

Jaxson + Zoe

2009-10-18T20:53:00.005-05:00

I got the cutest piece of mail the other day! Jody's oldest daughter drew a picture and sent it to me. Her daughters are so sweet and adorable. I love how she has a nice mix of black and white people at the wedding. hehehe.

Here are the little lovebugs in Ethiopia. :)

11 months

2009-10-04T20:51:00.003-05:00

Changing things up this time. I gave you the pics first - aren't I just so crazy. Jaxson is going to be 11 months tomorrow. 11 months people!! I can't believe my baby is becoming a little boy. He's been a busy little guy lately. With what you ask? Well... he's now the owner of 4 purdy little toofers. He's down to 2 bottles a day. I think we're done with the spitting up phase - thank the Lord! We just started the sleep sense program a few nights ago and he's doing AWESOME! We are so proud of him! I do miss him during the night - not gonna lie. Yeah yeah... call me crazy. He now signs 'more' when he wants more food. He pulls up on everything. Sitting is no fun anymore in our house. He wants to stand all day long. Crawling? Pssht... no. This boy has no interest in crawling. He's going to walk long before that ever happens. Oh yes and how could I forget... we are helmet free!! His last appt is on Tuesday, but being the wild and crazy people we are - we decided to end a few days early. Soooo happy that is over. So, yes that's life around here lately. We are very happy the top 2 teeth finally came through because they were just sorta taking their sweet ole' time and well... wasn't making us very happy. Jaxson is such a sweetheart and loves to cuddle and give hugs - its the best. And he loves to make us laugh. He is such a ham!

Soooo... I'm starting to plan Jaxson's 1st Birthday Party. FUN stuff!! The 1st birthday party is a big deal! I'm someone who loves traditions, so I'm looking for some fun birthday traditions. Do you have any that you want to share?

Shmuck!

2009-09-24T19:24:00.011-05:00

Miss me? It's been too long - I know. I need to spend some serious time catching up with the blogs and adding people to the blog list on my page. But... first of all - thanks a lot to all of you for making me feel like a big ol' shmuckity shmuck! Here I am thinking of all the different ways I could destroy the helmet and everyone thinks I should keep it. Fine... you win. It will find a spot on a shelf or in a box in the basement. Boring.

So, today is Tim's 30th Birthday!!! He's joining all you others out there in the old fart club. Haha - just kidding. Well... kinda. :) He's the best husband and father to Jaxson - I'm SO blessed. Really really blessed. Here's a pic of my favorite boys.

We went to the AGCI picnic in Chicago a couple of weeks ago and got to meet several families. Of course I forgot to take any pictures. I was so excited to meet Tisha, but we only got to spend like 3 minutes together. :( But, we will meet up soon because we aren't too far away. We got to talk with the Millers, the Hensleys, the Voights, the Toepplers and I think that's it.

What else have we been up to? Umm, not really sure. But, I'll post some pics because I know thats what you really want.

Jaxson's 1st 49er game!!

checkin' out the babes at the beach...

chillaxin...

stud

cutie

The polls are open...

2009-09-08T21:01:00.003-05:00

Ok... let's start off with a little confession, mmmkay? Before Jaxson I would get so frustrated when families would come home with their kiddos and disappear from the blogs and think "man, I'll never do that". Ha. I am SO that person. So... there it is. I take it back. Ahem... moving onto other things...

So, we are getting close to being helmet free in this house. Not close enough... but close. We are 4 weeks away. Woot woot! Come on... say it with me now. Woot Woot!! Ok, much better. The big debate in our house right now is what to do with the helmet once we're done with it. Which is October 6th - just in case you wanted to mark your calendar and have a little celebration that day - we sure will. However... we can't agree on what we want to do with the helmet. I would like to take my Chrysler Pacifica and run it over and do an evil little mmmmwah hahaha sort of laugh while doing it. Some other suggestions have been thrown in the mix as well, so... this is where YOU come in. We are doing a little poll to see what everyone thinks we should do. Over on the top right of my page there is a little poll - go on over and vote what you think we should do. This should be fun! :)

And since I can't do a post without a picture. This is just one of the many horrible things we do as parents to Jaxson. Poor kid. We stick socks in his helmet and then laugh and take pictures. We are horrible - I know.

AGCI Picnic

2009-08-30T19:40:00.005-05:00

The AGCI picnic in Chicago is in 3 weeks and I can't wait! I get to see all of these adorable Ethiopian faces...

And I'm hoping that Matt & Jess are coming with Aiden (WELCOME HOME JESS!!!)

Who else is going?!??!?!

appreciate your dingaling

2009-08-25T22:15:00.002-05:00

I remembered this funny story the other day and thought you all could use a good laugh.

So, about 3 yrs ago Tim had shoulder surgery. Surgery went well and we left the hospital to go home. Tim was in pain obviously and on percaset. The next day he kept complaining of a sore throat and I told him it was probably just from the tubes down his throat. Well, he kept complaining so I took out the flashlight to take a peek. I noticed that his little hangy ball in the back of his throat(I refer to it as dingaling) was pretty swollen, so I called the nurse and she said that he may have just had an allergic reaction to the anesthesia so to give him some benadryll. If you ever want to have a good laugh - give your husband some percaset and benadryll. Wow - quite the combo. Tim was in some other world... seriously. He was a zombie. The next day it wasn't getting any better - it was actually getting worse. It was turning purple and swelling up more, so since it was the weekend and the doctor wasn't in, I called my mom. This is how the conversation went...

Me: Mom - Tim's dingaling is purple and really swollen and laying on his tongue. I'm not sure what to do.

Mom: WHAT?!

Me: His dingaling is really swollen mom and it's laying on his tongue

Mom: DAWN!! What is going on over there?!?

Me: Mom... what do you mean?

Mom: How in the world....

Me: Oh Mom!! Not THAT dingaling!!! His hangy ball dingaling!!

Mom: Oh my goodness Dawn.... I had no idea what you were talking about.

So, since I freaked my mom out and she wasn't sure what to do - we called the doctor on Monday morning. They had him come in and they were stumped - they had no idea why his dingaling was like that. They had him go over and see an ENT (ear/nose/throat) doctor right away. He said that when they put the tubes down his throat that they scrapped the outer layer of skin on his dingaling and it became infected. Crazy, huh? So, I suppose I should tell you now that its actually called a uvula in case you didn't already know. And is it just me or does that sound like a female body part? I don't know.. I just don't like that word. Anyways... he tells Tim that he needs to CUT it off. Yes, cut off his hangy ball!!! So, he puts a needle in it to numb it and then snip snip... GONE. Just like that... gone. Doesn't your throat hurt right now thinking about it? Mine does. Tim now has a uvanub. So, I then wanted to know why we have a hangy ball. Is it just for decoration? Nope, it's not. It's actually used to help push food down your throat and it's also used to pronounce some words in some foreign languages. I bet you never knew that.

Moral of the story... appreciate your dingaling!

4 Months Ago...

2009-08-18T22:08:00.002-05:00

little fishy

2009-08-10T20:54:00.007-05:00

Jaxson LOVES the water. He loves bathtime and loves to just play with the running water in the sink. So, when he's in the pool - he's in heaven! Here are some pics of our little fishy...

Then we played in the ball pit and he thought that was lots of fun!

Jax isn't a fan of the flash on the camera though... ha!

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Happy 9 Months Jax

2009-08-05T20:45:00.003-05:00

Happy 9 Month Birthday Jaxson Kyin!! Here are 9 things that we LOVE about you...

1. We LOVE your 2 little teeth and how you show them off so nicely with your big smiles.
2. We love how you try to not smile when you think something is funny and then all of a sudden you crack and the giggles come. You are always making us laugh.
3. I love how you play with my hair when I rock you to sleep.
4. We love bath time with you - we have so much fun!
5. We love how you've captured the hearts of our friends & family.
6. We love how you say "dadadadadada".
7. I love how you light up and flap your arms & legs when I come home from work. Makes mommy happy to know that she was missed.
8. We love how you crack up laughing when Daddy kisses your neck & back.
9. We LOVE that we are a family - you've made us happier than we ever thought possible.

Finding Balance...

2009-08-02T21:21:00.003-05:00

So, it's been a week and a half back at work. And really it's been fine. I've been very busy so my days fly by and I'm home with Jaxson before I know it (don't get me wrong - I do miss him very much!) However... it's a whole new routine to figure out. When I get home I want to just sit on the floor and play with Jaxson until its his bedtime. So... I'm trying to figure out how to get my play time in with Jaxson, make dinner, clean the house, do emails/blogs, and let's not forget some time with my wonderful husband. I'm so lucky to have Tim. We are a very good team and he helps so much around the house, but we never seem to be caught up. So, if any of you have some tips/advice for me - I'm listening!

Ok and since I can't do a post without a picture, here's Jaxson straight out of the bath. He LOVES bathtime! And he loves being wrapped up in a towel afterwards too. This is what we do after our bath and we bring him in front of the mirror and he just laughs at himself. He's a hoot.

Happy Birthday Jody!!!

2009-07-28T21:45:00.004-05:00

Guess who's birthday it is?!?! Jody's!!! Make sure you wish her a Happy Birthday (tomorrow)!!

Happy Birthday Jody!! I hope you have a WONDERFUL day!! Thanks for being a GREAT friend! I don't know what I would have done without you this past year. Wish we lived closer so I could celebrate with you! Love ya!

Family Picnic

2009-07-26T20:59:00.008-05:00

Well I survived my first 3 days back to work last week and I think I'll make it back tomorrow. It really helps that Tim is home with Jaxson. So thanks for all your kind words... I survived. And my friends made my 1st day back very special - so thank you! :)

Today was our annual family picnic for my dad's side of the family. The weather was gorgeous and we had lots of fun!

Could he BE any cuter?! Oh my... he SO has my heart.

Jaxson playing with his cousins

Playing... or ummm wrestling with cousin Maddox

Isabella - how adorable is she??

Ok... I could post more pics, but blogger is being dumb. Does anyone know why you can't see the pics until you post them now? So annoying.

Hope you all had a great weekend!!

Back to work

2009-07-21T14:48:00.002-05:00

3 months has gone by MUCH too fast! I'm back to work tomorrow. I'm sad because I'm really going to miss being with Jaxson everyday. I could definitely get used to being a stay at home mommy, but the finances just aren't there. So... back to work I go. Fortunately Tim will be home for a little bit with Jaxson, so we don't have to do daycare quite yet. I'm going to miss our walks everyday, his giggles, playing outside on the blanket, rocking him to sleep for his naps, etc. I'll surely be speeding home from work everyday to see my boys! I'm very thankful to have had the 3 months off though. I know a lot of people aren't able to take that much time off, so I am grateful. I just wish my time didn't go SO fast. Ok, off to find more kleenex. sniff sniff.

Helloooooo laaaadies.....

2009-07-14T20:02:00.002-05:00

Jaxson sure does know how to impress the ladies....

Helmet Head

2009-07-12T20:13:00.007-05:00

Yup, it's true - we have a little helmet head over here. For those of you that don't know what the helmet (DOC band) is it's a band to help reshape Jaxson's head. He's got a pretty bad flat spot on the back of his head and on his forehead. Jody described it perfectly when she said a parallelogram. The technical terms for what he has is plagiocephaly and brachycephaly. So, Jaxson will wear the helmet for 3-4 months for 23 hrs a day. It comes off for bath time and so we can clean it. The first couple days were a little rough because he was like "what in the world is on my head?!" and he had some skin irritation, but that's all gone and he's now used to the helmet. The helmet does not put any pressure on his head at all, it just allows his head to shift to where there is the least amount of resistance. We've had the helmet for 3 weeks now and there's already been improvements so we're really happy about that. His ears are really misaligned too because of the flat spots, so this will help with that as well. Autumn did a great informative post on the doc band a few months ago, so you can check out her post if you want more info.

The worst part of the whole process is the casting. They put a pantyhose thing on his head and cut a little hole for his mouth and he has to sit completely still for 15 min while she puts plaster all over his head. Lots of fun people... lots of fun. (EXTREME sarcasm) That really is the worst part though. Before the casting, they had to take some pictures of his head and since he has so many curls, she needed to use some gel to get the curls flat. Well, her gel wasn't doing the trick so she had to get out the SUPER MAX HOLD gel. Hehe...

Cutie Patootie Pics

2009-07-07T21:04:00.006-05:00

Jaxson was hanging out in the yard while Tim had dinner on the grill, so we snapped some pics. How cute is he?!? TOO cute! And if you look close enough you'll see 2 little toofers poking through!

Re-Adoption Day!!!

2009-06-29T17:42:00.005-05:00

Today was our re-adoption hearing and it feels good to have that last piece of official business done. Wisconsin makes you file within 60 days and so we filed on day 59 - haha. Our hearing was then scheduled 9 days later - Wisconsin is on the ball! The hearing lasted about 10 minutes then we headed back to our house with family for a nice lunch. It was such a good day!

We're excited...

Yep, we're the Prust's and this is our boy!

Yada... yada... blah... blah...

It's official! You are now Jaxson Kyin Prust and a U.S. citizen!

Us with the judge...

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my little family!

Our Anniversary

2009-06-22T20:57:00.002-05:00

Tim and I celebrated our anniversary today. I'm so happy that in our 7th year of marriage we have a beautiful son to share our life with. We've actually been together almost 12 yrs, but married for 7. Man, that sounds like a long time. My parents watched Jaxson for a couple of hours while Tim and I went to dinner. It's been a long time since we've been to a sit down restaurant...seemed kinda weird, but nice.

Here we are 7 years ago...

Tim's 1st Father's Day

2009-06-21T21:44:00.005-05:00

We had a wonderful day today celebrating Tim's 1st Father's Day!! The weather was gorgeous and Tim got some good quality time in with Jaxson and we both got to spend time with our dads.

We hung out on the patio for quite awhile today and let me tell you, Jaxson makes some funny faces...

A Day at the Park

2009-06-15T13:45:00.013-05:00

Blog makeover

2009-06-10T09:18:00.000-05:00

Like it?

Happy 7 Month Birthday Jaxson!!!

2009-06-05T22:59:00.003-05:00

Happy 7 Month Birthday my sweet baby boy!! In true blog fashion, I'll post 7 things that your dad and I LOVE about you!

1. We LOVE your smile.
2. We like how you laugh everytime someone sneezes, it's so funny.
3. We love rocking you to sleep every night. I love my cuddle time.
4. We love your hilarious facial expressions!
5. We love how you love to look at yourself in the mirror and how you give a little chuckle. So cute.
6. Your toes - seriously, cutest toes ever.
7. We love that we can call you OUR son. You've brought so much joy to our lives!!

We love you Jaxson!!

Oh that silly Jody...

2009-06-01T21:27:00.007-05:00

So... ya know my dear friend Jody, don't ya? If not - you should. She's awesome. I miss her lots and I wish we were next door neighbors. Virginia is much too far away. I'd post a picture of the two of us but my computer is being silly and I can't access my pictures.

Usually you would buy your friend cute outfits for their children, right? No, not Jody. Jody looks for the ugliest outfit in the entire world to give you. This is the lovely neon green fuzzy overall outfit that she bought for Jaxson. Isn't she the bestest friend ever?!

Poor Jaxson...

Let's zoom in on the fuzziness for ya...

Then Jaxson spit up on the outfit, that's what he thinks of it Jody...

But, I still think he's cute in the yucky outfit...

Miss you Jody!! :)

Where has the past month gone?

2009-05-21T22:01:00.007-05:00

Where has the time gone?!?! I only have 2 months left at home before going back to work - will someone PLEASE slow up the clocks!! I can't believe we've been home for almost a month - craziness.

Things here are going GREAT!! We LOVE being parents and Jaxson, well he is perfect. I don't know how else to say it. Simply perfect. We're getting our routine down. He's sleeping & napping great now. He takes 2 naps a day and then sleeps about 11 1/2 hrs a night and only gets up once. Woot woot!! :)

I LOOOOOVE being home with Jaxson during the day, but we miss Tim and wish he was home with us. Jaxson said "dada" for the first time on Monday night and so Tim is in heaven because Jaxson says "dadadadadadadadadada" 24 hrs a day. It's fun.

Jaxson loves to be outside and going for walks. Now that the weather is finally getting nice, we are walking everyday. He likes to walk past the zoo and look at the giraffes. We also went to the park the other day and he LOVES the swings. He's changing so much already. He can lay on his stomach which he really couldn't do before and his leg muscles are getting so strong. I swear his hair grows every night while he's sleeping because there is more and more everyday. He LOVES to talk or should I say yell. He wants you to hear him and everyone surely does because he is not quiet. His smile is contagious and his laugh is sooo funny. When he gets belly laughing, you can't help but crack up. I wish you all could meet him because he is quite the character. We just can't get enough of him!

I haven't been getting much time on the computer, but I think it'll be better now that Jaxson has decided that naps aren't that bad. And it doesn't help that my laptop went kaput. I guess when your virus software expires you shouldn't keep hitting the "ignore" button. My computer now has 150 viruses on it - oops! So, it's off getting fixed for a couple of weeks. I have to steal Tim's work laptop to check my email at night. So, if you don't hear from me - that's why. Come on Geek Squad - hurry up and fix my computer!

jaxson in his jammies

2009-05-12T21:56:00.006-05:00

I love love love when Jaxson gets out of the bath at night and he's all clean and lotioned up and in his jammies. Oh... he is just the best. Seriously. I love him so stinkin much it's not even funny.

The BEST Mother's Day Gift

2009-05-10T18:45:00.006-05:00

Some firsts...

2009-05-03T21:22:00.008-05:00

WARNING: some major cuteness in this post!! Don't say I didn't warn you!

Jaxson had cereal for the first time on Saturday night and he LOVED it!

We also went on our first walk in the stroller today. He was in heaven in the sun today. Poor guy misses the warm weather in Ethiopia. Welcome to Wisconsin Jaxson.

Tips for Traveling Families

2009-05-01T21:17:00.002-05:00

For all of you families out there that are going to be traveling soon – this post is for YOU. I’ve had several families asking me questions for their upcoming travels, so I thought it would probably be helpful to just post a bunch of tips. If you have any other questions though, please feel free to email me at dawnprust@yahoo.com. Ok, lets get started…

~ We flew Emirates and LOVED it!! They treat you VERY well and we couldn’t have been happier. With Emirates you do have an overnight in Dubai, but we found that having the overnight there was really nice. When we arrived in Ethiopia we were refreshed and not exhausted like the other families. Trust me – you will not be disappointed. Jody will tell you the same I’m sure.

~ This tip is probably not going to be popular with AGCI, but I’m going to be honest. I would highly recommend going a day or two early. We arrived Saturday at 11:30am rather than Sunday night like AGCI recommends. We are SO happy that we did this. We spent that time walking around and seeing Ethiopia and experiencing the culture and interacting with the people. After Monday morning when you have your children – you can’t really go out much unless a parent stays back. There are some really neat things you can do and if you need suggestions – just email me.

~ We struggled with how much stuff to pack for Jaxson and this is what we did (with advice from Autumn)

- 40 diapers (this was more than enough)

- We brought 1 can of formula and it was NOT enough. And fyi – airports do NOT sell formula. Does not make sense, but they don’t. So, bring 2 cans of formula.

- All of the babies are on Avent bottles. We only brought 2 bottles. We brought a regular 9 oz bottle and then one of the Avent Tempo bottles. This is the bottle that you can use the disposable liners in. Those were so nice to use – so definitely get some of those. Bring several nipples though so that you don’t have to constantly wash those. We brought mostly size 3 nipples, but Jaxson was not used to a size 3 at all, so I would recommend bringing 2’s as well. We brought the Madela wipes to help clean them with.

- Blankets – we brought 5 with us. We didn’t need all of them though. 4 would probably be fine. Bring some thin ones and a couple thicker ones.

- I highly recommend bringing a pacifier. We were hoping it would help with Jaxson’s ears on the plane and it really did. We introduced it to Jaxson on Monday and he really loved it. It was comforting to him and seemed to help with take off and landing too.

- I often read to bring warm clothes because it gets cool there. That was not the case at ALL for us. It was HOT and I felt like Jaxson was constantly sweating in what he was in. Definitely bring short sleeves (its not inappropriate) and some lighter pants. It does get a little cool at night, but you are only out at night for the cultural dinner. We brought 8 outfits. 1 for each day and then 3 extra. Then like 8 pairs of pj’s. Bring plently of bibs. We had the Union wash some for us. Seems like a lot of the babies are at the teething stage so a lot of drooling going on.

- Pack lightly for yourselves. The Union can do laundry for you and you don’t need to waste the room in your luggage on that.

- When packing – use oversized duffle bags. We found that the average piece of luggage weighed about 15-20 lbs without anything even in it. The duffles worked great. Then when you come back you can fold up the bags and not check as many bags. We were able to bring lots more donations this way.

- Donations: I think their biggest need is diapers. Almaz told me that they have plenty of clothes, so I wouldn’t bring too many of those. There never seemed to be enough soccer balls. The kids were always running for them and fighting for them. We brought 2 balls and deflated them for packing purposes and then brought a pump & needles for them too. The boys LOVE LOVE LOVE spiderman. Anything spiderman you can bring – they will love. Tim bought spiderman masks in the party section at Walmart and the boys went crazy over them. Tisha gave us a Bumbo seat to bring and they really loved getting that. If you can squeeze a Bumbo seat – bring one. That means less babies laying in bouncy seats, which is always a good thing.

- Gifts: I know AGCI tells you that you can bring a gift for Danny & Johannes at HH, but we found that there are more than just those 2 guys there. There is a guy that sits at the gate and also plays with the children a lot. I wish we would have brought more than just 2 tshirts. I would recommend bringing 3 of whatever you bring. For the special mothers we brought each of them a small photo album filled with pictures of Jaxson. They LOVED it. They opened it and kissed each and every pictures. It brought tears to my eyes. I would definitely recommend doing this.

- There is a little boy named Danny that lives across the street from the Union. You will see him sitting on a rock all the time just waiting for someone to walk out of the Union. He loves to just walk with you and talk with you. He’s not looking for $ or anything like that. He just loves to walk and talk. He is a VERY sweet boy and you will fall in love with him. We gave him a soccer ball, some books & dolls for his little sisters and some candy to share with his friends. Pat & Jody gave him a shirt on Saturday when we got there and he wore it every single day until we left. If you wanted to bring a little something – I would recommend some clothes – around size 10. Oh and if you talk with him - please tell him that Tim & Dawn say hi!

- One thing we regretted was not bringing some small gifts for the staff at the Union. They are AMAZING. They want to serve you 24/7. They are just a wonderful bunch of people and we wished we would have brought stuff for them.

- When you go on the shopping trip – if you see something you like – buy it. You only have a short amount of time and if you don’t buy it you might regret it. Just buy it.

- AGCI told us that Jaxson was on Similac formula, he was actually on Target brand formula. Kinda the same.. but a little different. So, don’t be surprised if it’s a little different than what you were told.

- Jaxson weighs 14.25 lbs and he’s wearing 3-6 mos size. 3-6 mos pj’s seem to be too small though. His feet are kinda smooshed, so the Carters 6 mos pj’s are perfect. Everything else is 3-6 mos. Pants can kinda be long on him and the waist is a tad big.

Alright, well that’s all I can think of right now. But, like I said – if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to email me.

And since I can’t do a post without a picture of mr. you know who… here you go.

Update

2009-04-29T22:34:00.005-05:00

Hello everyone! We are still alive over here, just adjusting to being new parents. I think we're getting pretty close to some sort of schedule. We are LOVING parenthood. It's AMAZING!! Jaxson is doing really well. He is attaching & bonding and we couldn't ask for anything more. Tonight he laid on me and just looked in my eyes and smiled at me for about 45 minutes. Nothing feels better than that.

I'm still playing catch up on emails and haven't had time for the blogs, but I'm trying. My days consist of feeding Jaxson, burping Jaxson, wiping Jaxson's butt, playing with Jaxson, staring at Jaxson, rocking Jaxson, bathing Jaxson, etc...etc. He consumes my day, but I love every minute of it.

I want to post about our trip soon, so stay tuned for that because it's coming. But, I'll leave you with a few pictures of my beautiful boy.

Introducing... Jaxson Kyin

2009-04-26T05:51:00.002-05:00

Day 3 of Being a MOMMY

2009-04-22T09:38:00.001-05:00

We are doing GREAT!! Jaxson is bonding with us really well and he is just a very happy baby. He seems to think that 4am is the time to wake up for the day, so we need to work on that but otherwise things are so good. I can't wait for you all to meet him - he is just the sweetest little baby. He loves to cuddle and stare into my eyes... oh man being a mom is the BEST!!

Kim - we are praying for you today & that court is successful!! We've seen "F" and he's SO cute!! :) I can't wait to tell you about him.

I've seen lots of your children and they are all doing great!! They are so adorable! The special mothers are awesome - they love these babies so much, just thinking of it makes me tear up. Please know that your babies are being loved SO much! We love spending time at HH. The boys LOVE Tim - I think we might be taking a few extra home! ;) ha.. just kidding... kinda.

Alright... we're off to HH for the day to love on all your children!!

He's PERFECT!!!

2009-04-20T16:42:00.000-05:00

Today was the most amazing day of our lives. We met Jaxson today and
he is absolutely perfect. I don’t know any other words in any
dictionary that could describe the way we feel right now. Going to HH
and seeing, touching, holding, and kissing Jaxson all for the first
time was truly a dream come true. He is everything we imagined him to
be and more. When he saw us for the first time he smiled and truly
just melted our hearts. He is one of the happiest babies and always
smiling and so very content. We are overwhelmed with ALL sorts of
emotions and feel truly, truly BLESSED. What more could a NEW PROUD
Dad (and Mom) say. Dawn is loving every minute of being a mommy and
Jaxson adores her already! We can’t wait for you all to meet him –
you will fall in love just as we have. We are going to wait until we
get back to share his ADORABLE face, but we’ll leave you with this one
picture…haha their picture didn't work so you get nothing!!! :-)

From Dawn...

2009-04-20T16:40:00.001-05:00

Hey everyone...Its Jenna blogging for Tim and Dawn...I've been out of town so I haven't blogged for them yet but here they are...Enjoy!!

We made it! It feels SO good to be here. Ethiopia is BEAUTIFUL!! We are
about 2 blocks from Jaxson right now – crazy huh?? We know that we can’t
see him until tomorrow morning and we are ok with that, but just a little
part of us wants to go and beat down that gate and scoop him up. But, we’ll
wait. J Today is Easter here and this is their biggest holiday of the year,
so lots going on here. We are going to get up and get ready and head out
for the day and come back when the other families arrive tonight. Autumn –
we had dinner with Emily last night! She’s great!! Ok… I’m off to figure
out the shower and attempt to not get ANY water in my mouth… wish me luck!!

They made it!!!

2009-04-18T18:43:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone!!! Dawny and Timmy made it to Ethiopia safely with all their luggage! I'm still waiting to hear more about how things are...but just wanted to let everyone know that they are there and will soon be holding baby Jaxson.

Dubai... here we come!

2009-04-16T21:05:00.004-05:00

We made it to New York!!! We are about to board the plane in just a few minutes!! We met up with Pat & Jody and had dinner and onto the 3rd plane we go. From here on out - my friend Jenna will be posting updates through us - so check back! We will get all of your comments though - so feel free to leave us some love!!

Thanks Tisha for the coffee!! :)

Dear Jaxson,

2009-04-13T22:29:00.003-05:00

We are coming! I wanted to write you this letter so that one day you can look back and see just exactly how much you were loved before we even met you. I have so many different emotions swarming around inside of me that I have never experienced before. I don’t know how to put it all into words, but I will try. Your daddy and I have started dreaming about you many years ago… and next week we will finally be together as a family. Our journey to you was not an easy one, but worth every tear and every heartache and every bump in the road. It’s such a strange feeling to have never held you, but my arms feel empty without you in them. You definitely were the missing piece for our family. You have made my heart whole again. We know that God hand picked you to be our son and we would go to the ends of the earth for you. I lay awake at night and think of what it is going to feel like to hold you for the first time and it gives me butterflies, much like the ones I would get with your daddy when we first started dating. I can’t wait to look into your beautiful eyes, see you smile, hear your giggle, count your toes, and just hold you and know that you are my son and we are a family forever. We got a few new pictures of you today and you have grown so much, we can’t believe it. You are the most beautiful baby we have ever laid eyes on and every time I look at a picture of you, my heart melts and I can’t help but smile. People say that you are a lucky little boy to have us as parents, but your Dad and I are the ones that are blessed. There are so many things that your dad and I want to experience with you and teach you. I know I won’t be a perfect mother, I know I’m going to make mistakes – lots of them. But, one thing I know for sure is that I promise to love you and protect you always. My son, I want you to know that you are loved more than you can possibly imagine. And tonight as you sleep, feel the breeze on your skin as I’m blowing you kisses in the wind.

Love, Mommy

Help!

2009-04-09T19:37:00.004-05:00

Did you think I was kidding when I said that my living room looked like a tornado came through? This is what it looks like when you are trying to pack. And apparently a certain someone that just so happens to live in the same house as me thinks that I'm a bad packer. So, I am now on supervisor duty.

Update Update!

2009-04-07T21:30:00.003-05:00

Ok people, I have LOTS to update you on! I have been SO busy that I haven't had much time for blogs. We got the call on Friday with our travel dates and we just booked our flights yesterday. We leave next week Thursday... travel through 5 different airports (no that is NOT a typo) and arrive in Addis on Saturday at 11:30am. We are going to take a little extra time to see a little more of the city and experience the culture. We will then leave on Thursday night and travel back through 5 airports again and arrive in Milwaukee at 4:50pm. We can't believe we have tickets booked to pick up Jaxson! Wow. And we are so excited to see everyone when we get back, it sounds like we will have quite a bit of family and friends at the airport to welcome our new family home. :) We even have a very good friend flying in from Australia to see us walk off the plane... now that's LOVE!!

So..... we also got a little update on Jaxson on Friday too. No pictures, but we learned a little bit more about his routine. He wakes up around 6am, eats every 2-3 hrs, has 2 baths a day, lays out in the sun for about 2 1/2 hrs, likes classical music lullabies as he's being rocked to sleep, oh and he gets up 3-4 times in the night. Yikes! We will be trying to fix that part for sure. They say that he is a very content baby and sweet (well that part I already knew).

We had a busy weekend with our nieces sleeping over, good times with friends, and trying to start packing. Remember how I told you all that my house was super duper clean and everything was just perfect. Ha! Well, my livingroom looks like a tornado came through. We have donations GALORE! We have received an amazing amount of support from everyone - so thank you thank you thank you!! We started to pack up the donations tonight and weigh them and well we are going to have some problems I think. We have TOO much. We are trying to get creative and see what we can do. Otherwise we may be spending big bucks to get this over. We may have to leave some donations back and send them with other traveling families. Cass & Jess, I may be calling you.

I also had a little surprise baby shower at work today and they made a donation to HH in our name. I thought that was SO very thoughtful!! So, thank you to all of my co-workers!!

Well, the dryer just dinged. I just did my first load of baby laundry!! Woohoo!! I get to go fold his little jammies and roll his ridiculously cute little socks.

Oh Happy Day!

2009-04-02T21:58:00.002-05:00

Ok, so let me fill you in on how yesterday went. Actually I’ll start with Monday. Monday morning was great, we were getting excited for our court date that night. Monday afternoon… not so great. I really do not know what happened, but something did and suddenly the wait was not so easy. Tuesday got even worse. Everyone and their mother was asking “have you heard anything… have you heard anything?” I know that everyone meant well, but it all got to be too much. I hit the wall and the “unknown” was enough to drive me crazy. Tuesday night was complete MELTDOWN. It was not pretty. I was doing the ugly cry – you know the cry where you can’t stop? Yeah… that one. When I get real stressed I get anxiety. So, I had a pounding headache, chest pain and no sleep. Yesterday I woke up and went to work and by 9:30am the headache hadn’t gone away and I already cried twice, so I just went home. I wanted to go to sleep and not wake up until Friday because that’s when I thought we would get the call. I got home and got right into bed. My phone was buzzing and I looked and it was Jody. I knew that she was calling to tell me some good news and it WAS! So, I hung up with her and thought ok probably Friday we’ll hear something. Little while later the phone started buzzing again, I looked and it said “Julie – AGCI”. My heart stopped and I started crying. Surely this is way too early and she is calling to tell us we didn’t pass. I let it ring a couple of times because I contemplated not answering and just having Tim call Julie back because I didn’t want to hear the bad news. I decided to just answer. Julie said “Hi Dawn…. do you have a couple of minutes….for some GREAT news!?” I said “Julie – I have ALL the time in the world!!” So, then she told me all the scoop. Wow – TOTALLY was not expecting that. Want to talk about a roller coaster of a day? I went from the lowest of low to the highest of high. I called Tim and he came home right away. There was a smile plastered on my face the rest of the day. Later that day we were invited over to a tea party hosted by my lovely nieces Bayli & Ava. We went over and there were decorations, signs, balloons, cupcakes, cookies, Tim’s favorite pie, gifts and they were wearing some cute little dresses for the occasion. They poured us some milk… oops I mean “tea”. They were so cute and loved celebrating with us. I'll post some pics later. Then we went to dinner afterwards to do some more celebrating. So, that was the happy day yesterday!

So… onto travel plans. The agency is working on getting our embassy appointments scheduled, but it looks like we will travel in 2 weeks! Of course I have a million things running through my head and adding stuff to my list hourly. I still can't believe that we've made it this far. We are ACTUALLY going now. Ahh!! Off to pack!

WE PASSED COURT!!!

2009-04-01T11:58:00.001-05:00

And our hearts are happy!!

yeah... this pretty much just sucks...

2009-03-31T10:42:00.003-05:00

So, that post yesterday about being at peace and all that hooey phooey??? Yeah.. you can just disregard that. This sucks. I don’t know how else to say it. I have done really well with this wait from referral to court (or at least I think I have). I woke up yesterday feeling good and even wrote that little post. Well, I don’t know what happened, but something did and that’s all out the window. I am tired of waiting. I’m tired of missing out on another day of Jaxson’s life. I'm tired of people asking when we are going to get him and my answer being "I don't know". I want to know. I want the wait to be OVER. I think it’s that we are SO close now. So close. The decision is now made and I just pray that we hear something soon. It was a rough afternoon & night, but I feel better knowing that the decision has been made. I just want my boy.

Court Tonight!!!

2009-03-30T09:27:00.001-05:00

The closets are organized, the exersaucer is put together, everything has been dusted, the carpets have been shampooed, the cabinets have been cleaned & organized, the highchair is put together, the pack n play is put together, etc, etc, etc, and it’s done. The cleaning is done and I have wore myself out. I’m exhausted. The house is completely clean. You could come and lick my floors if you want, or my bathtub or my kitchen cabinets. They are THAT clean. So, just throwing it out there.

At midnight tonight the courts will open and while we sleep (well, I’m sure I won’t be sleeping) a judge will decide if Jaxson Kyin will be OUR SON. OUR son. AH! How does one sleep when they know that type of decision is being made??? I did not sleep last night – Tim and I both tossed & turned all night long. So, I can only imagine what it’s going to be like tonight. I am not nervous… not at all. I’ve never once been nervous about not passing court. I’m just anxious. VERY anxious & excited. I don’t know why, but I’m very much at peace about the court appt and that we won’t have any problems passing. IF for some reason we do not pass… well, I will be heart broken, but I’m choosing to remain completely hopeful that all goes well and we will be traveling in a couple of weeks with all my friends to pick up our children! We won’t know right away if we pass or not. They wait until they have a court decree in hand before making the phone call, so we are hoping to hear on Thursday or Friday. There are 4 other families that have court tonight as well, so if you could PLEASE say a prayer for all of us before you go to sleep tonight we would all REALLY appreciate it!!

Now I’m off to find some caffeine… and maybe some chocolate…

Nursery Pictures

2009-03-26T21:51:00.013-05:00

Ok...I know I've been promising these pictures for quite sometime now, but alas HERE IT IS PEOPLE!! Here's Jaxson's room...

This is artwork that Tim & I painted when we were little. I thought it would be cute to hang & put in Jaxson's room. You can't see it, but the picture on the left... Tim painted that in 3rd grade and it's a tree house that says "The Cool Club - No Girls". hahaha...so cute.

The closet that Tim built... he did a great job!

We got a nester over here!

2009-03-24T10:06:00.001-05:00

Our court appointment is right around the corner! NEXT week – WAHOO!!! (please keep us & the other families in your prayers!) Back in January when we were told our court appt was 3/31, I was like WHAT?! That is forever away! I can’t do that. Well, certainly I could… I’ve waited several years for our baby – I can wait a few more months. And the time passed quickly – it really did. I got an email from another family with the same court date as us with some fun info. Our caseworker told her that if we pass court that we should plan to travel the week of 4/12 or the week of 4/19 depending on the embassy appointments. Ummm hello – that is just a FEW weeks away!!! So, I am beyond excited but a little freaked out at the same time. I always imagined us being at this point, but it’s different when you are actually there. We COULD be booking our plane tickets next week. What? Did I really just type that? Yes… crazy.

So, wanna know what I’ve been up to? NESTING. Yes, that’s right. I’m totally nesting. When people would say that they were nesting I always wondered what nesting really was. Well… I get it. I’m a crazy nester right now. I’m on a mission. I am cleaning everything in my house. You’d think I was cleaning for the President to come over… nope… someone even more important than that – JAXSON! Sunday Tim and I took everything out of all the kitchen cabinets, washed everything, scrubbed down the cabinets, cleaned behind the fridge & stove, re-organized, etc… I’m doing this to every room in my house. I’m obsessed. So, watch out people – CRAZY nester is comin’ through!!

American Idol - The Top 11

2009-03-18T10:44:00.003-05:00

Ok, so I love to watch American Idol. I have watched every single season and I’m still hooked. I’m sure many of you are fans too – so let’s talk about how last night went.

Michael – ok, so Michael did good I think. I didn’t understand him all of the time, but it was good. Great? Nah.. just good. But, kinda forgettable I think.

Allison – Allison did really well. Good song choice. She’s the best female – I think. I love her voice – very mature for 16. But, the red hair? Gotta go.

Kris – LOVED him. I think he is really good and people are probably underestimating him… watch out! He’s one of my favs.

Lil – ok, I’m sorry but last night she did BAD. Just BAD. That was not good at ALL. There were a million other songs she should have picked. That one has been done way too much. And she was just off with the whole thing. I normally like her, but not last night.

Adam – Umm..where do I start. WEIRD. I did not like the arrangement of the song at all. I think he wears too much make-up and I agree with Simon that it was a tad indulgent. He was kinda creeping me out. But, I will admit his vocals were good – he has some of the best vocals on the show – whether you like him or not. But the whole thing was just gross. He won’t go home though – the judges would save him anyway.

Scott – ok, I know people think that he’s not that good. I agree he doesn’t have the best vocals, but I still like him. And I thought he did a good job last night. Will he be in the bottom? No, I don’t think so. I think he has a fan base – pity votes? Maybe… but he won’t be going home.

Alexis – I was disappointed in Alexis this week. I thought that she would be a stand-out tonight, but not so much. She didn’t do bad, but it was just “eh” for me. Good, but forgettable. And did anyone else notice that she resembled Dolly just a little??? Weird. She could be in the bottom tonight.

Danny – oh I LOVE Danny! And not just because he’s our hometown guy here in WI!! In the beginning of the song I was like “hmmm.. then about 30 seconds in I was like ok yes I like it”. He really has some pipes. Love him. No wait… LOVE him. Another fav.

Anoop – wow – he did AWESOME!! And I’m so thankful he has a stylist helping him now – hehe. He was AMAZING. And I was worried about him and country week – but he did awesome awesome!

Megan – do not like her… at all. I don’t know what it is about her, but I just don’t like her. She is TOO quirky for me. The weird shake/hip/twist thing she does annoys the boogers out of me. She stands in front of the mic with her arms straight and does the shakey… twisty… weirdness. I want to tell her to STOP. And was it me or did her boobs look really weird??? Please go home Megan.

Matt – LOVED it!! He did really good. He is another one of my favs. I know what you are thinking… man she has a lot of favs… no not really – just 3. So anyway, he did awesome on the piano and you could tell he was really into it and well that’s one of my favorite songs so I was happy with his song choice. Yay Matt!

Ok, so… who is going home tonight??? Well, I’m going with Megan. What do YOU think??

my weekend with Jody

2009-03-16T21:27:00.003-05:00

I'm baaaaack!!! I had a GREAT time with Jody & her family this past weekend! It was so nice to just relax and have fun with her family. They have 3 adorable, smart, sweet and funny girls - they are a lot of fun to be around & I miss their cute faces already. I was so nice and brought some WI weather with me - I don't think they appreciated that so much though. :) And look what Jody bought for Jaxson... LOTS of clothes!! Isn't she awesome?!

So, are you wondering why there is a picture of a toilet? Well, that is Jody's toilet. I spent many hours with that toilet yesterday. Yes... bad bad memories with that toilet. I woke up Sunday morning at 4am with a fever and the chills and ... well I'll spare you the other details. Thankfully at about 2pm I was feeling better and able to get on the plane. But, for awhile I thought I might be spending another night at their house. So, our last day wasn't so fun... but the rest of the weekend was! Funny thing is that Jody and I were emailing last week and somehow got onto the subject of throwing up (I have no idea why) and I told her that I NEVER throw up and get sick... blah blah blah... HA... guess I'm a big fat liar. Oh and are you wondering why I took a picture of her toilet? I didn't. My oh so nice friend Jody emailed me this morning and the subject line said "Dear Dawn - I miss you". I was thinking... awww Jody misses me and sent me a picture of the two of us, nope not the case at all. She sent me a picture of her toilet. She's so mean!

Heading to Virginia...

2009-03-11T18:15:00.004-05:00

I've been slacking in the blog department... so sowwey! We have been really busy, but I have a good post coming soon... so stay tuned. We are ALMOST done with the nursery, just need to get some frames for the pictures and get them hung. Sooooo.... next week I'll have the big nursery reveal!! Aren't you excited?! You should be. Seriously...get hype.

I'm SO excited because I'm hoppin' on a plane tomorrow to go visit Jody & her family!! Jody and I met last summer from the blogs/list serv when we realized we were right next to eachother on the list. Well, a WONDERFUL friendship was formed and now I'm packing my bags to go hang out with her. Isn't that cool?! I'm sure I'll have some pics from the weekend to share next week too. See...I'm giving you reason to come back and check up on me!

Donations for HH

2009-03-03T19:34:00.002-06:00

I've had several people ask me about donations recently and I figured it's about time that I start collecting. We are really hoping to be able to take LOTS over! If you're interested in helping out here is a list of items that are needed at HH.

Items needed the most are:
- diapers (all sizes)
- wipes
- 4 oz avent bottles
- lids and nipples
- bouncy seats

Other items needed:
- bibs
- hand sanitizer
- kleenex boxes
- infant & children's vitamins
- formula
- diaper rash cream
- baby shampoos & baby oil
- blow up balls/outside toys
- sidewalk chalk
- bubbles
- children's dvds & cds
- men & women's deodorant
- good quality electric shaver
- clothing:
baby clothing infant - 8 mos
light jackets or sweaters for all ages
boys clothing for ages 6-10 yrs old
girls clothing for ages 6-13 yrs old
underwear for all ages
shoes for all ages - crocs are great

Used items are fine as long as they are in good condition. If you have anything please let me know. Thanks in advance for your help!

Funkytown

2009-02-27T20:48:00.002-06:00

I'm in a funk... have been all week. I think it's a number of things, but I sure hope it passes soon.

#1 - I'm SO tired of winter. I really need some warm weather.
#2 - I'm SO tired of waiting. March 31st seems so far away.
#3 -I'm so unmotivated to start losing weight... what's it going to take to kick my butt in gear?
#4 - I've been really busy at work, so not feeling as balanced as I normally do.

Does anyone have a time capsule that I could borrow, so I can speed ahead 31 days? I'll give it back - I promise. Does anyone have a secret diet pill that will make me lose 30 lbs overnight? Oh and does anyone have any go go gadget arms I could borrow while I'm at work, because my 2 arms just aren't cutting it. Oh and could someone please call the weatherman and order some warm weather? Mmmmkay I think that's about it. Appreciate your help.

I'm Alive!!!!

2009-02-23T20:29:00.004-06:00

That's right. I'm happy to report that I survived the shots!! Although where I got the tetanus shot is STILL sore. I did ask the nurse if I could have my shots in my "behind" since I have more "cushion" down there... maybe I wouldn't feel it as much. She chuckled and said no. Dang. Tim would just say that I'm a wimp. Which, I can admit that I am. My tolerance for pain is like negative 10 or something. I would always say that if I ever did get pregnant that I would go ahead and ask for the epidural at my first appointment. So, I'm very sorry Jody but you will not be receiving my Cheez-Its. I'm about to die and she asks if I die if she can have my Cheez-Its. Nice friend, eh?

Ok... so you may remember that I said that Tim got be a VERY nice Valentine's gift. I'm sure you have all been laying awake at night wondering what it is. Well, let me just fix that for you. My mother in-law works for United Airlines and that certainly has its perks! Tim and his mom were able to get a SUPER SUPER cheapo flight for me to visit Jody & her family for a weekend! YAY!!! So, in a few weeks I'll be heading out to VA to spend a weekend with their crazy family!! I'm so excited!!

P.S. We've been making lots of progress on the nursery. I should be posting pics in the next couple of weeks. It is now my favorite room in the house. I just sit in there and look at everything - love love LOVE it and can't wait to have him in it!!

Goodbye Forever

2009-02-20T09:02:00.002-06:00

Well, today is the day. The dreaded day. The day that has been haunting me. Today is the day that I get my shots for travel. Yes, I will surely not survive. Just as the needle goes in - I'm sure the ceiling will cave in and the needle will come out the other side of my arm. Don't I have a wonderful imagination? So... it was nice getting to know you all. Goodbye forever.

Valentine's Day 10 Years Ago

2009-02-16T21:50:00.003-06:00

For those that don't know, Tim and I are high school sweethearts. In the fall of '98 Tim went off to college 6 hours away in Minneapolis. He was diagnosed his first week of college with Hodgkins Lymphoma. Nice way to start off your college experience, eh? He struggled his first year in MN. He was sick... a lot. The chemo took a toll on him, but the doctors were confident that it was going to be curable. It was very difficult to be so far away from eachother while he was going through all of that. He finished his radiation in May of '99 just in time to come back home and take me to my senior prom. He has been cancer free ever since - almost 10 years!

Here is a picture of us on Valentine's Day 10 years ago. Tim came home and took me to my Winter Formal dance at school.

This is Christmas '98

I hope you all had a nice Valentine's Day!! I got a wonderful gift from Tim that I'll post about later! :)

Happy Mommy

2009-02-11T23:31:00.002-06:00

We got an update on our little guy!!! I was desperately needing an update, so was thrilled to get this email today from Autumn - she is so awesome I just love her!

He is precious! He is super teeny tiny. His mannerisms are those of a newborn. You still have to completely support his head when holding him. He is just so loveable and dependent and sweet. I was able to hold him for quite a while. He was an absolute doll. One of the nannies came over and gave me a nipple (detached from a bottle) of flaxseed oil. I don't know why they give it to them. Anyway, I fed him that as I held him. He was so sleepy I felt so bad. He would start dosing off and I would slightly wiggle the nipple. He would wake enough to remember something was in his mouth and start sucking again. 10 seconds later he would dose again. His expression and mannerisms were so sweet. Everything about him is perfectly precious.

47 days til our court date. Please oh please let the time go by fast and please oh please let us pass on the 1st time! I don't think I can wait much longer... this is so hard. It is so crazy how we love this little baby more than anything in the world... and have never met him or held him. But, he is definitely in our hearts. Mommy & Daddy are coming soon Jaxson!!

From Ashes to Africa

2009-02-10T21:05:00.011-06:00

Ok peeps - you have to read this book! From Ashes to Africa. I follow the Bottomly's blog - they are actually one of the first families that I started to blog stalk when Tim and I were thinking of adopting early last year. I loved following their blog because well Amy just seems so down to earth and someone I could connect with and well just hang out with. And their son Silas is so stinking cute. ANYWAYS... they wrote a book about their story and adoption. I can relate to them with a lot of things. Tim and I struggled with infertility and the burdens that come with it - so I appreciate their honesty in the book so much. I wish more people felt comfortable being open and honest with infertility because nobody wants to talk about it and well it NEEDS to be talked about. While reading the book I said "me too!" so many times. So, I highly recommend the book... and it's not just a story of infertility... it's an awesome adoption story too. So, just trust me and go get yourself a book ... right now!

And I just have to put a quote from the book in here because I had these exact same thoughts.

"Countless times after I told people about our plans to adopt, they would offer me their congratulations-slash-consolations by telling me stories of couple they knew who had infertility problems and decided to adopt, and then soon after adopting, surprise surprise, they got pregnant.... What I wanted to tell these people was that adoption had become my dream. Adoption was no longer Plan B. It was Plan A."

So there were countless parts in the book where I had the exact same feelings, but that one stuck out to me a lot because well I guess it still bothers me... not a lot. Just a little...

So, now... go get the book!

http://www.fromashestoafrica.com/

Court Date

2009-02-05T19:36:00.004-06:00

That's the number of days until our court date. Long time, huh? Yeah - that's what we think. We are glad to finally have a date however its MUCH later than what we were hoping for. March 31st is the big day. So, the countdown begins...

25 Random Things

2009-02-03T19:05:00.002-06:00

I was tagged a few times on facebook to write 25 random things about me, so I thought I would blog it. Here we go...

I married my best friend.
I hate the dentist..yes, hate it. He scares me.
I make lists everyday...to do lists, grocery lists,, etc..
I have 3 bridal showers to go to in the next 2 weeks.
I like playing bingo.
I'm in love with a little boy in Ethiopia
I came home from work today and my dog had thrown up in 2 places - yuck.
I have lots of books I want to read, but I don't make the time to read them.
I think I should be a judge on American Idol
I love being home with just Tim watching a movie on the couch, but we rarely do. We're always doing something. That will soon change!
I'm really struggling with the thought of putting Jaxson in daycare.
I drink apple juice everyday.
I suck at doing laundry. I'm a slacker.
I wish I wasn't such a picky eater - it would make things a lot easier.
I really really really want to know when my court date is.
Tim HATES it that I watch the Real Lives of the Orange County Housewives. He says its trashy and well it is, but I have to watch it.
I'm really looking forward to having fun this summer with my little family.
I don't eat breakfast during the week, but I like to on the weekend.
I love coupons and I make it a game to see how much I can try to save.
I love entertaining.
Sometimes I wish I lived in Virginia. :)
I've never held Jaxson, but my arms feel empty without him in them.
I don't understand why people buy $600 vaccuum cleaners. My $150 vaccuum probably does just as good as your $600 one. So there.
I worry about what kind of bottles to buy and what kind of formula to get.
I'm craving a white mocha from Starbucks right now.

Update on Jaxson & Ethiopian Dinner

2009-01-27T22:21:00.007-06:00

I want to start off by sharing a WONDERFUL email I got from Kimmie today. TOTALLY made my day!!

We did see your son...he is so tiny and perfect! We popped in to the babies room a few times and your little one was all cozy tucked into his little basket (a little Moses basket) sleeping contentedly. He has beautiful features, though we didn't see him with his eyes wide open. How wonderful that you got a referral for such a wee little man...he looked very healthy, for such a new man to this world! He is being well taken care of, those special mom's carry the title of 'special' for a good reason...they really pour themselves out for all of these kids. There is much love there, excellent care and soon you will see it for yourself. Have peace and know that God is holding your son in His arms for you, until you can fully hold him in your own.

How sweet was that?! I cried when I get her email. We don't receive much updates (if any) between referral and right before travel, so I cherish ANY piece of information we can get our hands on!!

Ok, then tonight we had plans to go to an Ethiopian restuarant. I was quite nervous... ok not nervous I was scurred. Yes... scurred. I am picky.... every mom's worst nightmare. I don't like trying new things at all and like to stick to my little ole' chicken and pasta. Safe and yummy. So, the thought of Ethiopian food was well... not so appealing, but I thought I'd be a trooper and give it a shot. Everyone is saying how WONDERFUL it is... can't be that bad, right? Uhhh...yeah... ok... sorry, but I couldn't even try it. Well, I had some chicken (and I use the word "some" loosely). I just couldn't do it. It looked like mushy... pureed.... pastey.... chunky... stuff. I totally wimped out. Everyone else did really good and said it was "alright and good", I just watched them. So, sorry Jaxson but your Mom won't be eating traditional Ethiopian food with you. Thank goodness Tim likes it - one of us needs to!

So, here are some pictures. The group is Tim and I and one of my best friends Jenna. Then my mom & dad. And our friend Petah is on the end. Ok...his real name is Peter, but he's from the UK so he's not Peter... he's Petah in my lovely english accent.

and there it is folks...

this is me thinking "what in the H-E-double hockey sticks did I get myself into?!"

And sorry to admit it, but this was my dinner. No shame people. No shame.

Crazy Hair

2009-01-26T19:16:00.007-06:00

I dislike winter for a number of reasons. It's cold, the slushy/yucky stuff is messy, it's cold, it's not fun scraping windows, its cold, etc.... You get the point. But, another reason I don't like winter is because it's SO dry. And my hair is always staticy, it's so annoying. Well, Addy is having some issues too....

Tim and I drove up to Minneapolis this weekend for our nephew's dedication. It was a short trip, but a good trip. Here are a couple pictures.

Isn't he a stud?!

hi... i'm emry

haha... look at ava's face

tammie with her girls...

Update on the adoption...

~AGCI had a mix up and lost our referral paperwork, so we are re-doing it and sending it back in (no worries - it's not holding up our process... exhale - you can breathe again)

~AGCI is sending our travel packet this week - YAY!!

~We have a conference call with AGCI on Friday to discuss travel stuff - DOUBLE YAY!

~We are waiting to hear what our court date is... we are hoping for early March.

Hope you are having a non-staticy day!! :)

Bag 'O Love

2009-01-20T23:03:00.005-06:00

We got the Bag 'O Love all ready to go tonight. Here is what we are sending...

~silky blanket (that we've been sleeping with so it smells like us)

~little teddy bear (that we've also been sleeping with)

~photo album

~little elephant toy

Really we just wanted to send the first three things, but we realized we had some extra room and well if you send over a bag with empty space then CLEARLY you aren't good parents - right??? So... the little elephant won the last open spot in the bag. Oh and we did include something else in the bag... KISSES! We blew lots and lots of kisses in the bag - one for everyday until we go and get him! Which for me right now is seeming for forEVAH!!

where it all came from & coupons!

2009-01-19T22:00:00.003-06:00

Ok, well I know you all want to know where the cute stuff came from - so here we go.

The first 2 shirts are from http://www.africahopeapparel.org/. Go check out their site. They have some cool shirts for guys too - Tim got one. Then you get to pick the organization that you want the proceeds to go to. Most of the shirts are $20 - not bad folks...not bad.

Ok, then the Adoption Rocks T-shirt is from a fellow adopting family. So, you really should go to their site and buy a t-shirt to help them raise $ for their adoption. C'mon... just do it. It's so cute and you know you want to! http://onemomtrying.blogspot.com/

The clock is from Pottery Barn. And it's 50% off right now!! Only $24.99! Hurry up & go get one! http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/am350/index.cfm?pkey=xsrd0m1%7C12%7C%7C%7C1%7C%7C%7C%7C%7C%7C%7Cafrica%20clock&cm%5Fsrc=SCH

The little pouch was found on Etsy, but I don't see it on there anymore. There is a business card that came with it and the ladies company is called Urban Hen and her email address is sharon@urbanhen.com. I'm sure you could email her and request one.

Then the charm is also from an Etsy site. They have quite a few cute things. I actually got one for my Mom too that says Sayt Ayat (Grandmother).
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=19877909

And for those who would like to have an Africa cookie cutter - you can buy it here.
http://www.coppergifts.com/productcart/pc/Africa_Cookie_Cutters_CG2119.asp

Okie dokie... that's about it. Super cute stuff and not bad prices either!

Speaking of prices... I am such a nerdy nerd when it comes to coupons. I love them! Seriously people - it's free money. Why would you NOT use them?! Last night I save $27.60 with coupons - LOVE it! I get so excited to see how much I can save in a trip. OH and if something is on sale and I have a coupon for it - oh my - I might just break out in a little dance in the aisle... just maybe.

My New Garage Door Service Company and some other fun stuff

2009-01-17T22:39:00.011-06:00

So, I have decided that I should start my own garage door service company. Why you ask??? Well, let me explain. We had plans to go out with some friends tonight and we get in the car, pull out of the garage, push the button to close the garage door, garage door is not closing. Tim gets out to inspect what the problem is... he can't figure it out, so he decides to just close it manually - nope can't do that either - it's stuck. Ok.... now what? Well, Tim gets up on a ladder and finds that the cables are all twisted around this little wheel thingymajig. Clearly not something he can fix. He calls a place in the phonebook that has 24 hour service because our garage door is wide open and we can't leave the house with it open. They come out to fix it... would you like to know how much they charge PER hour? $168... yes, that's right. $168 per hour. No typo here folks. I am in the wrong business. So, I'm sure to be a millionaire soon after fixing a few garage doors on Saturday nights. It's robbery I'm telling ya.

Since we are not out with our friends... I'm at home blogging. Which has been on my to do list, but keeps getting pushed to the bottom. Update for everyone. Our paperwork is all sent in!! Woot woot!! It was kinda like sending in all of the dossier paperwork - felt so good to get it OUT of the house. We are now in waiting mode again. We should hear from AGCI in about 3 weeks with what our first court date is. Hoping for early March! IF we pass on the 1st time, then we could travel early April! :) We will be sending the bag 'o love to the little guy next week. I'll be sure to post pics of what we send.

Tim and I had a really fun night last night and we bought Jaxson clothes for the first time. Oh, it was SO much fun! You will all think I'm a big dork, but I actually had tears in my eyes. Because for once I wasn't buying clothes for my nieces or nephew, or cousins, or my friend's kids. I was buying clothes for MY son. Fun stuff. And good deals too because it was all on clearance.

I've been meaning to show you some of the fun stuff that I got for Christmas. So - here you go. If you want to know where any of it is from I can let you know.

Some T-Shirts

Ok, my adoption rocks tshirt is downstairs being washed, so I couldn't take a pic but this logo is on the front and it's cute.

Fun clock

Super Cute Pouch/Bag with Ethiopian Flag stitched on

charm that says "Mother" in Amharic

Cool stuff, huh?! I think so. I loved all of the thoughtful gifts!

Pray for Abby

2009-01-13T20:44:00.003-06:00

A family that adopted through our agency needs prayers. Their 3 yr old daughter Abby was diagnosed with leukemia back in July and she's been fighting ever since. Tomorrow she starts a very aggressive treatment. Her survival rate is low... 20%. Please keep this family in your prayers.

Showered with Gifts!!

2009-01-10T19:04:00.016-06:00

Today was our baby shower - let me just say.... WOW!!! I know I say this all the time, but we are so incredibly blessed. Blessed...blessed.... blessed. We were showered with so many wonderful gifts. We have everything we could possibly want or need and more. Only thing missing now is the little guy himself!!

I don't think I've posted what his name is and since it's on the cake I better tell you now before you see it! If his name was given by his birth family then we would have kept it, but that's not the case. So, we have decided to change his name (for several reasons). Jaxson Kyin is the name we've chosen. Kyin is an Ethiopian name and means long awaited child. So...kinda fitting - huh? So, now that we have that out of the way - here are some pictures from the shower.

My Grandma's...

My Mom...

My good friend Debra (she helped host the shower)

These cute little bags were sitting at everyone's seat. Inside was a bracelet made by women in Africa and the proceeds went to send children to school in Africa. Cool, huh?! My mom and my friend Sally made these cutie patootie bags (they match the nursery bedding)

Everyone also got one of these super cute & yummy cookies that my friend Lisa made.

Then there was a placemat at everyone's seat that had a very sweet poem typed on it. So precious... (warning - you will need kleenex)

KISSES IN THE WIND

I hold you in my heart and touch you in my dreams. You are here each day with me, at least that's how it seems.

I know you wonder where we are... what's taking us so long. But remember child, I love you so and God will keep you strong.

Now go outside and feel the breeze and let it touch your skin...Because tonight, just as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.

May God hold you in His hand until I can be with you. I promise you, my darling, I'm doing all that I can do.

Very soon, you'll have a family for real, not just pretend. But for tonight, just as always, I blow you kisses in the wind.

May God wrap you in His arms and hold you very tight. And let the angels bring the kisses that I send to you each night.

Ok - is that not the sweetest poem?! I LOVED IT!! Now go on and get your kleenex so you can finish reading this.

This was the cake that my friend Lisa made!! Isn't it cute?! Again in matches the bedding and she even wrote Amharic on the cake - very impressed!! And not only did it look awesome, but it tasted SOOOO good. It was some chocolately goodness with oreo filling. I promise you - the best cake you'll ever taste.

Can you see me in the sea of gifts?!

Oh just some of my best friends... this is Lisa, Sally and Sandy. They are WONDERFUL friends. I love them.

Ok, so I got A LOT of WONDERFUL gifts and if I could post pics of all of them I would, but the post would never end. So, I'll just share this one with you. My cousin got this cute hoodie for me. If you don't have your glasses on and can't read it, it says "There's nowhere on earth I wouldn't go to bring you home to me". I love it.

And here are all the gifts in our living room. YIKES! Baby Jaxson is taking over the house and he's not even here yet!! We aren't quite done in the nursery yet, so for now - this is where it's staying.

So, that was our FUN day!! It was so great, I loved every minute of it. Thank you to everyone for coming to celebrate with us and thank you for all the wonderful gifts you showered upon us. Jaxson has absolutely no idea how many people are waiting for him here and cannot wait to shower him with love! THANK YOU TO ALL MY AWESOME FAMILY & FRIENDS!! I love you!

Referral Packet

2009-01-08T22:06:00.006-06:00

(Our little guy doesn't REALLY look like smiley face - I just had to cover it up so you couldn't see his cute little self)

We got our referral packet - woot woot!! I came home on my lunch hour and it was sitting nice and pretty inside the door. I tore it open to check out all the paperwork we have ahead of us. It's not too bad - I'll be speedy mcspeederson and get it all done and in!

I'm very excited for Saturday because we have a baby shower!! What a fun week, huh? Referral on Monday and a shower on Saturday!! :) The shower was obviously already planned, but perfect timing for sure! I'm so excited to see everyone and celebrate baby "P"!!

The GREATEST phone call!!!

2009-01-05T23:16:00.007-06:00

Today was THE day!!! The phone call that we have been waiting for came!! It's a BOY!!! And a little itty bitty one!! He is about 8 weeks old and pretty small. He came to Hannah's Hope on 11/20/08 and weighed a whopping 5.7 lbs and was 20.5" long. Skinny little guy, but very healthy. It won't be long until HH plumps him right up! Ok, so let me tell you about the day!

Well, the day started off with little sleep. I was so anxious last night that I tossed all night long. I was convinced that we should be getting the call today and if not, well I was going to be VERY disappointed. Our caseworker Julie emailed all of the families this morning saying that AGCI was opened back up and they were playing catch-up, but that they would be calling all families this week with a monthly update and new #'s. Oh and she said I hope you had a great holiday... blah blah blah. So, I was wanting to email her SO bad and just say "ummm... so do you have some great news for us and will you be calling me TODAY?!" But, I figured that was a little too direct, so I emailed back and said "Thanks Julie. Looking forward to hearing from you soon!". Well, she emailed back and said "I look forward to talking to you too!". And then......... she put a smiley face!!! So, then the detective work began. She wouldn't put a smiley face if she didn't have good news, right? I mean - come on - you don't put a smiley face and then NOT call with a referral! I even emailed Jody to tell her that I got a smiley face!! So, anyway... the anxiety levels were high and productivity at work was LOW. It was my first day back to work in 2 weeks and it had to be the day that the agency opened back up and we were #1 on the list - ugh! So, friends and family all had their guesses in on what time the call would come today (if it came) and there were about 15 guesses and nobody got it spot on, but close! Dani -you guessed 3:43pm and Sandy I think you were 3:52pm and the call came at 3:47pm!! Ok, so anyways... I had a little heads up that the call would be coming since my lovely friend Jody emailed me while she was on the phone with Christy getting her referral!! Now Jody is behind me on the list, so I'm thinking "WHAT?!" Well, I knew that Christy was probably just a little ahead of the game then Julie, so I knew it was coming! I called Tim and he left work because he knew it was coming! I started packing up some of my stuff at my desk and then buzz buzz my phone was vibrating and it said "Julie - AGCI". I paused.... started BAWLING... then answered. Julie said she had some great news and I was just bawling. She said I have a little baby boy to tell you about - me, well I'm still bawling and couldn't even talk! She asked if I wanted more information or if I wanted to be with Tim for the info. I told her I wanted to be with Tim and I was leaving work and would call her in 15 minutes! All the while... still bawling!!! I told Julie I was sorry for crying, but I was just SOOOO happy!! So, some friends came by to see me run out the door and packed up my stuff for me and shut my computer off. And off I ran! I live like 8 minutes from work and while I'm on my way home Jody called to tell me about her referral and I told her I just got mine too!! Then when I got home Tim and I called Julie and of course she didn't answer, so we left a message and waited... waited... paced... waited. Then after 20 minutes I said screw this I'm calling her back again! So, we called and she answered! She said "I had a feeling it was you, I was just about to call you back". I said "yeah well we were just a tad impatient". She then told us all about him!! We have about 50 pictures of the little guy. Like I said he's small and he looks like a little old man - hehe. He's not smiling at all and is very serious!! Several people have asked us about his background and Tim and I aren't sure that we are going to share his information on how he ended up at HH. We feel like it's kinda private and not quite sure how we'll choose to share that info (if at all). But, it's sad... So, anyway...we've had a house full of people all night long, LOTS of emails and phone calls and text messages that I have not been able to respond to - Sorry!! After the last person left at 10:30pm, we just sat on the couch and tried to let it all sink in and oh yeah ate some supper. We are VERY happy!! How am I ever going to sleep tonight???

Here is a picture of Tim and I getting our first look at the little nugget!

And here is a picture of our fridge! lol. We've had these sheets up on the fridge since July and would cross off our #'s as they would go down.... felt SO good to cross off the #1!!!

Renee, Kristi & NellAnn - I hope you hear some good news soon!!!

And here comes the anxiety...

2009-01-05T09:44:00.002-06:00

Going to start staring at my phone in 15 minutes when AGCI opens. AHHH!!! I can hardly stand it! I tossed and turned all night long. Oh I HOPE HOPE HOPE that today is THE day!!!

It was kinda nice to not have the phone attached to my hand over break and the crazy anxiety, but it's baaaaaaaaaaaack!!

VOTE VOTE VOTE!!!

2009-01-01T22:32:00.003-06:00

Happy New Year!!! Tim and I are SO excited for what 2009 will bring. We have been waiting sooooooo long to be parents and this is our year!! Oh and AGCI opens in 3 days!!! I can hardly stand it!

Ok, so since we are so close on both lists (unofficially #1 and #2) I thought it would be fun to take a poll on if it's a boy or a girl. Let me just say that EVERYONE thinks it will be a boy and I mean everyone. All of our friends and family are all expecting a boy, so if it's a girl everyone will be in for a shock! I'll be thrilled either way! So, go on over to the right and vote! Go on... GO!!

Started the nursery!!

2008-12-29T23:38:00.005-06:00

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a great Christmas!! We sure did. It was nice spending time with all of our family. We have lots of houses to hit on Christmas, so it gets a little crazy but it was great. Baby P even scored some nice gifts. Little toys, blankets, etc... It was nice that people remembered our baby this Christmas even though he/she isn't physically here. The baby is definitely in our hearts on our mind LOTS!!

Here's a picture of us with all of Tim's siblings and spouses. We're a pretty fun group if you ask me. They all came over to our house the day after Christmas and we had lots of laughs. We played some Rockband and even busted out the camcorder for a couple songs and my oh my... if I posted them - you would pee your pants laughing... no joke... you would. But, am I dumb enough to post a video of me singing Eye of the Tiger for the whole world to see?! NO!! So use your imagination! Our baby has NO idea how dorky his/her parents are... hahaha.

And here is a picture of all of our nieces & nephew. I can't wait for our baby to be in the picture!!

I've been keeping myself VERY busy - makes the time go faster. 6 more days until AGCI opens - woohoo!! So, some fun news to share.... my friend Jenna and I started painting the nursery tonight and it's looking good!! We only did one wall, but that one wall looks FANTABULOUS! We got a late start, so will have to finish later. The color looks good. My edges...not so good. Definitely going to have some touch-ups to do. I'm hoping to do some more painting tomorrow. Oh and Tim did a wonderful job "supervising"... ha. My goal is to have the room painted before I go back to work on the 5th. My mom is throwing a shower for me on the 10th, so need the room done so we have somewhere to put all the goodies!! Can't wait to post pics when the nursery is done.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-23T22:35:00.004-06:00

So... no phone call. Boo. It stinks, but I know we are close. We didn't get a referral by Christmas like we'd hope, so now I'm aiming for one by Christmas in Ethiopia which is 1/7.

I did want to say CONGRATULATIONS to everyone who passed court - that's wonderful!! I'm so happy that you found out right away and didn't have to wait until the 5th. Now we all need to pray for Autumn's court date on the 3oth!!! She has waited much too long.

I hope you all have your shopping done, gifts wrapped, groceries bought, house cleaned, etc.. so that you can enjoy the next 2 days with your families!!

From our house to yours... Merry Christmas!!