Payback

I have a sister that is 18 years younger and you know we are all parenting experts before we have kids. My sister had a few quirks and was always very opinionated. She loved to pick out her own clothes and wear things that were not always appropriate. Read: Size 2T shorts when she was really a size 4/5. I already had a teenage mom complex when I had her out and about with me even though she was my sister, I felt like people assumed I was an unwed teenage mother. So, we'd have disagreements over what she'd wear a lot. I also remember dragging her out of an Old Navy store kicking and screaming. She was loudly protesting, "I want blue shoes!". 

I remember telling my mom, "Why do you let her choose what she wears?" Especially when she was looking like a homeless unkempt kid. I also said, maybe you should lock her closet and not let her have access to her clothes when she was changing 5 times a day. You know, cause I was an 18 year old parenting expert, ha!

Well, now years later, I have a very opinionated 2 year old who thinks she knows what she wants to wear. Let's be honest, she knows what she wants to wear and sometimes I try to steer her in the other direction and occasionally win. Small victories.

Some of her most recent words to me:

I no wanna wear dat!

I wear polka dots!

I no wear-a dose shoes!

I no like-a dat!

Family Day

Family Day, also known as Gotcha Day, Familyversary, and many other names. Whatever an adoptive family calls it, it is the special day where a baby comes into your life. It is most commonly celebrated in International and Foster Care adoptions where the birth day and the day the child comes into the family are usually not the same.

Miss M was 5 1/2 months on the day she came into our family. We didn't get to be there for her birth or when she was taken home by her first foster family or when she was moved from Charlotte to Raleigh to be with another foster family, but we are her forever family. 2 years ago, Miss M came home to us. I have been very nostalgic this year even more so than last year. Not sure why.

Last year we celebrated by having some of our best friends over for dinner and having a special dinner and cupcakes. This year, I knew it was coming but didn't have anything planned. It all came together though to make it a special day. We had breakfast with some of our friends and went to the park and played. Then we met up with our other friends and Miss M's bff for swimming. She loves to swim, so it was perfect. This afternoon she wanted cupcakes so tonight I baked cupcakes right before dinner and she had a cupcake after dinner. It wasn't anything over the top (and it really shouldn't be) just a simple celebration of our family.

The day Miss M came snow had been predicted all week. I was so worried that the snow would interrupt her move from her foster family to us. She was scheduled to come at 10:30 right after her visit with her bio mom. I cannot imagine how hard it had to have been for her foster mom to pack all her belongings and hand her off that morning. (We do sort of keep in touch and she knows she is doing well). That morning it was only lightly snowing and the Social Worker brought her in. We really didn't know anything about her, but as soon as I laid eyes on her, I fell in love. She was beautiful, huge round cheeks, beautiful expressive eyes, and she smiled such a big pretty smile. She was so bundled up. I couldn't wait to bring her in the house, unbundle her and hold her. She sat in my arms then daddy's arms while we sorted through the paperwork. Hubs and I just looked at each other after the Social Worker left like "They really just gave us a baby!" in shock. It did end up snowing that weekend, but thankfully held off until she was safe in our house.

Here is Miss M on that first day. I loved going back and looking at the pictures.

First Time in Bouncy Seat Day 1:

Big Brother proudly holding her Day 1:

Big brother and Miss M holding hands Day 1:

Her now BFF meeting her for the first time Day 2. Really bad pic of me and of course the dogs were enamored with the new baby:

The dude's K teacher coming over to meet Miss M Day 3 (he was then in 1st, but we kept/keep in touch and she was one of our references for foster care):

Call Two Years Ago

Two years ago today I got the call from the Social Worker that would change our family forever. A 5 1/2 month old baby girl, 99% adoption. It didn't take us long to decide to say yes. I called Hubs first to tell him all about her. He didn't hesitate at all. I will never forget when he said "you can make the call." We would be her third foster family and they would only place her if we were willing to adopt. Of course we were! We were given the option to meet her first but we declined, there was nothing that meeting her could do to change our minds. I then got to start calling family and letting them know that a baby was coming to our home that week.
In a flurry of calls that day (Tuesday) and the next it was decided that she would be placed with us on Friday the 8th of January. It would be a very long exciting three days of thinking about her. I started gathering a few things for the baby, a crib, moving the room around, a few items of clothing (that all ended up having to be returned as we were told she was a petite little baby so I bought 6 months, she was already in 9-12 months when we got her). I also bought the carrier that I said would be the first thing I bought if we ever had another baby, an Ergo so I could carry her.
People at work joked and called it my three day pregnancy.
It is all still so surreal how it happened and how Miss M came into our lives forever.

Wordless Wednesday - Pig Tail Hat

Wordless Wednesday

Some days I feel like this, too. What greeted me this morning.

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Girl

I made this outfit a while ago and being it was summer, I wasn’t ready for her to wear it. It is not quite Fall, but cool in the mornings so I finally put it on her. It was super cute on her and I set her on the bench outside day care to snap a few pics.

She was so stinkin adorable. I asked her to say cheese and this is what I got:

Then I eventually got the “I am tired of you taking my picture” eye roll:

She is such a happy girl in the morning. She is bouncing by the time I get to her crib and then jumps into my arms where I am greeted by huge hugs. She fusses for her diaper change if I take too long to get to her bottle. But, after she relaxes during her bottle, she just sits up and is so happy and ready to go. So much fun! My spunky little girl.

Our Precious Daughter

Our precious daughter
On August 5th, the adoption of our sweet Miss M became finalized. We didn’t find out until August 10th, our Social Worker called to tell us we had the final decree of adoption. I had already realized it would be a little anti-climactic. You spend months jumping through hoops, signing paperwork, getting things notarized, being available for any last minute social worker visits, while we were also juggling our everyday lives and watching with amazement how quickly she was growing up. Then one day, the paper comes and she is ours forever. It was still an amazing feeling. My Social Workers were happy for us and we are ecstatic. We love the little lady with all our hearts. We were on a family vacation in Las Vegas with family so got to celebrate with our extended family.

Here is our filing day picture, June 2:

Here is my sweet lady:

Happy Mother's Day

Long time no update. I think all my blog posts start similar to this.

This time I have a really good reason, no really I do.

So in the last few months we have been busy. We have yet another new addition, Miss M. We have always wanted to adopt and due to some fertility issues, we decided to try sooner than later to adopt. We decided to go through foster care and currently are foster parents to the sweet adorable little chunka-chunk Miss M. The plan is to adopt and we will see as we get closer to the date, hopefully nothing is standing in our way. In the meantime, we just enjoy her and giver her lots of love.

Miss M is 9 months old now and has been with us 4 months on Mother’s Day. She is super sweet, cute, happy, strong-willed and a pretty smart girl. She is standing on her own, eats everything you put in front of her (black beans, tomatoes, veggies, fruit, noodles, bread, etc.), claps, plays peek-a-boo, and fake sneezes so we have to say “bless you”. Her words are mam-mam, da-da, by-by, ba-ba, bruh (I think because we always say bro bro for C), and more. She has really bonded to us and kicks and screeches when one of us returns to the room or I pick her up from daycare or she sees daddy at the end of the day. I can’t tell you how much it melted my heart the first time I got that “mommy” recognition from her and I realized she is so totally happy that I just entered the room.

C is now 6 ½ years and I think it has gone by in a blink. He is still into BMX and any sport we let him play. He does Karate twice a week, plays soccer again (same team as fall with Coach Daddy), plays on a street hockey league, and wants Lacrosse sticks. I don’t think he has met or will ever meet a sport he doesn’t like. First grade is almost over. He lost two teeth and has two coming in (one where he hasn’t yet lost one). He is BIG, well I should say tall with legs that go on forever.

Happy Mother's Day:

C with his missing tooth:

My Sweet M

My Sweet M -

I can't believe you are 8 months old now! You have been with us almost three months now and we are even more smitten with you than before if that is even possible.

You have grown so much in the past 11 weeks we have had you. You just got your first tooth and second tooth last week; I think maybe you will let me get them on camera soon. Right now, you stick your tongue out every time I go to look at them. You pull up, crawl, clap and your favorite word is da-da. Your current other “words” are by by, ba ba, and other babbling. You say da-da all day long, even when Da-da is nowhere in sight. I think one of your favorite things to do is to bounce, just like Christopher I am calling you Tigger a lot. You could probably spend hours bouncing in the jumper and you go crazy in it bouncing and twirling. Some of your other favorite things are pulling up, crawling, watching C who I can imagine you think is the coolest dude in your world, watching the dogs and pulling Calvin’s hair. You grab our fingers and pull yourself up and get so tickled with yourself when you do it. Of course, you will really pull up on anything and seem to be standing a lot. Daddy called me up to your room the first time he found you standing in your crib. Good thing the Social Worker said to lower the crib, I think she helped us to avert a fall.

You didn’t really eat yet when we got you; you loved your bottles and still do. But now, you eat everything. I think Sweet Potatoes are your favorites. But, really you love the puffs and cheerios we give you and have mastered the pincer grasp. Calvin and Cuppy are so happy you have started to eat finger food and they stake a claim under your high chair and are so attentive while you eat. Calvin was smart and remembered what it was like to have a baby and he has been under your high chair from Day 1. He has realized persistence pays off. Cuppy only recently realized why he was doing that.

Your most recent stats are 19 pounds 2 ounces and 28 inches long. You were 16 pounds 4 ounces at your 6 month well-check so you have gained 3 pounds in almost 3 months. You seem longer, too. Your feet are still so small and dainty. You wear 0-6 month Robeez but you are in Size 12 months clothes, mostly.

C is still responsible for your heartiest belly laughs and I love to watch him make you laugh. He is always concerned about your happiness and does not like it when you cry. If you start fussing, he runs over and sticks your pacifier in your mouth and says “Maya don’t cry, bluebirds are signing in the sky”. He made up that rhyme himself. You laugh when we kiss you and when we play peek-a-boo. Poor Cuppy is subjected to playing peek-a-boo with you when I bring her in and out of your sight.

Love ya, “Mommy”