4 weeks waiting!

That's right...we've been on the waiting list for 4 weeks now! The No. 4 engine on the Island of Sodor is Gordon, the strongest engine (and therefore a little arrogant) on the whole island! For the most part, time is flying by! We're staying busy playing, going to bible study, and going to campus to walk and play on the playground in the evenings. The wait is definitely the hardest on me. I asked Aaron the other day if he even knew how long we had been on the waiting list and he said, "no," just as I suspected. I think to him, and many men in his situation, it's just not real until the referral. He just kind of dives into work and home life and when we get a referral, great, but until then, no sweat. I think he's also still a little concerned about Grayson getting enough attention with another baby around. So, while I know he's excited, I think he's just trying to savor every minute of being a family of 3 while he can. Oh, if only I could be as calm as he is! I think it's just that I remember so well the feeling of getting Grayson's referral. Who wouldn't be extremely anxious to do that all over again? I'm also very curious to know how old our little guy is. He could be 3 months, or he could be 11 months. It's such a big age range when you're talking about infants. Will he already be crawling, or walking? Will he have teeth and a head full of hair? Will it be straight or curly? I try picturing him in my mind, based on pictures I've seen of other families who have received referrals, and I come up with a modge-podge of faces and eyes and hair. But, with all the uncertainties, there is one thing I know for sure. We will receive our referral in God's perfect timing, not a minute too soon or too late. And, when that day comes, that little boy will have been brought into this world to be our son. Or rather, we will have been brought into the world to be his mom and dad, just as we were brought here to be Grayson's parents. Oh, I can't wait to see my little Abram's face!

It's Monday and I'm Very Motivated!

Not sure what has gotten into me (maybe it was the lack of sleep last night) but I'm feeling really motivated today! Not like my typical, run around and clean the house motivated. This time it's more, I'm young and I need to being doing more to be a better person, motivated. I had seen a little blurb in our church bulletin yesterday about at Walk for Life being held here in Lafayette in a few weeks. It's a little late to get registered and get sponsors and do all that stuff. But, I did get online and look a little more in depth at the organization. It's a non-profit organization whose main goal is to offer pregnant women an alternative to abortion. I've always been pro-life, but feel even more so now that I have Grayson and another one on the way. What if my precious boys' birth mothers lived in societies accepting of abortion? Would they be here today? Their birth mothers chose to give them life despite all they had working against them - it's the kind of courage we need to inspire in expecting mothers in the U.S. So, I called about some volunteer opportunities. Sounds like they really need people willing to do pregnancy tests and counsel the women about the results. I would have to go through some training, but can do it at my own pace. I think this would not only be an excellent opportunity to help in the community, but also a way for me to feel like I'm having an impact on the world outside the home. It would also be a great resume builder and networking opportunity for when the time comes to head back to work. So, I should be receiving some additional information in the mail soon.

I also decided today to sign up for Weight Watchers Online again. I did the program for about 4 months after Aaron and I got engaged and lost quite a bit of weight. I decided it was time to give it another try. With the stress of Grayson's adoption, I gained about 10 pounds. I really don't want to do that this time so I figure I've got to make a preemptive strike! Plus, it really wouldn't hurt to shed a few pounds and be in better shape before the next one comes home! I stay busy enough as it is...I can't imagine how physically demanding 2 boys will be! So, here goes nothing!

I'll leave you with a few pictures of Grayson from today!

3 weeks waiting....

That's right...we've been on the waiting list for 3 weeks today! We're moving right along. And, once again, we've enlisted the help of one of Sodor's favorite engines, Henry, to illustrate the number 3. I'm telling you, this Thomas stuff is addicting. I sometimes think I'm more into it than Grayson is.

Yesterday we went to Aldi's to pick up some groceries. When we got home, Grayson had a great time playing with the boxes we used to carry in our groceries. So, while he took his nap, I transformed one of the boxes into Thomas using some construction paper and markers. He has had a great time playing with his new Thomas box! Who needs to pay $275 for a battery-powered Thomas when you can use $1 worth of paper and make one!?! He has been doing everything in his box. He sits in it to watch TV, have a snack, or to play with other toys. And, he's been pushing it all over the house so he gets much more exercise than if he was riding around on a battery-powered one! It's definitely the best hour I've spent in a long time. Here are some pictures of Grayson and my Thomas box creation. We have another box just like it, but I think I'll hold off making another engine!

Dossier is in Ethiopia!

Aaron got online last Friday to pay some bills and noticed a FedEx charge of $30 and one for $140! I suspected the $30 charge was the cost of Gladney sending our dossier to the State Department in Washington, D.C. and then on to the courier who would deliver it to the Ethiopian Embassy. But, I was a little baffled by the $140 charge. So, Aaron logged onto our FedEx account and sure enough, there was the charge. He called FedEx and they informed him that it was our dossier on its way to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia! All 1.4 pounds of it cost $140 to ship! Holy cow! I guess I won't be shipping any little care packages over to our baby boy! But, the cool thing is that it only took like 5 days to get there! Sometimes it takes 5 days for Mom to send me a package from Liberty to Lafayette! The dossier went from D.C. to New Jersey to Paris to Dubai to Addis Ababa. How neat! So, this means our dossier arrived in Ethiopia on September 8th and is now being translated to Amharic (the language spoken by many Ethiopians). This will take several weeks as our dossier was upwards of 30 documents! It's comforting to know that while we wait, we're still making progress!

Big Boy Bed!

So, for a couple months now, Aaron and I have been debating on when to switch Grayson from his crib to a big boy bed. And then there is the question, do we go to a toddler bed or right to a twin? It becomes this big, life-altering decision of, well if we do this then we have to buy this, this, and this. But, if we do that, then we'll only be using this for a few months and so on and so forth. SO, after much debating on my part (I don't think Aaron cared one way or the other), we settled on going straight for the twin bed. This decision was made due to the fact that we were just given a twin bed (for free) by our neighbors this past week (thanks Herm and Carol). So, that meant no buying of toddler beds and freeing up both the crib and crib mattress for baby boy #2.

So, with that big decision behind us, I went to Target and bought some Thomas sheets. I thought for his birthday we could get his big boy bed all set up. Then, I found someone selling a bed rail for $8 on Craigslist. Well, with that taken care of, I couldn't possibly wait an entire month for his birthday to roll around. So, on Friday, Aaron took the crib down and carried up the twin bed. We then all went upstairs and started putting the bed together. When I started putting the Thomas sheets on, Grayson could hardly contain himself! He was soooo excited about his new Thomas bed that he got up on the bed, covered up, and laid down in the middle of the day! I didn't think we would ever get him out of bed.


That night he did really well going to bed. He laid right down and fell off to sleep within a few minutes. Nap time and last night didn't go as well. His first nap time he got out of bed two times. One time he must have gone right up to the monitor and yelled because it was EXTREMELY loud! He then stood on his bed and started taking things off of a shelf hanging above the bed (we take the things off the shelf now). But, he eventually fell off to sleep. Last night it took him about an hour to fall asleep. But, I think it will continue to get better and better as we go. A lot depends on how tired he is when he goes to bed. It wasn't unusual for him to take a long time to fall asleep in his crib - we just didn't have the worry of him getting out of bed!


So, once again he is growing up too fast, but it is so exciting! Here are a few pictures of him in his new bed!

BSF and the YMCA

Today was the first day of Bible Study Fellowship! Until Grayson turns 2, he will be going to the YMCA while I go to bible study. Aaron and I were both a little nervous about Grayson being at the YMCA for almost 3 hours. I have to admit I actually had knots in my stomach on the drive there. But, he did extremely well. I took him in to the little toy room and told him I was leaving and would be back soon. He watched me all the way out the door but didn't cry! When I came to pick him up he was playing and was very excited to show me what he had been playing with. I thought I might never get him out of there! He was in a very good mood and "danced" all the way out to the car.

Since today was my first day of BSF, I was with a group of other newcomers and filled out registration cards and listened to the introduction of what BSF was all about. That part was a little boring since I knew a lot about it from Mom having gone for several years. I was ready to just dive in! But, it sounds like there will be room in the class for both me and Grayson and I should be getting a call from my small group discussion leader in the next couple of days. I'll have to say I was a little surprised that the average age of the women attending was much higher than I thought! It just really made me realize once again that stay-at-home Mom is becoming a thing of the past. I was, however, very pleasantly surprised to see my neighbor Laura! She and her family are one of the families in Lafayette adopting from Ethiopia! So, it was very nice to have a familiar face in the crowd.

Since I was busy filling out registration stuff and haven't yet been assigned to a group, I didn't participate in any of the small group discussions. However, I did get to stay for the lecture at the end where all the small groups come together. I couldn't believe my ears when the first verse we looked at was Genesis 12:1-3! This is the verse where God asks Abram to leave his country, his people, and his fathers' household! Wow, could it be any clearer that our next son should and will be named Abram? So, I think we're sold on Abram Beckett (insert African birth name) Jarvis!

So, I had a few minutes this morning before we left and snapped a couple pictures of Grayson. I know, it's not like it was his first day of school or anything, but a monumental moment nonetheless! Enjoy!

2 weeks...but who's counting?

Today marks 2 weeks on the waiting list! But, like I said, who's counting? To illustrate 2 weeks on the list is Edward, the kind, little engine.

As I mentioned yesterday, I have been working on a photo collage for the play room. I finished it up last night and will post a picture. I had one picture frame with 4 wallet-sized openings. I wasn't sure what pictures I would find of Grayson in black and white to fill that space, so I decided to spell the word, baby. We know Grayson is technically a full-fledged toddler, but we still refer to him as our baby and he in turn calls himself baby. We realize we will have to teach him to say Grayson when asked his name instead of Baby before his first day of school! But, until then, I'm Mama, Aaron is Dada, and he is Beebee!

Tomorrow is my first day of bible study and Grayson is heading to the YMCA. I hope he does okay with me being gone that long. The better question is probably will I do okay? Hehe.

Here's a picture of the finished photo collage.

Staying Busy

My philosophy on waiting for a referral is that the busier I stay, the faster the time seems to pass. And, I think it may be working so far, tomorrow already marks 2 weeks on the waiting list!

Today's project to keep me busy was in the playroom. I painted it a few weeks back and am now working on getting things on the wall. I've started a collage of photos on one wall, but am still waiting for a couple more pictures until it is complete. My other project was buying some cheap clocks at Wal-Mart ($3.77 to be exact) and making labels that say Guatemala and Ethiopia. I thought it was a cute way to incorporate these countries in the kids' daily lives. They'll always know what time it is where they were born!

The second picture makes the walls look a little brighter than they actually are! I'll post pictures of my photo collage once it's complete.

In other news, I'm really excited about a play date I'm hosting at our house next week! Me and 3 or 4 other ladies adopting from Ethiopia are getting together to spend some time together and to let our kids play together. I'm just so excited that there are other wonderful families in our area that are as excited as we are about adopting and realize the importance of networking with other adoptive families. I know that we will face some challenges as a transracial and transcultural family and I know that these relationships we are building will help us through those times.

Double Stroller

So, I think I made my first purchase for our growing family! I had been keeping my eye on a double stroller at Big Lots for a couple of months. When I went today, they only had the display left! Oh no! So, I looked at it really close, asked the sales associate about, and found out they would take 10% off the price since it was the display! So, it was only going to be $90! Quite a steal for a Sit n' Stand double stroller. For those of you not up on your stroller lingo, the sit n' stand is a model that allows your little one to sit up front and your bigger one to either stand on a platform on the back or sit in a little "jump seat." I thought it was a good model considering Grayson won't need a full-fledged stroller seat much longer.

The only think keeping me from buying the stroller right then was the fact that it didn't have a manual. Double strollers are anything but simple and I didn't want to spend $90 if I couldn't even figure out how it worked! So I called Aaron, got his advice/approval and then headed home to see if I could find a manual online. Sure enough, I found one! So, I went back a couple hours later and bought it! It's official...we're ready for baby #2!

Here are a few pics of Grayson's new ride!

Story time and Baby names

Nothing too exciting to post. Grayson and I went to story time at the library downtown today. It was his first day in the toddler story time versus the baby story time. He did fairly well. He doesn't quite grasp the concept of sitting on the carpet squares. He preferred to stand. And jump. After each book he would clap and then say, "DONE?" I had to keep explaining that we weren't done yet. I think he was hoping for more of a run around the room and jump and scream free-for-all. But, he was very patient and listened to 3 stories and participated in the little songs and games. At the end of story time they have a craft. Today's theme was "Things that Move." So, we read books on cars and trucks and then made a little book with cut outs of different vehicles. He did pretty darn well for his craft time. He liked the glue stick. His cousin, Coleson, King of Arts and Crafts, would be very proud. I of course dated his little craft and intend to save it for the rest of my life.

I've been giving more thought to baby names. This is what happens once you're placed on the waiting list...you begin obsessing about all the details! Aaron and I both really like Beckett. But, my new favorite is Abram. I don't know if I would use it as a first name or middle name, but would like to incorporate it somehow. I was drawn to it in church the other Sunday. We were reading scripture from Genesis. In Genesis 12:1, God asks Abram to leave his country, his people, and his father's household and go the land God will show him. Abram up and leaves without questioning God. I think this is the kind of faith we are asking of the children we adopt. Without question, our son will leave his country, his people, and his father's household and come to live with us. So, I feel Abram would be very fitting. We'll see. Only time will tell!

One week down, several to go!

We've been on the waiting list one week today! And, in honor of Grayson's hero, Thomas the Tank Engine, we have used Thomas to illustrate the number one. So, we have one week down and, honestly, I haven't been thinking about our referral too much. More than anything, I think I'm just glad to be done with the paperwork for awhile.

We had a very nice holiday weekend. We started off by heading home to Liberty to see Aaron's family. On Saturday, we had a surprise party for Aaron's grandma's 70th birthday. It was really nice to see everyone. Grayson played very well with all his second cousins. He was so tired by the end of the day, but he was a trooper! On Sunday morning we headed down to Tennessee to Mom and Dad's boat. It was VERY HOT! We had a good time grilling out and relaxing on the new raft Mom bought to tie to the back of the boat. It has a little mesh area that Grayson could sit down in and play. He wasn't too sure about the cool water at first, but quickly got used to it and had a great time playing. We got back to Lafayette around 8 p.m. last night. Even though we were sad the weekend was over, it was nice to be back home. And, it's nice that it is already Wednesday!

I'm getting excited about starting my bible study class next week. Since Grayson is a month shy of two, we will have to take him to the YMCA while I am in bible study. Once he turns two, I can take him with me and he will go to a bible study at the same time I have mine. I think it will be great for him to have a couple hours a week of structured fun. I know he's only two, but I don't think you can begin teaching good listening and following direction skills too early. And, it is so nice that he will be learning the same bible stories I'm learning.

Well, I believe that is about all that has happened in week one of waiting. Here are some pictures from the weekend!