9 Weeks!

That's right, 9 weeks folks! Oh, and a Weightwatchers update; I've been sticking with the online program and have lost 11.5 pounds in 6 weeks! It feels great to not have to dance around the bedroom to get my jeans on after they've just come out of the dryer! I've almost TOTALLY cut out Mountain Dew, very sad I know. Now, I need to concentrate on getting more exercise. The first few weeks the weather was so nice that we were walking almost every evening. Now I'm going to need to make myself get on the elliptical machine...much harder to do. I'm hoping to be down about 20 pounds by Christmas!

I can't believe I'm 5 days late posting this entry! Last Wednesday marked 8 weeks of waiting! Today marks exactly 2 months! Number 8 on the Island of Sodor is Duck, though his number is not painted on him like the other engines. The time is continuing to fly by. Not only am I staying busy with Grayson, bible study, and now volunteering, I think more than anything the idea of another baby just seems so surreal! I put the crib up in the guest room a couple of weeks ago and I occasionally just look at it and it still just seems too far off to really imagine. But, the crazy thing is, it will be here before we know it! Thanksgiving will mark about 3 months on the waiting list and Christmas will mark 4 months! I know the holidays will make the waiting seem to go that much faster.

The Thomas Birthday Extravaganza!

Yesterday was Grayson's birthday party. I was such an amazing day. I kept finding myself looking at him and thinking, "wow, he's really here, he's really our son." I don't mean to brag, because I really don't take credit for much, but he is just such a wonderful little boy. He's just so sweet and happy and his smile just lights up a room. I remember waiting impatiently for his referral, thinking the day that we would get to hold him our arms would never come. And now, here he is, 2 years old, having been home with us for a year and a half. This is what makes the waiting so much easier this time around. We are almost at 8 weeks of waiting and I just feel so much peace knowing how wonderful it will be when the time comes that we get to bring our 2nd little boy home.

As far as the party yesterday, Grayson had so much fun. He loves having family and friends around. He was just in the best of spirits yesterday, playing with his cousins, opening presents, eating cake. The child got more Thomas stuff than we know what to do with! We teased that now he won't need anything for Christmas...hehe...yeah right! He got new Thomas engines, DVD's, Thomas slippers, and enough clothes to last him all winter! But more than anything, it was just so extremely special to have all our family and friends there to celebrate his birthday, and just celebrate him being a part of our family. I've thought a lot about his birth mother over the last few days, and though I know his birthday is probably a difficult time for her, I just pray that she feels how much he is loved. I think yesterday was probably more than she could have ever dreamed of for him - not because of the presents, because of the amount of love and joy that is a part of everything Grayson does. He just the center of our world and I can't wait to experience that and share that with another child.

Here are a couple of pictures from yesterday and from the pumpkin patch today. Thank you to everyone that made yesterday so special for us and for Grayson!

7 weeks waiting!

Today marks 7 weeks on the waiting list! Time continues to "fly" by! Number 7 on the Island of Sodor is Toby the Tram Engine. One of my personal favorites.

We've been busy this week preparing for Grayson's party this weekend! I can't believe he will be 2 on Friday. Where does the time go? As you could probably guess, his party will be Thomas-themed. I can't wait to see his little face when he sees the decorations and all the Thomas presents! In light of the upcoming presents, I spent the evening last Sunday going through toys and organizing. He has a toy box full in the family room, an entire playroom full, a Rubbermaid in the closet, and now several toys in the basement. We bought a carpet remnant and are storing some furniture for friends in the basement, so he now has a nice play area down there as well. It has been nice to take him down there when I'm doing laundry and let him play. I donated a few toys and plan to donate more around Christmas, but I just can't get rid of his nice toys. I keep telling myself we need to save them for Abram. But, at this rate there will be no room for Abram by the time he comes home! I really think rather than asking for any gifts for Abram, we will ask for donations for the orphanages we will visit in Ethiopia or donations for a college fund for the boys. We just already have so many nice clothes and toys.

Another exciting thing this week is bible study. I will be helping out in the children's program tomorrow. So, I will get to see what the program is all about just in time for Grayson's first week next week. I can't wait for Grayson to go! I think he will really enjoy all the little fun things I remember doing as a preschooler at bible study.

I've also been thinking ahead to preschool for Grayson next year. He will miss the cut-off for the 3 year-old programs by one month. So, I really don't want to send him to preschool because he would then be in preschool for 3 years. I think I will try a homeschool curriculum with him next year. I don't want him to just not learn anything until the next year, but I don't want him to be in preschool for so many years. So, it's kind of the best of both worlds. I found a nice curriculum online where I can just print off lesson plans. It really looks pretty simple and would probably be very easy to do. We could use the new area in the basement as our little homeschooling "area" to keep him from the distractions of the playroom. It would probably only be for a couple hours a day, if that. I think it would be a lot of fun for me and him. And, who knows, if we all love it, we may do it again the next year and the next and the next until it doesn't work for us anymore. I think it would give us the freedom to do fun things and learn things other than just the basics. I would love to incorporate Guatemalan and Ethiopian history into our history lessons, etc. He could get music time through local programs and would also get social time through all the programs we participate in in the community. So, we'll see, I think I'll at least give it a try.

An exciting week for Gladney families

This has been a very exciting week for those of us using Gladney Center for Adoption! On Monday, the Darlings, a family we met at the Lafayette cookout this summer, received their referral! They waited about 5 1/2 months, but I'm sure that wait seemed very insignificant after they saw the face of their beautiful 13 1/2 month old daughter! Yesterday, another family received a referral! This time, a little boy that is turning one year old today! They waited almost 5 months! We also heard that 2 families received their court dates for their little ones.

So, as you can see, the wait times are definitely closer to the 5 month mark than the 3 month mark. According to the unofficial waiting list that is maintained by a Gladney family, we are about 30th on the list. Though that seems daunting, when you look at those families requesting a child of either gender or a boy, we are only 11th on the list! Now that's exciting! Even though I know it will still be a 4-6 month wait, 11th sounds so much better than 30th!

6 weeks waiting....halfway to the "window?"

Today marks 6 weeks on the waiting list. Gladney has officially changed the wait time from 3-5 months to 3-6 months. So, technically, we're about halfway to entering the "window," the time in which we may receive a referral. However, I can't tell you the last time I saw anyone receive a referral in less than 4 months. So, in order to keep myself from getting too anxious upon entering the window period, I am setting my own window period of 4-6 months. This means I don't expect to hear about a referral before Christmas. I think I have to begin thinking this way so that I don't set myself up for disappointment. I know I will be getting anxious around the holidays and just want to know who our baby is going to be. The Christmas after receiving Grayson's referral was definitely hard. We knew who he was, we had seen his face, heard his voice over the phone, and already loved him. But, rather than being able to spend the holiday as a family, we instead had to settle for looking at adorable pictures of him in his Christmas sleeper and opening presents that people had gotten for him without him. It was a very bittersweet holiday season. I really hope that if I can get in the mindset that it will be January or February before we receive a referral, I can thoroughly enjoy the holidays this year. This will only be Grayson's 2nd Christmas home with us, and it will be his first that he understands a little about what is going on. I want to be able to completely enjoy these milestones in his life and our life as a family of 3. This will be the 2nd, and last Christmas as the 3 of us! Santa's Christmas expenditures are about to double! I am really looking forward to establishing some traditions of our own this Christmas. I think we will go and buy a real tree this year. I'm excited to decorate the tree together, bake Christmas cookies, and all the little things I remember about Christmas as a kid. I bought an advent house last year after Christmas, so I look forward to putting little pieces of candy in the house and starting our countdown on December 1st. Maybe I should put little Thomas stickers in it. I think Grayson would enjoy the Thomas much more than candy.

Family Pictures

This past weekend we traveled home to Liberty to have a friend of my sister's take some pictures of the 3 of us. I figure we should have at least SOME professional pictures of the 3 of us before we become a family of 4. Wow, 4....just saying that makes me nervous and excited all at once!

We had our pictures taken on Miami University's campus. It was a gorgeous day and we got some great pictures. However, I definitely felt like I had run a marathon by the time they were over. Grayson just didn't want to sit still...perfectly understandable for a 2 year old. Plus, he really doesn't like strangers getting really close to him and especially when they have hair clippers or cameras. But, Grayson eventually warmed up to Aryn and we played a little game where she chased him onto our laps and then would snap a picture! So, Grayson would come charging at me, I'd scoop him up, flip around, and smile! I felt extremely disheveled, but somehow we managed to get some good pictures! I think it's safe to say that it will likely be this time next year before we have pictures taken again!

Week 5 down!

We've completed week #5 of waiting! Number 5 on the Island of Sodor is James, the only bright red engine on the island! Time is still flying by for the most part. I really think that has a lot to with the fact that we're not in the 3-5 month window yet. I remember at this point in the wait for Grayson's referral I was a total mess! Up until that point, families had been receiving referrals for little boys in 2-4 weeks! When we reached week #5, I didn't think I would live to get his referral! We ended up waiting 7 weeks. Oh, what I would do to wait only 7 weeks. But, then again, I'm not ready for another little boy just yet. Grayson is getting closer and closer to being 2 everyday and it shows! I don't think I could handle another little boy on top of our multiple daily melt-downs! Hopefully we will have established a good time-out routine or maybe the tantrums will have lessened by the time we bring Abram home. But, however trying the 2's may be, they are also a whole lot of fun! Grayson is getting to the point that he is just so much fun to play with. Yesterday, he put Mickey at his little table and chairs and he sat down across from him and I got out the play food for him to play with. He had a blast getting it out and giving some to all of us and getting up to feed Mickey. He's just such a nice and caring little boy. Here are some pictures of him and Mickey.