Special day

Today is a very special day in our home!  8 years ago today, my wonderful hubby officially asked me to be his girlfriend.

Here's a short synopsis of our dating story:
Our first date actually Jan 24, 2003 and we went to our high school's spaghetti dinner/Pack the Pit basketball game.  I actually didn't know it was a date at the time, until he paid for my dinner and then smarty pants over here figured it out.  A few days before, he had come up to me in the hallway between lunch and homeroom and asked me if I would like to go to the dinner/game with him.  I already had plans to go with my friend Erin, but I asked her if it would be okay if I went with Jeremy instead.  Now, this was a super big deal for him, because he was EXTREMELY shy and quiet in high school.  It took a lot of guts to come ask me out and boy am I glad I said yes!

So we went to the spaghetti dinner at school and of course my whole family was there spying on me and since I didn't know it was a date, I hadn't told my parents I was on a date.  They quickly figured it out (probably quicker than I did).  At the end of the evening, he asked me if I would come to the Superbowl party he was having that weekend.  Now, I knew about the Superbowl party because all of our friends in our "group" were dating each other.  Pretty much everyone was paired up and all of the guys were going to the guy's only superbowl party and the girls were a little miffed about it!  So I'd heard about all of that and when he asked me, I quickly invited all of the girls as well!

Being typical high schoolers, all of my friends spent the whole superbowl doing obnoxious :-) things like scooting my chair closer to his or asking me to go get them food when he was up at the food table.  It was extremely awkward, but fun!

He then asked me to go to a movie with him on Friday night.  I accepted, but also was EXTREMELY nervous.  So I went with him and we saw "The Recruit" which was not a movie I would typically be interested in and this was no exception.  I was so nervous that he would try to hold my hand or put his arm around me or something that I can't tell you what the movie's about to this day!   Little did I know, he was equally as nervous.  We went out to Steak-n-Shake afterward and he spent the whole time shredding his napkin to pieces while I tried to get him to say something.  I talked about everything under the sun and in my head was thinking, "Why did I agree to come here?  This is awful!"  Well, after we finished our shakes, he asked me to be his girlfriend and I said, "Sure."  (One of my many not so intelligent sounding answers).  That was January 31, 2003, 8 years ago today!


Well, from then on we were always together, and 8 years later, we've been married for 2 1/2 years, bought a house, been to Italy as well as California and Florida.  Now we're anxiously awaiting the birth of our first child.  Which brings me to why today is also such a great day!

One week from today and I'll be a mom!

I've pretty much kept myself from counting down until today because although I have grown leaps and bounds in patience through this process, I'm still nowhere near patient yet!  So in order to stay sane, I've limited my countdown to a week. Which is why in the last few weeks when people ask me, "What's the countdown?"  I look kinda dumb when I have to think about it.

However, today is exactly one week from the c-section date, and I'm pretty much so excited/antsy/nervous/going insane that I'm not really sure how to best channel my energy.  There are a lot of things on my to-do list this week, but my attention span is like 3 seconds long so nothing is really getting done...  Luckily for me and my distracted brain, I have something going on every evening this week.  While I probably won't work much (it's Catholic schools week, there's lots of fun activities going on at school) I'm going to try to stay busy! (And as I typed that, I got called in to sub this afternoon...)

Sorry it's so scatterbrained sounding, but that's me in a nutshell right now!

Getting close

The c-section date is coming up!  While time seems to be moving slowly, I know it'll get here before I know it.  We've been doing some fun last minute "getting ready" type things that may not seem all that exciting, but make us super happy that we get to do them.

For example, switching our insurance to pick up another member of the family in two weeks (not so excited about the rise in price, but excited for the reason).

We also set up a meeting with the pediatrician we would like to see!

Also taking time off work (for Jer at least, I'm pretty much done working with the exception of a random sub day here or there for the next week or so) for when the baby's born, and Jer's very quickly finishing lots of projects this week and next as it is their busy season and he's responsible for a lot of projects at work.  That way he can enjoy his week off with his wife and son (weird to say that, but oh so exciting). 

The car seat is ready and the base is installed in the car.

The diaper bag is packed and fully stocked with a few of the millions of newborn clothes people have gotten us.

The baptism is (unofficially as we have to wait till he's born and surrenders are signed) scheduled.

Cloth diapers are washed and ready for a cute bum to poop in them!

Bottles are washed, and we're holding off on buying any formula till we know if there is something that doesn't agree with him (and we'll take any extra samples from breast feeding moms around here that you are not using, cause I'm told you're given lots of samples/coupons/all kinds of stuff like that even though you're bf'ing).

Place to stay while we're waiting for baby boy to be discharged is taken care of with much thanks to friends of ours who live there (and super close to the hospital), we're so grateful for the hospitality.

Name has been solidified with the birth mom, she LOVED our compromise as there was a little issue over this at the first meeting, and nothing ended up being decided at the time.  However, she's happy with the name we chose because it means something to us and to her and we're super happy with the name we chose, it's adorable, and very special to us.  We really wanted to honor her in some way with his middle name, but the one she had in mind just wasn't going to cut it, so we compromised and now everyone is happy!

Toys/seats from a shower and stuff are washed and set up around the house (although a certain hubby complains about tripping over them in the dark...)  I think they're cute and fun to look at even though we forget they're there sometimes!

The nursery is all ready (although, this has been true for a LONG time now...)

Basically we're ready and we can't wait and time needs to go super fast for the next two weeks, until the surrenders are signed and the it can slow down big time.  Unfortunately I know it will be the opposite, but I can dream can't I!  It's really nice to do things that normal pregnant people get to do with two weeks left in their pregnancy.  Our caseworker pointed that we are "paper pregnant" and it is totally normal and we were encouraged to participate in all of the things that pregnant couples would do with two weeks left before baby comes.  Although, I guess normal pregnant couples don't have to include a phone call/meeting with a lawyer in their day to day preparations :-)  Just one more thing to do, and pay for :-(

Today's rollercoaster

We had quite the day today!  Whew!  For about a week now, we've had plans for another meeting with the birth mom today after her doctors appointment.  We planned accordingly making sure we had the afternoons off and stuff.

Then the snow came and tried to screw it all up!  First of all, I'm pretty sure I received a record number of phone calls in one morning today.  Everyone under the sun called me about something and they were all random things, it wasn't all one person or even one topic!  But that's beside the point.  One of the phone calls was our caseworker calling to tell us that S's caseworker had canceled our meeting for today.  She told us that she wasn't sure why or if it was S or her caseworker that actually canceled it, but she said she'd find out.

Cue intense emotions!  At this point, I just "knew" that everything was going to fall through, surely it was our birth mom that had canceled cause she didn't want to see us anymore and she'd changed her mind and she wanted nothing to do with us and blah blah blah.  I'd pretty much convinced myself the world was ending at this point and was a total wreck, crying and sobbing and stopping only to field more random phone calls (yeah, like the one where my dad was stuck at a gas station because the car key broke... random, and funny!).  So anyway, I was quite a wreck and my week had gone from bad to worse very quickly and I wanted to chuck the phone accross the room.

Then an hour later, our caseworker called back to clarify.  It was actually S's caseworker that canceled because driving in the snow makes her extremely nervous and S still would like to talk to us, so we should go ahead and give her a call.

I quickly laughed at myself for my earlier outburst of emotion and called S.  Now, the last time I called her, it was EXTREMELY awkward.  This time was extremely normal.  We talked a little bit about some stuff and then we decided to go ahead and meet without the caseworkers as we still had the afternoon off, the snow had stopped, and the reports of the roads were clear.  She actually really wanted to see us and she really wanted some social interaction as she's been "a total couch potato" for a few weeks now (her words).

So we drove to meet with her.  And it was awesome!  At this point she is TOTALLY committed to her adoption plan and she is very sure in her reasons and decision to place her son with us.  We had a chance to talk with her one on one and she really opened up to us and talked a lot to us about things going on in her life and stuff.  We also solidified a name with her today and we are both really excited about it, she was honored with the thought we put into the middle name for her!  She also confirmed what she said last time about wanting us at the hospital and wanting me in the delivery room.  She wants us to take him home as soon as he's released.

We also talked a lot about the future and the contact she wants with us.  She really wants to be able to attend his big events, baptism, birthday, adoption party, etc... She also asked if we'd be willing or want to come to her daughter's birthday parties to celebrate with them.  We asked her to write him a letter to read to him all of the time and to hang on his wall and she was very honored and had wanted to do something like that but didn't know if we would want that.

So all in all, it was a fantastic experience to see her by herself, no caseworkers.  After the meeting, we feel very confident about the whole situation.  We really connect well with her and we're confident that this is for real and that it's actually going to happen.  It was really nice and we're so glad we decided to go and that she was up for it.

So two and a half weeks and we hopefully will have a really fun blog post about a our really cute baby!

Sewing projects

A few people have asked me recently to do a few sewing projects.  As I am trying to patiently wait for the birth of our son, I gladly agreed to make them.  It's nice to have something to do!

So first a friend of mine asked me to make a ring bearer pillow and flower girl bag for her for her wedding which is coming up in March!!  So I said I'd try and if they didn't turn out okay, she could buy them.  I got all of the materials to make it all for under $9.00 which was part of her goal, to make them inexpensive.  Here's what I came up with!

Another friend asked if I might be able to make a little baby carrier Mei Tei style for her kids to carry their dolls around in.  Again, I said I'd try.  She knew where she could buy one, but they're a little pricey for something a kid's going to use and play with.  So I found some scrap fabric which was also really cute and girly and I tried my hand at it.  Here's the result, I think it turned out cute and I can't wait to have them try it out and see how it works.  Once I see how it works, I'll make a second one (and tweak anything that needs adjusted) for them as well! Not to bad for $0.00 worth of material, it was all stuff that I had previously used on other things! I'm not all the way sure where the paisley came from... I don't remember what I used it for...  It's cute though!

 The sewing machine and I have a love/hate relationship.  I love the things I can make with it, and I love figuring out inexpensive ways to make normally expensive things.  However, I hate when I have to fight with it to get it to do what I want.  We're not always on speaking terms and we don't always get along very well!  However, in the end, I always win!  I have a lot to learn still, but I'm getting better and getting the hang of it!

Funny

Today I subbed as a 3 year old preschool aid.  I subbed for this class yesterday as well, so they were a little more comfortable with me today and some pretty hysterical things came out of their mouths.

Let me preface the first story by saying that yesterday at lunch, the teachers were having a discussion about implementing a "health" class during one P.E. day about basic hygiene, mostly brushing teeth before school.  A lot of kids come to school with really bad breath and when you're working one on one or in small groups, well, it's not very pleasant.  So anyway, this was the topic of conversation at the teacher lunch table yesterday.

Fast forward to this morning.  Two little boys (3 years old) were watching the hamster play when one boy said, "Can you please stop talking?" He then waved his hand in front of his nose and continued to say, "Dude, did you forget to brush your teeth this morning?"


This same boy, about thirty minutes later, was playing play doh with me.  We were making lots of hearts and stars and talking about his family and his sister.  Then he said, "Do you know Victoria?"  I assumed he was talking about his sister and I said, "I don't think so."  He then said, "You know, like Victoria Secret?"  At this point, I stifled a giggle and asked him to repeat it.  I asked him if he meant the store, he said yes and I asked if he went there a lot.  He said, "No, not to the actual store, I go online with my sister."

Well, at this point I was trying not to bust a gut and after talking about it with the teacher, we concluded that his sister (who is in third grade) really likes the PINK sweatpants/sweatshirts/PJs and stuff...  Whew...

Too much time at home alone maybe??

Today officially confirmed the fact that I am definitely ready for the challenge of having babies around the house.  I need something to occupy my time or I end up acting a little insane...

So today started with me deciding to put away the Christmas decorations...

And as I started to gather them up, I noticed all of the dust in the house (I HATE DUST!!) so I dusted while I put decorations away.

Then when I started to carry boxes back downstairs, I realized that there was a much more efficient way of organizing our storage room.  So I moved shelves, scooted the freezer over, rearranged boxes, etc...

Meanwhile, I broke a glass container of lasagna (when I was organizing the freezer) that I JUST made Sunday and had to sweep and vacuum it all up.  But I couldn't stop there and vacuumed the whole storage area and then realized that was ridiculous, who vacuums their storage area?

I then proceeded to vacuum the entire basement because if I'm carrying the vacuum all the way downstairs, I may as well make it worth it!

Now I simply need to carry all of the Christmas boxes downstairs, put them on their appropriate shelves (which of course I labeled) and proceed to vacuum the main floor where the Styrofoam and boxes have left their remnants.  I'm sure I will end up vacuuming upstairs as well since I simply can't stand to know the whole house is done except for the top floor.

So the moral of my story?  Make the hubby put the decorations away next time :-)

Just kidding Jer!

Whew, the last few weeks have been quite a whirlwind.  We had a fantastic Christmas, got to see a lot of family and eat a LOT of great food!  We enjoyed visitors the week of New Years and had a great time hanging out with friends on New Year's Eve.  Here is a list of highlights of the last few weeks, in no particular order (except for the first!):

1) The birth mom had a sonogram last Thursday.  Since our case worker and her caseworker were both "off" last week (I use quotes because her case worker still went with her to the appointment even though she was on vacation, she's a super sweet lady) we didn't hear any information until yesterday.  Our caseworker emailed and said that basically everything looks good.  Yes, the baby is in fact a boy (since the change in due dates we were a little curious as the first sonogram may have been to early to determine a gender...) but it was confirmed, it's a baby boy.  They also confirmed the new due date of mid-Feb and confirmed the scheduled c-section date of February 7. Everyone looks healthy and we are hoping to set up another meeting with the birth mom in the near future.

2) A few friends of mine threw a baby shower for us last week with some of our friends and that was a lot of fun.  I was so grateful to them.  I knew that after the baby came there would be a shower with family and friends but it was super nice of them to plan one before (although at the time, his due date hadn't changed...).  We got some really cute things and I've had fun organizing the closet.  Although we already have way too many newborn baby boy clothes, but they're so darn cute...

3) Archbishop John Myers (from Newark, New Jersey) was in town visiting his family (friends of our family).  He said a Mass and then they had a get together at their home afterward.  It was nice to chat with him a little bit and to celebrate during the Christmas season in that way!

4) It was so nice to see so much family at Christmas, we had a blast catching up with family, playing games, and just hanging out celebrating the birth of Christ with the people we love!

5) Jon and Justine were up from Florida visiting their families for Christmas and they decided to make a trip to Bloomington to see their friends here.  They stayed with us for a few days and we had fun hanging out with them, David and Stephanie, and my sister and her fiance on New Years Eve.  We enjoyed playing our new Wii game and having some girl chat!

6) We went to the mandatory Baptism Prep class at our parish yesterday.  That was exciting and made things seem a little more real.  We're hoping to have a baptism at the end of February (before Lent!) for our baby boy!

7) Yesterday I went with Veronica and her girls to IKEA.  I'd never been before and so I jumped on the opportunity to go with them.  For an organization freak like me, it was pretty cool.  I have some really cool ideas for our playroom downstairs... We don't really need it now, but I'm hoping about a year from now I can have some fun with it!

8) We bought a freezer.  Using part of Jer's bonus money and money from our grandparents from Christmas, we decided to purchase a freezer.  We've wanted one for a while, and we finally got it.  Since then I have made like 6 different meals (enough food for about 20+ meals) and labeled them and organized them in our freezer.  I said that I feel a little bit like a squirrel stock piling food for the winter, but I'm hoping that this way when baby boy makes his appearance, I don't have to worry about cooking for a while!  And I won't have to grocery shop until like March... (other than things like milk and eggs)

9) Tonight I was asked to share our journey of infertility with a group of women in Peoria.  It has been interesting to reflect on the last 2 1/2 years and see where we started and where we are currently, waiting for our son to be born.

10) Jeremy was proud of me today when I turned down a sub job for the first time ever.  I always say yes, it doesn't really matter what else I had planned to do.  Today I had a lot of catching up on the house planned and I woke up without a voice (I've been battling some allergy issues with the inconsistent weather we've been having) so I told them I couldn't come in.  It's nice once in a while to just take a day for me. I've tried to stay really busy because days when I am bored make time go by really slow.  I'm trying to make the next month go by fast, because February 7 seems like eons away right now.  But today I decided to take a day for me and enjoy a relaxing day at home doing like a billion loads of laundry!


So that's been our last month in a nutshell.  Like I said, I'm willing the next month to go by quickly as we eagerly await the c-section date!  As Jeremy and I talked about 2010 and our live throughout the year, we are amazed at how much our lives have changed and how many blessings we have in our lives.  We certainly look forward to a wonderful 2011 and hopefully the opportunity to become parents this year.  We also are looking forward to the many weddings we have this year beginning in March and ending with my sister's in October!!