Life

I'M SO THANKFUL...

THAT

ANNA'S

BIRTHMOM

DIDN'T SEE

MY BABY

AS

JUST

A 

CHOICE!

"It's a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish." 

~Blessed Mother Teresa

My prayer and fasting today is for all of those children who never got a chance at life.  And for all of those women/girls that find themselves with unwanted pregnancies, that they can choose life.  And for all of those marching today in Washington D.C. for the rights of these unborn children, that their efforts and our prayers may be successful.  And I pray especially today for all of those women who have made the ultimate sacrifice, giving of themselves to give their children a chance at life.  In particular for one beautiful woman who gave my daughter a chance at life.

"Any country that accepts abortion, is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what it wants."

~Blessed Mother Teresa

Friday Quick Takes (11)

 

--- 1 ---

Our new naptime routine is amazing.  Anna's had fantastic naps all week this week with zero tears and no frustration on my part.  She wakes up happy and smiling and we're all in better moods.  What a difference a nap makes.

--- 2 ---

Paperwork, profile, video, etc... = DONE and turned in!
 

--- 3 ---

As of Sunday I was down another 1.5 pounds, that makes about 7 total lost so far. 
 

--- 4 ---

Here's our latest family picture!  The impressive part?  We took it ourselves.  We set it up on the tripod, set the timer and voila!  We took it right before we did our adoption video and it turned out better than we anticipated!

--- 5 ---

Anna LOVES ice cream.  Oh yeah, and chocolate cake...  Yesterday was my sister, Sara's, birthday.  She turned 23.  So we had dinner with the fam to celebrate.  And that included cake and ice cream, which we let Anna partake in.  She's practicing for a month from now when she has her own birthday.  And let me say, she's getting pretty good at the ice cream thing :-) And grandma gave her the giant spoon to lick after everyone was served.

 

--- 6 ---

We got to skype my sister, Julie, yesterday.  She's the one studying abroad in Spain.  It was great to hear from her, she's having a fantastic time! 
 

--- 7 ---

Have a fantastic weekend!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Naptime Adjustment Day 1

I mentioned in a Quick Takes that we've been having some naptime issues.

I've always rocked Anna down for nap.  I've always enjoyed that time with her.  I put Luke down first in his room and then Anna and I rock.  It used to take her under five mintues to go to sleep and she'd sleep like 30 minutes in the morning and two hours in the afternoon.

Then we had Christmas break.  And an onslaught of ear infections that wouldn't go away.  I don't know if these contributed or if her toddler stubborness just kicked in or what, but naptimes had turned into a struggle.

I was rocking, and rocking, and rocking, and still rocking 30 minutes later.  She was holding on to every last second, fighting to not fall asleep.  When she finally fell asleep after a marathon, she slept for 20 minutes... It was taking twice as long to get her to sleep as she was actually sleeping.  So not working for me.  I mean, I do have another child in the house to tend to.  And we're hoping to adopt another baby in the near future.  I was no longer enjoying the rocking, instead I was dreading it.

So now that I think we have the ear infection under control after multiple rounds of antibiotics and lots of major butt rashes from them, it was time to do something different.

I knew she CAN put herself to sleep.  She does it at night, every night.  No issues there, 7:00 hits, we read a story, say our prayers, I rock her for a minute and sing to her, say goodnight, lay her down and she plays with her giraffe until she falls asleep.  And sleeps until 7 the next morning. 

So here's what I've done.  I've moved naptime back 30-45 minutes, so like 9:30 and 1:30.  She's waking up later in the mornings, so I don't think she was tired at 9.  I rock her and sing to her like I do at night.  I lay her down and say nigh-night.  And then I leave. 

And then she would get up.  I think she could play in there all day without ever falling asleep. 

So today I started by going back in, laying her down and saying "night-night".  She stayed down for a few minutes then got back up again.  I went in, laid her down and walked out.  She got back up after a few minutes, so I repeated.  Then she fell asleep.  20 minutes, no tears, no frustration, I got to read a book in between times and all was calm.  She's already passed the 20 minutes of sleep mark, so it must be working.

We shall see how it goes, ideally she will soon be going to sleep much quicker without needing me to lay her back down.  I still get my snuggle time before her nap, and she is getting a chance to be a little more independent at naptime.  I hope it works, it will relieve a lot of stress and make sleeptime much more enjoyable for the both of us.  And hopefully make transitioning to a brother or sister a little bit easier.  I hate to make too many transitions after the fact because I know it will be enough of a transition for her as it is. 

Busy Busy

I feel like last week and this weekend were a whirlwind. 

Friday we had our Homestudy for our second adoption.  It was super quick (compared to the first one) and we were left with some paperwork and some other things that needed done.  Our caseworker let us know that she was presenting couples (to be approved) next week.  So we can either get our stuff in quick and be presented right away or wait until next month.  Um, I'm not waiting...

So this weekend we spent a lot of time doing our paperwork.  I did our new profile.  We did our new video.  I also figured out how to turn it into a DVD on our computer and I even created a menu (I was pretty excited, that's not generally something I would have thought I could do).  It turned out neat.  We've made copies of necessary paperwork, editted, contacted people, etc...

All of our "homework" is done and ready to turn in tomorrow.  There are just two things we still need, but they can't be done quite yet and they won't matter as far as being approved is concerned!  So we can hopefully go into circulation at the beginning of February! 

We also started planning and organizing Anna's first birthday party!  I ordered the invitations and they turned out super cute, and because of a coupon, they hardly cost anything!  I can't believe our baby girl is turning one in just a month!  It seems like yesterday that we met her for the first time!  And it's amazing to watch her develop and discover new things.  Just this week she's started copying things when we say them.  "Out" and "up" are her favorites...

We're super excited to add another baby to our family (hopefully soon!).  We feel so incredibly blessed!

Goal

So one of my goals this year is to lose weight and get healthier.  I don't post much about it, it's something I've struggled with for a long time, but I don't really like to talk about it... 

However, I'm excited this week because after a week on Wei.ght Wa.tchers, I've lost five pounds!  I'm proud of the work I've done.  Not only that, but Jeremy has lost 5 pounds as well, something he's been working at.

I started losing weight at the beginning of last year.  I was doing really well and then "surprise" we were parents without any notice.  Eating became something I merely did because I had to, without much thought about what it was I was eating.  Working out was a thing of the past, and a routine had to be established.

This year, I'm stickin with it.  I'm not making any excuses.  I don't necessarily care about the amount of weight lost, I'm never going to be skinny, but I can be healthy. 

Last week it was eating better, this week I'm adding in my workouts again.  This is where I struggle, I HATE to work out, I HATE to sweat.  But I'm gonna do it anyway.  Maybe if I write it and post it, I'll be more motivated to stick with it. 

I don't like to let self-image get in the way of living my life, but unfortunately it has.  I don't like to feel like the "fat" mom with all my friends.  I don't like to look in my closet and hate my clothes because of their size and the rolls they don't hide.  Sadly it's a reality that I live with and have struggled with for most of my life.  I'm determined to not let it any longer.

So there, I've put it out there, now it's up to me to do something about it.

Friday Quick Takes (10)

--- 1 ---

I could just do with one Quick Take here!  Jeremy finally passed his Actuary Exam!  He's tried and tried and tried again and again for this particular exam.  None of the others have taken him this long, but his one was HARD!  He struggled big time.  But in the end, he overcame the challenging material, the intense pressure at work, the balancing of work, study, and family, and the anxieties that came with it all.  I am so proud of him!  I say "finally" because I've wanted this for HIM for a long tim now.  I knew he needed to pass it for himself, not for anyone else.  Why did he pass it this time?  Because he kept a picture of Anna and I on his desk while he studied.  He constantly reminded himself WHY he was taking these exams.  Not for work, not for money, not for credentials, but to provide for his family, his wife and daughter.  That makes me so happy.  I have the best hubby in the whole world, I am so blessed!

--- 2 ---

I rearranged our family room and living room yesterday!  I love the new arrangement!  I'll probably post pictures one of these days, I think it looks great!

--- 3 ---

The reason I rearranged was because I had my days mixed up.  We leave our Christmas decorations up until the Feast of the Epiphany.  We celebrate the 12 days of Christmas, the Christmas season.  For some reason, I though yesterday was the Epiphany.  We were having a great day, the kiddos were being so good, so I decided to go ahead and start taking down some decorations while they played. And rearranging furniture.  I left up a few nativities, but pretty much took the rest down.  Then my hubby got home, asked what sparked the change (he loved it by the way) and I told him that it was the Epiphany.  And he reminded me that it was Jan. 5, not the 6th like I thought.  Whoops...

--- 4 ---

We're having a nap struggle around here.  Anna's kinda sneaky, and oh so very smart.  I think we just need to push naptimes back 45 minutes like I did today, it worked better! 

--- 5 ---

My baby sister leaves for Spain tomorrow.  She's studying abroad for the semester!  I hope she has a blast and learns a ton.  Hopefully she'll pick up on some Spanish quickly.  She told us we're not allowed to adopt another baby until May 11 when she gets home, but Julie, I can't make any promises!  We'll miss you a ton Julie!

--- 6 ---

We have our Homestudy next Friday!  I almost have our profile done.  We need to do our video and revise our paperwork.  And then go back in circulation!
 

--- 7 ---

January in Illinois isn't supposed to look like this (50+ degrees and sunny), but I'm not complaining, I'll take it!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

2011 Recap

I find it fun to reflect on the years past.  It's nice to see how things changed.  This year, it's pretty clear what the highlight was...

But for memories sake, here's a month by month recap:

January was filled with the waiting game as we waited for baby boy to be born after his due date being moved back six weeks.  We were excited, scared, nervous, and overwhelmed.

On February 7, Baby S was born.  He was perfect, and we were thrilled.  After a challenging time at  the hospital that day, we went home feeling uncomfortable about the situation.  The next day S decided to parent and we went home empty handed.  The rest of the month was spent grieving over our loss and trying to move on.  My most vivid memory of this time was when we came home on the 8th, Jeremy went outside to get the carseat and I could hear him crying from inside.  He couldn't do it, he just kept saying that there should have been a baby in there.  It was heartbreaking and we both realized just how much we wanted to be parents.

Little did we know that on the last day of that heart-heavy month of February, that our daughter had been born.  March 10 brought complete joy as we received a phone call about Anna and picked her up four hours later.  It was a whirlwind but I remember it like it was yesterday.  Our lives changed forever this month!

April brough adjustments as we learned to be new parents.  Anna got to meet our bishop for the first time at the Easter Vigil Mass and we had him give her a special blessing.  We also met Sister Ana Pia for the first time (she was the head of Catholic Charities) and it began a special friendship.  She just loves our Anna (or Annita, little Anna, as she calls her).

Anna was welcomed into the Church on May 8, Mother's Day.  It was so special to share that day with my daughter.  It's the first Mother's Day in 3 years that I cried all through Mass out of tears of joy instead of heartache.  It was beautiful!

June was filled with lots of trips to the pool and may fun outside activities as a family.  We also celebrated my grandparent's 59th wedding anniversary!  We have such wonderful examples of marriage in our families!

In July Jeremy and I celebrated three years of marriage.  I am so blessed to have such a wonderful husband!  I look forward to many, many more!

We took our first vacation as a family of three in August.  Jeremy's family took us to the Ozarks and we had a blast!

September was a very busy month.  Anna started crawling at the beginning of the month (six months old), and we quickly realized she was going to be a very fun handful :-).  We celebrated Anna's Adoption Day on September 19.  What a wonderful day!  The next day was my 26th birthday, and it was the best birthday gift ever.  Also on my birthday, our dear friends had their son Matthias.  A week later, our other dear friends had their son Theodore.  What a wonderful blessing the month of September was!

In the month of October we got to do all things fall.  We took Anna to the pumpkin patch, dressed her up for Halloween, played in the leaves, etc...  We also attended Theodore's Baptism as his Godparents and enjoyed our trip up north to see them!

Nothing too eventful hit us in November, but we thoroughly enjoyed being thankful for Anna on her first Thanksgiving.  She also started walking at the very end of the month, at 9 months old.  Everyone kept telling me how busy things got when they started walking, but I've really enjoyed having a walker.  She follows me around a lot and it's fun to watch her explore at a whole new level!  She now enjoys places like the Children's Discovery Museum because she can intereact. 

Finally, December.  Anna filled our Advent season and Christmastime with complete joy.  We are so blessed to have her in our lives and we thank God for her each and every day.  This month we had our dear friends come visit and seeing Anna, Matthias, and Theodore together was absolutely beautiful.  We had many different Christmas celebrations, enjoying our time with family.  Unfortunately 2011 went out with the stomach flu for all of us.  First Anna, then the next day, Jeremy and finally myself today.  So despite our not so fun New Year's this year, we know how much we have to be thankful for and we look forward to seeing what 2012 has in store for us.  Hopefully another adoption :-)!!!

This is how Anna plays peek-a-boo.  She covers her ears instead of her eyes.  We're not sure why, but boy is it cute!

Anna and daddy enjoying Anna's "laptop" that she got for Christmas.

Anna and daddy enjoying the ISU game we went to yesterday!  Anna even got one of the balls they threw out and she enjoyed playing with it the whole game!