Celebrating Adoption

Last week, Mike, Jack and I attended a book reading at Barnes and Noble. Luckily for us, our family photographer, Aunt EE, was there to take pictures. Although an employee read "Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born" and Arthur the Aardvark stopped by, Jack was more interested in food.That was the day I started feeling sick (head cold) so the next picture pretty much sums up the day. My nose was running; Jack was crying; it was the longest carousel ride ever. With my foggy condition, I did try to jump on the back of one of the animals, then somehow reason kicked in and I remembered that you actually have to be a child to ride. That's when we hopped on the sleigh.Oh, and a local reporter interviewed me for a November story. With my foggy head, I just kept saying that adoption is incredible, wonderful. I hope I did a good job representing the adoption community. I hope he doesn't make me look silly.

Mashed Potato Face

.Jack and I attended my hometown's Fall Festival today. We had fun as long as Jack was allowed to run.

On Saturday, we took the photo that we'll send with our Christmas cards. Hopefully, I'll be able to post it in a week. It's ironic that Jack laughs and enjoys watching others take their pictures but when he gets in the room, he's a different boy.I just had to post the above photo too because Jack looks so cute in his pjs.

Halloween Preview

Here's what Jack will look like for maybe five seconds on Friday night. His Aunt EE bought him the cute outfit for Halloween. The suit fits up to 24 months so hopefully he'll actually wear it next year.I modeled the costume including the hat. Daddy did too, but that did little to make Jack happy. It sure made daddy look funny though.

Tagged: Me in 31 Questions

I have been tagged by my wonderful friend Jen at Crazy-Yet?. It is really tough to answer these questions in one word so some of these may not make sense.

1. Where is your cell phone? bedroom
2. Where is your significant other? work
3. Your hair color? blonde
4. Your mother? mentor
5. Your father? provider
6. Your favorite thing? son
7. Your dream last night? nothing
8. Your dream/goal? babies
9. The room you’re in? bedroom
10. Your hobby? Jack
11. Your fear? limitations
12. Where do you want to be in six years? peaceful
13. Where were you last night? bed
14. What you’re not? confrontational
15. One of your wish list items? microwave
16. Where you grew up? RichFountain
17. The last thing you did? shaved!
18. What are you wearing? clothes
19. Your T.V.? nice
20. Your pet? catsanddog
21. Your computer? hobby
22. Your mood? sick
23. Missing someone? Jack
24. Your car? old
25. Something you’re not wearing? bra!
26. Favorite store? bookstore
27. Your Summer? flew
28. Love someone? yes
29. Your favorite color? purple
30. When is the last time you laughed? yesterday
31. Last time you cried? week

The Big Ouchie

Jack received his yearly shots today. Poor little guy. He also gave blood at the office to test for lead poisoning, a routine test. I think he officially hates the doctor's office now.

Party Pics

Two Mothers

From the Legacy of An Adopted Child

Two different lives shaped to make you one.
One became your guiding star, the other became your sun.

The first one gave you life, and the second taught you to live it.
The first gave you a need for love. The second was there to give it.

One sought for you a home that she could not provide.
The other prayed for a child and her hope was not denied.

*Jack is loved very much by both his mothers. I spoke to Jack's birth mother before posting the above picture taken at his birthday party yesterday. I would never post a picture of her without permission.

My date with a Tori Spelling Look-alike

Ok, so she's not Tori Spelling but they sure look alike. Mike, Jack and I traveled to St. Louis on Saturday for one of his third cousin's baby shower. Mike and Jack had to get lost but I had a great time. I met some of his relatives that I didn't know existed. His side of the family doesn't get together very often so this is the first and maybe the last time I will ever see them.The highlight of the shower was the wonderful item I won during the "Rob Your Neighbor" game...a package of Ramen chicken noodles. Please don't be jealous. I wish I could find noodles in the shape of a famous face and sell the package on Ebay. Yuck!Mr. Fashionista insisted on wearing the old man hat.

Happy Birthday Jack!

Jack turned one-year-old today. I can't believe my little man is getting so old! After all the adoption drama, this year has flown by. I dressed Jack in some nice cozy pajamas tonight and chuckled because they are size 12 months.

Jack's daycare provider gave him a birthday gift today. Wow, how totally unexpected and nice was that!Of course, Jack thought the gift bag was just as cool or even cooler. He carried that around for quite a bit.Jack feasted on a cupcake and ice cream. He looked like he had a 5 o'clock shadow when he was done.And no birthday would be complete without a birthday bubble bath.

Happy Birthday Little Prince!

Sixty and Still Sexy

That was the theme of my mom's surprise dinner party tonight. My dad did a good job of concealing the dinner from her, pretending to take mom out for the evening. However, apparently 6:15 is more like 5:45 to dad because they arrived before half of the crew did. Surprise!
An evening joke: my mom got "lei-ed" tonight.
A knock knock joke from my four-year-old niece: "Knock, knock. Who's there? Vampire. Vampire who?" Yeah, I didn't get it either.Jack is getting the hang of this cake thing. Check out his icing goatee.
Isn't my nephew adorable? Watch out for those little fingers. He kept trying to "fish hook" people.Happy Birthday you sexy thang!

It's the Great Pumpkin Jack Dawson

We braved the crowds and attended a popular pumpkin festival in a nearby town this morning. On the advice of a friend, we arrived early and still had to wait 15 to 20 minutes in line before parking. The population within this town's city limits is just a little over 100. That bumps up to thousands during this festival.
Jack had one break down because he was tired and hungry. After his crying subsided a little and he realized he was being fed, he calmed down and had a good time until it was time to go. Perfect timing because he crashed into his nap as soon as we got back on the road.

I saw a couple of girls from high school. It was wonderful to see Beth and Lynn. It's been a long time since I've seen some of my "old" classmates. Or, should I say classic?
I also saw Miss Lezlie dressed as a peacock with Safe Kids Columbia. They were handing out a safe Halloween guide. Currently, I'm working on a story promoting child safety around vehicles so I'd seen Lezlie last weekend too. It's a small world!
Shockingly, we didn't buy any pumpkins but mom has some at home so we're going to "steal" one. We did buy Jack a John Deere tractor made out of wood. We thought that would make Grandpa very proud.

New Pictures!

Here's a sample of the pictures taken last weekend at JC Penney. I can't believe our little man is going to be a year old in a couple of weeks. Wow, time flies.
Instead of posing with the "number 1," Jack wanted to use it as a chew toy. Yum!

The Many Reaons I Love Jack

Green bean moustaches.

I love that when I tell him "no," he gives me a small smile, trying to guage if I'm serious. (I usually have to turn my face so I don't start laughing.)

I love his love for books. (I started reading to him when he was a baby, even if he was alseep on my lap. Jack's favorite book is Baby Einstein's "Good Night.")

I love that he peed in the bathtub tonight. (Normally, not a good thing, but we both broke into a laughing fit. My belly actually hurt. Jack loves to entertain people. Hopefully, he doesn't equate pee with laughs in the future.)

I love watching Jack explore his world around him. (He is into everything. Yet, the most simple thing, like a bottle lid, intrigues him.)

I love watching him grow into a young boy. (He practically ran down the hallway tonight when he heard his bath running.)

I love his aversion to socks. (When we arrive at daycare, he gives me a big grin because he rips off his socks as fast as he can when we hit the road.)

I love that he is becoming more affectionate. (Last night, he actually hugged my leg as I fed him fruit. We were enjoying dessert in the living room.)

I love that Jack eats two meals at night, his meal and mine.

I love that Jack thinks a head butt is a sign of love. (He likes to exchange head butts with Mike.)

There are many little and big things. Most of all, I just love Jack with an incredible, unconditional love. I love that I'm his momma.

A Day at the Park

Or, 15 minutes. I'm trying to do things with Jack that I always said I would when I had children. So, we headed to the local park today. Jack loves the swings. He also zipped down a slide and "rode" a plane. Notice the missing shoe. It fell off when I took him out of the stroller.While we were at the park, a group of teens were sword fighting with foam that looked like wiffle bats. It was the perfect set-up for a CSI Midwest episode, starring the worst overactor ever, David Caruso as Horatio.Frank: (surveying the carnage) "Someone got hit hard Horatio."
Horatio: (looks up from carnage and slowly puts on his sunglasses) "Like a bat out of hell Frank, a bat out of hell."
Meanwhile, puppy love was in the air. There's nothing more romantic than a bat slinging couple, one dressed as a Renaissance harlot and the other in his western shirt and cowboy hat.

Busy Day

First, we traveled to JC Penney to take Jack's 1 year pictures, one of the imagined romanticisms of having a child. Jack was a happy little boy when we arrived, but having to wait 30 minutes as the clock ticked closer to lunch time, and you get a clingy, non cooperative little guy. Two hours later and we were zoinked (my Scooby Doo talk for tired). I hope to post some pictures from our photo session in a week.

Today was also my Godson and nephew's birthday. There's nothing more fun than watching a kiddo cram cake into his mouth. With yummy food and great company, I had a wonderful time. Looks like Garrett and Jack had a great time too! Jack looks forward to the next sugar high in a couple of weeks at his birthday celebration. Happy Birthday Garrett!