Jack update

Jack is doing great. He's starting to realize that mommy is snuggly so I'm getting a lot more hugs from my love bunny these days. After several days of teething pain, Jack is sleeping again through the night. Wow, what a difference uninterrupted sleep makes.

Jack has two bottom teeth and is eating up a storm. He eats like a very hungry birdy. He gulps his food then opens his mouth again, very impatient for the next load. You have to hurry when you feed him. Slow down and those crocodile tears start to flow.

We are so blessed to have Jack in our lives. He was baptized a few weeks ago and his birth mom and her family came to mass. It was wonderful having them there. I thanked her for letting me celebrate my first mother's day.

By the way, Jack picked out a great gift for mother's day. I received two Masterpiece Theatre Jane Austen movies. I'm a huge Jane Austen fan so anything with a J.A. theme is right up my alley.

Six years and counting

Tomorrow is our sixth year wedding anniversary. Wow, how time flies. I've decided to renew Mike's contract for another year. That's how I heard someone put it one day. Unless you celebrate an anniversary with a church service, you don't renew your vows, so renewing your contract is the next best thing.

Mike is a fabulous husband who takes great care of Jack and me. He cooks, he cleans. Although he's lacking in the back massage service area, Mike is a wonderful guy and my best male friend.

The woman in the picture with Mike and me is my mom, my best female friend. She was my matron of honor. She has had the most positive influence on my life. I love her dearly.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. God bless!

Biker Babe

My son, the Rebel Without a Pacifier.

We took Jack to JC Penney for a photo shoot last Saturday. He wasn't all smiles. I think he was channeling James Dean. Isn't he precious?

Jack is doing great, still amazing adoring fans wherever he goes, still a ladies' man. He's almost sleeping through the night, just fussing a couple of times. He's pretty much weaned himself off the bottle and Mike said he crawled for about 5 seconds tonight.

Life is good. God is great!

Speaking of My Health

I attended the local Speaking of Women's Health event last weekend. Psychologists would have had a field day at this thing. First, hundreds of crazy women stood in line, grumbling about the wait until they were sandwiched into a room with diaper type bags of free goodies. Then, these women were sandwiched into a small area full of vendors, forced to fend for themselves as they shuffled around, diaper bags running into each other's backs and sides, to get more free goodies and also grab a few bites and some wicked coffee.

I must be getting old and a little too practical. Out of all the goodies I received that day, I was most excited about the free toilet paper roll stuffed in my bag.

Signs and Wonders

What does a misplaced balloon in a large discount store mean?

I believe God has a sense of humor. I think I've seen this throughout Jack's adoption. I also like to think that my two grandmothers, one whom I never met, have been praying for us and maybe even pulling a few strings.

Mike and I met Jack's birth mother on Friday, July 13. A stereotypical scary pairing of the day of the week and the number 13 turned out to be one of the most incredible days of our lives.

I worked part-time for several months at a large discount store. Although I disliked the work, it kept me busy for a while and brought in a little cash. During my "short time in hell," I met a woman named Danna.

If you know me, you've heard my "difficulty becoming pregnant" story. Sorry, but it's been a big part of who I am for the past several years. Well, I told Danna about my difficulties and she confided that she gets "feelings" about people and has "dreams" about them. Danna told me that she'd let me know if she had any dreams.

Not too long after that discussion, Danna told me that I would have a baby. I tried not to laugh. I told her she must mean Maggie from China because nothing would spring forth from my dust covered uterus. She just smiled, saying she didn't know how a baby would come into my life. Not too many days after that discussion, I saw a forlone balloon in the ladies clothing area. It was a white/blue balloon with a teddy bear and the text, "It's a boy!" We knew after that initial meeting with the birth mother that she was going to have a boy.

That balloon stayed around for a while. Eventually, it was placed in one of the return bins. Every night when I took misplaced items from our area to the return bins, I would see that balloon and just smile, at that point, thinking of the little boy who might become our future son.

Jack's new "word"

Jack actually spoke his first word last Christmas. He said, "Hi," at only two months old. Of course, some people think I'm crazy, but my mother was a witness and knows I'm not making this up. I thought maybe it was an odd take on the midnight at Christmas Eve fable. You know, when the animals talk.

Now, Jack is into faking coughs, "Eh, eh, eh." Mike and I think this is a new sound he's discovered. We're pretty sure he's expanding his vocabularly, not his immunity.

Are we still going to China?

We've been asked this a few times in the past week and our best answer is if we can afford to. There is a lot of love in our hearts for children and we still feel that Maggie Rose is in China. Unless there is divine intervention, I don’t think my cob web, catacomb uterus will start to function like it’s supposed to. Despite my naturally shaped birthing hips (that I’ve had since grade school), I’m not sure a baby will ever pass through them. But, take heart those who are more fertile than me. I wanted to pass along some wise words of advice I’ve received over the years.

Don’t try so hard. (And how do you make babies again?)

Give it a year (or two, or three. . .six).

You need to go to (blank) and get away from it all. It worked for us. (Quote came from a parent who had two children, both conceived at the same place.)

You need to get rid of your cats. That’s why you can’t get pregnant. (This stupid remark from a few years ago actually came from a less than tactful uncle at a parish event with parishioners and strangers milling around. I was shocked and didn’t know what to say. Apparently, I didn’t know that cats carried a curse.)

And one that I’ve only heard a little but I’m sure will start to pick up momentum...
You’ll probably get pregnant now. (Now that Jack is in our lives.)