Gaber Update

Just a few fun facts about the Gabers right now...

•He's doing a great job going potty on the potty chair. We're still working on #2, but, he'll get it!
•Gabe starts preschool in 2010! I can hardly believe that's coming up in January. AND, he gets to have Mrs. Hoobler!
•Gabe's vocabulary has sky-rocketed. He talks in complete sentences, but still has problems with l's, r's, and y's - totally normal for his age.
•Gabe is still a pretty picky eater. He's expanded his horizons a little bit, but not much!
•Rewards and punishments have been working out pretty well - when Gabe misbehaves we do one of three things... Option #1 is timeout. Option #2 is putting a toy in time out. And, Option #3 is taking a sticker off of his chore chart.

We've started a "chore chart" for Gabe with the following "chores":

Check to make sure Jinxi has food & water (we just have him go look and then we fill it up if she's out)
Go to the bathroom to get his brush in the mornings
Take his dirty clothes to the hamper
Pick up toys before bedtime
Listening (this is one that's had a few stars taken away!:)
Being good in the store
Pooping on the potty

Once he fills up his chore chart, he gets a special prize - like a movie or a new M.A.S.K. guy.

Saturday, we leave for Disney!! Gabe is super excited about it. (so are Mommy & Daddy!) I can't wait to see my little guy's face when he sees Disney. Greg's parents and my mom are going as well. My dad's had a late harvest this year, so he has to miss it. We are all getting really excited. There will be a TON of pictures when we get back!

Yes, We're Still Here!

Ok, so I've been like the worst blogger ever. I haven't updated in so long. Life has been so busy for us lately. Fall has been CRAZY busy. My photography business has really been picking up - I already have 2 weddings for the beginning of next year. And, when I say next year, I mean I have one on January 1st and the other on January 2nd! One of them is rather small, so it shouldn't be too much work, but the other one will be a full day. Am I nuts? Yes, I think so. The good news is, I'm learning more and more with each session that I take and I'm liking each session better than the one before.

Ok, now onto the Gabers! He's really growing and changing so much. He's saying things like "I have an idea!" or "I pet Jinxi so she more comfortable!". He is doing great potty training. We still put a diaper on him at night, but daytime, he never has accidents. Right now, he's REALLY into his M.A.S.K. guys. M.A.S.K. is a cartoon Greg used to watch when he was little. Honestly, the animation is pretty crappy, but Gabe (and Greg!) love it. I love watching Gabe play with Greg's old toys. Greg's mom had saved some of them and gave them to Gabe. He just loves them.

This year for Halloween, Gabe is going to be Woody from Toy Story. He looks SO adorable in his costume! We took him out to my mom and dad's tonight since my mom has to work tomorrow. He even sang, "Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat... if you don't, I don't care, I'll pull down your underwear!" But Gabe says, "if you not, I don't care, I'll pull my underwear down!" Too funny.

Well, I did just want to get an update out there because it's been almost 2 months exactly since I've posted. I'll try harder. I'll make it a priority, I promise!! :)

Life is good.

He says he wants to be a "copper". (aka cop) and he won't give Mommy and Daddy any tickets! It's so cute, he'll say "When Gabe grows up, Gabe be a copper and no tickets Mommy and Daddy."

Recently, things have been getting busier for Gabe's Mom. I had 2 sessions this week, then I've got 2 senior sessions next week and already 2 lined up for the beginning of September. I know it doesn't seem like much, but to me, it's a lot! AND, senior sessions are my FAVORITE. Seniors are so much fun to work with. They'll do anything for you. You don't have to constantly fight to get their attention, bribe them with candy, threaten bedtime, etc... (gee, guess who was a difficult photo subject today!?)

Life is good right now. Busy, but good. I'm enjoying my new business a lot, my Gabers has been having many less tantrums, and Greg's been home quite a bit lately. Life is good.

my reasons for lack of blogging.....

Life as we know it:

• Gabe's Dad gone on 2 week long business trips
• a bachelorette party
• 1 or 2 photography sessions each week
• a toddler full of energy
• processing pictures until I go to bed
• IM's
• Tiredness
• Nonstop at work
• No smoking (never promise something on your kid... especially when life gets stressful!)
• Nearly late to work every morning (I swear Gabe knows when I'm running late)
• 2 weddings down, 2 to go
• Did I mention tiredness?
• Dental appointments

Ok, now there have been some really great things happening too:

• Gabe and I have really been bonding more - cooking together, laughing a lot, reading books (Love You Forever is our favorite right now)
• I'm totally engrossed in the Twilight series and I can't stop reading at night
• Gabe and I have the following conversation:

Me: I'll love you .....

Gabe: Foreber.

Me: I'll like you....

Gabe: for alldays

Me: and as long as I'm living, my....

Gabe: baby we'll be!

Reading this book to my boy nearly makes me cry every time. I always sway him towards that one when he nods his head and says, "Mom, just one more book?" Well, ok.....

My little Gabey, I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, and as long as I'm living, my baby you'll be.

All my love,

Mommy.

Why I love being a parent

As much as I've promised to be a better blogger, lately it just hasn't been happening! I think it's because I really do take a lot of time writing each post I create... revising, adding pictures, etc... I probably could do it faster, but I'm kind of particular. I probably need to get over that.

I've been thinking about this post for a while. What is my favorite thing about being Gabe's Mom? Well, I think after our recent trip to the Shedd Aquarium, I've discovered my answer. I'd have to say my absolute favorite thing about being Gabe's mom is watching him truly enjoying something and having the time of his life. I love seeing him happy. Seeing Gabe enjoy something, or experiencing something new is just the most wonderful thing to witness. He was so happy at the Shedd. He (and his friend, Caleb) were fixed on some of the exhibits and it was difficult to even get them to move on to the next one! I loved seeing the smile on his face and hearing the excited giggles as he saw one of the fish move towards him. Or, when he was delighted as a turtle began to follow his movements from behind the glass. Joy. Pure joy beaming from my son's face.

I am so blessed to experience that! I am so thankful that his birth mom was able to sacrifice moments like these to make the best decision for him. I always remember her when I think about things like this. Yes, she does see him every three months, but she misses out on the day to day experiences that make him smile. She misses out on him learning new things. She misses his big smile when he goes potty on the potty chair.

On the other hand, I guess she is missing out on the not so fun moments too! Tantrums, ah those tantrums, angry hitting when he doesn't get his way, and the runny noses wiped on my shirt....

Oh yes, those moments too! But, I think God gives us those wonderful moments like the new experiences, the hugs goodnight, the "love you too mom"s, and the "play little bit"s to renew us and recharge our batteries when we get weary from the not so fun moments. How amazing is that? It is mind-boggling to me that God would know how we would need those moments to forget about the temper tantrums and the hitting the day before. It just all melts away.

When Gabe wakes up in the morning (like if he wakes up on his own and he doesn't have to be woken up to go to daycare - he doesn't really like to wake up on someone else's time frame), that is my favorite time of the day. I've said that from the time he was born. This might be weird to say, but I miss him when he sleeps. I need the break by time he goes to bed, but I sure do look forward to seeing him first thing in the morning. I think that's another gift God gives parents.

So, I just wanted to get this down. My favorite thing about being a mom - a mom to Gabe, and my favorite gift - the blessings God has clearly given us in being parents. I can't get over how God had it all figured out. It's just amazing.

To You, My Easter Bunny

We had a great day today, buddy. Today we went to Abba Smith's work for their Easter egg hunt. You fell asleep in the car because it was right at nap time, so I carried you in. Everyone was ooing and ahhing at you as we came in because they thought you were so precious, asleep in my arms. I was really enjoying it because you don't stay still that long and want to cuddle much!

As soon as Abba saw us walk in, she woke you up to get you in with the other kids so you could find some eggs. You did great! You probably got 12-15 eggs. As soon as you found one, you wanted to sit down and open it up to see what was inside. Since they all had candy, you wanted to sit and eat it! We had to keep telling you to go find more eggs!

After the Easter egg hunt, we headed to Abba & PaPa's farm to go see PaPa and Uncle Dan. You had a great time with PaPa and Dan and talked them into giving you several treats. Including some chocolate-covered pretzels to take with you on the ride home. REALLY? Chocolate-covered pretzels IN THE CAR?? You can definitely tell when your parent has become a grandparent. Oh, and all of these treats right before SUPPER?? (I can definitely tell I've become a parent!) The treats didn't stop you... when we got home, you ate 3 pieces of pizza! All I can figure is that you're going through a growth spurt or something. Your appetite has really increased. Here are some of your favorite foods:

hotdogs
chips - you love chips - your favorite right now are baked BBQ
ce-dil (cereal) - you love Special K, Frosted Flakes, & Frosted Mini Wheats
Bacon - you LOVE bacon. This is a treat you like to have the most at Abba & PawPaw Herrmans.
Fruit - you still eat fruit very, very well - pretty much any kind
Ham
Pizza - pretty much a food you're guaranteed to eat.
Whoop - (Soup) You like Progresso's Chicken & Wild Rice - you can eat a whole can.

Those are just some of your favorites. Your appetite is increasing to more foods, but you love to snack. We have to keep a lot of animal crackers and those 100 calorie food packs around. "More Tweat Mommy!"

I love you little Gabers. Thanks so much for a great day together. As I say so often, "You make Mommy laugh".

Sugar Crash on the way home from the farm...

When we got home - you were all giggly - and chocolatey!

If you're a friend of Gabe's Dad... you're a friend of Gabe's.

This is Gabe with Greg's friend Nolan (aka Buddha). Everytime Gabe see's Nolan, he yells, "Buddha!!!". It is SO cute. Gabe LOVES Greg's friends. He feels like big stuff when he's around them. He's even more fearless and daring. I love watching him with Greg and his friends. What a blessing that they all love him so much too. I am so looking forward to watching him grow up in their shadows... well, it'll be interesting! :)

Random Thoughts on Being Two - to catch everyone up!

• Temper tantrums are becoming more frequent... and lasting longer...
• Bedtime is becoming a little more difficult - Gabe watches a movie in his room, but decides that would be the best time for a #2 diaper.
• We still can't shake that baba... even though it is mostly filled with water, he still wants it, scratch that - needs it.
• Hugs and kisses are becoming more frequent. Especially in the last week. He's been very affectionate! It's been so nice.
• He's started saying new things: "No Way!" when he doesn't want to do something. "Um, cuz..." when you ask him a question. "Why?" when he doesn't like the answer to a question (I thought this was supposed to happen later??)
• His pretend play is SO much fun to watch. I love watching him when he doesn't know I'm watching. It is so neat to watch him play with his toys and to actually hear him say what he is thinking.
• Potty training is going great - especially at daycare. He went 3 days in a row with no accidents AND waking up from his naps dry. At home on the other hand, he doesn't want to use the potty. We haven't been pushing it... we've heard when he's ready, he's ready.
• Gabe's appetite is pretty narrow. Lately, all he wants is hotdogs and "putchet" (ketchup). He loves Special K cereal too.
• He's recently taken an interest in drawing with markers and crayons.
• He knows the shapes hearts, circles, triangles and sometimes squares.
• Sometimes if he's in a bad mood, he tells me to "go away" and sticks his foot out and kicks. This was really, REALLY hard for me the first few times he did it. I found that if I let him see a hurt reaction, he knows he's found a weak spot. So, I just stand my ground and tease him and say, "No, you go away!" and then I tickle him and we laugh about it instead.

All in all, terrible 2's haven't been terrible, they've just brought on a whole new set of challenges. Even though it's a tough stage, I still love it. I love hearing my son talk. I love hearing him say "La Yu too, Mommy" when he goes to bed. I love watching him pray, and peek his eyes open every now and then. It was so cute the first time we saw him bow his head and then lift it up to see if everyone else was. Greg and I both asked each other after the prayer, "Did you see that? Were you watching him too?"

Even though this is tough, even though every day brings its challenges, I still find myself tearing up when I stop and think about how much I love this little boy. How when I stop and try and remember a moment without him, I can't. He's changed our lives so much. He's changed our hearts and our thought processes. He's made us a family.

Now that he's much more talkative, we've talked a little bit more about his birth mom. Every night before bed, I ask him:

"Who's tummy did you grow in?"
Gabe says his birthmom's name.
"Where did you grow with Mommy?"
Gabe says, "Mommy's heart."

In preparing for the adoption, we went through a lot of classes. We were taught to teach our children age-appropriate information about their birth parents. So, this is one way I've tried to approach keeping the adoption an open topic of conversation in our house.

One more thing about being two... With the introduction to underpants, Greg thought it would be a good idea to show Gabe how to put them on his head.

Just Thinkin'

Gabe,
Tonight, I had dinner with some friends I hadn't seen in a while. I sure talked about you a lot. You know why? Because I am so very proud of you. I love you so much, big boy. I had a great day with you today. It's been so much fun watching you enjoy new things, watching you grow, watching you learn, etc...

Being your Mommy has made my life one full of joy and happiness. You and Dad are my world. I love you both so, so much.

I was just thinkin' about that and wanted to tell you.

All my love,
Mommy

2 Years Old

Happy Birthday, my big boy. I love you so much.

Thought I'd share some fun facts about Gabers at 2 years old:

• Gabe is a snacker. He doesn't like a lot of veggies and he doesn't like pasta meals. He does, however, love fruit snacks, pizza, crackers, chips, pretzels, fruit, etc... He could snack all day long! We do provide him with mostly healthy snacks. If he sees Daddy with a pretzel, forget it... he's gotta have one.
• He loves Disney/Pixar movies. Some of his favorites are The Lion King, Cars, Ratatouille, and Toy Story.
• He also loves anything his buddy Will loves. Spiderman is big right now!
• He loves playing with Playdoh. I have to say, it is a special treat... I hate getting that stuff out. Ugh. It just makes a mess!
• When he wants something, he wants it right now. There's no "hang on a sec", or "just a minute", it's right NOW.
• He loves lining his treats up and saying "look Mommy!"
• He can pretty much repeat anything you say. And, most of the time it sounds pretty close to what you said! So, no more bad words!
• He's been going potty on the potty chair quite a bit... and on the floor.
• We're getting into the "No! Daddy do it!" or "No! Mommy do it!"
• He likes to talk on the phone - but he has to hold it.
• Frequency of meltdowns are increasing! He's getting a little temper!

We're having supper at Abba & PawPaw's tonight and then headed to Bible Study. I'm sure Gabe will have a great time hanging out with Abba & PawPaw and his buddy Caleb. I made cupcakes to take to small group. Party time on Saturday. More pictures to follow for sure.

Guys Weekend

Gabers, I'm getting ready to head to Chicago for the night to see Wicked with Abba & Aunt Keeker. We're going to meet Aunt Ne and Uncle Rene up there for dinner. You and Daddy have already started your weekend together working in the basement. I'm upstairs getting ready and I can't help but chuckle listening to your conversations. You are such a good boy. Mommy's going to miss you while I'm gone, but I'm excited for you to spend time with Daddy.

Love you guys!

Toddler Christmas

We had such a nice Christmas with our family. Since I've been such a bad blogger, I thought maybe I'd better give a Christmas recap! We spent Christmas Eve with Greg's parents, his brothers and their families. It was such a nice day. It's tradition to spend Christmas Eve with the Herrmans and Christmas day with my family. On Christmas Eve, we always have fondue with the Herrman family. Before Greg and I got together, I'd never had fondue! It's such a fun tradition, and I like that it's reserved for one time a year. It's always something to look forward to (as well as Mome's meatballs!)

Gabe got a lot of really great presents (our house suddenly got a lot smaller). It's always a joy to see him excited about something. He was very good with his cousins, even though he had a bit of a cold. We ended the evening with a reading of the Christmas story - the birth of our Savior. I love that Greg's parents have included that in Christmas Eve... I love to watch the kids watch Mary read it. All of the kids really listened... except for Gabe! He was playing with the Fisher Price Manger set (he was still in the same story!) and at just the right time, he pressed the angel to make the music play. It was cool.

We spent Christmas morning together opening gifts and stockings. Gabe's mom didn't have anything to open this year though... WHY? Was I on the naughty list?? No, quite the opposite! Santa surprised me a couple of days before Christmas with a Canon 40D! SO, I was taken care of for presents this year for sure! We got Gabe an easel as his big gift, the movie The Incredibles, a Toy Story magnet book, a couple of shirts, and a few other things. We read the letter that Santa wrote back to Gabe and checked out the cookie plate (sure enough, Santa had eaten the cookies!)

We also got Gabe this adorable train set from Ikea. He loved it. After opening gifts at home, we went up to my folks' house for the traditional breakfast casserole. It is so yummy! This year, my sister's fiance's parents were able to join us as well! They are such nice people. My other sister, Lindsey's, boyfriend Matt was there as well. We had a great time playing cards and joking around. Then, we spent some time opening gifts, and again, we all got a lot of really nice things. Mom spent a lot of time this year making our Christmas a sentimental one. She made us each a Christmas recipe book, a quilt, and she wrote out a mother's journal for us to share. The sentimental stuff is right up my alley... I love all of the thought that goes into making gifts like that.

Then, around 4:00, my mom's side of the family and Greg's parents came over so the cousins could see each other. We had a pretty good time with them as well. We played the traditional White Elephant game to Christmas trivia questions. Then, Gabe and I stayed the night and Greg came back to take care of Jinxi.

It was such a nice holiday. I am reminded so often of how very blessed Greg and I are. It is so uncommon that 2 families can share Christmas together so peacefully. I hear stories all of the time about terrible in laws or families in turmoil. I am so fortunate to have amazing in laws and a great family. It's exciting to see Jenny's fiance's family fitting in so well too. They are such kind people and it makes me happy that Jenny will have a great family life too. They just adore her, and as her big sister, well, I have to say that's all I can hope for!

I hope all of you readers (maybe like one or two of you?? :) ) are sticking with me! I promise to be more faithful in blogging in 2009! My friend Grant and I are going to attempt the Flickr 365 project of taking 1 photo every day for a year. Hopefully we can keep up with it! I think that will inspire me to blog more!

Super Nanny

Ok, so we're having some troubles ... Gabers is not wanting to go to bed at night. Last night, he stayed up until 11:00. Thankfully, I was home today, so he didn't have to get up early, but we can't let that continue to go on... Yeah, we definitely need to put a stop to that!

I do find it really awesome that he wants to stay up with us. I think that's so great that he wants to spend time with Mommy & Daddy. However, once 9:00 hits, I'm ready for some downtime. I think as parents and as a couple you definitely need that time. Time to just chill out, time to talk, or time to watch a tv show that isn't Handy Manny or one of the three Disney/Pixar movies a certain little guy is obsessed with. Any other parents out there, do you agree??

It's not that I'm not 100% devoted to my child... I am. I love spending time with him. However, I think to be a better mom, I need some downtime as well. Time to recharge my batteries.

So, this brings me to the title of the post - Super Nanny. Tonight I watched an episode of Super Nanny that suggested a method of getting your child to go to sleep and stay in their bed. This boy on the show got out of bed nearly 100x before going to sleep! And each time, his mom had to pick him up and put him back in bed. She was allowed to say something the first two times she went in the room, but after that, she just put him back in bed. I've heard from a friend that this works too. So, tonight, that's what we did. Gabe was not happy at all. I went back up to his room every 5 minutes or so and silently placed him back in his bed. This went on for a little over an hour. The entire time he was yelling, "No! Mommy bed!" or "Mommmmmmmy!!!!". He was NOT happy. But, every five minutes, I'd go back up (he'd be standing at the gate to his room crying) and I'd silently put him back into his bed.

This was hard... really hard. Greg couldn't do it. He went up one time and was up there for several minutes. When I went up to see what was going on, Greg was holding Gabe, talking to him, a book was out... Um, HELLO!!! Super Nanny said not to do that once you decided it was bed time! I was crying because I felt like my efforts were shot. I felt like the bad guy.

So, finally after that hour, I went up AGAIN, and this time, Gabe was laying in his bed drinking his bottle. Ahhh.... finally! Now, we just gotta get rid of that baba.... (I'm making Greg do that one!)

I need some advice from you other Mommas out there... Have you had this issue with your kids? If so, how did you handle it? The Super Nanny way? Or, is that too mean? I know it was really, really hard for us. But, the end result was him going to sleep up in his big boy bed, by himself. Will he eventually get the hang of it? I feel like I'm always guessing/hoping that I'm doing the right thing for Gabe. Time outs have been going really well for discipline. I've been trying to get him to eat better. This parenting thing is tough!

But, it really, truly is worth every minute.

Too-Dah

Ok, so this is just one of those moments that I didn't want to forget, so I had to get it down...

Gabe is kind of obsessed with "Shish" (Finding Nemo) and "TooDah" (Toy Story). A lot of the time, he just generalizes Toy Story as TooDah... meaning he'll call the movie TooDah, or he'll call the individual characters TooDah. Poor Steve and Tami didn't know what he was talking about when they babysat him for us!

Anywho... While on vacation, we went into like the hugest Disney store ever. I wanted to bring Gabe back a "prize" but didn't know what it would be. Then, I saw TooDah. That was the prize he was getting... no doubt about it! I gingerly carried TooDah through the airport so his cowboy hat wouldn't get bent up. I got a lot of looks from people there... like they thought it was my toy - like a comfort thing I couldn't live without or something! Come on people, I'm 29 years old... I do not need a woobie! So, TooDah made it home ok. Yesterday morning, after Gabe woke up, we thought we'd give him his TooDah. Here's the adorable part that I had to record (his response to TooDah):

"OH, BIG TooDah!!"

Greg and I just looked at each other and burst out laughing! It was SO stinkin' cute! We love you, Gabers... it's so good to be back home with you.

Cute Stuff

Excuse the poor quality of this picture, but it was taken through our very filthy front door. I've tried, but it is impossible to keep clean with a dog and a toddler. Gabe LOVES pears. We have a pear tree here at the new house and Gabe just loves them - skin and all. He walks around the house saying "apple" and holding it just like a grown up would hold an apple. He's so stinkin' funny.


Gabe also LOVES the movie The Lion King. Seriously... Greg and I probably have the first 20 minutes of that memorized - word for word. It is SO cute to see him sit there in a trance watching it. We usually play it in the kitchen while we fix dinner and he sits in his high chair in a daze. He also does some of the actions (holding the cub up to the sunlight, silly faces Nala & Simba make, etc...) He also says "Scar", "Daddy!", and "It is TIME..". I just love it. Sometimes I'll stand at our kitchen island and just smile and watch him. He has no idea... he is so entranced.

Well, Gabe's Mom is exhausted. That is all for tonight!

Gabers Mini Photo Session

One of my favorite things to do is to just grab the Gabers and go on a spontaneous photo shoot. Usually we take Daddy with us too so he can help me get Gabe's attention. Today, we went out to a farm and got some neat photos of Gabe by a wrought iron fence and in one of my dad's bean fields. He looked so ready for fall today in his brown courdoroy jacket. My little boy is growing up so fast. People say that happens, and some days it feels like they just grew by leaps and bounds over night.

I like this one - I just hope this is the only time I ever see him behind bars! :) I love the look on his face too.

Here, Gabe is tasting the beans to see if they're ready for harvest yet. We had to call PaPa tonight to let him know Gabe probably owes him some money for the beans! Gotta tease that PaPa.

I so wish I lived at this house - I love the wrought iron fence and the serenity of the place.

My lovely assistant, Greg, is doing his very best to get Gabe to smile for me. The tickley things work really well!

One of my favorites. My happy boy in the bean field getting ready for harvest. I can't wait to see him in the tractor with PaPa.

The little man.

And another favorite. Daddy taught Gabe how to pick flowers today - "you don't pick off just the petals - you pick them down lower and then give them to Mommy!" It was too cute to watch.

Gabe's Mom is Still Here!

Ugh... I have not been a very good blogger, have I? I'm still here... In the past 2 weeks, I've had the following things going on:


A hubby on a camping trip.
A wedding.
A Gabers with a cold.
Planning, preparation, and attending of the first annual Momma Getaway.
A jam-packed work schedule (our new girl resigned).
Getting garage sale items ready.



So, yeah... it's been a pretty busy time for me! Anyway, on to the Gabers! I hope the picture at the top has given you a clue about the post. When Gabe was just a baby - a very teenie-tiny baby - my friend Tami and I went garage-saling (Nah! Not US!) and found this awesome Radio Flyer bike for Gabe. We've had it put up in the garage and we finally took it down this past week to see if he would like it. He really wasn't too interested when he found out he had to work at it a bit and Daddy wasn't going to keep pushing him! He hopped off and returned back to the "cauk" (sidewalk chalk) he was playing with. I had not gotten my camera out yet, so we persuaded him with a juice box to get back on so I could capture this on my camera. Ah, the powers of parental persuasion... If only it always worked! Would you like to see that picture? I thought you might...He's so cute, isn't he? This weekend, I held the first annual (possibly semiannual!) Momma Getaway weekend. My fellow Momma friends and I headed to a nearby church camp to rent out a cabin-like building to scrapbook, sew, talk, eat, and sleep as much as we wanted for the weekend. It was so much fun. I was able to share the weekend with 5 of my dearest friends. They are just the best. We had games and prizes, we had a couple of really late nights (3:00 am!), and we had a blast. I love these ladies so much. God has truly blessed me with some amazing friendships - I am so fortunate that my closest friends could all be in the same place for the weekend. You can read more about it on my other blog Greg's Wife if you are interested. Speaking of which, I'd better go so I can update that blog... it's been even longer since I've posted to that one!

Celebration of Life Day

Today, we celebrated life. Nine years ago, my brother & sisters were in a near-fatal car accident. I blogged a bit about it here. We always try to get together as a family on this day to celebrate life - life that was saved, life that has changed, and life that didn't exist before. I just can't believe it's been nine years. So many memories come back from those days when Jenny & Dan were in the hospital. So many moments where we didn't know if we'd have them. So many uncertainties. When those thoughts come to mind, I do my best to push them away and remember that they're here. They're living a life that is so special. Life can forever be changed by a single incidence and my family is proof of that. Because of the accident, we don't take life for granted. Because of the accident we are so unbelievably close. Because of the accident, my family has formed a strong, loving bond with Greg's family. As much as that day devastated me, it has helped form me into a better sister, daughter, and mother. I am thankful for my suffering - it truly has shaped me and added beautiful colors to my tapestry. However, I can say that it was painful - so unbearably painful at the time. Praise God that only He can make something beautiful from it.

My awesome nieces and nephew with Gabe. They are so great in always willing to pose for me!

Gabers with his Abbas and PawPa's (we spell PawPaw (PaPa) 2 different ways!)

Today, we had a wonderful time. Greg's family - brothers and their families, as well as Greg's parents - all came out to the farm. We all had a great time. Good food, good fun, some photo ops, eucure, and a very well-behaved Gabers. What more could you ask for? Here are some pictures from my impromptu photo session:

My FAVORITE picture from today - Lindsey & Matt

My adorable niece, Julia

My other adorable niece, Katie

Aunt Lindsey, Gabe, & Uncle Dan

Grandma & George

The Beginning - Part 3

If you have been following our story, you'll know it's been awhile since I've written about the adoption journey that lead us to these doors. When I took this picture, Gabe's birthmom was in labor and I was pacing back and forth. Greg and Gabe's birthmom's brother were sitting and talking. I was pacing.

Let me back up a bit though. I left off here in case you want a refresher as to where we are. So, it's June, we're on the list, and we're waiting. Every couple of weeks, I email our agencies to see if there's any news, but each time they tell me that they will let us know. So, we spent a lot of time in June just doing things together and spending quality time with our friends. During June, we had a great little motorcycle day trip and I believe we went to Darci & Craig's cottage. Also, I was on LA Weightloss at the time and I had just lost 26 pounds. Things were going great. In fact, in July - July 18th - I found out I was pregnant.

I couldn't believe it. We weren't trying. We were very happy to be on the adoption waiting list - we were so excited to be adopting our first child. We really felt like this is right where the Lord had directed us. We thought it was His plan. Little did we know, His plan would include this pregnancy.

We were beaming. We couldn't contain our joy and didn't delay in telling our family. We told them that night. Greg's parents had a dinner for the farm and my parents were camping. Greg's mom and dad thought we were talking about adoption - we showed them a Harley jacket for a baby. My mom squealed. My dad actually had to tell my mom to be quiet because we were at the campground. Greg's parents came to the campground too. We got pictures together and spent the evening just saying, "I can't believe it."

I went to my first ultrasound at around 5 1/2 weeks and the doctor saw a flickering heartbeat. We were even able to hear it. My mom and Greg's mom were with us and we were all crying. I was shaking so hard from crying that they had to tell me to stop so they could hear the baby. I will never ever forget the sound of that beautiful heartbeat. The doctor told me he wanted to do another sonogram in 10 days to make sure things were going smoothly. Greg left in a couple of days for a motorcycle trip with his dad, so Greg's mom would be going to that appointment with me.

A couple of days after we found out about the pregnancy, we received a call from one of our adoption agencies that a woman was in labor and wanted to meet some couples. We really felt that we had to say, "no" because we didn't think it would be fair to the other families waiting to have a child, if we were to be chosen. Also, I don't know if we could've handled 2 children at once! To this day, I still think maybe my pregnancy saved me from a potentially bad situation - not that it was the reason I was pregnant, but it was a factor in saying "no" to meeting that birth mom. Maybe the birth mom would've chosen us. Maybe she would've changed her mind in the 2 week window that the state of Missouri has. Maybe the situation with the birth father would have been trouble. Who knows.

At the next doctors appointment, I was scheduled for another sonogram. I was so unbelievably excited. As soon as I found out I was pregnant, I bought a pregnancy journal and started a Mother's Journal for our baby. I wrote that I couldn't wait to see the baby again. When the nurse did the sonogram, she had a really hard time finding the heartbeat. She said she needed to call the doctor in. I knew immediately that the baby was gone. They didn't have to tell me. I knew. In fact, throughout the time I was pregnant, I think I always knew that I wouldn't get an opportunity to raise this child. Don't ask me how I knew... I just did. Mother's intuition, maybe.

The doctor came in and told me & Greg's mom the terrible news that I had a missed miscarriage. We were devastated. I will always remember that day. It's almost like I can replay it in my mind, but I'm watching it all happen from above - I know that probably sounds weird, but that's how I recall it. Greg's mom was absolutely fantastic. We had friends visiting, people praying, and others that would just hug me while I cried. I have never experienced something so painful in all my life. Greg and his dad came home and Greg and I looked at each other and just didn't know what to say. I had a procedure done and found out that there was nothing wrong with the baby chromosome-wise. This was good news, according to the doctor. To me, I was just even more frustrated. There was no explanation. No reason why our child was gone. I still grieve the child we lost. I still think of her every due date anniversary and every anniversary when I found out she was gone. Her loss was agony. I couldn't understand why God fulfilled the desires of my heart and then so quickly took her away. I don't think I'll ever understand that. I have blogged more about my thoughts on the miscarriage on my other site.

After a couple of months, we informed our agencies that we were ready to be back on the list. We weren't going to try the common infertility drugs like Lupron & Clomid again. We still felt like we were meant to adopt. Sure, we may get pregnant in the future, but right now, adoption was God's way. So, we were reactivated. And.... we wait.

I'm trying to decide if I should go on and make this the longest blog post ever... I guess I will. Grab a cup of coffee or a soda, and chat with me for a bit longer...

In January, we received a call from Adoptions of Illinois. There was a birth mom due with a little boy and she was 8 1/2 months pregnant. She was due very soon. The birth mom wanted to meet us after reading our profile. We were ecstatic. When Greg called me to tell me, I was sitting in the parking lot of our pharmacy. All I could say was, "Greg, we might have a boy. A son." It was Monday, and we were leaving for a cruise on Friday. Wednesday, 2 days after receiving the call, we met with Gabe's birth mom, mother, and best friend.

Instantly, we seemed to hit it off with them. We talked about movies, likes, dislikes, hobbies, discipline plans, goals, religion, etc... any big or little topic, we covered. They were all so easy to talk to. Greg and I had decided before we even walked in the room we were going to completely be ourselves. No "super parent" attitude. No, "we're the perfect couple". We wanted his birth family to choose us because we're us. That's the best thing we could've done. They liked us! That day, that room was filled with laughter, a few tears (from me when I talked about becoming a parent some day), and calmness. When we walked out of the room (I still can't believe I said this...) I said to Greg, "We nailed it! It went so well!" That totally seems to contradict the "be yourself" attitude we had when going in there. I think I was just so excited that I meant, "We did just what we said we'd do and they liked us! I think they may pick us!"

We didn't know for sure if we should go on the cruise since Gabe's birth mom was due so soon. She thought we should still go and she definitley wouldn't base her decision on whether or not we'd be here. So, reluctantly, we decided to go. While on the ship, (a week after meeting her) we received an email that Gabe's birth mom had chosen us. We were going to be parents. We told my parents first because we were on the cruise with them and then called Greg's parents. We also called Darci & Craig. We were so excited, we ran out of our room on the ship trying to find my parents. When we told them, mom squealed (again) causing our neighbors to open their door. When we told them the news, they handed us a bottle of wine and said, "Here, you need to celebrate!".

On our way home from the cruise, Thursday, one week and one day after meeting Gabe's birth mom, we found out that she had started to dialate. We were freaking out thinking we wouldn't make it home in time. We didn't know that a woman could dialate days before the birth! Friday night, my mom, my mother in law, and my sister in law went shopping with me to buy all the necessities for baby. It was so much fun. AND, overwhelming. I couldn't believe it. I was going to be a Mommy. That Sunday, just 11 days after meeting his birth mom, Gabe was born at 12:59 pm.

There you have it. Our Story. It's a great one, isn't it? Gabey, we love you and we couldn't have planned it any better than it unfolded.

Found Pictures - Nice Surprise!

While we were at my parents' house visiting Monday night, I reached into my camera bag so I could snap a picture of Gabers and his Papa Smith. When I took the first picture... CRAP! No memory card! I had left it on our computer desk after taking pictures from it. But, then, I found one of the smaller cards that I used to use. One that doesn't have near the amount of room on it. So, I put it in my camera and snapped away.

When I got home, I put the card into my computer and found some pictures I'd forgotten I'd taken of Gabe before he was a year old. I'm guessing he was around 10 months old. Here are a couple of them:

What a pleasant surprise! He was so adorable, wasn't he? He still is... Now, he just looks so much more like a little boy than a baby.

I'm looking forward to a rather calm weekend. We don't really have any plans except for a cookout at my mom & dad's house on Monday. We always try to get together as a family on or around Labor Day - This is the anniversary of the accident my siblings were in, so we like to spend that time together. My parents invited my in laws too (including Greg's brothers and their wives & kids), which is awesome. I'm so fortunate that my family all gets along so well together. That's great for me and Greg, but even better for Gabe. Not many kids can have some of their holidays shared with both sides of the family. Greg's parents are always so great about including my family too. If my mom has to work a holiday, a lot of times Greg's parents invite my Dad and brother over to spend the holiday there, which is so thoughtful.

Gabe is really fortunate to have grandparents, parents, cousins, aunts, uncles, & friends that all love him so much. Seeing your child loved is one of the greatest joys a parent can experience.