Friday before Camping Trip

The photo: Home sweet home for a few days! It's the tent we "splurged" on last fall. It's a Family-Sized tent (4 or 5 person tent... but most importantly... we can stand up in it. We need to pack tonight so we can do our final shopping tomorrow. (It's set up in the back yard here because we wanted to see if all of the parts were there before we got into the wilderness.) Did I mention where we were going?! Cumberland Island. I've been wanting to go there for years. Some friends of ours go fairly often, so we're tagging along with them. You have to take a ferry over to the island. It goes over Monday morning and the next ferry doesn't come to the island 'til Thursday. There are no cars. Probably very few people. Lots of wild horses. etc. SO EXCITED!!!!

We also found out about our latest adoption opportunity yesterday (valentine's day): the birth mother from Oklahoma chose another family. I had my physical earlier in the week and I went this afternoon to pick up my final paperwork and take to the social worker..... but..... she wasn't at the office this afternoon -- so it will have to wait 'til we get back. I think that's it for the homestudy on our end. Seriously. (Unless this doesn't pan out within the next few months... and we have to start doing some of the paperwork over again. (State of GA requires that it be updated every 6 months. Some of the stuff we stared in December, so it will be outdated by June.)

Finally - I'm about to place the order online for the custom-sized organic sheets for the bassinet that my grandpa made. Had the custom chem-free mattress made. I got a couple of orders in that I had placed a week or so ago -- and have a number of org onsies (they are so soft) and a slew of org baby lotions and potions (burts bee, baby avalon organics, and earth's best products) after i placed this order, i found out that this stuff will last a long long time. I probably didn't need several different brands of diaper ointment AND shampoo AND lotion etc. I thought it would be good to get a variety / see what brands we and the baby liked... but looks like we'll be "trying" these things out for a year or more!

Oh well. That's ok. I've read (for the 2nd time) that the hospital will give you a bag of baby stuff... but that these companies have paid big bucks to get their products in there because parents have this thing called the "Halo Effect" -- they feel euphoria and anything that they come across in the first few days seems to become a permanent part of the baby's life. So the products that have lots of chemicals in them and diapers that have bleach in them, etc will get to stay at the hospital because I have PLENTY of natural products to take with. I guess there is some benefit to being over-prepared!

I should go / order the sheets / do some laundry etc. I don't think I'll post before we go on the trip. The next post should have some amazing photos of our trip!

for the birds...

Well, I don't know much about birds, but I know that I was drawn to the pond mid-day yesterday b/c of a group of cute ones that kept hovering & dipping in the pond and stream. I tried to look it up online to see what they were and this is pretty close to what I saw minus the red tips. (bird ID-ing is hard if you have no clue what you're doing!) maybe i'll get a book with lots of pictures so we can try to figure out what's visiting. That would be a fun thing, I suppose, for young children - when we have them - to engage with nature and learn about them. (I've got a lot of brushing up to do between now & then!)

There were maybe 10 of them hanging out late morning. I set a table up near the waterfall for us to eat lunch, but they were afraid, I guess, and hanging out in the big tree above. I was in the back yard all afternoon and saw them at the top of the stream dipping into the water later in the day.

I've never seen any like them before, so it was kinda cool to sit for a few minutes and watch them. Actually - I love watching how all animals interact with our pond and stream... dragonflies, squirrels, and birds are definitely drawn to the area.

There was another exciting experience with a bird. There was a red bird (a cardinal, I think) trapped in our garage! I had the doors open all day b/c I was getting gear out for our camping trip (tent, cooler, folding chairs, etc)... and he must have flew in at some point. He was in there for hours. I'm assuming he flew out b/c by the end of the afternoon, I didn't see him flying around. I felt so bad for him -- but he had no clue I'd try to help him out... I'm sure he was just afraid of me.

We set up the tent in the back yard to make sure all the pieces were there, cleaned off a bunch of gear, and started packing a box of things to take with us. We'll need to run to REI this week and pick up a couple more things... but we're really excited about the (much needed) trip.

Well, I should crash. Todd woke up in the middle of the night coughing (4 am) and I got up to get him water / wasn't able to go back to sleep. I feel so bad for him. He's back to normal from his little surgery -- except when he coughs -- it hurts the incision on his stomach. And - as his cough from being sick last week lingers, I know it hurts him every time he coughs.

I made a vanilla steamer (milk puts you back to sleep, right?) and thought I'd look up that bird. I need to get some more zzz's before going to work today. Got a busy day ahead of me. I have a board meeting after work near the square and then I am going to go meet Todd's brother for dinner. He's flying into town to teach a class -- but Todd is heading out of town to go to his jobsite several hours before his brother's flight lands. Oh well.

re: ADOPTION stuff. We haven't heard anything about the situation in Oklahoma, but Todd & I started to look through agency applications this weekend. We filled one out & read / signed all of the paperwork... but we have to get certified copies of marraige liscense and birth certificates, MORE letters of recommendation, etc. Boy - I feel like we're tapping some people too much with these letters! Each agency also requests 4 - 5 copies of our profile book -- but there's 2 we're applying with this week & neither have an application fee -- so that's cool. We also have to include completed copies of our homestudy. I think that should be wrapping up this week after my physical Wednesday.

Great day today!

I started out making breakfast in bed for Todd today before I went to work. Yesterday afternoon, he had a minor surgery to fix a tear in his stomach lining -- which is actually a pretty common thing in guys. (his doctor found the tear when he went to get his physical for the adoption home study. he recommended going ahead & taking care of it before we adopted a child b/c todd would be out of commission for a little while recovering & wouldn't be able to pick up a child. He should be 100% back to normal by Thursday.)

Then, after he was squared away - I went to a meeting in a coffee shop near my office. I had a great meeting with a co-worker who I enjoy her company, then went to the office & reviewed some drawings. I went to a meeting this afternoon that was cut short b/c of a change in the project scope on the architect's end. So - on a gorgeous afternoon (64 degrees at 4 pm) -- I got to head home early! (I was really missing my convertible, though!)

On the way home, I stopped at a children's consignment store that I've been wanting to check out -- and loaded up on some nearly new clothes. Got some CUTE things from baby gap / old navy / carter's etc.
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I haven't really written too much about buying baby stuff, but I have been gathering a "READY-GO" package of things we'll need when we get that call to hop on a plane and potentially fly across country. Some friends are going to loan us a carseat and a neighbor is loaning us a travel baby sleeper thing (since we'll have to take something for the baby to sleep in for 2 - 3 weeks). I've got hybrid cloth & disposable diapers. I've got Burt's Bee baby products. I've been trying to get organic clothing and products as much as I can -- so I wanted to have this stuff ahead of time -- we may not be able to get the majority of it on the road.

I've been reading a book called "organic baby" and another called "green babies / sage moms" One of them was talking about particular items to buy organic (onesies which are close to the skin, the mattress, bathing products, etc)... and - if you couldn't get all of these things organic to buy 2nd hand (for clothing, carseats, etc). The chemicals that are in the products will more than likely be washed out or the plastics & such will have off-gassed.

It's inevitable that the baby will eventually be exposed to these things (unless living on a commune, I suppose).... but - I like the idea of trying to do the best that we can for as long as we can.
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I guess I was excited to get the really cute stuff at a great deal -- so that, alone, is enough to constiture as a good day! But - then, Todd & I walked up to the square to absorb the great weather / we met some neighbors at a coffee shop for some tea & a steamer / walked home.

Finally, I made dinner and we watched Shrek 3.

I don't think that there was really anything that wasn't pleasant today. I've really enjoyed taking care of Todd. Sounds weird, but it's been nice helping him out.

I guess that's all for today.


PS - we have another book out to a birthmother in Oklahoma. I'm feeling better because our READY-GO pack is almost complete and my meeting this morning was to inform my co-worker of a project so that she could take over for me if we get the call.

Yay.

c

Another blog?! So soon!!

For some reason, I felt the need to report that I feel like an adult today. I'm still very much a kid at heart... but I did something very "responsible" & that's what qualifies me - in my mind - as adult. (Not to mention the things I already do such as owning a home / holding down a job / pursuing adoption are all very "adult" things to do of course! But it just feels different.)

I voted in the primary today. I've never done that in the primary before... just in November during election years. (For those who know me -- they may be shocked b/c I am so NOT a political person!!) I was at home early (came home sick from work) and felt the urge to go vote. Don't know 100% why I felt compelled to do it - but I did.

ON AN ADOPTION NOTE -- as an update to yesterday's post -- I found out from our consultant that we aren't eligible for this particular situation in Utah. The social worker needs families who are ready to go right now & they need to have a completed homestudy in their hands by the end of the week. If we scrambled (the scenario would roll like this: I went & sat in a dr's office tomorrow and had a physical "on demand" AND if we were able to get the results of the bloodwork & other stuff back right away.... then got the paperwork back to our social worker right away.... then she finished it in a day.... then fed-ex it out.... we'd make it in time. but - all 3 of those steps likely have more than a 1 day turn-around (getting the appointment. getting the test results. getting the social worker to drop everything else she has going on).

This one was just not meant to be (again). It will happen. I'm ok with it.

Funny as I was trying to go to sleep last night -- I'm playing out all the stuff in my head. Birth mother's due date Feb 22. If she went into labor before then -- we'd be on a remote island camping (we're going to cumberland in a week & a half!!). fortunately, we would be able to get cell service to receive the call and would be able to get an emergency flight off the island (we checked -- the island has both cell and emergency services if needed). but then we'd have to pack up everything and drive back home before making flight arrangements.

Clearly - my mind was racing as I was trying to fall asleep. Todd was more rational: we just wouldn't go on the trip b/c we would need to be ready to go when we got the call. (he's so level-headed. I'm trying to figure out how to make it all work!) ugh.

Oh well. I should go. I'm going to take a nap for awhile. (Because naps are an "adult" luxury.) ; - )

A bit under the weather...

Hard to say if we picked up some ICK from our flight to Chicago or the flight to Ohio... or ICK in the hotel in Pennsylvania... or ICK from relatives at the funeral who were sick... or ICK on our flight to Charlotte... or ICK on our flight back to Atlanta. But - Todd & I got knocked down over the weekend! It's the first time that either of us could recall that we both got sick at the same time. I kept thinking -- what would it be like if we had a kid and were both sick? I wasn't feeling as bad as he was, so I suppose I would've taken care of the fam? (Like saying ICK almost as my favorite decription of miscellaneous substance: SCHMOO) Picked up SCHMOO on flight to Chicago.... or SCHMOO from the hotel... etc. Still works!

We made it back with no problems, really (since we were re-routed through Charlotte the next day). When we got home, we both took a nap. Later, I went for a walk up to the square with a couple of neighbors, hung out in the outdoor courtyard of the local coffee house, and then walked home. Todd & I both went to bed early that night, slept for 12 hours, and hung out in the house all day Sunday. We blew off a Superbowl party b/c we didn't want to pass any ICK (or SCHMOO) around -- just in case.

Both of us are on the mend now, thankfully. After the news of the prospect in Denver and Arkansas not panning out... finding out about Todd's aunt passing... and being hit with the flu (we think) - it wasn't a good week, honestly.

I'm optimistic that things will look up this week. We were contacted with another opportunity (a birthmother in Utah), but aren't sure yet if we're qualified b/c our homestudy isn't 100% done yet. (I had to post-pone my physical b/c of the funeral last week. It's scheduled next week -- but the birthmother is due in two weeks!) I may have to figure out how to get a physical in the next day or two pending a discussion with our consultant tomorrow.

I should crash now. -- Candice

Stuck in PA because of snow...

We've had a nice visit with all of Todd's family. They're such a large, warm, loving group of people. The service was yesterday at a Greek Orthodox church that they were members of. I'd never been to a Greek funeral. It was different than any I'd ever been to. It's so interesting to see the various rituals that different cultures & religions have. We couldn't understand most of what the greek priests said, but, it seemed comforting to his family to know that she was receiving blessings as she was passing from this life to her next.

We were supposed to fly home this afternoon (we'd be on a plane right now on our way to Chicago), but b/c of snow & delays... our airline cancelled their flight. They're re-routing us through Charlotte NC tomorrow before we make it home.

On our way up, we went through Chicago and it was 2 degrees. 2! (and we had to walk out onto the tarmac to get to our little commuter plane) 2 is cold. thankfully, it was only for a short time!

I should run. Time to go eat (again). Lots of food. Lots of family outings this trip. Big, loud, good-spirited family outings!

We found out about the other two situations....

... unfortunately, we were not picked for either situation. instead, other deserving families were chosen by the birth mothers in arkansas and in colorado.

it's hard to make a connection with the birth mothers by reading a few pages about each of them... so the little bit of "excitement" that we're able to feel about these situations is by what positive we can gain out of the experience in the particular state in which we'd be in for 2 - 3 - 4 weeks in.

the arkansas situation would've been cool. it would've given us a chance to visit Fay Jones' Thorncrown Chapel (beautiful!). http://www.thorncrown.com/architecture.htm

the colorado situation would've been cool because we could visit denver (i used to work there some and i really loved that town) / my cousin lives there / i've always wanted to take todd and show him some things. (also... we have a girl's name picked out which is a city in colorado that I've always loved the name of... so I was hoping to visit that city b/c I've never been! maybe it's better that we not visit that city - what if I didn't like it?)

i'm bummed of course, but todd was able to keep me in check and remind me that it was not meant to be. "our" baby is still out there waiting for us.

i should run. we have a lot to do before we fly out tomorrow morning.
good night. c