Happy Anniversary + our part of the Home Study is COMPLETE!

We just celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary yesterday.... we had our final "Pre-Placement" Home Study visit.  While the social worker was here, she "interviewed" Mercer.  The question of the hour:  does he want a baby brother or sister?  Eventually, after being shy, he said no - he wanted a big brother.  Ha!  

After we handed her all of our final paperwork that we had to take care of, she told us that we were done.  (That was so wonderful to hear!)  We are 100% complete on our end.  She's compiling the data & writing the report.  YAY!  This is a HUGE hurdle crossed.  This means that - once she finishes her paperwork - we are eligible to adopt a baby.  Now we need to find the *right* opportunity.

Our next step -- start seeking out agencies, adoption lawyers who place babies, and possibly "advertise" outside of our network (such as write letters to OBGYNs / hospitals / etc) that we are hoping to adopt a baby girl this year.  We have done pretty well so far on selling baklava, cookies, and selling "yard sale" items.  We have also been honored by some friends, neighbors, social worker, and even a stranger from the other side of the country!  It is VERY touching how willing people are to help.  We will begin to apply for a couple of grants soon as well to see if we can secure some additional funding. 


We are trying to be aggressive & proactive on this!

Todd's mom was here this past weekend.  We didn't really go out / do much... just go out to eat / cook meals at home / bake baklava.  It seemed to be a food-centric weekend.  We were happy to hang out and spend some time together, though.  

Enclosed are some photos from Mercer's party at the Chattahoochee Nature Center from the previous weekend that were not posted on the last blog entry.  Mercer had a good time with his friends and I like to think that they learned some things.  (My friend Sara and I learned about how birds mate - so that's something!)  They played with animal puppets until the majority of the kids arrived.  Then the naturalist pulled out a Gopher Tortoise and did a lesson on the reptile.  Afterwards, everyone went on a hike where we got to see the rescue animals that are kept at the nature center.  Once back inside, the group sang happy birthday and ate a slice of the cookie cake the nature center provided (after washing their hands, of course).  The kids then played animal charades and finally a game of duck-duck-goose.  Some of the kids stuck around and we all explored the interpretive center together.    When asking Mercer what his favorite part was, he said duck-duck-goose.  
 

The naturalist who was our "host" for the birthday party is someone who I did some work several years ago, as we developed a website for greening Georgia schools. (check out http://greenandhealthy.org/ for great resources and lessons for children on sustainability topics) ~~cool~~

A couple of things to report: 
Mercer - a few days before he turned 4 - decided that he no longer needed to wear diapers overnight.  There have been a few accidents, but for the most part he's doing well.  He also told me - when I was trying to open something:  mom, let me do it.  I'm 4 now.  (Of course he couldn't open it either so Todd had to do it.)  He's learning "yes ma'am" and "yes sir" at school as well as his days of the weeks and the different months.    


He keeps wishing away his 4th year.  "Next, I'll be 5 then 6 then 7 then 8."  ~sigh~

"Here we go again!"

Todd & I have been very busy lately.  We have been celebrating Mercer's birthday, juggling work & side-work, knocking out the research & forms for our adoption homestudy, prepping for our FINAL social worker homestudy visit, AND building this website about our (prospective) 2012 adoption: http://www.adoption-2.blogspot.com/ 

This may be a bit of a *surprise* for those who didn't know we were looking to adopt again... but I think pretty much everyone who looks at this blog knows we've wanted to do this for awhile. 

We are having to do things a bit differently than how we went through Mercer's adoption.  We're taking on more of the work ouselves (instead of using a consultant) and we are being more creative with the financing:  we are planning to apply for some grants... we are hosting a "virtual" yard sale / virtual "bake sale" / and several upcoming "gourmet" pancake breakfasts as well.  

Most importantly -- if anyone hears of any potential adoption opportunities, PLEASE let us know.  We are nearing the end of our homestudy process and will begin actively searching for a baby girl to add to the Groves family this year.

THANK YOU!  THANK YOU!

4 times around the sun

Happy Birthday, Mercer!
(argh... missed posting ON his birthday by 2 minutes!)

I had the pleasure of going to Mercer's daycare today.  I read one of our favorite books to the class called "Stop that Ball."  The narration was complemented by Mercer piping in with "WHACK" and "BOOM BOOM BOOM" in the appropriate spots in the story.  He was very into it and his classmates seemed to enjoy it as well.  The reading was followed by an activity that is apparently common in Montessori schools:


The teacher, Ms. Neda, lit a candle and placed it on the floor saying "this represents the sun."  She had Mercer carry a globe around the "sun" 4 times -- one trip around for each year of his life.  She asked that I tell the class about the day Mercer was born on his first trip around.  She asked about his first birthday during his next trip around.  She asked about what he was doing when he was 2 on the next time around and then highlights of his 3rd year of life on his final trip around.  Afterwards, she announced that Mercer is 4 years old today and asked the class to sing Happy Birthday.  Next, he blew out the "sun."

It was an unexpected, but very cool experience!  Another great thing happened while there.  Ms. Neda told me that Mercer is the kindest child in her class.  Ahh... that made me VERY proud!

This kind kid said that he wanted party hats and chocolate cake at his celebration at school.  He picked out the hats seen here and also got to pick a friend to sit next to him, Gabriel. 

After school (and after work), he opened presents here at home.  He got a lot of great things including a bicycle!  We were given the bicycle by a stranger 1 1/2 years ago at our local post office!  We added training wheels and it was ready for him to take a spin.  He did not enjoy it so much his first time on the bike, but we're sure he will warm up to it in no time. 











We have a party planned for him at a local nature center in a couple of days.  There will be more photos to follow as we welcome Mercer's 4th year of life.

Happy Valentine's Day

Back at Christmas, Mercer and I tried to make birdseed ornaments.  We tried several different "recipes" found on the Internet, but they ALL failed miserably (well - except for seeds stuck in peanut butter on pine cones or dried out pieces of bread).  For Valentine's, we tried another project:  marbling paper.  Tried a couple of different kid-friendly processes....and, yup... that failed miserably too.  Oh well!

We ended up sending some of the "marbled" hearts out -- unlike what we had to do with the gelatin-filled bird seed clumps (trashing them).  So - in case you were a lucky recipient of one & wondering why there are oily splotchy pieces of paper in envelopes... there you have it.  Mercer did have fun, however, and he kept asking to "do the thing with the water."  I suppose that's what's most important.

We tackled a project that we were supposed to do around Christmas this week:  make cranberry & popcorn garland for the birds and squirrels.  This project finally happened; it's now "Valentine's Garland."  Here's a picture of him in front of the garland hanging on our little maple tree.

Mercer had a nice day at school -- exchanging valentine's with his classmates.  We also celebrated as a family tonight -- partaking in a great dinner of french onion soup, dinner crepes, and dessert crepes.  ~yum~

We hope that each of you are surrounded by *extra* love and loved ones this month!

oh the times are a changing...

It seems that we are starting to lose our good eater. We knew it would happen one day, but it's hard to watch (and it's hard to deal with at dinner time).

Pretty much every meal begins with "I don't like that."
We have to remind him that he's had the meal before... he likes it... and/or it's new & he has to try it. For the most part it works. It's tough to not give in, though.

He's been refusing to get out of bed in the mornings too. "I don't want to get up. I'm still tired." ugh! FLASH FORWARD 10 YEARS... bet those words will be spoken then too!
We are hoping that Mercer is going through a phase and that these negative phrases will be eliminated from his vocabulary soon!!

We've found something that motivates him: earning pennies on a behaviour chart that we have. He gets a penny taken away when he does something bad. We add a penny when he does something good. Thank goodness he doesn't really know what the value of a penny is. It seems to work (much like stickers did when he was potty training). Ahhh... it is refreshing that simple things like this work to encourage him to do good things.

On a separate note, Mercer has learned how to snap now and will walk around totally impressed that he can do it. He's learning the days of the week and learning his seasons of the year.

Here are a couple of cute photos of Mercer and "his gang" in the upstairs play room during Soup Night last week. Six kids snug on a couch. They all fit! (Mercer is pictured here (L to R) with Jackson, Jude, August, Glady, and Skyla) We really LOVE our neighborhood, LOVE these kids, and LOVE hanging out with their parents! We look forward to bringing another child into our home and into this neighborhood. Blog-readers, please keep us in your thoughts & prayers. Let us know if you hear of any opportunities that we can pursue / research / etc.

We have been diligently working on our homestudy process. Our social worker has made some suggestions for us in terms of paths to pursue - but none of them are the clear choice at this point in time. We're hoping that the RIGHT opportunity presents itself, as we know we cannot use the same consultant we used for Mercer's adoption due to her fee + the agency cost.

It really stinks that this is a barrier. There are so many children that need homes. But in doing research, this is not just our barrier -- it's pretty commonly cited as the reason why people who want to adopt cannot.

Here's a nice way to end the blog: Mercer trying to make us laugh. Here, he is taking -- rather, "faking" -- a nap: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppWPgLUzlzk&context=C35341d0ADOEgsToPDskIELcF6tnu6M7wP5LvjaQjn

Have a great week~

a great thing about children...

In the past several weeks, Mercer has exhibited a wonderful quality a number of times -- inclusiveness.

When we were in North Carolina a couple of weeks ago, Mercer did something cute and unexpected: he asked my mothers parents (his GREAT grandparents), Melvin & Inez, to play catch! Granted -- he had a very soft object that he was throwing around -- it seemed to have startled them both. They did end up playing and I think it made them feel young and happy to get some play-time in. Later that evening, Mercer also wanted my aunt to play "hall ball" kicking a ball down a long narrow hallway over and over again. He loves involving everyone in his activities. This is a wonderful quality that he possesses!

Most recently, Mercer asked some neighbors (in their 50s) to play ring-around-the rosie... "and they all fall down!" (I think he was a bit bummed that they didn't fall to the floor like he did, but he still enjoyed including them in this childhood game -- and I've heard from each of them -- the neighbors also enjoyed it / made a unique memory at coming to one of our Soup Night events!)

We have been hosting Soup Night again this year. It's a lot of work, but we are still enjoying catching up with long-lost friends who seem to only come-together each January... watching their children grow up... and meeting new additions to their families.

Speaking of new additions to families -- we are well underway on completing our adoption Homestudy. If anyone hears of any opportunities -- please let us know! We will be "ready" soon~

This post was begun on MLK holiday. Unfortunately, it was not completed for some time afterwards. But - I did want to mention that this is the first year that we have discussed Martin Luther King Jr. We attended the tail end of the parade + a little bit of the party on the square after the parade in his honor. Mercer is definitely too young to understand why this man has earned a place in history -- but he did enjoy the parade, the cheerleaders, the bands, and the old cars that brought up the rear. Next year, we'll try to make sure he gets a little more out of it and starts to develop a greater level of understanding.

Happy New Year!

last blog post for 2011

I've been having a hard time writing the last blog post for 2011. We spent Christmas at home. We incorporated some new traditions focusing on doing things together as a family unit such as observing Advent & doing some small community service projects (suitable for a 3 year old). We made gingerbread houses (3 different ways). We made bird seed ornaments for our tree and for neighbor's trees. Mercer also visited Santa on Christmas Eve. We went to several different church services focused on the birth of Christ. We put up a tree and a train underneath it on Christmas morning -- a "real" Lionel train with whistles, smoke, and a controller which changed speed and direction. It was quite nice.

Unfortunately my dad's mother, "Grandma Moore," passed away the day after Christmas. She lived a very full life, however, until the age of 88. Grandpa - "Poppy" as I always called him - passed away just over 5 years ago. We were unable to attend his funeral because we were in Italy. Attending Grandma's funeral last week (at least for me) was like attending a service for both Grandma and Poppy. Their relationship and marriage was very strong. It was evident how much the two of them loved and respected one another. It seemed that they really did "complete" each other and were one. Poppy was a very tall, broad, and intimidating man (to most)... but honestly he was a softie. I learned last week that Grandma, however, really set things straight in the family; she was the tough cookie!

Personally - I don't recall her being too tough. She was a very loving and caring grandmother.

It was nice to learn things about her as a girl, as a young married woman, and as a mother to my dad, Uncle David & Aunt Becky. As an adult, I admired the values that I was just learning that they possessed. They were very accepting of other people. They were Quakers (simple and pacifists) and they participated in activities around a village called Snow Camp. I thought they were even adventurous, as they took a driving tour across the United States after Poppy retired. One thing I would have liked to have seen was them in their prime as young parents -- and running their flower business harvesting 11 acres of dahlias. In their later years, they raised an acre of peonies. For ever... when seeing a peony... I will think of them.

Many of the photos enclosed have not been published on the blog before. My absolute favorite is this one of Grandma and Poppy laughing. They helped bring beauty to this world. Now they are together again.