Our New Addition

An update - finally...

2010-06-16T13:49:00.000-07:00

So I'm feeling pretty bad about how infrequently I post on this blog. I attached a great tool to our adoption profile (our other blog) so that I can see who visits it and where those visits come from. As a side effect, I get those results for this blog too. This blog had 40 hits in the last month! Which was down from the prior month. Meanwhile our adoption blog only had 1 hit :-( It's not like we are really hoping to adopt again right now, but we have this "old" situation hanging out there. Back in late January/early February on the same day as we got the call to be profiled for Colton, we also got an email from my sil saying that she had a friend who had a friend who was thinking about adoption. Our mom's quickly said, what if you get both babies. And we quickly replied that then we'd have two more babies. The odds were, of course, that neither situation would work out. That's just how adoption goes. You cast a wide net and hope something will work out eventually.

So it was on a Friday that we found out about both possible opportunities - one with our agency (Colton) and I'll call the other one a private situation. Well, by the following Wednesday we had been chosen to parent Colton. We couldn't have been happier. It was a very exciting and unexpected phone call - we still can't believe it! Then on Friday we got the sweetest email from this couple (the private situation) basically saying that they chose us too. The only thing was that they were just barely pregnant - maybe six weeks. We decided that it was just too much of a coincidence to let it go, so we replied that we were happy to get their email. We told them that we were expecting Colton any day, but that we would still be interested in their situation as well. We basically put the ball in their court figuring they were just as likely to say take a hike as anything else. Well, they didn't say take a hike, they said we still choose you! We were SO excited with two babies on the way. Our family would be complete!!! That weekend, Colton was born. We were also trying to arrange a phone conversation with this other couple. It was a very exciting weekend! I had several emails back and forth with the birthmom from this private situation and things seemed great. Then, all of a sudden, instead of a phone call, we found out that she had chosen a different option. I think it's my own fault for trying to solidify this connection through our friends - let's just say that I'm not sure that both bm and bd were on the same page here with how this connection was made. But honestly the whole thing sounded just too good to be true. We had pics of the birth parents and they are both absolutely stunning. They seemed to have the babies best interests at heart. They wanted an open adoption. It was a dream really. That's why I tried to make the connection - to be sure I was talking to the people that I thought I was talking to - a friend of a friend of a sil :o) Ooops!

So now, a couple of months later, I check out my stats on our profile page and I keep hoping to see that we have had a visit from the area where these birthparents live. The baby still isn't due for a few more months, so I guess you'd call it wishful thinking. I know we would be crazier than ever with a third little one, but not any crazier than parents of multiples. I don't have a very close connection to my sil's friend and she's friends with the bd not the bm. This means that any info I get is third hand and may only be one side of the story. It looks like bm plans to parent. I just hope that she's making that choice for all of the right reasons. If she changes her mind, we told her we'd always be an option. So until this fall passes with no baby news, we'll keep secretly hoping that we will have another new addition.

Tyler's 1st Birthday

2010-03-01T15:06:00.000-08:00

It seems impossible, but Tyler turned one less than two weeks ago! I've been wanting to blog about it, but it's been a little busy around here. As you already know, Tyler's big gift was a baby brother! Surprise to everyone! Of course that makes for a fantastic birthday, but we had a lot of other stuff going on too!

Ty's actual birthday was on a Wednesday, so we celebrated with just us and my mom. We started the morning with presents from family. It's amazing how much better he has gotten at opening gifts just since Christmas. He was far more interested in it this time around. We had homemade macaroni and cheese for dinner, that's Tyler's favorite. My mom and I also made a little teddy bear cake that was super cute and let him eat it all on his own. He made a pretty big mess and Daddy had to give him a bath afterwards.

On Saturday we celebrated with more family and a lot of friends. We had an Elmo themed birthday party complete with a 4 ft tall walking Elmo balloon and a 5 ft tall walking Big Bird balloon. We rented a helium tank to fill these guys up and also filled up a ton of regular balloons for the party. Grandma made Tyler and Elmo cake and some Elmo cupcakes. The party goers had some time to color pictures of the Sesame Street characters playing baseball. Tyler LOVED the party. While he didn't really play with the other kids, he was very happy to play next to them (gotta love parallel play at this age). He was so happy in the living room filled with kids that he didn't even care about lunch. We had to pull him away from his toys just to eat! We had pizza for lunch - Elmo's favorite food. We also had chicken nuggets and mozzarella sticks. All easy food for the kids. There were Elmo juice boxes and Dorothy the goldfish crackers. I think everyone had a good time. It was so much fun to celebrate Tyler's amazing first year with so many loved ones. At just two days old, Colton was taking it all in and making plans for his first birthday party, I'm sure! Happy 1 year Tyler! We love you so much!!!!

Another miracle

2010-02-21T11:01:00.000-08:00

Colton James

We always planned that once we were able to finalize Tyler's adoption, we'd start working towards adopting again. As many of you know, once we decided to start the adoption process last time around it took a year and a half before we were able to bring Tyler home. Many people cautioned us that it might take longer the second time. Very often birth mothers will choose childless couples over couples who already have a child. We braced ourselves for a long wait and decided that starting as soon as possible was the best way to assure that Tyler wouldn't be too much older than our next new addition.

So in early December we sent in our application to Adoption STAR (the Buffalo agency that helped match us up with Tyler). At about the same time, one of my STAR friends was over for a playdate. She happened to mention another agency that they had come across in their wait - it's called Family Connections - located in Cortland, NY. I got online and filled out an information request with this agency and they called me back within hours. They sent us some information and a week later we scheduled an appointment with them for January 4th. We knew instantly that we were going to choose to work with both agencies - hoping to double our chances of finding a match.

Within weeks we had a profile opportunity with this new agency, but unfortunately it did not work out. Another two weeks went by and we were presented with yet another opportunity to be profiled with this new agency (2/5). We were blown away. This agency is relatively small - they often only place 2-4 babies a year. On top of that, in the year we waited to be matched with Tyler, we were only profiled 3 times before Tyler. Here we were with two opportunities in as many weeks. Not even two weeks ago, on Wednesday, February 10th, FC called to tell us that we had been chosen to parent a baby, gender unknown, due any day. We were ecstatic!

We began preparing for the birth of our newest addition immediately. We knew that we might not have a lot of time. Amazingly, we got all of our ducks in a row and even had my parents down for a visit (which made a great babysitting arrangement for Tyler), when in the early hours of Monday morning (1 am on the 15th) we got THE call that birthmom was in labor. We got the car loaded and headed for the Cortland hospital. At 3am we received a phone call from our social worker saying that the baby had been born at 2:56am - a baby boy weighing 7lbs 6 oz and 20 inches long! It was simply amazing! We named him Colton James

We arrived at the hospital at 3:30am and were brought in to meet Colton and his birthmom. It was such a great experience to meet her face-to-face and talk with her for a while. After a couple of hours they ushered us out so that J could take a shower. Just a little bit later they brought J to her room and then they brought us and Colton to our very own room. It was such a great experience to be able to stay right at the hospital with Colton all day Monday and Tuesday. We were able to see J one more time before we left. She had been discharged on Monday, but she returned on Tuesday to say goodbye to all of us. She brought the cutest outfit for Colton along with a teddy bear. She also brought a birthday present for Tyler and the most beautiful care for me and Chris. Finally, on Tuesday afternoon we were discharged. We made the 2 + hour drive home where we've been ever since. What an amazing week we had!

11 months old

2010-01-15T09:47:00.001-08:00

I simply cannot believe that Tyler will be 11 months old on Sunday. Where has the time gone? His growth and progress amaze me every single day. So here we are, planning an Elmo themed birthday party and actually beginning the process of adopting a second time. Meanwhile, a year ago, we didn't even have a child. It's just amazing how fast life can change.

Tyler continues to be a very happy and laid back child. He's so content to hang out and play most of the day. He's a great sleeper - which we are very thankful for. At the moment, he's getting close to his first steps. He's cruising along all of our furniture and he's even starting to let go from time to time. He's talking non-stop in baby babble, but on occasion we hear a word or two. He's had mama and dada down for quite a while, but kitty is a new addition to his vocabulary. Once in a while I think I hear doggie too. My favorite part of this stage is how obvious it is that he loves his mommy and his daddy. His little hand will reach out for you the instant you enter a room. It just melts my heart!

As for our next adoption, we anticipate a long wait, but you just never know. I think it would be amazing for Tyler to have a sibling or two who are close to his age. So, we have filled out the mounds of paperwork and we now we are waiting for our fingerprint clearances to come back - after that - it's out of our hands. We simply wait and see what the future holds for us! I have to say, I'm much more excited than I thought I would be. I really thought that for the next year I wouldn't think about it all that much, but I am. Maybe it's just because the paperwork is so fresh in my mind, but I really think it's that I just can't wait to get my hands on another little baby! Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love everything about Tyler right now, but I also miss that itty bitty baby I was holding just 11 short months ago.

All I want for Christmas is Elmo Live Encore

2009-12-03T10:25:00.000-08:00

After Tyler's finalization we headed out to the mall for a little visit with Santa. I was worried that Tyler would be scared of him and cry, but he didn't! We were the first ones there to greet Santa and there was no line behind us so we got to take a lot of pics. The hardest part was that they would only let you choose one for your photos for the photo cd :-( I had a tough time picking between this one and the one of him actually looking at the camera. In the end I decided it was pretty cute that he was looking up at Santa and so we picked this one. I think it will be somehow integrated into our Christmas cards this year. The tree goes up tomorrow - I can hardly wait!

Finalization - yay!

2009-12-03T10:08:00.001-08:00

This morning we finalized Tyler's adoption! We waited a long 9 1/2 months for this day and I have to say, it was pretty anticlimactic. We arrived early, as our attorney had directed us to - you have to pass through metal detectors and the lines can be long. In our case, we didn't have to wait long. We were in the waiting area for Surrogate's Court at about 8:40 for our 9:00 appointment. We waited until nearly 9 when our attorney showed up. One of the Sheriff's who was working brought us back to the judge's chambers where we sat and talked about sports while the judge signed/initialed a multitude of paperwork. He explained the details of getting Tyler's amended birth certificate and social security number. We posed for a few pics and that was it. We were in our car and headed out by 9:15! What a great birthday present for Chris!

9 month check-up

2009-11-20T07:22:00.000-08:00

Tyler had his 9 month check-up this morning. He weighs 22 pounds (75th percentile) and he's 29.5 inches (90th percentile). That's right where he was at 6 months. The doctor says he's doing great in every way. He's healthy and clearly happy - he spent the whole exam clapping and blowing raspberries at her. He got his last dose of Hep B and the 2nd part of the seasonal flu vaccine. They didn't have any H1N1, but she said that he should get it. There has already been one round of H1N1 flu in the area and they are anticipating a second round in January when the seasonal flu typically hits. She suggested we either take him to a clinic - yippee there were like a million people standing in line for hours at the one that was yesterday - or we keep checking the pediatrician's website as they will post when they have the vaccine in the office. She also recommends the vaccine for Chris and I, but we aren't in the category that's allowed to get it at this point. I think that's about it... we go back at 1 year!

Good Deals!

2009-11-10T10:35:00.000-08:00

I've been surfing around online today checking out all of the great deals that are around. I don't know if any of you check out the same sites or not, but I thought I'd share what I've found -especially with Christmas coming! I really started at www.babycheapskate.com and went from there. I LOVE that site!

Several of the websites I visited point to www.coupons.com for some Hasbro toy coupons which can sometimes be added with other coupons at certain stores - like Target that has their own coupons that just came out this week. I'm going to check out some of these today - might make some nice Christmas presents :-)

http://earlymotherhood.blogspot.com/, which I linked to from babycheapskate, shares several great ideas:

* How to get 7 preschool games for basically less than $4 at Toys R Us (this deal subtracts off the $10 gift card that you earn so you really pay $14 plus mail in rebates but you get that $10 gift card for later). The webpage with the rebates includes many other great games that cost a little more - you can still get a great deal though http://www.hasbro.com/familygamenight/en_US/discover/upload/RevisedHasbroGameNightRebateForm.pdf

I also found freebies on this blog (thank you earlymotherhood!):

*I followed this link for free Mozart for Infants and Toddlers downloads http://www.munchkin.com/information_station/downloads.html.

*I followed this link to the leapfrong website to sign up for a free board book: http://earlymotherhood.blogspot.com/2009/10/free-leapfrog-abc-animal-orchestra.html

*This link will let you sign up for a free Geotrax train dvd at https://store.mattel.com/transition.aspx?TransitionID=155.

Happy shopping!

Halloween 2009

2009-11-04T18:49:00.001-08:00

Tyler's first Halloween was a great success. We took him to Target for his 8 month pictures a couple of weeks early. The pictures came out great, but he refused to smile at all! Here are a couple of pictures of him in his costume.

We also had regular 8 month pictures taken. These also came out very cute, even without a smile. They asked us to sign a release so they can use his pictures to show to others :-) I mean, we know we have a SUPER cute kid, but it's nice to hear it from unbiased parties!

On the Sunday before Halloween we carved our pumpkins. Tyler really liked that part! After Daddy took the top off and scooped out most of the seeds, he let Tyler stick his hands in. Tyler LOVED it! He couldn't get enough of it! He had both hands all the way inside the pumpkin up to his armpits. He even pulled a little bit of pumkin guts out and had a taste - yummy!

On Halloween night we took Tyler out kind of early, around 6:30pm. We visited a few select neighbors that we new would appreciate seeing him in costume. It was a long walk for Daddy carrying his heavy little man. It's unbelievable how big he's gotten and how fast! Tyler loved Halloween! He enjoyed the entire trip out - he even liked his costume! I wonder what he'll be next year????

7 months

2009-09-24T12:35:00.001-07:00

People always say how fast kids grow, but it's so amazing to see it happening right before your very own eyes! Tyler turned 7 months old a week ago today. I can't believe that we are closer to age 1 than we are to the day he was born. It's so unreal! I swear he gets cuter every day - not that I'm biased or anything :-) His latest development is trying to crawl - I say trying as he likes to lay on his tummy, lift his arms and legs off of the ground, and then move all 4 limbs like crazy. He looks like he's pretending to swim! Now if he can just get the opposite down (belly up - legs and arms on the ground), we're going to be in big trouble!

6 months old

2009-08-21T10:35:00.001-07:00

Tyler had his six month check up this morning. It went very well. He didn't really care for the exam portion this time, which was new. I think he was playing a little strange with the doc. Of course the shots went over like a lead balloon, but other than that, he did very well. We found out that he now weighs 19 pounds 3 ounces (surprisingly low for anyone who's carried him around at all) and he's 28 inches long. His percentiles have totally flipped now... He's in the 75th percentile for weight and the 90th percentile for height. Not a bad place to be! Maybe there's hope for a basketball player yet... I was beginning to think football was a better fit :-)

We got the green light to go ahead and try many new things. He can now have a little water in a sippy cup (she says still no juice - think of it like soda - only once in a great while as a treat). He is also moving to 2nds for food, but can start with 3rd stage in the next month or two. She said that 2nds are really the same as 1sts just bigger containers and sometimes combining more than one ingredient. 3rds will have pieces of actual food in them - more like mashed up peas instead of pureed peas. At about the same time as 3rds he can have cheerios (she doesn't recommend puffs or teething biscuits or anything like that b/c of sugar content). She did say that some developmental specialists recommend Kix b/c of the difference in shape - it has something to do with development of the mouth... who knows. What he's eating now is great - we can add the same meal at lunch as well at any point now. Hmmmm... what else... also when we starts 3rds we can start some real food too - no honey is the big thing - aside from that he can eat pretty much what we eat - minus choking hazards.

As for shots, we were happy to learn that he only needed 3 - no polio this time, but then she added in the flu shot so the poor little man got 4 anyway. When we go back at 9 months he gets part 2 of the flu shot and probably a swine flu shot too. So much for thinking 9 mos would be shot free :-(

I think that's about it. He's doing great!

Could I be any more in love?

2009-07-08T10:58:00.000-07:00

This little boy just continues to amaze me every single day. He is sleeping so much better at night, but he does get up once, usually around 6am for a quick bottle. He sucks down 4 ounces in about ten minutes and then just cuddles with his mama. I LOVE this time with him. At these moments I can't help but think of Nicole. I hope she knows how much we love her and how happy we are that she chose us. Tyler is such an amazing gift! After four and a half months I still can't believe that he is really here - it's all just totally unbelievable.

Happy Memorial Day!

2009-05-25T12:08:00.000-07:00

We've had a very relaxing Memorial Day weekend. We met Chris' parents at the outlets on Sunday. It was a beautiful day outside. Tyler slept most of the time - he's started taking pretty long naps in the middle of the day. Today, Memorial Day, we took Tyler to the mall to shop for a christening outfit (that will be next weekend). I'm sure we will end the day with a cookout! The weather has been unbelievably beautiful for the past week. I hope it will continue - although we could probably use a little rain.

3 months old

2009-05-21T18:28:00.000-07:00

Tyler turned 3 months old on Sunday and 13 weeks old on Tuesday. He is getting to be such a big boy. When we hold him he tries so hard to pull himself to a sitting position. He has also found his hands. He's been chewing on his fists for a week or two now. He sticks his whole fist in his mouth, sometimes gagging himself on his fingers. You would think he'd stop doing it, but he doesn't - those fists are just too tasty!

Here's my adorable sister-in-law and my brother at their baby shower. Emmalyn is due within the next month!

Go 'cuse!

I love this picture of him from his 13 week birthday. He loves to hold onto his carseat like this.

12 weeks old tomorrow!

2009-05-11T13:45:00.000-07:00

Tyler continues to grow so fast! It's just amazing! He has basically doubled his birth weight in less than 3 months. We celebrated an absolutely amazing first Mother's Day together yesterday. We had an eventful weekend when Tyler met Aunt Clare for the very first time and had Grandma T. here for the night on Friday. The very next day his Grandma and Grandpa W. came for the day and night. One of my closest friends helped us celebrate our first Mother's Day with the most beautiful baby shower on Saturday. It was a truly special weekend. The highlight would have to be a beautiful text message from Nicole, Tyler's birthmom, saying Happy Mother's Day. She is the most amazing girl I know! We love you Nicole!

10 weeks old!

2009-04-29T17:46:00.000-07:00

Tyler turned 10 weeks old yesterday! It's so hard to believe! He is smiling like crazy these days and doing a great job holding his head up. He is cooing and making new noises every single day. I can't wait to see how much he changes this month. I have a good friend whose son I saw at about 1 1/2 mos old and then not again until he was 3 mos old and I couldn't believe the difference!

Here he is watching the Yankees on his 10 week birthday!

This is a few days earlier enjoying some of the nice weather while daddy BBQs.

Tyler is 2 months old

2009-04-18T07:43:00.000-07:00

Tyler turned two months old yesterday! It's very exciting, except for the part where Monday he has to go to the pediatrician for four shots :-( Poor little man! Here are a few pictures from the day.

We tried to go out for ice cream with friends to enjoy the beautiful day... well, our favorite spot was closed (opening Monday) so we headed to Friendly's. It was a zoo inside, so we decided to eat outside. It was a bit cold, but the ice cream was yummy!

HAPPY 8 WEEK BIRTHDAY!

2009-04-14T15:40:00.000-07:00

Where does the time go? I cannot believe that our little boy is nearly 2 months old! He's getting so big so fast! I got so many smiles from him today - he's just too cute! All of these smiles were right after he woke up, which is rare. Usually he wakes up screaming hungry!

We've had a fun packed couple of days with Grandma, Bobbie, and Mitchel visiting. Yesterday we spent our afternoon at Bounce It Out. Mitchel had a great time and expended a lot of energy! Afterwards we went to see Monsters vs. Aliens in 3D at the IMAX - pretty cool stuff! Tyler stayed home with Daddy during the movie, but he did seem to like Bounce It Out with all of the bright colors and loud noise.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T10:11:00.000-07:00

Happy 1st Easter to Tyler! He woke up a bit cranky, but before the morning was out we did get him to cooperate for some really cute Easter pictures. Daddy wasn't too fond of all of the pink, but many of these bunnies were gifts the Easter bunny left for me when I was a kid.

First Smiles

2009-04-06T15:23:00.000-07:00

Tyler is starting to smile on purpose! It happened for the first time on Saturday - 3 times in fact. He did it again on Sunday and even more today. I actually caught a few of them on camera. It's tough to catch though, especially since the camera is so distracting to him :-)

Another trip to the doctor...

2009-04-01T14:18:00.000-07:00

Tyler's 5 week check-up (that actually came at 6 weeks because we were in Florida) was today. His grandma calls him her chunky monkey and it's for good reason... Tyler is 22.5 inches long and weighs 11 pounds 12 ounces! We were guessing 10.5 - 11 - wow! What a big guy! The doc says that everything is great. He's doing well - no reasons for concern. He did get his 2nd hepatitis shot today. He DID NOT like that! His face turned bright red and he screamed :-( I guess he will really not like it on the 20th when he goes back for 4 more shots. Poor little guy. At least he got over it quickly today.

6 weeks old

2009-03-31T11:08:00.001-07:00

Tyler has had a very eventful 6th week! He turned 6 weeks old while on our trip to Florida. His Uncle Jeff got married last Friday right on the beach! Here's a quick overview of our week:

Wednesday - This was Tyler's very first plane ride as we flew out of Rochester and headed to Tampa. He was very good for the entire flight although he was wide awake for most of it! Our first stop was at Uncle Kevin and Aunt Corinne's house where we all met Tyler's 10 week old cousin Caitlin for the first time. Caitlin and Tyler are the first grandchildren for Chris' parents. We were so excited to get them together! As you can see from the pictures, Caitlin is much longer than Tyler, but what you can't see is that Tyler weighs more!

Thursday - We headed to Clearwater Beach to check into our beautiful ocean view hotel room. Mommy went out for a mani/pedi with Grandma, Aunt Corinne, and the wedding party while Daddy took the little man with him to pick up his tuxedo. Afterwards, Daddy went to a pre-season Yankee game while Mommy and Tyler went to lunch with Aunt Corinne, Caitlin, Grandma, and Grandpa. After a couple of hours of relaxing it was time to head to the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner.

Friday - The BIG day arrived! We had breakfast with Chris' whole family and headed back to the hotel for a little nap. We had to be ready pretty early for the 5:00 wedding so that we could take family pictures. The wedding was beautiful and Tyler was SO well behaved through the whole thing. His good behavior continued on the throughout the entire reception too!

Saturday - We began our day with brunch with the bride and groom. Afterwards we headed to the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa with Uncle Kevin, Aunt Corinne, and Caitlin. From there we went to Uncle Jeff and Aunt Nicole's for the rest of our trip. This gave us the use of a house, which is much easier with a baby and gave them a dog sitter. Kobe, their chocolate lab, really loved Tyler!

Sunday - This was a pretty rainy day. We spent much of it relaxing. We did go out to lunch at Smokey Bones and then over to the mall.

Monday - We spent this day at Epcot Center with Grandma and Grandpa. Tyler had a lot of firsts! It was of course his first trip to Disney. He also rode his first "roller coaster" when we went up into the ball. He went on several boat rides. He also slept through "Honey I Shrunk the Audience" - his first 3D event. Maybe if we had given him some glasses he would have stayed awake! Mommy and Daddy really enjoyed Soarin', but poor Tyler was too small to ride - not yet 48"!!!

Tuesday - Our last day, but also Tyler's 6 week birthday. Even though we had a late flight it still felt like a wasted day. We did have lunch with Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Kate, and Uncle Jim. Tyler was kind enough to poop his pants on the plane, giving mommy my first experience in an airplane restroom :-) Tyler slept through the entire flight until this event of course. Overall I think we had a pretty good trip with a newborn baby!

5 weeks old

2009-03-24T18:39:00.000-07:00

Tyler is 5 weeks old today! I tried very hard to get a good picture of him today, but he just wasn't feeling very photogenic. It seemed that every time I tried to put him down to pose for a pic he would either fall asleep or cry... so unfortunately all we have is a binky shot. Better luck next time!

Too long without a post...

2009-03-22T15:34:00.001-07:00

Here's a quick update from the last few days...

Wearing my favorite hat (thank you Brycen) on our way to visit daddy at work.

Enjoying a little tummy time.

Caught for the first time with his thumb in his mouth, although he wasn't actually sucking.

Happy 1 Month Birthday!

2009-03-17T15:50:00.000-07:00

Tyler is one month old today! It's hard to believe it has been a whole month... Today is also St. Patrick's Day, so check out a picture of the little man wearing his Baby's 1st St. Patrick's Day onesie. He's just too cute!

Tyler's First Official Walk

2009-03-15T17:41:00.000-07:00

Pre-baby we spent a lot of time walking our chocolate lab, Sidney. Today was above 50 degrees so we decided to take Tyler and Sidney out for a little walk. It was so beautiful and sunny! Here are a few pictures from Tyler's first walk of many.

Even More Company

2009-03-15T17:33:00.003-07:00

This weekend we had a visit from Bobbie (the closest thing I've ever had to a sister - we've been friends since the 6th grade). Whenever she comes to visit my mother comes with her. It's so nice that they are able to come together. We had a relatively uneventful weekend. The biggest outing was to the mall - Chris' favorite location. He seemed to like it a little better while pushing his son around :-) Here are a few pictures...

Go 'Cuse

2009-03-12T18:46:00.001-07:00

My husband is a big Syracuse basketball fan. Tonight he and Tyler are all decked out in their Syracuse gear to watch the big game!

Gifts Only the Child of a Math Geek Could Receive

2009-03-12T18:14:00.000-07:00

Today Tyler and I went to visit the Math Office at school. We also dropped in on the Department of Curriculum and Instruction meeting and the Technology Department. We ended our outing by stopping by Daddy's office and doing some Easter shopping at Walmart. It was a busy day for sure! At the DCIA meeting Tyler received some super geeky teacher gifts - you've gotta love them! The Director of Math and Science and the Coordinator of Science worked really hard on his multidisciplinary onesies. Thank you Tom and Edel! Check them out...

On behalf of the Business Department

A Math-Science Combo

The LOTE Department (although it spells math)

The Science Department (the formula for sugar)

The Phys Ed Department

Happy 3 Week Birthday Little Man

2009-03-10T17:21:00.000-07:00

Tyler is 3 weeks old today! Time sure does go fast. He continues to grow and change every single day. At 3 weeks he is eating roughly 4 ounces every 3 hours! This is great, except in the middle of the night when he still wants 4 ounces every 3 hours :-) He is totally worth it though!

Another weekend of company...

2009-03-08T11:08:00.001-07:00

This weekend my other brother, Josh, and his wife, Kristin, came for a visit. Kristin is due July first with their first child, Emmalyn. It will be so nice to have cousins so close in age. It was really great to see them. We had a nice laid back weekend and are contemplating hiring Kristin as a nannie :-) Her day job is in an infant room at a daycare, so she is fantastic with kids. It was great to have her help this weekend. Josh doesn't have a lot of experience with kids, but even he was warming up to Tyler! Speaking of Tyler, can you believe how much he is changing?

2 Week Doctor's Visit

2009-03-04T15:20:00.001-08:00

Tyler saw his pediatrician today for his 2 week check up. He now weighs 9 pounds 1 ounce and is 21.5 inches long. These are very good statistics! When he last saw her he was just 4 days old and he weighed 8 pounds 1.5 ounces (his birth weight was 8 pounds 4.5 ounces and he was 20 inches long). The pediatrician says that he is thriving! That's always nice to hear :-) Here are a few pics from today...

2 Weeks Old

2009-03-03T18:33:00.000-08:00

Tyler is 2 weeks old today! I think he's changing already... we go to the doctor tomorrow and we can't wait to hear how much he weighs. Here are a couple of pics that we took today. He had a rough night Sunday night - not much sleep. As you can see, he made up for that today by sleeping a lot!

A morning feeding with daddy before work - I love it when he "holds" his bottle!

He did have a little bit of awake time today

This is how he spent most of his afternoon

Gotta love those legs tucked up under him

More Company

2009-03-01T16:15:00.000-08:00

This weekend went by far too quickly - as they all seem to do. We did enjoy a visit from my brother Adam and his wife Dani. They made the drive from Massachusetts to come and see Tyler. It was great to just hang out with them! Unfortunately we also had to attend a memorial service for a friend's father on Saturday. It is so sad to see someone so young leave this earth - particularly one who has done so much good with his life. I will say that we brought Tyler along with us and he was such a good boy! He only started to fuss once, and that's just because he was getting hungry.

In happier news, today marked our first post-adoption visit with our social worker. The visit went very well and we are looking forward to seeing her again in a month. This coming week promises to be another busy one with more friends coming to visit and a 2 week check up with the pediatrician.

Adam, Dani & Tyler

A beautiful handmade baby quilt from some of my coworkers

Now that Tyler's belly button has heeled we can have tummy time!

He seems to be awake a little more often these days

All dressed up!

Growing Up Already!

2009-02-27T09:19:00.001-08:00

Tyler looked like such a big boy yesterday. He was laying on the floor on his Rainforest Playmat - so content checking everything out. The cutest part was when Sidney decided to join him. It's only been a week since we brought him home and we already notice that she goes to him when he cries and sometimes just likes to lay next to him. When he's in his swing she will often go over and put her head in his lap, stopping the swing, give him a little sniff and then move on. It's so adorable! I know that she's wondering when he will be big enough to throw a tennis ball!

1 Week Old Today

2009-02-24T14:33:00.001-08:00

It's hard to believe that Tyler is 1 week old today! Take a look at some of his latest pics. He's been doing much better with sleeping at night, which is great. For the first few nights he didn't want to be put down between 11pm and 3 am, but he has been sleeping for the last two nights. I hope this is a trend that continues! Tyler has also started eating nearly 3 ounces during each of his feedings. Once in a while he's happy with 2, but most of the time he's looking for more!

Tyler had his first visit to the pediatrician on Saturday morning. She said that he seems to be perfectly healthy! He is truly such a blessing to us!!! He will go back for his two week check up a week from today. I can't wait to see how much he weighs then (He weighed 8lbs 1.5 ounces on Saturday). We took our first outing today... all the way to the grocery store. Afterwards we stopped by Chris' office so that he could show him off a little. Tyler was great the whole time. I think he really likes his car seat and the car!

Feeding time with Daddy

He likes to put his hands on his face or on his bottle while he eats - so cute!

Here's Tyler sporting his Adoption STAR outfit

Tyler's official 1 week photo!

And the story begins...

2009-02-19T14:16:00.001-08:00

We got the phone call from Tyler's birthmom at about 10:30 am on February 17th. She was in labor and at the hospital. We spent the afternoon at the hospital with her and her family. Things progressed pretty quickly and Tyler was born at 7:01 pm. We are so thankful to have had the opportunity to be there for his birth! Chris was able to cut the cord and I was the first to hold him! We spent the next couple of hours with him before they took him to get his first bath and his blood work. We returned the next day and spent the day with Tyler and his birth family. Today we went back one last time. We stopped at our adoption agency and signed all of our paperwork. We went straight to the hospital from there. It was just too perfect. As we entered the hospital my cell phone rang and we were told that Tyler's birthmom was done signing her paper work. It took another hour and a half to get them both discharged, but we are finally home.

It is so surreal to be home with our son! It is the most amazing feeling ever, despite being very tired from two sleepless nights (although I know that there will be many more of those in the near future). We are so blessed to have such an amazing relationship with Tyler's birth family. They have become an important part of our life and they have given us a family!

Announcing Tyler James

2009-02-18T05:14:00.000-08:00

Tyler was born at 7:01pm on February 17th. He weighed 8 pounds 4.5 ounces and was 20 inches long. Everybody is doing very well!

Shower #2

2009-02-14T12:08:00.000-08:00

My second shower was totally amazing! I felt so blessed to be surrounded by so many of my friends. This shower was at the school I taught at for six years prior to this year's special assignment. I have made so many great friends there! I was completely overwhelmed by the generosity of that whole building, there's no other way to explain it. Take a look at some of the pictures from this amazing day!

This picture represents all prime numbers! Very math geek cool!!!

Some of the girls from work

Yes, it's a rice/veggie steamer - I'm hoping to make some of my own baby food.

Roscoe the Round-up pup

One of my friends made this cake - it's so amazing!

Our first glimpse into the future...

2009-02-01T16:28:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday we got our first glimpse of days to come. I was at work - about to administer the January Integrated Algebra regents exam to a group of high schoolers, when my cell phone rang. It happened literally as someone was asking me how the adoption was going. I looked down to see birthmom's name on my phone. That always makes me smile, but at this time of day, it made my stomach drop. We are close enough now that any call could be THE call. We used to wait for THE call to be matched, now we wait for THE "I'm in labor" call.

Well, it wasn't exactly labor, but it was news that the doctor was worried about amniotic fluid levels and the size of the baby, so he requested an ultrasound. If things went well, then we would have some nice reassurance and if not, then we may be looking at an induction. Wow! We eagerly took the next day off of work and headed to the appointment. It was so amazing, yet again, to see Tyler on the big screen! I won't lie, it was much more challenging to get a good glimpse of him because he's SO much bigger these days. The ultrasound technician said that he looks very healthy, weighing about 6.5 lbs! All of the concern was for nothing. Birthmom is fine and Tyler is fine - what more can we ask for?

Following the appointment we had a nice lunch with birthmom and birthgrandma. It was so great to see them and spend some quality time together. Chris didn't attend birthing classes, so it had been a while for him - he couldn't believe the belly :-) What a great Friday afternoon we had! So, we are back to waiting again - it shouldn't be long now!

Busy Days

2009-01-27T17:50:00.000-08:00

Well, we are getting down to our last days of waiting, which feels SO great! We have been very busy taking care of details. Last Friday we had a prenatal appointment with our pediatrician. She was great and cleared up a few concerns for us. The only negative (which really is a positive), is that she recommended shots for both of us - and not the fun kind of shots :-) Chris had to get the flu shot (he didn't get one when I had mine) and we both had to have our Tetanus shots updated. Apparently they now contain pertussis or whooping cough and she recommended we have that before we bring the baby home. We went last night and got that all taken care of - our arms are killing us today! We have an appointment tomorrow to get our car seat installation checked at the fire station. Finally, on Friday, we have an appointment with our attorney. It's all coming together quickly! As I sat with a friend today trying to find time to get together and I planned with a teacher to try and get together before I take a leave from work, I realized just how close we are!

Highlights

2009-01-23T18:22:00.000-08:00

One of the highlights of our adoption story has to be when birthmom asked us to attend her sonogram with her. We were so thrilled! Here are some of Tyler's first pictures. It was absolutely amazing to see him in action and to learn that it was a boy! The sonogram was the best experience ever (and one we thought we might never have). We are so thankful for the opportunity to be so involved in this pregnancy. This ultrasound happened at 19 weeks and we are now almost to week 36. It's so hard to believe! Just two weeks ago I was also able to attend birth classes with birthmom. This was yet another amazing experience.

My first baby shower!

2009-01-22T17:15:00.000-08:00

My colleague and good friend Patty hosted an amazing baby shower for me today. I was able to celebrate with many of the teachers I have worked with over the years. For the last six years I have been based at one particular school, but have had contact with teachers at various other schools. This year I am working across the whole district. Today was about getting together with the friends I have made in those other buildings, the retired teachers I once worked closely with (and in some cases still do), along with the people I share my office with. It was such a nice afternoon filled with good friends and lots of amazing food - thanks to Patty! Here are a few pics from today...

THE phone call!

2009-01-15T17:32:00.000-08:00

Finally, after nearly a year of officially waiting, we got THE phone call. On September 3, 2008 the agency called with a profile opportunity. We got very excited, as we always did when we were profiled, but something felt different. If truly felt right from the very beginning. We had been profiled 3 other times, all more than six months prior to this call. It had been a very long time without a call!

I immediately called Chris to tell him the details of the case. It took a little bit of time to get in touch with him, which is not typical, but once I did, we both agreed that we wanted to be profiled! I called the agency back, but our family advocate was busy - probably calling other families, so I left a message with the receptionist. After a couple of hours I was feeling a little worried... what if the message didn't get through to our family advocate? I decided that this was not the time to have a mixed signal. We knew that the birth parent advocate was going out to meet with the birthmom that day. I called and confirmed that we were being profiled and felt much better. I was reassured that our profile was with the birthmother at that very moment and that she also had our video. Within an hour of that call, I got a call back.

Sue asked if I was driving - she knew from our last conversation that I was getting ready to leave work. I said no - then she asked if I was sitting. In my head I kept thinking OMG this is THE call. I can't believe she's going to say what I think she's going to say. Then she said it... the birthmom had chosen us to parent her child!!! I was totally ecstatic, yet at the same time, I had this feeling that this is what was supposed to happen. It all just felt so right.

A week later we were able to meet her and her mom for the first time. That meeting simply confirmed that we were in a perfect situation for us. We planned to meet again in 2 weeks. After one week, the birthmom called me to say that she had a sonogram scheduled and she asked if we would like to go with her. I just couldn't believe how much our lives had changed in such a short period of time. One week later we were having dinner with birthmom and her mom and the following week we were at an ultrasound seeing our SON for the very first time. It was so surreal.

So many people ask if it's weird to be in this situation, particularly with such an open adoption. I respond that it is so weird how normal the whole thing feels. Everything feels just right. Each time we meet or have dinner together, it just feels normal. It feels like being out with family. In fact, it would feel strange to even consider not seeing birthmom after the birth. We are very excited to be involved with such an open adoption. This is certainly not what we expected nearly two years ago when we considered starting the process, but it might just be exactly what we were hoping for when we finished our adoption classes.

How we arrived at adoption

2009-01-14T17:39:00.000-08:00

Chris and I got married nearly 10 years ago, and we are just finally on the verge of starting our family. It seems funny to think that it's been so long. Once we got settled with our own home and I finished my master's degree, we figured we'd just get pregnant. Well, needless to say, that didn't exactly happen. After a multitude of tests, we found out that we have unexplained infertility. On one hand, it's nice to know that there's nothing "wrong" with either of us. On the other hand, we still don't know WHY this won't happen for us. We came to realize that how our child comes to us is not what is most important. What we really want is to be parents.

We explored adoption, both international and domestic. We chose domestic mostly because we would really like a newborn. We chose our agency and began our paperwork at the very end of July 2007. We were homestudy ready by September 23rd. Then we settled in to wait... and wait... and wait.