Finally!! Tomorrow is the adoption hearing! It is our Forever a Family day. We are beyond excited and can not wait for 1:00 tomorrow. Everytime I start thinking about the hearing, I just get so overwhelmed with all the happy tears. I never ever thought this day would get here.
I have lots to catch up on and will update soon but just had to share our excitement for tomorrow!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Six months
E has been with us for six months as of yesterday. Wow! It seems like it was just yesterday that he came home with us but in other ways it seems like he has always been with us. About a month ago, we got the best news ever...the adoption will be finalized on May 26. We can not wait for May 26 to get here. Andy's mom and Bob are flying in for the hearing. We are so happy that they will be here with us for this very special day.
E continues to do very well in adjusting to being with us. He is so lovable and so affectionate. His speech continues to improve but still has a ways to go. He gets very frustrated when we can't understand what he is saying. He leaves off the last letter of words cat=ca, cap=ca, car=ca...see why it can be difficult? We continue to work with him on it but he is much more interested in playing with his trains.
This month E went to his first ever birthday party. He had so much fun and I loved seeing him interact with other kiddos. He seems to be getting better at interacting with other kids and is learning to share a bit better. We also took him to see a movie for the first time. He loved the movie "Hop" and just watching him experience being at the movies was so much fun. His eyes were HUGE when the movie first came on. He behaved very well through out the movie. We are having so much fun seeing him grow and experience new things.
I am still adjusting to being a working mom. Work has been crazy which has resulted in some crazy long days for E at daycare. I am so glad that E loves the daycare that he is going too but I feel really guilty that he does spend some long days there. I try to make as much of each evening as I can as well as the weekends. It is amazing though how quick the evening and weekends go. It seems like they are over before they even really start. I really struggle with feeling guilty/feeling like a bad mom and just hope that the time we have together is enough. Unfortunately, not working isn't even an option for us.
E continues to do very well in adjusting to being with us. He is so lovable and so affectionate. His speech continues to improve but still has a ways to go. He gets very frustrated when we can't understand what he is saying. He leaves off the last letter of words cat=ca, cap=ca, car=ca...see why it can be difficult? We continue to work with him on it but he is much more interested in playing with his trains.
This month E went to his first ever birthday party. He had so much fun and I loved seeing him interact with other kiddos. He seems to be getting better at interacting with other kids and is learning to share a bit better. We also took him to see a movie for the first time. He loved the movie "Hop" and just watching him experience being at the movies was so much fun. His eyes were HUGE when the movie first came on. He behaved very well through out the movie. We are having so much fun seeing him grow and experience new things.
I am still adjusting to being a working mom. Work has been crazy which has resulted in some crazy long days for E at daycare. I am so glad that E loves the daycare that he is going too but I feel really guilty that he does spend some long days there. I try to make as much of each evening as I can as well as the weekends. It is amazing though how quick the evening and weekends go. It seems like they are over before they even really start. I really struggle with feeling guilty/feeling like a bad mom and just hope that the time we have together is enough. Unfortunately, not working isn't even an option for us.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
March already!!
Wow, the last update I did Andy was just beginning his time off! He went back to work last week..his 10 weeks off flew by!
E has now been with us for four months! It really does seem like he has always been a part of our family. The progress he has made in the past four months is amazing! He is slowly starting to speak in sentences. His speech is getting clearer but he still has a ways to go. We are working with him on the ending sounds of P, T, and K. The speech therapist said once he gets those, the others will just start flowing. He has speech therapy once a week at the pre-school through the school district. E goes to this school four days a week for two and half hours. Luckily the class size is small(total of 5 boys) so they gets lots of individualized attention.
Starting two weeks ago, E began going to an education day care center-P(not going to put the whole name in here). He is going there on Wed, Thurs, and Fri. The first two weeks, he would leave to go to the pre-school through the school district and then would go back after school. Those evenings were rough...really rough. He was so exhausted that he would cry and then get really worked up into quite the tantrum. Those nights he wouldn't sleep very well either so the next day he would still be tired.
We talked to the school and his caseworker and both agreed that he can go to the pre-school on Monday and Tuesday and then be at the educational day care center the other 3 days all day. Elijah really loves the education daycare center-P. The class he is in has boys and girls. When I went to pick him up the other day, he told all the girls " Bye girls" and then told each one of them "I love you". On the way home I asked him if the girls were nice and he said "Yes mommy, they pretty". Oh wow..wasn't really expecting that!
E is a really sweet and affectionate little boy. He is testing boundaries and can be a bit defiant at times which I think is typical of any three year old. He is entering the "mine"stage right now and doesn't want to go to timeout. He is loving Buzz, Woody, and Jessie from Toy Story. We are working on potty training but not pushing it as E doesn't seem too interested in it right now. He is starting soccer at the daycare center in a couple of weeks. He loves running and kicking the ball!
Andy and I are still adjusting to being parents. It seems like once we get a routine down, it's time to change it again. It will be interesting to see how long it takes us to get into a routine with both of us now working. We have so much to learn yet but are really enjoying being parents. There are times that are trying and frustrating but that is part of being a parent. We can't wait for the warm weather so we can do all the fun outdoor things that we've been waiting so long to to with E. We can't to take E to the zoo, to the pool, go on long walks, etc.
This week we are going to be signing the paperwork that states that we are wanting to adopt E! I can't wait to sign the paperwork. Hopefully we'll get the adoption date very soon! We are hoping that it will be in May. We have to wait 6 months before they will finalize the adoption. April 30 will be six months! While legally E is not ours yet, in our hearts he is our son.
E has now been with us for four months! It really does seem like he has always been a part of our family. The progress he has made in the past four months is amazing! He is slowly starting to speak in sentences. His speech is getting clearer but he still has a ways to go. We are working with him on the ending sounds of P, T, and K. The speech therapist said once he gets those, the others will just start flowing. He has speech therapy once a week at the pre-school through the school district. E goes to this school four days a week for two and half hours. Luckily the class size is small(total of 5 boys) so they gets lots of individualized attention.
Starting two weeks ago, E began going to an education day care center-P(not going to put the whole name in here). He is going there on Wed, Thurs, and Fri. The first two weeks, he would leave to go to the pre-school through the school district and then would go back after school. Those evenings were rough...really rough. He was so exhausted that he would cry and then get really worked up into quite the tantrum. Those nights he wouldn't sleep very well either so the next day he would still be tired.
We talked to the school and his caseworker and both agreed that he can go to the pre-school on Monday and Tuesday and then be at the educational day care center the other 3 days all day. Elijah really loves the education daycare center-P. The class he is in has boys and girls. When I went to pick him up the other day, he told all the girls " Bye girls" and then told each one of them "I love you". On the way home I asked him if the girls were nice and he said "Yes mommy, they pretty". Oh wow..wasn't really expecting that!
E is a really sweet and affectionate little boy. He is testing boundaries and can be a bit defiant at times which I think is typical of any three year old. He is entering the "mine"stage right now and doesn't want to go to timeout. He is loving Buzz, Woody, and Jessie from Toy Story. We are working on potty training but not pushing it as E doesn't seem too interested in it right now. He is starting soccer at the daycare center in a couple of weeks. He loves running and kicking the ball!
Andy and I are still adjusting to being parents. It seems like once we get a routine down, it's time to change it again. It will be interesting to see how long it takes us to get into a routine with both of us now working. We have so much to learn yet but are really enjoying being parents. There are times that are trying and frustrating but that is part of being a parent. We can't wait for the warm weather so we can do all the fun outdoor things that we've been waiting so long to to with E. We can't to take E to the zoo, to the pool, go on long walks, etc.
This week we are going to be signing the paperwork that states that we are wanting to adopt E! I can't wait to sign the paperwork. Hopefully we'll get the adoption date very soon! We are hoping that it will be in May. We have to wait 6 months before they will finalize the adoption. April 30 will be six months! While legally E is not ours yet, in our hearts he is our son.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Back to work
Six days after we got back from our wonderful trip, it was time for me to go back to work. *Sigh* Trust me I realize I'm very lucky to have a wonderful job. I just really really really loved being at home with E and just being a mommy. The 10 weeks I was off flew by. I enjoyed every single minute of being at home with E.
In saying that, there were days when I thought I was going to pull my hair out BUT I knew to expect those days and still cherished those days as we had waited so long for these moments. I loved being able to see all the little changes in E. By the third week in our house, he turned into quite the chatter box. There were still times we couldn't understand what he was saying but each day his words got a bit clearer.
The day after we got back from out trip, E started pre-school. He is in a class for three year olds and goes four days a week for about two and a half hours. His class only has a total of three(!) kids. We love this! It's him and two other little boys. He has speech therapy once a week. E is loving pre-school and is so sad when it's time to go home for the day.
Andy is now off of work until the beginning of March so he takes E to pre-school and picks him up every day. Andy has been great about cleaning, doing laundry and cooking dinner! I think I'm getting a bit spoiled by having him home!
Going back to work was a bit of an adjustment. The day before I went back was a rough day. When I woke E from his nap, he was giving me a big hug and said I love you mommy. My heart melted and the tears started streaming down my face. I love after nap snuggles and just the quiet time with him.
The first day back my goal was not to cry at work. I was able to meet that goal...just lost it on the way to work and got it over with. =) I only called home three times to see how E was doing. I really miss spending the day with him but cherish the time I have with him in the evenings. Has it been easy going back? No. I'm trying to be positive about going back but it's hard some days. I love what I do but I also love being a Mom...I just need to find a good balance so I can be good at both.
In saying that, there were days when I thought I was going to pull my hair out BUT I knew to expect those days and still cherished those days as we had waited so long for these moments. I loved being able to see all the little changes in E. By the third week in our house, he turned into quite the chatter box. There were still times we couldn't understand what he was saying but each day his words got a bit clearer.
The day after we got back from out trip, E started pre-school. He is in a class for three year olds and goes four days a week for about two and a half hours. His class only has a total of three(!) kids. We love this! It's him and two other little boys. He has speech therapy once a week. E is loving pre-school and is so sad when it's time to go home for the day.
Andy is now off of work until the beginning of March so he takes E to pre-school and picks him up every day. Andy has been great about cleaning, doing laundry and cooking dinner! I think I'm getting a bit spoiled by having him home!
Going back to work was a bit of an adjustment. The day before I went back was a rough day. When I woke E from his nap, he was giving me a big hug and said I love you mommy. My heart melted and the tears started streaming down my face. I love after nap snuggles and just the quiet time with him.
The first day back my goal was not to cry at work. I was able to meet that goal...just lost it on the way to work and got it over with. =) I only called home three times to see how E was doing. I really miss spending the day with him but cherish the time I have with him in the evenings. Has it been easy going back? No. I'm trying to be positive about going back but it's hard some days. I love what I do but I also love being a Mom...I just need to find a good balance so I can be good at both.
Road trip to Michigan and Indiana
For the holidays, we made the drive to Michigan to see Andy's mom and Bob. We were a little nervous about a 17 hour drive with a two year old. E was a rock star! The first day, he just sat quietly taking in the scenery. I don't think he knew/understood exactly what was going on. The second day, we put up the tv/dvd player and he enjoyed several movies. We are so lucky that E is a good traveler...I think he did better than I did at times.
E was so happy to see Grandma Diana and Grandpa Bob! He remembered them from meeting them in early Nov. E had fun tickling Grandpa Bob-this is one of his favorite things to do! He also was quite fascinated by the santas(about 3 ft tall) and the collection of nutcrackers(2-3 ft tall). He would walk up to them and say "Hi!" It was quite cute. He would say hi to everyone of them(there were at least 10 nutcrackers!).
After a few days in Michigan, we headed 7 hours south to southern Indiana. Again, E was a rock star. I, however, was quite antsy/excited to get to my parents house. "Andy, drive faster!" "Sara, I'm not going to go 90 in a 70" "Andy, let me drive!" We did make it safely to my parents house and made it with no speeding tickets as well.
As we were driving, I would call with updates as to where we were at so they would know when to expect us. When we were about two hours away, I decided that since I was stuck in a car for a few more hours that I might as well have some fun. My sister was very very excited for us to get there and was counting down the minutes until we got there.
So, being the jokester I am, I told her that we spent more time at the outlet mall than we had so it was going to take us longer to get there. Then, I called to tell them that it was sleeting rain(it was barely sprinkling) and it was going to take even longer for us to get there. The response to that call was "oh my gosh this waiting is killing me".
When we were about two minutes from their house, I called to say we were turning on to the highway that would get us to their house in about 30 min. We slowly pulled into their driveway, snuck around to the front door of my parents house and rang the doorbell. I heard footsteps running to the front door and my sister saying "I KNEW IT!!" as she flung the door open. E was so excited to see his Aunt Laura ! He also was excited to see Grandpa Jerry and Grandma Phyllis. He recognized them from talking to them via Skype.
We spent a week and a half at my parents house. It was the best Christmas! Our first Christmas with E and we were able to spend it with family. It had been a long time since I'd been home for Christmas(8 years!!). E loved opening presents and playing with all the new toys/books. E met lots of new family members and overall did really really well with all the new faces.
E fits just perfectly with our family. It seriously seems like he has been with us forever. He was quite spoiled by the Grandparents, Aunt Laura, and Uncle Phillip. We also celebrated his third birthday while we were in Indiana. He loved the cake Aunt Laura made him.
We were all really sad to leave when it was time for us to head back to Colorado. E once again was a rock star on the drive back to Colorado. He had one two minute meltdown. Again, he did way better than we did. =) We were happy when we safely made it back to our house in Colorado. While we loved spending all the time we did with our families, it was still good to be home. Our dogs were very excited for us to be home(they were boarded while we were gone) and E was super excited to play with Ali & MacInnis.
E was so happy to see Grandma Diana and Grandpa Bob! He remembered them from meeting them in early Nov. E had fun tickling Grandpa Bob-this is one of his favorite things to do! He also was quite fascinated by the santas(about 3 ft tall) and the collection of nutcrackers(2-3 ft tall). He would walk up to them and say "Hi!" It was quite cute. He would say hi to everyone of them(there were at least 10 nutcrackers!).
After a few days in Michigan, we headed 7 hours south to southern Indiana. Again, E was a rock star. I, however, was quite antsy/excited to get to my parents house. "Andy, drive faster!" "Sara, I'm not going to go 90 in a 70" "Andy, let me drive!" We did make it safely to my parents house and made it with no speeding tickets as well.
As we were driving, I would call with updates as to where we were at so they would know when to expect us. When we were about two hours away, I decided that since I was stuck in a car for a few more hours that I might as well have some fun. My sister was very very excited for us to get there and was counting down the minutes until we got there.
So, being the jokester I am, I told her that we spent more time at the outlet mall than we had so it was going to take us longer to get there. Then, I called to tell them that it was sleeting rain(it was barely sprinkling) and it was going to take even longer for us to get there. The response to that call was "oh my gosh this waiting is killing me".
When we were about two minutes from their house, I called to say we were turning on to the highway that would get us to their house in about 30 min. We slowly pulled into their driveway, snuck around to the front door of my parents house and rang the doorbell. I heard footsteps running to the front door and my sister saying "I KNEW IT!!" as she flung the door open. E was so excited to see his Aunt Laura ! He also was excited to see Grandpa Jerry and Grandma Phyllis. He recognized them from talking to them via Skype.
We spent a week and a half at my parents house. It was the best Christmas! Our first Christmas with E and we were able to spend it with family. It had been a long time since I'd been home for Christmas(8 years!!). E loved opening presents and playing with all the new toys/books. E met lots of new family members and overall did really really well with all the new faces.
E fits just perfectly with our family. It seriously seems like he has been with us forever. He was quite spoiled by the Grandparents, Aunt Laura, and Uncle Phillip. We also celebrated his third birthday while we were in Indiana. He loved the cake Aunt Laura made him.
We were all really sad to leave when it was time for us to head back to Colorado. E once again was a rock star on the drive back to Colorado. He had one two minute meltdown. Again, he did way better than we did. =) We were happy when we safely made it back to our house in Colorado. While we loved spending all the time we did with our families, it was still good to be home. Our dogs were very excited for us to be home(they were boarded while we were gone) and E was super excited to play with Ali & MacInnis.
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