A new year and a new direction

This year has been as long as it has been successful for my husband and I. Last Christmas my husband gave me a gift engraved with the words “this is the year we start our family”. After defining our goal we went after it relentlessly, making it obvious to everyone what we wanted, and in August we received the greatest gifts of all, trust and parenthood. This year will take us in a new direction, toward a new goal. We don’t waste our time making resolutions we just become resolute in our goals. This is the year we’ll buy that house in the country, this is the year that we’ll both become published magazine authors, this is the year that I really become a photographer, this is the year that Thor spends less time at work and more time with his family, and with any luck, this is the year that we’ll prepare for another child. Our life couldn’t be more blessed but we both know that no one will give you what you want; you have to go out there and take it. At this time next year I’ll be watching my son play with his new Christmas toys in a safer, larger home, looking at yet another list of articles to write and customers to call back, happy with the new direction our lives have taken. That is, after all, what a new year is for.

Our big boy!

Jake had his 4 month checkup today and he is up to 16 pounds 8 oz. and 26 3/4 inches long! He’s actually gotten longer than heavier. The doctor said he’s doing great and growing like a weed. I’ve been watching and i think he’ll be sitting up and crawling by the end of the month! Just a quick update.

A year

It’s miraculous to think what change a year’s time can bring us. Last year on this day, my husband and I were nervously cleaning and decorating in anticipation of our final home study visit. When the social worker left we knew we were approved and we were on top of the world as we attended a local ethnic festival at which my in-laws always have a Swedish craft booth. Thor & I grinned like idiots at every customer and passer by and our delight that we were one step closer to starting our family. I distinctly remember walking along the train in the museum, smelling all the different ethnic foods that night, holding hands, and dreaming about what our child and our adoption would be like. When I think of that day, even now it makes me smile.

2006 brought us ups and downs we couldn’t have imagined, unbearable anguish, and unexpected joys. I can’t count the nights we sat at a little corner booth at Valentino’s scarfing down pizza and analyzing each and every sentence in our dear birthmother letter. We carefully thought through every adoption decision, read shelves of books, and painstakingly designed our now famed website. It even seems like it was forever ago that we anxiously boarded an airplane to San Francisco to attend a sonogram for a baby that would never be ours. In fact, despite all our hard work and dreams the year brought us stress that would test our marriage, our friendships, and our finances. That is unfortunately the nature of adoption. While so many around us perceived our choice as easy or convenient they could not know how we fought through it all and still found a way to support each other in our dreams, and to work toward our goal of having a family. And as adoption often does, our journey took an unexpected twist, an 8 lb. 10 oz. twist. Right here in our home state, just a week after our first call from his birthmother, we drove our son Jacob home from the hospital. Ever since our lives have been filled with change and we are again filled with joy.

This year we nervously cleaned and decorated our home for the holidays in anticipation of the first visit from our son’s birthmother. When she left we remarked at how wonderful open adoption is and how truly lucky we are to have her, and our son, in our lives. At our local festival we were once again grinning like idiots, this time showing off our beautiful boy to every passer by. As I walked again along the train holding hands with my husband, our infant son smiling widely at us both, I smiled and dreamed about what the next year will bring and I can’t help but smile. It is truly remarkable what change a year can bring.

More Pictures

Thor’s totaled truck…pics of his new one coming soon!

Images

For some reason these two images didn’t want to show up on the last blog so heres Jake with Grandma (he scooched so he could read Black Friday ads over her shoulder) and Jake with Finny!

Baby UPdates!

These last few weeks I have been neglecting my mom blogging duties. Unfortunately Thor’s been working very long hours because we lost an employee and I haven’t had anytime at all to sit and write or even to take any pictures. It seems Jake is making big changes every day. In the last few weeks he’s learned to roll over (quite easily and quickly) and he can hold his head up off the floor and look around when he’s on his tummy. He’s also discovered his feet which are almost always in his mouth these days. We’re working hard to get him sitting up on his own. He’s also fallen in love with a new toy that I bought for him.

On the 18th Jake said his first word, “hi”! I was changing his diaper that morning and I said “good morning, hi!” and he smiled and replied “hi”. I was so excited! He’s very choosy about using it but when he says it it’s clear as a bell. Actually, we were shopping with mom and dad and a group of ladies at Yankee Candle were talking about how handsome he is and he loudly proclaimed “hi.”

That same night we had Thor’s family over for Thanksgiving and he had plenty of play and cuddles with Aunt Enid (and the baby who he kicked!), Uncle Mike, Grandpa and Grandma. We turned on our Christmas lights outside and Jake LOVED them. Even though it was cold I think he would have stayed outside all night to stare at all the colorful lights.

Thanksgiving day I cooked and had my family over. That night my parents and the three of us went to the Holiday Lights Festival in the Old Market. Jake was jabbering up a storm until they flipped the switch and millions of lights along a two block stretch went on…he was instantly quiet. Grandma bought him a really cute reindeer named Finny, which he loves.

He also had his first bite of food last night November 29th! Sweet potatoes and he didn’t even make a disgusted face. Okay well duty calls so I’ll post some more later about our visit with Jake’s birthmom last weekend. Love to all!

~K