Thanksgiving Eve

It's the night before Thanksgiving and I am passing the time before my cousin, sister, and step-mom arrive at 4 a.m. for our annual shopping extravaganza. Here's a pic of JJ last weekend. He is doing great. (Don't freak out about the pic...I am right below him, holding his legs). We are hearing new words all the time, the most recent being: Bea, duck, bottle, and light. We wish he'd say more, but he's very stubborn and does everything in his own time. I even noticed that he won't dance to the Wiggles anymore if he sees Mommy and Daddy doing it too. He wants to be the center of attention and will just stop and stare at us with his hands behind his back as if he were saying "whenever you want to stop...." He does find it rather amusing to see Jerret and I kiss and gets a huge smile on his face and then asks for kisses of his own. He is also playing mommy like a fiddle when it comes to getting attention. Some (Jerret) may say I am a "panicker." I tend to freak out a little when it comes to JJ, especially if he falls or I hear a 'thud' from his head hitting the wall/floor/dresser. So now, whenever JJ gets a little ouchie he immediately gets this pitiful, sad look on his face and runs to mommy to bury his head in my chest.

Oh - and he managed to get out of his crib the other night. We have one of the convertible beds that will turn into a toddler bed and then a full, so the railing doesn't come down at all. The little guy climbed over the side and landed hard! We were watching TV in the next room when we heard the loud thud, and I was terrified. He cried for a while and Jerret ended up turning the crib around so the lower side faces the wall and there is no way for JJ to escape the taller ends of the bed. It's so tall that I have a hard time putting him down at bedtime. My arms don't reach that far!

We just returned home from visiting Jerret's family outside of Cleveland. We were actually there for his Uncle Don's funeral. This may sound a little strange, but it was actually the best funeral I have ever been to. Ok, I wasn't actually at the funeral, funeral. I was inside of the funeral home and in a little sitting room with JJ (he was acting a little crazy) while the funeral was going on and there were speakers in the room so I could listen to the Pastor and others speak. During the service there were many different guest speakers (friends and family members) who told awesome stories about Uncle Don's life and accomplishments. The details were incredible - so descriptive that I felt as though as though I was reading his biography. I learned so much about this man that I too had come to love. He was a retired police officer and a marine. He was buried at a military cemetery where a military ceremony was conducted - complete with a 21-gun salute. It was awesome.

Traveling with JJ wasn't too bad. He slept in the car quite a bit, but did not want to settle down at all while at the funeral home. He's just a baby and wanted to run and play and scream at the top of his lungs - typical kid stuff. Maybe we shouldn't have taken him, I don't know, but we didn't really have an option as we don't have anyone in the family who can/will keep him overnight. Everyone in my family works and there really aren't many people to ask. Oh well - we made it!

A Year...

It's been a year now since mom passed. Strangely, I don't think I have dealt with it yet. I know it will come someday, and I am sure it won't be pretty, but for now we just go.

It all happened so fast...her diagnosis, the prognosis, and then the end. I wanted to ask her if there was something she had always wanted to do, but never got around to doing. I was going to take her. I would have done it with her. I never asked.
Her birthday is approaching in 3 weeks. She would have been 53. Young.

I'm Behind!

I feel as though I haven't posted in ages, so I will do my best to catch everyone up. We had a great Halloween. JJ wasn't too cool about riding in the wagon with my friend's son, and he fussed until I took him out. I definitely wasn't going to carry him the entire time, so I got out the stroller and pushed him in that. It was a chore getting him in and out at each house, so I was selective and only took him up to the houses where we knew people. We actually had a great time while trick-or-treating. Some friends of ours came over with their three kids (they don't live in a "neighborhood") and my friend and I took them all around while the guys stayed behind and scared little kids. Oh yeah - I think they passed out a few pieces of candy in the process. Here is a picture of one of the neighbor kids, who also dressed as a monkey. I thought he looked a lot like JJ in the face.
Eight o'clock came pretty quick and our neighbors came over and hung out for a while with Jerret. Inside the house was utter chaos as there were 10 kids running loose! Trust me, 10 kids in a 1600-sf house is not too cool! Thank heavens for the basement!!
Our neighbor brought JJ over a tricycle that was once his son Hayden's. Hayden is 2 1/2 now and I guess he is too big for this bike. JJ LOVES it! He can't yet figure out the pedals, but he loves to pretend.


The next picture is cute because it is what has now become our morning routine. JJ recently started waking up about 1/2 an hour earlier than he used to; so now he must wait for me to finish getting ready before we have our time together. He loves to chill out in Daddy's spot on our bed and watch JoJo's Circus while having his morning bottle. He can drink out of a sippie just fine and even drinks from a regular cup, but he still enjoy's a bottle in the morning and one at bedtime. Aunt Cyndi and Aunt Bea want me to throw the bottles out, but nah - they're not hurting anything, right?

Finally, we have a picture of JJ getting his hair cut. This is actually his second haircut, as I was not able to get any pictures the first time. (I took him myself - Jerret told me to, I swear - and it was just too hard to do all that. Plus, the lady at the shop was not very helpful). The second haircut went much better than the first. Jerret did have to hold him the entire time, but JJ did great. He fussed a little bit at first, but then the girl pulled out a dum-dum sucker, and it was all over. JJ was in heaven and didn't even care what she was doing to his hair.

Besides that, we're gearing up for the holiday's and for Jerret to go back to China. It's going to be a long 6 weeks without him!

Our Little Monkey

We bought JJ the cutest monkey costume for Halloween. Jerret's parents were over and we couldn't resist putting it on him. It just barely fits, but we had a blast watching him run around the house for half an hour dressed like a monkey. I felt really guilty after we took it off because the silk lining made him sweat terribly! Who knew they made such high-quality costumes these days? I still remember the year my brother was Boss Hog and I was a police girl. We had those cheap plastic costumes that barely fit right over your clothes. And they had the even cheaper plastic masks that fit over your head, but didn't actually fit quite right. You couldn't really see out of the eye holes because they were so small and didn't line up with your eyes the way they should have. And you couldn't really breathe out of the nose holes because they were way too small so mom would have use scissors to make them bigger.

Tonight is my step-dad's 60th birthday so we will be going over there to celebrate with him. I remember when he turned 40 he told me that he didn't feel any different than he did when he was 18 years old. I wonder if he still feels that way.

Our Day At The Point

Jerret and I took our three nephews to Cedar Point on Sunday. They boys were so excited to go and talked the entire way there about which rides they would and wouldn't go on, and what they wanted to ride first. It was unseasonably hot for October - 90+ degrees outside. Today it was down to 60!

The day didn't start out so great as AJ was literally 1 inch too short to ride most of the rides. 48 inches is the standard for the majority of the roller coasters, and Raymond and Tyler were easily tall enough to ride whatever they wanted. For our first ride, we went to the "Blue Streak," one of the smaller, older coasters. AJ was all set to get in line when the gate keeper came up with her red and white stripped stick and made him stand next to it to check his height. When the lady announced that he was too short to ride, I told Jerret to go ahead with the boys and I would stay behind with AJ. Right away AJ started to cry and began saying things like he was never going to go to Cedar Point again because they wouldn't let him on the rides. I tried to calmly explain to him that he was a growing boy and that when he came back next year, he will have grown 4 inches and will easily get on whatever ride he wanted. He looked a little puzzled and then announced, as if a light bulb had just went off in his head, that he needed some good food to eat while we were there and maybe by the end of the day he will have grown enough to ride the roller coasters.

We had a great time and were all exhausted by the end of the day. I went to bed early and didn't want to get up for work Monday morning. I can't even imagine how those boys must have felt going to school! Yeah - it was Columbus Day and they had to go to school. I asked them why they didn't get the day off and Raymond answered "We don't celebrate Christopher Columbus; he never found America." I thought that was funny...

Raymond riding the "cups" as he calls them.

Tyler and AJ also riding the cups. This was AJ's first ride.

The boys waiting in line for a ride.

Can you tell it was game day? Jerret insists that JJ wear Ohio State gear on Saturdays.

He's getting pretty good with that spoon!

We Got A New Camera!

We recently bought a new digital camera and have been having a blast taking tons of JJ pics. He is growing bigger every day and surprising us with what he is learning. His new word is Jay-Jay, which he says in a long, drawn out way. It is too funny. His hair is super curly, but a little too long and he kinda has the old man come-over look going - actually it's not so much as a come over as it is a comb front. Regardless, we are ready to take him for his first cut. This should be fun - Ugh! JJ at dad's work party. There were John Deere's everywhere!

We tried and tried to get JJ to put on this big, furry winter hat that Jerret picked up in China. It actually looks more like something you would find in Russia. JJ didn't care for it too much.

We actually got the hat on him at this point, although you can't really see it with our dark couch in the background.

JJ loves to drink bath water from the cup I use to rinse the soap off of him. It is so interesting because they let him drink from a tin cup in the orphanage so he naturally wants to try and drink from every cup he sees. He also likes to drink from water bottles, although he sometimes gets a little too excited and spills it all down the front of his shirt.

here is a pic of my nephew AJ with JJ and my dad. JJ loves his cousins!

Our Quiet Weekend

We had a nice, relaxing weekend at home although the weather wasn't so nice! Saturday turned bitterly cold and I am sad to report that we have now turned on the heat in the Hartman house.

JJ has recently figured out how to manipulate door handles. The interior doors in our house all have lever handles, which he can just reach and pull down to open. (He can't get outside though because those doors have the round knobs - plus we keep those doors locked at all times). I thought it was so cute how he would try and open all the doors inside the house, until he hit the closet. Once he finally got the closet door open he found all the *cool* stuff we keep in there and decided to drag it all out, piece by piece. I was laughing hysterically at the mess he was making and his "oooohs and aaaaahhhhs" with each find when I saw this...He found my Wal-Mart shoe rack inside the closet and thought it looked fun to play with. I am so surprised it didn't break by this point, and in fact was still laughing with him, having a good old time when the next thing I knew this happened...

Apparently, he didn't like my laughing at him. (Is it totally wrong of me to have snapped a pic before I helped him??)

JJ is doing great and is surprising us daily with new things he has learned. His new love is the Wiggles, and he has made a nightly routine of bringing us the remote control so that we can play the day's episode from TIVO. He knows many of the songs, and although he can't sing them, he definitely knows how to dance to them! He has also recently learned how to play hide and seek, and will put a blankie in front of his face, pull it down and say "Boo!" His vocabulary is still limited to book, ball, balloon, bye, kitty-cat, da-da and mama; but I say - he's still learning English! Aunt B swears he said "shoe" today, but we have yet to hear it. Oh how I wish we had the $$ for another!

We had a nice weekend. I went to an awesome baby shower. For those of you who are long-time blog readers, you know that I cannot stand the huge mega-showers. This one was quite the opposite. Very intimate, yet very informal. We ate right away, a simple menu of stuffed bread sticks and salad, and played one shower game. It was a super creative game called "Guess the pregnant celebrity" where the hostess found 10 pics of celbs when they were preggers. She blacked out the faces and we each had to guess who the person was. The one with the most right answers won (it wasn't me). After our game we made brownie sundaes (YUM!) and ate them while we watched Sarah (the guest of honor) open her gifts. It was seriously the best shower ever!

Toothpaste Really Does Work!

Mom and Dad were busy cleaning the house and decided to pull JJ in the kitchen while we let him tried to feed himself. Thank heavens he was on the tile and not in the dining room where we usually eat, because as you can see, he took this opportunity to dump his food all over the place. I love how he looks at us like he totally knows he is busted.

He is such a happy boy. The white stuff on his head is toothpaste. See - Jerret's work party was Saturday and we were outside for a good 6 hours. The mosquitoes around here have been terrible due to all the rain we've been having and JJ got about 12 bites that night. I was looking for something to stop him from itching when Jerret announced that toothpaste works the best. He said his mom always put it on he and his siblings when they were young. Me, being the skeptic that I am, didn't believe him and had to Google "toothpaste on mosquito bites" before I would give it a try. Low and behold, I found all kinds of ways to stop the itching and toothpaste happens to be one of them (tee tree oil and hemorrhoid cream are among some of the others).

In other news - I had a big win at work this week. There are really only two reasons a proposal writer should ever get excited about work; one is wins and the other is an extension. I happened to get both last week. The win was for the largest job my company has ever been awarded - a $53 million project at Dover AFB. Yeah me!

Already???

It's been a couple of weeks since my last post, so here are some new pics of JJ. The first one is of our favorite little onsie given to us by Aunt MaryAnne and Uncle Don. (See below for frontal view).

Here is what the shirt says (and a nice wet mark from his sippie)

I swear I don't think he was scared in this picture.....

Now to business....Is summer over ALREADY? I am trying hard to remember that it is still August and fall doesn't even officially start until Sept. 23 this year, but the rest of the world is trying to convince me that summer is over. I heard my first sign the other day when our neighbor told me they were closing their pool up for the year....What what what?! Did I hear her right??? It's not even Labor Day and we always have 90 degree days in September. But, it is THEIR pool and their prerogative to open and close it as they please so who am I to try and convince them that a dip in the shallow end is going to be just what the doctor ordered when the temps reach 97 this weekend, as forecasted.

Tonight on my walk with JJ I noticed two more signs that the end of summer is near. The locusts were signing in the trees their buzz, buzz, buzz song that is so familiar in this area. The sound is so familiar to me that I tend to ignore it. But tonight I listened and was taken back to being 10 and staying the weekend at dad's house. I'm not sure why, but every time I hear the locusts I think about his house.

The third sign was the fact that it was 7:45 and the sun was setting! One of my most favorite things about summer is the longer days and sitting outside until 9:00, not having a clue what time it is because it could be 5:00 for all you know. The sun is shining and that's all that matters.

And there are more....the school buses that insist on pulling out in front of me each morning, making me afraid to pass and therefore late for work; high school football games on Friday nights; having to put a sweatshirt on when sitting out on the patio at night; wearing long pants to work and not worrying that I am going to be to hot. It happens, I know. But I really am looking forward to the day when we move to a place where snow doesn't happen and year-round swimming does!

In other news...I took JJ to a dermatologist to get to the bottom of these mysterious skin spots that he has had since we brought him home. For those of you who don't know what I am talking about, all I can call them are "spots." He has 4 on different parts of his body, and they're not really a rash and I don't think they itch JJ. They just pop out and last about 7-10 days and then subside, living behind only a trace of pigmentation that looks like a tiny brown birthmark. In another 10-12 days they reappear and are bright pink/red and inflamed and again last for 7-10 days and so on. It's a vicious cycle and the docs here can't figure them out. We have been treating them with a steroid cream for a week at a time, but I don't know if that is working because the nature of the "spots" is to come and go at will.

The dermatologist wants to do a biopsy, which I am not all that crazy about. But I do want to get to the bottom of this. His second recommendation was to take Jack to the Ohio State University Medical Center where he worked for 12 years. There they have 2 pediatric derm docs that research stuff like this. Because this is the less invasive option, I am tempted to do this. Besides, Jerret would give his right arm to travel to Columbus during football season.

He Can Walk Ya'll!

Our crawling days are behind us and we are exhausted from chasing this boy around the yard, house, neighborhood, neighbor's yard, etc. Walking didn't just "happen" for us like many of my friends and fellow mommies have said. We worked at it for about 3 weeks and slowly but surely made progress until we no longer had to hold hands when JJ wanted to walk. His first steps looked something like Frankenstein in search of his mother. He held his hands way out in front of him for balance.

Jerret's cousins in Cleveland bought us this little number and sent it to us. I have never seen such a thing in my life, but it is a baby [toddler] urinal called Peter Potty. We aren't quite ready for it yet, but we couldn't resist getting some pics with it.

Besides that, we (or at least I) experienced a trying weekend with the little guy. JJ must not have felt well and was out of sorts for 3 days straight. On Saturday my friend (who's little boy is only 2 days older than JJ), her husband, and baby, Boston, came over to go swimming. As soon as we got in the pool JJ bit Boston on the arm - BAD. When I tried to correct him and ask him to give Boston love he smacked me!!! I even have the scratch across my forehead to prove it. The next day I was at the mall, waiting in line and JJ didn't want to sit in his stroller. At this time I didn't have him strapped in because I had just been holding him and only put him down so I could get into my purse. He scooted all the way down the seat and snuck out of the stroller!! Luckily I was watching him as he made his move, but it just amazes me that he is able to concoct such a plan!

Things seem to be back to normal and he really is such a good boy. He is smart as a whip too. Yesterday we were in the car listening to his Little Einsteins CD and there is a part that tells you to pat your hands on your lap and then raise your hands really high above your head. JJ did both without missing a beat. We do this together at home, but I was blow away to see that he could do this on his own without my holding his arms or hands and helping him. And the fact that he did it all on his own, just by listing and comprehending what the boy on the CD was saying! I think we have a Little Einstein of our own on our hands!! Seriously - I was so impressed that I called my mother in law and told her about my little genius!

That's all for now.......

My Husband Rules!!!!

Jerret is the best husband ever!! He had a HUGE surprise party for my 30th birthday on the 4th. It was a huge luau with leis all around and food and drinks for all. He even had a raffle with give-aways for all the guests. And It WAS a surprise because I totally thought I was going to the Josh Turner concert with my cousins. (I know, it was a disappointment to miss out on Josh, but it was an even better party!)

I walked into his parents backyard to find my entire family and a slew of friends. This was totally the best birthday party I have ever had. He even arranged for my Aunt Cyndi to come and pick JJ up at 9:00 so that we had the rest of our night free. By the end of the night everyone who was left ended up in the pool. It was a blast. Here are a few pics (and yes, I did enjoy a few adult beverages -hence the Miller Light in my hand)...

New JJ Pics

Ok, so we're a tad camera happy in this family. Below are some recent pics of JJ enjoying his summer. He loves being outside - and loves the pool even more!

Kool Aid Popsicles and General Hospital

Jerret is always teasing JJ about what a sweet life he has. Babies – or at least the lucky ones – have it made with someone to feed, bathe, and diaper them; someone to hold them when they’re tired, and hug them when they are sad; someone to kiss their boo boos and make the pain disappear with the magic of a band-aid. But it’s not just JJ…being a kid is sweet, period. And being a kid is even better in the summertime.

Watching as the kids in the neighborhood ride their scooters down the middle of the street and share stories while strolling down the sidewalk takes me back to a time when I too had little more to worry about than finding a friend to play outside with, or what teacher I was going to have when school started in September.

I remember the days of Kool-Aid Popsicles made in an ice cube tray and 25-cent lemonade stands to help beat the heat.

I remember begging my mom to call my aunt Charlene and ask if we could come over and swim as they were one of the few lucky enough to have a pool.

I remember staying at Grandma’s house for weeks at a time and watching her sit on the couch peeling potatoes as the theme to General Hospital played in the background, signaling that it was 3:00 and Grandpa was on his way home.

I remember mom making popcorn in a pan on the stove and not even having a microwave.

I remember when it was a treat to go to McDonald’s, and you were even luckier if you were allowed to eat inside!

I remember when visits to the ice cream store were a rare occasion and a vanilla cone with eyes and sprinkles put a smile on everyone’s face.

I remember playing t-ball on a team where we wore matching t-shirts and hats, but jeans rather than baseball pants.

I remember using my own money for buying my new pink and white bicycle.

I remember shopping for school clothes and being cautious enough to know it was NOT OK to spend $50 on a pair of shoes.

I remember swimming at Crane Creek and eating bologna sandwiches for lunch.

I remember when a family vacation was a one-hour drive to Cedar Point and one night in a hotel room.

I remember dad taking us to by kites in the spring and flying them at the park on Sunday afternoons.

I sometimes wonder if kids today are too spoiled. When did it stop being a privilege to get a new toy or outfit, or to have dinner in a restaurant? When did it become complacent for us to roboticly answer “yes” when our little ones shouted “Can I have some gum?” in the check-out line of the grocery store.

I will do my best to give JJ some of the best times of his life. I will do my best to give him memories that he will always remember because they were special times and not the norm. I will show him how to put a playing card in the spokes of his bike to make it sound like a motorcycle. I will teach him how to put his napkin in his lap while he eats and order from the waitress himself. I will give him an allowance and teach him to work for the things he wants or thinks he needs.

He will know, as I did, that mom will always be there to reel him back in if he ever gets too demanding and Grandma is there to spoil him just a little at the right times.

I'm Behind!

For some reason I haven't been able to log into blogger lately so I am severely behind in my updates. JJ is doing well and is now saying "wow wow wow" and "ball" about 50 times a day. No walking for us yet, but it is getting very close - yeah, we are totally jealous of AP! A few of the Kyrgyz adoptive families got together for an impromptu reunion down in SC last week and we were totally bummed that we weren't there. Plus, we missed the big CWA reunion that was held at Myrtle Beach last month. We really want JJ to see him Kyrgyz "cousins" so hopefully we'll make it down for a reunion soon.

We've been having some troubles getting JJ to sleep lately. He fights it and fights us every night and Jerret is in the room next door as we speak, trying to get that boy to lay down. He just wants to play, play, play and flashes that 1000-watt smile and we just have a hard time telling him no.

Last weekend we went out to dinner for my brother's birthday and had terrible service. We waited about 45 minutes for our food and JJ was just getting antsy, as any kid would. We fed him some of my cottage cheese and crackers and he was as happy as can be. I think that he'll be feeding himself with a spoon any day now.

3 weeks until my big birthday. Yes, I will be turning 30 and am just cringing at the thought. I don't know why but I can't stand the fact that I will be 30 already! I took the day off work in lieu of a total mental breakdown, which I wouldn't want anyone at work to witness.

Here are some updated pics of JJ.

Life in America is Pretty Sweet

Jerret sent me a picture the other day and asked "do we even remember this kid?"

This was THE picture. The one that made us fall in love with our JJ. This was the picture that our agency sent us and we took one look and said "Can we have him?" He was only 3 months old in this picture and it would be another seven months before we would travel to meet him. He seems like such a different person now. He is so active, so cuddly, so funny, and so at home here that it's hard to imagine that he came home less than 3 months ago.

This kid was meant to be here, with us, and it's like we never skipped a beat. We knew that God had something big - even great - in store for us. I am so glad that we had the wisdom to listen and follow his plan. Many people have commented on how fast he seems to be adjusting and it's as though he's been with us forever. I hope this continues...

JJ is doing great and is so close to walking. He is at the "cruising" stage and walks holding on to furniture. He is cutting his 6th and 7th teeth and loves sharing Popsicles with dad. Below are some recent photos...as JJ says (through Jerret)..."Life in America is Pretty Sweet"

A Nice Weekend

We had a great weekend relaxing at home. Friday night Jerret and I took two of my "other" boys to the Mudhens game and we had a great time. The weather was a perfect 72 degrees and the game was intense with 4 homeruns before the 7th inning! JJ hung out at grandma & grandpa's house. He is saying his first real word, which happens to be "kitty cat" (or kiki as JJ says). Aunt B has cats and she must have taught him this. Anyway, here are some pics from our weekend. He had his 2nd pool adventure and is going to be a guppie before we know it! Oh - and the picture at the top is him on his new toy (a John Deere tractor, of course!)

We're Starting Him Young

How cute is this kid? He was out in the barn with Grandpa last weekend and got his first ride on a Deere! When you're from the country you are easily amused by tractors and lawn mowers - especially if they are a John Deere. JJ is already wanting to drive....

Memorial Day weekend was nice (hurray for the 3-day weekend!), but the weather was either cloudy or rainy all weekend. Monday afternoon the sun finally came out and it was a great day. We were down the street at our friends cook-out. They just had a new pool dug, but the water wasn’t in yet. Half-way through the party the guys got tired of looking at the gaping hole in the ground and decided to open up the hydrant and fill it! The kids loved it and played in the pool as it was being filled – and that water was COLD! Jerret and I took turns pushing JJ in the baby swing, which he loved. We don’t have a swing set at our house yet, and will most likely be moving in the next 2 years, so maybe we can convince Grandma and Grandpa to get a swing set???? Wishful thinking, I know!

Thanks Grandpa....

We were watching the news last night and a story came on about Memorial Day and the fact that so many people have no idea what the day is actually about. There were about ten people interviewed and when asked what Memorial Day was, not one could answer. Of course everyone knew it was a free day off of work and the first 3-day weekend of the year, but not the true reason for such a holiday.

Apparently I am an exception to the rule, but I have always been raised to know the meaning of memorial day. I have been a member of the American Legion Auxiliary #537 since I was 12 years old. My grandparents took me and my cousin Joe to the beaches of Normandy the summer of 1994 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of D-Day. I hang a picture of my grandfather in his army uniform on the wall of my cubicle - proudly displayed for all the world to see.

Grandpa Helle is one of the neatest guys you will ever meet. He has story upon story about his life in Patton's Third Army. While never boastful, he will tell anyone who asks about his experience in the Battle of the Bulge and the bullet still lodged in his side to act as a constant reminder of God's grace. In 2005 he travelled with friends to Washington DC to see the new WWII memorial and was interviewed by a reporter from Virgina Living magazine who could see in his face that this was a man with a story to tell.

I could go on and on about the hardest working man I have ever known, but he would rather I talked about something else. So as a tribute to grandpa, here is a picture of him with JJ at their first meeting.

We Just Love This Guy...

Below is a copy of the announcement I created to send out to friends.

So yesterday was tough having to leave JJ at Aunt B's house. She's not actually my aunt, but is the aunt of my cousin Carrie (she watches Carrie's 4-year old too). Aunt B was so sweet and was trying to show JJ how to blow kisses as I walked out the door. She kept saying "Put that one in your pocket mom and save it for later." He did well and Jerret was a little disappointed when he went to pick him up at the end of the day. I guess JJ just sat still next to Aunt B and didn't give Jerret the big open-armed reception that he was hoping for.

If I thought yesterday was hard, today was nearly unbearable. As soon as I put JJ down at B's house he crawled right over to her and raised his arms for her to pick him up. I almost burst into tears on the spot! I was still thinking about it when I arrived at work and needed to be reassured by my friend Becky. She reminded me that Aunt B is going to love him and take care of him as well as I would and that JJ needs a place away from home where he is happy and comfortable. I am so glad that we found B and that she is with JJ when I can't be there. It's hard for Jerret and I right now because we are just getting good at this and now he's away for 8 hours out of the day.

He's 1!

Our little guy turned one on Friday and we celebrated with a small party at Grandma's house. I really didn't want a big party since we did just return home and everyone has been giving us gifts like crazy! Not to mention the fact that we had two showers, one of which was just two weeks ago. So this wasn't necessarily a "party party" - it was more of a "come and meet our baby" for our family that lives on the other side of the state.

JJ had a blast and was very excited to meet his cousins from Cleveland. Everyone was so happy to see him and we were just glad that they could all come and visit for a few hours. He didn't waste any time diving into his b-day cake, as you can see in the pictures. By the end of the afternoon he was ready for a long nap and Jerret and I were too!

Saturday night I took my nephew AJ to the GX International show and we watched skateboarders, break dancers, rappers, and listened as a few of the performers give testimony on how they became followers of Christ. The stories they told were pretty powerful, and we listened as one guy told how his mother had him at 15, had two other kids by the age of 18 (all with different fathers) and said that he watched his mother get beat by her boyfriend day after day. They ended up running away and living in shelters and even their car when there was no place left to go. Through all this he learned that there was a place to turn, and that led him to believe in something bigger than us all. It was so awesome to watch as people in the audience - kids in fact - were so moved by these stories that they proudly stood up and said they wanted to know more.

One of the girls (she was a dancer) told her story of being abandoned as a baby on the stairway of the police station. I don't remember exactly what country she was from, but she was born in Asia and was adopted by a Norwegian couple who took her home with them to Norway. Hearing her speak and listening to her story made me think of JJ and how lucky we are to have found him. So many people that we meet say what a lucky boy he is to have been adopted by us, but we are the lucky ones.

Tomorrow is JJ's first day with the sitter :( She is a wonderful lady so I know there is nothing to worry about, but I am just sad that I can't be home with him. Jerret's cousin who came to visit was telling us how she is now able to work from home 4 days a week and only goes in on the 5th day. I am so jealous! She still has to take her son to daycare, as it is just too hard to work with a little one at your feet, but man - how nice would it be to not have to do hair and makeup every morning?!?