Happy Finalization!

Finalization was great! Friends and family were there to share to the joy of the day. Here's a quick picture of Sammy at our after finalization lunch.

There will be many more photos to come!

Christmas 2010 - Sammy's First Christmas

Despite the fact that Chris & I are both sick, because of Sammy :), we had the best Christmas ever! Sammy's 1st Christmas started on Christmas Eve when the grandparents, Carol & Angelo, came to the house to bring presents for the baby. I have great pictures I can't wait to post. Anyway, we put Sammy into his highchair and grand pop handed him gifts which he promptly put into his mouth. Once the paper was wet I took the package so that he didn't choke on the wrapping paper. Sammy had great fun slobbering all over his christmas gifts. Grand mom Carol & grand pop Angelo were very generous - Sammy received lots of books and a few toys. After that we went to dinner with them and their friends Lily & Ming and their children David & Elise, who are like their grandchildren. We went to their favorite diner and a good time was had by all. Sammy survived the whole night without any major meltdowns or extra wet diapers. You know, the kind of diaper that is so soaked you have to change the outfit. Yay Sammy! On the oh Sammy! side, there was a pooping situation after dinner but before dessert and we had to change him right there on the booth seat because the diner doesn't have a changing station in its bathroom. Chris did the changing and I provided cover for Sammy and diaper disposal.

Christmas part 2 was at my mom's (aka mom-mom) house on Christmas day. We all had a great time! It was just us, the fam, this time with no "extra" folks so that made it more special. The only regret I have is that my Aunt Marion (aka Mert), who passed away in 2005, wasn't there. She would have loved Sammy so much and been so happy that we adopted him. Dinner was delish as usual. The family had a great time, I think, buying Christmas gifts for a baby. The last baby in my family was my niece Courtney who is 19 yrs old. Sammy received pajamas (much needed) and a couple of outfits. In fact, he is going to wear one of his new outfits to his finalization. It's a cute three-piece pants, shirt, and sweater vest outfit from his aunt Jackie. Totally adorable. Pictures will be posted once we get back from court on Tuesday. Like I said, Sammy had a great time and the aunts, cousins, and mom-mom are totally in love with him. He did really well with all of the excitement of the day and the Christmas tree lights. Chris was worried that he might have a meltdown because the last few times we've been there he's been overstimulated, couldn't get to sleep at nap time, and then cried and needed momma and/or poppa soothing. I think today showed that he's getting more used to my family, whom he doesn't see as often as the other grandparents, and he's dealing better with the stimulation level. We tend to be a loud talking and laughing bunch when we're together and there's always a tv or radio on for added background noise. Sammy is a trouper and is fitting right in!

Christmas Eve 2010

I was thinking about Monique, sammy's first mom, and wondering how she is doing this holiday. i think about her often, but more so since thanksgiving. i imagine the holidays are especially bittersweet for her - a painful reminder that she's missing out on sammy's first thanksgiving and christmas but keeping a happy face for her other two children. i hope her family is there for her, supporting her through this difficult time.

The Best Christmas Gift of All!

Yesterday our attorney emailed and told us that we have a finalization date before the end of the year! Next Tuesday (12/28) at 11:30a, Sammy becomes our legal son. We can hardly believe it. We're so excited! Expect a flood of pictures later that evening. So far, Chris' folks will be there and I'm hoping my mother and sisters can make it as well.

Seasons Greetings (and free cards) from Shutterfly!

 I’m so excited for this holiday season because I get to share it with Chris and our sweet baby boy Sammy! In the past, I’ve purchased holiday cards that were nice but not necessarily personal. I always envied my friends that sent photo Christmas cards with pictures of them and/or their children. Well, this year I get to send a photo holiday card too! Shutterfly had a sweet promotion for bloggers to earn 50 free holiday cards just for checking out and writing about their 2010 collection. So, out of 300+ flat and folded holiday cards, here are the ones that I liked the best:

Retro Love

Coco Snow Flurries

Flourish Elegance

Scrapbook Style

I wanted a card that was a little less traditional looking in either color or style, which is why I choose the above four cards. I really loved the colors and imagery of them all, but we decided to go with the Snow Flurries Coco Christmas card. This is the perfect card for us because we’ve taken so many pictures of Sammy that we want to share with family and friends who haven’t seen him since he was three or four months old and now he’s a big boy at seven months. We will probably include a family picture of us and two of Sammy. Unfortunately, this promotion is now closed. But don't despair, they have tons of other great products which I'm eager to use in the coming year. I'm particularly interested in getting birthday calendars made from his first year in photos, for the grandparents, aunts, and uncles. I’ve photographed him each month with his favorite toy to show how much he’s grown and it will be pretty cool to put them all together in either a desk or wall calendar. And speaking of Sammy’s birthday, I suspect there will be much celebrating and I can hardly wait to pick out invitations. I mean really, how cute is this?

12 Months

Happy Holidays everyone!

I'm Back!

Hey gang! I'm back on the scene. Where have I been you're wondering (or not LOL)? I've been doing my mommy thing and enjoying the summer with my sweet baby boy. I've also been reading your blogs and occasionally commenting. Basically I've been too tired to write in my own blog. But I want to get back in the habit because there is so much going on that I want to capture as much of it as I can.

I guess you've noticed the blog name change. I decided to change the name to better describe me and what's happening in my life. Not to mention that C (Chris) was not a contributing blogger so it's ok to make it all about me :) More than a notion is something my mom says all the time about things that are hard, complicated, or involved - such as marriage, adoption and parenthood. Meaning, these subjects are not to be taken lightly or entered into without great thought and/or care.

I'm still unemployed but so grateful for this time that I have with Sammy. I'm looking and applying for positions and will actually be happy to get back to work so that I have a paycheck again. I'm not knocking unemployment but it's been a little tough financially. While a paycheck is good, the thought of daycare makes me sad. Sammy will survive and probably thrive in daycare because he likes other little kids and he's also a social butterfly. I, on the other hand, will probably be a wreck for the first week or two. At this point we have only identified two places we want to see. We're hoping to get the child care issue settled so that it's ready in the event I get a job quickly.

So, that's it for now. I just wanted to check-in and say hey I'm still here. Expect a few more posts this week.