progress

This mama's at work prepping for our homestudy. Background checks, letters of reference, writing out answers to questions about our family backgrounds, scheduling doctor's appointments, etc. It is so much harder to prepare for an adoption when one has a toddler demanding attention! Looking back, it was easier the first time around because all of our efforts and attentions were focused on finding out what to do and just doing it. Now, I'm pretty sure I know what to do. Just double checking my efforts and struggling to find time to do it.

We've enjoyed spending time with Kevin's mom and dad this week. Kevin, Grandpa, and Papa are leaving tomorrow for a Canadian fishing expedition while "Gama" (what Grandma sounds like in Hannahese) will stay home with Hannah while I'm working. They've been going on trail rides with a friend's horses, visiting the zoo, cooking, playing at the park, and stacking blocks at home this week. Hannah's getting comfortable having them around, and shared her longest sentence to date with them: "It's too hot outside to go slide." This makes the parents of a First Steps speech therapy graduate very happy. Tonight Hannah used the phrase "excuse me" appropriately while in the play area at the mall. That almost makes up for this morning's antics at the breakfast table when she pounded her fork and spoon on the breakfast table screaming, "I want pancakes I want pancakes I want pancakes!!!"

I'm sure that Hannah is really going to miss her Daddy this week. The longest she's ever been away from him before is two nights. When we went on a trip together a few weeks ago to visit Libby and family, she asked "Where's Daddy?" each day. When Kevin packed his duffle bag to go fishing I explained where Daddy was going and that Grandma would stay with her until Daddy came home. Hannah packed her night night pink blanket in Kevin's bag and ran around the house laughing and yelling, "I wanna go bye too!" Aw....

When we tell friends that we're adopting again, the second question that people usually ask is, "What about Kevin's computer room?" aka "Where's this kid gonna go?" Kevin is relinquishing the bright orange walls of his masculine room of electronics to his son. I've offered a wall in our bedroom for his computer as well as room in the garage. The opportunity to have our children be close in age is much more important than things, and we'll both make concessions and make do in a smaller home in order to enjoy them.

I *love* decorating bedrooms, and have been wanting to do something modern for the first time with Dwell fabrics. Here's the beginning of Drew's nursery planning inspired by the fabrics from the Dwell Studio Space Baby for Target. This line is on close out, and I've found people selling the bedding on eBay for much less than the regular price that Target told it for. I've bought two sets and will use the second set's bumper to help make the window treatment. I'm trying to decide what colors to paint the walls and ceiling. Would like to do something with a darker blue, light blue, and a little bit of green. Considering painting the ceiling light blue. I'm open to suggestions.I'm interested in a mobile of our solar system to hang in one of the corners, but haven't found the right one online just yet.

Hannah loves her little chair for watching TV and looking at books in her room. I think I found one for Drew called the OFFI Kapsule chair. These molded plastic chairs are supposedly pretty comfy and have a cut out section in back for toy storage. I can imagine storing blocks, Star Wars action figures, and rubber snakes in these chairs.
Last but not least, I'll leave you with something an adoptive mama friend posted on facebook tonight.

"By adopting a child and helping them reach their potential, they help us reach ours. An adopted child is not an unwanted child; to the contrary. They are a child who was searched for, prayed for, cried for, begged for; received by arms that ached, making empty hearts full. Love is meant to be shared." - Author unknown