Forest and Forest

These pictures melt my heart. Is there anything sweeter?

Grandpa Forest (my dad) with baby Forest

Brother and Sisters

I love these pictures because they show how much my children love to play together. The girls love it when I give them permission to go play with Forest in his room, which they know means they can get in his crib with him and read to him, tickle him and otherwise fawn over him. They are so excited to have another little sibling to baby, but I think it'll be several months before they get to climb in her crib with her :-)

The Name Game

Now that we are matched, we have started the naming process. We had a boy in mind for the last several months, so we're changing gears and looking at girls' names. It reminds me a little of when I was pregnant with Bekah, and we were absolutely convinced that we were having a boy. When we got the ultrasound and the technician said, "It looks like you're having a girl." We almost didn't believe it. We were so sure we were having a boy that we had already picked out his name "Forest Jackson".

That night after praying we had an almost simultaneous outburst; we both blurted out, "What about the name 'Rebekah' from the Bible?" I looked at Kent and said, "What? Why did you think of that?" He was wondering the same thing about me. We took it as a sign and after thinking about it for a few days, we decided that her name should be Rebekah.

This time around I had picked a girl's name out when we first started this process - the name Kiira. I love the name, and I also love that it can have a Finnish spelling. In fact, Kiira Korpi is a Finnish figure skater who won the European bronze medal in 2007, so technically it's even a Finnish name. But somehow now that we are getting ready to adopt a baby girl, I'm trying to keep an open mind about names. Natalie? Natasha? Savannah? Rachel? Kiira...

We've Been Matched...Again

Yesterday morning while at my friend Jennie's house I heard that familiar ring on my cell phone, "Electric Avenue" by Eddie Grant. All of our adoption agency phone numbers have been assigned the "Electric Avenue" ring, so my heart jumped when I heard it. A new birthmother, who we'll call Sh, saw our profile and liked us. She wanted to talk to us on the phone.

This morning at 8am the phone call was set to take place. The caseworker called us; I conferenced in Kent, and she conferenced in Sh. It's amazing how you can be filled with love for someone you've never met before, but that's how adoption is. Sh and I (with Kent listening on at work) had a great conversation. She talked about how she knew this angel baby of hers was meant to bless a family, and I assured her that we would love her and that our home would be filled with song, laughter and love. Turns out Sh and I both grew up in New York, her in the city and me upstate. Sh loves to sing and dance; in fact, the pictures of us singing karaoke at our wedding caught her attention she said. She also said that the fact that we already had an African American child touched her heart.

It's so hard to describe what these conversations are like with a woman who knows she is giving you a part of herself and the greatest gift any person could ever give. There is a sense of mutual love almost immediately because we know the sacrifice she's making, and she knows (and hopes) that you will love her child and provide him/her with a happy life. It's truly indescribable.

So, Sh is having a baby girl at the end of July. A girl!!! I'm excited to get out all of my baby girl things and to redecorate the nursery to make it more "girlish" as Bekah says. Actually, Bekah uses that word in the context of NOT wanting to wear something, "No! That's too girlish!" But I digress... we are excited and very happy. And, yes, we are nervous too after our previous 2 experiences, but a good friend reminded me yesterday, "Try not to be too guarded. Remember heartache is better than regret." All too true, and I've decided that I will allow myself to fall in love all over again with another baby and another birthmother knowing that whatever the Lord's will is will come to pass.

My Little Sis Gets Married

Last Saturday, June 12th, my little sister got married! A wedding is always something to celebrate. But after watching Barb suffer through singlehood (I don't think that's a word) for so long and also survive the breakup of an engagement 2 years ago, my heart was so full watching her and Devin kneel across the alter in the temple. It was a beautiful day.

I only took a few pictures of Barb and Devin and of my children all dressed up.

Last Week - Pictures

Here's what happened last week -

Click on picture to start slideshow

Fruit Fly Infestation

My kitchen is infested with fruit flies, and I'm about to freak out that I can't get rid of these things. Have you ever sprayed Raid at fruit flies? Well, it doesn't do a dang thing to them. They fly away for a second only to come back and hover. They creep me out when the swarm hovers like that, and I'm sure if they were bigger, I'd be ready to call in the National Guard.

I'm also amazed that they won't just die. I thought if the sugar source disappeared, so would they. Not so. Somehow this growing swarm of fruit flies is a nagging reminder of all that I feel powerless to control in my daily life. it's like the never-ending chain of full laundry baskets that always fill up again immediately, no matter how much laundry I do. Or the sippy cup spills that I clean up and then seem to reappear all over the house. They just never fully go away. I think that's why it's been so important for me to have other mommy friends who remind me that I'm not alone in my vain attempts to control the uncontrollable. They help me remember that I'm also doing something more important than keeping up with chores.

President Thomas S. Monson put it perfectly:

"If you are still in the process of raising children, be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled will disappear all too soon and that you will—to your surprise—miss them profoundly."

Finding Joy in the Journey, October 2008 General Conference
http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-947-26,00.html

I'm sure I will miss these days of being surrounded by my sweet little children.

However, when the fruit flies are gone, I will do a happy dance!