We survived our week-long trip to PA with the elder Latonas. It was a good week, and there were no major problems, until the airport delays on the last day. (UGH!!!) Since everyone else shares the funny things their kids say during trips like this, I decided that I could share some funny stories about the parents. They know we love them.
Day 1
After landing in Pittsburgh, driving in the rented BLUE DODGE CHARGER for an hour, and stopping for lunch: We had our lunch and paid our check, then I went to the bathroom with Mom for one last pit stop. On the way back to the dining room, she took a wrong turn and went out the back door of the restaurant. I ran out the door after her, hollering, "Mom, where are you going?!??" She said, "I'm going to the car. It's the black one up there, isn't it?"
Meanwhile, at the front of the restaurant: David had watched me run out the back door after Mom, and he headed out the front to check on Dad, who was smoking a cigarette. After the cigarette was done, Dad started to walk down the sidewalk to our car. David said, "Dad, where are you going?!??" He said, "I'm going to the car. It's the red one right here."
More Day 1
In the hallway of the hotel, as we were heading out to dinner, Mom said: I hate to say this, but I wish I was back at home!!!
Day 2
In their hotel room: On the afternoon of day 1, we left a sheet of paper on the dresser stating our room number and the approximate time we would be leaving to go have dinner.
In our hotel room the morning of day 2: [knock, knock, knock] David said, "Is someone knocking on our door?" I went to check, and when I opened the door, Dad was knocking on the door of the room NEXT TO OURS. He had come to tell me that mom couldn't figure out how to turn on the water in the shower, and that she told him to come get us in room 111 (we were in 109) so we could come and help her. When I went to turn the water on for her, she was quite frustrated, as she had been trying to get the shower on for over 10 minutes and couldn't figure it out.
More Day 2
After 3 hours on a plane to Pittsburgh, 2 1/2 hours in a rental car driving to Altoona, and an overnight at the hotel in Altoona, we checked out of our hotel and continued on our journey to Lucinda. On the way out of town, Dad said, "Oh, we're going this way to Pittsburgh?"
Day 8
In the back seat: Dad complained that it was too hot. He started to take off his sweater, and he opened the rear a/c vent (for the first time the entire trip). Mom said, huffily, "Why are you doing THAT if you're HOT???"
In the front seat: We exchanged raised-eyebrow glances, knowing full well that when you are hot and you want to be cooler, you open A/C vents and take off your sweater. Hmmm....
Day 8 was particularly long; our 5:20 flight from PIT to ATL was delayed because of thunderstorms in Atlanta. We sat on the plane for over 2 hours (wheelchair assisted people get on first and get off last) with Mom & Dad huddled in sweaters & blankets trying to escape the A/C, and eventually the plane had to go back to the terminal, and we all had to get off. David got off first while I waited with the parents. He got us some dinner, and we hurriedly ate at the gate before they put us back on the plane. We departed PIT at 9:00pm.
In Atlanta at 11pm, I zipped off the plane first and was thrilled to see that our connection home was delayed from the original 8:30 departure time to 12:11am. I asked for the wheelchairs so they would be ready when Mom & Dad & David finally came off the plane, and got the gate info for the next flight. We hurried to that gate, 2 concourses away, pushing Mom & Dad's wheelchairs ourselves and toting the carry-ons & rolling suitcase, since there were not many wheelchair-pushers on duty that late. We got to the gate at 11:45, and the video board at the gate did not show a departure time of 12:11... it showed 11:38. AAAAACK!!!!! I begged David to ask an agent if the plane had really left, and as it turned out the plane was still sitting there since a crew was not yet available to get the plane away from the gate. We quickly and thankfully boarded (with 3 other VERY thankful people).
Back home (around 12:30am), a strong storm had come through and damaged the tunnel/ramp used for passengers to board the plane, so the only way to get off was the steep & narrow steps. We had to wait for the staff to bring a lift with which they brought Mom & Dad down from the plane one at a time. By the time I got into the terminal, David had found our car, found our luggage, and loaded it in the car. I was SO ready to go home.
In the wee hours of unplanned Day 9, at about 12:45am: As we were getting in the car Dad said, "So Dave, are we gonna go get coffee and a doughnut?"
Jun 22, 2010
May 25, 2010
Waiting sure keeps me busy
Well, it's been about two months since our final home study visit, and we are securely in the "waiting" phase of adoption. It has been a busy time, though.
My MIL has had some urinary infections; the most recent one was a kidney infection that kept her in the hospital one night. There are still more tests to be done with regard to that situation. We are ALMOST done with follow-up appointments from the carotid artery stent she had in March. My FIL has been diagnosed with Alzheimers, which really was not a surprise. For me, it's a relief to know that his forgetfulness and general state of mild confusion HAS A NAME. Even though Alzheimers is a downhill-path, we know what that path is now, and somehow that makes it a little easier. There is much to be thankful for (perhaps a separate post is appropriate for this). Today I am taking him to the DR for a 3-month check-up that was probably supposed to happen about a month ago.
I am playing the piano! I accompanied for 8 band students and about that many voice students for recitals & festivals in early May. I also accompanied a high school chorus, played a piano duet at a school fundraiser, accompanied rehearsals for a play at our local theater, and I have a gig next Friday, playing love songs for "cocktail hour" at a wedding rehearsal dinner. Practicing has been a lot of work, but it is so much fun to play.
We are preparing to travel and take my MIL to see her sister in PA. It has been five years since Mom has been up there, and she is really looking forward to the adventure. Dad has declared that he wants to go with Mom (even though he used to HATE traveling...) so there's plenty of busyness to be had with the whole TRAVEL thing.
We are preparing to host David's brothers & sister for Dad's 90th birthday. It has been years since we have all been together (the last time was at our wedding), and we are looking forward to travel plans being in place so we can talk it up with Dad that his kids are coming to see him for his birthday. If we say it enough times, he might get to enjoy the expectation of their arrival. If not, at least he'll enjoy the surprise. :-)
We are waiting and praying for our baby. With each new medical "emergency" and situation, I tell the Lord one more time that I trust HIS timing, and that I am willing to serve Him by caring for my elderly family members. He knows my heart and my desire to be a mom, and as far as our adoption goes, "He's on it!!!"
My MIL has had some urinary infections; the most recent one was a kidney infection that kept her in the hospital one night. There are still more tests to be done with regard to that situation. We are ALMOST done with follow-up appointments from the carotid artery stent she had in March. My FIL has been diagnosed with Alzheimers, which really was not a surprise. For me, it's a relief to know that his forgetfulness and general state of mild confusion HAS A NAME. Even though Alzheimers is a downhill-path, we know what that path is now, and somehow that makes it a little easier. There is much to be thankful for (perhaps a separate post is appropriate for this). Today I am taking him to the DR for a 3-month check-up that was probably supposed to happen about a month ago.
I am playing the piano! I accompanied for 8 band students and about that many voice students for recitals & festivals in early May. I also accompanied a high school chorus, played a piano duet at a school fundraiser, accompanied rehearsals for a play at our local theater, and I have a gig next Friday, playing love songs for "cocktail hour" at a wedding rehearsal dinner. Practicing has been a lot of work, but it is so much fun to play.
We are preparing to travel and take my MIL to see her sister in PA. It has been five years since Mom has been up there, and she is really looking forward to the adventure. Dad has declared that he wants to go with Mom (even though he used to HATE traveling...) so there's plenty of busyness to be had with the whole TRAVEL thing.
We are preparing to host David's brothers & sister for Dad's 90th birthday. It has been years since we have all been together (the last time was at our wedding), and we are looking forward to travel plans being in place so we can talk it up with Dad that his kids are coming to see him for his birthday. If we say it enough times, he might get to enjoy the expectation of their arrival. If not, at least he'll enjoy the surprise. :-)
We are waiting and praying for our baby. With each new medical "emergency" and situation, I tell the Lord one more time that I trust HIS timing, and that I am willing to serve Him by caring for my elderly family members. He knows my heart and my desire to be a mom, and as far as our adoption goes, "He's on it!!!"
May 2, 2010
Paper Pregnant
Well, it's official. We have completed the home study for our adoption and turned in our profile books for birth mothers to view; now we are "waiting for a placement". It's a succinct and starchy summary of the reality that we could become parents AT ANY TIME. Wow.
Scenario 1: At any time, our caseworker could call us and say, "We have a situation to discuss with you..." and tell us about a birthmom, when she's due to give birth, the circumstances of the pregnancy & delivery, and all of the "stuff" that adoptive parents want to know. We might find out that this nice young lady loved the profile book we made and that she chose us to be her baby's parents, wants to meet us, wants us to be at the birth, which will probably happen in 5 weeks or so... then we'll count down to the big day when we bring our baby home and begin parenting.
Scenario 2: At any time, our caseworker could call us and say, "We have a situation to discuss with you..." and tell us about a birthmom who liked our profile and picked us to be her baby's parents. She will tell us lots of information about the birthmom and the baby, and if it is one we are comfortable with, she will ask us how soon we can come to the agency and pick up our baby. This may occur if a birth mother contacts the agency on short notice (maybe even after the baby is born), or if a birth mother chooses us with some time left in her pregnancy, but for some reason or another the case workers are not sure if she is solid in her decision for adoption. If this latter situation happens, we might still meet with the birth mother, but a lot of that depends on what she wants. In this second scenario, we could realistically get less than 24 hours notice that our baby is HERE, and drop everything to go get him or her.
So, when people ask me now about how the adoption process is going, or when we expect to get our baby, the best answer I can give is that we are waiting. We don't know which scenario will be our reality, and God may choose to put his own fingerprint and unique spin on the situation. He is amazing like that. We have now been waiting for a little over a month; average wait time is about a year. I know a family that waited less than 3 months to get their son, and another family who waited about 10 weeks for their daughter; I also know a family who waited 2 years for their son.
The way I look at it, I've been waiting a long time to be a mom, and there's no use in being impatient about it now. I need to be content in Christ during this season of waiting; I need to be willing to wait, yet ready to receive.
For the sake of practicality, I have acquired supplies that will see us through the first couple of days in case scenario 2 happens: a car seat, pack-n-play with a bassinet attachment, some neutral-colored onesies & sleepers... My birthday present from my sister was a miniature baby shower, so I have a pack of size 1 diapers, wipes, toys, books, formula, a pacifier, a bottle, a blanket, burp cloths, and a darling crocheted baby hat with a little pom-pom on the top (Aunt Melanie rocks...). It helps to know that WalMart is open 24 hours a day too!
For the sake of my own sanity, I have not bought a changing table or crib, I have not decorated a nursery or picked a color scheme, and I do not want my friends to throw a baby shower yet. David and I have discussed baby names, but I do not want to CHOOSE a name now and refer to our future son or daughter by that name, because I want to be able to incorporate a name that is meaningful to the baby's birth mother, if that is something that is important to her. I'm reading the BABY WISE book (thanks Mel!) and parenting magazines (thanks Tammy!) and reorganizing some of the furniture in the house so we can have a dedicated nursery room some time this summer. So, I guess you could say I'm "nesting". I am paper-pregnant, right? God is the only one who knows our due date, though.
I'm hoping to provide bloggy-updates more frequently; it's theraputic to type this stuff out and share it with my good friends. Thanks for taking the time to read... and while I've got your attention, please pray for us, for our baby, for the birthmother, and for the caseworkers that God will use to bring us together.
Scenario 1: At any time, our caseworker could call us and say, "We have a situation to discuss with you..." and tell us about a birthmom, when she's due to give birth, the circumstances of the pregnancy & delivery, and all of the "stuff" that adoptive parents want to know. We might find out that this nice young lady loved the profile book we made and that she chose us to be her baby's parents, wants to meet us, wants us to be at the birth, which will probably happen in 5 weeks or so... then we'll count down to the big day when we bring our baby home and begin parenting.
Scenario 2: At any time, our caseworker could call us and say, "We have a situation to discuss with you..." and tell us about a birthmom who liked our profile and picked us to be her baby's parents. She will tell us lots of information about the birthmom and the baby, and if it is one we are comfortable with, she will ask us how soon we can come to the agency and pick up our baby. This may occur if a birth mother contacts the agency on short notice (maybe even after the baby is born), or if a birth mother chooses us with some time left in her pregnancy, but for some reason or another the case workers are not sure if she is solid in her decision for adoption. If this latter situation happens, we might still meet with the birth mother, but a lot of that depends on what she wants. In this second scenario, we could realistically get less than 24 hours notice that our baby is HERE, and drop everything to go get him or her.
So, when people ask me now about how the adoption process is going, or when we expect to get our baby, the best answer I can give is that we are waiting. We don't know which scenario will be our reality, and God may choose to put his own fingerprint and unique spin on the situation. He is amazing like that. We have now been waiting for a little over a month; average wait time is about a year. I know a family that waited less than 3 months to get their son, and another family who waited about 10 weeks for their daughter; I also know a family who waited 2 years for their son.
The way I look at it, I've been waiting a long time to be a mom, and there's no use in being impatient about it now. I need to be content in Christ during this season of waiting; I need to be willing to wait, yet ready to receive.
For the sake of practicality, I have acquired supplies that will see us through the first couple of days in case scenario 2 happens: a car seat, pack-n-play with a bassinet attachment, some neutral-colored onesies & sleepers... My birthday present from my sister was a miniature baby shower, so I have a pack of size 1 diapers, wipes, toys, books, formula, a pacifier, a bottle, a blanket, burp cloths, and a darling crocheted baby hat with a little pom-pom on the top (Aunt Melanie rocks...). It helps to know that WalMart is open 24 hours a day too!
For the sake of my own sanity, I have not bought a changing table or crib, I have not decorated a nursery or picked a color scheme, and I do not want my friends to throw a baby shower yet. David and I have discussed baby names, but I do not want to CHOOSE a name now and refer to our future son or daughter by that name, because I want to be able to incorporate a name that is meaningful to the baby's birth mother, if that is something that is important to her. I'm reading the BABY WISE book (thanks Mel!) and parenting magazines (thanks Tammy!) and reorganizing some of the furniture in the house so we can have a dedicated nursery room some time this summer. So, I guess you could say I'm "nesting". I am paper-pregnant, right? God is the only one who knows our due date, though.
I'm hoping to provide bloggy-updates more frequently; it's theraputic to type this stuff out and share it with my good friends. Thanks for taking the time to read... and while I've got your attention, please pray for us, for our baby, for the birthmother, and for the caseworkers that God will use to bring us together.
Nov 23, 2009
Never again.
I had such a nice Saturday with my sweetie... we took a little day-trip to Columbus to eat at Carrabba's, shop, and see a movie. The order of business got a little reversed once we got up there - we went to see "The Blind Side", which I definitely recommend. The movie was absolutely wonderful. After the movie, we shopped at one store and went to Carrabba's, and dinner tasted very nice, though after the meal our server confessed it was her first day and she was extremely nervous! That provided an explanation for the not-quite-stellar service, though I find it odd that a restaurant manager would have a new server's "first day" happen on a busy Saturday night. After dinner, we shopped ... and I didn't see anything that I couldn't live without, so David was relieved. We also enjoyed pleasant conversation with one of David's coworkers and his wife; we don't know them extremely well, and it was nice to build up some friendship with them. Well, that's the good part of the story.
When we were at the movies, I was hungry because it was almost 1:30 and I had not eaten lunch (or breakfast either, really), so I wanted to have some popcorn. It had been SUCH a long time since I ate movie popcorn... with butter... I decided that even though it was RIDICULOUSLY overpriced, I would go for popcorn - and a drink. Our movie did not start until almost 2:00, so we had plenty of time to find good seats, sit and eat popcorn during "screenvision" or whatever it is, and I planned to really get our money's worth and get the FREE REFILL on the popcorn before the show started. So, four of us munched on the Large popcorn, and I ate a lot of it - I was hungry! When the previews started, I headed back to the lobby for the free refill of the popcorn and drink, feeling like I was at least getting some kind of bargain, since a lot of people don't bother to get their popcorn & drink refilled after they spend all of that money. During the movie, I continued to munch, though not as much as before. When we went to dinner, I wasn't overly hungry because I was already full of popcorn.
Fast-forward to after we got home. When we got home around 9:30pm, I was tired from a fun day, but a little nauseous. After we went to bed, the heartburn started. Heartburn, nausea, upset stomach....I know what indigestion is now, because my body was practically refusing to digest the popcorn. I was almost a Pepto commercial! Almost. I was unable to sleep b/c of the burning in my chest, and I had that awful sense that maybe I would feel better if I vomited, but that didn't happen either. I was uncomfortable all day (constant heartburn) and not hungry until the evening when I tried to appease my rebelling stomach by eating a banana, chicken broth, and plain white rice. Even when I went to bed last night, I still had the heartburn. FINALLY, though, sometime during the night, it calmed down. When I woke up this morning, I was NOT burning, and very thankful for that fact.
What makes me upset with myself is that I know movie popcorn is not the best food choice, yet I was so motivated to get my money's worth that I ate it - a whole lot of it - at the expense of my body. If the money was that important to me, I should have protected my tummy AND my wallet and not had any. But I was hungry.... so I should have chosen something different (smaller) and just paid for it, knowing that it's very rare that I even walk up to a concession stand at a movie theater, and that it's OK if I pay too much for food now and then. During the wee hours of Sunday morning, I apologized to God for having my priorities out of line - because I did! It was a stupid reason to pack away that much popcorn. I was justifying a moment of gluttony, in the name of getting bang for my buck. Well, I got some bang, that's for sure - 24 hours of heartburn. But I also got forgiveness - for being shortsighted, selfish, and stupid.
The health of my body - God's temple! - is more important than preserving a few more bucks. I know that now. God will give me grace to choose better in the future. As for movie popcorn, the large size that comes with a drink and free refill? Never again.
When we were at the movies, I was hungry because it was almost 1:30 and I had not eaten lunch (or breakfast either, really), so I wanted to have some popcorn. It had been SUCH a long time since I ate movie popcorn... with butter... I decided that even though it was RIDICULOUSLY overpriced, I would go for popcorn - and a drink. Our movie did not start until almost 2:00, so we had plenty of time to find good seats, sit and eat popcorn during "screenvision" or whatever it is, and I planned to really get our money's worth and get the FREE REFILL on the popcorn before the show started. So, four of us munched on the Large popcorn, and I ate a lot of it - I was hungry! When the previews started, I headed back to the lobby for the free refill of the popcorn and drink, feeling like I was at least getting some kind of bargain, since a lot of people don't bother to get their popcorn & drink refilled after they spend all of that money. During the movie, I continued to munch, though not as much as before. When we went to dinner, I wasn't overly hungry because I was already full of popcorn.
Fast-forward to after we got home. When we got home around 9:30pm, I was tired from a fun day, but a little nauseous. After we went to bed, the heartburn started. Heartburn, nausea, upset stomach....I know what indigestion is now, because my body was practically refusing to digest the popcorn. I was almost a Pepto commercial! Almost. I was unable to sleep b/c of the burning in my chest, and I had that awful sense that maybe I would feel better if I vomited, but that didn't happen either. I was uncomfortable all day (constant heartburn) and not hungry until the evening when I tried to appease my rebelling stomach by eating a banana, chicken broth, and plain white rice. Even when I went to bed last night, I still had the heartburn. FINALLY, though, sometime during the night, it calmed down. When I woke up this morning, I was NOT burning, and very thankful for that fact.
What makes me upset with myself is that I know movie popcorn is not the best food choice, yet I was so motivated to get my money's worth that I ate it - a whole lot of it - at the expense of my body. If the money was that important to me, I should have protected my tummy AND my wallet and not had any. But I was hungry.... so I should have chosen something different (smaller) and just paid for it, knowing that it's very rare that I even walk up to a concession stand at a movie theater, and that it's OK if I pay too much for food now and then. During the wee hours of Sunday morning, I apologized to God for having my priorities out of line - because I did! It was a stupid reason to pack away that much popcorn. I was justifying a moment of gluttony, in the name of getting bang for my buck. Well, I got some bang, that's for sure - 24 hours of heartburn. But I also got forgiveness - for being shortsighted, selfish, and stupid.
The health of my body - God's temple! - is more important than preserving a few more bucks. I know that now. God will give me grace to choose better in the future. As for movie popcorn, the large size that comes with a drink and free refill? Never again.
Nov 19, 2009
Progress!!
Well, we FINALLY have some progress on the adoption front. After doing our electronic fingerprints on September 18, 2 months and a day ago, we found out today that our clearance letters came in from the Georgia Dept of Human Resources. The background check is done, and now we can move forward with the home study process. Hooray!
After avoiding my envelope full of paperwork (because I felt like the papers inside it would probably NEVER be read by ANYONE because the stupid background check would never come in), I can get it out again and make sure I have everything done for Interview #1. I'll post again when I find out a date on that.
Speaking of dates, Mom Latona is scheduled for cataract surgery on Dec 3. Please pray for patience (long-suffering) for David & me as we help with all of the pre-op eye drops and preparations. We are supposed to administer drops twice a day starting Thanksgiving Day and increase to 4 times a day on Nov 30. Ugh. Surely I can handle it for just one week, right??
After avoiding my envelope full of paperwork (because I felt like the papers inside it would probably NEVER be read by ANYONE because the stupid background check would never come in), I can get it out again and make sure I have everything done for Interview #1. I'll post again when I find out a date on that.
Speaking of dates, Mom Latona is scheduled for cataract surgery on Dec 3. Please pray for patience (long-suffering) for David & me as we help with all of the pre-op eye drops and preparations. We are supposed to administer drops twice a day starting Thanksgiving Day and increase to 4 times a day on Nov 30. Ugh. Surely I can handle it for just one week, right??
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