Man of My Dreams !!!

It's the Noah Show !!!

I'm not quite sure how Glenn actually posts videos right on our blog, and since he is upstairs putting Noah to bed I can't ask him. :) So...I figured I would just post a link to two videos of Noah from his first week home. The first is of him being his silly, adorable self! The second is of the director of our agency calling to talk to him. ( She likes to talk to all of the babies when they first come home to try to comfort them and fill the void of missing their foster mommies. It is very, very sweet!! )
Just click here to view: http://www.vimeo.com/5858598

I am a crappy blogger :(

Ok...same old song. I have no time to blog anymore!!! It's been almost two weeks since I have posted anything, so I had to at least put up some photos. Noah is doing amazing! We have fallen head over heels for him! He seems to be equally attached to both Glenn and I so far, which we are both very happy about. He has been sleeping each night for 10 - 11 hours.....straight through! WOO HOO!!! He loves to swim! ( I think he may have been a fish or dolphin in a past life :) He LOVES watermelon. ( he's eaten almost two whole ones himself since he's been home!) He loves to eat and share his Pirate's Booty with Simon. And....well, he is just the single best thing that has ever happened to Glenn and I!

And even more....

More photos!

A few more photos of baby Noah to hold you over :)

NOAH IS HOME !!!

YES!! Our baby boy is finally home! The past few days have been a whirlwind to say the least! Noah is doing so well and Glenn and I have fallen completely in love with him. He seems to get more and more comfortable with us as each day passes. There hasn't been any time to sit and write about all that has been going on as Noah of course is keeping us soooo busy. He is still adjusting to the time difference and also tends to need to curl up on Glenn or I in order to fall asleep and stay asleep. Although we know it will take quite some time until Noah is totally attached to us, we are so happy that he wants to be comforted by us and are finding that each day we are able to figure out his needs a little better than the day before.

Well, that is all the time I can squeeze in for now, but promise when things settle Glenn will post some videos and I will write a bit more about our first moments with Noah. In the meantime, here are some photos of Noah's homecoming!!

TRAVEL CALL!!! Noah is coming home!!!!!

It's been a whirlwind of a day to say the least!!! The call that we have been waiting for has finally come! Our baby boy is coming home!!! (And today he is 13 months old!!)

I prayed so hard last night that good news would come today, especially after others that have used our agency bet that today would be the day. All morning I was trying to remain hopeful. You know in your heart that the call will come eventually but at the same time it feels like it will never happen! At 10:57 a.m. I was on the phone with my boss when the call waiting clicked. I started screaming to Priscilla...." it's them!!!! I gotta go!!!!!!!" As soon as I heard the voice of the director of our agency saying, " This is the call!!!!", I started to cry! I quickly got myself together, grabbed a pen and paper and wrote down all of the info. Our Noah Lee comes this Wednesday afternoon!!! When Cecelia informed me that there would be three other families picking up their babies I quickly had to ask about a new friend I have been speaking to on-line for the past month or so. Jodi lives in Boston and got the referral of her son Matthew 10 days after we got Noah's referral. We have been helping each other through the final part of this painful wait and were hoping that our travel calls would be for the same day and place. How amazing that we will both be there to share this moment together!!

I knew I wouldn't be able to get a darn thing done all day today and had a lunch date planned with my friend, Tracey. So.....after making a ton of phone calls I had a really nice afternoon with my friend. As always, Tracey is so thoughtful. She picked up lunch for us, made a delicious pie for dessert and had flowers and balloons to celebrate! She had me cracking up when she told me that she was telling everyone in the deli and stores about Noah coming home!! How amazing and touching to have friends that are just as excited as you!! Thank you, Tracey, for spending the day with me and sharing in this journey!!!

Well, I'm sure the next posts will be lots of photos and videos of our first moments with Noah. Wednesday can't get here soon enough!!

This just warms my heart :)

Bye, baby brother :(

Time to go say my good-byes to my youngest brother, Ryan. He has been living in California for the past two and a half years and has been home all week for a visit. I never feel like I get enough time with him and the week always goes by way too fast. He won't be home again until Christmas, but luckily we do get to see each other using iChat. I was so hoping that I would get my call for Noah while Ry was here, but that didn't happen. Now I just keep praying that it happens next week.

Here's me and Ry when I got to see him last Sunday for the first time. Isn't he just sooo cute?!!!

VISA !!!!!

Amazing news today!!!! Noah's Visa appointment is scheduled for 1p.m. tomorrow! ( which is midnight tonight, our time!)

My new friend Jodi, who is also adopting a beautiful baby boy and is using our agency, sent me an e-mail today to call DC to check on the status of things because she had finally gotten the good news of her son's Visa. I was so afraid to pick up the phone to call and hear the same old thing, but figured there was a very good possibility of good news for us since Jodi and I are very close in our timelines of things. I burst into tears as soon as I hung up the phone and heard the wonderful news!!!!!

So what does this mean in the grand scheme of things? It means that we could get our call within a few days or so! Yes...it could take a few weeks....but as my friend Jackie informed me, she has seen a pattern within our agency. If you have a longer wait on your Visa ( as Jodi and I have) your Travel Call usually comes very shortly after.

So now we pray that our much anticipated call from our agency comes very, very soon and I am also praying that Jodi and I get to meet at the airport and share this life changing experience together.

We'll keep you posted as soon as we hear something!!

The story of us is just beginning

love you Coll,
Your Husband
Glenn

A much needed night out

I am so lucky to not only have a sister that I truly adore, but also 6 sister-in-laws that are amazing as well. We try to get together for dinner a few times a year.....just us girls :)....and I was so happy that I could make it tonight. It was not only fun to be in their company but another great distraction from our "wait." The photos are of Glenn's three sisters ( Joan, Cindy and Robin), and me and Jill, who is married to one of Glenn's brothers. The only one missing was Tina ( married to another brother.....yes, Glenn has a big family. He is the youngest of 8!!!), and Lynn who lives in North Carolina.....unfortunately it would be quite a long trip for her to make it to dinner! Thanks girls for a much needed night out!!

Lucky 7's

One of my fellow bloggy friends ( Hi Joanna!!) tagged me in this little game to help keep me distracted from the wait for Noah. Lord knows I could use all of the distractions that I can get!! Here goes....

Things I'm looking forward to:

1) going out to dinner tonight with my amazing sister-in-laws.
2) Ryan (my baby brother) coming home from California on Saturday for a visit
3) getting the call from my agency telling me that Noah is coming home!!
4) the very first moment that Glenn and I see Noah for the very first time
5) finally being a Mom
6) watching Glenn be the most wonderful dad
7) being able to finally tell everyone...."It's time! He's coming!!!!"


Things I did yesterday:

1) doctor's appointment
2) shopping for some tops and sandals
3) snuggled with Simon
4) laundry, laundry and more laundry
5) ate some not so great Mexican food
6) drank a very yummy pomegranate margarita
7) tossed and turned, didn't sleep well and got up three times to pee :)


Things I wish I could do:

1) be more patient during this awful wait
2) start exercising again
3) stop eating so many sweets
4) travel and see the world whenever I felt like it
5) wave a magic wand and heal my dad's pain
6) play the piano
7) cook without having to follow recipes


Shows I watch:

1) Survivor
2) The Office
3) The Amazing Race
4) Lost
5) Californication
6) Dexter
7) repeats of Everybody Loves Raymond and The King of Queens

There ya have it! Instead of tagging anyone, feel free to post your list in the comments section of this post!!! I'd love to see your lists. :)

Happy Birthday Big Sis!!!

Yep, Lisa was born on the Fourth of July. I am so lucky to have a big sister that is also one of my very best friends. She is an amazing mom that I have already learned so much from and I hope that I am half as good as she is at it. She already knows that she will be getting round the clock phone calls from me for advice once Noah comes home!!

Happy, Happy Birthday Big Sister!!!! I love you!!

(gotta say.....her outfit is WAY cooler than mine in this photo :)

How to pass the time while waiting for Noah to come home:

1) Take photos of your dog wearing glasses. ( he looks quite good, wouldn't ya say?)

Artwork contest from one of my faves!!!!!

I had to pass this great contest along......even though by doing so I am lessening my chances to win:)

Do you remember the adorable piece of artwork that I bought called "a frog and a slug went walking"??? Well....that amazing artist, kil sook, is part of a contest and you can win one of her prints!! All you have to do is check out her shop on Etsy, pick out your favorite print, and then leave a comment stating your fave and you are entered! How easy is that? Here is the link to the contest:

http://jamieann.net/shops/2009/06/29/etsy-adore-kilsook/

These are some of my latest favorites. Not only are her pieces unique, but they have the best quirky titles as well. These three are titled:

rice candy and a poppy red barrette

asian catholic school kids, day 1 - look at my tube socks

then there will be days, when you just feel like wearing a sock monkey on your head

Hop on over and enter....but better hurry!...the contest ends Sunday, July 5th at 11:59 p.m.

Two More Baby Showers!!

Glenn and I were both totally surprised and touched when we each were given a baby shower at work. Our bosses and co-workers were so unbelievably generous. Glenn's shower was about two weeks ago. As someone who hates to be the center of attention, he just about died when he walked into a "supposed meeting" and saw his entire company standing there yelling "surprise!!" How cool that they threw a shower for a guy!!!! He was truly blown away by it all.
My second shower was on Saturday. I have only been at my new job for three months now, so you can imagine how shocked I was that the girls did such a completely heartfelt thing for me. They too were way too generous with both the gifts and all of the food that they prepared. It was a nice little party right in the salon at the end of the day. I'm so ridiculously oblivious half of the time that it wasn't too difficult to pull one over on me!!
Glenn and I are just so thankful to have jobs and co-workers that we love. It has been so wonderful to be surrounded by so much support and excitement not only from friends and family but at our jobs as well.
Unfortunately I don't have any photos from Glenn's shower ( which he is quite fine with!) or from mine just yet, but this is a photo of all of my beautiful co-workers that was used for an ad before I started working there. Are they all totally gorgeous, or what?!!!

Rockin it baby style!

One of our friends gave us a really cool CD of lullabies for our baby boy Noah that is all Bob Marley tunes reimagined into lullabies. Cool!!!! I checked out the website for the company (Rockabye Baby) and there is a bunch of other great stuff. I picked up the ones shown and every one of them is great. I also found out that they are just a bit cheaper on amazon.com So go check it out and let me know what you think.

Animal Crackers in my soup!!!

Word of advice to all of you out there.......at 12:30 A.M. when you can't sleep and are totally wide awake and are upstairs watching reruns of Frasier on Lifetime in bed and you decide maybe a little snack might help.....DO NOT, I repeat..DO NOT go downstairs and get a box of animal crackers, bring them back upstairs and eat them in bed while sharing them with your dog ( who crunches rather loudly, I might add) when your husband is asleep!!! He will wake up, ask "what are you doing???!!", ask you to turn off the tv and take your animal crackers elsewhere. You will then decide you better go downstairs and within five minutes your husband will follow you down because now HE can't sleep.

And that is why I am writing a blog post at 1:15 a.m.

Goodnite!!!

Noah's Birthday Presents!

Glenn and I had a grand 'ole time picking out some toys for Noah. Every child has to have a See 'N Say, right?!! ( although this toy now reminds me of a very funny episode of "King of Queens" I saw one night recently where Doug, his father-in-law and friend decide to use it to gamble and place bets on which animal it will land on!! Funny stuff!!) Glenn couldn't wait to pick out a big Tonka truck and I decided that Noah had to have a Little People Noah's Ark. ( yes, because his name is Noah :) Hurry up and get here Noah so you can play with all of your new toys!!!

Happy Father's Day to my Glenny and to my Dad!!

I am so happy to finally be able to say those words to Glenn. I can't wait to see him and Noah together and watch their relationship grow as I know that Glenn will truly be the most amazing father. As much as I won't be looking forward to going back to working on Saturdays ( after taking a few off when Noah gets here) I do know that Glenn will enjoy having the day to himself with Noah. They will be the "Dynamic Duo" every Saturday having boy time together! What fun they will have!!! Happy 1st Father's Day, Glenny!!

I also must wish MY amazing Dad a Happy Dad's dad as well. You really couldn't pick a better father than mine. He has been so good to me my entire life. Whatever choices I have made he has stood by me and he has always made me feel loved and cared for. Whether he was verbally telling me or sending me one of the many, many cards I've received from him over the years...I always have known how much he loves me. I love you Pop!!!

These are some of my favorite photos of Glenny and Dad. Glenny and I got married in Kauai. (thanks to the amazingly generous gift of the trip from my parents) It was a dream wedding and vacation that we shared with my parents and it wouldn't have been the same if they weren't there with us. One of the things that my father HAD to do was take a helicopter trip, so we were more than happy to go along! It was one of the most amazing things I think we have all ever done and I don't think I've ever seen my dad have a bigger smile!! Hopefully one day we will make it back to the beautiful island of Kauai.....in the meantime it has become my "happy place" that I go to whenever I am stressed :)

Happy 1st Birthday Noah Lee!!!!!

Yes.... today our baby boy turns ONE!!! As much as Glenn and I truly wish that Noah was here with us today to celebrate, we are sure that his foster mom is making it a very special day for him. We knew deep down that it was a longshot that he'd be home by now, but I think secretly we were both wishing for a miracle. Rather than being sad today about what we don't have right now I am instead thinking of Noah's birthmother and what a significant day this will always be for her. Wherever she is, I can only imagine that her beautiful son has been in her thoughts all day today. I can only imagine that she is wondering where he is.....what he looks like now.....if he is being taken care of.....the list must go on and on. It must be an extremely emotional day for her today as well.
One thing is for certain.....Noah will grow up knowing that he is such a lucky boy to have three moms ( and of course an amazing Dad!!!) who love him unconditionally.

Happy First Birthday, Noah!! We love you!!

Feeling a bit sad today.......

Well, tomorrow is officially three months to the day that we received our referral of Noah and first set eyes on his cute little face. It generally takes between three and five months from the time of your referral to your child coming home. As much as I have been telling myself that it could very possibly take the full five months, I have seen people get very lucky and get their travel call right at the three month mark and I guess I have been secretly hoping that we would be that lucky as well. Noah's first birthday is on Saturday, and Glenn and I wanted so much to be with him for such a big day......but at this point I am not counting on it.

My pity party will end tonight. I think I will take a long soak in the tub to drown my sorrows of the day :( Tomorrow is a new day and I will just keep telling myself that Noah will be here soon.....he will get here when he is meant to.

( Ohhh, and this is one of my favorite photos that Glenn took on a trip we took to Cape May. We call this photo "The Saddest Seagull" I kinda feel like him right now.)

FLIP Video

I talked Coll into the idea that I needed a pocket video camera "for Noah!" Its called The Flip Mino HD and its friggin great. Its about the size of a cell phone, well a little bigger and fatter, kinda like the phone I had back in 1998 but still.....  The video quality is pretty good but the ease of use and the built in USB makes it a homerun. 

It cost around $200 bucks. Out the door price of around $250 with the extra warrantee, cables and shipping. You can find it here

http://www.theflip.com/

Next: I think Noah needs a xbox 360! Sweet! I love having a kid!!!

Click below to see a sample video (look for the HD button if your machine can take it)

Noah's Nursery is done!!

Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! My bookshelf is hung!

Just wanted everyone to see my amazing brother-in-law who built the bookshelf I got for my shower gift. He was kind enough to come over yesterday to help Glenn hang it on the wall. We absolutely love it and are so touched that he went out of his way to make such a special gift for us and Noah! We love you Jim!!!

More Baby Shower photos!