Little Adventurer

another little adventurer is on the way.

2012-03-03T15:48:00.000-08:00

First things first, Sailor is going to have a brother or sister in September—the 5th to be exact. I'm thinking seeing Sailor's face for the first time will be something like seeing this little one's little form for the first time...AMAZING! Tim was out of town for the past week so he missed our first sonogram. I keep telling him how much he has to look forward to when we have our next one at 20 weeks—the big one where we find out the gender. Yes, we are going to find out.

When we first discovered this wonderful news we thought we might have to put the adoption on hold which would be disappointing. However, since then we've discovered we can keep plugging along with the adoption even with a newborn in tow. We just keep praying that God's timing will be perfect ;) and our referral won't come when I'm 9 months pregnant or when I'm trying to nurse a newborn. I have no idea how its all going to work out. But its not my job to know I suppose. Just to trust.

I'm currently reading this book. Its not that I'm anti-American or think that everything French is best. But yes I agree with what this author has picked up by observing french parenting. Basically they give children and even babies credit for being able to learn quickly and adapt to the families lifestyle instead of the other way around. I know a lot of great American parents, mostly via their blogs, but in general I'd say American parenting sucks and maybe the rest of the world's too but I can only speak what I know. So that's that.

On a different stem of thought, back when I was wed almost five years ago I recall discussing the flowers I would like to use for bouquets etc. I had no idea. I remember just telling Michelle I love all flowers and make something pretty (which she did). But I was thinking the other day of how much more I know of flowers now, having been educated by Sprout. If I had to choose my favorite blooms today I'd say Ranunculus, Anemones, and lush Garden Roses.

I love orchids too, especially ones with 10 blooms for $14.99. They remind me of my Aunt Cynthia who had such a green thumb and could keep orchids blooming time after time. I'm going to give it a real go this time.

Hello Sailor

2011-12-27T19:22:00.000-08:00

Dear Son,

I hope your Christmas was Merry. I hope something special happened in your little life that made the 25th seem special and different from any other. You were thought of and longed for all day long by me and your papa of course but also by all your grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. You even scored some presents this year! How about that!? You and your cousin Jeep both got little tin mugs from Dooleys (you will love this store one day) from your mimi and grandpa. Grandpa got a fire pit and some grown up tin dishes too. In a few years you can sit with him and your cousin by the camp fire and drink hot chocolate out of your little mug just like an o'l cowboy. You received some pjs, a very cool atlas, a police car, and some bibs from your Aunt Jennifer and Nana too.

As for your final gift from me and your papa, we've given you a name. How do you like Timothy Sailor, Sailor?

watch and smile.

2011-12-22T11:16:00.000-08:00

this is the cutest version of the greatest story ever told. found here.

You are over due!

2011-10-23T16:46:00.000-07:00

Dear Son,

Where are you? You are past your due date! Everyone has been asking about you, wondering when you are to come home. We have no answers. Though we are rather impatient to meet you, I hope you are happy and healthy wherever you are. Just about every day your pops says, "man, I'm ready to go get my son!" We are so thankful for you already. Even though we have yet to meet, you have changed our lives for the better. We have met new friends, had wonderful unexpected conversations, and felt feelings we would never ever have had if it weren't for your precious little life.

Every night you are the one constant prayer I have. I pray you are healthy and loved and given lots and lots of attention. I get chills knowing that any day now I could see your face for the first time! Son, we love you!

-Mamma and Papa

cloth diapers?

2011-08-20T13:57:00.000-07:00

i have some friends that have been using cloth diapers and originally i had dismissed the idea thinking it wasn't for me. then i read the shocking statistic that 50 million diapers enter landfills everyday and take 500 years to decompose. on top of that, i thought about how disposable diapers are a relatively new invention. sometimes i can get lost in the current ways of the world and think it just isn't possible to do things any other way than the easiest. obviously, that's not a healthy way to think. so cloth diaper moms out there...i need to hear what brand you use, any other helpful tips, and general words of encouragement. i think i have tim on board.

anniversary + little things

2011-08-20T09:02:00.000-07:00

on the 18th tim and i celebrated four years of being mr. and mrs. tim did a wonderful job of surprising me with a beautiful bouquet of flowers from sprout along with the vase i had admired the day before. he always gives me the most gorgeous flowers. over dinner we discussed how this was to be our last anniversary as a family of two.

speaking of bobo #3, the little handmade bear i ordered for him in may finally arrived. i also got his jambo tshirt so he can support his future friend arthur! tim and i are hoping to meet our son any day now.

gearing up...

2011-07-31T08:42:00.000-07:00

our dossier (paperwork) was sent off to Uganda on the 9th. so we assume its arrived in Uganda by now and have only to wait for a referral. we've been told that should take 2-3 months but Tim and I still feel like we could hear any day. we know that is wishful thinking but who knows. meanwhile, i've been researching the vast world of baby gear. folks, its gotten ridiculous! tim and i want to do this simply so i've been wadding through all the stuff out there trying to find out what one really needs with a baby in the family. i don't think we will really know until it actually happens.

i've been researching strollers quite a bit. some things that were important to me are that it will last from infancy to a 4 year old (i don't want to have to buy multiple strollers) and that it has a reversible handle so when he's still a little guy we can look at each other while we are out for a stroll. since tim and i are going to be equally as responsible in caring for our son, we need a nice manly diaper bag for tim and i to carry. its so nice to know that tim is one of those capable men who isn't scared of holding a baby. i remember the first time i saw him hold an newborn i was terrified to hold. he was so much more calm than me. :)

the beach.

2011-07-20T14:44:00.000-07:00

Every year Tim and I get to take a trip to the beach with the Bobo family. This year as always it was a wonderful 4 days at the Texas coast. Next summer, will be our son's first Bobo family trip. I know he will love playing with his little cousins Bryson and Landon, fishing with his daddy and his poppy, collecting shells with his nana, and hanging out with his aunts and uncle.

our baby's home!

2011-07-03T16:58:00.000-07:00

tim and i were recently informed as to which babies home our baby will be from. its exciting to have just another little clue as to what this unknown adventure will look like. i am so grateful because the Sanyu Babies Home is a privately run Christian home where the babies seem to be loved and well taken care of. they are also very emphatic that these babies have no known parent's or relatives so we can rest assured that our son wasn't taken away from family which unfortunately is sometimes the case. tim and i found this adorable little video on you tube of children from the Sanyu Home playing together. we love hearing them babble. its too sweet.

in addition to finding our the name of our son's home we also discovered we will have to either make two trips to Uganda or stay for 5 weeks with two weeks of down time away from our child. at first, i was very distraught by this news. but tim came up with a very enticing solution that might just be the opportunity of a lifetime!

baby...we are ready for you!

2011-06-27T18:33:00.000-07:00

or should i say, we are ready to get ready for you!

the door to your room is hung. this way we can close the door when you are taking naps. i'm still trying to decide if those green floral curtains are too girly for you. they do go nicely with the plans i have for your room and your pops has lived with them for the past 3 years and he's about as manly as a man can get.

A is for Atticus

i've come up with a list of things for tim to construct for your room as well. first off he is going to make you a dresser/changing table with these mid century modern dowel legs i found here. today i added some corner shelves for your toys and books to the list. tim loves projects and i think he will especially enjoy working on these since they are for you. we are working on that name of your's as well. i downloaded the above title today hoping to find some good names. classic novels have been a big part of my life and it seems fitting your name should come from one of those storybook characters. i made a list tonight to be approved by your father. i will tell you this- your name will probably contain the name timothy and your ugandan given name and then one more (to be decided) which will be what we call you by. don't you worry about having four names. i have four and i've managed quite well. ;)

great news!

2011-06-15T19:06:00.000-07:00

i've got some rather exciting news! yes the new set of shirts have arrived but that's not it. ;)

after shipping off our dossier mailer i emailed our adoption agency asking what the current wait time for referrals from Uganda were. to my utter shock, she said TWO-THREE months! what?! i had planned on 5-8 months. so, being generous with time estimates i'm going to guess it will take 1-2 months for our dossier to arrive in Uganda and then 2-3 months for a referral and then we travel 2 months after that. at the most, we could have our baby home by the end of 8 months. we have been so blessed through this entire process. its all gone swimmingly. thank you God. :)

i have to say, the shirts turned out amazing. i had them printed in austin and the prints are very light handed and vintage looking. the shirts are super soft. the women's style is so utterly hip and the children's are completely adorable. you can shop them here.

paperwork is complete.

2011-06-04T16:18:00.000-07:00

we received our completed and approved home studies today which means all that paperwork is complete. all that's left to do is mail everything in. if anyone out there is considering adoption but is intimidated by all the paperwork...don't be. it seems so much worse looking in from the outside, but once you make the decision to adopt it all goes relatively quickly and easily. you know when you are excited about something, you sort of enjoy doing anything that has to do with that something. :) i'm still not exactly sure how long it will take before our dossier ends up in Uganda, but after it does the wait for a referral should only be 5-8 months. can you believe that?

we've been really good about not buying baby stuff. but i figure it might be good to get a few things here and there so we can spread out the cost. tim was very sweet and surprised me with a crib i'd been wanting. it went on sale and i mentioned it to him, but figured it still would be too much. one day when i was being a bit grumpy he told me to cheer up because he bought me the crib. the wonderful wooden toy pictured above was sent to us by my sister in law, jennifer. i absolutely love it! i've decided to leave it out like a little decorative sculpture to remind us of what's to come. not that i really need a reminder. ;)

o, and i started a new part time job which i absolutely love! i'm working as a freelance graphic designer for Hill Country Memorial. i can make my own hours and come and go as i please as long as i get the hours in and the work done. this is a big step for me. i'm self taught in indesign so i was a bit intimidated by it all. i've found online tutorials to be a big help in improving my skills.

and lastly, to all the people who've been helping us out along the way with this adoption, whether it be selling our shirts or buying our shirts or just giving us some extra cash we couldn't be more appreciative. at times people's generosity and encouragement have brought tears to my eyes. it truly makes me want to give more to those in need as well.

2011-05-30T16:31:00.000-07:00

tim and i were able to spend a relaxing fun filled memorial weekend at the lake with about 5 other couples and a handful of singles. we made new friends and grew closer to old ones. :) today i'm sort of missing those beautiful views.

round two.

2011-05-25T20:16:00.000-07:00

guess what! tomorrow, Lord willing, tim and i will get our final documents notarized and aside from the home study (which is out of our hands at this point) our dossier will be complete. along with that heaping stack of papers is yet another big payment to the agency. so, its time for round two of the adoption tees. hopefully, by next week i'll have new flowy women's tees, men's heather brown tees, and two colors of children's tees sizes 12-18mo, 2t, and 4t. i went ahead and listed the new shirts in the shop. you can pre-order them and as soon as they arrive i'll ship your order out.

2011-05-20T12:10:00.000-07:00

Ten Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child

I've had a lot of people tell me that adoption is such a beautiful thing. I won't disagree, but I'll add to that becoming a parent is such a beautiful thing. I know our gotcha day is probably a long way away but I already see how this whole process is changing both Tim and myself. For one, I've acquired this insatiable desire to learn and read about all sorts of things. I came across the above title while reading a blog by a friend of mine from college. Haley and I were in the University Scholars program at Baylor and while she stuck with it I dropped out to pursue an art major. That being said, I completely trust her book recommendations. Also, countless reviews on Amazon compared Anthony Esolen to a modern day G.K. Chesterton...SOLD!

So I ordered the book and anxiously awaited its arrival. I read it in a couple days and I'm sure my family and friends are sick of hearing me talk about it. While I started out reading the book thinking it would help me foster the imagination of our son, it ended up convicting me of the way I spend my time as well. I think it is one of the best "parenting" books a person could read. My favorite line was this, "a boy will never develop his character if his world is always kept safe for him." So true and so wise.

We have our last meeting with our social worker this Monday. We will be wrapping up the successful home study and then all that's left to complete our dossier are a few odds and ends. Our goal was to have the dossier complete by June 1st but that's only a week away. :O Some friends of mine have received their court date in Ethiopia and will hopefully be bringing their son home in August. I've followed along through their whole process and its so encouraging to see a family get to that point. It helps remind me that one day we will be there too.

2011-05-09T10:10:00.000-07:00

Dear Little Son,
Since yesterday was Mother's day I wanted to tell you a bit about your lovely grandmothers. Your mamma's mom is Dana. She is so excited for your arrival. Her creativity shines in the kitchen. She will be able to teach you lots about cooking and you can bet every time you are at her house she will feed you something yummy and quite healthy. She also loves to garden and has a very green thumb. I'm sure she will be holding your little hand and walking you through her bountiful garden many times in the future. but please remember...when you are old enough to run and be a wild little boy, don't stomp through her flower beds and trample her vegetables! ;)

your daddy's mom is michelle. she's anxious for you to get here too. nana is a smart cookie and will be able to help you with your homework when your mamma can't. she's a great reader too and i hope she instills her love of reading in you just like she did with your dad. nana is a great listener and problem solver...so if you have questions you should ask her.

i've also been thinking about your birth mother. i hope she takes care of you the best she can. i hope i can meet her, so i can tell you all about her when you ask. and lastly, i hope one day you will meet her again.

love,
your mamma

i suppose i will be that typical first time mother...

2011-05-03T20:25:00.000-07:00

you know, the type that makes all her own baby food and does baby yoga with her infant. 2nd and 3rd (and maybe 4th) baby bobo, i promise i'll try to give you the same obsessive attention. ;)

checking things off...

2011-04-26T17:23:00.000-07:00

i should have known when the time came tim would get things done. we have our first meeting with the social worker scheduled for next weekend. following that visit will be the home visit. we are putting a door on what will be the baby's room and replacing our steep staircase with a circular one. i'm feeling so good about our progress. btw, i posted an inspiration board for the baby's room here if you care to take a look.

also, i ordered this book about a week ago and it arrived today. i first heard about it here and was reminded of it while searching for adoption books on amazon the other evening. i'll let you know what i think once i finish it. it has amazing reviews.

little adventurer tees!

2011-04-19T19:35:00.000-07:00

our fundraising adoption tees are here! actually they've been here for a while... i'm just now posting them on little adventurer. if our son is anything like his future pops, he will love animals! i'm a bit in awe of all the different types of animals that are indigenous to uganda. they says its the home of over a thousand different species of birds as well. :O so that's what inspired our adoption shirts. go check them out here. also, i'm waiting for some fabric to come in with the above design to make into pillows. when they are ready i'll add them to the little adventurer fundraising shop as well.

the home study begins...

2011-04-18T15:05:00.000-07:00

we now officially have our social worker. her name is sarah and we have yet to have our first meeting. we can't meet her until we finish our 11-13 page autobiographies we are each writing. as soon as we got the huge list of questions to complete, tim sat down at the computer and began writing for the rest of the evening. we knocked out most of our papers right away, but for some reason are now having a hard time finishing them up. tonight is the night though. we aren't going to bed until they are complete!

along side the home study we are also trying to gather all of our dossier documents. i think we've come to the point where we realize this is no easy feat we are endeavoring. never-the-less, i've picked out a name. but i can't share until tim comes around to loving it. i just have to let it sink in a bit.

also, the last post was about gifts, and i forgot to mention a wonderful gift we received from tim's parents- plane tickets to pick up our son and bring him home! what a blessing. :)

gifts.

2011-04-10T19:59:00.000-07:00

tiny toms

we got a surprise package in the mail the other day...an adorable pair of classic red tiny toms from our little boy's aunt rachel, nana and poppie (sp?). i just can't wait to put these on those little feet.

tim and i have begun our online education courses and any day now we will begin the home study. so far the courses have given me some great advice and ideas. i enjoy them. :) its very important to expose our son to his birth country and the culture of his ancestors. one idea was to buy little gifts from Uganda during our stay to save for his upcoming birthdays. what a cool idea, huh? its nice we will be in Uganda for almost a month. that will give us time to take lots of pictures and soak up as much culture as we can.

Spring

2011-04-02T17:00:00.000-07:00

If we were adopting a girl I think I'd name her Spring...its my favorite time of year and I have some of the best memories from Springs past. Tim is doing such an amazing job landscaping our place. Its taken several years to get things as nice as they are because he does everything himself...and he's a pretty busy guy. He's been killing out all the stickers and getting the grounds ready to seed grass. I hope we can bring our boy home this time next year. I know that is wishful thinking, but it would be so nice to be able to take him outside to play on days like today. We can play with Nellie and Oliver (our beagles), water the plants, pick zinnias, harvest peaches, and lay in the grass and look up at the clouds! Maybe he will be too little for all this. Maybe he'll just want to take naps and eat. ;)

So where are we in the process? Well I called the agency last Thursday because it had been over a week since we had mailed in our contract and big check. They said they hadn't received it yet and I began to panic a bit. But by Friday they confirmed they had received it and we made contact with our adoption counselor Claire who will be guiding us through the dossier part of our adoption. We are waiting to be matched with a social worker to work with us on the home study portion. I cannot wait to get our dossier sent off. It seems at this point to be the hardest part of the whole process. Our plan is to not procrastinate and get this over with asap! I'm dying to find out if we will be required to make any modifications to our home. I'm afraid it will hold things up quite a bit. Luckily, our families have a knack for construction.

looking forward...

2011-03-26T09:41:00.000-07:00

For those of you unfamiliar with the adoption process...there is A LOT of waiting involved. The best things in life are worth waiting for right...ugh what a cliche. I tend to be a very impatient person by nature. I feel a constant pressure inside myself to accomplish things and make things happen in my life. I think some of this is good, but I often take it to an extreme.

When a couple finds out they are pregnant the baby is right there with them. You can see him or her grow each day as your stomach gets bigger and bigger...not so with international adoption. Our baby is half way across the globe. So if you hear me talking about Africa a lot its because it makes me feel closer to our boy. I'll try to keep it to a minimum. ;) I recently acquired a extra large vintage globe. I've been looking at it often. It has awakened my desire to travel and to experience different cultures. I think that is one of the reasons we choose international adoption. We want to experience and learn about our child's culture and we want to show him ours.

So while adoption is much about waiting its also about looking forward to something new, exciting, and wonderful! I have quite a bit to look forward to in the nearer future too. I want to focus on enjoying my life here and now. So I made a list of things I'm looking forward to in the next year and a half.

1. Traveling to Portland and San Francisco with Tim including a trip to the Alameda Antiques Faire
2. Our first crop of peaches and our second of blackberries
3. Learning how to screenprint
4. Renegade Austin
5. Driving to Chattanooga, Tennessee with Tim for an art show
6. Beach trip with the Bobos
7. Meeting my new niece/nephew this September!
8. Getting the baby's room ready and possibly adding on to the house :O
9. Getting our refferrel
10. Traveling to Uganda!

finally...a worthy cause.

2011-03-24T16:50:00.000-07:00

Tim has been filling up this corona money jug since high school. He is an expert money saver and has been known to throw a well earned $50 or $20 in the jug as well as loose change and one dollar bills. "One day," he says, "I'll break it open and spend the money on something special." "Portland/San Fran trip?" I asked. "No," he says. Then I asked, "What about that caribou hunt you've always wanted to do?" Again he replies with a negative.

Yesterday I found the jug by the front door. When Tim got home from work he asked if I wanted to help him break it open. I guess in this adoption he found a worthy cause to finally break open that jug. :)

babies

2011-03-22T15:10:00.000-07:00

My big bro sent me this trailer when I told him the adoption news. He couldn't have responded in a better way! I'm going to try and rent the whole documentary tonight.

The beginning...

2011-03-22T14:50:00.000-07:00

print by fifi du vie

Dear Little One,
Guess what! We've decided to make you our very own. Two nights ago we sat down and filled out the initial application for Children of All Nations and sent it off. At that very moment I felt like you became ours. Today, we found out we were accepted! At this point, we have no idea what lies between now and bringing you home. But the unknown is what makes it such an exciting adventure. You probably aren't even born yet. Being born will be a big adventure. Your journey to the orphanage will be an adventure as well. Family and friends are praying for you even now. I hope the road won't be too bumpy. We are starting our trek. We'll meet you in the middle!
Love,
Mom and Pops