Thursday, August 22, 2013
Just Peachy
Thursday, May 2, 2013
One Month Old
I wish I could post a picture (with her one - month sticker on), but we have to wait until all is finalized! But, I still want a post to remember her first month. She was a month old about 5 days ago, but that's ok!
Here are a few of Averie's milestones:
*She is eating 2-4 oz, every 2-4 hours. She is sleeping longer at night (3-4 hours), which is nice! But we can't wait until it's a little longer. We are fairly exhausted most of the time :)
* She loves her swing and her pacifier.
* She can mostly hold her head up by herself, and only needs support every-once-in-a-while.
* She likes 'tummy time' sometimes, and other times she screams her head off.
* She calms down immediately if we play the song "Fields of Gold" by Sting... it's really hilarious. She just mellows right out.
*She makes us laugh at night when she wakes up and is really hungry because she will turn her head to one side, and then to the other looking for her food. (I think that's a reflex, but it's still sooo cute!)
*She smiled in her sleep from week 1, but week 3 she started smiling while looking at us, although I haven't gotten a picture yet, sadly.
* She has recently started "talking" with coos and gurgles.
*She thinks she hates baths, and for the first half of a bath, she screams her head off. Then, she's like "Oh, I think I like this" and she's happy the rest of the time.
*This might be a "mom thinks her kid is a genius, but it's not really happening" kind of milestone, but I think that when she is crying in another room, and I start talking to her before I get there, she calms down.
Here are a few of Averie's milestones:
*She is eating 2-4 oz, every 2-4 hours. She is sleeping longer at night (3-4 hours), which is nice! But we can't wait until it's a little longer. We are fairly exhausted most of the time :)
* She loves her swing and her pacifier.
* She can mostly hold her head up by herself, and only needs support every-once-in-a-while.
* She likes 'tummy time' sometimes, and other times she screams her head off.
* She calms down immediately if we play the song "Fields of Gold" by Sting... it's really hilarious. She just mellows right out.
*She makes us laugh at night when she wakes up and is really hungry because she will turn her head to one side, and then to the other looking for her food. (I think that's a reflex, but it's still sooo cute!)
*She smiled in her sleep from week 1, but week 3 she started smiling while looking at us, although I haven't gotten a picture yet, sadly.
* She has recently started "talking" with coos and gurgles.
*She thinks she hates baths, and for the first half of a bath, she screams her head off. Then, she's like "Oh, I think I like this" and she's happy the rest of the time.
*This might be a "mom thinks her kid is a genius, but it's not really happening" kind of milestone, but I think that when she is crying in another room, and I start talking to her before I get there, she calms down.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Our little bundle of joy!
Quite a few people have asked about our "adoption story", so I thought I'd re-up the blog, and start with our baby story! It really starts from the time that Nick and I got married, as we have always said we would want to adopt at least one child. We have never been diagnosed with fertility problems (I hope this isn't TMI, but we've had multiple people ask that (really!?!?), so I figured it settles a curiosity for some people), but so far God has not given us children by birth, so we were even more excited about adoption to grow our family.
After four years of seminary, and I (Jenn) working full time to support us, we decided to start thinking about a family. In December of 2012, I decided to send a 'seemingly random' email to an adoption lawyer that we knew by acquaintance, as we had gone to church with him when we lived in Greenville. As we were starting to think about "thinking about" adoption, I thought I would write this adoption lawyer, to inquire whether or not he could assist with out of state adoptions, since we were now living in North Carolina. Approximately a week after I sent the email, I got a response from the lawyer's assistant saying that they typically don't do out-of-state adoptions, as most adoptions are "open" adoptions, and the birth parent wants to live near the adoptive parents. Also, there is some law that says for a South Carolina lawyer to complete the adoption, either the child or the adoptive parents have to be from SC. The assistant let me know that it would be very rare to get a baby born in SC, where the birth parent was ok with the child living in another state. After getting that email, my only thought was: "OK, cross that adoption lawyer off our future list."
After getting the first email, I went to the YMCA to use the treadmill, and while on the treadmill, I got an email that would forever change our lives! The assistant to the lawyer wrote back (only 30 minutes or so later than the first email), and said that a birth mother's family had just come in and requested an out-of-state adoption, as they wanted the adoption to be mostly closed, and for the birth mother not to have any contact with the family, until the child is older (at our discretion). This was not only an answer to prayer for a child, but also for this situation, as we were not sure about our desire to have an open adoption! The lawyer's assistant asked us then and there if we would be interested in adopting this baby, and we needed to decide relatively soon, because the baby was due in March!
We could not believe it... we had so much to get together... home study, funds, nursery, baby supplies, etc! But, through God's grace, we made it through all of the hoops in a timely manner. It was a stressful time, for a while, because our home study required us to get clearances from California and Nova Scotia, as we had temporarily lived there (not officially), and we were nervous the paperwork would not get back in time. But, it came back sooner than we expected!
On March 27, 2013, at 3:30 am., we woke up to a phone call from Richard, who is Averie's "birth grandfather", letting us know that Averie's birth mom had been taken to the hospital and would probably deliver in the next few hours. We frantically threw all of our stuff together, and ran out of the house. We ended up in Greenville, SC a little after 5:00 am, and Averie was born at 6:04 am. A nurse came out of the delivery room, took our camera in, and took pictures of her right after she was born. Once she was cleaned off, they wrapped her up and wheeled her out to us. We got to stare at her out in the hall for a long while (I'm thinking the nurse was like "Come on, I gotta get this done so I can get other stuff done!") Then, I got a bracelet that attached me to Averie, and I was allowed to go in the nursery with her while she was weighed, measured, poked and prodded. Everything looked great with her --- she was a healthy 6 lbs, 13 ounces.
Once she was done with all of her 'nursing care', the nurses let Nick and I go back into a "bonding room" and spend time with her. We held her and Nick fed her her first bottle. Then, she went out and got her first bath, and came back to spend more time with us! It was such an exciting day ... one that I won't soon forget!
After four years of seminary, and I (Jenn) working full time to support us, we decided to start thinking about a family. In December of 2012, I decided to send a 'seemingly random' email to an adoption lawyer that we knew by acquaintance, as we had gone to church with him when we lived in Greenville. As we were starting to think about "thinking about" adoption, I thought I would write this adoption lawyer, to inquire whether or not he could assist with out of state adoptions, since we were now living in North Carolina. Approximately a week after I sent the email, I got a response from the lawyer's assistant saying that they typically don't do out-of-state adoptions, as most adoptions are "open" adoptions, and the birth parent wants to live near the adoptive parents. Also, there is some law that says for a South Carolina lawyer to complete the adoption, either the child or the adoptive parents have to be from SC. The assistant let me know that it would be very rare to get a baby born in SC, where the birth parent was ok with the child living in another state. After getting that email, my only thought was: "OK, cross that adoption lawyer off our future list."
After getting the first email, I went to the YMCA to use the treadmill, and while on the treadmill, I got an email that would forever change our lives! The assistant to the lawyer wrote back (only 30 minutes or so later than the first email), and said that a birth mother's family had just come in and requested an out-of-state adoption, as they wanted the adoption to be mostly closed, and for the birth mother not to have any contact with the family, until the child is older (at our discretion). This was not only an answer to prayer for a child, but also for this situation, as we were not sure about our desire to have an open adoption! The lawyer's assistant asked us then and there if we would be interested in adopting this baby, and we needed to decide relatively soon, because the baby was due in March!
We could not believe it... we had so much to get together... home study, funds, nursery, baby supplies, etc! But, through God's grace, we made it through all of the hoops in a timely manner. It was a stressful time, for a while, because our home study required us to get clearances from California and Nova Scotia, as we had temporarily lived there (not officially), and we were nervous the paperwork would not get back in time. But, it came back sooner than we expected!
On March 27, 2013, at 3:30 am., we woke up to a phone call from Richard, who is Averie's "birth grandfather", letting us know that Averie's birth mom had been taken to the hospital and would probably deliver in the next few hours. We frantically threw all of our stuff together, and ran out of the house. We ended up in Greenville, SC a little after 5:00 am, and Averie was born at 6:04 am. A nurse came out of the delivery room, took our camera in, and took pictures of her right after she was born. Once she was cleaned off, they wrapped her up and wheeled her out to us. We got to stare at her out in the hall for a long while (I'm thinking the nurse was like "Come on, I gotta get this done so I can get other stuff done!") Then, I got a bracelet that attached me to Averie, and I was allowed to go in the nursery with her while she was weighed, measured, poked and prodded. Everything looked great with her --- she was a healthy 6 lbs, 13 ounces.
Once she was done with all of her 'nursing care', the nurses let Nick and I go back into a "bonding room" and spend time with her. We held her and Nick fed her her first bottle. Then, she went out and got her first bath, and came back to spend more time with us! It was such an exciting day ... one that I won't soon forget!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Pinto Bean Casserole (Yes, I'm serious)
1 can of pinto beans
1 jar of salsa or canned tomatoes
1 - 2 lbs of ground beef or turkey (I used turkey)
1 bag of cheese (cheddar or mexican blend or something like that)
1 box of cornbread mix
Brown ground beef/turkey. Then put pinto beans on the bottom of a pan, and cover with meat. Then layer with salsa or canned tomatoes. Then sprinkle cheese. Mix cornbread according to directions and spread on top. Cook on 400 for 30 minutes until cornbread is done.
We enjoyed this meal... not our favorite meal in the whole world, but it was good and hearty!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Crock Pot Lasagna
Someone was recently telling me about a crock pot lasagna recipe, and I was half listening, so I didn't hear the full directions. Here is my recipe, which I made up tonight, inspired by the one that my co-workers were talking about.
Brown 1 lb of Ground beef and then add a jar of sauce
Put a layer of that on the bottom of a crock pot (preferably an oval/oblong shaped one)
Then, put a layer of DRY lasagna noodles (an easy shortcut!)
On top of that, spread cottage cheese, then sprinkle with Parmesan and mozzarella.
Repeat 3 or so times, and top the whole thing with a thick layer of mozzarella cheese.
Cook on low for 3 hours in crock pot.
It was delicious! Mine was a little soupy because I also added canned tomatoes (thinking it looked too dry), but turns out it was too wet, so I am going to omit the can o' tomatoes next time!
Nick loved it (or at least he pretended like he did :), and it took me less than 15 min to make lasagna!
Brown 1 lb of Ground beef and then add a jar of sauce
Put a layer of that on the bottom of a crock pot (preferably an oval/oblong shaped one)
Then, put a layer of DRY lasagna noodles (an easy shortcut!)
On top of that, spread cottage cheese, then sprinkle with Parmesan and mozzarella.
Repeat 3 or so times, and top the whole thing with a thick layer of mozzarella cheese.
Cook on low for 3 hours in crock pot.
It was delicious! Mine was a little soupy because I also added canned tomatoes (thinking it looked too dry), but turns out it was too wet, so I am going to omit the can o' tomatoes next time!
Nick loved it (or at least he pretended like he did :), and it took me less than 15 min to make lasagna!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
In Sickness and in Health
For the past few weeks, I have been fighting off a sickness... coughing, aching joints, sore throat, runny/stuffy nose, etc etc etc. And, some things I have learned through this time are:
~ Don't complain about going to work. It's a blessing to work, and working really isn't so bad, especially if you aren't working while you are sick!
~ Be thankful for each breath you take. A few times I had difficulty breathing, and it was really scary. It just made me realize how important each breath is and made me thankful that God sustains us each moment.
~ Trust in God, and lean not on your own understanding. I struggle with this a lot anyway --- I want to be in control of my destiny, but it becomes apparent that God is in control of every breath we take, every beat of our heart, and even waking up in the morning.
~ Laughing is really hard, when you don't have very good lung function :)
~ I have the sweetest husband in the world. He is so loving and caring, and even though he doesn't show it any more when I'm sick, I tend to believe that's because he already shows it so much the rest of the time, that he can't top it, rather than he has no sympathy. Nah, just kidding. He really is the sweetest... and I'm so blessed to have him.
~ Don't take your health for granted. Good health is a blessing and it should be noticed and appreciated every day!
~ Don't complain about going to work. It's a blessing to work, and working really isn't so bad, especially if you aren't working while you are sick!
~ Be thankful for each breath you take. A few times I had difficulty breathing, and it was really scary. It just made me realize how important each breath is and made me thankful that God sustains us each moment.
~ Trust in God, and lean not on your own understanding. I struggle with this a lot anyway --- I want to be in control of my destiny, but it becomes apparent that God is in control of every breath we take, every beat of our heart, and even waking up in the morning.
~ Laughing is really hard, when you don't have very good lung function :)
~ I have the sweetest husband in the world. He is so loving and caring, and even though he doesn't show it any more when I'm sick, I tend to believe that's because he already shows it so much the rest of the time, that he can't top it, rather than he has no sympathy. Nah, just kidding. He really is the sweetest... and I'm so blessed to have him.
~ Don't take your health for granted. Good health is a blessing and it should be noticed and appreciated every day!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Catch Phrases
I took this idea from another blog that I read occasionally... I thought it was a great idea, and would be fun to read in a different time and place :)
Things I say on a daily basis:
I love you, my schmoopiest!
Puppiiiiiieeeees --- booooo booooooos, beeee booooos! (That's my secret dog language!)
Everybody find a blue chair. No you can't sit in my chair. No that's my chair. Find a blue chair. If you want a prize, you need to find a blue chair and sit in it!
Nicky Picky Wicky!
Stinky Pot! Oh Stinky Pot! (What, Pinky Stot?)
Will you massage my feet?
Nicky, you are my favorite! You are the best husband in the whole world!
I wish I could just tickle your beard! (when we aren't together)
Things I say on a daily basis:
I love you, my schmoopiest!
Puppiiiiiieeeees --- booooo booooooos, beeee booooos! (That's my secret dog language!)
Everybody find a blue chair. No you can't sit in my chair. No that's my chair. Find a blue chair. If you want a prize, you need to find a blue chair and sit in it!
Nicky Picky Wicky!
Stinky Pot! Oh Stinky Pot! (What, Pinky Stot?)
Will you massage my feet?
Nicky, you are my favorite! You are the best husband in the whole world!
I wish I could just tickle your beard! (when we aren't together)
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