1 more day!!!

Well we close tomorrow and since I still have some packing to do, this post will be short. We get the key tomorrow and we will start to move the boxes out of this house and into the new one. Friday my dad and brother are coming and we will move the furniture. Hopefully we will be done with everything by Saturday and we can go out for some crab legs!! That's all for now but stay tuned b/c I have some AWESOME news to post on here :)

7 days!!!!

Only 7 days left until we are homeowners!!! Closing is all set for 11 am on Thursday of next week! I am so excited...yet so behind on packing! I started a new job from home taking incoming sales calls from various infomercials. I get to make my own schedule and I'm only required to work at least 10 hours a week. However, this week is the online training and I've been participating in conference calls that last 2-3 hours at a time. And to top it all off...I've been sick!! I started feeling bad over the weekend and by Tuesday I felt like I had the flu! Daddy had to leave to go out of town for the week, so it's been just J and I and it's been hard! I feel much better now, although I still have some sinus pain which makes me think I may have a sinus infection. If it doesn't get better, I'll call the Dr for antibiotics...but until then I NEED TO PACK!!!! If I stay focused I can have everything packed by Sunday which is great.

Now while I am excited about moving into our very first home together, I'm a bit worried about all of these "hidden" costs!! LOL! I thought they all were covered before we signed the contract, but you can never be forewarned of ALL of these hidden fees, I see! And when you purchase new construction, like we did, there are even MORE hidden costs! For instance, the neighborhood we are moving in is very new and there is obviously a standard curbside mailbox that everyone in the neighborhood is obligated to have. We couldn't help but notice b/c every house has these HORRIBLE eyesores in front of their homes. So I told Daddy, "Oh well, I guess we will just have to deal with it since we love the house so much." We both figured, since it seems standard for the neighborhood, then it must come with the cost of the house....WRONG!!! I received an email yesterday that I need to call a company to have my "ugly" mailbox installed for the grand total of $200!!!! Are you kidding me?!?! Bad enough the mailbox is totally not my style, but then I have to pay $200 for it?! Oh well, I love the house enough so I will deal. I'll plant some beautiful flowers around it to make it more pleasant to the eye. Well that's not all...since it's a brand new house, we have to pay extra to have a gas meter installed, and we also have to lay sod in the backyard...the HUGE backyard!! But I'm not complaining b/c the pros definitely outweigh the cons!! A new construction means EVERYTHING on the house is brand spanking new...new roof, new plumbing, new carpet, fresh paint...etc!! It's wonderful. Oh and a jacuzzi tub with separate shower, mom!! I know you are jealous!! LOL! I'll need your help decorating though so don't forget our date!!

Well, I'm off to finish packing. I plan to get alot done today b/c I promised a friend I would meet her at the museum with her kids tomorrow morning. I'm sure J would enjoy a day out, as he's been cooped up in the house ever since we came back from Florida!

LL Cool J

Ladies Love Cool J! LOL! How is this for one cool 8 month old??

Reflections...

I know I posted today already but as I sit and watch Noggin with J, I have some thoughts that I want to blog about...

He knows me as his mommy...This is so surreal to me. Why would it be surreal to me, you ask, since I am indeed his mommy? Well b/c I know where he came from and attachment was always a concern of mine, as it is for many other adoptive parents. Sure I've had him since birth, but there is this talk about mom and baby creating a bond starting from inside the uterus. In the beginning I felt that J and I had to work extra hard at bonding since I didn't carry him for 9 months. I longed for the day that my baby would recognize me as his mommy. J has always been a sweet and friendly baby. He will go to any and everyone one, including strangers in the grocery store. This used to make me wonder, "Does he even know that I'm his mommy, or does he just love EVERYONE the way he loves me?" He never cries for me when I leave him with my mom. He doesn't care if I walk out of the room while he is with his pediatrician. He doesn't care if someone takes him from my arms and walks to another room with him. Deep inside, I've hoped for him to do those things just to make me feel secure. To make me feel that he knows I'm his mother. But this morning J crawled over to me and held his arms up to me. I picked him up and sat him on side of me and he stuck his thumb in his mouth and leaned against my arm and watched his video. He knows I'm his mommy. As we watched his puppet video I thought back on the things that he has done. Things that I failed to realize he's done to show that he knows who I am...When something scares him like a loud noise in the house, he looks at me for reassurance...When he falls and hits his little head, he looks at me to see whether he should laugh or cry...When he's feeling bashful, he sticks his face in my chest to blush...When he's not feeling well he clings to me...When he's hungry, he looks for me...When he choked on his spit up last week while sitting with his Nana, he reached for me with terror in his eyes...A mommy provides reassurance to her child, picks him up when he falls, allows him to be shy, helps him to feel better, and reacts quickly when things go wrong. J knows this. He knows I'm his mommy. He's be learning since day one and so have I. We learned from each other. I learned to be his mother and he has learned to trust me as his mother. This means so much to me.

Sure it would have been so much easier on my ego, if J was not so friendly and only wanted me. But my baby boy has never met a stranger, and this has made it easier for me as a person and as a mommy. If my hubby and I want a night out, we can leave him with a sitter and not worry about him crying for us. And when I return, he is happy to see me...his mommy! I thank God for blessing us with such a good natured, easy going child. I also thank Him for opening my eyes to the obvious. J is my son and I am his mommy. I can't wait for the day that he actually calls me Mommy!!

Packing, packing.....PACKING!!!

13 days until closing...We have to get going with packing. So far so good though. I've pretty much packed away the kitchen and purchased plasticware and frozen dinners...smart move eh?? LOL! We're going out to dinner tonight though;) Also we pretty much have the office packed up. I think that we are taking our time b/c we are only moving to a subdivision less than 1/2 mile up the street. We keep saying, "We're not going far so we don't need to box that up". Well can you imagine what a mess we will have on moving day if we keep that frame of mind?? LOL! It's been a while since I last packed for a big move. Our last move was relatively easy...It was just my husband and I and two dogs. Katrina claimed all of our possessions so we had nothing to move, just a few boxes of donations we rec'd from a few wonderful strangers! But now we have stuff...lots of stuff. I thought that once we started packing that the house would start to look empty...WRONG!! The house looks even more cluttered than before! That can't be right?! I hate to look at clutter, it makes me nervous and I hate to add to it, so it's getting harder and harder for me to continue packing. I just want some of this stuff out of here. I plan to box up some clothes and stash the boxes in the closet in the office. We close on a Thursday, but we won't have help to move the bigger items until Saturday (thanks Dad and Jase!), so the plan now is to use Thursday and Friday to move the boxes and smaller items to the new house. Once this house is less cluttered it will be easier to get clean. I have learned one great tip for moving though...If you want to look like you are making progress, take down ALL of your pictures from the walls! I took ours down last night and our walls look so plain and the rooms actually look bigger. Progress right?

Now to come up with a plan for baby...I may be the first woman in history to make an entire move with a baby attached to her hip at every moment! Oh boy! It's like he knows that I'm trying to get something done and he wants to prevent me from doing it! Could it be that he doesn't want to leave behind his awesome room that mommy and daddy made for him? I've resorted to popping in Baby Einstein DVDs and tossing his toys all over the free space of the house! It's helping so far, but I'm sure he will give me a run for my money on moving day...Nana hurry up and get here!!!

He has a virus :(

J has been feverish, coughing, and feeling weak with no appetite since coming home from Florida. I knew that he possibly caught something that was going around, so I was treating his fever with Motrin. Last night his fever spiked to 101.7 and his cough got worse. I gave him some Motrin and put him in bed with us, with the humidifier on. He coughed and whined all night. We both probably got only 3 hours of sleep last night. I took him to see the Dr today and they said that it's a virus and it has to run its course. She did prescribe him a decongestant and a cough syrup to help him to get some sleep. Also, I got to see his weight which is still 17lbs 10 oz. He hasn't gained much at all, but at least he isn't losing weight anymore :D I can't wait for the virus to pass.

Now about this heat!!! It is 104 degrees here today! What is going on? I really do hope that we get back in the 80s by the end of the month b/c I can't imagine moving in this heat...I can't imagine doing ANYTHING in this heat! Well J is napping, so I'm going to join him b/c we both need the rest. I'll leave you with a picture of J snoozing in the Florida heat :)

I love this mistake!!!

I took this picture myself, while holding J during the Sesame Street show. It was just after Elmo gave him a hug and I just held the camera back and snapped. I didn't even focus, but the picture looks like I took it this way on purpose! You can see the awe in J's eyes, my niece sits beside him looking very pleased, and blurred in the background are my mom and dad, smiling down at their grandson as he enjoys his first live Sesame Street show! This picture is definitely frame worthy in my opinion!

We're Home!!!

What an awesome vacation, but I have to say it's great to be home!! We had lots of fun and J enjoyed every bit of it. Sure he won't remember any of it, but we have lots of pictures to show him when he gets older so that he can see how much he enjoyed his first trip to Disney! I have to say, his favorite thing was the Sesame Street show at Sea World. We got lucky and got first row seats, so I got great pictures of the characters, many suitable for framing in his room. J had a great view and even got a hug from Elmo! Daddy caught the entire show on our camcorder, so we will put it on DVD for J to watch again and again! YAY!! While SeaWorld seemed to be a great day for J, there was one fish that scared him to death...and the fish wouldn't go away. Please excuse my shirtless baby in the picture. It was 102 degrees that day and he was miserable with his shirt on...so was I but I doubt it would have been acceptable had I taken mine off! HAHA! J was able to ride on a few rides with mommy and daddy. I think his favorite was a ride in Dr. Suess land where we rode in a little cart and it told the story of the cat in the hat. The characters were running about as we rode on a track. J loved it and kept turning his head to each wall where there was action. But once Thing 1 and 2 came in and started being naughty and made our cart turn a few times, J didn't like that. He was reaching for me with fear in his eyes, but at the same time still tried to watch the show! But I think the spinning was too much for him b/c when the ride stopped he threw up in the cart! LOL!

So all in all it was a fun and busy trip. J is a little under the weather now with a bad cough and congestion but the Dr called in some meds for him and I'm hoping he starts to feel better soon. Now it's time to start packing for the big move!!

Changed the name...

Just a quick post to let everyone know that I changed the name of our blog to "God Has Heard" which is the meaning of J's name, and the reason why we chose his name. We truly know that he is the answer to our prayers and I want to share it with everyone!

Teasers...

We've been here in Orlando for 2 days now and are having a WONDERFUL time. J is being such a big boy and can spend HOURS at the parks and never even takes a nap, b/c he just has to see it all. He never cries either. We are so blessed! He is enjoying all of the sights and the characters. He really loved Spiderman!

SOLD!!!

Daddy and I just recently put an offer in on our very first home together! We close on August 31 and we are thrilled!! Can wait to share pictures with you all once we move in :D

Trying to post the video....

Let's see if this works....

He's Mobile

J has been crawling for a little over a month now. I took this video a few weeks ago, but he is so much faster now. So fast that I cannot catch him on video without him crawling away! Same technique, only much faster...watch out doggies!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FnLjshCQKg

We are leaving tomorrow evening to go to Disney World for a week, so I can't promise any entries until we get back...but keep an eye out for any surprise posts! Have a great weekend!