Now and Then

Same pj's, same baby...

September 2009

May 2010

Wordless Wednesday

Gabers from the Block

We live on a great block. We have neighbors that we don't just get along with, but really like and call friends. There is a nice mix of people and lots o' kids in all age ranges. We have many parties all year long including 2 block parties, a progressive dinner, Halloween party, going away parties for people that move, etc.

So, it makes sense that living on this block we enjoy hanging out with fellow moms and toddlers that live here too. Gabe has made friends and has learned (mostly good) things from the slightly older toddlers. Of course mom doesn't mind chatting and hanging out with her friends too. We usually have picnic lunches on nice days. One of the best parts of having friends on your block is hanging out after nap time, otherwise known as the 'witching' hour. We all assemble across the street until dinner while the kids play and we all greet the other neighbors as they walk home from the train. Good times.



One of the moms is pregnant with twins. Yay, more playmates!

I'm a Year and a Half!

Tulips and Friends

Who doesn't love tulips and friends? This past weekend 3 of us headed up to Saugatuck, MI to do some catching up and to enjoy some non-mom time. We had a great time laughing, eating, shopping and enjoying some wine. There is a nice comfort when hanging out with good friends from high school. We know each other's whole lives, essentially. We know each other's family, our first jobs, when we were dating husbands, when we got married, when our kids came to us, etc.
Saturday we got our nails done, strolled the shops, had a nice lunch and then... a nice dinner. Sunday we headed to the Tulip Time Festival in Holland, MI. The tulips were gorgeous and they had a nice art fair there as well.
We did the same trip last year, and that Monday is when we got Gabe's referral. There was a lot of talk all weekend about when my referral would come and speculating on what he'd be like. It's funny to think he had 'been sitting' on our social worker's desk all weekend.
I was a bad blogger and forgot my camera so these are phone taken photos:




Thanks K & J for a fun weekend...it was great to recharge with you!

Two Things I Love...

baseball and Korea. This article about Shin-Soo Choo and his MLB career has both.

Wordless Wednesday (fun with Grandma)

Best.Day.Ever.

One year ago today, was one of the best days of my life. Yep, the day we got Gabe's referral. There are many exciting days with adoption, but referral day is the most magical, in my opinion. I wish everyone had the opportunity to experience that 'high.' The excitement of seeing OUR child and learning all that we could about him from the papers we had. All the clouds lifted, and there was our perfect baby looking back at us. Sure, in the next few weeks and months we had anxiety again about him coming home and all that we had to do. But on April 20, 2009...it was all about possibilities, love, joy, and peace.

I look at Gabe's referral picture now and it's funny to compare what I thought he'd be like to what he's actually like. We're far more lucky and blessed than we ever thought was possible.

Let's look back to the one of the best (in my humble opinion) 'throne' pictures:

Wordless Wednesday (red, white, and blue edition)

"17 months" by Gabe

Some of my friends have been posting lately so I thought I should get in on the action too. I turned 17 months on Saturday and I thought you would like to hear my likes and dislikes from my perspective instead of my mom's.

*Lately, the stroller as been on my nerves. I'd much rather run around and hang with my mom than sit still in the stroller.
*I really love those dogs. I never knew how many there were out in the world. Big or small, drooling or dry...doesn't matter to me, I'm gonna give them a hug and a kiss!
*After my breakfast, I like to take my sippy cup and feed whichever stuffed animal I bring down with me. They gotta eat too, right?
*I've gotten a bit obsessive about things being clean. I don't even want the smallest crumb on my hand or on the table. To let my mom know, I say 'uh-oh' on repeat until she fixes the situation. Then I like to take a paper towel and finish up cleaning for her.
*I am very aware of the 'edge.' If I'm going to climb down the stairs...I get down and scoot backward towards the edge from about 5ft away. You can never be too careful!
*I think I'm getting taller. I can now reach the counter tops and pull down anything that's close. Score!
*My throwing is getting even better. I've always been good with balls, but now I know how fun it is to throw my sippy cup. Man, can that puppy fly! Food is pretty fun to throw too.
*I still love my mom to hold me and when I want her to pick me up, I hold onto her legs, stomp my feet, reach my arms up and whine.
*I have a 'staring problem.' If I'm taking a walk with my mom and I see somebody doing something cool (like kick a soccer ball, setting up for softball practice, etc) I gotta stop and watch and watch and watch. Seeing new things is quite fascinating. I like to try to figure things out.
*I've started to get very curious in the store too. There are lots of shiny and interesting items. When I see one that I HAVE TO HAVE, I scream in my highest pitch so my mom knows I want it. Sometimes I can have it, but other times she says no.
*I'm understanding everything that goes on in my world and what people say to me and you know what? Things are pretty good around here!