Good times...

We had a fabulous Thanksgiving this year...three of them to be exact. Our first was at my parent's house, then on to my in-laws house and one more bigger get-together with my husband's fam today. We had two fun football games (plus eating leftovers and drinking colorado bulldogs) at my parents to boot. Last night we even snuck in a party with some good friends that were home visiting from Nashville. Fun, fun, fun stuff.

Little man was extraordinarily amazing these last 3 busy days. I was prepared by other mommies that there would be some sleepy meltdowns due to the running around, but he did great. He even took long naps in the ever changing places we'd find as semi-quiet. I'm so proud of him and even more so as he is so engaging and pleasant to be around. The 6 weeks of colic is starting to be a faint memory. ;) What a stud.

Here are some fun pics from the last few days:

Some cuddlin' time with cousin Ella.

Declan was all propped up in Ella's old walker. He really liked it (especially when he was a perfect view of the TV...his favorite obsession). 

Cute little man!

Lovin' me some Declan....

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I'm thankful for...

Declan Isaac. My hubby. Family. Friends. God's provision. (and much more)

Have a fabulous Thanksgiving!!

3 months old and my 100th post!!

Declan was totally chillin' in his Bob Marley t-shirt that Aunt Kellie got him in St. John. I'm pretty sure he might be the cutest kid I know.

So...my little man is 3 months old today!!! Some things to remember (I'm already having to look back at months 1 & 2 to remember weights and stuff):
Today: November 25th, Declan is 3 months old!
Weight: 12 lb, 2 oz + (he was weighed a week ago)
Nicknames: still going by Decs, Decker, Buddy but has picked up Monkey. His arms are always flailing and he looks like a little monkey.
This past month...
-He found he hands. He likes to shove them in his mouth as much as possible.
-He also found his cute little voice and we wish we could understand all the little yelps and coos he says. Some day he'll have words but for now the noises melt my heart.
-The formula war marches on. The Ali.mentum powder formula is on the shelf and we now are stocked with Ali.mentum liquid ready-to-feed ($9/day...woot woot). His tummy is handling it really well so that's what we'll be on for awhile.
-Unfortunately the baby Eins.tein mat isn't his favorite anymore and he gets fed up with it after about 5 minutes. What is his new favorite?? The TV. Yes the stupid TV...he cranks his neck to see it. We're hoping he doesn't really like TV but that he likes the colors and movements and light. We do not want him hooked.
-As seen in a previous post, my cute tiny little boy has some serious neck strength and he likes his Bum.bo already. Woo hoo!
-In total, this last month, Declan slept through the night 4 times. Not too shabby. We'd like more, but we're happy he's pretty great overnight so one feeding isn't the end of the world.

This next month brings our first holidays with our new family. I absolutely can not wait!!

Hey you!!

I'm excited I can keep track of my readers! So, please click on my "followers" link to the right hand side and join the list of those that keep up with my blog! Woot!

Just in time for Thanksgiving...

...We got an awesome new centerpiece for our table!!
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Want a closer look?? I know you do!



Seriously, though, how long should we wait to use our bumbo? We tried it out today and he loved it!!

Yes, I'm a MckMama addict and you should be too.

I found a blog forever ago of a hip, fun mom with kids ages 3, 2, 1. Yes, you heard right. The kicker? She was preggo with #4..sweet baby Stellan. Early on, Stellan was giving a poor prognosis of living outside the womb and the intense prayer circle went in full effect. Super long story short, he was born completely healthy and confused the heck out of a gaggle of doctors. She's got a little contest going on her always entertaining blog. So, go check it out. Word of caution- you will become addicted. :)

Open adoption

This past week I've had several people inquire about our open adoption. I don't mind talking about it because I'm passionate about adoption. There are definitely details that are private and personal to our family (how "open" is our adoption, details about the birthparents, etc). If anything is specifically asked about those issues I tend to give more of a surfacey answer. Truth be told it is hard for people not in our boat to understand our relationship with the birthparents. The comments started from day 1 when people heard that the birthparents actually brought Declan to our home after they signed relinquishments instead of us picking him up from the agency. To us, this was such a special and memorable moment and it was surprising to me when we heard comments like "THEY came and brought him...that's crazy (or weird) or wasn't it uncomfortable?" That day was amazing and, though it was heartbreaking to know it was the hardest day of their life, it was amazing to see their strength and their certainty of their decision- in person.

I know by now that our situation is not completely normal. We had an "identified" match (a mutual friend gave our number to Declan's birthmom and she contacted us). But the best part of our match were the months we were able to build a friendship with the birthparents as a foundation for our future. We truly see them as part of our extended family and we hope, especially for Decs, that it stays that way.

Please know it's not all roses in open adoption. It takes a great deal of effort (emotional, etc) and consideration on both sides. We are forever grateful to Declan's birthparents and are thrilled that he'll have 2 more people to love on him as he grows. We hope he'll be a bright, open minded, educated child (regarding adoption and other things). We pray he feels special and adored no matter the fact that he didn't grow inside of me. We've vowed to not hide or sugarcoat how he joined our family but instead to celebrate it.

Now to all those that say "I just could never do an open adoption," I want to say that you're right, you might not be able to. BUT...I did have some of the same thoughts and judgments before reading a handful of great books (Spirit of Open Adoption is one that comes right to my sleepy mind). After meeting Declan's birthparents there was no question that we CAN do this. Let me be the first to say I'm no expert on this topic. My son is 13 weeks old and I'm sure we have a lot of learning and experiencing to do. But through many conversations I've realized open adoption might not be for everyone, but it is our life...and we're blessed.