Thanksgiving

It is the day after.....hope you all had a wonderful holiday. I was just lying in bed listening to Lonny teach Connor the fine arts of making pancakes and setting the table. My face is swollen so that even my LIPS look pregnant, as well as my fingers and my ankles. Babies kicking so hard in a million directions....heartburn beyond anything pepperoni pizza with pineapple juice could ever do. Sigh.

I don't think I have ever been this grateful in my entire life.

Have a wonderful holiday season.

Happy Birthday, Lon

Today is Lonny's birthday...so a big shout out to my old man (even though I am, ahem, a bit older than him)! This year, in light of my current condition (may include kankles, extreme heartburn, genera cantbendoverness, extreme hormonal mood swings) he opted not to have a big family party and kept it to just us three. It was one of those perfect kinds of cozy days. Snowing like crazy, fire going, pot roast in the crock, football and a birthday cake that Connor helped frost. Lon and Con went outside to build the Biggest Snowman ever! Maybe my most favorite of his birthdays yet! Anyway, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY GUY - thank you for being such a great baby daddy....I am hoping to give you two of the greatest gifts ever in just about two months!!

Love and Prayers

I am sad to announce that I have yet another friend diagnosed with breast cancer. And shockingly, it is a man. His name is Mike and he is a former keyboard player with Atomic Amy - he was instrumental (pun intended) in the revamping of our name and sound. He is actually in the picture of the band on the right. He is a sweetheart, a talented musician and now the recipient of a Stage 3 (as bad as it gets) breast cancer diagnosis.

Many people don't realize that men can get this as well, that they actually have breast tissue. It is unusual, 1 in 100 breast cancer cases is a man. In 2005, 211,400 women were diagnosed versus 1,690 men. It often is deadly because men aren't as suspicious of abnormalities in that area, as women are, and they are often ignored until the tumor has spread.

Mike is a great guy and has an amazing circle of supportive friends, including his adorable girlfriend Darby. He has asked that we all "tune in" at 8:30 a.m. and p.m. each day, meaning either in prayer or meditation or however that is done as an individual, and send all the positive thoughts and vibes we can. If you would like to join in, feel free!

He has to undergo a double mastectomy next week, followed by some aggressive chemo. This Friday, he is hosting a party. He wants a chance to hug everyone, since he won't have that opportunity while he is healing. He is calling his party "Stop The War In My Rack"! (So glad he is maintaining his sense of humor!) You can bet I will be there with bells on.

I have to ask though, since I just KNOW he is going to kick booty and survive this thing....is he going to have to wear survivor pink when he Races for the Cure? I can't wait to find out. Take care my friend, and MUCH love and healing light coming your way!

A Year for Miracles

What an amazing, incredible year this has been. I cannot wait one more minute to express my gratitude. This one will go down in the record books....

First, I have to mention baby Callie, our new little niece who is now 6 months old! Holy moly, where does the time go?? She is a cutie patootie and we are so glad she is a part of our family!

As you know, I have had the opportunity to work with some incredible adoptive families through Families Supporting Adoption. I am no longer active with them, but know that we were blessed with Connor as part of our work with them, I truly do. But another blessing, a huge part of it, was getting to know incredible mommies who were waiting for children, just like me. We don't talk all the time, but they are close to my heart (and my facebook & blogs) so I get to keep up with what's going on with them. I have seen so many amazing stories. And I am pleased to announce that as of today, I have seen miracles happen with each and every one of them. Sarah and Jared adopted cute Ava. Cristina and her husband Mark adopted a sweet little boy named Grady. Misty, Liz, Erika - I got to share their joy and see them go through adoptions more than once. Alison became pregnant after adopting a sweet boy and gave him a baby brother. It has been so rewarding and I could not be more pleased. (I hope I am not forgetting anyone here). This year, however, has been a banner one! Let me just share....

Erica - this is one of my favorite mommies. She has 3 beautiful children that came to her through the miracle of adoption. She is a wonderful mom who just LOVES her childrens' birthparents. She and her husband would love to have 10 kids!! Erica was told that most likely she would never get pregnant. Then, she did. She was told that she would most likely miscarry. She is now 4 months pregnant!!! You can see that she just glows. I got the sweetest e-mail from her after I announced our pregnancy that she was right behind me and it made my whole week!! She has now come out with her own announcement and I want to shout it from the top of my house!!! UPDATE: MORE BOY JOY FOR ERICA AND STEPHEN!!! That will make 3 boys, 1 girl! Congrats!

Chris - wow, one of the smartest women I know! She and her husband and son have been waiting a long time for a little one to come to them. They had a tough road and what I am sure seemed like a long journey. This past August, they were blessed with little Emmett - oooh, what a cutie, what a smile, what a guy! He sure is lucky. Chris' family has so much fun together - you can tell they are close. And Emmett fits right in, perfectly - as our adopted blessings always do.

Deidra - This is my beautiful friend I just posted about! She and her husband and son have been waiting for 3 years for their adoption miracle. I am OVER THE MOON to announce that she posted, just today, a picture of the most darling little girl in the world who will be coming to them in just a few short months, from China. Please keep them in your prayers that everything will go smoothly for them and we will get to meet this miracle very soon. Check out Deidra's blog, it really does contain one of the sweetest little faces you have ever seen.

Whew! Then of course, our own miracle. By way of update, we got to see them just today (it's getting harder and harder because there isn't much room in there). Cocoa is weighing in at 1 lb, 12 ounces and Pebbles is at 2 lbs! We are all doing great. Doctor says no more work after 30 weeks, so about a month to go (last day will be December 10th). Then hopefully one more month and they will be here, healthy and strong.

It feels like a circle has been complete for my FSA girls.

There will be a lot of full hearts at Thanksgiving this year....and I imagine for a lifetime and beyond.

These Sharks Have Bite!

We decided to give Indoor Soccer this season...with mixed results. Connor had never even seen a soccer game before his first match. All of his teammates have played before and were a little older, so it was pretty intimidating. And they are GOOD, those Sharks are! The first game he just stood in the middle of the court and looked terrified. Second game he was chasing the other kids (not the ball mind you) and played goalie. He is getting more into it each week. We will reevaluate at the end of the season (2 more games) but will see this through, cause we don't quit! In the meantime, presenting the cutest Shark you have ever seen:

Halloween Parade

Connor got to participate in his school's Halloween parade. Everyone in his class dressed up and they were all so cute! It was a great year this year...the first time I think he kind of "got" it and had tons of fun. And remembered to shout...."To Infinity...and Beyond!"

The "Real" Halloween

We hosted Halloween at our house this year and were joined by Marcy, Ray and the Boys and Chad and Angela. Marcy was Princess Peach, Ray was a mullet sportin' redneck and the boys were Luigi and Mario. Connor of course, got his final Buzz Lightyear costume wear (after 3 parties) and Angela, was a gumball machine! Best costume I saw this year! I was a crabby pregnant woman (no costume required) and Lonny was, well, Lonny. Special thanks to Chad-who-was-Chad for being our door answerer as we went off to greet the goblins of the night!

November is Here

I can't believe it....we are already into November. One of my favorite months of the year! It is a month for gratitude (well, every month is, but the focus is just a little sharper, no?). Lonny's birthday is this month and we are so grateful for him. There is of course, Thanksgiving (one of my favorite holidays!) and I have so much to reflect on this year. But, it is also National Adoption Awareness month! It is a chance to celebrate the miracle of adoption and to learn a little bit more about it.

I think we have reached the end of our adoption journey. (Although I never say never......) But there are so many wonderful couples out there who are waiting to adopt. I want to tell you about my beautiful friend (inside and out, the girl is STUNNING) Deidra. She and her husband Steve and their adorable son Zack (this kid says the funniest things) have been waiting for three years. They are an amazing family who have a great spirit, go on wonderful adventures and have an incredible home filled with lots and lots of love. This month, Deidre will be sharing things she has learned about adoption and the process. I would invite you to check out her blog...she's over there on the right hand side. You may learn something you didn't already know! If you know someone who is considering adoption, please direct them there as well. Finally, I would also ask that some prayers be sent their way, that the perfect little being will come to be with them soon.

I can't believe it has been 4 years since our precious son came home to us. I could not be more grateful if I tried. For all of you who have gone through this process or have been touched by it, you know what I mean. So once again, Happy Adoption Awareness Month! It is a beautiful, beautiful thing.