What to Say

The agency coordinator mentioned that I can send a letter or a card to the birth mom any time, if I'd like. Even though I have no idea what to say, ignoring her seems like a very rude thing to do.

So today after work I stopped by Fred Meyer thinking I'd pick up a greeting card to write in next week, telling her about whatever we end up doing over Easter weekend.

Easier said than done. What type of card do you buy the woman who is trusting you with her child's life? Thank you? Too soon. Sympathy? Definitely not. Thinking of you? A little creepy. Encouragement? Condescending. Blank inside? Generic, and I don't know if she prefers puppies in a wagon or sunflowers in a field.

So I left empty handed and will probably just hand write a short letter and add a picture or two. I'll write it like an extension of my parent profile, in the hopes that it will feel familiar and reassure her that she's making a wonderful choice.

Agency Update

I spoke with the infant coordinator at the adoption agency and everything sounds good so far. Mom and baby are healthy, the 20 week scan looked perfect, and I may even get a copy of the ultrasound picture this week.

I also found out that I don’t have to stay in Ontario after the baby is born, as long as I stay in the state of Oregon until the paperwork is ready. Thankfully a dear friend lives in Baker City and has offered to make room for us. So much better than a hotel, and very special because I was one of the first people to see her daughters born 11 and 13 years ago. She always joked her kids would be old enough to babysit by the time I had any of my own, and sure enough, her 13 year old is now certified in all things babysitting.

Next Monday I’m going in bright and early to pay some fees and sign some contracts. Meanwhile, I hope to hear back from a few daycares and may even go back to Goodwill to snag the $15 rocker/glider-ottoman set I spotted last weekend. It needs new cushions, but I could certainly use a project to help pass the time.

Special Coffee

On the day I expected the birth mom to see my profile for the first time, I decided to drive through Starbucks for a special coffee to give the day a special vibe. Also, I hadn’t slept well and needed the extra caffeine. Later that afternoon I found out the birth mom had stayed home with sick children, so she didn’t see the profiles after all. The appointment got bumped a week.

So the next week, on the new special day, I drove through for another special coffee. It was delicious. However, I heard nothing conclusive from the agency or attorney.

Yesterday morning I needed to stop for coffee because all my coffee mugs were dirty (I know, great excuse right?) I stopped at Jacksons because they have a $1 deal right now. Here was my Facebook post soon after:

Stopped at Jacksons for coffee - way too strong and slightly burned. Stopped again at Dutch Brothers and the mocha tastes ick. I guess I'm not supposed to have coffee today.

Of course, later in the afternoon I got the best call ever. So much for my silly special coffee ritual! Apparently the universe will deliver what it wants, regardless of where I get my brew.

The Call!

Against all odds, just 6 months after completing my home study, I have been chosen by a birth mom! The baby boy is due on May 20th in Oregon. The birth mom and I don't have plans to meet before then, but I will be at the hospital when he's born.

I got the call today as I was driving to a dear friend Chris' funeral. It was bittersweet to have such wonderful news to share with my teary-eyed friends. Chris was an attorney and had handed out my adoption networking cards with gusto at his family's Christmas party last year. His wife, daughter and son were overjoyed to hear the news today.

Many things can change between now and May 20th, obviously, but today I'm happy and excited! People keep asking if I'm having a baby shower, and I think that will happen once everyone is home and settled, maybe in early June.

As Promised!

Despite bad allergies and an afternoon storm, I finished what I needed to get my next project launched. Announcing Lush Lamps!

Super fun project that constantly has me on the lookout for cool lamp shades and bottles. And for the record, no, I didn't empty a single one of the bottles on the blog. :) They've all been donated by my awesome family members and friends.

Chugging Along

Happy to see these on store shelves again!

Sorry I've been MIA on the updates! I swear this weekend I'm going to really finish my special project and launch that website I promised about a month ago. It's the same old song: work has been busy! I think our last mega-deadline will be April 30th, then we should go into maintenance mode. Adding to my craziness is the fact that quite a few teammates have been out of the office this month - two of them out of the country, even. So there's plenty of slack for the rest of us to pick up.

Not that I'm complaining - I'll take all the distraction I can get right now. A little action on the adoption front has me excited/trying not to be excited. I read more than half of the Hunger Games last night and hope to finish it tonight, and I'm house-sitting and dog-sitting for my parents most of next week. I also have to be at work at 6:45 AM on Monday in order to set up and film a presentation related to our mega-deadline.

In the next couple of weeks I'm looking forward to a trip to Goldfork Hot Springs and of course, Easter. I got my hands on a great recipe for a traditional South American Easter dish, and it just happens to be vegetarian, so it will be nice to have something new to eat while everyone else chows on ham.

Happy weekend, everyone.

Spring, a Mixed Bag

Nothing to report on the adoption front, except that I have made progress on my latest fundraising project and I hope to have some product ready in the next week or so.

I spent last weekend in Salt Lake City with friends and family, and it was a much needed break from the ordinary schedule I've been keeping lately. I got a great deal on a pet-friendly hotel with a pool and the weather was beautiful. I even found a cute owl mug on clearance.

We've had some major changes at work, most of them good, some disappointing. But I do get to travel to DC for a conference next month. I've never been there and it's definitely on my short list of places to see. The cherry blossom festival will have just wrapped up, but I should be able to stay an extra day and see the sights. I reached out to my contacts and immediately found three people willing to put me up for a night or two.

Tomorrow my sweet Jayda dog turns three - that's 21 in people years! I may see if the dog-friendly bar is still open downtown.