4 months old

Leo turned 4 months old on May 8th, and he is getting very big! 27" long, and 16 pounds!

He is getting cuter and cuter by the day. His new tricks are sticking out his tongue, playing with his feet, and making a kkkkcccckkkk sound in the back of his throat. He has also started laughing- real, laugh-out-loud laughter! It's the most beautiful thing I have ever heard.

Nana and Grandpa drove out here to Alabama (from Utah) for a visit week before last. As usual, they spoiled Leo rotten, and loved every minute with him.

While they were here we made a trip to Toy-R-Us and they bought Leo a jumper toy that he is just crazy about. His legs are getting pretty strong now, and he loves to stand up, to kick and bounce... so this is perfect for him at this stage.

Check out the video below for all the exciting action...

Leo's first Swim

We took Leo to the pool for the first time last week. He seemed perplexed by the water and unsure how he felt about it. But he sure looked cute in his swimming gear!

HAPPY Mother's Day.

During our years of infertility struggles, Mother's day was NOT my favorite day. I would try to keep a stiff upper lip, but half way through church I would start bawling like a baby. I just couldn't listen to all those talks about motherhood, while the fear of NEVER becoming a mother grew in my chest, until I could hardly breathe.

One night, as I was telling my friend about the dread of an upcoming Mother's Day, she told me: "You know, you don't have to go to church that day." And it was like a revelation. So the next two years, I just didn't go to church on Mother's Day, and it was a much easier day.

Of course, this Mother's Day was very different. As I hugged my sweet little boy, my heart was full of gratitude for the privilege of being Leo's mom. And I didn't have to hide when they were passing out flowers to all the moms. Like a trophy, I happily accepted the tiny plant in a Styrofoam cup.

Our hearts were also full of gratitude for Leo's birth mother, Melissa. We will be eternally grateful that she gave Leo life, and that she chose us to be his family. She is a very special mother (in every sense of the word), and the most selfless person we know. We love you Mimi!

Arghh Matey

Jack has always been fascinated with eye patches. He snaps photos of mysterious patch-wearing strangers everywhere we go. (He's seen all types: simple black patches, the leather piratey type, or the doctor-issued gauze ones.) On one trip to France we saw about 5 guys with eye patches in one day! We figured they must have had a sale at the eye clinic that day...

Well, today Jack became one of those mysterious patch-wearing strangers. Here he is, sporting his lovely new eye wear. Say cheese, Jack!

Jack got a stye in his eye, right after Leo was born. It was a huge red bump on edge of his eyelid, that just would not go away. We did the Epson salt thing, but two months later, it was still there. He went to the clinic and got a prescription for some eyedrops, and some ointment. But neither worked. So now, it's FOUR months later, and he finally gets back into the clinic. They had to cut it open and let it drain. (ouch.)

He's so glad that it is finally gone, and that people won't be staring at it when he's talking to them anymore... And of course, he got a really cool eye patch out of it.

Giggly Boy

Nursery

Well, I finally got around to shooting some photos of Leo's room. And here they are. I am so excited to do his room in the new house because 1) we can paint the walls (no more beige!), and 2) we know that he is a boy, and can decorate accordingly. But for our short time here, this has been a nice place for Leo to lay his head. Leo loves to stare at the brightly colored vinyl dots on the wall, and we've had lots of wonderful moments in that rocking chair for feeding time, and reading books.

The frame with Leo's name was made by my best friend, Kristen, who is a very talented artist (and recently, children's book illustrator/writer).

Cute Buns

Leo will probably be very embarassed by this photo when he is older... but for now, it's just too cute!

New Digs

We're moving to the DC area mid-July, and Jack will be working at the Pentagon for the next 4 years. I have been house-hunting online for the last 2 months, but I flew out here for the weekend to see some houses in person.
A new house came on the market the day that I got here. I went to see it yesterday, made an offer last night, and they accepted it this afternoon! It is a great house, and we are very excited! It's a nice, brick rambler that was built in 1962. It's in a great neighborhood, at the Springfield/Annandale border, just 1 mile from the Beltway... so Jack's commute won't be too bad. It needs a little bit of work (replacing the pink toilet and bathtub in the hall bathroom, for example) but for the most part, it is in really great shape. It even has a swing set in the backyard, that Leo will love... in a few years.
Happy, and relieved that we found a house, I hopped on the Metro for an afternoon of sight-seeing. I walked around the national monuments and spent a few hours at the Museum of American History. I saw a fabulous exhibit of the First Ladies' Innagural Gowns, Fonzie's jacket, Dorothy's ruby slippers, and Julia Child's kitchen. So cool. I have been to DC a few times, but living here will be great-- I want to see everything!

Random Videos

Here are some random videos of the cutest baby in the world!

Yawn.... Giggle.......Yawn.

Three months old

Leo turned 3 months old yesterday. He is changing so much every day. He has started grabbing things (fingers, toys, blankets... anything he can get his hands on) He can sit in his Boppy chair, holding his head up on his own. And as of this week, he can sleep through the night. (Yahoo!)

Our neighborhood pool opened this week, and we were excited to take him swimming for the first time. We got him all suited up... but when we got down there the water was way too cold to go in. So, we came back home and took a swim in the bathtub. Someone gave us this cool bath toy, a blue star that spins, has flashing lights, and sprays water. Leo thinks it's pretty cool.

Happy Easter!

Leo celebrated his first Easter today. Here he is with his Easter basket, and the giant Easter bunny that was Jack's when he was a little boy. I had to include 4 different photos, because Leo's facial expression is so cute in each of them. The second photo looks like the bunny is whispering in Leo's ear, and he thinks it's quite funny. What a cutie!

Growing Boy

Leo had a growth spurt this week, weighing in at 14 lbs, 6 oz, and growing over an inch in length, to 25 inches! (3 weeks ago he was 12 lbs 7 oz, and 23 1/4 inches long) He's also been sitting up in his Bumbo chair, like a very big boy!

Here are our favorite photos of the week:

Spring Break

Jack had Spring Break last week, so we took Leo on his first camping trip to Sherling Lake. We camped in our little trailer (Big Red) and took our kayaks out on the lake. It was Leo's first kayaking too! Apparently, he found it relaxing to be out on the water, because he promptly fell asleep!

Life vest? Check.
Sunscreen? Check.
Binky? Check.

We had a great time at the lake, sitting around our nightly campfires, and playing cards inside the trailer when it was chilly outside. Even though the trees haven't started leafing out just yet, the campground and lake were beautiful. I love the Spanish Moss that hangs down from the trees-- it's exactly how I always pictured the South.

Smiley Face

Leo is such a happy baby, and he has been particularly smiley the last few weeks. Jack and I have been on a quest to capture these adorable smiles on camera. What a cutie!

Chubby Cheeks and Fuzzy Hair

Leo is growing so fast, and changing every day. Last week his cheeks got really chubby and he grew a double chin. This week, he's sprouting new hair. His head is covered in a layer of fuzzy dark hair. His original hairs (the long ones) protrude from the crown of his head, poking out from all the fuzzy new stuff. It is so cute!

Leo is also smiling more and more. Especially when he wakes up from a nap. As soon as he sees me coming into his room he gets a huge grin on his face, and it's enough to melt my heart! I am forced to pick him up, and smother him with kisses from the top of his fuzzy head, to each of his chubby little cheeks. I adore him.

Leo will be 2 months old tomorrow. I can hardly believe it. Jack and I can't imagine life without him. He is such a joy, and we thank God for him everyday. We are so blessed.

Welcome to the Jungle

We bought Leo a Jungle play mat yesterday. He loves it!

Home Sweet Home!

After 4 long weeks, we finally got clearance from ICPC last Tuesday, so Leo and I flew home on Wednesday. It is so good to be home!
Montgomery got 2 inches of snow on Friday- which is very rare for the South. All the businesses and schools shut down for the day, which meant Jack got a 4 day weekend! (Today is President's Day) It's been wonderful to spend all this time together as a family. We love our little Leo!

Daddy Time

Jack flew out here for the weekend, so we could spend some time with him. (He's been back home in Alabama for 3 weeks now) We've really missed him!

It was wonderful to be together as a family. We took a walk around the neighborhood with the stroller, made dinner together, had bath time, and snuggled together in bed. It was heaven!

Jack flew back to Alabama this evening. We were sad to see him go. Hopefully we'll join him at home very soon...

Lovely little Leo

We're still in Utah- STUCK- until we get clearance from ICPC. It normally takes about a week,, and it's been two and a half weeks! The woman in the Alabama ICPC office is stringing us along, making up reasons she can't approve our paperwork. It's been one thing after another, and it has our case workers completely dumbfounded. It is so frustrating!

We are antsy to get home, and the worst part is that Jack is already there. (He had to get back to work, and flew home a week and a half ago) We miss him so much, and he really misses us.

The last week of waiting has been agonizing- especially the last few days. We keep getting our hopes up, that we're getting close... only to be disappointed over and over again. It has been heartbreaking. We just want to be home. We want to be together as a family again! I have been in Utah for 33 days now, and 19 of those days have been since Leo was born. We are desperate to get home.

The good news is that Leo is an absolute joy. He is such a sweet little boy, and I love every minute with him. Here are some photos of our lovely little Leo:

Bringing Home Baby

We brought Leo home today. (to the hotel at least) What an incredibly emotional day. We had a tearful goodbye with Melissa, and then we put little Leo in his carseat and headed out. Jack and I were both so emotional. We just can't believe how very blessed we are! Leo is so perfect and beautiful. We can't wait to watch him learn and grow and change. He is a miracle.

It's a BOY!

Our beautiful baby boy was born today. The lovely little Leo.

Melissa started having contractions about 4 am yesterday, and was admitted to the hospital this morning about 4am. Jack and I were lucky enough to be there when she delivered, about 1pm. Melissa did so great, and we have so much love and respect for her!

Leo weighed 7 lbs 12oz, and was 21 inches long. He is a beautiful, healthy boy, with big brown eyes. We are incredibly blessed!

Birthday Boy

We celebrated Jack's 35th birthday last week with a fantastic Sponge Bob party. Our friends (The Claysons and the Winsors) came over for a pineapple-inspired dinner, and pineapple-upside-down birthday cake. We even had a pinata.
Happy "5th" Birthday Jack!

Five Weeks and Counting...

My friend Christena made me this shirt. I get funny comments whenever I wear it...

Beautiful Baby

Our birth mom Melissa had a 3d ultrasound last week, and here are the photos.

Is this a beautiful baby, or what?

Her due date is just 9 weeks away, and we are so excited! We can't wait to welcome this baby into our family.

JUMPIN' JELLYFISH!

We went to Florida over the weekend. (about 3 hours from here) We went scuba diving on Saturday, and we spent most of our time dodging the jellyfish! I had heard about them before, but had never seen one. (the water in CA is too cold for jellyfish, but the water of the Gulf of Mexico is so warm that it is a perfect breeding ground for them!) They are beautiful to look at, but I was freaked out about getting stung.

I was so careful and dodged them sucessfully for the whole dive, but when we were coming up I wasn't looking, and one got me on the hand. Ouch! It left white bumps all over my hand, and it was red and itchy and tingly all over! Luckily, it only lasted about an hour, so it wasn't too bad.
The jellyfish are interesting because they seem to just float along in the current. I mean, they obviously don't have eyes to see where they are going, and they didn't try to get out of our way (like the fish do) they just float along till they bump into something. I was intrigued by them. Jack touched one with his finger (only the tentacles at the bottom will sting you) and he said it was really firm. (Like jello? I asked.) Firmer than jello, but still rubbery. That suprised me because they look so thin and transparent, like a piece of Saran Wrap floating in the water. Hm.

They told us that the boat we were on was in the movie Jaws. And why would they bring up such a thing while we're out in the water???? Yikes. We also went to the beach, where the water was a bright green (They do call it the Emerald coast) and the sand was pure white- like sugar. Again- a total change from the beaches I'm used to in California. (where the water is dark and the sand is brown) And the water was so warm, it was really nice!