Our Journey For Cole

Saturday, June 2, 2007

The Nursery

We just received Cole's new crib, dresser, and changing station. The nursery is finally starting to come together. We still need to order a mattress for the crib, add some photos/prints, shelves, toys, the crib bedding, etc., but this will all come in due time.

I should also mention that Marc & I put a lot of work into the nursery, and it has come a long way from it's original appearance. We put in the hardwood flooring, wainscoting, new 5" baseboards, chair rail, new paint, and we did it all ourselves. Not bad for a couple of amateurs!

Monday, May 28, 2007

Cole Turns 15 Months Old Today

Our little guy is growing quickly, and I've been busy reading up on what he should be able to do at his age:)

He should be able to walk well, bend over and pick up an object, and use at least 1 word. He will probably be able to use 2 words, drink from a cup, scribble, and point to a desired object.

Also he may possibly be able to point to 1 body part when asked, use a spoon/fork (but not exclusively), and build a tower of 2 cubes.

Emotional Development: At fifteen months, toddlers can be expected to communicate pleasure, warmth, interest in new experiences; to play games with parents; to protest; to begin to accept limits.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

A Girl And A Boy

I wonder how long we'll have to wait, before we'll have them both? Or should I be more concerned with how long it'll be before we have just one:) Hopefully not too much longer now. The last word from our agency was 3-4 months, so that would put us in August or September. I guess we'll have to wait and see if we'll be in Uzbekistan for Marc's birthday, or mine!

*On a side note, I just noticed that both of our adoptions were started exactly 1 year to the day apart!! We started Sofia's adoption on 4/19/06, and Cole's on 4/19/07. How bizarre. Besides being a popular day to start an adoption, it also just so happens to be Marc's brothers birthday.

Sunday, May 20, 2007

Miss M & I Finally Meet!

After months of corresponding, me & my favorite pen pal get to meet in person. We had a wonderful visit, like I would expect anything less from her! And she brought the most adorable baby blanket for Cole. Oh, and her Wish for Sofia. What a sweetie-pie. Thanks M!!

I look forward to a long friendship filled with memories of our children playing together. BTW, Miss M gets all the credit for introducing us to our son, the best gift of all:)

This is Cole's 1st & most special baby blanket

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Off to Uzbekistan!

I just found out that our dossier will finally be sent off to Uzbekistan today. It ended up going out about a week later than we had planned on, but at least it's on it's way. This brings us one huge step closer to our darling son Cole.

Adoptive Mothers Poem

Being an adoptive mother is not for every woman. She must possess not only the natural mother instinct but an understanding and appreciation of the situation that brought a child into her arms making her a mother.

The adoptive family comes to be by choices made, choices made by the first parents and by the adoptive parents. This bond the adoptive mother has with her child grows over time, like the child did within his first mother's womb. Day by day, touch by touch, with each tear, kiss, and memory made they became a family. Adoptive mothers have that special knack to let love grow.

The adoptive mother knows that she is a mender of wounds, not just of the physical skinned knees with a band-aid and a kiss, but of the heart. She gives love, acceptance, and permission to ask and talk about the day he was born and of his first parents. Adoptive mothers are embracers, not only of the child with many hugs and kisses, but of the child's heritage and history.

She embraces the facts of her child's past with strength for herself and the child. She's not only a memory maker planning family vacations, activities, and birthday parties, but also a memorykeeper. She's a tier of shoelaces and of hearts. She weaves lives together into a tapestry of a new family, with many different brightly, colored threads showcasing their individualities and family origins. Together they create one unit attached to each other.

Adoptive mothers are experts at finding lost objects, but understand and validate the profound, deep loss left by adoption. She allows the tears to fall and grief to be felt, allowing the mourning of the mom not there. She is secure in knowing that she's not a replacement, but a finisher of a race for someone who, for whatever reason, could not run any longer.

This role is not for the weak of spirit, or the easily wounded. Loving a child not born to her but calling him her own, but this is what she does, it is her calling. She is a mother.

Quick Facts

Uzbekistan, in the ancient cradle between the Amu-Darya and Syr-Darya rivers, is the most historically fascinating of the Central Asian republics. Within it are some of the oldest towns in the world, some of the Silk Road's main centres and most of the region's architectural splendours. When To Go The best time to visit is in spring from May until the end of June, and in autumn from September until November. The weather is mild and in April the desert blooms briefly. In autumn it's harvest time, and the markets are full of fresh fruit. If you're interested in trekking the mountains, summer (July and August) is a better time to visit; at all other times the weather is unpredictable and there can be snow in the passes from Christmas to February. You may wish to remain in the mountains to stay cool, as the rest of the country will be sizzling at this time. But remember, whilst the mountains are pleasantly cool in summer, they are freezing in winter.