Happy Father's Day!

To my dad (of course!), Wayne, Wayne's dad, my grandpa, Wayne's grandpa, all of my brothers, and my brothers-in-law.  And all of the other dads in my life.  I appreciate seeing you lead your families with love.

Here are a few fun pictures of Wayne, being a dad.  This is his first day on the job: 

And he was totally ready for Round 2 when Benjamin arrived.

My boys have a lot of fun together.  Although they are a little too big to climb on Wayne like this now. . .

And here's a more recent picture of us playing together.

We did most of our celebrating yesterday for Father's Day.  Benjamin and Daniel planned the activities.  They decided to take Wayne to see "Toy Story 3" and to eat at In-N-Out Burgers.  It was fun.  Thanks for being such a fabulous dad, Wayne.  We love you!

One year of being "paper pregnant"

We have been "Paper Pregnant" for a little more than one year.  I know some people hate that term, but there really isn't a better one.  So, I use it, not to "pretend" that I'm pregnant or to diminish the experience of being physically pregnant.  What does it mean?  Well, it refers to all the paperwork that has to be done before a couple can be approved for adoption because after that, a couple could be chosen by birth parents at any time.

Having been both physically pregnant and now waiting to adopt, I can tell you that there are a lot of things they have in common.  Because you are probably somewhat familiar with the physical pregnancy part, I'll mostly elaborate on my current experiences.  Here's my top ten list of things that occur during physical pregnancy and paper pregnancy:

10.  You have invasive inspections of personal spaces.  Yes, this includes case workers having to inspect every last inch of your house for who knows what and documenting anything that could potentially be a hazard to a child.  Also, infertility treatments are often being pursued simultaneously with adoption (though not in our case), and trust me, those are even more invasive than prenatal exams.

9.  Complete strangers ask personal questions and offer unsolicited advice.  I've had people who didn't so much as know my first name ask me how I feel about adopting babies of an ethnicity different from my own.  While I'm generally comfortable discussing such things with people I know and like, I don't enjoy discussing personal decisions with complete strangers.

8.  Nesting instincts.  It's really hard not to buy every cute baby thing I walk by at the store.  Especially if it's purple and/or pink and/or has butterflies on it. 

7.  Sleepless nights.  Wondering and worrying and hoping everything will work out the way it is supposed to.

6.  Attending classes.  Not Lamaze, but adoption classes covering a huge variety of topics including everything from appropriate gifts for birth moms to infant cpr.

5. Concern for the health of the baby.  This one raises all sorts of ethical questions among people who adopt because you actually have to declare on paper which health problems you could or could not handle.  While everyone wants a healthy child, there is also the reality that most children have some health challenges, whether it's allergies or vision problems or something more difficult. 

4.  Concern for the health of the mother.  I spend a lot of time praying for birth mothers.  I pray for the ones we know, and the one(s) who will someday choose us.  I also hope that they take their prenatal vitamins and avoid destructive substances like drugs and alcohol.

3.  Emotional ups and downs.  When a woman is pregnant, it's blamed on hormones.  But that doesn't adequately explain the mood swings of the soon-to-be dad.  All I really know is that facing that much of a life change causes stress for everyone, even though it's also very exciting. 

2.  Nobody knows exactly when it will end.  Pregnant women might worry about their water breaking in public or getting to the hospital in time.  Adoptive moms (and dads) worry about that they will get that all-important phone call at some entirely inconvenient time in their life but knowing that they will move heaven and earth to be ready and available when it does come. 

1.  Both make me crave ice cream.  Or maybe I just always like ice cream.

School is out!

We had a fun school year!  Daniel really enjoyed his second grade class.  He loved his teachers, and he had some great friends in his class.

Benjamin liked being with the big kids at the elementary school, but he was sadly disappointed to find that kindergarteners don't get to stay for lunch.  But he will next year.

Here are the highlights from Benjamin's last few weeks of school:

Zoo Program:

 
Zoo Field Trip:
Yes, it was cold enough to need a coat.

In fact, it was so wet that they closed the train.  At least they gave the kids tickets to the merry go round instead.

And let's not forget kindergarten graduation.  Here he is with his adorable cousin Maddie:

Soccer

Where did spring go?  School will be out in just a few days.  As Daniel would say, "The kids have the single-digit fidgets."  Oh, wait.  I know where spring went.  We spent most of it playing/watching soccer.  We had games each night, from Tuesday to Friday, for several weeks. 

Benjamin is trying to smile, but this was the kind of face we saw at most of the games.  Trying to enjoy being outside when it was terrible weather.  We had games in rain, snow, and hail.  Oh, and don't forget the wind.  Benjamin was the goalie during one game when the goal blew over on him!  He was trapped under the net until Wayne put the goal back up.  Wayne held the goal in place for the rest of the game.  Thankfully, Benjamin wasn't hurt (the frames are metal), but he was a little scared whenever it was his turn to be goalie for the rest of the season.

Daniel enjoyed his soccer season.  He had a really fun team.  This picture is with his beautiful Aunt Wendy.  She was so sweet to come and cheer him on at his game.

Missing body parts

Benjamin wants everyone to know that he lost his first tooth on May 1st.

The tooth fairy left him a gold dollar under his pillow.  

Benjamin says that the tooth fairy takes all of the teeth and grinds them up to make wings for fairies.

And this next part is for anyone who hasn't seen me in the past  couple of weeks (and didn't notice the difference in the Disneyland pictures).  I'm now missing 11 inches of hair.  But considering how fast my hair grows, I'm not too worried about it.  I donated my ponytail to Locks of Love again.