11 Days to Kindergarten... And A Look Back

Dear Sammy,

Thank you for the most fun summer of my life. Spending these weeks with you reminded me of everything wonderful about being a child...the endless sense of adventure and amazement in the world around us. You remind me to slow down and enjoy what is right outside our front door, you have me running around to places I haven't enjoyed since I was a kid myself, and you show me how to look at things with wonder.

You have shown me that when you are plum tired, you need to take a nap, when you are unhappy in a restaurant (or Mr. Bagel), you can scream bloody murder to get out, and when you get a boo-boo, Mommy should always hang up the phone to kiss it... or accept the consequence when you take matters into your own hands.

You have been a super-hero (just ask Ella), an athlete, a performer, and fire fighter, a skater/surfer dude, and Luigi the Italian chef! You make our life a musical, a spy thriller, and a comedy... all in one day! Kid, you know how to have fun! Your contagious belly laugh is reason alone to wake up each day.

You have grown up so much, so quickly, and I marvel at that phenomenon every Mommy knows well... my baby (my BABY!) is really going to school. Oh, and you are so ready. Your excitement makes it almost impossible for me to be sad... almost.

It needs to be said, buddy, that I have never... ever... in my whole life pal, spent as much time with one person as you and I have these summer months. I have loved this time with you, and as the days countdown quickly to the next big adventure, I thought it would be fun to take a look back at some of our more memorable moments. This journal of timelines and updates, moments and milestones... well, it is as much about you as Luciana... the baby sister you already show such affection for. You are the reason Daddy and I love being parents.

Here are some special times from the "Summer of Sam".
Thank you for loving us.
*(Note to grandparents... grab tissues.)

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

A Shoebox Full of Love

I was recently asked (sbp) about packages... recently we were able to send a small package to Luciana by sending it with a Mom who was going to "G" to visit her child. So grateful. I included a letter to the Foster Family that my cousin translated into Spanish. (Thanks Alanna!) It's amazing to be able to send a package. It helped us feel like we were doing something when, most of the time, we are really doing nothing. Also, I was asked if we are planning to go to Guatemala to visit Luciana. (click to read more about this decision) We sure are! I hope that we can plan that trip in (or before!) November.

I am always hopeful that we will get to send another package, or that maybe our trip will come sooner than we anticipate. We look forward to connecting with Luciana and her Foster family in any way possible. Here are the pics of the things we sent CRAMMED into a shoebox: onsies, a few outfits, a disposable camera, creams for FM , and a blank journal with a letter... asking them to tell us about Luciana's days, about themselves, about any and everything that she does... because we are so in love and would love to look back at the time they spent with her to know her better and to know the family who cared for her first.

To Lucy with Love... love, love love!

Much love.

Sam summer slidewhow.

This Just In

We have embassy approval to move forward with DNA testing.

Sometimes...

Sometimes I just want to say that adoption is hard.
Most of the time, what I do say, and believe, is that it has been one of the greatest blessings in our lives.

Sometimes I want to curl up and cry over missing a baby I have not even met yet.
Other times, I just can't help but jump for joy that we have a daughter, that my son has a sister... at last.

Sometimes I can not comprehend the enormity of our lives through the decision to adopt a child from a country in the midst of such turmoil and poverty... a country whose government seems to fight us every step of the way. But, all of the time, I am sure that we had to.

Sometimes I can not imagine how we will take a baby from the loving arms of her Foster Mother, who has already taken them from the broken heart of a Birth Mother. I think about them all the time. Other times, I thank God that we are each a mother who has love for this child and each share in giving her life.

Agency Update

This is a cut and paste/word for word update from my agency. Bloggers and Guatamommas will not need translation. Loving family and friends, translation to follow in future post.

"We are going to file for DNA this week. We are preparing everything for Family Court as well. Family Court will be in 1-2 weeks. The US Embassy is taking almost 2 months to issue the Letter of Consent that we need for PGN so we will be done in Family Court before the US Embassy issues the Consent."

PS- This update is brought to you by request of my lovely and caring "secret blog pal" who reminds me, like my amazing family and friends, that there are folks out there as (almost) eagerly awaiting any news of our sweet Guatabundle.

PPS- Dear Secret Blog Pal, You are the coolest pal ever to think of our son on his birthday!! He so deserves to be recognized in this process. :) He was so thrilled to receive a gift to Build-A-Bear and can NOT wait to go... I am holding off for a rainy day and promise to post a picture of his new "friend". He actually (no LIE) made up a song about "secret blog pal" which I wonder if many other 5 year olds could EVER relate to! Thank you... so much.

Much love.

Pictures!

I am so behind that I don't even know where to begin! I have so much to catch up on, and it sort of has me paralyzed! But, that is just no reason to keep the world waiting on new pics of Baby Girl! We received photos from her 4 week doctor's appointment... they arrived ON Sam's 5th birthday, so that was a nice gift to him! This can be a bit confusing, but here is the deal: she is 4 weeks old in the pictures, but she is almost 8 weeks old now. The medical updates, we are told, tend to come about 3 weeks after the fact. She is at the doctor's office in these pics.

On the day the pictures came, we were all home together for lunch. Keith had come home for his lunch break so we could have Big Boy's lunch together and to let him open his presents. Just before we were about to tear into the good stuff, I (obsessive, obsessive) checked email... and *POP*, there was the update!! We all landed on the couch together, faces squashed together in anticipation as I opened the attachment. Keith and I were speechless as Sam announced, "Mommy, we can see her eyes!!" Love, love, love.

S has been as obsessed with seeing Miss Luciana's eyes as I have been, but for different reasons. S and I both have hazel green eyes... really, it is a bit like having my own personal Mini-Me. S has often felt sort of sad for his Daddy who has (gorgeous) brown eyes... how depressing for him, right? Anyway, several weeks ago he told me that he really hoped Miss Lucy would have brown eyes like Daddy. I told him how sweet and thoughtful that was, and assured him that she would. He was totally frustrated with me, demanding that that was just something I could not possibly know and we would just have to wait for pictures to be sure! Well. Hmph!

So, imagine his relief when we opened the pictures. There they were, those BIG, loving, pools of delicious chocolate brown eyes. We were all reduced to puddles and smiles to see her staring back at us.

Enjoy.

Hello World.

Blowing kisses.

Medical update: -El día 18 de JULIO de 2007, se atendió a la niña [Luciana], 1 mes de edad, posee un peso de 06 libras y 12 onzas, una talla de 47.5 centímetros y un perímetro cefálico de 34.0 centímetros. Examen físico normal, examen neurológico normal, examen de abdomen normal.

On 18 July 2007, I examined [Luciana], 1 month of age and she weighed 6 lbs, 12 oz, was 47.5 cms in length and her head circum was 34 cms. Physical examination, normal; neurological, normal, abdomen, normal.

She had gained almost 1lb 4oz. since birth and 2.5 cm in length. Her head circumference has grown 2.5 cm. We can safely say, she is itty bitty.,. and oh, so pretty.

Hoping to get back to your regularly scheduled blogging soon.

Much love.

Why Peaches 'N' Cinnamon?

Take a stroll back to when our journey began:

http://peachesncinnamon.blogspot.com/2007_02_01_archive.html

I recently re-read these posts and loved the memories. Since that time, I have come to know many other families through the world of blog, and thought I should share "Telling Sam" and other stories from the beginning of our journey. Enjoy.

Much love.

I Am Back

I am back. A computer melt down left me w/o the ability (or will) to keep you all up to date. I have a lot to catch up on... including updated PICTURES!! Unfortunately, that will have to wait until sometime later as I have far too many emails to reply to, and because I am simply too tired after 4 days of endless birthday celebrations as the Big Boy turned 5 last Wednesday! More on that, too. For now, to give you an idea of my mindset at the time, here is a copy of the email I sent to friends using K's computer on learning my own laptop was near death...

"this email is a bit of a conjugal visit.... a "quickie" as my own sadly terminal laptop sits in the ER in [town nearby], sadly alone and longing for my obsessive email and blog searches... i know she is scared... i am the very sad mama of a laptop in need of emergency surgery and can only say that the silver lining is that i discovered her virus before it was too late... she was within hours or days of losing her hard drive completely... and as a photog who is famously lazy at backing up, i can only tell you the panic that ensued was palpable... sooooo.... i am w/o yahoo communication excepting the mini respits brought on by K bringing his LT home... so, if you love me and need to shout out, must call.

hmmmm... should i use this bit of crazy banter on the blog?? sure can see the obvious parallels to the need to obsessively check email for the lack of updates to the fact that old faithful crashed... did i just push her too far????"

Feeling much better now and promise more of the good stuff soon! Yes, pics are coming!!!!