Teething baby

Thomas is teething and is a little cranky. He's still playing and mostly happy, but he fusses more and is a lot more clingy. Poor guy is having some allergy problems due to the So. Cal weather. Stuffy nose and little cough.
Last night we don't know if it's cause he's not feeling 100% or if he was having some nightmares, but he was not sleeping well. I fell asleep with him on my chest on the couch. He was so squirmy but his eyes were closed and he kept crying. I felt so bad and wanted to do something to make him more comfortable. Poor guy, he's been through so much!!
He is so cute and very playful after his dinner time. He likes to dance to his favorite song "Shortenin' Bread". He also likes to play with a wet washcloth throwing it in the air and laughing. So cute.
This Thanksgiving we do have so much to be thankful for. We pray that Thomas will be our baby forever and that we will get to raise him up knowing the Lord.

Agh, we are so blessed to have him in our home right now!!

Sleep Agony

Last night was so cute. After Jim got home from work, he played with Thomas (who enjoyed macaroni & cheese for dinner), then we filled up the baby bathtub and Jim gave him a bath. Playing and splashing in the water with his toys he was laughing cause Daddy was getting really wet, too. After his bath Daddy put his jammies on and gave him some lovin', Thomas was playful. We recorded him on video camera cause he was dancing and spinning around and giggling and being a goofy boy. He was yawning and rubbing his eyes, and it was well after his normal bedtime. So I had to do something last night that made me feel sad. The hardest part of mommy-hood that I am dealing with is putting Thomas down for a nap and hearing him cry. Lately he's been trying to stay up past bedtime and naptime but he is clearly sleepy. Rubbing his eyes, yawning big yawns and stumbling while he's walking around. So after getting him to sleep in my arms, I went in to his room to lay him down. After laying my sleeping baby down, he began to cry. Oh the pain of walking away while my baby is crying. Jim assured me that he's sleepy and he'll be out in a few minutes. We ate our dinner and 10 minutes after laying him down Jim said "Do you hear that?" Silence filled his bedroom. Thomas had fallen asleep and was snoring baby snores. We gave him about 45 minutes then went in to recover him. His favorite thing is to fall asleep with relaxing mood music on softly. Once he's asleep I go in and turn it off. I am feeling truly blessed to have my 2 boys. A husband to love and my baby who hugs me. God is good!!

Big Day

Yesterday Thomas had such a busy day. He played with Daddy in the morning, then went to church early with me to worship practice. He liked it but was a little squirmy and so I was thankful to see Jim show up early to help with him. Jim has been such a wonderful Daddy. Very helpful and hasn't complained about not much TV, Playstation or sleep time.
Thomas has gotten a little schedule down, which works for me. He is usually up with a smile ready to start the day around 6:30. I find it easiest for myself to get up around 5:45 to get Jim's lunch made and to get some things around the house straightened up for the day. He seems to like a 20-30 minute nap around 9:30. His best nap time is around 1:00, which can last 1-2 hours. He has made a definite bedtime at 8:00. I really feel blessed to have a child who has a schedule somewhat in place already.
Yesterday at church, he ran around outside being followed closely by Daddy. Jim said he had a blast walking around by the tables and playground. I think Jim is more excited about the playground, so he can "show" Thomas how to play. He has waited so long to be a Daddy!!
We came home for playtime, lunch and nap. Then we headed down the hill to get some things, and it included our first diaper & wipes buying trip. Thomas was so good, and told us with a certain cry when he needed his diaper changed. That baby can fill some diapers with pee a lot!!! He played with his Curious George monkey & ate some cheerios while we pushed him in the stroller and did some shopping. He enjoyed some pieces of chicken nugget for dinner and some milk. Around 7:45 he started to get a little more fussy. So we went to check-out and head home. When we got to the truck, Jim loaded him in his carseat at which he kind of sunk into with droopy eyes. About 10 minutes later he was out like a light. When we got home, Jim carried him in to the house. He was so cute with his beautiful eyes closed and just sleeping away. So I took him in the nursery to change his diaper (more pee) and put on his jammies. We bought a few sleepers with none other than dalmations, fire trucks and Little Hero written on them. I laid him down and he fussed a little. I untaped the diaper and realized the wipes were on the changing table behind me. I got up grab them and turned around into a stream of pee squirting up. So yes all of you who warned us about that moment, it happened last night :)
He wouldn't let go of me after I got his diaper on. I was trying to put his jammies on. After I got his jammies on, he was so cozy in my arms. That soon he was snoring and sleeping sound again. I told Jim it was a moment like that that my heart has yearned for so long. It felt so good!!
Baby was asleep by 8:15 and that gave me some time to work on some laundry and dishes before our bedtime at 9:30. Jim and I were so tired and it felt good to climb into our warm bed (heating blanket) and rest our heads. This is starting to feel very real now!!
Well Thomas is awake now and Jim is changing his diaper. So I guess it's time for me to start my day, too.
Grandma is coming over to play today and go for a walk with us. Jim is heading to work today, so Thomas will be happy to see him tonight when Jim gets home, I am sure.

His first day.....

Today was such a busy day for our baby. He had a few visitors and spent some time being loved by his Grandma & Grandpa Serabia. He is very very busy and likes to "explore" everything. We are learning what isn't baby-proofed or picked up really quick. He for the most part is a very happy baby. We are learning that he likes to scream here and there, in the middle of playtime or mealtime. He also has a little tantrum, but we are handling it with love and patience. He had his first bath this morning, by Daddy. Likes to splash and move around. We hold him tightly and just close our eyes when he hits us with water. So precious!! He loves to fall asleep in my arms, close to my chest. Closes his little dark eyes and we see his beautiful eyelashes. His little nose, his little lips, his fingers..............agh so special. He seems to like taking 2 naps and shows us clearly when he's sleepy. He rubs his eyes and starts wobbling on his feet. When Jim holds him, he rubs his ears and does a nose dive into Jim's chest to rest his head. He took a very long nap this afternoon and my mom told me to wake him up so he'll sleep tonight. We went to dinner at my mom & dad's and they have waited so many years now to spoil a baby with love. Thomas loves them, too!! My dad makes this noise at him, and now when he looks at my dad, he makes the same noise to him. It is so cute!! We have waited for this moment for so long. We just never pictured it happening like this. God does work in mysterious ways! And he does bless us in ways we never dreamed of. We love Thomas and appreciate all of your prayers.

He's Here.....

Yesterday afternoon we recieved a phone call from our Social Worker at 2:30. She had a baby boy (11 months) who needed to be placed immediately. This kind of situation is called concurrent and isn't your normal adoption situation. However, after talking together and writing things down and talking some more, we decided to open our hearts and our home up to love this little boy. His name is Thomas and he is a very cute, happy and healthy little baby. He has his 1st Birthday coming up on Decemberd 8th. So as you can imagine our hearts are filled with so much joy and love for this little guy, for this child we've waited for. He had a diaper bag full of clothes, bottles, etc. And 1 suitcase with some clothes, mostly shorts. I found a longsleeve onsie and some sweatpants and socks. He was very cuddly after we got him changed. He appears to be adjusting well, laughing at the "ogs" (our dogs) and playing with a basket of toys. He loves to play "oo" (boo) and he smiles huge smiles. Yesterday had to be very confusing to him due to the situation (we will keep private), he got his shots, the H1N1 shot and placed in the arms of these people who took him away from his surroundings he'd been at for 24 hours......US!! We picked him up around 5:30 down in San Diego at the Polinsky center. What a day!!
Last night, neither one of us wanted to put him down to sleep. We wanted to hold him, feel him breathe on our chests, watch him and just bask in the moment.
Who knows what could happen with this situation, but as you know we have put this in God's control completely. Definetly like how we pictured it would happen. We had thrown our hands up and started to feel hopeless with the adoption situation . We feel that this child, this situation and this very moment that God wanted us to be available to love and open our arms to this little boy and be his mommy & daddy.
So many questions we have about how to care for a baby......a 11 month old baby. How often do they eat, should he sleep on his back, will we hear him when he wakes up? Oh my goodness........ So we both finally made it to bed after 11:30. Our bodies were tired, but our minds were spinning a mile a minute. I know that I slept good, but lightly. I kept listening for him. So at 5:40 this morning, I heard a cough, so I jumped up out of bed. Careful not to wake Jim, and rushed into his room (with only a night light on). Our little angel is sleeping peacefully and probably just sneezed or coughed like a big person does. So I am awake and ready to face the day with our son and all the adventures we are going to experience with him.

Please pray that we can be good parents. That we will make the right decisions in raising him up. Pray that God will protect him and place him forever in the right home with the right mommy & daddy........................WITH US!!!

Our baby girl

So we decided to add a baby to our family, with brown eyes and 4 legs. She was born on July 25th and she weighs approx. 43 pounds right now. Her name is Ember and she is a Bull-Mastiff puppy. She is adjusting to our family quite well. We got her in early October and are loving every moment with her even when she's found chewing on something she shouldn't.

In so many ways having a puppy is like having a baby. She needs someone to let her out to go pee. She can't eat on her own. She likes to play with us and her toys. She loves her big brother (Bear) and her big sister (Liberty). She sleeps through the night but up early to go out and do her morning business. She naps with us on the bed or on our lap. She is growing every day. The older she'll get the more fun she'll be.

She fills that emptiness in our hearts that longs for a human baby.

So we are still waiting on "the list" in hopes of finding our baby. But, we have started to lose that excited feeling, too. I know that sounds weird, but it is how we feel. With so many "calls" and possibilities, our emotions go up and down. What a journey!! I hope that someday I will be able to share exciting news with you, though.

How do you know when God is answering a prayer? How do you know that you are doing what God wants you to do? I know we will feel peace in our hearts, but it feels like we've felt that many times, to find something doesn't happen. We agreed years ago that no matter what happens (as far as the wanting a family situtaion) that our marriage is more important. If God's plan for us doesn't involve a baby, then we would enjoy each other, and cherish the good thing we have. Jim & I have a lot of fun traveling, playing with our dogs (we have a new puppy), playing PS3 and hanging out with friends. We laugh a lot at silly things and we enjoying being goofy. It's nice to sometimes stay up late watching a movie, or sleep in on a Saturday. I know we do things that would change if a baby came into our lives, though. The point is, that if God is saying No, we have to appreciate what He said Yes to.......US!!
How long can the nursery stay furnished, yet empty? How long do we not use the 2nd bedroom in our home? When do we close that chapter to move on in life? What will it feel like to move on?
So many things go through my mind.
When we couldn't get pregnant on our own, was that God's way of saying "No"?
When we had a miscarriage was that God's way of saying "Not this child"?
When we started the adoption process and felt excitement and anticipation, was that God's way of saying "Yes this is it"?
When the one baby that we felt God had led us to and that all the events pointed to praising God for answering a prayer -- failed. Was that God's way of saying "Not my plan for you"?

I never dreamed I'd be at this cross-road in life. I never dreamed I'd feel empty for a baby yet full of love for my husband. I never knew what it'd feel like to watch my friends and family members have babies and become mommies. If I were to write my book, I would have never started this chapter.

BUT, we have a God who is greater that all our desires and plans. He sees the big picture and He knows where He wants us to be. He started that chapter in my life. He also started the greatest chapter of my life so far.............. marrying my best friend and loving our life together!!

So as we continue to wait, but look for any answers, we continue to ask for your prayers.

I hope this blog hasn't left you feeling like I'm crazy. Or that I'm not making sense. I haven't given up on this blog..........just not sure what to post anymore with no new news.