Nicolas' Room

We're putting the finishing touches on Nicolas' room. We are really happy with how it all came together. It's a peaceful, happy place...we'll let the pictures speak for themselves...

Eric drew the trees on the wall and I painted them.

There are also cute little bugs hanging out on the walls too...bees and ladybugs and dragonflies.

He also drew and painted the owl :)

The red moose on the wall is from IKEA...you can hang things from the antlers and the legs.

We have curtains...they're missing here though.

The alphabet cards were the first purchase we made for our Little One!

This whole wall is one big closet.
I wish I could do something about the mirrors (I really dislike them...but for now they're here to stay)

"Lapu-Lapu"
The newest addition to our little Moose family...handmade with love by Gram-Gram.

Lapu-Lapu is a smaller version of the original Moose (Ferdinand) we used for our announcement book.

17 Months

Gram-Gram (Tammy's Mom) is moving in today! We've been planning this day for a while now and it’s a little surreal that the day is actually here.
On the home front, this month was a continuation of last month - paint, paint and more paint! We are getting close to being done with the paint... but now we have a kitchen to install in Gram-Gram's suite.
Rachelle was home for a month and a bit and just this week left for a two month mission with MSF in Haiti. We got word yesterday that she arrived safely... is living in a tent... and is very very busy.
On the adoption front, there was a proposal this week in Quebec... it was the first since January, we're hopeful that more proposals will be on their way soon, however with the Easter Holiday coming up it may be mid-April before there’s another proposal... but you never know! As far as the wait goes, we have been so busy that the weeks and months are just flying by - which helps a lot! We are anxious to get The Call, and when the cell phone rings we often think... this could be it; however, we are conscious that there are some families from Quebec who have been waiting for more than 25 months at this point... so I guess you could say that we're cautiously optimistic.

14 Months

Merry Christmas...and Happy 14 months to us!

This past month was an exciting and busy one for both of us, which was great because the month passed pretty quickly! Eric had to travel for work; first to Belfast, Ireland and then (only 36 hours after getting home) he travelled to Wichita, Kansas. I was very thankful that we were able to "chat" a little every day. On Christmas Eve, we hosted a small party for some of our family and friends. On Christmas day we went to my brother's in the morning and then we came home and had a small Christmas dinner with my mom, and Eric's parents and his brother. It was a small quiet family celebration.

House Update:
We sold our house! And we'll be moving in a little more than a month! This next month will probably also fly by...seeing as we'll be packing and planning our move and once we get the new place we'll be painting and settling in. We're really happy about the move. While we love our current home, it is a little small. The new place will have more living space and Gram-Gram will be living just downstairs! We're nostalgic about leaving this house...it is afterall the house where we planned on starting our family. We have already painted the Little One's room...we're a little sad to know that our Little One won't see it.

Christmas is just around the corner

Our Christmas preparations are in full swing; the tree is up (an extra special thank you to Gram-Gram...Thanks Mom!), there are lights in the window and the shopping is almost done. All that's left to do now is the rest of the baking...oh and the wrapping!

I love Christmas...spending time with family and friends...relaxing and celebrating!

Over the years, the Christmas season has at times been both joyful and depressing, fun-filled and stressful. There were some Christmases where we felt like we spent the day in the car for all of the visits we did; there were others where I was so sad I felt as though I wouldn't be able to make it through the day; and then there were others that were joy-filled and magical.

This year is special it may be our last as a couple...we have waited for so long to be parents...now I wonder if I will miss the relative calmness of our Christmases...and wonder how we will adjust to the relative craziness that is Christmas with children...whatever happens...we're looking forward to it!

Seven Months

We've been waiting for seven months! Time seems to be flying by! Well, at least it is for us right now anyway.

As far as our adoption process, not much has happened this past month. We have not done any more work on the Little One's room. I did sleep in there one night though...and it is a really pleasant room to wake up in! We haven't done much reading, just some articles and blogs on the internet.

We were pretty busy getting ready and participating in our friend's wedding. Jen is a great girl - honestly one of the nicest people you'll ever meet and Marty is a great guy too! The wedding was beautiful even though it poured rain all day! Imagine the puddles! Jen had a great attitude and kept saying...it doesn't matter if it rains...I'm getting married today...and it's "shower's of blessing"...the wedding was fun...how could it not be with six kids...that's right, I said six kids (under 8) in the bridal party! I wish them both a happy marriage (with lots of little ones!).

My sister-in-law (Eric's sister, Rachelle) came home! She is a nurse and took a one year sabbatical from work to join Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontiers - MSF). She went to Africa where she worked on three different projects, one in Ethiopia, Central African Republic and Burundi. We are so proud of her and the work that she has done. She is an amazing person with a huge heart! The projects that she was working on were all nutrition oriented, the people didn't have enough food and MSF was there to make sure that the children were not dying of starvation. It is really difficult to hear her talk about the malnurished children.When she showed us her photos, I was reminded again that we have enough, even too much...and we sometimes take our food, clean water, home and health for granted. I'm glad that she is home safe and sound...because the areas that she was working in were not the safest.

My mom decided to get her driver's licence...she took the test to get her learner's permit and passed with 99%! Way to go mom! I am so proud of you...soon you'll be driving all over town and you'll wonder what took you so long!


So that is our little update for this month...looking forward to holding our Little One in our arms soon!

Happy Mother's Day

I had a wonderful surprise today when my mom gave me flowers to celebrate that I am "expecting"... I cried, of course. Thanks Mom...

Today I have been thinking a lot of our Little One's mother. I know that she has had (or will have) to make difficult decisions, decisions that will affect her life and mine for the rest of our days. I will always be grateful for, what I can only imagine is, a huge sacrifice made for our child...

I am truly blessed to have a great mom... and I hope to be as good a mom to our children.

Gram-Gram's Moose

My mom used to make us crocheted stuffed animals when we were kids...I still have this one...

When thinking that we were going to have a child, one thing was sure, I wanted my mom to crochet a stuffed animal for them. So, we decided on a theme...moose...for a boy or a girl...it will be moose...so I commissioned my mom. I asked if she could make me a stuffed moose for our baby. We looked everywhere for a pattern, but we could not find one, but that didn't matter to my mom, she created one!

She used a teddy bear pattern, a pattern we purchased from here on Etsy, and her own creation. I absolutely love him! I think he turned out great! He's sitting in the highchair waiting for our little one. Thanks Gram-Gram! He will be well loved!