December 2009

I changed the picture of my two boys today. The previous one was taken when Scotty was so small! He's 2 and a half now and full of vim & vigor. Heath is 7 and a half and full of all things boy. We're heading into the Christmas season.

Memorial Day

We just wrapped up our 3-day Memorial Day weekend. Living in Maine, summer is a very short period of time. You gauge it by the time between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend. It passes in a blink of an eye.

I was with friends last night. We were remarking how pretty much every weekend is booked with something from now until September. We pack so much in while the weather is warm and the sun is shining. Next thing you know, out pops the fleece and the yellow school bus is pulling up out front for another school year.

I celebrated this Memorial Day with a horrible cold. Hopefully its the only one I'll have until labor Day.

Mother's Day

I spent a lovely day being the center of attention yesterday. I just let it roll, without a plan. My wonderful husband brought me coffee in bed (but he usually does that on the weekends). I also got to read the entire Sunday newspaper in peace & quiet, without interruption (that NEVER happens on the weekends).

I also thought of my mother. Mother's Day fell on what was her birthday. She would have been 80 years old. She passed away 11 years ago. I wonder how she would have been as a 80 year old woman. Would she still be the same active person she was at 68? Would she have liked being 80? She wasn't thrilled about getting older, but she was accepting it when she was diagnosed with lung cancer. She was starting a new chapter in her life and she was excited to live it. The cancer was not part of the plan and it struck with a fierce vengeance. It took her quickly, swiftly. It left us (her children) devastated, sad, deflated and lost. I'm sad she never got to be at my wedding, never got to be Grammie to my children and never got to live in her dream house. I miss her everyday.

The good thing about this time of year is that it's Spring. It has sprung and the warm weather is fast approaching. I planted window boxes yesterday. The burst of color on my back deck is a sight for sore eyes. I love the longer days. I love playing outside until dusk. I love walking to work.

March is almost over

I don't know about you, but March is a particularly hard month for me. I've lived in Maine for most of my life. When March rolls around, I've had enough of cold & snow. All you get in March is cold & snow. I want warm, sunny days. I want to be able to walk out the door without bundling kids into snowsuits and hats and mittens. This year, March came in like a Lion and was here to stay. I peek out my window each day in hopes that the Lamb is here, but she just didn't show her sweet, furry face this month.

Heath was home from school today with a cold and cough. Scotty is showing signs of some sort of sickness. I moved about the day wiping noses, dispensing cough medicine, making lunch, giving naps, continually picking up the house and being Mom. I'm looking at another day much like today, but tomorrow.

The good thing about March is that I finally reached out for some support in the Williams Syndrome community. I joined the New England Division of the Williams Syndrome Association organization. I'm taking baby steps, but hopefully will get there for my little Scott.

OMG!

I just checked my blog for the first time in aaaaggggeeessss and was shocked to see that the last time I posted was ONE YEAR AGO yesterday! I am truly a slacker in the blog thing and that proves it once and for all.

I am happy to say that Scotty was officially adopted on September 9, 2008. It was a blissfully happy day and one that I remember with joy and peacefulness.

This is more of a drive-by post, as my eldest will be delivered to the bus stop in bout 5 minutes. I promise to be better about posting.

Procrastination

My husband and I are the king & queen of procrastination.  One of us secretly hopes the other with do the task.  The hope can go on for days and in this case months.  Scott was born in May of 2007.  We are coming up on his first birthday, which is very hard to fathom.  We have had the paperwork to finalize his adoption since November 2007.  We still have not moved any further to completing this process since then.  Well, I take that back.  We did meet with the adoption agency we used for Scott's adoption.  She walked us through all the legal schmeegle paperwork.  That was a week ago.  I just sat down to work on it and the same feeling of being completely overwhelmed came over me.  I quietly put the paperwork back into it's protective plastic sleeve and opened the computer to write this blog.

Why do I come to a screeching halt when I start to work on it?  My first though is all the legal-ease I have to wade through.  I am totally intimidated.  It's definitely not wanting to finalize.  I want my name on the birth certificate.  I want to bring him to the courthouse in a spanky new outfit and have the judge bang the gavel that his is officially ours.  I want to celebrate with family and friends when it's done.

I told Rob that my goal was to have it all complete by Scott's first birthday.  I guess we need to have an adoption paperwork "date night" this weekend.  Maybe if I sip a glass of wine while we do it, it will soften the process.

baby steps

Okay, here I am.  For the past few months, I have been fascinated with blogs.  I love reading them. Getting that snapshot into the life of someone I have never met.  I have felt the draw to make one of my one.  Tell my own story.  

My little Scott is the reason for this story.  Last year at this time, we knew he would be ours.  He was deep inside his birth mom's belly.  She had chosen us.  She felt connected to us.  He felt so far away.  Now he is with us and where he belongs.  Adopting is scary.  You put so much trust on the line.  Little did we know that we were in for a bigger ride than we expected.  Williams Syndrome is very rare.  1 in every 7500 births rare.  It's not inherited from either parent (unless that parent has Williams).  It just happens when nature feels the need to turn.  That little piece of the 7th chromosome just doesn't happen.  40 genes out of 30,000 lost.  We have been told that Scott is mild.  We are fortunate that he doesn't have debilitating heart issues.   He is a happy, healthy baby.  Very easy and very pleasant.

So here is the beginning of our story.  There is more to it and I will post as we go.