We Went to France

Our team:  Alec, Jon, Dan, Lindsy, Evan

I had forgotten how much of my heart still belongs to France. Every year leading up to our February camp I start to get very excited and eager to get over there. This year, however, we had the addition of #babybread to our family and a few other things that just made Lindsy and I not AS excited to get over there.  But when we got to France I was reminded of how utterly beautiful it is over there and it made it a little easier.  These are a few of my favorite shots that I took with my phone and on our Sony Bloggie (sorry about the quality, they just don't make a 12 megapixel camera phone yet).

Also, another thing I should add is that I feel this might have been one of my favorite camps that we've done. Although it was the first time I actually missed being home, the camp was awesome, the food was amazing, the snowboarding was great, and the sightseeing was perfect!

-Dan

Kudos, Kiddo Edition

It's time for another edition of Kudos!  In which I give props to fellow bloggers photos from the past week (ish).  I am also attempting to stall on photos from France because Dan is still in France with the camera.

In honor of our new kiddo, Baby Bread, this edition of Kudos will feature Kiddos!

This is Harper of Harper's Happenings.  Don't get jealous but we've met Harper.  She is a HOOT!  I loved Mandy's post about Scot's day off and their yummy family breakfast together.  Dan and I cherish the days, especially mornings, that we get to hang out together.  And, I love breakfast food and I love Mandy so this post was favesies.  I love this photo of shirtless Harper ready to stab into that pile of toast.  Okay, now I'm hungry.  

So, Melissa over at hi, baby chalked her daughter's hair.  Lucky girl!  It looks fabulous and I love everything about this photo.  The turquoise earrings, purple hair bow, pretty blonde locks.  So cute!

Mandey's twin baby boys are so cute I want to puke.  A bow tie and an afro!?  AH!!!  I love the tint in this photo and the little dude's expression.  Check her out at Mama and the Dudes.

Carlotta from Pastor's Girl's Ponderings dedicated a post to her sister, Lilly, for her sixth birthday.  I love all the photos but this one was my favorite.  What a sweet sister she is!

This little cutie belongs to Works of Anselm.  I loved Naomi's post about her baby boy and his made up language.  It gets me all excited for when Baby Bread starts to talk (which could be a long time because he's delayed in that area).  

This is Emily's oldest son reading and hula hooping.  Talented, no?  I started reading Emily's blog, Anderson Crew, when she was going through the adoption process of Elsa, a little girl from Ethiopia.  Emily takes great photos of her six (Yes, SIX!) kids all the time and THAT is worth lots of Kudos.

See ya next time!

Happy

I'm glad I came home early from France.  I was greeted by a chubbier, happy, squealing baby.  He's been amazing all day.  Is it possible he got cuter?!  We are happy.  Now all we need is Dan.  Countdown:  2 days.

Coming Home

I couldnt do it.  As soon as the plane took off in SeaTac, a rush of panic came over me.  I just left this child that I barely know, who was given to me a week before, who I was in love with and was responsible for.  He's all I've thought about for the past week.  We have been at a French camp in the Alps for one week.  I went snowboarding everyday, I ate delicious food, I ran games and sang songs.  But I was always thinking about Baby Bread.  I am a mother now.  That's what I do.  So, I spent a CRAZY amount of money to change my plane ticket from Tuesday to Saturday.  Camp ended today and I will be home tomorrow with our baby boy!  I am missing 3 days of sight-seeing but I will be exactly where I want to be.  Where I need to be.

I finished my work.  The camp is over and we had a blast.  Dan will stay here as a chaperone and a tour guide and I know he wishes he could come home, too, but it's not possible.  I will miss him like crazy.  The days before our trip to France, with just the three of us, were fantastic!

So, I am coming home and Dan is coming soon.  Au revoir a France!  Salut a Washington!

Leaving for France...without the Baby!?

If you had seen me last Wednesday, the look of shock on my face would have told you that I wasn't ready  (mentally or otherwise) for a baby to come into my life.  We've been preparing for this for months but it still came as a shock.  Dan was out of town and I had about two weeks of free time to work and clean and prepare for our trip to France.  Or, so I thought.

When we got Baby Bread but there was a glaring question:  What about France?  Our case manager said she was already lining up the perfect respite home for him.  I've gone back and forth about going or not going, coming home early, feeling guilty, feeling judged by everyone.  Then I realized that it's simple.  I have to go on this trip.  There are people in France, Washington State, Utah, and Niger who are counting on us leading this trip.  I've been saving and planning for months and the agency knew all about this trip and they still thought Baby Bread was perfect for our home.  We've been working on getting him to attach to us and we think he has so he should recognize us when we return.  I know the little guy has been through a lot.  It just means extra hard work and dedication for us when we get back.  He will need to know that we are his family and he is safe with us.  Also, as our case manager mentioned, this will be our last vacation, especially overseas, for a long time.  Babies change everything.

It was difficult to leave him, of course.  I've only had him a week and I want to spend more time with him.  I know he's going to be confused but the home he's staying at couldnt be more perfect!  His temporary mama is a registered-nurse-turned-stay-at-home-mom who has raised 3 school aged children of her own and a foster child who is a toddler.  She has a nursery set up and she "loves babies!".  We are so excited that she is so excited.

So now we are in France, missing our kiddo but loving the country that our heart belongs to.

Vive la France!

XOXO,

Lindsy

Valentine

We are together today!  All three of us.  What a blessing for the day of love!

This is the painting I started the day I got Baby Bread (before I knew I was getting him!)  It's hanging in his room as a reminder that we love each other and we love him, too!  It's my first attempt at painting people (instead of still-life objects) so I am being extra critical. Apparently I paint in cartoons?  

Happy Valentines Day, loves!

D+L

Sleep

Lindsy and I have joked around for a long time that we get so much sleep. We've had flexible job schedules, a year abroad, and NO KIDS.  So, for the past decade we've just slept as much as we wanted. We get more sleep than anyone in their 20's should ever get. I know we are spoiled and that's why we joke around about it.

Well, obviously we had a life changing event recently!  Something that I think might be a challenge is our sleep deprivation. Lindsy has already had to deal with this since we got the little guy last week and I've been on tour. She has told me about the lack of sleep she's had and she sounds so tired on the phone....she is way stronger of a person than I am. I can already feel the bags under my eyes starting to sag just thinking about it. In complete honesty, I am already HIGHLY addicted to coffee. I have know idea what to expect when I add less sleep into the mix. HOWEVER, all complaining and joking aside, I am so excited about this challenge. I feel like one of these nights I should just blog in the middle of the night while I'm trying to get Baby Bread back to sleep, just to see how random and ridiculous my thoughts will be. So all that being said, look forward to a new us! A sleep deprived, loopy, 'not all there' us! This is going to get real interesting....

I'm in Love with Baby Bread

This kid is amazing!  He is so silly an giggly.  He is doing so well! He's had a couple of bad nights and a couple of good nights. He's eating twice as much as the internet says he should and he's gaining weight, too!  I am always Googling this or that, making sure I'm treating him right.  It's constant anxiety having a baby.

This kiddo needed an online alias and we have one:  Baby Bread.

This weekend my friends, Ruthy and Rachelle, threw a baby shower for "BB" and it was ahh-mazing!  And just my luck!  We picked this date a month ago and the shower happens to be 3 days after he arrived.  It was perfect.  I cant wait to share about that.

Also, we've had so many visitors and we feel so blessed!  My mom, sisters, and brother came for the whole weekend!  They spoiled him with kisses and presents and constant attention.   

  

So....Baby Bread is awesome!  I'm in love and I dont care who knows it!

The Baby is Here!

 Here is our little guy!  Dan is still on the road but I've been texting him pictures CONSTANTLY!  I also sent him a video of baby laughing and it made him cry.  He so badly wishes he were here.  Obviously, I do too!  It's been tough.  Sometimes I wonder what in the world I have gotten myself into.

He is five months old and he has a very unique name so we've decided to keep it private.  He arrived yesterday and I didn't have anything I needed save for a package of size 1 diapers and package of wipes.  He didn't have any bottles but I did get a half can of his formula.  We went to Target and I got him some bottles, lotion, and a few other little things.  Some friends (and even a Twitter friend  -- hi, @Monstergirlee!) brought over some baby boy clothes.  He had a rough first night.  We woke up every 2 hours and had a bottle.  He was so hungry and I bet he was really stressed out.

Today I found out that he LOVES music and it made me so happy!  I have a stuffed lion that was mine when I was a baby.  It plays "This Old Man" and I put it in his crib [at 4am - YAY] and he loved it.  So, this afternoon I played him my iPod with Sigur Ros and The Technicolors and The Beatles and it put him right to sleep.  Today he was so happy and giggley and ate a ton!  Then tonight he went to bed, easy peasy.

I love him!  He is so sweet.  I cant wait for Dan to meet him.  I have tears in my eyes just thinking about it.  I am so grateful to my friends and family who have been giving me tips and checking on me.  My mom and sisters get here tomorrow and the baby shower is Saturday.  We are expecting a big crowd!  I cant wait.

The Process

2008:  Dan and I started looking at websites for local adoption agencies.
July 2010:  Put ourselves on the waiting list for the next available orientation.
March 2011:  Have not heard from agency.  Call agency.  Agency has still no plans for an orientation class and therefore is not accepting applications.
July 2011:  Call agency again and inquire about fostering-to-adopt.  Was referred to foster agency.  Talked with our [now] case-worker and requested an application.
August 2011:  Turned in our paperwork and made the public announcement that we are going to be parents!
September - November 2011:  Got fingerprints and background checks and references turned in.  Went to 30 hours of classes about being a parent.  Had to move because our previous home, a loft downtown, wasn't kid-friendly.
January 2012:  Our foster-home license arrived!
January 31, 2012:  We were offered a 2 month old, we wanted him, then he went to another family.  Which was okay but we were still bummed.
February 7, 2012:  My lips were chapped so I walked to Walgreens to buy some petroleum jelly to ease the pain.  While I was in line, I got a call from our case worker.  She told me to grab a pen.  I didnt have a pen!  I was at Walgreens!  So, I bought the petroleum jelly (can we just call it Vaseline?) and ran home (literally) and got the whole story on this little guy.  I wasn't sure at first.  My heart had just been broken a week ago and I wasn't sure about our trip to France or if I was ready.  Dan and I talked and I called his dad, who is a great counselor, and we made the decision.  We wanted him.  It still hasn't hit me.  Last week, when we said we wanted the 2 month old boy that was available, I had to wait.  This time, it's actually happening!  It's happening!  I am going to pick up a 5 month old baby boy.  Right now.  What an unexpected afternoon that was.  One I'll remember forever.

And there you have it.  My life changed during a trip to the store for some Vaseline.

XOXO,
Lindsy

Baby News!

A baby is coming to our house tomorrow...
to live with us...

AHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Paint

Due to recent travels to Arizona and Southern California, I haven't been as creative as I'd like to be.  I took a lot of photos in Arizona.  A LOT!  But somehow digital photography and writing in a blog post don't always satisfy my need for a creative outlet.  Sometimes I need to make something with hands.

I love this art caddy.  I have filled it with a little of everything:  glue sticks, glitter, pens, acrylics, oil paints, pastels, charcoal.  I started working on a 12x12" painting for the future baby's room today.  I will share it - if it's good.  

Linking up with Sweet Violet for my "Favorite" photo.

Where the Sidewalk Ends

I shot a music video last weekend for the band!  It was so fun!  They have a song about being stuck in a crappy town and after watching this video....



....we knew that Salton Sea had to be the location for the music video.

However, when we got there, it wasn't so much the post-apocalyptic ghost town we expected.  The video above did not portray at Salton City as it is today.  At least not the parts of it that we found.  What we found were a lot of empty streets named Marine Drive and Beachcomber Avenue and Seagull Circle with a few brand new homes scattered here and there.  We arrived to a hot, boring desert town with the smell of sulfur in the air, the once-bustling Salton Sea lay stagnant as our backdrop.  We found the edge of the suburb where the street literally ends with an "END" sign and set up the gear.  We were all a little disappointed that we never found the 50-year old flooded wrecks that some families once called vacation homes ... but we had fun anyway.  It wasn't what we expected but I am happy with the footage.  I am so excited to see how the video turns out.  Cant wait to share it!

Here are some photos of the site.

 

We signed the sign.... SHHH!  Dont tell anyone!!!

Vacation Photos

I am posting a few more vacation photos  (Because I'm SURE you're dying to see more....) and next week Dan will post photos from Salvation Mountain.  

Obsessing over:
- My skin.  It hates winter and I want to have radiant, beautiful skin year round - and forever. So, I've been trying new products thanks to magazines and blogs. And also thanks to bargains on eBay and gift cards I got for Christmas.

Working on:
- Editing a video for Dan's band.

Thinking about:
- The fact that a baby will be moving into the nursery I've been putting together since September.  And trying not to freak out.

Anticipating:
- Dan returning from tour, our trip to France, receiving a child.

Listening to:
- Gotye, Sleep for Sleepers, Brand New

Main Street.  Phoenix, AZ.

Su Vino Winery

My sweetie!

Pannikin Coffee Shop. San Diego, CA.

Yum.

Guy on a scooter, wearing a suit.  RAD.

Bummed

I'm bummed.  Like .... THIS bummed.....

.

I got attached to a story about a foster-baby and Dan and I decided to tell the agency we want him even though we have an 11 day trip booked to France and I don't even have a car seat - or bottles or formula or really, anything!  But, we were too late. He's with another family.  I'm sure they are awesome.  They are going to love him and care for him and he's so lucky that he had TWO families who wanted him.  


But, my heart is a little bit broken.  

I know there are hundreds of babies who need us but I am still grieving the loss of this child that was never mine in the first place.  I've got to stay positive.  The upsides are that A) Our nursery is TOTALLY ready!  B)  I am not concerned about attachment issues for us because Dan and I were SO ATTACHED to this little guy and we never even met him.  C)  We are prepared for the crazy, last-minute adventure of saying "yes" to a kiddo.

Ready for our next "offer".  Bring it on.

Home

On Tuesday, I left the sunny Southwest for the Pacific Northwest on a late afternoon flight.  The desert was fun but it was time to get back to real life.  Afterall, I have a job and friends and a house to ... dust.

The flight was great.  I poured over Lucky and Real Simple magazines, I got only ONE free cup of orange juice, I listened to my iPod, I made a huge to-do list of things to occupy my time until Dan gets home.  Descending through the clouds, I felt the corners of my mouth twitch into a smile as I saw the snow-capped Olympics, the majestic Cascades, and the dark green cone-shapes of evergreen trees that fill the terrain.  I am home.

I loved the desert, the sun and 75° weather and wearing tank tops in January!  I loved seeing the Grand Canyon and meeting new friends.

But, for some reason, I love it here.  I like bundling up in winter [and not dying of heat stroke every summer] and I love my hundred-year-old house and all its character.

Thinking of moving here?  Do it!  You'll like it.