Monday came too fast!

On Saturday, we had our CPR/First Aid/AED class, which we are required to take to adopt. It was a long day in class, but at least it was snowing outside, so I wasn't longing to be outdoors. It was good to take the class too as the last time I was certified was almost 20 years ago, and procedures have changed. For instance, you no longer perform CPR with two people with one doing compressions and the other doing breaths. Now one person performs compressions and breaths for two minutes and then switches out with the other person. We also got to learn how to use an AED, which is pretty cool.

Unfortunately, being in the class all day left us with little time to do anything else. Sunday ended up not working too well either to get stuff done as Chris had to meet with a client, then drive down past Longmont to meet with the Cairn Terrier Club of Denver. Nevertheless, we both got our certification cards and feel a little more prepared to have a new little one in the house.

Third Interview for Adoption

Today was our third, and basically final, interview with the adoption agency. There were a lot of questions centered around how we would parent for different circumstances, such as bad behavior, child not wanting to go to school, play time, how would we pick up on if a child had been abused, would we be willing to take on a child with disabilities, etc. Some of these questions were difficult, and Chris and I talked about them during the past week as we knew the basic questions the case workers would ask. We really were open with each other and prayed for God's direction for these difficult questions. I think we did good and were honest and true to ourselves and how we are as parents. A good amount of questions we already knew the answers too having first hand experience raising Nick.

So, now we have our home inspection on the 26th. During the next 2 1/2 weeks, we'll spend time developing our "Dear Birth Parent" letter and our portfolio; two of the most critical items birth parents will use to get to know us. We'll also use the time to finish cleaning up the property and switching room uses around (i.e., the current dog room will become the baby room). We'll also probably start shopping around for car seats. Once the home study is signed, we could get a call anytime between 2 weeks and 2 years to come to the hospital to get our baby, so we have to be ready! We've also had a couple of people volunteer to let us have their kids' cribs! It's so awesome to have so much support and know people are so excited for us.

For me, it's been a long week being back at work. With the addition of still not sleeping well, I'm more tired than ever. However, my boss has been so supportive and encourages me to work from home if possible. But it's nice to be in the office when I can; I really enjoy working with the people in the office.

First Full Day Back at Work

Today was my first full day back at work. Although I was ready to go back to work, by the time it was 1:30 today, I was ready to go home. I was just tired and my tummy was sore for sitting so long. It was not like working at home where I can just lay back in the recliner when I got sore. I ended up working through lunch and left at 4:00. After a quick stop at the store, it was a frozen Stoffer's meal for the family as I definitely did not feel like cooking. Sorry, fam. After I get back in the groove of work and get more energy, I'll be back to cooking meals.

I also talked to Nick's Grandma Rieger today on the phone. She is excited about our adoption as she has two sons she adopted when they were just babies. See? Adoption is all over in our family! We had such a nice conversation discussing what's going on with our adoption process and her experience with adopting. It's great to know people that I can talk with to get knowledge and words of wisdom of adopting.

Property Clean up is Underway

Chris did a lot of work today getting things cleaned up on the property. He cleaned up the garage and broke down a good amount of cardboard boxes for recycling. He also installed the motion sensor light on the west side of the house. Hopefully this will help keep some of the coyotes away from the yard. Quite often lately, we can hear the farmer across the road firing off his shotgun to scare away the critters. He's got to protect the baby cows that are starting to appear.

I also was a little busy sewing together some cushions for the bench in the living room and making chocolate dipped bananas, chips, and bacon. Yum! I will cook tacos for dinner tonight, then start getting my stuff together for my first full day back to work. I hope that it won't be too much of a challenge, but my tummy will be a little sore. I am looking forward to going back to work and getting back into a routine.

Also, the good news for today is that our adoptionbug.com store is up and running! Adoption Bug helps families trying to adopt by setting up an online store for them, selling adoption-theme t-shirts, and giving the families a portion of the proceeds. If you get a chance, please check out the site. http://www.adoptionbug.com/thegraysadoption/

Sister's Surgery and One of My Ideas

Yesterday I went in to work for a couple of hours in the morning. It was so nice to see everybody, and the visit made me feel very good. So many people came and talked to me and told me I was looking great! Since I really feel great, it made me feel good that other people noticed.

Just before lunch, I left to take my sister to the hospital. She had to have spinal surgery yesterday afternoon. She had herniated disks in her neck and had to have her C5 and C6 fused together. They were running behind schedule, so it was late afternoon by the time they got her in the O.R. Thankfully, everything went so well and they successfully fused the vertebrae together without damage to the spinal cord. I had decided to stay the night in the hospital with her so she wouldn't be alone. I'm glad I stayed as she ended up having nausea and a horrible sinus headache. I did what I could to keep her comfortable until the medicine could take effect. She is home now and feeling so much better, including no pain in her shoulder and arm, which she was having before the surgery. Yea!!!

I've been brainstorming that last few days about other ways to raise more money for the adoption fees, so I've been researching ways to make money at home. One idea I have is to be an independent consultant for jewelry sales. This is along the lines of being a consultant for Mary Kay, Lia Sophia, or Avon. Since I love jewelry so much, I thought it might be a fun way to raise money while consulting at home parties or for catalog sales. I found one company that I'm impressed with, Just Jewelry, and wonder if it is a good option for me. There is, of course, an investment fee for $118 to $199 to pay for supplies and jewelry, but I wonder if I'll be able to make the money back quickly. The things I like about this company are they raise money for nourishment for children in famine stricken areas, breast cancer awareness, and autism awareness and the jewelry is all under $38. I'm still thinking about it and discussing it with Chris. I know God will help us find ways to make this work.