To you, Dad

Happy Father's Day to a man who loves his family more than words could ever say. The same man who completely and truly follows his heart and his dreams.

And inspires other people to do the same.

I love you, Dad!

Nanny Lesson #1: The Purse

I'm 3 days into my full-time summer nannying position and here's what I already know for sure:

I need a bigger purse.

My tiny purse doesn't fit snacks, bottled water, camera, sunscreen, anti-bacterial wipes, and sweaters (just in case). And we can't forget all the non-essentials like money, keys, and my drivers license!

I've started watching all the savvy moms at the libraries and parks to see how they handle the logistics of life with children. So far, all I can say for sure is that they all have really big purses.

"Cody will NEVER sleep with us!"

You may have heard that very sentence come out of either Jonathan's mouth or my own.

And we did SO WELL! Really, we did. I think we waited almost a whole year before inviting that dirty, furry, 75 pound heater into our bed.

But that's all over now. =) We're hooked. It's just so darn cute the way he waits at the bedroom door and bats his eyelashes at us when the clock hits 10 or so. How can we say no?

Yes, we spoil him. And we love every minute of it! If we can't even hold our resolve with a dog, imagine what kind of parents we're going to be!! Oh boy.

Blogs, bookmarks, and babies... (oh my!)

Like anybody who frequents Blogland, I have quite a few blogs bookmarked on my browser. To help myself remember what sort of blog each one is, I add a little reminder to the front of the title. Example: (Prospective adoptive parents) "Our Adoption Journey" or (First Mom) "Chronicles from Munchkin Land" or (Adoptive parents) "Belly Laughs & Crocodile Tears."

Lately, I have been able to change the labels of several of these blogs from PROSPECTIVE adoptive parents to adoptive parents! It's been amazing to follow these strangers' stories from (anxious!) waiting to suddenly being parents! And that's exactly what it seems to be, too... sudden. Like, BOOM, you're a mom now! When things really start happening, I get excited and check their blog a couple times a day (that's not stalking, is it? Is it...?!). But when the time comes and I erase that big word "prospective"... I'm a little sad. Don't know why, really. I think it's kind of like someone's graduating out of a club that I'm still stuck in.

The fun of seeing the beautiful baby pictures and the feeling of "wow, it really DOES happen!" overpowers that little twinge of sadness pretty quickly. But, I do feel it. And it does surprise me. So there you go.

BIG NEWS!

I'm sure some of you are thinking, "Big news?! Really? Did their house magically sell before it was on the market? Did Becky get that new job? Is there something new on the adoption front? Is Becky finally letting Jonathan get that deep fat fryer?"

No, don't know yet, not really, and gross.

So here it is... the big news: For the first time ever, I let Cody have the run of the house while I ran errands!!! I was gone for one hour and fifteen minutes and when I came back, everything was just how I had left it! For those of you who know Cody, you understand what an amazing breakthrough this is! For those of you who don't... well, let's just say that for the first year or so of his life, I couldn't even pee with the door shut for fear of him causing damage to himself or our house.

We're such proud doggy parents right now! Our little guy is growing up. *sniff*

Cody then:



Cody now (sometimes):