One Year Ago

One year ago today, Jonathan and I innocently thought we were headed north for a plain old camping trip. We had no clue that our lives were about about to change forever. (Yes, I know that sounds dramatic, but yes, it WAS dramatic!)

It was probably around 10 or 11 am when my phone rang and our adoption counselor said "You're going to want to pull over..."

What do I remember about that day? I remember the parking space we chose at the gas station we stopped at while I spoke with our adoption counselor. I remember the numb, tamped-down excitement, out-of-body feeling I had when we told our friends why we weren't setting up our tent. I remember standing on the lakeside trail, dialing Lexie's number for the first time. I remember Jonathan pacing back and forth on the dock, calling his mom with the news. I remember watching a little family flip their canoe and fall in the lake while we were standing there, taking turns calling our parents. I remember thinking, "Pay attention to everything, because this could be the beginning of your baby's adoption story." And it was.

These past few weeks have left me feeling very sentimental as Isaac's one year birthday approaches. Please forgive me if the next few posts are particularly sappy.

UP, here we come!

Two days after school was out, we packed up the car until it was bursting at the seams and headed to Upper Michigan for 7 days! It was a wonderful week filled with family, friends, and Lake Superior. I'll let the pictures do the talking...

A picnic at the park while Grandma and Grandpa are stuck at work

What? These CDs were here, I swear.

Family picture. Isaac was too fascinated by the sand to be bothered with pictures.

Grandma, you are so funny!

First time in Lake Superior!

Ooooooohhh! SAND!

I think he likes the view.

Napping peacefully in the tent.

Hanging out with Uncle Marc!

Who wants a kiss?

Playing with Anders, Kenzie, and Auntie Melissa! Miss you guys!

Kenzie enjoying her much-anticipated s'more!

An attempt at a picture of the kiddos

And another...

And another. (Don't worry, Isaac didn't fall off the swing.)

Sweet boy, tuckered out.

Visits With Isaac's Birth Family

First visit: Photo shoot

Isaac's godmother and one of my favorite people in the world, Kelsey, gave us the gift of a newborn photo shoot. When Isaac was only 12 days old, Natalie Champa Jennings came to my mother-in-law's house and worked her magic! Lexie (Isaac's birth mom), her parents, and her nieces were a part of that day as well.

We debated whether or not to invite Lexie. Was it too soon? Our hospital goodbyes were still fresh in my mind... would seeing Isaac rip apart open wounds? I spoke with our adoption counselor, and she encouraged me to ask Lexie directly. Since Lexie and I had been in close contact since Isaac's birth, this seemed natural. Turns out, she was over the moon about the chance to see Isaac. I still worried that it was too soon and Lexie would hurt afterwards. In the end, it was a very positive experience. From everything I heard from Lexie and her family afterwards, it seems as though it was wonderful for Lexie, too.

Second visit: Restaurant

Our second visit was at a favorite haunt of Lexie's family. Technically I suppose it's more of a bar than a restaurant, but "bar" and "infant" don't sound quite right together... =) It was great. A whole crew was there; Lexie, her parents, grandparents, aunt and uncle, nieces, and us, of course. We participated in a meat raffle, had the greatest cinnamon roll of all time, and Lexie's family got in lots of cuddle time. Isaac was still so young... he slept most of the time and snuggled right in to whomever was holding him.

Third visit: Chuck E. Cheese

We picked Chuck E. Cheese, not for Isaac (he was only 4 months old, for goodness sake!), but for Lexie's nieces. Lexie, her parents, grandparents, and nieces came to this visit. The girls played game after game and gorged themselves on pizza. It was the perfect meeting place. Close to our house (so Isaac could nap in his bed both pre- and post-visit), entertaining for his cousins, and quiet at 11 am. Since this was a December visit, Christmas gifts were exchanged. Lexie gave Isaac a book from Hallmark, read by her recorded voice. It's called "All the Ways I Love You." Thinking about it now still makes me tear up. What a perfect gift. We read it almost every night and Isaac loves it. When he was younger, he stroked his hair every time he heard her voice, which was a gesture he reserved for the comforting moments of drinking his bottle. Those are the only two times I ever saw him exhibit this endearing behavior.

Fourth visit: Baptism

As far as visits go, this was much less satisfying. It was a busy day that involved getting dressed up, attending a packed church service, being surrounded by a gaggle of family members, and going out for brunch at a table that stretched almost the entire length of the restaurant. I am so thankful that Lexie was able to be a part of this day, but I remember very little about her interactions with Isaac. To be honest, I don't think she was able to have many. One thing that stands out, however, is that Isaac's birth father was at the church service. We have many cute pictures of him with Isaac from that day, but I don't feel comfortable posting them since I have never asked his permission.

Fifth visit: Library

Our most recent visit was at our local library. Sounds weird, but it was a perfect locale for a Minnesotan baby of 9 months. Since Isaac was getting around on his own by this time (albeit in a funny looking way... he was a champion roller and could adjust his angle to roll wherever he wanted to go), Isaac would have had less patience with a standard restaurant visit. But, Minnesota weather did not permit an outdoor park visit, so... what do we do? Well, our city recently built a brand new library with toys for kids to explore and reservable meeting rooms. I reserved a room and we met Lexie and her parents at, yes, the library. They played with Isaac at the toys for awhile and then we went in to the meeting room where there were couches and plenty of floor room for Isaac to do his thing. It was fun to see him smiling and flirting with them.

Sixth visit: Como Zoo

Sadly, we forgot our camera on this visit. I was so proud of myself for remembering sun screen, sippy cup, lunch paraphernalia, etc... Our camera was the only casualty. Lexie, her parents, and nieces, joined us at the extremely crowded Como Zoo in St. Paul. Parking was the biggest challenge, but it was smooth sailing after that. We ate at a table outside, enjoyed the beautiful weather, and they had a chance to see Isaac doing big boy things like feeding himself finger foods. We brought the stroller, but Isaac was passed from person to person for most of the visit anyway =)

Seventh visit: Scheduled for early July at a park (hopefully it won't be raining). Isaac's birth father is planning to be there.

Although our original contact agreement dictated 3 visits a year, Isaac came to us from such loving and open people that we have been able to do more. More about our thoughts on open adoption (particularly this open adoption) later. Tired.

Just a Few Things I Love About Isaac

*His curly hair. Pictures do not do this curly head justice. It's adorable.

*He sleeps with both arms thrown over his head. Sometimes one little hand rests on his eyes. Makes me melt.

*Isaac has begun sharing his most prized possessions with others. (Usually something we really want like a dripping Nuk or mushy puff that has already been in his mouth) When you say "Thank you!" he giggles, looks away shyly, and looks so darn proud of himself!

*His sense of humor. If I am turned away from Isaac and he wants to make me laugh, he either shrieks extremely loudly (if you've met him, you know exactly what I mean) or does a fakey giggle. When I look at him, his eyes twinkle and he does it again. And again. And again. And again.

*When he hears people clapping on TV, he claps too. =)

*His deep curiosity of all things adult. If you give him something that is plush, painted in primary colors, or sold in any store with the words "R Us" in it... he can take it or leave it. He does have some favorite toys that are, in fact, meant to be toys. HOWEVER. If you give him something with screws and springs and levers, he's in heaven.

*Isaac loves being outside. When we come home at the end of the day, I always let Cody out. If I have Isaac in my arms, he throws a huge fit if I close the door when I'm done. We HAVE TO go outside and throw the ball for Cody, play in the grass, or just sit on the deck and pick at the screws in the wood.

*When Isaac hears something he likes and he wants it to keep going, he says "Uh." If you do the thing again, he'll say "uh." This can go on indefinitely. If he really likes what you're doing, he'll say "Uh. Uh. Uh! UH UH UH UH UH UH!"

Learning

If you don't already know this, I'm an early childhood special education teacher. I work with a wide variety of kids, all of whom need extra support of some kind to be successful at school, in the community, etc.

Last Friday, one of my students looked at me and said something that made me very proud of him. This one little phrase demonstrated many of the skills he has developed over the past year. Here are just a few:

1. Using language to comment on his environment

2. Using a descriptor word

3. Demonstrating an understanding of an early mathematical concept (big vs. little)

4. Identification of body parts

What did he say? Well, he pointed at me and said "Big nose!" Other people have commented on my nose before, but I can't say I've ever been this happy about it... =)