It's Official!

(backing up in time here a bit to capture some big and fun times!)

Yep--after five home visits, six sets of fingerprints sent off to the FBI, hours and hours of photo collage-making (and the 12 arguments that ensued), four interviews by three different social workers asking what parenting theories we might use to discipline our child and if we intend to introduce said child to religion,  one major heartbreak, countless phone conversations with our adoption attorney, one hugely major awesome birthday spent (mine) in the labor and delivery room watching our child be born, a stressful and illegal OR/WA border crossing with an undocumented infant, and a grand total of a 2 3/4 year wait for the Baby of My Dreams, Reed is finally, officially, and undoubtedly OURS!!!!!

Of course he has felt like our child since we have had him in our home, but in the back of my mind, it seemed like it would not really really really be true until the courts signed off.  (I don't even really know what signing off entails...i just know that it was another necessary step.)  Our attorney gave us two possible court dates for our finalization--one of them being my Dad's birthday.  Naturally, I chose that one--December 19th.  And how awesome is it that my dad made the trip up to be with us that day.  I love that he did this.  I also love that our nearest and dearest were there too.  I know Karen's family would have been there if they had any notice and if there was not another baby being born into the world and if it were not the height of the holiday season.  :)  They were all with us in spirit, for sure.

We all were a little edgy as we waited to be called into the court room.

 This is our clan--including our good friend Kelly, who was kind enough to document the occasion!

The whole process only took about 11 minutes, and 10 of those were spent taking pictures.

The green sweater and green tie were not planned.  In fact, Karen hated that I put him in the tie.  I thought he totally rocked it.

I guess my dad is still a little edgy here.  These four people could have broken it for us, but they all said they were in FAVOR!!

Yes, I am about to start balling here.

Our judge.

The judge and the attorney must have called eachother that morning--they both were wearing holiday ties.

Cory ALWAYS remembers the flowers.  :-)

Kelly!!!!!!

Giddey-up giddey-up, pick up your feet

I am insanely excited about Christmas this year.  I cannot stand it.  We are going to DC to meet our newest niece, and we will introduce Reed to Karen's sisters, Meg and Liz.  I cannot wait.  I really love Karen's family, so I am not surprised by my excitement and anticipation of being with the O'Connell's (all of them).  But I am definitely surprised about my whole new Christmas Deal this year.   If you knew me at all prior to April 26th of this year, you know that I am a Solstice person through and through--because I love the earth and like to hug trees and stuff and also because I have, for long while, loathed the stress and hub ubb of Christmas.  But these are some of the things I am doing and feeling this year which make me not recognize myself:

 When I realized that we needed to buy stockings (to hang by the chimney with care), I shopped online for a good two hours until I found the perfect ones.  I really have never even noticed stockings before...

In the Christmas exchange at work, I got all agro and "stole" a super cute Rudolph plate from one of the senior nurses.  And by senior, I mean to say, the CNO--nurse executive of the whole damn place.  I feel a little nervous of her every other day of the year, but on the day of our party, I stole it from right under her nose.  It is the cutest plate I have ever seen.

I have been shopping for tree ornaments with wild abandon.  I never knew how special and eclectic these little gems could be.  I have loved finding the perfect ones for all my perfect loved ones.

I wanted to go visit Santa with Reed around Halloween and was bummed to find out that he was not due to hit the malls until mid-December.  No matter.  I waited him out.  Reed has now posed with two Santas.  We might be able to squeeze in another in DC, before he heads up north to pack his bags.

I ordered and intend to send out Christmas cards.  (well, they will be New Year's cards by the time I get them out)         CRAZY!

I think my friend Monica said it best--I was the subject of her blog today.   Sounds like she is almost as surprised by me as I am with myself.....

A sign of the Apocolypse
I've written about my friend, J, before. She is the one who is my eco conscience. Whenever I'm about to not recycle something, I hear her in my ear, berating me. She collects rain water, even though she lives in Seattle and there aren't enough barrels in the world to collect all that water, and she only flushes for number two.

Every year, we have a small, non-dramatic spat about Christmas trees. She thinks it is an abomination to cut down a tree to have in your house and decorate, only to put it out on the curb after a few weeks. Christmas lights will end up in a landfill for 10,000 years, etc. etc. I argue that by her logic, she should never buy cut flowers, and we go round and round for 5 minutes and then we move on to talk about me.

J has hated Christmas since I've known her, and that's more than 20 years. She has always volunteered to work on Christmas, and with very good reasons that I wont go into here.

Over the past few years, a few things have finally fallen into place, like a having family nearby, getting hitched to her cool girlfriend, and, this spring, the piece of resistance, they adopted a baby boy. (Tangentially, I love this baby. He is the coolest, cutest baby that ever lived in the Pacific Northwest, not counting California where my baby was the coolest, cutest baby.)

Today they appeared in court, surrounded by family and friends, and it was made legally officially for realsies, that this baby is theirs and theirs alone, and can no man put asunder. (Tangentially, I really wanted to go, but there was no way. Not only could I have been there for this great event, but I could have eaten a killer carnitas burrito.)

The other day, J and I had the following text exchange:

J: Listened to xmas hits all the way to work today and loved it. Who am I?

BH: Maybe you should see a doctor. Next thing you know, you'll be putting up a xmas tree.

J: Ummmmmm, plan on doing that this year too!

BH: Greenpeace is going to have your head! The EPA will have to disband! The World Wildlife Fund will have to stop saving Panda Bears!

J: Yep, I've lost my mind. As well as my Kyoto Agreement card.

Now she likes Christmas. She has ornaments. She's singing carols. She has her girl and her boy. This is a very good sign..

Well captured, Monica.  It is true--my shift feels apocalyptic--even to myself.   And I love it!  I attribute it 100% to Reed.  Obbbbviously!  I kind of always knew that there might be hope for me to get into the Christmas thing once I had kids.   Well, the time is nigh.  It is now.  We got him, and I am LOVING the Christmas thing!!!   Bring it!

I cannot wait!  

ps... i will gladly take suggestions about how to deal with the post-holiday depression.  not sure how people deal with doing christmas full on and then having to wait a whole 'nother year until the next holiday season.  ......

pps, o'connell's--we WILL be getting a tree for our vacation house, right?!  i hope so, because I am bringing all of the ornaments I own!!

Merry Christmas!!  Happy Solstice!!  Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!!!  Happy Happy!!

Billings

Last weekend, we Nelsons and O'Connells headed out to Billings, MT for a visit with Butch and Sheila.  Fun!  It was a very short trip, but we squeezed lots of laughs, smiles, and glasses of wine into those 2.5 days...  I loved every minute of it.

I think Butch loved every clam in his bowl.

This wasn't HIS bowl.  I just wanted him to pose before we threw them in the beurre blanc sauce.

Mmmmm!

Reed had fun squirming around a new, bigger, prettier living room floor.  And I think Sheila's Christmas tree was the first he'd ever seen.  Somehow, it remained upright.

Beards are always fun.

Sheila is always fun.

 And that crazy Aunt Sara will always let you play with plastic bags, buddy boy.

That's right, Reed.  This lady LOVES you!!

 

What family Christmas celebration is complete without the self-timer posed shot, in front of the tree?

Dad, you could not possibly be any cuter.

Dad, wish you were wearing a Santa suit in this pic, because this shot is way better than the ones we got at the mall...

Thanks for a great visit, Guys!!!  We love you!!!

Food and water

Reed is officially crawling, which means that he is officially getting into LOTS of things.  So far, I am okay with it (the days i could put him on the couch, walk away, not think a thing of it--such a distant memory).  Our house is tiny, and we have yet to "baby proof" it, but there is still mischief to be had.

Last night when Karen was out walking Barley, Reed got into Barley's food AND water.  Reed especially liked the pond he created in the kitchen.  I did too.  He splashed around in it for quite a while.

And while I am at it...

I can't possibly let these images just sit in iPhoto and collect dust..........

How cute is this boy?