6 Day, 5 Night Anxiety err... Vacation

Raise your hand if you have been a new mom and remember the first time you were going away for a trip, leaving your baby for the first time for more than 24 hours. 
Folks, we. are. there. 
Jacob has been at his grandmothers house for overnights here and there.  Our first outing was for a wedding in September last year when J was 4 months old. Since then he has had a few other slumber parties at GiGi's, but just one nighters.  This Sunday Pat and I will leave for 6 days. SIX. J will stay home with Nannie and GiGi will come and spend the night at our house too.  Six days.  I'm having trouble breathing thinking about it.  I'm SO excited for our trip. We are going to the Caribbean.  I am not excited to leave Jacob, but this trip is not appropriate for a fair skinned 1 year old with tubes in his ears.  He'd be a fried lobster with blue ear plugs in 0.5 seconds.  Six Days.  I'm not worried about who's keeping him. Let's face it, he'll probably be in better hands than when he's with me.  No one does spoiling and loving better than Nannie.  Toss in a nightly GiGi visit, and this child won't want me to come home.  I am worried that something will happen, out of every one's control, while we're gone. SIX Days.  Have I ever told the story about my brother getting sick while my parents were in Key West? Nannie and Grandaddy came to our house to keep us during their trip, and RT got a little sick.  A small fever, vomiting coming and going - no one thought too much of it.  Mom took him to the doctor as soon as they got back and he was admitted to the hospital IMMEDIATELY! He was there for a week and had a portable IV for a few weeks after that.  Tell me that experience wouldn't scare a new mom.  SIX DAYS.
I've been having nightmares about Jacob and Gracie.  Things like them stopping breathing, or Gracie jumping into the lake with out a life jacket on... and not being able to get to her - and in my dreams she can't swim, but in real life, she can. I've had such a time that on Friday night after Jacob woke up from a storm I brought him into our bed and slept with my hand on his back, to make sure I could feel him breathing... at one point I couldn't feel him breathing and checked several spots and then Pat SWEARS I palmed Jacob as I picked him up and yelled his name. He was okay, and gave me the most ridiculous look and then went right back to sleep. I'm paranoid I'm tell you! Paranoid. Pat's still laughing about the incident.

Maybe once I'm there I'll sleep.  But for now, sleeping isn't my strong suit.  I know I just need to get through this week and enjoy my vacation.  Goodness knows we need it.  Once we get back, we'll evaluate that trip I want to take next spring to celebrate our 5 year anniversary.  Maybe we won't go somewhere that only has one flight in and out a day, and a 45 minute ferry ride to get to the island that the airport is on...

Ready for blue skies and clear oceans...

Quiet Morning Air

It's 9:49 AM and Jacob still isn't up yet! HA! Part of the reason for that is that we kept him up WAY past his 7:30/8:00 bedtime until 10:15 last night and the other reason is he was up at 3:30 and 6:45 to visit, and enjoy a thunderstorm.  Pat's at work this morning, so it's just me and Jacob. And it is SO quiet. I have things to do, but I'm enjoying the stillness of the house.
I can hear the air coming out of the vents in our room, it's THAT QUIET!

Happy To Report

I am THRILLED to give an update on Miss T & Baby G.
In my last entry (almost a month ago), I was trying to help out one of Jacob's teachers at school.   I have had some contacts, and a few things here and there donated to her, and it has been fantastic.  Clothes, diapers, towels, blankets, baby wash, coats... it has all been so wonderful and such a fantastic display of compassion to others.  I'm not normally a big "charity for THIS person" kind of person.  Our family gives to the Goodwill when we no longer need items, we often help in our church's mission drives and requests and I try to pass down clothes and baby items where I can.  But this, this has been so fun, so rewarding and has made gloomy days SO MUCH BRIGHTER.  Just bringing a box of diapers, and seeing the joy from Miss T, the tears of happiness and the whisper... she only had a few diapers left and we don't get paid until Friday. It has been so rewarding to me and it does make me want to do more.  I want to teach J that too... how to give with a gracious heart, and without a closed fist, expecting nothing in return. 
The highlight of this experience came yesterday when I received a voicemail from my own mom who had just been to the bank and struck up a conversation with a closing attorney there.  *Somehow* they started talking kids, *somehow* the talked about Jacob and her son, *somehow* the attorney started talking about her adopted daughter, *somehow* my mom said...maybe you might know how to tell us to help a young lady and before you knew it this wonderful lady had volunteered to help.  VERY enthusiastically. *I know the somehow, and doesn't it just make you look up and say, Thanks with a big smile!* 
She provided her home and cell phone number on the back of her business card and asked Miss T to call her immediately! She helped another young lady with a similar case a few years back, and knows just what to do!  Miss T will be able to adopt Baby G. Hopefully quickly, hopefully smoothly - and you just can't imagine the joy that it brought to her yesterday afternoon when I delivered the news, and handed her the business card.
AH-MAZING.
Tears of joy, tears of relief and the thought that she shouldn't have to worry about losing Baby G to the foster system.  The entire room cried for her. It was so moving, and I was just so thankful that I had been put in a position to really help. 
Things won't immediately be easy for Miss T.  She still has very little and until she is the legal guardian for Baby G, there will be huge hurdles she will have to get over and many road blocks.  But right now, in this moment there is celebration that a hand is there to help her and guide her.  That some wonderful people have been given enough themselves and have been able to pass on to Miss T baby essentials and clothes. She will continue to be in need for baby items during this legal process, and if those of you who have contacted me still have items, they can still be used.
Pat and I have talked about it a lot lately, we don't always have much ourselves, and then other times things are plentiful - so when we're able, we love to help.  THANK YOU for helping her.  Thank you for allowing me to be a part of the process too.  It has really been wonderful.  I will keep the updates coming as I have them. 

Come Monday

If you haven't seen it already, here's our little parrothead.  He loves music, and likes to move when he hears it.  He's not a big dancer, his moves are limited, but they always seem to make us laugh.  Watch around 0:40, he knows EXACTLY when the music comes on.

One Year Pictures

I often link to CaraDee Photography and Mrs. Cara Dee herself.  She is SO sweet and talented!

Trying to do some good...

I need your help...
So, there is this SWEET young lady at Jacob's daycare that is one of the teachers in his room.  T is 21 and like me has a half sister 19 years younger than her.
Let me tell you about T. When T was 13, she and her younger sister were taken into foster care 3 times in the state of Georgia.  Georgia has a rule similar to three strikes you out, and T's mother was never allowed to regain custody of her two girls.  She as a mother has struggled.  T's grandparents were able after FOUR YEARS to get custody of the girls.  T has since moved to Kentucky, gotten herself a full time job and has met a wonderful boy that she is engaged to marry.  On Thursday T heard from her mother, now in Florida.  She has had another child, baby girl and is homeless. Without hesitation T offered to take baby girl.  Baby girl is 14 months old, and Jacob adores her {he adores all baby girls at his daycare, apparently, baby girl is his new favorite}. So, on Friday T drove to Tennessee and met her mother, who dropped baby girl and left only providing T with some 6 month clothing {remember, baby girl is 14 months old - 6 month clothes are 2 sizes too small} and a signed letter giving custody to T of baby girl.  This weekend T and her fiance scrambled to acquire items to care for baby girl, but lack funds to fully outfit for a baby in such a short time. They have contacted a lawyer to begin a very lengthy process of  becoming baby girl's guardian {which is also a costly process}.  In the meantime, they're doing their best.  T told me last night, I just hope I can prevent for her what I went through. Since my mom gave her to me now, maybe she will never know what it's like to be a foster child and put through the system.

As I told another friend last night, this is such a genuinely selfless act. Can you imagine - up and in 24 hours taking a 14 month old into your home? Being young? She was able to get baby girl into daycare, but they are charging full price, that alone can wipe out the humble paycheck I know she makes.

So, I'm asking for help and support for her. She does not know I'm asking!!! But, here I am, trying to put this blog to some good use.  Like I said - baby girl's mother had clothes two sizes too small for her {this part I found out this morning from another teacher, before T arrived at daycare}. T has done some serious shopping at consignment stores and bargain hunting this past weekend, but I know it's rough - as do all the other mommies out there. Does anyone have any girl clothes they could pass on? Summer - size 18 months? probably fall 18 and 24 months.  {I don't have any girl clothes, or I would share.}  Diapers, wipes? Size 3 and 4. Some toys? Anything really.  I'm not asking for anything new, or to go out and purchase a thing - but if you have something you can pass on, I'd sure love to give it to her, just a little something to help her out. Like I said, she has not asked for anything other than some help making contacts to take care of baby girl. If you know of places around Lexington where she can get help and support {things become a little tricky until she is the legal guardian to baby girl} during this time, I'd love to pass that along too.


Please comment on the blog so I know if you are able to help. This will feed to facebook, but I will be shutting that down Thursday - so please use the blog!

Birthday

Jacob had a fantastic birthday day. Because Jacob's birthday fell on Memorial Day this year, Pat and I both had off work and spent the day with the little guy.
I made cinnamon rolls for breakfast for J and we played a little. He had a short morning nap and after that we had a yummy lunch of his favorite - mac & cheese and then headed out to Jacobson Park. J explored and got to swing for the first time. He got to feed the ducks and walk back and forth over a cute little foot bridge several times. It got a big cloudy so we went for a nice relaxing drive down some windy roads in southern Fayette county. Jacob seemed to enjoy the ride. We headed home to open presents, have dinner, some cake, a bath and a pillow fight before bed. It was a great day. We all just enjoyed being together and doing things that Jacob would like to do.

The following Saturday (June 5th) was his birthday party! Laura and Alice came up Friday night to help get the house ready and by 1:00 we were ready to roll (and Pat's new bar was open for business!) Jacob received two water tables as gifts, that arrived already put together. 6 kids left SOAKING WET and with big smiles on their faces. He had mastered cake eating at this point, and enjoyed more cake than icing. It was another successful event at our house!