Tobin's 2nd Birthday

This week was Tobin's 2nd birthday. I am so excited that he is finally two since he has been acting like a toddler since he was 18 months old. This birthday was much more fun for us adults than his first. He actually blew out the candles and unwrapped presents this time round.

Books from GiGi and Bobba in Oklahoma. He loves them and now I have to read them every night.

The favorite thing though was the farm that his grandparents bought him. My Dad really wanted to get this for him since he grew up on a farm in Canada. Tobin didn't want to open any more presents and just wanted to play with that the rest of the night.

That Saturday we also went to the zoo with both sets of grandparents and some friends from church. Tobin had never been and though he is still a little young, he had a great time. Mostly though because of all his friends were there to run around with.

Clark's parents drove over from Alabama to go to the zoo with us.

My parents whom Tobin calls Gaga and Bobba.

Our pastor and associate pastor's kids and Tobin's best friends. He especially loves our pastor's kids and their youngest daughter is Tobin's age and his best little friend.

The petting zoo. He wasn't afraid at all and chased the goat around.

Destiny and Tobin got to take a break in the stroller while Destiny's Daddy (Pastor Sterling) pushed.

Mya is always my big helper and helped me keep up with the two 2 year olds.

Cupcake time!

Later Tobin got more presents from Grandpa Jeff and Grandma Taltha. His favorite was the football game. Anything with a ball and throwing he goes crazy over.

Slow Down with the Adoption

Well we have learned some news concerning the adoption. We have sent off the paperwork that will start the adoption of our new baby on the Ethiopian side. We won't be able to go and get her until the adoption is finalized in the Ethiopian courts. However, our agency just told us last week that there has been some changes with Ethiopian adoptions (on the side of the country). They have told us that the Ethiopian government wants to slow the adoptions down so they are creating another step in the court approval process. So we don't know how long it will be before we will be aloud to travel.

I have been waiting til after our phone call from our agency where I can learn more, but they have yet to call me.

I am just praying that our baby girl will be okay with until we can go and get her and that it will be soon. It will be hard to wait, but I am trying to get myself mentally ready for it.

Our other issue that we are dealing with right now is whether to take Tobin to Ethiopia or not. We think it would be the best for him (but 5 months is a long way away and a lot can change). He is a very sensitive kid and has a really hard time being away from me. As a mom it would be hard to just tell him to suck it up and just leave him when I know that it would be really hard on him.

We had planned on taking my parents with us to help with Tobin but I don't think that the agency will let us do that. I am very frustrated even though I understand their position. I will post more about this when I have time. Tobin needs a snack so I have got to go.

Trip To The Farm

The week before we got our referral, Baby Buster and I went to visit my grandparents out on their farm. I grew up coming there every summer and I went to college in Tulsa and went out there every weekend (yes, every weekend, ask my college roommate/best friend Jillian).

Baby Buster with Uncle Paul who got to be there the whole week we were there too. He was the one that started calling Tobin Baby Buster. The whole side of that family calls him that now. Paul would just follow Baby Buster all around the farm and let him wander. It was so nice to have a place where he could just run and play.

GiGi and Baby Buster (BB) at the Will Roger's Museum.

Aunt Jillian got to come and visit too.

Making breakfast! I didn't have to cook the whole week! It was amazing.

My Aunt and Uncle (on the other side of the family) also has land out down the road from my grandparents, so BB and I got to see them too. Baby loved to throw rocks in the pond with Aunt Nancy and he got to see cows for the first time.

We got to do so many things that we can't do in the city. BB and I played outside all day long and explored the whole farm with my grandparents dog "shaw shaw" in tow.

Picking out pumpkins.

GiGi and Bobba! They had as much fun as we did that week. We will have to do this every year. I want my kids to get to spend time on a farm like I did growing up. Clark and I want to move out there one day anyway (my parents as well).

We also got to see my Aunt Jill (who we call Tia) and meet her new husband Paul. We had a great time at their house carving pumpkins.

We had a wonderful time and the weather was perfect. I can't wait to come back next year with two toddlers!

Our Baby Girl!

We got our referral and she is amazing. I could not stop crying yesterday. I will tell the whole story.

Tobin and I were gone to Oklahoma visiting my grandparents for a whole week and only returned yesterday (Tuesday). I had learned that we might be number 1 this last Friday because there had been 5 baby girl referrals and we were number 6. Needless to say I was really excited and wanted to post my new number on this blog but couldn't get into it for some reason from my grandparents' Internet.

All of Monday I carried around my phone wondering if the call would come that day. Clark was kind of glad when it didn't come Monday because I was still in Oklahoma and we did want to be at least in the same state when we got our referral.

So Tuesday morning Tobin and I flew back into Atlanta. We were both so tired having not slept much (had to get up at 4:30 am to make our flight). I had gotten an email that said that our case worker Christy was sick and out of the office. For that reason I thought we wouldn't get the call that day. I was putting Tobin down for a nap when my phone rang. When I saw the number I nearly fainted (lack of sleep added to that). Another case worker Julie was nice enough to tell me about our referral. I hardly remember all of the things she told me now because I was pacing up and down and couldn't take it all in. Tobin just seemed glad that I had forgotten about that whole nap thing.

Of course I can't post any pictures of her or too much information because she is not ours yet, but she is 8 months old and the most beautiful baby I have ever seen. Julie told me she was really pretty, but they could say that about all of them. She really is gorgeous with curls and fat cheeks. I held it together when I was on the phone but started bawling when I opened up the first picture. Of course I called Clark (who I couldn't get a hold of right away) and cried and cried over the phone all about her.

We were pretty lucky and have a lot of pictures of her (though it is hard to say how recent they are). I am so excited about her age. I know that most people want the really little babies but I kind of wanted an older one. She will probably be a little over a year when we get her home! She and Tobin are only 15 months apart, which will be such fun.

Tobin and I were all alone when I got the call and the pictures, but I called everyone and cried all over again. I texted my mom the words "got baby" and next thing I know she is bursting through the door running me over to get to the computer. My Dad cried when he saw her and Clark wanted to email the pictures to everyone (I had to stop him). We love her already even though we haven't gotten to hold her yet. Tobin kept looking at her picture and saying "my baby" and now has a framed picture of her next to his bed. Yes, that's right we have already framed pictures of her and it has not even been 24 hours yet. We are excited needless to say and are jumping the gun a bit.

So for those of you who are not familiar with the adoption process, the next step will be for us to have a consultation with an international pediatrician so that we can officially accept her (I already have a call in about that). Then it will start going through with the courts. It will be 3-5 months before the adoption will be final in Ethiopia and we will get permission to travel. So it could be sometime in February or March that we got and get her. I am hoping for Feb. We will more likely miss her first birthday but will make up for it later to be sure.

Tobin and I seeing her picture!

Tobin kept saying "Yeah baby!" Out to dinner to celebrate!

October Number

Well, just got an email last night from Christy giving us our official number - 6! This is what I thought it might be based on the other blogs I read. I read a lot of adoption blogs now. Most of them are of other families that are also adopting from AGCI. It is nice to have a little online community of sorts. They all seem to know my unofficial numbers sooner than I do based on referrals that are coming in. I don't know how everyone else knows this stuff and I don't, but I am grateful because they are usually right.

So we are number 6 officially, but today on read on a few of the blogs that around 3 girl referrals were given out yesterday and today. So that could mean that we might very well be NUMBER 3 now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh my gosh! I am trying not to get too excited because I know that many people have stayed at number 1 for months. I am also working very hard at keeping myself busy and telling myself that we won't get a referral until November. Denial is the name of the game. That way I will be surprised if it happens earlier.

But, I have to admit that I have been keeping my phone with me at all times and jumping just a tiny bit at every ring.

I find myself thinking about what our baby will look like and what her name will be. The biggest thing that I wonder though is how old she will be. We have told AGCI that we just want Tobin to be older and that we would love a 1 year old just as much as a baby. So my biggest question is how old will she be? Maybe I won't have to wait that long to find out. Who knows.

Our email also mentioned that wait times for travel will be increasing since the number of adoptions in Ethiopia is growing. We could wait up to 5 months after our referral to travel to go get her. So if we get a referral this month we could travel as late as March (but more likely in Feb).

Wedding in Charleston

Last weekend, Clark, Tobin and I took a trip to Charleston, SC to go to the wedding of Clark's childhood friend. Clark and the bride grew up together and their parents still go the same church together.

This was the first long trip that just the three of us have taken in a while. Tobin did great on the 6 hour car ride over since we borrowed my parents car that has the DVD player in it. I have one of the those kids that never sleeps for more than a half an hour in the car and I mean without a DVD player and on really really really long trips.

The wedding was in this really nice hotel. Tobin was invited, but I stayed in the room with him for the ceremony. No reason to ruin some one's big day with your loud toddler. The mother of the bride thanked us later! But, we went down for the reception.

Tobin never stopped moving and loved listening and dancing to the band.

At dinner he then proceeded to put his hand in the butter, try to drink from the empty wine glasses, drop salad on the floor, take a bite of bread and put it back, bang the fork on the table, insist on feeding Clark, and spill all of the water glasses of anyone near by.

Needless to say that is the last time I am taking a toddler to a nice sit down wedding. Though I am sure that somebody out there has a toddler that will sit and be cute, I just don't know what that is like.

The cutest part of the night though was how Tobin loved the live band and insisted on dancing with me even though we were the only ones out there. He either wanted me to hold him close (like he saw other people dancing) or hold his hands and do a back and forth step. It was so cute! I love those moments when he stops running around or throwing something and is sweet to me.

The next morning we got to go the market down town and do a little shopping.

Onward Mommy!

It was a fun trip, but really fast and most of it was driving. It was also nice to see Charleston again. It is a really pretty city and Clark and I had spent part of our honeymoon there 3 1/2 years ago.

Tobin's New Friend, Grandmas, and Birthdays

Tobin made a new friend. Our friends came and stayed with us for a few days and we got to meet their new son Isaac (whom Tobin calls "I" or "bebe"). He has only been home for 4 months with his new parents for 4 months and is the most happy guy.

Tobin insisted that "bebe" sit in his lap even though Tobin is only 6 months older and not even as big.

The happy family! Mike and Dawn are the best parents any good could have.

Grandma (my mom) turned 50 last week as well. Tobin was there to help blow out the candles, what a guy! He didn't much care for the banana cake, but we adults loved it. The key to the recipe was to take the cake right from the oven and put it in the freezer for 45 minutes. Sounds crazy, but it was the moistest cake ever!

Great Grandma Sue also dropped by on her way back down to Florida. Tobin got some new to read to him and Grandma Sue got to hear his new words. Tobin also had fun chasing her dogs around the house (they were glad when they got to leave the next morning).