Wow, someone must have a direct line to God! I wrote my prayer request yesterday for the genetic parents. And, as of this morning, our agency has been able to resume contact with them (after about a three week lapse).
Thank you for your intercession on our behalf! We are moving forward, once again.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Stressed
Moving would be a good reason to be stressed. Except that we, amazingly enough, already found the next house we want to rent. It'll be so nice to live in a house that's been loved by its owners, as opposed to the plan white box standard rental. And it's so nice to check something off our list! And, as an added perk, the landlords allow all types of dogs, so we might, just might, have another Great Dane in our future!
The approaching embryo transfer could be a good reason to be stressed. And it is, but not in the way one may think. We've selected a tentative transfer date, May 10, and are just in a holding pattern with the clinic until it's time to start "manipulating" my cycle.
Our tax refund came in so now we have the money to finance these last steps. Another HUGE stressor checked off my list.
One set of genetic parents is on top of things - the infectious disease screening and paperwork. The other set of GP is MIA and not responding to the agency emails. It's spring break time so maybe that could account for the gap in communication. I can keep telling myself that, but I know that it's been several weeks since the Snowflake Program has received communication from this family. Contracts haven't been signed yet which means embryos can't be shipped yet which means no embryo transfer.
I'm trying not to be a melodramatic lady, though you may not be able to tell that from my previous sentence. :-/ We still have some time. We're about six weeks out from the proposed transfer date - it is definitely still possible!
That brings me to today's prayer request - can you please ask God to give these genetic parents a nudge? That they please resume communication in a timely manner?
The approaching embryo transfer could be a good reason to be stressed. And it is, but not in the way one may think. We've selected a tentative transfer date, May 10, and are just in a holding pattern with the clinic until it's time to start "manipulating" my cycle.
Our tax refund came in so now we have the money to finance these last steps. Another HUGE stressor checked off my list.
One set of genetic parents is on top of things - the infectious disease screening and paperwork. The other set of GP is MIA and not responding to the agency emails. It's spring break time so maybe that could account for the gap in communication. I can keep telling myself that, but I know that it's been several weeks since the Snowflake Program has received communication from this family. Contracts haven't been signed yet which means embryos can't be shipped yet which means no embryo transfer.
I'm trying not to be a melodramatic lady, though you may not be able to tell that from my previous sentence. :-/ We still have some time. We're about six weeks out from the proposed transfer date - it is definitely still possible!
That brings me to today's prayer request - can you please ask God to give these genetic parents a nudge? That they please resume communication in a timely manner?
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
The Month of May
The Month of May cometh and it looks to be VERY BUSY.
Our embryo transfer dates are not set in stone. I don't know if they're set in anything right now. I've got a tentative timeline in my head that we're adhering to based on cycle estimations. If the transfer is performed based on my cycles, and if my cycles continue as they have been, then the big FET will be somewhere between May 10 - 14. Or it may not.
These dates can be altered by the drugs I'll be using to prep my body for the transfer.
Apart from the physical coordination/manipulation necessary for an embryo transfer, there's also the logistical coordination. We're adopting embryos from two families who reside in two different states. Each genetic parent has to complete current infectious disease screening on top of relinquishment paperwork and communication contracts. And the embryos have to be shipped from wherever they are currently stored to our clinic. Storks do not bring EA babies - FedEx does!
I have a list of things that we have to accomplish too. Both Bryan and I had to complete our own infectious disease screening. That wasn't too hard, once I found a facility that would take out of town doctor orders - we don't have LabCorp around here and the local hospitals were not cooperative.
I have to complete a uterine review, in this case, a hysterosalpingogram (HSG). There is approximately only a three day window each cycle in which this exam can be performed. I tried a few weeks ago only to find out that my local hospital will not take orders from out of town doctors unless they get privileges at the hospital. Which isn't going to happen. So I missed that time window. Fortunately, I had a consult with my OB and brought him up to speed on the whole EA situation. Now any procedure I need to obtain locally, he/his practice will more or less serve as the middle man and get me squared away. I think. We haven't tried to schedule anything yet.
Our current clinic requires either a copy of our home study or for us to complete psychological counseling (a requirement of all participants in the "donor program"). Fortunately, all I have to do is have our social worker send over a copy of our home study.
As a "delightful" twist to this whole scenario, we found out yesterday that we're moving again. In May. Our landlord is returning to the area and wants the house back by June 1 (our lease ends May 31). In looking at the calendar, I "think" we'll try to sign for our next house May 24 (what a wedding anniversary!) and move over that weekend (which is fortunately a holiday weekend).
And we made our reservations in the nick of time for our 10th anniversary getaway. We got literally some of the last days available out of the whole summer - that place fills up fast! We're going mid-June and it sounds like I'm going to be in desperate need of relaxation.
I guess in some ways it might make sense to try to move the transfer back to accomodate the move. But with our move, anniversary trip, and possible small trip for a cousin's wedding, June is not a good month. And I don't want to keep pushing back the FET just to find the "ideal time". So I think we'll stick with May. And pray really hard.
Our embryo transfer dates are not set in stone. I don't know if they're set in anything right now. I've got a tentative timeline in my head that we're adhering to based on cycle estimations. If the transfer is performed based on my cycles, and if my cycles continue as they have been, then the big FET will be somewhere between May 10 - 14. Or it may not.
These dates can be altered by the drugs I'll be using to prep my body for the transfer.
Apart from the physical coordination/manipulation necessary for an embryo transfer, there's also the logistical coordination. We're adopting embryos from two families who reside in two different states. Each genetic parent has to complete current infectious disease screening on top of relinquishment paperwork and communication contracts. And the embryos have to be shipped from wherever they are currently stored to our clinic. Storks do not bring EA babies - FedEx does!
I have a list of things that we have to accomplish too. Both Bryan and I had to complete our own infectious disease screening. That wasn't too hard, once I found a facility that would take out of town doctor orders - we don't have LabCorp around here and the local hospitals were not cooperative.
I have to complete a uterine review, in this case, a hysterosalpingogram (HSG). There is approximately only a three day window each cycle in which this exam can be performed. I tried a few weeks ago only to find out that my local hospital will not take orders from out of town doctors unless they get privileges at the hospital. Which isn't going to happen. So I missed that time window. Fortunately, I had a consult with my OB and brought him up to speed on the whole EA situation. Now any procedure I need to obtain locally, he/his practice will more or less serve as the middle man and get me squared away. I think. We haven't tried to schedule anything yet.
Our current clinic requires either a copy of our home study or for us to complete psychological counseling (a requirement of all participants in the "donor program"). Fortunately, all I have to do is have our social worker send over a copy of our home study.
As a "delightful" twist to this whole scenario, we found out yesterday that we're moving again. In May. Our landlord is returning to the area and wants the house back by June 1 (our lease ends May 31). In looking at the calendar, I "think" we'll try to sign for our next house May 24 (what a wedding anniversary!) and move over that weekend (which is fortunately a holiday weekend).
And we made our reservations in the nick of time for our 10th anniversary getaway. We got literally some of the last days available out of the whole summer - that place fills up fast! We're going mid-June and it sounds like I'm going to be in desperate need of relaxation.
I guess in some ways it might make sense to try to move the transfer back to accomodate the move. But with our move, anniversary trip, and possible small trip for a cousin's wedding, June is not a good month. And I don't want to keep pushing back the FET just to find the "ideal time". So I think we'll stick with May. And pray really hard.
Monday, March 4, 2013
Dare I say we're picking up speed?!?
While I haven't yet received a final yay/nay from our clinic, I think we are now successfully matched with two separate families. Both families are described on the Snowflake Waiting Embryos page - "Sandy and Bryan" and "Kay and Fred". I'm already daydreaming away about what our future children/family will look like. ;-)
We've received word that our taxes are finally being processed by the IRS. Hooray! Our refund is financing the remaining costs of our adoption so I've been getting increasingly antsy. For some unknown reason, student loan interest caused delays in the processing of taxes. However, we're moving once again.
And, in other delightful news, Nightlight has gifted us with a scholarship from their Babushka Fund! So far our current snowflake adoption is shaping up to be about $6k cheaper than last time. Our homestudy was with a different agency this time and MUCH cheaper. We received a credit from Nightlight as a "returning family". And now we've received a scholarship. Yay!
If everything plays out as it is tentatively arranged in my head, then we'll be probably do the embryo transfer sometime the week of May 12. Our plans are to thaw and transfer all of "Sandy and Bryan's" embryos first, since those embryos are older (1998 vs 2003). Best case scenario, we'll have a successful transfer followed by a healthy pregnancy followed by an uneventful birth of one or more children. And then we'll do another transfer with "Kay and Fred's" embryos a few years down the road. Only God knows how things will actually unfold, but I'm praying hard for these little lives!
Random factoid number one: Cora and Mac are our first, and therefore oldest, children (born in 2010). However, since they were created in 2006 versus 1998 and 2003 of the embryos we're hoping to adopt, they'll actually be the youngest of our children. Weird, huh?
Random factoid number two: My tenth wedding anniversary approacheth. Due to events that are likely to take place in May and early June, our special anniversary getaway probably won't occur until late June. We're hoping to go "glamping" here.
Anyway, if you have a moment, look at the pictures. Gorgeous! Peaceful! Expensive, so we'll only be gone a short while. But hey, after a decade with each other, we both deserve a hearty pat on the back and a nice splurge. ;-)
We've received word that our taxes are finally being processed by the IRS. Hooray! Our refund is financing the remaining costs of our adoption so I've been getting increasingly antsy. For some unknown reason, student loan interest caused delays in the processing of taxes. However, we're moving once again.
And, in other delightful news, Nightlight has gifted us with a scholarship from their Babushka Fund! So far our current snowflake adoption is shaping up to be about $6k cheaper than last time. Our homestudy was with a different agency this time and MUCH cheaper. We received a credit from Nightlight as a "returning family". And now we've received a scholarship. Yay!
If everything plays out as it is tentatively arranged in my head, then we'll be probably do the embryo transfer sometime the week of May 12. Our plans are to thaw and transfer all of "Sandy and Bryan's" embryos first, since those embryos are older (1998 vs 2003). Best case scenario, we'll have a successful transfer followed by a healthy pregnancy followed by an uneventful birth of one or more children. And then we'll do another transfer with "Kay and Fred's" embryos a few years down the road. Only God knows how things will actually unfold, but I'm praying hard for these little lives!
Random factoid number one: Cora and Mac are our first, and therefore oldest, children (born in 2010). However, since they were created in 2006 versus 1998 and 2003 of the embryos we're hoping to adopt, they'll actually be the youngest of our children. Weird, huh?
Random factoid number two: My tenth wedding anniversary approacheth. Due to events that are likely to take place in May and early June, our special anniversary getaway probably won't occur until late June. We're hoping to go "glamping" here.
By the way, hubby HATES the word "glamping".
Anyway, if you have a moment, look at the pictures. Gorgeous! Peaceful! Expensive, so we'll only be gone a short while. But hey, after a decade with each other, we both deserve a hearty pat on the back and a nice splurge. ;-)
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Matching - First Attempt
I have a confession to make. I want so badly to "control" the adoption process, especially the matching phase, that I will sometimes look at "Waiting Family" page multiple times a day, in the off chance that there's an update. Though there aren't many postings that actually fit our criteria, it doesn't stop me from neurotically checking and rechecking. I should be doing things like stepping back and letting the agency place us and spend my time in prayer or something else productive, like cleaning the house or folding the ever growing pile of clean laundry. It's almost an addiction now - I can't stop.
My behavior is somewhat contradictory. I do still trust that we will end up with precisely the embryos that God intends us to have. I can look back at my life and our nearly ten years of marriage and clearly see God's hand guiding us. So why am I still struggling for control?
We were given our first matches (yes, plural) last Monday. Have I mentioned how quick this was? Matching interview January 24 and we received our first matches February 11!! After much discussion and prayer, we ended up turning down one family while "keeping" the other. The family medical history was more serious than our family could potentially handle. And now we're waiting again for an additional match.
The tentative game plan is to do the embryo transfer either April or May. We'll only thaw and transfer one set of embryos and come back to the second set later.
On a slightly different note, I have another secret to confess. I found the twins' genetic mother on face.book. It's a convoluted story of how I found her considering I didn't even know her last name or where she lives. And I wasn't even looking - the situation just presented itself. Impulsively I face.book messaged her. A week or two went by and I forgot about it. Until this morning, when I saw that she had responded. I don't really know what expectations the two of us have for future communication. So far, we've both gently reached out and said hello.
I am thrilled by this contact whatever may happen with it. I've felt a surprising joy in seeing a few pictures of the twins' genetic siblings. Cora and Mac are similiar, but still unique. And Mac has the only set of blue eyes out of the bunch.
It amuses me to no end that Cora is nearly as baby crazy as I am, though she expresses it differently. I pine silently. Her baby crazy desires are tempered by her shyness in public, but she wants to hold every baby she can. In the meanwhile, Cora keeps trying to call Mac her baby and get him to sit in her lap. As they are the same size and he's usually resistant towards sisterly affection, this doesn't go over too well.
My behavior is somewhat contradictory. I do still trust that we will end up with precisely the embryos that God intends us to have. I can look back at my life and our nearly ten years of marriage and clearly see God's hand guiding us. So why am I still struggling for control?
We were given our first matches (yes, plural) last Monday. Have I mentioned how quick this was? Matching interview January 24 and we received our first matches February 11!! After much discussion and prayer, we ended up turning down one family while "keeping" the other. The family medical history was more serious than our family could potentially handle. And now we're waiting again for an additional match.
The tentative game plan is to do the embryo transfer either April or May. We'll only thaw and transfer one set of embryos and come back to the second set later.
On a slightly different note, I have another secret to confess. I found the twins' genetic mother on face.book. It's a convoluted story of how I found her considering I didn't even know her last name or where she lives. And I wasn't even looking - the situation just presented itself. Impulsively I face.book messaged her. A week or two went by and I forgot about it. Until this morning, when I saw that she had responded. I don't really know what expectations the two of us have for future communication. So far, we've both gently reached out and said hello.
I am thrilled by this contact whatever may happen with it. I've felt a surprising joy in seeing a few pictures of the twins' genetic siblings. Cora and Mac are similiar, but still unique. And Mac has the only set of blue eyes out of the bunch.
It amuses me to no end that Cora is nearly as baby crazy as I am, though she expresses it differently. I pine silently. Her baby crazy desires are tempered by her shyness in public, but she wants to hold every baby she can. In the meanwhile, Cora keeps trying to call Mac her baby and get him to sit in her lap. As they are the same size and he's usually resistant towards sisterly affection, this doesn't go over too well.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Crossroads
While I never had my suspicions confirmed, I'm pretty sure the first genetic parents to consider our matching profile turned us down. If I had to guess, I'd say our "rejection" was due to religious reasons. Option A: We're too religious. Option B: We're not religious enough. Option C: We're the wrong religion.
Option D: I look funny.
Whatever their reasoning, I'm not actually bothered at all. I'd argue that it's part of the genetic parents' responsibility to find suitable adoptive parents for their embryos. That's not a decision that can be lightly made and I can only hope that they find peace in their decision. That being said, I understand that not everyone can fully appreciate our awesomeness. ;-)
We're pretty openminded in our matching criteria. We're open to most races and questionable family history/genetics don't scare us. Oh, and we would prefer a semi-open adoption, mediated by the agency (with room for adaptation, per the children's request). There are probably only two limiting factors in matching us: we want a large enough embryo set to do another transfer down the road, a "sibling transfer"; and we do not want embryos created with donor gametes (donor eggs or donor sperm). Well, I guess our religion limits us some too - there's one public profile on Snowflake's page that says "no Catholics". It would stand to reason that there are more like-minded families that do not have public profiles.
Anyway, I got an email from the Snowflake Program Monday morning. They said they'd met some roadblocks in honoring all our criteria and wanted to present us with some options (4 actually). After much discussion and prayer, we're now angling down a slightly different path. At this point we're now attempting to be matched with two families, each family having a smaller (single transfer's worth) of embryos. Only one set of embryos would be thawed at a time, so while both sets would be adopted, one set would be "on hold" for a longer period of time.
I'm actually really excited about this option but know it could spell more of a logistical nightmare for the agency and potentially the clinic, depending on how picky the latter is.
While I don't have the foggiest idea who we will end up matched with, I did provide the Snowflake Program with some direction. There are three profiles that caught our eye on the "waiting embryos" page. I passed on these names to Snowflake for consideration: "Kay and Fred", "Margaret and Charlie", and "Carl and Sadie".
On top of all that hullabaloo (sp?), we also have had some minor drama with taxes and Bryan's job.
Taxes - I think my dad saved us MAJORLY. We've never filed before as rental property owners and, as best we can tell, our basic version of Ta.xcut, plus our inexperience with certain areas of filing, left us screwed over. Enter my dad. While I don't have the final numbers yet, I think my dad (tax guru to family and friends) saved the day!
Bryan's job - Big interview today at 1800 CT. Numbers keep changing, but I think he's one of nine candidates for a very important slot. This job would be fantastic for his career and would also bring us extra money. But, it would be LOUSY for family life for the next twelve months. I'm just praying that he interviews to the best of his ability while maintaining honesty about his personal needs/wants.
So, yeah, that's that. My brain's been a little frazzled. I'm trying hard not to be overwhelmed by the various and sundry "what if" scenarios my brain keeps throwing at me. Personal prayer, Mass, social time, and wine have all helped me cope thus far...
Option D: I look funny.
Whatever their reasoning, I'm not actually bothered at all. I'd argue that it's part of the genetic parents' responsibility to find suitable adoptive parents for their embryos. That's not a decision that can be lightly made and I can only hope that they find peace in their decision. That being said, I understand that not everyone can fully appreciate our awesomeness. ;-)
We're pretty openminded in our matching criteria. We're open to most races and questionable family history/genetics don't scare us. Oh, and we would prefer a semi-open adoption, mediated by the agency (with room for adaptation, per the children's request). There are probably only two limiting factors in matching us: we want a large enough embryo set to do another transfer down the road, a "sibling transfer"; and we do not want embryos created with donor gametes (donor eggs or donor sperm). Well, I guess our religion limits us some too - there's one public profile on Snowflake's page that says "no Catholics". It would stand to reason that there are more like-minded families that do not have public profiles.
Anyway, I got an email from the Snowflake Program Monday morning. They said they'd met some roadblocks in honoring all our criteria and wanted to present us with some options (4 actually). After much discussion and prayer, we're now angling down a slightly different path. At this point we're now attempting to be matched with two families, each family having a smaller (single transfer's worth) of embryos. Only one set of embryos would be thawed at a time, so while both sets would be adopted, one set would be "on hold" for a longer period of time.
I'm actually really excited about this option but know it could spell more of a logistical nightmare for the agency and potentially the clinic, depending on how picky the latter is.
While I don't have the foggiest idea who we will end up matched with, I did provide the Snowflake Program with some direction. There are three profiles that caught our eye on the "waiting embryos" page. I passed on these names to Snowflake for consideration: "Kay and Fred", "Margaret and Charlie", and "Carl and Sadie".
On top of all that hullabaloo (sp?), we also have had some minor drama with taxes and Bryan's job.
Taxes - I think my dad saved us MAJORLY. We've never filed before as rental property owners and, as best we can tell, our basic version of Ta.xcut, plus our inexperience with certain areas of filing, left us screwed over. Enter my dad. While I don't have the final numbers yet, I think my dad (tax guru to family and friends) saved the day!
Bryan's job - Big interview today at 1800 CT. Numbers keep changing, but I think he's one of nine candidates for a very important slot. This job would be fantastic for his career and would also bring us extra money. But, it would be LOUSY for family life for the next twelve months. I'm just praying that he interviews to the best of his ability while maintaining honesty about his personal needs/wants.
So, yeah, that's that. My brain's been a little frazzled. I'm trying hard not to be overwhelmed by the various and sundry "what if" scenarios my brain keeps throwing at me. Personal prayer, Mass, social time, and wine have all helped me cope thus far...
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Two and a Half
Well, the two and a half marker has come and gone. I took kid measurements on almost the right day and am posting in the right month. Maybe I get some sort of honorable mention mommy award?
Both kids are just over 39 inches tall and 42 pounds. They wear mostly 5T clothes. The sleeves are a little long in some shirts and the pants often need to be cuffed, but nothing smaller will fit their shoulders/ribs/hips. It truly amazes me how close in size these two continue to be. Oh, and they're potty trained! Well, at least potty trained enough that our diapering budget has been GREATLY reduced. And I'm becoming familiar with the location of every public restroom in every building we frequent.
Two and a half year olds are pretty hilarious, when they're not encouraging your hair to turn white (let's not look too closely at the hair at my temples) or making you foam at the mouth.
These kids love to sing, including theme songs to their favorite tv shows. We often sing a parody of a Cat in the Hat song at lunchtime: "Trees, trees, glorious trees" becomes "cheese, cheese, glorious cheese". Cora gave it her own twist today and came waltzing out of the master closet singing "shoes, shoes, glorious shoes" - two pairs of high heels completed her ensemble.
Mac's memory is incredible. He's started giving me directions to stores when we're out driving. Including stores he's only been to once before. Conversation with him can be somewhat a nightmare, due to his memory and random associations. He spent a good five minutes the other day detailing a whole list of things he wanted to see. I eventually realized he was describing the posters in the story room at the library - we haven't been there in over a month.
He and Cora were pretending to be doctors the other day when Mac announced, "I'm Doctor B____!" I racked my brain, furiously going over the list of all tv doctors I could think trying to decide where this name came from. And then I realized that's the name of his actual pediatrician. Whom he's seen twice since we moved here in June.
We love the Brother Francis videos at our house. Santa put "Let's Pray" and "The Eucharist" in the kids' stockings. Not only do we now hear the Our Father sung day in and day out while the kids play, but they're reenacting scenes from the movies, especially the saint portrayals. "Blessed Imelda wasn't big enough to receive Jesus. I'm not either." Holding up a sandwich a lunch, "This is the Lamb of God, the Eucharist". They'll often use Cora's tea set as a set of chalices, patens, and ciborium and set up the microwave in their kitchen as a tabernacle. It's not unusual to see one or both of them kneeling in front of their kitchen, "I'm praying like Blessed Imelda!"
Books come to life regularly. I love listening to them read books to themselves. Where the Wild Things Are and Going on a Bear Hunt are current favorites. Oh, and Tikki Tikki Tembo (ever read that book? Can you still recite the older brother's name? Passing on a legacy here - first my siblings and I could say his name, now my kids can rattle it off - Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo!)
And then there are the bikes.
Cora and Mac each received a balance bike for Christmas. And they LOVE them. As long as the bikes stay clean, they can even ride them inside. These aren't just any ordinary bikes, though, they double as motorcycles. Routinely, the kids will put on their "Army clothes" and back their "motorcycles" down the driveway. They'll ride madly to some other driveway and then stop and "exercise". Then they come back to "take a shower" and then they get back on their "motorcycles" and ride to their "offices". And then it's time for a lunch break and off they zoom to a "restaurant". Any guesses who they're imitating?
Two and a half is exhausting, exhilarating, and hilarious. Sometimes I feel like I need a coffee iv put in. Other times I feel I need to just sit back and watch the circus perform. And every day I thank God for the joy these two bring to my life.
Both kids are just over 39 inches tall and 42 pounds. They wear mostly 5T clothes. The sleeves are a little long in some shirts and the pants often need to be cuffed, but nothing smaller will fit their shoulders/ribs/hips. It truly amazes me how close in size these two continue to be. Oh, and they're potty trained! Well, at least potty trained enough that our diapering budget has been GREATLY reduced. And I'm becoming familiar with the location of every public restroom in every building we frequent.
Two and a half year olds are pretty hilarious, when they're not encouraging your hair to turn white (let's not look too closely at the hair at my temples) or making you foam at the mouth.
These kids love to sing, including theme songs to their favorite tv shows. We often sing a parody of a Cat in the Hat song at lunchtime: "Trees, trees, glorious trees" becomes "cheese, cheese, glorious cheese". Cora gave it her own twist today and came waltzing out of the master closet singing "shoes, shoes, glorious shoes" - two pairs of high heels completed her ensemble.
Mac's memory is incredible. He's started giving me directions to stores when we're out driving. Including stores he's only been to once before. Conversation with him can be somewhat a nightmare, due to his memory and random associations. He spent a good five minutes the other day detailing a whole list of things he wanted to see. I eventually realized he was describing the posters in the story room at the library - we haven't been there in over a month.
He and Cora were pretending to be doctors the other day when Mac announced, "I'm Doctor B____!" I racked my brain, furiously going over the list of all tv doctors I could think trying to decide where this name came from. And then I realized that's the name of his actual pediatrician. Whom he's seen twice since we moved here in June.
We love the Brother Francis videos at our house. Santa put "Let's Pray" and "The Eucharist" in the kids' stockings. Not only do we now hear the Our Father sung day in and day out while the kids play, but they're reenacting scenes from the movies, especially the saint portrayals. "Blessed Imelda wasn't big enough to receive Jesus. I'm not either." Holding up a sandwich a lunch, "This is the Lamb of God, the Eucharist". They'll often use Cora's tea set as a set of chalices, patens, and ciborium and set up the microwave in their kitchen as a tabernacle. It's not unusual to see one or both of them kneeling in front of their kitchen, "I'm praying like Blessed Imelda!"
Books come to life regularly. I love listening to them read books to themselves. Where the Wild Things Are and Going on a Bear Hunt are current favorites. Oh, and Tikki Tikki Tembo (ever read that book? Can you still recite the older brother's name? Passing on a legacy here - first my siblings and I could say his name, now my kids can rattle it off - Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo!)
And then there are the bikes.
Cora and Mac each received a balance bike for Christmas. And they LOVE them. As long as the bikes stay clean, they can even ride them inside. These aren't just any ordinary bikes, though, they double as motorcycles. Routinely, the kids will put on their "Army clothes" and back their "motorcycles" down the driveway. They'll ride madly to some other driveway and then stop and "exercise". Then they come back to "take a shower" and then they get back on their "motorcycles" and ride to their "offices". And then it's time for a lunch break and off they zoom to a "restaurant". Any guesses who they're imitating?
Two and a half is exhausting, exhilarating, and hilarious. Sometimes I feel like I need a coffee iv put in. Other times I feel I need to just sit back and watch the circus perform. And every day I thank God for the joy these two bring to my life.
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