A room for Finnegan

Our baby room is done.  All it needs is a baby.  When I think back over the past year and a half of what this room has looked like, I can't believe it.  One of my fears about moving back to our house is that I would never be able to get the vision out of my head of that room on fire.  While the fire destroyed so much of our house, this room was were it started and this room was a shell of black nothing.  Would I ever feel safe putting a baby in that room.  When our priest blessed our new house, he paused in that room to pray for comfort and peace and it calmed me.  My goal in decorating the room was not just to make a sweet room for our baby but to also make a room that did not look anything like William's old room.  I guess that I wanted to be able to keep the picture of how sweet his room was in my mind while at the same time, feel safe in a space that looked different.  I love how it turned out - it is simple.  And the best part is, we feel safe in it - in fact, we all seem drawn to that space now.

So, here is the space were Finnegan will grow:

Skip, Hop, Jump owl bookends from Target.com

Crib made by Bart, yellow bookcase from Home Decorator outlet sale, Corduroy print from oversized book by Don Freeman and framed by me for Caroline's nursery in 2000.

Babar print from Art.com

Finnegan's random letters sewn, painted and glued from various letters at Michaels and Hobby Lobby.  Mobile is vintage Irmi from eBay

Crib skirt fabric is Big Top -Green by Fabricut

Lovies picked out by Caroline, Owen and William

Finnegan's name print made by my super cute neighbor Wendy and her business , Signifiprints

Art gallery wall by Caroline, Owen and William, paper lanterns from Target's party section, apple pillow from Target.  Afghan made by Bart's mom, slipcover is a white diamond matelasse

Curtains are Waverly cross-section, bird tray from Ikea (bought originally for my kitchen just a few hours before we were matched with our birth mom).  Paint color is Bamboo leaf by Behr, Home Depot 

On another note:  I am giving a "my bathroom has never been shinier" award and shout out to my husband.  Is there anything more attractive than a man who cleans bathrooms?  Really think about it - there isn't.

 Tomorrow Bart and I start our travels to meet our baby!  Wish me luck!

If you don't have anything nice to say........

my three of 1.5 million - September 2005

A few days ago, I was getting my nails done.  Because, I really don't want my baby to think that my cuticles need trimming.  You expectant moms know what I mean.  Anyway, I was getting my nails done and the nail lady asks me if I have children and I tell her that I have three and then I think, what the heck, I'll tell her that my fourth is coming this week.  So I do and it takes her only 5 minutes to tell me that she knows someone who knows someone who had a horrible adoption experience and that the birth mom "snatched" the baby back.

So here is a public service announcement:   you are not being a kind, helpful human being when you bring to the surface another person's supressed fear.   I do not ever want to hear about an adoption story gone wrong.  I truly have no clue why people want to tell me those stories and it happens so often.  What is their purpose?  It makes me want to walk away immediately.  Bart and I passed on showing our profile to many, many adoption situations that we felt were too risky for our family.   We love our birth mom.  While she does have a legal right to her baby for 5 days after birth and can choose to parent,  she has promised this baby to us.  In return, we have promised to love him unconditionally forever as our own while remaining eternally grateful to her and her hard decision.  We have built a trusting relationship with her.  But I should not have to explain that to anyone (like the nail lady).  There are currently 1.5 million people in the United States who are adopted.  That's 1.5 million success stories - three of them living in my house.  And not just success stories for the adoptive parents and children but for the birth parents as well who know that their children are thriving and loved.

I remember this time last year, when we were moving back to our house after rebuilding from the fire and someone said to me "I know people who had a fire, rebuilt and then lightning struck their house and burnt it down."    WHAT?   Why would you ever tell me that?  Especially the week when I am trying to convince my children, and myself, that the house is safe to move back into?

I was recently reading a blog of a mom I know who is pregnant with breast cancer - a strong, faithful, beautiful mom.  She listed things that she needs from people who support her and this one struck me:
"To ONLY talk of survivorship.  Please do not mention folks who have died from cancer.  This news is very raw and I only want POSITIVE energy around me."


To that I say - you go Tara!  I am covering you in positive energy.


So as they say.  If you don't have anything nice to say...........


don't say it at all.


End of public service announcement.  Tomorrow - pictures of the nursery.

Bar-ton

A little post about the father of my children.   I struck gold.  25 years ago (gasp) when we met, I saw a kindness in him, in the way that he extended himself to others and in the way he treated me.  He wasn't a "guy's guy" and I mean that as an enormous compliment.  He didn't sneak alcohol into football games like most of his fraternity brothers and he didn't have to watch every (insert sport) game on t.v.  He sought contentment from his friendships and from being out in the world, learning and living.  I'm noticing now how that kindness is rubbing off on my sons and how Caroline doesn't waste her time with tween boy drama because she knows that in the long run -- she will look for someone like her dad.  Here are just a few things that are currently making me smitten:

1.  I love the projects you organize for the kids:  making your own root beer, building and launching model rockets,  making movies with Lego people and rubber animals

2.  I love your extra effort to treat me as an expectant mother.  Parking in the expectant mothers only parking spot because you know when we go in the baby store the salespeople will ignore us because I'm not pregnant.

3.   Your ability to do anything and everything around the house - painting, woodworking, plumbing, electric, and on and on and on

4.  Your willingness to trust me when I said you should grow your hair a little longer on top to show your curls.

5.  Your wink across a crowded room (or pool, or baseball field, etc)

6.  Your realization, like mine, that nothing is really a big deal and therefore not worth fighting over.

7.  Your love of your home and family above all else.

8.  Your happy acceptance of the "boy jobs" - the yucky, sweaty around the house jobs that I hate.

9.  Your smarty pants brain - because you are a constant student, striving to learn all you can about everything.

10.  Your cuteness.  You're just super cute.

Happy Father's Day my love.  Soon, another little person will call you Dad!

What's the point?

One of my favorite summer activities is art with the kids.  This is when I always start to think that I would love to home school.  And then I remember I'd have to teach science and back on the school bus they go!

I have a nice little stack of books that teach kiddos about artists.  I purchased these a few years ago when I was teaching art camp at our community center.  Today's lesson came from this book:

Today we're talking about pointillism - or "painting with Q-tips."

Everyone is happy during art time.  Hallelujah!!!

On guard

Just waiting for our baby here.  20 more days - if all goes on schedule.  William is passing the time by putting stuffed friends in the baby's window to "guard his room."  Today Beaker and Chip were on duty. It just makes me laugh.