It's HOT!

I am a reformed believer in the fact that it doesn't matter if it's a dry heat or not...114 is STILL HOT, especially when your air conditioner gives out! Rodney, Lola and I (along with Bogey and Thomas) have been holed up in our master bedroom with a window unit until the AC guys can get our new unit installed...Friday. Thomas and Bogey are taking it pretty well, especially considering they usually don't take too well to confinement. We have left this room as little as possible, unless it means actually leaving the house!

I found a great store today, actually, one of my friends told me about it and finally managed to catch it open today. Having spent a great deal of my adult life in Texas, it is absolutely necessary that this little girl be raised to wear big bows in her hair. The trouble is, we do not live in Texas. It seems little girls in Arizona wear bows proportionate to their little heads. And that just won't do! So, a fellow Texas gal turned me on to the store, Basically Bows, that has a WONDERFUL selection of baby bows as well as the little hats that Lola wears and sparkly stuff. Anyone who knows me knows that sparkly is a requirement of mine. I loved this store! Specifically, I loved the bow I found for Lola with a rhinestone "L" on the tail of the bow.

I also ventured to work for an hour or so and found a store that sells muslin swaddles. In this heat, the flannel ones are just too hot.

We are exposing Lola early to the great sit-coms of our age. During this time of confinement, we do not have cable in our room, but we do have a DVD player, so from last night and tonight, we have watched all of season 10 of Friends. Lola doesn't seem too affected by the heat, which is good!

She is changing so much! Her skinny little features are becoming round and chubby! I LOVE it and can't believe how quickly we are seeing this little personality emerge! We go to the pediatrician on Monday, I'm sure she will have grown some more. She has longer periods of awake and alert and is making eye contact, love it love it love it!!!

Look at her little legs, filling out and getting little chubby leg creases!!! SO cute!

Lola's Room and Company

Well I'm almost done with Lola's room. I ordered some hot pink trim to add to the b/w bedding that I got prior to knowing we were having a girl. It came in yesterday and I got out my sewing machine and was able to use that for most of the bedding, however the bumper pad required some hand stitching. I got a blister on my finger doing it! Ouch!

It turned out so much cuter than I thought it would! I'm very pleased, and unlike my typical self, I actually FINISHED all the trim last night in one sitting. Usually, when I have a project, I get 3/4 of the way through and give up and never (or rarely) go back and finish...I get bored! But this time, I was done and was looking for more things to trim in hot pink eyelash trim! Sadly, I only found a trash can. I'm not very good at estimating amounts. I ordered 40 yards of the stuff--I NEEDED about 11 yards. Anyone need hot pink eyelash trim?

This lack in judgment on amounts landed me with an extra 5 1/2 yards of turquoise/brown upholstery fabric...I used 1/2 yard of what I bought. The extra is sitting in a closet. Oh well, I guess it's better to have too much than not enough!

Thomas is under the impression that this is HIS room, since I started working on her room, he has been camping out. What sealed the deal for him was the fact that I moved his chair in there and draped his girlfriend over it (this is what we have named the blanket that he likes to lounge on.)

Lola had her first visitors tonight, we had our friends over--veteran parents, for dinner this evening. It was really nice to be able to rejoice in the addition to our family with these folks. We were friends from church, and in small group together and we've been able to see their families grow, so it was exciting to share this with them too.

The upside of having friends over is the excuse to have CAKE! there is this wonderful little cake shop by our house called, Nothing Bundt Cakes...YUM-MY...and LEFTOVER cake! wow!

Lola's Beautiful Poem--Guest Blogger

It was Memorial Day weekend, 2008.
Thomas and Bogey stayed up talking real late.
They knew something was coming, something was up.
Thomas purred, “A new cat?” Bogey barked, “No, a pup!”

One day in October, when Mom and Dad were away.
They sensed something important was happening that day.
Then the door opened up. They heard, “It's starting to seem real.”
They knew whatever it was, it was a very big deal.

A lady came to the house sometime in November.
Excitement was building more than they could ever remember.
Fire extinguishers came; It was the rule.
And a fence was put up all around the pool.

The phone rang a crisp, January Day.
They stopped and came close to hear what she would say.
They listened intently sitting by the new fence.
They heard, “It's official, We've been okayed to be parents!”

It was many months later Mom came home all excited.
And what they heard made them both completely delighted.
A new cat, a new dog was NOT what would be.
Mom and Dad were “expecting,” this would mean - BABY!

June 11th Mom and Dad got a call asking permission
To show their profile to a woman on a mission.
April's her name – She's courageous and true
To search for the world's best parents for you.

They drove to Grand Junction on June, twenty-two.
And Mom felt her pregnant tummy and the bump that was you.
They talked and enjoyed a very nice dinner.
The next morning they found out, they were the winner!

This meant you would be theirs in just over a month.
For your due date was said to be July twenty-seventh.
But that wasn't right. You had to come out to say, “Hi.”
And you were actually born on the 4th of July.

And since you were in a hurry, Mom was in one too,
To get to the hospital, so she could feed you.
She held you and loved you right from the start.
Your Daddy and Mommy love you with all of their heart.

Your first week was filled with all kinds of excitement:
First hotel stay, first spa day, first shopping trip to Target.
Even a first book, Dr. Seuss's ABC's,
My goodness, you stayed as busy as bees.

Then Mom and Dad packed you up, and you were ready to go.
And you had your first road trip to New Mexico.
You slept while Mom talked to “Aunt” Sarah on the way.
Then you met Grandma June, Grandpa Vic, Nana and Papa Jay.

You were cuddled and loved-on when you were asleep and awake.
But the time had come for another road trip to make.
To your home in Scottsdale, Arizona you were headed,
And when Bogey saw you coming he got so excited he “wetted.”

Now Thomas pretended to be only mildly happy,
But he was really quite thrilled. He just didn't want to seem sappy.
Yes, Thomas and Bogey's wait had finally come to an end.
And they gladly took the job to guard and to tend.

So now you are home, where God meant you to be.
He has such a great plan for your life; you will see.
But for now just enjoy all the blessings and love
That come from your loving, heavenly Father above.

-Written by “Aunt” Sarah, July 2009, in honor of Lola Rae-

Here is "Aunt" Sarah and I at the Kennedy Space Center in September, 2008. I was so touched by this poem and Lola LOVES it and can't wait to meet "Aunt" Sarah!

Out and About

We had lunch with my friend Cheri today, who we now have named "Nada." Funny thing, she sent me a text asking what we (me and Lola) were doing on Thursday. I didn't see it for a few hours, so I understand the confusion when I responded, "Nada, wanna meet for lunch?"

She responded to ME, "R u talking to me or Nada?"

When I said I was responding to her question about what we were doing on Thursday, she said, "Oh, I thought maybe u had a Russian friend named Nada." So, now, we're calling her Nada.

And we just got back from a lovely lunch at the Tea Light Cafe...yummy Vietnamese noodles. Nada gave us the sweetest little lamb that we will use to measure by weekly...also Nada's idea. This will help us to see how much Little Lola is growing!

Rodney discovered a new trick...When Lola is hungry, she open and closes her mouth like a little bird. So today, I was getting up for the couch, Rodney was holding Lola and he started doing that with HIS mouth. I asked him if that meant he wanted a Coke.

He said, "Well, it works for Lola."

So I did get him a Coke, but only because I was getting one for myself too...don't want to reward bad behavior too much!

Last night we tried our hand at a photo session. Not only do we not really know how to use our camera, we don't really know how to appease a new born so she'll smile and pose. We are going to try again, after reading the instructions on our camera so not everything comes out fuzzy. But we wanted to get up the pics of Lola in her Texas Tech jersey. Rodney wants to start instilling the Red Raider loyalty early.

I also thought some pink 'nekked' pictures would be fun. Lola didn't think so, but we gave it a shot!

Look How Much I've Changed! Lola's first Month

My Birthday! July 4 July 7, My first outing July 9, I LOVE my bouncy seat! July 11, I'm one week old! July 13, Looking around for the first time!July 15, Isn't my daddy great? July 17, I WAS smiling, but the camera wasn't quick enough to catch it! July 19, Lola with the red flower in her hair! 7-21 Ole'! 7-23, trying to get my Guns Up!7-29 The Fencing Position7-30 Aren't I sweet?7-29 Look, My Momma found the bow store!8-2, LOVE the bath!8-3, Nekked at the pediatrician8-4, Look at me, I'm ONE month old today!Bookends with the "plunger"

We're Home!

We got home yesterday afternoon...for someone in such haste to leave to get to our little girl, one suitcase packed, it was sure a different story coming home! Rodney and I have always joked that our nick name should be "the accumulators". We had an SUV (rented) loaded with stuff. So our house (not exactly neat when we flew out of here) is now definitely and officially a mess!

What a surprise we came home to when we pulled into the drive way. One of our neighbors so thoughtfully decorated our house with a welcome home to Lola! And another neighbor had to bring us keys as we had not taken any with us when we left town!!!

Lola had her first visit with the pediatrician today. WOW is she is growing! She has gained a whole pound since leaving the hospital and grown a whole inch and a half! So that puts her at 6 lbs. 8 oz, and 19 1/2 inches long. She also had to get her second Hep. B shot...which she didn't like AT ALL...tomorrow we take her for her 2nd newborn screening. If you haven't seen that, it's heart breaking! They poke the little heel and squeeze a vial of blood out of it. So it's not just like a "little pinch", it's over and over and over and over.

Next Tuesday, the social worker will do the first post-placement visit to make sure we are doing things like we are supposed to do them. It could take 3 to 6 months to finalize the adoption. I'm not really sure how that will work, but hopefully, on our first post-placement visit, the social worker can let me know. Bogey and Thomas are adjusting. Thomas is a little offended and Bogey doesn't know what to think. He peeks over the edge of her little chair and when she squeaks (which she often does) he goes running.

Thomas, on the other hand, was SO happy we were home, but he is a bit pouty when he realizes Lola is in the vicinity. Note the ears peeking over the edge of the couch!

Two Weeks!

WOW! We absolutely cannot believe that we have been on our "little adventure" for two weeks now. I can already see changes and growth in our little girl!

She lost her "button" on Friday morning, and though I was not tempted in the least to keep it, I thought it was a significant (and the first in a long line) milestone developementally. I had to show it to Rodney and save it for Gradma to see.

This meant she could actually have a REAL bath...which she REALLY needed! She was skeptical, but when the warm water started pouring over, she seemed to really enjoy it...then we had to get out of the warmth, and that was not popular. We put on her first "big girl" outfit..oh, so cute!!! and the bare feet really set off the whole "hippy" look. We have a little party to attend this evening and we think we'll just keep on the big girl clothes. She is still so tiny!

We're heading to Arizona bright and early in the morning and are VERY anxious to get home. Our other "children" have been away from mom and dad for two weeks now and I'm sure will not be happy with us when we get home...well, Bogey will be happy, but Thomas will not like this new addition at all.

So sweet! She is showing off her new hat!

Meeting the Grandparents

Well, WE had a big day yesterday...officially, we are still in Colorado...unofficially, we are in New Mexico, waiting for approval to leave Colorado. Which should have come in today. See, we have to have permission to take our lovely little Lola from Colorado, and then we have to have permission to enter Arizona. So we asked the social worker if that meant we could head to New Mexico to wait for permission to go home. The answer was yes!

So yesterday morning, we packed up and headed to Las Cruces. We thought we were going to have approval prior to hitting the Colorado/New Mexico boarder. However, after driving around Durango for about an hour, we found out there was still one piece of paper missing to get that approval. I was about to cry and asked the social worker what we should do. She said she couldn't tell me it was OK to leave the state, but said if we did, we would not be fined or arrested or anything, so we made the decision to keep driving. About 8:30 last night, we pulled into my parents house in Las Cruces. Rodney's parents happened to be in Ruidoso and drove up so that they could meet Lola too. It was a wonderful meeting...save for the fact that Rodney and I are now second class citizens in the eyes of the grandparents! :o)

Both grandparents were so happy to meet our little gift. We arrived to presents from people who have traveled at least part of our journey with us. It is so amazing to me the outpouring of support and love we have received from people who don't really even know us!

But it's also a wonderful thought that we are being thought about and prayed for from all over the country!

Friends of our parents have been so excited to hear about Lola too. She is just about outfitted for the next year!

Lola meeting Grandma June for the first time!

. . . And Nana and Papa Jay. . .

. . .And Grandpa Vic!

I couldn't resist this picture either...such a sweet picture of a daddy with his daughter! Such a loved little girl and she's only 11 days old!

Heading Home?

Looks like we might be out of here tomorrow! Unfortunately, we are not going to be able to go home. The state of Colorado will clear us to leave the state tomorrow, however, will will NOT have clearance to enter Arizona.

So I asked the question, "Can we go to New Mexico?"

The social worker said she didn't think that would be a problem, so tomorrow, we will be off to meet Grandma June and Grandpa Vic, and also Nana and Papa Jay.

We are headed to Las Cruces, NM until we get cleared to go to Phoenix...which I understand is very very warm.

We went back down town today and we were actually able to go into some stores! We got our traditional Christmas tree ornament to commemorate Lola's birth (this is our souvenir no matter where we go, and we date it so we have a memory of the places we visit.) We also got some local peaches and local wine.

Now it's time to pack! Fortunately (as per my earlier posts) there isn't much to pack!

Today's outing

Well, Lola had a BIG day! We had to get out of our hotel room today so we headed out. We wanted to find a Babies R Us or something like that because we have decided that Lola would do well with a baby "sling" (which I NEVER thought I'd use...too hippy for me!) because she LOVES being on our chests. But, no such luck! Not only is there no Babies R Us (or anything like it) in Grand Junction, most of the stores shut down on Sundays!

Being from a large town, that was a bit of a shock for us! We did walk the quaint streets of downtown Grand Junction...which looks rather interesting if much had been open. We did find a gellato place, which was nice. And up and down the street there was lots of "art". We decided we hope that Lola won't have to kiss a lot of these to find her prince!

Lola didn't like much being out today, and we discovered why all of our friends recommend Pampers over Huggies...YUCK! We took a little sponge bath when we got back! (as well as stopped and picked up some Pampers!)

We had our first "panic" yesterday. We realized that we hadn't seen a poopy diaper since early afternoon the day before. She was very upset about this--and so were we. The nurse who made the visit on Wednesday had given us a card to call "any time", however when we called, no one answered. So we called the pediatrician who was supposed to be there until noon. Left a message--never got a call back (that was the second call that went unreturned--not impressed.) So we e-mailed a friend of ours who's a pediatrician and she called us back pretty promptly. Apparently, it's normal for a newborn on formula not to go very frequently. But, after much worry and soothing, a "hot pocket" finally emerged. Never thought we'd celebrate the appearance of poop...but we did!

I suppose this is life now...checking for poop...gladly!