THANK YOU

A simple 'thank you' isn’t enough for the smiles you have brought to my face and the courage you have given me to continue to share our story. 

Thank you to all of you following my blog – new and old readers alike.  Since I have chosen to share our story publicly, I’ve received countless emails, phone calls and compliments in person.  Each and every message was truly touching.  Sharing our story has been rewarding in more ways than I ever imagined it would be.  So, thank you from the bottom of my heart for every heart-felt message, for taking time out of your busy day to read my entire blog from start to finish and for the daily thoughts and prayers.  They mean the world to both Kris and I.

A Time to Celebrate

Yesterday I wrote on Facebook that it was a big day. When I wrote that, I had no idea the overwhelming response I would have. I received phone calls, texts, emails and even Facebook messages. Thank you guys for all the love! Yesterday went flawlessly and our home study is finally behind us. I cannot even begin to tell you what a relief that is. 

Our local Houston caseworker was at our house for a whopping 30 minutes. She asked us a few questions pertaining to our neighborhood, our neighbors, safety precautions we have planned, how many bedrooms in the home and so on… Then I took her on a tour where she glanced in each room and we moved on to the next. She didn’t open one closet, cabinet or drawer. She must have noticed the perfectionist in me. I will tell you, we’ve spent the last three weeks cleaning out and organizing every square inch of our house. It was quite the task let me tell you, but even Kris will proudly say, it was worth it. I think he is most proud of the garage! Even though our caseworker didn’t notice, it was the push we needed to organize our home from top to bottom. And it feels wonderful!

The good news is we are APPROVED on her end and are just waiting on approval from our caseworker who conducted our interview. Once we receive our final approval we will officially be a Gladney approved and waiting family! Can’t wait to receive that title, because that means we can be chosen by a birth mom really at any time! Lots of celebrations are in our near future! This weekend, we will be celebrating the completion of our home study and the turning in of our profile book – all exciting stuff that we have worked VERY hard on.

Speaking of exciting stuff… Hardwood floors are being installed right now in the nursery! It’s so loud that I had to call Kris and make sure he didn’t accidentally schedule a demolition. I may soon have a headache because of all the banging, scraping and beeping, but that won’t stop me from smiling.

Happy Birthday George!

I can’t believe my baby boy is 3 years old.  We brought George home a few days after we returned from our honeymoon and even though we were leaving the most beautiful place on earth, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on my new puppy.

The day we brought him home.

George learning the stairs. Don't you just want to kiss his face?!

Best friends for life.

George is a dog that can light up a room.  He’s bouncy and playful, but he loves cuddle.  He’s never met anyone that hasn’t fallen in love with him.  George is just a little guy (he didn't grow to his full size because of a liver condition) and his nickname is 'Little Foot' among many others that I won't say in fear of embarrasing him.  He’s not a big kisser like Oskar and even though people try to get puppy kisses, he saves those for his mommy and daddy.  George is a kind and gentle soul who will always remain young at heart.  He enjoys being the baby of the family and I enjoy babying him.

This boy is on a schedule just like a child.  He has a strict potty schedule and if we don’t abide by it, so sorry Mommy and Daddy…  He even has an evening ritual of cleaning his feet before bed.  Also, if we don’t feed him at his scheduled time, he won’t leave us alone until we do.  He uses head nudges to get my attention and I think it is the cutest thing ever.  Oh and when he eats, he turns about 5 circles in front of his bowl before he digs in.  And he eats faster than anyone you have ever seen - I guarantee it.  George also dictates when we get up in the morning.  Oskar, Kris and I like to sleep in, but George wakes up and is ready to play!  I told you he is like a child!

Since I’m an only child, I never got to see how siblings interact or how influential they can be to one another.  Having a second dog, I got to witness it all and it’s been amazing to see how they grow and learn from each other.

Here is a little something I wrote about George for our profile book and it captures exactly who he is.

Meet George

Hi, my name is George and I am 3 years old.  I’m the baby of the family and boy do I know it!  My best friend is Oskar and we do everything together.  Anytime we are apart, it makes me very sad.  He is my older brother and he has taught me everything I know.  I look up to him always.  My favorite toy is ‘Mr. Squirrel’ and he goes everywhere with me (even to potty!).  I live for sunbathing outside, chewing on bones and going on walks with Mommy and Daddy.  My favorite pastime is cuddling with Mommy no matter what she is doing.  Mommy and Daddy love to surprise Oskar and me with new toys and lucky for me, Oskar doesn’t like them as much as I do.  I love to take as many of them out of the toy box as I can and play with them ALL!  I’m a sweet and shy little guy who just likes to snuggle.  Mommy and Daddy make us feel like the center of their world and we are very loved and cared for every day.

And here are some photos of George on his 3rd birthday.  George is always on the go, so it is very hard to slow him down for a photo.  There is no posing George or placing him in the correct lighting.  Patience is the key to capturing a moment with him.

George was terrified of the birthday hat. Can you tell?!



Still terrified...



I sat his birthday goodies down on the table and he immediately jumped on the chair for a photo op.  He knows his Mom well.  I always take a photo of them with their presents before they can eat their birthday cookie.  



George and his friends



 George snuggling with Mr. Squirrel.  I think this is my new favorite photo of him.

Happy Birthday sweet boy!  We love you to pieces and thank you for bringing so much light and laughter to our lives.

A Word From Grammy and Papa

As I was creating our profile book, I realized how very important each word really is.  There is a lot of pressure in this tiny book.  We are asked to create a book explaining who we are as a person, a couple and as a family and what kind of parents we will become.  The first day I started writing I was consumed by the pressures and had writer’s block, but the next day, my heart just started pouring out.  I love what our book is becoming and in the days and weeks that it may take to complete our profile, I will start sharing certain pages of the book with you.  

For now, here is a letter my parents wrote to our baby.  I asked both sets of grandparents to write a letter to the baby explaining their love and desire to welcome this baby into our family.  I will include these letters on our ‘Loved Ones’ page and my hope is that it will not only make our profile stand out among the rest, but also show that Kris and I aren’t the only ones who are waiting patiently to welcome this baby into our world.

To our grandbaby:

We can’t tell you how long we have prayed for you to come into our lives.  You are our first grandbaby and we can’t wait to love, spoil and teach you how important family is to one another.  Your mother has dreamed of you her whole life.  We watched her as a child taking such sweet care of all of her “baby dolls”.  We knew in our hearts then – she was born to be a mother.  We are writing this with so much love in our hearts and tears in our eyes.  Your sweet, loving family is waiting patiently for the day God brings you into our lives.  We love you already.

                                                                                                All our love,

                                                                                                Grammy and Papa

A Prayer for James

The mohawk was a joke and is now gone.  After all the comments on FB, Kris actually considered keeping it.  Just joking!

A colleague of Kris’ is having brain surgery tomorrow and in honor of his fight, many of his friends and colleagues shaved their heads.  James is actually the man responsible for recruiting Kris into investment banking at Credit Suisse.  Kris told James recently that there were many times he praised his name and many more times he cursed it.  The truth is; we wouldn’t be where we are today if it weren’t for the simple fact that James believed in Kris.  Now, I’ve never met James, but have heard so many wonderful things about this man.  I’m truly grateful for the opportunity he gave us.  Although Kris’ stint in investment banking was difficult at times for both of us, it’s opened many doors and brought many wonderful opportunities our way that we wouldn’t have otherwise had.  Please pray for James and his family today, tomorrow and always for their fight isn’t over.

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle.”

                                                                                                                 ~Plato

UPDATE from James himself the day after surgery:

I just met with my doctor and learned that the brain tissue removed
yesterday was a fast-growing tumor (either a grade 3 or grade 4
astrocytoma). In two weeks, I will begin the maximum dosage of radiation
paired with chemotherapy. This phase of my treatment will last for six
weeks, and will then be followed by another six months of
chemotherapy...and perhaps some experimental drugs. I wish I had better
news, but I wanted to be honest with everyone. Feel free to ask
questions.

Please keep the prayers coming for James and his sweet family.

Big Steps

Over the weekend, we took the first big step to starting the nursery.  Well, actually two steps!

1.       We ordered hardwood floors and they should be installed next week!

I can’t tell you how excited this makes me!  By the end of next week our nursery will be a blank canvas for me to start designing a lovely space for our baby.  Over the past two years, I’ve envisioned this nursery in so many different ways and even in different rooms of our house.  Although, I’ve never designed a gender neutral nursery, I already have so many ideas that I just can’t wait to see all come together.

2.       We cleaned out the dog room/storage closet

These next photos may scare you, but all of these things were perfectly organized in the closet prior to us pulling it out and dissecting each box. 

There are three piles - one for a garage sale, one for holiday décor and one for the attic, garage or another closet.  We have officially cleaned out and organized every single closet in our house.  It was a huge task; let me tell you, but it feels so good to be finished.  Everything in our home is either something we use or a keepsake.  We are clutter and junk FREE!  Our neighborhood garage sale in October could not come soon enough.  As they say, “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure”. 

Taking the first steps toward beginning the nursery have been surreal to me.  The adoption process right now has been very slow and at times, doesn’t feel like we are making any progress towards Baby Simpson.  Just knowing by the end of next week, I will have an empty room with beautiful hardwood floors in it makes me incredibly happy.  Kris, don’t be surprised if you see me sitting in the empty room dreaming of our future.

Photography + Quotes

Two of my favorite things!

Yesterday, I stumbled across a photographer and graphic design student named Julian Bialowas.  He is doing a 365 day project where he posts his own photo with an inspirational quote, every day for an entire year.  I’m an instant fan and will be purchasing a few of his photographs for either my guest bathroom or bedroom.  

Each photograph is $3 and he will immediately send it to your email and you can print it wherever you would like.  Again, huge fan!

Here a few of my favorites, mostly because they are lessons I have learned either in everyday life or through our fertility journey.  Hope you enjoy!