Jonathan and Julie's Great Adventure: August 2008

Saturday, August 23, 2008

The Wait is Over!!---------August 22, 2008

The wait is over!! After waiting 14 days, we got clearance today to leave the state of Texas and go home to Missisippi! We had a pretty big scare yesterday when we were told that some of the paperwork could not be found...and that we might have to start over, but somehow Abrazo got it all worked out! So today, after we received a fax and got it notarized, we obtained the permission needed to head home!

We will be leaving on Saturday morning around 9 or 10 a.m. and hopefully get to Mississippi by 5 or 6 p.m. It will be new territory for us! Not sure how many times we will have to stop!!

Jack is ready to meet Aunt Keri, Uncle Andrew, and the girls!! Plus, he is sure that there will be lots of other people ready to meet him too! We told him last night he was as famous as a rock star back home!! :) He has been so loved at every step of the way during his little life....First by Jessica and her family, then by our family, and now he will feel the love of everyone back home who has been praying for him every step of the way!!! He can't wait to meet you all!!

We are so thankful for the time we have had in Texas.....Time to just sit and enjoy Jack and getting to know him. We are so glad to have gotten to spend almost two weeks with Jessica and then another week at Joann's house in Plano! Plus, it was a treat to spend that middle week with Al, Jen, and the kids!!

We have not been home in over 20 days.....and we can't believe the time has come to Go Home with our baby!! How fun!

Thank you, God, for such wonderful days!!

Home Make-Over!!-----------August 20-22, 2008

When we came to Joann's back in July...they had begun ripping the blue-gray wallpaper down out of their dining room and kitchen. They were hoping to paint the room with a faux finish, but were having trouble deciding what to do. Then, after the advice of thier interior-decorator neighbor who strongly encouraged them to work on the cabinets first, they decided not to paint just yet.

Well, knowing how much Joann would love to have her kitchen be even temporarily fixed, Jonny and I offered to help paint their kitchen while we were here! Joann and I had already found a color we liked back in July...so we just went with it! We even got a lighter color for the downstairs bathroom!

We finished it all in about a day and a half! It was so fun to transform that room so quickly!!

Does Joann look excited, or what!!??

Just beautiful!! And interestingly, what you notice the most, I think, is the slate FLOOR!! The paint really makes the floor just pop out and grab you!! Love it!!

We left Joann a very satisfied customer!! :)

Getting to Know the Family!!----August 2008

Jack has had a fun week getting to spend time with Uncle Scott, Aunt Joann, Austin, and Ariana!

Austin and Aunt Ju Ju-----------August 21, 2008

Just because I'm a mommy now, doesn't mean that I'm not still Crazy Aunt Ju Ju!! In fact, with all this sleep deprivation, I'm now even a bit crazier!! :) Here are two proud sculptors after we followed the directions to a challenging Play-Doh project!! :)

Wide Awake!!-------------August 20, 2008

Jack comes alive around midnight each night!! His eyes will pop open and stay open! He doesn't like to lay down in his bed when he is wide awake, either! This has left his mommy and daddy very confused at what they should do! Then we took Uncle Al's advice a put him in a swing! This seems to make him satisfied with his situation...although it seems to rarely put him to sleep between the hours of 11 p.m. and 3 a.m.!! He will just sit in his swing with the widest eyes you have ever seen!! :) Sometimes he will look like he is just zoned out....but refuses to sleep!!

We also had to start putting him in Joann's pack and play when he began to move around too much in the bassinet!! We tried using a sleep positioner...but as you can see, that did not stop him from squirming!! :) What are we going to do with this little man!? :)

Lazy Days!------------------August 19, 2008

I'm telling you..................We have been SLEEPY HEADS around here!!

Austin is trying to get someone to wake up and play with him! "Wake up, Baby Jack!!"

Jack's First Bath--------August 18, 2008

Jack took his first bath in a tub at his Aunt Joann's house...under her supervision too....since mama was not so sure she knew what she was doing!! :)

And....as expected...Jack slept right through it!! That boy just cannot wake up before 11 p.m.!! We took lots of cute pictures...but these are the only ones completely appropriate for a blog.....
But just imagine Jack looking totally comfortable, with his arms behind his head! :) He enjoyed his bath....even if he thought it was just a dream!! :)

Snug as a bug....and all clean!! Smelling soooooo good!!

Jack loves having that arm behind his head!!

Exhausted!---------August 17, 2008

This is what we have been doing since we arrived at Joann's on Saturday!! As soon as we arrived...and after everyone made a big fuss over Jack, Jennifer and Joann took over for us and sent Jonny and I to bed for several hours!! Since then, we have taken lots of naps....but it is very difficult being disciplined to go to bed early and take good naps when we are surrounded with fun people......late night Olympics.....and such a cute, cuddly baby that you just want to sit up and hold!! (Plus....Jack is TOTALLY a night owl! He comes alive at night....with big, big eyes! We rarely see his eyes during the day!

Saying Goodbye--------August 15, 2008

Well, the day finally came. We had planned on leaving town (and heading to Dallas) with Jen and Al on Friday morning....but we decided to stay one more night so that we could spend all day Friday with our sweet Jessica!

We had a great day together! We had Jack's birth certificates printed, went to a doctor's appointment, and then had a great dinner at the Cheesecake Factory together!

Jack did great at his appointment! He did have to get some antibiotic gel for his eyes, but other than that...everything was perfect!! The most humerous thing was that while we were there, his bellybutton cord popped off while we were all watching!! So we were all three so grateful that the pediatrician could look at his little bellybutton and tell us that it looked fabulous!! :)
We had a great couple of hours at the doctor.....it was actually a very fun way to spend the day!

When the time for Jessica to go home got nearer, she called her dad to get permission for 30 more minutes, which he granted. She held, fed, and cuddled with Jack. Those moments are so dear to us! We drove to her house in silence....we had grown so comfortable together....plus we were all pretty tired. When we got to her house, we all hugged and cried. She gave us handwritten letters to Jack and to us...stating her gratefulness for giving Jack a home....and telling Jack how very, very much she loves him...and always will!

Jonathan and I were teary all the way home....missing Jess already! We are overwhelmed at Jessica's love for Jack and for us.....and at the incredibly strong feelings we have for her!! She is OURS! We really feel like we have gained two priceless people through this adoption!

Visiting Jessica's Family-----August 14, 2008

On Thursday, August 14th, we (Jonathan, baby Jack, Jessica, Jake, and I) were so fortunate to be able to drive to Austin to visit Jessica's grandmother, her two aunts and her cousins! It was such a fun afternoon! We talked and laughed and stared at Jack...! He is so loved!

Jessica got to show her family all the pictures of the birth as well as our portrait pictures from Portrait Innovations. They were so sweet....and when Jessica, her grandmother, and her aunts all laughed, they sounded EXACTLY the same! It was so cute!! Jessica certainly gets her cute nose from this side of the family too!!

Jessica's grandmother thanked us for giving Jack a good home and for loving Jessica! We told her that Jessica and Jack were both so easy to love....and that we had never met more thankful and grateful kids than Jessica and Jake!! She said that Jessica's mom was just like that as well! It makes me want to meet that side of the family too!

Later that evening, Jennifer videotaped an interview of sorts with Jessica, Jonathan, and I. It was a video for Jack with all three of us talking about how we were matched with each other, our first visits, the birth, and then Jessica told Jack WHY she chose place him in our arms. It was very emotional....and super precious!

We were (and are) so thankful for such a special day!!