willandadri.com

with our adoption seminar taking us to asheville last weekend, will’s mom thought it would be good for us to redeem our biltmore house tour tickets on saturday.  she called and made the arrangements so we could do some touring saturday morning.  we headed out early and were stoked when the weather was amazingly perfect.  the sky was bright blue and there was hardly a cloud in the sky.  we loved the architecture and the history behind the house.  it was great to finally see it in person, and to learn about why it was created and how the vanderbuilt family built their fortune.  the only bummer was the fact that they do not allow you to take photos in the house itself (which is understandable), but we took as many as we could outside!

one of our favorite parts of the tour was the orchid room in the conservatory in the gardens.  the flowers in the conservatory were amazing!  we can hope to have some amazing plants like this one day!  while the 107,000 tulips were not yet blooming, they are definitely going to be amazingly gorgeous in a week or so!

after the tour of the house and the gardens we headed over to the arbor grill (at the biltmore winery) for lunch out on the patio.  sipping on wine and enjoying the amazingly sunny day were a perfectly relaxing end to our tour.  we sampled tapas plates for our lunch so we could try as many delicious tastes as possible.  we loved every single bite!

once we were done with our lunch we sampled wines at the winery.  some of the wines sampled were very good!  we enjoyed the tasting and tried almost 20 wines, although 30 were available to sample.  we purchased a couple of bottles to bring home and enjoy with dinner sometime soon.

a sunny saturday in the seventies sent us to spending time out of the house.  we decided to go back to the folk art show at fearington village again this year.  we’d been there in 2009 and i fell in love with eric legge and multiple other artists who create very raw and expressive pieces.  before heading to the show we headed to cary to the bavarian brathaus to use a groupon that was about to expire.  we had growling stomachs from skipping out on breakfast and needed to get some nourishment before taking the art tour.  we were excited to try some authentic german food and settled in for a relaxing meal bargain style.  with our groupon saving us 50% off our meal, this was just the kind of outing we could handle!  will decided on some bratwurst and i ordered the wiener schnitzle.  we both sampled a beer and enjoyed the sampling of tasty and flavorful viddles in an authentic german atmosphere.  after our bellies were full and will posed with a beer poster, we continued on our way to pittsboro.  when we drove up we saw that the belties were out in the pasture!  we parked the car and quickly made our way over to hang out with these special black cows with perfectly furry white belts.  their fur was thick and soft.  they were very expressive and put up with my cutsie schmootsie talk for almost half an hour.  after we’d bothered them long enough we made our way over to the barn to tour the art work of the folk artists.  we took our time touring each booth and admiring all of the pieces.  if our budget was different i would have purchased at least two more of eric legge’s paintings.  there’s something about him and his work that fascinates me and i hope that one day i will be able to purchase something larger than the tiny “Jesus” painting i have that i purchased in 2009.  we’d love to fill our home with original art, in the tradition of aunt pat, and have these treasures surrounding us and our little one as they grow.  we’ll get our collection going one day!  we had a great day doing nothing but relaxing and enjoyed every single second of it.

i’ve been in love with the snow and ice we’ve experienced this winter.  this time my fascination has been with the individual snow flakes and the way the light reflects off the snow.  my favorite photos of this week’s wintery mix are here.

we spent this Christmas at will’s folks house.  it was great to spend time with everyone on the white side.  we spent time playing board games, watching movies, telling stories, visiting church, and feasting on some amazing grub.  ethan continues to amaze us with his computer skills and engineering plans.  we’re sure that one day he’s going to have a multi billion dollar invention.  meredith has outstanding fashion sense and loves to show off her new outfits.  it’s hilarious to hear her exclaim that these clothes are more fashionable because they came from nordstrom rack.

it was the second Christmas in a row to be a white Christmas.  the snow began late on Christmas eve and continued for the next 24 hours.  the snow was about 9″ before it came to a hault.  will and i took the dogs out multiple times to enjoy the stillness in the snow.  amelia loves to hop through the snow, but iliana is not so keen on it. 

we were exstatic to have received so many gifts for the baby.  we received the baby monitor, the diaper sprayer, and several books from will’s parents.  they also gave me a charm bracelet that they will fill with charms once we get the baby.  we are so excited that everyone is on board, and that we are stocking up on the gear that’s needed to pass the home study and fill the nursery.

ethan was in love with the metal detector his folks got him, the dinosaur tooth from his grandparents, and the dinosaur egg kit we got him.  meredith was very happy with her american girl doll, her new scooter, and the outfits we got her.  they are each so different, but so sure of themselves.  we had a good time with both of them.

since i had to get back to work today we had to head back home on sunday.  when we began to head out on sunday morning, we had to drive in the snowfall the entire way back home.  however, will got to test out the safety features on the suv and found it very satisfying to not have any slippage etc. despite all of the snow and ice. 

we’re so thankful for another Christmas with family, another year of being healthy, and another year of moving forward.  we’re looking forward to a most amazing 2011.

turkey for you – turkey for me – turkey for thanksgiving

i am known as the queen of turkey on thanksgiving.  a few years back i followed a turkey brining technique that soaked in the moisture and gave us the most flavorful turkey ever.  it seems that it gets better and better every year.  this year, since we were having 21 people at mom and dad’s new house, we baked 1 20lb turkey and two turkey breasts.  i have to admit – the turkey was divine. 

but – thanksgiving is not just about turkey, even if it is the most delicious turkey you’ve ever tasted.

we are thankful for so many things this year.  here are just a few that top the charts:

• husband’s timely diagnosis of chiari malformation and syringomyelia
• husband’s sucessful recovery from his decompression surgery
• the time that lori, our parents, our friends, and neighbors put into fixing meals and helping us make it through the healing process
• our understanding of God’s path for our life and our adoption journey
• the continuous love and friendship that will and i share with each other
• our amazingly supportive friends and family
• the vacation times we spent at the beach soaking in the sun
• the numerous christian music concerts and the trip to see Annie
• the completion of the baby nursery
• the submission of the initial adoption application
• the blessing of Ellie’s birth
• the celebration of Kathy and Mark’s engagement
• will’s parent’s celebration of their 50th wedding anniversary

wonderful saturday –

today was a gorgeous start to the weekend.  we got up and headed to cary to meet cathy, steve, and gus (some friends we found through yelp who’ve recently adopted a little miracle of their own.)  it was great to finally meet some folks who had been through the process, been where we are now, and have ended up in such a good place with their sweet baby boy.  cathy brought us a copy of their profile book so we can get a feel for the layout and the contents in what we can prepare to create for our own.  she also brought us a book about birthmothers and even a baby einstein book for our future little one!  how sweet!

after lunch we decided it was a great day to be a tourist in our own town.  we headed to downtown wake forest to tour the musem of the birth place of wake forest university.  we pulled up and admired the lawn, the gardens, the fountain, the setting – and then we waltzed up to the porch to find a note that said it was closed for remodel, but was set to open again on november 14th.  drat the luck!  oh well – c’est la vie!  so we continued to tour the outside, pose for photos, and just enjoy the amazing weather.  we learned that the town used to be called “the forest of wake” because it was in wake county and there were an abundance of hardwood trees.  we both loved the story of this.  we strolled down main street admiring the old homes and trees and then had to partake in our usual saturday shopping (just to support local businesses of course.)

for dinner we decided to head south towards down town raleigh for some pho noodle soup.  we made our way to pho cali and had some great vietnamese soup and sammies!  delish!  while we were there we saw a family come in for their dinner.  it was a father with 4 pre-teen children of multiple ethnicities.  they laughed and giggled together as the father explained to them what pho noodle soup was and how the broth was prepared.  two of the boys had mohawks and will and i both joked with each other that this would be him with our kids one day.  i loved hearing all of those little cuties call the father “daddy”.   too sweet.

we’d  picked up a flyer at a local popcorn store last night and decided to go to “anchorsoul” at faith baptist church in youngsville.  after reading about the event on their website we learned that local adoption agencies and foster care services would be on site to provide information.  the event is a haunted house alternative and proved to give us something further for us to think about on our faith journeys.  http://www.faithnc.org/anchorsoul  we both really enjoyed the production and the services offered by this very large baptist church.  looks like they are doing some good work!  the entire thing just reiterated that the path we are on is exactly where we’re supposed to be.

It’s hard to believe that it has been six months to the day since my surgery.  It really feels like 6 years. So much has happened this year.  I think I have grown more this year than at any other time. Despite everything that has happened this year I can honestly say it is one of the best years I have ever had.  My patience, tolerance, and understanding have dramatically improved. My anxiety has decreased and my priorities are finally right. I have grown much closer to my wife and my God. What more could I want?

giddy-up!

melanie flew down to rdu and then we headed off to austin, texas together.   we’d planned for months to go and see delaine, and finally the time was here.

our flights to san antonio were short and painless.  we arrived to the texas heat, gathered our bags, and were greeted by delaine and caleb at the airport.  caleb has bright brown eyes, eyelashes to die for, and the cutest little cheeks.  he was a trooper and was down for the shopping and the sight seeing.  

texas was not at all what i’d imagined.  for some reason i envisioned sand, dust, tumbleweed, and lots of cowboys.  instead i saw lush greenery, lots of limestone, and everyone wearing their regulars.  it was like nc – only hotter for october.

delaine shuttled us to some amazing baby stores and some fantastic lunch at the whole foods headquarters in down town austin.  later that night we feasted on some delicious fajitas over candle light.  we had a good time chatting and catching up.

saturday we headed off to the salt lick for some amazing texas style bbq.  this place has been on a million food network tv shows and was a must do on the tx tour list.  the wait was short and before we knew it we were feasting on ribs, brisket, and sausage.  after our bellies were full we headed out for more shopping.  we visited some amazing antique stores and some unique boutiques.  we picked up some souvenirs and cute stuff for the babe.  we had fun seeing town and survived the heat.  we visited the cold springs and i could totally see myself ditching the camera and taking a dive to cool off!  after some fun around town we headed back home to play with caleb before going out for the night. 

he’s totally easy going and has fun playing with diet coke boxes and magnets.  hope our baby is that easy to please!  he giggled at every last thing and we totally acted like clowns just getting him laughing.  his laugh is infectious and he kept my heart eager for our little one to arrive.  melanie gave him some sesame street characters to play with.  we decided that we’d name melanie “aunt melmo” since she loves her some elmo!  i still laugh when i think of him giggling at his toys or our funny faces.

for dinner we headed to moonshine in down town austin.  the wait was long, but the place was awesome and well worth the wait.  melanie picked us up some beverages at the bar and before we knew it our table was ready.  we all enjoyed our dinners and even splurged for some dessert.  i had to order the red velvet cake, since it is “my mom’s favorite!”  the desserts came out and they were bigger than the table.  we ended up with some to go boxes and then made our way – by rickshaw – to the driskill hotel.  the driver of the bike was from mclean, va – small world.  we all had a hilarious time as we rode the bike across town.  we arrived at the driskill and i actually saw a cowboy checking in at the desk.  (i thought i would see cowboys everywhere – what qualifies as a cowboy? – man wearing cowboy hat, cowboy boots, jeans, large belt buckle – but this was the one true cowboy i saw.)  we made our way to the bar and saddled up for some drinks.  the place was packed, but we had fun as we continued to chat it up.  after our cocktails we headed down to the main drag and i could have sworn that we were at mardi gras.  the streets were closed and people were EVERYWHERE.  live music could be heard pouring out of the bars and clubs and people had their choice of which live act to shake their groove thang to.  we jetted around and took a glance in almost every one.  after our tour we headed back to the car and settled into bed once we got home.

sunday we got up and headed to breakfast.  had some yummy french toast with poached eggs to start the day.  we took caleb home and played with him before his nap time.  after we got him settled in we checked out some more shopping and loaded into the car for the oasis on lake travis.  the sunsets are one for the record books and the food was delish.  i had the best chile rellenos i’ve ever tasted along with a gorgeous sunset.  we all relaxed by the water and had a great time.

monday morning we got up and headed to san antonio.  we visited the alamo and the river walk.  the heat and humidity were a bit stifling, but we still enjoyed a good tour, the water at the river walk, a mariachi band, and an awesome lunch. 

as quickly as it came, our time in texas was gone.  i had an awesome time with delaine and melanie!  it was great to have some down time, catch up, and reminisce.  cannot wait to have the three of us together again soon.

we ran around like crazy fools from the time we came back from vacation to get the nursery ready.  we succeeded in getting everything done, and just in the nick of time for the photo shoot last saturday.  after the photo shoot i had to pack up and head to nova to conduct some training on a group project we’re rolling out.  i got back home on wednesday night and fell straight into a coma.  i made my way through work (barely) on thursday and friday. 

i was grouchy.  you can ask kathy – it was not pretty.  thankfully she and i were headed to the casting crowns concert at the state fair friday night.  i needed that concert so badly.  i needed to get my mind, my spirit, my soul back on track.  i got so caught up in the “being exhausted” that i slipped back into focusing on the non-important and being at that concert made me realize how badly i’d messed up.  kathy – to you – i apologize for having to deal with me on friday.  totally embarrassing – and no excuse for it.

the concert was at the state fair.  we met up at the park and ride and took the bus over to the fair.  we sampled a few things, but stayed away from the majority of the fried “everythings”.  though i do think i still am regretting not purchasing the krispy kreme hamburger sandwich – if only just to get a good photo of this wonderment.  after walking around we made our way to our seats and waited for cc to take the stage.  the concert was amazing (as usual) and i sang my little heart out.  the powerful words of these songs have carried me through all of the hard spots in the past few years, and continue to inspire me every day. 

saturday the plan was to sleep in – sleep late – sleep as long as we could.  by 7:55am amelia was standing up whimpering, ready to go outside.  (this is not late, especially considering that will got home from work after 1am.)  i wearily dragged myself out of bed and will followed.  we all made our way outside and were greeted with an awesomely gorgeous fall day.  change of plans – let’s go fall festival on this day!  i need apple cider, i need gingerbread, i need pumpkins, i need to spend the day outside!  we were both in cahoots and made it happen.  we got our ciders and headed out to hill ridge farms in youngsville.  as we drove through youngsville we saw how adorable it was and decided to stop and walk around a bit.  we browsed the town and then got back on track to the farm.  we spent the rest of the day at the farm and enjoyed the train, the hay ride, the roasted corn, the ribbon fries, the pumpkin patch, the sun, the pets, and the lack of any general schedule or plans.  we admired people’s laughter and watched families spend time with their children.  we know this will be us – soon, very soon!  we took note that our stroller was very popular in “stroller parking” and all around the farm – so we must have made a good choice!  (thanks for the advice carmen!)

we needed this day to totally relax – and that is just what we did. 

ahhhh vacation.  we just returned yesterday from a week at the beach.  we’d been to the obx before, but it was in november for thanksgiving a few years back.  this time we were a block from the ocean and ready for some fun in the sun.

we’ve had a long hard year and i was stoked for will to have a relaxing and peaceful week.  mission accomplished.  we had a week of amazing weather, no major plans, days on the beach, swimming in the pool, resting in the hammock, feasting on yummies, nights in the hot tub, and the full time jobs of being lazy beach bums.  it was perfect.

even on our first night there, me pushing will in the hammock from my adirondack chair – we were both so relaxed and content that we both agreed we could leave happily the next morning.  (but, we stayed the entire week anyways.)

my dear granny loves the beach and a swimming pool.  anytime we talked about summer with granny this year she wondered if will was going to have enough vacation to go to the beach.  i had to invite her so she could come enjoy the beach too.  with granny came mom and dad, and the friday before we left lori was able to come too.  beth wasn’t able to come on such short notice, but we will definitely get her in there next time!

everyone worked hard to give me a special birthday.  we had a great time at the beach soaking up the sun during the day and then headed to an amazing restaurant for a dinner outside on the deck to watch the sunset over the sound.  i feasted on my all time favorite foie gras appetizer ever, and then had some amazing crab cakes and fried green tomatoes.  for dessert we had a funnel cake with strawberry ice cream.  when we made it back to the house mom and dad surprised me with an ice cream cake and we spent the remainder of the night opening gifties and playing board games.  just ask the men who kept winning sequence.

we’re sad the vacation is over, but are so thankful we had this time together.  it’s hard to believe our last trip to the beach before this was right before will’s surgery at his birthday in april.  5 months later we found ourselves in a much better frame of mind to be thankful for every minute, much better able to relax, and happy to have the rough spots of this year behind us.

weekend travel seems to be an every weekend occurrence lately.  we just got back from roanoke late last night after traveling in for uncle tommy’s memorial service. 

while in town we were able to visit uncle arnold and aunt sheree at their lake house on saturday.  carmen brought ellie in for an afternoon of baby lessons and entertainment.  we all had a wonderful time speaking baby babble and learning about car seats, diapers, and bath time.  carmen and neil are so blessed to have such an adorably cute and sweet baby.  ellie is a charmer.  she and james hit it off and had a great time reading story books and playing with ellie’s toys.  ellie’s favorite activity was laughing at granny covey’s attempts at baby babble.  she’d crack up every time granny came at her with this “abababababa ooooohhhhhh babbabbbyyy awwwwww oooochhiieee cooooochiieee babbbbuuuu”.  (who wouldn’t be laughing right?)

sunday morning we woke up early to hit up blue collar joe’s donuts since they are all the rage these days.  our breakfast began with a donut sampling including:  botetourt bog, nutty buddy, obx, pretzel, peanut, turtle, pink lemonade, zebra, oreo, reece’s pieces, and the infamous breakfast sampler which includes blueberries, maple frosting, and bacon!  we all enjoyed our sugar highs and packed into three cars and headed to the peaks of otter for uncle tommy’s memorial service. 

the fog was dense going up the mountain and i was a nervous wreck.  mom was driving the car i was in.  mom loves to talk with her hands.  mom loves to talk while driving.  for the most part of the ride i was in the front passenger’s seat with my hands over my face swatting at her hands every time she’d lean over to point out some attraction off the side of the blue ridge parkway that we “should” be able to see if the fog weren’t so thick.

we safely arrived at the peaks and got out to snap some photos around the pond before the luncheon and ceremony.  we all enjoyed the scenery including about a dozen deer that we spotted on multiple occasions.  at one point we were sitting in the lodge down stairs and a deer came running past the windows.  i jumped up to take a photo, but was too slow.  luckily i caught his friends after lunch and held a photo shoot with them. 

the memorial service was a time to share our fond remembrances of uncle tommy.  everyone spoke about how kind, compassionate, caring, hard working, dedicated, and loving he was.  aunt pat and uncle tommy would have been married for 41 years today.  they spent the first night of their honeymoon at the peaks of otter and then came back annually on their anniversary to celebrate.  pat said even when they did not have enough money to eat in the lodge they’d still come back with a picnic basket.  as we began to cry, the rains began to fall.  the rain falling on the pond seemed quite fitting.  afterwards we took roses and laid them by a tree near where uncle tommy’s ashes had been spread.  pat was happy to have all of us there to help her memorialize uncle tommy’s memory and to celebrate his life and their lives together. 

we love you uncle t.

this past weekend was our big trip to baltimore to see family and friends and have will’s second opinion appointment with johns hopkins.  the trip to nova was not too bad on saturday, and we did not reach screeching halt traffic until just after stafford.  it’s amazing to me how tolerant we used to be when we lived up there.  now we can get anywhere in town with little to no traffic and we are a lot more impatient with traffic woes.  however, once we arrived in nova we made a pit stop at ikea.  here we scored some frames for the nursery room as well as some other household items that were at amazing prices.  after our shopping stop we headed to herndon to meet up with will’s sister and the kids. 

the kids came flying out the door to greet us and show us their latest tricks on their bikes.  we watched while ethan raced up the street and showed us how fast he could pedal.  then he offered merri a rideand they rode tandem style around the cul-de-sac.  lynn reminded the kids that we were going to the park, so if they wanted to come with, they had better get in the car.  we met up at a local park and played on the swings and monkey bars for a few hours.  it was good to see them all and catch up.  lynn was throwing mike a celebratory wine and cheese dinner later that evening so we said our good byes and headed on our way.

we made it to md before sunset and checked into the aloft hotel.  the hotel is very modern with a lounge, bar, and all kiosk check-in and check-out stations.  since we were a gold rewards member they checked us in at the desk.  (don’t ask me how i got this, they just sent it to me in the mail.)  anyways, we had fun at the hotel and enjoyed all of the out of the ordinary stuff including the neat-o elevator floor.  the next morning we woke up early to head into baltimore’s inner harbor area to grab some breakfast and go to the aquarium.  the breakfast spot was one that is a local favorite on yelp and has been picked as having some of the best breakfast food by food network – miss shirley’s.  we really enjoyed our breakfasts and then headed over to meet melanie, nick, and laura for a day at the aquarium.  we all got our tickets and headed into the dolphin show.  will and i had seen it before, but it had been some time ago, and i have a much better camera now!  we were amazed at all of the people there that day, it was jam packed!  however, we all had fun as we made our way around the entire aquarium.  we all headed to lunch afterwards and then the three of them had to head back to va and we stayed and walked around the harbor, had a glass of wine and some dessert, and toured a lighthouse before the rain settled in.  on our way out of town we grabbed some cheeses at whole foods to make a cheese plate for dinner. 

the next morning we braved more rain for yet another foodie adventure.  this time it was the blue moon cafe – as seen on “diners, drive-ins, and dives”.  here they feature captain crunch french toast.  if you know will and i we love sweet things and breakfast food is one of our all time favorites.  this place only had 6 tables, and after you put your name on the list you had to head back outside in the rain to wait for your turn.  we waited patiently – with grumbling tummies – for our turn at the crunchy toast!  finally we were called!  we wiped the drizzle from our brows and took our seats right by the front window.  the waitress came and told us about specials and took our orders.  our crunchy toasts were out in no time flat.  we both loved the french toast and just wish we could have had room to finish it all!  yummo! 

after breakfast we walked around fell’s point and visited all of the local shops and walked up and down the cobble stone streets before heading on our next great search.  we were on a mission to find “charm city cakes”.  we’d read online before going that you are not to come on the property and to not even think about ringing the door bell or knocking, but all we wanted was a snapshot!  we followed the garmin to the building which was in the middle of a downtown area with abandoned row homes on one side of the street and a car repair shop on the other.  we made our way to the corner and husband stood for his photo.  he said – duff is right there!  i did not see him at first, but then i told will to scooch over so i could get him in the shot.  by the time will took my photo duff had moved behind the girl with the hoodie, but we totally saw him – which was neat-o in my book.  it’s funny how some people love movie stars, others love people who write amazing books, others love famous musicians, but will and i – we love famous foodies!

after the stalkerish acts at charm city cakes we decided to go to the art museum.  well, one thing we learned about baltimore is that just about EVERYTHING is closed on monday!  how rude!  we got to the museum and found it was locked up tight on monday and tuesday.  husband said – what now.  i said – ellicot city.  i’d read on the new york times that this was a must see stop while in md.  we made our way to the historic area and parked the car for a charming little afternoon.  the town feels super haunted and amazingly deja vuish.  it was kind of dreamy like and a little erie as we walked the streets.  i saw a few things i wanted to buy as we traipsed in and out of little antique stores, but i was scared to bring any of that stuff into our house.  spooktacular.  gives me the willies just thiniking about it! 

tuesday was the big day for the johns hopkins appointment.  will was a tad bit nervous so he had me driving us to the office.  i was a tad bit nervous that we were going to be late, so we were in a bit of a frenzy.  however, we made it there just in time and sat patiently in the waiting room until it was will’s turn to go back.  the doctor was in quickly and chatted with will about how he was doing and what issues he had had etc.  he took lots of notes and then did a phyiscal exam of the area.  he confirmed that he thought he was healing nicely and he saw no reason to have any further surgeries, if everything stayed as it was.  he suggested will get a baseline mri within the next few months so he would have something “clear” in his file for comparison sake if it was ever warranted.  he asked if we had any other questions and gave will his business card.  he told will to call him if he ever had any questions etc. and told us he wished we had a safe trip back to nc.  just like that – it was over – case closed – final chapter written.  will and i gave each other hi fives, hugs, and a celebratory toast for breakfast afterwards.  we confirmed that now we really could move full steam ahead with our adoption plans.

we’re up to wrapping up lots of projects that have been on the books for way too long.  sometimes you just look at things and you think – well, we can do that next weekend – or, let’s put that on the back burner – or, we really just don’t have time for that right now.  well, the time to wrap up all of those things on barnhill is now.  i’d been working on the dining room since before will’s surgery, and it got pushed to the back burner for a long time.  however – proud to report – as of today – it is done!

we hope to be doing a lot more of these little piddly projects that we’ve been putting off.  as we prepare to file adoption papers in december we have come to the conclusion that our time to lounge about is just about over.  our focus has shifted.  will imed me this afternoon to tell me all of the chores he was going to work on when he got home.  the crazy thing is that we are both excited to be on this band wagon because we know that the more stuff we get out of the way, the easier it will be for us to feel 100% comfortable when we file papers.

i realize that this blog post has sort of spilled into a crossover of the topics that are generally on www.willandadrifindbabies.blogspot.com– there has to be a point when they become one.  i’ve started to wonder lately just when that will happen, and the more i write, the more i realize that our lives are all about our excitement for the baby that will soon be in our future, and the plans to get that baby into our home.  you know when you are truly ready to parent – when every thought you have is centered around the love of your child.

will and i are there.

new report just came out from us news & world reports that johns hopkins baltimore is the number 1 hospital in the country.  so glad we are going there in august for will’s follow up appointment.

US  News and World Report

the bump has been gone for weeks now, and will is headache and pain free.  we really never dreamed that all of his chiari symptoms would be diminished within 4 months of the surgery.  although will’s neurosurgeon said he’d only ever seen the lump happen to one other patient, he did tell us that the other patient’s lump went away in 60 days.  it was funny that i reminded will on day 60 that his lump was also gone.  maybe it just takes some people longer to heal.

we’ll see what dr. weingart has to say, and hopefully we’ll be closing the door on this chapter.