Jessica and the Red Balloon

I think Jessica's little mind figured out that the her free grocery store balloon was connected to that pink plastic star in her hand. And yanking that was funny. She laughed so hard for 30 minutes, she gave herself hiccups (normal) and had tears leaking out of the side of her eyes (a first). What a goon.

With the distracting balloon, not knowing where things are at Publix, and all of Jessica's admirers, it takes well over an hour instead of 40 minutes to buy food. But it's much more fun.

Today's darling outfit is sponsored by Aunt Rochelle. Thank you!

Adoption Support Groups

These people are lifesavers. Our friends and family were very sympathetic and helpful, but we drank in all the experience of other adoptive families.

Our local support group is Parent Adoption Lifeline, and Dave especially loved meetings. We attended for 3 years, two of which had a "Candle lighting" ceremony and lunch. We had to light a "waiting" candle, while others lit a "new adoption" candle. Finally in August of 2010, we got to light a candle for Jessica.

We are also board members for the Florida Families Supporting Adoption group, for couples waiting to adopt through LDS Family Services. We mostly talk by phone since we're scattered across the state, but once a year we have a conference in Orlando.

2010 was Florida's turn to host the regional conference for the Southeast U.S. FSA groups. Man it was a lot of work!--months and months. Our co-presidents and friends, the Middletons, decided adoption conferences had too many tears, and we need a fun theme. I volunteered to be in charge of speakers, and molded chocolates (a first for me) as thank you gifts. I thanked myself a lot too.

These thank you bundles also had coconut candles packed inside,

and I spent several hours collecting, transporting, and stringing hundreds of fragrant plumeria blossoms to make flowers leis for the first time. Thanks to our friend Becca, (who's adopted, searching for her birthmother, and may adopt children herself soon) who stayed up til 1 am helping me make these beauties.

And the speakers were great. An adoption lawyer,

a really funny fertility doctor,

and others: Church head adoption lawyer David McConkie, the LDS Family Services President and member of the Seventy, Steve Sunday, the insightful Kite and Satchell families, an online advertising guru/adoptive dad, and 4 amazing birthmoms, all different.

And we also all heard our guest speaker, by far the highlight of the conference: Troy Dunn, the Locator. Long story short: he's a Florida bishop; in his day job, he's reunited thousands of adoptive and birth families; he's good at it; he made us all laugh and cry; and he has an adopted mother and brother.

My favorite parts: doing what is right doesn't always equal doing what feels good; adopted parents shouldn't take it personally when kids search for birth family (and they always do); he doesn't help kids under 18 search; reunions are almost always wonderful; kids are better adjusted to adoption the earlier and more they know; the funniest story was about his company getting launched overnight when a TV plug posted his phone number, and thousands looking for adoptive connections called (because it's all about family!); he once helped locate a birth mother in a medical emergency that saved a little girl's life, without the girl knowing at her request; foster parents have his highest respect; and he loves birth parents.

After some great music, good food, a Polynesian floor show, and lots of talking and a few tears, and a great sigh of relief, we came home from one of the best events I've ever helped plan.

Below are some of our board members, including Kim Middleton, left, (an incredible person), and a birthmother (red shirt).

Jessica was a peach; she sported a hula skirt and onsie declaring "Sorry Brangelina, I'm taken."

Hooray for adoption friends and hooray the work is over!

Look-A-Likes?

People tell me Jessica looks a little like me. I don't know what you're talking about.

Even people who know she's adopted say it's the eyes; the nose; the round head that look similar. Well, the birthmother picked us out before even she knew what Jessica would look like. I'm pretty sure her decision was based more on personality, where we lived, and our cat.

Just to prove looks have nothing to do with it, I've lined up pictures of me as a baby (left) with Jessica's recent shots (right). See for yourself:

See? Nothing alike! I mean, lots of babies have round cheeks, thin brown hair, and blue eyes. She could look like a lot of people.

We may adopt more children who look nothing like us. What's important is that they feel that in our family, they have a place in the world.

Still think Jessica and I look alike? Well, maybe a little . . .

Babymelon

I couldn't resist buying this watermelon dress as soon as I saw it. I love these pictures of Jessica, which I took in our Chasewood neighborhood in Sept 2010, at age 7 months. They show her eyes before they changed from blue to hazel, that she was sitting up, chubby, happy and bald as an old man!

Jessica Lately

I apologize for the big gaps between posts. We traveled a lot this summer, and are looking forward to a lot of time at home for the rest of the year. I have so many things I want to do, and there are so many pictures it's intimidating to tackle.

Jessica turned six months on Aug 28, 2010. She is bigger than 97% or more of her peers for height, weight, and head circumference. And on Sept 14, with a runny nose and a smile, her first tooth appeared. I was at the church with some other women, setting up for sewing night (for our Nativity pageant in December). I stopped to feed her some squash & oatmeal for lunch, and I saw she had a little tooth peeking out of her lower gum, and another about to come up next to it, and I flipped out! She runs her tongue over it, and of course, chews on everything.

It's hard to see her tooth in this picture, but it's the best of about 50 pictures.

Jessica is getting much better about sitting up. And she still loves baths.

Most evenings, Dave still pops her in the umbrella stroller for a walk . She tans nicely. This night though he took her swimming.

After working 40 extra hours last month, Dave took Friday off before Labor Day weekend. He was so excited to play with Jessica in the water, he forgot about the cell phone in his pocket. Oops. Good thing it was old. We were in too good a mood with a 4-day weekend in front of us it didn't "dampen" our spirits. And we actually caught this moment of brilliance on camera:

I'm just as glad his brain got a rest--he works so hard. Below is a non-swimming visit to the beach a month ago.

Jessica stares at us when we eat. She and Smokey are good beggars. Dave wants to feed her everything, and I spoil the party. "No toast; it has butter on it." "No box rice; too much salt." I'm fairly certain he slips her a lot of food when I'm not looking. She can hold her own bottle, and gnaw on biter biscuits, but she can't pick up Cheerios yet. That's another milestone I'm looking forward to.

Dave is excited for college football season. He insisted getting both BYU and Univ. of Texas longhorn baby clothes, which I'm sure will get good mileage with future kids. I asked him, "In 2011 when BYU & UT play each other, will you be rooting for the Lord's school or worshipping the golden calf?" We laughed. We like watching sports--we enjoyed watching the US Tennis Open this weekend.

She still gets called the Gerber baby once a week, and her fat cheeks and thighs attract lots of attention, with reassurances it will come off as she grows. I love dressing her. Thanks to all those who donated to this cause: after 10 years of waiting, clothing and caring for this little doll makes me terribly happy. And when she's cranky, I'm terribly happy I've got a husband who loves her too.

This is by far her girliest outfit, and although I got some good smiley pictures, I want to include some realism. "Darn prickly grass! Church was fun, but I need a nap! Pick me up now!" "Gladly child. I want a nap too, and it's too hot outside to take pictures."

And she is getting AROUND. She rolls and reaches and rolls some more. When she cries, I know it's time to rescue her because she's scooted backwards, away from her toys, and underneath the furniture where she can't roll over. She is so wiggly she needs a toy to distract her during diaper changes, and loves rough-housing and happy screaming. When I push her in the shopping cart, she can raspberry so well she sprays me with spit, even at arm's length. I'm bad because I encourage it; it is funny.

She likes it when I play with her ears or sing her favorite songs. She likes other people and loves little kids. She opens her mouth like she's singing opera when we she sees a spoon full of food. She loves paper, fuzzy and noisy toys, books, and especially our kitty. She gets the giggles when she sees herself in the mirror or dogs, which always gives her hiccups. What a goon.

I had a happy realization a few days ago when I saw her on her stomach, reaching for something higher than her head. It was a precursor to pulling herself up on furniture, then walking. I've seen her figure out lots of things, and reach all these milestones, and it culminated in this thought: "This girl can learn. She is going to grow up and have a happy, normal childhood, and life." I figured that before, but now I am just really happy for her.

What a good kid. That's all for today.