The good and bad of having a social life (my kinda social life)

Being a stay-at-home Mom is the most rewarding job I have ever had. As to be expected sometimes it is necessary to get out of the house in order to have adult conversation before going crazy. So, I found this Kids CLub, it's free, and a Mommy and me class, free, that the boys and I both enjoy on Wed. and Fri. These are wonderful groups to be a part of, Aedyn gets the social interaction he needs to start learning good habits of sharing, waiting our turn, keeping our hands to ourselves,all the activity manners, listening, following directions, etc. Connor gets the chance to be amused by watching others. I get adult conversation,and I get to show off my boys!!!!! This is the great part.

The downfall is being exposed to all the germs! Aedyn, followed by Connor, has been sick 2 times already since enjoying these activities. It's frustrating.

Aedyn woke up this morning whining and crying, which he never does, so I knew he was sick. He had a 103.9 temperature. We have done all the things to make him feel better, cool tepid bath, dose of motrin, cool cloths, plenty of fluids which seemed to have worked, because his temperature went down to 102.7. He seems to be ok, eating and drinking just fine, playing quietly, with what else but his books, cookie jar, and ball popper.

So Connor also has a slight temp. of 100.1, but it could be due to teething, he is chewing on everything, and slobbering everywhere. We'll see if he follows in his big brother's footsteps.

So the dilemma is to be social or not. Well, seeing as though I missed the registration for the Mommy and me class this month(just realized this) my mind is made up for me!

Finalization Date for Aedyn's adoption

WOW! We have set a court date for the finalization of Aedyn's adoption! It is Friday, May 8th at 1:30 pm, the Friday before Mother's Day. It will be held at the same court with the same judge who made the ruling for our trial. (Please note, the tribe still can appeal during the time we are waiting for the finalization hearing, but we continue to pray that they see the light and give up.)

There were moments when I thought this might never come. Just to be writing this feels surreal!

We have the right to have as many family members and friends present for the finalization. We want EVERYONE who can take the time off to be there!!! Our family and friends have been our rocks and shoulders to lean during our difficult yet rewarding journey. It is sooooo important to share this with all of YOU who have been there in thought, flesh, and in prayer; to witness the legal bonding of our FOREVER FAMILY, to witness the legal introduction of OUR SON,
AEDYN JAMES MOORE!

Checkups

The boys had their checkup today, Aedyn's 18 month and Connor's 4 month. They both were troopers, we were at the doctor's office for a total of 2 hours. yikes! They handled it well though, only got cranky toward the end! Connor got 4 shots, and Aedyn got 2, we'll go back in about 2-3 weeks to get the other 2 he needed, he was just getting too squirmy. They both cried for about a minute and then were fine! They are both now sleeping.

so here's the statistics:
Aedyn - 18 months - 30 lbs. exactly - 35 inches - and is in the 93-95 percentile for weight and height

Connor - 4 months - 15 lbs 14 oz (almost 16 lbs OMG) - 27 inches - and is in the 75th for weight and 95th for height.

Further explanation

Shane made me aware that the last post was very vague and left a lot of questions. So here it is

After about a year and half we finally have a court decision about our Aedyn. The judge ruled in our favor. Simply put, the judge ruled that Aedyn is NOT an indian child so therefore the the ICWA does not apply and the tribe's placement preference request is denied and they do not have the right to intervene in our adoption.

Unfortunately there is a BUT, the tribe can appeal. They have 60 days to do so. We hope they will just quit, but you never know! On the 61st day we can finalize our adoption in court, if there has not been an appeal. So even though we have won this battle, there is the possibility that the war might continue!

Thank God We have won this hurdle! It is a happy day in our household and for our family and for our birthparents, who have been troopers through this entire process.
We are grateful, joyous, and Blessed!

WE WON!

A VERY HAPPY DAY IN THE MOORE HOUSEHOLD!

Connor's first tooth

So Connor was sucking on my finger yesterday, mighty vehemently i might add, and I felt a sharp poke. Connor first bottom tooth just broke through the gum. Hooray, for the little guy!

Fun with Reagan

My mom came up this weekend to celebrate my birthday with me. What a fun and relaxed weekend it was. We just went with the flow. Had some yummy breakfast, naptime for the boys, then headed out to the Reagan library here in Simi. They were having a free medieval rennaisance festival thing ( i love free stuff). We got there kind of late, but I don't think the boys could have handled more time. They had jousting, blacksmithing, musical entertainment, and tons of arts and crafts and games from the medieval period for the kids. The best part though was the view from the lawn, gorgeous!! The sky was a beautful azure, it was breezy and sunny and you could see forever! It was a great day.

Today I was finally able to get a massage that I have waited for at least 6 months to get, while Mom stayed with the boys. Kat bought me a massage at Massage Envy while i was pregnant, she thought I would enjoy a prenatal massage, but they would not let me have one because I had gestational diabetes. So today was the day I redeemed my gift card. It was well worth the wait! I could have a massage everyday!

Missing my hubby & a trip down memory lane(life without kids)

Our very first trip to Disneyland together
Our very first date (I was 18, Shane was 23)
Mountain music festival in Lake Arrowhead
Our first dance as husband and wife!
Shane and I at his basic training graduation (he still makes me hot!)

(Nostalgic pictures, Ahh those were the days!)

It's late, I have just put Connor down for the WHOLE night, I hope, and I am missing Shane.

The last few days have been good, the boys have behaved themselves, but when 6pm rolls around the house seems quiet without Shane. Thank goodness he's coming home tomorrow, not because I am exhausted, I'm not, just because our home, our family, is not complete without him.

My thoughts as I laid Aedyn down in his crib tonight was, "why would anyone chose to parent alone?" (my thoughts strayed towards the crazy octuplet mom). I thought this because although I have enjoyed every moment by myself with the boys it's so much more joyous to share their daily accomplishments with Daddy.

I miss Shane, not just the Daddy part but my husband part,too. It's lonely to go to bed without him, (Ollie doesn't give very good goodnight kisses). I know his trips back east are necessary to keep our family going because his job demands it, and we are so blessed for him to have a job that supports our family. It is a sacrifice for him to have to leave and miss time with his boys, but he does it now just as he did when he joined the Army to support our family then, with dignity and love.

Well, he'll be home late tomorrow night. Until then my love!

We miss you Daddy!

They really do like to play together. Connor just usually stares at Aedyn half smiling/half concentrating, and Aedyn showers Connor with kisses and hugs.
Aunt Kathy would be so proud!
Well, after I put Aedyn to bed for the night I decided to take the opportunity to wash bottles because Connor was play contently in the pack n'play. Well the chimes got quiet on the play mat so I went to check on Connor and found this. I just had to take a picture. The thing is Connor won't take a binky, he won't keep it in his mouth no matter how hard we try. He is constantly sucking on his hands and his thumb, and we (mainly Shane) is always trying to take it out and substitute the binky, but Connor won't have any part of it. (Yes Shane I am still trying to keep his thumb out of his mouth)
Playing in the bouncy, ie. the baby lazyboy.(it vibrates)
Hey Dad, I can color! Well, mostly I scribble a little bit and then play the "back in bowl" game with the crayons!

You'll notice in the pictures that the boys didn't get out of their PJ's. It was a rainy kinda Pj day, plus they were matching( both outfits had Mr. Fix-it on them) I wanted them to look as cute as long as possible.

Showing those pearly whites

Aedyn is a regular old slobber monster - maybe it's the fact that he's getting in several molars. He has two coming in on each side, both upper and lower. It's only when he laughs real loud that i can get a good look, God knows the days of checking his teeth by sticking my finger in his mouth are gone. This face cracks me up because I say "cheese" and he flashes me a great big cheesy smile! Oh by the way, he loves to brush his teeth!

Fun with Grandpa Young

So while Shane is back east for work, my Dad decided to come pay me and the boys visit. He came yesterday to spend some quality time with Aedyn and Connor and to lend me a hand when needed, and also for some adult conversation. We had a great time! After having a yummy lunch from The Hat(pastrami sandwhich, YUM!) we ventured over to the park where Aedyn proceeded to run Grandpa ragged(grandpa had to keep chasing him and blocking him from running into the pond because Aedyn was following the ducks and geese) So funny! Connor of course was sleeping in his carseat, but enjoyed the sunshine! The rest of our time together was laid back and joyous. Thanks Dad/Grandpa. We love you!

Hi Daddy! We miss you!

We Love You Daddy!

Spinning Aedyn in the chair

connor giggling