The reasons I love March

I got married in March six years ago, during North Carolina's only losing basketball season since the early 1960's. At that time, I was grateful to have my wedding and being a newlywed to concentrate on so that I didn't have to obsess over the very frustrating fact that my boy's didn't make the post season for the first time in over 35 years. By getting married in March, I would always have at least one reason to celebrate in this month that can be either wonderful or agonizing if you're a basketball fan. Not to mention, March is notoriously cold and windy here (it snowed some more today) so I needed something to look forward to while I waited for summer. Now, of course, my first child will be born in March, giving us even more reason to always be able to celebrate in this the most fickle of months.

We met with B and her parents last night. She's getting closer each day. She reports contractions that come frequently when she's up and moving around, but slow down when she's resting. She's got a Dr. appointment on Monday and promised she would let us know how things are progressing. She also gave us some really cute outfits and shoes for Gideon. And we were able to get some pictures of all of us together. Out of respect for her privacy though, I'm not going to post those. At least not yet. We enjoyed getting to know her parents a little bit, and hearing more about her family. The meeting was very different from our last face-to-face because everyone was more comfortable and able to speak more easily and freely. Needless to say, everyone is quite anxious for him to finally arrive. And we know that each day brings us closer to his arrival. Some days (most days) I can't stand it! Which is why I'm so grateful for my usual March distraction of college basketball. It's truly been my saving grace this year!

My Play of the Year: Tyler Hansbrough A.K.A. "Psycho-T"

Speaking of basketball news, it was a heartstopper for my boys in baby blue today as Virginia Tech monopolized most of their ACC Tournament semi-final game today. But Tyler came through with .8 seconds left to hit the game winning shot. It was another stunning performance and so the Heels march to tomorrow's ACC Final which will be played against Clemson who upset Duke (YEAH!) in the other semi-final. (I cheered as much for the Tigers as I did for the Heels today.) It promises to be another hard fought game going right up to the wire. Tomorrow is also selection Sunday, so big tournament implications for both teams regarding seeding. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out! I LOVE MARCH!

ACC Update

My 'Heels just won their quarterfinal ACC game against Florida State 82-70. (I warned you guys I was a basketball fanatic. Be prepared for many updates over the next three weeks.)

Speaking of UNC Basketball, Tyler Hansbrough has already recieved one player of the year award and he's one of two top contenders for the five other player of the year awards. The other top contender is Michael Beasley of Kansas State. But of course, I'm pulling for Psycho-T. Because he's awesome!

My 100

I got this off of Jeana's blog. It's actually a lot harder than it looks. It took me quite a while to come up with 100 unique things about myself. I challenge each of you to try and make your own 100 list. As far as I know, there are no rules. Just 100 things about you. Without further ado, here's my 100.


1. I’m the oldest of seven children
2. I’m the oldest grandchild on my mom’s side.
3. I only have one brother
4. I can type 90 wpm with no mistakes when I’m really concentrating
5. I’m going to be a mother any day now
6. I love cheesecake
7. I do not like gravy
8. The only gravy I’ve ever liked is Mom Clayson’s pork gravy
9. I’ve been to Hawaii
10. If I could live anywhere in the world, it would be Charleston, SC
11. I’ve never broken a bone
12. But I have had stitches
13. I’ve been to Mexico
14. I’ve been to Canada
15. I served an 18 month church mission
16. I met my husband in 1998
17. We were married in 2002
18. I lived in Amsterdam (and loved it!)
19. My Dutch is atrocious now. I can still understand it perfectly, but I speak with a terrible American accent
20. I’m a perfume-a-holic
21. Cary Grant is my favorite actor of all time
22. Jean Harlow is my favorite actress of all time
23. Sometimes I wear peep-toe heels and bright red lipstick just to try and be like Jean Harlow & other silver screen sirens of the 30’s & 40’s
24. Travis won’t let me name a daughter Harlow
25. I’m in better physical shape at 30 than I was at 25
26. Agatha Christie mysteries still have the power to surprise me
27. I sell Mary Kay
28. I love wearing BIG jewelry (dangling earrings, big necklaces, knockout rings, etc)
29. I haven’t seen my natural hair color since the summer of 1996
30. I’m not even sure what my natural hair color is anymore
31. I secretly have a crush on Eli Manning
32. I HATE “Reality TV” with a passion
33. I DVR episodes of “Moonlight”
34. I love to sing karaoke
35. My childhood dream was to be a movie star and broadway leading lady
36. I wear high heels with almost everything
37. I had a bunion-ectomy five years ago
38. Staying in a hotel is like a treat for me. I love it.
39. I enjoy public speaking
40. I was the Narrator in our HS production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.”
41. I can still remember my high school fight song, “Hail the fighting Knights of Northview, silver, maroon and black…”
42. I was in the drumline in high school.
43. Our high school marching band were state champions two of my four years.
44. We have a fat, lazy cat named Crookshanks
45. The cat got his name from the Harry Potter books
46. I love the Harry Potter and Twilight series, even though they’re written for juvenile audiences.
47. I can’t wait for Stephenie Meyer to release “Midnight Sun” (Twilight from Edward’s perspective!) But she has to finish Breaking Dawn (book 4) first
48. I’m excited for the new Indiana Jones movie to come out this summer
49. I chug a small can of V8 juice every morning for breakfast
50. Then I follow it with a Diet Coke
51. I’m a native born Texan
52. I’m a borderline insomniac (I only sleep 3-5 hours most nights. And that somehow works for me.)
53. Tulips are my favorite flower
54. There are candles all over my house
55. I’m slightly claustrophobic
56. I wish I spoke Spanish
57. I love it when my husband sends flowers even though they’re not practical
58. I’m OBSESSED with College Basketball
59. I only really cheer for two teams, UNC and whoever is playing Duke
60. The guys at my previous company were in awe that I could out-strip them with my college B-ball knowledge. (Several of them have emailed that they already miss me this year.)
61. Secretly I think it would be awesome if my son were born on “Selection Sunday.” (That’s the 16th this year for my non-basketball type friends.)
62. I’m getting a number 50 UNC Jersey (Tyler Hansbrough’s number) because they’ll be retiring his number after his college career is over
63. I love going to Spinning class at the gym
64. I don’t like running but I do it because it feels good.
65. I’ve got the curviest figure of any of my sisters
66. I’m not the shortest of my sisters. (I beat Skye by a whole ¾ of an inch!)
67. I’m still shorter than my mom
68. I own all 10 seasons of “Friends” on DVD
69. When I’m sick or depressed I’ll hide down in our family room with the lights off and watch an entire season of “Friends” at a time (It always brings a smile)
70. When I’m sick or sad I always put on a pair of my husband’s pj’s.
71. I love to read
72. I’m always reading several books at a time
73. I collect antique books
74. There’s an organ in my front room which I don’t know how to play
75. I didn’t want to change my name when I got married.
76. I finally did so somewhat grudgingly
77. Now I’m fine with it. (Although I do miss my maiden name. Cali Cunningham is just flat cute!)
78. My sister Shiloh is in my earliest memory (we’re only 16 months apart in age)
79. I can’t stand whipped cream or cool whip
80. I hate winter. I could happily live in a world with no snow whatsoever
81. I got my first “boom box” for my 10th birthday
82. I also got my first cassette tape that day, “George Strait Greatest Hits Volume 2”
83. I still love George Strait even though I don’t listen to much country anymore
84. I love American muscle cars
85. My first car was a 1967 Corvair Monza convertible
86. I cried when we traded in my Mustang GT on a “more practical” car
87. I looked like a boy when I was 10-12 years old.
88. I have absolutely terrible eating habits
89. I remember both of my parents turning 30 years old (and thinking they were ancient.)
90. I get homesick for Holland when I watch “The Best Two Years.”
91. Sometimes I’ll watch certain movies or read certain books purposely to make myself cry, because I feel like I need an emotional release
92. I stockpile Jaqua’s Mint Chocolate shower gel & body butter because it’s my absolute favorite!
93. I made Shiloh’s prom dress her junior year
94. I got my first migraine my senior year shortly after finishing said prom dress
95. I’m my in-laws favorite Daughter-in-Law (but that’s because Travis is the only boy who’s married.)
96. Travis leaves me in charge of all the bills and balancing the books
97. I've read Jane Austen's entire repertoire multiple times because she's my favorite author. (I practically have P&P memorized, but it's my favorite!)
98. Blueberry cake doughnuts are my favorite
99. I can sing every song on the Coco album by Colbie Callait
100. I don’t watch award shows on TV because I think they’re pretentious

Because He Loves Me!

Another distraction

75 words

I already knew that I typed quickly. But when a friend found this little test I thought it would be intriguing to find out exactly how quick I am on the keyboard. Anyway, it was kind of fun. And a nice easy distraction for a few minutes of my day.

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Six things I've learned in six years of marriage:

1. Putting the toilet paper on the roll backward is not worth fighting over. (Just be grateful it got put on the roll at all.)

2. If there's jewelry involved, I'll never be upset.

3. Travis appreciates macaroni and cheese with hot dogs as much as (and sometimes more than) any fancy dinner I make.

4. Because our tastes are so different, it's always necessary to rent two movies at a time in order to maintain the peace.

5. Sometimes just sitting in silence together can say more than hours worth of conversation.

6. Every restaurant in town serves a slice of cheesecake big enough to share.

I love you, baby and I'd do it all over again! Thanks for being so good to me!

She FINALLY looks pregnant!

I stole these photos off my mom's blog because I thought they were so cute! My sister, Cami (who is due June 10th) is finally looking pregnant! And what a cute pregnant lady she is!

Speaking of pregnant ladies, we get to meet with B again on Friday night so that we can have an opportunity to meet her parents before Gideon arrives. We're excited to get to see her again and to get to meet some members of her family. Although our caseworker is kind of worried that we might not ever get to have that meeting. As expected, she's already effacing and dilating and apparently progressing quickly. So he's a little nervous he might be born before we have a chance to do that meeting. And that's the update for today!

Shades of Blue

Hats off to Psycho-T and the rest of Roy's Boys who crashed senior night at Cameron on Saturday and came away with the ACC regular season title and a lock for a one seed in the tournament. (Sorry D-Marc, you've become a heck of a ball player over the last four years. Too bad you chose the wrong shade of blue.) I don't care what team you root for, Carolina-Duke games are the stuff basketball dreams are made of.

Waiting............

The good news is that I'm not panicking as much as before. The bad news is that waiting right now is becoming agony. Most of you don't know the full story about our journey of adoption, and I don't think this is the time or place to get into that right now. (Because it would take hours and hours and hours.) I just have a few thoughts though that I can't seem to get out of my head, so you'll have to bear with me as I let my feelings bubble to the surface once again.

Ever since the fall of 2005 when we discovered that biological children wouldn't be possible for us, we felt that adoption was the natural choice for us. Within days of our doctor's appointment where we recieved the news, we were sitting in an adoption prep class and preparing to begin the journey. Through this process we've never felt bitter or angry about our infertility. It's true, there are some days that I'm sad for the things I might miss out on with regards to carrying our children, but by and large we feel so blessed. Adoption is such a special and spiritual journey and we've actually felt very blessed to be able to take part of it. Not to mention the journey itself has strengthened us as individuals and as a couple. It's blessed us in many ways already, even before our children have joined our family through adoption.

The hardest part about the whole thing for me, has been the waiting. The money spent, the reams of paperwork to fill out, the interviews, the fingerpinting, the background checks, the classes, the home studies, all of that was just mechanics. And I'm good at pushing through those types of things. But once we got our approval it was like, "Oh. What now." Never content to just sit & wait, many of you will remember recieving in the mail a packet of information from us containing, letters, cards and brochures to keep around and hand out as you perhaps had an opportunity. Still even after doing all of that, I wasn't going to sit around and wait. So I started volunteering at LDS Family Services. First, Travis and I taught the Adoption Prep class to couples just beginning or investigating the process. We made some good friends through that process and we've rejoiced when some of those couples have recieved placements. Although, yes, it did seem a little unfair that we'd been waiting so long and these couples got children before we did and they hadn't been waiting as long. It was truly bittersweet I just kept reminding myself that we'd get the children Heavenly Father meant to be in our family.

I was asked last summer to co-facilitate a birth parent support group in our area. It's been an amazing experience and a great journey to get to know many of these sweet birth moms. Some of them even expressed that if they hadn't already chosen a family, they'd choose to place with us. (I was never really sure how to take that. On the one hand it was great to know we were being thought of, but also a little disheartening to be everyone's "runner-up" couple.) But it's been a very positive experience for me, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I have such great love and respect for all of these beautiful birth parents. I feel so priviledged to get to work with them. And honestly volunteering is the only thing that made the "waiting" at all bearable.

Still, as the weeks turned into months and the months stretched into years, I couldn't help but wonder when it would finally be our turn to bring home a baby. And it broke my heart that as people all around welcomed more children into their home, that I was still somehow unworthy of motherhood. I've never been one to complain though, because I still feel very blessed. And above all, I know that I can live a happy, blessed and fulfilled life without children (if that indeed was the Lord's plan for us.) I was happy with my life. Content. Always hopeful, but never expectant. Just waiting.

And then you all know the rest of the story. We got a call, we had a meeting, I stressed for a week, the blessed news came and it's been a wild ride ever since.

And now we're back to waiting. Only this time I think it's worse. Everyone who knows me at all knows that I'm a control freak. So imagine how difficult this is for me, to just have to sit and wait, and not to have any control over the situation. To look at the calendar each day and realize he could be here at any time. To know that it's so close and yet, there's still such a long road ahead.

I'm sure this post makes no sense, but my heart is full so I'm just needing to let it out I guess. In a way I feel very grateful that we've only had a few weeks to prepare from the time we found out he was coming. If we'd had months I'm afraid I'd have been even more of a basket case than I already am. Still, this period is turning into the longest five weeks of my life. And I know that five weeks is not that long. Two weeks is nothing. And yet, he's due in just two weeks and it suddenly seems as if that's the longest period of time ever for some reason.

Thanks for all of your support. And thanks for putting up with my crazy ramblings.

Want to see him?

No offense intended to any of my dear birth mom or adoptive friends, but I really think Travis and I won the birth mom lottery. I have no idea how we got such an incredible young birth mom, but she's amazing and we adore her. Today we got a call from LDSFS that there was something for us to pick up at the agency. B had left a cute little letter and these copies of her ultrasound pictures. These were taken back in November when she found out that he was a boy. (And in her note it was so cute, she said they didn't get a picture of it, but he wasn't shy about showing he was a "he.") Anyway her note was darling, it simply said that according to her doctor's appointment last week everything looks good, healthy and normal. So right now, we're just waiting on him to decide when he wants to make his appearance.

For my part of course I started bawling when I saw these photos. Firstly because it was so thoughtful of her and secondly because I didn't know if this is an experience I'd ever get to have. Since I'm not carrying the child, I didn't know if I'd get to experience ultrasounds or anything else. And I know this is nothing like the actual experience of carrying a child and getting an ultrasound, even so, I feel so blessed to at least have this little piece of it.