Quote of the Day

So I had a Parent/Teacher conference the other day, and among the many things Chase's dear, wonderful kindergarten teacher shared with me was a quote from class the other day. " Ms. Lloyd, if we didn't have so much work, I could be a lot funnier." I am sure that is just what she is looking for.

So Far So Good

Noel is 3 months old today and I just got an email from the law office...The father did not file the legitimation paperwork so we are all set for the right termination hearing on April 14th. Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers and please continue to keep us in your prayers until the adoption is final. Here is our "family" Easter pic. Poor Daddy has the flu and had to keep his distance.

Happy, Happy Easter

To Dye For

div>I am going to let the pictures tell the story in this post. Ella came over to dye Easter eggs at our house. We dyed eggs had a picnic and then Chase and E redyed the eggs they had already colored along with some clothes and body parts.











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The Social Butterfly (and his tag alongs)

The past weekend was filled with social engagements for Chase. Noel and I tagged along too. First Chase was invited to the birthday party of a certain princess we are lucky enough to know. If I were a savvy blogger, I would make this text a link two the 4 silly sisters website so you could check out Princess Ella's birthday with a simple click. I am not, so you will just have to use the link on the side of the blog to see the great birthday pics ( I forgot my camera).
We had a blast but I think there was "a whole lot of girl" there for Chases' taste. He handled all the pink and dress-up like the true gentleman he is. The birthday girl was just delightful, and it was so nice just to relax and be with people who I hadn't seen in too long. It was also fun to observe the contrast between a house full of males and the land of women that Princess Ella rules over. I have to say I was itchin' for a pair of those fancy clip-clop shoes by the end of the day.
Sunday, Chase was invited to an Easter egg hunt by his best friend Zach. I get corrected if I don't put that "best" in there. Once again, Noel and I joined in the fun. I did manage to bring my camera to this event and I will post those pictures asap. What an awesome day. Beautiful weather, happy kids, and a baby whom I hadn't realized was so laid back until today. Noel is pretty happy in any situation as long as his belly is full. At the egg hunt he was held in many different sets of arms but was totally content for the most part. He has slept all night the past 4 or 5 nights ( writing this with crossed fingers to avoid any jinxing). He laughs and coos and goos most of his waking hours.
Thanks to everyone who made our very social weekend so much fun!

This Green eyed monster's eyes are blue!

So, I knew it was only a matter of time that the thrill of having a baby brother would wear off for Chase and turn to, if not jealousy, at least a longing for simpler times. He has been eerily good with the whole thing up until recently. I knew, though, through various warning signs this was coming to an end sooner than later. He has been acting out at school and at home as well as making some comments about things being different.
Yesterday, I used a Target gift card (Thanks Lynn and Pete!) to by Noel some exciting items like a laundry hamper, a trashcan, and bottles. When I picked Chase up he saw them and that was apparently the tipping point. He demanded to know why I bought that for Noel and not him. I explained it was because he already had those things in his room. Well, that obviously wasn't the point, and I knew that as well as anybody. I was then accused of the usual crimes of a jealous older sibling: buying more for Noel, doing more for Noel, and last but not least loving Noel more.
Now just because I knew this was coming doesn't mean I was prepared to handle it. I was especially not prepared for Chase to ask me to just give Noel to someone else, and then when I said that Noel was my son too for Chase to reply "but he is adopted." I felt like I had been punched. Granted, due to sleep deprivation, my coping skills are not what they should be, but I was literally in tears. I tried to calmly explain that just because Noel is adopted does not make him any less a member of our family, so Chase then said I should give him to someone else then. Oh the drama! Wherever does he get that from? ( No need to comment, mom, this was sarcasm.)
By this time we had gotten home. I let him cool off outside for a while, and when he came in I pulled him into my lap. He started crying and saying he was sorry that he did love Noel and didn't really want to give him away, but he really wanted things to be like before. I told him I understood and that it was ok to be jealous and even angry, but it was not ok to think Noel was less of a family member because he was adopted. It was also not ok to try to "get rid" of any member of our family. We are a team and we are sticking together no matter if we are angry, jealous, or anything else. I suggested we have a family talk once Chris got home, but by that time Chase did not want me to tell him. Of course, I told him later and now the entire world knows. Let this be a lesson to you, Do not trust your mother especially with stories that will be really funny and embarrassing later on in life!
P.S. Chase is seemingly back to normal with Noel and can't keep his hands off of him. I do believe he genuinely adores him but is having a hard time dealing with the change and verbalizing how he feels about it.

Have a Coke and a smile

Two Saturdays ago, we decided it was high time to have a family outing. Chase has seen the Coke Museum on the Food Channel a week or so previously, so we decided that would be an excellent Saturday afternoon destination. Chris and I decided this independently and just said to Chase to load up because we were going to do something fun. Immediately the questions began. Now I know young people are curious by nature, but the unknown literally stresses Chase out. He was visibly uncomfortable because he did not know where we were going and what we were going to do when we got there. I should explain for those of you who might not know that he gets this personality trait from me, his mother. I ended up giving him 3 clues: big city, television, and a drink. He quickly figured it out.

I should also illustrate how deeply this particular disdain for the unknown runs. Last May, we surprised Chase with a trip to Disney World. We told him we were going to the beach and never changed our story until we pulled into our hotel. We had stayed there before so he knew at that point something was up. When we said surprise, we are going to Disney World, he was absolutely furious. He had a full on meltdown because we lied to him and tricked him. The entire week he kept referring to us tricking him and not trusting us. Poor Chris, this is so the opposite of his personality and his whole upbringing. I think it really bothers him that his 6 year old is not able to go with the flow. I am thinking Noel is going to be infinitely more laid back than his big brother, so there is some hope for Chris there.

Once Chase knew where we were headed, he was excited and as we got nearer to Atlanta (or the big city as Chase kept calling it) he began remarking on the cool tall buildings and the traffic. At one point we somehow annoyed the driver behind us who proceeded to honk and shout obscenities as he drove past. To this Chase remarked, "People aren't very friendly in the big city. Dad, did that man call you a goofball? I can't believe he called you a goofball." Let me just say that is not what the man called Chris. He called him a bleeping a**hole. I am so thankful that Chase heard Goofball because that was the topic of conversation for the next half hour.

At last we arrived at the World of Coke museum. It was a lot more crowded than I anticipated for a random Saturday in February. I had been to the older facility and was pleasantly surprised by the new set-up. We had a really great time especially experiencing the 4-D movie, but the highlight was the spot where you can drink Coke products from around the world. We even dipped Noelly's pacifier into a few of the flavors. We ended our day by trying an Indian restaurant ( YUM!!!) close to Oglethorpe University which is where I worked and we lived when Chase was born. It was the first time he has seen it since then. He wondered why we lived in a castle. We had to explain that the back side of campus where we lived most certainly did not look like a castle, but that is where our story as a family began so in a way, I guess, it was our kingdom.

2 month check-up

It's official, my baby is humongous. He weighed in a whopping 14lbs. and 6oz. at his check-up Friday. He is 24in. That puts him in the 95th and 90th percentile respectively. I have started giving him a little applesauce and cereal at suppertime(pictured above). Hopefully, that will fill him up.