Christmas

We played pass the baby...
Daddy

Uncle Doug

Aunt Pam

Grandma

Mommy


and Aunt Diane .

But nobody held Frannie :(

Thanksgiving Day

Emily's first Thanksgiving and we spent it with the whole Kline family!

Waiting patiently for the food to be ready.

Waiting patiently for me to take the picture and not stand in front of the TV/Football game.

mmmmmm.... that was yummy!!

There might be a small age difference between Emily and her cousins.

The whole gang.

David's Birthday

Today is David's Birthday and Emily is all smiles for her Daddy!!

Men and Babies

Daddy

Uncle Doug

Need I say more?

We woke up this morning

and found ourselves to be 1 month old today!!

First Family Trip to the Zoo

We saw the seals,

and the cats..

and it is highly possible, that Emily saw...
nothing.

Our many expressions

Two Weeks Today!

And what a day it's been!

First we had a picture with the birthday bunny (rumor has it the bunny shrinks with each month - time will tell!)

Then we headed off to the Pediatricians for our 2 week checkup.

We are now an even 8 pounds and 21 1/2 inches long!! No more "newborn" clothes here! Emily is an official size 0-3!

.

.

.

Then they poked her foot with a needle to get some blood and Lions, Tigers, and Bears "O MY" she SCREAMED bloody murder!! It's a good thing we took the bunny picture first - or bunny would have been lunch.

Legal Stuff 101

So here is how the legal stuff works

~

The papers BM signed at the hospital were papers relinquishing her parental rights and granting custody to the agency.

~

The Agency gave BM 4 business days to reconsider her decision, on the fifth day, Sept. 5 (remember the 1st was a holiday) the agency filed these papers with a judge.

~

The judge reviewed and signed the papers which officially relinquishes the rights of the birthparents and granting legal custody to the agency. She is now in all technicality an orphan and a ward of the state - which means David and I are actually her licensed foster parents.

~

The next step is for David and I to file our official adoption papers which will transfer legal custody from the agency to us. These papers will be filed next week and then the same judge will finalize the adoption six months after we've had custody of Emily... end of February or early March.

~

So the champagne/formula comes out in six months!

We've been jammin!

We slept great last night and today we're in such a good mood we've been jammin' to Robert Plant & Allison Krauss (they're awesome!!)

Settling in at home

She's home and fitting right in!

Though Juneau is a little upset at the loss of her bed.

We had our first visit to the Pediatrician today. I now completely understand why parents cry when their babies get a shot. She was all snuggly in her blanket and gurgling (so happy or gassy - hard to tell) until they unwrapped her exposing her to all as they stuck her with the needle. If her quivering chin could be used a renewable energy I'm sure we'd have this whole energy issue resolved. And then the high pitched screaming that followed - yeesh.

~

But the question did come up regarding future vaccinations. To vaccinate or not to vaccinate. Invitation for opinions here - anyone??

24 Hours old

Apparently yesterday was a busy day at St. Anthony's nursery. They had six babies born yesterday, which meant 6 new moms crept out of their rooms in the middle of the night asking the nurses to watch their wee babes for a few hours (I was one of them). David woke up at 6am to go get Emily from the nurses station and they had 6 babies lined up waiting for their moms to get come get them for the day. I guess that was our last solid 6 hours of sleep for some time.

But she's doing great today! And we're hoping we will be released to go home this afternoon.

She's HERE!

Emily Katherine

born 7:15 am

7lbs 9oz

The Number Four

The phone finally rang to inform us that BM's at the first hospital and dilated at a four! (uh, at 4:30am)

So here is the plan as I know it to be from this point forward:

1) BM getting epidural
2) BM's friend that is with her will call social worker (SW) one more time when BM progresses to a 5
3) SW will then head to the hospital too
4) SW will call us when she's at a 7 or 8
5) David & I will THEN head to the hospital too

We won't see BM again (per her request), after she delivers:

1) SW will have BM sign papers (because of BM wanting to leave quickly this will probably take place at the hospital)
2) BM will go home after 2 hours
3) David & I will stay at hospital with baby for min of 24 until baby is discharged
4) We all go home

What we DON'T know & What we DO know

~ We don't know if she's having any more contractions or more dilated.
~ We don't know what time her Dr appointment is today.
~ We don't know if she'll even go becuase she's so mad at these midwives & hospital.
~ We don't know if they'll induce or just "talk" about inducing (if she goes).

~ WE DO know she asked us not to call her.
~ WE DO know that she'll call us when she's on her way to the hospital (o, but we don't know which hospital that will be).

Equals...

We don't know much.

Quiet as a mouse

The number Three

Conversation with social worker this morning. BM is seriously aggitated. She called hospital this morning and explained that the major street access to the hospital is closed (due to the DNC) and could she PLEASE be induced. They said no. She begged. They said no. So she said some explicatives and wants to change hospitals again. Any hospital will take you if you show up at the doorstep in labor. SO, she did go to Dr appointment this morning where they... are you ready... scraped her (eweeee). They also told her she is already dilated to a three. So we're still waiting... but now we're waiting at a 3.

Plans changed

We decided to ride our bikes downtown to check out the DNC activities. In route we rode through City Park which is beeeeeutiful - they've planted tons of flowers, re-soded, and fixed the fountain. There was some kind of hippie/hara kreshna convention taking place with yoga and group massage events.

We then headed to Civic Center Park were it looked more like the Peoples Fair. We then decided to check out 16th Street Mall, Pepsi Center, and Union Station. And yes, everyone was out for the occasion. We saw 2 separate protester parades - though we saw each of them at least twice in different locations. This one was the "Make Out Not War" protesters as they went by my office (in background).

All protesting parades were HEAVILY accompanied by cops, some in full riot gear. After this photo we decided to eat lunch where we sat on the patio. As we were eating we just by total complete coincidence saw David's brother walk by! So he joined us for the rest of the day as we explored the DNC.

All in all - an interesting experience.

Today's Agenda

Weeds.

but I do have one pumpkin!

When there's nothing else to do

give the dog a bath.

2:45

FINALLY talked to social worker. BM is very upset that Dr told her she isn't dilated at all and rescheduled an appointment for her on Wednesday, the 27th when they will talk about inducing her. She's been really miserable and tired of everyone asking her when she's going to go into labor so she turned her phone off... till today. SOOOOO, now I need to find something else to do this weekend. Who's having the bar-b-q with the beer?

10:16 am

Still Waiting.

8:17 am

Nothing yet.

Darn Qwest!!

(2:00 pm)
My phone STILL isn't working. I missed 3 phone calls and 3 text messages today because of my phone not working. And I've called Qwest three times now to have them fix it. Now they're saying it's the physical phone that is broken but I can't get a new one until October because they're switching networks. So apparently don't call me or text me cuz I'm not going to get it till October. Grrr.

Since they obviously weren't important, let me tell you about my missed calls.

call 1 & 2) I totally spaced that I was meeting a good friend for lunch today and she was AT the restaurant waiting for me trying to call me. So I didn't get the calls till 45 minutes later when I ran into in my office lobby and she TOLD me. K, here I don't feel as bad about the missed call as I do that I forgot about our lunch date - I'm such a bad friend :(

call 3) Social Worker called to say she still hasn't heard from BM but was going to call her again this afternoon.

Text 1) Same friend being stood up at restaurant (I feel soooooooooo bad!)

Text 2 & 3) friends asking about BM/labor - cuz we aren't waiting for any other phone calls right now.

The evil phone.

Ok, deep breath. I'm done complaining now.

The White Tower

(8:00 am)
When King Henry VIII was done with a wife he had a tendency to send them to the White Tower where they waited to hear of their fate. My favorite was Katherine Howard that when sent to the tower she asked for the head block to be sent to her chamber so she could practice laying her head on it. If your going to do something you might as well do it correctly (especially if people are watching).

So I got a message from BM this morning. She said her Dr visit went fine and she's still waiting.

That's all I know. Oh, and she really likes the books I gave her about Henry's wives.

Phone Issues Solved

I couldn't decide if it was my phone not working - or if no one was calling me. I called Qwest and turns out... it was both. Good news is that they fixed my phone. Other news is that when the phone finally did ring about 2:00 pm, it was the social worker to say BM's contractions have stopped. She's going to her Dr appt at 5, but they will not induce - just check to see how much, if at all, dialated she is. So, we're now looking at either somewhere between 3 in the morning (jk) or later tomorrow.

Here comes the call - and bride!

I was at a wedding this afternoon for someone I have been so anxious to see her and her family again for years - I was finally going to get my chance to catch up a little! I accidentally arrived at the ceremony 1/2 hour early (oops) so I decided to make sure my phone was still working (I've been having issues lately) - of course it wasn't working so I restarted it to reset the darn thing. And as soon as it reset I had a text message from BM saying she's having regular contractions and has a Dr appointment for tomorrow at 5 if she doesn't go into labor sooner. So now I'm thinking O crap I still have a bunch of stuff I have to get done at work first! eek! So I sat through the ceremony, hugged the people I'd really wanted to see for ... ooooo... 25 YEARS!! and ran back to work so I could finish and wait for the phone to ring. It didn't, so I went home and waited for the phone to ring.

Us waiting (notice Juneau in the distance - she's very patient)

Three days to go

I stopped by BM's house today, she really likes the Philippa Gregory series of books about King Henry VIII's wives (btw - I do too!). So since I had all the books I stopped by to lend her (ok, she can have them) my books. She's hoping the next time I see her will be in the hospital (um, yea - me too) She says she's started having little contractions every now and then but nothing to write home about (her words).

Bleck :p

Talked to social worker today. BM waited too long to change doctor/hospital so she'll have to stay at the first place that won't induce. And I know she really wants to deliver and get back to work - SW says she wants to start drinking caster oil (eweeee!). SW tried to tell her it's just a wives tale and can actually make you really sick, you'll wind up in the hospital, and still not deliver. So if she really wants to try it then at least do it in moderation and accept it if it doesn't work. But, um, still - YUCK!

Our stork

So when BM & I were talking about "The Other Boleyn Girl" I had mentioned it was actually the second book in a series and that the first book is much better (in my humble opinion). I offered to bring her a copy of the book for her to read - which she was really excited about. So today after work I stopped by with the book. Apparently her 3 year old took a tumble down the stairs yesterday which left his face really scratched up, she spent a few hours in the ER at the same hospital she plans to deliver. After those hours of sitting in the waiting room and getting a full view of the place, she's decided she doesn't want to deliver there now - cuz it's dirty and smells bad. So she's going to call the social worker tomorrow to discuss her options, the doctor she wants to switch to induced her for the now 3 year old and she's hoping she'll induce her for this one. She's really desperate to hurry and deliver, she wants to go back to work like now. Anyhoo, she then gave David and I a gift. It's a little figure of a stork and a baby - she says it's because she's the stork bringing us a baby. It's really sweet :)

Plans

I had lunch with BM today. Her 3 year old is starting "school" in a few weeks. It's actually Hickenloopers Head Start Program that she and her son had to qualify for - which they do. So we talked about him going to school and what she plans on doing after she delivers. She has two jobs lined up and she's hoping her son's dad will move in with her where she plans to work and he's going to go back and finish school. I think if that works out it will be a great path for all of them - especially since she lives in a really scary neighborhood and I would be terrified living there by myself with just a cat and 3 year old. I told her the name David and I picked out, she was a little quiet at first but then said it was really pretty and medieval sounding... where we then started talking about King Henry VIII and the Other Boleyn Girl (always a good subject!). All in all a good lunch and she is very anxious to deliver and get back to work.

July 31

Social worker called today and said she spent time with BM today just to catch up and see how things were going. She said they sat in BM's house with her new fan that she just loves and BM told SW how much she really likes us and thinks she picked the perfect family :)

July 28

BM changed her mind and decided the heat was too much for her. So I brought her over a fan at lunch today. While I was there I met her neighbor, her landlord, and then she pointed out the house across the street from her... it's this one: http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_10009175

July 24

Talked to BM today... she's hot & miserable in this heat!! I don't doubt she is - it's HOT! Fortunately there is only 4 (that's um... FOUR) weeks left. We offered to buy her a fan, but god love her - she said "no thank you" she's been hanging out at her neighbors cuz they have a swamp cooler.

July 18

BM's birthday is today - we sent her a card & gift card (she loves it). On another note, BirthFather was served his papers (in person) and he has chosen to let his 20 days to respond expire - which means his rights will be terminated!

July 16

Additional article regarding BM's financial situation. http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_9902709 On a plus side BM sent me text message today thanking us for helping her with this and her due date has been moved to Aug. 22 (seems to be floating between the 20 & 22 depending on which midwife she sees).

July 10

This was the cause of my agency vent: http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_9892241 Considering the HUGE amount of money we pay the agency to file, process, and talk, you'd think they would have a small (even if very small) amount of money to help their expectant mothers when they really really need just a little bit of help! BM is one of the people in this situation and yet the agency has asked US to pay it for her. Maybe if they'd just share a little...pf.

July 8

I've come to the full realization that Adoption Agencies are evil and greedy. It's a nasty business and I'll be glad when this is all over. Colorado law requires adoptive couples to go through an agency to prevent "baby brokering" but it just means that the "broker" forms an "agency" to do the brokering through. It's really quite disgusting how much you pay an agency and how little a BM gets. I'm pretty sure she's the one doing most of the work, has most of the mental anquish, and has the most to lose in the arrangement; but it's the Agency that gets ALL the money, profit and reward just to file paper, submit paperwork, "counsel", and make sure we aren't crazy people.

May 7

Being a little nervous about sending the entire amount due (about the cost of a really... really nice car with the awsome stereo - and non-refundable if it doesn't go they way you hope) without having met her we asked to meet her ASAP. We met birthmom, her 3 year old Son, and her mother at a local restaurant where she had worked until just a few months prior. We really liked her, she really liked us - her mother had a pretty serious list of qustions about our religious beliefs, discipline style, school preferences, names, and other things which I just can't remember at the moment. All very important questions, but when I'm mostly trying to think about how not to throw up - a little hard to answer. After almost 2 hours of talking... I think we ate, but I'm not sure I remember swallowing anything... her mother asked her if we were the ones she wanted to give her baby to, and she said "yes, they're the ones." So David and I went back to work and signed the papers (the check) and knocked on wood. She's due Aug. 21, and they THINK she's expecting a girl :)

July 2

BM sent me text message that said: "I can officially say next month I'll have my figure back and you'll have a baby" ... again... good sign - right?

Big sigh

We don't have to go to the big family BarBQ! I explained to BM our concerns about going and she said she didn't really want to go either - so thank goodness we don't' have to go. This just might happen without a hitch... fingers crossed.

June 23

OMG - GREAT news - we don't have to go to the big family BarBQ!! I explained to BM our concerns about going and she said didn't really want to go either - so thank goodness we don't' have to go. This just might happen without a hitch... fingers crossed.

62 days

I'm not sure we'll make it another 62 days!! BM's mother wants us to come meet the whooooole family now at a BarBQ in their back-yard. She wants BM's brother, and Aunt, and Step-Father, and neighbors, and cousins, and to meet us... we haven't decided if we're going yet... we're a little (ok, a lot) uncomfortable with the idea. But I suppose it's a good sign that her entire family is supportive of her decision.

June 20

I'm not sure we'll make it another 62 days!! BM's mother wants us to come meet the whooooole family now at a BarBQ in their back-yard. She wants BM's brother, and Aunt, and Step-Father, and neighbors, and cousins, and to meet us... we haven't decided if we're going yet... we're a little (ok, a lot) uncomfortable with the idea. But I suppose it's a good sign that her entire family is supportive of her decision.

June 17

BM signed the pre-relinquishment papers today and is looking forward to delivery and getting back to her regular lifestyle - which makes me sad for her... So after she delivers she'll sign the final papers at the hospital which then she'll have 3 days afterwards to change her mind. From that point she would have to prove she was incapable or mislead into signing the papers - in other words, it would be very difficult for her to reverse the action. Then after 6 months is when a court signs the final papers and makes the adoption forever final and binding - no one can change their mind about anything. (O, and we cancelled our season tickets at the Pepsi Center today to help pay for to help subsidise the project)

June 13

BM & I had a GREAT lunch together. We went to a Mexican restaurant between her house and my office. We talked about her 3 year olds father and the birthfather of her pregnancy. She doesn't know too much about him, but it's amazing what you can find on the internet with just a little bit of information. I almost feel like a stalker... I guess I really would be if I drove by his house (which I haven't... yet). She asked about what names we were thinking about, difficult question since we haven't talked to much about it, but she did like the few names we've been discussing thus far. We didn't tell her that "Moonshine" seems to be the most popular one in the running (jk)

June 12

I'm having lunch with BM on Friday!!! ... where to go... where to go....

June 2

Went to Dr appt w/BM. She goes to a midwife (which I know nothing about) and they don't really do much except weight, BP, measuring, and it appeared to be a lot of lecturing about food. They don't even do ultrasounds (so no pictures), but we did listen to the heartbeat. This was the appointment where she had to drink some stuff and wait for an hour to test for diabetes. We talked for the hour in the waiting room and since I had my little notebook with me I asked her about her family and she gave me all her family tree info. She doesn't really know much about her family except that they are mostly Irish & German and she thinks a teensy bit Dutch. Turns out her mother was adopted when she was a young girl with her two sisters. Their parents passed away when they were very young and sent to an orphange until they were adopted by her grandparents. Her father died when she was a baby, he was in the Navy is all she knows about him.

May 14

Talked to BM. She had Dr appointment today - everything looks great, baby is very active and strong. She invited me to her next appointment on June 2!!

The Wait. Part I

Cinco de Mayo = The day we found out we were finally matched with a birthmom!! Our lawyer called and said she and her mother both chose us as their first pick... and then said we had 2 days to send "the check". They make you pay the entire amount up front (ouch). We read BM's profile and she sounded like someone that might be a good fit for us... but how does one really know these things from a faxed 6 page questionnaire?

The Family Plan

We're going to adopt a child.

Most people have already heard this news (since we did announce it in our 2007 holiday letter), but I figured I'd blog about it anyway, on the odd chance that there are people out there who might be interested or share our experience.

It took David almost 2 hours to propose to me back in 2003, but the proposal stemmed from our conversation of "where do we see ourselves in 5 years." We actually had a plan, a well thought out plan. We've learned something about "plans" and that is they change. And sometimes, a lot!

We started with:

1. Get married.
Yep, did that, took a year. Beautiful ceremony with just family. Big party with everyone. And awesome trip to Mexico!

2. Get House
Check. I'm not sure which is harder: brain surgery or house hunting. But we did it, glad it's done, and we LOVE our house. 3. Get pregnant
mmmmmm. That didn't go so well - plan gets a little skewed here.

4. Go through infertility treatments
We found lots of encouragement from doctors (go figure) and read lots of books, talked to lots of people, and spent lots of money (that's where the Dr's encouragement came in). So not really what we planned.

5. Adopt
Seems natural. We found a lawyer, interviewed agencies, talked to friends (thanks friends!!)

6. One more time with the treatments (just in case)
Just wanted to be sure!! We were actually super duper really close - who knew they had a whole classification called "chemical pregnancy" ah well - back to the plan.

7. Ok, ONE more time
Failed miserably. Go back to step 5 of plan.

8. Domestic or International?
Domestic. This is a whole other topic for a different day. But it seemed to be the best fit for us.

9. Pick an agency
Fortunately we'd already interviewed various agencies, and our lawyer recommended a few. We chose Lutheran Family Services, but with all plans - they seem to change and we are now with Adoption Choices.

10. Complete paperwork
Grueling. That's all I've got to say about that :p

11. Wait
What they don't tell you about waiting is that all the people you've met along the way that are also waiting - they ALL get matched while your still waiting. Which leaves you wondering "WTH is wrong with me?!"

12. Match!
Failed

13. Match!
Failed

14. Match!
Failed

15. Match!
Failed

16. Match?
Really? What's going to go wrong? Do we believe it? We don't even remember what the plan was anymore...

17. Still matched!
Wow. And we really really like the birthmom, and she tells the social worker that she really really likes us. This must be good!

18.
No more plans for a while - just going wherever the road takes us at this point.
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Scooter For Sale

Mini Gas Scooter for sale! (would be great for kids between ages 10 - 15)

The Sunny Scooter is sturdy, durable, and reliable. It has been tested to safely carry up to 165 pounds of weight. It can go for 30 miles at 15mph on a single tank of gas (1 quart)!

The Sunny Gas Scooter is great for riding on smooth pavement (not legal for on-road use), and is also ideal on gravel or sandy surfaces. The Sunny can be used with the seat in place, or in a standing position with the seat removed. Other Features Include:

• A comfortable, removable seat

• High quality front-wheel drum and rear-wheel disc brakes • Large air filled rubber tires

• Headlight and dual red brake lights

• Electric Starter mechanism

• Dual belt driving mechanism

• Adjustable steering column

• Retractable kickstand

• Folds for easy storage and transportation

• Easy to operate engine starter cord

~ Gas Versus Electric Scooters ~

Gas is more convenient since you can refill at any service station. With electric scooters, you have few options for recharging - usually this can only be done at home or work. Also, the gas scooter is more powerful, with a faster maximum speed. These facts help to make the Sunny Gas Scooter one of the most enjoyable ways of getting around available!!

Specifications

• Weight : 50 pounds

• Max. Capacity Weight : 165 pounds

• Max. Speed : 15 M.P.H.

• Framework : Steel

• Tires: 9" x 3.5"

• Engine Type : Single cylinder, air-cooled 2-stroke

• Drivetrain : Chain

• Fuel Type : Unleaded Gasoline and 2-stroke oil (25:1)

• Fuel Tank Capacity : 1.05 quarts (1 liter)

• Driving System : Chain

• Brakes : Front drum; Rear disc

• Dimensions (L x W x H) : 45.27" x 18.11" x 55.12"

Original price: $400
Your's for $200!!

~~~~~

I purchased this scooter a few years ago for Burning Man - works GREAT in the desert. NOT so great for living downtown. It is NOT STREET LEGAL. I only used it one summer and has been sitting in the garage ever since. I built a canopy on the back (now removed) so back of scooter is a little scratched from poles and a basket. I still have the bracket I used to attach at basket so you can have that if you want it. It also comes with a little tool kit.

Mayor Hickenlooper's Campaign to end homelessness with a Slumber party!

"Local executives traded in their business suits for the third annual Pajama Party, benefitting Denver's Road Home Project to help and end homelessness in Denver.

The party was the signature event for Denver's Road Home project which began in October of 2003 in response to an increase in homelessness in Denver.

At that time, Mayor Hickenlooper organized a commission to develop and make recommendations for a plan to bring an end to homelessness. In 2005, the Denver City Council and Mayor Hickenlooper approved the plan that has been on going since July.

Since its inception, the plan's long term goal has been to enable the less fortunate to build a sustainable life and find permanent housing in the community.

The Denver's Road Home project also focuses on emergency shelter systems, prevention, public safety and outreach, education, training and employment and community awareness.

The PJ party raised $110,000 in 2997 and in 2008 the goal is to raise $150,000, according to Steve Douglas, spokesperson for Suncor.

Guests mingled with some of Denver's top executives in their best PJ's of course and took part in a top-of-the-line silent auction."

the Denver Post

For more information about Denver's Road Home: http://www.denversroadhome.org/