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Today Joe had his first visit with the Easter Bunny. (After three traumatizing trips to Santa over the past couple of years, we decided to hold off on giant “stuffed” animals…)
The outlook was good this time. While we were standing in line, Joe seemed pretty interested. He watched other kids sit on EB’s lap, waved several times to “the” bunny, and even shook his hand. But, when it came time to sit on the big, white, fuzzy lap, it was a no-go. So, he sat with Daddy, next to EB. Joe was pretty skeptical, but at least he wasn’t screaming. This was as close as we could get to a smile from him. (Those photographers at Flatiron Crossings earned their keep, making several attempts to win Joe over. But he wasn’t having any of it, though he did try to steal the “clapper” noisemaker they were using and several styrofoam Easter eggs.)
I was stunned yesterday when I picked up the phone and heard our now-familiar SSA office case handler’s voice
I just wanted to let you know that we received Joseph’s birth certificate verification, so we’ll clear his application for approval. The card will be mailed to your home address. You can come by and pick up a print out of his number if you need it sooner.
Dan picked up Joe’s official number today. I have it in my hot little hands as I type (okay, well, it’s sitting on the desk next to me, but you get the idea). They even gave us the official certified copy of his birth certificate that they ordered (expedited, at their expense) because, once they verified it, they didn’t need it for their files. It’s a paltry bonus given the headache, but it’s really nice to have an extra and probably something they didn’t have to do, so definitely a thoughtful and appreciated gesture. I feel a thank you note coming on…which is saying something, given that I recently found a stack of half-written, half-addressed notes from last Christmas that never made it out the door (yet another major goof I get to beat myself up about).
I almost don’t believe it. After 4 months on this merry-go-round, we can finally stop and catch our breath. And amend our taxes. And open an education fund. And and and… An enormous burden has been lifted from my shoulders.
If I didn’t have so much to do now that I have this information, I’d stop and take a nice, long break and celebrate. But, I’m sick, and so are Dan and Joe (the little guy just finished up his course of antibiotics for an ear infection, which I suspect is not cured to boot). And I’m past a deadline at work, so I need to get the whip cracking. Plus, I have Halloween preparations on my plate: treats for Dan’s work, last-minute costume needs, and an entire meal for Halloween night when Nana and Noni P join us for Joe’s second Halloween. Photos coming soon…
Update: Joe’s social security card arrived before Thanksgiving. I don’t remember when, but it’s filed, safe and sound.
Dan got his MRI results back. He has a textbook case of a herniated (bulging) disc and needs only physical therapy, which he’s already started with a back specialist. (The first round of physical therapy wasn’t with a back person, so we’re hoping that this second round will be more successful.) The important thing is that he needs to avoid bending (hard to do) and lifting (including Joe) until the disc heals. Dan’s had a hard time not working on the house. It’s been a good lesson in patience for all of us!
OK, it’s not so funny, but I needed a title. On his way to an MRI appointment, Dan got into a fender bender (everyone’s ok) that crunched up the front of his truck. (Note: it doesn’t look so bad in this little phone photo, but his truck should be about another 1-1/2 feet longer in the front…the silver bumper should be in front of the black jutting bit of metal/frame.) Long story short, when the light turned green, a pedestrian walked into the intersection just as traffic was starting to accelerate (but Dan couldn’t see this because of the big SUV with tinted windows in front of him) . 
The woman in the SUV slammed on her brakes so hard that the butt end of the vehicle arched into the air. Dan tried, but couldn’t, stop in time and the rear of her SUV came down on the front his truck. Needless to say, Dan didn’t make it to the MRI. His truck was towed to a body shop and we just found out that there is $6,277.03 of damage to his truck. Not sure about the other guy. Thank goodness for insurance. Sigh. If it’s not one thing, it’s another…
Since folks keep asking, thought I’d post a quick update. Dan’s initial back injury is much improved (you saw evidence he was up and about and even painting), but he’s been having trouble with a nerve in his leg (related to the injury), causing him a lot of pain. His doctor (as of today) suspects a herniated disc and wants to do an MRI. Dan’s decided to do another round of physical therapy first. He also got in trouble with his doctor for “working on the house” in this condition, especially when Dan admitted that “not much” lifting could mean 50 or 60 pounds. Dan was forbidden from painting or laying floors or doing any home remodeling, so the rest of the basement will have to wait. I can probably paint the walls and do some trim work, but we won’t make much progress after that until Dan’s back situation is resolved.
…your idea of a really romantic Valentine’s Day means sharing a homemade pizza and sitting on the bed watching Lost while the baby is in the bouncer eating Cheerios. Hey, at least we shaped the pizza into a heart (sort of)! I guess that time Dan spent working at Pizza Hut in college paid off. He he.
Dan and I celebrated our 9th Valentine’s Day together last night. I bought (gasp!) him a card (nope, didn’t make it) . He checked out a library book on Valentine’s Day for me to read. Ahhhh…
We didn’t know it, but this morning our phone was ringing off the hook. At 6:05am. At 6:08am. At 6:10am. At 6:18am. Then again at 8:09am. We missed all the calls, but the last one woke us up. I leaped from bed, hurdled the pillows on the floor, and dashed to the office like a mad woman. I was too late to get the call, but that didn’t stop me from sprinting back into the bedroom, phone in hand, and attacking it like a junkie in need of a fix. There were, in fact, five — 5! — missed calls. In that split second, I was simultaneously thrilled and terrified. What if…it was THE call??? The baby call? Where we too late? Would they call someone else? I looked at Dan with hopeful eyes.
I had to giggle at one of our blog comments yesterday. Kristi said, “when you guys do stress you do it big!” Oh hon, you don’t know the half of it. Let me tell you a story about how our whirlwind of a life started. Nearly 9 years ago…
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this is yours truly, as captured by the fine folks at American Traffic Solutions. It seems that Greenwood Village, Colorado has outsourced its traffic safety to a company in Arizona. No points, no record, just a $75 fine mailed to an anonymous address in Ohio.
Well, well. Where to start? So much has been happening. It is and it isn’t the “same ol’ same ol’.” But let’s start with the new news first.
Adoption
Back in November, Shannon’s Dad mentioned to a family friend that we were considering adoption. They knew someone who knew someone, and the ball starting rolling. We knew it was a long-shot, but we had to do some quick sleuthing. As we expected, this particular circumstance didn’t work out, but we got so far along in our investigations, we decided to finally commit to the adoption process — after nearly 6 years of trying to conceive. We’re currently in the midst of doing our homestudy (the “psych evaluation” with a social worker who will determine if we are fit parents). We’re also attending classes that cover a wide variety of really quite interesting topics related to children and adoption (attachment, development, etc.). Then we need to decide what kind of adoption we are going to do (international, domestic, private, foster, infant, older child, special needs). We’ve ruled out several options already. We know we want a healthy infant or toddler. While we’d love to consider international adoption because there’s more control, more choice, and more guarantees, the cost may be prohibitive for us.
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