Look Who's ONE! (Part 2 of 2)

So, because of my exam, we had Alyse's birthday party the week after her b-day.  

 I had decided about 4 months before that I was going to do a cupcake theme party, then I changed my mind and decided on owls/turquoise and purple. Whooo doesn't love owls?! They are sooo cute with their big round eyes.  I got started on the party favours pretty early (about 2 months in advance) and I still ended up making two more the night before the party. I found the pattern here.

Speaking of the night before...this was the disaster in my kitchen the evening before the party.  Thank goodness Shane's mom came up to help me!  I finished up my million projects I had on the go, while she cleaned up.  I am so, so grateful to have had her help - I definitely couldn't have pulled off half the stuff without her, as a lot of my ideas would've gotten tossed.  Thank you, Karen!!!
P.S. I wasn't going to share this photo, since, let's face it, it's crazy messy.  However, I wanted to keep it real for all you mommas and crafters.  This is reality when you have about 5 big projects on the go in one day!


You almost can't recognize my kitchen from the night before!  With Karen's help, there was actually room on my kitchen table for all the yummy treats!

Close up of the owl cuppycakes (with fondant and oreo cookie eyes) and super yummy rice krispie treats with cake batter in them - YES, cake batter!  I decided that since they were "cake", they needed some butter cream icing!  They were truly amazing and now that I've seen them again, I'll need to make them again this week!  Here's the super easy recipe, if you're interested:
 Super Yummy Rice Krispie Treat Recipe

So, the cake!  I got the inspiration here.  Have I mentioned I LOVE Pinterest?!  I have to limit my time on there, though, since I don't have time to make all the projects I want to and I get sad.  I decided to make the marshmallow fondant in advance - good idea, since it took about 2 1/2 hours by the time I got the colouring all worked through it.  Luckily, I had made a double batch of butter cream icing from our cake smash session the week before.  I got Shane to take a picture of me, since I couldn't take one myself.  It was so sticky!

The finished product, well sorta - I added ears afterward

Alyse's outfit from Little Miss Tutu Boutique!

Ribbon and tulle highchair!

 

Even one of the owl balloons got her own tutu!

I don't go all out every year for birthdays.  We usually have small family gatherings with cake and prezzies, but that's about it.  The 1st Birthdays are the biggest, that's for sure!  Last year, for Marcus' 10th birthday, I went all out with an Angry Bird theme.  This year, for Tyler's 6th, I'm planning a "Monster" theme - his choice.  This will be his first with all of his friends (I decided to do it this year, since it's his first year of school and he's so excited to invite all of his friends).  Also, in September, I'll be going all out for Charlee's 2nd birthday, since it will be her first time celebrating her birthday with us.  I've already been looking up ideas for her theme.  Yay!

Look Who's ONE! (Part 1 of 2)

I'm a tad late with this post, but in my defense, I didn't have my blog back in February when Miss Alyse turned 1!  

Miss Alyse's 1st Birthday Session

About a week before her birthday, we did her birthday photo session with her outfit I had made by  (Little Miss Tutu Boutique).  You'll soon learn that Erin is one of my favorite people!  I absolutely LOVE her products and have a closet full and countless headbands (Okay, okay - I have a bit of an obsession).

This session was interesting, since I had to sit her down where I wanted her, then run back into place, hoping that I could get a few shots before she ran at me!

Big brother kisses and little sister not to sure about it

Tyler said the only way he would get his picture taken was if he didn't have to wear a shirt and could wear his Buzz Lightyear watch. I'll take it!  What a kid!  hehe

Boy!  Did I get my workout in that day!  I also decided to try to get some Valentine's Day shots of her in her V-Day outfit from LMTT, so extra calories burned!  Bonus!

I crocheted the cute little V-day hat and made the banner for a session last year.  I'm so glad I got a chance to use them again.

Alyse, stealing my heart <3

On Alyse's ACTUAL birthday, I had to write an exam - Boo!  It was over at 1 PM, so it was all good (and I ended up passing the exam and the course, so YAY!).  I've been planning on doing a Cake Smash & Clean Up session with Alyse since before she was born. It's something I've always wanted to do and finally had the "studio" to do it in.  I made her cake and butter cream icing to match her outfit (again, from you-know-where).  It was pretty and oh so yummy (we ate it afterwards, since she only touched about 1/4 of it).  Alyse wasn't really sure what to do with the cake, she kind of poked around in it and with our encouragement.  Daddy even put some icing on her face and gave her a taste.  She was very reserved with the whole process (Not like this little boy I photographed a couple of weeks ago: Cake Smash!)  Alyse has been my photo "guinea pig" for a lot of session ideas.  Thank you, Alyse!  :)  I cannot wait to do this with Charlee for her 2nd birthday, since we weren't able to do it for her first.  I have a feeling she'll rip into it - I'm so excited for the mess (probably the only time EVER I will say that)!!!

Stay tuned for Look Who's ONE!  (Part 2 of 2) of Alyse's birthday party!

Lots of GOOD changes

Last Saturday, I got a chance to video chat with Charlee and her foster mother (who I'll call DFM from now on -Dear Foster Mother) for the first time.  I felt kind of guilty that the first time she called, I was the only one here (Alyse was in bed and Daddy and Ty were at a wedding reception).  However, that didn't stop me from soaking up every last ounce of cuteness that Charlee had.  Her DFM pointed to me and said, "Charlee, this is your Mommy".  Charlee said, "Mommy!", in her sweet little voice.  Melt.My.Heart.

We're trying to get in as many video chats as possible before we head to Ontario.  The more Charlee sees and hears us, the better for her - and, of course, we love it, too!  We've had a few video chats since then.  It's always nice to see her DFM and we also got to meet Charlee's foster brother and sisters and her foster father.  What an amazing family!  I'm so excited to meet them all in person!

Video chat photo of Miss Charlee tonight 

Tonight, Marcus got to see Charlee on video chat for the first time.  We were all in front of the camera, except Miss Alyse who is off to dreamland.

They are getting ready to celebrate one of the little girl's birthdays that is at the end of the month.  They are going to have cake and go to an indoor playplace (it's pretty cold there, I guess).  I'm sure Charlee will have a ton of fun at the party, even though they probably won't know exactly what they are celebrating.  haha.  This has inspired me to write a blog post about Alyse's 1st birthday party.  Stay tuned.

We've been having discussions with the agency and DFM to try to figure out a schedule of when we'll go to Ontario to meet Charlee.  Originally, we were thinking we'd be able to go the first or second week in June, but now it's looking like the end of June.  DFM has some training to attend and they have to consider the schedules of the other children in the household.  With all that to take into consideration, she won't be able to travel to NB until around July 6th.  The agency would like the time that we go to Ontario and the time that she comes to NB to be as short as possible to help with Charlee's transition.  Now, we think we'll be traveling around June 24th.  I wanted a bit of time to prepare the rooms for the children, since we planned to switch Tyler/MJ's and Alyse's rooms so that the girls could share the bigger room, however, I don't need a month.  I took Thursday off work, so I could work away at moving things back and forth.  I worked ALL DAY and made a huge mess!  Our babysitter came into the room at one point and said, "Wow!".  Yup!  It was - WOW...a lot of stuff to go through.  I was able to throw out some broken toys and find some things to donate.  Eventually, as the day went on, I was able to clear more and more of the room.  When Shane got home, he helped me take apart the crib and the bunkbeds and after much maneuvering, we were able to set the bunkbeds up in Ty's new room.  I'll try to get a picture tomorrow morning before I get back at it again.  While we were setting up the beds, we got a knock at the door and it was UPS with Charlee's crib!  Perfect timing! Also, MJ is excited to finally get to sleep downstairs in his new room!

She Smiles With Her Eyes

Tonight, we got to talk to Charlee for the very first time.  I was so excited and nervous leading up to the call that I nearly got sick.  I knew that once I started talking to her foster mother that I would feel better - and I did.

We spoke for a while about Charlee.  She told me she had told Charlee that she's going to have a new mommy and she's been telling her about me.  Then she said, "I'll let you introduce yourself to her".  It's so hard to know what to say to her, but all I could say was, "Hi Baby Girl.  Hello Charlee.  I love you...I love you so much".  I sang the ABCs to her and she made a few remarks that I'm sure were about my awful singing voice.  I suppose that's something she'll have to get used to.  Shane got to say hi to her, too, and tell her he loves her.

Anyone who has tried to talk with Tyler on the phone knows that he hardly ever will oblige.  So, knowing I was going to be making the call soon, I asked him if he might want to say hi to her.  He said yes.  I asked him what he would say and he said, "I'm going to say 'Hi Charlee' and I'm going to tell her that I love her".  Melt.My.Heart.  And - that's exactly what he did.

I happened to catch them at dinnertime, so her foster mother told me that she might be able to give me a call back later.  I was thinking tomorrow, and was surprised to hear the phone ring and it be her about an hour later.  This woman is A-MAZ-ING!  Her and her husband are caring for four foster children right now...one of which is just a few months older than Charlee.  We are so grateful that they have taken such good care of her and the other children, which has allowed Charlee to have a great start in life.  We plan on sending lots of photos of Charlee and keeping them up-to-date on her progress and our bonding experience with her.  She had mentioned that it is best for Charlee to have no contact with her during the time she is bonding with us.  Since she is the only mother she's ever really known, it would be confusing to hear her voice or see her on a video call.  I really do understand this - it does make me sad, but it doesn't need to be forever.

I told her that I have probably a million questions about Charlee, but they'll probably be best answered when we go to Toronto to see her.  It's all the little things that I'd like to know that might make it easier for Charlee during her transition into her new forever family.  What does she like to eat? When does she nap? Does she nap? Does she have a favourite toy, show, song?  The list really goes on for days.  She did tell me she's a bit of a picky eater, has sensitive skin and eyes, and is very good-natured.  She said, "She lights up the room when she walks in...it's in her eyes.  She smiles with her eyes".  She also told me to learn, "Skinnamarink" and "You Are My Sunshine", since she sings it to her (and all the other children, one by one) while holding her before bed.  Those are two songs that I know well and love from my own childhood.  I'm so excited to sing them to her soon.

The way she spoke of Charlee warmed my heart.  I can tell that she has been nurtured, cared for, and loved immensely by this family.  She is so blessed ~ and so are we!

Charlee taking notes at the meeting with her social worker and foster mom.  Look at those curls!    This was actually taken on Brandon's birthday, April 29th.

I forgot to mention that she asked how much Alyse weighs and I told her 24 lbs.  Apparently, Miss Charlee is petite and weighs just 20 lbs.  So, I guess they'll be in the same size clothing, afterall!

Mother of FOUR!

Yes!  That's right!  We found out today that we have been chosen as Charlee's adoptive family!!!!

We are so incredibly excited...it's hard to describe the feeling.

Just today, I was emailing our social worker back and forth about how neither of us had heard from Toronto in over a week.  I had sent Charlee's package with her special blanket and got no word on whether they had received it.  I had also sent one last email to reiterate how much it would mean to us and our family to have Charlee here with us.  Our social worker also told me that she had sent a few emails and left a message, but hadn't heard anything back.  We had decided that perhaps our contact was on vacation.

I had left work 15 mins early to drive Denise (MJ's gram) to get her car.  As she was getting out, her phone was ringing and she missed the call.  It said it was from Vanessa's cell...however, I don't have my cell...and it obviously wasn't me!  I figured it must be Shane, so I called him back.  I asked him what he wanted and he said, "I'm trying to get a hold of you...(the worker) was just here and we were chosen.  We were chosen for Charlee".  At first I didn't believe it, then I was so overwhelmed I couldn't even talk.  You know that kind of crying where there's no sound, no tears, and no breathing...yeah...it was that kind.  Denise came over and asked what was wrong and told me I was scaring her.  She said, "Oh God!  You didn't get her?!".  I said, "We did...we did".  Finally, once I composed myself enough and got a few good breaths, I drove home to see Shane.  He told me a bit more about what our worker said, but pretty much she said that she'll talk to me in the morning and we can talk about the transition for Charlee to come here.

I just cannot believe that we now know!  After all this time...  I do feel bad for the other family who, quite obviously, didn't get the news they were hoping for.  I know that it will be hard for them at first, but I hope that they don't hold this against us.  We were never going "against them", we were fighting for Charlee and what we believed was the best for her.  I am sure it will take some time and work, but we are eager to foster the important relationships Charlee will have with her biological maternal side of the family.

I haven't been able to talk with our worker yet, but I'm sure that I'll be talking to her tomorrow.  She told Shane that she wanted to talk to me about Charlee's transition plan.  I'm so eager to hear what the plan is and the timeline!  Eeeek!

We're a family of six...I'm a mother of FOUR!  I am so in love with my family!

Happy Mother's Day!!!

I'm a little late with this post, but here goes!

I had a wonderful Mother's Day with my three beautiful children.  Just like every other day, they made me super happy and proud to be their momma!   On Friday, Tyler brought me home a beautiful flower in a special flower pot that he had decorated.  I almost cried!  He was so incredibly proud of the job he did and was so happy to give it to me.  On Sunday he gave me these beautiful pictures that he made for me.  <3

The boys decorated some cuppycakes to bring to Browns Flat with us.  We went down for the day to visit with my mom, momma, and Shane's mom.  We also got to see Shane's grandmother.  

Marcus drew me an amazing scorpion.  He has such talent!

 Great Grammy Joan has a candy jar on her coffee table.  Miss Alyse was eyeing them and was wondering if she was allowed to have one.  She's such a good little girl!  She didn't even try to take one until Grampy broke off a little piece for her to try.  Mmmmm....

Alyse playing in the "toy box" at Great Grammy Joan's.  

What an amazing day that was topped all off with dinner at Shane's parents' place.  Shane even drove home, so I could relax and work on Charlee's sock monkey.  The only thing that would have put it over the top would've been to hear some news about Charlee.

Sending Love to Charlee

I've been working away on Charlee's blanket every lunch hour at work and every evening, once the kidlets are all tucked in for the night.  After about 40 hours all together (yes, I'm a slow crocheter), I'm finally finished it!  

This process has been so good for me.  It's given me a way to relax and pour my love for Charlee into something productive.  I let go with all of my negative thoughts and replaced them with positive energy with each stitch.  Every stitch, I would think about how it might bring her comfort, if she's feeling sad or has a boo-boo.  I would think about how it will keep her warm and protected.  I would think about how it would embrace her, as if receiving a big hug from me.   I would think about having her here with us after much waiting, much hoping.  I would think about the outcome we hope for - for us to be her adoptive family.  I would think about if we aren't chosen, how I will love her still...and she will know this.  I would think about how much it will mean to her to know how much I love her...how much we all love her.  

Charlee's blanket, freshly washed and drying in the gorgeous fresh air today.

Charlee's card I made her with some scraps from her blanket

I wrote a poem about the blanket and what it means to me to give to her and what I hope that it will mean to her

I always have a hard time when it comes to signing the things that I send.  I want to sign them "Mommy & Daddy", but  I can't, since I don't want confuse her.  So, for now (and hopefully only for now) I sign everything "Auntie Vanessa & Uncle Shane"

Little note for Charlee

Charlee's goodies I'm sending tomorrow.  Tyler also made her the sweetest card with pictures of all of us with Charlee.  I forgot to take a photo of it before I put it in and the package is all wrapped up.  

I'm going to have a hard time tomorrow.  It will definitely be a bittersweet moment when I put her package in the mail.  I've been pouring so much of myself into Charlee's blanket and it has helped me to make a connection with her.  It's the only tangible thing that I have (besides a few photos) that makes me feel comfort.  It's especially hard, since I don't know if it will be coming back to our house - WITH CHARLEE! Whatever the case, I take comfort in knowing that it will bring her comfort.