Pre-Memorial Day Weekend Chatter

Many Americans mistakenly believe that Veterans Day is the day America sets aside to honor American military personnel who died in battle or as a result of wounds sustained from combat.

That's not quite true.  Memorial Day is the day set aside to honor America's fallen heroes.

Not long ago, a video circulated around the web that sat heavily with me (Rachel).

It was shot at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and showed the guard breaking his regular ritualized sentry to yell a warning to the crowd after a few spectators started laughing...yes, laughing!

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Video

This tribute has been conducted 24/7 since 1937, in any kind of weather, without fail, reflecting the appropriate honor due those who make the ultimate sacrifice.  A soldier seeking the honor of serving as a sentinel at the Tomb must possess exemplary qualities, to include American citizenship, a spotless record, and impeccable military bearing.  Basically, these sentinels set the military standard.  I had the distinct pleasure of attending a military leadership training course (for 4 weeks) with a soldier from the Old Guard Unit...cannot say enough good things about him.

While on duty the sentinel crosses a 63-foot rubber surfaced walkway in exactly 21 steps. He then faces the Tomb for 21 seconds, turns again, and pauses an additional 21 seconds before retracing his steps. The 21 is symbolic of the highest salute according to dignitaries in military and state ceremonies.

As a gesture against intrusion on their post, the sentinel always bears his weapon away from the Tomb.  Only under exceptional circumstances may the guard speak or alter his silent, measured tour of duty. He will issue a warning if anyone attempts to enter the restricted area around the Tomb, but first will halt and bring his rifle to port arms.  “It is requested that everyone maintains a level of silence, and respect!”

I find it surprising that such a lack of respect could have ever taken place.  As a veteran, it honestly brings me to tears.


On this Memorial Day, there is a motto that sums it up -- All gave some, some gave all. 
Meaning all of our military personnel gave some piece(s) of themselves while serving our country...but some gave it all - their life, the ultimate sacrifice.  That is what we honor, the service and sacrifices made by our men and women in uniform.

Happy Mother's Day! (by Rachel)

NOW I KNOW

I remember my mom telling me I wouldn't fully understand a mother's love until I had children. Now I get it. As I approach my first Mother's Day, I realize I don't need flowers or extravagant gifts, I have the best gift in my arms every day.

SO BLESSED

I had to survive a whole bunch of Mother’s Days when I wasn’t. I came to dread it after a while. Sitting in church, saying a Mother's Day prayer over all the mothers in attendance - I would always think about how great it would be if next year would be my year to celebrate Mother's Day. 

This year when the priest asks all of the mothers to stand up, I will get to...but I will also remember the moms who are still waiting; some for their miracle, some for a phone call, some for the proper paperwork. And this year I will remember the ones who don’t know if they should stand, simply because their children are no longer with them or never got to be. The ones who have lost. They are mothers too.

GROWING CLOSER

I am eternally grateful to our daughter's birth mother, but wish we had never needed her. We are reminded of the gains and the losses in each of our lives. That makes ours a loaded relationship, a complex connection. I'd like her to be interested in Daphne's life and happy with her own; involved, but not possessed or possessive.  I need Daphne's birth mother to help me paint a complete picture of who she is and where she came from. There are questions only she can answer, commonalities only she can offer.  I can't custom order a birth mother any more than I can a baby, but if I could, the relationship would be like a favorite aunt.

Every time we send pictures to Daphne's birth mother, we have a choice: How much information do we update her with? Every glorious detail or just the monthly milestones?  What type of photographs should we send? Should they be close-ups or full-body shots? Perfectly crisp or acceptably fuzzy? Gleefully happy or just contented? Irresistibly adorable or just sweet? Family photos or just Daphne herself?

On the Saturday before Mother's Day, it is a day that has been designated as Birth Mother's Day.  I'm guessing that unless adoption has blessed your life somehow you probably would have never known that -- me either.  So, on this Birth Mother's Day we honor all the wonderful birth moms who created the most beautiful children in the world. We celebrate their love for these amazing children, along with their sacrifice and selfless act in finding them a forever family.  It is because of Daphne's birth mother that we have received the most precious gift in the world and realized our dreams of having a family. Thank you doesn’t even seem to cover it.   

In her short four months, Daphne has served as a ray of sunshine in our lives...we are so glad she's here and I will forever be happy that I am now part of Mother's Day.

Happy Mother's Day to you!

--Love, Rachel

Daphne - Four Months Old

Sorry the blog is about a week behind....but we were waiting to post until after her doctor's appointment today.

Here's the run-down:

Feeding: Daphne's eating roughly 5oz about every 3 hours during the day and sleeping longer through the night...(hoping not to jinx it) but she's always been able to sleep great through the night and sometimes will give us any where between a 7-9 hour stretch!

Weight: 

Three Months:  We have no doctor visit to get an accurate weight, but she's for sure over 9 pounds! (by our guess)
Four Months:  Official Weigh-in of 10lbs, 14ozs!  Yay, she's officially doubled her weight and right where the pediatrician said she should be.

Length:  

Three Months: same as the weight category; we know she is longer/taller because some of her pants don't reach as far down her legs as they used to! Not saying they are 'high waters' or anything, just shorter.
Four Months: 22 5/8 inches long

Diaper Size:

Size 1 diapers; we have started introducing cloth diapers.  Finally, she weighs enough to start incorporating our stash of FuzziBunz diapers into the rotation.  They are so soft, how could they not be better than disposable dipes!

Hair Color:

Three Months: maybe a shade lighter, but when the sun hits just right..there is a hint of auburn.
Four Months: fluctuates between dark brown and a shade lighter

Eye color:

Three Months: still blue

Four Months:  blue, still holding on

If any of you have ever wondered (because I know some of you have) what a baby pterodactyl sounds like, I have the answer for you!  It is Daphne; she has 'found' her voice and loves to shriek, squeal and generally make this (what can only be defined as) prehistoric sound as loud as she possibly can.  And we can't get enough of it either. 

She has also started to take interest in rolling over, but only slightly.  When we lay her in her crib often times she will roll over onto her side, but she can't figure out how to get her elbow out of the way so she can end up on her tummy entirely.  And, just to prove she can be a show-off, while at the doctor's office today when she was placed on her tummy to show her head/neck control she decided to flip right over to her back!  First time she's done that!

We think Daphne might be in the early phases of teething because she likes to chew on everything, but her most favorite thing to chew on is her own fingers.  She is constantly a slobbery, wet (and cold) mess.  She sucks and chews on her fingers basically from the second she wakes up, to the second she falls asleep.  She isn't picky about which fingers get in her mouth, in fact, sometimes she will stack her hands on top of each other and chew on all ten of them at once, gagging herself the whole time.  We try to stop her, but she don't seem to listen. LOL!

We've had our third (and final) post-placement visit with our Social Worker - Amy.  Now, onto the court and finalization!  Not sure of the time frame - it all depends on how fast we can get on the court's docket and if they are back-logged or anything.

*****************************************************************
To Daphne:
We love being your parents.  We tell you we love you, and kiss you, and snuggle you about a trillion times a day.  We feel like we'll blink and all of the sudden you'll be 12 and too cool to hang out (let alone snuggle) with your parents, so we're doing our best to soak it in now. 

Every single day we look at you and can't imagine how we ever lived without you.  EVERYONE loves you!  Even strangers love to talk to you which makes you smile back at them!  You make us so completely and utterly happy! 

--Love Mommy & Daddy 
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Daphne - Three Months Old

Let's look at what has happened since last month...

Feeding: Daphne's eating about every 3 hours during the day and sleeping longer during the night...YAY!

Weight: 

Two Months: 7lbs 15oz; just a hair shy of our goal of 8lbs!

Three Months:  We have no doctor visit to get an accurate weight, but she's for sure over 9 pounds! (by our guess)

Length:  

Two Months: 20.25 inches

Three Months: same as the weight category; we know she is longer/taller because some of her pants don't reach as far down her legs as they used to! Not saying they are 'high waters' or anything, just shorter.

Diaper Size:

Size 1 diapers

Clothes Size:

All Newborn sizes have been outgrown...now 0-3 months fit perfect.

Hair Color:

Two Months: dark it is - except for the spots where it looks to have thinned out...but definitely not fallen out.

Three Months: maybe a shade lighter, but when the sun hits just right..there is a hint of auburn.

Eye color:

Two Months: blue, definitely blue

Three Months: still blue

Probably the biggest thing that has happened since last month is that Daphne started daycare. She seems to be liking it and doing well.  In fact, they tell us how happy she always is.  It probably helps that she is the youngest and smallest in her class, so she receives all the extra available attention and available arms to hold her as she's not crawling like the other babies in her room.  It’s a “learning center” so they have already started working with her on things like her strength and hand-eye coordination.  She tries to grab toys and laughs quite a bit, and she has great head and neck control.

While at home, Daphne has been “talking” and laughing up a storm quite often. The laughing is sometimes so loud that you can’t hear anything over it and it makes us laugh too!  And, when I use the word laughing...it is more like the cutest little (albeit loud) squeaking noise you've ever heard accompanied by the widest toothless smile you've ever seen.  :)  Talk about melting our hearts!

Daphne continues to love gazing at the ceiling fan, or just about anything that might be on the ceiling.  She loves to feel the breeze on her face when we go outside for a mini-walk or to check the mail or to just visit with the neighbors.  It is yet another thing that brings that cutest smile out!

It is crazy that we don't 'technically' have a newborn, but an infant.  She is growing so fast!  Each day brings something new and each little phase is more fun than the last.  It is still (sometimes) hard to believe that Daphne is here and that she is ours!  *pinch us please*  She is such a joy and a blessing to have in our lives.  She loves her family and we all love her.  She fits in...in a way that only God could have designed.

Daphne - Two Months Old

So much has happened this past month. Let's take a look...

Feeding: You're eating about every 3-4 hours during the day and sleeping longer during the night.You've even given us some 6 hours stretches of sleep!

Weight: 

One Month:  6lbs 6oz; last doctor visit
Two Months: 7lbs 15oz; just a hair shy of our goal of 8lbs!

Length:  

One Month: 17.3 inches

Two Months: 20.25 inches

Diaper Size:

Literally, 3 days ago went up from Newborn to Size 1 diapers

Clothes Size:

Outgrowing some of the newborn sizes; some brands of 0-3 months fit perfect!

Hair Color:

One Month: still pretty dark and it looks like it might stay 

Two Months: dark it is - except for the spots where it looks to have thinned out...but definitely not fallen out.

Eye color:

One Month: think they are here to stay, those baby blues! but not sure yet what version of blue they will be...

Two Months: blue, definitely blue

You are smiling more and more...even if it is just gas...we like to think it's because you are such a happy, laid-back baby! The cooing is just too stinking cute for words. You recognize mom and dad's voices for sure and look for us when we are talking to you. You still love gazing at the ceiling fan in the living room and we have affectionately named it Mr. Fan (or Fanny, for short!).

We've enjoyed having Rachel's mother and grandmother in town since our return from California - actually they arrived in North Carolina around Christmas-time to escape the bitter cold weather and temps of Maine and have been here ever since. Unfortunately, it is time for them to head back to Maine...we have all enjoyed our time with you!

Daphne has had a lot of visitors since returning from California, including her first visit with Grandma & Grandpa LaManna. Grandma out shopped us all, especially Daphne...who slept the entire time.  LOL! We enjoyed all of the cooking...and of course, the eating!

Thanks so much to our family for everything -- especially your time with us, it is invaluable and appreciated more than you know!

Daphne in her Little Peanut outfit

Daphne is all smiles in her hooded polka dot jacket

All stretched out - 2 months TODAY!