I am thrilled to announce that...drumroll........Kevin and I purchased furniture for Jack's nursery last night. I can't wait to get it home and set the room up. We are going to paint the room before we take it out of the boxes. A big thanks goes to Grandma Riley and Granny Mitchell for contributing. So, now Jack has a cradle in Mommy and Daddy's room and a bumper pool table in his room...of course it will be dismantled tomorrow. I'm going to use a rocker that already belongs to my mother and recover it to match the room. We just need to purchase a mattress for the crib and a few accessories like a lamp and changing pad. Yippee! Kevin and I still need to register for nursery stuff, too. Geez! There are so many things out there for babies...I never realized what all it takes.

You know I love sports, but...

HOW MANY MORE FOOTBALL GAMES ARE IN THE COLLEGE SEASON? You know, I love football; I really do. I mean, I met my husband at a Super Bowl party. In fact, I came up with a really neat idea tonight...

The Riley family hosts a golf tournament for to raise money for the Sanctuary Hospice House in Tupelo each year. It's a huge deal. We will continue to support the tournament, but Kevin's mother is retiring from "running the show." HOWEVER, I'm thinking we could raise more money if we hosted a "bowl-a-thon." You know took in pledges for the number of bowl games watched or touchdowns scored while being watched, or number of cumulative points scored during...the bowl games all the Rileys watch...myself included. So far, in the big scheme of things I'm 6-4 for my picks...not too shabby for a girl. Of course my way cool nephew Drewby is leading the pack with a perfect record...Way to go Drew! I don't know how he does it!

Elizabeth

Elizabeth is our birthmother. She is a young hispanic girl who is giving us the most wonderful gift...a child to love and nurture. She is already mother to 15-month-old Jayden. She loves Jayden so much that she knows she will not be able to provide for him, or any other child for that matter, without an education and profession. Her dream has always been to be a nurse and being the 2nd oldest of four children she never wanted more than one child. Her father raised all four of his children alone, so she knows how demanding that can be. She has been accepted into an intensive 2-year RN program which will begin in June and knows that Kevin and I have the love and resources to take care of her unborn son and raise him as our own. We will be with him from the moment of birth. What a wonderful miracle!

We visited Elizabeth's hometown in TX last weekend and met her face-to-face for the first time. She is a wonderful, gentle, caring mother to the son she already has and seems to be satisfied with that role. She is about my height, round-faced, with long straight dark brown hair. She has really nice full lips and the biggest, most beautiful brown eyes I have ever seen. She seems to be quiet and soft-spoken, but not overly shy. Kevin and I really enjoyed meeting her. We are as comfortable with her as can be under the circumstances. We ate lunch with her twice and dinner once. She was our tourguide on a tour around Corpus Christi. She and I seem to have the same taste in food; we both love Italian food and cheese. She is a smart girl who also loves to read. She played basketball in high school and still loves the sport. Although she has one older sister, she has a younger brother and sister with the same age differences from her as mine. So, we also have that in common.

We enjoyed seeing her interact with Jayden. They share such a deep bond. It is obvious that everything she does is for him. Jayden is full of personality! He is such a sweety. I love the way he holds things between his index finger and thumb, very particular. We played chase. He likes to peek out from around the corner. Elizabeth's family is very involved with helping her take care of Jayden. His complexion is somewhat lighter that Elizabeth's, but of course he is younger. He is a handsome little boy, sparkling eyes, big smile, full of expression. He is very patient. He didn't cry any of the time we were around him. I noticed him watching Kevin a lot.

It's really neat to have a face to put with the idea of our son. I think that couples who give birth to their child picture a son like the father or a daughter like the mother. Kevin and I picture Jayden. I like that.

I think our meeting with Elizabeth went well in her eyes too. She has called us twice since we left Sunday. I think of her often. She and Jayden will always have a special place in our hearts. In a way, they are part of a greater family. Jack will complete it.

Details, details, details...

We are finally traveling to Texas to meet our birthmother face-to-face today. We'll be out there until Sunday, when we fly home. We're mainly traveling today, getting in late tonight. We'll visit with her Friday and Saturday. Then fly home Sunday, which BTW is our very first anniversary. I am so proud and excited. I love my life...oh sure...I can be tired, or busy, or exhausted...or whiney...rarely, of course :) but, I'd take a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day (to quote one of my favorite children's books) in my new life over the best day I ever had in my past life. What's more is that I am the same exact person...I just found my "other half," and yes...he's my better half.

Ok...enough of the mushy stuff, I'm sure you're gagging by now. Back to the baby stuff...
Our birthmother sent us her ultrasound pictures, and yes...it's a boy! She also sent us a few pictures of her other child, he's a year old and absolutely precious. He looks like he could be Christian's little brother, and what a ham! I can't wait to meet him and play with him a little bit. Hopefully, our birthmother will see what wonderful parents we really will be and how much we truly love children. I'm a little nervous, but I know it will all work out. I have a great peace about it.

Amanda and I are loving our baby shopping excursions. She is doing well and is very healthy. I'll have to post more recent photos of her.

Things continue to go well with the adoption. Kevin and I are very happy with our birthmother, Elizabeth. After walking a mile to the bus station to go to the doctor last week she decided it was time to get her driver's license. I'm proud to say that she passed with flying colors. Elizabeth has been very good about calling and checking in with us. You have no idea what a comfort that is after having our first match fall through. I enjoy talking to her. I like having this bond so that when my child asks about his birthmom, I can be honest with him. You have no idea how much Kevin and I adore and admire her. For such a young girl, she has made a completely selfless and brave decision. She could have taken an easier path, but chose not to. Not only has she given a child life, but Kevin and me a family. For that, we will be eternally grateful. She is truly committed to giving this child a better life.

We have picked out a name. I can honestly say there wasn't a lot of disagreement. When I bought my wedding dress I ended up coming back to the first one I tried on...thanks, Robin! When we ordered wedding invitations, we immediately agreed on one of the first sets we saw. With our son's name, we easily agreed again. His name is Jack Mitchell Riley. Jack after Kevin's father, Mitchell was my maiden name. We're gonna call him "Jack." Done deal...I didn't want to give him a first name that he wasn't going to be called by...I hate explaining that I'm Cynthia, but you can call me Cindy.

We have the room theme, Noah's Ark...light green and blue...I have been sick, so we haven't been crib shopping yet. It's such a big deal to go into town this time of year. Plus, Kevin's been out of town. We do know we want dark furniture in the nursery.