A One-Baby Band

Last fall at the Folk Festival, Tim and Nigel scored a free harmonica. It didn't take long for him to figure out how to play it, so I imagine he'll be composing the world's first harmonica-only symphony soon (pardon the messy hair and PJs... we were jammin' out before noon)!




And perhaps against my better judgement we got Nigel a music kit for this birthday that includes a large - and very loud - drum!

Referral-versary

One year ago yesterday we got THE CALL about Nigel. You can get the play-by-play here.

It feels like yesterday and yet years ago. It was such a joyful, frantic time. But all of those months of waiting finally delivered results!

People often ask me what I felt when I saw Nigel's picture at first. I can't really describe it. It wasn't love at first sight; to me, that came when I held him the first time. It was more of a curiosity..... who is this person? And to be honest, the referral photos are never flattering. I think they stand over the crib and snap a shot quickly. Nigel's made him look like he had a huge head. And since he was like a month old when the photo was taken, there wasn't much personality shining through. In fact, one of the pictures showed him crying. But of course, as you know from reading this blog, we're totally in love with him and he has enough personality for 12 kids!

We've actually chosen to celebrate our Family Anniversary on the day that we met Nigel (7/26/08), but the referral date (along with all of the other adoption dates that are forever etched in my brain) will always be a special milestone. - Sarah

This One's For You, John

My youngest brother, John, the one I told you about here, hasn't seen Nigel since he started walking. In fact, when he saw him during Christmas he had pretty much just figured out how to crawl. So John, this video's for you! (This was shot on Mother's Day at my mom's house - I was actually talking on the phone to John in the background)

Operation: Brighten A Soldier's Day

As you probably know, my youngest brother, John, was deployed overseas this spring for his second and final tour with the Marines. John was last home during Christmas, when he got to meet Nigel for the first time. We cherished our time with him, but were sad to see him go. I still think of him as my little brother who used to snuggle with me and needed protecting, but as you can tell from the photo above, he's the one doing the protecting now.

But that's not to say he doesn't need a snuggle every now and then. So, I'm asking all of my friends, family and blog pals to send a shout out of support to my brother. If you'd like to send magazines, snacks and treats, that's awesome. Or if you'd like to mail school supplies for Iraqi children, that's cool, too. But what I know he'd really love is a card from folks back home letting him know he's supported! E-mail me or drop a comment if you'd like his address. SEMPER FIDELIS!!!!! - Sarah

Guess What Came In the Mail Yesterday?

We were prepared for a longer wait, so we were pleasantly surprised to find Nigel's Virginia birth certificate in our mailbox yesterday! YAY!!!!!! So now we just have a few steps left and we'll be done with all of this paperwork once and for all. - Sarah