Waiting Stitches

It has been just over two years since we saw this little boy's face and he became part of our heart. We have known he is our son, one of our own, a part of our family for a very long time, but now we also have a piece of paper to prove it. Today he is officially a SCHACK.  Today was an exciting day that had implications that even our oldest understood. He insisted on wearing his best clothes and I had no argument over showers this morning and wearing the "uncomfortable" black shoes. The boys' energy was undeniable - I know this because they were literally bouncing off the walls - no seriously, more than once one of them climbed up or jumped off a wall. They were excited to meet the judge, have their family and friends surrounding them, and most importantly they were both very excited that Tope would finally have Schack in his name.  The judge was the sweetest lady. She had a confident and soothing voice and was full of smiles for this occasion. She e...

You know that thing when life changes? At first you are excited, everything is going great. You are on top of the world and although life isn't perfect, you know it can't get much better? Then you start realizing the nitty-gritties, the things that are starting to stir at your bellybutton. The small parts to the change that suddenly start feeling so huge. You start to panic. Your stomach starts to not agree with you and you regret this, and that, and this again. And then you calm yourself, take a deep breath, look at the positives around you, and tell yourself "this too shall pass". Until that wave of anxiety passes over you again and you continue the cycle of happy, nervous, anxious, happy, nervous, anxious - over and over again. This is where I'm at right now. Everything seems almost too overwhelming. So many changes, both older changes and new changes, that just aren't settling well. I'm trying so hard to stay positive and ride along with ...

I just got the best hug from Tope. The best! Granted it is 9:30 PM and I wish he was asleep, but after a two hour nap with this Mama earlier in the day, he is still quite awake. I think it should be illegal for Mom's to get sick. Seriously. If only I could talk to God and let him know that it is a cruel thing to do to Mothers. There is just not enough time in the day for us to feel like all we want to do is crawl in a hole and sleep. For the last 10 days I have been miserable. I started with a terrible head cold that has now turned itself into a sinus infection. I've never had a sinus infection, and hope I never have one again! I've been so drained, can't taste my food, and have more and more things piling up every day that really need to get done but I'm too dizzy to do them. The kids have actually been awesome though. They have been letting me sleep and do a decent job of staying out of the way when I'm not feeling well; however, I've let them get away...

We dreamed of this day all last year. We thought for sure both boys would be in school last year, but with the timing of Tope coming home, that never came to fruition. And now the day is here, we have two children in school. TWO. It is slowly sinking in. Two children to get ready in the morning, two that need lunch money, two with parent meet & greets, two needing new tennis shoes, two coming home with fundraiser sheets, two GREAT BIG SMILES running out the door today ready for their first day of school.  It was a bittersweet day for me. I really enjoyed my time home this summer with these two. We stayed busy with a lot of different activities, time in the sun and at parks, traveling to see family, and just sharing time together. But I am ready for routine again, ready to see my kiddos at work as well, and start having fun in music class. I was also ready for the boys to be around new friends and continue to learn in the classroom. Along with all of this excitement tho...

Time to Celebrate! It is a BIG day in the Schack world as we get to celebrate 6 MONTHS together as a family of four! Can hardly believe it! Time is going by so fast! When I told Tope & Caleb tonight that today was a big milestone, Tope's eyes first became very wide with sparkles, and then he had the cutest smile (although, I think he was realizing that a celebration meant a treat was on the way!...). Although Tope may not understand the significance of this time frame, I do believe he is starting to understand the significance of how his life has been changing. We have been watching Tope grow into his family, his surroundings, and learning how to be more and more himself wherever he goes. With all of this growth has come lots of wonderful times and many frustrating times, for both Tope & our family, but one thing is for sure, we are all very happy and can't imagine this life any different.  During the last couple months, we have seen a hug...

Tope turned 6 in June! It was such a special day that we felt so blessed to share with our little boy.  Inevitebly, I felt the day was so special, that I felt like a mess the whole day because I wanted it to be absolutely perfect. This day needed to represent the five years of birthdays we had missed with him. He was our everything that day. Although I felt like a crazy anxious person, pretty sure he had an incredible day and was enjoying himself fully and thought everything was perfect.  And really it was perfect. OUR son was turning six. A day of celebration, cake, presents, and Family! What could be better?  We are so incredibly blessed to have finally shared in one of Tope's special days, and I can't thank God enough for bringing him home.  Here is to many many more birthdays with our very special Tope! We love you so much! Can't wait to see what year six brings you!