Who says 2 has to be terrible?

So far 2 has been a very blessed year for Hope!  We recently were told to discontinue the use of her little ankle braces, and with the rate that she is learning and growing, she will end her Developmental Therapy before March.  She has had all of her checkups and she has fully caught up with children of her age. 

Today we celebrated Hope’s second birthday, ironically on my Granny’s 86^th birthday.  This year Granny will be celebrating her birthday while not knowing what day that she is in the psychiatric unit of a hospital.  She has had rapid onset dementia and we moved her from her independent living apartment into an assisted living unit just a few weeks ago, then earlier this week she was taken into the hospital for treatment.  The recent severe change in her status was unexpected and she is blind so it makes it that much more difficult for her.  We are prayerful that they will be able to find some medicines that will make things tolerable. 

Back at the party, we had grandparents, great grandparents, and a few close friends as well as Hope’s sister’s family come for a nice party.  We realize our house is too small for all of those people!  My family was ill and not able to make the trip up, and we couldn’t imagine where we would have been able to put in another five people.  It always warms my heart when our house is full of people who love us and Hope.  We’re sorry that we couldn’t invite more people, but our house was too small for any more.  We feel so blessed to have so many people supporting us as we continue the walk in faith towards Hope's adoption.  Her next hearing is on Monday, but we don't expect any changes- the real hearing is still scheduled for March 17.

On the job front, I have had a huge boost in confidence as I have had numerous interviews and I feel like I am getting close to having an offer—I have 2 “final” interviews scheduled for this week.  The first is on Monday and I am confident I will get an offer, but my “dream job” interview is scheduled for Thursday.  I am rather superstitious when it comes to interviewing, so I don’t disclose who I am interviewing with  until I have an offer I can accept.   This time at home with Hope has been amazing and a huge blessing, but I am so ready to get back to work!    The business is on hold due to the level of interest that I have had in my resume and continuing to be blessed with interviews and positive feedback.

Here are some of Hope’s official 2 year old photos:

Oh Snow!

Hope is growing at an unprecedented pace, she has recently made the transition from a chubby cheeked baby into a lean happy toddling machine—just in time for her second birthday.  She is making amazing progress in her speech and development—in fact the service provider is almost at a loss for what more she is able to do.   We will see over the next three months what happens and if services are stopped.  She is now able to use 50+ words or word approximations (like saying mew for cat). 

So Friday was a good day even though it was very low key for Hope’s first birthday with us, but we gave her a play kitchen that has taken up the spot that our Christmas tree formerly held.  She loves playing with it.   We had planned a parent and very close friend birthday party to occur on Saturday.  In anticipation, we had one of Mom’s best friends and her husband drive in 4 hours from Michigan.  The roads were slick, but passable and we were expecting about 5 inches of snow that night.   With the gathering planned for later in the afternoon, we figured that the roads would be clear enough for all to make the drive in from about 2 hours away.  The forecast for the first time that we have been living here had under estimated our snow fall.

When we woke up on Saturday, we found about 30 inches of the white stuff on the ground.   Living near Lake Michigan, we have a unique weather pattern that causes winds to pick up water and drop it as snow in very specific areas depending on where the wind is blowing.  We were the fortunate recipients of the most snow to fall on any single day since 1909. Needless to say we had to cancel Hope’s party to ensure the safety of all who would be traveling into the mess.  If you drive 20 miles east or west, you would find less than 10 inches on the ground.  

I ended up spending about 4 hours clearing our drive, walks, and even a path for the dog.  We had an additional six inches fall during the day. Then on Sunday the neighbors and I ended up clearing out a path for cars to get to the end of our street- I think we will be plowed tomorrow.  We are anticipating another foot or two in the coming week with no chance of major melting.  When it does melt, we will be in for quite the flood.  Below are pictures of the weekend. 

I continue to work to develop a business or find a job.  I have had a few interviews, but no offers yet.



What an amazing experience!

So Christmas has come and gone, and what an amazing experience.  Nothing could have prepared us for what this year would bring.  Here are some photos that really tell the story. 

 

Cookies for Santa

Christmas Morning: The first seen thing from Santa

The girls at the end of Christmas night.

Tunnel from the TV to the Fireplace