Update

Many people have asked for an update since the last post about our doctor's visit. I have delayed updating the blog about this because we have been trying to sort through all of the emotions that come along with being told in one sentence that we probably cannot have anymore children of our own and then in the next, being asked the question, would you like to adopt? It has been a lot to weigh in such a short period of time. But after examining the situation from all angles available to us, we have decided to pursue the adoption. We have made the first steps in this pursuit by writing a "Life Letter". This letter is where the adopting family writes to the birthmother describing the family with words and pictures. The birthmother will look at several letters and select the family that most closely fits her adopting family ideal. So, we may or may not be selected. However, we reasoned that the opportunity was too great to pass, and beyond that, we felt lead in this direction. Within a couple of weeks we should know if we were chosen by the birthmother. Until then, I plan on relaxing and enjoying my summer. If we are selected, then I think we will have much to prepare for very quickly, so a little R&R should be taken while I have the chance! :) Thanks to all the friends and family who have called and sent letters. You guys are the best and really have helped us feel loved.
P.S. My tests have come back inconclusive due to a benign cyst on my ovary and will be repeated again next month.

Friends!

We've had a lot of friends pass through OK this past month! It was great to see a wonderful friends from my teaching days, Jenni, and her family Aja and Aaron. Aja has grown into a beautiful little angel! It was also a treat to see one of my best friends from college, Allison, and her husband Yong and his parents. Her son Michael is active and adorable. Gigi thought he was adorable too (see last picture). We sure are lucky to have so many great friends!

Georgia and Aja having lots of fun in the blazing hot sun.

Hand patrol to keep heads from knocking.

Yong, Allison, JoDee & Rodolfo

We're moms now! My how time flies!

Michael and Georgia having lots of fun!

Awww! Isn't that sweet?

Weekend fun

This past weekend Michelle, John & Ashley came over for a backyard Greek bonanza. Georgia and Ashley had fun playing in the pool and running around the house. We were going to eat outside, but the skies turned a dark gray and the air was moist with the anticipation of rain. We ate inside just in case the it decided to pour. It didn't end up raining until much later, but it was nice to be inside all the same because it was pretty humid outside. Michelle and John brought the wine and I made my Greek chicken and salad recipe and we had baklava and peaches for dessert. It was really a much needed fun evening. Don't Gigi and Ashley look adorable in their swimsuits?

Unexpected Twist

We visited our doctor today, arriving five minutes later than our appointment (we are never on time, this is something I need to put on my New Year's resolution list). After filling the paperwork and signing what seemed to be a whole lot of papers, we moved through a typical doctor's office routine. Upon meeting the doctor, I instantly liked him. He was very kind and had the demeanour of a true scholar. His office was decorated with some funky paintings and knick-knacks that I'm assuming he collected on travels to Asia and Africa. He had an ease in talking to us and spoke with the hint of an accent. He told us basically what I had anticipated. My FSH level is quite high, it is very likely that I am experiencing ovarian failure, that we are going to do some tests and if these are negative, we have the option of invitro. What happened in the middle of this discussion is where the unexpected arrived. While we were in his office discussing these details, he received a phone call and excused himself to take it. I was a little nervous about the whole visit and wasn't really paying attention to the doctor's conversation on the phone. However, Rodolfo was, and while the doctor was talking he turned to me and whispered "babies". I wasn't quite sure what he meant but smiled at him to reassure him that yes, babies are what we hope to have. Little did I expect then what the doctor was about to tell us. When he finished his phone conversation he looked at us and explained in a very non-chalant way that this phone call was from a doctor friend of his who has 2 patients wanting to place their as yet unborn babies up for adoption. One will be born in 2 weeks. The other will be born in September. He said, quite frankly, that he rarely receives phone calls like this, that it is quite unusual that there are 2 babies, and that if we believe in miracles or serendipity that, well, this may be just that. When he said this I realized that he meant that here is an opportunity for us to adopt a child if we are interested. I really did not know what to say. I mean, this is quite a bit of information to take in a doctor's visit. Let's see, confirmation that this ovarian failure thing is real and that if we are open to it, we might have the possiblity of adopting a child in 2 weeks. Hmm... My response was, yes we do believe in miracles, that we have been praying for one and that we would like to think about this information. He seemed happy with the response and told us to let him know in 24 hours. We then talked more about the tests that we will be doing and concluded our appointment. And then as we were leaving he told us one more time, as if to emphasize the point, that this type of phone call is a rare occurance and we should really consider it.
Wow! Well, let me tell you we have been thinking about it non-stop ever since. We have no doubt that this "serendipitous" moment was indeed a miracle! One that was orchestrated and perfectly timed by the Creator of Life Himself. And because of this we have decided to learn more about the birth-parents and their situations and to present our family to them as well. If all pans out, we will pursue the adoption. It is amazing to type these things only 24 hours since my last entry. I did not expect anything like this from today's appointment. But how can anyone doubt that this is not from God? I think it would be foolish to not pursue this possibility. Will we be able to conceive a child of our own again? Maybe, maybe not. But here is an opportunity right in front of us where He may be presenting us with a child. We will see. Please continue to pray for us. Thank you.

Answered Prayer #1

I didn't think I would be writing this soon, but God has answered the first prayer. An appointment opened tomorrow with the doctor. I am so glad!! Once we have talked with him I will update this entry. Good night.

Great is thy faithfulness

Well, last week we received some rather startling news. I have been getting regular blood tests because my thyroid is low. About a month ago the doctor noticed that my FSH level was high (around 40). She ran the test again last week and it was much higher-- 95. At this level the doctor said that it appears that my ovaries are failing or have already failed. Basically put, at 31 years of age, I may have passed the point of being able to conceive another child. I have had about 5 days to digest this information and have decided to write about it on this blog for a couple of reasons. First, it is a nice way for me to sort through my thoughts. Second, it will give me an opportunity to discuss my faith. You see, I believe very firmly that God is going to work through this situation to encourage my faith and the faith of those who read this blog. It is a scary thing to be told at 31 that you cannot have any more children- ever. Especially when you very much desire to carry and nurture another one. Yes, I am fortunate to have been able to at least have done this once in my life, and I am very, very thankful for my beautiful daughter, Georgia. Still, there is a longing inside of my heart to have another one and I am trusting that in His way, and in His perfect timing, God will provide another child for our family. So, what is the first thing on my agenda besides prayer? It is a meeting with a fertility specialist. We have an appointment on July 24. I am in the process of trying to move the appointment up. Apparently there are only 3 fertitility specialists in Oklahoma, so they are quite busy. Every need out there is important, for sure. Time is of the essence in my situation and so I am hoping that we can get in before the 24th. I will keep you posted on how things progress. In the meantime, dear blog reader, please pray for us that God would work as the Great Physician and heal my ovaries if it is His will. Thank you.

"It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, says my soul; therefore will I hope in Him. The Lord is good to them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeks him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord." Lamentations 3:22-261

Hi there Truman!

Shelley, one of my best-friends, visited last week. She and her family were en-route to the airport after having visited Jason's family in Picola (about 3 hours from here). I'm so glad that we had a chance to see them because this was my first time to see their adorable son, Truman! We only got one photo (see above) and neither Georgia nor Truman are looking at the camera, but he is such a cutie-pie and I can't wait to hang out with him again in October. :)

Mindy is pregnant!!!!

I have fabulous news! My sister Mindy and her hubby John Juan (pictured above) are expecting their first baby December 11, 2008!! Minds and John we are so excited for you guys and can't wait to see this little one and give him/her tons and tons of kisses and love. Congrats!!!!!!!!!

love, JoDee, Rodolfo, Georgia & Wally

Ah! The Beach!

This past week my parents joined us in Seaside, Florida for a little R&R at the beach! I love the warm, salty air and the feeling of sand between my toes! It was so great just to be back at this beautiful location. I've never visited the Caribbean, but I can't imagine that it is any more turquoise than the water here. This was Georgia's first major trip and for a 22 month old she handled it swimmingly. I am glad to have had my parents handy, it made everything much, much easier.

This is my sexy "I'm at the beach" pose. Someone mentioned it looks very similar to Blue Steel made famous by Zoolander.

Here is the charming street that our cottage was located on. I didn't take a picture of the house, which is lamentable because it was so perfectly beachy and relaxing.

Scared of sunburn? Not this jolly gang of vacationers!

Georgia had no qualms about jumping right into the sand. She stuck her toes and fingers in willingly. See that crystaline water in the background? Oh I miss it already!

Rodolfo whipped up some delicious paella for all of us to enjoy. He just felt inspired one day and told me that he wanted to make some. Rodolfo must have some terrific chef genes because this stuff tasted fantastic! I was very impressed and am making a note to self to have him do some more cooking very soon.

Georgia got a real kick out of sunglasses. I had about a bazillion shots to sort through. These are some, but not all, of my favorite sunglass moments.

Here is the very last picture my camera took before it ran out of batteries. This was taken on our last evening in Seaside. We had so much fun and can't wait to return!

Say Cheese!

Above is a picture of my cutie saying "CHEESE" by the hydrangeas that are now blooming (my favorite flower). Below is a picture of Georgia singing a song. Doesn't she look adorable?

Lark

Georgia has surprised me lately with very clear pronunciation of certain words. She says "tent" and "tv" with crisp, high octave distinction. I think these are two items she is thrilled to have in her life. Every day for the past couple of weeks she has piled stuffed animals and blankets in her tent and then goes in there with 3-5 books. She is very busy about this whole process and does it with bee-like efficiency. Once in the tent she carefully places the blankets on her stuffed animals and gives them kisses. Sometimes she walks in and out telling them "good night". After she has arranged matters to her liking she snuggles in the middle of them all and reads her books like a dedicated and serious student. I have been quite surprised at her concentration levels. She can sit in there for about 30 minutes, pouring over the pages. She enjoys looking at the pictures, but sometimes I hear her trying to recount the stories in her own baby way. Georgia's other current passion, besides these books are slides, of course, and Elmo. She races to the tv when I ask her if she wants to watch Elmo. For the longest timeI had her watching Clifford the Big Red Dog, which has a lot of good morals to it, but I've decided that Sesame Street is more educational so that is what she watches now. Other talking news, Georgia strings together 2 - 3 words in a mushy sort of adorable way. Example "mow agua psheese" really "more agua please" and a really funny one to hear, "goo bo Walsy" which is really "good boy Wally". Lately she has also been singing along to songs. Current favorites are Happy Birthday Max (we recently went to Max's 2nd birthday party), E-I-E-I-O, Aye, aye aye cante y no llores, and Ashley's song (I love you, you love me...). At night I sing to her 3 songs before she goes to bed. They are Rain Drops on Roses, The Sound of Music and Amazing Grace. When I sing Amazing Grace she loves to belt out the ME part of "... that saved a wretch like me..." and RELIEVED in the second verse "... and grace my fears RELIEVED..." Oh, also we both really like the songs on the OETA show "It's a Big, Big World". Just yesterday I discovered that if you go to their website http://www.pbskids.org/ and click on this particular show you can listen to all the songs for free. We listened to them all throughout dinner last night. It was highly entertaining.

Talking

After breakfast this morning Georgia and I practiced saying some words. Here she is... drum roll please...

Halo

Dear Georgia,

You have been the sweetest person to hang out with lately. I have enjoyed running through sprinklers with you, going down slides, hunting for tennis shoes, pushing strollers, popping bubbles, eating blueberries and apples with peanut butter and watching Elmo with you. Our recent trips to the zoo have been very fun as well, but recounting the gorilla story is almost just as fun! You are really a wonderful daughter and I am so happy to be your mother. Kisses you angel!

Mother Nature Responds

Well, I have told you now about our neighbor, Mother Nature. Saturday I started feeling pretty guilty about snatching the Iris and so I decided to give her a Mother's Day gift to appease my conscience. It wasn't 5 minutes after I gave her the gift that she asked if I would like any plants from her yard. She mentioned the Irises that I admire so much. I politely declined but she insisted that I have something. So, reluctantly (ok thrilled to the bone might be a better adjective) I accepted her offer. I figured she would give me one or two irises, but instead she gave me what I'd like to call a bushel (see photo). Then on top of all of that she handed me a peony in a pot and told me to plant it soon. Can you believe it!?! What a kind and generous woman. I have since planted the irises by a tree outside (see photo) and am trying to decide where exactly to plant the peony.

Midnight Flower Snatcher

It is the month of MAY!!! My favorite month of the year. It is when roses bloom, the air is warm (not hot) and the sky is clear blue. I love this month! And perhaps it stirs within me a slightly rebel spirit because, well, I have a confession to make. Last night, in the cover of darkness, I walked down the street with my pruners and snatched a few flowers from some blossoming gardens. Yes, it is rather criminal of me, but I don't think anyone will notice. My first snatch was 2 peonies that grow in an abandoned corner by someone's garage. There are at least 30-40 blooms in that peony patch and for the past 4 years I have watched them bloom, shine and fade wishing I could saveur them up close. It doesn't seem that anyone ever does anything with them, and so they were just crying out to be admired and appreciated. Then, after plucking the peonies I quickly snipped one delicate light blue iris from the garden of my neighbor who I affectionately call Mother Nature. She has tons (and when I say tons I mean around 400-500) Irises growing right along the street. In addition to these beauties she has countless azaleas, roses, hydrangeas, fig trees, magnolia trees, mint, clematis, easter lilies, redbuds, bouganvillia, ivy, gardenias, etc., etc, etc, ad. infinitum growing all around her house. I am hoping that she will not notice either, although perhaps since she loves flowers so much she will indeed notice. Rodolfo and I were joking that because she is so highly attuned to her flowers that she will be able to deduce from the snip that it occured last night at 9:30 PM with felco pruners from the hand of another gardner. Oh I hope not! If she figures it out I will offer her some clippings from my rose bushes. Above is a picture of these flowers along with some red roses from our garden here in the backyard. Now, not only myself but you too can admire the beauty of these blooms. Below is a video of Gigi smelling these flowers. Hooray for May!

5K Run Completed!

Yea!!!! Rodolfo and I woke up bright and early this morning (5:30 AM) and went downtown to join 16,000 other people running the OKC Memorial Marathon. We participated in the 5K run and completed it without having to stop to walk (my first time to run this far since before I was pregnant... I know it has been a while!)! I'm so glad that we did this event. Every year we see the runners pass by on Classen Blvd and wish that we were with them. And today we were! Man, it feels great to get up and workout. It was pretty cold and misty/rainy but it was invigorating all the same. Next year, if we are not pregnant again, we want to attempt the 10K!

Georgia has stayed with my parents this weekend so Rodolfo and I could run this morning and also attend a charity auction this past Friday. We bought the painting you see in the picture above. Since I'm a big fan of roses this seemed like the best item to bid on. There was also a helicopter ride above OKC to see the lights at Christmas being offered but it went way out of our budget.

Other news, I wanted to place links to some of the places and things that I really enjoyed on our trip to Carmel. They include: http://www.cottagerestaurant.com/ which is a delicoius place to eat breakfast, http://www.carmelsbest.com/ an italian restaurant that we enjoyed. Then, here is a link to a lady who makes bracelets that I just fell in love witH
http://www.tarinatarantino.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=3&idproduct=393
Finally, of course, the Bernardus Lodge, http://www.bernardus.com/, which I highly recommend for anyone who wants to take a romantic getaway.

Wally, Happy Birthday!

Wally Waldorf Astoria Molina turned 4 years old on April 19th. The fam came out to help celebrate and eat some Waldorferiferious cupcakes. We cranked up the player piano and had a good ole' time.

As to Georgia, she is growing fast. She has been singing a lot lately. She really enjoys brushing her teeth. Just this evening I caught her trying to brush her teeth with the plastic scrubber I use to clean the pots and pans in the kitchen. It was pretty gross, but I guess that is what happens every now and again with babies... They experiment without regard to clean vs. dirty. I also caught her about a month ago trying to stir and then drink the water from the toilet. Isn't that lovely? She laughs a lot and likes to run through the water while Rodolfo or I am watering the yard. We've also had fun looking at all of the flowers that are in bloom. Our beautiful tulips came out again this year, but due to the wind and rain they didn't get to shine as majestically as they have at other times. Still I caught some nice pictures. I hope spring lasts a little longer because today it was almost 90 degrees!!!

Sundress

We took a walk today and Georgia wore this adorable dress I found for only $6 at Ross. I had a bazillion great shots, but decided to post these 2. Hope it captures some of the fun we had today!

Carmel

Rodolfo and I just returned from a beautiful trip to Carmel, California. We had fun hiking, horseback riding and enjoying the eden-esque valley where our hotel was located. I love ocean air, and the amazing thing in Carmel is that the air smells oceany but also has a mixture of flower and herb scent to it too. There are herbs everywhere! I saw lavender and rosemary on almost every street corner. Honeysuckle or jasmine was the other dominating scent. After we went horseback riding I expected my clothes to stink like horse, but instead they smelled like they had been freshly laundered. I guess the combination of the humidity from the ocean and the flowers all around freshened my clothes. Wouldn't it be great to hang dry laundry in Carmel?! Well, here are some pictures from our trip.