Final Adoption Hearing

Tuesday was our final adoption hearning! Christopher is officially a Rataiczak!! We were at the courthouse for about 2 hours and Christopher was so patient! Michael and I were a little teary eyed when the judge announced we were his legal guardians. After the hearing we went out for lunch to celebrate...Christopher slept. We took a picture with the judge and is was so precious how Michael stuck his hand out and Christopher grabbed ahold of it and smiled. I guess he knew it was a big moment too! :)

Happy Mother's Day!

My first Mother's Day and it feels wonderful! It doesn't matter that we don't have much planned because I get to spend it with Christopher and Michael! 

Happy Mother's Day to my mom! I'm so thankful for such a wonderful mom and grandma to Christopher!


Mom reading to me. (16 months)



Mom reading to Christopher. (3 months)

Happy Mother's Day to every mom, step-mom, grandma, mother-in-law, and bithmother! I hope you have a relaxing and enjoyable day!

Court Date

We received a letter from our attorney today stating our court date to legally adopt Christopher is May 21st! We are both extremely excited that May 21st isn't far away! I told Christopher he is almost legally ours and there is nothing he can do about it. :)

4 Months

Happy 4 Months!

A few things to remember about this month...

* You enjoy watching and listening to Super Mario Bros Acapella on YouTube. It makes you happy whenever you are cranky.

*Daddy says he saw you roll over a couple times, but I'm still waiting to see you do it.

* You started staying with Ms. Maria, sitter, and Emi. Emi is so protective of you and always wants to know where you are when you leave. 

* You started sitting in your Jumperoo. You are a little too short for it so we put a book under your feet so you can "jump". 

* Unfortunately, you had your first cold and ear infection this month. 

* Your currently weigh 14 pounds 14 ounces and are 25 inches long. 

* You have giggled several times. Ms. Sonia made you giggle lots during her visit!

* You have been wearing socks on your hands because we have been treating your cradle cap, on the back of your head, and eczema, on the sides of your head. You keep wanting to scratch and your poor head gets little sores on it.

* You have done a complete 180 a few times in your crib at night.

* Ms. Maria brought you to my classroom. Even though you were asleep the kids loved seeing you!

* We think you have discovered your tongue. You keep sticking it out and making new noises. 

You are getting SO big and are definitely bigger than Mr. Owl! We love all the new things you do each month and once again are excited for all your firsts this month! Love you tons, little man! 

Time for a walk!

Jumperoo...jump around!

So Grateful!

Each month we send a letter and pictures to Christopher's birth mother. We are only asked to fill out a form, but I have been writing a letter to her too...plus it is a great way for me to keep up with what he has been doing each month for the first year. As I finished writing her letter this evening I looked at the pictures we are sending to her and I started to get emotional. I'm so thankful and grateful to his birth mother for making an adoption plan for him and trusting us to raise and love him! It makes me sad that she is missing out on such a wonderful little guy. The strength she had to make such an important decision about his life amazes me! We haven't met her, but we are open to it if she ever reaches out to us through the agency. Some people may think that having a closed adoption is the only way to go, but I disagree. I'm not saying we want to visit her every month, but he has half siblings that I would like for him to eventually meet one day. No matter what happens in the future Christopher will always know that his birth mother loved him so much that she made one of the hardest decisions of her life. We will share with him everything we know about her and his half siblings. If we never meet her and he decides he wants to one day he will have that option through the agency. Who knows what the future holds, but one thing is for sure...we are SO blessed to have been picked to raise such a precious little boy who has brought nothing but joy to our lives since we first met him almost 4 months ago!

Other Side

On Friday afternoon Michael and I spoke to future adoptive parents at a meeting put on by our agency. We spoke along with another couple that adopted twin girls 18 months ago. We told our story and then they asked us questions. They not only asked about our adoption of Christopher, but they also asked Michael questions about his adoption. I remember being in the exact place of the 6 couples we spoke to and I have to admit it was nice being on the other side. I understand all the emotions that those couples are dealing with and will pray that their journey to adopt a child is a smooth one that ends with as much happiness as Michael and I have had with Christopher!

Babysitter Time

Christopher starts at the babysitter's tomorrow! I'm a little on edge about it right now. He is in great hands, but I worry about how his routine will be disrupted. We have been so fortunate to have him at home for as long as we have. He will be staying with one of my student's mothers and her 2 year old little girl. I think Christopher will love being around another child who can entertain him...a little. I'm also a little worried about morning time. Michael is gone before I even get up so it is all me, but at least Michael will be able to pick him up each day around 3:00pm so I can get work done at school and not feel guilty! Wish us luck!!