Ode to a Harry Potter Weekend

Every couple months or so, ABC Family has their "Harry Potter Weekend."  It just means they show all of the HP movies they've bought viewing rights for, this time, #1-5, back-to-back all weekend long.  Now, we own all of the HP movies that have been released, #1-6, but there's something more exciting when it's on television.  We like having background noise in our house anyway, whether it's television or music, and what I like about the HP movies is that I don't have to worry about content.

Yep - so guess what was playing in my house ALL weekend - Harry Potter!  I don't think I saw any one of the movies all the way through but it doesn't matter - just having Harry Potter on was magical.  :)  Thank you, ABC Family!





By the way, Harry Potter #7 part 1 comes out on Blu-Ray / DVD in less than a month...and part 2 comes out in theaters in July. 

So excited - I don't know what it is, I just love the Harry Potter movies!

March 10th - 6 Months Old!

It's gone by so fast, I can hardly believe that Samantha Grace is 6 MONTHS OLD!  She has brought joy and laughter beyond measure into our lives.

Because a "half" birthday is a big deal, we decided to celebrate...with cupcakes! 

I know what you're thinking, "she's only 6-months-old and you're giving her a cupcake??  She doesn't even have teeth yet!!"  I know, but don't underestimate this little girl! 

The intention was only "half" a cupcake, with "half" of a candle...because it's only her "half" birthday :)  But the candle would just look silly in only half a cupcake.  So we just put the half of a candle in the small cupcake...and she got to eat half of her cupcake (which is about her limit anyway, so it was just perfect!). 

We sang, "Happy half-Birthday" to her (notice Daddy is holding her hands because we did indeed light the candle) and then, with a little help and hopefully a good wish, she blew out her candle!

Happy half-Birthday, little Princess!

A Baby and Her Food

When Samantha reached 5-months-old, her doctor said that she's old enough and big enough to start introducing other foods into her diet. We have had such fun trying out different baby foods, mashing up "real" food for her to try, and seeing her reactions.

We started out simple - a little rice cereal. Boy, that didn't go over well. But then again, you try eating that stuff plain - it's horrible!

So, we moved on to fruits and vegetables. Samantha loves bananas! Mash 'em, piece 'em, mix 'em with rice cereal or other fruits - the girl is a little monkey! She just loves bananas! It's gotten to the point that if she sees me eating a bananas, she whimpers until I share! I see how this is going to be...

Anyway, I was a bit surprised at the next one - she just LOVES sweet potatoes! Now I like yams anyway, but to see it all 'liquidy' in baby food form was enough to turn me off, until I tried them - they're pretty good, I see why she likes them.

She likes any and all fruit! Of course she prefers bananas to anything else, but she also really likes pears! If it were a choice between pear sauce, applesauce, or peaches - she goes with pears!

Ok, success so far...on to vegetables!! First, we tried carrots - who doesn't like carrots, right? Oh, the face this little girl made when I stuck that spoon full of carrots in her mouth - priceless!! She gave me the look as if to say, "Ugh! What is this stuff and why would you put it in my mouth?!" So, the first spoon full didn't take...maybe she just needs to try it a couple more times to adjust to the taste and really decide if she likes it or not. Well, that's what was going through my mind at least. After the third spoon full, she was so done with carrots. Whatever I put in her mouth came right back out of her mouth! Oh well - no carrots, I guess.

Maybe peas? Nope, wrong! I think she liked the carrots better.

Ok, so this is where it gets funny. I want her to be exposed to different foods and not be as picky as her mom and dad (Ed and I both have LONG lists of foods we do NOT like :) So I decided to try vegetables again. This time, it was a mixed veggie that contained peas, carrots, and potatoes. Now, she had some mashed potatoes one night and liked those, so I was hoping the potatoes would make the peas/carrots combination in there a bit more palatable. SUCCESS!! She loved it! Ate the whole container of mixed veggies in one sitting!

Was it mixing in the potatoes that solved the peas/carrots distaste? Well, we tested the theory. At some friends' house the other night, we had peas. I mashed up a few of them and tested them out on her...she LOVED them! What a funny little girl!! (will add pictures later! :)

The Cutest Baby Ever

Wow, two posts in two days, you know what that means...Samantha is sleeping right now! :)

Shot this little video last night. Samantha is getting so talkative and sometimes, it's just hilarious.

We love her so much!!!

Christmas Cards

Does the Holiday Season seem overly busy to anyone but me?  Maybe overwhelming is a better word...  At any rate, Ed and I just barely completed our Christmas newsletter and photo cards. 

Yeah, it's January 20th, I know.  However, as I sit typing this blog, looking at the Christmas decorations that are still here, I don't feel quite so bad because at least it's still the Holday Season in our house!! 

So what's my point?  We started down this road of Christmas 2010 letters and photos, we're going to see it through!  In other words, expect your Viscalla Family Newsletter, complete with pictures of the most beautiful baby in the world, coming to a mailbox near you.  (And if not in the mail, you'll be able to read it here too!)

Introducing: Samantha Grace Viscalla

We are so blessed! Ed and I have been trying to grow our family essentially since we were married 7.5 years ago. When traditional methods did not work, we sought out medical help. As we journeyed down that path, we felt strongly that we should also look into adoption. Not knowing the Lord's plan for us, but know that indeed He does have a plan for us, we committed ourselves to doing all that we could do, and relied on our faith that the Lord would make up the difference.

Before we get into the story, first things first...I know you all want to see pictures of this beautiful little girl, so here you go, get your fix! :)

Birth Day

First bottle

Footprints on the hospital nursery wall

Ready to go!

Sleeping in the car

 

Hanging out with Mom

Proud and happy Mom!

Exhausted Dad

So cute...now 2 weeks old!

  

Many times we've gotten our hopes up and many times those hopes have been dashed and ended in heartbreak. Watching others around us who seem to have no problems having children and wondering when it would be our turn...

We had been approved and waiting with one agency but after over a year of being active with them and not seeing anything come of it, a friend directed us to another agency, through which her friend had adopted two children. This agency is located in Utah, well, Ed and I happened to be heading to Utah for General Conference in April so we decided to take our paperwork with us and try to meet with this agency in person while we were there. We drove to the office address listed on their site, but found that the office had moved. I called and left a message with the agency and received a return call within 10 minutes. The case worker that works with adoptive parents was in California at the time, but reassured us that she would contact the agency director and that we'd be able to meet with her and submit our paperwork.

We advised that case worker where we were at, we had stopped off for lunch in Farmington, Utah, we wrapped up the call and she phoned the agency director. Another 5 minutes passed, the case worker called us back and to our surprise, the agency director happened to be grocery shopping around the corner at the other end of the strip mall from where we were parked grabbing a bite to eat! The agency director came right over to us and we were able to talk with her and give her all of our paperwork. The Lord indeed works in mysterious ways!

We were so blessed to be matched with a Birth Mom, pregnant with a little girl. This Birth Mom is an amazing lady, read on and you'll see why...

We had the opportunity to get to know the Birth Mom (not naming her here, since I don't have her permission and as a measure to protect anonymity), as we chatted with her almost on a weekly basis. The funny thing is, many of our conversations were just about what was happening that day. Other times, the conversations were about nothing in particular at all. This was a great opportunity to truly get to know her, hear some things about her life, learn about her likes/dislikes and interests, and share a little bit about ourselves. She even sent us ultrasound/sonogram pictures of the baby with a cute card telling us it was a little girl!

Toward the end of August / early September, I think anxiety levels were high on both sides. On our side, we were so excited to be parents AND the baby was due September 18th (my sister's wedding was scheduled for the 17th); on her side, I can't imagine being pregnant through the heat and humidity of the summer, nor can I imagine the feelings and emotions she must have been going through in her decision to place this beautiful baby girl with me and Ed for adoption.

When all was said and done, the induction was scheduled for September 10th. Ed and I hopped a plane on the 9th to be sure to be there in time and arrived at our hotel at 3:30am the morning of the 10th. The Birth Mom was to be admitted to the hospital at 5:30am to start the induction. Ed and I arrived at 7am and had the very special and incredible opportunity to visit with the Birth Mom in person in the delivery room. We got to know one another better and following the birth, she advised us that the time chatting in person in the delivery room prior to Samantha being born really helped her with the decision to place Samantha with us. It was time to just sit and talk, face to face.

At 11:08am, we witnessed a miracle. Samantha was born, a healthy 9 pounds, 3.9 ounces, and 20 inches long. She was/is beautiful! Ed and I got to stay for the entire birth and were so amazed at the strength of the Birth Mom, and at the absolute miracle that brought this sweet angel into this world. After the umbilical cord was cut, the nurses were busy drying her off to keep her from getting cold. They wrapped her in blankets and I got to hold my little girl for the first time. It was a moment I will never forget!

There are a lot of emotions on all sides with adoption. Ed and I wanted to be sure to appropriately express our gratitude to this Birth Mom for this incredible gift, but also wanted to be sensitive to her feelings. I have no concept of what this Birth Mom must have felt or what thoughts/emotions were running through her during this time. All I know is that I am so grateful to her for the decision she made to allow us to adopt Samantha.

The hospital staff was great! They were aware of the situation and did their best to try to make everyone as comfortable as possible. Samantha was released on Sunday. We took that opportunity to go over to the Birth Mom's house so that her family would have a chance to meet Samantha and to meet us.

The next day, we were scheduled to appear in court. The judge applauded the Birth Mom, stating that in many adoption cases, the Birth Mom simply signs the paper and does not appear in person to relinquish parental rights. In this case, the judge acknowleded the very amiable relationship we have with the Birth Mom and again, expressed his kudos to the Birth Mom for her decision and for her strength.

The rest of the week was a waiting game. With adoption, both the birth state and the adoptive parents' home state have to sign off on the adoption. This process can take anywhere from 5 business days to a month or more, in extreme cases. Again, we were very blessed. My sister's wedding date was September 17th and we were able to fly home on the 16th to be able to attend the wedding/reception the following day.

Told you she's beautiful!

Before we left, we visited the birth family a couple more times. We wanted them to have the closure and comfort they needed that we will love, protect and care for this little girl with everything we are and wanted for them to have some peace in this.

Here I sit, finishing this blog entry 3 days after I started it. Samantha is sleeping soundly on my chest as I type this and I'm still in tears with gratitude for this most precious gift.

People have asked us if Samantha will know that she is adopted. Our answer is a resounding yes! We want her to know that she is loved so much by so many people and that her coming to our home was a decision made out of love by me and Ed, and by her Birth Mother.

So, I'll end this post the way I started...by acknowledging how truly blessed we are!