good news for adoption

The adoption tax credit was due to expire at the end of the year, but the Health Care Reform Law passed last week expanded it. According to section 10909 of the Act, the adoption tax credit was extended for one more year (to December 31, 2011) and expanded in the following two ways: For the tax year 2010, the amount of the credit was increased from $12,170 to $13,170 and the credit was made refundable for all types of adoption for tax years 2010 and 2011.

Since we expect to finalize Reggie's adoption in 2010, we were crossing our fingers that nothing would change before the year's end regarding the tax credit. Turns out it looks like we will get a little bonus! Taking into consideration that we also received a grant through the MICAH fund, our actual out-of-pocket expenses incurred with Reggie's adoption are not a whole lot more than our actual out-of-pocket medical expenses we incurred with Lydia. Now, how's that for good news in adoption?

Disclaimer: This is not a political blog. It is a blog about our life as an adoptive family, among other things. Comments will be moderated accordingly.

you know you have enough little ones when...

(1) You put all your kids in the cart and have no room left for shopping.

(2) You pack three diaper bags when you go to church.

(3) Getting kids dressed and diapers changed feels a lot like an assembly line.

(4) You have a sitter lined up for every Tuesday to cover doctors appointments.

(5) Family walks around the neighborhood seem like a parade of baby equipment.

(6) "I'm going to the store," is always followed by, "Take one with you".

(7) You don't miss a beat when reading "Goodnight Moon" and have a toddler bouncing up and down, blocking your view of the pages.

(8) Conversation at the dinner table revolves around the "party in my tummy". "Are the peas going to go to the party in YOUR tummy, Brett?"

(9) Your car, home, and heart are full to capacity!

pbj

As a general rule, we don't dine in the garden/dirt box. But it was so nice, we had lunch outside, and once Brett was done eating, there was no keeping Lydia at the table - and no prying the pbj out of her grip.

all eyes and ears

This morning I took Reggie to the eye doctor to check for cataracts and near-sightedness. We are glad there are no concerns about his vision at this point.

Then this afternoon I took Brett to the audiologist to get his hearing checked. We would have been very surprised if anything turned up because he seems to hear just fine (although he doesn't always listen...) His hearing checked out so we have ruled that out as a factor in his language development. And while we absolutely take that as good news, it is hard to see that your child is struggling and not be able to fix it. I suppose all parents experience that at some point.

Brett is adjusting wonderfully to his glasses. We were anticipating it would be a battle for a week or two, but after the first day, they became second-nature to him. Today, I forgot to put them on after I changed his shirt and he pointed to his eyes and said "uh-oh"! It seems as though he appreciates being able to see the world around him!