Our big news....

...Melvin auditioned for, and competed on, NBC's American Ninja Warrior last month!

He has (for lack of a better word) worshipped this show since it came to the United States a few years back.  He kept threatening to audition for the show, and I honestly didn't think anything of it.  But then around Thanksgiving he talked more and more about it.  One of the things we have been told by friends of ours that have adopted is that since the waiting time to adopt is unpredictable, it is important to not put off what you like doing.  I think that is good advice for anyone, for whatever they are waiting for.   Complacency is detrimental, I think, to the mental health growth of us all.  Melvin is REALLY great about trying new things and taking an interest in different things, and so the process to audition for the show began.  We worked on an auction tape, and a few weeks later he got the good news that he'd been selected to run the course in Dallas.

Dr. Center (our good friend and Melvin's former boss and now business partner) helped Melvin with his "grand plans"..... And for a few months I had a mini-training arena in my backyard, complete with a salmon ladder cemented into the ground and everything.  Melvin took his training very seriously, and was very religious about it.  The past couple of months have been so hectic, it was really great to see him to involved in something that he likes so much.

I can't get into specifics (because the show hasn't aired yet), but after waiting for EIIIIIIGHT looooooong hours, we got see him run the course.  He did a GREAT job!  I admit, everything looks different in person than it does on TV.  We got to be pretty friendly with the people around us, and it was great cheering everybody on (well, until 1:30 in the morning; then it became kind of a chore--we'd been there since 5pm).

Have we seen the last of Melvin and ANW?  Absolutely not!  But we'll look for other things to do while we wait and hope to meet the birthparents of our child.  Melvin also likes that crazy show, Wipeout"; maybe that'll be next!