As mentioned earlier, I finally saw Juno.  Knowing we’d never make it to a movie theater for a date while it was still in wide release, I think I put it in my Netflix que back in February.  It made it’s way to dvd last week and to our mailbox 2 days later.  So, Friday night was Juno night.

It was as I had hoped.  Indy, quirky, fun.

In February 1986, I was 17 and a huge John Hughes movie fan.  And an even bigger Molly Ringwald fan. I think in the back rafters of my attic I still have the issue of Time Magazine when she was on the cover.  So when Pretty in Pink came out, I was gleeful, to say the least.  I even drove through corn fields ALL THE WAY to Grand Rapids with a couple of pals, the 2 other Ringwalettes in my tiny school, to see it as soon as humanly possible. My romantic younger self enjoyed the storyline, but what I really loved was Molly’s fashion sense and her ability to repurpose items to make interesting outfit.  Yes, of course, silly.  I did in fact start dressing like her with all my thrifted wonders (and stuff I stole from my mom’s closet).

All this to say, I think if Juno would have been around when I was 17, I would have loved her style of talk and view of the world (minus the bun in the oven – duh!).    I would probably have found a pipe to just hold for no reason.  I would have loved that she and I had the same taste in music.  And I would have started quoting her.

Ok, adult Amy did, in fact, start quoting the movie after seeing it only twice.  This made Brendon laugh (until I said, “Geez Banana, shut your freakin’ gob, ok?).  This was not a surprise to me.  I figured I’d like it like I like other movies like this.  Napoleon Dynamite.  Need I say, like, more?

What did surprise me was my adult-self identifying with one of the characters, adoptive mom Vanessa.  I wasn’t surprised that Jennifer Gardner was good in the role, but what truly astounded me was how she captured all the nuances of the emotions a waiting adoptive mom feels.  Do adoptive moms have baby showers before the baby comes?  

We did have one shower, to be honest, before T came home.  We shared a shower at our church with, luckily, another adoptive family.  I think it would have been awkward had it been a pregnant couple.  Let me tell you, one of the hardest things about being a waiting adoptive family is the fact that you have no due date.  Other moms get induced if they go too long, but there is no induction, no c-section for adoption.

Also, adoption “pregnancy” is all in your head.  If you were gifted with a level noggin, all the better.  I, hmmm… was not, which ended up giving me a good case of post-adoption depression.  I did not have the physical embodiment of my baby.  No kicking.  No pats on the tummy from perfect strangers asking me how far along I was.  No stamp on my forehead that said, “Be nice to me, I’m and expectant mother, you just can’t tell.”  And I didn’t have this t-shirt.  All I had was one picture of a small cute baby boy, a baby I had yet to meet.  I trusted the fact that he was being loved and taken care of, and hoped that his birthmom wouldn’t change her mind.  So how much emotion do I commit to this baby picture anyway?

And this was the agonizingly beautiful portrayal of Vanessa.  Did I cry at the end when Juno cried.  No.  Did I cry when Vanessa saw her baby for the first time.  You betcha.  Did I cry when the nurse had to tell her that was her baby?  Yes.  I cried because I know what it’s like to really be unsure if that baby is yours and you just stand there and wait until *somebody actually has to say to you* “Would you like to hold your son?” 

I think I need to go get a blue slushee, or like, ten tons of Sunny D.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008 at 2:53 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.