C'mon ride the train

or the scooter.  This thing is so fun.  And Safiya agreed, for the first pass through the kitchen. Then she was over it.

xoxo

RIP piece 'o crap washer

Our washer and dryer were new to us a year ago.  The price was right (I traded speech therapy for them) and the old ones were 70's gold which tells you how nasty they were.  Well, the ones we have now are serious pieces.  Like all knobs have broken off and we have to turn them on with pliers.  And then this weekend the washer stopped doing the spin cycle.  Not having a washer with 4 people, two of which are children, is not pretty.  Benjy took it apart and to fix it would cost 1/2 if not more of what a new one would cost.  So the pretty new floor model washer is in the car waiting to be installed tomorrow.  And we'll all have clean undies.  Which is more than you wanted to know.




This is Makenna and I playing peek a boo with Safiya through the doggie door.  Oh, and car seat is on back order for 3 weeks.  Figures.


xoxo

Neurotic? Lil bit

So, Miss Safiya had her check up today, which we will get to in a minute.  She is still in the little Graco carrier car seat and she needs to move up.  We have Makenna's old Britax which I knew was old.  I know you are only supposed to have a car seat for 5 years.  She is 5 years old.  The manufacture date on it is 2002.  Do the math.  But, I was talked out of getting a new one several times because the manufacturers just put that on to save their a$$,  there is nothing wrong, blah blah blah.  But, it has sat in the garage for a long time and in my land of 100% humidity, nothing ever dries, it molded.  Done.  New car seat will be here in 5 days.


These are the new stats:
Height: 27 1/2 (45%)
Weight: 18 lbs 10 oz (48 %)
Head:  18 1/2 (95%)
Safiya can:
crawl
pull to standing
cruise holding on to furniture, walls, dogs, anything really
point to her nose if you ask her to
sign: more and all done
open all cabinet doors she is not allowed to
eat paper like a champ
throw a fit when removed from areas she is not supposed to be in
look at you, smile, and continue doing whatever she is doing when you say "no no".
grow teeth (she has 2)
Safiya can not:
sleep through the night (insert little mommy whimper)
eat more than a little bit at a time
open previous cabinet doors because Daddy removed the pulls (and triumphantly declared he was smarter)
walk holding on to fingers surprisingly and happily (on my part)
Social worker is concerned with:
the fact that she does not give a rats ass if I'm in the room or I leave.  We're working on it.  Her words were "you have a long way to go".  And for some reason I have taken the whole thing very personally and just can't quite shake it.  Like she's choosing not to attach completely.  Sigh.  The stress of worrying about whether your adopted child is attached or not can feel like the weight of the world sometimes.

Happy Friday kids.
xoxo

Happy Birthday Papa Ray

Today is Papa Ray's 70th birthday. And he is celebrating as only he knows how.  He is having a party every night for 5 nights.  Three are parties with his friends (different friends each night), one with his family, and a HUGE party on Saturday.  He seemed purely happy tonight.  And we heard some great stories of what a wonderful man he truly is.  I know he doesn't read the blog (he doesn't even know how to send an e-mail) but just incase.  Happy Birthday Papa Ray.  We love you!



On a side note, WE HAVE A COURT DATE!  February 19th at 11 am.  I didn't realize how excited I would be but I was in tears today telling people.  After that date, Safiya will be a citizen (not just a resident with a green card)  Side note:  you should see her green card with her little 5 month old picture on it.  Too cute.   She will officially be Safiya Tigist Foster (not Tigist Robert Foster like all of her documents currently say) and everything will be finalized.  FINALIZED.  Let me say it one more time.  F.I.N.A.L.I.Z.E.D!!

xoxo

Heart Heroin

At Christmas at my house we have what we lovingly call "Christmas Crack".  They are white chocolate kisses with little pieces of peppermint.  Pure heaven.  We have gotten other people hooked on Christmas Crack.  We've even been known to drive to several stores looking for Christmas Crack at the end of the season.  And to buy multiple bags just to have the hook up after they are sold out.  Just when I thought I could overcome my addiction, I am faced with yet another weakness:  Heart Heroin.




I don't even want to tell you how many days it takes us to go through a bag.  Let's just say it is far from double digits.  This particular bag kind of stinks because it is full of those blue hearts.  Which I think are supposed to be blue raspberry but they taste horrible.  Maybe they are my anti-drug.  And what is coming up....but Easter.  Oh boy, I'm in for it.

By the way, could someone just give a little shout out so I know I'm not talking to myself here?

xoxo

I'm effing tired

I'm so tired.  So so tired.  So tired, in fact, that I have to have a coke at 8:58 pm to stay awake for the next 2 hours to feed the baby.




I took this picture with the little camera thingy on my computer.  During which, I found some pics of Makenna.  Look at those cheeks.




xoxo

Is this OK?

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under the age of 2 do not watch TV.  I wonder, has anyone at the American Academy of Pediatrics every actually lived with a child under the age of 2 for any extended period of time?  Have they ever gone days without a shower?  Or actually wondered if they have brushed their teeth.  Cuz if they had, they would know that this recommendation is B.S.  She actually stood still for 5 minutes and watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. The child who never stops moving was mesmerized by the man.  Who isn't, really.



Can we take a moment and talk about Haiti?  Not in the way that you are expecting, but in a happy ending sort of way.  Bare with me as this will probably be a stream of conscious type of post.  So much in my brain to get out. First of all, adoption.  Benjy and I also looked in adoption from Haiti as he is forever scarred by a news report he saw on the children there.  Adoption there is pretty difficult.  Not as stable, can take years, and is a little risky.  And although we didn't do it, we have never ruled it out as another possibility.  But, so much would have to change.  First of all, no social worker is going to approve for another body to live in my 1400 square foot home.  And then there's the whole money thing.  Oh right, that.  It's still in our hearts and hopes for our future.  With recent developments, it has become even more difficult for me to imagine not adopting again.  And for this reason, I have had to distance myself from all things Haiti.  I had to stop reading the news, watching the news, and our house was banned from the telethon.  Ostrich?  Maybe.  But that's how I roll. Side note:  What do I call the people I have met through this adoption.  We've never actually met.  For most, I haven't even had a phone conversation.  We've talked through e-mail and Face Book, exchanged pictures and that sort of thing.  For many of them, I was able to love on, play with, and hold their children before they were.  That's a relationship I don't know how to classify.  Do I call them friends?  I don't know.  Back to my point.  One of the girls who I fell in love with in Ethiopia just came home.  She is 7 and has the biggest, most wonderful heart.  I could not be happier to see her home.  Her parents also adopted a little boy about a year ago.  Through our conversations I learned that they were pursuing an adoption through Haiti in 2006.  They had his referral for 2.5 years before the government changed the laws and they were no longer eligible.  They had to release their referral.  I can't imagine the pain.  Last Thursday they received a call that he was eligible for adoption now through they humanitarian rules that were recently passed.  Because the agency still had his paperwork from 2006, they were asked if they still wanted to bring him home. They had 3 hours to decide.  Of course they said yes.  How could you not?  As of today, he should be boarding a plane, headed for Florida to finally come home.  I've been thinking about his family for days. I am so excited and happy for them, I get tears every time I think about it.  What a wonderful story in a time and place when it is sometimes difficult to see anything happy. Congratulations Melissa and your rapidly growing family!

 I hope that someday we are able to journey down the adoption road again.  The ethics, logistics, and basic details of adopting there are completely impossible right now.  I won't bore you with the details.  Give me a call if you want to chat about it someday.  :-)

Tomorrow is my last Monday off.  :-(

xoxo