Sunday, November 2, 2014
Halloween Sneak Peak
My camera ran out of batteries but here's one picture sent to me by a friend. Hoping to get more soon!
Socks
Junebug has a bit of an obsession with socks. She MUST be wearing socks at all times, except when she decides to take them off/scream to have them put back on/take them off/scream to have them put back on. This lovely game has rubbed off on Chickadee as well and now it has become a bedtime game.
Last night:
Junebug: Waaaaah!!!! sock! Help! Sock!
Chickadee: Mommy, put my sock on please.
(yes, I comply)
Junebug: Uh oh! Sock! My sock!
Chickadee: Mommy! I need my sock!!!
(yes, I comply)
I thought about stopping the madness and ignoring them and letting them have cold feet. But then I figured that soon enough, Chickadee will know how to put on her own socks and Junebug won't be here so I'll have no little feet to resock a zillion times in one night. May as well play the sock game while it lasts.
Last night:
Junebug: Waaaaah!!!! sock! Help! Sock!
Chickadee: Mommy, put my sock on please.
(yes, I comply)
Junebug: Uh oh! Sock! My sock!
Chickadee: Mommy! I need my sock!!!
(yes, I comply)
I thought about stopping the madness and ignoring them and letting them have cold feet. But then I figured that soon enough, Chickadee will know how to put on her own socks and Junebug won't be here so I'll have no little feet to resock a zillion times in one night. May as well play the sock game while it lasts.
FIVE (things I love about Speed)
Speed turned five on Friday. It happened to be book character day at school so he dressed as...a five year old (from the book "It's Hard To Be Five"). He got spoiled at school with a birthday crown and cupcakes. We put the rest of the celebrating on hold till after Halloween. Yesterday, we had pizza and cake with some friends and Speed was very happy to be the center of attention.
This is the boy who was supposed to be here just a couple months. He's now here for good. I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around the idea that I will see numerous birthdays with this guy. When I am able to see the forest instead of the trees, I am amazed at how far he has come in not quite a year and a half.
Five things to love about Speed as a 4 year old:
5. Learned to take a shower with the curtain closed. This is viewed as a "treat" to him. And to me.
4. Loved dolls, dress up and strollers as much as any of the girls in the house. I watched a kid in my waiting room at work play with action figures recently. I thought "Speed would have no idea what to do with those toys!" But give the boy a pretend picnic basket and birthday cake and he can keep us all busy for a good long while.
3. Caught up in pre-reading and writing skills. Speed does not always like to accept responsibility for things but is very good about accepting responsibility as the person who wrote a letter on in an inappropriate place (pillow cases and bookshelves come to mind). I think this is because he knows he's the only one who knows how to do this.
2. Is going to be a Home Depot loiterer when he gets older. Four-year-old Speed was obsessed with lawn mowers, leaf blowers, tools, power tools, and weed wackers. I am looking forward to the day that I can actually let him use these things unsupervised.
1. Continues to have more compassion than I would ever expect. Speed loves all of the sisters but his seeming understanding about and acceptance of Junebug and her presence in our house always amazes me. He is the first to stick up for her, the first to give her hugs, and the first to make sure she is ok if she gets hurt or is sick.
Looking forward to another year (and more) with my speedy boy!
This is the boy who was supposed to be here just a couple months. He's now here for good. I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around the idea that I will see numerous birthdays with this guy. When I am able to see the forest instead of the trees, I am amazed at how far he has come in not quite a year and a half.
Five things to love about Speed as a 4 year old:
5. Learned to take a shower with the curtain closed. This is viewed as a "treat" to him. And to me.
4. Loved dolls, dress up and strollers as much as any of the girls in the house. I watched a kid in my waiting room at work play with action figures recently. I thought "Speed would have no idea what to do with those toys!" But give the boy a pretend picnic basket and birthday cake and he can keep us all busy for a good long while.
3. Caught up in pre-reading and writing skills. Speed does not always like to accept responsibility for things but is very good about accepting responsibility as the person who wrote a letter on in an inappropriate place (pillow cases and bookshelves come to mind). I think this is because he knows he's the only one who knows how to do this.
2. Is going to be a Home Depot loiterer when he gets older. Four-year-old Speed was obsessed with lawn mowers, leaf blowers, tools, power tools, and weed wackers. I am looking forward to the day that I can actually let him use these things unsupervised.
1. Continues to have more compassion than I would ever expect. Speed loves all of the sisters but his seeming understanding about and acceptance of Junebug and her presence in our house always amazes me. He is the first to stick up for her, the first to give her hugs, and the first to make sure she is ok if she gets hurt or is sick.
Looking forward to another year (and more) with my speedy boy!
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Why I Get NOTHING Done At Night
The babies still go bonkers at bedtime. I sit outside their doorway, reading or emailing, until they fall asleep. This curbs their tendency to get out of bed. It DOES NOT curb anything else. Heard last night:
Junebug: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Chickadee: Mommy, Junebug say AAAAHHHHHH!
Junebug: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Chickadee: Mommy, Junebug say AAAAHHHHHH!
Junebug: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Chickadee: Mommy, Junebug say AAAAHHHHHH!
Me: I know, honey. It's ok.
[silence]
Chickadee: AAAAAAHHHHHHH!
Junebug: AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Chickadee: Mommy, Junebug not sleeping. Junebug say AAAHHHHH!!!
Me: I know. It's ok.
[silence]
Chickadee: AAAAAAHHHHHHH!
Junebug: AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Chickadee: Mommy, Junebug not sleeping. Junebug say AAAHHHHH!!!
Me: I know. It's ok.
And round and round we went.
Junebug: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Chickadee: Mommy, Junebug say AAAAHHHHHH!
Junebug: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Chickadee: Mommy, Junebug say AAAAHHHHHH!
Junebug: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Chickadee: Mommy, Junebug say AAAAHHHHHH!
Me: I know, honey. It's ok.
[silence]
Chickadee: AAAAAAHHHHHHH!
Junebug: AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Chickadee: Mommy, Junebug not sleeping. Junebug say AAAHHHHH!!!
Me: I know. It's ok.
[silence]
Chickadee: AAAAAAHHHHHHH!
Junebug: AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Chickadee: Mommy, Junebug not sleeping. Junebug say AAAHHHHH!!!
Me: I know. It's ok.
And round and round we went.
Why Watch TV?
...when you can walk to the mailbox and happen to arrive there as the mail carrier is passing out mail to all 80 mail boxes?
We sat tonight, on the sidewalk beside the cluster of mailboxes, and watched the poor mailman fill all of the boxes. He was not much into answering questions but the kids didn't seem to mind. When he was finished, gasp! There was MAIL IN OUR MAILBOX!! So we picked it up and walked home.
Way better than watching Dora.
We sat tonight, on the sidewalk beside the cluster of mailboxes, and watched the poor mailman fill all of the boxes. He was not much into answering questions but the kids didn't seem to mind. When he was finished, gasp! There was MAIL IN OUR MAILBOX!! So we picked it up and walked home.
Way better than watching Dora.
Friday, October 10, 2014
Seven Years
Seven years
29 kids
19 ultimately reunified
4 in relative placements
1 moved to be with a sibling
1 adopted by another family
3 stuck with me for good
and
1 still in the works.
I am forever grateful for each of these children, no matter how long they stayed. I am also grateful for my inability to consistently say 'no'. Seven years ago, my guideline was 2 kids, aged 4 to 8. Had I stuck with that, the current crew would not be here today.
Saying "yes" has changed my life.
29 kids
19 ultimately reunified
4 in relative placements
1 moved to be with a sibling
1 adopted by another family
3 stuck with me for good
and
1 still in the works.
I am forever grateful for each of these children, no matter how long they stayed. I am also grateful for my inability to consistently say 'no'. Seven years ago, my guideline was 2 kids, aged 4 to 8. Had I stuck with that, the current crew would not be here today.
Saying "yes" has changed my life.
Sunday, October 5, 2014
The Imperfect Post About The Perfect Day
We've been official for a week yet every time I try to write about our day, I come up blank.
It could not have been a better day. The kids were excited and helped set up for our party. Really helped, not just "helped". We went out to a lovely lunch with our friend who flew in for the occasion. Family came rolling in. Then we got alllllll dressed up and drove to the courthouse. Speed was insistent on a tie and "fancy" shoes. The girls and I were in dresses. They had no real understanding of what was about to happen, but they knew it was a special day.
I have been to a few adoptions of friends' kiddos. They have all been lovely and ours was equally as lovely. What struck me in our hearing was the village sitting behind me. It was such a big village, in fact, that there was standing room only and the people with cameras/FaceTiming phones were permitted to be up close to the judge's bench.
About fifty people welcomed these kids into a permanent family. Fifty people.
The kids appear to understand that they are here for good, that I am their mom, that they are Russells. What I wish they understood more is that they are forever part of an amazing community--family, church friends, old caseworkers, old coworkers, playmates, their legal team--that has embraced them as Russells as well.
After the ceremony we came home for our cupcakes and lollipops. The girls posed for an excellent picture displaying their blue lollipop tongues. We continued celebrating the next day with a party at some friends' house. We are still eating cupcakes and lollipops a week later.
The kids were given blankets with their names, new middle names and adoption date embroidered on them. Every night since September 26th, we've had to lay the blankets out smoothly and read the names.
I am grateful, so grateful, for phone calls I received on May 9, 2013 to take the kids, and on August 22, 2013 to take them back the next day. I am grateful for the people who fought for them to be safe and stay together. I am mostly grateful for these three:
It could not have been a better day. The kids were excited and helped set up for our party. Really helped, not just "helped". We went out to a lovely lunch with our friend who flew in for the occasion. Family came rolling in. Then we got alllllll dressed up and drove to the courthouse. Speed was insistent on a tie and "fancy" shoes. The girls and I were in dresses. They had no real understanding of what was about to happen, but they knew it was a special day.
I have been to a few adoptions of friends' kiddos. They have all been lovely and ours was equally as lovely. What struck me in our hearing was the village sitting behind me. It was such a big village, in fact, that there was standing room only and the people with cameras/FaceTiming phones were permitted to be up close to the judge's bench.
About fifty people welcomed these kids into a permanent family. Fifty people.
The kids appear to understand that they are here for good, that I am their mom, that they are Russells. What I wish they understood more is that they are forever part of an amazing community--family, church friends, old caseworkers, old coworkers, playmates, their legal team--that has embraced them as Russells as well.
After the ceremony we came home for our cupcakes and lollipops. The girls posed for an excellent picture displaying their blue lollipop tongues. We continued celebrating the next day with a party at some friends' house. We are still eating cupcakes and lollipops a week later.
The kids were given blankets with their names, new middle names and adoption date embroidered on them. Every night since September 26th, we've had to lay the blankets out smoothly and read the names.
I am grateful, so grateful, for phone calls I received on May 9, 2013 to take the kids, and on August 22, 2013 to take them back the next day. I am grateful for the people who fought for them to be safe and stay together. I am mostly grateful for these three:
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