Sister love

Mom To Three

Things in our house have changed. A lot. A real lot.

I am now the mother of three. It seems weird to even say that. It sounds like such a big number. It sounds like someone with a very established family. It sounds like the beginning of a very different life for us.

So far I have just noticed the little things that have changed.

That it takes at least twice as long to leave the house.

That there really is not moment when at least one of the kids does not need something.

That our house feels a lot smaller.

That I need to drink twice as much coffee.

But most of all that there are now three little ones that I love with all my heart and they love each other so much. It is a very special thing.

Our new addition is now six weeks old. She is a perfect little gift. She is the most cuddly child I have ever held. She just melts into your arms. She sleeps pretty good, eats well, and seems to be adjusting to the change very well.

It is amazing to me that we have only had her in our home for 11 days and it already seems like she has always been here. The kids have adjusted pretty good and love to do little things for her. Like get her a blanket or her pacifier. They like to hold her and help with her baths.

The biggest thing that I am going to have to get used to it the fact that it is just not that easy to leave the house anymore. Part of that is having a newborn, part is having three kids. It is 2:30pm on Tuesday and I have not left the house since Sunday night. That is not normal for me but I am ok with it because I am enjoying just being home and being with my kids. I am also so tired from the lack of sleep that getting out of the house just sounds like to much work.

Life will get "normal" again but normal will be different than it used to be. We are excited about our new family dynamic but learning the ins and outs all over again is a challenge.

It is a new adventure and I am sure there will be stories to tell. But just look at those three kids and tell me how it could ever not be worth it.

The end and the beginning of our adoption story

To start at the beginning for us. The first day that we heard about our little girl was on Wednesday the 7Th of March. We set up a meeting to find out more about her on Thursday morning and they said that we could go and pick her up on Friday morning. It all happened really fast at the end. We spent a crazy, haze filled day getting the last minute supplies that we needed. It was a good thing that we had things to do to keep us busy. We hardly slept that night before. We were so excited to meet her and hold her. We had seen pictures but had not met her yet. We tried to get some sleep and then on Friday morning we dropped off the kids at my mother-in-laws house. It was so nice that we did not have to bring them with us. It would have been a little crazy.

So, we drove to the foster mom's house who had been caring for her since she went home from the hospital, two days after she was born. She was so beautiful. I do not even have words to describe what it felt like when she opened the door and there was our little baby. She let me feed her while we talked. It was just unreal. The foster mom was such an amazing woman. Her and her husband have raised five children of there own and now this is what she does. She only takes babies and only one at a time so she had been taking really good care of her. She was such a blessing to us. The name that we had picked for her middle name ended up being the same as the foster mom's middle name. That made me so happy. She will always have a little part of her with her.

We came home and got settled and then my husband went and got the kids so that they could meet their new little sister. They were so happy. They want to hold her all the time and give her lots of kisses.

Things have been going really well since she came home. She is a very easy, happy baby. She eats well, sleeps good. Although she eats about every two hours all the way through the night also so we are getting used to the broken sleep. My husband has been able to take some time off of work so that is making it all a lot easier. The kids are having a bit of an adjustment but that is to be expected. We are getting used to having a newborn in the house again but it is just such a joy. I am in awe that God blessed us with such a wonderful little girl. We are truly blessed.

Thank you to everyone that has been praying for us during the waiting period. God had a reason and we know that but we needed all the prayers. We truly feel that all of our prayers have been answered.

Please welcome Ruth Lucia to our family

She was born on Febuary 6, 6007

She came home with us today March 9th 2007

Today was a long awaited day and we are so blessed to have a beautiful little girl join our family through adoption.

The Beach Makes Everyone Feel Better

It's a winter wonderland!

I just got back this mornig from a great weekend in Tahoe with a good friend of mine. It was supposed to be a girls weekend with some friends from highschool but one got sick, one could not make the flight here, and one was worried about the weather. So it was just the two of us but we had a great time. We did not do a whole lot but that is kind of the point. We read, watched movies, went in the hot tub, and ate.

We were planning on leaving Sunday afternoon. Packed up and on our way we got to the main road and saw that the cars were not even moving. It was snowing, and had been all day. So we went back to the condo and thought we would wait a couple of hours and try again. We did that and got in the line of cars that were still not moving. Good thing we were prepared. We poped a movie in the computer and watched it while we were stopped. About every 15 minutes we would move a little and then stop again, watch some of the movie, and then move a little more. We did this for three hours and where did we get? To the freeway which was about 20 miles. That's right. Three hours, one movie and 20 miles. Once we got to the freeway things were only looking worse. The freeway looked like a parking lot. Nobody was going anywhere and there were a lot of cars.

At this point we decided to head back to the condo, get some sleep and try again in the morning. With the alarm set for 6am we tried to get some sleep. After both of us tossing and turning all night we woke, packed again and were on our way. Things were much better. It was still snowing really hard but there were not nearly as many cars on the road so we were moving. It was slow going but we were blessed to have a good car for the snow. It was a big adventure and we were happy to be home. I was so glad to see my kids. I was gone longer then we were all expecting.

It is always so sweet to be welcomed home by my kids. They make it so much fun.

My Daughters Prayer Last Night

Thank you God for Mama's food, daddy's food, and my brother's food.

And thank you for IKEA.




I am not quite sure what to think of this...

Lent, Teeth, BBQ, Kids, Life....

There are so many things on my mind lately. I blame it on having to stay home and rest for way to long. I know everyone is tired of hearing about my teeth but I have just one more update. On Tuesday I was still in a lot of pain so I called my dentist and he said I should come in and be seen. So, I take the kids thinking it will just be a quick pop in and I will be out of there. Boy was I wrong. He sits me down while the kids are playing in the waiting room and takes a look. Ends up I have the very dreaded dry socket. This is the thing that I was most afraid of, that I was very careful to avoid. I had been eating only liquids for almost a week. Well, what's done is done and needs to be taken care of. He numbs me up REALLY good and cleans it out OUCH! Then packs it with this stuff that smells and tastes horrible. Then sends me on my way. The kids were great but just did not really understand what had just happened to me so they just acted like they always do (asking a million questions, wanting lots of food) It all worked out ok and things are great now. I am still on the liquid diet but today is my first pain killer free day and it has been exactly one week. I feel bad for my family. It was not supposed to take this long to get better. My husband has had to take up a lot of the slack and I just have not been myself on the medicine but today is much, much better. I think things are going to be looking up from now on.


We as a family have decided to give up TV for lent. I have never done anything for lent before but my friend mentioned that she is giving up coffee for lent and I thought it was a good idea. The same thing happened when my son turned three. He developed a one track mind for television. It is not that I am against it, it is just that there are so many other things we can do with out time and my daughter has developed the same one track mind. I think a break for all of us will be good and it is good to talk to the kids about lent. We made a list this morning of things that we can do instead of watch tv and we came up with quite a few. Now if the kids ask to watch it I tell them to go pick something off of the list.

Me and the kids went to IKEA today to pick up a couple of things that I needed. They had all their new outdoor furniture and BBQ stuff out. It made me get really excited about the upcoming warm weather and then the excitement which is summer. I do not think I have looked forward to summer as much as I am this year. I do not know why but I am so excited about having people over for BBQ's, going to the river and lakes, swimming, parks, the beach, picnics, the list could go on and on. While I was at IKEA I picked up some cute summery napkins and a big beach bag. Let summer come quickly.

As a last little note I did a crazy thing today. I have been talking about cutting some bangs because I have been bored with my hair. I have been going to the same girl since before I had my daughter so almost 4 years. But today I went with my kids to Super cuts and had the girl cut my hair. Just some random girl and I just did it. So, I will post a picture so you can all see the crazy thing I did. I have not gotten used to them yet so I am not sure what I think.

This is a pain, literally

So, I thought that I was recovering really well and then last night was not so good. I woke up at 1am and it took me until 4:30 to fall back to sleep because this one tooth spot was hurting so bad. I took pm pain medicine finally and then I slept until 9am. My family came home today and it was not how I had planned it. I had wanted to have everything in order so that when my husband got here there was nothing he needed to do and I would be totally refreshed. I was so sad that I was not doing better than I was. I have this fear that I have a dry socket which is my worst nightmare but I talked to my dad tonight and he does not think I do. I think it is just healing and painful in the process. So I will continue to take the strong pain medicine and hope that it passes soon. I feel really weird with the pain medicine and antibiotics but I feel worse with out the pain medicine so that is that.

Now that I have totally bored you with my update I will write a few points that are things that make me happy in hopes to get my mind off of the throbbing pain on the left side of my mouth.

1. A great big hug from my girl after not seeing her for way to long

2. The pure joy that my son expressed when telling me all about his ski lessons and how well he did

3. I am thankful that I really like soup since that is about all I have been eating for days

4. Friends who are so sweet and bring me flowers, magazines, and soft foods

5. A husband who enjoys being with his kids and does not make me feel bad about not doing much lately

6. Sitting and watching Nanny McPhee with my daughter which is what I am going to go do right now

Wisdom Teeth

I survived the dreaded teeth pulling. I went in yesterday morning and am doing really good. I think I got myself to worked up about it. It was not as bad as I was thinking it would be. I have an amazing husband who has taken the kids for the weekend to Tahoe so I can rest. It is weird to not be doing anything. Usually when I have some time at home without the kids I have projects that I want to get done. This time I have been warned time and time again that if I do anything today I risk getting really sore and getting dry sockets which I really do not want. So I have had the perfect excuse to just lay around and do nothing.

I have some really great friends that have brought by flowers and soft foods and mind less magazines to read. It is like a mini vacation with a sore mouth. I am just hoping that I feel better tomorrow and that it does not get any worse.

I am really glad to have it over with. I have been putting it off for awhile and now it is just done and I do not have to think about it anymore. My husband is getting his done next month so it will be his turn to get a break with a sore mouth next.

I am going to go and enjoy every minute of this time because an excuse like this only comes around so often. The problem is that I am already missing my family.

Happy Valentines Day

The day of hearts and candy and remembering the ones that we love the most. I LOVE Valentines Day. I have a soft spot for it and I do not really know why. I like it when the stores get all the pink and red stuff. I like to think about what I will do for my husband to show him that I love him. Now I get little things for my kids to and they love it. I know that some people do not like this holiday and think it is just a dumb made up holiday so that the card makers can make more money but I like it. I also know that it can be a time of year that people feel lonely but I think that it is an opportunity to make those people feel loved. Who says that we cannot give a friend some sugar cookies or send a card to a friend far away.

I like having holidays to help us stop our regular days and think about other people. We went to a friends house yesterday and had a sugar cookie baking party. It was a lot of fun and a good excuse to have a party. Tomorrow my kids will wake up and have a little hunt to where there card and small gift are but more than that we will talk about how much we love them and that is what they will remember down the road. Then my husband and I are lucky enough that my parents will have the kids that night and we are going to go on a double date with another couple. I am really looking forward to that.

It might be silly but I think that in February when it is cold and everything is dead and it seems like it will never be warm again it is nice to have some bright happy colors around and some pretty flowers and enjoy some cookies or candy. I makes me have a brighter day and I hope it does for other people also.

My kids have been having a couple of hard days. I am not really sure why but this morning we talked about how when you wake up you choose what kind of day you are going to have. So we sang the song

It's a good day and I thank God for the weather
It's a good day cause I'm living it for my Lord
Living each day by the promises of God's word


I hope that is helps them come out of their funk and I am looking forward to seeing them smile as they see that we went to the trouble to set aside a day to say I LOVE YOU.

Can you say throw-up?

I have been living in the world of throw-up for the past couple of days. Not me but my family. On Friday I went to visit my great-grandma. My girl was acting kind of funny but I just thought she was tired. That afternoon I am sitting there having a conversation with my mom and grandma with my girl on my lap and all of a sudden we are all covered in the lovely stuff. Poor thing. We got it all cleaned up and were sitting on the couch. She was on my lap still and here it comes again. I know this is to much information but really. How often does someone actually get thrown up on unless you are a mom or dad. So we stayed the night she slept good and was fine the whole next day. We came home later that afternoon to find my husband making runs to the bathroom himself. Let's just say it is a real blast at our house right now. My girl was good all day Saturday, all day Sunday until we went to church. We go to church at 4pm so she had been good for almost two whole days. My husband took her to her class and then she threw up there all over him. Fun, now we are even. He took her home, they got cleaned up and then again all over both of them. My poor little girl. The hard thing with kids is that there is no warning. They are just sitting there and then they are throwing up. So, it is Sunday night, she is in bed and seeming to be pretty good. I hope that was the end of it and that the rest of us can stay well.

Doesn't that make you want to come visit us?

Another Bit of Wisdom That I Have Learned From A Book I Just Finished Reading.

I just finished this book called Life Is So Good about a black man's life who is 103 years old and learned to read when he was 98 years old. It was such a good book. He has so much wisdom and had seen so many different things in his life time. At the end of the book the man interviewing him asked what he thought was wrong with families that kids are shooting each other in schools and things like that. His answer was that he felt like it was the grown ups and this is why

He said some people grow kids and some raise them. He said that people grow hogs by feeding them, giving them somewhere to live, and making sure they do not get sick. He said that raising kids is a whole different thing. That to raise them you have to teach them, be there for them, love them, meet their emotional needs and so on.

I thought that was so well put. Some people see it as growing kids and some see it as raising them. I want to raise my kids. I thought it was well put.

He also said that a lot of people think that 100 years is a long time to live but that to him is seemed short. That time went by fast and that life just keeps getting better.

If you get a chance it is a great book to read. He is an amazing man and I learned a lot from the book.


As a side note, I am sure some people are wondering what is going on with the adoption. The fact of the matter is that there just has not been anything to tell about. We are just still in the waiting stage and there is not a lot going on. It has been hard to be patient but we know that it is going to be in God's timing. Also we know that at this point all we can do is wait so that is what we are doing. I promise I will post any news as soon as there is any. We are still 100% excited about it and ready for our new addition we just do not know when that will be. Patience is that word of the day around our house.

Happy Birthday Princess!

My sweet little princess,

Can it be true? Did you really turn three today? You are no longer a baby but now you are a girl. You have changed so much the last couple of months. You are talking so much now and so clearly. I can have actual conversations with you. You got a real hair cut and it made you look so much older. My little girl is growing up and it is a good thing but I miss my little baby sometimes.

This year you asked for a pink, princess party so we did it up with the pink and the princesses. You informed me that my shoes that I put on this morning were not princess shoes and picked out the ones that were suitable. You were so excited about your party and kind of got overwhelmed with all the attention. We had a family party and you loved having everyone at our house. You thanked every person after each gift that you opened and showed pure delight at each and every gift. The ones from your brother were extra special to you. He made and wrapped them all by himself. Then we feasted on pink cupcakes and you were in pure heaven. As the party died down you kept asking if it was still your birthday and were happy to hear that it still was. Now you are sleeping in your bed a very tired little girl but one who knows that she is very loved.

Things we love about you right now:

That you say happy burbay for happy birthday

That your response to most questions is " of course"

That you are such a girl and love girly things but you can play rough with the boys and are much more tough then you let on

We love to watch you in gymnastics and swimming lessons. You do everything with your whole heart.

That your teachers at Bible study get a genuine grin on their faces when they see you coming. You are truly a ray of sunshine in everybody days that is so blessed to spend time with you.

That you suck your two middle fingers and hold your stuffed kitty's tail just under your nose in just the right way, it brings you such comfort.

The nights that we let you and your brother tell each other stories before going to bed.

The way that you love all of us. Our lives would not be a fun of joy without you. You make us laugh and feel loved every single day.

Happy Birthday Princess.

We love you more than we can tell.

Movies from New York

My son started realizing while we were in New York how many movies and books he had read and seen where from New York. So we started counting them and noticing even more. There was the central park zoo and grand central station from the movie Madagascar, the plaza hotel where Eloise lived, the swan from the book trumpeter of the swan, the newspaper stand at times square from the book Harry kitten and Tucker mouse, Stewart Little drives his car through central park and the list goes on. We had a great trip. It was freezing but we still had a lot of fun. We stayed at the Embassy Suites and I think the kids favorite part was that we had breakfast there every morning and they could pick all their favorite things. My husbands meetings went really well. The kids were great travelers and we did not have any of the incidents that we had last time with kids getting sick. We felt very blessed to be able to spend great time together as a family.

Winter New York Trip

Do you want to be water or lemonade?

I read this great article the other day that has really stuck with me. The story goes like this.

The little girl comes home from school and tells her mom that a certain girl does not like her. The mom asks the girl if she knows of anything that everybody likes. The girl thinks for a little bit and then the mom says, the only thing I can think of is water and that is because it is colorless and tasteless. Then she asks, "Do you want to be water?". The girl gets it and says no, I want to be hot chocolate or better than that , lemonade!

The lady goes on to explain that we do that so much in our lives. We want everyone to like us so we tone down ourselves so that more people will like us but what we lose is our real selves and the part of us that makes us interesting and makes us who we are. She also talked about how we do that to our kids also and want them to calm down, blend in and not make a scene. We want everyone to like them to.

I have to admit that this is really true for me. I find myself sitting and thinking about a certain person and wondering if they like me or not. Maybe they are annoyed by me, maybe I spoke my mind a little to much last time we talked, maybe I talked to much or not enough, or maybe they just plain don't like me. The problem is that then I try to figure out how I should do things different the next time I see them to make things go more smoothly. This is where I get into trouble. I should be saying, I am who I am and if that person does not like me because of that then that is all right. Everybody is not going to like everybody unless we are all water.

The truth is, I like people who are unique and different. Those are the people that I am drawn to. I like to talk to people who have different opinions and ideas then me. I can learn from them or just be entertained by someone who is different then me. I think if we really thought about it this would be true all around. I think that the things that make me uniquely me are what some people are drawn to also.

She talked about how it is the people in history that were a little bit different that did amazing things. I know this to be true because my husband is one of those people. He is very unique and does things his own way but it has gotten him really far but not only that but people really like him. Sometimes I will be out in town and meet someone that knows my husband and they will just rave about him. I think that is pretty amazing. I also know that sometimes I get annoyed and want him to do things my way but when I step back and look at it I know that life would be really boring if my husband was just like me. Just like life would be very bland and boring if everyone out there was just like me.

God made us all different for a reason and I want to embrace that and stop worrying if everybody likes me. I want to be LEMONADE.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK

We are leaving tonight to the BIG APPLE. I should be finishing our packing but I just wanted to write a little. Just a couple of days ago my husband asked if I wanted to go to New York with him. He needs to meet with a guy there about his job and we thought it would be a good opportunity to take the kids on a quick little trip before we get a new addition. The adoption placement is taking longer than we were thinking so it is a nice time to travel before we can't as easily. Our kids are at great ages to travel. I put them to bed so that they can get a couple of hours sleep before we have to wake them up to go to the airport. We are leaving at 11:30pm. This will be my third trip to New York.I love it there. Not the " I want to live there, love" but the " I love to visit it, love. I am hoping for a smooth trip but with little kids there is always some kind of adventure.

Like the first time I went to New York. My girl was only about 8 or 9 months old. We went on the same late flight that is a red eye. We went with friends of ours. She did really good on the flight but as soon as we landed she threw-up. That was pretty bad. Then we got on a bus to go to our hotel and she throws up again on the bus. We get off the bus and into a van. Then my husband discovers that he left his wallet on the bus. We have this great van driver and he tracks down the bus and a total miracle happens. My husbands wallet is still on the seat of the bus. In the meantime my daughter has pooped and it is leaking out onto my lap. Nothing like being a mom. We arrive at this really nice hotel and I am covered in throw up and poop. Not the kind of impression I wanted to make. I was never so happy to get into a hotel room and take a shower. My daughter was such a trooper through the whole thing. She was not even crying or anything. So I am just praying that this trip with the kids goes a whole lot better. I don't know if it could get much worse than that.

SO, I better go pack and double check everything. I think we are going to freeze our butts off but we will have fun. We always do.

What Community Looks Like In My Life...

A little recap of the last few days for me and my family...


Tuesday night was back to soup night, me and a friend make soup, invite anyone that wants to come and we eat together and meet new people. I had really missed having it and I was so happy to start it up again. We had a very full house. Lots of kids running around and playing, people sitting and standing while they eat their soup and bread. One couple stayed a little later and we got to really talk to them. It was what you would call a really good conversation. I shut the door after them and felt blessed to have so many great people in our lives and in our city. My kids ask when soup night will happen again. It is a good time for everyone.

Community

Wednesday found me at a bible study that I go to called Community Bible Study. It is not led by one church but by a group of women that want all women to be invited and to study the Bible together. We are studying the book of Acts this year which deals a lot with community. I have learned a lot so far. The biggest realization so far is that the church of Acts lived in such a way that they we aware of each others needs. They felt safe enough to be vulnerable with each other so that in turn they could meet each others needs. That is what I want in my life. I want friends that we can be honest when we need something and everyone else will be willing to reach out and fill that need.

Community

Wednesday night I went to my mother in laws house (three blocks away) and meet with a bunch of ladies to raise money for some friends that have had some hard things happen in the last few months. We talked, drank wine, and just had a lovely time all around.

Community

Thursday my daughter was with my parents so my son and I packed up his school stuff and went to cafe Rufugio ( a wonderful cafe owned by a friend of mine). We got drinks and tim tams and hung out at the cafe for about two hours. Doing school work and reading. It was wonderful. It is a great space with wonderful coffee. The best part about it is the owners really want to reach out to the community that they are in and are always coming up with great ideas of different things to do to accomplish that goal.

Community

Having friends that live just blocks away, neighbors that know my kids names, my husbands business is full of people that I call my friends, the local librarian that greets my family every time we go to the library, having friends that will just stop by, never feeling alone, having some friends that live far away but feel so close and considering them an important part of my life, my blog "friends", getting together to share a meal or a cup of coffee or tea.


This is what community looks like in my life and I am thankful for it. What does community look like to you?

Treasure

I just went upstairs for the third time tonight to tell my daughter to go to sleep and stop banging on the wall. She asked if I would cuddle with her for a little bit. Usually I would tell her no because I had already cuddled with her and put her to bed and now it was time to just sleep but I decided a little bit would not hurt. I layed down next to her and she just layed there so still for awhile. Then she stroked my face and said, " you are my treasure" She has completely stolen my heart. I am so glad I agreed to one more cuddle.