3 Months

So, I bought the book, The Sneaky Chef, and I LOVE it. I made the chocolate chip cookies and meatloaf and everybody gobbled it up. Yesterday I mixed sardines with tuna for Owen, just to see if he would eat it. He loved it! Erin said she is not eating at my house anymore. Someone should have done this for Erin a long time ago, she is the pickiest eater I know.



It is hard to believe Johnley has only been here for 3 months. He and Sammy are getting along so well, it is a joy to watch. They are so funny. The other night they were hiding from Daddy and Uncle Joe. There was major excitement and cries of "Hurry up, Sammy, they're coming!" as they both ran into the back bathroom. Of course, Daddy and Uncle Joe had to be told they were supposed to be looking for them, so Joe stood quietly outside the door until it cracked open and then jumped in with a big roar! Only to find Sammy on the toilet! Who goes to hide in the bathroom and decides to use it?!? It was pretty funny. We figured Joe helped Sammy move it along!


Of course, when they get mad at each other I hear, "You're not my brother!" Sorry guy, you can't take that back! You are stuck with each other!

In three months...Johnley has an amazing grasp of the English language. Unless he is very tired, he really doesn't cry anymore. He enjoys playing the same games that Sammy does. He dresses himself, brushes his own teeth. He can ride a bike. He has survived Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years! He doesn't really remember creole or the names of anyone at the village (and that is not for lack of trying on my part - I have shown him the pictures from day one) I would be willing to bet he doesn't really remember not living here. He has stopped being afraid that he is getting ripped off. He trusts that he will get his fair share, now. He sleeps with us every night, has no problem with pajamas or blankets (I just remembered how he would take the sheets off his bed!) He has mastered the Game boy and the V-smile.

Three short months....

Rules and Quirks

Rules:

• link to the person who tagged you


• post the rules on your blog


• share six non-important things/ habits/ quirks about yourself


• tag at least 3 people at the end of the post and link to their blogs


• Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog

Quirks:

• So I sent out an email my other friends (both of them!) and I can't print the quirks they came up with! I explained this blog tagging thing to my brother and asked him for a quirk and he says "How about the fact that you journal on a blog?". I thought that was pretty funny.
• Toilet paper has to be on the roll the right way. I can't stand it if its not. Even if I am not at home, I will switch it to be the right way!
• I take a bath every day. I love, love, love my tubby! I get up early to make sure I get it in! I either add oil or more likely bubbles and I slip into a piece of heaven! If I don't have time to take a bath in the morning, then I take one at the end of the day. Its like an addiction.
• I hate being late. It makes me crazy. I really don't care if other people are late (I count on it if they're coming to my house!), but I have been known to be throwing kids in the car half dressed in order to get somewhere on time. And much to some people's dismay, when I am kid-less I am usually quite early (sorry Pam!). Homeschooling and being on time don't really go together, though. I am often the first one to arrive at a gathering.
• I don't share my popcorn at movies. I never have. I don't know why, but I will go to great lengths to make sure everyone I am with has their own, so I don't have to share!
• But my biggest quirk (drumroll please) is that I collect children from around the world and bring them into my family! So far it has worked out fantastic, lets hope we can keep up the good work!

As far as tagging others goes, I can't. The only other people I know who blog are the ones who tagged me. So I will leave this task for sometime in the future. Eventually I will begin commenting on other peoples blogs and put my blog out there for others to see.

Quirks

So, I've been tagged. Apparently this is a big deal and I'm supposed to be all excited. I've been tagged by this person, who was tagged by this person. So I happen to be friends with two of the funniest people on earth. How am I supposed to follow that? To add insult to injury, I can't think of any quirks! I got nothing! How incredibly boring am I? So I am emailing this post out there and I am asking for some quirks. Here goes.

The good and the bad

So I haven't committed 100% to this next adoption. Nick has, tho. He contacted the adoption agency and said to move ahead. Their first step is to send the social worker to interview Taishauna about her feelings about it. I told Nick until he comes up with a plan for the money and I find out this girls background, I am not committing. Of course the stars always align for Nick because the interest rates dropped and the mortgage company called and wanted to know if we want to refinance. So it looks like we might be able to refinance with extra for the adoption. We should find out soon. I am not going to think about it till we know for sure. That's the good.

The bad? Well, Johnley got his first shot. He is so brave he didn't even cry. Although I think he was so surprised he didn't have time to react. And then everybody made such a big deal about his not crying, he just went with it. But that's not the bad.
The doctor wrote a prescription for a bazillion lab tests, that of course he wanted right away. So I took him to the lab with Sammy in tow. First they need a urine sample. Okaaaaay. So I take two four year old boys into the bathroom to get a urine sample from one of them. Yeah, there weren't too many questions and inappropriate comments about that! Then we go back into the room. She has Johnley sit on my lap. I turn his head away from the needle (and Sammy is practically laying on my other arm) and she starts. Johnley screams, Sammy immediately starts rubbing his head, telling him its okay and I try to calm him down. He does calm down and because my doctor is a nut, we have to wait forever for her to finish. I promise him a toy after this is over because he is breaking my heart, and Sammy starts whining that he wants one too. We are done. But that is not the bad either.
The bad is that she informs me that she needs a stool sample. A STOOL sample. That I have to get. Are you kidding me???? She explains how to do it, but my head is spinning so I don't really hear her. A stool sample. UGH! I come home and tell Nick that I can't do it, he has to. He acts all tough and says sure, I can do it. I won't go into the details of how it is done. Lets just say, it doesn't affect the kid, and it is beyond DISGUSTING. To make a long story short, Nick can't do it. I realize I have to pull up my Mommy abilities that make me able to put up with all sorts of disgusting things in the name of love and do it myself.

So today I'm getting ready to put the kids to nap and Cara has a stinky diaper. I begin changing her and Johnley informs me that he has to go to the bathroom. Okay, wait, wait. I hurry with Cara, change her diaper and leave her to take care of Johnley. When Johnley is finished, I shoo him out to wash his hands in the other bathroom, close the door and do my thing. I'm not saying what I did, but it took a few minutes. Meanwhile Cara is calling "Mom, mom, mom," because I haven't put her pants on. I'm ignoring her because I'm a little busy so she comes to the door crying and banging on it. I finish what I'm doing and come out. She is in the middle of a major fit when I open the door and she instantly stops, goes back to where I was changing her diaper, and lays down. Because, dammit, she wants me to finish! Kids crack me up.

Coming together

Sammy and Johnley are really playing together alot. It is an amazing thing to see develop. They are beginning to think of themselves as a team. Johnley is coming to his own too. He is now proud of getting dressed by himself, going to the bedroom by himself (Sammy is scared to do that) and drawing on the easel. He is very good. For a while after he got here he wanted me to do everything for him, probably because he never had anyone to do it, but now he is so proud of himself for being able to do it. He is beginning to believe, I guess, that he is getting his fair share, because he is less paranoid about anything Sammy gets. He used to be so worried about getting ripped off that he wouldn't even wait to hear a whole sentence, he would just start saying no.

The coolest thing tho, is that even when O comes over, he continues to play with Sammy. He used to step back a bit and hang with C, but now he is right there with the other boys, doing crazy power ranger stuff and all.

Yesterday the kids were playing on the top bunk and Sammy was facing the railing. Owen got mad at him for something and pushed him. Sammy actually did a flip and landed on his back on the floor. I am so glad I wasn't there to see it, because I would have had a heart attack. He wasn't hurt, tho, just scared. I imagine they will be a little more careful now, (at least for a little while.)

So Johnley is going to start getting immunizations today. I really don't have a choice, I have to get him immunized. I also have to take him to get a TB test. He has been immunized for TB, and will probably test positive and will have to be treated as if he has it, because there is no way of telling why the test was positive. The Doctor has been cool about my fears and is willing to go as slow as I want, and only giving one immunization at a time. I don't know what I would do if I had a choice, I would probably still get the immunizations, but I am not looking forward to it. Sammy had a follow up at the Dr. yesterday (all is well) and Johnley was a bit jealous that Sammy got to go with me and he didn't. So he is just kind of happy he is going with me tonight. Obviously doesn't know what a shot is because his response was "Okay, Mommy." He is going to learn real quick, tho. The next hundred times he goes to the doctor, he is getting a shot! Wish us luck!

From braces to siblings

T got her bottom braces off yesterday! Yeah! The Dr. office gave her an empty water bottle filled with all the candy you can't eat with braces. Of course, it is the same candy that you can't eat if you want to prevent cavities, but apparently orthodontists don't talk to dentists. She got starbursts, twizzlers, blow pops, juicy fruit and airheads. She was extremely happy!

She is pretty busy these days. Lets see, for PR purposes....She volunteers at the library, belongs to the bowling club, the swim club, the drama club and the chess club. She is taking art classes and doing an online math program. She is very involved in her church and is rehearsing to be one of the speakers in an upcoming service. She is about to join the 4-H club and is signed up to do an overnight at the liberty science center and learn all about weather.

Pretty darn impressive if you ask me. But the big news....she is going to have a sister who is one year younger than her. That's right, you heard it here first, we are officially INSANE, but she is ecstatic! We are beginning the process (that we are assuming will take two years) to bring another child home from Haiti. We are accepting donations of any amount!

BTW, Sammy said to Johnley today, "You are from Haiti. I will always love you and always take care of you." So I guess we are doing something right!

Out with the old, in with the new

This weekend Nick and I were supposed to go to a wedding in Atlantic City and stay over. It was a very big deal. We had a babysitter for overnight, my girlfriend lent me some things to use. I headed out on Friday to get my nails done and my hair done (and let me tell you, THAT'S a big deal). And then my car died. That was the first bad sign. It wasn't enough that my dryer had called it quits on Tuesday and the part never came in. But for the car (that we knew was on the way out) had actually bite the dust was a little overwhelming. But no worries, we were still going. I would just have to go out on Sat and get my hair done.



Then Sammy got sick. He woke up in the middle of the night on Friday unable to breath. As any mother of a child with asthma can tell you, there is nothing like the helpless feeling of your child not being able to breath. He was still struggling on Saturday and we decided not to go. It so sucks to not go to a wedding when they are expecting you, but Nick couldn't go and leave me with no car on the chance that I had to take Sammy to the hospital. The wedding, btw, was for someone at Nicks work (he really needs to just decline these invites). So we didn't go. (Just to let you know how big a deal this was, I got 4 phone calls on Monday to see how my weekend was!)



So that the weekend wasn't a total bust, we bought a car! Yes that's right, we (and when I say we, I mean Nick) went to a car dealer and came home with a car. That's the only way to do it. I say, the sooner you realize the dealer is going to rip you off and just accept it, the better off you will be. So I found a used car on the Internet and liked the price and bought it. They actually gave us 500 for our car, can you believe it?



So here is a picture of the new beauty. I love it, love it, love it. Sammy is better now, my dryer is fixed, and all is right with the world.


Out with the old....


and in with the new....
Isn't she purdy?

Learning to say thank you.

This is a post I typed last week. I thought I posted it, but apparently I didn't. So here it is.

Sometimes people come into your life for the very reason to show you how NOT to be. Yesterday I gave someone a belated Xmas present, a calendar with my kids pictures in it. I got one for Xmas and sat down with the person to examine every photo, oohing and aahing with delight. My sister got one and did the same thing. This person said, "Do you know, last year you didn't give me one, and this year I got 6 calendars. One from the Chinese restaurant, one from the realtor, blah, blah and now yours." CAN'T YOU JUST SAY THANK YOU?????? (And don't think I didn't notice that you were comparing pictures of my kids to a Chinese calendar!)



On the lighter side, Sammy asked me if Erin's new baby was going to be grey like me and Owen, or brown like him! So not only are my children not black, but I am not white. I have always known that my children weren't black. When T was 4 or 5 I talked to her about how some people have preconceived beliefs about black people, and she said to me, "Who's black, Mommy, I'm brown?" and I realized that black is a silly term. But I had no idea I was GREY! I could see if he was talking about my hair, but he was talking about my skin! I need to get outside more!

Random thoughts

I'm watching Dr. Laura and she says that couples should spend 15 minutes a day MINIMUM fooling around. 15 minutes a day. hmmmm. The first problem with this is that I am watching Dr. Laura. Well its 4 am and I turned on CNN and she is on Larry King. And yesterday I had a very interesting conversation with someone I like very much whos views could not be more different than mine. Actually it is the second such incident in the past 7 days. While it is very unsettling, it is also liberating. I tend to get stuck with my views because I'm stubborn. So I've decided that I have room for improvement (shocking, I know) and that I will be open to other views. Of course, none of this applies to Dr. Laura, because she is a STUPID BITCH! but that is just my opinion!
Anyway, back to the 15 minutes a day. Man, Nick is lucky if he gets 15 minutes a week! But flylady says that you can do anything for 15 minutes! I wonder if Dr. Laura is flylady?

Yesterday my friend gave Johnley an umbrella to play with and I wish I had taken a picture. It was a brightly colored flowered umbrella, and he looked so adorable. He kept saying he was hot, so he needed the umbrella up. No matter that I told him a hundred times the umbrella is to keep you dry, he kept saying he was hot. She also gave him a very colorful harmonica. He was in heaven! Just as an aside, Sammy was SHOCKED to find out that Johnley got a harmonica and there was nothing for him!
Sammy wasn't there because he was at Aunt Teri's house. Apparently he was naughty while he was there. Teri says she doesn't know if she wants him back. I don't believe her, but she was annoyed. I asked Sammy later what was going on and he said that he thought he was being funny but he guesses it wasn't funny. I wonder if he had an epiphany or is he just telling me what I want to hear? Probably just telling me what I want to hear, but because he is my son, I will believe that he had an epiphany. And that is why the mother is always so surprised to find out that something is wrong with her son!
Last night Sammy climbed into bed with us, but instead of getting between us, he just climbed in next to me. Of course I pushed him out of bed! He fell, Nick jumped up and ran in the boys room, going "What's wrong, what happened?" I yelled, he is in here. Johnley woke up and then we all climbed back into one bed and went to sleep. What fun!

The perfect mother

T is a better mother than I am. Yesterday was the day I start my new life. So first thing in the am I sent T into do her work! I even checked on her a few times and helped her. Then I had a talk with her about career choices. Apparently that all I was capable of! I spent the rest of the morning on the phone and listening to my friend's top ten songs! T, meanwhile, took the boys outside, played with them inside and read to them. I finally got outside after lunch and started working on the yard. I helped Sammy build an obstacle course for he and Johnley to take turns with the automatic car. I had to explain the difference between an obstacle course and a blockade! Last night in bed Sammy said to me, "Mom, we didn't do school today!" (He really needs to stop listening to my conversations with other people). So I told him, school today was the obstacle course -- Its all about the PR!
Anyway here is a video of tubing -- I strongly recommend it! See if you can hear Sammy laughing towards the end.

New Rules

From now on, every time the boys say a bad word (even if it's in Creole and I don't know what it means) or they hit or push or throw something at each other, they lose a toy. It might be a game, or a game boy or a stuffed animal, or a favorite article of clothing. It goes in the big garbage bag in the dining room. In a week, I am either going to have two well behaved boys, or no more mess to clean up ever! I am so sick of them yelling at each other. We threaten spanking and soap in the mouth, but we never really do it. So this morning I made up this plan. Of course, Johnley yelled something to Sammy in creole and lost his Nerf gun, and I felt bad because I don't think he understood and anyway, everyone gets a warning first, so he got it back! And to top it off, he pouted for 30 minutes because I hurt his feelings, so I had to make it up to him! Yes, this is definitely going to work!
I'm bored. I took down all the Christmas stuff. It's all in the dining room. Every other room in the house is Christmas free and back to normal, but I don't feel like putting it all away. I'm bored because I have nothing to look forward to. And depressed because Christmas was enough for me to look forward to and keep me busy. That's pathetic. Is that what my life has become? I'm okay as long as I have Christmas or vacation or a birthday party to distract me. Ugh!
It must be January because I am bored with my life.
So, if I could do anything, what would it be? Well, if I wanted to matter and feel like I was doing something with my life, I would have to get involved in improving the world in some way, but that is way too much work and commitment. If money wasn't an object I would travel all over the world with the kids, adventure after adventure. And I think I would feel like their education would be covered what with all the world experience. So short of saving the world and traveling the world, what to do? I need a passion. I've never had one. I've always been too busy trying to live. Wow, has this post become all about me, or what! Ah, well. The kids are with their father and I'm going to watch Transformers. Again!

Starting on Wednesday

Wow. Today is already Jan.2. According to my plans, this would be the day that we start back to school. But that's crazy! Who starts anything on a Wednesday? We will have to wait till Monday! Whew, there's a weight off!

First day of Jan.

Dear Diary, today is the first day of the new year and I missed it! I slept until 3:30 pm. I think my body was trying to tell me something! Of course, now it is past 11 and I am wide awake, which doesn't bode well for tomorrow!
I have discovered something about myself recently. I don't like drinking anymore. I think I haven't liked it for some time but I did it anyway, I'm a little slow on the uptake. Now I don't do it so I don't smoke and I realize that I don't miss it. I have no desire to drink. That is not to say I have no desire to have my mind altered, because that part I have always liked, I just don't like to drink. I am such a victim of peer pressure, tho, that I will probably continue to drink when everyone else is, but I could see myself never drinking again. This probably is not that big of a deal to some people, but almost everyone I know drinks and the main ingredient in the majority of my get-togethers with people is alcohol. And people that drink really don't like it when everyone is not drinking. Why is that?
I went to a party last night and most everyone was drinking. It was very interesting to be one of the few that was not. No one was very drunk, but I guess that is why people want you to drink, so there are no sober witnesses!
Ah, well, on to better things.
Johnley and I are really struggling. He is constantly testing me and I am not amused. I keep wondering what he was like in his own environment. The only thing that we were told about him is that he is very stubborn and to just wait him out and he will come around. I have noticed in the pictures that we have from the village before Nick went down, he is pouting in alot of them. He initially says no to everything. And as soon as he sees he is not going to get us mad, and he might lose out, he says ok. He is not in some of my Christmas pictures because of that. I had a tough time with the pictures I took of the three of them because if he was upset, there was no talking him out of it, like I could with Sammy.
It is also interesting that he is not afraid of Sammy. The two of them were playing tonight and chasing and wrestling each other and he was just having fun, not at all worried that he might get hurt. I'm not explaining this right, but it struck both Nick and I that it was unusual.
I know he is just trying to find his way. Tonight when I was reading them a story, I read from the one Johnley picked first and he said he didn't want Sammy looking at his book. I told him that was mean and I was reading to both of them. He got mad and turned away. I kept on reading and he begrudgingly rolled back over to look. But when I was done, he wouldn't say good night to Sammy! Of course they both passed out in 10 seconds because they were up till 1 am last night!
He made me laugh earlier tho. We put the bunk beds back up in their room to make more space, and Johnley sleeps on the bottom. Last night our bed was too crowded so I slept in Johnleys bed. This evening for whatever reason, they decided to straighten their covers and Johnley starts mumbling about how he doesn't want Mommy to sleep in his bed any more, that she should sleep in Sammys!! I cracked up, told him, how about if I sleep in MY bed?

Oh well, Sammy just woke up and is looking for me, I must go. Good night.

Happy Happy New Year!!!!