Tagged

OK, Lou tagged me and as she gave me the great idea of simply copying the rules straight from her blog because she copied from someone else's blog, so that's what I'm doing...

The rules are to link the person who sent this and leave a comment on their blog so their readers can visit yours~Post the rules on your blog~Share 7 strange/weird facts about yourself~Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and link their blog~Let each person know they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog. First off, I am tagging:

Hmmmm...I know I've seen this on some of your blogs already so if I've tagged you and you've already done it, just ignore me. I was going to check everyone's blog to see who's done it, but figured "Pffft".

Laurie Terry Tracy Donna PugMom Michelle Artsweet

Whoo! That was a lot of work already!

This was kinda tough because there's just so much to choose from and, really, how weird can things be if so many people have the same "weird" things? For instance, I totally agree with Lou's "feet" thing. I actually said those exact words last night. So not weird. It would be weird to me if y'all actually liked grownup feet. *shivers*

Here I go:

1) I'm almost always cold. I must have the warmest coat that I can buy in the winter and, in the summer, don't leave home without having a hoodie (or similar) within reach at all times. I am known far and wide for this.

2) I must always have a chapstick, or similar, with me at all times. I have one in a pocket of every coat I own and one in my fanny pack.

Which leads me to #3) I hate purses. I tried. I tried so hard to do the purse thing but find very few things in life more annoying than carrying a purse so my coats have tons of pockets. In the summer I wear a fanny pack. Oh I know you are snickering, but it is so convenient to have my hands free and, when you are as cool as I am, you can carry it off ;). So between my minivan and my fanny pack, you just know that I'm a confident woman. I have to be, don't I?

4) I carry very little cash on me, but, when I do, all the bills must be facing the same way and in order with the largest bills in back down to the smallest bills.

5) I must always have a pen on or near me. I have one in a pocket of every coat I own.

6) I'm obsessed with picking up change to put in a jug for our Disney trips. Roni and Katie cannot leave any laying around the house or I assume it's a donation to the cause since they know this fact about me.

7) I curse like a truck driver when talking to my friends (I bet you're surprised about that), but talk all mature and refined when it's appropriate. I change the way I talk depending on who I'm talking to. I do this unconsciously. If I'm talking to some rough and tumble people, I take on that persona. I pick up the southern accent very easily, etc. It works for me and helps me to form a bond with a whole variety of different people. In my workplace, it is a valuable unconscious skill (and, yes, I consider it a skill) because I supervise everyone in the building on the weekend ranging from the cooks, housekeepers, CNAs, nurses, etc., and they all like me (or so I think).

I did a bad, bad thing...

My poor, poor boy...

I pulled out the hair cutter thingy....

Big, big mistake...

Thank goodness he's not old enough to know better...

The initial Whoops!...

I was left with no choice, really...

I'm thinking of just going back in and spiking it, but Roni calls out to me from other rooms things like..."You don't have any scissors in your hand, do you?"

As promised, pics from the trip

We had such a great time. Everyone says it's so different when seen through the eyes of a child and they're correct. Watching Kevin on our last day in the Magic Kingdom at the Crystal Palace for lunch was absolutely priceless. If you haven't been to Disney, The Crystal Palace is a buffet with the Pooh characters leading a "march" around the restaurant with the kids and they come to your table to interact individually. By the time we went there-and we actually did this on a whim with no reservations-on our final day, Kevin was into the swing of things at Disney. I was a little worried about how he'd react to all the stimulation, but he was positively delighted. He lit right up while smiling and clapping. The look on his face when he first saw Piglet across the room was amazing. That moment made the whole trip worthwhile. In the pics below, he is awestruck when Piglet knelt down by his chair and then, in the second pic, he is in the action of giving Piglet a "high 5".

He also experienced his first time in a pool and loved it.

You'll also see his pure exhaustion in some of the pics because his naps were all messed up. He did amazingly well with very little fussing the whole trip.

I also learned that having his own room-as he did in the house we rented-was a beautiful thing. He slept through every night except one. Pure heaven.

I had mentioned previously about the drive down. The drive back was so much better. I think that it was partially my figuring out a good routine about when to drive and when to break and partially Kevin realizing that he needed to just settle back and relax because we had a long road ahead of us. We also bought a new DVD player while we were down there because ours died during the drive down...which totally sucked, BTW.

On a side note...my minivan got almost 26 MPG while fully loaded with luggage and Roni's scooter. I was pretty impressed and would like to know what it would get without all the weight in it.

The next trip is being planned as I write this...heehee.

He deserves his own post

I'm so tired that I know I won't be able to do this post justice. I want it to have meaning. Be eloquent. I won't be able to pull it off, but it's his birthday and he deserves the attempt.

One year ago today, on a Sunday at 6AM Guatemala time (7AM EST last year), just at the moment I was punching in for work, my baby boy was born and I had no idea.

I had waited for him for so long. I started out attempting to get pregnant by artificial insemination. For 9 months I tried and suffered at least one definite chemical pregnancy. My heart about broke when I lost that pregnancy and I asked God "why?". I tried and tried again and actually got multiple very light positive pregnancy tests, but, in the end, my monthly cycle showed up every month. My buddies on the message board (FF) were such a strong source of support to me. They cheered the pics of my tests and gave me virtual hugs when, inevitably, my period showed up. I cried so much during this time and kept asking God if He didn't think I should be a mom. He was answering me, but I wasn't hearing what He was saying just yet. I finally got some blood work and the numbers showed that, basically, my eggs were just too few and too old. I waited too long. By the time I heard my clock ticking, it was too late.

I only wanted to be a mom. I never wanted to be pregnant. I just didn't think that I'd be "allowed" to adopt since I'm "single". I started to look into it a little more and found out on that same message board that Guatemala might be an option. I searched for, and found, a message board specifically about Guatemala adoptions. I learned so much from the people on that board and I will be forever in debt to them for the information and the support I got from them. My agency was recommended by the people on that board.

I contacted my agency and signed on soon after. Shannon, my caseworker, is an absolute doll. I jumped in with both feet and ran into another glitch. The paperchase turned into a nightmare and my agency told me they'd have to cut me loose-at least temporarily and possibly permanently. I was crushed and thought my dream of being a mom was over. Again I questioned God, but He knew what He was doing. I was ready to throw in the towel, but Roni wouldn't let me. Although I didn't really have an agency, I kept on with the paperchase. Three weeks later, my agency called me and told me they were never really comfortable with their decision which is why I never received any termination paperwork from them. I was elated and charged forward again. The next thing that happened was that my homestudy social worker took forever to wrap things up and my homestudy, that was done in September, was not submitted until November. I was gnashing my teeth in frustration. Finally I got my approval from USCIS and submitted my dossier to my agency. This is where the next problem happened. The doctor's reports for Roni, Katie, and me had to be redone because the papers were all smudged. My head was banging against a wall at this point. He knew what He was doing. After they were corrected, I was on the waiting list for my son as of 12/15/06. History showed that boys were always a pretty quick referral and I had no doubt that I wanted a boy. I waited. No phone call in December. I waited. No phone call in January. For the first time, there was a waiting list for boys. Finally, on 2/5/07, the call came. My beautiful son was born 8 days earlier. I thanked God for "unanswered prayers" at that point. I was sorry I ever doubted Him. He was right. This was my son.

We love him so much.

Happy birthday baby boy. You were definitely worth the wait.

Grrrrr! and Happy birthday Kevin!

Let me preface by saying that I actually enjoy driving to WDW for the most part. The problem is there are so many assholes that you'll drive next to, or around, when you drive a trip of that distance.

This is to a few of the ones that aggravated me:

Hey, fool! Yeah, you in the blue Jeep Liberty. Let me give you a freakin' clue. When driving on a 3 lane highway with a speed limit of 70, a clue that maybe you shouldn't be in the middle lane doing 50 is when people are passing you in the slow lane. It's fools like you who cause accidents. Move the fuck over where you belong.

Yo dorkhead! Yeah, you in the Ford truck. When driving on a 3 lane highway with a speed limit of 70 (again/still) and the slow lane is jammed up with the appropriate slow traffic and I am in the middle lane actively passing them while there is not a bloody soul in the 3rd lane, do not ride my freakin' ass!!! Use the motherfucking 3rd lane! That is what it is for. Why the fuck would you choose to attempt to drive up my tailpipe instead of passing me. I can't move over into the slow lane and I'll be damned if I'll speed up for you. Fuckwad.

To the shithead in the big ol' overcompensatingforsomething truck. When driving on a 2 lane road and one of us had her turn signal on to get in the lane you are in because her part of the road is ending, do not speed up so the only choice she has is to either A) speed up even faster and scoot in front of you and possibly then get in an accident because you're a dickhead, or B) slow down to almost a stop in order to not fly off the road while you flex your manly truck-dick. I think you truly pissed me off the most because it was just plain rude. You could have killed me and my family dickweed, but thanks for waking me up with that adrenaline rush. Prick.

Sorry. Had to get that out.

I'm on the wrong computer to be able to post any pics right now, but I'll get to it. We just got home and are still settling in and I'm so damn tired...

Last, but not least...

Happy birthday Kevin!!!!!

The drive down?

Yeah. I had reason to worry.

We're still in Florida with beautiful temps in the 70s. I watch the Weather Channel daily...I watch it every day when I come to Florida in the winter just so I can sit back a chuckle at the crappy weather in PA. Walking around in shirtsleeves in January is my definition of heaven.

Anyway. The drive. It took until day 3 for me to figure out what would work with Kevin and keep him from being miserable which, in turn, made us miserable. I decided to take 3 days to drive down on this trip in order to keep each leg at around 6-7 hours. I'm glad I did that because any longer and one of us wouldn't be here right now. By the 3rd day, I started out after breakfast and before Kevin's nap. He fell asleep and woke up around the time I could give him lunch. At lunchtime I'd take him into a McDonalds or Wendys so he could get out of the car and have some fun. I'd kill enough time that he was almost ready for his next nap and he'd fall asleep again. By the time he woke up I was 5 minutes from the house rental.

I'll write more about the vacation a bit later. I need to go rouse him from his nap...

Tell me she doesn't know where she's going...

Today has been so hectic getting everything together/done for the trip. I took Annie and Carly to the kennel and Cassie has been going nuts following me around as we're packing and I'm loading the car up. Just a few minutes ago I let her out to pee. This little girl knows exactly where we're going tomorrow. I swear to you on my son's life that this was what I saw when she was done and we did not set this up...

I'll post as soon as I can!

He's getting so big!

I measured Kevin today. He's 29 inches tall and 19 lbs now. That puts him at about the 60 percentile for height, right now, and at about the 5 percentile for weight. The weight is actually an improvement because he wasn't even on the charts last month. The funny thing is that he's doing better on milk than he was on formula. It may be a coincidence, but there it is. His height to weight ratio is at about the 12 percentile mark. Again, he wasn't on the charts last month. I'm pleased with his progress...

Progress

Got a bunch of stuff done today:

I still need to get to the drugstore for our scripts, to the vet for Carly's Heartgard, pack, change the filter in the furnace so it doesn't die on me like the ill fated trip of November 2006, get the dog's licenses, make sure all the bills are paid for during the time we'll be gone, pack, drop the dogs off at the kennel, get beer and cigs to get through the next few days of stress, pack, go to a different grocery store that sells a particular snack for Roni that, for some reason, nobody else carries, lug Roni's scooter up from the basement, gas up the van, buy ice for the cooler, obsessively check the forecast online for Orlando (cross your fingers for me for warm weather and no freakin' rain), set up the DVD player in the van for Kevin in the hopes that it's enough to keep him happy and, more importantly, quiet. Did I mention that we need to pack?...that's all I can think of off the top of my head...

YeeHAW!

I'm done with work until the first weekend in February! Doing a happy dance here. Friday we start the drive and holy crap! I have a lot to do. We haven't even brought the suitcases out yet. Normally, we have half our shit packed by now. I did get the grocery shopping done today and have most of the stuff we need for the trip (IE: snacks, high amounts of caffeine for me, sandwich stuff, etc.). I still need to get to the drugstore for our scripts, to the vet for Carly's Heartgard, pack, change the filter in the furnace so it doesn't die on me like the ill fated trip of November 2006, get the dog's licenses, make sure all the bills are paid for during the time we'll be gone, pack, drop the dogs off at the kennel, get beer and cigs to get through the next few days of stress, pack, go to a different grocery store that sells a particular snack for Roni that, for some reason, nobody else carries, lug Roni's scooter up from the basement, gas up the van, buy ice for the cooler, obsessively check the forecast online for Orlando (cross your fingers for me for warm weather and no freakin' rain), set up the DVD player in the van for Kevin in the hopes that it's enough to keep him happy and, more importantly, quiet. Did I mention that we need to pack?...that's all I can think of off the top of my head...

Tam-sitting here doing Lamaze-type breathing...

Milestone!

It may not seem like a big deal, but I'm just so proud.

Kevin has been working on the sippy cup and has actually gotten much better at it, but today I reintroduced him to the kind with a straw. I tried it before and he had no clue whatsoever. Today, he picked that puppy right up and started sucking away like he's been doing it all along. He was so pleased with himself that he just kept doing it over and over again. When he tipped the cup over, he meticulously set it upright again. The timing couldn't be better. I was hoping he could use something with regularity by the time we left for the trip. Since the straw is supposed to be more beneficial developmentally, that's a bonus.

Ooooh, maybe I've figured it out!

So. Sunday night I came home from work, got ready for bed, and started my nighttime routine. Which, of course, includes my 2 Reese's Peanut Butter cups. This has continued to be quite the
project. That night my son who is, apparently, like the Princess and the Pea with a bionic ear when sleeping, was sleeping even lighter than usual. It took me 6 minutes, people, 6 minutes! to open one PB cup. I timed it. I watched the digital clock tick off the minutes while being ever so grateful that it was Sunday night, when I don't have to get up for work the next day, and not Saturday night. The second one only took 3 minutes. I say only 3 minutes, but seriously, open a PB cup. Go ahead, I'll wait. What does it take you? About 6 seconds? Yeah. Anyway, I had an epiphany last night. I didn't open it like a normal person does by unwrapping it. I sliced the top open. The crinkling was kept to a minimum and it was open in about 15 seconds. WooHoo.

Why didn't I think of this sooner?

Why am I obsessed with this subject?

Time to move along. Just move along, Tam.

Am I the only one...

...who has gone from surprise to head-shaking-disgust to pity and sadness over the heart-wrenching, downward spiral of Brittany Spears? I turned a corner somewhere along the line and now feel very, very sorry for her. I was never a fan, but now-against all odds-I find myself rooting for her to turn her life back around.

I always seem to pull for the underdog...

10 days

All of a sudden the trip to Florida is coming up fast. All of a sudden I'm getting nervous. What if the drive sucks with a 1 year old? What if he hates Disney World (perish the thought!)? What if he freaks out? Deep breath, Tam. Just go with the flow...

Anyway.

Presenting the evidence of how Kevin fights his naps on the weekend for poor Roni. Could he look any more tired?

He's learned the joy of using a walking toy. He just hasn't figured out how to steer it yet. He took off with this yesterday:

I was a little afraid I scarred him for life

Last week was a tough week, folks. Roni, God love her, fell in the bathtub and really hurt her lower back. She was pretty much laid up for most of the week. She normally gives Kevin his bath. He loves his bath.

Or he did.

I had to take over this duty because she simply could not do it. No problem.

Or so I thought. It went like this:

Day 1: I put him in the tub and all was well. At first. I then made the mistake of getting water in his face while trying to wet his hair. Mama Mia. That was the end of the good times that night.

Day 2: I put him in the tub and all was well. At first. I was very careful to not repeat the mistake of the night before. Success. And then. He reached for a tube on the edge of the tub and hit the shampoo bottle with it. The shampoo bottle, like a laser missile, shot off the edge and hit him in the forehead. Screaming ensued. End of good times.

Day 3: I put him in the tub. All was not well. Crying. Sobbing. And all manner of carrying-on ensued. Oy. Great.

Day 4: Roni takes him and puts him in the tub. Crying. Carrying-on. This sucks. I'm filled with guilt.

Days 5 & 6: I'm at work and Roni works with him on Saturday and Sunday to trust that she'll never allow Mommy to fuck with him again in the tub.

Tonight was day 7: Roni ran the bath while I played with him and undressed him for his bath while saying excitedly, "Do you want a bath?" When the water was ready, I put him on the floor to see if he'll crawl excitedly into the bathroom like he always has. Off he went. I stayed far, far away. Didn't want him to have flashbacks. Success! He had fun in the tub! Yay!

I suck.

Just a few pics again

...and just never-you-mind about the messy house & pile of clothes....