Lily's New Babysitter

Today I had an appointment at the Opthamologist to pick out my new seeing eye dog. Of course I'm just kidding...and in fact my eyes are doing MUCH BETTER. I'm happy to report I can even start wearing my contacts again...not every day...but I'll take what I can get!

Anyway, I needed someone to watch my little pumpkin while I saw the doctor. I told Lily that I was going to call Dad Dad to see if he would come to the doctor with us and stay with Lily in the Waiting Room while I went back to see the doctor. Lily said, "No. Dad Dad come over and we play in the playroom. Mommy go to the doctor."

Since I always do what my two year old tells me to do...that's what we did. When I told Dad the plan I think he was a little apprehensive...and so was I. Let me tell you we had every reason to be. Lily was really tore up when I left this morning. I couldn't quite make out what she said as I was leaving but it sounded something like, "Don't let the door hit you on the way out."

By all accounts they had a great time and I think Lily was a tad disappointed I was gone less than an hour! Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of Lily and Dad Dad - the wonder babysitter. Since, um...I wasn't here! So, I thought I'd add a few pictures from our recent family trip to the pumpkin patch.

Riding The Rails

Lily absolutely loves trains and for months we've been talking about riding the train to meet Daddy for lunch. Today we finally did it.

We had a great time on the ride up. Lily loved looking out the window and seeing all the different sights. Lily provided a running narrative of everything that was passing by. It was fun to share in her excitement!

Lily and I also enjoyed talking with, Gianni, the elderly gentleman who was sitting behind us. He chatted to us the entire way to Tony's office. As Gianni shared with us how he fills his days he made every effort to fill Lily's stomach with all kinds of sweets. Gianni gave Lily a HUGE Cadbury chocolate bar, some kind of Ring Ding looking thing wrapped in cellophane, and a red lollipop. I can't tell you how crestfallen he was when I secreted each of these little treasures away into my diaper bag with "promises" to give them to Lily after she had eaten lunch. Maybe I'm evil, but I deposited each of these items in the nearest trash can I could find after exiting the train. Gianni was a very kind man but remember what your mother told you?? Never take candy from a stranger...no matter how sweet they are!

I found this bubble wrap in Mommy's tote bag...it's almost as much fun as riding on the train!

As we were getting ready to get off the train Gianni had one more surprise for Lily...a little pink rosebud! I think Gianni was completely smitten with our sweet Lily.

Mommy, are you going to stick this in the diaper bag, too??

Lily was so excited when we got off the train and she saw Tony waiting for us. Lily knew we were meeting Daddy for lunch and had even told Gianni that's why she was riding the train. We had a good lunch and a fun but short visit with Daddy. I wanted to be home in time for Lily's nap so we were back on the train in a little over an hour.

Daddy, I rode on a TRAIN!!

On the ride home we met another delightful man named James. James entertained Lily with "Cuppie" his talking soda cup, various bird whistles, and a variety of other fun noises. Unfortunately, the fun ended once James got off the train.

After James and Cuppie left us the train started having mechanical problems. We ended up having to switch trains. It really wasn't a big deal. We simply walked over a temporary ramp and boarded a new train and away we went...or so we thought.

Little did we know that switching trains was just the beginning of our adventure! Three break downs (on the new train)...and 3 1/2 hours later...we got back to the station where our car was parked!!

I'm riding home on the train, too! Did you notice my coat is reversible?? I love that!

I can't believe how well Lily handled this unexpected change in plans. The poor thing did not have a nap and was stuck in a train sitting down for 3 1/2 hours and she was still such a trooper! She didn't complain or fuss a bit!! We read some books I had brought with us...ate some snacks...and basically just chatted, looked out the window, and waited for the train to start running again.

Unfortunately, not everyone on the train behaved as well as our little 2 year old (who hadn't had a nap). Trust me, if I was worried about what Lily overheard me say the other day...she heard MUCH, MUCH worse today...and many more times! It got really, really ugly. I could go on and on and provide all the sordid details but I would really rather just forget it ever happened! The funny thing is when I was putting Lily to bed tonight all she could talk about was how much fun it was to ride the train!!

Needless to say the next time we meet Tony for lunch...I'm DRIVING!!!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is my dad's 74th birthday.

If it's possible to love a parent too much that would describe how I feel about my dad. I ADORE him! My guess is...if you know my dad you adore him, too!

My father is a simple man. I mean that as the highest compliment. My father has never wanted for more than what he has. In this world where so many people have the mentality that bigger and faster must mean it's better Dad's innate happiness and contentment with his life is always such a breath of fresh air.

Happy Birthday Dad! We love you more than you know!

From the very first time I laid eyes on my Dad Dad I've loved him!

Spiders

Over the past few months Lily has gone from being the girl who picked up worms and ants to the girl who is afraid to walk past a spiderweb. To put it mildly, right now Lily is pretty much afraid of every kind of bug.

Um, what do you mean I have my face in a spider's head???

This week I was 'Snack Mom' for Lily's preschool class. I know I need a hobby but I can't tell you how cool I thought it was to be 'Snack Mom'. I felt like I had...kind of...arrived. You know...like now...I am a card carrying member of the Mom Club.

So, anyway...I thought it might be fun to have a snack that was related to the class theme. I e-mailed Lily's teacher to see what the theme was for this week. When Miss Doreen replied that the theme was Spiders...I thought...YIKES! Not only would Lily HATE the class but what kind of spider snack could I come up with?? I searched on-line and found lots of fun things I could make/bake...if I was the make/bake type. Not only that, due to food allergies, the school has a strict policy that all snacks must be store bought and not homemade.

Turns out Lily really enjoyed the Spider class. The kids sang The Itsy Bitsy Spider, made a web out of yarn, and for craft they taped a straw to a paper house and attached a spider ring to the straw so the spider could slide up and down the "water spout".

Pretty cool water spout don't you think?

Once Lily was finished taping the straw down (with a little help from Mommy) she used markers and drew a little on the front of the paper and then flipped the paper over and drew some more. I must admit I was chatting with one of the other moms and wasn't paying close attention to what Lily was doing until I heard Miss Doreen say, "Wow Lily! What are you drawing?" Lily said, "A spider and a web" with just a hint of a "Duh!?!" in her voice. When I looked at the paper I was shocked to see...a spider and a web!

Mona Lisa...Smona Lisa. Da Vinci was a hack!

Miss Doreen and a few of the other moms made quite a big deal about Lily's drawing. I think Miss Doreen expects that some day Lily's work will be hanging in the Louvre and she can tell people she taught Lily in preschool! Lily was a little less impressed with the attention and promptly left her masterpiece and headed to the play area so she could get first dibs on the work bench!

Speaking of masterpieces...I'm happy to report that with Mary Beth's help I came up with a fun spider snack made out of grapes and pretzels. I also found some fun spiderweb cupcake holders that I put the spiders on. The kids loved them. Obviously, Lily gets her creativity from me ;-).

Sorry the picture is a little blurry...but...at least you get the idea of our arachno-snack.

My Daddy Don't Wear Earrings

Lily and I were standing in a check out line yesterday and I was holding her on my hip. Lily was looking over my shoulder when I heard her say, "My daddy don't wear earrings." Needless to say I didn't want to turn around...but I did...just in time to hear Lily say (as a matter of clarification) to the lovely man with the gold hoop earrings, "My daddy's a boy." It loses a little something without being able to see Lily's facial expression and hear her tone of voice. Even though I was a little embarrassed it was so, so, funny.

Luckily, the man was absolutely delightful. He told Lily that he was a daddy too and that he did, in fact, wear earrings. At first Lily looked at him a little bit strangely and then gave him her serious look, nodded, and you could almost see her file this information away in that busy little brain of hers. The man chuckled and told me to, "Look out. You've got a smart one on your hands."

I assure you I have NEVER told Lily that girls wear earrings and boys don't. I can only assume Lily thinks...Mommy wears earrings and she's a girl...Daddy doesn't wear earrings and he's a boy...ergo...boys don't wear earrings.

This is such a fun and amazing stage Lily is in right now. Her brain is going constantly. Lily is ALWAYS asking questions and every day she is learning more and more...and she doesn't seem to forget a thing!

Lily doesn't ask the typical "Why?" questions. Instead, she asks what everyone and everything is doing..."What's the dog doing? What's the car doing? What's the sun doing? What's the tree doing? What's the table doing? What's the house doing? What's Daddy doing? What's Bailey doing?" I must admit I am often at a loss for answers but I try my best. But...can you help me?? I mean....what is the sidewalk doing????

Lily also wants to know everyone's name. I do mean everyone...the waitress, the cashier, the mail man, the lady walking her dog down the street, and even the person next to us at a stop light! Interestingly, Lily does not always want to talk to these people she simply wants to know their names. This has created a few awkward moments...but on the bright side...I'm getting to meet a lot of new people!

Lily also tends to state things and ask questions at the same time...like, "Lily has feet. Dogs have paws? Horses have hooves?" What she doesn't say...but is richly implied is...why are there 3 different names for the same darn thing. It amazes me how her brain works!

So does she have hooves, paws, or feet?

Lily is also starting to develop a really funny sense of humor. Lily loves to say silly things like, "Uncle Mommy" and "Aunt Daddy". Lily also loves to rhyme everything even if she has to start using made up words like, "Uncle Ed, Uncle Head, Uncle Red, Uncle Bed, Uncle Sned, Uncle Ged..."

One of the things I love best about Lily's sense of humor is that she loves to laugh at herself. Lily has the BEST belly laugh. Normally that laugh gets Tony and I going, too. The other day when I was laughing at some of Lily's silly antics she said, "I crack Mommy up." I'm sure I don't have to tell you how hard that made me laugh!

We're Going To The Zoo, Zoo, Zoo

Yesterday Lily and I went to the zoo with our playgroup. As we walked around Lily was singing the Raffi song, "Going to the zoo". It was so sweet to hear her little voice singing, "We’re goin’ to the zoo, zoo, zoo. How about you, you, you? You can come too, too, too. We’re goin’ to the zoo, zoo, zoo."

Me and some of my playgroup buddies.

The morning was really, really chilly. Well...okay...it was down right COLD! One benefit of the chilly weather is that we pretty much had the place to ourselves! I've never been to the zoo when it was so empty and I've never seen so many animals up close and personal. I think they liked having the place almost to themselves, too.

Some of my animal buddies.

Run Jamie, Run

A few miles and you're that tired???

I could run for days!

Last Saturday Lily and I went to see Jamie run at his track meet. Jamie had a great race and Lily had a great time hanging out with her Aunts, Uncle, and big cousins!

Trying For A Little Mojo

My daddy is the Seahawks #1 fan...and I'm his #1 fan!

To put it mildly, the Seahawks are not having a great season. In an attempt to add a little mojo Tony dressed Lily in her Seahawk cheerleader outfit on Sunday. She looked awfully darn cute...but unfortunately...it didn't seem to help the team!

If you want to see how much our little cheerleader has grown since last season click here, here, here, and one last one here. I had no idea I had done so many posts about the Seahawks! You would almost think I care about football!! You know better...right??

Um, Daddy, you know by the time they actually play I'll be sleeping in my pajamas...right?

Go Hawks!

Shake It Baby, Shake It!

Last Thursday in preschool Lily made butter. Yup. That's right...butter. The teacher simply poured a little heavy cream into individual baby food jars and had the kids shake it...and shake it...and shake it. Then...voila....butter! Who knew???

Boy, my arms are getting tired!

The kids were able to eat their freshly made butter during snack time. Lily was enjoying her snack so much she almost missed outdoor play time!

This stuff is delicious!

Lily brought her leftover butter home so Daddy could have some with his dinner. You should have seen the look on Lily's face when Tony spread the butter on his roll. Let's just say our little Parrott was as proud as a peacock!

LID 10/18/05

Today marks the 3rd anniversary of when our dossier (mountain of adoption paperwork) was officially logged in with the China Center of Adoption Affairs. That means that we have now been home with Lily longer than we "officially" waited for her. That seems impossible!

Think of a log in date (LID) like the number you receive when waiting in line at the deli counter. I don't want to sound crass but that is the best comparison I can come up with. Each person that submits a dossier to the China Center of Adoption Affairs is assigned an LID. Everything hinges on that date. Your dossier is reviewed and matched based on the order of your LID. Needless to say, I will never forget 10/18/05!

Our actual dossier was sent to China in September 2005 but was not logged in until October. That was the first indication that things were changing (read slowing down). When we first submitted our dossier our adoption agency told us to anticipate a 6 month wait before we received Lily's referral. That 6 month wait grew into 17 months. As hard as that wait was for us my heart absolutely breaks for the children and the families who are still waiting.

In the 18 months that we have been home the wait times have grown exponentially. Families who will receive the referral for their child in the next batch (projected to arrive in late October or early November) will have waited a minimum of 33 months since their paperwork was logged in. I can't imagine what they are going through. Unfortunately, each month the wait times just keep growing!

I would like to believe the reason that the wait has increased so dramatically is because the rate of child abandonment in China has decreased that dramatically. Meaning that there are less children available for domestic and international adoption. It all just seems too sudden...too drastic...too contrived.

Kunga Bonga!

Eighteen months ago today Lily was placed in our arms for the very first time. Tony and I had been holding Lily in our hearts for so long that finally being able to touch and kiss her was far beyond a dream come true. Each day that dream continues.

I never tire of watching the actual moment when Lily, Tony, and I were united. I've included a clip of that magical moment below.

Jim, if you happen to be checking in on us we will never be able to thank you enough for taking over the video camera in the "delivery room". It means so much to us to have this incredible moment captured. Thank you!




Tonight as Tony was chasing our freshly scrubbed, bare naked cutie around the house saying Kunga Bonga in a caveman-like voice as Lily laughed hysterically I couldn't believe how quickly the last 18 months have flown! I wish there was a way to make the next 18 months...the next 18 years...go a little slower.

Note: I originally posted this entry under the title Kowabunga...because that is what I thought Tony was saying in his caveman-like voice. Boy, was I wrong. Tony came home from work and said to me, "Kowabunga?!? Please! Try...Kunga Bonga." The funny thing is he said this to me as if it all made perfect sense!

No Whining Wednesday

Back when Christina and I used to have "Aunt T and Beanie Days" on a regular basis they normally fell on Wednesdays. I dubbed those days...No Whining Wednesdays. If our day together happened not to fall on a Wednesday I was prepared. We had No Moaning Mondays, No Tantrum Tuesdays, you get the picture. Truth is, I really never had a problem with Beanie fussing. She was (is) always a joy. The other truth is...I have a very low threshold for whining...probably not the best trait in the mother of a 2 year old!

As a rule, Lily is a pretty happy little sweetie. But, like with any good rule...there are exceptions! Take for instance...the last two days! Yikes!

Yesterday when she didn't get what she wanted she SHREIKED. This was no ordinary scream...we're talking glass breaking, dog howling, ear drum splitting shreiking. That's something new in the Lily reptoire and I am praying it is very short lived!

Another new and very attractive behavior is sobbing over the smallest infraction. For instance, last evening one of Lily's little girlfriends and she were hugging when they accidently tumbled over. Wowza! What a waterworks display!

Could the last few days of fussiness have anything to do with the fact that our weekend was completely crazy and there was no semblance of a schedule/routine? Or, maybe Lily has a cold brewing....or...perhaps it is simply the fact that Lily is, after all, 2 years old and entitled to have an off day every now and again.

Whatever it is, I hope this phase passes quickly because I'm learning that being peri-menopausal and the mother of a fussy 2 year old can be a tricky combination!

Nai Nai And The Pumpkin Patch

Today Lily, Suzy, and I went to the pumpkin patch with Lily's preschool class. Aunt Sheila was going to join us but her work schedule recently changed and she wasn't able to join us.

The weather was beautiful and we had a great day! Lily fed animals at the petting zoo, we took a hayride, and capped the day off by finding the perfect pumpkin.

Oops!

So, the other day I was telling Mary Beth and Dad about a little detour I took when leaving the park. Lily and I have visited this park a million times and I've always been intrigued by this little road that runs along side it. That's one of my many issues. I love little roads heading nowhere...and long driveways where you can't see the house at the end...and places that are marked "No Trespassing" and "Private - Keep Out". I mean...honestly...is there anything that makes you want to trespass more than a sign telling you not to...or to check out a place more than something that tells you to Keep Out??? Anyway...I digress.

From this little road by the park you can throw a rock in any direction and hit civilization. It's just that when we were driving down the road I'm quite sure I heard dueling banjos. Seriously, it felt like we were in the middle of nowhere...the road that time forgot. We could have been in Appalachia or a Third World country. It was very surreal. Oops...I digress...again.

So, back to the point of this post. I'm telling Mary Beth and Dad about our little road trip and I said, "I'm thinking to myself...where the hell am I?" Yup. You guessed it. Two seconds later I hear a sweet little voice say, "Where the hell am I?" I think my heart literally sank.

Since I've become a mother I've made a really concerted effort to clean up my potty mouth. Obviously, I haven't been 100% successful!

Luckily I quickly said, "I'm not sure where Helen is. Do you think she's with Spot? Or maybe with Steve and Tom?" These are all characters in one of Lily's favorite series of books about a dog named Spot. Thank God Lily said, "Yes. I think they all went to the park." Mary Beth, Dad, and I all let out a sigh of relief and then started to laugh a little.

Thank God Lily hasn't repeated it. Trust me...next time I know I might not get off so easily.

Um, now that I've gotten myself into Bailey's crate...how do I get out?

Pizza Pizza

On Friday my parents group had another outing at a local pizza place. Lily had so much fun last time we just had to go back.

Lily just loves pizza, being a little chef, and spending time with her friends. This outing is the perfect match!

Just call me Papa Lily.

Busy, Busy, Busy

We had a fun, crazy-busy, beautiful weekend!

Saturday we had two events for Deaf organizations we volunteer for. Saturday evening we attended a benefit for Deaf Camp. The entertainment for the evening was an Irish Dance Troupe. Lily was completely enthralled. While the dancers performed (over 1 hour) Lily did not move a muscle. Seriously, I don't think she even blinked! Looks like we may have a Chirish Step Dancer in our future! Dad Dad would love that.

Sunday was also back-to-back fun. First, we headed to our adoption agency's family reunion day. Wow...what craziness! There were literally hundreds of people there (and almost as many bees!). It's amazing to see how many lives have been touched by the miracle of adoption.

During the late afternoon we went to our annual neighborhood block party. The party was a lot of fun and it was great to see Lily running around and playing with all the little kids on our street.

Since we had so much planned this weekend I wanted to make sure the battery in my camera was fully charged. So, what did I do??? Well...of course...I left the battery in the charger and wasn't able to take ANY pictures on Saturday and didn't remember it on Sunday until the day was almost over! Just for the record, I'm not sure if I'm having "senior moments" or "mommy-nesia"!

Me and some of my buddies!

Believe it or not this isn't all the kids that live on our block. There are 15 kids under the age of 5!

When Women Reach A Certain Age

...they want to smack people who say things to them like..."When women reach a certain age..."

In my life I have been blessed with amazingly good health. Trust me, I'm not complaining! It's just that during the last few years I've experienced a few minor health problems. For each of these issues I've received the same answer from my doctors..., "When women reach a certain age...xyz happens". Ugggh!

Since we have been home from China I have been having minor issues with my eyes. At first, I really just thought it was a response to all the pollution we encountered during our trip. Apparently, that is not the case. In the last 18 months the prescription for my contacts has changed several times...the base curve of my eye has changed...and my tolerance for wearing contact lenses has changed. That's not a reaction to pollution...it's what happens..."When Women Reach A Certain Age."

So, for the next few weeks I'm back to wearing glasses. Something I haven't done since I was a certain age...a whole lot younger than I am now!

Please people...whatever you do...don't call my mommy four-eyes!

Frank

Today is the 11th anniversary of Tony's father's death. Frank died after a long and brave battle against a terrible disease. During his illness Frank's faith in God never waivered. He remained positive and never lost the sparkle in his beautiful blue eyes.

Frank died before he was able to see Tony and I get married...although I'm sure he knew that some day we would.

He also died before he had the opportunity to meet our sweet Lily and to see what a wonderful and loving father his son would become. Somehow, I'm sure Frank is not the least bit surprised.

Dorothy Loves Disco

This month we headed back to B*by L*ves Disc*. Last month when we were at BLD Tony and I kept talking about how much fun we thought Christina would've had if she had been there. So, this month she joined us. Turns out we were right! Not only did Christina have fun...she won the dance competition! Let me tell you that girl can work a wand. Um...maybe I should explain...

This month the BLD was advertised as a costume party. We decided to go as characters from The Wizard Of Oz. Lily was Dorothy, Christina was Glinda (hence the wand), Tony was the Scarecrow, and I was the Lion.

I can assure you we knew we weren't in Kansas anymore when we walked in to the party and we were the ONLY ones in costume!!! It would've been embarrassing if it hadn't of been so incredibly funny!!

You want to know the really funny part?? This isn't the first time Tony and I have been to a costume party and been the only people in costume!! Several years ago I invited my siblings to attend a Halloween Costume Dance with me and Tony. When we walked into the hall and we were the only people in costume...well...let's just say it's an absolute miracle that I'm still alive. As for this past weekend I'm not too worried. I mean, really, how long can Tony not speak to me???