Foto Finish Friday

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

One of my quickest reads yet! This book was a page turner from start to finish and always left me wanting more. Usually the only time I have to read is right before bed, and I usually fall asleep while reading. Not with this book! I probably could have read it all in one sitting had time allowed. Written in a different format than I've ever read (which I found fantastically creative), in the form of letters between various characters in the book. Loosely based around the German occupation of the British island of Guernsey during the Second World War, it piqued my interest on both historical and fictional levels. It told of a much different day and age than we live now, by no means simpler or easier, but very different. I loved how people actually wrote to each other, with a pen and paper and sent it in the mail. I could just picture these delightful characters, checking their mail each day and finding these treasures from their far-off friends. Makes me want to sit down and write letters to all my friends and family, 1946 style.

This book gets two thumbs way up!

Foto Finish Friday...live action version!

Taken just this morning:

Yes, my boy knows his trains! Must be something in the male genes, somehow he can tell the difference between Gordon, Edward and Thomas (all three blue engines that look the same to me). You might have to listen several times, but he really does say all the names, except the freight car, he calls them "big trucks", but in this clip I think he shortened it to "big". Not too shabby!

Fourth of July

About a week ago, we decided to take make a "spontaneous" trip out of our Fourth of July weekend. I say "spontaneous" because even with 3 days to plan, it just doesn't seem enough with a 2 year old and a dog. We got to take Willie with us since his doggie motel was already booked. We headed up into the mountains, an area of high desert and once active volcanic mountains. Joe and I haven't been to this part of our state for probably 3 or 4 years, even though it is only about a 3 hour drive from our house. Joe always loves to go back; his grandparents lived there during his childhood and he has many memories of spending summers with them there. It is an absolutely beautiful area, and just another reason I love where we live! We took about a million pictures and it was really hard to narrow it down to a few,

but here you go!

Sahalie Falls, on our drive to the mountain.

So pretty!

Dinner Friday night at the resort restaurant.

Kai and Willie on our hotel balcony. Don't worry, we didn't make Willie sleep out there, we just put his crate out when he wasn't in it. We were a little nervous how everything would go since we've never had Kai or Willie in a hotel...let alone both at the same time, but everyone was very good and slept very well in "one big room". Our boys are so good...

Saturday morning, Lava Butte,

beautiful Cascades in the background.

Saturday morning,

Old Fashioned July 4th festival.

Two hot doggies...

Pony ride! Kai loved this, he was not scared at all.

Walked right up to that pony and showed him who's boss...

Saturday afternoon, Fireman Picnic

Dinner Saturday night at Flatbread Community Oven.

The pizza was sooo good! And Kai even got to "make" his own.

OK, so I made it, but it was still fun!

Quick lunch stop in Sisters on our way home on Sunday

Foto Finish Friday

Meeting Thomas (and Libby)!

This past weekend we met Thomas the Train! We went to Day Out with Thomas with my parents, my brother and his family. We had a blast! Kai was in every little boy's heaven, surrounded by not just any train, but... Thomas! When we told him we were going (as soon as he woke up that morning), he bolted for the hat and vest Grandma Nancy had made him for his birthday. Despite quite warm temperatures, he insisted on wearing them both the entire time!

Ready for the action!

"We see Thomas!" The first glimpse.

In the flesh.

Ready for our ride with Thomas!

We even met Sir Topham Hatt!

Kai was very excited to meet him, but not so excited to be near him!

There were tons of other activities for the kids to do. Petting zoo, bounce house, temporary tattoos, music show, bubble station, coloring area, but none of that mattered to little Kai, he spent the rest of his time here...

After our train fun we headed to Joe's parents house to meet the newest addition to our family.

Kai, cousin Libby and her Daddy

Oh, and let's not forget the delish BBQ!

Yes, he ate the whole thing!

Foto Finish Friday

Father's Day Breakfast 2009

Daddy and Kai

Mr. Friendly

The past few nights we've enjoyed softball games at the park across the street from our house. On Monday night, we found a place on the bleachers which happened to be just a few feet from a group of about 3-4 girls, probably 8 years old or so, and one 3-4 year old boy. Kai decided he wanted to make friends with them and walked right up to them and introduced himself. He couldn't keep himself away! He'd come back to us about every 60 seconds and hug one of our arms or legs, then go back to his new group of friends. It was so adorable. Last night he saw a teenage boy on the bleacher and kept saying "hi" to him, trying to get his attention. Guess my lessons of how to appropriately talk to people are working; this is a long way from yelling "STOP!!" to people in the grocery store that we were experiencing a few months ago.

His outgoing behavior brings two immediate thoughts to my mind. First, I'm sure he is way more outgoing than any biological child of ours would be. Joe and I are both pretty quiet and reserved, as evidenced by my first response the other night which was for Kai not to bother the other kids. Whenever K is put in a social situation, he is immediately right in the middle of it all; a far cry from my school days spent as a wall flower. Second, I hope his outgoing nature means that we're raising him with a high level of self confidence, and that he is bonding and attaching to us in a manner which allows him this confidence.

bad blood

Yes, mine. 

My blood contains two things that normal blood doesn't; lupus anticoagulant (which does the opposite of what it sounds like it should and does not mean I have lupus), and a MTHFR (methylene-tetra-hydro-folate-reductase-blah-blah-blah) mutated gene. These things are what God gave me in order to ensure that adoption was how we grew our family. 

You see, many years ago... about 7, I believe... after my second miscarriage, my doctor decided to take about a gallon of my blood and test it for everything under the sun. (See findings above) Although, at the time only the first was noted and told to us. Not good, but with heparin injections twice daily to my abdomen, I should be able to carry a baby. After months of feeling like a human pin cushion (infertility treatments + anticoagulation therapy = one holey lady), and several more miscarriages, we got it; God did not intend for us to have a biological child. We made our peace and embraced our adoption adventure. 

Last December, through an unexpected medical situation, we found out that all along I also had the second blood disorder (MTHFR). This one would have been treated with a whole slew of extra vitamins to keep my blood from clotting. We were asked if, given this new information, we would want to give biological parenting another go. The answer was an astounding...NO! Not gonna go there... But, we also found out that there could be more implications to my health (where as previously we were told that it would only affect my ability to bear children). So now I diligently take my vitamins on a semi-regular basis and hope my blood stays good and thin.

So, why am I sharing all this now?? Well, a few reasons. One, I'm feeling in a better place to share our experience; two, I hope through our experience I can help others who have the same issues; and third, June is Antiphospholipid Syndrome (to which the lupus anticoagulant belongs) Awareness month. 

So there you go, now you're aware.

No Hands

A few days ago Kai made a huge mess with his trains and I was helping him clean them up. For whatever reason, I suggested that Willie (our 4 legged child) help pick up the trains. Kai very matter-of-factly told me "No Hands". Like, duh Mom, Willie doesn't have any hands... what was I thinking??

hoarding

We are definitely in the full blown stage of toddler hoarding.  The proof:

 A few days ago he loaded up this chair with all his living room toys, and when the chair was full he put more stuff on the table next to it. He proceeded to sit in the chair (for probably a total of an hour over the course of the day) and play with the toys/ pretend the chair was his car and he was driving to Grandpa Dave's house. These days he can't go anywhere (even to the next room of the house) without having the arms completely full. It doesn't even seem to matter what he's carrying, just as long as those arms are filled. This morning when I called him to his room for a diaper change, he came bearing Kim Chee (his dog), a toy golf club and a small garbage can. Let's just say...we're never short on entertainment around here!

maybe next time

We're backing off on potty training for now. He's been back in diapers for a few weeks, and our stress level has decreased ten-fold! I did not want to do it, but it became clear to us that he just wasn't emotionally ready. Physically, he totally knows what's happening and what to do, but he's just not quite there yet. I'm sad to see all our hard work reverting, but we will try again in a few months with hopefully better results. The good news is he's still notifying us for #2's, so no poopy diapers...hope he doesn't forget that, too! 

Ocean!!

Last weekend we ventured to the coast for an afternoon. Despite the very warm temperatures inland, of course it was cold and windy at the coast. We found a nice dune park and nestled ourselves a dune away from the ocean, hoping the dune would break some of the wind. We ended up not even seeing the ocean on our adventure, but Kai didn't seem to mind...he thought that lake behind him was the ocean! 

Tunneling under Daddy's legs was a popular activity, 

even though it resulted in sand all over his face each and every

time.

Kai and I tried to run up the dune...it was so huge! We made it about 3/4 of the way up before we exhausted ourselves. Of course, falling down on "accident" was a big hit as we made our way up. We also watched the sand surfers, it looked so fun, something I would definitely like to try in the future!

And what trip to the coast would be complete without the obligatory burying of the feet??

I was the first victim and when only my toes remained, Kai thought it was too much work to cover each one, so he just put his bucket over my exposed foot.

He's one smart cookie!!

Coppin' a 'tude

Today we escaped to the coast for the afternoon. We planned to leave in the late morning so we could get some errands/ chores done before we left. One of these was grocery shopping. While eating breakfast this morning, Joe told Kai about our plans to visit the "ocean" today. When he saw me he said, "Ocean now!". My reply was, "Not yet, we have to go grocery shopping first". To this he rolled his eyes... big time!

Oh, boy!

Foto Finish Friday

Then: K by the maple 6/13/08

Now: K by the maple 5/19/09

Happy Mail

We got a big surprise in the mail a few days ago! A package from K's foster Mom! He was so excited to open it! When it came, the conversation between K and I went something like this:

Me: "K, this package is from Korea. Who else is from Korea?"

K: "ME!!"

Me: "Then who do you think this package is for??"

K: "ME!!"

OK, I'm sure he only got those questions right because the answer was him, but it still made me wonder if some of what we tell him about his story is already sinking in. It was pure torture for us to wait until Joe got home from work to open it, but we did. And it was worth the wait! K's foster Mom is such a sweet and thoughtful lady. I really hope we get to meet her someday. She sent: an adorable outfit for K (see photo), a beautiful coffee set for Joe and I, a stack of baby pictures (including what may possibly be the youngest photo we have of him yet), some tulip bulbs from her garden (the same tulips which were in a handful of pictures with K in photos she had previously sent us...my sentimental sappy side is sooo lovin' those), and a wonderful note. The love they did and do feel for our son is so apparent, and we are all so thankful that we've been able to maintain contact.

K in his Korea threads...

Oh, and I have to mention that somehow she got these pants right on the money, he very well may live in them this summer. They're super lightweight, stretchy waisted "short pants", even though they don't really look like it in this pic. I realized that if you cinch the elastic at the bottom of the legs, they ride up a little and are shorter, I'm sure this is the way they're meant to be worn.

it's good to know...

That I am *officially* 100% free and clear of my military obligation! OK, for most of you this is probably old news, since I have been out for over 6 years. However, I never received my discharge orders so I couldn't "prove" it. You might be wondering why I didn't inquire with them sooner...hmm...let me think; Iraq war, Afghanistan, I can't prove I'm discharged... really, am I going to bring my name up in the midst of all those circumstances?? I think not! But, I decided it was finally time, and requested my military records just over a week ago and got them in the mail on Monday (honestly, the fastest I've ever seen the military move...). And yes, indeed, it says in black and white, "Status at separation: honorable"!! (And yes, they had sent them to me...at an address I hadn't lived at in a very long time)

Journey of a Mother

I am K's third mother. His first mother, of course, his birth mother. His second mother, his foster mother. His third mother, Me, his FOREVER mother. His other two mothers were most definitely in my thoughts and prayers on this Day for Mother's.

Mother's Day was not always a happy day for me. In fact, for many years it was one of the worst days of the year. I dreaded it, and I grieved every year it came around and I still had no child in my arms. The feelings I felt were some of the loneliest in the world; not only did I not have my child in my arms, but few people knew or realized my suffering and I knew only a few other people who were going through the same things. It's such a lonely road, made even more so by the fact that even our husbands don't know what we're really going through, although it pains them just as much.

This weekend I had a great time celebrating my motherhood with our families. As much as I felt it was a celebration of my motherhood, I also felt it was a celebration of my CHILD, who we truly feel is our special gift from God. Today, as everyday, I cherished the hugs and kisses from my little boy. It still amazes me that even after all this time, I still get teary eyed with his whole body hugs and "I love you Mommy".  I hope I never lose that feeling.

Foto Finish Friday

After my last post I feel I owe you all a bit of silliness. Well, our boy is never short on that! This week was kind of a slow in the picture department (who wants to see pictures of crying and screaming, anyways?). Since it's not from this week, I thought I'd spice it up a bit by making it an action shot (ie, video). Enjoy a few moments of our silly boy!

He had been doing this crazy dance on his toy box, which I of course missed most of since I had to run and get the camera. Then he decides to shift to super hero mode (in case any of you need some translation).

Testing...one...two...

Yes, K, we still love you, even though we've about had it....

This week surely has been one for the record books. Can anyone say "testing twos"?? (Gotta give credit for that one to my blogger buddy, Mara) 

Oh...my...goodness, and just when we thought we had the world's sweetest child, too.

Not sure what's been going on in that little head of his, but he sure is trying to make sure we're in this for the long haul. Probably the biggest disappointment of the week has been his regression on his potty training. Honestly, it's like he lost over a month worth of training over the course of a few days. It started the end of last week, and went down hill all weekend until we finally put him in diapers on Sunday afternoon. He would refuse to sit on the potty and actually asked to wear a diaper. I wasn't in the mood for fighting, so that's what we did... put a diaper on him. Monday he was in daycare and it wasn't much better. He went through all 3 pairs of pants I sent with him and he gave his care provider flack when she asked him to go. When we got home in the evening, he had 2 accidents in less than 40 minutes... He was also not a very nice boy on Monday and had several time outs at daycare for hitting other kids. 

Yesterday was slightly better, but he still went through all the clothes I sent with him. His day care provider had the brilliant idea of making him take off his wet clothes, put them in the dirty bag and put on his clean clothes (all by himself) when he had accidents. She said this continued all morning, but after 11am yesterday he stayed dry the rest of the day! And today... so far, so good. :-) And yea, we're adopting that method for home as well. He was also had a much better attitude yesterday and didn't hit anyone. 

OH, and the other news...he can open his bedroom door.  So:

**open door + big boy bed = little boy who doesn't want to stay in his room at bedtime**

Monday he tested this on us as well, and finally stayed in bed after about the 6th time of being taken back to bed. Hopefully this is improving as well, last night he only got up once. Right now he's down for nap and he didn't come out at all. 

It's pretty strange to just see him appear when he's done sleeping. 

K and I have done lots of praying together this week...praying for Mommy to have patience and for K to be able to make good choices and obey his parents. Speaking of prayer, if you're so inclined, please send one up for my Grandma. She's 97 and still lives independently. She's currently in the hospital for pneumonia and will not be able to return home to the level of independence she knows and loves. Please keep her and my parents in your prayers as they make choices on her care needs and living situation. Thanks.

So, there you go, our exciting week. Sorry if it's a bit of a rant, but real life isn't always pretty. Can't be all sunshine and smiles, you know. ;-)