Miss Cranky Pants

My sweet baby girl is not so sweet right now. We have had no more vomiting, however when you have only eaten 10 goldfish crackers and a few sips of juice vomiting really shouldn't be an issue. She has taken a few bites of various other things but has had no appetite for 2 days now. She slept great last night and hasn't had any fever, she is just not herself. It's so frustrating when they can't tell you what is bothering them. I also think I am beginning to see a bit of her 2 year old stage coming to life. She through herself on the rug last night and banged her head on purpose. What was that all about? This girl has a stubborn streak about her as well and although I am sure that will bode well for her in the future it's not so pretty when I'm the one on the receiving end!

The boys have gone to church for game night and Bo is with 2 of his life long friends watching football and eating chips. Emma and I are hanging out on New Year's Eve until they get back home. Oh I remember the days of partying with friends and staying up all night. If I make it to 9 p.m. I will be proud of myself. Amazing how having kids and getting older changes your life. No more late nights for me.

For some reason I kept waking up last night thinking about my kids and how it all began and how completely green we were when we started out. Let's face it, no one is really prepared to become a parent. No amount of books or episodes of Supernanny can prepare you for the unknown abyss that is parenting. It's a crap shoot. I look at my kids and wonder how they will turn out and thank God that so far they are healthy and happy. Well, as happy as teenagers and preteens can be. Emma doesn't qualify in that group yet.

I remember being so freaked out about being pregnant the first time. After the shock wore off and the days began clicking along I enjoyed being pregnant. I was one of the lucky ones. Never vomited one day, thank God. I felt good and didn't gain a ton of weight. Pregnancy was wonderful. I was also determined that I would do it all the right way. Natural delivery all the way for me. Lamaze classes here we come. We attended our classes regularly preparing for our little bundle of joy. After seeing my doctor for a regular visit it was determined that I was dilated to a 3 and I could go at anytime. I loved my doctor. I think he provided all of his patients with false hope, but I still loved him. I attended my next Lamaze class knowing that it would no doubt be the last. We would be graduating head of the class and leaving everyone else behind. Oh if I had only known I wouldn't have been so smug. We attended all of our classes and I believe graduated at the bottom. Our little darling had no desire to emerge from his happy surroundings and therefore was evicted by a landlord resembling a plastic knitting needle and a suction cup. I did manage to Lamaze and I did have natural childbirth, but after 12 hours of deep cleansing breathing I would have cut him out myself if I could have reached a scalpel. With all of that said, my little boy made his entrance into the cold, cruel world and I revealed a side of myself that I am not proud of. I think my doctor was paid extra for the venom that I spewed and if he wasn't, well at least he had the privilege of delivering our next bundle of joy 2 years later. Another story for another day.

So I guess to conclude this rather strange entry, parenting is not for the faint of heart. As we begin a new year with our boys and our new daughter, I hope that I can improve in so many ways. I don't make resolutions because they never seem to work out. I just have my own personal goals that I ask God to help me with everyday. I want to be mom that my kids can look back on and know that they were prayed for and loved and appreciated for their personalities. That is hard sometimes. But each of them is unique and I'm thankful for them and the husband that God has blessed me with to raise these little hooligans. It's a one shot deal and I want to do it right. I can only do that by the grace of God.

Happy New Year!

Another First - It Ain't Pretty

The first night in her room turned into her first morning with a yucky bed of throw up. Sorry for the bluntness. She went to bed without any difficulty and slept all night. I listened to her on the monitor and never heard a peep except at her usual 6:45 when I heard her whine just a bit. When I went in to get her she was covered in throw up and looking pretty pitiful. I don't know if she has a little virus or if it's related to her ears which she has been pulling at a lot. She hasn't wanted anything to eat this morning and has only taken a few sips of juice. No fever to speak of, but very cranky. That is so not like her. So the first night in her room wasn't exactly like I had hoped. Hopefully this is just a little bug and it's on the way out.

So once again we had to reschedule her apt. with the therapist. Hopefully next week we can get her started. She is currently entertaining herself by playing with an old computer keyboard while I type. I'm hoping she will take a long nap and wake up feeling better.

Ashton has gone to play golf with his team and Brady is still in the man cave. I checked on him at 2 a.m. and he was still awake. I'm sure he will appear after noon looking for food.

So our day has no real plan especially since Emma isn't feeling well. I hope everyone else has a great day.

Another First

Okay, so I am a little sad. My girl has officially moved into her own room and will spend the night there (we hope:) She has been with us every night since Sept. 1 (except for the nights I have worked) and I have to admit I really didn't want to move her into another room. It was time and she will be fine. It's me that I am worried about.

Emma has her first official working visit with the Early Intervention therapist tomorrow. I am anxious to see how that goes. She is doing so well. She is trying so hard to walk! She gets so excited while walking behind her little shopping cart. She gets so excited that she tries to go too fast and down she goes. She's pretty funny to watch.

Not a lot going on today. I have spent the last 2 days catching up laundry, cleaning, putting decorations away, etc. Bo cleaned Emma's carpet today, but the stains were too much. I am going to have to call a professional. Bo moved her crib and furniture into the room and has been busy arranging things just so in her room. He may be worse than a woman. He even took the time to hang all of her hair bows on a long ribbon that her Aunt Jamie gave her for hair bows. Yes, he is worse than most women I know.

So I guess that wraps it up for today. Now that I have my room back I suppose that I should go read. I am very behind and have missed it terribly. No excuses now, so off to bed I go.

Christmas Morning 2008

This hat goes with an adorable dress that Aunt Pam gave Emma for Christmas. I can't wait for her to wear it. We had to take several pictures to get this one and isn't it the cutest smile you have ever seen!
Presents at Giggee and Pop's house!
Emma and Pop.

Brady is all smiles on Christmas morning. Brady and Emma are pretty good buddies.

Emma and Aunt Pam waiting on breakfast.

Okay, so she had the cutest Christmas pajamas to wear in her pictures. Of course, she woke up soaked Christmas morning and therefore no cute p.j. pictures. She actually got this little princess ride on for a baby shower but was to little to ride on it. We held out until Christmas to give it to her and she has mastered it.

Brady isn't the only one around here who loves a guitar.

Helping Bubba with his guitar. "Hey Bubba, Freebird please".

Ashton has at long last gotten his beloved cell phone. I have a feeling he will have tendinitis in his thumbs before long.

Emma is getting into the action.

My sweet kids!

My nephew Ben and his girlfriend Ashley.

A Few More Pics

Giggee, Brady and Emma lighting the candles. Teaching a toddler to play with fire:)

Nanny and Pap with some of their handsome grandchildren. That little girl really prettys the family up.

Ashton was helping Emma with her book.

Christmas Pics - More to Come

Christmas Eve at Nanny and Pap's house. Emma doesn't stand a chance with all boy cousins! Ben was putting the bow on and she was taking it off.

Emma and Uncle Jimmy McGowan. They kept trying to put the cowboy hat on Emma but she was having none of it.

Jay walking with cousin Jay at Giggee and Pop's house.

Notice the fat lip. Another episode of falling over and hitting her lip.

Aunt Jamie and Emma.

Ready for church in my pretty dress. Does this child look excited or what? She reminds me of pictures of my brother before church when we were little.

Josh and Jessie at Nanny and Pap's house.

Nanny and Pap with Josh and Jessie.

Emma survived Christmas festivities like a champ. She wasn't all that interested in the packages, but Brady got a new guitar that she loved. This girl has a musical gene! Just like most families, we have several places to go during the holidays. We started out at Bo's parents on Christmas Eve celebrating with his extended family. We then head to my mom's house for Christmas with my brother and family. Christmas morning we spend at home for a little while opening presents and then head again to Bo's parents house for Christmas with them. Very busy, so Emma was pretty tired out. She managed to go to bed at 10 p.m. on Christmas Eve and was up at 6:45 on Christmas morning. She is certainly off schedule. The boys were up way before her and had to endure the wait.

I will have a lot more pictures, but I have dial up and it takes 10 minutes to load each picture. Can you say pain?

Christmas Eve

As I attempt to type this post while my little girl sits at my feet playing with an empty photo album and address stickers (she's easily entertained), I can't believe what a year we have had. When I reflect back on the last few months, starting in January when we made the decision to go special needs, to April when we got a call about a little girl that we knew God didn't plan on us adopting, to June 13 when we got the call about Emma and all the things that have happened from that day forward, I am in awe of it all. Our lives have changed drastically and my heart is beyond full. When I look into her little eyes and see how happy she is and how happy she makes our family, it just overflows and of course, falls down my cheeks. She is our daughter that God planned on us having long before we knew what that plan was. Never say what you will and won't do, because God may just surprise you and you may have to eat those words.

While I waited for Bo to complete his procedures yesterday (and he is doing well), a lady in the waiting area was talking to everyone else in the waiting area. She was very nice and very chatty. When we began talking, she asked how many kids I had and their ages. When I mentioned that we had a daughter that was 22 months old, she asked all the details. I told her about our adoption experience and mentioned that Emma was missing some fingers and toes and she immediately began praising me for taking on such a huge responsibility. I hate that. I attempted to explain that we were the ones being blessed by this little girl and that she was quite able to do things for herself and very determined, even at such a young age. I didn't get the opportunity to witness as much as I would have liked, but I did get to talk a little about my favorite topics, adoption and my kids.

Did I ever suspect that we would adopt a special needs child? No. I had plans on adopting a healthy, perfect "China doll" (a name I have come to hate). God had other plans for us. Yes, she is healthy and beautiful, but in the eyes of the world, she is handicapped. We don't see it. We see her. The very determined little girl who loves to play her drums and guitar, hold a granola bar package in her mouth and shake it like a dog, play with her tractor that she carries in her Dora purse, and wakes up every morning with the sweetest smile that could melt Scrooge's heart. She is perfect in God's eyes and in ours as well. So she may not be exactly what I had planned, but she is certainly what God had planned for our family. She is ours, but more importantly, she is His and I thank Him for allowing us to raise her.

So when I reflect back on this year and thank God for all of His blessings, I am not just saying it, I am meaning it. There have been times when that wasn't the case. God brought us our daughter, he let us travel thousands of miles away and brought us home safely. He kept this little girl in His hands while she waited for her forever family. There are so many other little ones and older ones alike right now that need forever families. I wish we could adopt again, but I don't see that happening right now. If God called us to do that and provided the means, we would certainly follow His will. But if you are reading this post and have the slightest inclination that God has plans for you to adopt, then pray about it and pray some more. If it is His will, then you have to follow it. We did and it has been the most amazing year.

Merry Christmas to everyone. I pray that you and yours have a wonderful Christmas and take time to remember the real reason. That night in Bethlehem led to that day on the cross and the ultimate gift. That is what Christmas is all about and is so often overlooked. I am just as guilty of that as everyone else.

And just a side note, that little girl that we got the call about in April, she has been adopted by her forever family and is doing well. They live about an hour away from us and I will get to meet them soon. Is God not absolutely amazing?

Ever Have One of Those Days?

So yesterday was just a weird day. That pretty much sums it up.

We started the day out rushing to Vandy for Emma to have her hearing tested. I had already cancelled that appointment twice before and I still wasn't sure if she would be able to perform the testing correctly, but we went ahead with it. We were running late (as usual) and Bo dropped Emma and me off in front of the building at Vandy (busiest place on Earth) and he went to find a parking place. We signed in, made it back to the testing area and that's where the screaming began. She did well at first and turned her head accordingly to the sounds. She lost interest when they decided to "take a picture of her inner ear" with a little instrument. She fell apart and the testing wasn't much fun after that. She finally calmed down again and followed some of the sounds, but she definitely has some deficit in both ears, primarily the right ear. However, she did have fluid behind both ear drums and the audiologist wanted her to see her doctor and have it checked. So we pack up our screaming baby and I start to call the pediatrician to attempt to get an apt. while we are in town and my phone is no where to be found. I search the diaper bag, my purse, the car, around the car, everywhere. No phone. We attempt to call the phone, no sounds to be heard. I have lost my cell phone. I still call the doctor and manage an apt. for 2:20 that afternoon and we head to Target to finish some Christmas shopping and locate the nearest Verizon store and take care of my lost phone situation. I am already just feeling a bit stressed, but I am trying to keep it all together. We hadn't planned on spending the afternoon in Nashville, so Emma only had a few goldfish crackers and a juice bottle (sounds like the boy that fed 5,000). We pick up a few things for her to eat at Target and finish up some shopping and Bo gets a call from my phone that it was turned in at Vandy. Praise God. We check out and head back to Vandy. The phone had been slightly abused since I lost it. It's scratched up pretty bad and the camera lens thing (my technical terminology) was broken, but it works. The lady at the desk where it was turned it was pretty funny and had managed to take a picture of herself while attempting to locate the owner. She just started calling people on my contact list and managed to call my friend Brenda and Brady's former bassoon instructor twice. But the long and short of it is that some nice, honest person turned in my abused phone and I don't have to buy another one.

So we have a couple of hours to kill and we head out to one of the malls. Traffic was a nightmare and we decide we will just head on over to the doctor's office. Did I mention that Bo is on a clear liquid diet for a procedure that he is having done today? Did I mention that there are no fast food places that serve jello and broth? He makes a quick stop at Kroger and gets a 6 pack (of jello) and some chicken bouillon cubes for later on. Emma is napping in the car seat and we just let her be while we wait on the apt. Bo downs his 6 pack (only 10 calories per serving) and I grab a Wendy's. I do feel a bit guilty eating Wendy's in the car with my husband, but then I have flash backs to being in labor and not getting to eat while he ate without me. In all fairness, he didn't do it in the room with me.

Emma saw the doctor and I believe that every child within a 50 mile radius was also seeing the doctor. I thought it would take forever, but thank God we actually were seen and out within 3o minutes. I was so impressed. Her ears were full of fluid and Dr. H said that if she were a regular kid without an unknown history (how many ear infections has she had?) he wouldn't treat her, but since we don't know what her history is, he prescribed her Amoxil and we are going to recheck her ears in a month. If she still has fluid, he thinks we will just go ahead with tubes. Obviously I am not happy with that, but I am not surprised at all. So our prayer is that she will have clear ears in a month and we can recheck her hearing and it will be okay. I hope that her hearing loss is only related to the fluid she has and not from damage that she has sustained from untreated ear infections in the past. Brady had the worst ear infections when he was little and would wake up during the night just screaming his head off and sleep in my arms. When I think about Emma having the same thing in an orphanage where she may never have had someone to hold her and comfort her, it just about breaks my heart. I can't even think about it.

So today, Bo has his procedure. He has had fun night preparing for it. So we head to Nashville again and start the day anew. I hope that my cell phone remains intact and that my husband doesn't scream like Emma did during her testing. At least he gets drugs during his:)

A Snoopy Dance Is In Order

Emma ate goldfish crackers! At least 8-10 of them and didn't gag and choke and act like a cat with a hairball. It's a first. We are battling an oral aversion with her and this was a major step in the right direction. Granted, she may not do it again for sometime, but you thank God for the little things.

We are surviving the weekend. The boys finished school yesterday with both of them having band concerts. Ashton performed yesterday morning and he did a great job on the various percussion instruments that he plays. Brady's concert was last night and they sounded wonderful. I was a bit miffed at him for getting the dress code wrong, but what else is new. At 4 p.m. he tells me that he needs to wear black pants (we have none) and a black shirt. He has to be there at 6 p.m. He ends up wearing black faded jeans, a black t-shirt turned backwards and a grey suit jacket. As we arrive at the school I notice all the boys in black pants, white dress shirts and red ties. Imagine my surprise when I find out that was what he was supposed to wear. Well, the story ends with him being the only guy on stage in all black. The girls wore black too, but he was the only guy. I wanted to kill him. If he fails band due to a dress code violation I will have to kill him.

I headed straight to work after the concert and work was a total pain last night. Very busy all night long. 7 a.m. couldn't come quick enough for me.

We had dinner at mother's tonight with Josh and Jessie (Dale's grandsons) and my brother and sister-in-law. It was really nice to be with everyone and we enjoyed all of the food. Emma was just performing for everyone!

So that wraps up the news of the last couple of days. Pretty boring! I am heading to bed and looking oh so forward to it. Tomorrow will be church, a Christmas program in the evening, eating after church, and attempting to finish some shopping if I am brave (or stupid) enough to head out.

Move Over Monkey and It's a First

Emma had her arm around her pink rabbit today instead of monkey. Monkey was buried under the blanket. Poor kid, it hurts to be kicked aside.

Emma got a hair clip for Christmas from Rory and Camden. The clip was just small enough and she didn't realize it was there. She actually left it in until I removed it at nap time. It's also a good sign that her hair is finally growing and maybe people will stop calling her a boy.

Are these 3 of the cutest kids you have ever seen? We celebrated Christmas at Melissa's today and this was the best picture that I could get. Emma comes crawling as fast as she can when she sees the camera, so you just have to react fast. Mason has the sweetest cheeks and Rory is just a doll.

Emma's other new trick is laying in the floor and going around in circles on her back. She reminds me of Curly from the Three Stooges. I don't know why she has started this little trick but she just cracks herself up doing it.

No School, No School, No School

If there is one thing that I remember most about growing up it would be when we were out for bad weather. Those were the days of the Ralph Emery Show that came on early in the morning and the weather men only had a board to right on with chalk and markers. When it was a snow day, Snow Bird would fly and my dad would always come to my room saying "No School, No School, No School" just like a bird. Isn't it weird how some things just stick with you? I loved those days.

Well, the rain turned to ice and the ice caused the schools to close this morning. My boys were devastated don't you know. We have spent the day working around the house. Well, Ashton cleaned their toilet after I gave him a brief tutorial on how to correctly master that job. I made chocolate chip cookies and put little sister down for nap. The boys and I played Monopoly until I got tired of refereeing and decided to call it quits.

The other big event of the day. I finally started wearing my bifocal contacts. They have been sitting in the bathroom drawer for 2 months now and I decided today was the day. I had some difficulty with them at first, but I think I may end up liking them. Now I don't have to hold the small print so far away! It's hard to admit when you are getting old, but I am certainly headed down that slippery slope.

When Frugal Goes Bad

Emma's new favorite food is scrambled eggs. She has eaten 2 eggs every morning for at least 10 days. She loves them. Her face just lights up when I pour them out of the skillet. I had 2 left this morning which meant grocery shopping. Well, that and I needed several other things. If you have read my blog for any length of time or you know me, you know that I am a big coupon shopper. It's a challenge for me to see how much I can save and I love it when I get things free. That's the biggest rush of all. Today I would have gotten free bath wash for the boys. Notice I said would have. Emma and I began our grocery outing at Walmart, which isn't my favorite place, but that's a different story. I needed to get several things, plus some Christmas gifts for the boys. I had my list ready, checking all my coupons and making sure that I was getting my best deals. The problem came when I checked out and then I couldn't find my handy little notebook and approx. $25 worth of coupons. No where to be found and this was after the clerk had finished checking me out. I was devastated. I was then forced to pay full price for things that I wouldn't normally get and being the cheap person that I am I thought I was going to get sick. Now that Emma is along for the ride, and she is a good shopper, it's harder to be organized. I have a very detailed way of doing things and she just sort of changes the details. So I left the store and I still have no idea where the notebook and coupons ended up. I suspect I left them at the pharmacy when I was getting my medicine to help with my new friend, carpal tunnel syndrome. While I was paying for my prescription there was a man that began talking to Emma (I had to point out that "he" was a "she"). He spoke fluent Chinese and proceeded to talk to us and ask me if I knew Chinese. I wanted to dazzle him with my ability to say hello and thank you, but he didn't let me get a word in.

Emma and I then headed to Kroger for a few things. Most of which I couldn't remember because my handy notebook was gone. Emma loves the car shopping carts and rode in it while I picked up the few things that I could recall. We checked out and headed to the car. As I got her out of the cart to put her in the car seat she began throwing a 2 year old tantrum and made her displeasure well known. She didn't want to get in the car seat and we had a slight battle of the wills. I won.

To make the day even more fun, Ashton called on my way home to tell me that school was dismissing early due to the possibility of inclement weather. Only in the South. So we are home, Emma is napping, I am making Chex Mix (oh, they smell so good), Ashton is eating oatmeal, Brady is eating dry cereal, and before you can count to 10 it will be time to go back to the grocery store. I must find a new notebook and get my Type A system back in place.

Sunday Morning Catch Up - Christmas in a Small Town

The Ashland City Parade was Saturday Night. Our family was well represented. Emma loved it.

Bo's Dad is the driver of the car.

The Sycamore War Eagles Band. Brady was on the far side, so of course I didn't get a good picture of him.

It was cold! Emma took it all in and didn't seem to mind it at all.

These pictures are out of order. This is the result of Emma and Gypsy getting up close and personal. Emma is still terrified of the dogs.

Brady is trying to get Emma and Gypsy close. Gypsy is the sweetest dog and just wants to get close to Emma. Yes, that is a lot of mess in the picture!

Emma in her new princess chair. As long as it is parked next to one of us she will sit in it. Otherwise she is not interested.

Further Bloodshed Awaits

This is a picture of her climbing down the stairs after I caught her sitting on the second step.

Our First Real Boo Boo and Our Doctor's Appointment

Well, being the good mom that I am, not to mention an ER nurse, I let my daughter bust her lip yesterday. Lips bleed a lot and babies scream a lot. She was playing and just sort of rolled over my legs and fell. I'm not sure if she hit the chair or just the floor, but she came up bleeding. Poor little thing. I finally got her lip cleaned up and managed to see that it was minor and convinced her to drink a juice bottle to help with the swelling and everything was okay from there. Bo has not let me forget that it was me who allowed the first bloodshed.

We went to Vandy to see the foot specialist today. It was pretty uneventful and he wants to follow up with her in about a year or so. He thinks the left foot might eventually require some surgery but wants to allow her to develop and see how she does. That works for us. Now we continue to try to find shoes that work for her. With her short foot (left), it's really hard to find shoes that fit both of her feet well. Emma was basically pretty good considering that she isn't a big fan of doctors.

The paperwork that I had to complete at Vanderbilt today asked all her family history and I think this is the first paperwork that has actually asked that. It's really hard to put in writing that we don't know her history and never will. I'm sure that will always be an issue for her. I just don't know how to put into words what that means to me. We always just take for granted that when asked about our family history we can spout it off without difficulty. Heart disease and high blood pressure on my paternal side, cancer on my mother's side, etc. Emma will never be able to do that. There hasn't been a day in the 3 months since she was placed in our arms that I have not thought about her losing her identity in so many ways or thought about her birth parents and what they have lost as well. No matter how they made the decision, they still lost their child. That's a bitter pill to swallow no matter how you try.

Tuesday

My family - My cousin Dan, my cousin Euraline, my Aunt sissy, and my cousin Mike.

Kerry and Emma. She was all about seeing if he could move his mouth the way she does.

Emma and her Uncle Johnny.

Well, my Christmas gathering has come and gone and it was a lot of fun. I always enjoy having folks at my house. Everyone brought delicious dishes and we all ate way too much. Emma was very pleased to be the center of attention. She warmed up nicely to everyone and just seemed to enjoy the festivities.

Emma and I have shopped the last 2 days. We are trying to get the Christmas shopping done before the boys get out of school. I still have some to do but I have managed to accomplish a lot. Emma does such a great job in the stroller and the shopping cart. She just takes it all in. Today we took Dede out for her birthday. It was so nice to have some time out together. We had a lot of fun. We were checking out at Dillards and the sweetest young lady (who was obviously Chinese) looked at Emma and said "He look Chinese" (with a very heavy Chinese accent). I said "She is Chinese". She said "Ni Hao" to Emma. It was so sweet. She asked where Emma was from and her name. I had to clarify that Emma was a girl. I will be so glad when she has longer hair.

No big evening plans. I am trying to get Christmas cards written and do laundry. I have a doctor's apt. tomorrow which means no breakfast in the morning. I hate that. Mother will be keeping Emma tomorrow and I also know that the child will want for nothing. This little girl has her grandparents (on both sides) completely wrapped around her little finger.

Friday and Christmas Picture Rejects:)

I think the Grinch has visited.
It looks like Emma is missing half of her body.

This is not a happy little elf.

I love this silly picture. Her mouth was wide open! I suspect she was screaming.

Brady is so weird!

I attempted to take pictures for our Christmas cards yesterday. Out of approx. 50, I found one where everyone was smiling and cooperating.

How can it be Friday already? I work tonight and then hopefully I can come home and take a quick nap before getting up and cooking. We have a traditional Christmas meal at my house. Spaghetti, lasagna and pizza. No, we are not Italian, but everyone gets tired of the ham and turkey routine, so we do something different here. It's always a hit.

Not much else to say. My little helper and I are about to do something productive. I'm not sure what that will be. She is still in the "don't let mom out of my sight" phase, so I have to be careful not to step on her!

Thursday

Before I even say it, please don't take it the wrong way. I am THRILLED that I have a daughter and love her more than anything. Okay, that being said, it's impossible to get anything accomplished in a timely manner with a little one under your feet. It has taken me 2 days to finally get my bathrooms cleaned. I still haven't managed to mop them! She is so busy and curious! If she is this busy while crawling I can only imagine how busy she will be when she finally starts walking. She did manage to entertain herself for a few minutes this morning playing with her toys and watching Sesame Street. She isn't very interested in T.V. and I'm not complaining about that, but it would come in handy on occasion. So now that she is finally down for a nap I am going to mop, take a shower, vacuum the man cave, clean off my desk, and finish the laundry. By then it will be time to go get the boys from school and start the afternoon festivities. I'm not usually too uptight about the house (as evidenced by how it has been looking), but I am having approx. 25-30 people here Saturday night and I don't want it to be too messy.

Emma hasn't eaten too much today. She has issues with breakfast and usually only wants applesauce. She didn't eat much and then only ate a few bites for lunch. She is so funny when she fake cries and looks up at me. She squinches her eyes closed so that you can't even see them. Her other big deal is attempting to drink from the sippy cup. Still isn't interested but I have decided that we are going to take a sip after a few bites. She gets so angry! After forcing her to take a sip she just looks at me smiles. She's a stinker. We are having pasta for dinner tonight so that should make her happy. It appears that she loves any type of noodle. That's my girl.

Some of Emma's Christmas pics.

Is this the face of an angel or what?

She wasn't too impressed by this point.

Tuesday

Playing with her box.

Resting on her box.

This girl loves her bath. She would stay in the tub all day. I hope she enjoys a pool as much next summer.

Thanksgiving with Aunt Pam and Giggee. Ashton was doing a good job keeping up with Emma who was having a hard time with her leggings. Size 18 months is still a little big in the waist therefore the good shot of her diaper!

We had a nice Thanksgiving with Bo's family. The food was wonderful and it was nice to be together. I worked that night which was not quite as fun. Bo was Mr. Mom for a couple of days while I worked and tried to sleep during the day. He told me Friday that he can't see how I get anything done at home with Emma. She is high maintenance in a lot of ways (I say this as she sits in my lap trying to help me type after helping me with the laundry and helping me while I tried to take a bathroom break and helping me with pretty much everything else today!) This girl doesn't stray too far away from Mom.

She is finally saying DaDa or Daddy at times. This of course makes my husband very happy. She is a bit hesitant to get near the Christmas tree that we put up Sunday afternoon while she napped. Ashton couldn't wait for her to get up and see the tree and couldn't understand why she wasn't just thrilled to see it. She is very timid around it which is actually not a bad thing. The sweetest thing is that there is only one present under the tree and it's from Ashton to Emma. He snuck around last night and wrapped it and put it under the tree and I have no idea what it is. Pretty sweet for a boy that hasn't been that thrilled with the whole idea of having a sister.

Emma had her first pictures made yesterday at Sears. I wasn't so sure how she would do but she did really well and they turned out okay. When her hair finally grows longer I want to have some really professional pictures made. It will probably be spring before her hair is that long so the timing will be perfect.

I can't type any longer with my helper. She is all over me!

Wednesday

First off, the weather in Tennessee is always amazing. Yesterday was cold but sunny and today it's 60 degrees and very nice outside. It's hard to believe that tomorrow is Thanksgiving with it being so warm outside.

This morning has been spent at the Blood Drive and Bake Sale for Christian. Emma and I spent a couple of hours there helping with the bake sale and it was wonderful to see such a huge turnout for the blood drive. There was a constant flow of people donating and I know that Christian and his family will be thrilled. The latest report from today was that he had to get more blood and therefore wasn't able to get his chemo today. They are really praying for his counts to increase so he can get back on the chemo and get his bone marrow transplant in December. Please continue to remember this amazing family in prayer. They are such great people with such a strong faith.

Bo and I have done a little outside work this afternoon while Emma napped. We had a lot of junk to pick up and dispose of from the remodeling project. While we worked outside our constant companion was the rooster. Brady has named him Ernesto (I have no idea why). He is never far away from your feet while you are outside.

We are planning on doing a little shopping this evening and just having some quality family time. I hope that Emma handles it all well. She is a little sneezy but seems to feel fine.

Happy Thanksgiving and I hope that we all take the time to really BE thankful for our blessings.
We are such a blessed people and after spending time in another country this year I think that I may appreciate our country and our blessings more than ever. Just think that right now there are 143 million orphans in this world with very little to be thankful for. Perhaps next year your home may be blessed with a new addition like ours. For everyone that is waiting on their referral, hang in there. It is worth the wait and it will happen.

Tuesday - Of Course I'm Behind

For my regular followers, sorry that I am behind. I have just been busy and my daughter has been very needy the last few days. She doesn't want me out of her sight and the only break I catch is during nap time. She has also been very timid the last few days. Scared of any sudden movements, still terrified of the dogs that are outside on the porch, and did I forget to mention - the rooster. Yes the rooster (only remaining chicken of the infamous flock) has decided his home is downstairs in front of the french doors in Ashton's room. He is there by 4 a.m. crowing (doesn't bother Ashton). He waits on me to fill up the dog food bowl so that he can eat, sleeps on the rug outside the door (yes, he's leaving a mess), and pecks the window. I'm not sure if he sees his shadow and thinks he is pecking at another bird or if he is just trying to get our attention. This rooster has issues and when Emma sees him she crawls quickly to me and puts her hand on my foot. Can you say therapy?

Bo and the boys are officially off after today. We will be celebrating Thanksgiving with Bo's family at his sister's house. We traditionally get up very early and meet them in Nashville for the annual Boulevard Bolt, but this year we are sitting it out. Our boys are crushed (yeah right). It's too early, too cold, too early, for us to get out with Emma. At least that is the excuse that we are using this year.

I have to work on Thanksgiving night and again Friday night. I hope that we get the house decorated over the weekend. That will give Emma something new to play with. I'm sure that the tree will be a huge source of interest for her.

Nothing much new and exciting to write about. I'm not sure if that's good or bad. I hope that everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving. I know that we are especially thankful this year. Our little girl is home and that is certainly the best gift we could have been given.

Not So Fun Friday

Emma is feeling the effects of her immunizations and therefore, so am I. She slept well, which is certainly a praise item. When she woke up it went down hill. She immediately laid her head on my shoulder and that is where it has been for most of the morning. She had one little episode of gagging and vomited slightly. She was feverish and hasn't' drunk anything this morning. She doesn't drink from a sippy cup yet and refuses to take anything but milk from the bottle. I remember learning the hard way with Brady that milk and fever don't go well together. Projectile vomiting is something that you never forget.

She is sitting at my feet right now playing her new drum with 2 ink pens. The Tylenol has kicked in and she is feeling a little better. I'm sure it won't last long. I'm hoping she takes a long nap and lets me do the same since I have to work tonight.

Our weekend is uncharted territory right now. I suppose it will depend on how she feels. We need to paint her bedroom, do some outside work, etc. Bo and Brady want to go hunting as well. Brady isn't feeling very well either. After seeing the Allergist yesterday he was prescribed an antibiotic and steroids since his asthma was beginning to flare up. The good news was that they are going to let us stop the allergy shots in February and see how he does. He has been on them for over 5 years so that will be a nice treat indeed.

Ashton is planning on playing golf this afternoon with the golf team. It's so cold and windy outside! Maybe when you are 12 that doesn't phase you.

Have a great weekend.

Thursday

Baby girl did not have an ear infection, just some dried, hard wax that needed a little help coming out. Icky. She did get her shots which I just hate for her. She is wise to the world and the minute the nurse walks into the room she begins to cling to me and cry. It doesn't take too long to figure out what's going on! Poor little thing. We have to get more shots in January, so maybe by then it will have become a distant memory. Right.

Brady has an apt. with the allergy specialist this afternoon, so I get to make 2 trips to Nashville today. He has been getting allergy shots for several years now and they have helped. It's time to have a recheck and get some idea how much longer we have to continue them. I think he may have a sinus infection so it's a good day to have the apt.

So that about sums up my day. Doctors visits. I did make a Target run and do a little Christmas shopping while we were out. Emma and I were in an isle looking at something and I noticed this man looking at Emma. As I was looking at something I heard her make her standard noise "Ba" and he was making faces at her. He asked if she was from a different country (what gave it away) and after I told him she was from China he told me that he would have a grandchild in December from China. He was so sweet and obviously so excited. I love to share about adoption so I could have talked all day.

Our nap has been completely thrown off today due to the doctor's visit. She napped on the way home from Nashville and that's it. She doesn't lay back down well. It could be a long afternoon:)

Emma and Monkey

Emma had not really shown any interest in stuffed animals and still doesn't. However, when she lays down in her crib her arms are always around monkey. This monkey was a gift from her Aunt Pam. I just think it's so cute and they look so sweet together.

Plans for today. We have a weekly prayer/chat time at Melissa's house. I have to take a stack of clothes to the local consignment shop. Clean, laundry, feed child, change child, feed child, entertain child. That pretty much sums it up. At this moment while I type I am also running back and forth to the top of the stairway and yelling for Brady to get up. He is the slowest human in the world. Yesterday I removed the locks from their doors so that I can get in without having to scream at them to get up. They were baffled when they got home but I had been warning them that it was coming. Mean mom that I am.

Emma was a little grumpy yesterday and has been pulling at her ears. I'm afraid she may have a little infection. I gave her Tylenol last night just to see if that might help her and she did sleep all night. We have an apt. to get shots tomorrow and are not scheduled to see the doctor. I think I am going to attempt to get her looked at anyway. She has been so healthy since coming home (knocking on wood). I hope that she doesn't have a bad winter and start getting sick.

Have a great day!

Weekend Recap

This is the face that I see while I am trying to cook dinner. She is under my feet with her hand on my leg. She isn't going to get too far away from me.

Crawling along.

This is her latest attempt to stand up. She has been crawling like this the last few days. Every attempt to get a good picture of her fails because she sees the camera and immediately sits down and starts crawling toward the it.

Emma loves to help with the vacuuming. I wonder if that will last?

We had a busy weekend. I worked Friday night and Sunday day shift. Bo had the privilege of being Mr. Mom. He got the kids off to church yesterday and managed to get Emma dressed. Her shirt was on backwards and the tights were wrong, but at least he tried! Melissa and Shelley redressed Emma when she got in the nursery.

Saturday was a lazy day around the house. I made a pot of chili and Pam came to visit and play with Emma. It was nice to spend some time with her.

Today has been laundry and general pick up day at home. Emma has been under my feet all day. She pulled up in the crib today and although I suspect she has done it before, today was the first time that I saw her do it. She was very proud of herself and was all smiles waiting on me to get her out. It's amazing watching her change everyday and she is so proud of all of her accomplishments.

Brady and Ashton are finally finished for a little while with all of their extracurricular activities. Marching band is over and there are no sports right now and I am loving it! It's nice to get to come home in the afternoon and stay home. It doesn't last long, so I am going to enjoy it while I can.