I feel like I have aged 10 years in the last month and a half, add another 5 if you include the 3 months prior to that. Between the emotions, the pain of waiting, the lack of sleep, the learning curve, and the complete joy, I am fairly certain that I have at least half a head of white hair. Thank GOD for hair dye!
Most mornings are good ones. Most mornings are smiles and giggles, laughter and lots of babble. Routine is easily followed and life is enjoyed by all.
This morning was not one of those. It was a battle from before the sun was even up. Little ears hearing movement in the kitchen and sheer determination to be a part of Daddy's early morning action, led to two awake toddlers and a VERY tired mommy attempting to begin a day WAY to early.
Lack of sleep can lead to two little cuddle bugs or it can lead to test after test of momma's willingness to tolerate and discipline for very deliberate acts of disobedience. Hitting, throwing, yelling, fighting.... this morning was full of good times. Both the girls need a nap desperately and it is only- what 9:15 in the morning! Thankfully, the girls and I have worked though most of those struggles quickly and they are playing upstairs pretty well at the moment.
That said, these are mornings that leave me a bit frazzled, worn, and very ready to crawl back into bed and pretend it's only 5am again. While that isn't an option in this house, there are alternatives and for me, that is a few moments of solitude, a good breakfast in this stomach of mine and a fresh cup of coffee!
It's in moments spent curled up in this little chair of mine typing that I begin to reflect on how far I have come during this life of mine. That and how much further I have left to go. Parenting is BY FAR the most humbling experience I have ever had. Each day has it's challenges. Each day is another opportunity to learn something new. The sun sets and I reflect on the things that could have been done differently, that might have worked better. I was told I would have a lifetime of that to ponder once I had kids. Now I see how true that is.
With all of that responsibility comes the joy of those little lives too! There is something remarkable about a child's face lighting up at the sight of you and running to wrap their chubby little arms around you and calling you Momma...... and right on cue, giggles are floating downstairs and my coffee cup is drained of it's goodness. I sit here smiling at the noise of joyful play and I simply must go and be a part of it. Have a great day! I'm gonna start mine over again!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
Remembering...
I checked in with a friend today via her blog, and was reminded how much our family has been through in the last year and all the rollar coasters our emotions have taken.
For those families still waiting, Julie puts the process into words well. Know that those of us that have made it through weren't sure we would ever get to where we are either. The time will pass (as painful as it is) and all the anxiety and ache will be a VERY foggy memory. Hang in there!
For those families still waiting, Julie puts the process into words well. Know that those of us that have made it through weren't sure we would ever get to where we are either. The time will pass (as painful as it is) and all the anxiety and ache will be a VERY foggy memory. Hang in there!
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Generous Giving.
A great friend of mine has joined the 365 club, taking a photo each day of the year to track her progress as a photographer as well as to document events as the months pass by. I checked her blog this morning and was dumbfounded and very humbled by an entry made on the sidebar of her blog.
Not only has she made a commitment to give monthly to Charity:Water (click "Water" on sidebar of screen), but she has also committed that for every comment made on her blog, she will increase her gift each month by up to 100%. What a great idea!
I know that we all aren't in a place that we can give a gift like this, or even a small gift a month, but for those that are, this is an amazing idea.
I would encourage you all to visit her blog and let her know you are following along. Not only are the pictures great, but the comments go towards a good cause.
Martha, you AMAZE me!
Not only has she made a commitment to give monthly to Charity:Water (click "Water" on sidebar of screen), but she has also committed that for every comment made on her blog, she will increase her gift each month by up to 100%. What a great idea!
I know that we all aren't in a place that we can give a gift like this, or even a small gift a month, but for those that are, this is an amazing idea.
I would encourage you all to visit her blog and let her know you are following along. Not only are the pictures great, but the comments go towards a good cause.
Martha, you AMAZE me!
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Ethiopian Dance
We saw dances like this in Ethiopia. It's amazing on video, but far more so when you see it in person.
Every once in a while, Macie will do a dance with the head shake thing. At first we thought it may be a tantrum issue, but as I watched, it was very clearly a dance learned or watched at some point in her life. Pretty cool, I think.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Daily Progress
It's amazing how life can turn you in circles until you are dizzy and days have spun into months. Before you know it, the life you thought would never come, is an everyday adventure and the memory of the painful wait is a distant and dull past. It is hard to believe it was only a month and a few weeks ago that our days were empty and the house was quiet. It feels like a lifetime has past and that life is a world away.
Adjustments have been made and we are all learning one another more each day. The structure in home life has helped a tremendous amount. The girls are down at 7pm and up at 7am. They wake only for diaper changes as needed (maybe once a night) unless something has thrown off the every-day norm. The company of each other helps sleep come a little easier I think. The average 12 hours is fairly constant and the days are broken into various types of activity including an afternoon nap for them both.
The weather around here isn't the best (freezing temps are the norm this week), so that puts a stop to the idea of outdoor activity. I long for Spring when I can let the girls run in the yard and discover the nature that is around them.
Macie is learning English like crazy. Her vocabulary astounds me! She seems to learn a new word every hour. Ella is closely behind, but catching up and while her speech is very much at a young toddler level, the words get clearer every day.
Macie knows her ABC's well and can count to 20. She is tracing letters, learning colors, and English names for animals.
Ella is building block towers 6 and 7 blocks high. She is a dancing fool and has figured out (just this morning) how to put her trousers on without shoving both of her chubby little appendages into one pant leg. She decided some time in the middle of last week to turn "two". This was a mental decision that has brought on more than a few fits of pouting and temper tantrums over the last few days. Working through those has been tons of fun (insert sarcastic tone here), but it IS very cute to see that bottom lip pout out from time to time. Keeping a strait face is, at times, very difficult.
Both the girls change their cloths 5 or 6 times a day before finally deciding on an outfit that may or may not last the rest of the day. Often they will wander downstairs in wrong sizes, with wrong shoes on wrong feet and headbands wrapped around wrists (a very 80's rollar skater type of look). I plead guilty to all counts of blame on the clothing matter. I am a horrible example.
The girls are fearless. They love being active, being chased and learning new things. Both Ella and Macie have attempted to jump down the last 3-4 steps from their room to the main floor. Some attempt are successful, but far more result in a hard thump on the floor. Neither of the girls are big whiners when they fall. At most, they require a fix it kiss from mom and that's it. Tears are rarely shed and usually they figure out how to achieve their goal in a different way within minutes.
At the moment, both the girls are upstairs playing together (something they do very well right now) and I am staring at a house that needs cleaning. There are blocks on the floor, books and cut out shapes spread amongst them and three pairs of shoes that have all been on little feet strewn all about the room. There is an "Operation" game sitting on the side lines (the buzz of any failed surgery is great entertainment) and there are pots and pans with spoons laying around here somewhere too. Amazingly enough, there isn't any banging of the pots and pans, just pretend cooking and food consumption.
Some language tips for those we will see soon, you can expect to hear these words often around our house;
"B" (bee)= Eat
"Shuma" (shooma) = go potty
"Shinte" (chin-tay) = pee
"Ca-Ca" (caw caw) = poop
"Goebesh" (gobesh) = good, couragous
"Wa" = water
"Woosha" = dog
The above words are all Amharic that we still use on a regular basis with the girls, often in place of English. While this habit has changed (sadly) Macie used to raise her eyebrows if she was saying "yes" to something. I am assuming this is either cultural or something she picked up while trying to learn Amharic in Addis, but it was adorable and could easily be something that might be seen in other toddlers as well (for anyone adopting a toddler).
For communication reasons, we also used Baby Einstein's sign language videos with the girls once they came home. The video covers all kinds of basic daily needs and wants. The girls use sign language often now and and between the sign language and the basic Amharic we have gotten along quite well.
We have some days that are better than others, but I couldn't be happier or prouder of their progress and ours as a family.
As for Mom and Dad, we are hanging in there. Each day brings a new challenge and a new discovery about who our girls are becoming. I will write more about the whole progress of parenthood later. This entry is FAR too long as it is!
Hope all is well,
Beth
Adjustments have been made and we are all learning one another more each day. The structure in home life has helped a tremendous amount. The girls are down at 7pm and up at 7am. They wake only for diaper changes as needed (maybe once a night) unless something has thrown off the every-day norm. The company of each other helps sleep come a little easier I think. The average 12 hours is fairly constant and the days are broken into various types of activity including an afternoon nap for them both.
The weather around here isn't the best (freezing temps are the norm this week), so that puts a stop to the idea of outdoor activity. I long for Spring when I can let the girls run in the yard and discover the nature that is around them.
Macie is learning English like crazy. Her vocabulary astounds me! She seems to learn a new word every hour. Ella is closely behind, but catching up and while her speech is very much at a young toddler level, the words get clearer every day.
Macie knows her ABC's well and can count to 20. She is tracing letters, learning colors, and English names for animals.
Ella is building block towers 6 and 7 blocks high. She is a dancing fool and has figured out (just this morning) how to put her trousers on without shoving both of her chubby little appendages into one pant leg. She decided some time in the middle of last week to turn "two". This was a mental decision that has brought on more than a few fits of pouting and temper tantrums over the last few days. Working through those has been tons of fun (insert sarcastic tone here), but it IS very cute to see that bottom lip pout out from time to time. Keeping a strait face is, at times, very difficult.
Both the girls change their cloths 5 or 6 times a day before finally deciding on an outfit that may or may not last the rest of the day. Often they will wander downstairs in wrong sizes, with wrong shoes on wrong feet and headbands wrapped around wrists (a very 80's rollar skater type of look). I plead guilty to all counts of blame on the clothing matter. I am a horrible example.
The girls are fearless. They love being active, being chased and learning new things. Both Ella and Macie have attempted to jump down the last 3-4 steps from their room to the main floor. Some attempt are successful, but far more result in a hard thump on the floor. Neither of the girls are big whiners when they fall. At most, they require a fix it kiss from mom and that's it. Tears are rarely shed and usually they figure out how to achieve their goal in a different way within minutes.
At the moment, both the girls are upstairs playing together (something they do very well right now) and I am staring at a house that needs cleaning. There are blocks on the floor, books and cut out shapes spread amongst them and three pairs of shoes that have all been on little feet strewn all about the room. There is an "Operation" game sitting on the side lines (the buzz of any failed surgery is great entertainment) and there are pots and pans with spoons laying around here somewhere too. Amazingly enough, there isn't any banging of the pots and pans, just pretend cooking and food consumption.
Some language tips for those we will see soon, you can expect to hear these words often around our house;
"B" (bee)= Eat
"Shuma" (shooma) = go potty
"Shinte" (chin-tay) = pee
"Ca-Ca" (caw caw) = poop
"Goebesh" (gobesh) = good, couragous
"Wa" = water
"Woosha" = dog
The above words are all Amharic that we still use on a regular basis with the girls, often in place of English. While this habit has changed (sadly) Macie used to raise her eyebrows if she was saying "yes" to something. I am assuming this is either cultural or something she picked up while trying to learn Amharic in Addis, but it was adorable and could easily be something that might be seen in other toddlers as well (for anyone adopting a toddler).
For communication reasons, we also used Baby Einstein's sign language videos with the girls once they came home. The video covers all kinds of basic daily needs and wants. The girls use sign language often now and and between the sign language and the basic Amharic we have gotten along quite well.
We have some days that are better than others, but I couldn't be happier or prouder of their progress and ours as a family.
As for Mom and Dad, we are hanging in there. Each day brings a new challenge and a new discovery about who our girls are becoming. I will write more about the whole progress of parenthood later. This entry is FAR too long as it is!
Hope all is well,
Beth
Monday, January 5, 2009
A Day at the Park.
Some pictures of our most recent family part time. The girls love the wagon!
Home, exhausted and ready to eat. A family photo minus an all too hungry (and a lot grumpy) Ella.
The girls loved their visit with Grandma.
A great photo of Grandma Pam and the girls.
Home, exhausted and ready to eat. A family photo minus an all too hungry (and a lot grumpy) Ella.
The girls loved their visit with Grandma.
A great photo of Grandma Pam and the girls.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Not For the Faint of Heart
I know that this is a disturbing video, but it has been a while since I have said thank you to all of my friends and old co-workers for all that they do.
For those of you questioning why they didn't send out officers right away, they did, but it was more important that they get information and bring comfort to the boy making the call.
Dispatchers are an exceptional group of people and I can only hope that my own children would recieve such kind voices at a time of crisis, God-forbid it should ever happen in any form.
We need to remember that as we go about all of the "every day's" in life, there are those sitting on the phone, helping others of us with those not-so everyday issues.
I know it is random and totally off what has been recently blogged about, but it is important.
So to Kelsey, Jennifer, Stacy, Karen, Martha, Dottie, Jeri and Lillian, (and all those other dispatchers that go without thanks) you all have my sincerest gratitude!
Saturday, January 3, 2009
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