Progress is Perfect

On Saturday, we marked 7 weeks since our return from China with Li'l Empress in our arms. To say that we have all been on a roller-coaster ride of learning and adjusting would be the understatement of the year. However, I fear that the last couple posts only gave you a partial view of all we've been learning and experiencing. The hard stuff of adjusting to our "new normal." Here's a peek at some of the really fun progress we've seen as the Gang has become 7 strong.

Li'l Empress has made tremendous strides in overcoming some of her self-soothing behaviors. When we first got her, we noticed quickly that she would scratch her head almost to the point of tearing her scalp when she was stressed, over-tired, or uncertain. The kids and I made a special trip to W*l-M*rt our first week home and purchased this. It's made a tremendous difference in comforting herself. She's not totally at the point of actually sleeping with it yet, but "wubby" is a regular part of our nap and night-time routine now and a great substitute for the painful scratching.

With our choice to practice attachment parenting, one of our goals is to model to Li'l Empress that we are always going to be here for her. That we will never leave her. She's had a lot of leaving in her little life already. (Much more on that in a future post. Trust me, you'll want to come back for that one! I just have to process what I've been learning and summarize it accurately for our family "journal" here.) This consistency and focused method of trust-building and bonding will help pave the way for the message that she is unconditionally loved and accepted. It's been our experience with our other kids, and continues to be our prayer, that it will pave the way for her to learn trust in her family and later, as she grows, in her Father God. In the process of that, it is strongly recommended that the primary care-givers be the ones to meet all her most basic needs. And that she always be in the care of one of us who will be her forever family. Yesterday, Momma took a huge step forward in leaving Li'l Empress with Aunt L and the cousins. It was only an hour and a half, and was much harder on me than it was on her. But it was progress for us all around. Aunt L, Uncle P, and the cousins will always be her family. It's vitally important that we allow her to build trust with them.

While Li'l Empress was being completely spoiled by Auntie L and the cousins, I got to dip my foot back into the pools of school activities. Baby BlueEyes begged me to be a mom-volunteer at Clifford's Birthday Bash for RIF. It was a great time and reminded me of just why I love our local elementary school. And BBE knew just where to get me: anything that promotes the love of reading is right up my alley. I had a great time and I know he was thrilled to have his Momma around for the morning. The progress there was tangible proof to BBE that our "new normal" is about all of us getting our heart-felt needs met. He just beamed all morning long!

The Gang has been busy teaching Li'l Empress all kinds of fun things. Of course, you all know she's walking now. And recently started "dancing" by swaying back and forth either when she's sitting or standing. Makes me a little nervous that she's trying to do it now when she's actually walking, but it's part of learning! And this week, I noticed that she's even attempting to run a bit. OY! Here's a quick list of some other things that we are sure she knows now, in just 7 weeks:

• "Where's your nose?"
• "Where's your ears?"
• "Where's your belly button?"
• "Excuse me" (our family sign motion when she burps)
• "Hot!"
• Baby signs for: please, thank you, eat, more, all done, and milk
• Her first English word was her biggest brother's name, which eternally secured her spot in the deepest recesses of his "too cool for words" teen-age heart
• "Wow" - comes out "Bow" but it's still adorable
  

We've also discovered that she really enjoys a few minutes of creativity occasionally. LadyBug and BBE are always begging to color, and many times she's just stood there watching them. So I took our OT's suggestion and set Li'l Empress up with her own art station. She seems pretty ambidexterous right now, and when she's got both fists full of crayons, she's VERY focused!

Finally, another fun bit of progress that we've made is that Li'l Empress appears to be making the connection between her Chinese name and her new American name. We have many pictures of her posted up on our fridge from our long wait for her. She loves to point to them and say "Wawa." (That is the Chinese word for "baby.") After about a week of her pointing and saying this, I started pointing at the picture, saying "Wawa" and pointing at her, saying her American name, followed by her Chinese name. After a couple days of watching "the light go on" for her, I added the question, "Who's my Wawa?" and answered it by tapping her chest and saying her two names together. Now, she points to the pictures, says "Wawa" and points to herself and repeats "Wawa." Her name is a hard one for a baby to say, but I think that's pretty good logic and connection.

I can hardly believe she's 15 months old already. She's growing and changing so quickly and I feel so blessed to be able to so many of her firsts. Having a baby in the house with older kids provides hours of entertainment and we are thoroughly enjoying how quickly she picks up things - literally like a little sponge, just soaking up all the atmosphere around here. From dancing when Shaggy practices drums down in the basement to the funny faces she makes when she's filling her diaper, life with The Gang is never dull. Always progressing. And just perfect for this happy Momma!

I've Been Tagged!

My new cyber-friend, Aus, and his wife tagged me for this meme. I "met" Aus and his wife when they started following our blog during our China trip. They were consistently helpful with their knowledge of the country and encouraging all the way. If you notice, their comments even since we've been home have been in the same vein. That's one of the things I love about this new "family" we find ourselves in the midst of - the international adoption community is tight-knit and so helpful. There's a real "you can do it!" mentality that we've so appreciated!

So anyway, I've been tagged for this particular several times recently and just never got around to doing it. If you are reading this, please play along! Just leave a comment to let me know you played. And then link up to me. Otherwise, have fun reading this mish-mosh of crazy random-ness about me :)

7 Random Things About Me

• I am still friends with my best friend from Kindergarten. That’s 35+ years and counting for those of you who are trying to do the math in your head. I think we are perfectly matched and besides my hubby, she’s the best friend God could have ever given me.
• My husband is appalled that I can drink day-old coffee. My words to him (just this afternoon, again, in fact!): “I don’t care what the actual coffee tastes like. If there’s room in the mug for my sugar-free hazelnut creamer, throw it in the microwave. Not down the drain!”
• I have struggled all my life with keeping my relationships in the right priority. However, I also despised the label “social butterfly” and still do. I do not "flit." I form deep, lasting and meaningful friendships that usually end up meaning more to me than to many of those I am/was in relationship with.
• I cannot stand to leave my toe-nails unpainted once April comes around. But once it's November, I could care less what my feet look like. Inside my FABULOUS shoes, that is.
• I am seriously afraid that my two junior-high boys are already smarter than me. Please, don’t tell them – they haven’t quite figured it out yet. And it’s still endearing when they come to me for help with homework. A little scary, but endearing nonetheless.
• The first big snow of the season gets me totally excited, sentimental, and domestic. After that, I’m done: “bring on the spring!”
• I love unusual jewelry. Hand-made, cultural or ethnic. I could stand in those craft booths forever looking at all the cool earrings and pins. When I find one that “speaks to me,” I have to have it. I tend to lose my frugality in the face of funky accessories.
  

There you have it. The good, the bad, and the weird. All in my little head. Aren't you lucky you aren't me?!

Come on, play along and join the fun - what quirky and random things are lurking in your brain today?

Thank God It's Friday!

I can't remember the last time I so longed for Friday. I love the feeling of wrapping up my weekly chores. Bustling around the house to finish laundry. Checking the calendar for the coming week's events. Folding that last load of laundry till Monday (for the sake of my sanity and a break in the "scenery" we have a "no laundry on the weekends" policy!). Squeezing in a baking project. Planning meals for the the next few days ahead. Typically, these are all the things that make up my perfect Friday.

I think I may have mentioned in the last few posts that my weeks have been anything but typical as of late. In fact, it's been a rough and rocky road here lately. I hinted at it in my last post: beyond the broken arms, viruses and infections, there's been some other things going on here. Things that weigh a mom down. Things that make the day-to-day difficult to navigate. Things that make adjusting to a "new normal" even harder than it should be. Things that have long-term implications for our health and well-being as The Gang.

None of these other things are any different than what stuff other families deal with, but after much prayer and talking with The Boss, I've come to the realization that these things are all being dealt with wrongly. We've all been looking at these "things" and reacting to them. We've been weighed under by them, allowing them to press us to the mat. And when we've been pressed, frustration, anger and selfishness has been leaking out all over. We've been attacking each other. We've each been looking at what we need to do to make it through the day for our own needs. We've been tearing each other down. We've been feeling defeated and continuing to act out of that defeat.

After a rocky and frustrating start to our day, after I allowed my selfish expectations and angry feelings spill out all over my beloved family, I stood in my kitchen and felt sick to my stomach. Recognizing the feeling for what it was, I quickly repented to My Jesus and then to my hubby. The Boss and I made a plan to have a family meeting tonight, to share with The Gang our observations and our (re-newed) perspective of the activities around here. During this re-focus and our re-connection with The Gang tonight, we hope to re-establish who we are as a family. Who we are In Christ. And where we are going. Together. Re-draw the battle lines, if you will. It's time. Frankly, it's way past time and I'm sorry that it took me this long to see it.

So, I've got a pot of soup simmering in the crock pot. There's a loaf of bread rising in the bread maker and some peanut-butter cookie bars cooling on the counter. I picked up a fun family movie we've all been dying to see. And around our great big family dinner table, we're gonna have that talk. We're going to repent to each other and to the Lord and we're gonna start fresh.

Mmmm, maybe I'll frost those cookie bars. Can't have a deep, intimate conversation about intentionality, team building, and self-less loving without chocolate frosting on peanut butter bars. Now, can we?

The ER and a Cute Video Alert!

Sorry to have left ya hanging! I had a bit of a relapse yesterday with my sore throat and achey self. I spent most of Wednesday on the couch or the floor with a clingy and crabby Li'l Empress in my lap. We were both a bit crabby and by the end of the day, I was actually looking forward to the run to the grocery store for a moment alone. While I was driving there, I was vividly remembered feeling just like that when the older two boys were little. The Boss would get home and I'd head to the library for some time alone before heading home to help with bedtime. I guess in all the excitement of bringing home baby #5, I kinda forgot those harder times. Those days when you just want to have five minutes alone with no one pulling at your leg or crying for your arms. This week has been a strong reminder of those days, in many ways. It's also made me excessively grateful for my older kids and the help they offer when they return from school.

So anyway, back to our crazy weekend. I know the suspense has been killing you. All three of you.

I stayed home from church Sunday morning, with a fever and that awful sore throat. LadyBug stayed most of the morning to help me. The Boss checked in (our church meets only 3 minutes from the house) and picked up the casserole for our fellowship luncheon. By then, LadyBug was ready to head out and Li'l Empress was ready for a nap. With the quiet house, I crashed on the couch and watched an old 80's movie. I can't even remember which one, I was so out of it.

Later, after everyone returned home and settled in for the afternoon, I headed up for a nap. Around 5:15 when I was halfway down the stairs, I heard a tremendous crash and total chaos. Li'l Empress was screaming. BBE and LadyBug were crying. The Boss was panicking and calling for ice. Now, when The Boss panics, I know something is wrong. He never panics and we all count on him for his steady hand and cool head. So I took a look at Li'l Empress and panicked. And gagged. And cried and had my own little freak-out session.

Seems Li'l Empress (who has been walking for about 2 weeks, mostly from person to person) got super confident and was walking alone again. Only this time, she was shaking her head from side to side and giggling while she walked. She made herself dizzy and pitched head first into the edge of the coffee table. At this point, I must say that the ironic thing of all this is that our coffee table is an older hand-me-down and has no sharp corners or outer edges. Except for the apron trim that goes around the underside. That's the edge she hit. We couldn't replicate that one-in-a-million angle if we tried. When The Boss picked her up and turned her over, he found the BIGGEST. UGLIEST. goose-egg either of us had ever seen before. And with 3 older boys, we've seen ugly goose-eggs. This thing was pure white and had a huge dent in the middle of it. It was nasty enough to throw us into a panic. It was pure adrenaline rush that carried us to the ER.

Half-way there, I realized that I hadn't showered or brushed my teeth or my hair since Saturday. I was, after all, sick. And once the adrenaline settled, feeling sicker all the while. I'm sure the other patients in the waiting room were wondering which of us was the patient. By the second hour of our time there, she was perky, talking, and trying to walk all over . Mommy was slumped in a chair holding her head!

This picture is at the 2 hour mark,
waiting for the "Fast Track"
office to call us in.

Three hours, several nurses and a doctor later, we were released. No x-rays, CAT scans, MRI's or stitches - thank you, LORD! Armed with a little re-education about the warning signs of concussion and proper wound care, we dragged our weary selves home. It seemed utterly ridiculous that it was only 8:30 - it felt like midnight. The little ones had been such great sports the whole wait at the hospital but the anxiety was wearing on them and they dragged themselves off to bed. The older boys had been at youth group during the whole fiasco and were anxiously waiting for us to walk in for the full report. Li'l Empress got lots of lovin' and sympathy from her big brothers!

So, she's fine now. She survived her first ER visit. She's sporting some lovely colors on her forehead and they are settling down between her eyes now too. The swelling has gone down and we're looking at corner covers and edge protectors on-line. Maybe some heavy-duty batting and bubble-wrap for those extra energetic moments!

Oh, the joy of her first
Dora band-aid. Ha.

And just so I don't leave you on a down-turn, here's a video of her walking on Saturday night. She's trying out her new "squeaky shoes" that we purchased for her in China. They finally fit and she had a ball in them!

Now you know why we're praying for boring, dull, plodding weeks. We need them. There's so much more going on here than I can even blog about, but trust me when I say that boring would be so welcome right about now.

I know, how cute is that?!

Where Have I Been?

Okay, I am back. And praying for a really boring week. Uneventful, dull and plodding. Here's just part of the reason why! Stay tuned later (maybe today?) for the rest of the eventful weekend wrap-up. I swear, I need some industrial strength bubble wrap for my gang . . . Let's just say that the self-imposed hibernation came to a screeching, screaming halt on October 31. There's no hope in sight of extending it or letting it gently recede into my memory. The calendar is mysteriously full again. Life is back to its roaring, raging pace. And I'm not keeping up very well at all.

After the dust settled from LadyBug's broken arm, we went right into two days off of school and a sick little Baby BlueEyes. While I'm grateful that he didn't have to miss school because his virus conveniently adhered to the district planning, I was sad that his time off was mostly spent sleeping and wandering around in his jammies moaning about his aching head.

We were able to put off real life by one more day, as The Boss's team of colleagues hosted a shower for us at his office on Thursday. Getting into the city with a baby and back was an almost all-day affair! Bottles, food (which she refused anyway!) and extra clothes. Oy! But the shower was lovely, complete with a great cake and pictures from our trip posted all along the wall. It was very thoughtful and so sweet of everyone to rejoice with us in our little treasure.

Once The Gang and The Boss all headed off to regularly scheduled life on Friday, I kicked into high gear. I had lost time to make up for. I had stuff to do. I had plans.

I also had something brewing. Something scratchy and raw in the back of my throat.

By Friday afternoon, I made an appointment with my nurse practitioner to be checked. Her words were not comforting. "Wow, that's some serious yuck you got going on in there" as she peered down my aching throat. And, "I can't believe you have been up and about all day today. Usually a throat that bad would have someone flat on their back." Finally, my personal favorite was, "You probably waited too long to get this checked. This must have been bothering you for quite a few days now." Um, yeah. But I lost two days home with a sick kid, two days the week before with another kid's broken arm. And I haven't grocery shopped in weeks! I really had to keep moving.

I filled my prescription (Did the doc tell the pharmacist that I needed this for a raw and inflamed throat?! That pill is humongo!) and headed home to straighten up. My good friend, Kateri from Blessed Beyond Measure, was on her way for a visit, and to join us for a "Welcome Home" party that my family planned for Saturday for Li'l Empress's official debut to our friends and family. Bless her heart, Kateri was so understanding of the ahem, shall we say, "laid-back style" of entertaining that I mustered on Friday night. I'm just hoping that she didn't see the bathroom before Dr. D got to cleaning it after dinner for me! We had a great time chatting and catching up. I just wish I'd felt better and our time hadn't been so limited by getting dinner on the table and kids into bed! Maybe next time. . .

Saturday we headed to THE Partay! It was obvious that my sister and my mom put a ton of work into the preparations. It was decorated very festively by my nieces and nephew and the smells coming from the kitchen were amazing! Pizza from my home-town pizzeria, baked ziti, meatballs and sausage, pasta alfredo, cookies and sweets galore. Mmmmm. Shaggy was in heaven!

The guest list included several friends from church, some surprises from my home church in NE PA, my cousin, and other friends from our former church in Central PA. We were so humbled and blessed by the generous, loving support, the encouragement and the effort everyone made to join us in celebrating our Li'l Empress. I found myself in tears quite a few times over the course of the day. The only sad tears were from missing my other sister and her Viking Clan. It was hard to celebrate without them, but I knew they were with us in spirit.

Here are a couple pics from the "winding down" part of the party. We were too busy visiting and enjoying our friends and family to even remember to use the camera most of the rest of the day! At this point of the day, there was only a fraction of the crowd still around. The house was PACKED all day long!

Saturday night, we got everyone home and showered and into bed at decent hour. The Boss and I really rushed them all through the routine, as he could tell I was hanging on by a thread. Finally, at 8:50 p.m., my body cried "Uncle!" Long and Loud. I was chilled and feverish and in bed by 9 p.m. I was done.

Stay tuned for the run down on our eventful Sunday. Here's a tease: our local hospital is getting quite familiar with our health insurance ID number. :(

No Matter What

I am proud to be an American.

I am proud to be a citizen of a land that grants certain rights and privileges inherent to my citizenship.

I am proud of the fact that my citizenship allows me the honor and the choice of who to worship, where to live, and how to vote.

I am extraordinarily proud of the fact that my newest little citizen gets those same rights and privileges. Every day for the rest of her life. The alternative course of her life is unthinkable to me right now.


I am humbled by the right to raise this new little citizen and her other citizen siblings in a land of freedom.

I am humbled by the responsibility of raising our little corner of America's future in the manner that my husband and I deem appropriate.

I am confident that my first citizenship and its Kingdom carries far more weight and authority in the dealings of this world than my earthly citizenship.

I am proud to be in this season of my nation's history.

I am certain that God is sovereign and the rule of man, any man, is at His bidding and His hand.

I am honored to pray for our in-coming administration. And I will. No matter what.

For a great perspective
and a godly response to yesterday's election,
head over to my friend
at The Campbell Corner.
She said it beautifully!

I Voted, Did YOU?

I'm linking up to God's Grace In Practice, to share the voting experience I had today. Head over there if you voted and join the fun.

We got an early start today, as I had to run two of the boys to the local lab for some blood work (don't worry, they're fine, it's just screening/precautionary type tests) by 8:30 a.m. The lab was moving very quickly so after the boys finished and had their quick snack, we headed off to the local polling place.

Our polling place is my kids' elementary school. My kids particularly LOVE election days because it means no school. This year, we actually have two days off for Staff In-Service. I walked in with the boys and Li'l Empress and registered in the gym. I was pleased to see that The Boss had made it to the polls this a.m. when they opened. I wonder if he had to wait at all? I signed my name, showed my id and got my "Voter Ready" slip. Can I just say at this point that I am actually looking forward to getting my license renewed?! I cringe whenever I'm asked for i.d. When this picture was taken, I had just gotten THE. WORST. highlighting job OF MY LIFE and the blond in the picture is glaring white. Ugh. The lovely ladies verified my name, address, and voter number. It took all of 3 minutes.

I headed into the booth, while the boys walked Li'l Empress around the cafeteria area. I could hear her babbling and charming the elections workers with her smiles. I voted my straight party ticket, voted on the water works referendum (I had completely forgotten that was up in this election!) and cast my ballot. Easy peasy. Again, took all of an additional 3 minutes.

No lines, no picketers, no volunteers shoving obnoxious stickers and notepads in my face. Just a quick, painless carrying out of my right to vote.

But while I was there, I was struck anew by something my brother-in-law said on his Facebook page: this right that we often take for granted, (or worse, treat as if it's meaningless) came at a great price. My dad, my father-in-law, my great-grandfather, scores of people I love, have all fought at various times in our nation's history to ensure the freedoms I enjoy. May I never treat this right callously. Whatever my vote, may I always remember that that vote was purchased by life given in service to my country.

God Bless America.

*Updated: Just read a great voting story
over at House Mix. This is the blog of
Steven Curtis Chapman's manager
and today's post is especially great. Enjoy!

**Updated again: The Boss just called.
He arrived at the polling place
at 6:40 a.m. (sick, I know) and waited
behind about 50 people.
Not a long wait, but pretty quiet.
Apparently, he doesn't chat up
the folks around him
when he's waiting in line.
Does that surprise you?! :)

Exercise Your Right

And then stop over at my friend, God's Grace In Practice, and share your voting experience today. It'll be fun to read what everyone saw and heard and experienced on this historic day.

Go. Vote. Share.

No More Monkeys Jumping On The Bed!

Except, it wasn't monkeys. It was LadyBug and Baby BlueEyes. And they weren't jumping on the bed. They were jumping on a Spider Man bop bag. (Yes, jumping on it. Not bopping it.) On Wednesday night.

On Thursday, the school nurse called to say that she thought it might be smart for me to have LadyBug's pediatrician take a look at LadyBug's left wrist.

On Thursday night, we visited the very-cool Dr. A. He sent us for x-rays. The x-rays showed a buckle fracture of LadyBug's left radius.

On Friday morning, LadyBug was getting ready to visit the orthopaedist.
Baby BlueEyes was groovin' with some "Crazy Hair Day" action.


Li'l Empress wanted to get some Crazy Hair Day action too.


Don't mess with the hair.
It's gonna take some serious shampoo to get out all that gel.


Being in pain and waiting in the doctor's office is exhausting.


The cart o' tricks.


Getting wrapped.
It was long a really long white toe sock for the hand.


She's got the blues.


The awesome casting tech gives this patient a thumbs up.


"I'm so blue-hoo-hoo-blue-hoo-hoo-blue-hoo-hoo-hooooo.
I'm so blue I don't know what to do."


And that, my friends, is how I spent my Thursday afternoon and Friday morning.


The Gang by the numbers, so far:
15+ stitches
7 sets of x-rays
5 visits to the ER
3 casts
2 over-nighter's at the hospital
2 out-patient procedures
and one helicopter ride

Stick a fork in me, I'm done.

I hope.

I Can't Even Blame It On Hormones

Most of you probably remember my post about stepping back from my responsibilities and volunteer work in preparation for our Li'l Empress. In addition to that, we have shut out most of the world outside the front door for the entire month of October. I've said "no" to most everything extra this month: most play dates, lunches out, and my regular circuit of errands and such. I've given up (for a short season) my time at Curves and stopped visiting the library. Except for occasional doctor appointments, I've generally stayed out of the loop of everything but my kids' school work. I'm loving it.

But as my self-imposed hibernation draws to a close and things are starting to appear on my calendar and my "To Do" list (can you believe I've made it almost 6 weeks now without an extensive "To Do" list?! I'm so proud of myself! That's the longest ever!), I am finding myself strangely scattered and slightly shocked at how out of control my days become.

I was so relieved and excited to read this post, especially last night. It's written by a cyber-friend who adopted a daughter from China, just before The Boss and I were there. She's funny, sarcastic, and very real about who and where she is in life.

(A freebie, thrown in just cuz I love ya all:
If you have time, surf around her site a bit - her story of their journey to Emme is a beautiful testimony of God's hand print on our lives. When we experienced our bumpy journey through the failed referral this past summer, This Gal was amazingly supportive and encouraging. She was walking a similar story and living to tell about it.)

So anyway, I read this post and just laughed. I am so not the only one. Go, read the post. You'll see what I mean. Then come back. Please, come back! You can read the other stuff later.

Okay, so you see, I am not the only one!

Wednesday morning, AFTER the boys left for school at 7:25 a.m. with our approval to stay late for their friends' football game, I remembered that The Boss and I would be gone for a series of specialists appts. for Li'l Empress and we'd likely not be back in time to meet the other two kids' bus. Ooooops! One quick call to my sister, and I got outta that one. Thanks, Sis!

We walked into the ultrasound office for a 9:40 appointment (Early I might add! I was feeling mighty good about the morning at this point.). Only to have the nice receptionist lady tell me that Li'l Empress was scheduled to visit them at 1:30 p.m. Not feeling so good any more. Oooops, AND I forgot the doc's order and prescription form for these appointments. Darn!

Thank. Goodness. that all our appointments are being done within the CHOP network. The kind receptionist accessed our patient file and informed me that my 9:40 was just across the parking lot in the next building. Across the windy and cold parking lot, which by the way is quite scenic. I should know. I drove around it twice trying to find a parking spot close to the door that I ACTUALLY needed to be using. The Boss had the right idea, he just walked across the median and waited for me at the desk. Hummmph!

And that other appointment I made for next week? "Ma'am, we plan to do all of it today in this office at one time. Get two or 3 birds killed with one stone, so to speak." So, I didn't need to be on hold three weeks ago for 40 minutes trying to coordinate the appointment with The Boss's schedule of meetings so we could visit his staff the same day and introduce Li'l Empress? Greeeaaaaat. Great.

The upside is one less appt. for Li'l Empress. The down side? I felt like a dork for most of the morning, relying on kind receptionists and staff members to tell me where to go, what door to use, when to wipe my drool, and please for pete's sake, blink. I guess my dazed and confused look was getting to them. Hummmmph!

I can't even blame all this on hormones.
Unless PMS counts.
For like, the last five weeks.

Works For Me!

This is my first WFMW post, but I had something fun I just had to share.

We all know (or remember) what it's like to neeeeeeeeed a shower before we actually have our hands free and our baby safely secured in her crib for a long nap. We all know how hard it is to find safe and interesting occupation for baby's little busy mind and hands while we sneak in that quick refresher.

This little treasure is my old umbrella stroller from Baby BlueEyes' stroller days. I've kept it around for visits from little nieces and nephews and friends who come by. The first week I was home alone with Li'l Empress, I was really needing to jump start my day. And I just can't do that without a nice shower to wake me up. It was 11 a.m. and I was desperate to salvage something of my day. In clothes. With a clean face and no clumpy bed head.

So I dug out the stroller and grabbed a variety of toys that are noisy and bright. The key here is that I also chose toys that could easily loop through the stroller straps and still be accessible to her royal little hands. This is what I came up with. May I present to you . . . . .

The Stroller of Wonder
(say it in a booming announcer's voice,
with plenty of drama to tickle your funny bone this morning. . .)

Another key, if you are planning to use this for your regular showering schedule, is to swap out the toys occasionally. You know, to keep the wooooooonder (again with the booming announcer's voice. Try it - I promise, it's fun.)! Note the array of toys - not too many so as to overwhelm Li'l Empress, but just enough to keep her wondering (cue voice again). And to keep me showering long enough to wash my hair AND my face. In the interest of full disclosure, I haven't tested it on my "long shower days" - you know, where I shave and condition and all that other primping we ladies need once in a blue moon. I mean, once every couple days. I've reserved this treat for only my speedy shower days - you know, the basics one needs to survive the day. The rest of the time I either gift myself with the treat of a jammy morning or I drag my sorry behind out of bed 15 minutes early and start the spackling and puttying while the kids eat their breakfast. Don't laugh, I know you've all been there. Or are there now. At any rate, here's my first WFMW post.

It works for me! Really.

Making Friends

Our kitty has a bit of a diva reputation. She really only loves The Boss, and tolerates the rest of us. She claims her rightful throne on his lap most nights as soon as the chaos of little gang members has faded to the upstairs. Like clockwork, we see her look around from "her chair" at about 8:30 every night. If she makes eye contact with him, she takes that as her invitation. She stretches, trills in her throat, and leisurely strolls across the room to The Boss's lap where she spends his t.v. time being petted and lavished. The kids have all recognized her limits and her boundaries of wanted attention and fallen into line accordingly. All her humans submit to her queenly ways.

Until September 27th, 2008.

Now, there's a mobile, squawking, noisy little human. Now there's toys strewn everywhere. Now there's little hands to rock "her chair" even if she doesn't want it rocked. Now there's little eyes peering through the cat door, babbling and attempting some kind of interaction. Any kind of interaction. Now there are grabby little hands reaching for a tail that she snobbily keeps JUUUUUST out of reach. Now. There's. ANOTHER! BABY! In. The. House.

I don't know if Maggie has forgiven us yet.

She weathered the birth of two of my children and survived the toddler-hood of all four older gang kids. I am seeing faint but hopeful signs, one month into the baby's arrival, that she just might weather this fifth interloper, too. Even in her advanced years. She just might be making friends with said baby.

Maybe . . . .

Pray for this Family

Many of you remember me asking for prayer for little Susannah. Her mother and I "met" on a special needs forum that we both belong to, and they were slated to travel to China when we did. We had hoped to meet up in Guangzhou for a "face-to-face" but Susannah's health was too critical and their whole trip was expedited in order to get her home for the treatment that could help save her life. I am happy to report that Susannah is home with her family and they are doing well. Certainly not out of the woods and not completely healed yet. But God has worked miracle after miracle for that family and I am thoroughly enjoying their updates. They are so diligent to give all credit and honor to His name and to His Body for the support and coverage they have experienced through this journey.

Well, today Susannah's mother posted a few prayer requests from other families with whom she has connections. This story caught me particularly hard. I don't know if it's because of our connection to the adoption community, or the beauty of little Sydney's precious smile and bright, engaging eyes. All I know is that I feel called to pray for this precious one. And I'd ask that you join me in those prayers.

We have an amazing God, who does amazing things on our behalf. I've had His amazing works happen to me - this summer's journey to our Li'l Empress is proof that you all got to be witness to. You've had God move on your behalf, I know you have. Won't you join me now in praying for His healing hand of mercy and strength to be on this little girl now?

Redefining

Li'l Empress is strong-willed. In fact, she is very strong-willed. She does not like to be crossed. Or corrected. She despises being thwarted when she's moving toward something that she wants. The Boss and I have agreed over these recent weeks that she is likely going to be THE little Gang member that redefines the Gang's definition of a strong-willed child.

I'm okay with that. As I've said before, the Lord gave me her name many years ago, which means "little fiery one." This fiery temperament is, I believe, what gave her the ability to grow and even thrive in the midst of what were (at best!) difficult circumstances at the start of her little life. I'm okay with the growls and stiffened little torso when I move her away from dangerous scenarios. I'm good with her scowls and screeches when I take away the remote control. I'm even fine with the heated (like melt-plastic-heated!) stares I get when I take food off her tray after she's thrown most of it on the floor in defiance.

So, I've been very, very busy remembering the tricks and tools I used on the other little Gang members when they were 14 mos. old. I'm implementing all my skills of distraction and re-direction that I learned back when. I've even taken out notes from teachings I was blessed to sit under in the early years of my parenting journey. And while I'm doing it, in my heart I'm thanking my personal heroes who were instrumental in my life to teach me those skills necessary to parent a toddler. To parent a very strong-willed toddler.

Mom. Susan. Sheri. Zory. Karna. The list goes on. . .

These are godly women who invested in me, who saw where I was at and came along-side me. Who lent me a helping hand and a shoulder to cry on. Who prayed for me and with me. And who loved my babies almost as much as I love my babies. No matter how snotty or resistant they might have been acting at the moment. These women loved me and did not judge me.

Parenting "a second time around" has given me a greater appreciation for the fact that this season will pass. That at the other side, God will have formed a sweet and strong little warrior for His kingdom. Granted, I have a ton more experience and a great deal more help and support in the form of Li'l Empress's four slaves who arrive home at 3:15 every day to give me a break. But even so, I have noticed lately that I am picking the battles differently. I'm going after the battles that will make a real difference in the war for my daughter's heart. I'm letting some of the skirmishes go. I'm feeling more relaxed that I'm NOT going to screw up this child by my action or inaction. (At least not too badly!)

And I'm grateful. I am exceedingly grateful - for the help of The Gang. For the investment of those heroes God placed in my life along the way. And for the mercy of the Lord that is all over us while Li'l Empress works daily (hourly?!) at her efforts of redefining "strong-willed."

Only Happens To Me

I had the weirdest thing happen the other day.

I was trimming Li'l Empress's tiny toe nails, while Matt Lauer was chatting gorgeously and intelligently in the background. The house was quiet after the chaos of 2 different bus pick-ups and I was humming in Empress's ear to keep her still and distracted.

Clip. Screech. Deep breath. Gently set Li'l Empress on the floor and try to gracefully and calmly get up from the floor with one eye closed and without kicking Empress in the head while I slipped around in my jammy pants.

Yes. I clipped a sweet little baby toenail clipping right into the corner of my eye. No, let me rephrase that. This couldn't be just a tiny little shaving that was soft and minuscule. This was a huge, CHUNK of baby toenail. Sharp and pointy. Right. In. The. Corner. of my right eye.

Have I ever mentioned before how much I hate things in my eye? How I cringe and try not to gag when I watch various loved ones apply or remove contact lenses? Or how when I'm freaked out, I have an alarming tendency to sweat from everywhere and breathe funny? OR how every long and lovely fingernail except my right thumbnail has broken since my return from China now that I'm doing my own dishes and laundry again?

Breathe. Deep cleansing breaths. In. Out. Pray. In. Out. "It's okay, Li'l Empress. Mommy's right here. See, right here where you can see me. It's okay. I'm right here." (I'm gonna be blind in one eye till the sweet Lord comes and takes me home, but I'm here. I'm right here.)

Finally, after about 3 minutes of deep breathing, heavy sweating, profuse tears, and pleading with my Sweet Savior to rescue me, I got the toe nail clipping out of my eye. The rest of the morning my eye was swollen, red and itchy. By lunch time, I no longer looked like a raging case of pink-eye had attacked my eye. By dinner, I had NO PROOF whatsoever to offer my family as to the deep and gut-wrenching trauma I'd experienced that morning.

This kind of thing only happens to me. When I'm alone or surrounded by little ones who can only say "ba ba ba" and grin through drool.

Happy Face of the Day

Just wanted to share with you a quick look at Li'l Empress's first foray into the yard last week to play with the kids. Love that look of joy and wonder!

This past week was a tough one for us. Li'l Empress has been fighting the lingering hangers-on of that cold she caught in China. The Boss worked LATE every night of the week, then headed off for the local denominational men's retreat early Friday evening into Saturday evening. I've been working really hard with the rest of the Gang to get back to the swing of things after several weeks of unusual days and interrupted routines. This past week made me especially grateful that we obeyed the prompting of the Lord to "hibernate" this fall and strip all extras from our family calendar.

We had a lovely conversation over Sunday lunch today (Yummy hamburgers and french fries, thanks to Grandma W's extras that she froze from our welcome home dinner!). I asked the kids how our new real life compared to what they thought of or expected back when we were still waiting for Li'l Empress. We talked about the bumps in the road we've had and the joys we've experienced. By and large we all agreed that this has been a wonderful, growing and exciting experience. We gave each kid a chance to voice what's been hardest about all the changes and what they thought we could be doing better to manage those things. I was so proud of each of them, that they could recognize that the hard parts of the transition are just for a season. Not surprisingly, they all agreed that as hard as some days have been, none of us would trade the time we've had together while welcoming Li'l Empress home! It was a sweet time of hearing from each of them what they love the most about this new life and how they feel about their new little sister. And while Li'l Empress lay snoozing away in her room upstairs, Shaggy said, "Eating dinner just the 6 of us feels just weird now! Like something is missing. It's too quiet!"

My heart is very full today - of the goodness of our Father, of the love of my Gang, and the joy of a journey walked by His leading. The path wasn't always easy, and the journey often felt long and winding. Certainly not the straight shot down the path that I would have mapped out if I was the Trip Planner. But today, I can look back on all we've walked through to get here and say, "It is well with my soul."

God is good, all the time.
All the time, God is good.

Just A Test

This is just a test for Shaggy's Science HW - I don't really know why we had to post it here or how long it will be here. Just ignore it and go on your merry way. He was muttering something about url's and moodle and some other such nonsense. And it was too late and too chaotic here to make any sense of it at the moment. But it's one more reason I wish I could home school all my kids! :)

Meatballs from Heaven

I'm finally getting around to telling you about the rest of our family weekend to honor my grandmother. Forgive me, but this thinking and working around the house in 15 minute increments takes some getting used to again! As I told a friend, lately my hands have been either full of Li'l Empress, dishes, or laundry.

Saturday after the party, we headed across town to my Aunt G & Uncle C's house for the night. When we arrived, they presented us with this adorable rocker that Aunt G had made for Li'l Empress's room. She LOVES it, and every morning since we've been home, she wakes for hugs and kisses with Mommy, then sits in her chair and rocks herself a few minutes. Soooooo cute :)

Sunday morning we got to visit a church in town that is part of my brother's fellowship of churches. He was the guest speaker that morning, and I hear tell that he did a great job. I spent most of the service in the nursery hand feeding Gerber puffs to Li'l Empress and her cutie pie cousin, Teagan. My folks joined us for the service and headed off to visit the Norwegians from there, so it was good-byes to Grandma and Big Boppa after church. When we got back to my aunt and uncle's, we were pleasantly surprised to see that my Grandma was joining us for the looooooong-anticipated meal of pasta and meatballs. This time, Uncle C actually gave away some of his secrets to his WORLD CLASS AMAZINGEST MEATBALLS EVER. Dr. D hasn't stopped nagging to know when I'm gonna try my hand at the recipe. Part of me doesn't ever want to try and duplicate them. Part of me wants to keep that particular delicacy sacred and special. After all, if I can make Uncle C's meatballs, then any old doofus can make them and where's the LIFETIME of mystery in that?!

Well-stuffed and happily satisfied by the amazing lunch, we spent the afternoon relaxing with my family. Li'l Empress was so wiped out by the activities that she took a three hour nap. Missed most of her great-grandmother's visit, but we couldn't keep her awake any longer and NONE of us wanted to wake a sleeping Empress - it's not pretty, I tell ya. After a while, my Aunt G and I drove Grandma back to her apartment, with a detour to Tripoli's Bakery. NO visit to my mom's hometown (and my birthplace incidentally) is complete until we have Tripoli's cannolis. Traditional cannolis have a creamy, luscious ricotta cheese filling but I also picked up some chocolate and vanilla pudding ones for the kids. They aren't sentimentally attached to their cannolis like I am, so I saved the real thing for the grown-ups more discerning palates. They did not disappoint. Mmmmm, one bite and I was happier than anyone ever should be when eating. Really, I think I've taken the "food is love" mentality of my Italian heritage and gone overboard. I wouldn't even talk to anyone while I was eating it. In slow, teeny, tiny, delicious little bites. While we were pulling out of the parking lot, I snapped this pic - their sign hasn't changed in years - it was just as I remembered it from being a kid visiting "home."

At my grandmother's apartment, I wandered around, looking at all the family pictures and the familiar pieces that were in my grandparents' home and later their town house when I was growing up. I got pretty choked up a couple times, looking at pics of my grandfather and other family members and events. But when I walked into her bedroom, I really lost it. Her bedroom suite of furniture took me back like nothing else that whole weekend. I remember sitting on their bed talking with my Grandpa. I remembered sitting at Grandma's little vanity, brushing my hair and pretending to be a fine lady with all the perfume bottles and mirrors and fancy brushes. She has these two prints of beautiful ballerinas over her bed that she has always had in her bedrooms and just the sight of them made me tear up all over again.

I realized in that moment how BLESSED I am to be part of this family, this group of people who are so full of love and rich with stories. At the risk of sounding really dramatic, while I was standing in that bedroom I felt such a warmth of connection to who I am and who I came from. None of us are perfect, but we are family and I am so fortunate and privileged to be part of them. At the party the day before, someone commented to my grandmother (when all the great grandkids were swarming around and family was EVERYWHERE!) "Look what you and Sam started, Rose!" Well, it is my honor to carry on the story that they all started. I can only pray that I carry on with the strength, courage, and grace that my grandparents and my parents have displayed as they walked ahead of me.

"MMMMMMM, Uncle C's meatballs are AWESOME!!!!"

Monday morning was all about packing and hitting the road. It is always hard for me to say good-bye to this side of the family. We live so far apart and the time we get together is so precious. The Boss and I commented several times on the way home that Aunt G and Uncle C have been such an amazing example to us of enduring love and sweet, generous hospitality over the years that we've been married. We always feel so cherished and well-taken care of when we've been there. I hope that our home is as warm and loving and open to guests as their home always feels to us.

Here's Aunt G and Uncle C, with The Gang

Aunt G is so sweet - she reminds me of my grandpa.
She gets all emotional and teary-eyed whenever she has to say good-bye to her loved ones.

There you have it. My gushing re-cap of a wonderful family weekend. If you hung in there to the very end, without even knowing any of these folks, big kudos to you. I mostly capture these events for my family and for our memories. I hope you enjoyed peeking in on the amazing family that I love. I can't wait to read it back to Li'l Empress some day and help her know her new family through my eyes.

Family, Food and Fun

It's been well-chronicled here in the pages of The Gang's All Here! that I am at my happiest when I get to spend time with family and friends. I'm an extrovert. I love my family. I have a deep appreciation for the generations that came before me and for the stories that link us all together. So this past weekend away was like a chocaholic at Hershey. Or a foodie at a restaurant convention. I was in happy-family, Italian-food, cherished-relationship paradise. And I wanted it to never end.

Early Friday morning (the earliness astounded even me!), we traveled with the whole Gang for our first car trip to the Norwegians cozy little cottage. Li'l Empress was a dream to travel with: cheery, smiling, and sleeping her way north the whole way. We were joined there by my brother's family for a night of cousin-bonding and Phillies cheerin'. All that expended energy was fed supremely by yummy lasagna with all the fixin's. My sis may look Irish, but that girl can cook some Italian. My oh my. Shaggy was delirious!

This is my brother reading a bed-time story to the cousins.

I have a feeling there are some fun times ahead for those two little girls!

Practicing scales with Shaggy and Cousin K

Saturday we drove a couple hours north and spent the entire day at my Aunt R and Uncle B's house. Since my grandma turns 90 in the middle of the winter and they live pretty far north in New England, the party/reunion to honor her was planned early to allow as many to travel as possible. I was so excited to spend time with my aunts and uncles, my cousins (missed ya Chris!), my second cousins, great aunts and uncles and other distant cousins. Here's a few pics of the festivities.

The guest of honor

My Aunt G, My Mom, Grandma and My Aunt R
"The Girls"

The Gang with Grandma

It was a special treat that my mom's friend J showed up to honor my grandmother. Mom and J have been friends since they were about 15 years old. I have excellent memories of the years of friendship between our families. Not to mention a wonderful living example of true, enduring friendship between women. Aren't they both gorgeous?!

There's so much more to share, but I'll save all that for another post. Uncle C's meatballs and real, authentic cannolis deserve a post all their own. Really.

Delightful Detour

I was gonna post all about our fabulous weekend away, visiting my mom's side of the family and stuffing our faces on authentic Italian delicacies. But a late-breaking email alerted me to a far more important post (thanks, Nat, for the heads up!).

I WON AN ORECK VACUUM CLEANER!

Really, I've never won anything this big, this BAD (in a good, bad way), and this AMAZING before. When it arrives, I'll be sure to share the product review with you all!

So, thanks to BooMama for the fabulous contest. Thanks to Oreck for sponsoring it and offering the grand prize. And thanks, Lord. You all have NO idea how poorly my current vacuum sucks up junk. Just ask Li'l Empress - she'll gladly tell you as she babbles around the miniscule junk she keeps finding in the carpet to pick up and gnaw at all day long. When she's supposed to be practicing her crawling and tummy time.

Grin. Woooo hoooo. I won an Oreck!