Week in Review with Pix!

So let's play catch-up from the last week.

Last Tuesday, we went and finally had all of our bloodwork drawn (which all looked great!). This was somewhat of an ordeal because Mari's veins aren't the greatest. They were able to get it all with 2 sticks but this was only because she needed so much drawn, one vein just wouldn't give enough. Mari did really well, fussed only a little. Then Tuesday night, we went and visited with some of my friends, Steve and Ali, that I had lost touch with for about 5 years! I sent them an announcement and Ali contacted me and invited me over. We had a great time catching up and letting the kids play. Ali has even been inspired to start a blog after reading through mine.

Wednesday, we ran errands for several hours and then both my brothers and their wives came over for dinner. Mari had missed both naps (except a little one in the shopping cart at Wal-Mart) and her feeding schedule was all messed up. So, after throwing up all over her crib (which she had peed on that morning and I had JUST changed the sheets), she went down for a nap at suppertime. She woke up after we finished eating and played for awhile. Madison also played hard after eating and it was her turn to throw up...all over Auntie Diana. Sorry, Diana but I must say...that was an impressive puke! There were bananas EVERYWHERE! Poor Madi!

You have already heard about Thursday and our trip to the ER...for those of you who commented that I sounded calm, HAHAHA! I wasn't, I had to call my mommy and she came to the ER with me. I was able to get myself together before heading to the ER and once I stopped shaking, I was able to think it through and decide that I probably hadn't broken her arm since most of the arm injuries we see in the ER (kids this age, anyway) are nursemaid's elbows. But it was very definitely a forced calmness. It took me at least 5 minutes to figure out the ibuprofen dosing for her weight and I can usually do this without even thinking about it (I LOVE drug dosage calculations--all the nurses out there just fainted after reading that but I really do).

So on to the KY trip...we had a great time. Mari is SO good. She travelled well and played with everyone. So I'll just let the pix tell the story. I'm not going to try to explain how everyone is related...if you are part of the family, you'll know. If not, just enjoy the pix!

My BFF, cousin Juli with Mari.

Mari playing with cousin Brendan (age almost 4).

Cousin Robert playing a lonely game of CandyLand Castle.

Cousins Kevin and Justin.

Cousins Callie and Mari (I'm holding Mari back as she crawls forwards and pushing Callie forwards as she scoots backwards).

Cousins Brendan and Logan fighting (I mean playing!)

My Grandma with Mari.

My Mom, Grandma, and me with Mari....4 generations!

My Grandma and Grandpa with Mari.

Mari and Callie sharing.

Crawling on Cousin Brendan.

Not sure why but it looks like Mari is mad in this picture. "I said back away from the toys!"

For someone who hates pacifiers, Mari sure was interested in Callie's.

Brendan's pet hamster Lucy. I never thought that a rodent could be so cute!

Mr. Brendan in his "old man" PJs. Isn't that the funniest thing? He loves them!
My Cousin Megan (age 13) playing the banjo (my Uncle Greg is on the guitar). There are some VERY talented musical people in my family...too bad I'm tone deaf. I think the genes shifted to others and I didn't get an equal share!

Last but not least, here is a great little onesie I found at Babies R Us. Someone's birthday is getting closer!

Growing Up!

So things are going pretty well here on the home front. My maternity leave is quickly winding down, three weeks left. The time is flying by...wish it would have flown this fast BEFORE, during all the waiting and waiting and waiting.

We went to my brother Todd's turkey plant on Wednesday (not really his plant--he just counts the turkeys and the money they bring in).

Thursday we ran all over town. We dropped our paperwork off at daycare and met some of the caregivers, we made a couple other stops (including seeing Grandma at work) and then headed to Wal-Mart. Mari loves Wal-Mart (super stimulating!) but she was so tired that she slept the entire time. Since I don't have a carrier-type car seat, I had to prop her up in the front of the cart...so cute, snoring all through Wal-Mart.

Thursday Mari turned 10 months old. Nothing exciting happened, it was actually a not great day. Two days of schedule interruptus and we were both a little cranky. Mari would not go to sleep but was too tired to play (very unusual--she can fall asleep at the mere mention of naptime). She also wanted nothing to do with me and the rocking chair...this was especially hard because she is just really starting to get cuddly and want my affection, so this seemed like a setback. So we both went to bed crying and exhausted.

Friday was a much better day. We went to Lowe's to order new carpet for Mari's room (this was originally Ollie's room and we have some "puppy chewing issues" that needed to be resolved--we were waiting on the installation special!) and got to see Granddad and lots of his co-workers. My previous feelings from the night before were washed away. Mari used to flirt with anyone, talk to everyone and charm the socks off people. I think she was used to seeking attention anywhere she could get it. Now she is subdued around strangers, not scared just quiet. As soon as we would walk away, she would start babbling to me and smiling. I think she is finally comfortable with knowing that I will give her the attention she craves and doesn't need to seek it from anyone that is around (maybe I'm reading too much into this--developmental pysch and sociology of the family were over a decade ago!).

After getting home from Lowe's, my friend Heather came over to hang out. Mari was sweet and cute (as usual) and Heather brought us some really neat things. We now have bowls that suction to the highchair (and I mean suction) so, one day soon, we can start feeding ourselves. We have a great new play blanket that has a waterproof back that will be wonderful for trips to the park. And Heather also brought me another set of sippy cups. I'm using Gerber transition bottles and sippy cups. They are triangular shaped for easy holding (Mari is a pro at holding her own bottle) and then you can add handles that adjust to three different angles, and sippy tops that you can exchange for the nipples. All the parts are interchangable so you can transtion to a sippy cup. So here is my blonde moment of the week--I had tried the sippy top a couple weeks ago but it was a disaster. Mari ended up choking on the juice and it poured all over her, so I figured that she just wasn't ready. When I opened the new package and started dismantling the sippy tops to wash, I realized that I had never put the valves back in the other set after washing...no wonder Mari was soaked! So I popped a valave back in, handed her the pear juice and away she went...guzzled out of the sippy top without a second thought. SO SAD!! She's growing up!

We spent the rest of the day having a good time. At bathtime, Mari finally figured out how to splash around and play. This led to a meltdown when I tried to take her out of the tub. Oh well. (BTW...the funny looking thing on the tub is supposed to hold inflatable rings like a stacking toy but they were cheap and wouldn't inflate, so I threw them away. It makes a good handle for Mari to hold on to. Just wanted to clarify what it was; it kind of looks questionable!)

Today, Mom came over and we ran a few errands and then Lesa brought Madi over this afternoon for a playdate. Chad joined us later and Madi was watching her Daddy very closely as he planted kisses on Mari. So cute! We made it through the day with only one fussy patch...after dinner Mari got mad because the food was gone (this used to be an issue but we have since worked through it, until tonight!). This probably had to do with the new food we added--banana yogurt. SUPER YUMMY! We made it through bathtime without pitching a fit when time to get out. She also went to sleep before the first song was done on the lullaby CD and I was able to get out of the rocking chair, turn on the light, change her diaper, cut her nails, and put her to bed without her waking up...that's tired!

Hopefully tomorrow will go as well! Whew, that ended up being a long post! If you are still reading, enjoy some pix!

My new sneakers! I stand up so much better with them on.

The doggie loves me...he just won't let me pet him yet.

Mickey cat wanted my Cheerios something bad!

Sammy cat likes to lay down beside me and I pet him...Mommy says not to pull chunks of his hair out but he doesn't mind.

Here is my first taste of meat...I think I might be a vegetarian. I gagged until I threw up. Mommy tried to get me to eat chicken and beef but they were both yucky. Mommy videoed me but was nice enough not to put it on the blog. She says that we will try again in a couple weeks...ugh!



If you have stuck with me to the end...here is a video treat. Mari loves to be "woofed" at but seems quite worried at meowing. On the other hand, Mari can perfectly mimic Mickey's meow...I actually spun around to tell the cat to be quiet the other day and it was Mari. She sounds just like him!

Playing Catch Up!

So what have we been up to? A little bit of nothing, a little bit of everything.

Friday, cousin Madi came over for a little while to play. The girls got along great rolling over each other, stealing toys, grabbing each other's hair, etc.




Saturday, we ventured to Wal-Mart and bought some shoes! Mari was great and let me try on pair after pair. We decided on size 2's. They were a little roomy but since she is not even standing up yet, they will fit great once she gets to walking. We bought a cute pair of brown suede dress shoes and a pair of pink furry winter boots (they were on clearance!).

Sunday, we got up early and headed to church with Mom & Dad. Mari was awesome, just quietly taking everything in. It did, however, throw off her eating and napping schedule and it caught up to us that evening. She did really well until suppertime and then it was downhill after that.

Aren't I cute in my "going to church outfit"?

Monday was a great day. We played at home all day, ate heartily, had our first true diaper "blow-out" (this was the first time we actually had poop outside the diaper...I know we've been lucky, most everyone else has had this experience on the plane ride home). After her bath (which she loves) I guess she was just so tired, she "snapped." This is the only way to describe her meltdowns. She is giggling and laughing one minute and then screaming like you are cutting off a limb the next minute...and I have no clue what triggers these. They don't happen often and never last long (2 minutes in the rocking chair and she was sound asleep but it was 90 minutes before her normal bedtime).

Today had been a good day so far...she actually played on her blanket in the living room while I spent an hour on the phone with tech support working out some flaws in my new cable/internet. She has gotten less emotionally clingy (I can leave the room or go to the mailbox without a meltdown) but she has gotten more physically clingy, wanting me to hold her and snuggle. This is a great thing (makes laundry a little harder but who cares) and the first physical signs of needing me.

Mari's Milestones:

1. I can crawl, really crawl. Everywhere, anywhere, especially where you don't want me to be!
2. I no longer have food meltdowns. Mommy lets me play with empty cereal bowls and spoons before and after I eat, so I just gnaw away on those.
3. Here are the foods I have mastered...rice, barley, oatmeal cereals (LOVE oatmeal); squash, sweet potatoes, peas, green beans, carrots, pears, prunes. Next on the list Mommy has planned MEATS! And then bananas and apples!
4. I successfully put 1 sweet potato puff in my mouth today by myself (still have a little trouble with the fine motor skill part of it) and I actually chewed it instead of swallowing it whole like last week. Mommy says if I keep doing a good job, she will give me Cheerios and maybe some banana chunks (after I pass the banana baby food test). I can't wait to sink my two bottom teeth into something!
5. I love my pets. The cats come and check on me and sometimes I get to pet them...I really like to pull their whiskers best. The doggy doesn't like me to touch him but he comes and looks in my crib every morning when I wake up. He can't quite see over the bumper pad so he whines until Mommy picks him up where he can see me.
6. My newest trick involves my highchair. Mommy always tells me "arms up" when she snaps the tray in place...I impressed her yesterday when I raised them up on my own. She was so excited, I keep on doing it because she thinks it is so funny.
7. I now say "da" when I see the doggy coming...Mommy thinks this is a good sign. I also say "na-na-na" (but mostly when I'm pooping!) and I'm starting to say "ba." I refuse to say "ma" but I can say "ta" and "ka". Mommy thinks I'm good at these sounds because my native language is so staccato and rhythmic; I have learned the hard sounds before the soft sounds. Hmmm...

Here is Mari chilling with her bowl and spoon.

Close-up of curls, after shampoo and Burt's Bees Apricot Baby Oil (ohh, my head smells SO good!)

Look, I can read! (Don't tell her the book is upside down...I don't want to discourage her reading habits!)

Well, I'll leave you with one last piece of news (permission given by the parties involved). My parents are expecting GRANDCHILD #3!!!! My oldest brother Todd and his wife Diana will be welcoming their first in late summer. It is so exciting!! Babies, babies, babies. Mari says she hopes it's a girl. I'll take whatever but it sure would be nice to know what to do with all this pink stuff that is too little. Congrats!!!!!!

Nothing new to report!

Talked to Lindsay earlier this week and she said that everything is moving "sluggish" in Ethiopia. The courts are now closed and it is also their new millenium celebration so the focus is not really on my referral over there! Guess I have to let that one go! It is only every thousand years you get to celebrate a millenium so I'll let them have their fun without telling them to get back to work.


Here is a new picture of Madi, taken last night. My brothers, their wives, and I went to our friends' Joey and Angela's house (we missed you Angela!) and played with the babies. J & A's son is about to turn a year old and I was going to post a picture of him but thought I should ask first...then I realized (after uploading my camera) that I had a great one that epitomized the kid. Baby Will is always giggly and happy and "on the move." I managed to get his feet in the picture as he crawled away.


The vet finally called back today with Sam's test results. He has feline asthma (which is what I thought before we did all these tests) and I am happy with this diagnosis. We are going to try benadryl and new food because it is probably allergic in nature. I gave him a taste of children's benadryl, hoping he would like it and slurp it up (Ollie does!). This would have been nice since he is supposed to get a teaspoon and a half but NO! One tiny taste and he went nuts...scratched me (he has NEVER scratched anyone) went tearing off around the house foaming at the mouth. I swear...one tiny taste and probably half a cup of slimy foam. This picture is after he had calmed down--he is still drooling and it's ten minutes post-tasting. So tomorrow, we will try pills! That should be a blast!

I also got a diaper bag from LLBean today. I am so excited about it. It is very roomy and durable and comfortable to carry. It will be great for traveling (I think...I've never travelled with a diaper bag). My previous experience with LLBean bags has been wonderful...they are so sturdy and durable. I may order a matching carry-on bag that is almost identical (without the changing pad, of course!).

That is it for now...going to the Book Fair tomorrow! Can't wait. I'll let you know what I find. I found a great book the other day; a cloth book with a "handle." The handle is made out of teething material with a rattle. I'll have to take a picture and post it--what a great find--book, teether and toy all in one!

Baby Fever

Spent several hours tonight with my niece, Madi...she is SO cute and has the sweetest disposition. She was awake for a long time, fascinated with the ceiling fans...then, blink, sound asleep. So adorable. If you click on my dad's blog, he posted a picture of her sleeping in my arms...the picture of me is horrible but no one wants to look at me anyway--look at the baby!

I hosted a baby shower for a co-worker last week. She had her little boy a few weeks early so we actually got to play with him while she opened gifts...he's a cutie at a whopping 5 pounds.

Then I've been following Micah and Mamush's stories...needless to say, baby fever is spiking! I am so impatient...I know I can't go until the courts reopen, etc. I just need info...who is she, what is her name, how big is she. I tell myself that once I get this, I will be satisfied and can rest easily as I prepare for her and wait on the courts. Yeah Right!! As soon as I see that adorable face, I will be ten times more impatient. A year from now, I'll laugh at this post...thinking "it wasn't THAT long." Already the home study process and getting the I-171H seems like it took no time even though I agonized over each and every step and delay. So that is the adoption update.

On the homefront...Sam went back to the vet today. He got gassed and then they did a tracheal lavage and cleaned out "a lot of junk" from his lungs. The vet is leaning towards an inflammatory process like asthma (that would be a great diagnosis, considering the other possibilities) but I have to wait on the test results; those will be 3-5 days. The good news--his heartworm tests were negative. Thank goodness! After the research I did...let's just say, nasty stuff! Sam is feeling pretty good overall. He was still pretty groggy when I brought him home. He was all glassy-eyed, stumbling and just kept walking in circles. I couldn't stand to watch him, so I took Ollie dog and went to my parent's (where I met up with Madi!). Sam is much better now and only slightly wobbly when he first gets up. The vet said the anesthesia would take longer to wear off because he is so fat!

What a weekend!

Wow, I didn't know I could get so much done in one weekend and still feel rested. After spending Friday with family (see previous post), I played with my MP3 player until about 2am. I was back up at 7am (thanks to Ollie!) so we took a LONG walk around the neighborhood--tested out the portability of my MP3. Then I decided to clean out the garage. The garage has been in sorry shape since before Christmas and was really a disaster after cleaning out Ollie's room to make the nursery. My two car garage could barely fit one. Now it looks so great--and there is now room for two cars (although that senario is about 16 years away unless by some miracle I find a husband!). My trash men are not going to be happy tomorrow!

After that, Mom and I went shopping. I priced diapers at Costco--not enough of a savings to make it worth the gas but I'll keep my eye on it. I did buy some more baby clothes there (they have Carter's at really great prices). Finally, someone is carrying fall/winter stuff. I got a couple long-sleeved playsuits with cuffed ankles and 2 very heavy fleece sleepers...the one for 12 months has non-slip feet! Which means walking age! It so hard to judge sizes right now but at least with sleepers and playsuits you can use them in any weather--just layer them, etc. Even the heavy sleepers will work in the summer with the AC going. Yes...I'm rationalizing again!

After shopping, I came home and blew up my MP3 player--don't know what happened, but it stopped working. After several hours of frustration, I just took a nap. Got up, barbecued a steak, ate dinner and read. My brother Todd and his wife Diana came over at 9:30 to try to fix my MP3. After over an hour, we finally tried tech support. They were actually very quick and very helpful. After finally figuring out what was wrong (actually we just determined that the player was kaput), I had to reformat the player and now it works great. I have already downloaded one book to it (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory--"comfort reading") and 181 songs.

Today, I got up and went to Wal-Mart. I spent way too much money but what else is new. I'm starting to get ready for travel (I know--a little early but I don't want to have to buy everything at the last minute). I got a charger for my MP3, a universal adapter, and a carrying case that will hold my camera, my MP3, my cell phone, and all the cords that go with these.

Now I'm washing clothes, just finished baking cookies, have chicken marinating for supper. The only thing left on the agenda besides finishing the laundry is scrubbing the bathroom--ugh! All in all a very productive weekend but it is only 3:30 in the afternoon...still time for another nap!

Hopefully this week will be a busy one for my dossier...should head to DC tomorrow and hopefully will return quickly!

Here are some new pix of my niece Madi.

My Madi-Pie

My niece, Madison!

Update and Pix!

This is likely to be a long, windy blog...so sit back and read on!


Today was a red-letter day in my dossier process. I sent my dossier to Richmond to be certified. Barring any redo's that they may need, I will only have one more document to go...the 171H (immigration form). I thought I would be totally elated to send everything in, but it kind of freaked me out. I'm having major separation anxiety not being able to recheck the doucments 20 times a day. Hopefully they are all okay; they passed Lindsay's inspection and she demands perfection (thankfully--I want them to be right). Jenni suggested that I contact my senator and see if it is possible to "hurry" the 171H along. Jenni works in politics, so I hate to say this...but I'm very embarassed to admit that I don't even know who my senator is (someone catch Jenni before she passes out!). Easy to find on the internet and I'll do that here shortly.


My niece Madison is doing great! Her mom and dad are fair-to-middling. Madison grows cuter every day and that is not just her aunt talking...she really is a beautiful baby. And so sweet and content (except, apparently, between the hours of 2am and 6am!). I went over today and watched her for about 2 hours while Chad and Lesa took naps...rough job! Just sat and watched TV, all snuggled up...warm and fuzzy! Then the whole family came over and did dinner. My other brother Todd was even caught holding Madison. His wife, Diana, may get a kid out of him yet. (Sorry Todd, but I promise she did not bribe me to say that!). I even got a picture of him holding Maddy but I'm not posting it because he has a very weird look on his face...don't want to embarass him!



Added some pix of my nursery in-progress. Still have a few things to do, cushions for the rocker, add some shelves for toys, etc. The wall hanging is fabric I found at Wal-Mart and Mom sewed it up so I could hang it. It is the same design as she used for my quilt that she made. I'm going with giraffes...I love them, they are so fascinating. The last time Dad went to Kenya, he asked me what I wanted him to bring me...I said "a baby giraffe." So he brought me some carved giraffes and they are sitting on a shelf in the nursery. I also have a great giraffe print of a mother giraffe leaning down to nuzzle her baby...it's hanging over the changing table.

Mom bought me a stuffed giraffe off of e-bay. It is Geoffery, the Toys R Us mascot. If you squeeze it's ear, it talks and sings--yes it sings the "I don't want to grow up" theme song! Anyway, I set it on the floor and the animals had to investigate. Being a typical dog, Ollie headed straight for the back to check out the giraffe's important parts.

Last, but not least. Here is a great T-shirt I got from cafepress.com. It is for 12 months and I can't wait to get a picture of my daughter in it. I'm thinking of taking a picture of her with it on when I first get her (it would probably be big like a nightshirt) and using that as my adoption announcement!

Panic attack

So yesterday, the director of the Ethiopian program posted a message on our Yahoo chat group to dispell the rumor that Ethiopia was closing its doors to single adopters. Talk about heart attack--I hadn't heard this rumor. But apparently neither has CHI or Tsegay (our rep in Ethiopia)! So it looks like things are okay...I hope! They also state that even if something changes, they usually don't make changes immediately...there would be time to be "grand-fathered" in. So, I pray that the rumor is just a rumor. And I hope immigration hurries up with that form so I can get going.

On the home front, Chad and Lesa's baby is doing great. They are going home this am. Madison is a cutie pie. She seems content most of the time and hopefully they will have an easy adjustment going home. We are not sure how Jack and Chloe (their cats) will react but time will tell. Their cats are a little more sensitive than mine (mine don't care who is around or what is happening as long as they get their food in a timely fashion).

I'll post more pix soon!

I'm an aunt!!

Welcome

Madison Nicole Catlett

Sunday June 3, 2007 7:25 am

8 pounds 6 ounces, 22 inches

Yes...she has strawberry blonde hair!

Takes after her Aunt Jill!

Here are Chad (my brother) and Lesa with Baby Madison.

My favorite picture...scoping each other out!

Weekend's over.

Well the beautiful weekend has come to an end. It finally reached a temperature above shivering and I absentmindedly left for the entire day without opening any windows. When I returned home this evening, it was 86 degrees in my house. At least I was warm for once! We had a wonderful time on Saturday at Chad & Lesa's baby shower (my brother and sister-in-law). It was a lot of fun--thanks Angela and Joey for playing hosts! They did all the work while I played with baby Will (he is being held by Chad in the picture with my other brother Todd looking on). Angela made a corsage for Lesa out of baby socks and made a wonderful "diaper cake" for them. Only about 6 more weeks until I'm an aunt!!!!!


Nothing new on the paperwork front. I go to the doctor this week for my medical clearance and I have to be fingerprinted twice (for state and federal). Next week is my last home study appt. Other than those obligaitons, all my paperwork is out of my hands...just waiting on other people/agencies. Since I found out it will probably be mid July before I get my magic form from the Immigration service, I have decided to just slow down a little on the papers. As soon as I get a few more, I'll head to Mom's office to them notarized (thanks Jeff!). But there is no hurry now.

Bought some more clothes today...I have got to STOP!! I am mostly buying separates (and only on clearance!). I have gotten several bibbed-overall sets, jeans, a little skirt, and today I actually bought some essentials--onesies! I bought a stroller on Friday. One of the local church had a huge baby sale (an entire gymnasium full of baby stuff) and I found a stroller that looked like it had never been used and met all my requirements (tray for the baby, tray for me, storage underneath, and easy foldup)--it also has a reclining seat and is in blue (a color I've had trouble finding in a stroller!). Best of all, it was almost half the price of the one I had picked out for my registry. As you can see, Mickey approved of the purchase.