Thursday, July 29, 2010

A Good Morning After All

Here's a little day to day. I got out of bed at 7:05. I really wanted to sleep longer but thought if I wanted some quiet time I had better get going before Aleyah woke. I grab some coffee and head down to check my e-mail because I'm expecting an e-mail. What do I hear?? Yes!!! The little booger (said with affection) was up! She trotted downstairs and that was it. The end of my quiet time. We are talking five minutes. Well I'll try again tomorrow.:( Maybe I need to get up at 6:30. Yuck!



So we do our early morning snuggle. Me with my coffee and a book, her with her Ovaltine (which she said was yucky) and Mickey Mouse. After about ten minutes she went upstairs to her room and shut the door. I walked out onto the porch to set my cushions back on my furniture (we had thunderstorms the night before with heavy winds). I suddenly had an idea. I'm gonna sit here for a while. The temperature was nice, the birds were singing happy songs and Aleyah was in her room entertaining herself. After a few minutes (again, five minutes) of solitude, Aleyah finds me out on the porch. She is fully clothed for the day, headband and all (looking very cute). I asked her if she wanted to sit out with me. She said, "Yesh. Mommy book?" I replied, "Yes, can you get my book for me?" She walked in and came back with Shepherding a Child's Heart. I then told her to go get a book for herself from her room. She comes back with the Young Reader's Bible (no joke!). I think it is her favorite book! We made a trip to the library earlier this week and checked out eight books, not to mention our huge collection of books from my preschool teaching days, but she was not interested in any other book. My heart sings today. I had hoped that she would have a fondness for books. Steve and Alexa enjoy reading just as much as I do. I thought how strange it would be to have a child who didn't like books. So far she likes books quite a bit, but the bonus is that she already loves her Bible. What joy! So I took some photos of her in her handpicked outfit sitting on the porch with her favorite book! Isn't she a doll? It is so refreshing to have an almost four-year-old in the house again. It turned out to be a good morning after all.



This is our front porch view. It is not the Rockies, lake view or ocean view, but it did the trick this morning. Very peaceful...ahhhhhhhhhh

Blessings!

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

A CONFESSION

I know I shared with you the Book of the Month, Too Small To Ignore in my last post. I'm sure you are aware the month is just about over...Yeah, I know. I thought I would share another "book encounter, " or should I say "God Encounter." I told you that the book Too Small To Ignore was sitting on my bookshelf for a few years. I felt very much "drawn" to read this book several times but just never got started. So glad I read it, what an eye opener. So I finished the book and I'm waiting for the library to call me about a couple of books I have on hold. Well this morning I make my way to my computer to check e-mails, but before I do I walk over to open the blinds and greet the morning. As I pass my bookshelf I see this book on the floor.







I must make a confession. I have had this book for about nine years. I first purchased it because we were thinking about joining a small group. We went to a couple of meetings and never went back. Just so you know, we are currently part of a small group and love it! So back to my confession...I never read the book. I attempted to read it several times and got as far as chapter five and then set it aside and moved onto other books. This has gone on for quite some time,well, nine years...hello. We had another opportunity to read this book when we took a class at church. You guessed it...we quit going to that too. Ugh, I know, what is up with us? Unfortunately this book found itself on my bookshelf once again.

So this morning I see this book on the floor. Only this book. I was intrigued. I later asked Steve and Alexa if they pulled it out, they said no. I can't get a reliable answer from Aleyah because, well, she tends to say yes or no for many things. So I'm just wondering, does Someone Up There want me to finally read this book? Why this one? Maybe God used Little Aleyah. Maybe this book caught her eye and she pulled it off the shelf. I don't know how it got there, but it was there.

Just so you know, I plan to read this book. Yes, I have other books in mind, but not until I finish this one. So for the month of August this is my book choice. I'm sure there is some valuable information that I need to read and apply. It is no coincidence that this book shows itself after reading Too Small To Ignore. I'm seeing a pattern here. God really does have a purpose and a love beyond all understanding for these little ones that bless us every day.

I shared this blog with just a handful of friends. Still feel weird about going "public." I'm sure I will get there eventually.;) But if you have read this book, give me a review. If you haven't, join me as I learn how to shepherd the hearts of my Little Treasures.

Monday, July 26, 2010



Book Of The Month





If you haven't noticed, I changed the title of my blog. I thought this blog would serve more purpose if I talked about things other than the everyday stuff. Don't worry, the everyday stuff has its purpose too and there will be many things to talk about. For instance, this weekend was a bit trying for us. Aleyah decided that she would go to battle many times. Good grief! When she digs her heals in, it can get exhausting! Maybe it was the heat or maybe she just felt the need to express herself the best she could. With her being the smallest in the house you would think she would be more compliant...ha ha ha, right? She can be so feisty. Thank goodness she has a very loving and irresistible side.



We can never know exactly how Aleyah will react or behave when other people are involved. It is still early and she has many insecurities. Alexa had a friend over and Aleyah of course wanted to follow the big girls. Alexa, bless her heart, has done very well in letting Aleyah hang out with her when her friends are over. For some reason though, and I'm sure this is very normal, let me clarify, this is VERY normal, Aleyah decides she wants to keep Alexa's friends for herself. This can cause problems as you can imagine when the girls are ready to ditch Little Aleyah. After several, "Mom, can you come get her?" requests, I have one unhappy camper on my hands. This unhappy camper decides to take out her frustrations on EVERYBODY (and I do mean EVERYBODY, even our dog Misha gets a tongue lashing). She generally goes to the very fun stare-downs. Obviously that doesn't work with us so she had no other choice but to dig her little heals in and refuse to take any correction. All normal stuff, right? Please say right. Anyways...We had a few moments where Little Aleyah was at battle with one or all of us. But I must say that today was a good day considering she didn't take a nap. So yahoo for that!



In my last couple of posts I talked about a book that I'm reading. Well I finished it today and I highly recommend it. If you are a reader and have a heart for children, this book is a must read.






Dr. Stafford puts emphasis on the Lord's compassion and love when it comes to children. The author mentions how many churches are missing the point where children are involved. Stafford highlights that over 40% of Christians choose to follow Christ as children. Unfortunately many churches tend to put their efforts elsewhere instead of their children's ministry or other ministries concerning children. He goes on to describe his upbringing in a village in Africa. As I mentioned before, Stafford is the president of Compassion International, a very large outreach and ministry for children all over the world. Steve and I have been blessed enough to sponsor a young girl Alexa's age, Selamawit, from Ethiopia for about four years now. We hope to sponsor another child in the near future. Below is a picture of Selamawit. We enjoy reading about her schooling and her love for Christ. I regret not contacting her while we were in Ethiopia. Honestly, it was not placed on my heart at the time, so I can only assume that it wasn't meant to be. I'm still having a hard time thinking of how I'm going to introduce my new Ethiopian daughter to her. Hopefully she will rejoice with us.

Saturday, July 24, 2010

I stumbled upon a blog by a woman whom, with her husband, have adopted many children. I know they have ten in all, but still learning whether any of them are her biological children. Anyways, her story is fascinating and a real God Thing. I have enjoyed her blog and noticed that she has over one thousand followers! If you want to read an amazing and inspiring story her blog link is in the sidebar under My Blog List - A PLACE CALLED SIMPLICITY

Thursday, July 22, 2010

That Lady


Things have been so strangely normal this week so far. It truly has been amazing! It seems like Aleyah has been here since birth! And to think that it will keep getting better and better. I have also been getting plenty of rest which helps a ton. I make sure to get up around 7:00 a.m., have my coffee while reading my Bible or Too Small to Ignore. At around 8:00 a.m., I hear Aleyah making her way downstairs. Most mornings she finds me on the couch reading and quickly climbs up on my lap for a morning snuggle. She still waits for the ever cheerful "Good Morning!" greeting before asking for orange juice. I know, orange juice is not the best choice but she still isn't sold on milk yet. I think I might have to try putting a little chocolate in her milk to get her to drink it. I must say that my mornings have been going pretty well.

Yesterday was the first day that I ventured out to do grocery shopping with Aleyah. While Steve was off work he did most of the shopping. Very cool for me that Steve enjoys grocery shopping. I think it is because he gets to choose all the junk food he craves.;) Well Steve has taken Aleyah to the store several times and she has done well. So yesterday was my turn. We left really early. It was around 9:00. I put her in the cart with no issues. So far so good. We made our way over to the Health and Beauty department to get a few items. We found the bubble bath aisle (She had her first bubble bath two days prior. We promised the next time we went to the store we would get her her own bubbles). She was one happy little girl when I let her choose the one she wanted. She went with Tinker Bell. With the Tinker Bell bubble bath in her hands we continued with bodywash, shampoo and lotion, all of which I had to let her smell for approval. Funny how that works. You let them smell one item and all the sudden they have to smell each item thereafter. Lol! I have absolutely no complaints about shopping with her. I can't wait to do it next week!

Last night Alexa had her first sleepover since Aleyah has been home. Surprisingly, it went great! Aleyah, of course wanted to hang out with the big girls so I had to keep her extra busy playing with mommy. Alexa is doing well with the big sister role. There are those times when she loses her patience and begins giving me pointers on discipline. I know, funny, huh? I quickly remind her that she is not the parent and if she wants we can start by putting her to bed early too. She doesn't like that too much. I usually get a heavy sigh and maybe crossed arms. Oh joy!


On a deeper note:

The other night I was putting Aleyah to bed. Since she has been here I pat her back until she falls asleep. I usually take this time to share with the Lord what's on my mind. Well I was thinking about how unbelievable it is to realize that God gave Aleyah another mommy and it's me! That reality is overwhelming and catches me off guard sometimes. This little girl lost her mommy to Malaria: The one lady who comforted her, fed her and cared for her. There is no doubt that she had a bond with her birth mother. We don't know exactly how long ago her mother died. Aleyah was first taken to an orphanage in January 2010. We believe that her mother died about a year ago. She lived several months without a mother's patience and love. I often wonder how she was cared for after her mother's death. Was she left alone while her birth father went off to find work for the day? How many times did she cry for a mommy's love? How many times did she sit in her little makeshift home wondering where "that lady" went?

While she cried and lived in confusion God had me in mind. He picked me to be "that lady". It is huge and so hard for me to "accept". Does that make any sense? Why me? Does God really have that much confidence in me? Does He really trust me with his precious and fragile little girl? I sat there patting Aleyah's back thinking about all these things and I just sat there weeping.

I sometimes think of Aleyah in her little village after her mother died looking for another mommy. Like Dr. Suess' book Are You My Mommy?, walking from hut to hut, wondering who will be her mommy now. Sadly, no one stepped up. It was not meant to be. God had an amazing plan and idea for our little Aleyah. He plucked her out from that little village and placed her in our hearts. She wanted a mommy badly. I know this because the first day we met, she didn't want me out of her sight. She held onto me and followed me everywhere. When the other children played, she sat on my lap, taking my arms and wrapping them around her. Her objective was to find "that lady". Little did she know that across the mighty Atlantic ocean lived "that lady". God made a way and brought us together. Not only did she get another mommy, but another daddy and a big sister as well. This adoption was not about providing clothes, food, shelter or even medical attention. It truly was about providing a family. All the other things came with the "territory" so to speak.

That is what I often think when I pat little Aleyah's back. She is here lying in her cozy bed in her cozy room with "that lady", the one who already loves her. Only God. Only God can turn a little poor girls life into a life blessed with riches beyond material things. Only God could place a total stranger into my heart. Only God could see what is best for her and for us. Why does God love that much? There are many more children out there looking for "that lady". This is what I would say to them, 'God is working on it". He has it all figured out. When the time is right God will save another one from the harshness of poverty and abandonment. God is just waiting for those who are willing to be used by Him.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Here is another little nugget from the book I'm reading, Too Small To Ignore.

Here we have forgotten that there really is no higher calling than to raise a child. We tend to do a lot for our children but not nearly enough with our children.

This really hit home with me and I thought I would give my perspective on this. Having an only child for twelve years made it "easy" and more "convenient"to do everything for my daughter. You know what I'm talking about. Pick out her clothes, brush her hair, make her bed (if I want it presentable for some reason, like a guest coming over. Because Lord knows I don't really care otherwise. After all, it's not my bed). I remember dressing Al (up until she was six-years-old!) because it was just quicker and heaven forbid I'm delayed another five minutes! So when sixth grade came around I expected Al to be more responsible than she was. Why couldn't she pack her own lunch? Why couldn't she scramble an egg for crying out loud? Why did her hair seem to still stick out in all sorts of funky directions? Why did she not know how to operate the clothes dryer or know how to iron a shirt? The obvious answer is because I did everything for her. Not only did I do a lot of those tedious tasks for her but I also made sure that she never missed a tap class, soccer practice or any other extra curricular activity. It is so easy to hop on the Super Mom train.

Fast forward to present day and I'm now face to face with Miss Independent. At three-and-a-half, Aleyah wants to do everything on her own. I can't help her put her clothes on, brush her teeth or even wipe her bottom (don't worry, I make sure to wipe the bum and assist her with her teeth). My point is this little girl from Gedeo, Ethiopia no doubt did many things on her own. She is definitely not helpless in certain areas almost to a fault. We fight daily when it comes to picking out clothes. With Alexa, I picked what I wanted her to wear for the day and continued through most of the sixth grade. Call me a control freak, I guess. Alexa just went with it and never complained. The other day I was busy with Aleyah and Alexa asked if I could iron her shirt. "No," I said. "I think you're old enough to do it now." Alexa says, "Well how do I do it?" I thought for a split second about just doing it for her but thought better of it. Yes it would be quicker, but when would she actually learn how to use an iron. It took five minutes to show her what to do. I can't say it was a complete success because she did manage to burn herself. Truly.


Now for today's conclusion. I really have spent a lot of time with Alexa. When she first started dance, Steve and I went to evey practice and sat through each one while child after child was dropped off. Same went for soccer. As a matter of fact it was not until Steve started coaching her team that I stayed home from practice. I can honestly say that I haven't missed one track meet either. And for the record, I home schooled her for four years. That is some serious time spent with my daughter. Alexa and I joke about even though we plan Mother/Daughter Day outings, every day really was a Mother/Daughter Day. So why do I feel I could have done a better job? Because I could have. I could have played more often with her Barbies and American Girl Dolls. I could have played house more often. I could have played school more often. I could have spent more time in her little fantasy world. I guess I've been feeling a bit guilty about not spending more play time with her. Haw many times did I say, "Not now," when she asked if I wanted to play school with her. It makes me teary thinking of all the things she did do on her own. She turned out alright but sometimes that wave of guilt consumes me when I think about it.

Thankfully, she is only twelve and there are still so many things we do together now. One of our favorite things to do together is scrapbook. It is fun for us to sit and creatively put our scrapbooks together while talking about girl stuff.

Life with children really is short. Eventually they move on with a family of their own. I want to be sure that when my girls are out of the house I don't look back with regrets. I want to do less for my girls and do more with them. Maybe then, they will look back fondly on all that mom did with them. Play time really does equal Mom time.

Friday, July 16, 2010

This week has been challenging in more ways than one. I wondered how I would do with Steve at work now. There are so many things that I have learned in these few days. One, kids can drive you crazy. Well I already knew that, but that is just the plain truth and that has to remain my number one revelation. Two, I don't have to have the answers for everything. Three, not everyone is cut out for the roll of stay at home mom. Four, all things are possible with God. Another thing I already knew but need to keep reminding myself of the fact.


Interestingly, early this week a segment on the Today Show titled, I Love My Kids. I Hate My Life, appeared on someone's Facebook post. The segment, in my opinion, didn't really clarify a particular point. Maybe it was just me. It grabbed my attention because, if you read my adoption blog, you know that I was on my way to bigger and better things than this Mommy Business. Or at least that is what I had hoped. I had returned to school in hopes to finally finish. God impressed on me to deny my "self" take up my cross daily and follow him. He called me forward to Mommy Business. It is not always fun, not at all glamorous and definitely not something I dreamed for myself. I know I'm not alone. That said, I'm determined to allow myself to enjoy my journey. I find that society these days negatively influences the attitudes of stay at home moms. Before I go on about this, I truly admire mothers who both work and parent their children. What I hope to discover on this road before me are positive and encouraging views that say it's okay to love being a stay at home mom. Does that make sense?

I'm a mother and have been for twelve years. However, that time has been split between working, home schooling my daughter and going to school myself. So why now this determination to find joy in my mommy status. Frankly, because even though my twelve-year-old has turned out fine so far, I think I can do a better job! Not only can I do a better job, I can do it more joyfully! In some ways I think God has given me a "do-over" with the gift of my adopted daughter. Does that sound bazaar? It sounds like more work to me. But because of this"do-over" my oldest will benefit as well, so no fear there.

So where did all this come from? A book that has been calling me to read it for over two years now. I'm a reader and honestly haven't read a book for a couple of months now. I know, weird. I received a book from Compassion International, where we sponsor a child. This book has been sitting on my bookshelf along with many other books, most of which I've read. That fact may be why I have been drawn to this book. Whatever the reason, a couple of sentences jumped out at me. Excerpts follow:

Our most vulnerable citizens have become the world's most disposable commodity.

No matter what the setting, children seem to be a second-rate mandate. No matter what the ill of society, it tends to spiral downward and eventually land with its cruelest and most smothering impact on our littlest citizens. Small, weak, helpless, innocent, vulnerable, and trusting, they are the waiting victims for our simple neglect and most evil abuse. No matter what goes wrong, the little ones pay the greatest price.

Perhaps a little closer to home is the reality that children are the sacrificial lambs when our homes break up through neglect, anger, hostility, and eventually divorce.

You never stand so tall as when you stoop to help a child.

I don't know about you, but that just makes me want to do a better job in raising my children. So that is my agenda, not to just parent well, but to parent joyfully. Obviously, that will not always be the case, right? But it's worth a try.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Oh WOW, what a day!! Thank goodness Steve is now home and Alexa is off to soccer camp. So this was my morning. Make breakfast for the girls, nothing special, some pancakes with whipped cream. Both Alexa and Aleyah's favorite. I must mention that today was frozen pancakes, I know, just didn't have time to do the Just Add Water ones. lol! So the girls are fed and I get myself an egg and a corn tortilla. Sometimes I want toast, sometimes corn tortilla. After breakfast I get myself geared up and psyched to get on my treadmill. I tell Alexa to keep an eye on Aleyah while I do this one thing. I start off with a decent pace and feel super proud that I am making the effort. Five minutes or so go by and I hear, "MOMMY!" I block it out and hope that they just work it out. No such luck, I eventually hear crying and think, Really? I trot upstairs and Alexa meets me at the top, "I didn't do anything." I settle things down and hop back on. Another ten minutes go by and I hear another ruckus, Seriously? Trot back up the stairs, "What in the world is going on?" I ask rather animated. Alexa explains that Aleyah this and Aleyah that. I tell Alexa, "You don't need to entertain her, just make sure that she doesn't burn the house down." Get back on the treadmill and start thinking about how this is all going down. My brain is telling me I should just not even do the treadmill but my legs and a bit of my stubbornness keep me pressing on. I have this argument with myself as sweat begins to drench my shirt, well this is a good sign. All I want to do is finish two miles. That is my goal for the day. Suddenly I hear screaming combined with crying. I slammed my hand down to shut off the treadmill and ran upstairs, grabbed Aleyah out of Alexa's arms while Alexa again explains that she didn't do anything, (which is kinda true and kinda not). I bring Aleyah down to the family room set her on the couch, turned the TV on and set up the baby gate. I will finish these two miles. I get going again and try to block out Aleyah's little sobs. Eventually she stops and just watches me as I huff and puff, arms pumping a little more than usual. "Mommy, shinte." Again, "Mommy, shinte." Shinte means potty. Yes, I had her barricaded and she couldn't go relieve herself so for the upteenth time I turn off the treadmill and tended to her urgent request and thought, 'what is up with this day already?' Got back on the treadmill and heard Aleyah repeat over and over "Mommy, Alexa be nice." For one whole mile, "Mommy, Alexa be nice." I put the pieces together and realize that Alexa was trying to do her best to keep Aleyah upstairs so that she wouldn't bother me and in the process Aleyah falls and that is what the whole screaming thing was about. You're either exhausted hearing about my morning, or laughing at my initiation to Parent Of Two. The good news is, I finished those two miles. Woo Hoo!! I can be so stubborn sometimes.

Anyways, that was my morning. The rest of the day was similar but not as bad. I'm dead tired. I just might get on that treadmill again today, just for pure stress relief. Then again, I could always write it down. haha! Who am I kidding? My hubby just got home. I wonder if his day was any better. :)

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Our day went better than expected. I had more issues with Alexa than with Aleyah. So I guess you can say it was a normal day.


I did manage to do the treadmill again today while Alexa entertained Aleyah. Felt good about accomplishing that but wasn't so thrilled about certain cravings this time of the month. I hate that! So it looks like I pretty much did the treadmill for nothing. There is always tomorrow, right?
After my morning walk Aleyah decided to put on Alexa's Hannah Montana wig. She's been doing that the past couple of days. We have mixed feelings about that. We get a kick out of watching her brush the wig and walk around like she is some real Super Star! It is the cutest thing because the hair hangs down to the back of her calves. From behind she looks like Cousin It from the Addams Family. The down side is her interpretation of beauty. Does she envy those with long locks? Will she appreciate her very tight curls? Anyways, my husband, being the sensitive guy he is, kept telling her that he liked her hair and not the wig. She wasn't buying it. Every time she walked past for some attention Steve would continue to tell her he wanted to see her pretty hair. Eventually, she took the wig off and I put it away hoping she will forget it for awhile. I remember Steve doing something similar with Alexa. Steve made sure to always get Alexa dolls with brown hair because he didn't want her to think that blond was better, no offensive to blonds. Steve just feels that society favors blonds. So I'm not surprised that Steve noticed Aleyah's fondness for the long blond wig. Hair will be a challenge with Alelyah. I personally can't wait until she gets more of it so I can style it. Even I am getting tired of the headbands!
It has been a few days and it looks like I may have a small window of time to write a few things down.

Aleyah had her doctor's appointment yesterday and everything went well. The doctor was very impressed with her comfort level with us and also with her ability to communicate with us. She gave Aleyah the basic check-up and said that she is a completely healthy girl. Isn't that so awesome?! Now we need to get her teeth looked at. That visit may not go so well. We know that Aleyah has several cavities and such. I'm not surprised considering she probably never owned a toothbrush until Hannah's Hope. The first week she was with us she obviously had a piece of food stuck between her teeth because she took a napkin, twisted the corner of it and started cleaning her teeth. A pretty resourceful way to clean her teeth. Anyways, her appointment is Monday and I hope she does alright. I'm certain x-rays will be involved. I need to somehow prepare her for that visit.

Today is Steve's first day back to work. Even though he said he wasn't ready to go back, I think he was. I think he was just feeling guilty for looking forward to it. These six weeks have been hard on him. He has never stayed away from work that long. I think two weeks at a time is all he has done. He was extremely bored with the redundancy of everyday stuff. He got a good taste, and I mean a big mouthful, of what life is like for a stay-at-home-mom. He said several times, "I don't know how you mother's do it." Yeah, it gets pretty crazy sometimes. It takes several prayers to not want to run away on some days. lol! So he is back at work and left a letter for Alexa and I and also called us this morning. It appears the stresses of work await him. I can honestly say that I wouldn't want to deal with the demands of his job either. God give us strength to embrace what you have called us to do. Whatever that may be; Staying home or working outside of home. Let us take in both the good and the bad and come out a better and stronger person. Help us learn from the bad and remind us to cherish the good. But in all things, keep our sanity. Amen.

So let's see how this day goes without Steve. It could go either way. It really depends on the three of us in the house. Hmmm?

Friday, July 9, 2010

Last night we tried, the operative word is tried, to watch Avatar. I put Aleyah to bed at 9:00 and she was calling for me at 10:30. Put her back to sleep and twenty minutes later heard her calling for Dah-dee, yes, we graduated from Danny to Dah-dee. We played this game until 12:00 and said, "Forget it, I'm going to bed and I'm bringing the kid with me." I knew she would not let us sleep if I hadn't. I was getting used to the non-interrupted sleep. Arrrg! I put her to bed just a while ago and went through the whole ritual, "Sleep in Aleyah's bed, not mommy and daddy's bed. Alexa sleeps in Alexa's bed. Aleyah sleeps in Aleyah's bed. Mommy and daddy..." well you get the picture I'm sure. I told her that I would see her in the morning and we would say "Good morning" to each other. She of course smiled and said, "No more, 'mommy, mommy, mommy.' She added. "Say, 'Good morning.' So that is how the day ended. We will see how the night pans out. Steve and Alexa are finishing up Avatar and me, well I'm here keyboarding away. You sometimes have to just pick your moments.

Alexa and I planned to do some school shopping today. We wanted to get an early start and thought that we could get ourselves ready at 9:00 so we could leave by 10:00. We planned on going to the Fox Valley Mall, which is about an hour away. While Alexa and I were getting ready, Miss Aleyah decides she is going to get ready too. You see, Steve and I talked about having our traditional Mother/Daughter Day and Father/Daughter Day with Alexa before he went back to work. Since school will be here before you know it, Alexa and I were going to do shopping and lunch. Steve and Alexa were going to do lunch and a movie. Not very exciting in terms of summer break, but hey, we are still recovering from our adoption.

Anyways, I realize that Aleyah is doing everything I'm doing. I thought I would include her in the getting ready part because, well because she needs to get ready for the day too. I put on lotion and put some on her. I put on my make-up and she puts on her Lip Smacker lip gloss. I put on my bracelet and she puts on her six bracelets. I put on my earrings and she puts on her necklaces since her ears are not pierced yet. I put on some perfume and she gestures to me to spray some on her too. I'm done, Alexa is done and Aleyah is done too. I grab my purse, slip on my shoes, grab my keys and sunglasses and say, "Bye!" Like that was gonna work. What was I thinking? Aleyah of course, thinks she is going with us. She starts crying. This is not going to be good. Tension starts to build in me and I think maybe I better stay home because Steve is not gonna know what to do if she continues with the crying. But my wonderful husband says, "Go. Everything will be fine. I'll take care of it." I look at him nervously and say, "I think we should stay." Alexa looks a bit disappointed but is more distraught over Aleyah's crying. "Will you guys just go. Everything will be fine." Not wanting to disappoint Alexa we walk out the door and Aleyah cries louder. Alexa and I pull out of the driveway while I say a quick prayer for God's care over each of us and we go on our way. Of course I'm feeling guilty as we leave our neighborhood. I call before getting on the interstate to see if Steve needs me to come back. Steve reports that she stopped crying as soon as we pulled out of the driveway. Thank you God. Now it was okay to really enjoy this day with Alexa. Shopping and lunch with a seventh grade girl. This should be fun!

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Alexa's finished mailbag that she made at sew camp. Good job, Al! Aleyah just before her visit to the doctor's waiting room. Unfortunately, that's as far as we got.


I did get on my treadmill yesterday morning but skipped it today.:( Aleyah had a doctor's appointment and Alexa's last day of sew camp prevented me from walking this morning. I always say I'm going to do the treadmill in the evening and it just NEVER happens. I don't know what it is, but working out at night is so not enjoyable. I do hope to sneak out for a walk around the neighborhood when the weather gets cooler. Unfortunately, it has been HOT and HUMID so the treadmill will have to do for a while.

I felt good finishing the two miles that I did yesterday and the day before. I was a bit miffed because it has been way too long since my last "date" with the dreadful conveyor belt. There was a time when I was actually running on the thing. A year and a half later all I can do is a brisk two mile walk. Tsk tsk. So I've set a goal for myself. I hope to get back to a decent three mile jog by the time my birthday comes around. That is about two months away. Hmmm...maybe I should think that one over a bit. I will be another year older so it might take a while longer.;) But the goal is to reach the three mile marker. Just talking about it makes me want to get on that thing right now...but then I would get all sweaty and have to take another shower and...yeah, that thought was a brief one.

Aleyah's first doctor's appointment was, well...a one hour wait in the lobby. Aleyah was doing great for the hour that we waited there, but with several more people ahead of us, I knew a round of the Cranky Butts was approaching. Why do doctor's insist on making children wait so long for a check-up? Do they seriously expect a child to wait an hour and a half in the lobby and another half hour in the room without a meltdown? I wasn't about to find out just how cranky Aleyah would get. I guess you can say I "chickened out." Lol! So we rescheduled. Aleyah was dumbfounded. I had prepared her all morning about her doctor's visit. Trust me, that is not easy when English is very limited. We also talked about the doctor the night before and even played doctor with stethoscope and all (thanks Shannon for that stethoscope). So when we told her we were leaving she looked confused. "Doctor?" she said. I simply said, "Doctor's sleeping." I knew she understood sleeping so that made the most sense. At the rate they were going, I thought the doctor could possibly be napping.

Let me tell you about our experience in the waiting room. I made sure to have Aleyah's water, a couple of books and her Magna Doodle to keep her occupied. When we first entered the waiting room, we were greeted by a very friendly little girl, probably Aleyah's age, named Becca. I know this because she told me her name as she started doodling on Aleyah's Magna Doodle. Well as you can probably imagine, Aleyah wasn't too down with that. She raised her hand and very gently laid it down on the Magna Doodle covering Becca's masterpiece. I was a bit tense to say the least. Aleyah now has her "own" things and wasn't about to share with Becca. Becca had one thing on her mind, Magna Doodle. At one point she tried to take it out of my hand. I gripped that thing tight. How was this going to unfold? "Can I hold it?" asked Becca. Aleyah stood next to me giving Becca the "staredown," which she is very good at, by the way. "I will hold it." I said with a smile as my blood started rushing. "Can I hold it?" she repeated. Dang it, does this really have to happen now? "I will hold it?" I repeated. Just at that moment Becca's mom intervened. At first I was thankful, but Becca's mom began scolding Becca which made for a very awkward moment in that crowded waiting room. Becca sat on her dad's lap and stared enviously at the Magna Doodle that Aleyah ignored. I stared in the opposite direction and sighed in relief when Becca was called back to her awaited room. Aleyah rifled through a basket filled with disgusting, germ ridden toys. So glad I remembered to bring wipes.

She played contently with a bead apparatus thingy. Sorry, that's all you're getting because I really don't know what you call those things. Anyways, she was having a great time...until a little boy walked in. I looked around the room and saw that the only available seats were the ones next to us. Another Dang It moment. Of course he spotted the beads and of course Aleyah spotted him. Enough said. Aleyah pulled the apparatus closer to her and managed to pull all the other toys closer to her. After some coaxing from Steve and I, Aleyah allowed him to touch the toys, but not without the infamous "staredown."

The clock kept ticking and we kept waiting. I told Steve to reschedule. Little Boy's mother asked how old Aleyah was. I told her and went on to tell her that we just got back from Ethiopia a month and a half ago. She asked if Aleyah already knew English before we got her. I proudly said no and thought to myself, 'I just have a pretty darn Smarty Pants'. And I mean that in more ways than one. :)

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Yes!! Aleyah slept in her own bed 'til 7:30 this morning!!! She did eventually make her way to our bed and slept for another hour. But I'll take that over waking up several times during the night. Things get better and better each day. This is the third day I've been able to sleep at least five hours straight. The past month has been brutal as far as sleep goes. Aleyah has been with us for a month and every night she would wake at least four times during the night until I brought her to our bed. We are coming up on five weeks and I was able to communicate to her that she needs to stay in her bed until the sun comes up and I say, "Good Morning!!" Can you believe that worked?!?! Why hadn't I thought of that five weeks ago?! Lol! I can't wait until the darker mornings.;)



I thought I would creep out of bed, do my morning business in the restroom and sneak down to have some coffee before she woke up again. I did manage to take two sips of my freshly ground Ethiopian coffee when I heard little footsteps coming down the stairs. Ugh! I need to get my butt out of bed earlier if I plan to enjoy that cup of coffee in peace. Speaking of butts...I need to get on that treadmill this morning too. I sat there, drinking my coffee, with Aleyah in my lap watching Baby Einstein for the hundredth time...okay, that was an exaggeration, but we are getting pretty darn close.



Before you know it, Alexa is wandering down the stairs and Steve is thudding around upstairs. Yes, I really do need to get up earlier if I plan to have some quiet time. But it is kinda tricky to do that when sleep is so enjoyable.:) No, really, I plan to get up at 7:00 tomorrow. I plan to drink my coffee, while reading my Bible. And I will get on that dusty treadmill. I just realized that I had a lot of "me" time before Aleyah came home. I also realize how all that "me" time made me lonely. This should be interesting.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

I may not have the gift of gab, but I do love to write...

It looks like I'm at it again...I'm a blogger, I can't help it. I thought I was done once we returned home from picking up our adopted daughter from Ethiopia. It turns out, there is just so much to say and I can't go too long without writing my thoughts down. So I thought I would start another blog that did not journal one specific thing. This blog will cover just about everything...well almost everything. I am a stay-at-home-mom, and although that does not sound glamorous, it does keep life interesting. I have a bio daughter whom is twelve and an adopted daughter whom is three-and-a-half. Trust me, life at home does get interesting. So whether you are a friend, family member or just a passerby, you may find many similarities to your own life. Give me a few days and I will be up and running on a more frequent basis...well that is the plan. I did mention I have a three-and-a-half-year-old. ;)