Sunday, April 11, 2010

Photo Every Hour (ish)


I thought it would be fun to do this again with the new additions to the family. Remember last year's post? Did I mention that I had forgotten to take my medicine that day? That explains some of the lethargy and laziness. As most of you know, I don't have a thyroid, and although mine is a slow acting med, my body definitely feels it when I forget to take it. (And you thought I was just depressed because I didn't know who my kids were yet. Silly you.)

Friday, April 10th, 2010.

Steven leaves for work at 5:30.

6:00 am ish...


The rest of us are up. The beasts want their feasts...


Meazi helps feed Melese...


I check out the laundry...


Meazi manages to find a few remaining clean items...


7:00 am ish...


8:00 am ish...

We have a second breakfast. Mommy is hungry. We are out of eggs. Meazi usually has cheesy eggs every weekday morning. We go through more than two dozen eggs a week. Today, no eggs= frozen waffles...


9:00 am ish...

Since it is a Friday, Meazi does not have school. Her Pre-K is Mon-Thurs, 8:00 am- 10:20 am. I put Melese in the Ergo. I attempt to get him down for his "dishwasher" nap, (the nap lasts as long as it takes to load or empty the dishwasher).

Melese in the Ergo...
Meazi colors in her Highlights Magazine while Sitota and Sam hang out with the World's Most Patient Dog...

Nap fail. Melese can't bear to sleep if Meazi is around. He worships her.

10:00 am ish...

Meazi may not have school today, but the grand unveiling of the new Wonder of Reading Library is happening, so off we go. Meazi is also obsessed with her nails today. We told her she could get nail polish for the first time this weekend. (Still working on her dad for the pierced ears).

Melese is surprisingly good in the quiet auditorium...

Meazi sees some of her friends, and we enjoy a third breakfast, croissants and strawberries.

11:00 am ish...

Meazi sees one of her favorite teachers, "She is chocolate like me." They talk accessories for a moment.

Meazi takes her first spin on the big kids' play structure...

12 noon ish...

Lunch. Organic pasta, organic ground beef, and, uhm... RAGU... NICE.

Melese is very clingy. He helps me cook. Meazi says, "Mommy how do you feel about a picnic? I am fine with that Mommy. What do you think?" Meazi makes us a special tea with some bottle brush plants.

Melese, Mr. Nature, is saddened by what happened to the bottle brush. He eschews the tea, and tries to repair the tree...

He puts the branches back, and gives them some water...

1:00 pm ish

Nap Attempt.

I actually made a recording of the rambunctious shenanigans that occurred. It was loud. Very loud. After Melese finally fell asleep, Meazi wanted to talk about some big subjects. She said, "Mommy, what happens to your body when you die." Sigh. Can't we talk about Dora the Explorer or something? This, I believe, has been brought on by the recent passing of my grandfather. We have been talking a lot about him. I did not go to the funeral. I know that Meazi is already dealing with so much loss and grief right now, and I also had no idea how to actually travel with the two of them by myself. I lighten the mood by telling her one of my favorite stories about my grandfather. She, still processing so much of her own stuff, tells me a detail about her life that makes me cry. I tell her how sorry I am to hear this and she says, "Mommy, I am sorry that your grandfather died." She wraps her skinny arm tightly around my neck, we put our foreheads together for a moment, and she is finally ready to go to sleep.

Seven minutes later Melese wakes up. He still seems exhausted, so I put him in the Ergo again. He falls asleep and I place him here...

By taking the above picture I inadvertently wake him up. (Damn you Nikon and your loud shutter!) Naptime officially over for Melese...

The above is my favorite picture of him from the day. That face!

He gets Ted a diaper.
He gets Moses a cookie.

2:00 ish...

Melese wonders why Meazi is still asleep. He misses her. She gets up.



3:00 ish...

Meazi puts on my sister's old swimsuit, and gets busy making a birthday card for the Wonder Twins.

3:30-5:00 ish...
I forgot to mention that at 9 am Steven texted me from work to say that he got the date wrong for our tax appointment, and that at 9 am tomorrow we are doing our taxes. I am in a panic. Luckily, a dear friend and her baby whisperer mommy come over to distract the kids. After Mimi gives Melese his saxophone lesson, they all go out swimming in the turtle pool. (No pictures due to much nudity, my preoccupation with finding every single receipt I can, and wondering out loud, "What else can we write off now that we have kids?"

5:00 pm ish...

Speaking of nudity...

Dinner.

Which unfortunately for them is the same meal as lunch. NICE.

6:00 pm ish...

Pajama chalk drawings, and good news about the laundry...

It is clean. Laundry crib is full. From the hamper, to the crib.

7:00 pm ish...

The above is my favorite picture of Meazi from the day. I yelled out, "Meazi, what are you doing?" She yelled back, "RAKING MOM!!" Duh.


7:30 ish...
Mr. Huggable lets me know he is ready for his bottle.

I get up from the spot in between them to take this picture.

8:00 pm ish...
Daddy home at last.

I am quite fond of that in between spot.

9:00 pm ish...

For the first time ever Meazi said to me, "Mommy, I can go to sleep by myself." Usually I stay with her in bed until she is sound asleep, and I inevitably fall asleep too, hence my lack of blogging, or laundry folding, or grocery shopping. I had said something to Meazi about how worried I was about getting my tax stuff done in time. She said, "What will Tom the Tax Man do if you are not ready?" I said, "He will be upset." I think this is why she said it was okay for me to leave the bed.

10:00- 11:00 pm ish...



Friday, April 10th, 2010.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Wordless Wednesday-Easter Edition













Oh, and this gift from Steven made me cry....


I am never going to eat it.

(Unless I really, really, crave chocolate one night.)

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

March 23

On certain days of the year, we light candles in our house. These are days when we lost someone that we loved.

Today, March 23rd, Meazi lit a candle of her own. She waved Melese over and said, "Come Melese, this is for you too."

These two small beings have changed my life so much. I love them more than I ever thought possible. I feel like I knew nothing about life until I met them.

Their sadness is my sadness.

They are the holders of my heart.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

In Like A Lion...



March.

Meazi has had a couple of 'just home' behavior days; tantrums, meltdowns, and sleep disruptions. These seemed so out of place. Meazi has been so content for the last couple of months. The intensity of these 'off' days caused me to remark, "I wonder if it is an anniversary of something for her?" Many, many, of the adoptive moms on our old adoption agency forum used to post that their children had a very hard time on anniversaries of certain events (i.e. The day they were brought to the orphanage, the day they left Ethiopia etc).

I paused to remember what might have happened to Meazi and Melese around this time.

March.

I looked through my own calendar from last year. It is pretty empty.

Back before we had a referral, I remember during the waiting, when I had had a particularly hard day, friends would say, "Maybe your children are going through something." I always brushed this off as ridiculous. How could I possibly be feeling something for children I knew nothing about?

One day last March, I woke up horribly sad. It was more than a depressed feeling. I had a sadness so deep, and I had no idea where it was coming from. I knew it was not about me. Something external was happening. I felt so much despair. I went over to my calendar and scribbled the word tragic on the day's date. I knew something was happening to my future children whose names and story I had yet to learn. Tragic. I felt it.

In our referral information we found out that within forty-eight hours of that day, the tragedy that caused our children to be put up for adoption occurred.

March was a really bad month for Meazi and Melese.

I am hoping that March goes out like a lamb.

Friday, March 12, 2010

Two Trips

I don't have any time today, and I am having computer issues, but I just wanted to send out a word of support to those families who are getting new hoops to jump through. I know as a woman firmly perched on the other side it is easy for me to say that it will be worth it, but...

It will be worth it.