Hello Mr President

What a historic hopeful day!!!! The possibilities feel endless and the energy is rising. I feel like FINALLY we have a president in office who is willing to use history as a way of learning how to move forward.

On a different note, yesterday my hit counter reached the 100,000 mark. I can't remember when I added it to this blog but it sure feels like a milestone to see it turn over like that. I love keeping this blog, it provides an outlet for me and a manner of socializing that as a single mom I really really need. I also can look back to see what Lucy was doing when, like a babybook.

Lucy is struggling right now staying on top of this "cold" she has. I worry that it's might be getting alittle out of hand and we'll find ourselves hitting the nebulizar and maybe some antibiotics soon. Her eyes were very drippy today and I hear her snoring away in her room. Please let this be the peak of it so that we do not need to use either the neb or the antibiotics.

The photos are of her "waiting" for her doctor to join us in the exam room. Lucy secured the doctor's gloves within moments of entering Gillette.

Sometimes it's hard

sometimes it's hard to get the kid and the camera to behave at the same time. I think they should make a point and shoot camera whose lens shutter thingy automatically cleans the lens each time you shut it off. Camera makers of the world you can steal my idea and use it as your own ..

Lucy goes to see the foot doctor tomorrow. She is sooooo excited. She thinks he'll be like her regular pediatrician and she is really excited about the following things:

1. gloves

2. telling the doctor she's drinking her water

3. hearing babies crying from getting "poked"

4. not getting poked

5. gloves

Musings from the land of little nod ...

Hi, My name is Stacy and I stayed up most of last night listening to Lucy breathe. At about 6:30 a.m. I came to the surface with a start as I heard no snoring from her room. What should I do??? If I go in there it will certainly wake her up ... but I can't just not do anything. Is it already too late? Shut up I tell myself, your're insane, no wonder the cosmos is making it impossible for you to have more then one child ... you'd die from too much crazy worry. What is that noise? Is it breathing, gurgleing ... crap now I have to go to the bathroom...

Turns out she was just fine. Fiesty as all get out this morning but she was breathing well. I know J (momma to little P) can relate ... sorry momma but that RSV you're dealing with, it's effects will go on and on and on ... Lucy's pediatrician thought that maybe by this winter's end her lungs/airways will have grown enough to be able to handle colds in a more normal fashion. We've actually had a good winter so far.

This morning I had a conference at Lucy's preschool. I guess she's doing great. She is much more regulated now then she was in September and the teachers no longer are on special Lucy lookout duty. Whew. She's on the normal spectrum in terms of behavior. I think she's doing good at school cuz she gets all her sass and defiance out at home. I would rather she do this at home then at school though so A+ to you Lucy-Lu ... A+

Here are a couple photos from her preschool family night last night. Good night.

What is wrong with me?

All day long I see Lucy as this INCREDIBLY strong-willed, energetic force of nature (and she is all of these things). The energy this kids spends defying me almost blows my mind. It's no wonder that at bedtime she pretty much goes from gabbing/dancing to full blown snore in (hardly any exaggeration) 5 minutes flat.

So why is it that once the house is quiet and my body starts falling asleep ... I hear those apnea gasps, and the snoring, and most recently the intense fits of coughing and I start having crazy thoughts that maybe she'll actually quit breathing.

For the 2nd night in a row I've given her a cough medicine. All of these years of sinus infections, congestion and coughing and I have religiously avoided those medicines because the pediatricians stopped recommending them, and said they don't work. Last night I broke down, we were loosing way too much sleep and I thought I could tell that the cough was a spastic post nasal drip cough.

I gave it to her again tonight, after she started the intense coughing around 1/2 hour ago. I held her until she was done coughing. Now I worry, what if the coughing was important to the breathing.

Yup, maybe If I start reading Twilight again it'll take my mind off of the kid in the next room. Hmmmm

Can you imagine ...

2 1/2 years, loving on your child, raising your child all the while not truly knowing if the unforgiving process would ever allow you to take your child home???? Erin and her family certainly know the pain and emotions of all of this but after over two years of a very mixed-up process, after moving to another country to be a family while the officials threw up obstacle after obstacle THEY ARE HOME!!!!!!!

Congratulations ... welcome home ... and enjoy breathing and a certain future together!

Bitter Cold ...

For my readers outside of the midwest I need to share that it's very very cold here ... cold for even here, like well below zero and breezy. Just had to share.

Today Lucy experienced a consequence in the form of ZERO morning tic-tacs. I was proud of me and actually proud of her (eventually) that we stuck to our guns on this consequence.

This morning Lucy was being quite oppositional, defiant, angry, violent, annoying etc etc. Finally I said "do it again and NO TIC TACS FOR YOU" and of course she did it (can't remember what). She immediately started straightening up and complying and saying "now can i have a tic tac?" I said nope, not now but if you hold it together now you can have tic tacs after school. I fully expected her to fall out, tantrum, spit whatever but guess what ... she totally didn't.

She got her snowsuit on, her mittens her boots got in the car (and I was SOOOO tempted to give her those tictacs early) as she climbed into the car she was muttering to herself "climb in good and you'll get tic tacs after school".

I picked her up this afternoon and she ran up to me saying "I was a good friend, can I have tic tacs?"

I mean, all of this for the 1 1/2 calorie 1 1/2 hour breath mint??????

Tonight ...

tonight Lucy fell asleep in my arms watching American Idol reruns. It was really really sweet. She spent 1/2 hour wiggling and talking and wiggling and talking. I was about to take her to her room to read books and she asked me to rub her back (really she said: "It's ok if you rub my back" as she pulled up her shirt). I had some vicks out so I used that and after about 30 seconds she was snoring away so of course I had to rock for a bit longer with my sleeping baby in my arms. I keep wondering when will be the very last time she falls asleep in my arm ... will it be tonight, was that it??? That's why we kept rocking so I could hold on to her as long as possible.

Sunday

The weekend went wicked fast.

she loves me she loves me not

today

Lucy: momma you are NOT my best friend

Me: why not?

Lucy: I am JUST trying to keep you safe and healthy!

my thoughts: really Lucy, I thought you were trying to make me insane and tired

In her defense, I was really really boring today AND I did her hair twice (once was the braid take-down and the other time was the wash and put back up) she did not appreciate either event.

Thursday

Lucy to older man at store: "are you david cook?"

Lucy to same man: "do you like mccain?"

Man to me: "you should really get her to open up and be more out going :)"

yeah.

I took some photos of her on the phone this morning. I didn't realize how geekish her outfit looked or how much schmuck was on her face ... sheesh ... the camera doesn't lie.

Light

While it's sucky to be back at work after two fun weeks of festivities, going to the zoo (during the week day when you can actually move around) and staying in pj's all day we are trying to move forward.

It helps that the ladies in the Chicago area arranged a fabulous trip to the Wisconsin Dells early in February for cheap cheap cheap!

We're only going one night, and it's only one day off of work/school but it's still an adventure and we are sooooo looking forward to it!

See you soon Jayme and family, Diane and family, and hopefully Katie and family and Nancy and family ...

Work tomorrow

I have to go back to work tomorrow and I don't WANNNNAAAAAAAAAA! Here are some photos and a small video from the past couple days. Don't worry Diane I put a quarter in her future therapy jar!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Today

Today is officially the last day of our vacation, so sad. We still have the weekend but weekends are really for working folks so it's not the same as hanging out on a weekday. We took advantage of our day today.

First we went to a place called Little Kids Big City. It was really fun. It's sort of a mini version of the Children's Museum, with a grocery store, firestation, post office and car shop. The cool thing was that it was all in one medium size room so your kid could wander and you could sit and see them from the little cafe. When I first arrived I was a little doubt ful that the simplicity would capture Lucy for any length of time but it totally did and we stayed for over two hours. Lucy fell asleep on the way home and when she woke up we painted a piggy bank that Lucy got for Christmas from auntie Barb. We made the last minute decision to meet grandpa and grandma at Target and join them for dinner. Fun day!!!

2009

2009 started early, so there goes Lucy's New Year's Resolution she totally failed RIGHT AWAY, like 7 hours into the new year. I walked, drank water and thought about quilting so so far I am batting 100%.

We started out sorta pissy as we prepared to head out the door and back to the zoo. I was so ready to lay on the floor like our friend Morgan and writhe around screaming and flailing but I mostly held it together and only threatened to go to the zoo by myself once. Lucy, for her part also didn't flail and wail but she did declare for the millionth time that I am ABSOLUTELY NOT her BEST FRIEND and and totally catching me off guard she threw in that she is NOT IMPRESSED with me this morning. Sheesh, all of that over a simple request that she pick up the laundry that she dumped all over the floor after I asked her to leave it alone.

Once we got to the zoo we did pretty well. Lucy has her feet wet so to speak so we have a zoo pattern that mostly works well for us. We threw in two things that we haven't done. We bought noodles to eat as I sensed a melt-down in the works (totally helped) and we went to the bird show. Between the birds and the nice man sitting next to us Lucille was completely captivated.

A bonus to all the walking and running around was the nice 45 minute nap Lucy took while I ran around picking up the house and doing laundry, playing this game that I do sometime to inspire me to clean good and clean fast. The game goes like this: I get a phone call from (the person or place changes every game, today it was someone from Oprah wanting to do a surprise interview about single mom adoptions) and they want to know if they could come over in one hour to scout the place. So with a camera's eye in mind I scurry around cleaning, picking up, and brushing my hair, teeth etc. Yeah, I just wrote about my "cleaning game" on the internet. I figure if Lucy has to live with her publicized childhood I can put myself out there a bit too.

Happy new year ...

Last Blog of the year ...

Well we're ushering out 2008 ... What a year!

Maybe early 2009 I'll pay a homage to 2008, right now I have the end of the year exhaustion hitting the brain cells!

Tonight we celebrated New Year's Eve with Mel and Morgan and auntie Jen.

This morning we headed to the zoo. The kids ran around like crazy, we ran into a family we know from our adoption forum (they are visiting from California ... HI MARLEY!!). We headed home and while Morgan napped in Lucy bed, Lucy and I made blueberry muffins. At dinner time we all bundled up and walked to our neighborhood pizza joint, pulling the kids on sleds, a new year's eve tradition. Everyone chowed down on pizza and then we walked/sledded home. The kids went NUTS. NUTS! Running around, jumping, totally wrecking the house they were totally wound up. Had a friend that I've known since kindergarden stop by for a visit (hi Tara). Got the kids calmed down enough to watch 1/2 hour of Shrek 2 and then Mel and Morgan headed home. Lucy did not complain about bedtime, she was a wreck! I can't believe that 2009 will be the year Lucy turns 4 uggg they grow so fast.

Until next year!

Holy Hoola Hoop

4 crazy hoopers and not a single injury

Bear with me ...

this is TOTALLY worth watching the whole way through ... seriously, even if she wasn't my kid I would think this is the most precious thing ever ....

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com