One More

Hugs and kisses for Donna, my co-worker, who gave me a swimmingly cool quilt square. She has a home in Duck Key and thought this pattern represented her love of the Keys lifestyle. Thank you!

For Mama Lydia

Lydia,
I thought you might enjoy seeing the sun hat tree leaves change colors in the Florida "winter."

Thanksgiving in Tally

We spent a wonderfully slow-paced Thanksgiving holiday with my sis and bro-in-law who live up in Tallahassee. They are vegetarians and so we did not have our usual turkey and stuffing dinner. Instead, we traveled around the globe with Shrimp Mozambique, southern mustard green, Chinese tofu and a pan-fried Pompano fish. My bro-in-law made a fabulous apple pie. He is a professional potter so his pie crust is rolled and designed to perfection. We spent most days exploring the national park that is behind my sister's home, visiting the downtown street market and the LeMoyne Museum where my bro-in-law works as a pottery instructor and eating in local joints. One of our favorite eateries is the Catfish Pad, a dumpy hole-in-the-wall that serves up the best fried catfish and mullet. No real plates or glasses in this joint. Just paper goods, all disposable. We also saw various trees that have changed colors due to the winter coming. Who says you have to be in Vermont to see that? Note the beautiful Japanese maple.

Thanks, Ericka!

Before I went on Thanksgiving break, my wonderful co-worker gave me this beautiful square and wonderful wish. Inside the card, she gave Gigi three very important pieces of advice: 1) always keep your room clean 2) keep the tv channel on the Food Network and 3) Never cheer for any soccer team other than Brazil. Does she know us or what???

The Cards Are Out Again

Today Sao Paulo is playing against Athletico. It is the finals. Hubs has put aside all plans to mow the lawn (going on 3 weeks now) and is reluctantly ironing our clothes. The ironing board is positioned 5 feet in front of the t.v. Silence is expected in the house. The red and yellow cards are laid out on the coffee table. Again. I have been cited for infractions already. Once for asking which color belonged to which team. Got a yellow card for that. Another time for commenting on the severity of a head butt to the cheek that a player received. Red card for that one accompanied by a loud whistle and direct eye contact. What is normally considered cute by hubs, me indiscriminately repeating Portuguese words while watching Brazilian shows, is now strictly forbidden. My parents have just arrived. Payback is in sight. Hubs has never dared to shush my parents during a soccer game. Maybe I'll start practicing my Portuguese again.

Look Who's One

Today, we spent a delightful afternoon celebrating Samantha's first birthday. Ed and Wendy were the picture of happiness and pride. Samantha gave herself a frosting facial then used the some cake as hair mousse. We even saw her take a few steps on her own. Thank you, Wendy and Ed, for having all of us over!

Hush Little Baby

Hugs and kisses to the O'Neill family. They sent a beautiful quilt square and wonderful wishes. One of the wishes is a lyric to the lullaby, Hush Little Baby, by Sylvia Long. Now I did not know this before but this lullaby makes mention of a quilt.

"Mama's going to bring your warm bedspread."
"If that quilt begins to wear, Mama's going to find your teddy bear."

Thank you Rob, Cindy and Kathleen!

A Day in the Life of Doofus Girl

O.k., I'm driving home from work thinking of the glorious roasted chicken dinner I was going to prepare for hubs tonight. After taking one bite, hubs would heap praises on me and wonder in amazment how he ever lived without me. Then he would enthusiastically offer to wash the dishes, wipe down the stove and massage my tired teacher feet. Well, not so fast, as Hilary Clinton recently said to the GOP candidates running for reelection. Not one ounce of this midday delusion came to fruition. Apparently, a doofus, that would be me, neglected to take her house keys to work today. So when she came home today, she was locked out of her own home. I know that you are in disbelief---how could doofus girl forget her house keys? To convince yourself that no human being with even the faintest pulse can be so dumb, you ask yourself...

How could doofus girl forget her house keys when she needs them to lock her doors?
Well, no house keys needed if doofus girl leaves through the garage.

Why aren't her house keys on the same key ring as her car keys?
Because when doofus girl was leaving the house, she only grabbed the keys to her father's 11 year station wagon borrowed the previous night due to her own car being in the shop.

How did doofus girl get into the her house?
By confessing her mortal dumbness to her neighbor who took pity on her and allowed her to dial her mama who had just sat down to an evening of Chinese t.v. right before her dumb-ass daughter called.

What happened to the roasted chicken?
Nothing. Roasted chicken has been bumped to Thursday night. Doofus girl and her occasionally sympathetic hubby dined on Pei Wei noodle tonight.

Yes, I said hubs is occasionally sympathetic. This incident did not pass without much spousal ridicule.

First thing that comes out of hubs' mouth when he walks into the house:
"Fifi (our greyhound dog), did you know that Mama's I.Q. is lower than yours?!" Fifi licks him with delight.

"Come on, Doofy (referring to me), I'll take you out for dinner. Don't worry about the damn chicken."

and my favorite...

"It's hard to believe you would forget your keys, given your watermelon head."

Attachment Therapist Gives Tips

Just came back from our monthly adoption group meeting. I continue to learn so much. Here are some tips the therapist shared with us.

*Always be the primary caregiver to your baby (feed, bath, play, etc.)

*Keep stimulation at a minimum when the baby first arrives home.

*Always talk about your child's adoption freely with her. Allow your child to grieve about her loss. Acknowledge her grief.

*Do not pass your baby around amongst family members or friends for the first few months that the baby is home. This will help the baby recognize who is her primary caregiver which will allow for a healthier bonding and attachment.

*Establish good eye contact with your baby and make sure that the baby sees you/hears you at all times unless she is sleeping.

*Don't try to wake your baby up from night terrors (not the same as nightmares).

*Allow your child to emotionallly regress so that she may become more dependent on you. This is a very important part of bonding and attachment with adopted children.

*Set up a routine with your child and consistently follow that routine.

*Lastly, do not take any advice from parents that have biological children. Raising biological children is VERY DIFFERENT from raising adopted children.

November is National Adoption Month

November is National Adoption Month! According to the newsletter from our adoption agency, Governor Michael Dukakis first established an "Adoption Week" in 1976. Then President Ford made the idea a nationally celebrated event. In 1990, National Adoption Week became National Adoption Month. Ever since, the president helps to bring awareness to adoption as a way to build a family. This year, November 20 will be National Adoption Day. Our friends' daughter, Samantha, will turn ONE on this date. How auspicious! Happy birthday, Samantha!

So Hubs Tells Me...

So hubs comes home and tells me about an interaction he had with a co-worker the other day. A young man in his twenties stops by hubby's department regularly to shoot the breeze with the geek squad. One day the conversation goes like this:

Breeze Shooter: "Hey, Ron, you're married, right? You have kids don't cha?"

Hubs (cheerfully): "No, we don't but my wife and I are adopting!"

Breeze Shooter (in a solemn funeral home voice): "Oh, man, I'm sorry."

Hubs (not so jovial anymore): "Sorry? There's nothing to be sorry about. Why are you sorry?"

Breeze Shooter (with foot still in mouth mumbles): "Ah, um, sorry, dude."

Hubs (now with back turned to Breeze Shooter already sighs): "Yeah, whatever."

Another zinger to be added to the "well-meaning but inappropriate comment" list compiled by adoptive parents throughout the universe!

Special Thanks

Special thanks go out to my secret pal who sent me a wonderful book to read---Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew by Sherrie Eldrige. Also thanks to my co-worker who gave me her special quilt square and wish today. I love the princess theme!