Bike Shorts

It started with the lone purchase of a flowered pair for gymnastics last summer. They were perfect--fitted but not too tight, no pockets and they were acceptable per the gymnastics dress code. Then she began to wear them every day. Then it was fall, phew! At the beginning of this summer, I bought a few more pairs because really, who wants to do that much laundry? Suddenly, that was all she would wear. We have them with monkeys, ladybugs, and flowers. We have solid colors and polka dot. We have a few extra long pairs with rhinestone hearts on them. I thought, ok, so I'll buy the matching shirts. It won't be so bad. Except that she refuses to wear the matching shorts and shirts combos. The photo above is one of the more acceptable outfits. Most of the time she looks like some elf who escaped from a whacked out biking race.

The irony is that she can't even ride her bike without training wheels yet.

I didn't care too much at first, since she was going to preschool. But now, it's kindergarten, and I'm afraid she will be made fun of. It's bad enough that she packs the oddest lunch known to man and is a teacher's pet who follows all the rules. Now this? Before I know it, she's going to be that girl--the weird one who eats the paste.

I blame myself, really. I have a fondness for 70's and 80's tunes. I'll bet if you listen to certain Madonna tunes backwards they tell you to buy bike shorts in neon colors, lace gloves, and those jelly bracelets. Truly, even clothes a la Linda Evans in Dynasty would be better.

In the meantime, we've negotiated that she will wear a skirt for picture day. If anyone has any ideas on how I can break this bike shorts habit, I'm all ears. In the meantime, it's all 80's all the time here.

Double Ear Infection? What Double Ear Infection?

So the Newbie had a cold a while back. It cleared up. Then we had two nights of fussy followed by very slight ear pulling. I took her into the ped after giving her a bit of Tylenol yesterday, and she was super happy. The nurse was all, "So THIS is your sick kid?" She was giving me a bit of the overreacting parent bit. I told the nurse she should see the Newbie at full strength!

Sure enough, Dr. L looked in her ears and the Newbie had a double ear infection that was spreading to her eyes. The Newbie was really sad looking this morning, with her goopy eyes, but she was smiling. After a couple of doses of antibiotic, she's starting to drain. The mucus bothered her a bit and Dan tells me she had a small gag/barf today. But still, she is the happiest baby ever. Here she is just a few minutes ago after some yogurt.

Being Good to Yourself/Accepting Your Body

I had a revelation after my maternity leave with the Newbie. I ate whatever I wanted, when I wanted. Seriously. Lots of mac and cheese. Pizza. For Breakfast. Blue cheese on cranberry walnut bread (if you have not tried this you must. I prefer Blue Castello which is a brie-like blue cheese on Whole Foods' Cranberry Walnut Bread). Take-out Chinese food.

I abandoned my workout schedule and just played with my kids. I got a pretty good amount of sleep. And guess what happened? I lost weight. I don't know how much, since I never weigh myself. But my work clothes were looser. And I didn't have any headaches--not one migraine or tension headache, not even a sinus headache.

It caused me to wonder about what I was doing at work that was counter-productive. Some things were obvious. My body needs to eat between 4:30 and 5:30-- waiting until 7:30 for dinner doesn't work--I eat too many unhealthy snacks. The other parts I couldn't quite pin down. I think in a nutshell, I was being good to myself. Taking care of my physical needs. Eating when hungry, running around with my kids, not being stressed.

So am I doing anything differently? I'm packing a lunch and packing healthy snacks. I'm making sure I get enough sleep. I'm back to my workout routine. I'm starting a yoga class next week. I'm trying to be more active on the weekends in real life, not by planned exercise. All in all, I've been doing some thinking about healthy bodies and body image.

Two articles really hit home. The first is about reducing cancer risk through exercise. Click here to go to the article. It's pretty convincing and a nice reminder that exercising doesn't just help firm up your body, it has other, really great benefits. All the more reason to start my routine again. I needed this reminder since I was getting bored with my workout routine.

I loved the second article/blog post. Click here to go the post. The post is from a mom talking to her daughter about body image. Her approach made sense-- if you eat right and exercise, whatever size your body is, is the right size for you. For some people, that is a little bit small and for others a little bit big. This is in tune with other things I have read. It is better to be fit and a little fat than skinny and not exercise. I don't totally agree with her about demystifying the "fat" label, but I think her perspective makes a whole lot of sense. I'm always trying to find ways to talk to my girls in healthy ways about themselves without introducing my own past issues.

I think pictures like this help. Major fashion magazines showing what real women look like. I know there was a big uproar that this model really isn't plus size and I hear that, but I like this trend. Airbrushing helps none of us. I liked that the model's belly looks more like mine that I could have ever imagined--although mine of course is bigger.

I'm pretty comfortable with how I look now, and I'm nowhere near thin. I would like to be firmer in some places, so I'm trying some different exercises and trying to eat healthier (although we eat pretty well with our farm share of fruits and veg, there is always room for improvement). I really don't like the stretched out skin and belly pooch from my surgeries and pregnancy, but not enough yet to do anything drastic about it. Some days I would like to be thinner, particularly for health reasons, but overall, I'm pretty ok with myself. I have a body that is well used--it has lots of battle scars--stretch marks and surgery--but it's fed two kids, incubated two to full term and two others to a lesser extent, it has carried plenty of girls in a sling and on its shoulders. It has danced and skipped and run and hefted kids and it has been a source of comfort. I'm confident for at least a couple of months in 1992 and 1993 it was a source of lust for teenage boys. My body is not the prettiest, but it is pretty strong and it is mine. This is what I want to impress upon my girls. Healthy doesn't always mean perfect and perfect doesn't always mean thin.

Kindergarten, Day 2

This morning, all the other parents waited in line with their kids before school. I asked Doodle if she wanted me to stay or go. "You can go, mom!"

Doodle was very excited about her first day--they had an assembly where the teachers told them the rules. She LOVED it. Today, she came come with two rewards for following the rules. She is so going to be the kid the teacher leaves in charge when she leaves the room. Like mother, like daughter.

Today was also the first day with a lunch. She wanted: white rice with a bit of salt on it, an organic fruit leather, apples with caramel dip, naan and chocolate covered sunflower seeds. I packed all of these items, except for the naan bread. I wasn't on board with that many carbs in one meal. I'm pretty sure her weird food tastes are going to land her stuffed in a locker sometime, but the kid needs to eat. We got a note home today that we need to pack a fruit or veggie snack in addition to lunch. I was banking on the granola bar counting as a healthy snack, but alas, the teacher has other ideas. We made a quick trip to the store for carrots, celery, caramel dip, corn, and apples, which is the sum total of the fruits and veggies she will eat. It's going to be interesting.


In other news, the Moo totally requested pierogies at the store today. Glad to see at least one of my girls are in touch with her Polish heritage. Moo's been the girl who loves sausage, but this was a nice development.

First Day of Kindergarten!

Here's the Doodle on her first day of kindergarten. She was so happy to go--asked me not to call her Doodle and got in line with a little wave. I got teary eyed, even though I didn't think I would. It was the best transition that I could have hoped for. I'm so excited for her. See, I met my best friend in kindergarten. I can only hope she meets someone today who might be her best friend for life.

The morning was a bit of a struggle. I had to fight so that she would not wear a pair of bike shorts to school. They are her current favorite fashion item right now. I can only imagine if we are having wardrobe issues in kindergarten what it will be like when she starts junior high! She can wear whatever she wants tomorrow, I just wanted a halfway decent outfit for the first day.

I'll report in when I pick her up.

My Hero

Friday, while I'm at work, the phone rings.

"Hi Mommy. My tooth came out!"

"Great, Honey!"

"Mom, will the Tooth Fairy come if my tooth is in the sink?"

"She sure will. She knows where to find your tooth. What happened?"

"I was brushing my teeth and then it came out and went down the drain."

Dan comes on the phone, "I was changing the Newbie and I heard sobbing and screaming upstairs. It sounded so bad, I brought the Newbie upstairs nude, and there was Doodle sobbing that her tooth went down the sink. Then the Newbie peed all over the floor. I'm taking the sink apart now."

Me, "Isn't it time for preschool?"

Dan, "I already called them. Ms. Lucy laughed at me. They know we're going to be late."

Me, "Ok, good. So all is well then. I'll get some gold coins on my way home. Love you!"

By the time I got home, the tooth was found and the sink was in working order. Truly, what more could I ask for in a husband?

Miscellaneous

1. I have finally changed the banner at the top of the blog. Yes, we now have three daughters, not two. Happy, Dan? Somehow Dan and I have changed roles and he's getting to be the anal retentive detail oriented one.

2. If you have tried to call us IRL, our answering machine is disconnected. The Newbie has mastered an Army crawl type thing and is drawn to danger. She pulled the cord for the answering machine out of the wall and I haven't found a new spot for it yet.

3. The Newbie has her first cold and seems to be quite miffed that there is snot coming out of her nose. Not so much upset by the cold, but really pissed off about the snot.

4. I jinxed myself by even mentioning the older girls slept in their own beds. Last night was a free for all with cranky snotty girl, musical beds with Doodle and scared Moo, who was delighted to sleep with snotty girl. I predict at least 1 more snotty girl by the weekend.

Now back to our regular programming. ETA: oh, wait, this is our regular programming!

An Acutal Conversation With My Mom- Warning--Embarassing (to me) and Graphic

Truly, there is no reason for this kind of talk. My mom called me at work today.

Mom (My mom, Stacey's mom): "So what's new?"
Me (Stacey): "The usual, I guess. One new thing is that the older girls have slept in their own beds for the past few nights."
Mom: "That's good. Now, you and Dan can have more s*x. "
Me: "Mom!"
Mom: "S*x is important in a marriage, you know."
Me: "Mom! We still have a baby in a crib in our bedroom!"
Mom: "Well, are you afraid you are too loud?"
Me: "We're not having this conversation."
Mom: "You must be VERY loud."
Me: " We. Are. NOT. Having this conversation. LaLaLa! I can't hear you."

Wiener?

We're in the bathroom and I'm doing showers and baths one after another. The Newbie's in her little bath chair thingy and I'm letting the Doodle wash her with the bath poofy. I hear, "I'm washing your arm, your belly and now I'm going to wash your wiener!" Your wiener?????

"Doodle, where's her wiener? "Mom, it's here," gesturing to the Newbie's private parts. "Ummm, Doodle? Do you know what a wiener is?" "No." "It's a funny name for a hot dog." "Oh." "Sometimes, Doodle, people use that term to refer to a p*nis. Does the Newbie have a p*nis?" "Nope."
"By the way, who taught you that girls' private parts are called wieners?" "My friend, K."

So, S, K's mom, you have some 'splaining to do.

One Year Check-up!

Here's the Newbie at her one year check-up with Dr. L, destroying her clipboard. While I snapped the usual pic, I forgot to include one with Dr. L. Next time! The Newbie is posting some impressive numbers: 19 lbs 12 oz for weight and 27 5/8 inches in height. This puts her at just under the 25% for weight and 10% for height. (Note to prospective adoptive parents: If you meet birth family, check out their height. Dr. L asked us how tall her birth mother was, and we had no idea. We ended up estimating with a photo we took--just one more thing I wish I would have paid attention to.)

What makes this so impressive is that she gained 2 lbs 4 oz and grew 1/4 of an inch from her last visit 4 weeks ago. Her head increased to between the 25-45%. Go brain!

The Newbie's gained 50% of her original body weight since we picked her up in April. She weighed just over 13 pounds when we left Ethiopia--what a difference 3 months makes! She was right around the 3rd percentile in some areas and barely on the chart in others when we picked her up. She's doing so well now that we can transition her to regular milk on the regular schedule.

After 4 more shots this visit, and a few more at 14 months, we will be on the regular vaccination schedule by her 15 month appointment. Yea! She is a trouper with the shots and didn't really cry this time. We opted to catch her up fairly quickly since she has two sisters who bring home all sorts of crud and we live in an area where a fair amount of parents choose not to vaccinate. Don't judge, please. Dan is an internal medicine doc, and we are pro-vaccination for obvious reasons.

All in all, a great visit. She's very mildly delayed in gross motor, but is making strides. Her OT opted not to increase the frequency of her visits because she is progressing so well. We'll see what Developmental therapy says later this month.

Lately the Newbie has become a wiggle worm. She won't sit still and barely tolerates cuddling. She wants so badly to be on the move, and I think any day now she's going to start crawling.

Her "tricks" now are that she waves bye-bye, plays peekaboo and smacks her head with her hand in frustration (thanks Dan, for teaching her that one!). She's still a fan of the raspberries and throwing things on the floor. Look! Gravity still works!

On the dental front, she had her first dentist appointment this week and all is well. Enamel looks good and she has an appropriate number of teeth for her age. The dentist seemed unconcerned that most of the teeth came in the last 4 weeks. She's still drooling, so I think more teeth are on the way.

I am so amazed at her resiliency and how much progress she has made in the short time she's been home. I worried about so many things before she came home and she has exceeded my expectations. We are so lucky to have her as a daughter!

BU '09!

First of all, let me apologize for being a bad blogger. We were super busy and then took a week to go on a beachy vacay. Photos of said beachy vacay to come.

This weekend, a group of families who blog about their Ethiopian adoption journeys are going to descend upon a city very, very near us, yours truly included. There will be pizza and beachy goodness and dinner at an Ethiopian restaurant. To say that I am excited is an understatement.

See, these are my people. I have lurked and lurked on their blogs. I've corresponded with them on forums on yahoo groups. Occasionally, I commented. I laughed with them and I cried with them. They answered my dumb questions and cheered when we received our referral. And now I get to stalk them meet them in person. It's so bad that I probably would recognize them on the street. In fact, I was talking with someone and they mentioned a friend of a friend who had adopted from Ethiopia. Said family lives in my city. Friend mentioned the name of the baby. I was all, OMG, D and S? And the friend said, yes, do you know them? Then I blushed and had to admit that I only "knew" them from the computer.

So if you can think of a non-creepy way I can introduce myself, let me know. 'Cause I'm thinking that, "Hi, I love your blog! I loved when you posted about x!" is going to get me labeled as a weirdo. Since only my best friends, one of my brother-in-laws, and a few others read this blog, I'm not going to be surrounded by blog groupies. I'm just going to be the anxious looking woman clutching a super cute baby.