Adventures Of The Witch And The Black Cat...

Friday one of the Techs at Locust Grove Vet Clinic gave me some gifts to give the girls. Each girl got a birthstone Angel Christmas ornament. Very cute! The girls loved them. Little A said "Oooh!", and Big A said they were "Beautiful!". Below is a picture of the girls showing off their ornaments.

Two Angels For Two "A" Girls

Saturday day evening the girls and I went to the ImagineIt Children's Museum for a Halloween party. It was quite an ordeal, but I finally got Little A into her costume. You would have thought I was killing her while I struggled with her to get the thing on, but as soon as she was wearing the costume, she was so excited about it. She just kept staring at herself in the mirror. She even let me paint her face! I'll admit, the whiskers aren't the best--- but Little A is a moving target.

Big A Posing For A Photo

Little A says "Meow!"

Little A Can't Take Her Eyes Off Herself!


Here are some of the pics from the party. I have decided that I have got to get an SLR digital camera--the delay on my camera is terrible. I never seem to be able to get the good shots! My kids move entirely too fast!

Little A on the Banana Slide

Big A finds a Tunnel

Posing on the Cow--Little A is Not Thrilled

The Witch and The Kitty in The Garden

Playing in the Water!

Eating Candy and Listening to a Story

Little A Drooling All Over Her Costume

Poor Alice in Wonderland, Trying to Get Little A To Dance

She Was Unsuccessful

The Terrible Injury

Last night Little A had a terrible injury-- it was a blister on her right heel. You would have thought her foot had been severed from the leg. "Mama, BOO BOO!" she wailed as I took her sock off. I had to carry her to her changing table, where I carefully applied some triple antibiotic ointment and a band aid. Still she was "unable to walk." So I carried her to the kitchen so that I could fix the girls' dinner. She refused to sit in her chair at the table. "Mama, foot hurts!" she complained. I tried to explain to her that I could not cook dinner with her in my arms. I sat her up on the counter and watched her cry for a minute. Big A came over and climbed onto the counter with her-- "to calm her down, Mommy". That didn't help. So I asked her if she would like some "orange medicine" to help with the pain (children's ibuprofen). She immediately said "Yeah" in a very pitiful voice. I gave her the "orange medicine" and some water to wash it down. "Is the pain gone now?" I asked. She smiled a big happy smile and said "Yes, Mama!" Amazing how fast that stuff works, isn't it! :) When dinner was ready, Little A must have been feeling the pain again. Only this time it must have been in her hands, because she wanted me to feed her like a baby. She would point to the food she wanted a bite of, and I would have to scoop it onto the fork and feed it to her. And I thought Big A was the drama queen. This morning, she was still limping around on her tip toes. I gave her another dose of the"orange medicine" to
help with the pain and she seemed magically cured again. I hope she is not having a bad day at school today as a result of her grave injury. Big A was trying to come up with an injury of her own in order to get some "orange medicine" too, but I'm wise to that trick. I told her I would give her some cough syrup for her cough, but she declined-- that stuff tastes terrible!

Tonsil Update

Little A and I went back to see her pediatrician on Tuesday afternoon. The place was packed so we waited for quite a while in the lobby. Then we were taken back to an exam room to wait some more. Waiting is not one of the things that Little A does well-- of course, what 2 year old does? She was in a fairly good and hyper mood when we got to the exam room, but the good mood quickly began to fade when she saw that there were no books to read while we were waiting. Her hyper mood, however, continued. She ran back and for from wall to wall over and over again--smashing into the wall each time she made a lap. I am sure the people on the other side of the wall were pretty irritated with all the noise. I did try to get her to stop, but to no avail. She can not sit still for long at all. I tried to tell her stories, but that didn't interest her. She sang me a few songs, very loudly--all while running back and forth of course.

When the doctor finally came into the room, she immediately clammed up and stared at him suspiciously. When he asked to see in her mouth she clamped her mouth shut tightly and resisted as he tried to pry it open. I held her head tight, while he stuck a tongue depressor between her teeth ad pried her jaws open. "Wow, they are big" he said. He said on a scale from 1 to 4, her tonsils are a 4+. They are huge. So he gave me a referral to a pediatric ENT. He said they may want to scope her adenoids also, because of her snoring. He asked if I thought she was apnic, but I couldn't say, because I can never seem to stay up late enough to watch her sleep. By the time I get her to sleep I am usually so exhausted that I crash myself. Little A's appointment is the first week of November, so we'll see what he ENT thinks then. Little A was just happy when the appointment was over because she got a "pop-pop" (translation- lollipop).

Today I woke up in such a sad mood. I really can't believe that I keep running into all the problems with the adoption. Theresa says that I should really try not to let it get me down so much, just have more patience. But I am out of patience. I have basically had to put my life on hold for the last year-- every month wondering if this would be the month I would be travelling. Worried about scheduling too much work-- worrying that I might have to cancel appointments at the last minute. Early in the year I had a chance to open a vet hospital with a friend, but I backed out because I wanted to get the adoption completed and get "D" home and acclimated before I tackled any more life changing projects. Here it is, the end of the year, and nothing has happened. That is just so frustrating beyond belief. I really a so ready for this all to be over. I don't want to give up on getting "D", but I also can't go on like this for much longer. Then there is Big A-- she so wants to have a brother. She talks about him daily and looks forward to when he will come home to us. She will be so heartbroken if this doesn't happen. I am just so tired. I am tired of thinking about it, tired of hoping that each call will be the agency with some good news, tired of worrying about my paperwork expiring, tired of it all.

But I will keep on waiting, I guess. What choice do I have?

My Faith is Gone

As usual, I got news from my agency that I did not want to hear. I don't even know if I can write about it because it just makes me so upset... Anyway, I will try. Yesterday I spoke to my social worker to see if I needed to get an update on my homestudy soon. She said that I would not need an update until April 2008 when my I600A expires, but I will have to get my fingerprints redone, because they will expire in January 2008. She also told me "I told you so" about having picked the adoption agency I did. She reminded me that the agency that she had recommended to me got their re accreditation back in July. She said that she was under the impression that all the agencies that would be accredited this year have already been accredited. She said that she does not think that WACAP will receive accreditation at all this year. That, of course , made me feel terrible. Unfortunately, I believe her. I have also heard those rumors over the Internet grapevine.

Now for the part that is upsetting me so... I emailed the adoption agency representative to tell her what my social worker had said. She emailed back this evening to say that she did not think my home study social worker had heard valid info, and that there is no credible reason to believe that they won't get re accredited this year. Unfortunately, I think the fact that no US agencies have received re accreditation since July speaks for itself. I believe my social worker. Now for the "semi-good news" (at least that's how the agency rep. put it). The DOE in Sakhalin may allow one family to travel soon--and guess what? It is not me. The agency Rep. said that the DOE picked the other family because they had a home study through WACAP --she said that they were more comfortable with that, because they felt that that family would be more likely to do their post placement reports. I guess that is good news for that family. It is not good news for me -- not even "semi-good news". All that little news tells me is that the DOE looked at my dossier and didn't choose it. What is to say that they will approve my adoption at all! It makes my fears that this adoption will not go through all seem more valid. I really think that I have made a mistake in my agency choice. I should have listened to my social worker in the first place. But I had to go and "fall in love" with a picture on a waiting child list. Now if I give up with this agency, I give up on "D". So, I am between a rock and a hard place. I no longer have any faith in this agency and I am beginning to feel a lot of anger about the whole situation.

I tried to pray about it the other night and I couldn't--I couldn't even manage to make myself say "please God". I don't think that I have any faith period. Despite my skepticism, I have always had some faith deep down. I think that that is gone now. This whole adoption process, and issues with my mom, have been eating away at what little faith that I still had. And I think that it is finally all gone.

Our trip to the doctor

Little A says "Cool!"
Well, I tried to take Little A to the doctor today... After I dropped Big A off at school, Little A and I made the trek through Atlanta traffic to the pediatrician's office. Anyone who lives in this area is aware that a short 10 mile drive will often take 45 minutes to 1 hour in rush hour traffic! So, we braved the traffic. All the while, Little A was practicing how to say AHHH! when the doctor asks to look in her mouth. She was in a pretty good mood, so I was hoping that she would cooperate for her exam. When we got to the office I went to the front desk to sign us in. I noticed that Dr. Colton's sign in page was not on the desk, so I told the receptionist that I had an 8:30 appointment with Dr. Colton. She just looked at me and said that Dr. Colton does not work on Mondays. I said that I had called on Friday to schedule an appointment with Dr. Colton. She looked at the appointment schedule and told be that someone had scheduled Little A to see Dr. Caulk. Did I want to see him? I said no, Dr. Colton is familiar with her history and he is her pediatrician, so I want to see him. That's why I asked to see him in first place. So... I had to reschedule for tomorrow afternoon! I guess whoever I talked to on Friday either misunderstood me or just saw a name that started with "C" on the schedule and just put Little A down on his schedule. Frustrating, but that's life. Guess we'll try it again tomorrow...



The rest of the day was pretty uneventful--Little A went back to school, and I went back home to do paperwork, schedule appointments, and make call backs.



Now I must go play with my kids.....

Pictures From Saturday

Here are the pictures that go with the previous post. Just a glimpse at our busy Saturday.....

Little A helping out in the dugout!

(Notice the single pink helmet)

After the game snack-- a little appetizer before the pizza party!

Big A gets her Trophy!!!

She is very proud!!!

Showing off that trophy again!!

Little A is not impressed.

Then we were off to the Fall Festival.....

The Little Pumpkin

The Big Pumpkin

Little A Loves the Jumping Castle!!!



So Does Big A!!!

Little A jumping with classmates--- fortunately she hasn't bitten any of these friends! Yet...

Things were getting pretty crazy in that castle!!!

T-Ball Trophy and More Fall Festival Fun!

I am going to have to post the photos for this blog separately, because I left my memory stick at home. I volunteered to cover for another vet's shift today, so I'm working on a Sunday. It is only a 6 hour shift, so it's not too bad. Theresa is watching the girls for me. I try not to work too many weekends, but I need the money...

Yesterday morning was Big A's final T-ball game. She did pretty good-- she really has improved throughout the season. I guess I will be taking her to get her ears pierced in the next few days! We'll see how that goes!:) During the game one of the members of the Sunday school class that is sponsoring the team came up to me and asked how the adoption was going (Big A is playing in a church league-- hence the Sunday school class sponsors). Earlier in the season, this Sunday school class had asked the children for their prayer requests, and Big A had requested they pray that we get to bring "D" home soon. The man said that the entire class was continuing to pray for us. I thanked him. It made me feel good to know that these people care.

After the game the team went to Enzo's Pizza for a party. They presented the coach with a gift and got their trophies. The team came in second place overall. If we had won yesterday's game, we would have been in first place, but second is still something to be proud of. The teammates then proceeded to run amok throughout the restaurant's courtyard. The courtyard has a fountain in it, and in no time most of the kids were covered in water. They had a great time climbing on the stone walls and in the large outdoor fireplace. All of the parents just sat by and watched--hoping that this activity would mean a peaceful afternoon, maybe even a nap. After an hour or so, our food came out and the kids quickly wolfed it down. Next came the cupcakes topped with little baseball players-- something else for the kids to stick in the water fountain. The restaurant staff looked haggard, the parents looked bored, and kids looked like they were about to crash from their sugar high by the time the party was over. All in all it was a great season. On the way home I asked Big A if she wanted to play next spring-- she immediately said no. Well, maybe I'll talk her into it by then!:) When we got home, Little A crashed -- all that running around with the big kids took its toll.

A few hours later we were on the go again. The girl's school was having its Fall Festival from 3-6pm. Big A dressed in her witch costume for the costume contest, but Little A absolutely refused to put on her black cat suit... or any other costume for that matter. The girls ran around the parking lot from activity to activity at the festival, having a blast. They ate more sugary snacks and got "tattoos", decorated pumpkins, and won lots of little prizes. Foolishly I had signed up to work at the Jumping Castle from 5pm to 6pm. I did it but it wasn't easy. I didn't take into account that I wouldn't have anyone to watch the girls while I was there, especially Little A-- who can not sit still for one minute, let alone an hour! Fortunately, the Dinosaur Dig was right next to the Castle Jump, and Little A is obsessed with digging, so it worked out pretty well. Big A was hanging out with her friends, having a great time when suddenly, she came running across the parking lot, screaming bloody murder. I thought she had been hurt, but all of wailing was because she had missed the destruction of the pinata-- I didn't even know they had a pinata at the festival. Thankfully, her little breakdown occurred right at 6 pm - just in time to leave. Before we left though, one of the school volunteers informed Big A that she had been one of the winners of the costume contest. This helped relieve some of the disappointment of missing the pinata--but not completely. The school director just shook her head as I tried to calm the little drama queen. It seems like the school officials are always shaking their heads at me and my children for one reason or another!

Needless to say, I put the girls to bed early last night and crashed shortly after, myself.

Same old news, different week

Well, I just read the weekly Russian adoption update from my agency. Same old, same old--- still waiting for signatures..., Russian officials being very cautious.., blah, blah, blah. Same old shit, different week!

Would I do this again? Hell, no. I just hope that when I finally do get my day in the Russian courts, I can put on a fake smile and answer the Judge's questions properly and act as if I am so appreciative about being there. When all I will really want to say is " Well I hope you are happy. If is wasn't for all of your bureaucratic bullshit this wonderful little boy could have been home a YEAR ago!" ( I hope no officials from the MOE are reading this right now-- but it is true!)

On the home front, things are also same as always. Little A bit two more children yesterday. Oh, joy. :( She had done so well for several days now. I just don't know how to make her understand that this sort of behavior is not appropriate. I really think that the biting is because of her communication difficulties. The more I read about it, the more convinced I am that she has Asperger's or some other issue associated with the Autism spectrum. I have talked to the pediatrician, and he says she is really too young to evaluate properly for it. He thinks she has Sensory Integration Disorder-- and has referred me to have her evaluated for occupational therapy, but I haven't taken her yet. I know I should, but she so hated speech therapy, that I hate to subject her to any more therapy. She actually started talking more when I took her out of ST. I made an appointment with her pediatrician for Monday to discuss her behavior and communication issues, as well as her HUGE tonsils. She is really starting to snore loudly when sleeping, and I am wondering if that is why she is waking up several times a night. She is not sick-- her tonsils have just gotten extremely enlarged in the last few months. She has also started choking on food frequently--I have had to do the Heimlich on her a couple of times.

From the Mouths of Babes...

Last night Big A and I had a very interesting bedtime conversation... The bedtime routine started out as usual, I read the girls some books--two about flower fairies and one about Halloween (or as Little A puts it, "howeentime"). Then we turned the lights out and Big A proceeded to begin her usual litany of questions-- first it was how are baby crabs born?, then when do baby birds know when it is time to hatch from the egg?, then she moved on to questions like did they have such and such back in the "Olden Days" (Translation-- when I was a kid!). I have repeatedly explained that I did not live in the olden days, but Big A insists that I did. One of the questions was whether or not we had bunk beds in the olden days. I said that I didn't have bunk beds, but my brother Grayson did.

This is when the conversation gets interesting... Big A asked in a totally serious manner, " Mommy, why did you kill your brother?" I said "What?!" She said " You know, when you killed your brother, why did you do it?" I said "Sweetie, I didn't kill my brother, he just died" ( For those who don't know, my little brother Grayson died from when he was 2 1/2 yr old and I was 6 yrs old). She said, "but you said the things you said killed him". I said that no, he died because he had a bad heart problem. Then she asked how a 2 year old can have a "heart attack", and I explained that he had a bad congenital heart defect and it caused a disease in his lungs called emphysema, and that is why he died. She asked why he got the heart problem and I said because he was born that way--his heart did not form properly while he was in Nana's belly. She said but why did it not form properly, and I said that I didn't know, sometimes things like that just happen. She then asked "What did his heart look like?" I said that part of his heart was probably larger than it should have been because it had to work so hard. Then she asked if Little A would die because of her heart (she also has a congenital heart defect). I said no, Little A is doing just fine, and her heart is not as bad as my brother's was.

I asked her why she thought that I had killed him. Then it occurred to me why... Once I told her the story of the time that I was pulling the waggon and Grayson fell out and broke his collar bone. I explained the story again, and I said that he didn't die when he fell, he just had to go to the hospital. She just said "oh, okay". I had also told her once that after my brother died, I was always very sorry for the times that I had talked mean to him and picked on him, and because he was gone, I couldn't apologize. Maybe she misunderstood and thought that the mean things I said to him had caused him to die. I tried to explain again that my mean words had not killed him, but that after he died I always felt sad that I had picked on him. Even though that is what big sisters do, I wished that I hadn't done it. I guess when I originally told her this I was trying to explain to her that she should always be nice, kind, and understanding of her little sister-- she should never pick on Little A, because Little A idolizes her, just as Grayson idolized me. I didn't mean for her to think that I had killed him with my words. I think that I explained it in a way last night to make her understand this. But who knows, after all I had no idea that she was thinking this whole time that I had killed my brother! I need to really watch how I explain things to her. She asks so many questions, that sometimes I think I forget that she is only 4 years old. Even though she is very smart, she is only a small child and is not mature enough to get some concepts. Now that I have convinced her that I am not a murderer, I will try to be more careful.

Adventures in Acupuncture...

Yesterday I talked to my adoption coordinator. She said that she felt that the DOE in Sakhalin was just being extremely cautious with allowing independent adoption and she hopes that the agency representatives in Sakhalin can convince them that it would be in the best interest of the children if they allow these adoptions to proceed at this time. Apparently there are two other families that are also trying to adopt special needs children from this region at this time. She said that she felt pretty confident that I would be traveling on my first trip by the end of the year. I hope that is true. Actually, I hope that they will allow me to travel SOON! Like now.

I may try to take the girls on the first trip with me if it is going to be around the holidays. That all depends on whether or not Theresa gets her travel documents in time. I checked yesterday, and they are currently processing documents submitted in May. She submitted hers towards the end of May, so hopefully it will be processed soon. If so, I can take the girls with me. I need another adult along to help watch them. I had asked my Mom, but, of course, she said no. I am not sure that I can really afford to pay for that many tickets twice-- I'll have to check prices to see. But the thought of traveling so far from my girls is a scary one for me. I would rather that we all just stay together. People think I'm nuts to consider taking them on such a long trip, but I think it will be a once in a lifetime opportunity for them-- okay maybe twice if they go on both trips. I think that with the proper planning, and maybe a little benedryl (Just kidding :) ), the trip will go smoothly. It will definitely be an adventure...

Speaking of adventures, today I had my first experience with acupuncture. I went to the doctor to see if he had any suggestions for my neck/shoulder pain (I've tried anti inflamatories, opiods, and muscle relaxers -- nothing seems to help). He suggested that I try the acupuncturist that works above his office. The guy worked me in. So I tried it. I must admit, I am a little skeptical of Eastern Medicine, but, at this point, I'm willing to try just about anything. Amazingly, after having 6 or 7 needles stuck into my hand and foot, the pain in my neck and shoulder magically disappeared! Of course my hand was killing me! He assured me that that was just the "chi" -- and that is a good thing. He told me that it is not pain, but just the chi flowing through me-- it felt like pain to me. But the result was great-- the pain is about 90% gone, and I can actually turn my head to the left again. We'll see how long it lasts. He did want me to come back in tomorrow for another treatment, but I can't because of work. That is the problem-- all of these holistic approaches to medicine require multiple, expensive treatments. Unfortunately, I don't have the time or money to keep them up. I had the thought of learning the acupuncture points and purchasing some needles and doing it to myself-- after all I am a doctor! How hard could it be! :) I know some vets who do acupuncture on dogs all the time-- I'm sure I could do it on myself :) Anyway, maybe I will get to enjoy one pain free night.

Well, I better go the girls are probably destroying the playroom as I type, and I think I smell the aroma of a poopy diaper!!

Pumpkin Festival

Sunday morning Little A woke me up with a song... Sometime during the night she had gotten into my bed--and while I was trying to sleep in, she started singing a little song she made up. The song basically consisted of naming all the members of her family (including the cats) over and over to a little tune. I told her what a pretty song it was and asked for her to sing it again. She got a little embarrassed and motioned for me to turn back over. She would only sing it if I wasn't looking at her. So Cute!

It is so funny to watch 2 year olds play. Little A is now starting to "pretend Play" with toys. She makes little "set ups" and talks for the little people. Below is picture of one such creation. Little A carefully lined up the little chairs behind each other and placed a little person in each one. Then she made "choo choo" noises and told me that it was a "choo choo chair tain!" She was so proud of it that she went to get her sister so she could see it too. So I took a picture... The Choo Choo Chair Train

Finally Little A has enough hair to pull back in a hair bow! Hey, it may not be much, but at least a few sprigs are long enough! Of course, the hair bow didn't last too long on top of her head!

"Pebbles"

Sunday afternoon the girls and I went to the Stone Mountain "Pumpkin Festival". We invited Theresa, but I think she had had enough "family fun" for one weekend, so she didn't come. We had a great time. We rode the train, watched the "mad science show" and looked at the great pumpkin tree. The girls made " pumpkin silly putty", "hand crows"--which we decided look like turkeys, and several other crafts. Their favorite crafts were the popcorn balls with candy faces. Yum! Here are some pictures.....

Big A in front of the pumpkin tree

(Little A was afraid of it)


The girls by the creek.
(Little A was looking for "go-fish")

Big A posing and Little A grimacing

Two sisters on the train

Eating popcorn balls

Mooing in the barn

One sure way to get Little A to smile---a slide!

Family Block Party

Yesterday was another busy one. First thing in the morning, my little " Rock stars" put on a show for me. While I had coffee they danced, sang and posed in their sunglasses. Then we got ready for the "Family Block Party" festival. It's a pretty fun kid's festival put on every year by Atlanta Parent's Magazine. There are ton's of activities for the kids to do. The girls had a great time. Theresa and I were worn out! Here are some pictures from our day....

" Party Like A Rock Star!"

Little A and Big A at the petting zoo

The girls painted pumpkins!

Big A got her hair colored purple and pink. Little A waited in line too, but, at the last minute, declined the makeover.

Purple and Pink Pigtails

Little A LOVES slides!!!!

So does Big A......

The girls and I on the train

(after an EXTREMELY long wait to ride!)

Setbacks from Russia

Well, today I did not get good news from my agency. I called them again because they didn't return my call yesterday-- stalling, no doubt. The Russian consultant (or whatever she's called) said that the Ministry of Education in Sakhalin is being very cautious about allowing independant adoption because in the past families have not provided post-placement reports as they were supposed to. What I wanted to say is "Why the Hell did they ask for my dossier to be sent in the first place if they don't feel comfortable allowing independant adoption!!!!" I really am so sick and tired of all these roadblocks. I feel as if this adoption is not going to go through at all. I feel like I am getting the run around by my adoption agency, and I feel that Russia has no intention of allowing this adoption. That sucks!!! It sucks for me and my girls , but most of all it sucks for "D"!

I'm sure some members of my family will be happy to hear that I am running into all of these setbacks. It's funny that these so called "Christians" will be happy to read about this. They have not been supportive throughout this whole thing--and, in fact, have tried to take steps to keep me from adopting in the first place. It is truly a shame that at this time, I cannot ask these "Christians" to pray for my family and pray for this adoption to happen, because, obviously, my prayers don't seem to be getting through. And they wonder why I don't embrace their so-called Christian values... Don't get me wrong, I do not have anything against Christians-- real Christians that is. It is my understanding that Jesus was a man who urged his followers to be loving and specifically told them not to judge others. It is God's place to judge and forgive-- it is not man's place. I just have a problem with people who call themselves Christians and then proceed to lie (or embellish the truth) for their own gain and judge other people because of their race, religion, or lifestyles. I do not think that Jesus would approve. Jesus was not a hypocrite. Are you?

I know that I should continue to try to be positive and try not to let this setback get me down. But , obviously, it has. I am just so frustrated and worried about this. I will continue to pray and hope that we will soon bring this little boy home. That is all I can do. I also know that I should try to let some of the anger that I have towards my family go, but again that is hard. It is hard for many reasons.

Now that I have vented, I am going to try to stay focused on my goal and think positively. Anyone who happens to read this, I ask that you pray (or send good vibes, or whatever you want to call it) for us to soon bring "D" home. My girls and I would certainly appreciate it. Thanks.

Fall Blues And Face Biting...

Fall is not really one of my favorite seasons. I always seem to get a little down this time of year. As long as I can remember I have felt this way. When I was a kid, the beginning of the school year always filled me with dread. I'm not really sure why. I remember getting school supplies was always somewhat exciting, but somehow my memories of " back to school" are not really good ones. I guess I probably suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder-- the shortening of the days really gets me down. You would think that I would really enjoy this time of year because of all the great things to do with my kids-- fall festivals, pumpkin carving, Halloween, etc. I do enjoy doing these things-- in fact, every weekend this month is packed full of these types of activities. I just hate that it gets dark so early. It will be worse when the time changes. Here in Atlanta, this is the perfect time to be outdoors-- cooler temp, less humidity, etc. But, just when it is tolerable to play outside, it starts to get dark by 7:00 pm! Depressing. I guess if I didn't have to work full time I could enjoy these days a lot more-- take the kids to the park, etc. But, I don't usually get home until 6:30 or 7:00 pm-- just enough time to feed and bath the girls, then get ready for bed. Well, maybe I will win the lottery one of these days and live a life of leisure.

I really shouldn't be complaining, because I do tend to have more free time in the Fall and Winter-- business usually slows down. Then I get stressed out about not making enough money. It is a lose/lose situation. If I work constantly, I have enough money to live a decent life, but no time to enjoy it. If I take more time off, I have time to enjoy life, but I am constantly stressed about paying the bills. That is the American way, I guess! I need to get off my pity pot and focus on how lucky I am to have two wonderful girls, reasonably good health, a roof over my head, and food in my belly.

On a lighter note, below is a picture of Big A's "Pink Party" She set this party up the other day while her sister was napping. When Little A woke up, Big A explained to her that this was a "party" to look at, not to touch. Fortunately, Little A woke up in a good mood and left her sister's creation alone. Had she been in " one of her moods", she would have walked right over to the "Pink Party" and kicked all of the party goers across the playroom floor!

You never know what too expect from Little A. Yesterday when I took her to school, she seemed in a great mood. Before we went inside, I asked her how she was going to behave -- she answered "good". Then I said " You aren't going to bite anybody today, right?" She said "wight Mama". I said "promise?" She said " pomise Mama". Then she looked up at me and smiled a sweet innocent smile. So.... You can imagine my surprise when later that afternoon, Theresa called me after picking them up from school and said "Well, I have some bad news, Little A bit TWO children in the face today"!! Not only that, one of the kids she bit was same one she had bitten the day before!!! Turns out she bit him on his other cheek this time! I dread the day I see his parents again... So we had another long talk last night about how biting is not acceptable, and if she bites again she will be punished. Of course she just stared at me with that blank look she gets and said " okay Mama" or "Yeah Mama" whenever I asked if she understood me. At least she didn't bite anyone today-- of course, I picked her up from school at lunchtime and took her shopping with me, so she wasn't really there that long. I thought she might need some alone time with me. She seemed to enjoy the afternoon-- we shopped for Fall clothes. She helped me pick out clothes for her sister-- she would point to something she liked and say "Mia's sirt (shirt)" or " Mia's gess (dress)." When she saw something she liked for herself she would say "Ayade's" We had a good time shopping-- except that I had leave the checkout line and retrace our EVERY step through the store to find the "baby teddy bear" that she had lost. Fortunately, we found it stuffed in a shelf in the shoe section of the store. This was very fortunate because the "baby teddy bear" actually belongs to Big A! I knew I shouldn't have let her bring it into the store in the first place!! The Pink Party

Well, I am getting tired, so I think I'll go now. I'll leave with some pictures taken yesterday of the "Infamous" Little A.

Chef Little A

" Hmm... should I prepare a meal for myself, or just take a bite out of you face?"
Decisions, decisions...

Oh so tired....

The last few nights have been rough. Sunday night I couldn't get to sleep. My neck was killing me, so I was wide awake until very late. Just when I was about to fall asleep (at about 1:30 am), Big A woke up screaming that the cat bit her. I'm still not sure if she was just dreaming or really was bitten. Her yelling woke up Little A, and both of them ended up in my bed. This would have been fine, except that Big A could not fall back to sleep. She kept talking, complaining, and tossing and turning for hours. Little A was sleeping beside me and kept kicking me in her sleep. Every now and then, Little A woke up a bit and said "move Mama!"
The last time I looked at the clock, it was a little after 4 am and I still hadn't gotten to sleep! So of course, I didn't wake up until 7:45 the next morning. Big A is supposed to be at school at 8:00 am, so I called to say we would be late. I didn't get them there until about 8:30-- it was rush, rush, and I felt like a truck had hit me. I do not do well anymore with no sleep! Fortunately, the only appointment I had scheduled for Monday had been cancelled, so I was able to stay home and rest. I did get some ordering and paperwork done, but the day was pretty much a waste. I did not get as much as I needed to do accomplished.

When I went to pick the girls up from school, I learned that Little A had bitten a classmate in the face! It was a pretty bad bite-- left a large bruise and teeth marks! She hasn't been biting lately, so I'm hoping it was just because she was tired. What to do with that girl! She is such a roughneck! I had a talk with her about it, but she just stared at me and had a little devious smile. That girl has got a real mean streak sometimes!

Big A had a game Monday evening. She played pretty well. One of her hits got 2 runners to home. They won, so they were all pretty excited.
During the game, Little A ran around the ballpark like a cyclone. After all this activity, you would think that the girls would sleep soundly all night, but no... Big A got in my bed about 2:00am, again complaining about the cats. At least she fell asleep this time. Then Little A came to my bed at about 4:15 am and was wide awake!!! She tossed and turned and talked until it was time for me to get up--then she fell asleep! So I am again dead tired. Today I am working at a hospital all day, and I have an house call after work, so it is going to be a LONG day. Hopefully, Little A will not attack her classmates today!

Saturday -- T-ball and Birthday Party Fun

I had to work at a hospital on Saturday, so I had to miss Big A's game. That is the second game I have had to miss. It makes me feel like a bad mom, but I already had these days scheduled before I signed Big A up for T-ball, and it wouldn't be right to cancel out on the vet. I don't like for people to cancel on me at the last minute, so I try never to do that to anyone else.

Theresa took the girls to the game for me. She took along the camera to get some pictures for me. She said that Big A did pretty well, except hitting. I have to admit, we have not been practicing at home like we should. I have get to get her out to practice everyday. I was doing well earlier in the season, but I have really slacked off lately. There just never seems to be enough time in the day to get everything done.

It sounds like it was a pretty good game. It went all 4 innings and the game ended up being tied. When I got back from work, I noticed a flyer that they brought back advertising winter basketball, So I asked Big A if she wanted to play that. She said no, that she wanted to be a CHEERLEADER! I hadn't noticed that they also had cheer leading for the basketball! Oh my, where have I gone wrong? My little girl wants to be a cheerleader!!! Groan.... I am sure that my Mom will laugh her head off! She probably prays every night that Big A will be the opposite of me in every way-- and it seems to be working! Well, that's okay, at least she wants to participate in activities. Maybe that will keep her out of trouble later in life, and encourage her already outgoing personality. I still will try to get her to play soccer when that season comes around. I think that she will actually like that sport.

Two Sisters Going To The Game

Little A In The Dugout
(gotta get rid of that pacey!)



Big A In Center Field


Big A Gets The Ball!
(after a struggle!)

Big A Up A Bat

She Hits The Ball!

Running To First

It Is Important To Pose For The Paparazzi !

After work, I took the girls to "S" 's birthday party (one of Big A's Classmates). The party was at Bouncin' Bob's. It is one of those indoor play areas with "moonwalks" and slides, etc. The kids all had a great time. Little A fixated on the giant slide-- she must have gone down it a hundred times! That place is great because it really wears the kids out!! Of course, Little A had to throw a mild temper tantrum when we got into the party room-- because I cut her cake into pieces! I guess she wanted to cut it herself! Since she wasn't able to take a nap before the party, I think a tantrum was inevitable.

The Girls Slide Down The Giant Slide!

Some of the mothers and I were discussing schools for next year. It will really be sad to split all the kids up next year. They have been in the same class for several years now. I really need to start researching schools now. I would love to send Big A to private school, but I just don't think that I can afford it. Three kids in private school would be a fortune. Fortunately, the public school in my district is pretty good, so I've heard. Well, I still have some time to look into it-- but not much--- time seems to be flying by at the speed of light.