Lilypie Kids Birthday tickers

Lilypie Kids Birthday tickers

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Dirty little secret

So here is a story we all know. The story of a mommy who picks the perfect outfit for a certain little being. Sets up a perfect background and tries her best to set up a little lighting. Baths the little person makes her look all shiny and new. Not a smudge of dirt or grime. Lays out the daddies outfit that matches oh so perfectly to her own. buys some high artillery bribery to assure cooperation from all. Then when she thinks all i's are dotted all t's are crossed she tries to gather her family in their finery.
And...........................................
this my friends is my only willing participant.
so.................as long as someone is willing mine as well take advantage.

Just a girl................

and her dog.


After a mommy meltdown (a few expletives were yelled, at the camera not the little person), a daddy savior came down and saved the day. A lengthy very whiny frustrating time out was given by a super patient man while the mommy hid in the bedroom and told herself to breath in exhale and repeat..............Very strong willed girl decided to cooperate and I did get my perfect family portraits and now you know my dirty little secret.

Friday, November 27, 2009

FFF- No faces allowed

One of my favorite pictures from this summer. My train conductor exploring the woods.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Join us on the date

Warning there were no children present during the following photo shoot. There must be at least one self portrait of the cute couple.Then one of me it looks like I might be changing my career to news caster. Here is my headshot. Hey that guy to the right is stealing my spotlight. Hmmm...he's kinda hot :)

I've been on a diet for a few months and I met my goal so for my reward I bought some jeans I really couldn't afford so here they are my christmas gift.
Is it a bird, a plane, a butterfly oh no it is my handsome mansome.

And someone was nice enough to take our picture he asked where we were from? It's fun to be a tourist a few miles from your own house.


I am sure thankful for a safe place for the littlest family member to stay so mommy and daddy can have some fun. We laughed really hard last night and Peter tolerated my touristy ways now on to Thanksgiving. I sure do have quite a bit to be thankful for.




Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Thankful

So adoption has been on my mind lately. It is after all national adoption month. I haven't had anything thought provoking to say to add to the dialouge going on. What I do have to add is that what if I hadn't? When Peter and I first began to discuss adoption we had lots of fear. Mostly fear of the unknown. Fear of paperwork, social workers, where would the money come from and on and on. There was something inside me that kept calling even in the very beginning of my winding road through infertility there was a voice that kept calling me back here.



So today I am so thankful for that voice that kept nagging me.....


The result of overcoming the fears and growing as a couple....


Have brought me 3.5 years of joy, pleasure, happiness and a daughter all our very own....




A daughter who wakes up from her nap in a pink frilly dress which she was not wearing pre nap

And plays with pure exuberance with her Thomas trains.
Mussed up hair, pink frilly dress, and Thomas trains = my own little piece of perfection.




This just might ruin my attempt at being a meaningful adoption post but I seriously love this goof ball. He is my heart, my partner in crime, and he makes me laugh more often than not. And I'm going on a date with him tomorrow. Hopefully he saves this move for our home only:)





Saturday, November 21, 2009

I have a nut

My friend Jen told me the other day that Lily marches to her own drum. She said this because she had a bouquet of flowers and she asked Lily which one was her favorite and Lily pointed to a green leaf. It is so true, she never reacts quite how I expect her too she always keeps me on my toes. She sees the world through her own lens. Now I have a confession to make. I had a conversation with another one of my friends while waiting for Lily. My friend Meg teaches next door to me and is a really close friend. So anyways as a teacher I always have trouble with children that march to their own tune. They cause me tremendous frustration. So I told my friend Meg that I hoped I didn't get a weird one. Well wouldn't you know that that would be exactly what was delivered to me. In the cutest best way possible my girl is a weirdo and I absolutely adore every quirky little quality about her. Here are just a few we have had a three year love affair with Thomas, she likes to eat frozen pancakes, she must wear socks with her shoes no matter what kind of shoe, when we take her to bed we have to pretend she is a burrito and find what is inside, she calls all hair dog hair and when she gets her haircut she gets mad at all the dog hair on her smock :)And I now have a soft spot for all children who are square peg in the ever present round whole. I was sent a lesson in such the perfect package! And just to prove my point here is how Lily wears her new apron. She took all her clothes off stuck her apron on and said Mommy wook I'm pretty! Yep baby you could be wearing anything and look just beautiful.



Thursday, November 12, 2009

Superhero on it's way!

Christmas is coming and I am now on the hunt for the perfect christmas gifts. Lily is in a Superhero phase. She is in need of a cape and a mask. If your wondering she is already equipped with a Superpower she is Superfast! So my Etsy never lets me down. One cape just imagine Super Lily. Every Superhero must protect their identity!

Thank you Nonnie our Superhero is gonna love it!

And what would a Superhero be without a trusty sidekick. Even better her creater is making her outfit red to match Lily's and making her to look like Lil too. I can't wait to see what she comes up with




How perfect is that!

Friday, November 6, 2009

FFF Black and White

My favorite Birthday picture almost black and white.
Lily went to her four year appointment yesterday. She is in the 33rd percentile which I swear last time she was in the 50th percentile, but the dr. told me last time she was in the 23rd. I thought the jump was odd at her 3 year. Either I misheard or the dr misread the chart. I'm going to go with that could not have possibly been my mistake :) Lily was a trooper at the dr. She needed 5 shots and I would like to report that she was handled it like a champ but my girl is a delicate flower. Made both Peter and I tear up as we held her down. She screamed ow ow ow why is that lady doing that to me!!! On the way home she had to call here Papa and then her Nonnie to tell them of her horrible doctors visit. And she said she couldn't walk all night because of her shots. She has a very large knot in the leg that took the brunt of the shots I do believe those little legs are sore. Today she is thankfully going to stay home with daddy.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Mack Truck

So here are a few things you should know about me. I like to sweep problems or inevitable problems under the rug. I don't like to think about them and let them clutter my space. That being said I don't sleep well cause said problems come out of hiding during the hours of 10 pm and 5 am. Second thing you should know is that when confronted put in a uncomfortable situation or when I am mad I cry, which only leaves me more frustrated and mad cause I should be yelling or saying my point in an educated manner and instead I am crying and weak.

A fellow blogger mommy posted this on her blog a few months back this is information I already knew and also know it is true that children notice differences because I work in a very diverse neighborhood and the children I work with are 6 and 7 and believe me differences are noticed and talked about. Sometimes in a constructive mannar and sometimes not so constructive.

These are Aimee words I do not have her permission to use them so hopefully she won't be mad. I edited out portions that had to do with her family.
judges others based on skin color.
That is what new studies reported in Newsweek's "See Baby Discriminate" article by By Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman NEWSWEEK say (this article is in the latest Sept 14th magazine which stopped me in my tracks at the supermarket today and is linked below)
http://www.newsweek.com/id/214989/page/1
The article, in my opinion, is a must read for ALL parents of young children. Children as young as 3ish understand race differences. By 5ish, they understand the racial hierarchy of our society (don't believe in this heirarchy? In domestic adoptions, fees even vary by race. Disgusting and embarassing if you ask me.) Research shown in this article now finds that babies as young as 6 months react differently to pictures of varying races.
The article goes on to state that roughly 75% of white parents of white children DO NOT talk to their children about race. They either are unsure how, or feel that talking about people's color instills racism by calling out our differences. The studies in this article, not surprisingly, point out that this is not the case. In these early years (3 - 5) you have an ability to affect how children see the world.

If your wondering why all this is relavent here goes. Being an adoptive parent in a transracial family is one of those things that I have swept under said rug. Sure Lily and I talk about her beautiful brown skin and we find similarities between ourselves and we talk about mommies freckles but the truth is the talk in my household is minimal at best. I think I am a good parent my child is happy and although snarky at times she is overall a happy kid. I am embarrassed to say that I feel inadequate as the mother of a child of a different race. Although I am embarrassed to admit that I know I am not alone.

What brings this about is that Lily and I were at the park today and Lily was happily playing by herself as only children learn to do. A little boy was hiding under the play structure and he was complaining about not being able to find a friend and his mom said why don't you play with the girl in the pretty skirt to which he replied mom I can't play with her she doesn't have white skin like me. He was also around 4 and those were his exact words. To which his mom replied that is a mean thing to say we don't talk like that. Lily thankfully did not hear this conversation. The ladies husband came over they whispered to eachother and decided it was time to leave the park. Now I wish I had a sensible rational reaction to this but instead my eyes welled up with tears under my sunglasses thankfully and there it is my inadequacy was dragged from under the rug in the daylight hours. If Lily had been in earshot of this child my reaction would have been very conterproductive.

So has anyone read a really good book about this topic. About how to have good constructive conversations about the topic of race before these instances happen. I want ways to empower my child so perhaps she doesn't end up crying alongside her mother next to the twisty slide. And even if tears are shed alongside her mother at least a constuctive honest conversation can happen after the watershed where the mother in question doesn't feel like a complete failure to her beautiful girl.