Our Quest with Alex

I know....Long Time...No Post

2009-08-10T10:23:00.002-04:00

So much stuff going on - I haven't had time to blog! But, I'm coming out of my hiatus to post this important information.

Global Orphan Team is an organization that is near and dear to my heart. I went with them in March on a mission trip - and had an amazing time!

They are currently holding a raffle to raise money for the organization. Raffle tickets are ONLY $5.00!! There are some great prizes. Please click here for details.

But wait - there's more!!

I will match every donation that my friends make. That's right - you can double your money. Just post a comment here, or send me an email at kimhartz@hotmail.com and let me know how much you donated and I'll match it.

Thanks in advance for helping the orphans in Guatemala!!

Guilt

2009-05-27T21:08:00.002-04:00

After coming back from Guatemala in July and again in March (I went to Guatemala for a week on a mission trip with Global Orphan Team ) I vowed to come back and make a difference. The poverty I saw - the need - the waste that we have in the US - and how it could be put to good use down there. I was determined to change my ways.

And then - life sets back in.

On Friday, I went and got a full body massage. It was wonderful - I hadn't had one in about a year. I then bought some product (some great foot relief lotion from Aveda and makes my feet happy and smells heavenly!). I spent about $100. That $100 could have fed baby Alex's family for about 2 weeks.

GUILT

Jay and I are planning a mini-vacation in July to Detroit (yes, I know, you are all VERY jealous). We've decided to go ahead and spend the money and stay at the MGM Grand. It's more expensive then the other places we were looking at, but it just works out better for our trip. The extra money we are spending could help pay for a month of support for all of the kids at Los Gozosos

GUILT

Jay and I went to IKEA on Saturday to pick out new furniture for our basement that we are finishing off. We picked out a couch (sleeper), ottoman, storage unit for Alex's toys (with baskets), desk, and shelving unit for the wall. We spent about $3,500 on paper. Do you have any idea what that money could do in Guatemala????

GUILT

I'm trying to figure out how I live my life - this is all I think about.

I think it was easier when I didn't know.

Easter 2009

2009-05-25T16:20:00.003-04:00

I finally got all of the pictures downloaded off of my camera from March - May. I'm going to try to get caught back up. (hope this makes you happy, Mom!)

My grandmother had a tradition of making Easter Bread every year. It's a yeast bread with icing decorated to look like eggs in a nest. I LOVED Easter Bread and have missed it since her death.

Every year I tell myself I'm going to try to make it and every year I don't attempt it. This year was going to be different.

I got the recipe from my mom - called her AT LEAST 100 times during the process.

BUT - I DID IT!!!!! It turned out - it rose - it looked good - and it tasted pretty good as well. I think I overbaked it just a bit, but I was so pleased with my first attempt at yeast bread.

Here's what the final product looked like.

I had the cutest outfit for Alex for Easter. And, in true Alex fashion - he wouldn't wear it. The best Jay could do was the shoes and pants. He refused to wear the shirt, tie or jacket. So, if anyone wants a 3T madras jacket from Children's Place, let me know, since I don't think I'll ever get him in it.

Here are some pictures from the Easter Egg hunt at our church. I realized that most of the pictures I have I can't post as there are too many other kids in them.

Picture Catch Up

2009-05-09T17:00:00.002-04:00

These are pictures that were on my camera from late December-March.

Alex decorating his first Christmas cookies.

Opening presents on Christmas morning. I LOVE these pjs!!!!!

Just some of his loot. I think I went overboard....just a little. :)

Alex was begging me to take pictures of him this day.

He wanted a picture of the cat.

He then went through a period of time where he wanted me to take pictures of him making faces. These pictures just crack me up.

Seriously.....could he be any more cute??????

Pictures Soon...I Promise

2009-05-09T09:52:00.002-04:00

I finally got a new cord to my camera, so I'm working on a picture post right now. I have a lot of catching up to do.

In the meantime:

1. Baby Alex's great-grandfather (yes, it ended up being his great grandfather) was able to get surgery and he is doing really good!! I got pictures which I will post soon.

2. My Alex celebrated his 3rd birthday a week ago. I still can't believe that he is 3. How is that possible??????

3. My friend, Melissa, sent home with me some puzzles that her daughter M. had outgrown. M. has given Alex a lot of things over the years so he knows who she is. When I told him that M. gave him these puzzles he said, "Is M. brown?" I said, "No, she isn't." He said, "Is she white?" I said, "Yes." He said, "Oh, ok!" He's really starting to notice skin color. I just pray that I continue to answer his questions appropriately!!

I Need Your Help

2009-04-15T06:36:00.003-04:00

One of the things I haven't blogged about yet is my recent trip to Guatemala. While I was there, I got to go see Baby Alex again. It was wonderful! But, I found out that his whole family had been very sick.

I just got this email from Sharon with Mayan Families:

Alex's grandmother is very , very ill. She is urinating and defecating blood. Apparently, she went to some healer, I am not sure if it was a real doctor or not and he inserted something inside her, I really can't understand what exactly it was but it has really exacerbated the problem that she was already having.

Juan Pablo says that it cannot be cured with medication, she is in urgent need of an operation as quickly as possible. It will have to be done by a specialist and the cost is $1,000 US.

This is obviously a lot of money.

Juan Pablo is the doctor that Mayan Families uses. I don't have $1,000 that I can send - as much as I want to. But, I am going to send some money.

I know that times are tough right now for everyone - but - do you think you could give just a little to Mayan Families to help cover this operation? Even $5.00 would help get us to raising enough money to help this family.

You can donate directly to Mayan Families through PayPal and all donations are 100% tax deductible.

To donate - click on this link - Donate to Mayan Families Put your dollar amount under Healthy Families and then make a note in the Extra Notes section that this is for Baby Alex's grandma's surgery.

Please don't feel obligated to give - but I feel the need to do something.

UPDATED: Information was incorrect - it's actually Baby Alex's GRANDFATHER that is having the problems. He needs to have his prostate removed and it may be cancer. Thanks so much to everyone that has helped so far!!

Anyone Still Here?

2009-04-11T21:16:00.003-04:00

I hope everyone has had a great couple of months.

I think I've gotten past my funk and am about ready to start blogging again.

I have so much to catch everyone up on - from Christmas - to how much Alex has grown up - to my trip to Guatemala that I was on last week with Global Orphan Team - to my thoughts on American Idol and Dancing with the Stars. (I know - you guys probably can't wait to hear about that!!)

In the meantime I would like to wish you and your families a very Blessed Easter.

He Is Risen!!!!

2009-01-09T16:19:00.003-05:00

I think I'm going to take an official blogging break. (even though it sure has seemed like I've been on an unofficial one)

I've been having a rough couple of weeks - and really a rough six months.

I don't know what it is - maybe a mid-life crisis - but I'm really trying to figure out where I am and where I want to go.

Poor Jay has been having to deal with my mood swings, breakdowns, and general moodiness.

I'll still be reading blogs and commenting when I can.

I'll still be on Facebook.

And, I will be back. I'm just not ready to write about what I'm feeling and what I'm going through.

Love you all!!!

2008 Recap

2009-01-01T17:03:00.004-05:00

I'm going to steal an idea from Sarah and do a 2008 recap post.

Unlike some of my friends, 2008 was a very good year for my family. Nothing too exciting, but nothing horrible either. 2008 also marked a year that I got to know my blogger friends even better. I can't even begin to explain how happy I am that I have been able to "meet" so many of you. I don't consider myself to be a very good writer - I'm a much better talker (just ask anyone who knows me in real life!!) but I can't imagine what my life would be like without all of you in it.

January

January continued my bout with being sick constantly. This was also the month that we decided that I would have surgery. Alex went pee pee on the potty for the first time and he started his love of all things pink and princess.

February

February was practically consumed with getting ready for surgery - having surgery - and recovering from surgery. This is the month that Alex's language EXPLODED as well as his imaginative play. I also started my new job as our church's music director.

March

This had to be the most pivotal month of the year for us. March was when Jay and I learned about Baby Alex and decided to be his foster parents. What a month!!! We also got a big, late snow storm and had a fun Latin Family Connection event.

April

April brought on some complications with getting Baby Alex to the United States. I also got my new car and enjoyed a visit from my parents as they were one their way back to Ohio from their three month stay in Florida. Alex said his second and third full sentences (Mama, I like Dora and Mama, I like Geigo). We took a long weekend trip to St. Louis where we were going to buy a horse but ended up just bringing one home for Jay to train. I also got to spend some time with my former boss who now lives in St. Louis. We also discovered that Alex could count to 11 and was starting to learn his colors.

May

What a BIG month!!! Alex turned two. His language, play and independence started to blossom. This is also the month that Baby Alex came to our house. What a life changing month for us.

June

June brought Baby Alex's surgery being delayed because of his illness and then finally happening on my 13th wedding anniversary. Big Alex really blossomed as a "big" brother. And I discovered that I don't handle little sleep and high stress very well.

July

We had fun with both boys this month. Jay took them both to a Day out with Thomas, I took Big Alex to my aunt and uncle's Fourth of July party and we took the boys to a petting zoo. Baby Alex also started healing really well and crawling. We also started getting more and more attached to this little guy. This is also the month that I traveled back to Guatemala to take Baby Alex back to his parents. Words can not express how much I changed during June and July. What a lucky person I am to have experienced everything I did this summer. Life changing - never the same again - and so grateful for it.

August

August was a hard month and mostly a blur. Looking back on it now, I think I may have been in a slight depression for most of the month. Jay and I also took a mini-vacation with just the two of us. Alex got to spend a few days with my parents and it was the first time that we left him overnight like that. Jay and I had a great time in Chicago, and it was a much needed trip for both of us. (I actually just spend some time re-reading my trip posts from August.)

September

Still a blur. Alex was going through a stage in August and September. I now see it was a stage - but I was worried at the time. He was just horrible most of the time - but I think he was just trying out more of his independence. I was also changing blood pressure medicine - and not successfully, so I wasn't feeling well for much of September

October

What a great month - Guatoberfest, 2nd Forever Family Day, Jay's Birthday, hayrides and Halloween. Alex was still a handful this month, but it was getting better. He also went pee pee on the potty for the first time in a LONG time.

November

We had a great November. Alex's behavior started improving and we had our annual vacation to Sanibel Island. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it there, and I'm already looking forward to next year's (or I guess this year's!!) trip.

December

Christmas was so much fun with Alex this year (and yes, I know I haven't blogged about it yet). Potty training really started taking off this month, and Alex is becoming more and more like a little man.

Would Chocolate Be Worth It?

2008-12-22T20:28:00.002-05:00

It's cold here - really cold - as is most of the country (except for you Florida and Arizona types - and I don't want to hear about it) :)

As I was walking to the parking garage after work, I saw a group of workers huddled outside smoking. They looked miserable.

I couldn't help thinking that NOTHING would be that important to me to stand out in this cold.

But, what if I could only eat chocolate outside. Would I give it up? Would I stand out in below zero with sub-zero windchill to eat chocolate.

I'm thinking no.....what about you?

OK God - I Got It

2008-12-21T20:48:00.003-05:00

Our pastor really wanted our church choir to go to the local nursing home to go Christmas caroling.

Now, I don't have anything against this - but I just couldn't find a time that I thought would work.

She asked again at church, so I talked to the choir. We decided to meet at the nursing home at 6:30 tonight to do some caroling.

I was kind of dreading it. It's kind of cold here - and I really didn't want to get back out. My leg is finally feeling a little better (nothing is broken - which is good) and I didn't want to be out and about. I really just wanted to stay home, bake cookies and watch football.

But, I went - after all - I am the choir director.

We decided to just sing in the common room. We did some songs with guitar and some with piano. We were even able to take some requests from the residents.

What a great night we had. I'm so glad I went - and I'm so glad my little choir was willing to go with me.

So, God, I hear you - it's not all about me.

I Got Cast!!!! (and hopefully won't be in a cast)

2008-12-18T21:23:00.003-05:00

I'm so excited to be getting back on the stage!!!!

I just found out tonight that I have been cast in our local community theater's production of Working.

This little known musical is based on the book "Working" by Studs Terkel who chronicled the day in the life of 26 average American workers. The music was written by Steven Schwartz (LOVE HIM!! - he's the Wicked dude!) and James Taylor to name a few.

I got cast as the Grocery Check out Girl - Babe Secoli - She has a GREAT song and I'm very excited to get a chance to do this.

This will be the second Steven Schwartz show I've been in - I was in Pippin in college.

So, my life has just gotten very interesting with rehearsals 4 times a week, but since this is a vignette show, it shouldn't be too bad.

I get my x-rays tomorrow afternoon so I'll find out if I actually broke anything in my leg.

The Klutz Girl - Reporting In

2008-12-15T19:34:00.003-05:00

***EDITED***
Alex pooped on the potty tonight!!!!!!!!!! YEAH!!!!! The Miralax is starting to work. He got his Percy - but I have a feeling he won't do it again until we come up with a new bribe :) I'm still going to enjoy this tonight!!!!!

First on my klutziness.

A couple of weeks before Thanksgiving I fell down my friend's steps at her house and landed on my left elbow. It hurt pretty bad, and I think I bruised the bone, but nothing too serious. It's been slowly healing since then.

Last night, I was on my way into our local community theater for an audition. As I was coming around the corner outside the theater, I tripped on a brick and wiped out - BIG TIME!!!!

I landed on my right knee, left elbow and hands. I had a small cut on my hand, scraped my elbow pretty bad (yes, the same elbow I hurt a few weeks ago) but the worst was my knee. In fact, the cobblestone is imprinted on my knee. I can barely walk, it's very swollen and it's starting to bruise.

Amazing - I seriously could trip over a flat surface.

Luckily the show I was auditioning for doesn't have any dancing, so I didn't have to learn a dance for my audition!

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I LOVE theater, and BA (before Alex) I was involved with our local community theater. This winter they are doing the musical "Working." Working is based on the book by Studs Turkel. We did this show when I was helping the theater department at the school I taught. You can learn more about the musical here I will find out later this week if I get cast. I'm excited to get back into the theater and back on stage so we will see what happens.

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Back in the late summer/early fall I was so concerned about Alex. His behavior was horrible and I really questioned my parenting. I just realized last week that he's gotten MUCH better. He's listening better, he's been much more pleasant, and he is tantruming less. He still has his moments, but boy is it better.

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I have signed up to go with Global Orphan Team on their first mission trip. We are going to be in Guatemala for a week at the end of March/beginning of April. I'm so excited about this trip. We are going to be going to a couple of orphanages to love on babies. We are also going to spend one day in Panajachel. And you KNOW I'll be getting a ride to Tierra Linda to visit Baby Alex and his family.

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Alex is really getting excited about Christmas. It's a lot of fun, and I can't wait to see how he handles everything. I have all of my shopping done. I still need to wrap everything and finish the baking.

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Am I the only one with this problem? I'll be going through my day, something will happen, and I'll make a mental note that this would make good blog material. I usually even "write" the post in my head. Then, when I finally get time to sit down and try to blog - I forget what I was going to write about. I think I'm losing my mind.

Sorry

2008-12-12T15:55:00.002-05:00

So busy with Christmas stuff, I just don't have time to post like I want to.

But, I had to post this. In case you didn't know, some of my blogger (and IRL) friends are in Panajachel right now doing work with Mayan Families.

Yesterday, they went to Tierra Linda and got to spend some time with Alex and his family. Click here to see pictures of Alex.

He is getting SOOOOO big and his lip looks amazing. I just can't believe that it's him.

Catch Up Post

2008-12-07T08:06:00.010-05:00

Why does it seem like all of my posts lately are catch up posts?

These pictures are from the past month with vacation and a trip to see Santa thrown in.

I just love this picture - I know the lighting isn't very good, but I just think he is so precious. He climbed up on the back of our couch and I just had to get a picture of him.

And, generally speaking, this is why I don't have pictures of him anymore. He is always wanting to come see the picture on the camera before I get a chance to take it.

As I was packing for vacation, he rediscovered his sunglasses and just had to wear them around the house.

Look at that cutie!!!

This is the only "outside" picture I got of Alex on vacation. My mom and sis-in-law were sitting outside on the balcony reading and Alex had to be just like them.

Our days consisted of the following: Getting up, getting breakfast, playing in the condo until it got warm, going out to the pool (usually around 10:00), swimming until lunchtime, having lunch, then nap, then up to play some more before dinner. Because of this, have no pictures. I know - I'm a horrible mom. What I really need to do is have one of you come with us on our next vacation just to take pictures for me. :)

One Wednesday, we took Alex to a Children's Museum in Ft. Myers. Here Alex and I are waiting for the hands on animal demonstration. They took out an alligator, snapping turtle, some type of snake and frog for the kids. Alex loved it, but wouldn't touch any of them.

We then went into the Toddler Town. Alex could have staid here for hours and hours and hours. He LOVED it. They had these fruits and vegetables set up with shopping carts. He spent about 2 hours putting fruits/vegetables in his cart and then taking them back out.

Yeah!! I love my fruit!!!

As we were trying to leave, he found the Art area. They had musical instruments for them to play, and mom can't say no to music!!

We literally had to pull him out kicking and screaming.

On Friday, Jay and left Alex with my parents and we headed to Miami. We went to Little Havana and ate at this DIVINE Cuban restaurant. We then headed over to Culder Racetrack to bet on some ponies.

We took the "long" way there (with the hopes of seeing some alligators)

This next sign cracked me up - this is something we just don't see in Kentucky.

Although I was kind of disappointed we didn't see any panthers, we did see LOTS of alligators.

On the way back home the sun was setting just as we were crossing the bridge to the island. This picture was taken from our moving car. :)

We did have a great time on vacation this year. Alex slept REALLY well (which he didn't do last year) He had a lot of fun in the pool (and even got as far as blowing bubbles and jumping off the side and going under with my mom on Friday). Mom was even able to get him to go on the beach and make sand castles. I just love Sanibel Island and I'm already looking forward to next year.

We did take Alex to see Santa yesterday. I still can't believe that this is the third year for us to be doing things.

So, for a trip down memory lane. Here is Alex's picture with Santa from three years ago.

From last year:

I wasn't sure how he was going to do this year. He is excited about Santa and talks about him, but has also told Jay and I that he doesn't want Santa to come into his house. We have had to reassure him that Daddy and Mommy will meet Santa out in the driveway to get his presents. We've also been practicing asking Santa for presents. He decided he was going to ask Santa for princesses and cars. He also wanted to ask Santa for presents for the cat. (food and new toys in case you were wondering). When we got to the feed store, and he saw Santa, his eyes got SO big. He stood at the door and yelled his wish at Santa. It was so funny.

He wouldn't go sit on Santa's lap, so I had to hold him, but here's the picture from this year.

We also started a tradition of getting his picture taken on a saddle at the store. So again, for reference, three years ago:

Last year

And this year.

I'm so sad that my little guy is growing up. :(

100 Things

2008-11-30T18:51:00.003-05:00

I stole this from Holly but I thought it was pretty cool. The items I've done are in bold. Steal it from me if you want to.

1. Started your own blog

2. Slep under the stars

3. Played in a band (our band's name is Boo)

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo (actually did this today)

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (but never at my current job!) :)

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a Marathon - haha - that's funny

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain (Jay and I shared our first kiss in the rain - awwww)

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business (sort of - I made these fabric wreath things and tried to sell them)

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy (Carrie, my first doll and my Donnie Osmond "action figure")

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial (Jay proposed here!!)

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades (just did this last week)

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone (my pinkie toe 4 weeks before my wedding)

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle (Dad - were they ever speeding?)

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Read the entire Bible

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous (non-political would be Tom Cruise and Paul Newman)

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

100. Totally copied a post from someone else's blog to your own

Stupid Old Man

2008-11-24T11:38:00.002-05:00

****WARNING - There very well may be cussing in this post ****

Our plane left Saturday morning at 6:00 am. We had to get up at 3:00 - get Alex up at 4:00 to get to the airport on time.

When we got on the plane, I noticed that there was a couple sitting in front of us that was immediately very friendly to us, and an older gentleman sitting behind us that look annoyed that a little kid was sitting in front of him.

We got Alex in his seat and he was SO excited to be going to Flrrda.

We were delayed leaving the gate and then had to be deiced. Alex didn't understand the delay and just wanted to go "higher and higher." He started getting loud and whiney.

The plane was quiet - except for him. He wasn't have a full blown fit, but he was yelling, crying and just being two. I was trying to distract him and talk quietly to him.

And then - this asshole behind us leans forward and goes, "SHHHHHHH."

Seriously???? It took everything within me not to turn around and yell at him. But what was I thinking - everyone knows that when you shush a two year old they listen! :)

I was so pissed off. Alex eventually settled down. (and the nice lady in front of us was talking very sweetly to Alex - I think she heard the crotchety old man behind us)

You know - this was a Saturday morning - the weekend before Thanksgiving. This wasn't a Monday morning - this wasn't peak business travel time - and he wasn't being horrible. I'm still fuming about this.

And the worst part - after we got up in the air - said jerkwad feel asleep and started snoring. I wanted to turn around and shush him SOOOOO badly but I was trying to set a good example for Alex.

Asshole

Reader Digest Winners

2008-11-21T07:59:00.002-05:00

Ok - I thought this would be fun to have a little give away. But I just realized that I now feel bad for the people who didn't win. :(

Here are the folks that won based on the random number generator that I used.

Alleen
Vanessa
Tricia
Kerry
Julia
Kelly

Please email me at kimhartz @ hotmail.com the name and mailing address you want the subscription sent to.

And for those of you who didn't win - I'm sorry - and now I really feel bad. :)

Reader's Digest Anyone?

2008-11-17T20:03:00.003-05:00

So, this may make me sound like I'm old.

I LOVE Reader's Digest. The stories are short so I can usually read a couple before falling asleep at night. :)

I just received our renewal notice in the mail. If I renew our subscription (which I will), I can give 6 gift subscriptions. I don't have anyone that wants Reader's Digest that doesn't already get it.

So, if you are interested in a free year's subscription to Reader's Digest, please leave me a comment. If I get more then 6 people who are interested, then I'll draw random names.

EDITED: Since there are more then 6 people interested, I'll randomly draw names. I'll take comments until noon on Thursday. At that time I'll draw 6 names to see who gets the subscriptions. So, keep leaving the comments if you are interested.

Merry Christmas!! :)

Sometimes He Just Makes Me Laugh

2008-11-14T20:36:00.002-05:00

This afternoon I told Alex, "Honey, we are going to get your shoes on, get in mommy's car, go pick up Daddy and then go to Cracker Barrel to have dinner with Papa Jack."

Alex looks at me and says, "He's heavy." Ok - so that was random - but not surprising. Alex sometimes comes out with the most random stuff.

I asked him what he meant and this is what he told me.

"Daddy, he's heavy. He too heavy. You no pick him up. I not too heavy. You pick me up."

I about died laughing. I didn't know what to tell him. I thought I'd try explaining the difference between picking someone up and picking someone up. :) I don't think he got it, but oh how precious!!!

Alex Update and Follow up Question

2008-11-13T11:13:00.002-05:00

I realized that I haven't given much of an Alex update lately. Here's what he is doing.

- He loves going to school. He has lots of friends and really likes his teachers

- He talks - nonstop!!!! He is talking in full sentences. He amazes me almost every day with the words he knows - and how he uses them appropriately. We have an antique hutch upstairs. The other night one of the shelves fell. Alex went up to it this morning, touched it and said, "Can't touch - it's dangerous!" I don't think Jay and I have ever used that word with him.

- We can understand what he is saying about 80% of the time. Most of the other time he can eventually get us to understand what he is saying

- He is still very much into Disney Princesses, Barbie and anything pink. He is really into the Lion King and Aladdin at the moment. He also still like Dora and Diego. He likes to play with his trains and blocks and his farm set.

- He really likes to color right now. He has gone from scribbling across the page with whatever crayon he picks up to being deliberate with his color choice and actually trying to color the picture.

- He still likes to read - a lot! He also likes to read to us. Some books he knows because we have read them to him so many times. Others he likes to "read the pictures." Being a former reading teacher, I have to say I'm very happy with his literacy development!

- He can count to 20 and say his ABC's. At this point I don't think he can pick out the appropriate letters or numbers.

- He is SOOOOOOOOOOO stubborn. It's amazing. Here's one example. He loves my mom's chocolate chip cookies. (we call them Nanny Cookies) My parents where here last month visiting, and of course she brought Alex some nanny cookies. He refused to eat dinner that night. He knows that he can't have any "treats" if he doesn't eat his dinner. I asked him to take one bite of soup - one bite!!! (and it was basically cheese) I told him that if he didn't take one bite of his soup he couldn't have a nanny cookie. Would you believe that stinker didn't take a bite. We all had nanny cookies that night - except for him. And, he really didn't throw a fit about it. I think he knew! Stubborn, I tell 'ya!

- We still struggle with his eating some days. If it were up to him, he would live on fruit and carbohydrates. But, he is starting to eat chicken with dip (BBQ sauce) and really likes it, so we are at least getting some protein in him.

Terri asked me what exactly it is that I do. :) (by the way - Terri and I might be long lost cousins)

Let me see if I can explain this. The company I work for sells software that helps our clients manage their compensation. They can load their employee/job data into the software as well as the salary surveys that they purchase and do their market pricing in the tool. From there, they can do all kinds of analysis to make sure that they are paying within the market. We also sell services to go along with the software. We sell these services, along with the software, in a bundle for multiple years. My title is Engagement Manager. I have a book of clients who have purchased these services. My job is to make sure that all the different departments at my company are doing what they are supposed to for my clients, and then I'm the main point of contact for my client. Basically, I do project management with a little bit of relationship management thrown in.

My 20th high school reunion is going to be in a about a year and a half. I have volunteered to help organize the reunion (since we haven't had one in YEARS). I'm trying to figure out the best way to organize everyone and have a place where we can share information. Has anyone used any sites (like reunion . com) for any reunions? Does anyone have any suggestions?

8 days and counting until vacation!!!!!!

-

First Question

2008-11-06T15:58:00.002-05:00

Ok guys - you didn't ask me many questions. That either means that you already know everything about me, or you don't think I'm very interesting (and actually, you would be right on that last one!) :)

So, I'm going to answer a question that Mandy asked me.

"How did you decide to become a librarian and what career path have you chosen (cause you don't work in a library, right?)"

I've had a very interesting career road.

In high school I considered being both an accountant and a lawyer. I did mock trial, and although I really liked it, I didn't want to wear suits to work every day. :)

One summer I volunteered at a home for adults with Autism. I LOVED it - and loved the people I worked with. I then decided I wanted to become a special education teacher.

I also worked at our local public library from my sophomore year on. I worked in the children's department, and did the summer reading programs. I really liked working there, but I never knew that being a librarian was a viable career option. All of the people I worked with made minimum wage. No one was a degreed librarian.

So, I got my undergraduate degree in Education of the Handicapped and was certified to teach students with Learning Disabilities, Developmental Handicaps, and Reading K-12. Near the end of my undergrad degree I realized that you could be a career librarian so I started looking into that.

I got my first teaching job within 2 weeks of graduating. I wasn't sure if I was going to want to teach special education for 30 years, so I started looking into my options.

I decided to start working on my Master's in Library Science with a concentration in Children's and Young Adult Literature and School Librarianship. I figured that when I was done in the classroom, I could then just become a school librarian, or I could get out of education totally.

So, within 6 months of finishing my undergrad, I started my graduate degree program. I LOVED my graduate degree work. I knew I had finally found what I was meant to do.

But, I soon found my "plan" of being a children's/school librarian going out the window. Every class I took, from marketing to acquisitions to reference to cataloging to management, got me excited. I didn't know what to do. I talked to my advisor and she just laughed at me and then said, "Kim, you need to go work in a special library. You will have the opportunity to do all of that."

I was going to graduate in the summer of 1998, so I put in my resignation at the school I was teaching in that spring. I then spent that spring/summer looking for a library job.

I found a job at a video production studio in Columbus (where we were living at the time) that summer, which I didn't take as we moved to Kentucky (ok - that's another story for another time).

I was blessed to find a job within 2 weeks of moving to Kentucky. I went to work for the American Printing House for the Blind as a cataloging/reference librarian. I loved this job. APH has a database of books that have been put into braille, large print, and sound recording by various agencies around the country. This gives people who use these resources one place to find the books that they need in the format that they need it in. I cataloged all of these resources, answered reference calls, and maintained the database (including doing some web based database work). It was a great job for me.

But, I didn't see where I would have much room for growth there. So, I then applied for a job at my current employer. They weren't looking for a librarian, but they needed one. (and luckily I was able to convince them that and got the job)

I work for a HR Consulting firm. I was hired to work in their centralized library of salary surveys. Yes, you heard that right. I was surrounded by books that tell our consultants what people should be paid for the job that they are in. I had an opportunity to revamp the library (as it had been mismanaged for a number of years) as well as continue doing database work.

I then was moved into a team leader position and had a staff under me. The library was located within a group at the company that did all of the market pricing for the company. (using the surveys in my library to come up with the market rate for jobs) I soon had a trainer under me and then some market pricers.

I then moved into a team leader position that took me out of the library. It was one of the hardest decisions I ever made. It was a great opportunity for me, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to let go of my library work.

It was a great decision for me, because it then set me up for the current job that I'm in that I've been blessed to do on a part time basis.

So, I've had a long, interesting road to where I am now. But, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Halloween

2008-11-03T20:06:00.004-05:00

I've so enjoyed seeing everyone's Halloween costume pictures. Now, here's mine.

See this costume - isn't it cute.

Now - I need you to just imagine what Alex would have looked like in it.

Because.....this is what he wore.

Yes, he REFUSED to wear his costume. He wouldn't wear it at the zoo last weekend or Friday night for trick or treating.

Here we are at the zoo. We've taken a family picture at this same spot for the last three years. THREE YEARS!!!! Can you believe we are on our third year of things???? Jay isn't in the picture as he was at a horse show.

Alex was SOOOO excited to see the princesses. Here he is hugging Snow White. He also saw Cinderella, but my batteries died so I didn't get a picture.

We struggled with trick or treating this year. He was just very cranky. He did start munching on one of those candy bracelets at one point in the night. He then had this white powder all over his face and hands. (you may have to enlarge the picture to see it)

Jay and I were so excited, because we felt like he was actually in a costume - a 80's crack addict!!! :) (yes, we have a sick sense of humor)

And don't forget

GO VOTE!!!!!!!!!!!

I Know It's Early But....

2008-10-30T17:54:00.002-04:00

I actually picked up our Christmas Cards today!!! I've never done anything this early before. And actually, I wasn't early - it was just because I was 5 months late getting Alex's 2 year old pictures taken. :)

If you would like to get one of our Christmas Cards this year, please email me at kimhartz@hotmail.com

I'm not sure I ordered enough so if I need to get more, I want to get them ordered soon.

Oh - and if you were at G'fest - I don't have a copy of the directory yet, so I don't have your address.

Is This Brainwashing?

2008-10-27T18:40:00.003-04:00

I'm sorry - just had to share. :)

As many of you know, we are a very political family. We don't talk bad about any candidate in our house. But, whenever anything political comes on tv, Alex says, "John McCain!!" It cracked us up when he first started it. In fact, even if Obama is on tv, he says, "John McCain!"

He has now started saying, "Vote for John McCain!" I swear we didn't teach it to him, but he does get a big reaction from us, so I'm sure that has helped egg him on.

We've also taught him something for our Michigan friends. :)

New Look

2008-10-26T21:43:00.002-04:00

I've been wanting a new look for my blog for a couple of months, but just couldn't get my act together to pick out what I wanted.

Nikki worked her magic again, and I love it. If you need a blog makeover, please check out her site. Her prices are reasonable, and she is raising money to go on her mission trips. She is amazing!!!

I Need to Remember This!

2008-10-25T10:52:00.003-04:00

As I've mentioned, Alex and I have had some major battles lately. It's mostly because he's exactly like me; controlling, stubborn, little patience.....hmmm. :)

Alex also hits me ALL the time. We have been working with him but it doesn't seem to be getting better. I'm sure that there is some reaction that he's getting from me when he does it, even though I've been working on it.

But, then today, he does this. I want to make sure I'm documenting it so I can come back to read it on our hard days.

Jay and his dad left early this morning to go show one of our horses. I woke up feeling horrible - terrible stomach ache and the things that go along with it. I wasn't sure how I would handle him today by myself. (yes, I'm a baby, yes, I'm screwed if anything happens to Jay)

I told Alex that I wasn't feeling well, that my tummy hurt. He's been pretty good this morning (although I have to admit that the TV has been helping out a lot).

He then came over and climbed on my lap. He said, "Big hugs!!" and gave me a big hug. Then he said, "Kisses, mommy" and gave me kisses. Then, he took my face in between his two hands, looked me right in the face and said, "There, mommy, that will make you feel much better."

Be.still.my.heart.

More Pics of Baby Alex

2008-10-23T22:27:00.003-04:00

Look what I just got!!!! Kim Mc from the Mayan Family Connection group is sponsoring three of Alex's aunts to go to school. She has blessed Alex's extended family with the schooling for the girls, traditional outfits, vitamins, beds (the two beds that were in the big dwelling when I was there), table/chairs, etc.

Her family also just purchased a bed for Gloria and Manuel!!!!! If you remember, they have been sleeping on a piece of plywood. Manuel came this week to pick up their bed, and Sharon just sent me these pictures.

A couple of things I noticed. Alex is wearing an outfit we sent with him - and it's a 9 month Carter's outfit that was definitely too big on him when I sent him home, so it's good to see that he's growing. His lip continues to look great!!! Dad is still using the Baby Bjorn that I left with them. I'm so happy to see that they are getting good use out of it.

These pictures just make me so happy - it's hard to explain. :)

Questions Anyone?

2008-10-21T21:40:00.002-04:00

So, I need to get to the questions I posted a couple months ago, but I'm not up to doing that yet.

Instead, I'll steal an idea from some other blogger friends.

Now is your chance to learn anything you want about me. Ask me any questions, and I'll answer them. You can either email me at kimhartz@hotmail.com or leave a comment.

This should be fun!!!

Mother of ALL Posts

2008-10-19T16:53:00.014-04:00

Ok - I finally found the cord to my camera and downloaded the pictures. These are pictures from the beginning of September. So, sit back, relax and here we go!

These pictures are of Alex dancing.

Here's a video of his dancing. He has quite the moves - and he can multi-task - dance and eat lunch. :)

A couple weekends ago, we took Alex to a local farm for their pumpkin patch. Alex hated most of it except for the hay ride.

This is the only picture we got of him with the pumpkins. He would not let me take any more pictures.

We tried to get him to go to the little pond to look at the fish, but then we got "attacked" by these ducks. They were so cute - but, of course, Alex was scared of them. :)

That night our volunteer fire department had a hayride and chili dinner to raise money for our local children's charity. Alex LOVED it. He had so much fun.

(and I'm sure you can guess that I'm talking in these next pictures - not sure what I was talking about!!)

Family picture soon after we took off.

Guatoberfest!!

What can I say that hasn't already been said? What an amazing weekend. Thanks so much to Julie, Kerry and Megan for all of their hard work.

Alex and I got up on Thursday and made the 12 hour car drive there. He did really good. He took a nap, read his books, listened to his "songs" and watched his "movies."

Then on Friday, we met up with Kerry, Megan and Holly to help get things organized. I was a very bad mommy and pushed Alex a little too much. We didn't get back up to the room until about 3:00. We had to be back downstairs at 5:00 to work registration. Needless to say, Alex didn't want to nap at first. So, he laid on my bed and colored.

So, guess when he did finally fall asleep? 4:20!! Yikes!! I picked him up at 5:00 and carried him downstairs. He sleep on my shoulder for another 30 minutes or so. But, when he woke up he was a BEAR. He didn't want to go into the room with everyone else. So, we were back up in our hotel room before the event even started. I was so upset. It was the one time that everyone was together and I really missed talking to everyone. I know that there were people there that I didn't get a chance to meet.

Here is the devil, I mean, angel baby taking his nap in the big bed.

Here was the amazing view from our hotel room. I should have taken pictures on a nicer day, but I think you get the idea.

Saturday was the aquarium. You will see that this is the only picture I got. Why, you may ask, because Alex FREAKED OUT inside. He was scared of everything. He was shaking so bad, I just couldn't put him through it anymore. All he wanted to do was go back to the hotel. By this time, I was so upset. I actually considered just packing up and heading home. It just didn't seem worth it - for him or me.

As Alex and I were leaving the aquarium - the most amazing thing happened. First, let me back up. Many of you who read my blog also read Julia's blog. You know that her beloved Daddy went to be with Jesus just a few days before Guatoberfest. Her family still came. I was surprised that they did. I think that Julia felt that she had an obligation to us - to Kerry and Megan - and probably to her Daddy. I don't know how she did it.

So, Julia was standing outside of the aquarium letting people know what was going on as they arrived. She saw us and asked me what we were doing. When I told her that we were just heading back, she asked to pray for us. This amazing woman put her hands on Alex and I and prayed for us - for him - and I lost it. Her prayer was so amazing and it made me cry. I was crying for her - for her loss - for her compassion for Alex and I - for the wish that Jay was with me to help - and because I was mad at myself for getting so frustrated.

So, Julia asked me to leave Alex with her. That she would keep him outside so I could go in and enjoy myself and maybe he would be willing to go back in for lunch. How could I let her do this? Someone who I should be helping??? She insisted - and for those of you who have met Julia - you just don't say no to her. :)

So, I went back in and just watched all of these amazing kids and their families. Can I just tell you how wonderful that was??? And, Alex calmed down and Julia got him excited about going in to eat chicken!! We ended up having a great lunch with Kerry, Cameron, Megan and McKenzie.

After a nice nap, Alex and I headed to Barefoot Landing. At first I was a little concerned. I hadn't made arrangements to meet anybody there, so I wasn't sure what would happen.

But, I'm not sure why I was worried. I met up with Alleen, Ferdy, and Gabriella. Alex and Miss G had fun last year together and this year was no different.

You have to go to to Alleen's G'fest post to see the cutest picture of Alex and Miss G.

This cutie is Miss Maya. She and Miss G are just two peas in a pod.

After Barefoot Landing we all just took over the lobby. Oh my there were lots of us and lots of kids. This was so funny. Julia's son Mac had one of those laser pointer things and he was pointing it on the floor and the kids were crawling around trying to chase it.

Here's a self portrait of me with Miss G. Is she not the cutest thing in the whole world?

On Sunday, I had the honor of speaking about COTA and my fostering experience. I think it went ok. I was a little distracted by all the kids running around - and Alex who wanted me to hold him - but I think I did ok. Sunday ended up being a beautiful day, so Alex and I got our suits on and went out to the beach and the pool. He had a great time. We didn't make it to the outlets that afternoon as Alex was napping.

We hung out in the room after the evening send off. The kids got to take a ride on the luggage cart and loved it.

And the beautiful Abby Grace. Oh my gosh - this little peanut is just precious - full of spunk - and I think is going to keep her mama and dada very young. :)

It really was an amazing time. Of course I didn't take as many pictures as I wanted, but it's so hard to do that with a 2 year old by yourself. It was great to meet so many more blogger friends, facebook friends, and a.com friends. It was also great to see people again this year that were at G'fest last year. I especially liked spending time with Holly, Gmom, Gia and Nino.

This weekend, my parents were in the area staying at a local lake. We took Alex out for his first boat ride and he loved it - which is good - since my dad just bought a deck boat!!

It was a beautiful fall day to be out on the lake.

My Secret Blog Pal ROCKS!!!!! Much to my surprise, when Alex and I got back to the room on Friday (at G'fest), I found a huge gift bag full of stuff from my SBP. So, either my SBP was at G'fest, or knew someone who was going. We got tons of clothes for Alex (and mostly pants which is EXACTLY what he needs), some wonderful pampering things for me, and some snacks (which I don't have pictures of since Alex and I hit those during G'fest)

Thank you SBP!!!!!!

A couple more things (if any of you are still reading). Today is Jay's 38th birthday - 38!!! I'm married to an almost 40 year old!!! :)

And the best news yet. This morning we went to give Alex a bath. As I was getting him out of his pjs' he said, "I go potty, mommy." I said, "Do you want to go pee-pee on the potty?" And he said yes!!! (lately he has protested big time) So, I sat him on the potty and he tried to go. He didnt' - but I was just happy that he was trying again. So, I put him in the bathtub. All of the sudden he said, "I have to go poopy, mommy!" So, out of the tub we went, onto the potty, and he peed!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've never been so happy!!! I got excited, Jay got excited, we got him M&Ms, and we called Nanny and Papa. Now, that has been it for today, but I'm seeing some progress.

I hope to be back to regular blogging now - with pictures and everything.

Good News!!!!

2008-10-18T10:12:00.001-04:00

I just got some GREAT news.

Sharon just emailed me to let me know that Baby Alex is now a big brother. Gloria gave birth to a healthy baby girl on Wednesday. Mom and baby are both doing well, and the little girl has NO cleft issues!!!

Praise God!!!

Baby Alex Pictures!!!

2008-10-17T14:42:00.003-04:00

Since I still can't find my camera cord - and now I'm not even sure where my camera is right now, I thought I'd share some pictures of Baby Alex.

I can't thank Sharon enough for sending these too me. It makes me feel so good to see him and see how well he is doing.

These pictures were sent in September.

And these I just got last week. I think he looks great - and I'm so glad that his mom is continuing to come to Mayan Families to get formula.

I still haven't heard anything about the new baby. I'm sure she wasn't 100% sure when her due date was.

Forever Family Day

2008-10-16T08:47:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was our 2nd Forever Family Day. I was going to post last night, but we lost our internet access. :(

I can't believe it's been 2 years - in some ways it seems like just yesterday - and in other ways it seems like a lifetime ago.

Here are some pictures from the day after we brought him home.

I've almost forgotten how small he was!!!

Here's a picture from last year's forever family day!

And I would have pictures to post if I could find the cord for my camera!!! I need to find it as I have a few pictures from Guatoberfest.

We are going to celebrate this year with my parents. They are coming through town for a couple of days and will get her this afternoon.

We Are Off!!

2008-10-08T22:34:00.003-04:00

Alex and I leave as early as possible tomorrow to make the 12 hour drive to Myrtle Beach for Guatoberfest.

I'm super excited to see everyone.

So, if you are going - safe travels and look for me at the registration desk.

If you aren't going - be looking for pictures and updates.

Pictures!!

2008-10-02T12:50:00.003-04:00

I haven't been able to get any good pictures of Alex lately. And - I've been a bad mom about getting his professional pictures taken. :)

But - we went last week. It was tough. He didn't want to cooperate and only wanted to play. Which would have been perfectly fine as the photographer we go to doesn't do posed shots with little guys. He just wouldn't play where Shelley could get pictures of him.

I thought she probably got a few good shots - but boy was I surprised!!! The pictures turned out GREAT. I'm so happy!!!!

You can see the narrowed down list here:

www.shelleyrassenfossphotography.com

Client Viewing

Session ID: khartz

I've only ordered the Christmas cards so now I have to make the rest of my decisions. Let me know if you have a favorite. I can't decide!!!

Randomness

2008-09-28T20:28:00.003-04:00

Have you ever had a friend - someone you were pretty close with - that you stopped talking to. You don't know why - nothing happened - but the phone calls kind of stopped - and the emails. And then, one day, you think about them and want to call them or email them, but you don't know what to say. Talking about your day seems pretty stupid since you haven't talked to them is so long. You could try to get them up to speed on what is going on in your life, but when you do that, it just seems dumb. Jobs, kid, marriage - it doesn't seem very exciting. So, instead, you don't call or email - and then more time goes by - and it just makes it harder.

That's how I feel about my blog. It's been so long since I've written about anything, I'm not sure where to start.

So - I'm going to just start. :)

Alex has been going through what I can only hope is a stage. He has become defiant, bossy, opinionated, crabby, and rageful (is that a word?). I'm trying to figure out if this is just a stage, or if I'm a bad mom.

The worst, for me, was a couple of weeks ago. We went out to eat and Alex was a handful. He was screaming and crying and wouldn't listen at all. I had to take him out of the restaurant a couple of times, and Jay took him out once. (yes, Michelle, I think you know what night I'm talking about) I can't remember the last time I was so embarrassed. The looks I was getting - oh my gosh!!! I literally cried the entire way home that night.

Then I got to thinking - why did this bother me so much? Is it because my friend's 2 year old actually behaves when we go out? Is it because I'm worried that we are over indulging our only child? Is it because of my control issues - and I can't "control" him anymore? Is it because that deep down inside me I worry that he has some adoption related issues that I'm not recognizing?

And - this is VERY hard for me to admit - but I think I have to put it out here. I think I'm not the only one who has had these thoughts - or at least I hope I'm not.

About three weeks ago, I was having a particularly hard day with Alex and for one fleeting moment, I wondered if we did the right thing. Maybe I wasn't cut out to be a mom. I thought about how "easy" our life was before him and I thought for one second that it would be nice to go back there.

And then the guilt - oh the guilt!!! I then started thinking about how much we wanted a child and everything we went through to become parents and I couldn't believe I was thinking this. I really think that as adoptive parents we think that we have to be even more thankful for our children. I don't know if parents think this of their biological children - but that day has been in my mind ever since.

And it doesn't help any that I have been changing my blood pressure medicine for the past month or so and so far we haven't found anything that is working. Because of this, I've had horrible headaches and nausea almost non stop. (I'm not a very patient person when I'm not feeling well)

I haven't taken any pictures of Alex lately - he won't stay still long enough and whenever I get the camera out he wants to see what is on the camera - even though I haven't taken a picture yet.

So, there it is - I'm having major feelings of inadequacy and it sucks.

So, friends, I hope I'm back now. (although Mob Wars on Facebook is becoming my new addiction)

Happy Birthday!

2008-09-20T07:54:00.002-04:00

Happy 1st Birthday Alex!!!!

Today is Baby Alex's 1st birthday. I'm so glad he is home with this family on this special day.

Alex - I know that this day may be just like any other for you, but I hope you know that I'm thinking about you today. I miss you and hope I get to see you again. If you aren't already, you will be a big brother very soon. I can't wait to hear if you have a baby sister or baby brother. I have friends who will be visiting in the next couple of months and I can't wait to get a report on how you are doing.

Help Me Here

2008-09-12T15:01:00.004-04:00

EDITED:

Ok - I'll come down out of my tree. :) The LA times has removed the article from their website. Here's where they retracted the article.

The original article was in the Canada Globe and Mail. A Message of Hope - or pressure to keep the baby?

The wording in this article isn't as harsh as the LA times article. I'm still concerned about what is said, but I'm not as irrate. :)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I need to start this out with some disclaimers.

As most of you know, politically speaking, I'm pretty conservative. I'm also staunchly pro-life. I also know that being pro-choice does not make you pro-abortion.

I came across the following article. Please go read it....I'll wait. EDITED: Looks like the link isn't working anymore. I don't know if the LA Times took the story down, or what - I'll see if I can find another reference.

Canadian doctor warns Sarah Palin's decision to have Down baby could reduce abortions

This article made me so mad. This "doctor" made me so mad.

My question is - am I not seeing something? Does this outrage anyone else? Am I just blowing this out of proportion?

I Know....I'm a Bad Blogger

2008-09-07T20:14:00.002-04:00

I'm sorry.....I've been such a bad blogger recently...I'm not even sure anyone is reading anymore!!

I think giving Baby Alex back had a bigger effect (again, is it effect or affect, I never get it right) on me then I was willing to admit.

I have been going about my daily life just fine, but every time I would go to blogger to start blogging, I would just turn the computer off.

I've been reading everyone else's blogs - but not even commenting all that much.

I haven't even taken very many pictures of Big Alex in this past month.

So, if any of you are still out there, I hope to be back to my regular blogging soon.

My Trip Part #6

2008-08-22T21:24:00.006-04:00

Public Transportation and Visiting Lucinda

The trip back down the mountain was a quite one for me. I was very sad, but also very happy that Alex's family had accepted him back with such open arms.

The greatest part of the trip back was listening to Aleeya and Sharon carry on a conversation. Aleeya would talk to Sharon in Spanish, and Sharon would respond in English!

We went back to Sharon's house. She then had her staff try to get in touch with our two sponsored students; Lucinda - who Jay and I sponsor and Josue who Jay's work sponsors.

They were able to get ahold of Josue's family by phone and ask them to come the next morning. Oto was going to have to go up the mountain to Lucinda's house just to tell them to come back down the mountain the next morning. I had nothing to do, so we decided I'd just go with Oto.

I was then informed that we would be taking public transportation. No problem - I thought it might be kind of fun.

Oto and I set out by foot (up a hill - gosh am I'm out of shape!!) to wait at the "bus stop." There was no way to tell that where we were waiting was a bus stop, but I trusted Oto. (even though we really couldn't converse as his English was very limited and my Spanish is non-existent)

All of a sudden a pick-up truck stops and Oto motions for me to get into the back. So, in a went. As I was trying to haul my big white butt into the back of this little S-10 pick up truck I realized the irony in all of this. I have said over and over and over and over and over and over and over again how Alex will NEVER ride in the back of a pick up truck. I have a friend from high school who lost her brother one day before his college graduation (he had a fiance, was graduating top in his class, had a job lined up - everything) because he jumped in the back of a pickup truck to go to the cafeteria, fell out, and hit his head. And, here I was, doing the exact thing I said that I would NEVER EVER EVER do. :)

Unfortunately, the wheel well that I was attempting to sit on wasn't really big enough for my rear end. So, I was holding on for dear life as we went up the mountain. Remember the stories about the crazy roads - winding around the mountains - yeah - I did that from the back of a pickup truck. :)

The great thing was the weather was perfect, and views were amazing without any obstructions.

I was sitting behind the driver and the window in the back of the cab was open so I could see the passenger, but not the driver. About half way through our trip, Oto informs me that the driver was drinking beer!!! Oh my gosh!!! So, now, I'm careening up the mountain in the back of a pickup truck with a "drunk" driver.

At this point I started to panic just a little bit. And then I thought, "There is no way that God brought me all the way to Guatemala to die on side of the mountain like this." I just couldn't believe that this was going to be the way that I was going to go. So, I decided to just not worry about it and enjoy the ride.

The walk from our drop off point to Lucinda's house was very short. When we got there, extended family was there, but Lucinda and her mother weren't there. The family immediately got their cell phones out and called Lucinda's mother. Before we knew it, they came up the walk.

Lucinda's mother is just this little thing, but she was just so cute!! And Lucinda, bless her heart, was SOOOO shy.

Here are some pictures. (and yes, my hair is extremely flat. I had no hair dryer in Pana and I didn't even have my mousse that morning - although I'm not sure it would have mattered after our trip in the back of the truck!!)

At this point, I was doing pretty good emotionally - until this.

Lucinda's mother brought me three pictures that she had of her daughter - and then insisted that I take them with me. I'm pretty sure that these are the only pictures she has of her daughter. I just about lost it.

Isn't she just too adorable?

We walked outside to take some pictures, and Lucinda started doing a hopscotch type game. The ground was hard packed dirt with some lines in it. I'm not sure if the girls put the lines in to play hopscotch, or if they were already there and they just made it work.

You should have seen the look on their face when I joined in. It was priceless!!

Here I am - Giant, White Woman again!! :)

For the trip back, we actually took one of the public transportation vans. These are 15 passenger vans that travel around the mountains taking people to where they need to go. At one point I counted about 35 people in, or hanging out, of the van. It was a trip, but we got where we needed to go, and as far as I could tell, very cheaply.

I went back to Sharon's place and just hung out. I really wanted to start organizing the donations I brought, but didn't know where to put everything. Sharon was still gone (she had an appointment). When she got back, she let me use her computer and her Skype account to call Jay. That was really nice and it was very nice to actually hear his voice. I also used her computer to check email and blog a little bit.

I eventually made my way back to the apartments to rest a little and get ready for dinner. Patti had all of us (Sharon, the three ladies from Canada and myself) over for dinner. It was WONDERFUL. Again - another night with great food, great wine and great company.

Thursday had been a very hard day physically. Friday was a very hard day emotionally - but what a great day I had!!!

Video Montage

2008-08-12T19:53:00.002-04:00

I've been working on a Video Montage of pictures and video from Alex's stay at our house. I think it's finally where I like it. I've posted it on our fostering blog. (link is in the upper left hand corner)

If you haven't seen it yet, I posted giving Alex back to his family last night.

My Trip Part #5

2008-08-08T20:05:00.016-04:00

(Editor's note: I started this post Friday night but just couldn't finish it until now. I had a rough weekend, I think everything is finally hitting me)

Trip to Tierra Linda and Visiting Alex's Family

Here are some pictures from the last post.

Here's Manuel, Alex and Gloria in their apartment.

I took these pictures from the balcony of my apartment before going to dinner.

Same picture the next morning.

I woke up Friday morning pretty early. (that time difference will get you every time - even if you are tired) I spent some time out on my balcony taking in the sights and watching Pana wake up.

This picture shows one of the volcanoes that was visible from the apartments.

The van came to the apartment in the morning to pick us (Manuel, Gloria, Alex and I) up and take us to Sharon's place.

I finally got to see what the inside of Sharon's place looked like. I walked through the gate into a beautiful courtyard. To the right is a two story building which houses the Mayan Family offices. In the courtyard is an onil stove set up as well as the parts to other stoves that were waiting to be installed. There were also cages to the left with many of the dogs that are being cared for by Mayan Families.

We then went into Sharon's house. Just outside the house is an area where they store the donations to be handed out. It's not a very big area, but there are lots of shelves and some other storage areas.

Sharon's house is modest but very cute. It was obvious to me immediately that there is no privacy - no non-Mayan Families for this family. They are Mayan Families.

We sat down on the couch and waited for Sharon and the others who were going with us to get ready. Sharon immediately had her kitchen staff prepared a nutritious breakfast for Manuel and Gloria (she offered breakfast to me, but I'm not a big breakfast eater, and had already had my granola bar for the morning). I was glad to see that they were able to eat. I never asked Sharon this question, but I wondered where this food came from - was this Sharon's personal food? Did Mayan Families pay for it? I'm tell you - there is no line between Mayan Families and Sharon's personal life.

We then loaded up a couple bags of food that we were going to be delivering to the school in Tierra Linda. I also had Sharon ask Manuel and Gloria if they had formula for Alex at home as they had gone through all that I had brought (which really wasn't a lot). They didn't, so Sharon gave them some formula from the little bit that Mayan Families had left on the shelf.

We then piled in the van - Sharon, Aleeya, Zoe, (Sharon's daughters), Gloria (Mayan Families staff), Manuel, Gloria, Alex and I. I said that I wanted to buy the family some food, so we made a stop at the market. I went in with Sharon and Aleeya to the market. What a great place with great colors, smells, and sights.

We got them a box full of food and added eggs, baby food and what looked similar to rice cereal. (by the way - it cost me around $60.00 and should feed them for about a week-week and a half)

We were finally on our way up the mountain to Tierra Linda.

These next pictures I took from the van on our way.

This was a common sight. If you look at the picture below - about in the middle - you can kind of see an area that doesn't have as many trees.

This is a close up shot of the same place. In the middle of the side of the mountain was a field of some sort. I'm not exactly sure how they get there - I'm sure it's not easy.

The pictures don't do the beauty of the area justice - at all.

We finally arrived in Tierra Linda (probably about a 30 minute van ride). We went to the school first. It was neat to see all of the kids - who came out to greet us. It was also funny to watch them and to realize - yet again - that we are all the same. I saw the shy ones that stood off in the corner - watching everything we did - but not wanting to get close. The attention seekers who were right by our side wanting to be in the middle of everything. The two girls who were fighting over a notebook - and the third girl who was taking sides. :)

We then made the short drive to Alex's family's property.

(as I describe people going forward I'm going to describe them from Alex's perspective)

Grandpa met the van on the road just below their property. He was all smiles and was so excited to get his hands on Alex. He led us onto their property. There were three buildings - a fairly large one to the right, a long skinny one straight ahead and a very small one to the left.

The extended family was all there, including the kids. I found out later that the kids stayed home from school because they didn't want to miss this homecoming.

They then led us into the larger building on the right. As Sharon and I entered the room, they set off firecrackers. (and for those of you who have been to Guatemala, they usually don't need a reason to set of firecrackers!)

I'm not sure if they rearranged this house for our coming, but I think they did. To the right was two beds, straight ahead there was a table with a weaving on it. There were chairs set up all around the middle of the room. To the left was a closet and another table.

They had Sharon and I sit behind the table. The rest of the family then sat around the room. There was Manuel, Gloria, Grandpa, Grandma, Aunt (I think - maybe Great Aunt), Great Grandma, and then the kids - not sure if they were cousins or aunts/uncles.

As we were waiting for everyone to hold Alex and get settled, the women went outside. I was able to capture the next two pictures from inside the house. I think they are priceless. They then brought bottled water for all of us.

Soon, the speeches started. Everything had to be translated from Kaqchikel (pronounced CATCH-a-kel) to Spanish and then from Spanish to English. Because of this, I'm not 100% sure that the translation was perfect, but I think I got the idea. :)

Manuel spoke first. He couldn't get through his speech without crying. Grandpa spoke next - then Gloria - then grandma.

Basically they said that they were very poor and they didn't know what they were going to do for Alex after he was born. They went to a couple of doctors and they were told the surgery would cost $7,000 USD. There was no way they could come up with that kind of money. They were very grateful to Sharon and to Jay and I for providing the opportunity for Alex to get this surgery. They told me that they would never be able to repay me, but that God would bless our family, and He would repay us for them. They also thanked me for the food that I bought for them, and for the rest of the gifts that I brought with me.

At this point, I was still doing ok. The tears were right there on the edge, but I was able to get through it without crying. Sharon then spoke, and then I spoke. I can't remember - at all - what I said, but I think it was something about how it was our honor and pleasure to take care of Alex, that they have a very special little boy, and that he will always be a part of our family.

At this point, Manuel got up and presented Sharon and I with a present. I wasn't totally surprised by this, as they are a very giving people, and it is not unusual for Sharon to receive small gifts from the people that she helps. I was a little concerned about the money they had spent - water - gifts for Sharon and I - knowing that they have very little money.

Next, Grandpa got up. He had a present in his hand that was wrapped in masculine paper. He said that this present was for Jay. It was to thank him for treating Alex as his own son. At this point, I was starting to tear up - this was so unexpected. As you will see in this next picture, I was holding back the tears.

Then, Grandma came forward holding a present wrapped in Mickey Mouse paper. Before any translation could happen, Sharon gasped and said, "I think that's for your Alex." I LOST it - totally and completely - not just tears, but crying. I was trying to pull it together, but it was just too much. If I remember correctly (and all I could think of was trying to stop crying) Grandma said something along the lines of this was for our Alex to thank him for treating Baby Alex like his brother, for playing with him, and sharing with him.

You will see what a wreck I was in the next pictures.

Sharon and I then opened the presents.

The weaving is beautiful. It's not one that they made - they did buy it, but I love it. Everyone kept calling it a shawl, but it's pretty thick. I'm going to use it as a table runner.

After these pictures, there was a flurry of excitement. Most of the family (especially the women) left the house and went outside. Sharon and I sat back down as Sharon said something was going on.

Grandpa came back in the house carrying bottles of Gatorade for all of us. Next he came back in with these heaping bowls of fresh fruit - TONS of it. (as well as honey and cream) The presentation rivaled anything Martha Stewart could have done. The fruit was presented in styrofoam bowls set on a "charger" plate. :) (just one of their plates) Sharon looked at me and we wondered if we were going to get sick. But, obviously, we couldn't refuse this food. This is a family that eats tortilas and salt for many meals - that's it - and they obviously spent a lot of money and time preparing this snack for us.

I decided to just deal with it - I had a prescription of Cipro with me as well as Tums and Immodium. I just stuck with the fruit that I thought would be safe - Bananans and Watermelon. The strawberries looked WONDERFUL, but I didn't want to chance it. There was also pinapple and other melons, but I don't like that fruit anyway. I also got to try pitaya. This is a very interesting fruit. It was purple - very dark purple - with lots of little black seeds in it. It had the consistency of kiwi and it was delicious.

After our wonderful snack, we took a tour of the rest of the property. We first went into the long skinny building which is their kitchen.

Sharon made sure that they family got a new onil stove which is pictured below.

But, as you can see, they weren't using it, they were still using their old stove. Sharon explained to me, that although the family shared a kitchen, they saw the onil stove as Gloria's stove, and neither Grandma or Great-Grandma would use it.

Next, they took us into the small building. This building is Manual and Gloria's "house." It's one room that is smaller then most of our bedrooms.

As you walk in the door, the "bed" is to the left. Here's a couple pictures of their bed. You will see that I use that term very loosely.

Their bed is a piece of plywood on a couple of sawhorse type things.

You will see in this next picture that they have old rags and bags shoved in the ceiling to prevent leaks. I'm not sure that it would work very good.

Look carefuly in this next picture. You will see their "window" and the blue thing in the corner is sitting on a little corner shelf.

The only other things in the room is this table and chest. The chest held Alex's clothes. I'm not sure where Gloria and Manuel put their clothes as there was nowhere in the room for them.

It was then time to say goodbye.

Oh, how hard this was. I'd like to think that I'll see Alex again, but I have no idea if I will. It was so obvious that his entire family loves him very much and they will do everything they can for him.

But

Will he have enough to eat? Will he go to school? Will his next surgery go ok? Will they be able to keep him healthy enough for surgery? Will they be able to keep infections away? Will he get used to not being able to crawl around on the floor? Will he get used to not playing with his toys?

And in the midst of all of this poverty - they get to see this from their property everyday.

As we got to the van, I just wanted to curl in a corner and cry. But, I really felt like I couldn't break down - not in front of these "strangers."

Sharon then asked me if I wanted to see the new Community Center that Mayan Families is building. (ok - I just realized that it's possible that we did this before going to Alex's - it's getting to be quite a blur in my mind!) The community center is going to be a great addition to Tierra Linda. When we were there, some of the men were getting the building ready for a "roof pouring"

This is where the playground is going to be built.

Sharon would like to start an early childhood education center here. The children could come with their mothers, get a nutritious meal, and the mom's can learn how to "play" with their kids and get them ready for school. I think this is going to be my new project. I'm hoping that by the time Alex is old enough to go to something like that we can have it up and running.

At this point, we got back in the van and headed back to Sharon's house.

My Trip Part #4

2008-08-07T20:17:00.002-04:00

(ok - I was going to start adding pictures to my posts, but Blogger is being stubborn again tonight)

The Drive to Panajachel, The Apartment and Dinner

As we headed out of town, things looked very familiar. It was the same route that we took when we went to Antigua.

After about 15 minutes - I'm not sure what happened......I fell asleep. ;)

I woke up about 2 hours (or so) later. Alex had fallen asleep before I did in dad's arms and was still sleeping when I woke up.

I woke up just as we were heading into the mountain part of the trip. I was a little worried as I tend to get motion sickness, but I just kept praying and enjoying the scenery.

Just before getting into the mountains it was field after field after field of various crops; corn, lettuce, onions, etc. The views were beautiful.

I think I was prepared for the trip up the mountain from reading about everyone else's trip. It was very curvy, hilly, no guardrails, etc. One thing that made me laugh is that every now and then there would be a road sign indicating that there was a curvy road up ahead - I don't know if that was necessary as all of the road that we were traveling on was curvy!!

Every now and then we would go through a small village. There were almost always little kids hanging out by the road - playing - or just watching. I kept seeing our kids in those faces - except for my Alex. We were pretty sure that my Alex was not Mayan - at least not in his recent past - this was verified by this trip. My Alex doesn't look anything like the kids I saw on my trip. (Jennifer - I saw Sara running by the side of the road on the way to Pana - I almost gasped - it could have been her twin)

At one point we were in, what I thought, was a pretty desolate part of the road. There was nothing in sight but trees and the mountain. All of the sudden I saw this man in traditional indigenous dress walking out of the woods. Who was he? Where did he come from? Where was he going? I couldn't get this man out of my head. To me, there was NOTHING around there, and I really wondered what he was doing.

I knew we were getting close when Gloria started gathering all of their things. By this time it was raining again, but not as hard as it had been earlier.

I still hadn't had a good glimpse of the lake yet. What I discovered later is that I should have been able to see it, but with the rain/clouds it made seeing all of the scenery a little difficult.

We pulled up to Sharon's house/Mayan Families. Everyone who was in the house came out to see Alex. It was nice to actually meet Sharon and the rest of her staff. I wasn't sure what was going to happen next. I was pretty sure I had said my goodbyes to Alex (although I knew that Sharon and I were going to visit the family the next day)

Sharon then told me that she was a little worried about Manuel and Gloria getting home that night. It was starting to get dark, and it was still raining. For them to get home, they were going to have to walk about 30 minutes literally up the side of the mountain. She was also a little worried about Alex's transition.

She asked me if I would be ok with Manuel, Gloria and Alex spending the night with me in the apartment. I hesitated......for longer then I usually hesitate. Sharon quickly noticed my discomfort and said that it would probably be awkward. By this point, I got my wits back to me and said that I'd be willing to do it.

Honestly, I didn't hesitate because of having them in my room, I hesitated because I thought I had said my goodbyes to Alex and I didn't know if I wanted to do it again.

While I was processing all of this in my head, Sharon was calling Patti to see if there was an extra bed in the apartment I was going to be staying in. We found out that there was only one bed, but Patti did have an extra apartment that she offered up to Manuel and Gloria to stay in. The staff asked Manuel and Gloria if they were ok with staying the night in Pana. This way they didn't have to walk up the mountain, they could go in the van with us the next day, and if Alex had a rough night, I would be there to help out.

At this point, my heart was really hurting. I knew that this would be best for Alex, but I didn't think it would best for me.

We took the van over to Patti's apartments. Just a note for any of you who are thinking of visiting Pana - stay at Patti's!!! The apartments are great (I have a video I'll post later), it's right on a busy road on Pana so it's great for people watching, you can't beat the price ($30 per night for one person), and Patti is great!!!

We got Manuel and Gloria settled in their room, and I got settled in mine. I then went into their room to show them the items we brought for them including how to put the pack n play together. I don't know how much they got as we didn't have a translator. I then left them alone to spend some time with Alex.

I went into my room and started getting my stuff organized. This is when I figured out that there was free Wi-Fi and I could communicate back home using my iPOD. That was very interesting - not easy - but I was happy to be able to email Jay and let him know that I made it. I was also able to check my email and my blogs.

I waited for a period of time, and then went back down to their room to see how he was doing. I was very happy to see that they turned the TV on and were watching one of those Spanish soap operas. I have no idea if they have ever had the opportunity to watch TV before or not, but I was glad that they were taking advantage.

On the trip to Pana, and then in the room, Alex would make this sound that sort of sounded like "mama" and he would only say it when he was looking at me. I'm not sure if that's what he was saying, but everyone thought that's what he was doing. I tried to play it off - but it was like a stab in my heart everytime he would say it. I was also trying to read Gloria through all of this. She is 10 months pregnant, and she looked exhausted. I'm sure a combination of not enough food, the pregnancy, and the stress of having her baby boy in another country was all weighing down on her. I also can't imagine how hard it had to be on her to see her child reaching for another mom and calling her mama. My heart also hurt for her.

It was soon time to head to dinner. Sharon, Patti, Patti's friend, and I were going to an Italian restaurant and meeting three ladies from Canada who were also visiting/volunteering with Mayan Families.

It was a beautiful night and the rain had stopped at this point. We made the short walk down to the restaurant. The menu was in both Spanish and English so that made it a little easier to find something to eat.

We had a wonderful evening - great company - great conversation - and a glass of wine for me. :) At this point, the mental/emotional exhaustion was giving way to the physical exhaustion I was feeling. By the time we were done with dinner and heading back to the apartments, it was 10:00 local time (midnight at home). My day had started at 3:45 and was ending around midnight.

I put my ear to Manuel and Gloria's door as I came in and everything sounded quite, so I decided to leave them alone. I got ready for bed, fell in, and almost fell asleep immediately. I think it was a good thing I was so exhausted so I didn't have time to lay in bed missing, Jay, my Alex, and Baby Alex.

Little did I know that Thursday was an easy day compared to what I was in store for on Friday.

Pictures From the Past Posts

2008-08-06T21:37:00.004-04:00

Blogger will finally let me post pictures, so these are pictures from the previous posts.

Alex and I in the Louisville airport waiting to board our plane.

These next pictures need no captions, and I'm not sure I could do it anyway.

My Trip Part #3

2008-08-04T21:34:00.003-04:00

The Embassy, Guatemala City, and Pollo Compero

As we headed out of the airport to the Embassy, I saw all the familiar sights. It brought back a flood of emotions and memories from Alex's adoption.

We went straight to the Embassy. We parked back behind the Embassy at one of the businesses that takes Visa/Passport pictures. One of the best things I did was put together a little photo album of pictures from both before and after Alex's surgery (as well as a picture of both Big and Little Alex and a picture of the four of us). I wanted Alex to have pictures to remind him and the family of his adventure, plus I was sort of worried that the officials wouldn't think that I was bringing back the same kid!!

Manuel and Gloria poured over the few pictures in the album - as did Aida. Aida then showed the album to just about anyone that would stand still long enough!!

Manuel, Gloria, Alex, Aida and I then went up to the Embassy. The guard wasn't going to let us in. I have no idea what he was saying to Aida - but she talked her way in. I think she knows just about everyone there. We went straight to one of the windows - no waiting - not sure if we were supposed to - again - Aida knows what she's doing.

It was kind of sad to not see ANY adoptive parents. Now, the embassy isn't doing any pink appointments on Thursday, so I knew I wouldn't, but it was still very sad.

The embassy staff took Alex's passport, as well as a copy that Aida had made. They took the photo album to show people in the office, stamped some stuff, filled out another form, and that was it. (I decided this was the place to hit the bathroom - so I took advantage!!)

We then left the embassy (I think we were inside for a total of 15 minutes) and headed back to where the van was. I say was because it wasn't there anymore. :) Aida called Julio, and the answer must have been sufficient, but I had no idea where they were or why we were waiting.

We ended up waiting for almost 30 minutes. It was a nice day, and we were able to go into the photo business and relax.

What I discovered later was that a mother and her four year old son who Mayan Families is helping had come to the city to go to a specialist. Her son has lost his sight in one eye and they are trying to save the other eye. Julio and the van driver had gone to pick them up from the doctor.

We then all got back in the van and started driving back through the city. We dropped Aida off to get some work done - looked like she was getting copies of someone's birth certificate. We then headed to Aida's house.

It was kind of fun to see other parts of the city. Aida lives in what looks like a middle class part of town. Aida, Manuel, Gloria, Julio and Alex went into Aida's house for about 15 minutes.

By this time it was about 3:00 in the afternoon. I thought we were going to head to Pana at this point, but Julio said that none of them had eaten lunch so they wanted to grab something to eat on their way out of town.

He asked me if Pollo Compero was ok - I was actually very excited. In both of our previous trips, we never ate there. I think Julio was surprised that I was so excited to eat at a fast food chicken place!! :) He kept asking me if I liked chicken, and if chicken was ok.

Lunch was delicious!! And you can't go wrong with wonderful fried chicken, french fries and doughnuts for dessert!!!!!

At this point, the afternoon rains had begun. Manuel and I ran out to the van at one point as Alex was getting hungry.

At this point, the only time I held him was when I finished eating, and Manuel and Gloria were trying to eat with a very squirmy 10 month old. I held him to help them out, but it was still hard to give him back to them.

At this point, I was just on the brink of major tears but I was trying to hold it together. What I really wanted to do was just get to where we were going, go into my room, and cry.

So, we were finally off on the 3 hour drive to Pana.

My Trip Part #2

2008-08-03T07:05:00.002-04:00

The Handoff

Before my trip, I asked Sharon how I would find the van. She had told Julio to make a sign with my name on it, but he said that they wouldn't have any problem finding us since I would have Alex.

Our plane did land a little early, so I was walking out of the airport at about the time that we were scheduled to land. As we were walking out of the airport, I was scanning the crowd of people who were waiting. I was looking for either Aida (the lady who works with COTA in Guatemala and takes care of all of the paperwork) or Manual and Gloria. I didn't see anyone that I recognized - no one had a sign with my name on it - and my stomach did a little flip.

The porter took my bags across the street to the sidewalk on the other end. He asked me (in very broken English - bless his hear - I couldn't converse with him in Spanish because I'm a dork) if I wanted to borrow his cell phone to call my friends. That's when it hit me - I had NO ONE'S cell phone number - not even Sharon's!! (and my Blackberry and cell phone don't work in Guatemala) I felt so stupid. I had to try to explain to him that I didn't have their number.

He waited with me for a little bit, but then went back inside. Luckily he left the luggage cart with me, so I didn't have to unload my bags.

So, I stood there.....and I stood there.....and I stood there. I had about 10 people offer me their cell phones to call my amigos.....very embarrassing.

I tried not to panic. After all, my plane was early, and I was now on Guatemala time. I kept scanning the crowd looking for a familiar face. I didn't know what I was going to do if I never found them. I thought I might hop one of the hotel shuttles and then see what I could do. At least there, I could get access to a phone and - I don't know what - but something. :)

After about 15 minutes I thought it might be a good idea to go back over to the entrance to the airport and see if I could find anyone. So, I pushed my cart back over the street and started wandering around. (oh the looks I was getting!!!)

All of the sudden I heard, "Alex!!!!" I turned around and there was Aida - and Julio. Ahhh....my heart went back to beating normally, and I felt my whole body relax.

Aida and Julio both gave me big hugs (which was interesting since I was wearing Alex in my Baby Bjorn) Julio and the driver then whisked my bags away and started putting them in the van.

Aida took me over to the van (which was right behind me). I started getting Alex out of the carrier so I could hand him over to mom and dad when the door opened - and there they were - with the biggest smiles on their faces.

I handed Alex over to Manuel and the minute I did that, the tears started coming. They both kissed all over him while I sat in front of them trying so hard to keep from bawling. And then, it happened, Alex started whimpering, and reached for me.

It was heartbreaking. I tried to love on him while he stayed in dad's arms. Eventually, they handed him back to me. So, I held onto him while they loved on him.

Alex really didn't do bad, and other then that first little whimper, he didn't cry. I handed him back to mom and dad, turned around and started crying. Aida, bless her heart, just rubbed my back.

By the time we were done with all of this, the van was loaded with all of my luggage and we were off to the embassy.

My Trip

2008-08-01T09:19:00.003-04:00

I think I finally have some time and the mental capacity to start blogging about my amazing trip to Guatemala. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my cord to download pictures off of my camera, so those will have to wait until later. I've also decided to just blog about my whole trip on this blog. I'll probably just post some pictures on Baby Alex's blog when I get home.

I'm also going to break my posts up by event/day. I may blog more then one a day, so be sure to scroll down to make sure you don't miss a post. I can't even begin to count the number of God things that happened on my trip. It's amazing!!! I can't wait to share it with all of you.

Getting to Guatemala

I basically didn't sleep much the week of leaving. I was thinking about what I needed to take, was I going to be able to pack everything, could I leave Jay and Big Alex, could I travel with a 10 month old by myself, would I find everyone that I needed to.......

The night before I got everything packed - three checked bags (one having a pack n play), one carry on and a backpack. The alarm went off at 3:45 am. I wanted to leave the house no later then 5:00. I didn't want to feel rushed at the airport since I was going to have to take care of all of this luggage.

I got out the door without too many tears. When I got to the airport, I got a GREAT parking spot. I was so excited!!! I got one of those luggage carts and loaded up all of my stuff. I went up to the ticket counter and told the lady that I needed to purchase a lap ticket for Alex and that I had three checked bags and that I needed to pay for that. ($150)

She started the process of checking me in and getting Alex's lap ticket. She then told me that I couldn't take a third checked bag to Guatemala because of the embargo. I was surprised because I had called Delta earlier in the week to ask about the third bag (and the person on the phone knew where I was going). She checked her computer and said that I couldn't take the third bag.

Of course, I started crying. I was teetering on the edge anyway, so any little thing was going to push me over!! I apologized and told the lady what I was doing. I asked her to just stop what she was doing as I was going to have to take everything back to the car and repack.

She then asked me if we could call any of my checked bags a "baby item" I told her that we could - and it wouldn't be lieing as the one bag had a pack n play.

She let me check ALL three bags - and she never even charged me the $150!! Can you believe it!!! It was right then that I realized that all of your prayers were protecting and guiding me.

We got through security without a problem and didn't have to wait too long before we boarded the plane. Alex was wanting to get down, and I thought it might be a long day!

The flight from Louisville to Atlanta was pretty full - except my row. Alex and I had NO ONE sitting next to us. It was wonderful. I didn't have to worry about invading anyone's space, I could lay Alex down on the seats next to me, I could use all of the tray tables - it was heavenly!!

We had a very uneventful flight. We had an hour layover in Atlanta. I knew that this would be plenty of time to get from one gate to another. What I didn't know was just how much time we would have. We came in at gate B28 - we were flying out at gate B32. :)

The flight to Guatemala wasn't even 1/4 of the way full. It was kind of sad. In fact, I'm pretty sure there wasn't even any adoptive parents on my flight. So, we had a whole row to ourselves again. Alex fell asleep soon after we got up in the air. I was able to lay him down on the seat and eat the lunch that Delta actually provided. We had a really good flight. Alex did great.

As we landed, I got very emotional. I think it was a combination of what I knew I was getting ready to do, as well as memories from Alex's adoption. (not a good combination!!!!)

As we got off the plane, I about died. For you Guatemama's out there that adopted when I did and haven't been back - you would NEVER recognize the airport!!! It's BEAUTIFUL!!! I could not believe it it. The only thing that upset me is the "Welcome to Guatemala" sign that was just before going through immigration is gone. :(

All of my luggage arrived. (Yeah!!) And I had a luggage steward help me get my luggage off of the conveyor belt and outside.

Prayers Please

2008-07-28T14:36:00.003-04:00

I posted a couple weeks ago about some blogs that I find inspiring.

One of them was Leslie's Journey

Leslie was completely healed of her cancer Saturday night when she went to be with her Lord.

Please be praying for her husband, Tyson, their almost 3 year old son, TJ, as well as the rest of her friends and family. Although I never had the honor of meeting Leslie, I know that she married into a great family. I can't imagine what they are going through. She was only 32 years old, and 10 months ago she went in for a minor surgery on her sinuses.

(and I'll begin blogging about my trip later this week - today is laundry, repacking and playing with Alex in preparation for our vacation this week!)

I'm Here and Fine

2008-07-25T19:45:00.003-04:00

Just wanted to let people who only read this blog to know that I made it here without a problem and am having a great trip. Alex went back to his house today which was an amazing and emotional trip.

When I get back in the states, I'll blog about Alex specific stuff on my fostering blog and more general trip information on this blog.

Just a Few More Hours

2008-07-23T21:25:00.002-04:00

I've cried about 5 times already today - I'm not sure how I'm going to get through tomorrow.

I'm almost as sad about leaving Big Alex for four days as I am about giving Baby Alex back.

I'm also a little concerned because I won't have any access to Jay while I'm gone. I found out that neither my cell phone or Blackberry will work in Guatemala. I had really hoped that I would at least have email access through my Blackberry so I could email Jay. If I find a Wi-Fi I could email from my iPod so we'll see how that goes.

You may not hear from me again until Monday.

What an exciting adventure!!!

Beyond Blessed

2008-07-20T17:26:00.004-04:00

Words can not express how blessed I am or how thankful I am.

My blogger friends JuJu and Holly asked blog land to help offset some of my expenses to take Baby Alex back to Guatemala. JuJu knew me well enough to know that she had to TELL me that they were doing this, and not ASK me to do it. :)

I'm not sure what I expected, but I certainly didn't expect the amount I got. You all are the best!!!! I'm still amazed that this group of people, most who I've never met in real life, have blessed my family like you have. (ok - is it who or whom? Too bad Aunt Sandy doesn't read my blog!)

Those of you who donated will receive a personal thank you soon, but I also wanted to put out a public thank you.

Thanks to everyone who donated.

Thanks to everyone who is praying for me. (I almost think I need that more right now then money!!!)

Thanks to everyone who has supported me through this adventure.

Thanks to everyone who is praying for Baby Alex and his family.

And Thanks to this wonderful community - a group of people I would have never met if God had allowed me to get pregnant. ;)

(3 days of work and then I'm off to the Land of the Eternal Spring!!)

My Thoughts

2008-07-18T21:14:00.002-04:00

I have lots of questions and thoughts running through my brain. (which is probably why I haven't been sleeping very well lately)

My plan is to list out these questions and then deal with them in separate posts. I may add to this post as I think of other questions.

1. My thoughts on fostering and if I would do it again.

2. Now that we've experienced two kids, do we want another one?

3. If not, can I really parent an only child?

4. If so, where from? (domestic, international - what country)

5. If so, when? Can we afford it? (remember - we are a Dave Ramsey family now - NO DEBT)

6. Why I don't think we did anything special fostering Baby A.

7. What do I want to be when I grow up? :)

8. Could I be a SAHM? Could we afford it?

It Hit Me Today

2008-07-15T21:37:00.001-04:00

****EDITED****

John asked the question - and if he asked, other people may be wondering.

No, we don't have to give back our Alex. He's stuck with us forever. ;)

We have to give back our foster son, Alex. You can read about Baby Alex on our fostering blog (look to the left for the link). But, the quick story is Baby Alex is a 10 month old from Guatemala who came to the US for surgery on his cleft lip. He's been here since May 15th, and I leave this Thursday to take him back home to his mommy and daddy)

Sorry if there was any confusion!!

:)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

I have to give him back.

I don't know if I can.

This sucks.

2008-07-13T21:36:00.006-04:00

On Saturday we took the boys to a local produce farm. They have a little petting zoo for the kids, and Alex loved it.

We started out at the chickens.

This picture was taken just before the "incident." Alex had one piece of corn in his hand and he wanted to feed the chickens. The orange chicken you see in the picture jumped up and took the corn out of his hand. We think he even got Alex's finger a little bit. Alex has been telling anyone who will sit still long enough about how the chicken bit his finger. He didn't cry and didn't seem to be too scared. :)

Helllllloooooooo!!!!!

Our first attempt at Alex looking like a pig.

After Alex loved the Day out with Thomas, Jay has decided to try to encourage this love for trains. He went out and bought the Thomas starter kit and then made this train table. Alex LOVES it. It's now up in the family room (because I really don't even want to have a room for us)

Ok - another picture that I LOVE. My hair looks horrible, but I love that I have my two boys with me. Jay took this with his cell phone which is why the quality isn't great.

Aw, Shucks and a Tag

2008-07-12T21:25:00.002-04:00

Mandy gave me my first Blog Award!!! I've seen other people get blog awards, so I'm touched that I got one.

I think Mandy and I may be one of those weird virtual twin people. (by the way, Mandy, I'm going to see Wicked in Chicago on the 29th - 3rd row tickets!!!) We are both from Ohio, we both LOVE the Buckeyes, musical theatre, Barry Manilow, and she is now thinking about getting her MLS!!! :)

JuJu tagged me AGES ago to list 5 things I can't live without. (and they can't be everyday things like my computer or cell phone) Let's see if I can do this.

1. TiVo (well, we actually now have DirecTV DVR but it's the same thing) I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE TiVo. I believe that it's the best invention in the whole world. I rarely watch commercials, I can watch my shows after the boys go to bed, I can watch shows that are on when I'm not home, and I could go on and on. :)

2. Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner - We have this in our shower and I'm amazed at how well it works. We just run it after we are both done with our shower and it keeps it clean without having to scrub.

3. My Piano - I've been playing piano since I was in 4th grade. (so, for a really long time) I love playing the piano. It's my stress relief, my hobby, and my talent. I also love that Alex likes to play along with me.

4. Baby Wipes - Is this just a big secret that parents don't want people without children to know about? These things are great. I think I will always carry some with me even when Alex is out of diapers.

5. My Bible - I've never been one to do much Bible reading or devotionals (I go in spurts) but I've been trying to be better about it recently.

Check back tomorrow when I'll have pictures of the petting zoo we went to today as well as Alex's new train table that Jay built.

We Interrupt This Blog with Some Pictures

2008-07-11T11:05:00.005-04:00

So, I'm not exactly following Sarah's FFF theme, but these were the pictures that were on my camera.

Here is Alex at Day out with Thomas. Jay and his dad took both Alex's to this last Friday. I had an almost entire day to myself!! It was wonderful. Alex had a GREAT time. (although you really can't tell from these pictures.)

These pictures are from the party at my aunt and uncle's last week. They have a full size pool, but it was REALLY cold. They also set up this baby pool for the kids to play in. It took Alex some time to warm up to the water play, but then he really got into it.

He's trying to squirt water on my dad in these next pictures.

And, just chillin'

Didn't Mean to Leave You Hanging

2008-07-10T21:44:00.002-04:00

Every night this week I've sat down to write my next post, and every time I've just gone to bed.

And the funny thing, is I don't even have anything huge to post, I just don't know where I want to go next.

I started this blog over two years ago when we were in process with Alex. My whole goal was to keep family and friends informed of the process and where we were in it. My hope was that I wouldn't get asked every day when Alex was going to come home. And, this blog totally achieved that goal.

Little did I know that I would "meet" some amazing people along the way. I had no idea I would end up with a big list of blogger friends. (some of you I've had the amazing opportunity to meet in person)

I really haven't posted much about real issues - thoughts - feelings. A couple weeks ago, Angel put a challenge out to Get Real and it has got me thinking.

Where do I want this blog to go next? I still want to use it as a journal for Alex - a place to put pictures (especially for my mom and dad) and record his milestones. But, I think I want it to become something more then just that.

The only reason why I struggle is that there are many people that I know in real life who read this blog. My parents (hi mom and dad!), co-workers (Melissa, Cheryl, Kim anyone else out there?), friends (hi Michelle!), and Jay's co-workers (Kim, Lourdes, anyone else?) I have to admit that it makes me nervous to really put myself out there when I know that these people I really know read it.

I just need to take the plunge - so I think the next thing I blog about will just be a list of questions/thoughts I have that I want to explore.

Thanks for hanging in with me!!

(and I just got my camera back so there will be pictures from Alex's Day out with Thomas and our trip to my Aunt and Uncle's house)

No New Pictures

2008-07-06T22:27:00.002-04:00

I left my camera at my aunt and uncle's house this weekend, so you will have to wait until my parents send it to me for new pictures.

Until then, I'm struggling with where I want this blog to go.

I started this blog to journal our adoption journey. It was designed to keep family and friends informed on where we were in the process, and to share photos.

Although I still want to use this as a place to document Alex's milestones, I think I'm ready for it to be more then just an online journal.

I'm pretty sure God is preparing me for something big, I just don't know what it is yet. So, stay tuned as I work out all of these thoughts in my head!!!

Thirteen Years, One Week and One Day

2008-07-02T20:27:00.003-04:00

Jay and I celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary last week. (well sort of) Our anniversary fell on Baby A's surgery day, so we really haven't done anything yet to celebrate.

I can't believe it's been 13 years - I mean really - am I getting that old? :) At the end of August I will have known Jay as long as I didn't know him.

I said a lot about him on my Father's Day post, and I don't want to repeat myself, but I could go on and on about him.

When most people first meet Jay they think he's a jerk - stand offish - an a-hole. But really, he isn't any of those things. He's just really shy - I'm definitely the outgoing one in the relationship.

He is an amazing husband and father. I usually have nothing to complain about. I can't imagine my life without him.

I tried to take some pictures of our wedding album. Yes, people, I got married before digital photos!! :) And oh my gosh - we were young and thin!!!

Slamming Into the Wall

2008-06-29T22:00:00.004-04:00

****Edited**** - Angel is challenging people to get real on their blog. Since I just did a Get Real post, I thought I would link this one!

I really wanted to post this on Friday night, but just didn't have the strength (or mental capacity to do it)

From Monday night - Friday night I got probably a total of 12 hours of sleep. I don't do well without my sleep. :) Baby A was doing really well, but he's a tummy sleeper. To keep him on his back, we've had to either have him sleep on our lap or in his swing. The swing was working pretty good the first day home, but he soon realized that he couldn't move around much in it. So, he's been sleeping mostly in our laps. (I say our - Jay has really helped this weekend)

I was surviving until Friday night. It was about 9:00, Baby A was on my lap just hanging out. (well, actually a little upset that I wouldn't let him crawl around on the floor) Jay was sitting on the couch eating popcorn and watching a movie. It all of the sudden hit me that I was going to start crying. I put Baby A in the exersaucer, ran into our bathroom, got in the shower and just bawled. :( I was emotionally worn out.

And you know what - I shouldn't have been. Yes, I wasn't getting much sleep. We had two scares with Big Alex (his foot and then being sent home from day care on Tuesday). Watching a baby (even if it's not yours) go through surgery is tough. But, Baby A has been a dream. He doesn't cry much and when he does, it's easy to figure out what he wants.

How would I handle it if something major happened to Alex? How do people deal with chronic, life threatening illnesses with their children? I have much more empathy for these families, and have come to realize that I'm not as strong as I thought I was.

Jay takes Baby A to the surgeon tomorrow to get the stitches out. We are hopeful that he will be allowed to crawl, get the arm restraints off, and be given the go ahead to sleep on his back.

On Saturday, Jay took Alex to a train show in Louisville. They had a great time.

(I love this picture!!! This is Alex out in our front yard. He was playing with the flowers)

We're Doing Good

2008-06-25T16:09:00.002-04:00

I'm home with Baby A. Big Alex ended up getting sent home from daycare yesterday. He was just having some...um...diaper issues. Poor Jay had to take the day off and go get him. (this isn't a good week for this to happen) I then had to get home as soon as possible this morning so Jay could get to work. (because, of course, Alex couldn't go to daycare again today)

I'm tired, but I'm glad we are on our road to recovery.

Ok - I'm Asking

2008-06-22T21:14:00.002-04:00

We've found out that Baby A can go back home 4 weeks (instead of 6) after surgery. I still want to take him back. Four weeks after surgery puts us at the week of July 21st. I am planning on going from the 24th-27th.

I'm trying to figure out the best/cheapest way for me to make this trip. I have 30,000ish miles on Delta from my business trip to India two years ago. I need 50,000ish miles to make the trip. I basically need 14,000 more miles to make the trip. I can buy the miles, but I was wondering if there was anyone out there that might have some Delta miles that they wouldn't mind gifting me. I would pay the transfer fees. Please email me if you can help. kimhartz@hotmail.com

I really debated on asking for help. We knew what we were getting ourselves into when we volunteered to foster Baby A. (we don't get any financial assistance) What we didn't plan on was me taking this trip to Guatemala. I know that many of you just help Lindsay and Chris get to Guate quickly this weekend - and bless all of you for that!!!!

(ok - I'm rambling - so I'll just end this here!!)

This is Just a Test

2008-06-21T22:00:00.003-04:00

Just playing with my new Flip.

And, Alex is fine. He woke up this morning jumping and running. There is no swelling, no soreness and he's walking on it just fine. We've decided to not take him to the foot doctor next week unless something happens this weekend.

God, I'm Not Laughing

2008-06-20T21:58:00.002-04:00

(Keep in mind two things when reading this. Baby A's surgery is Tuesday - I'll be in the hospital with him Tuesday and Wednesday and the Kentucky General Assembly is going back into session for one week starting on Monday)

Tonight, Alex was jumping around the family room. He was having fun. I was holding the baby. Next thing I know, I hear a thump and then a scream. Alex seemed to have hurt his foot. He's a pretty tough guy (he practically bit his lip off Thursday night up at the ball field and didn't cry) so when he cries we know something is up.

About 30 minutes later he would not put any weight on it. So, we were off to Urgent Care to get it x-rayed. My friend, Michelle, went with me while Jay stayed with the baby.

They didn't find a break, but they want us to take him to a foot specialist next week to have it checked out.

I don't know how and the world we are going to get him to the doctor next week, but I'll try to worry about that on Monday. :)

On a happier note, I got my anniversary present a little early.

It's a pink Flip!!! (with the carrying case and tripod) I've been playing around with it, so I'll post some video soon.

Blogs to Watch

2008-06-19T10:50:00.002-04:00

I thought I'd share with you some blogs that I love to read. These are my inspirational blogs - or ones that get me really thinking.

Confessional of a CF Husband I think many of you are aware of this blog. Nathan blogs about his life with his wife Tricia who has Cystic Fibrosis. This past year has been an amazing one for them. Tricia became pregnant in the fall just as she was beginning her PT to prepare for a double lung transplant. They were told that there was a VERY good chance that Tricia, the baby, or both would die through the pregnancy. They decided to go forward. They now have a beautiful baby girl, Tricia has had a double lung transplant, but now they are facing cancer in Tricia's lungs. They are an amazing couple who love and praise the Lord through everything they do.

Leslie's Journey My best friend growing up has two little brothers. (little - they are both in their late 20's early 30's by now!!) One of them, Tyson, and his wife, Leslie, are going through a really hard time right now. Leslie went in to have some minor surgery to remove a cyst from her nose in October. They then discovered cancer - more surgeries - then infection set into her forehead - had to have the bone in her forehead removed - and then just as she was recovering from all of that - they found out that the cancer has spread. She has been told that she will be lucky to see Christmas. They have a little boy (2ish, I think). Through all of this, they are still giving all the glory to God. I'm amazed at what a Godly man Tyson has grown up to be. Please go visit them, and add them to your prayer list.

L2ashbash Ashlee absolutely amazes me. You will read her blog and wonder what you have done with your life. Ashlee is 21 years old and is living in Guatemala working specifically with gang members in the Limonada. She is there - in the trenches - and is seeing the most horrific things that humans can do to each other. She's also witnessing a real movement that God is doing through her. The number of people who have come to Christ because of her work is incredible. (and I'm not sure how I found her - Kerry - I think it was through one of your posts like a year ago - maybe?)

A Life Outside the Box "ManyBlessings" blogs about her wonderful family which includes 5 children at home and 2 in Guatemala. If you don't like "real" blogs, and only want to read fluff, then don't bother with this blog. She tells it like it is, and I LOVE that about her!!! Lately she has been blogging about what it's really like to adopt an older child. I'm really enjoying the insight.

MizFit The Queen of the MizFits is a former personal trainer, and her blog is designed to motivate all of us to become the best person that we can be - which includes exercise and eating right. Although I can't officially consider myself to be a MizFit yet (as I'm still not listening to what she says!!), I do LOVE, LOVE, LOVE her writing style. It cracks me up. If you are looking for a little inspiration to get your butt in gear, check it out.

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-15T18:19:00.003-04:00

What can I say about Alex's Daddy?

I couldn't have asked for a better Daddy for my child.

He has more patience then I do - is a complete partner in Alex's care - and is always doing fun things with Alex.

He changes diapers, gives baths, fixes meals, plays on the swingset, and completely accepts Alex's obsession with Princesses.

Alex adores his Daddy, and I don't blame him - I do too!!!

He's even totally embraced this fostering thing. He as good of a daddy to Baby A as he is to our Alex.

Happy Father's Day, Jay!! We love you very much!!!

FFF - Bloppers

2008-06-13T12:34:00.002-04:00

No problem finding bloppers here!! In fact, I just pulled the first 5 I found - I could have included many more!!

(The last one is Baby Alex!)

Thank Goodness

2008-06-11T22:12:00.002-04:00

Mandy had this fun meme on her blog, and I just had to give it a try.

1. Put your iTunes/music player on shuffle

2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer

3. YOU MUST WRITE THE SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER WHAT

If Someone Says "Is This Okay?" You say

"Someday" Nichole Nordeman

What Would Best Describe Your Personality?

"What This World Needs" Casting Crowns

What Do You Like in a Guy/Girl?

"I Know You're There" Casting Crowns

How Do You Feel Today?

"All For You" Kristy Starling

What is Your Life's Purpose?

"Cosy in the Rocket" Psapp (Grey's Anatomy TV Soundtrack)

What is Your Motto?

"And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls Soundtrack)

What Do Your Friends Think of You?

"River God" Nichole Nordeman

What Do You Think of Your Parents?

"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" Mama Mia Soundtrack (I'm cracking up!!!!!)

What Do You Think About Very Often?

"I Love My Boots" Dora the Explorer

What Is 2+2?

"Healed" Nichole Nordeman

What Do You Think of Your Best Friend?

"God Speaking" Mandisa (Michelle - don't let this go to your head!!)

What Do You Think of the Person You Like?

"Hurry Home" The Backyardigans

What Is Your Life Story?

"Un Dia Especial" Dora the Explorer

What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?

"Somewhere In the Middle" Casting Crowns

What Do You Think When You See the Person You Like?

"Phantom Footsteps" The Backyardigans

What Do Your Parents Think of You?

"The More You Ruv Someone" Avenue Q Soundtrack (ok - this song goes - "The more you ruv (love) someone, the more you want to kill them" - Yikes)

What Will You Dance to at Your Wedding?

"The Boy Who Wouldn't Hoe Corn" Alison Krauss + Union Station

What Will They Play at Your Funeral?

"The Spelling Rules" The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Soundtrack

What Is Your Hobby/Interest?

"Dora the Explorer Theme" Dora the Explorer

What Is Your Biggest Secret?

"Family (End Title)" Dreamgirls Soundtrack

What Do You Think of Your Friends?

"To Say Thanks" Nichole Nordeman

What Should You Post This As?

"Thank Goodness" Wicked Soundtrack

Ok - who's going to join me? It's fun!!!

It Happened

2008-06-09T21:19:00.002-04:00

It finally happened.

Alex got bit at daycare. :(

He's fine - but I feel bad for him. The preliminary reports are that Alex wasn't doing anything, but the Director is going to check with the teacher tomorrow for sure.

I just hope this doesn't turn him into a biter.

A Tough Week

2008-06-06T19:57:00.005-04:00

What a week we have had. Baby A's surgery had to be rescheduled. The poor little guy has been so sick for the past week. None of us were sleeping very well. He's definitely on the mend now, and we are now sleeping!!

It's been so hot here this week - we had no spring - we went from cold to really hot. What's up with that?

Here are some pictures from the week.

I put this picture on Baby A's blog also, but just had to post it here. Alex wants to give the baby hugs and kisses all the time now. It's SOO cute!!!

We went to my friend's house yesterday to "swim." Alex would only get in the kiddie pool to get the la las out of the pool and then he would run around clutching them.

This picture is for my dad. No matter where my dad goes, he picks up the auto/RV trader magazines. You know - those free ones they have everywhere. He's always looking for a good deal. Thursday night we went out to eat at our local pizza joint with my friend's family (after Sarah's baseball game) . Sarah and Zac went over and grabbed magazines from a table. Alex had to follow them, but instead of picking out a magazine, he grabbed the local Auto and RV Trader book. Aren't you proud, Dad??

These next two were from tonight. I never got Alex out of his pj's today. (I know - bad mom) Jay took him outside tonight to play and he had to take his shirt off (something about a lot of sand and water). He came inside and wanted a snack. I just thought he looked so funny with his pj bottoms, Cars sandals eating raisins. :)

Odds and Ends

2008-06-02T20:23:00.003-04:00

On Friday, I took the boys to the zoo. Alex would not smile for the camera.

He likes the playground.

He was looking at the hippos who were actually out of the water and eating.

He was TIRED!!

Baby A is sick - eye, ear and throat infection. We aren't sure at this point if his surgery will be able to happen on Thursday. Please pray that he gets better soon. We had everything set up for surgery on Thursday, so please pray for patience for me - I don't do very good when my plans get changed. :)

I also REALLY want to take Baby A home when it's time. I've been looking at airfares - and OH MY GOSH!! I can't get there for under $1,000 in July. That's just crazy. I really want to go - but I can't justify paying that kind of money. I'll keep looking and see what I can do.

I got tagged by Holly - so here you go. (and I know I don't have eight things for every category - I've gotten 10 hours of sleep in the last three nights, so I'm not exactly on my game.)

8 Things I'm Passionate About:

1. Jesus

2. My Family

3. Adoption

4. Orphans - especially in Guatemala

8 Things I Want to Do Before I Die

1. Visit Australia

2. Spend a week in NYC going to as much theatre as I can squeeze in

3. Go back to Guatemala

4. Attend the Triple Crown of Racing in one year (Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes)

5. Learn how to play the guitar

6. Learn how to play the violin

7. Learn how to play the harp

8 Things I Often Say

1. Seriously?

2. Alex, don't hit the baby

3. Alex, this is your warning, one more time and you will go into time out

4. I love you!!

5. Yes, Alex

6. Chickenbus!!

7. Hola, Baby

8 Books I have Read Lately

1. The Glass Castle

2. Eat, Pray, Love

3. Three Cups of Tea

4. Another Place at the Table: A Story of Shattered Childhoods Redeemed by Love

5. Parents Magazine (ok - not a book)

6. Adoptive Families Magazine (ok - another not a book)

8 Movies I Have Watched 8 Times or More:

1. Top Gun

2. A Christmas Story

3. The Princess Bride

4. Barbie of Swan Lake

5. Bring it On

6. The Sound of Music

7. The Wizard of Oz

8. The Little Mermaid

I'm not tagging anyone as I think pretty much everyone has been tagged. If you haven't - go for it!!

Sex and the City SPOILER ALERT

2008-05-31T07:55:00.003-04:00

If you haven't seen it, and you don't want to know anything, move on to your next blog. (and I really liked the movie. It felt like a really long episode)

Did anyone else go see it last night? If so, I have a few questions.

It looks like the version we saw at our local movie theatre was a poorly edited version, and I didn't know if that was the way for everyone. There were about 5-8 scenes where we could see the boom mike at the top of the screen, and even one section where we could see the lighting stuff. The theatre couldn't stop laughing. I've never seen anything like that before at the movie theatre.

Was anyone else bothered by the Charlotte story line. Not so much that she got pregnant, but that "her doctor told her that many people get pregnant after adopting." I sat there and thought - great - there we go again - lets get even MORE women thinking that it happens all the time. And did anyone else notice that Lily was in almost every scene until Charlotte got pregnant, and then she didn't appear again (until the final scene). She wasn't even at the hospital when her sister was born. I'm sure I'm just being overly sensitive. :)

Favorite Foto Friday - PJ Party

2008-05-30T16:05:00.002-04:00

Favorite Foto Friday this week is PJ Party.

These two pictures were taken on different days - but he's in the same pj's. And the funny thing is, we aren't even Chicago Bears fans. These are hand me downs - but the only recent pictures I have with him in pj's are these!! Happy Weekend!!!

Alex's Latest

2008-05-28T21:26:00.004-04:00

**Edited to add a few more items I forgot**

Since this is where I'm documenting what Alex is doing, I figured I needed to do an update.

He is talking - ALL THE TIME - and NON-STOP (yes, mom, paybacks). He is putting his own sentences together and repeats everything we say. Some of my favorites:

Mommy, I do it - which actually means, Mommy, do it for me (this one took me quite awhile to figure out)

'Cause - which he says after he has been in time out and I ask him why he was put into time out

Mommy (Dora, Gego, etc.), were ahhh you?? - said very loud and kind of sing-songy - with his hands cupped to his mouth

Mommy, watch me! - yes, he is starting this already!!!

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We were over at our friend's mom and dad's house Monday for a picnic. They have a playset in the back yard. The steps to climb to go down the slide are not actually steps, but bars that go straight up. He started climbing up (after his best friend, Zach) and I didn't even think his little legs were long enough to attempt the climb. I had the baby up on the deck and Jay was gone. He actually climbed all the way up BY HIMSELF!!! When he got about half way up, I just couldn't watch anymore. I was so proud of him.

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He's become very possessive of the baby. He calls him "My Baby." He brings the baby toys, blankets, and diapers. The other night we were getting ready to go upstairs and read books before bed. Alex started saying, "Need Wack, Need Wack, Need Wack" I had NO idea what he was talking about. He then ran into the piano room and came back with a plastic, bath book and said, "For Baby." (it was a duck book - Wack was supposed to be Quack) He wanted to make sure that the baby had a book to read!! How sweet is that??

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He's becoming so much more independent. At the Memorial Day picnic on Monday, he sat at a little kids table by himself and ate (and played with the other kids). He ran off into the playroom and played, he ran around in the yard and played - and I was no where around. I was as proud of myself as I was of him. :)

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He takes his little Dora and Diego "action figures" (that makes me feel like he's more of a boy!) and bangs them together. He then tells Diego that he needs to go into time out. Diego then has to go into time out. After he gets out of time out he has to tell whoever he hurt (usually Dora) he is sorry and give her a hug. :)

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At least once a day he says, "Lean Up! Everybody Lean Up!" (clean up - for those of you who don't speak Alexese) It's pretty cute - and he does a pretty good job of cleaning up. I'm trying to enjoy it now as I know that won't last forever.

Dancing

2008-05-27T21:26:00.004-04:00

I didn't post this weekend as Alex was pretty much sick the whole weekend. It was too bad - we had beautiful weather and he has a new playset.

He just had a fever - no other symptoms - and he didn't sleep well. (made for a long weekend)

These next pictures just make me laugh.

And I finally got a half way decent video of Alex dancing. (I have no idea what the audio is like - the sound is not working on my computer)

Favorite Foto Friday

2008-05-23T17:09:00.002-04:00

Ok - so I'm not very good at this - I think this is my second time participating in FFF.

This is definitely my favorite picture from the week. This was the first time that Alex wanted anything to do with Baby A. It was so sweet. (after this picture he gave him a kiss!!)

Fostering Blog is Now Open!

2008-05-21T14:12:00.003-04:00

After talking with Sharon at Mayan Families, we have decided to make our fostering blog public. There has been a lot of interest in Baby A (whose name is Alex, by the way - how confusing is it in our house!?!) and this way more people can follow along.

If you were invited to the private blog, this just means that you will no longer need to log in to read it, and you can add it to your blog reader.

If you weren't invited, come check it out!

From Your Hands to Ours and Back to Yours

Things I Had Forgotten...and Things I'm Learning

2008-05-19T21:16:00.002-04:00

Things I Had Forgotten

1. I forgot how horrible formula smells - YUCK

2. I forgot how much a pain it is to wash bottles - especially when the little one will only take one of two nipples (Alex was like this when he first came home)

3. I forgot how much my back hurts when trying to swing a baby to sleep

4. I forgot that at 8 months, they still do little more then sleep, eat, poop/pee, and roll around on the floor

5. I forgot that little boys at this age can pee in a stream that will always hit me on the shirt. (and Baby A. has a geyser on him!!)

6. I forgot how interesting the top to the bottle can be and that it makes a pretty good teething toy

7. I forgot how a baby smile can just light up the room

8. I forgot how much I love those little cooing sounds they make as they are falling asleep

9. I forgot how amazing it feels to have a little one burying his head in your shoulder

10. I forgot how much laundry I used to do

Things I'm Learning

1. I now know what a pooplosion is (Alex has never had one)

2. I now know the exact angle to hold a bottle so that a severely cleft baby can still take a bottle

3. I now know that the terry burp cloths from Wal Mart suck

4. I now know that it doesn't matter what language you speak - you can still get a baby to laugh

WARNING: Discussion of bodily fluids coming up - if you are eating, you may want to come back later.

As a side note, we were up ALL night last night. And it wasn't because of Baby A. Alex woke up at midnight screaming. Jay went upstairs and the next thing I hear is the bathtub running - never a good sign. Alex threw up everywhere and spent the next 5 hours have dry heaves every hour or so. This is the first time Alex has gotten sick like this. It was HORRIBLE and I felt so bad for him. At one point in time Alex was awake, and Baby A. woke up from a horrible nightmare (at least we're pretty sure that's what he's doing). I was trying to put Baby A back to sleep, and Alex kept screaming for me. I've never felt so horrible as a mother then that exact moment. Alex stayed home with Baby A and I today. He was much better during the day, so I hope it was just a short virus.

Reverting and Cat Cuteness

2008-05-18T21:46:00.003-04:00

Alex continues to do REALLY well with Baby A. Much better then I expected. We have still had our meltdowns, and he likes to run into our room, slamming the door, when the baby is sleeping, but it's all stuff we can deal with.

As I expected, Alex is doing a little bit of reverting. His favorite thing right now is to crawl into the exersaucer.

The other day, I went up to check on Alex when he was taking a nap, and this is what I saw - made me laugh!!

We Survived the First Night

2008-05-16T11:41:00.002-04:00

Well, things went well - and I even got some sleep.

Alex has been WONDERFUL this morning. He has been very helpful, has been sharing his toys and has generally been very nice to the baby.

The invitations for the private blog have gone out. If you didn't get one, or would like to be invited, please either leave a comment, or send me an email at kimhartz @ hotmail . com. If you sent me a request and you haven't heard from me, please contact me again. This is my first try at a private blog and I'm a little afraid I've missed someone.

T-Minus 24 1/2 hours and counting

2008-05-14T21:56:00.003-04:00

Baby A. will be here tomorrow night!! The medical visa has been issued, and so we just need to make sure that he gets to the airport tomorrow afternoon.

I'm a wreck!! I can't think straight - my stomach is in knots - and I feel like I'm forgetting something.

Please keep praying for peace for Baby A's parents. I know that his mom is very anxious - and I certainly don't blame her!!!

I may not post again until Friday. (and I hope that the private blog invites go out on Friday - but it might be over the weekend)

Would You Like to Help?

2008-05-13T07:32:00.002-04:00

I've had people ask me if they can help us with Baby A. I think we are doing ok, but I do have one way that you can help.

Mayan Families has been paying for Baby A and his family to go to the city to get the paperwork done for his trip. According to my calculations, he will have to travel three times. (once for the doctor, today for his visa visit, and Thursday to go to the airport) Mayan Families does not own their own van, so they have to hire a driver to go back and forth to the city (and I'm pretty sure it's about a 3 hour trip).

If you go here and scroll down to the bottom of the page, you will see a PayPal button that will allow you to contribute money to Mayan Families' Operations Program. Any amount will help replenish these funds. Your contributions are 100% tax deductible, and you will not only receive your PayPal receipt, but you will also receive an email receipt from Mayan Families for your records.

Even if it's just $20 - it will help this organization!

Quick Update

2008-05-12T12:36:00.002-04:00

We have the hospital letter!!! Just two more hurdles to jump, but it's looking pretty good.

And now that she has finally posted, I can say who is bring Baby Alex to the United States. Go here to find out which special blogger friend is doing us a huge favor!!

What a Weekend!!

2008-05-11T21:24:00.002-04:00

We've had a very interesting weekend in our house.

It was about noon on Thursday when I realized that Alex hadn't had his paci at all that day. I decided that we should probably start breaking the habit. Alex hasn't had a paci during the day at all since then - only naps and bed at night (only in his crib). We've had a few melt downs, but for the most part it has gone well - until today.

He was playing with another little girl's princess dolls today. When Jay tried to get him to give them back, he started having a melt down. And you know, melt down isn't even the right work - it was bigger than that. (this was going on during the Mother's Day brunch) Jay and I took him into the sanctuary, but I don't think it mattered. He screamed (and I mean huge breath - top of his lungs - screaming), he cried, he hit, he scratched, he threw my glasses. It was horrible. It lasted for about 15 minutes. He finally calmed down enough for us to try to get him to eat. He was still crying, and not happy. My friend took him into the nursery where (bless her heart) the nursery worker gave him the princess doll back!! Yikes!! So, it started all over again. Jay ended up taking him home where he proceeded to scream for another 45 minutes before passing out.

I think he just hasn't figured out how to calm himself down without the paci. I hope he doesn't have any breakdowns like that tomorrow at daycare.

I knew that this would happen - but wow - it was horrible.

It also hit me tonight that we are about to have another baby in this house. I know - I've known about this for a couple of months - I've been excited about it - and was actually quite crushed when it looked like he might not be coming. I know I'll be fine (at least I think I will).

We also had our homestudy this weekend, and it looks like we passed. :) There is one more letter that needs to get done first thing tomorrow morning. Needless to say, I'll be stalking my email tomorrow.

(oh - and if you've emailed me about being invited to the private blog, assume you will be unless you hear from me. I'll be sending out invitations later this week)

Happy Belated Mother's Day to everyone!!

Some Randomness

2008-05-08T20:12:00.002-04:00

Thank you so much for the prayers for Baby A.! They are working. We have one of the letters we need for the donation of the surgery, we have our homestudy scheduled with Jody, and with the help of some of my local blogger friends, we have been able to secure a donation of general pediatric care!!! Baby A. went to the doctor in Guatemala yesterday and had his final physical, his visa picture taken, and his parents have signed the power of attorney.

There are still a couple more hurdles to jump - and I may not know for sure that he's coming until next Wednesday - but it's looking better every hour!!

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Here's a conversation Alex and I had tonight.

Alex: No White (Snow White), Cinellla (Cinderella), Belle, Aweelll (Ariel)
Me: Alex, who is your favorite LaLa? Is it Cinderella?
Alex: Hummm...No...Mommy

:) Make my heart melt. I almost gave him M&Ms for dinner! :)

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I've decided that I'm going to start a private blog to detail Baby A's journey with us. This way his parents can see what is going on with him. I decided to make it private for their protection. If you would like to be invited to the blog, please send me an email at kimhartz @ hotmail.com (remove the spaces!) If you don't think I know you, please let me know how we are connected. I probably won't have anything ready until next week, so you have some time to email me.

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Alex sent me flowers today for Mother's Day - they are very pretty, but I'm not sure how he got his hand on daddy's debit card!!

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I looked out the window today in our side yard and I saw a HUGE snapping turtle crawling through the grass. Jay went out tonight, put him in a garbage can, and took him across the road. There used to be a pond in our neighbor's pasture, but it's gone now. We think he was headed to find a new home. The property across the street from us has a huge pond, so hopefully he will have a good life over there. The joys of living out in the country.

National Day of Prayer for Guatemalan Orphans

2008-05-07T22:05:00.003-04:00

One of my blogger buddies, JuJu , is calling for a National Day of Prayer for the kids in Guatemala for tomorrow.

Current adoptions from Guatemala are currently on hold and things are very scary right now for people in process.

Please take some time tomorrow to pray for all the children in process, and for their families. Please also pray for all of the orphans in Guatemala who, right now, have no chance of becoming part of a forever family.

Prayers Again!!

2008-05-06T22:27:00.002-04:00

Ok - I had this whole idea for another post tonight, but something else has taken precedence!!

Here's the latest on Baby A. It looked like it might be the end of June before he would be getting here. His parents were asking about it last week, and were concerned about the amount of time it was taking and how he was getting older. They started rethinking having him come here. (and who could blame them!!)

So, it was then either end of June - or not at all.

They JUST got the hospital to commit to the donation of the OR TODAY. Baby A is going to the doctor tomorrow for the final physician paperwork, and Sharon is going to check and see if the parents will let him come - NEXT WEEK!!!!!!

There is someone (that I know) who is going to Guatemala next week and she would be bringing him back.

Please pray that Jody is able to get the paperwork done SUPER quick. Please pray that the US Embassy will issue the medical visa next week SUPER QUICK. Please pray that Baby A's parents are at peace with him coming to the US.

So - now we are looking at either the end of June - not at all - or next Thursday!!!!

Yikes!!

Alex's Birthday Dinner

2008-05-03T09:26:00.006-04:00

I didn't want to call it a party, as I didn't want anyone to bring him presents - but no one listened to me. :)

Here are some pictures. (I realized, again, yesterday that I'm horrible at taking pictures. I'd rather enjoy the event then take pictures of it. Is that horrible? Am I going to regret that later on? I don't know - it's just not something that I'm used to doing)

The theme was Dora. (It was almost Disney Princesses, but decided to stick with Dora)

While we were waiting for everyone to arrive (including the pizza which was 25 minutes late) Alex thought it would be fun to start his cup stacking career.

We had pizza for dinner - Alex's favorite.

Alex got some great gifts, but I can't post most of the pictures. These are even pushing it!! (It was hard to get pictures of just Alex without all the other kids in there)

He enjoyed having everyone sing Happy Birthday to him, but wasn't sure what to do after that. Needless to say, the 2 1/2 to 3 year olds in the room took care of the candle for him!!

We had a great evening. I'm so glad we decided to do something small and low key. It kept my stress level way down.

In fact, here's the funny story. Our plan was to order pizza from our local pizza place in our small town. We love their pizza and it would be very easy for Jay to run over and pick it up. I called at about 3:45 to order the pizza to be ready by 6:30. The main guy answers the phone and proceeds to tell me that they are closed!!! What??!?!? Come to find out, they are always closed on Derby Day (today) and last year they were open on Oaks Day (Friday before) and they had horrible business. They decided, this year, to be open for lunch but to close for the evening. So, here I sat, about 3 hours before the party with no pizza!! I ended up calling Papa Johns in the town next door and they would deliver, so it ended up being fine. (even though they were late)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALEX

2008-05-02T07:27:00.005-04:00

Today is Alex's 2nd Birthday. I don't know where the time has gone. Two years ago today, Jay and I had no idea that our precious little one was being born. We were still trying to get the last pieces of our dossier together and wondering when we might be parents.

Alex, I hope you always know how much your mommy and daddy love you. We think you are amazing and we are so glad that God picked you to be in our family.

We are having a little party tonight (just close friends/family) with pizza, cake and ice cream. This is also Derby weekend in Kentucky - the best weekend of the year!!

Here are some birthday pictures:

Two Years Ago

One Year Ago

This Year

(don't miss my post below from last night - God is amazing!!)

My Interesting Business Trip

2008-05-01T21:23:00.005-04:00

I wasn't exactly looking forward to my business trip on Tuesday. It wasn't that I didn't want to go visit this client - I actually like this client - and I was pretty sure it would be a good meeting. But, to travel all day for a 2 hour meeting and then just be further behind at work was not very appealing to me.

As I got off the plane, it hit me, we were in Dallas (I know - I should have realized that before). We flew through Dallas on our pick up trip for Alex, and this was the first time I had been back since then. I was pretty teary eyed as I got off the plane, as the surroundings brought back LOTS of memories.

We get to the client's office (after I picked up my boss and another work colleague at another client's location). We had to walk across this median that was grass and big stone/concrete walking stones. As we were walking (me in heels), I decided to get my Blackberry out to find the phone number of my client. (yeah - bad idea) Next thing I know, I'm on the ground - Blackberry, purse and backpack all on the ground - ankle hurting - and knee in major pain. Luckily I didn't really hurt myself, I didn't tear my pants and I wasn't bleeding. I was so embarrassed!!! (and in pain)

We had a good meeting and got back to the airport. My boss headed back to her hometown and my work colleague and I had a few hours to kill before our plane left. We were sitting eating dinner when I noticed a Dad walking with a young one. When I looked at the child, my first thought was, "I think he's from Guatemala." I couldn't stop staring.

As we were leaving the restaurant, I noticed the same little boy, but now with a mommy. I decided to be bold. I walked up to the couple and asked them if their son was born in Guatemala. They said yes and that they were coming home with him!! I immediately got out my Blackberry to share a picture of Alex with them. When I asked them where home was, they said (get this!!), Louisville!!!! Can you believe that there was a new Guatemalan Kentuckian coming home on my flight!!!! I was so excited and happy for them. They had been in the Dallas airport for almost 8 hours with a 17 month old. They were doing well, as was their little one, but they were ready to get home.

Got on the plane to go home - and had a seat all the way in the back of the plane. (which I switched to at the airport because I wanted an aisle seat) I was lucky enough to not have anyone in the middle seat, and there was a young gentleman in the window seat. We started chatting. I got out my book (Chicken Soup for the Adopted Soul - a MUST buy if you like the Chicken Soup books - I've cried many times). He saw the book I was reading and started asking some questions. I then spent almost the entire 2 hour flight talking about adoption with him. He and his wife are interested and have just started having conversations. So we talked about all the options (private domestic/foster-adopt/international) and the pros and cons of each. It was a wonderful trip home, I think he was fighting his wife on the concept (just based on some of his comments), and I think I gave him some things to think about.

As we got off the plane and out beyond security, there were about 25 people there welcoming the new little one to Kentucky and the tears started all over again.

I know for a fact that I was supposed to be in Dallas on Tuesday. I was supposed to be there to meet this new little one, and to talk to a potential prospective adoptive parent!! God is amazing!!!!

Pre and Post Haircut Pictures

2008-04-27T20:26:00.005-04:00

Alex's hair was starting to get out of hand. When it gets long, it curls like crazy and won't stay down. I may have to start getting out the hair gel for him. Here's a before picture.

And, here's an after picture. I had it cut shorter than normal. (and this is right after he woke up on Saturday)

Alex also decided that he had to help daddy sweep the family room floor. It was pretty funny.

This picture is dark, but I thought it was so cute! I'm so mad that the lighting didn't turn out right!!!!

This is an outfit that my cousin got for Alex LAST year for his birthday. It just now finally fits. He loves this outfit because it has Mickey on it.

His latest: Saturday morning he was playing with some wooden blocks he has. He holds up one of the blocks, looks at me and says, "triangle." He was right!!! I don't pay his daycare enough money!!! :)

This video is a little long, and you hear me asking him the same question over and over again. I was trying to get him to say, "So Good!" which he says when he eats something he likes. I LOVE the way he says it.

I hope everyone has a good week. We have a busy one - I'm off to Dallas on Tuesday for business and Friday is Alex's birthday. (plus it's Derby week in Louisville, which is always lots of fun!!)

What Alex Says at 4:30 am

2008-04-25T05:34:00.002-04:00

Alex decided to wake up at 4:15 this morning. Mommy is tired and wants to go back to bed.

Although I'm not happy about being up, Alex said some new things this morning.

He's been counting to 4 lately, but that's as far as he has gotten. He was walking down the stairs this morning and started counting the stairs - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - I said 5 - and then he just continued - 6 - 7 - 8- 9- 10 - 11!! I didn't know he could count that high. I guess it's just the 5 that he gets stuck on.

We've also been working on colors. (not very successfully at this point yet) He has been working on red and green. This is because if we are stopped at a red light in the car, he yells "Move Cars!!!!" I've been trying to teach him to look at the stoplight and if it's red that means stop - and if it's green that means go. This morning, he pointed to one of my purses (that he has drug out of the closet to play with) and said, "Mommy green purse" (while he was signing green) I was very surprised as this is one of the few colors he has gotten correct.

He also asked to watch his Barbie video this morning. Unfortunately, our DVD player just died. I told him that we couldn't watch it because the DVD player was broken. He jumped down off of the couch and said, "I'll fix it, Mama!" What? Where did he learn that one???

He is amazing - but I wish he would amaze me at a more normal hour!!!

Home - and Change in Plans!

2008-04-20T21:46:00.003-04:00

We had a great weekend in St. Louis. Alex is such a good traveler in the car. We had "nacks" (snacks), books, DVDs, and juice. With the horse trailer, and a 2 year old, the trip took about 7 hours! Once we got to T & M's house, Alex turned into demon child. It was horrible. He wouldn't listen, he ran around like a banshee, and caused havoc wherever he went. I was embarrassed!!

He did really like the bunnies, kitties, puppies and horses at T&M's house, and they have a nice open floor plan that he really enjoyed.

I got away Saturday night and met up with my old boss, Joyce. We had a great time catching back up, eating dinner and hitting the casino.

Amazingly enough, we didn't come home with our newest addition! Jay decided that he didn't want to buy Speedy once he saw the little guy in person. Instead, we brought home one of T's 2 year old geldings. He needs some work, so Jay is going to train him this summer, try to show him a couple times, and then he will probably get sold this fall. It's fine with me, Jay gets a new horse to play with, and we didn't have to fork out any money.

I hope Alex's new behaviors this weekend were just because he was overstimulated, and not an indication of what's to come.

We also got some good news this weekend on Baby A. It looks like the latest hospital is going to be promising, but it may be another couple of weeks before the paperwork can get done.

What a Great Day

2008-04-17T21:41:00.002-04:00

Spring has finally sprung in Kentucky - and it's about time!!

Alex and I had a wonderful day today.

We first went shoe shopping. I was in desperate need of new summer sandals. So, we are in Payless (yes, I know, but I needed a lot of shoes, and this fit in my budget) and Alex proceeded to take about 5 pairs of shoes and line them up. He then kept saying over and over, "I like shoes! I like shoes!" Every now and then he would stop his shoe obsessing and would jam to the music that was playing. He had me CRACKING up!

We then grabbed lunch, headed to the park, and met up with Lori and Cohen . We had a great lunch, let the boys play and run, and Lori and I had a great time chatting.

I remembered my camera - but never took it out of the diaper bag. I know - horrible - horrible.

Cohen is just about the most adorable thing ever. And the boy can run - those little legs are going to take him places!!

Thanks Lori and Cohen for a great afternoon!!!

(I'll be MIA for the weekend - we leave in the morning to head to St. Louis to get the newest member of our family and bring him home!)

Sentence #2 and #3

2008-04-14T21:13:00.002-04:00

A while back, Alex said his first sentence. (Daddy go potty)

This morning he said his next two. "Mama, I like Dora" and "Mama, I like Geigo (Diego)."

:) I don't think he realizes that he didn't have to tell me that - I already knew. :)

Update Post

2008-04-13T20:46:00.006-04:00

Last weekend my parents were here for a visit on their way from Florida back to their house. They brought Alex his birthday presents.

They got him this Diego tricycle. Here is Alex with my dad "helping" put it together.

And the final product.

They also got him this pop-up tent. He LOVES the tent. I was trying to get him to pose with his new tent, but he was being silly.

Here he is giving his tent a hug.

Last Sunday was one of the nicest days we've had here this spring. We took Alex to the local Elementary school to play on their playground equipment. He had such a great time.

Playing is hard work!!

Had to throw this one in so you could see the back of my new car. :)

And this picture is for Carla and Holly. If you guys are reading this - I thought you might want to see the new tie Jay just bought.

Please continue the prayers for Baby A. A member of the Board of Directors from COTA is going to another hospital this week to try to get the facility donated for Baby A's surgery. I hope we get some good news this week!!

What Did You Do Today?

2008-04-05T14:20:00.002-04:00

I got this

Thanks to the generosity of my parents, I was able to get a new Kia Rondo. It's cute, roomy, and I love it!!!

I hope you had a good day.

Houston, We Have a Problem

2008-04-03T12:49:00.002-04:00

I just found out that COTA is having problems getting the surgery for Baby A donated. There is a surgeon who will do the surgery, they are just having a hard time finding the facility.

My heart is so ready for this little guy, and he really needs to have this surgery as quickly as possible!!!!

Please pray that the next avenue that Jody is working on will work. If it doesn't - we won't be fostering Baby A. They will just have to wait to fix his cleft next winter in Guatemala. :(

Alex Dancing Like Barbie

2008-04-01T21:08:00.004-04:00

I tried to load this last night with no luck. As I've mentioned before, Alex is very much into Disney Princesses and his Barbie of Swan Lake video. He likes to dance like Barbie (ballerina). I haven't been able to get it on video since he stops what he is doing when he sees the camera. He didn't know I was taking this video on Saturday. There are lots of kids and people walking around, but I think you can still see him pretty well.

Latin Family Connection Event

2008-03-31T21:36:00.005-04:00

We had a great time Saturday morning with our Latin Family Connection Group. I got to meet some new blogger buddies, see some old blogger buddies, and meet some mamas that are waiting for their babies to come home.

Here are some pictures I was able to take. It's hard to take pictures when you are trying to keep up with an almost 2 year old!!

We started in a bouncy room. Alex didn't want to have anything to do with the inflatables, but wanted to play with this pink car! :)

Here's sweet Cohen!! He's getting so big and is in constant motion. Lori has her hands full!!! :)

After the inflatables, the kids had snacks, made tissue paper flowers, heard a speaker who told us about the traditions of the alfombra. We then had the kids make one out of tissue paper pieces. They had a great time!