Fur Can Also Be a Girl's Best Friend
When I was about 13, I begged my parents to buy me a fur coat. Nevermind the fact that we lived on the east coast of Florida - I wanted a fur coat. So one day I got that fur coat - a solid white rabbit fur - came a bit below the waist with pockets and a white leather belt. Oh my did I love that coat. I loved it so much, that I still have that fur coat in spite of the fact that I was a size 8 when I got it, and am now a size 18. I just can't bear to part with that coat.
And along came my daughter.
Last night after her bath, Cookie was roaming around the master bedroom wearing nothing but a diaper and happened to wander into the closet. She had been eyeing the fur coat that had been hanging there waiting for me to get the guts to sell it. Well, apparently temptation was too great, and Cookie reached up and snatched the fur coat and ran away with it to the other side of the bedroom. It was bed time and while she usually gets a sippy cup of highly watered-down juice and a woobie of some sort to hold - all she wanted last night was the coat. So, I let her crawl up into the bed, pop her paci into her mouth, and wrap her naked body in white rabbit fur. The look on her face said it all. She was in heaven. Her little fingers worked the fur on one side and the silky lining on the other. She rubbed the fur against her smooth belly and closed her eyes. Life was - at that moment - perfect.
And, no, I did not take the fur away. She slept with the fur. I waited too long for her to care more about a coat than about her enjoyment of it.
On the less-cute side of life, Cookie's latest thing is to say "Mom-MEEEE" over and over and over again, in rapid fire...ALL THE TIME and most of the time in a not-so-cute whiny voice. I did not think the name Mommy would become annoying this quickly. WHY can't it be "Dad-DEE"???
Cookie's Baptism Pictures
Mommy & Cookie sitting in the nursery before church:
Waiting to get baptized:
Cookie gets a corsage:
A baptized Cookie:
Cookie & Daddy at the reception:
A happy Mommy at the reception:
Ms. Brenda loves Cookie:
Cookie & her Grammy play at the reception (Grampy was taking the pictures):
Many thanks to my dad for the beautiful pictures and for capturing these very special moments. The "actual" baptism wasn't photographed because mom and dad stood up front with us. It was a wonderful day we will never forget. I'm proud to share these with you!
My Child, The Shoe Addict
My daughter loves shoes. (No, this is not an advertisement.) I mean, she REALLY loves shoes. She loves carrying them around, taking them off, and trying to put them back on again. She loves the ones that light up when you walk, and she loves velcro. She loves having LOTS of shoes.
That's my girl!
But I did want to take a minute to tell you about our all-time favorite shoes. Seriously, who among us hasn't struggled in vain to get a pair of shoes on a squirming toddler? And who hasn't watched their poor kid try to walk in clunky shoes?
I LOVE these shoes, folks - this is serious LOVE. They are called Pedipeds, and though they are not cheap, they are so worth it. You can get them in a few specialty stores, or you can just order them through the website.
Cookie has 3 pairs she wears now (blue and white "sneakers", white dress shoes, and the black patent leather dress shoes), and I bought 2 pairs for her to wear in about 6 months once she needs the next size up.
$30 a pair is a lot to spend on kids shoes, but I really do love these. I can get them on her in seconds, and she actually leaves them on, and the soft flexible bottom was fabulous when she started walking. I've washed them - and if you set them out to dry, they really wash up nicely.
If you order through website, you get free shipping if you buy 2 or more pairs.
OK, so now that I've gone off on this little shopping tangent...
What are
your favorite baby or toddler products or gear? I want to know!
(Really, what else do I need to shop for while I'm supposed to be working?)
Cookie's Baptism
All went well this past weekend. My parents came up from Florida, Cookie entertained them immensely, and church on Sunday was quite nice.
Cookie wore a beautiful dress I got from Little Girl Dresses online - it was spectacular. Of course, as soon as we all got up on the stage, she sneezed and huge globs of snot went flying all over her face...and she cried when Pastor Chris put the water on her head. But he said that if she didn't cry, he hadn't done it right - so there!
I sang in church for the first time in I-don't-know-how-long. I sang an old Steve Green song called "I Can See" that tells the story of Cleopas on the Road to Emmaus. If you've never read the story, or it's been a while, take a moment and digest it again. It's one of my favorite stories - the reasons which I shall discuss at a later time. I think I even impressed myself that I still had the chops to sing well despite the lack of opportunities I've had to keep in shape musically.
Dad repainted my master bathroom and hung all new hardware while he was here. It used to be a hideous shade of a rather dark robin's egg blue - and it's a big bathroom, so that's a whole lot of blue. To top it off, it was a bad paint job with obviously cheap paint, and no one bothered to cut-in well, or paint the ceiling. Dad did everything like a perfectionist under a microscope - inspecting every nook and cranny. My bathroom is now a beautiful celadon (light celery green) with very white trim and ceiling, and white and silver hardware and accessories. It looks like a spa. It is the best gift he could have given me - I've hated the look of that bathroom since we moved in, and now it's my favorite room in the whole house. He also helped me pick up new paint for my front door and new knobs for the kitchen cabinets, and helped me get the supplies to do it myself when it dries up and gets a bit warmer. (The front door is also (no shock here)...blue.)
I actually enjoyed my folks, and Michael pretty much hid away in his office most of the time, so his level of interaction with them was kept to the evening meal, where he could avoid interaction by always ensuring that his mouth was full. I was angry with him, but it will take a long time (if it ever happens) for him to forgive them for things they said before we got married.
We're all doing well - fighting sinus infections and allergies, and trying in vain to get enough sleep - and praying for the semester to come to an end very soon.
Pictures will be posted as soon as I get them in the mail from mom!
Calling All Bloggers
I would really like to update the blogroll I've got going to the right...
Are you a foster parent? An adoptive parent? Training to be a foster parent or foster-to-adopt parent? Do you have a cool mom or dad blog? Would you like to be on my blogroll? Then please comment and let me know who you are, what category you'd fit under, and what your blog is. I'd love to have you, offer support for you, and pray for you!
I see this little slice of the blog-o-sphere as a genuine source of support - and an incredibly valuable one at that.
Once upon a time, I was going through an absolutely dreadful spell with my husband, and a blogger friend sent the most loving email and suggested counseling - and we went, and are much better for it.
When we got kids, and saw kids go, blogger friends emailed their support. And when we celebrated steps completed toward adoption, blogger friends joined in to celebrate another child getting a forever family. I'm so grateful for every single one of you who stop by. Wether we "call" it a support group or not, it is for me - and for many of us.
So, please, if you've never commented, or if I don't have you in the blogroll and you would like to be, please let me know. I'd love to increase even more the level of support we foster and adoptive parents can give each other every step along the way.
I feel the need to foster to adopt another child. I don't think my husband feels the same, so I'm trying to let it go until we can be on the same page. Fostering is hard enough on its own - you definately don't need an uncommitted parter making things worse. My guess is that if you stick with me long enough, you'll see another child in the future. I'd love to adopt again, and I think Cookie might learn to like a sibling one day (after she gets over the jealousy). Clearly, my journey has just begun.
Want to come along for the ride and support?
Oh Boy...Stickers!
The stickers on the box were apparently the BEST past of the Easter basket that arrived in the mail from Grammy and Grandpy B!
(And, yes, that is MY kid running around in just a diaper. We ARE in KY you know! Hehehe.)
