Summer vacation

We're still in vacation mode around here, since returning from San Diego.  I'm off of work all week, since there's no Child Care for E until she starts school next Thursday (!!!)...I'm definitely not complaining.  It is awesome having this time off to enjoy the end of summer.  (Did I just say the end of summer?  Boo hooo...it goes so fast...)  We've been hanging out a lot at home, enjoying the pool. 

Nothing says summer like having the ice cream truck come by!

We'll be going up to Maine tomorrow for the long weekend.  My parents are up at their house there for the summer.  However...last week, my Dad was rushed to the hospital with Pancreotitis.  He ended up having a gallstone removed, and then his Gallbladder.  Ugg...my poor Dad.  He's been in lots of pain :(   Fortunately, he's doing better now though and is supposed to be released from the hospital today.  I am really looking forward to seeing him, and my Mom, who has been doing a lot of driving back and forth to the hospital.  It's over an hour drive to the hospital (in Bangor) from their house.  Anyway...E and I are looking forward to going up and keeping them company for a few days :)

PS: I've dropped out of the top 5 to #6!  Please vote for me on Top Mommy Blogs by clicking the brown banner up above!  You can do this once a day...just sayin...:)  Thanks! xoxoxoxox

Book give away from Five of My Own

I'm entering a give away from the blog Five Of My own for a children's book, here's the link :
http://fiveofmyown.blogspot.com/2012/08/searching-for-you-we-adore-book-review.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+FiveOfMyOwn+%28Five+of+My+Own%29

It looks like a really sweet book, wish me luck!

San Diego recap, part 2!

So, Saturday morning, our amazing friend/hostess Julie had a brunch and had some our favorite San Diegans over :)  It was so great to see everyone!   Didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked from this (too busy enjoying Julie's delicious food- oops!), but here are a couple with the kiddos who came.

 

Saturday afternoon, E and I went to go visit with E's adorable little sister, B.  B turned 3 in March, and omg, she is the cutest little thing...Not sure how much I've mentioned B here on the blog, but she was adopted as a baby by a super nice couple in San Diego.  The girls have gotten in several visits in over the past 3 years, but not nearly as many as I'd like, since we live so far apart.  B actually deserves a post all of her own, which I will get to soon :)  E had a great time with her little sis, and really seems to get that B is someone special, and was a great big sister to B, helping her on the swing and being very sweet and attentive to little B.  I could not take my eyes off the two girls together, and watching them got me very choked up...lots of feelings for me there, again, another post all it's own...



I love these two girls together...

After our visit with little B, Elizabeth and I went to one of my old haunts, and just about my favorite place in the world- La Jolla Shores.  I could not be in San Diego and not go here.  It was a short, but very sweet visit:)

Sunday morning came way too fast, and it was time to leave...Julie's great-niece (who had spent the night) and E had a great time playing (and eating) together:)


Enjoying a yummy last breakfast together

 And then we were off to the airport...Bye bye, San Diego, we love you!  We'll be back soon (I hope)....

 And Thank You Julie, for taking such great care of us during our visit.  We love you!


PS: Don't forget to vote for me on Top Mommy Blogs by clicking the brown banner up above.  You can do this once a day:)  Pleeeeze??  Thanks!! :) xoxoxoxo

San Diego recap, part 1!!

We are back from our lightening fast trip to San Diego!  I was hoping to blog while we were out there, but it didn't work out.  So, here's a recap of the first part of our little trip....

Wednesday night, E and I stayed over at our friend Maria's house, and M very nicely got up early and drove us to the airport (thanks M!) Thursday morning.

 

Waiting in line at Logan (blurry- sorry!)

Loving having a window seat :)

 Let me just say, I didn't need to worry about traveling with E.  She was a rock star on the airplane.  She loved looking out the window and taking everything in.  Quite a difference from the last time I flew with her!!  She also loved her new e-reader that I got her for the trip :) 

We arrived in San Diego mid afternoon, and our friend Julie picked us up and wisked us to her house.  It felt great to see Palm Trees again...Boy, I've missed SD...

E in front of Julie's house

 Julie has a little studio apartment behind her house that she used to rent out, but is currently vacant, so E and I got to sleep there.  Julie is an amazing hostess, and had the apt. all set up for us.  E and I both loved having our little home away from home there :)  Anyway...Thu night we just hung out with Julie, had a yummy dinner and then crashed..
Friday, Julie took us shopping (love you Target!), where she spoiled E and me by buying us outfits for school/work.  We also went out to lunch and on of our favorite little Mexican restaurants  :)
Friday night, E and I went to visit my friend Jeanette in Chula Vista.  Her daughters' school was having a festivsal so we all went to that.  So much fun for E to get to play with kids and run around after sitting on an airplane all day Thu, and shopping all day Friday!

With Jeanette's adorable daughter G, who was so great with E :)

So great to visit with friends and be back in my beloved San Diego...!!!!

Last day of Preschool...!

And it's a wrap...yep, today was E's last day of Preschool/Day Care. Hard to believe...She went to this school for almost 3 years.  She was just 2 years and 3 months old when she first started there.  We've both loved the school and made some great friends there.  Definitely the end of an era for us...Here are a few pics with some of her teachers.

 

With Mercedes, who was her very first teacher there

With Kimberly who is always perky and energetic at 8am :)



With Jen who helped get E ready for Kindergarten!
 

Two more days...

Just two more days of Day Care, than we visit San Diego, and then...Kindergarten!  I actually got to meet E's Kindergarten teacher yesterday.  There was a meeting at her Elementary School to talk about hiring a new Principal (the former one left to take another job).  Elizabeth's teacher was there and introduced herself to me.  She already knew E from the orientation in June.  Teachers had not yet been assigned at that point, so I didn't meet her then.  Anyway, she seemed very nice.  E is still holding a little grudge because apparently this teacher said no seconds on Goldfish at the orientation. Okaaay...time to get over that, E...:) 

After the meeting, we stopped by Dunkin Donuts to hang with Wally, and then went for a walk where E found a Ladybug on a pine twig. 

Street fair

* Don't forget to vote for me at Top Mommy Blogs by clicking on the brown banner above.  You can do this once a day :)  xoxoxox

 Yesterday afternoon we went to a little street fair that was happening nearby.  We went with friends of our's from E's Day Care, and bumped into lots of other families from Day Care, so that was fun. 

E got to do a little fishing...

 

 and play some street hockey...

Was she destined to be my daughter?

There was a recent article in the NY Times which talked about destiny and "magical thinking" in adoption.  It stated that many adoptive parents believe that their child was "meant to be" their's, that it was fated to be so.  This article has been going around the adopto-blogosphere, with adoptive parents, adoptees, and natural mothers all expressing their feelings on this topic.  I thought I'd chime in  with my thoughts as well, since it's something I've thought about quite a bit over the past almost 5 years. 

So, were Elizabeth and I meant to be mother and daughter?  Well, honestly, I struggle with this concept.  Because if E was meant to be with me, then that means it was meant to be that her birth family could not/did not keep her and raise her.  That doesn't feel right.  In the natural order of things, she would be with her birth parents, not with me.  Now, having said that, I will say that having Elizabeth as my daughter has felt like a miracle to me, since day 1.  I've said a million times, I will never know how I got so lucky.  It feels so incrediably right to me that Elizabeth is my daughter and I am her mother.  But I don't believe that she was "born in the wrong tummy", or that J (E's birthmom) was a "vessel" to bring E to me.  No.  J and Elizabeth are mother and daughter.  Although they have not seen each other since E was 6 months old, they have a bond, on a cellular level, one that has nothing to do with me. 

I love E so much that it is very, very tempting to go all rainbows and unicorns and say that we were meant to be together.  I admit that a very big part of me loves that notion.  But doesn't believing that discount Elizabeth's birthparents and family?  Elizabeth's coming into my life certainly was a miracle, for me.  It's impossible for me to believe otherwise.  BUT...it was not a miracle for her.  Being taken from one's mother at birth and being raised by a stranger is no miracle.  And as E gets older and understands more and more about adoption, she is going to have feelings about this.  I will never discount her origins or her feelings by saying, "Honey, you were meant to be with me."  Maybe there is room for a little middle ground here?  Because I do think things happen for a reason.  It doesn't feel like a mistake that E is with me.  But she wasn't born to be with me.  She was born to be with J.  However, events in life happened that all lead to J not raising Elizabeth.  And this is where the miracle comes in, for me.  That of all the prospective adoptive parents out there, I was chosen to be E's Mom.  That is truly miraculous to me.  I can't imagie my life without E, and I can't remember when I didn't know her.  I am truly her Mom.  And so is J.

I feel like I should throw a party or something

Oh, do I feel like celebrating...Something monumental happened today...

I made my LAST Day Care payment!!!

Maybe this isn't real appropriate to talk about on a public blog, but I'm going to anyway.  Because I know others out there have felt the same way.  Here's the thing.  The cost of Day Care was KILLING me.  Every month for the past 4 + years, it killed me.   As a single parent, it was really a struggle.  And I was in the position of making too much $ to qualify for any assistance, but not enough to not struggle every month with the tuition cost.  Don't get me wrong.  I love where E has gone to Day Care.  I am grateful that we have had a place where I can leave her every day knowing she's safe, happy and learning.  The teachers are great, and I know they don't get paid as much as they should.   But man...none of that makes it easier to afford the astronomical tuition cost.  And the place E goes is not even as expensive as some others around.  It's just crazy.  I wish with all the campaign rhetoric going on, someone would address this issue.  I haven't heard either of the presidential candididates talk about this-our country needs affordable quality Child Care.  Don't get me started on this!!

In related news, I know the name of E's assigned Kindergarten teacher.  When I told E, she said, "Oh, she's a bad teacher!  She said no seconds on Goldfish!"  Apparently Miss E remembers the teacher from Orientation.  Lol! 

So next Wednesday 8/22 will be E's last day at Day Care, then the next day, we jump on an airplane to go to San Diego!  Can't wait!

Belle and some bffs

So Miss E decided it was necessary to wear her princess (Belle, to be specific) attire to play outside yesterday.  It all looked kind of hot and scratchy to me, but each to her own...She loves Belle almost as much as she loves Dorothy now...

And today we hung for a few hours with my parents' neighbors' kids, who have become close buddies with E. :)

PS: Don't forget to click on the brown banner up above to vote for me on Top Mommy Blogs.  I'm thisclose to making it into the top 5.  Pretty please...?

Social Media is taking over my life, and I kinda like it!!

So...I finally checked out Pinterest yesterday.  I know, late to the party as always...Well, I liked it, which is probably not a good thing...Like I need to spend more time on the computer...sigh...oh well...

I also made a Facebook "All About Elizabeth" page...Yup...social media addict here...

Anyway...you can follow me on FB and Pinterest by clicking on the badges on the right hand side.  I don't have too much on either of them yet, but I will be adding stuff shortly.

Also...don't forget to click on the brown banner above to help me move up the ranks on Top Mommy Blogs!  You can do that one time a day.  Thank you!!!

Boy this blog is getting crowded with all these buttons!

Cornrows and benches and doughnuts, oh my!

First off- I am #12 now on Top Mommy Blogs under the adoption category.  Help me move up the ranks by clicking on the brown banner above.  You can do this one time a day.  Thanks!! :) :)

I worked half a day today, and took Miss E to her hair dresser to get her cornrows redone.  Yes,  I really, really  feel like I should be doing this for her myself, but she is just so much more cooperative with the hair dresser.  Besides, Amanda does a fabulous job...

After the hairdresser, we swung by my office, since it was very close by.  Outside, Elizabeth sat down on a bench, and I couldn't resist trying to get a little photoshoot in :)

Finally, before going home, we swung by Dunkin Donuts...Yum!

Sometimes...

Ok, so I'm feeling like this blog just focuses on the happy, fun stuff.  I don't want to give the impression that our lives here are perfect, or that it's all a breeze.  'Cause it ain't!   I know I appreciate "mommy blogs" that are honest and talk about real life stuff.  So I thought I'd write a little bit about some of the challenges we have here.  Before I do, I just want to say, the happy fun stuff I post about is real.  We have lots and lots of great times, and our lives are pretty darn good.   There is a lot of love and laughter in our little household.  But in the interest of keeping this blog "real"...

Sometimes...

-I lose my patience
-I let E watch too much TV
-the cost of full time Day Care makes me cry
-I get annoyed when a mother who's husband goes away for few days refers to herself as a "single parent"
-I hate having to work full time, even though I should be grateful that I have a job
-I hate going to the playground and would really rather just stay in and read
-I feel really guilty that E is in Day Care 9 hours a day
-E can at times be defiant and not too nice to me
-E puts up so much fuss when I try to do her hair that I now take her to a beauty salon regularly to avoid the stress
-I worry that I'm not explaining adoption well enough to her
-I feel sad that I probably won't adopt again
-I feel like a loser because we live in a rented apartment, instead of owning a house or condo
-E still sleeps with me, and I like it, but miss being able to read in bed before going to sleep
-I forget to be grateful for all that we do have...

PS: Don't forget to click on the brown button on the right to vote for me on Top Mommy Blogs.  Thanks!! :)

Vote for me maybe!

See that brown button on the right, that says "vote for us!"  Please click on that button, and you will be voting for my blog on "Top Mommy Blogs."  Right now I'm ranked #16 in the adoption blogs category.  Help me move up!!  You can vote for me once a day by clicking that button.  Pretty please...???  As a reward, I will offer you this very brief rendition by E of "Call Me Maybe."  :)

Our weekend in pictures

Playing soccer out back with the neighbors

Playdate at the Splash Park with some friends

Hanging out at our pool

Fun at a nearby resorvoir with some school friends on Sunday

Surfer girl :)