Adoption update!

Really, there isn't much happening (that we know about) on the adoption front. I just received an email from T, the Korea Program Manager for A.I.A.A. This is what it read (with a few changes, to protect privacy):

I received your revised financial statement and our director approved it, so you’re good to go! I will be setting up your file today and requesting your study from J.D. when it is completed. If there is anything else I need, I will be in touch. I also sent J.D. an email.

So, nothing really earth shattering here. But, it's all of the "movement" we've seen in the past few weeks, and every milestone is exciting for us. In a nutshell, I screwed up our financial statement, I fixed it, A.I.A.A. got it and approved it, and they are waiting for our final homestudy document so that they can approve us AND send "us" (our paperwork) to Korea AND match us with our baby.

I keep remembering what J.D. told us, that by late spring or early summer, we could be in Korea, bringing home our baby. I know not to set my sights on any date or time. The way things are right now, I feel like we are going to be waiting for forever.

The 2nd Annual Christmas Cookie Decorating Extravaganza and Exchange...

(what a mouthful!!) ...went off without a hitch!

Unless, of course, you consider Theo peeing on Joe's knee a "hitch"... Or, Emmett taking a matchbox car in the forehead, thanks to Sam's impeccable aim... Or, children losing interest in decorating in less than 10 minutes and 3 Dads responsible for sprinkles on some 15 dozen cookies. In my opinion, not hitches at all. Just moments that added charm to our little event!

Theo, doing the prep work the night before.

The gang, at the table, working while their working lasted.

Theo's incredible creation. He snuck some of my m&ms for this delicious star.

Posing in front of the final product, at the ready to dig in.

A close-up. Can you tell which ones the kids made??

O, Christmas Tree.

In response to being tagged...

I was tagged on Wednesday by my friend Janiece with the following, simple instructions:

Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog... some random, some weird. Tag 7 friends at the end of your post.


I've been meaning to do this for a few days now (realizing that if I don't play along, I might never get tagged again... and I think it's kind of fun!!) and was reminded tonight, by two things. First of all, I saw Janiece at church (and I finally met her beautiful Julia) AND I came across this photo of me and the boys, taken by Dave one year ago, today...

Here you go:

1.) Breastfeeding kicked my butt. I didn't breastfeed Theo. In restrospect, I didn't try hard enough. Granted, we had a rough start as Mama and son, but if I could have pulled myself together a little bit more (emotionally speaking) I probably could have pulled it off. I did breastfeed Emmett, but there was more than one moment when I wanted to quit. Specifically, I remember my second night in the hospital, after he was born. I couldn't get him to eat. I was watching Forrest Gump, and crying harder than I had ever cried before in my life (or since, for that matter.) "Me and Jenny goes together like peas and carrots." It was almost enough to break me.

2.) I wasn't attracted to Dave when I first met him. I thought he looked a bit like Mr. Kowalski, my high school math teacher. I think it was his nose.

3.) I used to have a pierced navel. I have three little tattoos, too. They are all on my backside. Most often, I don't even think about the fact that they are there. Sometimes, I'm surprised when I catch a glimpse of them in the mirror. I wish I'd never gotten them.

4.) I'm seriously starting to consider running a full marathon. I'm training with a friend for a half that she is running in January. It's been so much fun, and relatively easy. Even enjoyable!! I think I want to go the distance.

5.) I wanted to be a podiatrist when I was little (thanks for the cue, Janiece.) To this day, I love picking at funky things on feet... dead skin, warts, hang nails. I have a feeling that this fact about me will either make you giggle or completely repulse you. Oh, well... I continue on my quest to be more "real" here...

6.) Erin and I picked up a hitchhiker. There, I said it.

7.) I aspire to be more like each of my sisters, who couldn't be more different from one another. I strive toward Meggan's tenacity, Jessica's judiciousness, and Casey's resoluteness. (Oddly enough, these same things are what bugs me the most about them, too!! And I say that in the most loving way possible...) I am continually learning from each of them.

And so, if you choose to play along, I would like to learn 7 new things about you:

Angie K., Shan, Gillian, Norbyah, Greta, Christine, and Becca!!

Victory!!

We had a full weekend, and I have so much to write about, so many photos to download from my camera, doctor up, and post, with explanations... a longer update is to come, but I had to share some very exciting news, first.

I wore a pair of pants to church this morning that I haven't been able to fit into since before Theo was born!!!

(and, I could breathe.)

Imagine my little personal victory celebration, complete with dance and shouting!

We're here.

I'm not sure where the week went. Suddenly, it's Friday night. Theo is downstairs watching a bit of "Frosty Returns" before bed. Emmett, who only napped for about 30 minutes this afternoon, turned in for the night without protest about a half an hour ago. My night is still young, as I have 25 Christmas cards left to address, and a few dozen sugar cookies to cut out and bake. I'm going to try to squeeze this post in, while waiting for space in the oven.

Despite the freezing cold weather, the boys are slowly getting back to good. Runny noses have cleared up, and scratchy coughs are nearly nonexistant. Of all of the sickness, only mine remains. I've never had an ear infection before (not since childhood, at least...) but I'm starting to think that, maybe, there's something going on in there. My left ear has been just a little achey, a little tender to the touch for the last two days. I have a wicked cough, which produces "lung muffins" (as Dave refers to them... very gross, I know.) I'm spending lots of time with our neti pot, and a tub of Vicks.

Despite how awful this must sound (especially the boogery pastry part... and, the tub of lube) we did have some fun this week. Tuesday we were blessed with a snow day (true to the forecast below)!! Dave had the beginning of the week off, and in the absence of school I used a little vacation time that somehow escaped me this summer. We were quick to bundle up in the morning and head outside, as it had snowed a few inches overnight, and continued to snow throughout the day. Dave got busy shoveling (for once), and the boys and I raced across the street to play with M, A, and S. Emmett was a good sport, but only lasted in the elements for a little over 30 minutes. While he's well versed in walking, and even running, now, accomplishing the same movements while in a snow suit and boots is a different story. I parked him in the garage for a bit in order to take my turn tugging the bigger boys through the fluffy stuff in their sleds. When Emmett reached his breaking point, M volunteered to keep her eye on Theo so that he could continue to play with her boys while Dave finished up his shoveling. We have such great neighbors!!

My parents were in town for less than 24 hours as well, and they spent Tuesday afternoon here with us. My mom, on all fours playing cars and building legos with her grandsons, and my dad curled up on my couch, supervising us all while "reading" (sleeping) his book.

We've been eating a lot of "comfort food" (as Dave keeps calling it...) Warm, stick-to-the-ribs, yummy meals like homemade stroganoff, a Door County cherry marinaded pork tenderloin with mashed sweet potatoes, Aunt Jessica's "chuck wagon" soup, followed by hot fudge Mary Janes.... Mmmmmmm.... I'm working hard not to over indulge, as working out is the last thing I feel like doing with this nasty cold. I'd been running close to 20 miles each week, and this week I'm down to 12. Ugh.

Wednesday night Theo and I, with M and A, rang bells for 2 hours for the Salvation Army. I haven't done it in years, and it was so much fun with my friend and our boys. And tomorrow, the S family and the C family are coming over for our 2nd Annual Christmas Cookie Decorating Extravaganza and Exchange (I just thought of that name. Brilliant, huh?) Hence, the baking tonight... We're going to make an evening out of it, order a few pizzas, have a few drinks. Theo (and his mama!) can't wait.

For now, I'll leave you with a few of our snow day photos. Good night!

Dave, stocking the bird feeders, and bundling up on our snow day.

A contingent of the neighborhood gang, doing their thang.

A view of our yard/circle from M's yard. That small red dot is Dave, shoveling.

Emmett, immobile in his winter garb, waiting patiently for Mama.

The forecast.

TONIGHT: ***WINTER STORM WARNING*** Mostly cloudy with occasional snow north of city, snow mixed with sleet and freezing rain in and around city, and freezing rain and sleet south of city. Snow accumulations of 1-4" by morning (heaviest north of city); ice accumulation of up to 1/4" south of city. Temps: Nearly steady/slowly rising to the upper 20s/lower 30s Wind: E to N 8-15 MPH


TUESDAY: ***WINTER STORM WARNING***Mostly cloudy, becoming windy, and turning colder with any mixed precipitation changing to all snow by afternoon; snow may be heavy at times. Additional snow accumulation of 3-10" (heaviest north of city); minor ice accumulation south of city in the morning. Temps: Steady/slowly falling to the middle 20s by late afternoon. Wind: N increasing to 15-25 MPH


The four of us have been safely tucked inside since late this afternoon, when the freezing rain mentioned in the forecast above began. I was in the station after work for a matter of 20 minutes or so, as I changed my clothes and sent a couple of emails. When reached my vehicle in the parking lot, it was already covered in a thin layer of ice. It should be an interesting night (and, I'm glad that Dave isn't working.)

Back at the house (after driving, slowly, through our neighborhood... the side streets were already a little slick!) I found Dave and Theo in the garage, "winterizing." Dave had pulled the trash and recycling bins in from the side of the house for the winter, so that we don't have to traipse through 3 feet of snow every time we have some refuse for one of the cans. This involved some rearranging, moving the boat and the motorcyle, to make everything fit. They spread some salt on the front walk, and made sure that the bird feeders were full so that our fine feathered friends will have some fuel over the next few days (I think they are going to need it!!!)

After being out in the cold for about an hour, Theo desperately requested a bit of his new favorite treat... hot cocoa!! I made a mug for each of us, as we both needed a little bit of warming up... he on the outside and me, inside! I'm fighting off what the others have been suffering from for about a week now. Had the chills tonight, that I just could not shake.


I must say, however, that nothing warms my heart like looking back at some of your responses to my last blog post. I can't tell you how much I appreciated, from my very bad space, your willingness to detail the disorder in your own homes, and throw your own husbands under the bus, and moan and groan, if only for a minute, about how imperfect things are in your own worlds. Of course, on the day that I decide to lament my very existence, my blog is viewed by record numbers (how did this happen?! How did over twice as many people than any other day before decide to look up This Family Squish on the one day I chose to air all of our dirty laundry?!)

Anyway, the experience in it's entirety (especially your comments, encouraging me to continually "be real") motivated me to go somewhere that I have been meaning to go for quite some time (especially since I lost a bet this summer, forcing me to go there....) Now, I thought about writing all of the details here, for the whole world (or, at least, my 50 daily viewers) to read. However, I quickly decided that if my "secret " is discovered, I would probably fall off of Herb's and Tim's (gasp!) "top ten lists," and that thought mortifies me. So, if you are intrigued (or, if you know me personally and you haven't already figured this out) shoot me an email, and I'll tell you all about it!! A warning, however.... it's honest to goodness, honest to goodness Emily. Perhaps more than you bargained for if you are simply here to read another adoption blog.

Finally, for Erin...
I got the TB test taken care of, and the paperwork straightened out. We're back on our way.

Everything is not perfect.

I haven't sat down to a good blog post in a while. It's hard to write when things aren't perfect. It's even more difficult when things seem downright bleak.

We're all sick. Runny noses, sore throats, croup-y, bark-y coughs. Both Dave and Emmett have suffered from a fever. Emmett has a diaper rash to end all diaper rashes. Nothing says "misery" better than a baby with chapped buns.

I screwed up our Foster Licensing checklist (stupid thing didn't make any sense.) My medical information sheet was incomplete (how did I miss the TB test???) and I mistakenly put an "asset" under the space for our "liabilities" and A.I.A.A. called to tell me that Korea wouldn't think that we could afford our adoption. Grrrrrrr....

I got my car washed on Tuesday. And yesterday it snowed 4 inches.
The narrator's voice in Real Life Teens: Teens and Gangs is worse than fingernails on a chalkboard.
Andy has to work the day after Christmas.
Ugh.
No matter how hard I try, I can not keep up with the mess that is becoming my house. Theo's bedroom looks like a library after an earthquake. He doesn't quite get that his books belong on the shelf. My feet are met with sticky-ness (spilled apple juice, peanut butter, play doh) every other time I step down on the kitchen floor. The inside of my microwave is like a whole other world (science experiment in the making.) Who thought it was a good idea to teach boys, in the first place, to stand up when they pee??? I'm surprised I can even see these words as I type them, given the layer of dust on my computer screen.

Dave and I have been at odds. He would tell you that the paragraph I just finished is a complete fabrication, it's contents all a figment of my imagination. Ours is a house being lived in, he would argue, undeniably by two little boys. I admit my hysterical neurosis when it comes to housekeeping (you may remember my previous post, on "nesting") however...

It's my reality. I'm simply uncomfortable and unhappy in it when my house is a mess. It's magnified when none of us are feeling well, because I can only imagine that there are little germs and bacteria taking up residence here, hell bent on making us all feel worse!! All I want for Christmas, this week, is for my husband to clean the freaking toilets!

And, I want him to put up the outdoor Christmas lights like every other husband in my neighborhood. Why is it always me?! And why did I have to shovel all of the snow last night? I'm not feeling well, either. (Whiney, I know.)

I've decided to just go with this. For a minute, after I wrote that last sentence, I thought about deleting this entire post, certain that I must sound like a certifiable nutcase, the worst wife east of the Mississippi. But, it's the truth (that things aren't perfect at my house right now, not that I'm a nutcase or a bad wife!!) I get sick of reading the same old blogs, "everything here is perfect, we're so happy, look at how smart my kid is, how great my job is, how handsome my husband is, yada, yada, yada..." (I know that your husband bugs you sometimes, too. Don't try to tell me that he doesn't!!)

What I love is how I get it from Norbyah (my kid puked on my birthday) and Janiece (it's my anniversary and I'm serving Pizza Hut for dinner) and Angie (my dog died, and it sucks) and Shan (I had some really great goals last month, and some of them are my goals this month, too) and Becca (this McDonald's ad straight up pisses me off) and Greta (my house is in shambles, there's a ton of water in my basement) and Christine (not magical, not magical at all.) I appreciate their willingness to be real (this is when I plug for my sisters, who always tell it like it is, to start their own blogs, too.)

I know that, when I'm feeling a little crazy myself, when things are less than perfect, I can look to any of these ladies and know that I'm in good (less than perfect) company.

And, I know some of their husbands personally, so I realize that Dave is in "good" company, too. (Hi Joey!!)