Is yours the black kid?
It's always funny seeing people trying to be PC about our transracial family. It's like everyone is scared to say the word "black" or describe him in those terms. I am constantly chuckling to myself when people will say, "is that your son over there, with the blue shirt, and jeans?" or "is your son the one with dreadlocks?". Particularly because in most scenarios here in vanilla OC, he is the one-and-only black child in a 20-mile radius. So why does it seems so weird just to cut to the chase and . . .
The Softer Side of Sears
We just had another round of family photos at Sears. I always promise myself I won't go back to a mall-type studio, because I have had so many experiences of teenage photographers wasting my time and taking bad shots of the kids while they have a complete and total meltdown. Those studios are tough because they don't shoot rapidly enough to catch the kids in action, and then the space is so small that the kids are always running out of the camera range.And yet there I was two weeks ago, in the . . .
Late-Night TV Ramblings
I have really bad insomnia. II have always had trouble falling asleep. So I’m constantly up late at night, and I usually end up watching tv. And late-night tv . . . It’s brutal. Infomercials kill me, but what may possibly be worse is the commercials that are really late. At that time of night, the majority of commercials are for Girls Gone Wild videos, phone sex lines, and how to buy things with bad credit. It doesn’t do much for your self-esteem to be in that demographic. Evidently, if . . .
getting closer!
This week, we filled out the application to officially adopt Jafta. We have been waiting to do this for three years. I can't tell you how exciting this is. My heart skipped a beat when I saw the name "Jafta Jordan Howerton" on an official document. All his life, his doctor's records, school forms, passport . . . everything has been under a different name, which was always a pianful reminder that he was not "ours". To see his name with "Howerton" typed behind, was just beautiful.It should be . . .
Once Upon a Cupcake
Lately, I've gotten a little obsessed with making cupcakes in an unhealthy, people-pleasing, trying-to-prove-myself kinda way. I find the desire to try to be Martha Stewart rears its ugly head every year right around Christmas, when I start making homemade soap (2001) or kahlua (2004) or body scrubs (2003) or truffles (2008) in an attempt to show everyone how crafty and creative and granola I am.For Jafta's 3rd birthday, I decided to make the cupcakes instead of buying the storebought ones. And . . .
FABULOUS FABULOUS LIVES© Christmas Letter 2007
The Howerton Family’sFABULOUS FABULOUS LIVES©Christmas Letter 2007Merry Christmas! Mark and I just unbundled the kids from their snowsuits and gloves, brushing the snow out of their hair from making snow angels. We had a rousing evening of snowball fights, followed by some door-to-door caroling in our neighborhood. We are now huddled by the fire, and India is singing excerpts from Handel’s Messiah as Jafta accompanies her on the guitar.[1]It’s been a good but trying year[2]. In our Fabulous . . .
Parenting with Fear
I was recently reading the blog of another woman adopting from Haiti, and she was describing what it was like to find out she could not adopt a child she was caring for. She described that experience in a painful, honest way that gave me a serious gut check:When we had Sophia with us in May and June, an interesting thing happened.Once we learned that she would not ever be available for adoption it became harder to take care of her. Shallow? Unloving? Immature? Maybe, probably, yes - to all . . .
Living in the Moment
Being present in my daily life is a constant challenge for me. I tend to spend my time fretting about the future or grieving certain events in the past. But right now, I am having one of those beautiful seasons where I am just enjoying my family right where they are, who they are, today. Jafta's adoption is moving forward, and it's less of a concern. His developmental stuff is on-track and there is no more concern over any delays. He is talking up a storm and I love his emerging personality. . . .
Motherhood and Loss
I've just had another miscarriage. This is number 5 or 6 . . . hard to keep track. It followed the usual course: late period, positive test, but low hormone levels, followed by a quiet week of me getting my hopes up, and then bleeding, cramping, confirmation, and tears.This is my first miscarriage since adopting Jafta. I was able to carry India to term (this latest miscarriage is just another reminder of what a miracle that was). I am still devastated, but I am finding the experience very . . .
Thanksgiving in Haiti
I’ve been wanting to share pictures and stories from our Haiti trip and I’m just now getting the chance to sit down and process it. We had such an amazing trip. I was feeling apprehensive about leaving India, about taking Jafta, about traveling to a crazy, volatile country, but it ened up being such a good experience for all of us.Entering the country of Haiti is always an experience. The airport is just a small room, but you are greeted by a steele drum band as you step of the plane. That’s . . .
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