{our independence day: a story in pictures}We had a great 4th of July yesterday. Mark started the day off with one of his favorite activities: putting something together. We bought a trampoline and Mark and his dad mulled over the instructions to make sure they got it right. Five hours later, here is the assembled trampoline. Except, somehow, the net is not aligned with the frame, so the entrance is askew and the whole thing must be taken apart. Two hours, five beers, and several curse words . . .
the conundrum with an ornate feather
I have grossly underestimated my four-year-old.We are having some issues with sleep in our house. People are often asking me how Karis is sleeping. And for a newborn, she is sleeping okay. It's the other two that decided to up the ante since Karis was born. I am pretty sure that the three of them have a daily meeting where they discuss the shifts they will cover to ensure an even spread of waking us up throughout the night. Generally, India starts screaming bloody murder around 1am. Then around . . .
thug life
Karis has some serious baby dandruff (cradle cap). I've been reading up on how to care for it and the consensus is to rub baby oil all over the baby's head. It sounded simple enough, but now Karis's head is a big greasy mess that is leaving an oilspot on everything she touches. I was trying to figure out a way to cover her head, and I remembered we still had some do-rags left from Jafta's foray with dreadlocks. Worked like a charm.(And for all you white folk from Orange County, click here to . . .
crossing dressing, dirty t-shirts, and the animal kingdom
Karis is a generally easy and mellow baby. She is pleasant and predictable. She smiles and coos and is happy when her needs are met. There is one exception, though.Karis doesn't like Mark.I don't know how they got off on the wrong foot, but she is NOT a fan. Which is kind of a bummer for me. (I supposed it's a bigger bummer for him. But I also prefer to think about how things are affecting me. Me me me.) Whenever I pass her to him, she immediately starts screaming. Lately, she has taken to . . .
circle of cuz
I wasn't close with cousins growing up. My mom was an only child. My dad's sister had children but they lived far away and we only saw them occasionally. So it has been a new experience to be an aunt and know a close relationship with my neices and nephews. I have to say that seeing the love that my kids have for each other, and seeing their love for their cousins, is enough to make this cynical mom's heart burst with joy. This weekend we got some great time in with the cousins on Mark's side. . . .
a soothing lullaby
Is Karis crying because she is tired, or because of how bad their singing is? . . .
operation grocery acquisition #2: total disaster
I am trying so hard not to be Chaotic Mom. You know her: she's the mom who is sweating at the restaurant as her unruly children run circles around the table, or the mom with screaming and kicking kids on the plane. She's the mom on Supernanny. The mom you don't want to stand next to in line. The one whose kids make a scene at the grocery store.And today, she is me.Oh, I had the best of intentions. After my last grocery shopping fiasco, where someone threatened to call the cops on me, I decided I . . .
unmet expectations
This morning is India's first day of preschool! The kids are at a new school and there is a summer program, so they start in June. We've been working up to this for months, especially in the potty-training department. We've talked up preschool quite a bit with India, and she always talks about how she is gonna go to a High School Musical preschool. At first I thought it was funny, but last night I got this sinking feeling that she really thought she was going to attend East Side High along with . . .
weekend in review
On Saturday we went up to LA for a little "Haiti Reunion". Jafta got to hang out with Jenny and Jeffrey - two kids from Keanan's orphanage who came home in December. Jeffrey and Jafta always had a lot of fun to together on our visits to Haiti, and it was so great to see him home with his adoptive family. I've been feeling really discouraged about our adoption lately and it was so good for me to be reminded that kids do come home. I also got to hang with some other adoptive parents and . . .
baby fat
Parenting a newborn is hard. One major plus about adopting is that you aren't simultaneously dealing with the ego blow of having your body morphed beyond recognition after a pregnancy. I truly believe that the weight gain aspect is one of the unmentioned curses of childbearing. Your world is already being rocked with a crying baby, no sleep, breastfeeding woes, and an end to freedom as you know. Let's tack on top of that the fact that all of this will be happening while you struggle to find an . . .
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