2 month old baby boy night

Tonight at work I took care of 3 little babies that were all born within 2 days form my little Dylan. I wondered if he was their size, was he doing the same things, would the clothes I bought fit him in whenever it is we travel? It was really hard and luckily the moms let me hold and fuss over their sons. Fortunately only one baby was sick enough to be admitted, and even then it was pretty mild bronchiolitis. To see these little creatures and know that I have one waiting for me in Vietnam leaves me feeling lonely. At 2 months old they are starting to really fluff up. I mean these guys were chunks! The level of alertness was really cute, the ways their hands and feet groove when they are being fed. One of the moms learned that I had a son in VN the same age as hers, and she said to me, " How can you stand it, they are so cute right now I would hate to miss out on a minute of his life!" I love this woman because she validated my feelings. She read my mind. It is not like I dwell on what I am missing (I just dwell on travel dates), but to have someone say outloud what you are feeling is really a great moment.

This is what I do when I come home from work at 1 am. I have a glass of wine, I play with the dog, look at my son's picture for the 1000th time, pose the dog, (the lump next to the dog is a snoring- sleepng -like- a- dead-man- DH). I love this picture, in fact I think it is my fav, I'll have to get a picture with himself and the dog when I get home. The dog is so sweet with kids.

Can you say freedom!!!

FREEDOM!!! I just took my house off the market. Every weekend since March we have not been at home. We have been 2 kids, 2 dogs and a car. 3 months is a very long time keeping the place spotless, dropping the price. Watching others sell. This house was in move in condition. New everything. Kitchen, bathrooms, floors, windows, painting etc. A really soild house that was not marketed well, because it only had 3 bedrooms.

Now that I told the realtor it is off the market, everyone is calling, saying they have THE buyer, give it more time, June is when the market picks ups.Well, I heard all that 3 months ago, and have done everything and think now it would be easier to just add on. I was sick of being out of the house for hours with no shows, 9am showing, 8pm weekday showings, last minute showings. Can someone please tell me how other people do it?

mother day present

This mothers day I bought myself a necklace. I bought it from Planet Jill, and had my 3 kids pictures put on it. It is everyone's referral picture. The first glimplse I ever saw of each of their adorable faces.
The quality is outstanding and I am very pleased with the outcome. It is very hard to photograph, and the pictures do not do it justice.

Spring Concert

Tonight the girls did an amazing job playing at the spring concert.
Claire plays the violin for the 5th grade orchestra (she is in 3rd grade)!
Miss Em plays the cello, for the 5th grade orchestra, and is also in the chamber group. It is like pulling teeth to get them to practice. But I have to admit, they played with all they had. I am 150% proud.

Love the Ergo!

Of course I needed to try the ergo on a live child. Claire being a cute little 43 pounder was more than eager to be carried around. I have to say we walked around did some chores for half an hour. It was not painful. I think this carrier will work well for us. I like the way the baby will be right next to you, not separated by fabric. I used a baby bjorn in China, and this was much more comfortable. It puts the weight of the baby on your hip.

There will be a new man in town!

After a 12 shift, when I come home at night, I should go to bed and get that sleep that I am deprived of. But no. The Ergo Baby Carrier that I ordered arrived. Hubby is not home yet either, it is midnight, I open the baby carrier. I try it on, and wish I had a baby to put in it. I wonder what it feels like with some weight in it? I think the weim is not a good idea, Molly the corgi is sweet, but old and a tad bit narley. So I grab the cats and place them in the carrier and march around the house. Cats hate the Ergo! I really think I have lost it, but I kind of remember, 10 years ago before going to China for Emily, I put my poodle in a baby bjorn. So I think I have been crazy for a long time. My dear sweet husband was wearing the carrier this morning when I came downstairs for coffee. He looks good in it I think. I guess he resisted the urge to put our pets in it.














I went to the consignment store today and bought these cute little clothes for Dylan. I had so much fun. It turned into a social hour. Trying to figure out his size, a few mom's loaned me their babies for models. I also met a man who just returned for Latvia with his 2 daughters. The girls are 6 and 8, they are his wife's and his 1st children. The adoption took over 1 year of traveling back and forth. He said the girls are thriving with all the love and attention. He said every morning they scream out the window "Bye mommy, we love you", as his wife heads out to work. They sound like happy little girls.

Snuggle bunny boy.

Some people have these cutting edge blogs that address social issues. Their writing is fantastic, their words make you hunger for more...
...I will address the great need that weimaraners have for sleeping...
..and sucking on their woobies. I feel bad for any weim that in fact cannot release his energy and basic need to cuddle 24/7.
Clearly I have gone to the dogs as I firmly support my dogs weird habbit of sucking on any stuffed animal, soft object ot blanket. He calls his toys-" squirrel".
You can say, "Bailey, go get your squirrel", and he will drop everything (as he has so much to do), and come running back with anything he can find. How is that for smart? I think I am a squirrel enabler.

WORK a 4 letter word!

I just finished a 12 hour shift. It is 1:30 in the morning. I just got home, poured a glass of red wine, and now am here, blogging while everyone is asleep upstairs. I work in a pediatric emergency room. I took care of 30 assorted kids tonight, ranging from the ridiculous to the acute illnesses. I worked 12 hours straight, no break, but I like my job, because they are flexible. ( Did I say how tired I am?) I have never, ever worked with a kinder more understandiing group of people. We are like one big slightly crazy family. We all know way to much about each other, but hey it makes for an interesting day. The work can get insane, dealing with parents can be trying. Most people just are plain nervous when it come to their kids health. It is our job to calm them down and let them know that their kid is ok. This can be easier said than done.
The photos here are of my daughter Claire (the mock sick kid), Me (not a mock nurse), and our dog Bailey (mock pet therapy dog.) Emily had a science project. She designed a pet therapy coat complete with age approporiate toys and activities for our dog to model. She got an A (very proud), and really did a great job. Bailey seemed to love this project mainly because he got so may treats.

Happy Mothers Day

These are the first pictures I saw of my two little ladies. They made me a mom, and made me complete. Without them I could not possibly be the person I am today. They have given me unconditional love. Rapture, pure and simple is what it feels like to have them call me mom. My heart is so blessed to have them in my life. I remember holding them as infants, like I was holding the most incredible treasure in the world, a shinning star, just walking down the street with them I felt like some sort of big deal. Like being their mom made me a celebrity.
I remember their first steps, words, first boo boos. When Emily was 10 months old I was sitting in Starbucks with her. She was having a bottle, I was enjoying a latte. Perfect contentment. All of a sudden she put her fat little baby arms around my neck, and started planting these sweet, wet, milky, baby kisses on my lips. She was holding on to me with all her might and kissing me with all the love in the world. What an incredible moment. I felt like I was the richest, most blessed person ever. The power of a child. She melted me.
Yesterday there was a flower sale at school. They have it every year for mother's day. My kids used their own money to buy me, and all their favorite women flowers. When they walk out of the door holding a giant shoe box full of small flowering plants, the look of pride in their eyes makes me weak. They were smiling from ear to ear and beaming! Claire is very small and the box she was holding weighed as much as her. She insisted on carrying it home because she was so proud of her gifts. It made me think...she is happy and proud to have me as a mom! Such little things, so simple, but so powerful. I love these two girls to a depth in my soul I cannot even measure.

Favorite email of the day...

Thinking of Having Kids? Do this 15-step program first!

Lesson 1
1. Go to the grocery store.
2. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.
3. Go home.
4. Pick up the paper.
5. Read it for the last time.

Lesson 2
Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who
already are parents and berate them about their...

1. Methods of discipline.
2. Lack of patience.
3. Appallingly low tolerance levels.
4. Allowing their children to run wild.
5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's breastfeeding,
sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior. Enjoy
it, because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the
answers.

Lesson 3
A really good way to discover how the nights might feel....

1. get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room
from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with
a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly.
(Eat cold food with one hand for dinner)
2. At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to
sleep.
3. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until
1AM.
4. Set the alarm for 3AM.
5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink and watch
an infomercial.
6. Go to bed at 2:45AM.
7. Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.
8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM.
9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and
be productive) Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years.
Look cheerful and together.

Lesson 4
Can you stand the mess children make? To find out..
1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.
2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all
summer.
3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.
4. Then rub them on the clean walls.
5. Take your favorite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.
6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons. How does
that look?

Lesson 5
Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.

1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.
2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang
out. Time allowed for this - all morning.

Lesson 6
1. Take an egg carton. Using a pair of scissors and a jar of paint, turn it
into an alligator.
2. Now take the tube from a roll of toilet paper. Using only Scotch tape and
a piece of aluminum foil, turn it into an attractive Christmas candle.
3. Last, take a milk carton, a ping-pong ball, and an empty packet of Cocoa
Puffs. Make an exact replica of the Eiffel Tower.

Lesson 7
Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van.
And don't think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and
shining. Family cars don't look like that.

1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment. Leave
it there.
2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.
3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back
seat. Sprinkle cheerios all over the floor, then smash them with your foot.
4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.

Lesson 8
1. Get ready to go out.
2. Sit on the floor of your bathroom reading picture books for half an hour.
3. Go out the front door.
4. Come in again. Go out.
5. Come back in.
6. Go out again.
7. Walk down the front path.
8. Walk back up it.
9. Walk down it again.
10. Walk very slowly down the sidewalk for five minutes.
11. Stop, inspect minutely, and ask at least 6 questions about every
cigarette butt, piece of used chewing gum, dirty tissue, and dead insect
along the way.
12. Retrace your steps.
13. Scream that you have had as much as you can stand until the neighbors
come out and stare at you.
14. Give up and go back into the house.

You are now just about ready to try taking a small child for a walk.

Lesson 9
Repeat, out loud, every fact that you have learned in life, at least (if not
more than) five times.

Lesson 10
1. Go to the local grocery store. Take with you the closest thing you can
find to a pre-school child. (A full-grown goat is also excellent*).

*If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than
one goat.

2. Buy your week's groceries without letting the goats out of your sight.
Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys. Until you can easily
accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.

Lesson 11
1. Hollow out a melon.
2. Make a small hole in the side.
3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.
4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the
swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.
5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.
6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.

You are now ready to feed a nine- month old baby.

Lesson 12
Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street, Barney, Disney, the
Teletubbies, and Pokemon. Watch nothing else on TV but PBS, the Disney
channel or Noggin for at least five years. (I know, you're thinking, what's
"Noggin"?) Exactly the point.

Lesson 13
Move to the tropics. Find or make a compost pile. Dig down about halfway and
stick your nose in it. Do this 3-5 times a day for at least two years.

Lesson 14
1. Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying "mommy" repeatedly.
(Important: no more than a four second delay between each "mommy";
occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required).
2. Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years.
3. You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.

Lesson 15
Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug
on your skirt hem, shirt-sleeve, or elbow while playing the "mommy" tape
made from Lesson 14 above. You are now ready to have a conversation with an
adult while there is a child in the room.


This is all very tongue in cheek, anyone who is parent will say "it's all
worth it!" Remember, a sense of humor is one of the most important things
you'll need when you become a parent!

Next year, when take our trip to our favorite spot in the world (Lake Placid), we will be a family of 5! I know that everyone is hoping that a baby will slow me down on the long, strenuous hike we take..WRONG! We will still enjoy all that these mountains have to offer, only now I'll need an infant carrier instead of a backpack. Someone else will have to carry the snacks (emilyandclaire)! Sorry guys, but mommy loves the mountains. Dylans last name is Dihn which means Summit! God knows more than we give him credit for.

This is Emily. Dylan's oldest sister. She is Harry Potter's number one fan. She reads like there is no tomorrow, and we have to take books away from her sometimes! She loves Harry Potter, The Warriors, The Cronicles of Narnia. She has super human stay awake powers. Notice how enthused she was to have her picture taken. She won an award for this poster, and we are so proud.

This is Claire. She is Dylan's sister and his number one fan. She wants to do EVERYTHING for him. She even wants him to sleep in her room. Clarie is such a sweet girl that has many insights. She told me that she would comfort him if he woke up in the middle of the night, and would only get me if she dropped him!

Cannot wait for baby kisses!

Eyes of our sweet pea

First time blogger!

I love my family. Our lives are chaotic, and sometimes dramatic (2 daughters ages 8 and 11). Our house is for sale and we are adopting our little boy from Vietnam in the summer. He is as sweet as sunshine, We haven't met him, but we feel connected to him, and we yearn for him.
We received his referral picture last Friday May4th, and it is amazing how 1 little picture of 1 little baby can change your life. God has formed this wonderful family through adoption, Emily and Claire were born in China. Now we are just waiting for a travel date which could be in as long as 3 more months! It is hard waiting, especially knowing you have a 6 week old baby across the pacific. Our love and prayers are always with him. Sweet Dylan -you are surrounded by God's love and your family and friends love. We miss you and cannot wait to bring you home.