Ha ha... i suggested last night that we were doing adoption boot camp. Darwin looked at me and said, "seriously?"
We were baby-sitting my nephews Robbie & Andrew, and Robbie is such a busy little guy (who either honestly doesn't comprehend/understand the meaning of "no" or doesn't care ~ or maybe a bit of both). I was running on sleep deprivation and feeling under the weather which didn't help a lot.
Friday i was wondering if i might be fighting a cold but hoped it was nothing and agreed to watch my other sister's 4 youngest from that afternoon til Saturday afternoon. I was a bit hesitant to keep the baby because he's been sick so much, and was again dealing with something that was affecting his breathing some ~ and because he hasn't been sleeping through the night lately. But I agreed anyway ~ may as well get open to the "night time parenting" thing since it could be a reality (at least for the first while) when we adopt.
So i managed to get the oldest three (of my sister's boys) to bed by about 9 or so, my kids sometime later, and the baby settled down (in my arms) by about 10. I had a hard time getting to sleep, or maybe a worse time staying asleep. My throat was hurting enough to keep me awake at times, and i kept expecting the baby to wake. Jonathan was milking that night (yes, he still does an occasional shift ~ and seems to look forward to it every time!), so he got home sometime between 2 and 3am. At 5:something am, the baby woke up crying. All my efforts to get him settled again took til 7:30 ~ by which time the other little guys were all awake. I eventually gave up trying to go back to sleep. My throat hurt, my neck hurt, basically the whole right side of my face & head was hurting and i was tired! (Think i'm still "adjusting" to our new bed ~ how much longer??)
I took a pain killer, and fortunately, by lunch time the pain was gone and i was coping a lot better again.
My sister had told me that Robbie was doing better at playing (as opposed to running around aimlessly getting into everything)... so i was hoping! But we didn't get to see much of that yesterday ~ lol. There was one thing he enjoyed longer than a minute or two... shortly before his mom came to pick them up, i sat down to play piano for a bit, and at first he climbed on the couch and just listenend, and then he came and climbed onto the piano bench and onto my lap to join me. This lasted at least a few songs!!!
So Darwin wasn't sure it was a fair picture of boot camp for adoption ~ he couldn't really imagine other children getting into things as much as Robbie does, so it prompted a discussion of how these children could possibly do exactly that! There will be SO many things for them to see that will be new and fascinating, and any child with any curiosity likes to check everything out... the big difference might be that most children understand "no" better than Robbie seems to, but we may have to be creative and involved because you really don't want to just be saying "no" all the time to everything. (I hope we can do some de-cluttering before then too ~ lol).
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Learning patience in so many ways...
... continuing to try and help a 14yr. old learn to read with efficiency after working at it for nearly 10yrs.
... trying to bear with a 4 1/2yr. old (not my own ~ one i baby-sit) who continues to have dirty "accidents" in his pants ~ and when he's holding his tummy like it's hurting but if i suggest he should go potty, suddenly he's sure his tummy doesn't hurt and he doesn't need to go
... and there's a few other things, but i don't feel like dumping it all here on the www (sorry)
So maybe there's something about "patience" that i need to be learning... or maybe i'm missing the point altogether??
... continuing to try and help a 14yr. old learn to read with efficiency after working at it for nearly 10yrs.
... trying to bear with a 4 1/2yr. old (not my own ~ one i baby-sit) who continues to have dirty "accidents" in his pants ~ and when he's holding his tummy like it's hurting but if i suggest he should go potty, suddenly he's sure his tummy doesn't hurt and he doesn't need to go
... and there's a few other things, but i don't feel like dumping it all here on the www (sorry)
So maybe there's something about "patience" that i need to be learning... or maybe i'm missing the point altogether??
Monday, January 21, 2008
Today is Jonathan's first day on the new job. He was a little nervous about it last night (as i'm sure i'd have been too). This morning I was thinking about him and wondering how it was going... and my imagination started... "what if it turns out to not be a great job? What if he decides he doesn't like it and goes back to the farm?" (he was thinking about the farm the other day, and even calculated that if he had continued at his 50-hour week, with the raise they were willing to give him when he gave his notice, he could be making more at the farm! not a lot, mind you, and the hours were part of the problem... but i began to wonder if he'd really go back). Anyway, so i got thinking... "what if Jonathan came home before 'hometime'?" That wouldn't be a good sign!
So it was maybe 10 or 11am when i heard the front door open, and Coco making all kinds of noise... and there was Jonathan! Uh oh?? Lol... all is well... he was just coming by for his welding coveralls on his way to a job site (with another guy).
I'm looking forward to hearing about his day later, but it'll probably be more "later" rather than sooner. We're both meeting with our social worker in Saskatoon to sign our homestudy report. It is exciting to be wrapping that up. We're not really sure how long it'll be til we hear that we're approved... but hopefully our s/w will have an idea.
So it was maybe 10 or 11am when i heard the front door open, and Coco making all kinds of noise... and there was Jonathan! Uh oh?? Lol... all is well... he was just coming by for his welding coveralls on his way to a job site (with another guy).
I'm looking forward to hearing about his day later, but it'll probably be more "later" rather than sooner. We're both meeting with our social worker in Saskatoon to sign our homestudy report. It is exciting to be wrapping that up. We're not really sure how long it'll be til we hear that we're approved... but hopefully our s/w will have an idea.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
More blessings
This morning, I got breakfast in bed ~ compliments of Darwin (& Jonathan). Pancakes with maple syrup and whipped cream, and scrambled eggs. :-) I felt pretty special!
I have a feeling he'd love a return on that one ~ his birthday is coming up really soon. He'll be 13 on the 23rd!
It's been fun watching him the last couple of days ~ we received a travel guide type book from our adoption agency and he spent a good part of that day looking through it, "planning" our trip. He's still really hoping to come with us when (if) we go. I have mixed feelings about it... obviously it would be super expensive to take all 4 kids, and a little extra busy for us that way, but none of the others seem terribly interested (unless it's just the fear of needles/vaccinations??)... but because Darwin is SO interested, and willing to pay his own way (he's "saving" already), i'd like to give him the opportunity if it would work out ok. He's responsible enough that he could be helpful too, so it might be a plus. In a way it would be good for Jonathan & I to have that time alone to begin bonding with the children... but, we have a long while yet to think it all through.
We did our passports today... should have those back in about 3 weeks. We're planning to sign our homestudy report on Monday night... and then we wait for provincial approval.
I have a feeling he'd love a return on that one ~ his birthday is coming up really soon. He'll be 13 on the 23rd!
It's been fun watching him the last couple of days ~ we received a travel guide type book from our adoption agency and he spent a good part of that day looking through it, "planning" our trip. He's still really hoping to come with us when (if) we go. I have mixed feelings about it... obviously it would be super expensive to take all 4 kids, and a little extra busy for us that way, but none of the others seem terribly interested (unless it's just the fear of needles/vaccinations??)... but because Darwin is SO interested, and willing to pay his own way (he's "saving" already), i'd like to give him the opportunity if it would work out ok. He's responsible enough that he could be helpful too, so it might be a plus. In a way it would be good for Jonathan & I to have that time alone to begin bonding with the children... but, we have a long while yet to think it all through.
We did our passports today... should have those back in about 3 weeks. We're planning to sign our homestudy report on Monday night... and then we wait for provincial approval.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Children are a blessing
Background info... i'm not into a lot of the more upbeat kinds of music ~ i don't mind some of it, and from time to time i enjoy a bit of it, but i almost have to be "in the mood" for it. Jonathan (and the kids ~ especially the boys) enjoy it.
More background info... i enjoy some classical music from time to time, and the kids (especially the boys) think it's pretty awful. Although i have taught them that classical music encourages learning and intelligence ~ but they still usually groan if i play classical. I don't think Jonathan enjoys it a whole lot either.
So, i've been fighting a headache all day ~ meaning also "i'm not in the mood for loud upbeat music" ~ and Jonathan was listening to a new Newsboys CD.
Darwin noticed how miserable i was feeling ~ on the couch (hey, i did pretty good by not requesting the music to be turned way down or off)... and all of a sudden i saw him in the CD's but it didn't register until he walked over to the stereo with a CD (already had it out of the case) and turned off the Newsboys and put in a classical CD ~ Mozart! He made some comment about me telling them that classical music making him smart... but i am sure he was moved with compassion and it just really BLESSED me! I am so in AWE at God's work in our family ~ when i think of where Darwin & I used to be and how far God has brought both of us... it's not always harmonious, but it's SO much better than it used to be! And to see the character that God is growing in this boy (or maybe i should be calling him a young man since he'll be 13 in a few more days)... very encouraging!
Anyway, just had to share...
More background info... i enjoy some classical music from time to time, and the kids (especially the boys) think it's pretty awful. Although i have taught them that classical music encourages learning and intelligence ~ but they still usually groan if i play classical. I don't think Jonathan enjoys it a whole lot either.
So, i've been fighting a headache all day ~ meaning also "i'm not in the mood for loud upbeat music" ~ and Jonathan was listening to a new Newsboys CD.
Darwin noticed how miserable i was feeling ~ on the couch (hey, i did pretty good by not requesting the music to be turned way down or off)... and all of a sudden i saw him in the CD's but it didn't register until he walked over to the stereo with a CD (already had it out of the case) and turned off the Newsboys and put in a classical CD ~ Mozart! He made some comment about me telling them that classical music making him smart... but i am sure he was moved with compassion and it just really BLESSED me! I am so in AWE at God's work in our family ~ when i think of where Darwin & I used to be and how far God has brought both of us... it's not always harmonious, but it's SO much better than it used to be! And to see the character that God is growing in this boy (or maybe i should be calling him a young man since he'll be 13 in a few more days)... very encouraging!
Anyway, just had to share...
Saturday, January 12, 2008
I had a better sleep last night ~ that's good ~ but my neck and head were still tight this morning and through most of the day.
Yesterday Jonathan & I went to the city to pick up our lab results (for our homestudy/dossier) and do a bit of shopping. We ended up going to Saba's for supper ~ African cuisine that we'd heard about ~ and really enjoyed that. I'm looking forward to trying to make some of these kinds of dishes at home ~ especially the injera.
The rough draft of our homestudy report is finally done too (over a week later than we anticipated, but whatever)... so we're going through that to check for anything that needs to be changed. It's fairly intense (10 pages) for someone like me who's a bit of a perfectionist ~ lol ~ but I'm nearly done, and hopefully Jonathan will find a few minutes to "help" with the rest.
Anyway, it's late enough...
good night :-)
Yesterday Jonathan & I went to the city to pick up our lab results (for our homestudy/dossier) and do a bit of shopping. We ended up going to Saba's for supper ~ African cuisine that we'd heard about ~ and really enjoyed that. I'm looking forward to trying to make some of these kinds of dishes at home ~ especially the injera.
The rough draft of our homestudy report is finally done too (over a week later than we anticipated, but whatever)... so we're going through that to check for anything that needs to be changed. It's fairly intense (10 pages) for someone like me who's a bit of a perfectionist ~ lol ~ but I'm nearly done, and hopefully Jonathan will find a few minutes to "help" with the rest.
Anyway, it's late enough...
good night :-)
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Feeling grumpy
Nah! Really??
I guess some of this is just "life" but it doesn't make it any more pleasant to know that (altho maybe a bit more tolerable?).
I'm gonna blame the bed though... we bought a new bed after Christmas and finally brought it home on Saturday. My first reaction was "it's too high" ~ but i guess that's the reality of most beds ~ at least the "nice" ones ~ nowadays. It looks silly with our headboard and short night stands now, and i really would've preferred something that i didn't literally have to "climb" into... we got the low profile box spring to bring the overall height down some, but i wondered if we should've just done the regular boxspring and forget the bed frame (just set it directly on the floor) ~ but there would've been issues with that too. And then it didn't feel nearly as soft as the one we tried in the store (i think putting the sheets and stuff on it firm it up, but maybe it just needs to be broken in). I didn't sleep great the first 2 nights... and i was really dealing with my attitude about it all the first couple of days. Now i'm finally feeling a bit more "comfortable" in it, and i think i'm getting used to the height, but i'm not sure about the quality of sleep. My neck and head feel yucky today! Still waking up tired ~ after 10 hours of "sleep."
It's nasty how an "off" day can make everything else look gloomy too ~ like my kids having breakfast at 10:30 or 11:30, one who will read books from sun-up (or "son-up" since they certainly aren't getting up with the sun) til well past sun-down if given the chance. one who tells me she's "tidying" her bedroom (which would be a GREAT thing if it was actually getting done, but when it involves playing for an hour with each item that is getting "tidied"... ya...), and one who bribes me into giving him something to do instead of "school" (and because he's doing well in school, i fell for giving him a simple extra chore instead... but then he takes advantage of it... long story).
Anyway, i guess i need to sit back and take another look ~ put things back into perspective. And a nap (on the couch!) might not be a bad idea today.
Oh, btw, Jonathan has next week off. I guess they don't really need him at the welding shop (they haven't been welding all week ~ just doing other stuff in the shop like rearranging, remodelling, etc.). He might see if the farm needs help for a few days, but otherwise, he'll be home! Yipee!
Ok, off to see how the kids are doing with their school (at least Brenden is working on it...)
I guess some of this is just "life" but it doesn't make it any more pleasant to know that (altho maybe a bit more tolerable?).
I'm gonna blame the bed though... we bought a new bed after Christmas and finally brought it home on Saturday. My first reaction was "it's too high" ~ but i guess that's the reality of most beds ~ at least the "nice" ones ~ nowadays. It looks silly with our headboard and short night stands now, and i really would've preferred something that i didn't literally have to "climb" into... we got the low profile box spring to bring the overall height down some, but i wondered if we should've just done the regular boxspring and forget the bed frame (just set it directly on the floor) ~ but there would've been issues with that too. And then it didn't feel nearly as soft as the one we tried in the store (i think putting the sheets and stuff on it firm it up, but maybe it just needs to be broken in). I didn't sleep great the first 2 nights... and i was really dealing with my attitude about it all the first couple of days. Now i'm finally feeling a bit more "comfortable" in it, and i think i'm getting used to the height, but i'm not sure about the quality of sleep. My neck and head feel yucky today! Still waking up tired ~ after 10 hours of "sleep."
It's nasty how an "off" day can make everything else look gloomy too ~ like my kids having breakfast at 10:30 or 11:30, one who will read books from sun-up (or "son-up" since they certainly aren't getting up with the sun) til well past sun-down if given the chance. one who tells me she's "tidying" her bedroom (which would be a GREAT thing if it was actually getting done, but when it involves playing for an hour with each item that is getting "tidied"... ya...), and one who bribes me into giving him something to do instead of "school" (and because he's doing well in school, i fell for giving him a simple extra chore instead... but then he takes advantage of it... long story).
Anyway, i guess i need to sit back and take another look ~ put things back into perspective. And a nap (on the couch!) might not be a bad idea today.
Oh, btw, Jonathan has next week off. I guess they don't really need him at the welding shop (they haven't been welding all week ~ just doing other stuff in the shop like rearranging, remodelling, etc.). He might see if the farm needs help for a few days, but otherwise, he'll be home! Yipee!
Ok, off to see how the kids are doing with their school (at least Brenden is working on it...)
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