And that is what I have to say about that!

9:08 AM Edit This 4 Comments »

Adoptive Families Unite. Or just eat chicken pot pie.

1:33 PM Edit This 2 Comments »

Last night we had our (new) friends the Zilas over for dinner. I have become quite the chicken pot pie pro this Fall season and they approved. I even tried my hand at iced tea and did pretty ok. (They're from Georgia, so they would know...)


What is nice and enriching and refreshing and *special* about spending time with them is that they are also a transracially adoptive family. Our stories are somewhat similar. Our backgrounds also have a lot in common. And our current experiences as being, looking, and often feeling different than other families mirror one another. We have been able to talk openly about the perception of adoptive families in society, as well as swap stories about being stared at in the supermarket. Jen and I have a certain bond because we've had to learn how to form our identities as moms who were never pregnant even though so many people in our friend groups are currently pregnant.

Em and Haven are about a month apart (he's a little older), but she totally kicks his butt! She's crawling; he's not. She's got teeth; he doesn't. She's standing on her own; he still holds on for dear life and wobbles. But, he's got her beat in size. My little chunk was a bit of a bully last night, I have to admit.

So, thanks Zilas. Thanks for coming over. Thanks for sharing your life with us. We're looking forward to our friendship growing. **I also really enjoyed the banana bread this morning :)**

Sleeping Arrangements

4:13 PM Edit This 4 Comments »

As many of you know, Em has been in a co-sleeper since he has been home with us. For a while we switched sides of the bed and took turns getting up with him and caring for him during the night. During my bout with salmonella, the sleeping arrangements became more solidified... Justin slept by the co-sleeper and had night duty. Last week some time, Em let us know that the co-sleeper wasn't really working for him anymore... when he'd wake up, he would kick our bed--making the whole bed shake. He didn't have room to move around in there as he is almost as big as the co-sleeper! So, we thought we'd make 'the transition' to the crib. I thought, 'He is 8 months old now, he will be fine in there.' The crib is in the bedroom right next to ours. The walls are thin, the walk between rooms is short, and the little room is so cute... Well, as it turns out, I am not fine with him in there. The time it takes for us to get up to meet his needs in the night is too long for me. I don't like knowing he is in there by himself. He often wakes up scared and crying, and I hate that. And, be it because of 'the transition' or simply because of teething, he hasn't been sleeping as well.

No our bed isn't big enough for him to sleep with us. But, our room IS big enough for his crib. So, he's moving in. I have some serious re-arranging to do. I already know it will be worth it.

Check out this post by AF. Love her.

In other news, our days in the infant carseat have come to an end. He's 20 pounds and really interested in facing forward.

Disappointed.

10:04 AM Edit This 3 Comments »
I am and will continue to be disappointed in Arkansas because of this. I am and will continue to be disappointed in the conservative church of my youth because of things like this. I view this as very poorly thought through and based on ignorance.

Disappointing.

A Must Have...

1:27 PM Edit This 5 Comments »

So, an election day post is a must have for me this year. In my family, we don't talk politics. I don't even think my parents ever actually came out and said who they voted for (it can always be assumed that they voted Republican, but maybe there are some surprises in there mom and dad?). J's family is a little bit the same. They did actually verbalize their Republican support this year. But in our new family of three, we are loud and proud Obama fans. J's been in the Obama boat since O's speech in 2004, and I not long after. We've been those sappy, teary-eyed, t-shirt wearing, bumper magnet sporting, discuss it over dinner, the-rest-of-our-family-members-are-tired-of-us people. Poor Adu... he's going to have out-and-out activist parents before he can talk!

So--the plan for the day is this:

+Go vote as a family. (check! it was TOO cute to see Adu's little feet dangling under the voting booth curtain as he helped J press the button to cast his vote!)

+Wear our Obama gear. (it was not visible at the polls and J's is covered up for his class.) Adu's rocking the O Baby onesie, me Michelle Obama's Self Made Woman, and J's Barak Obama GoTellMama shirt. sweet.

+Color in Electoral College maps, predicting how we think the States will go.

+Eat Blackeyed Peas for good luck! (along with chicken strips and J's homemade mac and cheese)

+Watch the returns and (hopefully) party with friends. (Champagne anyone?)

If all things don't go as planned--if the HOPEful one doesn't win--we will be in mourning. I might have to get J some anti-depressants while I hold the family together. I honestly don't know how we'll react.

So--here's to a GOOD night!!