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my very own bubble boy

Gee, do you think the boy enjoys his bubble time?

humbled.

This afternoon I was reminded, yet again, of the fragility of the adoption process. Recently I have known many who have lost referrals for one reason or another, but in all of those cases the families found peace in the knowledge that their children would be cared for by a different loving family or by the loving people with whom the already live. Today I was reminded that some things are more finite. Today a family who was anxiously waiting to bring home their wee man (from Beckett's former home in Vinh Long) announced that he was gone. He contracted pneumonia and was ultimately unable to fend off the infection. Every parent's worst nightmare had come to pass, yet this was complicated by the fact that they would never have the opportunity to kiss his sweet face or hold his tiny hand. They are living the nightmare that I prayed would not happen to us during every day of our wait. I pray that they find peace, as fleeting and unattainable as it must currently seem. I cannot comprehend their pain. I am heartbroken for them. I am grateful for my child. And as he snuggles on my lap as I type this, I am, and always will be, humbled by his presence.

a light at the end of the tunnel, perhaps?

An excerpt from the most recent JCICS statement:

We remain hopeful that Vietnam will re-open to adoptions and have confirmed that bilateral discussions regarding an interim agreement on intercountry adoptions between Vietnam and the US are in their initial stages.

Hey, at this point I 'll get excited about even the tinest bit of good news.

because a picture is worth a thousand words

A rare glimpse of the boy in his natural habitat.



I think he might love his Daddy.



One day last week I walked into the living room and discovered this:


Seems he feels that everyone should be allowed to drive regardless of their lack of hands or ability to steer.


This is what happens if you are holding a camera and say cheese.

without further adieu...

THE ORNAMENTS.

b.b.b. may be the death of me and other miscellaney

Switching to the toddler bed may have been a tad premature. After two great nights we had a terrible nap time today and it took poor Ken over 2 hours to get him to stay in bed and go to sleep this evening. Who the heck came up with this crazy plan?

Oh. Right. It was me.

I might need to spend a moment in the time out corner for this one.

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The ornaments are here! The ornaments are here! Unfortunately the camera battery is dead. Bummer. Guess that means you'll have to wait until tomorrow for photos. I can feel your disappointment.

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Huge congrats to our friends Bryan & Jenn who welcomed their little one to the world bright and early this morning. Baby Jones is a cute little one and we are beyond thrilled for them.

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One of the VietMoms is in Vietnam and will soon be heading home with the adorable Mr. Tanner. I just love when someone I know in real life brings home their kiddo. It never gets old. Never.

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International adoption just isn't what it used to be. Granted, a country should be able to care for their own children, and certainly keeping a child in their birth country would be ideal, but is increasing the age limit to 60 for domestic adoption really the answer? Really, Korea, is it? You'd rather place an infant with a 60 year old mother domestically as opposed to a 40 year old one internationally? I know there is a stigma and you feel that this brings a certain degree of shame to the country, but is this really the answer? And can we talk for a minute about how the social stigma for adoption is such that people fake pregnancies with aid of special pillows (Desperate Housewives, anyone?) and/or claim that a child is the result of an affair rather than simply admit that they were adopted. Really? I know the issue is much more complicated than I am making it out to be, but good grief. 60 seems a bit mature for a newborn, at least to me.

dillon day of discovery

CRAFTS | ELECTRIC SHOW | LANGUAGE LESSONS | HOW TO STOCK YOUR WORLD PANTRY

Join us for Dillon Day of Discovery, a fun and educational family event at the Museum of Discovery located in Little Rock’s downtown River Market. Explore all the museum has to offer and take a few minutes to learn during short education sessions designed by adoptive families for adoptive families. Refreshments will be served. Proceeds will help children in orphanages with medical and physical care, so come on out and help us make the Little Rock fund raiser a huge success! Special guest: Deniese Dillon!

Saturday 10/18. 3pm-6pm. $40 per family.

You don't need to be a Dillon family to participate, nor does it matter where you are in process. You don't even have to be local. Just come on out and help us raise some funds for Orphan Care Intl. The way I see it, some of my more remote adoption friends could easily make a road trip. Hint, hint!

triple b

Aka the big boy bed.

I took apart the crib and morphed it into the toddler bed this afternoon.

The boy is not impressed. From what I can tell, neither is Tyrone.

We may be in for some loooong nights.

UPDATE: 7:10 am
The boy went to sleep easier that he has in a week. He tossed out the pillow and once again squashed Tyrone with his noggin. Though we did hear him wake once during the night, it sounded like he stayed in bed and we didn't hear any toy noises. I'll have to survey the area for confirmation once he's up, but so far it seems our first night was successful. Let's hope it's not a fluke.

cutie mc'cutenstien

Behold. The husband at 30 months of age. Photo courtesy of his Godmother, Marilyn. Perhaps I am biased, but he could not be any cuter!

You see, today's mail contained an intriguingly overstuffed envelope from said Godmother , aka "Bubbie". Since it was also addressed to me I tore into into the envelope and found a lovely card holding 10 awesome photos from Ken's younger years. The photo above was on the top of the stack. I about died. That is one cute kid.

This one says he is two and a half. He's posing with his Mom. Hi GrandNan! You look adorable too! Anyway, I couldn't keep the cuteness to myself. Plus, I've sort of taken on the challenge of posting for seven consecutive days and I was running low on inspiration. Hooray for surprises in the mail! Thank you, Marilyn!

women of the world v. beckett myers [a minor]

I am preparing for our first sexual harassment suit. Sure, no subpoenas have been served, but if my child grabs another woman's derrière or cops a feel on another boob, well, it may get ugly around here. Lucky for us, the bosom assault occurred at preschool this morning so it was clear that he was the offender, not me. The a$$ grabbing is another story. Once a waitress thought Ken had been overly friendly, and at the mall last weekend my Dad was almost doused with pepper spray after Bex went for a double fisted bottom squeeze.

I thought that it was ok for him to be in a class with six girls. Now I am questioning the decision.

Anybody know a good lawyer?

tiger stripes

The boy doesn't sleep alone. He doesn't sleep with us either. No, he spends his nights lovingly snuggled around his favorite "person" in the world. Meet Tyronnius J. Tigre. You can call him Tyrone for short.

You may remember him from his film debut. He eats a lot and Bex stays busy trying to keep him fed. Nobody wants a hungry tiger on their hands.

Yesterday morning I was lucky enough to observe the boy and his tiger in their natural habitat: the bed. Sure, we were gonna be late to preschool but how could I pass up the opportunity to capture the moment? He has a lifetime to be punctual, but I have limited opportunities to photograph a baby snoozing with his bestie, so sorry punctuality, you lose.

it. was. awesome.

So, we're back! It's great to be home and snuggle with the little dude, but the vacay was great. Unfortunately for me, my husband learned one of my dirty little secrets (No, not that kind of secret. Get your mind out of the gutter, people!). I am an 11 year old. Not in the Law Mommy sense, but in the sense of extreme excitement over somewhat unexciting events.

When Ken suggested that we take a trip to Niagara Falls my eyes glazed over and I became obsessed with taking a ride on the Maid of the Mist. Obsessed, I tell you. Gleeful to the point of embarrassment. Of course, since I had reverted to primary school status, I couldn't possibly refer to the Maid of the Mist as such, no, I called it the boat. Poor Ken was subjected to countless proddings and pleading regarding said boat, and since he was patently against riding it himeself, every other sentence on the two hour drive there was: Boat?


BOAT!! Just me though. Ken did not succumb to it's charms or mine.

Could I be more annoying?

Then there was the Corning Museum of Glass. Months ago I decided that we would go to their "Make Your Own Glass" studio and do exactly that. We made ornaments. They are awesome. Or at least I think they will be. We haven't received the finished pieces in the mail just yet, but I'm sure I'll bore you with a photo once they arrive. Anyway, I could barely contain myself from hopping around as I waited my turn. OMG. I'm not 11. I'm 5.

And did I mention the donkey? One of the wineries has a pet donkey named Doobie. I HAD to meet him. Had to. It was as if my day, no, vacation, no... life depended on it. He was pretty cute, if a bit stinky. And it made for an unexpected photo op.

In any event, the secret is out. I am excitable. Perhaps ridiculously so. World's biggest ball of yarn? I am there! Totally hokey touristy activity? Sign me up. Heck, apparently all you have to do is lure me in with the promise of a donkey sighting and I might drive 20 minutes out of my way.

Oh, the shame.

whee! mmm! oooh!

We're spending the day exploring the finger lakes region. Corning museum , much wine & gorgeous scenery.

i said, stop following me.

This is a construction vehicle. Do not follow it.

What part of "do not follow" don't you understand?


Why is it that a person feels compelled to do that which they were just told not to do?


This is a construction vehicle. We must follow. Please disregard sign.


That is all.

water reacting to gravity.

Woo!! Ken surprised me last night by suggesting that we take a trip over to see Niagara Falls today. Sure it's touristy, but who cares! I was giddy and it was awesome, even if it did cause me to have extremely unfortunate hair.



More pics here.

And we're off! After bidding Bex adieu we are on our way to the airport. I miss him already. OMG! I'm such a sapp!

seven.

Today marks seven years since our wedding. Wow. Where does the time go? Four cities, two states, three corporate relocations, seven addresses, two cats, four cars, one dog, and a little dude later, I am happy to report that we are still friendly.

To celebrate we are taking a trip to Ken's hometown of Syracuse, NY. Woo! Admittedly, my cheering might have been a bit sarcastic. I can't say that central NY would be at the top of my list for vacation spots, but it will be great to see the place that he grew up and experience his town first hand. Did I mention that Bex will be staying here with the grandparents? In all honestly I'm worried about him not wanting to come home because he is going to have such a great time. Of course, we will too! It will be great to take a break from parenting and just hang out.

We're also going to the wedding of one of Ken's besties from high school It should be a blast. In fact, the whole trip should be fantastic. I can't wait!

Though, I will miss the dude.

Happy Anniversary, Ken!