I try to keep this journal a happy place. It is, after all, a place where i post so many of Emma's photos and talk about being a mother. But i'm sad today, bothered by a news story that i had been following.
For those of you who don't know, Leah Walsh is a school teacher from up north. She teaches children who have autism. Looking at her photos and reading what family and friends have said about her when she turned up missing, made me understand what a beautiful soul this young woman had. Leah was reported missing by her husband who said that he had received a text from her earlier in the day, but was now missing.
My first thought?
I hate to admit this, especially on my happy little blog....but i thought "That b@st@rd did it."
I then saw this man, her husband on TV. Crying big tears, begging and asking for the safe return of his wife. Some folks were convinced that he had nothing to do with the disappearance of his wife. In fact, many folks believed that.
I didn't. And that truly bothered me that i didn't.
Too bad for him that a state highway worker witnessed him staging Leah's car to look at though her car had become disabled by letting the air out of her tires. The state highway worker reported what he saw and they found Leah's body, tossed into a ravine. This was about two days into her disappearance, i think...apparently, he and Leah had an argument about an affair that he was taking part in and in a seven page confession to police, he strangled his wife.
It has always shocked me that such a high percentage of violence occurs to women by the men that they love. Really, who hurts someone that you are suppose to love and cherish? That's not suppose to happen, right? But time and time again, these stories come out. Each with the same heartbreaking ending: a woman is killed by the man that is suppose to honor, love and protect her.
Domestic violence is nothing new. In fact, it can happen to someone you know, and you would never have a clue. Yes, some of these women come from situation which arent' the best such as poverty, but it seems that domestic violence isn't something that happens to just women who live in poverty. It happens to women from all walks of life. We can debate all day long about how these women should leave, how they should stand up for themselves, how they shouldn't put up with that type of behavior....but it's not that easy. It's truly not that easy. No one can imagine how difficult it is for a woman to leave a situation like that until you are in that situation yourself.
So how does one raise a daughter to never get into a situation where this doesn't happen? I don't know....i am hoping that a close relationship with a young daughter and a strong father figure helps. How do we help break this cycle? How many more times will we have to read or hear on the news about a woman who's life has been taken by a spouse or a boyfriend? Is it something on how we as a society raise our sons? Again, i don't know and i don't have a clue....i truly wish i did.
I feel so badly for Leah's Walsh's mother and family. They have lost their daughter to a violent act committed by her husband. There is no rhyme or reason to this or to any of those situations but i am sad for a talented, caring, beautiful young woman who's life has been cut short and for a mother and a family who's heart much ache like i can't possibly imagine.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Leah Walsh
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Halloween Parade!
Today, Emma was in her very first Halloween parade at preschool. Too many cute costumes on too many cute children! I was worried that Emma wouldn't like walking in front of all of the parents but i shouldn't have worried. She did great-and ran back down the hall to walk the parade route for a second time. Robert came home early from Chicago, so he was able to see Emma prance around; it was fun to see her face light up when she saw her Daddy.
I took these photos on the wrong setting so i'm a little disappointed in how they turned out. Truth be told, i should have remembered to bring the video camera but i feel much more comfortable behind a camera.
It's been a nice day....
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Please pray for my friend....
The adoptive community is a close bunch. Even before most of us start our adoptions, we find friends (most of them online) who we connect with and start friendships with. It doesn't seem to matter, for the most part, how you are planning to adopt or from where, these special friendships grow. Most of these friends of mine, i've never met, but that doesn't make them any less of some of my best friends.
Through Nancy, a friend of mine, i "met" Tracy and followed her (via her blog) as she and her husband Steve adopted a little boy from Guatemala. Her husband, Steve, had several medical issues, but that didn't stop him from going to Guatemala for the pickup trip. In fact, Nancy and Tracy traveled at the same time to Guatemala for their pickup trip. And i followed both of their blogs for updates and photos...and have enjoyed visiting their blogs to see how they have been doing since they've come home. Nancy and Tracy have become almost like sisters through all of this...
Upon coming home, Steve became very ill. He was in the hospital for quite a bit of time but i thought had been released. There haven't been any updates on Tracy's blog but i figured that she was busy with her growing son, being a first time Mommy and looking after her husband to post much.
Nancy emailed me today to let me know the sad news that Steve passed away yesterday.
I'm so very sad for Tracy and her son, Levi. Thankfully, Tracy has family close by but i know her heart must ache. I am thankful that Steve was able to meet his son and spend the time that he did with him and i am sure that Tracy will make sure that Levi knows how much his Daddy loved him.
Please keep Tracy and Levi in your thoughts and prayers....
Sunday, October 26, 2008
A photo from a year ago....
Where has this little baby gone?
Oh, yes, there she is....running down the hallway with a roll of toliet paper doing the "Dance of the Potty Training" with her diaper in one hand and the toliet paper in the other.
Gotta go catch her.... :)
Saturday, October 25, 2008
On our own....
...for the next week. Robert and a few of his employees are in Chicago for a Printers Convention; i'm a little jealous as they are staying at the Trump Towers and are IN Chicago which is my favorite town to visit. I love almost everything about Chicago: the shopping, the Navy Pier, the food, how you are able to walk, walk and walk and window shop. So much art in that town...and lots of beautiful churches to visit. Chicago is where Robert proposed to me on the 4th of July on a dinner cruise two years ago while we watched the fireworks....so, that town holds a special place in my heart.
Emma is doing much better and we are no longer Snotty One and Snotty Two. :)
We do have a busy week next week with a MOPS Meeting, preschool, flu shot for Emma, and a play date early on in the week at the playground. We are also on the hunt for a dress to have Christmas photos taken in at Myers Photography. Last year, i took her photo for our cards, but this year, we are going to try something different and Myers Photography is a great place to go. He did a beautiful job on the Easter bunny photos with Emma last year.
I'm still working on Emma's photo albums. I'm up till last (yes, you read that right...) Christmas. I didn't realize that i had taken so many photos of Emma! I have loved flipping through the two that i have done; she's grown so much in a blink of an eye. I'm printing the photos myself and i got lucky as Robert indulged me and bought me a huge case of professional photo paper in 4x6 size. I was so thrilled, lol, i didn't even bother to ask how much that case cost. ;) I don't want to know how much i've spent in paper and ink and i'm lucky that i have a fantastic printer to print from. I'm just never seem to be happy when someone prints my photos for me so i print them myself. Now, i just need to figure out a way to store my photos. I do have them backed up, but i think that just to be safe, i'm going to burn them onto discs. I read on Jessica's blog recently about someone loosing photos due to a computer crash and i don't want that to happen to all of my photos!
Guess who has figued out how to open doors and hop? All doors are now dead bolted but it has been fun watching her "hop". :) I'm not sure where she learned to hop....but she has. I am constantly surprised when she will say something back to me that i've said to her like "let's Go" or "let's eat" or "let's get baba". I need to remember that that she is always watching and learning from me....
....and what a responsiblity that is. I am sometimes in awe of the responsibilty of being a Mom. It's more than i ever imagined that it would be. It's not enough to make sure that just a child's basic needs are met; it's making sure that a child is learning how to grow and thrive. It's teaching right from wrong, morals, ethics, compassion, how to treat others and how to be a member of a family. I wonder some days if i am equipped to be a Mother, if i truly am the best woman for this job of raising Emma. And then i remember that God picked me to mother Emma and if He thinks i can do it, i'm sure that He will help me to be the best Mommy that i can possibly be. What an amazing joy to be a Mother...and what a LOT of hard work. :)
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Still yucky....
Off to watch Dora....
Saturday, October 18, 2008
"Don't get too smug, Isabel....."
These are the very words that my sweet husband said to me after he had finally gotten rid of his strep throat. I was feelin' quite "the" Mommy; Emma and i survived and didn't get sick. Isn't that the proof of a good Mommy?!?!
The "proof" held up until late last night and early this morning. :(
I started first.....sore throat and a little of a fever. I pretended all was well....mainly because i didn't want to see that smile my husband gives me when he's predicted something that has come to pass. We had a big Saturday planned: hair cuts, Home Depot, lunch out and a trip to the Pumpkin Patch with my MOPS group. We (okay, "i") was looking forward to the day.....
Emma was next....snotty nose and congestion.
She and i are Snotty One and Snotty Two.
We missed our Pumpkin Patch afternoon and are both in our pjs watching Noggin.
My husband?
He hasn't said a word about predicting this sickness for his girls. He's been quite the good Daddy taking care of Snot One and Snot Two. Hot chocolate for Mommy and warm milk for Emma.
sigh....maybe Emma and i can make the Pumpkin Patch next weekend...but it won't be as special because Robert will be in Chicago and it won't be with my MOPS group. :
Friday, October 17, 2008
Too busy to stay still.....
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Yumm, Yummm! Let's Eat Leaves!
Leaves are yummy because:
- They are crunchy
- There are a lot of them and my Mom can't stop me from eating them all at once
- I love my Mom's face when i stick a leaf in my mouth-i think she's going to faint or throw up or something!
- It's the first time i've been able to say "tweee" and "weeeves"
- I can still be bare foot outside....for now.
By the way.....I'M TWENTY MONTHS OLD TODAY!!!
My Mom seems a little sad, but i'm not! I still have LOTS of growing to do, things to explore, dirt and leaves to eat, toilets to play splash in and adventures to find!
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Friday, October 10, 2008
It's a Halloween Outfit and a Halloween Kitttty! :)
The above photos were taken this morning during our 'reading' time (which pretty much consists of Emma pointing at "kitttty" and saying "meowww"). To say that we are excited about Halloween coming up (okay, maybe i should rephrase that to say that "I" am excited about Halloween coming up) is an understatement.
The cute little Kitty in the photo is from Mandy's Moon....it is beyond too cute. It is also washable which is even better as Emma drags this kitty everywhere (and sleeps with it!) and sucks on it's tail. I know, i know, eww....but of all of the sites that i've ordered things from, Mandy's Moon, well, rocks. My order was here in two and half days (with a receipt and contact info if there was any problems!) and even cuter than the photo. I've taken up my Mom's tradition of buying a small gift for all holidays for Emma-please don't laugh, it's a tradition that i smile back on now. This kitty was a wonderful gift for Emma. If you haven't checked Mandy's Moon out, please do....you won't be sorry!
Happy Fall, Everyone!
Pan de Banano
Pan de Banano (Banana Bread)
Recipe taken from Guatadopt site.
Thought this would be easy and appeal to many in the family.
Ingredients
* ½ cup butter
* ½ cup sugar
* 1 pound ripe bananas (about 2 or 3 large)
* ½ teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
* 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
* 1 egg, beaten well
* 1½ cups flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
Procedure
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Soften the butter to room temperature and mix it with the sugar in amixing bowl until light and fluffy.
3. Mash the bananas and add it to the butter and sugar mixture.
4. Add the salt, lemon juice, cinnamon, and egg.
5. Sift the flour with the baking powder and slowly add it to the liquid mixture.
6. Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan, approximately 9 x 5 inches.
7. Bake in oven for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the centercomes out clean.
8. Serve with honey as a cake bread, or as a dessert with cream or ice cream.
Buen Provecho!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Dora, Dora, Dora The Explorer....
Dora, Dora, Dora the Explorer....Dora, Doorra, DDDDoooorrraaa....
Yep, we can sing, well. kinda....Emma does the "Dora" part, and i sing the rest. We are not the most harmonizing pair, but it is really funny to hear us. Or maybe we sound so terrible, that all my husband can do is laugh at us?
My TV viewing habits have changed since becoming a Mommy. No more Medical Channel, no more FOX News, very little Cooking Channel (this channel is like porn for me, btw....), no more History Channel.
I am now a Noggin Fan.
And i wouldn't have it any other way.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Rising food prices....
Posted on Wed, Oct. 01, 2008
Rising food prices increase poverty in Guatemala
A United Nations report says rising food prices have pushed half a million Guatemalans into poverty.
A report from the U.N's World Food Program says another half of million of Guatemala's poor are now living in extreme poverty due to increased prices for the country's basic food staples.
Guatemalans have seen corn, rice and bean prices rise by more than 40 percent in the past two years.
The report's author Nicholas Virzi of Rafael Landivar of the University in Guatemala City said another 200,000 Guatemalans who are not living under the poverty line are also struggling to purchase food.
More than half of Guatemala's 12 million people live on less than $2 a day.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
I love nap time....
I rarely nap during Emma's nap time. I should, but i know how much that i can get done uninterrupted so i rarely talk myself into napping. But today?
Oh, yeah, baby, i had a nap.
I put Emma down into her crib and i went into our loft, opened the blinds so the sun would hit the bed, and climbed on the bed with the nice, soft mattress and cuddled up with my comfy green blanket and closed my eyes and napped. Granted, it was only for 30 minutes, but wow. What luxury to take a nap.
I really should do this more often, shouldn't i?
Friday, October 3, 2008
Why God Made Moms
I received this email from a MOPS friend of mine and i had to share it. This is one of those emails that you smile as you read!
~Why God Made Moms~
Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:
Why did God make mothers?
1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.
How did God make mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my Mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.
What ingredients are mothers made of?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.
Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
1. We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.
What kind of little girl was your mom?
1. My Mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.
What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?
Why did your mom marry your dad?
1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mom eats a lot!
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that Mom didn't have her thinking cap on.
Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.
What's the difference between moms & dads?
1. Moms work at work and work at home and dads just go to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller & stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.
4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.
What does your mom do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.
What would it take to make your mom perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.
If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
NOT happy with AOL
When i first started to journal, it was a the beginning of our adoption with Emma. An online journal seemed the best way to keep up with the wide range of emotions that we were going through and while scrap booking seemed like a great idea, well, let's face it; i'm not the craftiest Mommy around. So, i started with AOL journals, feeling that it was a safe place to journal privately. My husband told me not to and to just set something up with Word, but i didn't listen.
I should have listened.
I received an email from AOL tonight, telling me that they were shutting down their journal site. Yes, i'm in the process of transferring my posts from there to here, but my photos from there to here will not transfer so it's taking me a bit more time than i expected. I'm upset and angry and worried....a lot of what i wrote was in time frame appropriate sequence and i don't want to loose it.
I should have listened to my friend Melissa, too who encouraged me to use the Babysite service that she is using.
I should have listened.
So, i'll wait to see what AOL's plan is for moving journals and i'll keep moving at a more quicker pace to move my journal. I'm still wondering if i should just move my entire journal to Word to be on the safe side....but i've really come to enjoy Blogger and all of it's features. I wish there was a way to burn the journal to a disc for safe keeping for Emma for later...maybe i should look into that?
ugh.
I should have listened!
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