Leah Walsh

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.

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....

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....

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.... :)

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. :)

Still yucky....

We are a little better....but i'm afraid that this cold is hanging on to both of us. Emma sounds like Darth Vader (i know i spelt that wrong, lol, but i'm not a Star Wars fan) when she breathes. The only thing that seems to cheer us up is hot chocolate (for me) and Dora (for Emma). Hopefully, by Thursday, we will be back to our usual, happy selves.

Off to watch Dora....

"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. :

Too busy to stay still.....

So, this is what it is like to take photos of a toddler who won't stay still?!?! :(

Yumm, Yummm! Let's Eat Leaves!

Leaves are yummy because:

1. They are crunchy
2. There are a lot of them and my Mom can't stop me from eating them all at once
3. 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!
4. It's the first time i've been able to say "tweee" and "weeeves"
5. 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!

My Sweet Ladybug...

Okay, really, is she not the sweetest ladybug ever?