VanArnhem 411

We're home!!!

I promise tons of details in the next few days but for now I added some pictures into the Isabel photo album.  Enjoy!

The Extremes

So I had a funny thought yesterday about this agonizing adoption wait.  Most of you may remember that Brooke was born prematurely.  By two months to be exact.  So I figure the extra waiting this time around is God's way evening things out. 

I never had to go through those final weeks of pregnancy where you're big as a house and just want that baby to be born already!  Actually, I had waited for so long to be pregnant I remember being really bummed out that I was robbed of those last two months.  Up until that last week my pregnancy had been, well, fun. 

That and Brooke was born on March 10th instead of May 11th.  This may not mean much to most people but when you make your living preparing tax returns the difference between those two dates makes all the difference in the world!  Luckily, I work for some very understanding bosses (although let's face it, what were they going to do about it).  I did feel bad leaving them in the throws of tax season like that so I knew I wanted to try and be sure that wouldn't happen this time around. 

HA!!  So much for that planning!  As things stand there is a very good chance Isabel is going to be making her way home right before the start of tax season.  Now I'm not planning on taking the 6 month super-extended play version of maternity leave I did after Brooke was born (because we just can't afford that luxury) but a month or so was in the plans.

So when it comes to babies I guess I just have to exist in the extremes.  They're either popping out way earlier than planned or making me wait through a year long "pregnancy"!

Thanks to Tom Petty

For this little gem of lyrics that perfectly sums up my life right now:

The waiting is the hardest part
Every day you see one more card
You take it on faith, you take it to the heart
The waiting is the hardest part

So we wait.  And answer the question "any news on the adoption?" on a daily basis (usually multiple times).  So I keep myself busy.  That's were the "card" part of the lyrics comes in. 

My mom had this awesome idea last year to sell handmade cards during the month of October (Rett Syndrome awareness month) to raise money for IRSA.  I think she ended up raising about $400 last year (and I'm sure she will correct me in the comments if I'm wrong).  And that's selling the cards for a buck a piece.  So we've been feverishly cranking out cards this month - and selling them just as fast!  And finally, my mom has been convinced to add sympathy cards to the inventory (we were not allowed to make any because they are "sad" and we were only allowed to make cards for "happy" things).  So I'm certain I've surpassed 100 cards made so far and because I need some way to fill up my nervous energy while Brooke is sleeping or at school, I will continue to make cards probably until Isabel comes home.  Because the alternative would be cleaning my house and that just isn't any fun.  We can always save them for next year, right?

So since I haven't been a very good blogger lately (as my mom likes to reminds me constantly), you will all now get to be a part of the grueling wait with me.  And all I can say is thank goodness Brooke is here to keep me happily occupied most of my waking hours.  I cannot even imagine waiting like this for our first child. 

Bovines 101

Okay I was asked and so now the floodgates of bovine knowledge will be opened!

Cow = an adult female

Heifer = a young female that has not yet given birth

Steer = how shall I put this nicely - a "fixed" male

Bull = a not-so-much fixed male

And since I cannot leave well enough alone, here's another interesting cattle fact:

Bovine's (which, by the way, bovine is to cattle what equine is to horses, but that's not the interesting fact) have a four part stomach ( I could name the parts but then you would think I'm even stranger than you already do).  But I will say the first part is the biggest (and it's called the rumen).  It's like a holding tank for all that grass the cattle eats.  And not to be too gross but you know when you see cattle laying around looking like they're chewing gum?  What they are really chewing is regurgitated "cud" (technical term for stuff that's been hanging out in the rumen).  So Jennifer are you sorry you asked for a science lesson yet? 

Anyway, you might be wondering why I'm such a wealth of knowledge when it comes to things bovine.  As some of you may or may not know I was a 4-H'er in my younger days and my project animals were - you guessed it - cows.  I still have a soft spot for them (not soft enough to prevent me from enjoying a nice juicy steak on occasion but soft none the less).  My recollections of what I learned may not be perfect but I'm guessing nobody reading this is would be able to call me on a technicality (except maybe Jen - who I understand has some farm experience).  And if someone asks nicely I might even be able to dig out some old 4-H pictures (one in particular from the "costume" contest portion of our competitions comes to mind - Katie, my blank angus heifer, was dressed as a nun - get it, she was a Holy Cow - hehe).

Pumpkins and Jowls

So yesterday Brooke had a fieldtrip to Boyert's Farm (which was about an hour away because, you know, there is no place closer that sells pumpkins).  As far as school fieldtrips go this would have to be considered a success.  It started with a hayride (which she liked), followed by picking out pumpkins in the pumpkin patch (which she didn't, but still didn't get too upset over it), then it was a tour of the farm (which would have been fine except that they were a little to into the educational part - I mean these kids are 3-4 years old do they really care what the difference is between a cow, a heifer and a steer?  I think not.) and finally lunch (food is always a hit these days).  So no major whining at least nothing a pretzel shoved in the mouth couldn't fix - so that's good!  Here are a few photos from the day:

Brooke and Grandma in the pumpkin patch with a cow (or is it a heifer) looking on -

Brooke and Mommy on the hayride (aren't we cute with our new matching haircuts?!)

Brooke, Mommy and Grandma in the photo-op hay loft (please note that I was ready to pounce with a pretzel in the mouth if things started going south):

Okay now everybody leave a comment and tell Grandma how pretty she looks in these pictures and that she does NOT have jowls!!

GoodSearch

So here's a fundraising idea that could not be easier!!  Try this search engine next time you're browsing around the internet and one cent is donated to the charity of your choice each time you use it.  Of course MY choice of charity is the International Rett Syndrome Association!  It's powered by Yahoo so you'll still get a good quality search.  There's also a link to add the GoodSearch toolbar to make it even easier to use.

GoodSearch homepage

Thanks!

Chub + Pigtails = Cute!

It's that time of month again (no not THAT time, the good one) - it's Isabel picture update time!  And this month she is sporting pigtails (along with her now signature "startled by the camera" look)!  Kudo's to her foster mom for getting those in there!  I don't think I tried pigtails in Brooke's hair until she was almost 18 months old!    I'm kind of curious if that is her foster mom in the background - she is wearing a sweater so that would make sense.  I'll have to ask about that.

No big news on the paperwork progress - still in PGN, still hoping things move along quickly.  Here's to getting this little turkey home by Thanksgiving!

 

It Just Can't Be!

• But it is!  Fourteen years ago today Jeff and I were married!  On a day just like today - perfect fall weather - sunny but cool with a few puffy white clouds.  Every time we have weather like this at some point in the day I think to myself "this is just like the day we got married".
• Fourteen years seems like a really long time but it sure doesn't feel like it!  Here are a few little tidbits to put it all in perspective:

- If you add on the years we dated we're getting very close to tipping the scale that we've spent more time on this earth together than not.

- This years incoming high school freshman were born the year we were married (it was bad enough a few years ago when they were born the year we graduated from high school - this just keeps getting worse!)

So I guess I should be happy that time seems to just fly by!  We've been through some trying times these last fourteen years but there is nobody on this earth I would rather have by my side during all of it then Jeff!

Whatever.

Well I guess that just goes to show what I know!  Winner of Rock Star - Lukas.  To be honest by the time it was down to the final two I just wanted Dilana to lose so I guess I was kind of rooting for Lukas.  If Toby needs a shoulder to cry on I have two that are available.

Now the wait begins to see what next season will bring!

ROCK ON!!!!!

In honor of the final performance show for this seasons Rock Star: Supernova, Brooke and I decided to rock it out for school today!  I should have found some temporary tattos for her but I suppose that may have been frowned upon in preschool.  Couldn't pass up that shirt at Target (and for the record there is a My Dad Rocks shirt too but they didn't have her size - so there!).  Just a little fiddling around in Photoshop (which I have become completely addicted to the last few days) and I have my very own little grunge rocker!!

As far as the show goes - it's one of our guilty little pleasures after Brooke goes to bed.  I watch for the music and to see a shirtless Dave Navarro, Jeff watches to see what Brooke Burke is wearing that day.  And I'm going to go on record as saying I hate Brooke Burke just a little bit because apparently she is pregnant enough to know she is having a baby girl and she still looks much skinnier than me.  And this is her third baby.  And she is the same age as me.  Hmmmm - maybe I hate her more than just a little bit.

Well anyway it's the final performance week and I'm still having a tough time deciding on a winner.  Here's my take on the final four:

Toby - He was my pick on the first night so given that my first pick last season ended up winning, I'm thinking maybe I should stick with him.  Given that he's young and hot, T. Lee would likely appreciate the "girl factor" he would bring to the band.  But he did win the Honda Element last week and that just smacks of runner up prize to me.

Magni - I'm a big Magni fan, I think he's a good fit with the band but they just don't seem to like him.  But maybe that's all an act to throw us off - who knows.

Dilana - I was a big fan but her attitue is just getting on my nerves.  She was really the only woman I thought could pull off fronting the band and I still think she's got a good shot at winning, I would just rather not see her win.

Lucas - Not a huge fan, but the band seems to love everything he does though so who knows.

So it's time to get my little rocker to bed - I'll check in with my opinions on the winner after the finale!