Emily Updates

• Emily weighs 29.4 lbs according to our scale at home.
• She is still very firmly in 24 month clothes. Some 18 months too.
• Her favorite song is Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.  She refers to this as “star song”  She’s learning the words, but she definitely knows the tune.
• She loves to fwim (swim!)  She also likes to jump in the pool from the side, while holding our hands.  She says  “I jump in! Ready?” and as soon as we catch her she says AGAIN!  Cute cute cute
• She still adores Tinkerbell. I’m pretty tired of it, but she loves it so much it’s hard to resist when you see how happy she is.
• Emily is a shoe girl.  Her favorite are a pair of flip flops my mom & dad got her a few weeks ago.  They have sparkly rhinestones on the straps. Em calls these her “pretty flops”  She has an absolute FIT if I don’t want her to wear those shoes.
• She’s doing better about sleeping in her bed. She is still getting up around 6 or so and coming into our room and into bed with us. I don’t mind that too much, it’s a good way to start the day. Except when she wants to watch Tinkerbell at 615 am. Then I’m not so thrilled.

 

 

I might get a chance to post some pics of her this weekend. It’s been awhile since I’ve done that and she’s changing right in front of my eyes. It’s hard to believe.

 

 

 

the Green Monster

I’m going to veer slightly off the Emily is Fabulous path today and ask if anyone has tried a Green Monster Smoothie in real life?  They are smoothies made, not on the fantastic field of the Boston Red Sox, but instead with spinach or kale. (what the hell is Kale exactly anyways??)  I have seen these all over the blogosphere and I’m starting to get a tiny bit tempted to try one. The only thing holding me back is the revolting thought of blended spinach.  Apparently, you throw so much other junk in there, fruit and milk and what not, that you don’t taste the spinach so much. But I’d like to know from someone who really tried it. 

In any case, if I make it to the grocery store today, I might pick up some spinach and give it a whirl. If I can stop gagging long enough that is.

Here’s a healthy recipe I totally stole if you want to play along at home:

• 2 cups of frozen blueberries*
• 2 cups of FRESH spinach (do not use frozen, here’s what happens, lol!)
• 2 cups of milk or I used Soy Nice unsweetened soy milk*
• sweeten to taste or add 2 fresh squeezed oranges if you have a sweet tooth (I don’t sweeten)

*note: if you use fresh blueberries instead of frozen, you will need to add ice – if you use 2 cups of ice, cut back to 1 cup of milk

This recipe makes one big glass with enough for a partial refill.

 

 

Spoiling

Am I spoiling her? That’s a question I’ve been thinking about lately.  Emily is a loveable creature. I want her to be happy and healthy. I love it when she smiles at me.  But here lately I’m wondering if I love that so much that it’s not a good thing.  Ugh. It’s so hard knowing what the heck you are doing when you are a parent.  Our big struggle the last few weeks has been getting Emily to sleep the whole night in her own big girl bed.  She wants to sleep with me.  And frankly, it’s easier if I let her fall asleep next to me, and then move her to her room. But if what I want is for her to be able to go to her room and go to sleep, I can’t let her do that. Can I? 

 

We’ve been trying the “super Nanny” method of just taking her by the hand and putting her back in her bed. But she scrambles up out of there licketly split when she sees we aren’t staying in the room. She cries and screams. She hurls herself at the door, and I end up having to lock her in her room, which I am NOT a fan of at all.  She can out last me with her screaming and yelling.  Tony, of course, doesn’t want her to cry ever. It freaks him out. So if I put him on duty, he will immediately take her to the guest room to lie down with him to “calm her down”  Then he tries to put her back in bed, out she comes and we start over.  We do this until about 1030 or so, and at that point, I can’t take it anymore and I just let her lie in bed with me and somewhere around midnight I move her to her room.  She’s out like a light then and there is no waking her. But it still doesn’t keep her in there all night. She can (and will) get up at 4 or 5 and come back to bed with me. Which at that point, I’m fine with, because I’m TIRED and I want some sleep.  

 

So, is she winning? Is this something even worth fighting about?  Is it teaching her that she can get her way, if she is just persistent enough?  Do I actually think that is a bad thing to learn? Tenacity is a good thing to have in life, right?

 

Sigh. Does this ever get easier?!?

 

 

 

 

The Girls Who Went Away

I recently finished reading The Girls Who Went Away by Ann Fessler.   It is a non fiction book about women who surrendered their children for adoption in the 50s and 60s. It was a VERY good book, and I recommend it highly to anyone who is part of the adoption triad.  While the book is almost solely from the perspective of the birth mothers, it does talk about reunions and how that impacted the children involved. As an adoptive parent, I can’t really understand how it felt to give up a child, especially a child that you might have wanted desperately, due to societal views on what was appropriate and not.  The book is hard to read. I grew up in a time that is very different from the lives of the women in this book. It’s easy to be judgmental.  But the book really makes you look at things from a whole different perspective. It’s well written and I am glad I picked it up.

 

Although the book is about adoptions that took place in this country, I think it does (hopefully) give me some insight into Emily’s birth family.  I think it makes it very clear that weather or not you wanted to surrender your child, it’s not a decision that ever leaves you.  The vast majority of women interviewed said they thought about their child every day, and wished only to know that the child was safe and happy and loved.  It sort of sucks that I can’t ever explain that to Emily’s family. I hope that they know somehow. And I hope that when Emily is older, she can read this book, or one like it, and understand that her parents didn’t just wash her hands of her and walk away. They probably do wonder about her often.   It makes me sad.  She is such a delight. I wish wish wish I could tell her other Mom that.

 

Anyways, pick up the book. Order it online. It’s a keeper for your library. Trust me.

 

 

Donate!

I realized this morning that my link below to donate didn’t work.  So, we are going to try again. 

 

Click here to donate!

 

OR…let’s add this in too, just in case  http://trianglerunwalkforautism.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=307405&lis=1&kntae307405=0256884953A547B0BC6FDCD00D28A198&supId=265241026

 

 

 

Colin's Crew

It’s almost October, and you know what that means? It’s time for Colin’s Crew to shake their groove thing and raise money for Autism Society of NC!   We had a blast last year walking the 5K and raising funds in honor of my nephew, Colin.  It was a lot of fun, and the turnout was awesome. It really brought home to me how many supporters Colin has in his corner. He doesn’t know it, but there are many, many people out there who love him and are rooting him and his family on in this battle.

 

This year Tony, Emily and I will again be walking. But we want to make a bigger difference. So we are also having an Autism Awareness cook out on Sept 26. If you know me IRL, and you live in the area, consider yourself invited! It’s going to be a lot of fun and we hope to be able to raise some $ from folks that won’t be able to walk with us on Oct 10.  We’ll be taking donations that day, as well enjoying some burgers, dogs and friends!

 

If you would like to be a virtual walker, please consider donating to this great cause. You can donate HERE.  The team is trying to raise $1500, but Tony & I have a personal goal of contributing $200.  This cause means a lot to me, and I would appreciate every buck you can spare.

 

If you’d like info about what the Autism Society does, you can check them out, by looking HERE.

 

Thanks everyone!