I confess...

...I zoned out in front of the TV for a little while last night. Little Miss 2-year-old had kept her Dad and I up for a large chunk of the previous night with a stomach bug. So, after the other kids were in bed, I sat down in the comfy chair and started channel-flipping. This is a rare guilty pleasure for me because usually either Eustace holds the remote, we're watching a movie, or I'm doing other things.

So, with Miss Felic on my lap, I absent-mindedly got sucked into the high-quality program, 'The Bachel*rette." As thoughts such as, "Are these people serious?" and "This is exactly what's wrong with the state of our Country" swam (or maybe 'dog-paddled') around in my brain, I sort of forgot about the toddler in my lap until she piped up with this hum-dinger of an observation:

"Mommy, this is weel-y, weel-y tupid!!" [translation: mommy, this is really, really stupid]

Saturday Morning Moment

I'm pausing this Saturday morning to reflect on one of my favorite things. For those whose husbands work relatively regular hours, this will probably seem like no big deal. But, for me, Saturday mornings when my husband is home (that is, not at work) are my favorite days of the week.

Coffee tastes better, chores are less pressing, and the day seems brighter (even gray, rainy days like this one). Yes, some of it has to do with an extra pair of hands helping me get through the day. But, more than that, it's just nice when Daddy is home. Even if we're not doing anything spectacular, it's just nice to be together.

Now, back to work.

Brothers

When I look back at this phase of our life ten or twenty years from now, I really want to remember clearly Victor's reaction to his new brother.

Adopting an older child is a big adjustment. With a new baby, everyone expects sleeping, crying, lots of nursing, sleepless nights. With a new child who has 7 years of development and habit-formation under his belt, you really have no idea what his personality and behavior will be like. We all have our own set patterns of behavior, too, so molding to each other is a process. I think we're getting better at understanding each other every day.

But, from the get go, our sweet 5 year has just taken it all in stride. Ignace is his brother, and that's that. If they have a disagreement about something, he states plainly his gripe and then moves on to, "hey, let's play army guys."

He explains his favorite things. He encourages him to try new things ('you're gonna LOVE it,' he often says.). He has very rarely been visibly irritated. He is proud and happy to have a brother. They talk at night after lights out and again in the morning when they wake up. They have developed a form of wrestling (called 'dino-wrestling' of course, after Victor's favorite prehistoric creatures).

In spite of a few injustices inflicted by the new brother (I don't believe there was malicious intent here, just figuring out how family life works), good ol' Vic is loyal to the core. ('Even though you lied, you still have my trust!!')

There is a purity and sincerity in his acceptance of this new sibling. I am inspired by his selflessness and touched by his readiness to love a perfect stranger.

So, maybe he is 5 and still sucks his thumb. Maybe he isn't quite ready to ride a 2-wheeler ('you know, Mom, I have seen grown-ups with training wheels!'). In the 'love one another' department, he is well on his way to maturity.

Congratulations, Daddy!

Eustace finished his first half marathon in well under 2 hours.

It was a little cold outside!

On the way home! Great job, Daddy!

Around the Midwest in 8 Days

In Ohio with Auntie(s and Uncles and Cousins and Nana and Pop-Pop)

Indianapolis Children's Museum

In Ohio with family - reconnecting with the first family member he met, long before
adoption process began.

We saw our awesome cousin/nephew in his first performance singing and dancing in 'Peter Pan.'

At home.

Botanical Gardens for annual butterfly exhibit.

New Normal

It's 8:00AM, a certain 5-year-old is snuggled on my lap, and I hear some other kiddos stirring upstairs. That means it's time to get moving. The activity level in our house right now is basically constant from about this time each day until the kids are sleeping and I've done the last load of laundry for the night.

Things are good busy, but very busy, in our home during this season of life. Family bonding, housekeeping, and finishing the homeschool year would be enough to make me feel I'd earned my keep. But, added to those things, we are preparing to move (our house seems to be sold - Praise God!), finalizing plans for a new house, getting I-man (Eustace's nickname for our new little guy) established with new physicians and therapists, completing the rest of the legal work for the adoption, etc.

I'm learning some valuable lessons, though, about managing stress. Each day, a person can only do so much. So, I just plug along accomplishing as much as possible trying not to worry about other things on the list.

Also, I'm trying to keep things as normal as possible for the kids - the rhythm of the day, outside play, meals at home. Everyone seems to be taking all the extra appointments and errands in stride.

Maybe this is actually the 'new normal.' After each additional child enters the family, there is a period where things seem a bit crazier. Time goes by, and everybody just gets used to it. So, I believe we will get there.

And someday when I'm old and everybody is off on their own, when I have plenty of time to bake and garden, I will wonder how it all went by so quickly

First Post-placement Visit

Tonight we had our first post-placement assessment with our very kind social worker. I keep wanting to call it a 'post-op' visit... Anyway, we basically just poured out all our observations, struggles, experiences, and concerns and she took notes.

The point was not really for her to give us advice, although if she noted any major problems, I'm sure she would have referred us for help. She actually didn't say much of anything - just listened. One comment she uttered made my whole night, though:

"You'll be adjusting for 6-12 months."

Thank Goodness no one expects us to have it all figured out right now.