To Curious George we go...

Madalynn's surprise today was I took her to see "Curious George Live"... she was mesmerized with everything, it did get a little boring for her about halfway through she told me she wanted to go 'Buh-Bye", I thought the intermission would help, but we left shortly thereafter... I won't go into all the drama around 1)finding the theater, and 2) getting back in the parking garage that was locked when we came out of the show, in a not so nice part of town, but it all worked out in the end.

A little love for George...

I've never been able to really find jeans for her, and I just love this pair!!  They fit reasonably well too (still have a waistline shortly below the buddah-belly) but they don't seem too uncomfortable... it cracks me up b/c they're the kind you can roll up to make capri, or leave down for full length... as you can see on her rolled up capri is full length...

Watching the show.... I wish I could have gotten a little further away to get this shot, but she wouldn't let me leave her side...

730 part 2...

We didn't do anything particularly special today... basically just spent the day together.  I had to work for a few hours this morning, then we went to Target, Wal-Mart, and for a quick visit at Ga-Ga & Grandpa's.  Tomorrow is our real celebration day... I haven't told her what we're doing yet, but that it's something special, then some family are coming over for cake & ice cream.

I tried to get some pictures of her at my parents new apartment... The house has great character for photos, and she was sooo uncooperative I couldn't really get the lighting right... which was amazing, but she wasn't letting me adjust the settings on my camera before running off....

My Mom bought her some new sneakers or 'Neekers' as Madalynn calls them, and I think she would sleep in them if I let her.  I so remember that feeling when I was little of how exciting it was to get new shoes...

You can see them a bit in this picture... notice she's running AWAY from the camera...

Even better in this picture...

Enjoying her Munchkin or "Magnic" as she calls it after we left Wal-Mart.... there's a Dunkin Donuts IN our Wal-Mart...

Not an eventful day, just a day of being together... it was wonderful... Tonight as she was brushing her teeth she said "I had a great day Mumma"...

All day I've been thinking ok... at this time 2 years I was...I so clearly remember that feeling of getting back to our room after I picked her up... wondering how things would go, wondering if she would become hysterical being with this stranger.  I so remember her fussyness, and pushing away from me, not screaming, wailing crying, more of just being fussy, and not accepting comfort... she did eventually fall asleep, and then we had a repeat at bedtime.  Each day got better, and I started getting smiles... so much of that trip is so precious to me... Things I will keep in my heart and treasure. 

 

730 Days...

730 days= 2 years... that's how long Madalynn & I have been together.  Two years ago today in a small room off the lobby of the Westin Hotel in Guatemala City her foster mother handed this little baby in turquoise overalls with pink roses to me, and nothing has been the same since. 

We have a few celebrations planned for this weekend... I can't wait!!  So many emotions it's such a special day in the adoption journey...I'll post more later.  Hopefully (keep your fingers crossed) I'll be able to get a self portrait later....

Her heart...

I worry about my daughter's heart... what mother doesn't?  I pray she'll have a heart that hunger, and thirsts for God, I pray she'll have a heart that will remember the moments of uncontrolled giggles, and playtime, a sense of warmth, joy, and security from her growing up years.  I pray she won't remember the moments when her Mommy gets angry or impatient.

As a child who was adopted she's suffered two losses of caregivers already in her young life.  First the loss of her birthmother.  A mother who carried her for 9 months, a woman she got to know.  She spent 9 months learning her birthmothers moods, voice, laughter, and tears.   Then the loss of her foster mother who cared for her for nearly the first 8 months of her life.  She was a part of that family unit for those 8 months.  Her first Christmas was with them, sharing in their customs, and traditions.  I am always mindful of these 2 early influences in her life.

While I no longer worry about her attaching & bonding to me, I feel very confident in our bond.  I do worry about how those early losses will affect her.  I wonder sometimes if some of her behavior stems from that on some level.  Will she struggle with fear of me leaving, or will she become fiercely independent as a defense mechanism? 

Last night after she'd fallen asleep I heard her say (yes she talks in her sleep)... "Wait for me!"...hearing her little voice say that, just cut through me, brings tears even now.  I knew it had something to do with a dream she was having, and I know dreams are a reflection of what's going on internally.  She does say that phrase often... she ALWAYS says it when I want to run in the basement quick for something...Maybe she was just having a dream that I was going in the basement, and she wanted to come with me, even so it was obviously on her mind.  One thing is for sure... from now on I will ALWAYS wait for her when I go in the basement.

I want to do everything in my power to continually reassure her that I'm her 'forever & ever' Mommy...  I want to be a better mother... I want to be a kinder mother.  That's the prayer for MY heart.

2 year old shenanigans...

There is a little toddler girl under there somewhere...

One of her bitty twins taking a nap... this one is named "Madalynn", she calls the other one "Mommy". When I saw this it reminded of "Sleeping Beauty".

It's been snowing or raining since Wednesday... see yesterday's post about our weather... Photographing snow is a challenge this were some of my attempts to photograph it today... mainly I was practicing catching the motion of the falling snow by leaving the shutter open longer (these pictures aren't a very good composition again I was just practicing exposure for snow)

 

 

Madalynn wanted to take a picture with her 'camera' too ...

Being snowed in I decided to bake cookies with Madalynn today... I had one of the large bags of chocolate chips where you only need half, so when I turned my back for half a second, I turned back around to see little hands reaching for the remainder of the bag on the counter... Did my saying "Madalynn, No" make a difference??  How do they ALWAYS manage to pull bags of the counter so the entire contents spill out??  I will admit to not having my greatest Mommy moment after this.  But we've hugged & made up since.... oh, but the Mommy guilt remains...

 

 

Anyone know how many cubits in an ark?

This is the weather forecast VERBATIM for my zip code... Notice a theme???  This is from tonight (THURSDAY through MONDAY!!)  This doesn't include the 8 inches of snow we got yesterday that turned to rain, and is now melting as rain continues to pour.

• Tonight: Windy with a heavy, steady rain this evening. Rain showers continuing overnight. . 1 to 2 inches of additional rain expected.
• Tomorrow: Periods of rain and snow. Temps nearly steady in the mid to upper 30s. 
• Tomorrow night: Rain and snow in the evening, becoming all snow late. Low 32F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph. Snow accumulating 2 to 4 inches.
• Saturday: Light snow during the morning will give way to a mixture of rain and snow during the afternoon.
• Sunday: Rain mixed with snow. Highs in the upper 30s and lows in the low 30s.
• Monday: Snow showers at times. Highs in the low 40s and lows in the low 30s.

I couldn't bring myself to look at the 7-10 day... any of my southern friends have a guest room??

Madalynnisms...

The things that come out of her mouth make me laugh everyday...

The other night she came in bed with me at about 3am... we were snuggled, and cozy, and all was quiet.  I was drifting back to sleep, and hoping she was too, when I hear her say "Ohhhhh boy.... here we go again".  That's a quote from the Disney Robin Hood movie which has become her new favorite (along with the book at bedtime).

This is a favorite when driving...

"Mawwwmy... What are you doing?"

This is a favorite when talking on the phone to various family members...

"What are you doing?"

Tonight as I came out of the bathroom...

"Mawwmy you go pawty"

"Yes honey I did"

"You wash you hands?"

"Yes, Madalynn I washed my hands".

Today driving in the car while she was eating a cheeseburger...

"Mawwmy, we go see Ga-gagranpachaham ?"(see yesterday's post)

"No, honey... you'll see them tomorrow".

"Wanna show Ga-Ga my cheeseburgert"