Who would have thought?

Just a few days ago, I wrote this & wouldn't you know it-Luke decided to start moving yesterday. (Hooray!) Now don't get me wrong-it is definitely not crawling yet, but at least it is the most progress I've seen in that department over the last few months. It has only occurred when he is in a sitting position-he reaches for the toy that is just out of reach, when he can't reach it he uses all of his might to reach a little further-lifting his butt off the ground & SCOOTS forward. In fact, he scooted all the way across the living room floor at his grandparents' house (Scott's mom & dad's) yesterday afternoon. It was a wonderful sight to see. There was even mention (by one of my SILs who witnessed this great feat with me that I should title a new blog "Living with a Conartist II"-I might be able to use that down the road!) Now, of course, I knew that everyone would be happy to hear about this little "big" step, but what gets me is the thing that finally motivated the child to get moving. It is something that he has always liked & been fascinated by when playing with it-not enough to move for it though mind you, but for some reason it turned out to be the magic ingredient yesterday. Don't get me wrong-we have been trying to entice this child to move with many different things...balls, cubes with toys inside, musical/lights toys, etc., but whenever they got too far away he would just quit & look at us like "Whatever, I'll just lay here until you either sit me up or bring me something new." So when this toy got away from him yesterday, well, I just figured it would be more of the same, but NO-he actually went after it!

What's that?...

Oh, did I not mention what this magical toy was. Are you ready to be amazed? It's.....

Accordion Blocks!

That's right-those wonderful toys from my childhood, given away in McDonald's Happy Meals!

Who would have thought that a 15-20 year old toy would do the trick?!

Summertime Resolutions June Update

How are the resolutions coming along, you ask? Well I think I've done okay, but not great considering I haven't done much with a couple of them. I can say, however, that I have finally gotten started with all of them. So here it goes:

Read, Read, Read: I have read several books this past month, which included quite a variety of genre too. I'm currently reading Dead Man's Walk by Larry McMurtry-it is one of Scott's books & I am about 1/2 way through it. It is a good story, but I could do without the graphic descriptions of the torture done by the Comanche Indians (Yuck! He is either a very good writer or I just have a very good imagination for visualizing it) I also read Once in a Lifetime by Danielle Steel-it was my first one ever of hers & a classic romance novel-it was a pretty easy read & didn't require much thinking on my part (predictable in other words)-it was nice for a change of pace. I also read Alicia by Alicia Appleman-Jurman, which was an autobiography of her experiences as a Jew during the Holocaust. I am always fascinated with books about people from this era-it is amazing the prejudices & suffering they had to survive during their lifetime. The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards was another book I read-I liked the concept of this story, but thought the writing was a bit slow paced. I also read Domina by Barbara Wood, which was a romance too, but had a lot more substance to it because the main character was a lady doctor in the 1800's so there was quite a bit of medical history involved in the story as well. It was interesting to read about the advancements made during the years covered by the book & it made me very glad that I didn't live back then! So 4 1/2 books-that's fairly close to my goal!

Exercise: I did not do so well with this one, but have managed to start walking a few days this past week. Plus, with starting to get my house in order (see below) I am getting quite a bit of activity from all of the housecleaning!

Get my photos organized: I have worked & worked on this one. In fact, I have managed to get all of Luke's pictures (on my computer) edited & organized up to the present, which I feel is quite the accomplishment. I've even gotten myself organized enough to be able to start digital scrapbooking & have completed several pages-Yeah me!

Get my house in order: I admit-I procrastinated on this all month until about 4-5 days ago. I finally decided that I would just take it one room at a time (& do that one room really well before moving on to the next one). I have finished my Dining Room & must say that it looks fabulous compared to the rest of the house (which means this will be the only room anyone is allowed into if they come by for a visit too!) :) My next task is the Master Bath-there isn't really any rhyme or reason to the order I'm doing the rooms in either, just whichever one feels right at the time!

Pretty good for June-here's to hoping July is much better! :)

I Like It, I Love It!

I LOVE Tim McGraw's CD "Live Like You Were Dying". I realize it is a couple of years old now, but it is still one of those albums that I can listen to again & again & still find something new in each song. It is one of those CD's that is constantly in my player (Scott can vouch for that-I'm a little OCD when it comes to listening to the same CD over&over&over again-he's always like "Can we pleeease listen to something else?") :) Anyway, I just thought I'd talk about my favorite songs on the album & why I like them so well today. Enjoy & if you get a chance, listen to it for yourself!

"How Bad Do You Want It" -A song with a great beat about putting yourself out there to get what you want in life, plus it's a great one to sing along out loud with (good thing Luke doesn't seem to mind my singing yet!)
"My Old Friend" -A song about friendship & the memories we make with them & how we each go down our paths, yet time moves on & sometimes it is years before we see them/remember our times with each other-in the case of this song the friend had died & the song is the singer's way remembering his friend even though time had distanced them-it always touches me how Tim sings this song
"Can't Tell Me Nothing" -What can I say, except that it definitely reminds me of some of my students at school &/or teenagers
"Live Like You Were Dying" -Obviously a super hit & spectacular song for Tim, but I especially like the lines 'And I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter, And I gave forgiveness I'd been denying' shouldn't everyone be living by this motto-not waiting until we're dying to do it
"Drugs or Jesus" -Definitely one of my favorites on this album 'Everybody just wants to get high, Sit and watch a perfect world go by' what a fabulous line-some people use Jesus & some people try to use drugs to get this-clever, clever, clever! It makes me think, which I always like!
"Back When" -Catchy tune-fun to sing, plus I think the play on words in the chorus is superb
"Everybody Hates Me" -I LOVE this song because it is so true! It's all about the guy who got the promotion & how everyone talks about him behind his back & loves cutting him down, but when he gets demoted he's their buddy again. 'Everybody wants to be the big dog, Want to wag that big dog tail, But till they are, They want to see the big dog fail'...'Everybody smiles to your face and hide their jealousy, That's the way it goes and I can't wait till...Everybody hates me' I think this is probably the case in many, many workplaces!
"Blank Sheet of Paper" -Written from the paper's point of view about a guy trying to write a letter of apology & not being able to write anything-very clever!
"Do You Want Fries With That" -What a spectacular down on your luck song-having to work at at Drive-up window & having to serve the guy who stole your life-I'd probably hope he would choke on a pickle too! Classic country! :)

Please Don't Ask Me...

Is he crawling yet?!!!
The answer is/will be/has been for a long time...NO. If I sound a bit frustrated, well I am. I don't really mind people inquiring about Luke, but this question is starting to get to me only because the child is almost 10 months old & I am still giving the same answer. Has he been interested in moving? You betcha! He'll walk everywhere as long as he's holding your hands or in his walker. There is no stopping him in those cases, but will he attempt to roll/army crawl/real crawling at all on his own? No Way! Does he seem to be too bothered by it? Not really, but Mommy is beginning to feel somewhat frustrated by it. He is not the one always having to answer the questions & then look at people's surprised faces or then hear "Well does he have any older siblings?- Oh, no-well that explains it." Does it? Does it really? I just don't know. The key word here is INADEQUATE - that is how all of this makes me feel. Of course, I know that all mothers are very prone to this, but this feeling & I have become quite good friends (although I don't like her very much). What can make a person feel more inadequate about herself & her body then infertility? Follow that up with going through the adoption process, where every aspect of your life is put out there for other people to decide if you will make good parents & then wondering if you will be "good enough" to get picked. Of course, it doesn't quite stop there because once you are picked, you're constantly worrying that you may do something wrong & the birthmom will change her mind or God forbid, she does, then you analyze yourself even more. I've also read that adoptive parents do tend to judge themselves even more critically than bio parents because they feel like they have had to put themselves on some kind of pedestal to prove to the world that they are "good" parents & know how to care for a child. (Check! Got that one covered) Does it make me doubt my abilities when Luke isn't maybe progressing as he should? Yep, bringing along with it loads of Mommy Guilt. In the end, though, I just remind myself that I am his mother & am trying to do the best that I can & am trying to give him anything that he needs to thrive in this world. Will I make mistakes? Yes, no doubt about it, but I will just try to keep from beating myself up (too much) about them. Would it help if he would just crawl a little? YES!!! (Don't worry, there will definitely be a post when that day finally arrives! Until then, just keep in mind-don't ask me about it!) :)

They'rrrre Baaaack!!!

Every year I hope that maybe they won't come back this year, but it never fails they do & I just happened to see my first one today! Those huge, ugly, loud insects called HORSEFLIES! I hate them! They make going outside no fun with all of their whizzing & biting. I always think it sounds like a helicopter is aiming straight for my head when I hear one of them. Do we really need these monstrous bugs? What is their purpose? Now having a bit more of a Science background, I realize that everything is here for a reason & has its own purpose whether you know what it is or not, but come on now-Horseflies!? I suppose one might say that they make a tasty meal for the birds, but really I think that there are probably more than enough mosquitos buzzing around outside to keep them full. Now maybe there is some kind of purpose for their biting, but again I would have to say again (ahem) Mosquitos!!! Those nasty little "M" bugs do plenty of biting on their own without the help of their gigantic friends. Someone could also make a case for Horseflies helping to rid the world of decaying animals & plants (I'm assuming they do this too), but I'm sure that their lovely friends the Houseflies can handle it. The houseflies are just as annoying and can pretty well handle doing all of those wonderful tasks stated above too. So really, Why do we need a BIGGER, NOISIER version of the same thing? (If you need me, I'll be the one running and ducking for cover the rest of the summer!) :)

Looking forward to the Future!

I'm looking forward to Luke growing up, but I sure hope this is NOT in his future! Thanks to my friend, Sheryl, who sent me this email-it gave me a good laugh!

Why Boys Need Parents!

I Want It All & I Want It Now!

There is a TV commercial (for a credit card, I think?) that I hear alot right now with this song playing. It always makes me smile. First of all, because the wife tells her husband to get whatever TV he wants (which makes me think of Scott always joking about getting a "BIG" TV someday & me saying no because I think it's kind of a waste), but mostly because it makes me think of Luke. Those words are just about perfect when it comes to describing him. Whenever hunger sets in, there is no waiting-he definitely lacks patience! He wants it NOW! (Why do I always have to waste time making a bottle-shouldn't I just have them all made up and ready to go?! There should be no waiting for him to chew, just keep shoveling it in, who cares about him possibly gagging/choking!) These words also pop into my head whenever I'm holding/carrying him, especially if I have anything at all in my hands. (Don't I realize yet that everything is his! Who cares if it's glass or a plastic bag that could cause injury/suffocation?) And of course whenever he is playing, I think of those words again, especially if he is trying to hold more than 2 things at a time. He is always trying to figure out how to get the third thing without losing one of the other two, but just can't ever quite manage it. As soon as he gets it, he loses one or both of whatever he was already holding & then has to start all over again! (Is it wrong to get so much enjoyment out of watching his struggles? It's just so cute!) I don't think it is so long as he isn't getting too frustrated, which he usually isn't. It's just fun to watch him trying to problem solve! (I'll enjoy it for now because I know in the not so distant future it may not be so "fun" when he's trying to get into things he shouldn't! Yikes!!!)

A "Blog" in Progress

I feel like I have come a long way with all of this technology stuff in the past year. I used to feel quite overwhelmed by alot of it and really didn't have much to do with it outside of checking email, surfing the internet when I needed something, & to complete projects (writing papers/lesson plans, adoption portfolio, etc). This year, though, has been a different story! I jumped on the digital scrapbooking bandwagon (slowly, but surely I'm getting there anyway-when I can find the time). I find that I'm actually beginning to understand some of the terminology (for instance, I now understand what kb, mb, & G are & which one is the biggest). Also, I can easily crop & edit photos (simply) without anxiety about "losing" the picture & am learning more everyday it seems. And last, but not least I have become a blogger. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that I would like doing this, but I admit that I find it a little bit addicting & I love reading other blogs. Maybe it's my nosy nature ;) but I like to think that it fulfills this curiosity I have about how other people live (I realize that I basically just said the same thing again, but it sounds SO much better the second way doesn't it!) :) I've always been one of those people who wonders what other people are thinking. Anytime I am in a crowd, whether it's traffic; shopping; etc., I always find myself looking around and wondering what it would be like to step into someone else's shoes for a day just to see what their life is like. I wonder: are they close with their family, are they in the middle of some kind of crisis, what is there reason for being here? Frankly, I'm just curious to see what goes on behind the "social masks" that we see out in public & wonder how "easy" or "hard" other people have it. So for me, blogging is like a little peek into someone else's world to see what life is like for them & to help me better understand things or to gain a new perspective about things going on in my own life. Of course, I am never completely satisfied with my own work so occasionally you will probably see some changes go on with my blog (new template, different features, etc.) & keep in mind I'm still figuring out ALOT :) so if anyone has any advice I'll gladly take it (as long as it's free of course!) :) On another note, has anyone noticed that the more techno savvy you become the more "toys" you want? If anyone wants to donate to the "Anita technology fund", I'll gladly accept donations for a new digi camera, wireless internet, laptop, scanner, digi scrapbooking products, & on, & on, & on! :D Thanks for joining me on my technology journey

Happy (Belated) Father's Day!!!

I realize this comes a day late, but Scott & I got back later than expected from our anniversary trip, so today was kind of his Father's Day. We didn't really do anything too exciting to celebrate it (he did some gardening), but after being away from Luke for over 48 hours (Yikes, I know, but we made it) it was just nice to be home and hang out as a family. This holiday & Mother's Day have just been so much more extra special for us this year with Luke being around, especially considering that this is our actual "first" in every shape & form since I've never been pregnant & since we didn't even know about him yet at this point last year. It just makes us feel so blessed this year! Luke has changed our lives in so many ways & it is still so amazing & hard to believe at times that he is ours to love & raise. Even with all of the joy of this year's holidays, the anxiety/pain we were feeling at this time a year ago is still never far from my mind & it breaks my heart to know that there are still people out there waiting for their "dream" of having children or who want to add to their families (but have little to no control over it-like ourselves down the road) to come true will have a very hard time on these holidays especially. So to all of the "lucky" ones (myself included this year), I say don't forget what a gift you have been given in the form of your children & make sure to give them lots of hugs & kisses on this very special day. I wish all of the father's, soon-to-be fathers, & most especially the "waiting" fathers (& mothers) who have no idea yet when they will be blessed with a child of their own-a very, very special holiday & if you know anyone in that last category just make sure that you give them "space" or a hug-whatever they need! Happy Father's Day everyone!

Happy Flag Day!!!

That's right-it's Flag Day-and around here it's one very special holiday! Of course, we are a patriotic family & we do like to celebrate/honor our country (& flag), but the main reason that this holiday is so special for us is because it is the day that Scott & I got married! This year we are celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary. It is so hard to believe that it has been 5 years already. It has not all gone exactly like we imagined that it would on that day 5 years ago, but I know that we can both say it is like a fine wine "it only gets better with age"! So here's a little walk back in history to see how far we've come:

5Years Ago...

*We were going to start a family right away and hopefully have at least 2 kids before our 5th anniversary (definitely did NOT go as expected, but we were finally blessed with Luke this past year)
*We would build a new house on the Scott's family's original homestead (check)
*I would finish student teaching, graduate & have my own classroom (sort of check-first 2 done, as far as my own classroom-not quite yet, but at least I've always been happy with whatever I'm doing-subbing, teacher assistant, etc.)
*We would still maintain a fairly active social life once we had kids (slowed down a little, but check)!!
*We would continue to communicate well each and every day (check)
*We would love each other even more 5 years from now then we did that day (check!!!)

Go out enjoy and celebrate this very special holiday today-I know we will! :)

Water Anyone?

This is the view I woke up to this morning:

Front Views

Back Views

I believe I said, "Wow, I think this is the highest I've ever seen the water out before!" But Scott "knowing all" corrected me quickly, "Oh no, I don't think it is the highest it's ever been, but maybe close."

Later (7:20ish a.m.), my MIL calls & tells her son "The water is at record levels everywhere." (Me): [clearing my throat & speaking sarcastically] "Oh no, I don't think the water is the highest it's ever been! Hmmmm...was I right earlier or what?!" Scott: "Yes, you were right." (I take such great pride in it when this happens!) (hehe)

More pictures:

Believe it or not, but there is a bridge under all of that water somewhere!

Oh No, our garden!

By 10:30a.m. the road was covered! (First time in 60 years, since the road was first built up & probably the first time since Scott & I got married that I was glad that we have an early Mass time [8 a.m.] because we were home before the water was over the road!)
What a fascinating & historical day! Watching the water rise so quickly during those morning hours & then getting to watch it start to slowly recede as levees in the area started breaking-I hope I NEVER see it again in my lifetime! :)

Rodeo Star

I'm beginning to feel like I've chosen the wrong profession! Sometimes, I really think that I've missed my calling as a rodeo star-you know, one of those calf roping people. Changing Luke's diapers always makes me think this. Between trying to keep his hands out of his "boy area" (especially when he's poopy) & trying to keep a hold of his feet (because kicking them up & down is so much fun-again especially when he's poopy) & then trying to apply diaper rash cream (which can be just as much fun as poop especially when he's trying to kick-are you catching on to a theme here?), it can be TOUGH! So I got to thinking today as him & I were reenacting the above scene several times this morning, that maybe I should be a calf roping rodeo star because I'm obviously getting lots of practice with my technique (& before it is suggested-yes I do try to distract him during the whole process with a toy or bottle, but he just keeps getting smarter-who needs TWO hands when you can hold an object with only ONE). The only real difference is that they get to use a rope & I just have my two hands (so I might actually be more advanced than the rodeo stars!) YEAH ME!

Lazy Days Are Here Again!

If my house could talk, this is what it might be saying...

Floors- "Don't worry about cleaning us-dirt helps keep us nice and insulated, especially during all of this wonderful humidity."

Dishes- "We don't mind the dirt, since the view is so much better out here on the countertop. Plus, it's a little cramped stuck inside the cabinets."

Laundry- "Forget about cleaning us for now-the stench gives us personality-same goes for the wrinkles we get from not being folded when we are clean!"

Toys- "Please just let us be. It's so much more fun to be out here free on the open range of the living room floor. As for the other suckers still stuck in the basket...don't worry...they'll be free soon enough too."

Books- "We're just dying to be opened and read, please join us. Don't worry about all of those other things...they're just fine!"

I'd hate to disappoint everything by cleaning-NOT! I need to get motivated!!! I hope none of these items put up too much of a fight! :) Wish me luck!