Monday, March 26, 2007

Ranting Again

Okay, so I'm tired & bitchy. Heck, it's Monday, & I got no rest this weekend. We had 2 birthday parties on Sunday, & when I say back to back, I mean back to back. Erin enjoyed both parties immensely.
After work today we went & bought Erin's big girl bedroom set. We've planning on doing this for quite a while but had hoped to hold out until her 5th birthday this summer. Unfortunately, she's been very vocal about her bedroom.
"I don't like yellow. I want a pink room!"
"Where are the butterflies?"
"I want a bed like mama & daddy." (BTW, I didn't get a king size bed till I got married. When do you think Erin's getting hers.)
Her bedroom set should be delivered within the next 2-3 weeks. It's going to be pure hell until then.
The whole experience was quite nice since we knew what we wanted when we went in to the store. Even the sales lady tried to be nice. A few of her comments:
Are Oriental children just exquisite? Their eyes & all. . .
When did you get her?
My friend who's Oriental married an American guy. I really hoped their baby would have Oriental features, but he came out all blond & blue-eyed.
I wanted to smack the woman but self control took over. -
I didn't tell her that people are Asian & "things" are Oriental.
I didn't get her. I got a new purse. She came home almost 4 years ago.
Thank G-d your friends' child is healthy & able to be with his birthparents.
Okay, so I wanted to stop the transaction & not buy the bedroom set. Then I looked at my beautiful Asian daughter who had been so sweet the entire time & used her manners. Then I took out my credit card & paid for her new bedroom set. She smiled & all was right with the world.

Saturday, March 24, 2007

Muscle Sprouts!


Food is a problem in our family. David & I love it. Erin could care less on a good day. Today we went to Olive Garden for lunch. As usual we were joking around. Erin asked what I was eating today so I told her I was eating muscles which I love. My daughter being who she is, innocently says "Like Brussel Sprouts Mama?" So I told her that these were not Brussel Sprouts but muscles. Erin played Popeye, made a "muscle," & said "See Mama, I have Muscle Sprouts!" Needless to say, David & I fell apart laughing.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Things That Annoy Me!

My friend Sandra http://www.jazzieandtahlia.typepad.com wants to know what annoys me. I'm pretty sure that my list is long. I always say that patience is a virtue. However, I was born without that particular virtue. Needless to say, there's plenty that I find annoying.
  • Red lights. If I wanted to sit still & do nothing, I'd stay home.
  • My name is T-A-M-M-I-E. Have the courtesy to spell it correctly please. I don't know what possessed my mother to spell it that way (or my dad to allow it), but she did.
  • Snobs. No one is better than anyone. We all came into this world the same way, & we're all leaving the same way. Just because you have more money does not make you better.
  • People who feel the need to let me know that I have a lot of gray hair. Do they realize that I look in the mirror every day at least once. One of my many allergies is an ingredient in hair dye. BTW, my hubby thinks it looks sexy, & his is the only opinion that matters.
  • Stupidity. I refuse to say more here.
  • People who are nasty.
  • Being yelled at. I will do almost anything for almost anyone. Just don't yell at me. I promise that if you do, I'm going to "turn you off."

Well, I think that is more than enough for now. Hopefully, you're not too annoyed with my post. ;-)

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Sleep? Baths? Nah!

I have to admit that I hate being in a funk, but it seems that is exactly where I'm at lately. I've been trying to be "up" for people but don't really have the desire to do it now. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy when I can help others but feel like I need a break.

Erin has always given us trouble with her bedtime. No matter what we do, it's a fight. Each & every night she cries & complains that she doesn't want to go to bed. When we do finally get her in bed, she will call either momma or daddy at least 4 times. It's really wearing on me.

The last month or so she had started to sleep through the night, & David & I were thrilled thinking she'd finally made it past whatever was bothering her. Sunday night, we decided to try it her way. Erin's normal bedtime is 7:30 Sunday through Thursday with an extra half hour on Fridays & Saturdays. With the time change, I knew we were going to have an even harder time getting her to bed. By 8:30 we finally decided that she could stay up in her bed & quietly "read" to herself. The child was still going strong when I went in at 9:30. It was like she had so much extra energy. At 10:00 David very strongly told her to go to sleep. We were up by 12:30 with her crying. And we were up at 2:00 & at 4:00. By 5:00 am, I gave up & stayed up with her. Monday night we put her to bed at the normal 7:30 but got no sleep again. Tonight's not looking much better.

This nighttime behavior is making Tammie a not so nice person. Today at work I just wanted to smack a few people. It's a good thing I have an amazing amount of self control or I'd be out looking for a new job in the morning.

Bath time isn't much better for us either. Ever since Gotcha Day, bath time has been really hard. In the beginning, you would have thought we were drowning Erin she screamed so badly. It was horrible, & David & I cried all the time. Our friend Debbie finally took over bathing duty once she started watching Erin. In the last year, Erin has definitely gotten better. She doesn't scream anymore but getting her to take a bath is just so hard. The production she puts on is interesting now. She'll tell us that she's still clean, doesn't stink, wants to play - anything to avoid the water. We tried a shower once but our neighbor made mention of the screams she heard. Thankfully, this neighbor has known us forever & is aware of Erin's issues. Another person may have called the cops for suspected abuse.

Tonight, Erin tried to avoid going to bed by begging for a bath. I almost cried.

Sunday, March 11, 2007

Keep Driving


So the other day I was driving my much loved child to school. I call David each morning to let him know how the day started & that we're leaving for school & work. Erin screams her good mornings to her daddy. After I pull out of our development, I call my friend Debbie so we can BS about "stuff." Usually Erin, Jonathan & Kaylee will try talking to us while we're chatting. This particular day, I finished my morning chats early & was just driving down the road quietly listening to nothing in particular. All of a sudden I hear Erin chatting away so I asked her what was going on. My daughter said to me "It's okay momma. I'm only talking to myself. Keep driving." HUH!?!?

Saturday, March 10, 2007



I saw this on my friend Sandra's blog & thought it was major cool!!

Saturday, March 03, 2007

My friend Debbie

As I was driving home from work yesterday, I was chatting with my friend Debbie. She is a very special person in our lives. When my maternity leave was up, & I had to go back to work, Debbie offered to watch Erin for us. It was a hard decision because she was getting ready to deliver her own special package - our much loved Jonathan. David & I talked it over & decided that Debbie would be perfect as long as it was also okay with her husband Ed. Now here we are 3.5 years down the line, & there is a special bond between our families. Erin & Jonathan don't know of life without each other. Jonathan was born 3 days shy of Erin's 1st birthday, & she came to the hospital with me when I visited him for the first time. Her daughter Kaylee took to Erin the very 1st time she laid eyes on her. In fact, I have a feeling that there isn't much Kaylee wouldn't do for Erin. It must have been hard for Kaylee to all of a sudden have to share her mommy with not only her brand new brother but also Erin.

Anyway, as I was say, I was chatting with Debbie. All of a sudden, I realized that I am so totally in love with my daughter. When I mentioned this to Debbie, she wasn't shocked. Actually, her response was "Yea, and. . . " Debbie has watched me evolve into a mother since we started our adoption journey. I talk over lots of things with her - happy things & frustrating things.

Debbie & I come from very different backgrounds but have found a connection. We met when she worked for the same company that I'm still with. I'm so happy that our friendship continued outside of work.

Thursday, March 01, 2007

Baking Hamantashcen at School!!






Tuesday Erin's class baked hamantaschen for Purim. These are yummy cookies baked in the shape of a triangle with fillings in the middle. I love the prune or poppy seed filling best. Erin is like her daddy & prefers the chocolate chips or jam filling. Being in the kitchen is a treat for Erin. She loves to cook with her daddy & bake with her mommy. I went in to volunteer with Erin's class. We had so much fun!

Butterfly World -- Again!!



Erin's school puts on an international show each February, & the children all work so hard to put it together. The show was this past Friday, & Erin really came through. Last year it was like she was in shock & couldn't do anything. This year she shined. BTW, that was what another mommy told me! Oh yeah! I was glowing with motherly pride.
Anyway, to celebrate Erin's hard work, we took her to Butterfly World this past Saturday. She just loves butterflies so it was a great day. We all had so much fun just walking around, looking at the beauty of the surroundings & snapping pics.
I even decided that I would have David take a picture of Erin with me. Normally, I'm the one snapping away. Many of my friends balk when I snap pictures of them with their children. I always tell them that I don't have enough pictures of my mother with me, & I regret that. Well, I'm going to be proactive & attempt to give Erin the pictures that I don't have. Needless to say, I don't believe that I photograph well but I'm going to work on it. Here's your proof!