Happy Birthday Olivia & Ezra!

It's official. Our babies are ONE year old! We had an astounding and fantastic birthday, complete with cake, presents, family, friends, and my brother's return from a year long tour of duty in Afghanistan! (Uncle Z wasn't able to be at the party, but he made it stateside on their birthday... what a treat!).

Today, Ezi & Livi had the wonderful fortune of having their 1 year well baby exam. That included FOUR shots each from their new pediatrician... an event to remember! :-) Thankfully, the art of distraction is one I excel at, so shortly after the offense, each of them were tear free and enjoying the new pediatrician and nurses once again. Four shots though, poor babes.

Here's their current stats. Prepare to be amazed!

Ezra
Height: 30.75 inches (80%)
Weight: 22.06 lbs (45%)
Head Circ: 18.11 inches (45%)

Olivia
Height: 29.75 inches (75% - up from 25-30% range!)
Weight: 19.25 lbs (25% - still a lightweight!)
Head Circ: 18.11 inches (75%)

So, as usual their head circumference is the same, Ezra is taller, but not by quite as much as before, but he's GAINING in weight much faster and is now almost 3 pounds heavier! They keep on growing, but still are not the "huge" babies people seem to think they are. :-) Close, but not quite. The new pediatrician seemed really nice, and the kids liked him well enough. Well... Livi exhibited her typical stranger anxiety (pouty lip, running for mommy, near tears), but Ezra was ever the champ. He was a nice guy, and I think we'll like him. The exam room was GREAT... at least twice as big as our previous pediatrician, and plenty of room for the two of them to run around in their diapers, look out the window, and admire the planes hanging from the ceiling. With two toddlers, having some room (and a safe place) for them to run around makes a HUGE difference.

Now, back to yesterday and their birthday party! We were afraid my parents and uncle wouldn't be back from my brothers' welcome home party (scheduled originally for 01:45 am at Fort Reilly... a good 8 hour drive from here - delayed until 5:00 am!), but they got here in time for cake! Hooray! It was a nice, cozy party with their grandmas, papaw (my dad), their great uncle Marty, and friends Tracy & Sean (currently awaiting a twin referral from Adoption Avenues!!). We had a lovely time and other than Livi getting a bit overwhelmed with being the center of attention, the kids had a blast. I gave them REAL cake (GASP) with REAL icing (BIGGER GASP), so I'm sure the sugar high was a whole new experience for them. Ezra is such a boy... dug right into that cake with two hands and began shoveling it into his mouth. Livi, however, was so bothered by having her hands all goopy and sticky. She was much more reserved and delicate, leaving part of her cake for Ezra to inhale as well. Yikes. That boy had some serious cake yesterday!

Thank you to all of our fabulous party goers, it wouldn't have been the same without you! Thank you ALSO to Tia Claudia who made an overnight appearance on a long layover in Denver so we could visit and catch up. We love you Claudia!

Now, on to the good stuff... pictures!

Playing For Change: Song Around the World

This kind of unification amongst people around the world gives me chills... hope you enjoy a little bit of uplifting music for the holidays!

Snow and Eye Gashes, Oh My!

Ok, so it took a wee bit longer to get some pictures posted than I thought it would. You know, I'm a BUSY lady these days! Try getting ready for a first birthday/birthday party for your prince AND princess as well as a first Christmas - and your hubby is living and working in a different state so HE isn't around to help, getting the flu, AND trying to work! ;-) Not that I'm whining, because the holidays are the BEST and I'm so excited about watching Ezi & Livi enjoy all the wonderment of their first big holiday season, but... yikes! I'm feeling sooooo behind and the blogging is definitely suffering because of it!

As for Ezra's BIG eye gash incident. I was AMAZED at how little it ended up bruising. It was pretty swollen the day of the accident and the day after, but that's about it. I took some photos of it just after the tears ceased the first day (and the bleeding had stopped), but they aren't too graphic... no worries for the faint hearted! :-)

I'm also posting some pictures of Ezra outside in his snowsuit for the first time (don't have any of Livi yet as she hasn't been out! She was sleeping during our brief evening excursion with Ez). It's been sub-zero here the last two days, so no trips out in the beautiful, fresh snow have happened this time either! It seems that my flu bug and the super cold temperatures are conspiring to keep us indoors! Grrr! You'll notice Ezra's snowsuit is huge... it's an 18 month size since we wanted room to bundle him up and the 12 month (of a different brand... both were bought used) fit PERFECTLY right now... I thought we'd be OK in the 18 month size... WHOOPS! Oh well, at this rate it'll probably fit Livi NEXT year this time! :-)

I'll also post photos of the first snow day we had and I carried snow inside to the kiddos in the lid of one of their Rubbermaid toy boxes. Ezra anxiously dove in with both hands and quickly regretted the situation... that stuff is COLD. After that he was much more reserved and cautious, but learned it's mighty tasty stuff - so long as it's fresh and WHITE. :-D Livi was ever the delicate explorer - gently touching the snow and scooping it up in measuring cups. The differences in the two of them crack me up... we definitely have the ALL boy and ALL girl around here! :-)

Enjoy!

SNOW!

Yesterday morning Ezi and Livi awoke to their first REAL snow!  To see the wonderment from their amazing eyes... beholding the world and its magic for the first time.  Ezra stared, mouth agape, out the window for ages (and this was BEFORE they had breakfast which is the second thing we do EVERY DAY... it comes only second to a diaper change when they first get up!).  Olivia pointed, touching the cold glass of the window and blabbered in her own little language about the miracle that had taken place whilst they slept.  SNOW.

Mama (that's ME), spent the remainder of the day scrambling to find a good snowsuit for Ezi.  I'd lucked into finding a GREAT one two days before when my mom and I took the kids to the store, Once Upon a Child, for the first time in Longmont.  Little did I know it'd get used SO soon!  However, Ezi was left without one, so I spent the day scrambling.  They both also needed jackets, and, oh yeah, SNOW boots!  You know, for my toddlers that RUN around everywhere they go!  So, no playing out in the snow yesterday.  I brought the snow in to them on one of the lids from their big toy tubs.  

The first thing Ezra did after I set the lid down (FULL of snow), was DIVE IN.  Can you imagine his reaction?!  He sat back on his bum, looked at me, slightly panicked for a moment, stared at his hands, and began screaming.  While this was taking place I dove in and was rushing to get the powdery snow off his hands, but not fast enough.  Snow is C-O-L-D!  Poor guy.  It took quite a while for him to get up the guts to touch it again after that.  But once he did... look out!  Snow is TASTY!  We made them snowballs, showed them how to scoop it up with measuring cups, you name it.  Who knew a lid of snow could be so cool?!

This morning I ran over to Centerra (big outdoor shopping mall thing in Loveland) to meet a woman about a snowsuit.  Yep, found her on Craigslist.  Who doesn't love Craigslist?  She drove down from Fort Collins so I wouldn't have to go that far.  I ALSO had a lady meeting me there with a BIG bag of Peek-a-blocks (she was from Greeley), so I was set.  The snowsuit seemed pretty big for Ezra... but he's a growing boy.  I snagged it from her (HOW did I score TWO fabulous condition, down snowsuits for the kids in just the right sizes?!), got the Peek-a-blocks, and began the search for snow boots and winter coats.  Not easy... somehow it seems the right sizes/combination of features was VERY elusive on these items.

I ran into my awesome mother-in-law at Kohls (whom I don't see enough of... hint, hint Dr. G - we want to see you LOTS more often!) while waiting for the correct size jacket to be located for Ezra from the back of the store.  That was fun and made my day.  Lee is always fun to chat with and we've made plans to get together MUCH more often!  HOORAY!  I hopped in the car to head home with EVERYTHING I needed... a snowsuit for Mr. E, boots for E&O, jackets, you name it.  I was SET.  I began sledding - AHEM, I mean driving, home to see my little wild ones.  Let me tell you, there is nothing more incredible than driving up to the house and seeing their little faces peering out the window, waving and blowing kisses (YES, they do that!), squealing, and shouting MAMA (sometimes).  That is the neatest thing ever and makes going away for errands and work on occasion a little easier... knowing I get to come home to that.  

Ok, I'm rambling.  The part of the story I really needed to share was what happened AFTER I got back.  I slipped Ez into his new, blue snowsuit and zipped him up.  He thought this was super cool and began running around and screaming with excitement.  I went crawling after him to try his new boots on him... and he thought the chase was on.

*Let me preface this with the fact that Olivia and Ezra LOVE to have someone "get them."  If you crawl, walk after them, cackle, growl, roar, say "I'm gonna get ya," or anything similar, squeals of glee will ensue and they will either collapse to the floor, face in the carpet giggling with defeat... or run away and play hard to get.  

So, as I crawled after Ezi, he decided I was playing since he was so wound up with excitement from wearing his new snowsuit.  He squealed and began laughing his incredible, contagious laugh.  I grabbed at the back of his snowsuit to quickly pull him into me.  However... right as I grabbed ahold of the middle of the back of his snowsuit, he spun around to face his attacker.  The combination of his quick spin and the fact I'd just grabbed him cause him to slam into the window sill at, oh, maybe Mach 3!

Ugh.  My heart sank.  My stomach instantly knotted and I grabbed up my boy just as he fought through the daze and began the silent scream of horror.  I looked... and saw it.  A big, white colored dent right on the edge of his left eye/eyelid.  My stomach flip-flopped.  I don't do messy.  This looked like it might get messy.  My mind INSTANTLY went into overdrive... get the snowsuit off, asked my mom (who'd been there with us playing) to run and grab a cloth and a cold pack, and I thought CALL LEE (Joe's mom... the ER doctor)!  I just knew it was going to be a huge bloody mess and his eyeball was going to pop out at any second or something.  Yeah, drama, I know.  But that first glance at the big, white dent that was the kind of thing you see after something is sliced badly... before the blood reaches the wound and starts pouring out.  

I ripped the snowsuit off and cuddled Ezi close.  Grandma ran in with a cold pack and I snuggled onto the cough with Ez and tried to get him to let me hold it on there.  I knew that this was going to swell badly without some cold.  But, let me suggest you consider what kind of effort it might take to hold something very cold on an insanely strong 11 month old that was just wounded.  Not fun.  I finally soothed him with some of my fabulous singing (Er... maybe it was my squawking).  The crying lessened a bit and he slowly relaxed.  Surprisingly, the gash never bled too much, but I think he's going to end up with his first shiner.  His outer eye is swollen and the bright red gash is quite visible.  

I guess I should be thankful that this is the first drama we've had since they came home... 7 and a half months ago!  No big illnesses, no other boo-boos (aside from very small scratches and bruises that come with learning to walk).  All in all, and the guilt I feel for the role I played in the accident aside, I'm thankful that THIS was drama.  We could have had so much worse by now.  Poor Ezi though... I feel so badly about it!  Thankfully, he doesn't even seem to remember it happened and was ripping around again without hesitation after their afternoon nap.  Tough little guy, let me tell you!

So, that's our day in a nutshell.  Ezra got a quick trip outside to try out his new boots and snowsuit this afternoon (post nap- he was pretty bummed out after getting his boo-boo and a nap seemed to help).  Of course... that means he got to try out his snowsuit in the DARK since the sun sets so early these days!  Pictures to follow tomorrow... I have GOT to get to bed before 1:00 am tonight!  I've not been getting enough sleep to function well lately.

Picture-a-palooza!

Craving updates?

Ok, I admit.  I've been a TERRIBLE blogger.  You may wonder what in the world has happened to me... did I drop off the face of the Earth?!

No.  I'm here.  I'll give you the low down on the last couple of months, since I'm sick of getting harassing emails about where I've been.  ;-)  (Just kidding... I love that I'm loved and missed!)  I'll keep it as short and sweet as I can since no one wants to read in depth about all the crazy happenings of the last couple of months since we moved.

Halloween was a hoot.  The kids were ADORABLE.  Of course.  Ezra was a very handsome peacock and Olivia was a beautiful Flamingo.  (Pictures to follow).  They had a blast toodling around Pearl Street in Boulder with my mom and I.  After getting ooggled and ogled for a couple of hours, my mom took them home to sleep while I headed to the airport to pickup Joe for our weekly/every of week visit from DADDY!  :-)

Joe's been back and forth a number of times, but sadly not every week like we'd prefer.  He's missing the twin tornadoes like crazy and treasures their weekends together (as do I!).  It sounds like he'll be getting relocated out here in the next 3 weeks... Hooray!  The downer is that we may not see him again UNTIL then... as tickets are just too pricey to splurge on right now.  Bah.  Since I'm a total nut for the holidays and the Christmas season is my favorite, I'm a bit of a grouch about having him miss out on preparations and festivities for the kids first birthdays and Christmas!  (It's really their second Christmas... but since they were only a few days old then, it's really like their first, right?). 

Anyhoo.  We had a super fun week with Joe last week, celebrating his birthday and Thanksgiving.  We had way more food than we should have for the 6 of us, but that's part of the season, right?  Yummy times, let me tell you.

Joe and I have also been overwhelmingly busy with some entrepreneurial ventures lately, as well.  I find myself struggling to get comfortable with allowing Ezi and Livi more time with their grandma so I can get some work done.  I juggle some of it while I'm with them and they're napping, and some days have actually LEFT the house without my appendages.  Ugh.  Talk about tough.  Turns out that after 8 months together (and only two very brief separations with E&O staying with a family member) it gets kind of hard to be away from them.  Even though the break can be a breath of fresh air, it's HARD.  Those goofy little angels are really the light of my life and my reason for getting up in the morning (hee hee... literally and figuratively).  They are truly wonder babies.  My uncle tells me their magic babies.  Since the day he met them he's said they seem magical, and they really are.  Somehow, most everyone that meets them is enticed by them.  Ezra is said to have an "Old Soul" and has more depth and wisdom in his eyes than most elders of mine.  Olivia... she has such a spark about her I can't even describe a worthy comparison.  Ah, my heart.

So, here I am, taking time away from work and feeling guilty for it already.  Ezi and Livi will be up from their naps any minute and ready to go 90 miles an hour again.  These two have progressed to running (clumsily) already and are such an entertainment.  They laugh at each other, chase each other in delight, then throw themselves on the floor in anticipation of being caught by the chaser.  I cannot imagine having one baby... is it boring?  (No offense intended here!!!  :-D )  I can't imagine them not having each other.  They often grab hands and hold each others hands while eating... so cute.  

On the tooth front, Ezra is about to pop through two more teeth (giving him a total of 6) and Livi is really close to having her top middle two teeth come through.  They want so badly to eat "real" food, but they just can't manage much without any molars.  I cannot WAIT for them to get a few more in!  Oh.... except that Ezra likes to give love bites, and THAT continues to get more painful with each and every tooth!  How does one stop a BABY from biting?!  It's NOT funny and I've got bruises to prove it.  :-S  

If I haven't bored you to tears yet, you're superhuman.  Thanks for hanging in there.  Oh, and if you're still reading my blog after my last post (and/or email for that matter), thanks.  I know it was a topic that could alienate people from my life, which it did and that was hard.  But, sometimes you just have to do what you know is right... even when it means you may lose people you care about.

Breaking the silence

I'm finally breaking my blog silence.  I apologize repeatedly for dropping off the face of the world for a few weeks.  Things have been so busy, and I daresay, FUN, with the kids now that they're toddling all around their world. 

However, today, rather than speaking of how Ezra and Olivia are, rather than rejoicing in our new president-elect (yes, I'm STOKED about Barak Obama!), I have a much bigger purpose.  I am also HORRIFIED at one result of the election, in particular.  Proposition 8.  It cracks my heart in two that Proposition 8 could have passed.  Who on EARTH would take away the rights of another human?  (Stupid question, I know.   There are countless people out there that are narrow-minded, cruel, or just a sheep.)

Please keep in mind as I write this post I want nothing more than to say eloquently, intelligently, and passionately my points.  Ugliness, however, is clouding ME.  I have many loved ones that are gay.  Am I, myself, personally affected by Proposition 8 passing?  Yes.  I am embarrassed... even ashamed to look my friends and family members in the eyes that have lost the right to marry.  I hope I don't overstep my bounds here by saying that someone I love very much, my dear uncle M, is gay.  He has been "my favorite" since I was a child.  My uncle M is proud, kind, honest, and will stand up for injustice.  Now, it's my turn.  Too many years have gone by without me standing by his side at rallies, walks, marches, you name it.  I have a voice and you DARN WELL better believe I'm going to use it.

Since Keith Olbermann has a much more eloquent style than myself, I direct you to PLEASE watch this video.  Take 6 minutes and 30 seconds of your life and watch what he has to say.  PLEASE.

Then, when you're ready to be the pure hearted, strong, loving individual we all strive to be, step out tomorrow and join myself and thousands of others on the steps of courthouses 'round the nation.  Tomorrow is a day that YOU can make a difference.  I'll be there.  My whole family will be out there standing up against this despicable injustice.  I urge you to join us.  Cities all around the nation will be having these demonstrations... find the one in your city and get yourself there.  We can all make the difference and support equality.

Now, go watch the video.

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

HE Walks!!!!!

So, with all the commotion around here, I'm a bit delayed in posting this... but EZRA WALKS!  I could hardly believe it when he started taking his first steps forward the day after Olivia!!!  Olivia first walked on Sunday and Ezra began walking the very next day!  WOW!  Talk about them being synced up!

Although Ezra first started walking the day after Olivia, he is definitely working on the new skill more than her.  He seems more confident and determined, and has had a few good successes.  Olivia has barely "walked" since Sunday... she is so fast at cruising along things, dropping to crawl, getting back up to cruise... she just doesn't really grasp yet, I think, that she could just WALK.  She's got such incredible balance, she's just not utilizing it too well yet.  Ezra, on the other hand is ready to get this down and go, go, GO!  :-D  

Still no videos of them... it's been too sporadic and they always seem to be climbing all over me, which makes it a challenge to get ANY pictures or video these days.  Sigh.  Soon... I promise!

Pushing Daisies....

Well, tonight is the BIG debut!  ;-)  Thanks Sam for reminding me to remind everyone!  :-D  Ezra and Olivia should be able to be seen in the scene in front of the courthouse on the episode tonight (fourth episode of the season).  Pushing Daisies is on ABC and is on at 7:00 pm MST, I believe.  Check your local programming for the exact time.  On ABC's website, it states it's on at 8/7 Central... but we're Mountain time, and our guide shows it as being on at 7:00 pm!  Sooooo... if you don't want to miss them, check your local guide!

So, tonight, Pushing Daisies, ABC.  Don't forget.  Tune in and be prepared for some quick glimpses of absolute perfection and amazing acting on the parts of E&O.  

ENJOY THE SHOW!

Racism and politics

I haven't touched politics in my blog before now, since this is a blog to share about my family and our adoption.  However, for the sake of our country and my children, I believe I must speak up.  It saddens, angers, and terrifies me that this type of thing still goes on in this country.  I know racism is alive and well... but the level to which this is allowed and endorsed by the McCain/Palin campaign is just nauseating.  I realize that mudslinging is a central concept of campaigns.  It happens.  However, the mud should at least be dug up from something REAL.  TANGIBLE.  How can ADULTS go around touting such disgusting and off base statements?! Please take a moment to read the letter below and go view the video with segments from McCain/Palin rallies and see what has myself, along with many, many other Americans so upset.  It IS time for a change...

Dear Friend,
John McCain and Sarah Palin have stopped talking about the issues, and have instead launched a strategy relying on fear-mongering, racial divisions, and hate. The result is McCain/Palin supporters saying "kill him!" "terrorist!" "traitor," and more, at rallies, with the McCain campaign playing dumb in response. It's outrageous and it must stop.

Together, we can show that Americans of all races won't stand for this.

I've signed onto ColorofChange's open-letter calling out McCain and Palin. ColorOfChange.org will publish it this week, and as they've shown in the past, when enough of us stand together, we can force the mainstream media to amplify our message. Will you join us?

http://www.colorofchange.org/united/?id=2087-687345

McCain-Palin rallies have started to look more like mob scenes than political events. The candidates keep asking "who is the real Barack Obama?" (a question that also kicks off almost every McCain television ad).In response, supporters have yelled "terrorist!" and "traitor!" And the venom goes beyond Obama--one McCain/Palin supporter shouted a racial epithet at a Black member of a news crew, saying "sit down, boy."

McCain and Palin are going down a dangerous path. Watching some of their supporters being interviewed shows the kind of fear their campaign is stoking and exploiting.McCain and Palin are clearly in the driver's seat. They've personally made it a point to use "terrorist" and "Obama" in the same sentence; they have surrogates repeatedly refer to him by his middle-name;and they keep pushing the discredited guilt-by-association smears that have long been debunked.

All of it plays on the much more sinister rumors in anonymous smear emails which claim Obama is Muslim (a myth designed to tap into anti-Muslim bigotry), anti-American, and is somehow connected with terrorists. This strategy is powerful because Obama is Black, and it's designed to make Obama's race a disadvantage without appearing overtly racist.

As Americans of all stripes, we've seen how Barack Obama's historic candidacy has moved our friends and family to have a more honest conversation about race in this country. It's inspired a lot of people to step out of their comfort zone and confront racism in their own communities, with their friends, neighbors and families.

In the final days of this campaign, we can't let a desperate John McCain and Sarah Palin drag us down. If enough of us act, we can create a powerful story in the media about Black people and our allies of all races standing together against race-baiting and fear-mongering coming from the McCain/Palin campaign. But it will take a lot of us speaking in unison.

Will you sign an open letter to McCain and Palin, telling them who you are and why you won't let them move our country backward? ColorofChange.org will publish the letter and make sure John McCain is forced to respond.

http://www.colorofchange.org/united/?id=2087-687345

Thanks.

Off my soapbox and back to life... boy do I look forward to having this election behind us and having the thrill of worthy and capable new leadership for our country just around the corner... GO OBAMA!

She WALKS!

Oh my gosh... I can hardly believe I'm posting this.  Olivia WALKED on her own today!  She has been SOOOOO CLOSE for a long time now, but she did it today!  I'm one proud mama!  Her and Ezra both have been able to stand unassisted for a few weeks now (but only if they are distracted and not thinking about what they're doing!  ;-), and able to walk quite well behind their little ride on cars and walker thing.  They do just DANDY with something in front of them to give them confidence.  But today... she WALKED ON HER OWN!  Probably 4-5 steps!  It was the cutest walk EVER!

I know Ezra is just behind her... any day now we'll have 2 TODDLERS!  ;-)  How exciting!!!  I'll try and get my camera unpacked and start snapping some pictures and video later today to upload... stay tuned!

(Sorry to be so behind in updates.  I got sick last week and JUST when I thought I was getting over it, my cold returned FULL FORCE yesterday and I've been exhausted just trying to drag myself about with the minimal necessary tasks around here.  Poor Livi has a fountain of snot that is plaguing her nose, and Ezra has the darn cold too, but thankfully he never gets such a miserable, messy nose.  Poor babes.

Something to read... a true MUST READ!

Life can be so ironic sometimes.  I used to feel so much more literate and eloquent.  I recently felt called to action by some posts on an agency specific adoption group I'm a part of.  I felt I HAD to attempt to provide some introspection and perspective on a PAP's (prospective adoptive parent) comments about adopting to "save" a child.

Ironic to me that I have now seen a post on a much more eloquent and amazing mama's blog... thank you Julie  Please take a few minutes to go to Julie's blog and read her post.  Is adoption selfish.  Yes.  It IS.  Is adoption the ANSWER to the problem of poverty.  No.  Not even close.  Yes, it can change the life of the child you adopt... but think about those left behind.  Think about how radically you are changing your child's life by adopting them... for better AND for worse.  Should we adopt to "save" a child?  That's for you to decide... but I truly and deeply believe that one's motives should not revolve around that concept as the primary motivating factor.  There are too many other incredible ways to help try and make a difference for the children of the country you are adopting from to adopt because you feel called to "save" a child.

Really.  Please.  No hate here.  No backlash comments.  Just consider what I'm trying to say.  Think deeply... all AP's need to do this.  If you aren't willing to question yourself, your motives, and the life you will provide for your adopted child(ren), you really shouldn't be adopting.  As AP's (adoptive parents) we really must take it upon ourselves to see the bigger picture!

Thank you Julie.  Your eloquence gets across the very point I recently tried to make but failed to TRULY get across.  Thank you.  :-D

COLORADO

We are HERE.  Somehow, we made it.  It was a whirlwind up until the moment I put the kids in the car to go to the airport.  I can only imagine the craziness that's been taking place at our old house after our departure to get stuff loaded into the trailer, finalize packing, and get the dogs loaded up to get here.  Joe and my dad had the fun task of doing that... and are hopefully on the road to us here in Colorado as of this morning!  Fingers crossed, please!

The flight here was GREAT.  The kids did so well.  Ezra was a cranky little man when we first sat down and he saw me sitting with Olivia across the aisle, so I traded with mom and held him for a while and that seems to be just what he wanted.  He has truly become a momma's boy overnight.  I first noticed it this past week, but I'm sure it was more noticeable since I was so busy running around and packing while he was left to play with his sister and Tia Claudia or Uncle Marty.  He'd be relatively content, and then he'd see me coming or going and start screaming.  It's pretty cute, even if it does make things a bit more challenging while getting ready to move.  He was even worse when he'd see Joe.  Normally Joe plays with them from the time he gets home until they go to bed... so all the evenings spent packing and preparing this week and over last weekend sent Ezra into a furious fit when he saw his daddy come or go.  Livi is much the same, just less dramatic and insistent.  

When we arrived at DIA we did quick diaper changes on the kiddos and then zoomed to baggage claim.  My bag was already waiting on the carousel and we grabbed it and started for the car.... and then my mom reminded me about our car seats.  We had checked our nearly brand new (used only 2 times so far I think) Britax Marathon car seats.  Yikes!  I ran back to the over sized baggage area to try and find them.  No go.  I waited and watched a while, but still nothing.  I asked a baggage employee and he began looking into it.  Long story short, they were missing.  Ugh.  We filed a claim and I was ushered to a back room to select suitable loaner seats.  Uh huh.  A bit of a challenge when the only car seats they have are infant car seats (which the kids outgrew a good month ago) or forward facing car seats (which they aren't big enough or old enough for yet). 

I tried explaining the dilemma to the woman at the baggage counter, but she kept arguing that they could go in the infant seats.  I explained the reasons they couldn't be put in those, but she persisted.  We had to talk to a couple of supervisors before we made any progress.  In the meantime the original guy we spoke to about our missing car seats asked if he could buy us lunch since he felt so badly about it all.  The kids were totally zoned out, strapped to my mom and I in the Ergo's.  I thanked him, but declined since we needed to get the kids home and get THEM fed... and trying to find some sort of table food they could manage to eat at the airport was something I hoped to avoid.

About two hours after our plane landed, a woman with the airline took me over to the Delta baggage area.  She said she wanted me to see if they had what we needed before she went to buy the convertible car seats we needed.  You know what?  They DID!  At least 5 or 6 of them!  I snagged two, thanked the Delta guy, and we rushed out to the car.  After some fiddling, we got the car seats in the car, babies loaded, and were on our way home.  I sat in the back seat, feeding Ezi & Livi a late lunch and wishing away a migraine that had moved in and made itself comfortable in my brain during the whole snaffu.  Thankfully, they were hungry and ate like champs so I was able to move to the front seat and recover from the car sickness, take some medicine and even get most of the migraine eased away.  By the time we hit home, I was feeling MUCH better.  

Ezi and Livi are having a blast here and loving all the space.  They are so smily and cute.  We haven't been outside much since I packed so lightly for the plane and the weather's a bit cold for the clothes I have (for myself... I have layers for the kiddos ;-).  Shorts and flip flops just doesn't do it for me on 50 degree days anymore... I truly have lost my hardened Colorado blood!  Nothin' but a wimpy So Cal transplant for the moment.  Mom even had to turn on the furnace for me!  :-D

I'd better run.  We're off to a consignment sale this morning (baby/kid stuff galore) to look for a playhouse for the kids, amongst other goodies.  Then, we are loading up on fun stuff to send my brother for his birthday next month!  You have to plan in advance when mail takes so long reach the recipient!  I imagine it'll be getting pretty cold in Afghanistan by then... so I'll pack a nice, snuggly blanket with the kids picture on it or something saying "We love you Uncle Captain Z!"  Oh yeah, he'd love that!  ;-)

We are soooo looking forward to seeing Michael and Julia (and maybe meeting Brad this time?) again soon, and getting to know others from the Colorado Ethiopian adoption group.  We already miss our SoCal Ethiopia Adopt and OCEAN friends... stay in touch!  We will visit when we can!  Feel free to come to Colorado and see us anytime!  :-D

Procrastination

"Procrastination is a type of behavior which is characterized by deferment of actions or tasks to a later time.  Psychologists often cite procrastination as a mechanism for coping with the anxiety associated with starting or completing any task or decision.  Psychology researchers also have three criteria they use to categorize procrastination.  They believe that procrastination must be counterproductive, needless, and delaying.

For an individual, procrastination may result in stress, a sense of guilt, the loss of personal productivity, the creation of crisis and the disapproval of others for not fulfilling one's responsibilities or commitments.  These combined feelings can promote further procrastination.  While it is normal for people to procrastinate to some degree, it becomes a problem when it impedes normal functioning.  Chronic procrastination may be a sign of an underlying psychological or physiological disorder."   --- Wikipedia

Ok, yeah.  I'm guilty.  I am seriously procrastinating.  Considering that I am MOVING to another state next week, you'd think I'd be busy packing rather than blogging.  Alas, I just haven't been able to get myself to focus on the task at hand.  I HAVE gotten some boxes packed... just not as many as I should have by now.  :-(  So, now that I know I'm a chronic procrastinator, I guess I should be seeking professional help before it reaches the level of impeding my normal functioning.  Gulp.  

Anyone out there like to pack?  Wanna come pack up my house?  Or, you could come watch the ridiculously adorable duo so that I can actually pack.  Hmmm, there's a thought.  ;-)  I did get some help from the lovely, Tia Claudia, on Monday.  Poor thing drove down here from Long Beach to help me, after puking her guts out all day on Sunday from food poisoning!  She didn't tell me about it BEFORE she came down though... I'm not THAT selfish to let her come help after being so sick!  I did enjoy her company though, and got a lot more packed up during E&O's afternoon nap than I would have without her assistance.  Thanks Claudia!

Other than moving, things have been pretty low key.  Ezra has decided the easiest way to avoid eating something is to let the bite of food just sit in his mouth, mixing with saliva and liquefying until it all drools back out.  Let's just say that the last week has been a wee bit frustrating... I know the kid's got to be hungry!  He's taking his bottles just fine, and sometimes has a bite or two of food before deciding he won't eat it, what's up?!  I've tried all stages of baby food, table food, different flavors, etc.  If I push it and keep trying to give him food, he'll often give me a look of frustration and then throw up whatever he's eaten.  I'd be worried... but other than this he seems perfectly normal.  Any thoughts?!  I'm ready to poke my eyeballs out at this point!  It's a bummer too, because the new habit seems to be rubbing off on lil' miss Livi.  Oi!

Ok, lunch time for the peanuts!  Ta ta for now!

We're OUTTA here!

I don't know how else to say this, so I'll get to the point.  We're MOVING to Colorado.  There.  I said it.  No one can talk us out of it now, because the kids and I fly to Colorado with my mom on October 8 and Joe and my dad will be following with the dogs and my car and a trailer load of CRAP on Thursday evening.  Yikes.  It's a bittersweet feeling to get this news out there.

We wanted to tell each and everyone that we know and care about in person, but we haven't had the chance to yet.  We will be leaving behind relatives, friends, and some really lovely year-round weather!  But, we'll be moving to family, friends, SPACE, lower cost of living, snow days, snowball fights, sledding, FAMILY, space, friends, etc.  We'll be able to buy a house with a YARD - heck, maybe even a few acres.  Wow.  I COULD get a horse again - if I want to.  I had to sell my horses to move out here and I miss them, darn it.  But really, we're moving for the kids.  We want the kids to grow up in an environment where Joe doesn't have to work crazy, long hours to cover our bills, where they have room to run, clean air to breathe, LOADS of open spaces to hike, climb, bike, ski, or whatever in.  I want them to enjoy the thrill of waking up to a snow day and enjoying hot chocolate, playing in the snow, snuggling up inside by a fireplace and reading.  I want to see our fur kids running around and chasing rabbits, even though they have NO hope of ever catching one.  I want to FEEL like I can dress nicely and look good again - on a GOOD day in O.C. I look like the average woman here.  On a normal day - I look like a homeless bum next to the average person here.  Since moving to O.C. Joe and I have changed so much - some great stuff... some not so great.  We've both become more image conscious, drive expensive cars, and always want MORE.  We didn't used to be quite so needy and spoiled.  I don't think everyone here is like that, heck no.  But this is the land of plastic surgery, Hollywood, and detoxing.  Detoxing ALL THE STINKING TIME.  :-)  Ok, again, not everyone, just some people I know and love that think their bodies will never be clean and healthy enough.

Sorry.  Done rambling.  Joe will NOT be moving with the kids and I just yet.  He will continue to work here and fly to Colorado on the weekends.  We won't be seeing much less of him since he generally doesn't get home from work until the kids go to bed - or sometime after that.  The kids and I are leaving now because our house is so difficult to keep clean ENOUGH, tidy ENOUGH, and empty ENOUGH for all the showings we've been having.  It's nuts.  I'm constantly loading the kids into the stroller or the car, locking the dogs in the garage, clearing all the toys out of the downstairs, and getting ready for another showing.  Our life has been REVOLVING around them.  We have TWO offers now... so hopefully we'll get this place sold pretty quickly, but I don't want to count my chickens before they're hatched.  We've been down this road before and had the buyers back out two weeks before closing... so we need to get the chaos outta here.  I want the kids to have some stability, and mostly I want ME to have some sanity again.  I'm losing my mind!  I like clean and organized, but with two tornadoes and three fur balls - this is TOUGH.

Bleck.  This was painful.  I'm sorry to everyone we're "leaving behind."  We really do hope/plan to visit as much as possible.  We'll miss California.  And, we hope everyone will be able to come visit us in Colorado.  Seriously.  Please.  I'm begging.  I hate goodbyes.  I'm much to weak and sappy for that.  

On other fronts, we have had a few other things happening lately.  We had our first post placement visit (I know - it was WAY overdue... I'm sorry everyone!).  It was a breeze, and pretty wild to see our social worker for the first time since she completed our home visit and wrote our homestudy for us.  The kids were in happy, wonderful moods and it lasted about an entire 15 minutes or so.  She was amazed at how well they're doing and how smoothly things are going.  I was like, "Yeah, we're just such awesome parents, ya know.  How could things not be going so perfectly?  Duh!"  Ok, maybe I didn't say that.  I know it's really got something to do with how incredible Ezi and Livi are, and that's just about impossible to take credit for.  We are blessed with the two most incredible little miracle babies ever.  And trust me, it's not like I'm biased here.  ;-)

Then, the next bit of excitement was that Oli and Ezi had their 9-month birthday.  At nine months, we are truly awed at what our little Einsteins are doing.  I know as parents we're all impressed by what our babies do, but ours ARE amazing.  :-D  Ezra can now stand on his own (without holding ANYTHING) for a few seconds before losing his balance.  They climb all over everything.  Walking is on the horizon... gulp.  I think Olivia's working on her first word too... but that's still a bit hard to say for sure.  There have been a few times that she's said "Baaa" while holding a ball.  Just a short, sweet "Baaa" with no other babbling.  She also chased Joe down the hallway and shouted "Dada" but I don't know if it was just babble or not.  Probably babble.  But still.  They're brilliant.

Oh, and here's something to make you all laugh.  I was zooming around trying to get the 3 of us ready to leave the house the other day.  The kids were fed, diapered, dressed and ready to go.  I just had to slap some makeup on my face so I didn't look like walking death.  I bolted up the stairs and spent a whopping 2 minutes doing my makeup.  I heard a little screech out of Chloe, but nothing more.  When I came zipping back down the stairs, what I saw stopped me in my tracks.  My precious little Olivia was sitting in "the mosh pit" (what we call this big, huge square section of our couch) and was surrounded by Chloe's dog food.  She had a fistful in each hand and was as happy as a lark.  Chloe, on the other hand, was huddled in the corner of the mosh pit, skulking.  Olivia had crawled up the doggie steps (small steps onto the couch for Chloe and Cooper).  Yikes.  

I couldn't believe I left the steps down without me being in the room.  Stellar parenting, I know.  She's climbed the steps one other time (while I was there), and I've been working hard on teaching her what happens when you crawl off the edge.  She's learned to NOT crawl off the edge... but still.  Ugh.  Poor Chloe was so bummed about her food getting swiped.  She's been so sick again lately which is the only reason her food was left up there for her to nibble on.  You better bet I cleaned Livi's hands off and checked her mouth for any little treats.  Ready for the next test, Livi girl!  You taught me.

So yep.  This is the house of learning these days.  Kiddos learning, mommies learning, everyone's learning something these days.  :-)

Ok, time to end this post and get the NEWS out there.  :-)

Baby Crap... I mean Baby Gap

Hmm.  Maybe that's not such a nice thing to call this post.  Besides, I'm not really sure who's to blame for the morning's insanity, but as far as I'm concerned... 

Let me start at the beginning.  On Tuesday Olivia and Ezra were asked to audition for Baby Gap's Spring 2009 ads.  I agreed - so long as both kidlets were healthy by the audition today.  We were given an appointment time of 11:35 am, and the kids had been ASKED to come based on a photo Gap had already seen of them.  

Ok.  Los Angeles, Friday, 11:35 am.  Got it.

This morning begins:

7:00 am   Feed hungry babies

7:30 am   Run around house preparing stuff needed to take for audition (bottles, food, diapers, clothes, etc.)  Pretend you don't hear two screaming mimi's begging for attention and climbing up your legs every time you pass through the room.

8:30 am   Allow crazy babies to climb all over you for a half an hour like their own personal jungle gym.  Prevent as many poking of the eyes and hair pulling between the two of them as possible.

9:00 am Lay babies down for a brief nap before departure.  Load car with baby gear while babies are sleeping.

9:30 am Wake peacefully sleeping babies to change diapers, dress, and load into cars.

10:00 - 11:15 am  Drive to Los Angeles

11:15 - 11:30 am  Search desperately for a parking spot in very crowded area.  Watch out.  Don't run over toddlers and parents holding babies & pushing strollers.  They're everywhere.  Breathe.  This is going to be a bit nuts... there's quite a crowd at the studio.

11:30 am QUICKLY load babies into stroller/ergo.  Grab diaper bag.  Oops.  Run back, lock car.  Cross busy street with no light or crosswalk.  Run 3 blocks down broken up sidewalk with stroller frequently getting stuck in holes and crevices.

11:35 am Arrive at studio RIGHT ON TIME.  Long line coming out of front door of building.  Huh.  Stand in line.  Begin chatting with other parents.  Learn that some parents were told to arrive during a "window" of time - somewhere in a two hour gap.  No appointment.  Huh again.  Ask parents exiting building how long they have been there.  1 hour +.  Ugh.

12:10 pm Move Ezra from back position in Ergo to front position.  Stop starving babies and mix two bottles.  Hold bottle in Ezra's mouth by pinching it between chin and chest.  Stoop over and hold Olivia's bottle in one hand while pushing stroller with other hand.  Get many stares from people.  Begin realizing most OTHER babies have 2 adults to cater to their needs.  Hmm.  Realize you are the ONLY parent with two babies and no help.  Gulp.  Sigh.  Sorry Ezi & Livi.

12:40 pm Arrive at check in desk.  Ask about appointments vs. window to arrive.  Told some agencies blew it and gave out windows' rather than clients' assigned arrival time.  Grr.  Fill out two sheets of paper with E&O's info on it.  Begin wait for our numbers to be called (63 & 64).  Force way into the crowd of people.  Begin standing shoulder to shoulder.  No more than 6 inches in any direction to next person.  Hot, stuffy, fun.

1:00 pm Begin feeling tired and impatient.  Ask someone what number they are on. They are now calling number 15.  Oi.  Hum and sing to Ezra while holding squirming Olivia on hip.  Hum loudly enough to have Ezi hear me over the drone of babies squawking, screaming, and toddlers talking.  Succeed.  Get Ezra to sleep.  Somehow keep Olivia from crying.

1:30 pm Our numbers are called!  Hallelujah!  Force way to front where babies will be photographed for "audition."  Wake Ezra who had FINALLY fallen asleep in Ergo so he'd be ready for his close up.

1:40 pm Plop Ezra onto white, paper ground in front of photographer.  Smile at his cute, sleepy, open mouthed, blank stare at photographer.  What a trooper.

1:41 pm Put Ezra in stroller and plop Olivia on ground in front of photographer. Nope, try again.  Olivia, stop crawling away!  Plop her down on her toosh again.  Hold her down.  Sing songs.  Beg her.  Just wants to crawl away. Photographer keeps getting shots of the top of her head as she attempts to get free from further constraint and lack of movement.  Get one shot of her face on - crying now.  Beg photographer for one more chance.  Please.  Let me try another toy... Nope. Our turn is over.  Ok.  Let's go home.

1:45 pm Leave chaos.  Breathe "fresh" air.  (Is the air outside in LA fresh?)

2:00 pm Force kids into car seats.  More constraints.  Not happy babies.  Give another bottle.  Ok, that's better.  Load car.  Down a bottle of tea.  Whew.  We did it. Drive home in traffic since audition took so long.

Yep.  That's our day.  And therefore, why in my current state I'm now calling it Baby Crap.  You'd think that after all these years they'd have the auditions down.  I'm not sure if Gap was organizing it, or the studio we were at, but it was a zoo.  One agency that was part of why the schedule was so screwed up will no longer be used by Gap.  Ezra and Olivia were such troopers.  Made me proud.  Just wish Livi had been able to sit patiently for one SECOND in front of the camera to make it worthwhile for her.  Oh well.  Guess they could still end up getting a call back... but I'm NOT holding my breath!

All whining aside, I really am proud of the kids and think it would be so cool if they were called back.  What fun for them to get to be in the Spring 2009 Baby Gap advertisements!  I sure would enjoy seeing their beautiful little faces light up the photos.  

Better run.  Von's grocery delivery guy just arrived!  Yep... I'm that lazy right now, I ordered my groceries online!  So cool!

The newest MUST HAVE accessory...

My fantastic, amazing, uber-cool and creative blogging buddy, Tara is now open to the public!  She's hand-crafting fabulous leather cuffs for babies, kids, and adults!  They are so stinkin' cool... I can't wait to get mine!

You MUST go check them out.  They really are the accessory to have, and are priced really well!  Go.  Now.  Buy a bunch.  Christmas is just around the corner... keep that in mind!  

These cool cuffs are available on Tara's Etsy site.  daisytara.etsy.com

Handsome Malak, Tara's son, sporting a cuff

Cuteness overload