Bloggy Giveaways Carnival: Winter '08 Edition

I luvvvv ROCKS IN MY DRYER.
She is holding the net wide give away for 08. and I want to play along.
I will be giving away a grand grab bag of useful household and office must haves. 50.00 value.
The catch: Tell me what I can do to make the pickest toddler on the planet EAT! He turns his nose up at all meat, refuses PB&J (unamerican) AND MC D's happy meal (gasp, what's a mama to do?) he will only eat HOMEMADE MAC & CHEESE and spaghetti.and only when he feels like it and that's not often. And yes, I have tryed letting him go hungry. He doesn't care if he eats or not.
Contest ends 1/31/08
I need your comments!

THEN AND NOW

The first one was when he first came to us at about 7 months, the last one at 25 months. He was such a sweet little baby. Where does the time go?

MONKEY LOVE

Here's a little surprise for my friend Pewee. She has the most amazing animals she crochets. When I saw the sock monkey she made, I knew David must have it to go with his "monkey coat" as he calls it. The rest of us probably calls it a bath robe. If you've never been to her blog, she funny, talented and waiting on her very own mini-meeks! Lucky kids. She's at http://meekthejerksandme.blogspot.com/

IT IS MY PLEASURE TO INTRODUCE TO YOU FOR THE FIRST TIME...

DAVID ISAAC ALAN ****

I know, I know, he's the cutest thing you've ever seen! The biggest brown eyes and most gorgeous head of brown hair you've ever set eyes on, and don't even get me started on those cheeks. When he came to us at 7 months old, he was nothing but fat cheeks and a head full of brown hair! You couldn't help but pinch those cheeks 153 times a day! . The judge went on and on about what a cute boy he is. How is looked just like a little man in his suit. When he smiles he has two rows of the most perfect white teeth you've ever seen. Leading us to predict we have on our hands either a weather man or a televangelist.

How, you may be asking did my husband come to name our boy this name. He was given free reign to name the boy, since I named my girls.

David - because he is beloved, and we pray like his name sake he will be a man after God's own heart.

Issac- read the story of Abraham, (and how OLD he was when God gave him Isaac) My husband has a sense of humor.

Alan- I insisted he should have my husband's middle name, it is his only son after all.

I just wanted to make introductions tonight since I've promised for so long. I know I hate waiting, when I know a good post is coming up!

Maybe tomorrow I will get on my soap box regarding "life stories/histories and the lies contained therein! But we will savor this major coming out for tonight. Rest assured more photos will come ad nausea!

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers. I feel them as I sit here. With more peace in my heart than I have in 6 months. I wish I lived next door to each and everyone of you, so we could be BFF's and help carry each others loads.

Thank you my friends.

CRAZY WOMAN VENTING

I know this is going to sound crazy. But I can't help it. It's how I feel.
We have waited for this adoption for so long. First, it doesn't seem real, but surreal.
Second, I'm wondering if this is what God wants. I know, a little late to worry about that now. What am I going to do with a 2 yr old? I'm going to have to quite work and I've never stayed home before, so I don't know what I'm going to do with myself or him for that matter. I can never seem to get anything done because he alternates between dragging me around the house and wanting me right there with him. How am I going to structure our days?
Is he going to be the kid with the old mama and daddy when he gets in school. Will we be able to keep up with all the things kids do? Will he resent us for keeping him and not letting him go to a younger couple?
Our life and lifestyle as humble as it is, is about to change forever on Friday. I don't know that I'm ready for it or good enough to be his mama. Did I give the best years of my life to my 3 older kids? with anything left for him?
I know your thinking, idiot, you should have thought of that months ago. and I did. But sometimes LOVE gets in the way of common sense. Then the practical part of living takes over your brain and you start to doubt and wonder.
I feel like a heartless moron because I know my friends out there in blog land have waited and dreamed, planned & PRAYED for what we are about to do. Here I sit with all my doubts and second guessing. I know you want to slap me and say STUPID! and I deserve it, I know.
Please, I ask for your prayers leading up to Friday, for peace, a plan for staying at home with him and this boy's future. He deserves only our very best.
I promise there will be pictures galore on here, so sweet your teeth will hurt come Friday or Sat. at the latest.
Thank you my friends for listening to me vent.

SOME PEOPLE HAVE FANCY IN HOME THEATERS...

WELL WE HAVE a drive-in theater in our very home! The 1 yr old had a fever yesterday, so I kept The Boy home from daycare along with the BabyGirl. The Boy was driving around when the particular show came on, so he parked his car right in front of the TV for 30 minutes and when this show went off, he just drove off in his fancy new car.

What more could you ask for when your 2?

DO YOU HAVE ANY OF YOUR OWN?

Can you define "OWN"?
I (we) HAVE never had this problem before.
Maybe you have. I've read Min's account and others. But never thought it would happen to me, for some reason.
Maybe because my children are older, look like us, or the moon & stars were just right. I don't know.
I have a new coworker. As introduction (via the person training her) She was told I was a foster parent. "oh, how nice" she says. I smile. Work goes on.
This was a 2 or so weeks ago. In the mean time she's heard me talk about my girls, my grand babies, family in general. Today something was said about me being out of work for The Boys "signing". So we were talking about adoption, and what hoops must be jumped thru, hand stands done, ect. I mentioned that, even though his adoption had taken for what seemed like forever, at least it had not been like, ill-tempered-teenaged girl's adoption. 18 years ago. AND THEN SHE SAID. "Do you have any children of your own?"
I know if I could have seen my face. It would have been one of those, well, I, uhhh, mouth drops open, faces.
She's heard me talk about my 25 yr old daughter, and my 2 more than beautiful grand babies, my typical middle child 21 yr old, and the afore mentioned ill-tempered 18 yr old. And I might add the adorable antics of The Boy.
WHAT?!
This person is not a twenty something with nothing rattling around up stairs, or even a forty something.
What I would like to know makes any of them "my own"? Because I got fat & had hours of terrible labor? NO, I can assure you this does not make them my own. It makes me want to smack them when they talk back to me when they're 13!
(for the record 2 are home made & 2 are store bought, yes, I said store bought)
No, REALLY, what makes a child your own?
We did not make ill-tempered girl's adoption a secret nor did we wear it like a badge. We are mommy,daddy, big daughter, middle daughter, youngest daughter and now baby boy. We are your typical all american family. I do what I think any mother does for her children, feed, clothe,shelter, love, yell at & in teen age years make life miserable.
So what do I need to do to make them my own? After 25 years of being a mother I'm starting to doubt my ability to own a child.
What do you do?

AND GOD CAME DOWN FOR A LITTLE CHAT......

I am beside myself. I couldn't wait to tell you!
I received an email on Friday from the SW. Yes! an email of all things. Telling us that we would come in for the FIRST of the TWO adoption signings. Our state is different than the last state we adopted in I suppose. However circumstances were different 18 years ago too. and it was a private adoption. Maybe that is the difference.
anyway...... She emailed to say, we had a court hearing with the judge to see WHY nothing had been done on the adoption in 7 months since TPR and so miracle of all miracles the SW supervisor had our package ready to go and could we please come in and sign the papers after the court hearing. I'm sure it's no coinsidence it's on the same day. They can get up and say,"your honor we are signing the papers right after this hearing," thus saving them from some serious butt chewing. BUT I AM NOT COMPLAINING, I WILL TAKE IT HOW I CAN GET IT!
Now many of you may already know, but this just means we are partially his guardians, but at this time they will also do the paper work for his name change. ( I know sore issue with some, but my baby, my rules) This will knock you for a loop, but our state also allows a change in what state he was born in to match where we live. Without benefit of medical ins,reimbursements, & child care pmt. (But HEY, that's OK) Now after our "signing" on the 25th, we have to find an adoption atty. and he has to do his magic (for a small fee of course) do the paper work, what's left, I do not know. and file it with the court and have it put on the court docket. and as some of you know, that standing in front of the judge takes exactly 5 minutes!
We waited 8 yrs with last one, went thru hades and back in that time, 3 states, 4 lawyers, and countless sleepless nights, and ALOT OF $. and when we finally flew from one side of the U.S to the other, and stood in front of him and we were out before we could take it all in. We felt ... well jipt. At that point I expected, the key to several cities, a band, banners, confetti and a small medal and maybe even a parade.
I just wanted to let you know we see our light at the end of this tunnel, and our boy will be our boy on paper soon. So on the 25th I expect I can post that big ole picture of him and brand spanking new name, it's been his name here for many months, so he would be used to it, he was never called by his "birth name' anyway, but a nickname picked up when we got him at 7 months.
I'm sure I've rambled and confused you enough. I just can't believe it's coming to an end slowly but surely now.
Look for PICTURES AND UPDATE ON THE 25TH!