Happy Mother's Day

The most wonderful kid ever... (in my unbiased opinion)

Conversations

Lately talking to Leah has become a blast. She's like a PERSON who can have actual conversations with me! LOL

Today she was standing in the seat part of a grocery cart & was refusing to sit. I told her if she didn't I would have to buckle her in. I also took something she was playing with (I forget what it was). After I had her sitting & buckled she said to me...

"I'm so mad at you. SO mad!" (while waving her arms in the air to accentuate her point)

I nearly lost it. I just grinned at her. I didn't want to laugh out loud because what if it hurt her feelings?? But instead she starting laughing to so it diffused the moment. But MAN that was funny!

Then a little while later she had my notebook and...

Leah: I want a pen.

Me: I don't have a pen, baby.

Leah: Papa Howard does! (in a very teenager "you're an idiot" kind of voice)

Me (laughing): Oh really?

**Side Note: Papa Howard is my biodad. He is the manager of the meat department in the store.

Leah (yelling at the top of her lungs): PAPA HOWARD! PAPA HOWARD! PAPA HOWARD!

Leah (to me): He not answering me!

Me: He can't hear you from here.

Leah: Oh.

About 10 minutes later as we approach the meat department she spots him and begins yelling again. I was laughing so hard he came over to see what was going on. I told him - he immediately whips a pen out & gives it to her. LOL

The whole thing was hysterical.

Every day with this girl is SUCH a treat!

Theme Song Update

Aretha Franklin - RESPECT

My sister - who knows me ever so well - is right. That's a perfect song! Yeah me!

Theme Song

So for quite a few years I've had the song "I'm Every Woman" (chaka kahn) as the main ringtone on my phone. Even when I'd get a new phone, immediately I'd go download that. lol

Except when Drew calls. Then it plays "Amazed".

Anyway, I feel like it's time for a new song. So I was searching & came across this quiz called "What's your theme song?"

http://web.tickle.com/rd/53454/tests/song/

It said....

• Camille, your theme song is What A Girl Wants!
• Who says you're too old for slumber parties? On top of that sugar, spice and everything nice, you are the epitome of feminine, inner strength, so of course you know "What a Girl Wants." When you're with your friends on a ski vacation or a long weekend at the lake, you're on top of everything, including how to be your genuine self. That's why Christina's sweet strains beat cadence to your graceful routine. This song should be cued up in your car so you can crank it to share with everyone in a two-block radius, or blast it as you and your friends cruise down the highway. Trust your instincts, girl. Some people struggle with tough choices in life, but with your inner resolve, you don't have to. You know how to make your way in the world and nothing's going to stop you because a theme song like "What a Girl Wants" reminds you that above all, you're right to believe in yourself.

Um... No. Not that song.

Any ideas? I would like something that was very ME. Come on - think of something brilliant!

PS You know that Quizno's commercial where the woman eats a five dollar bill? And the point is that it's better to spend your five bucks on the sandwich? Drew just said to me "That's just stupid. If you wanted to get full you'd eat five ones." *snicker* He's such a wierdo!

Oh - and my celebrity chef match up is....

• Camille, your celebrity chef match is Iron Chef
• So maybe you've never had a face-off in Kitchen Stadium, but we'd guess that it's your knack for cooking improvisation that could top any competition. In cooking, as in life, you're probably very resourceful and able to make quick fixes with creative solutions. Whether it's taking an afternoon to search for hard-to-find ingredients or coming up with your own substitutions for an ingredient you don't have, you like exploring and discovering new things. To you, cooking is as much about the fun and challenge of spending time in the kitchen as it is about the finished product.
  
  Sure, you like to eat, but you also enjoy everything that goes into getting that meal to the table. You may never end up in a cooking competition — it might not even be your style — but we'd guess you get a kick out of topping your own last meal — especially if you had to improvise along the way.

http://web.tickle.com/rd/53516/tests/celebchef/

Adoption #2

Our newly assigned caseworker - Brian - called for the first time today. He was very nice & very helpful.

I talked to him about the required adoption classes (they meet weekly in Utah for 6 weeks - NOT gonna happen lol). He said they will give us the electronic version of the classes & we can just read it. Hooray!

Wanting an AA child - he said that happens plenty & shouldn't be an issue

18 months or younger - He was really glad to know that & seemed excited about it

Visit - he will be coming here between the 12th & the 23rd of May - I said we were flexible & just to let us know what day. There are 3 other couples on his driving route in Wyoming so he's trying to coordinate them for one trip. We're totally flexible!

I asked him about the DFS agreement & he said that's he has heard talk of it but it hasn't actually been settled yet. He doesn't know what that will be.

I think that's everything.

I feel excited about it. Mostly finding about the classes because that would have been a real hang up. We're on the road now!

Big Stone Gap - updated

I've been reading a series - correction I've read a series lol - the last couple of days. The first books is called Big Stone Gap. Novels written by Adriana Trigiani.

Big Stone Gap
Big Cherry Holler
Milk Glass Moon
Back to Big Stone Gap

Apparently for quite a while it was called the Big Stone Gap Trilogy but in 2006 she wrote the 4th book.

They are not long, are easy reading but have left me feeling very introspective & thoughtful. I like that about a book. And those people are ALIVE to me. She weaves a good story.

I've had the first book for a long time on CD. I've listened to it probably 6 or 8 times over the last year in my car. It just finally occurred to me to see if perhaps Adriana had written more books. I was beyond excited to discover that it was a series! I went to the library the next day & found the other three books were all there. I read all three in the next day & a half.

I will say, if you have the chance to listen to them as audio books - do it. Adriana reads them herself. Her voice is fabulous and hearing Ave Marie's thoughts in that way - from the author - is a treat. Although I've read all the books now I'm still going to get them all on CD so I can keep the whole set in the car.

If you read them do come back & let me know!

Oh! And if you go to her website (click here) you can read about each book. Don't skip ahead though ;) Theres also an 'audio download' link for each book. You can hear a little of her voice.

A list of her books

(There ya go, Leah ;) )

Ultrasound

So at my doc appointment I had to wait a long time in the ultrasound room for the doctor. The machine already had my name across it and there was a default ultrasound picture...

of a fairly well developed baby.

The feelings that slammed through me when I looked at have been difficult to process.

I will probably never see that for real. A baby growing in my womb. Because, of course, during my actual ultrasound it was an empty uterus with a too thin lining.

I still don't really have words for how it made me feel.

I'm still not longing for pregnancy but that was not pleasant. At all.

:(

PS I'm trying to decide if I should write them a note or something. Maybe that wouldn't matter to other people? I don't know.

Good Night!

Leah is standing on the counter with her head in the cupboard - face on the shelf - saying "Good Night!"

That's all I have to say about that ;)

My plumbing

I went to the doctor yesterday.

I have no fibroids. The ultrasound was "non diagnostic" as the doc put it.

One of my ovaries has taken a walk & is in the wrong position. He said that is another thing that can be indicative of endo - along with all my other symptoms.

He also said my lining was too thin. That was new information for me.

So at this point it's one of two things - either my periods just REALLY suck & I have a displaced ovary or I have endo.

The first thing we're going to try is me taking a low dose birth control for a couple of months to see if that helps. He gave me a rx for a narcotic. (what a good guy ;) )

All-in-all it was good. I'm glad I went. And I really hope something as simple as birth control helps!

Application

The initial adoption application and some accompanying paperwork are on their way today! All done! :)