Crazy

"Crazy" is Kate's current favorite word. She uses it all the time, to describe herself, her family, whatever. She likes to run around the house yelling, "Crazy lady!" and sometimes when she prays she says, "Thank you for being crazy." I think she is thanking God that she can be crazy and have fun, but I am really not positive.

A month or two ago I went and got a haircut. I had around 6 or 8 inches taken off, so it looked really different. Plus, my hair has a lot of wave and body to it. The kind that has a mind of its own, and no matter how often you tell it what to do, it just never listens. I would show you pictures, but it just isn't pretty. When it is long, the weight pulls it down, but when it's short it goes a little nuts. In my family we call it Pa-Pa hair because my grandfather had thick, wavy hair that was a little nuts, sticking out everywhere, when he woke up in the morning.

When Kate first saw me with the new 'do, I asked her if she liked it. Her response? "Don't you kiss me with that crazy hair."

The other day she told me, "I like your hair, but it is still crazy." And later, "Your hair looks like Mimi's. She has crazy hair too." Sorry, Mimi, but you know you have Pa-Pa hair too:)

"But I loved first grade!"

Ben finished school on Wednesday. I met Ben as he came off the bus with the words, "How is my favorite 2nd grader today?"

At which point Ben burst into tears. "But I loved first grade!" he cried. I held him and cuddled with him for a few minutes. His first grade year really has been wonderful. He made lots of good friends, took his reading and writing to the next level, and suddenly became a big kid right before my eyes.

I have mentioned his teacher before, but I feel the need to mention her again. She has repeatedly gone the extra mile for her students, making sure they were all challenged. Inspired, even. She encouraged all of Ben's crazy questions, his creativity, and even his comic book, entitled, Captain Poopypants. (What can I say? He's seven.)

She is one of the those teachers. You know the second you meet her that she cares so, so much about her students. We went to the end-of-the-year awards for his class. She had an award for every student that was unique and special. (Ben got the Growing Author award.) A couple of times she teared up as she talked about her students' accomplishments. She not only cared about their minds, but she also cared about their hearts.

Mrs. H, we love you, and will miss you terribly.

Any chance you would teach second grade next year?

Ear tubes? No problem.

It's early, Mama. It's still dark.

And I'm really not sure I like this hat. Or the idea of going with these people.

Maybe Daddy and I could play a funny game while we wait.

Yep, that Daddy always cheers me up.

But when it's all over, I want Mama to hold me. And then I will just sleep all the way home.

Once I am home, I am sure I will feel much better. Maybe I will watch TV or play with my brothers.

Yep, it's gonna be fine. These ear tubes are a breeze. I feel better already!

I won!

I am soooo excited:) I keep saying that over and over again, but it's true.

I just won a giveaway that I didn't even know I had entered.



A few weeks ago, Tonggumomma posted this beautiful Chinese lullaby, which my kids and I completely love. {Thanks, TM!} Then she asked for other songs that reminded us of adoption. I posted this song (it's the first one that plays), which Will and I listened to a lot as we waited to bring home our third tomato. (As an aside, we don't have a clue who sings this or what the title is. If you know, please let me know.) As we would listen, we would have all these conversations about whether tomato #3 was a boy or girl, how old, which province, and all of that.

By the way, it's not that we were leaving Ben out of the conversation, he just didn't really like that song and was always frustrated that I didn't play Istanbul instead. And, lest you think I didn't talk about this stuff with Ben, know that anytime I was frustrated with waiting and ready to give up on adoption, I was reminded by Ben to pray for our tomato #3. Every. Single. Night. Seriously.

(Is that a convoluted intro or what?)

Anyway, apparently my comment was an entry to a CD giveaway, and I won! See? I'm so excited:) It's also apparent that I ramble when excited...


**On another note, Kate NaNa (aka, Tomato #3) will be having her ear tube surgery tomorrow morning at 7:30. Say a prayer, if you don't mind:)

Sunday Snapshot: {Ben}

I can't believe how fast my kids are growing up. It seems like Ben should still be my sweet little toddler, learning to walk, but next week he will finish up the first grade.

This has been a year of changes for him. A year of growth. A year of creativity. He has had an amazing teacher who has worked hard to challenge him, which is a challenge in itself.

He has dreamed big dreams.
He writes me poems that melt my heart.
He writes funny short stories, inspired (ok, required) by his weekly spelling homework. *See bottom of post if you can't make out the words...*

In typical little boy fashion, his papers always come home crumpled like this:) He is also working on a new Star Wars story and a Captain Underpants comic book. It's hard to believe this is the same child who swore he could never do it the first time he had to write sentences for homework.

Occasionally he comes home with some.... interesting projects. Including this monster he created on Earth Day.

He was so proud, but thankfully understood when I explained that we would be recycling those water bottles and LJS box. As long as I took a picture first, of course.

He has grown from a sweet little baby, into a sweet almost-eight-year-old boy. I am so proud of who he is, and who he is becoming.

**For those of you having trouble reading the above stories:

• One day in Spring, in the month of march, a bug climbed up a tree to look for his missing gloves and saw some frogs drinking out of cups. When they were done, the frogs read books about trains. So the Bug turned around saw some birds in the tree, and said, "Have you seen my gloves?"
• Once I met a mean sheep with big feet. He said, "Maybe I should destroy Earth." I said, "I can see you want to destroy the planet, but you won't." Then he decided to be friends with me and invited me to eat pizza.

Time for More Tubes

After multiple frustrations to get in to see Kate's new ENT, we finally saw him today. Of course, not before I had to discuss Kate's case with the Commission...again.

Me: Hi, I'm just calling to make sure you sent my daughter's paperwork to her new ENT. We see him today at 2:10.

Commission: Ummm, ma'am, you can't do this to me. You have to give me more than a few hours warning. The doctors get really mad when I don't send the files....

Me: (Interrupting) I understand you have to know ahead of time. That's why I asked you to send them a month ago. I am just calling to make sure you actually did it. This is a check on YOU.

Commission: Oh, yes, ma'am. I'll send them right away.

Me: Thank you. (Much growling and complaining to follow...)

Anyway, as I drove over there, I thought to myself, if she didn't actually send the files, then we can't actually see the doctor. If that happens, I swear we are just not meant to see this doctor. I will just take it as divine intervention. Perhaps we should choose Dr. P..... (More muttering and growling...)

Thankfully the file and pre-authorization had been sent, and the clinic staff was much nicer than any others I have dealt with at the university hospital/clinic. But of course there are pros and cons to the university clinic. For example, it's so old and beat up and ... gray that you feel like you are in a Soviet block country. It's also one of the least child-friendly places I have ever been. On the other hand, we saw three different doctors. Dr. S. is an assistant to the ENT we were there to see. She cleaned out all the wax out of Kate's ears. We had been trying to get doctors to do this for about a year now, but no one would do it until today. Everyone has been terrified of scaring poor Kate, but they couldn't see what in the world was in her ears for all the gunk. So we held her down while she cried, and Dr. S. got it all out. She also diagnosed Kate with retracted ear drums. This is a fancy was of saying her ear drum is bending in ways it should not be bending due to the pressure in her ears.

Then a second doctor came in. She was obviously there to learn. It is a teaching hospital after all, and anytime we are in that situation, doctors send their students in to learn about cleft issues first hand. As long as they don't perform any procedures, they can look all they want.

Then, finally, Dr. M. came in. He was very nice, looked in her ears, and then took quite a bit of time to explain what a retracted ear drum was. (I needed the extra help.) We discussed long-term possible prognosis and treatments until I felt really confident with the whole thing. I have always liked Kate's old ENT and his comfy, child-friendly office, but there have always been two things that drive me nuts. First, he would never fish that wax out. Second, he was always in a hurry, and I never felt like I understood why we were doing what we were doing. So, Dr. M. is OK in my book. And Kate should have her new tubes next week.

Pray for her. Pray for me. And pray for whatever clinic/hospital employee gets in my way in the next week. Mama Bear is looking to take care of her babies.

First Grade Art

Ben painted this at school. I am considering framing it:)

Of course I am not biased.