Alabaster Mom

The other day I posted this photo on Facebook: This is how my child walks through the mall. Seriously. I wish I had that kind of check-me-out-because-I-am-pure-awesome attitude. Me, I'm more don't-mind-me-I'll-just-use-as-little-oxygen-as-possible-here. We were back to school shopping and my little fashionista was making a beeline for Gymboree, where she chose the least practical thing in the whole store. These boots: Now, I don't think you need to be a mom to see that there are several inherent issues with these boots. 1. The color. Waaaaay too light. They are screaming, "Spatter some mud on me! Spill some fruit punch on me! That's right, everything that comes in contact with me will cause a hideous, permanent stain." 2. The fringe.  I don't know exactly what will happen with the fringe, but it won't be good. 3. The toe. See how the sole does not extend out past the toe at all? See how naked the toe is? These will be horribly scuffed a...

. . .  we had a very nice trip. We had one little bit of excitement, which was that my daughter lost a tooth. This tooth had been dangling for a while. As a matter of fact, the new tooth had come in and had pushed the old one until it was jutting straight out of her head. Finally, I convinced her to let me pull it.  Our friends (who were staying with us at the cabin) have a five-year-old so we knew we needed to do the tooth fairy thing. I guess I would've done it either way, even though A knows the truth, thanks to some brat at Kindercare who killed the Santa fantasy for her.  However, it is tricky to pull off these things when you're far from home. The kid and I were sleeping together on an air mattress (her dad had the couch, which he actually prefers).  That night, after she lost the tooth, I surreptitiously tucked three bucks under the mattress (while she was in the bathroom) and then slid the tooth under her pillow.  It gets kind of chilly at night at the...

I wrote this last week, so I'll just go ahead and post it and then write something more substantial as soon as I plow through the mountain of laundry that awaits me . . . ************************************************* I'm getting ready to leave for a vacation (yes, again) so I haven't had much time to write. I've been packing for three days. We're doing our annual cabin-by-the-lake trip. I am so fortunate to have a friend who lets us use his cabin every year. We've invited some friends to join us for a few days (the same friends we accompanied to Disney - yes, they are still speaking to us!). It will be cramped with eight people and two dogs in one small cabin but we're hopeful for nice weather that keeps everyone outside a lot. I've checked out a couple of library books and am looking forward to lots of quiet time next week. Ha ha!  Who am I kidding?  I have an eight-year-old who hasn't stopped talking since she uttered her first words in 2...

I took my daughter to the doctor yesterday for a wellness exam.  She turned eight a few months ago so I should have taken her in then. However, her old doctor didn't recommend annual visits so I guess I had it my head that we didn't need to go this year. The new doctor does want to see kids annually, so I booked an appointment. Also, I have enrolled the kid in a new daycare for the fall and needed to have a medical form signed for that. Her exam went well. Breaking news: she's short! Previously she was in the 10th percentile for height; she is now in the 5th. The doctor said he'd only be alarmed if I told him that both birthparents are extremely tall, which they're not. As long as she keeps growing, there is no cause for concern. She is 47 1/4 inches. As long as she hits 48 and can ride roller coasters at some point, I think she'll be happy.  As we were leaving the doctor's office,  the nurse gave me summary document that lists normal development for an ...

I'm sure you're dying to know how our visit with A's birthmom went. Well, I'm here to tell you that it went quite well. My daughter was a bit nervous beforehand. I assured her that I was nervous, too.  After all, it had been seven years since the last visit (and, needless to say, she doesn't remember that one). During those early months after my daughter was born, I really didn't know how to navigate a relationship with her birthmom. I knew that I wanted to maintain contact with her (after all, this is someone I would have enjoyed spending time with even if she didn't just happen to be the woman who, you know, gave me a baby to raise), but I wasn't sure exactly what was expected or what she wanted/needed or what was best for all concerned. In the beginning, there were lots of phone calls and visits and I was worried that I might feel differently about the level of contact in the future. It was a weird time - she was emotional from being recently pregna...

  My daughter and I are having a visit with her birthmom on Thursday.  We're going to meet at a park and then grab some dinner. A's birthmom is also bringing her three sons.  My daughter is excited to see her birthmom, but she is particularly curious and enthusiastic about meeting her half-brothers.  Two are younger than she is and one is older.  Our last visit was almost exactly seven years ago. At some point after that, J severed contact. It would take a few years before I understood why. When we reconnected about 2 1/2 years ago, she explained her mixed emotions to me.  She felt that it was simply too hard to have visits and then to say good-bye over and over. It was like ripping a scab off a wound that never quite healed. Now that so much time has passed, she seems ready for a visit. She lives out of state and married a great guy about six years ago.  She is in town for her sister's wedding, so we arranged a visit. I know it will be emotionally...

We got our kid back yesterday!  Her flight from DC was delayed.  As I stood around the concourse for an hour, I kept wondering if perhaps she was chatting up the pilot, resulting in the delay. She denied it when the flight finally showed up, though. We went from the airport straight to the state fair. The three of us had a good time, though the fair was verrrrry crowded. P and I spent about two solid hours watching our kid on rides. I guess that's the glamorous part of this whole parenting gig. We left the fair with the kid in tears because we refused to buy her a bubble gun. Maybe she missed the part where we spent $35 on a wristband so that she could spin her brains out on those rides. I'm busy unpacking and catching up on a few things (we stayed overnight before driving back home), so I'll just bore you with a few photos in the meantime. Oh, and I should add that we didn't eat anything too crazy. We shared an order of deep-fried Oreos and that was about as wacky as...