I first ran across Makeda's name in Melissa Fay Greene's book "There is No Me Without You". It felt right, immediately. I held onto it, shared it with a few people, but didn't commit until I'd seen her dear face and knew without a doubt that this was her name. There were a few others I kept tucked away, one of which in particular really resonated with me. While the name was beautiful, it was the translation that really stole my heart. Since Makeda has two middle names, you might think that I saved this name as her middle name. But I didn't. I never had a doubt that this second name belonged to a separate soul - one that I had yet to be joined with.
So, here starts my next adventure. The first of the forms has been filed and I've officially begun my journey to Baby A. This will be a longer journey, probably closer to two years. Which I guess makes me an elephant. But at the end - a beautiful baby girl - Makeda's little sister.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Monday, November 10, 2008
And Time Goes By...
A lifetime ago, it seems, I wrote this. And now, almost six months have passed since I brought Makeda home, and it's time, once again, to honour my committment to her birthmom. Here's the pics I've assembled to send to her, in order. From the first unassisted sit, to the first stand, you've come a long way baby!
Much love, Fozia! Enjoy!
Much love, Fozia! Enjoy!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Look Who's One!!
The official day was November 3, but we had a wee party on the Sunday. Poor kid - the entire time she was eating I had a flashbulb in her face - but the results were worth it. And, she stood up and cruised for the first time, right on the big day. I also took her for her one year check up, and she has grown 8 centimetres in the past 2.5 months. She's now 80cm (32 inches) tall, and in the 90th percentile for height. Yikes! She's starting to look like a toddler!
Monday, November 3, 2008
Damn Yankees - Don't Screw it up This Time!
Don't let this be you. Again.
You blew it in 2000 and again in 2004. An apology just won't be good enough this time. We may invade you. At a minimum, you will incur the wrath of Barb, for wasting her donkey party memorabilia.
Yes, that's right. Me and 20 or so of my closest friends with nothing better to do than watch another country's election, will be partying with the donkey. These same accessories, while retailing at Target for US$3.99, were imported by me, at precisely the moment that the Cdn $ blew back under $.80US, thus costing me approximately Cdn $102. Take pity on me. Don't wreck the party. Vote for Obama.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Tattoos and Other Insects
Some years ago I decided I wanted a tattoo. A ladybug to be exact. This announcement was greeted by friends and family with a distinct lack of enthusiasm. One friend was slightly more helpful, recommending this as a potential candidate:
Her logic was that the tattoo could grow older with me until eventually, when I was 80, I would be sporting a raisin. The idea didn't grab hold, and I stuck with the ladybug. The problem was, I could never find just the right ladybug. No matter how many tattoo books I looked through and how many web pages I searched, I could never find the right amount of cuteness. Until today. Today I found the world's cutest ladybug. This is her:
Happy Hallowe'en!!!
Her logic was that the tattoo could grow older with me until eventually, when I was 80, I would be sporting a raisin. The idea didn't grab hold, and I stuck with the ladybug. The problem was, I could never find just the right ladybug. No matter how many tattoo books I looked through and how many web pages I searched, I could never find the right amount of cuteness. Until today. Today I found the world's cutest ladybug. This is her:
Happy Hallowe'en!!!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Don't Mess With Gramma
This is my mother in 20 years. Listen to the woman behind the camera giggle!
My Hero!
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Pay Attention PAPs!
A little treat passed along by Makeda's Auntie Gayle. Remember, if you need any practice, I get first dibs!
Thinking of Having Kids? Do this 11 step program first!
Lesson 1
1. Go to the grocery store.
2. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.
3. Go home.
4. Pick up the newspaper.
5. Read it for the last time.
Lesson 2
Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who already are parents and berate them about their…
1. Methods of discipline.
2. Lack of patience.
3. Appallingly low tolerance levels.
4. Allowing their children to run wild.
5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child’s breast feeding, sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behaviour.
Enjoy it because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.
Lesson 3
A really good way to discover how the nights might feel…
1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly. (Eat cold food with one hand for dinner)
2. At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.
3. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1AM.
4. Set the alarm for 3AM.
5. As you can’t get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink and watch an infomercial.
6. Go to bed at 2:45AM.
7. Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.
8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM.
9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and be productive)Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and together.
Lesson 4
Can you stand the mess children make? To find out…
1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.
2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.
3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.
4. Then rub them on the clean walls.
5. Take your favourite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.
6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons. How does that look?
Lesson 5
Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.
1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.
2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out.Time allowed for this - all morning.
Lesson 6
Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don’t think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don’t look like that.
1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment. Leave it there.
2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.
3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Sprinkle cheerios all over the floor, then smash them with your foot.
4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.
Lesson 7
Go to the local grocery store. Take with you the closest thing you can find to a pre-school child. (A full-grown goat is an excellent choice). If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week’s groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys.Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.
Lesson 8
1. Hollow out a melon.
2. Make a small hole in the side.
3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.
4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.
5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.
6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.You are now ready to feed a nine- month-old baby.
Lesson 9
Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street , Barney, Disney, the Teletubbies, and Pokemon. Watch nothing else on TV but PBS, the Disney channel or Noggin for at least five years. (I know, you’re thinking What’s ‘Noggin’?) Exactly the point.
Lesson 10
Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying ‘mommy’ repeatedly. (Important: no more than a four second delay between each ‘mommy’; occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required). Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years. You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.
Lesson 11
Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt- sleeve, or elbow while playing the ‘mommy’ tape made from Lesson 10 above. You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.
Thinking of Having Kids? Do this 11 step program first!
Lesson 1
1. Go to the grocery store.
2. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.
3. Go home.
4. Pick up the newspaper.
5. Read it for the last time.
Lesson 2
Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who already are parents and berate them about their…
1. Methods of discipline.
2. Lack of patience.
3. Appallingly low tolerance levels.
4. Allowing their children to run wild.
5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child’s breast feeding, sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behaviour.
Enjoy it because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.
Lesson 3
A really good way to discover how the nights might feel…
1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly. (Eat cold food with one hand for dinner)
2. At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.
3. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1AM.
4. Set the alarm for 3AM.
5. As you can’t get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink and watch an infomercial.
6. Go to bed at 2:45AM.
7. Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.
8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM.
9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and be productive)Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and together.
Lesson 4
Can you stand the mess children make? To find out…
1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.
2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.
3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.
4. Then rub them on the clean walls.
5. Take your favourite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.
6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons. How does that look?
Lesson 5
Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.
1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.
2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out.Time allowed for this - all morning.
Lesson 6
Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don’t think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don’t look like that.
1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment. Leave it there.
2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.
3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Sprinkle cheerios all over the floor, then smash them with your foot.
4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.
Lesson 7
Go to the local grocery store. Take with you the closest thing you can find to a pre-school child. (A full-grown goat is an excellent choice). If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week’s groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys.Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.
Lesson 8
1. Hollow out a melon.
2. Make a small hole in the side.
3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.
4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.
5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.
6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.You are now ready to feed a nine- month-old baby.
Lesson 9
Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street , Barney, Disney, the Teletubbies, and Pokemon. Watch nothing else on TV but PBS, the Disney channel or Noggin for at least five years. (I know, you’re thinking What’s ‘Noggin’?) Exactly the point.
Lesson 10
Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying ‘mommy’ repeatedly. (Important: no more than a four second delay between each ‘mommy’; occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required). Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years. You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.
Lesson 11
Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt- sleeve, or elbow while playing the ‘mommy’ tape made from Lesson 10 above. You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)