When you least expect it

There is news on the horizon. Big news. Good news.

I will post more when I know more.

Drinkin' and bloggin'

SO. Tuesday nights are now Clementine Nights in our household since Petunia's new work schedule keeps her away until 10pm or so. And how did I celebrate tonight's Clementine Night? By having a gigantic rum and Diet Coke (EWWW!) and watching that damned Charlie Brown Christmas Special. Which is SO CHRISTIAN, by the way. Which I'd forgotten since the last time I saw it eons ago. Also, rum and DC really is nasty, but I didn't want to open a can of The Real Thing after already having opened a can of The Aspartame Thing. I'm cheap like that.

And yes, slightly buzzed too.

So I probably shouldn't be posting tonight; I should be lying in bed hoping to have another happy pregnancy dream like the one I had last night. But I'm still feeling all bruised and melancholy, and trying to sleep wouldn't be the best thing right now.

And so here's the question: Aren't prospective grandmothers supposed to be excited about their grandkids-to-be? Aren't they supposed to knit little sweaters and ask about names and buy way too much baby stuff? When my cousin mentioned in passing that he and his wife wanted to have kids, my aunt started crocheting. She didn't say anything to her son and his wife, but she slowly stockpiled a layette for her first grandchild. And when my other aunt learned about her grandkids, she all but shouted from the rooftops. I knew my mom would be more low-key than the two of them, but I didn't expect such antipathy.

That's why I'm feeling sorry for myself. Once again, her behavior clouds my excitement and joy. I try to shrug it off, but the closer we get to becoming parents, the more I feel the urge to protect my own growing family. If she can't get excited now when we're so close, what am I going to do with her once our kiddo comes home? Our poor kid already won't have one set of grandparents--Petunia's parents are out of the picture--and it would break my heart if her/his remaining grandma can't step up to the plate. I thought she could do it, but I'm becoming more and more uncertain.

Also, Christmas. Christmas. Christmas can be difficult under the best of circumstances, but I'm dreading the visit down south this year. I really want to see my dad and grandma and I absolutely have to be there for Beluga's first Christmas with the fam, but my mom has a way of hijacking the whole holiday regardless of the goings-on. With this year's additional tension I just don't know how we'll bear it. Last year my dad was in the hospital for chest pains for several days at Christmas, and I swear it was the stress of having all of us under one roof that did it to him. I hope we'll manage to avoid any hospital stays this time around. It seems like a manageable goal, but you never know.

Ugh. I'm a real ray of sunshine tonight. Now I really am going to bed.

Blah

I'm still feeling sorry for myself over last night's fun fest with my ma.

That's all.

Mother-In-Law Throwdown Contest Entries

Shirky is having a contest, and these are my entries:

1. My mother said this to me in February:
"Adoption is just another one of your projects, like being gay."

2. And then she let loose with this zinger tonight:
"I hope you don't have a baby before Christmas."

Nice, huh?

Do I win?

Today felt like three days rolled into one

Part 1 = Regular workday. Rose before dawn to clean, mop the floors, and prepare the house for small children. Breakfast, art, playground, Lego, lunch, etc. until...

Part 2 = Holiday workday. One child was left after 1pm, and he napped from 1:30-4:30pm. While he slept, I counted my blessings. Then I prepared our holiday card list and edited our gifts list. (It's all about the lists this time of year, baby.) And when my last kiddo went home early at 5pm, then it was time for...

Part 3 = Plain ol' holiday! Petunia and I ate the great leftovers L&Y brought us last night, then we strategized our shopping list. Since Petunia's still very much under the weather, I ran out for a few hours and did some holiday shopping. It was fun for me, plus we got to check off a bunch of gifts on our list. In fact, we only have 10 more gifts to purchase or make! I'm kinda proud of us for sticking to our "shopping throughout the year" plan. The best part of the evening happened when I stopped into Sbux to drop off an invitation for my friend K. (we used to work together at a different Sbux); she was actually there and gave me her markout--a free pound of coffee--plus 2 free drinks! Sweetness.

Hey, it's my half-birthday!

No wonder today's date looked familiar. Six more months till my 30th birthday!

Thanksgiving Eve

I'm generally a Thanksgiving scrooge, but you know what? I'm actually looking forward to tomorrow. Petunia and I had plans with L&L for T-Day at their house, but Petunia came down with a nasty cold. Instead of spreading our sick germs to the whole L&L family, we've moved on to Plan B: Thanksgiving here!

I should preface this next part by saying that Petunia and I have very different ideas about What Makes a Good Thanksgiving. On Petunia's list: tablecloths, candles, nice clothes, bone china, and this fancy French dressing she makes with potatoes, cloves, and TVP (in her family's recipe, it was beef). On my list: paper plates, jammies, takeout from Boston Market, and a slew of movies from the video store. Oh, and Pink Stuff, a top-secret family recipe made from the contents of 3 cans and one tub.

You see my point, yes?

This difference between us has been a point of contention in years past, though all that eased when we started going to Thanksgiving at other people's homes. You know I still grumble about having to get gussied up on a holiday, though. I'm a brat like that.

Because Petunia's ill, there's no question about it: This year's Thanksgiving will be Clementine Style. And while I'm very excited about getting to stay in my jammies all day, I can't claim cultural victory under such crappy circumstances. When Petunia walked in from the Price Chopper early this morning and handed me a box of Stove Top, I knew that mine was a very shallow victory indeed. But since Petunia won't tell me her French dressing recipe (probably because she knows I'd eff it up royally), I'll be doing the food prep and cleanup and entertainment planning for this year's T-Day. That's right, y'all! I figure that if nothing else, it should be a pretty good incentive for Petunia to feel well next Thanksgiving.

And so here you have it, from my house to yours, A Very Merry Clementine Thanksgiving:

The Menu
Stove Top chicken flavor (for me)
Chicken breast from Boston Market (also for me; Petunia's vegetarian)
Sweet potatoes (though not with marshmallows and brown sugar, as my cultural heritage might suggest)
Regular potatoes (for Petunia; I don't really like potatoes)
Cranberry sauce from a can (for Petunia)
Green beans from a can (also for Petunia)
Pink Stuff (top-secret W________ family recipe, for both of us)

(An aside: From this list, it should be clear to you that I don't come from Fancy, if you know what I mean. Hell, I still get cravings for the fried baloney sandwiches my mom used to make when I was little: Fried up Oscar Mayer coated with French's mustard and sandwiched between 2 slices of white bread--trashy, but delicious! Oh! and also why I sometimes get a hankering for potato chips with ketchup, or Little Debbie cakes, or those cheap Vlasic pickles, or....)

The Attire
Jammies, of course. You know it!

The Entertainment
NOT that damned football, but maybe the parade if Petunia feels like it (that's a generous nod to her family's tradition, in case you didn't catch it). Also, my next installment of 90210 has arrived along with Petunia's next installment of Dead Like Me. Maybe we'll also play Uno or Trivial Pursuit if she's up to it.

And that's it! Feel free to borrow my plans, if you like (Canada, I'm thinking of you here!). Of course, it's more My Name is Earl than Martha Stewart Living, but what the hell. Petunia and I will be together, in sickness or health, with French dressing or Stove Top, and that's what Thanksgiving's all about.

Happy Thanksgiving Eve, y'all!

And this is how it will happen

Our social worker knows of 2 kids for whom we might be a good match. One is a little boy who was born in March 2006, and the other is a little girl who was born in December 2004. Additionally, there's another little girl (age "1") on the MARE website for whom we might be a potential match. Ms. Stork thinks all this is very encouraging.

We just went from "yay, our homestudy's done!" to "hey, there are a couple of possible matches for us." Holy shit.

With one of the kids, the earliest we'd be considered as a preadoptive family would be January, and with the other, it sounds like it would happen sooner than that. Ms. Stork sent our homestudy to that child's social worker, and she's hoping to get back to us with more information about that child before Thanksgiving.

One of these kids might be our Hester, but I doubt it. I'm not getting excited until I hear more details about the kids and their circumstances. But until then, I'm beginning to understand that this is how this will happen, that a social worker will tell us, "I have a kid who is ___ months old with ______ special needs. Here's the tiniest bit of info about her/his birth family and placement history. Interested? Send me your homestudy." And that shady, sketchy introduction will be the first time we learn about our son or daughter.

Petunia's home!

Petunia is back from Missouri, and I'm so glad! I was very happy to pick her up at Logan last night, and we went for a fun dinner at the Border Cafe in Harvard Square to celebrate her return. She had a great time at her conference, and she was glad to come home. She has today off, mercifully, and she's downstairs napping right now.

Today is the first day of Petunia's new 4-day work schedule. She came for a walk with the kids and me this morning, and I made her a grilled cheese along with my favorite sweet potato and apple dish for lunch. She's been doing her own thing otherwise, but I like having her home with me.

I Heart The Outback

This is a little embarrassing, but I'll just admit it: I like The Outback. I like their bread, I like their croutons, I like their Aussie Chips (though I can't bring myself to actually call them that, so I just say "fries" like I'm too cool for school), I like the spiciness of their ranch dressing. And mostly, I like their Alice Springs chicken, which is absolutely slathered in mushrooms, cheese, and sweet honey mustard sauce (and bacon, too, but I ask for no bacon). Which is what I barfed up the other night, incidentally, but no worries, mate--I'm still feeling the love for Alice Springs.

What's more, Petunia knows this about me and she still loves me. What a sheila!

Petunia is vegetarian, and her choices at The Outback are limited to salad, sides, or a nasty alfredo pasta. She generally gets the blue cheese chopped salad and a couple of sides, but I'm sure you can see why The Outback isn't her favorite place to eat. For the sake of martial bliss, I limit my own trips to The Outback, only going a few times a year (including Christmas Eve with my family since "it's our family's tradition," which is a another post for another day), mostly when she goes away. I went there on Tuesday night, and I figured that was enough Aussie love for me.

But then I read this note from Petunia this morning...

"Hey sweetheart, only one more day you can go to The Outback. Did you go yet? Are you going again? Cheeeeeeeese friiiiiies!!"

And now I want to go again! Because the cheese fries, they are spectacular (again, minus the bacon). And she's right--when will I have another opportunity like this? (Um, that would be in December when she goes to CO to visit her brother.) But the funniest part, the best part, is how she knows me a little too well, especially around my choice of restaurants. And she still loves me!

I'm one lucky filly. Right, mates?

Pregnant on paper

I am so relieved. Our homestudy was approved yesterday and I've already updated our info on the MARE website. So as of today, we're officially waiting! And I'll tell you what: Waiting never felt so good.

But here's something strange: MARE has two kids listed on their website who fit our profile, kids for whom we might be a good match. I can't even begin to hope that one of them might be our Hester, but I've got calls in to both of their social workers anyway. At the very least, it'll be good to see what sort of information is available for the children and to see what sorts of questions we can expect to ask. Petunia's half-convinced that one of them will be our Hester because of the "How wacky would that be?" factor, but I really doubt it. If we ended up calling about our Hester on Massachusetts Adoption Day, the day after we got our homestudy approved, that would be too crazy. Am I right, or am I right?

Great news!

OUR HOMESTUDY WAS APPROVED!

Paranoia abounds.

Still no word on our homestudy.

If you have a weak stomach, it's best to move along now

Last night began pleasantly enough. The kids went home on time, I had 90210 to watch and leftovers to eat, and I needed to make a quick trip to the Price Chopper. Clary B. visited with our neighbor Green Thumb while I was at the store, and when I went to retrieve her, she was v. happy to see me in her cute doggy way. We came home and settled down, ready for a night of high school nostalgia.

Except...except...remember that scene in The Goonies when Chunk confesses his prank at the movie theater? You know, the one where he pretends to throw up, and in doing so makes other people actually throw up in a visceral chain reaction? If so, I think you can imagine where this story's headed.

Several minutes into the Brenda/Brandon drama, Clara opened her mouth and barfed up what must have been 6 cups of cat food. Steaming, gloppy, swollen chunks of cat food, undoubtedly stolen from Green Thumb's big bag o' cat food. And then she did it again. And then the liquid began to separate from the solids, and the liquid started running toward the bookshelf, at which point I ran into the kitchen for paper towels and cleaner. And as I bent over, scooping up hot jellyish cat food barf with my paper towel-covered hand, I started to retch. And then Clara attempted to eat the cat food hurl, which made it worse. But I couldn't stop scooping and mopping since the barf juice was running toward the bookshelf and Clara kept trying to lick it up, so I just kept cleaning and retching. And then I barfed, too, right on top of the cat food barf. And then I did it again. And then I had to clean up not only Clary's barf, but my chicken dinner barf as well, dry heaving all the while. And when all the cleaning and barfing and retching was done, I called Petunia's cell phone to tell her that she can never, ever leave us again.

Petunia called back just a few minutes later and I told her what happened. I even managed to laugh a little, because the whole thing was pretty funny in a junior high kind of way. But then Clary barfed a third time--a smaller amount, mercifully--and Petunia got to hear me dry heave on the phone with her.

Some couples have phone sex; we have long distance dry heaving. We're romantic like that.

The good news: Clara's fine today. Me, too.
The bad news: I need to buy another bag of cat food for Green Thumb. Five dollars says the smell of the food through the bag makes me retch.

Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!

ALSO

Still no word on our homestudy.

I'm going batty.

I just emailed Ms. Stork.

I'll write more when I know more.

They couldn't have denied us, could they?

Quilt Square Roundup: A Public Service Announcement

Option 1: For friends in real life

If you are my friend (or Petunia's friend) in real life and you read this blog and you still want to send Hester a 100 Good Wishes Quilt square, please rest assured that you can still do so. We sent the first batch to Ms. Schatzi at the end of October, but we're hoping to send the second batch to her at the end of this month. I've heard through the grapevine that some folks are worried about finding the perfect fabric or writing the perfect wish, but please know that whatever you send will be perfect if you send it with your love. Also, to take the pressure off, just remember that my grandma sent Diet Coke fabric as her square. And you know what? It's perfect!

Option 2: For friends in real life AND friends in the blogosphere

If you have a wish for Hester but you don't have any fabric (real life friends) OR if you have a wish for Hester but don't know us in real life (bloggy friends), please email your wish to me or write it in the comments section here! Petunia and I have been given tons of extra fabric from real life friends, and we'd love to include your well wishes for our Hester in her/his 100 Good Wishes Quilt.

Thanks, y'all!

Oh HELL yeah!

Today's mail brought the first disc of the first season of 90210. I'm loving the Netflix right now! Here will be me tonight: As soon as work ends, I'll hop in the car and head over to the grocery store for a much-needed fruit/veg restock. Then I'll come home, reheat yesterday's chicken, put on my jammies, and be a true couch potato for the remainder of the evening! I can't remember the last time I just sacked out, and I'm really looking forward to tonight's TV marathon. Suh-weet!

I'm spoiled!

Petunia's off in Kansas City for a conference this week, but she hasn't given me much of a chance to miss her! Every time I turn around, I find something she's left for me...Godiva cocktail truffles in the microwave, sweet little notes all over the house, a Bit-O-Honey by my keyboard. I've gotten a couple of deliveries, too: yesterday's mail had a postcard from her, and today I got a package of Luxembourgers from Burdick's! When she comes back, I'll weigh twice what I did when she left, but I'll be hella happy about it.

I'm super spoiled, but I'm also super grateful. Thank you for thinking of me, Petunia!

Crap.

Still no news about our homestudy.

I'm getting anxious.

Big "C" alert

Yesterday Petunia and I spent $32.09 for baby clothes totalling $147.47. Can you stand the bargains? Heads-up, y'all: Old Navy's running half off on their clearance stuff, which means we bought onesies for $.97 and rompers for $1.75. Check it out!

Refresh...refresh...refresh...

I have many topics to write about, but I can only focus on one thing: Today's the day our homestudy should be done. I'm checking my email compulsively.

Gah!

Working in my jammies

It's 8am and I've been hard at work for a couple of hours. No, really! I just finished 4.5 months of accounting plus 2 loads of laundry, so I'm feeling good about things. I have my appt. with Hester's prospective pediatrician in an hour and a half--just enough time for a shower, some knitting, and maybe a cup of fancy Sbux coffee as a treat.

I love federal holidays! Happy Veterans Day, y'all!

Equal marriage secure until January

Holy fuck--I'm so relieved. Sal DiMasi is my new best friend.

My prayers have been answered

Never again will I love a TV show as much as I loved 90210. I'm so happy they released it on DVD! They released Melrose Place, too. Can Party of 5 be far behind?

You see now why I'm scared to get cable.

Adoptive nursing, part 2

During our baby care class, the instructor (a pediatric nurse) encouraged the class to consider adoptive nursing. Y'all know it was just the opening I needed to email Ms. Stork about the prospect of adoptive breastfeeding!

Ms. Stork emailed a couple of people in the central office to inquire about it, and today we got an answer: The Department gives a thumbs-up to adoptive breastfeeding as long as: 1. the baby's pediatrician okays it; and 2. the preadoptive mom doesn't have a disease or take medication that can be passed to the baby via breastmilk. Basically, the Department just needs a doctor's note to that effect. Wild, huh? This state is HELLA hippie/crunchy! I thought for sure they'd be all, "WHAT THE FUCK?!?!" but instead they're all, "Sure, that's been done before." Even better, Ms. Stork is very supportive.

So now the big questions: To attempt to induce lactation, or not? And if so, how druggy am I willing to go? I'm down with the oatmeal and fenugreek and I'll even try some of that nasty Mother's Tea, but I'm a little sketched out about taking birth control pills or domperidone for the sole purpose of inducing lactation for a child who might be 2 years old. Plus, pumping will take up all my free time; it'll be my new hobby (though if we do get matched with an infant, I'm planning to go the Round is Funny route and ask my doc to prescribe an electric pump for me--insurance will pay 80%! Ms. RiF is wicked smart). Hmm, lots to think about.

Has anyone actually read The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding? If so, would you recommend it?

If you have any advice for me about inducing lactation, I'm all ears.

97% Masshole (3% GRIT?)

Dude! You're 97% from Massachusetts!

Dude! Me and Sully and Fitzie and Sean are gonna hit Landsdowne tonight after the game, hang out at the Beerworks. I'll pick you up at the Coop at 6.

How Massachusetts are you?
Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

This shit cracks me up. I got the initial link from Canada, btw.

Midterm election recap

The Good
Deval Patrick is our new governor!
And "The Boy Mayor" is our new Lieutenant Governor. Worcester, represent! (And FYI, he's also an adoptive dad.)
Ed Augustus, our state senator, won reelection easily.
A big Buh Bye to Rick Santorum!
Another big Buh Bye to Donald Rumsfeld.
A big Hello to Nancy Pelosi!
South Dakotans--y'all did the right thing.
Democrats took back the House!

That sound you hear? It's a national sigh of relief.

The Bad
The Senate is still too close to call.
Our state's family child care collective bargaining initiative failed.

The Ugly
John Fresolo won reelection. Don't get me started on him.
Bans on equal marriage passed in 7 of 8 states.

All in all, the good outweighs the bad.

Sleepy lady

I'm having one of those days. If I could just put my head down and close my eyes for a teensy little second.......................... asssssjakshkaassshaakjlleehw8qydfg syagcivew iii.

Snore. Snore.

I'm exhausted. I've been running on empty since before my trip to Texas, and it's just not getting better. I keep being stupid and staying up too late, eating like crap, and going going going when I should be settling down. Part of it is the anxiety about the homestudy--I want to have it in my hot little hands before they change their minds about our fitness to parent!--and part of it is the onslaught of the Annual Winter Viruses. The kids' noses are all green and gunky, and they're coughing like mad to boot. Hmm, I wonder how I got sick in the first place?

Every night when the kids go home, I have the same plan:

1. Clean up toys.
2. Put on jammies.
3. Eat sandwich and drink water.
4. Drive to train and pick up Petunia. Talk with her in the car.
5. Come home and crawl into bed with a page-turner like Adoption and Prenatal Alcohol and Drug Exposure: Research, Policy, and Practice. Read as much as I can stomach.
6. Go to sleep.

The time? 7:30pm.

For the past few weeks, I've been going to sleep around 11pm. My bedtime's at 9pm. This shit has to stop. I have the feeling that if I could get 2 decent nights of sleep, I'd feel SO much better. Petunia's on board with the plan for tonight. We'll see what happens.

Midterm election

After a quick shower, I'll be off to vote. Happy Election Day, y'all!

56 Good Wishes Quilt: An Update

Early this morning I sent the first batch of quilt squares down to Ms. Schatzi. I hated to see them go, but I wanted her to get a feel for what we've received to date. Petunia and I are very lucky to have Ms. Schatzi and her husband in our lives!

As you can see, we've received so many wonderful squares from friends and family. They're wonderfully diverse, from antique fabrics to kitschy prints to mass-market materials to hand-sewn pieces. Some of the squares come from old beloved clothing, while others are brand new from the fabric store. Each square reflects its sender, and Petunia and I are overwhelmed by the love and support we've received throughout our adoption journey so far. This love and support is made tangible through these squares.

Here are the squares we've received so far:

1. sage and cream checks from my college friend and her family; the fabric comes from her daughter's bedding
2. starfish/nautical fabric from Petunia's friend in Rhode Island
3. 3 squares from our hair stylist and her GF; they couldn't decide on just one, so they gave Hester 3 squares
4. summery flowers from a family I used to work for
5. kitty cat fabric from Snapdragon's in-laws; they sent a little book they made with quotes about cats for Hester's scrapbook (FYI, Snapdragon is Petunia's brother)
6. sea life fine-wale corduroy from our betta fish, Boris (you know we had to put stuff in from the pets!)
7. cloud print from our cat Reuben
8. sushi print from our cat Josephine
9. doggy print from our dog Clary B.
10. floral flannel from my baby blanket from me
11. chili pepper flannel from Petunia
12. Pride fabric from Petunia's friend in Pittsburgh
13. love and kind words fabric from Hester's godparents, Trista and Russ
14. blue and cream print from my friends in Detroit, in honor of Smith's colors
15. oak leaf and acorn print from baby A.'s family; the oak leaf is their symbol for baby A.
16. mod disco fabric from our dear family friends in Colorado
17. mint green fleece from my great aunt--she went out in a rainstorm to get it for us
18. blue and yellow flower print from Petunia's supervisor at work; the fabric was her grandmother's
19. bright yellow floral fabric from the furbabies' petsitter
20. train fabric from my auntie
21. purple print from a college friend who's studying in India; she got the fabric at an open-air market in Delhi
22. orange flowers from my cousin S.--her wish for Hester is the funniest of all: "Don't become a Red Sox fan!"
23. lime and fuchsia print from my aunt and uncle
24. kitty cat print from my Grandma W________, cat lover extraordinaire
25. blue star fabric from Petunia's friend K.
26. yellow material from JPP's childhood curtains and dark teal fine-wale corduroy from one of JPP's favorite childhood dresses
27. royal blue with colorful dots from a colleague of Petunia's
28. Dolphin Rescue Team logo from Beluga
29. pink alligator fabric from Orca; he had pajamas and a pillow made from this fabric
30. BDU material from our friends at West Point
31. red, black, and cream plaid flannel in memory of my Grandpa Herbie
32. trucks from Canada's son Corwin
33. moose and northern print from Canada and her husband
34. bunnies and flowers from Canada's daughter Clara
35. green checks with hand-sewn yellow stars from Diesel and Katydid; the fabric belonged to Katydid's late mother
36. retro babies from L&Y
37. silk squares from Petunia's first GF (you know the lezzies like to stay friends with our exes!)
38. tiny red heart print from a colleague of Petunia's
39. chickadee print from Squasha and her BF
40. squirrel print from my Grandma D.
41. teddy bear prints from my aunt and uncle
42. musical print with hand-embroidered ladybug from Petunia's friend L.
43. fabric from jeans belonging to my late Grandpa W________
44. camouflage material from a bandanna my dad used in Operation Desert Storm (from my dad, of course)
45. lounging cats in honor of my family's cats
46. bright cat print in honor of the cats in my extended family
47. Carolina Panthers fabric from my mom--she's a recent convert to football, and now she's hooked!
48. Diet Coke fabric from my Grandma Hazel: See? My addiction runs in the family
49. retro firetrucks in memory of my Grandpa Herbie and in honor of the volunteer firefighters in my extended family; also in honor of Orca and Petunia and their work with children with burns
50. random green square awaiting a favorite quote from Petunia
51. pink and yellow print with my favorite quote: "Be the change you wish to see in the world."--Mahatma Gandhi
52. orange sock monkey fabric from Petunia and me; this will be the backing for the quilt

Election Day

Hey, don't forget to vote tomorrow!

Hester's nursery

Guess what: We got a crib!

And MAN is it freaky to see it in the nursery, right where the computer desk used to be.

Now that we have Hester's crib set up, I'm feeling more and more ready for her/him. Now we're set with the furniture: If we have an itty bitty baby, s/he'll sleep in the Moses basket, and if s/he is older s/he'll sleep in the crib. If s/he is used to a bed, that's no problem, either: we'll just convert the crib into a toddler bed and be on our merry way. Our changing table/dresser is good to go, too.

Jesus. Can you even believe it?

Yesterday we attended a baby care class for first-time preadoptive parents. I knew lots of stuff about diapering, swaddling, etc. (of course--with my business I have to know some of this stuff!), but I learned some good tips for making bottles, bathing, clipping nails, etc. And now Petunia and I are on the same page with baby care, which'll make our lives a lot easier. Plus, I got some crazy pictures of Petunia changing a doll's diaper--what's more fun than that?

The bargains just keep on comin'

I had such a great trip to Savers tonight: Not only did I get a new Cabbage Patch Kid for $3.99, I also found the cutest Vermont Teddy Bear for Hester for $6.99! That's a $70 bear in mint condition for $7. Can you stand the bargain, folks? And it's washable, too! I also picked up a baby book for 69 cents, a Lamaze clippy mobile for 99 cents, and a Little Taggie lovey for 69 cents. They even threw in a free baby wrist rattle!

I love Savers so much.

Final maternity policy update

All of my families are cool with the policy changes. HOORAY! Now I can relax, knowing that we're all on the same page when it comes to child sick days, pediatrician appointments, court dates, etc. What a relief.

Super J strikes again

Between yesterday and today, I've been ultraproductive. I've managed to knock the following things off my To Do list:

--Talked with 2 doctors at local hospitals who specialize in adoption. For a fee, either one will read and interpret Hester's medical chart so we'll know a bit more of what to expect re: Hester's health. For one of the doctors, we can prepay now so we won't face the expense of 2 experts right at match time. That's good news, eh?

--Ordered a crapload of resources from the ACONE library re: prenatal substance exposure. I'll pick up the materials tomorrow at our class. I love ACONE!

--Paid some bills. Good times there.

--Scheduled a vet visit for our Josie. Just routine, thank goodness.

--Scheduled a pediatrician interview with the woman we hope to have as Hester's doctor. I really liked her on the phone--can you believe I've already talked with her twice and I don't even have a baby yet? She's probably like, "Sheesh, enough already!"--and I'm looking forward to meeting her. I'm putting together a list of questions for her, so if you have any question suggestions, please share.

--Made Chocolate Malt Sandwich cookies with the kids this morning (recipe from Martha Stewart, of course). Too bad I put in a whole cup of malt powder when the recipe calls for just 1/4 cup, but they turned out fine. Yum!

--Also made homemade mac and cheese from my awesome diner cookbook. Double yum!

--And finally, I'm pretty sure I'm going to have another kiddo joining us part-time for work! Just 1-2 mornings a week, but still. His family is friends with another of my families, and I hope it'll be a good match.

All I can say is that my antibiotic must be working--I feel better than I have in days. Much more like my crazy hardcore organized self!

Why I Heart Emma Thompson

I've been feeling guilty lately about my lack of patience with the kids at work. I realize now that "The Person I Need Is Nanny McPhee."

Petunia got that movie for me from the Netflix, and I loved it! Thanks, Petunia.

Quick like a bunny

We got some thrilling and terrifying news on Monday night during our homestudy.

It turns out that we'll have anywhere from 24 hours to 7 days between the time we get the call for our match till the time our child will move in with us. Ms. Stork told us that a likely scenario for a newborn would be that the baby would be born and would stay in the hospital while DSS works with the baby's mom; once it became clear that the baby wasn't going to go home with her/his birthmom, the baby's social worker would scramble to find her/him a foster family or a preadoptive family, depending on the child's needs. Ms. Stork said that once the match was made, placement could occur within 24 hours.

Jeepers. That's quick.

With an older baby or a toddler, Ms. Stork said it's safe to assume that our kiddo would be coming to us from foster care. Depending on the foster family's situation, the transition could take anywhere from a day or two to a week. They try to make the transition period short for little kids since they don't quite get the whole transition thing anyway, but still.

To repeat: That's quick.

It strikes me that our place is almost set for a child between birth and 24 months, with 2 notable exceptions: we still need a crib, and we still need a stroller. Of course, those are the priciest things on our registry, so we haven't wanted to buy them before we started our wait. But seeing as how the wait will officially begin in a week, I'm thinking it's time to finish up that shopping. We can run into Target to get baby shampoo, nail clippers, onesies, etc. last minute if necessary, but it would suck royally to have to set up a crib with a 24-hour deadline looming. Know what I mean, Vern? Ikea trips are stressful enough without Impending Parenthood on the horizon.

Halloween recap

Well, we ran out of candy again. We bought 14 bags of candy for Halloween, and if Green Thumb hadn't rescued us in the 11th hour we would have been tricked for sure. Petunia's pumpkins were the hit of the neighborhood, though--everyone loved them!

During the trick-or-treating festivities, I realized I was mere hours away from another ear drum rupture. Petunia and I spent a half hour debating whether it was worth it to head to the ER, but then I wised up and called my P.A. dad for advice. He reminded me about my emergency stash of hardcore antibiotics, so I popped one and went straight to bed. A low fever and doggy illness kept me up half the night, and today I'm shaky and dazed and poppy-eared. But hell, at least the pain's mostly gone. It's days like today that I envy folks with real sick leave policies, cuz I'm in no shape to take care of 4 toddlers.

But hey, at least I had a hot shower this morning. Gotta love a fully functioning water heater, eh?