A blank slate for Vivian’s new room

Yesterday, I finished cleaning out the spare room.  Viv and I took apart the king size bed and put it out in the hall.  I also attached her fireplace mantel back to the wall.  We also swept it out, cleaned the baseboards and sealed her floor with some kind of special wood wax sealer.  It is a blank slate…ready for Viv to move in!  We have talked about adopting a little girl if all goes well with this adoption.  So, Vivian is always taking about future “sister”.  She wants bunk beds for her and sister to share.  I had a nice surprise yesterday, I posted on FB if anyone was selling a twin bed that I would be interested in it for Alex’s room.  One of my friends, Melendie, posted she had one and brought it to me yesterday.  When I got it home and Steven helped me assemble it, it was a bunk bed!  Hahaha…so…guess what?!  Vivian gets her wish.  We will put the bunk bed in her room and buy a twin bed for Alex’s room.  I have a toddler bed, but we are putting that in our room for him to sleep near us as he will most likely experience separation issues and we want to be close at hand.

I am going to paint Vivian’s bunk bed white, and on each end, there is this neat chain link type material on the bed.  Steven came up with the idea of attaching a chalkboard or memoboard to each end for each of the girls…what a fantastic idea!!!   I had a couple lying around, so immediately grabbed them and measured…they will fit perfect!  Can’t wait to get this baby painted and into Vivian’s room! I also need to paint white a chest of drawers I am going to put in her room. 

I just need to go shopping for Alex…a bed and a chest of drawers to match.  I already have his comforter and pillow set.  I am thinking about doing his room in transportation.  Since I just moved Viv out yesterday, I will have to touch up paint his room and redo his floor to look like Vivian’s.  Then I will be able to move in his furniture and decorate….so exciting!!!!!

Andrea

 

 

Thoughtless People

**Warning:  this is a soap box post, so if you do not like reading those, my advice is to stop reading now.  🙂 ***

This morning, I was so proud to be able to bring a picture of my son to church and show some of my friends who our new son is going to be.  I cannot post any pictures or information online until we get permission.  So, I printed out a small photo and was just giddy with excitement regarding the new addition to our family….Alex.  My friends and family are so happy for me and I am so glad they are.  I guess it is the random  nosy person who happens to be close or hears our conversation and wants to get in on what is going on — that has been the thorn in my side.  Don’t get me wrong, these people are few and far between.  But when they pop up, it totally catches me off guard.  This morning, I was showing my picture to someone else and a lady sitting close to me looked at it and then proceeded to question me about why we chose an older child, why can’t we have anymore kids?  Why aren’t we going to try to have any more of our ‘own’ kids.  Why did you choose adoption?  I do not mind answering questions about our adoption.  I have talked to several people who are curious about  it.  I certainly don’t mind talking about the process or our decision. I certainly didn’t enter into adoption lightly or without thought.  This has been almost a year in the making.  What irritates me, I guess, is the know-it-all, (inject sarcasm here) you know the who has been with me during this whole  process and helped me fill out the paperwork, compile the dossier.  Yeah, the one who was right by my side last Auguest when we made the decision to adopt and started planning.  Whatever!  She just found out about it today and she is questioning whether we made the right decision and questioning our choice of country, our choice of age.  I was struggling to find something to say.  I was trying to answer her questions, but offended that I had to.  She was holding a picture of MY SON in her hands and she was already making me feel like I made an inferior choice and that if I would have asked her sooner (she has NEVER adopted) that she could have given me some sage advice on the subject…despite all the research I have done, books I have read and adoptive families I have interviewed…yeah…I definitely should have asked HER first.  I almost made that sarcastic remark.  That next time I decided to adopt, that I will call her first to get her permission.  But, thankfully, the gracious lady that was buried waaaaaaaaay deep in me somewhere came out and was kind to her.  It was hard.  Real hard.

Do I have to answer those questions?  Is it rude not to? I think it is rude for someone to ask me about my reproductive plans and question my adoption plans.  Is it not ok anymore to adopt because you just wanted to adopt?  What is the alternative?  That this little boy stay in an orphanage without a mom or dad?  Without someone to love him?  He is well taken care of at the orphanage and seems to be well adjusted and happy.  I am so thankful for that.  I am so thankful that I have the honor to adopt Alex and that he will call me mom.  I am so thankful to God for allowing everything to work out the way it did.  I am so thankful for a husband and daughter who shared the same vision of one day adopting.

So, just for fun, what should I have said?  Help me formulate some answers for nosy people.  Please keep it rated G.  I welcome any humorous responses too and if I really like it, I will use it!  I need a laugh!

Andrea

PS. I posted this here and not on my adoption blog.  I am trying to keep my adoption blog upbeat, positive and happy.  So, I am soapboxing here… 🙂

What happens when your six year old learns how to read?

Well, you no longer are able to spell words you don’t want her to hear….you are not able to speed anymore…hehe Vivian is always fussing at Steven saying “the sign says 45 daddy” and she can see that he is going 60. 

In the car driving today…I was not listening to Viv prattle…I was thinking about what I had to do and where I had to go, then I heard her say “S-E-X what does that spell mom?” I didn’t know what to say!  Lol…I mean, my mind was running wild trying to think of where she got this from, where did she read it?  Was there a sign? ….then I saw she had my license in her hand. I said, “Oh, baby, that tells you whether I am a male or female. It says F, so I am a female, right? 

So…on we go…I grab the diet coke with one hand, driving with the other, and take a swig and I hear Vivian pipe up “Mom, your license says you are not supposed to drink and drive”.  I almost spit my coke everywhere…hehe.  I laughed so hard! 

Andrea

Easter Pictures 2011

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This is definitely one of the best times to have an old house…iron fences, columns and nice backgrounds galore for pictures.

Vivian took all of the pictures of me and Steven.  She did a great job.  She is going to be a great little photographer when she grows up. 🙂  She is reading this as I type it…hehe

Happy Easter!

KJV: Matthew 28:5-6

And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.  He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

Decorating for Christmas

Vivian helping with the lights. She's a good helper.

Its kinda hard to decorate for Christmas when half of your kitchen is in the dining room and the other half is on your back porch.  Nevertheless, we are trying to muster up some Christmas spirit in the Warren house.  I type this as I hear hammering in the kitchen as the new floor is going down.  Hopefully, after all the dust settles, and most of the items are returned to their rightful places, Viv and I can finish our decorating in preparation of opening our home this weekend to family who are coming.

Vivian knows that right after Thanksgiving, we decorate for Christmas.  This is her absolute favorite time of the year.  She always bugs me the whole week of Thanksgiving, perpetually asking “When are we going to decorate for Christmas?”  It was no different this year.  We finally pulled out the tree…even in the midst of the kitchen remodel, and got it ready for decorations.

Vivian’s friends came over and helped her decorate the tree in her room.

They did a wonderful job.  It looks beautiful!  When I clean up all of the construction dust and put things to rights, we will take pictures and post them next week.  Hope you are enjoying this wonderful season!

Andrea

Help an Orphanage win a Formula Grant

Click on this link: FACEBOOK  it will redirect you to Ford’s Facebook page.  This link will bring you directly to Love Without Boundaries video.  Click on “LOVE IT”.  Every vote counts!  You can click on it every day until December 31st if you wish.  LWB’s formula budget in their orphanges are $100,000.00.  This $10,000.00 grant would be a huge blessing to them!

Thanks for participating!

Andrea

Paging Dr. Vivian…

Of course my child cannot pick something easy to dress up like for Halloween.  She wanted to be a vet….a veterinarian.  So, I had to look around for some pint sized scrubs or a lab coat.  I found this place online that makes real lab coats in miniature.  They were even able to stitch Vivian’s name above the pocket, in cursive purple stiching, no less.  So, here is our doctor.  She made a cute doctor.

Adoptable Dolls Are Now Available!

If you have ventured over to my other blog, BeautyofAdoption.wordpress.com, you know that we are working on an International Adoption.  We are working on a couple fundraisers to make this possible.  Today, I received the dolls in that are up for “adoption”.  They come with a Certificate of Adoption and a story about where they are from.  Check it out!  Christmas is coming soon!  These make great gifts.  Also, if you are a school teacher, your class can “Adopt” a child and you can teach them about the country and about adoption.  So many ideas!  Thank you for your help and support!

New Orleans Teddy Bear, available for $10 donation ($12 to ship)

Tatiana from Moldova, available for $12 donation ($15 to ship)

Lupe from Guatemala, available for $12 donation ($15 to ship)

Big Life Announcement: We are adopting!

Yes, this is a big announcement!  Steven and I (and Vivian!) have decided to adopt.  We have talked about it many times.  We have finally decided to go ahead and take the leap of faith to get the process rolling.  If anyone knows of someone or has adopted before, you know that it is a long process and it is also expensive.  Please check out our new blog chronicling this process at:  www.beautyofadoption.wordpress.com

If anyone is interested, we will soon be listing items that will be available for purchase to help us offset the cost of adoption.  Thanks to everyone who has wished us well!  We are very excited and cannot wait to welcome another child to our home!

Andrea

Nothing like a 6 year old to make you feel stupid

Its 15 mom...

Ok.  So, Monday I started working on my Science assignment for this week.  I read some of the problems, answered the ones I could and then put off the ones I needed to understand a little bit better before answering.  I read one of the questions that was stumping me out loud yesterday to Steven to see if he knew what calculation I needed to make.   It was about Relative Motion.  I understood the whole fixed object thing.  Steven was not sure either, so I emailed the instructor.  Vivian looked at me after I read it and said “15”.  I said “oh ok Vivian, (whatever)” 🙂 

Today, after receiving the formula I am supposed to use, I drew a diagram using the word problem and figured out the relative velocity.  Do you know what the answer was????????????????  15!!!!!!!!!!!!   Yes, it was 15.   After pondering it for 3 days, emailing the instructor, drawing it out on paper and doing the calculation, I came up with 15.  Three seconds after I read the problem to her yesterday, Vivian came up with 15.  What is wrong with this picture????  I am going to quit college and send her.

Andrea