Awaiting Aislinn

2011-12-29T18:28:00.006-05:00

Happy 18th Birthday Rachael

18? How is that possible? Wasn’t it last week you were a baby in my arms, just yesterday an inquisitive toddler who loved to learn new things , the sweet, innocent child who captured so much of my attention. You needed me so much then....and you grew so close to my heart. But as time goes on, you are growing more independent and more secure and I watch with mixed feelings of pride in your accomplishments and uncertainty of how the future would change our relationship. Always believe in yourself and have the confidence to go after all of your dreams .You make me so proud & I love you so much.

Stinkerbell's First Christmas 1994 Asleep in her favorite place at the time (my arms)

New Years Eve 1996 with another rugrat Sleeping over my house.

Her first Camping trip July 1998

Happy 18th Birthday Stinkerbell

2011-12-28T21:24:00.005-05:00

Christmas & the end of a great year

Another year is coming to a close & the older I get the faster it seems to go. December was a busy month stating off with the tree lighting at our local fire dept. Our niece Saorla's school was singing at it so Aislinn & I bundled up (it wasn't to cold) & walked to it. Saorla didn't have any interest in Santa @ all. The foll lowing day Rachael came over to watch her goddaughter while I got a chance to go and have lunch with my girlfriends from the adoption (Stew-Be was away chasing Bambi) Also while daddy was away The chipmunk & I along with Aunt Kerri, Carleigh, Hunter & PJ went a couple of towns over for there Christmas Parade. (not alot of picture of the month since BOTH of my cameras are not working~ how unhappy do you think I am) The Following weekend Aislinn went to her 1st FCC Christmas party ~ While taking a bath that afternoon she had a seizure in the tub~ Talk about taking years off your life~ But by 3pm she was in great form & raring to go so we took her. She had a great afternoon, running around, eating pizza and got a present from Santa (she has no interest in him). We had been going back & forth about whether or not to get her the flu shot, after much debate she went & got it on the 14th. Worrying about seizures we started her on Tylenol in case she got a fever (as per the Dr) as soon as we got home. The next morning she woke up in great form & off to school she went. At 3pm I received a call from the school that Aislinn had a seizure & by the time I got out there (25 minutes later) she had her second one. When I got her home she slept on the couch for 20minutes then was up & causing havoc like nothing happened. Phone calls to her DRS, Meds were upped and she stayed home with me for the rest of the week (only cause I can't take the waiting on the phone to ring every day while she is in school) With the change in Meds the Dr wanted a blood level count so on Christmas eve we got up early and ran to the hospital lab to get it done. As always Aislinn was more interested in what they were doing then anything else. After we were done with that I realized that I didn't have any Christmas PJS for her ( New Christmas pjs were something my mom always had for us even as we got older) so off to the Mall we went (I knowI avoid the mall at all cost but her we were on Christmas eve no less) We checked all the stores I could think of to get her Jammies (Sears, Penney's, Lord & Taylor, Macy's, The Childrens Place) & I was striking out. I was almost in tears when Andrew said lets try Disney(see every once in awhile he comes up with a good idea) They had 2 pairs of PJS left one size 8 & the other a 4! JACKPOT & they were on clearance for $8. BONUS! We then took her to sit on Santa's lap & have her Picture taken (she was not impressed at all) Then off for a yummy breakfast @ IHOP. That evening we went to Krissy's house to see the "family" like we do every year to catch up & the kids get a visit from Santa. Christmas Morning Aislinn got up at 8am. After she came down we started breakfast then opened presents, Our chipmunk was more interested in eating the boxes then opening them! We decide to stay home this year for the day so it was nice and quiet, just us THREE!

Tomorrow is my Stinkerbell's birthday. Andrew & I couldn't of chosen a better young lady to stand up for Aislinn & be her godmother. Rachael has always had a special place in my heart and is more of a daughter to me.

We are heading to the Outlaws in MD for the New Year celebration. Looking forward to seeing everyone & hoping for a quiet weekend with the Chipmunk.

Digital slideshow customized with Smilebox

As Always Be Good & Be Safe

2011-11-27T10:51:00.005-05:00

Almost another three months have passed since I last posted anything. Like has been crazy busy here in Aislinn's world and it all hasn't been good. Aislinn has adjusted to the long school day. Most days she might take a 10 to 15 minute nap in school and thankfully they allow it but when she comes home she has a hard time staying awake thru dinner & bath time and sleep by 6:30. Most nights she is in bed before Andrew gets home from work. On the nights I bring her back downstairs after her bath (cause I know Andrew will be home in a few minutes) she takes herself back up the stairs to her room & shouts for me from the door way, I go up and she is standing at the crib looking to climb in. On September 10 we participated in Long Island walk for Epilepsy. We raised close to $400. and had a beautiful morning for the walk afterwards we ran to Rachael's Field hockey game for a bit then left for the city. There was a memorial mass for my parents and then it was off to dinner with my Godmother. I was nervous being in NYC on the weekend of the 10th anniversary of 9-11 but the ride in & home plus the drive in the city was pretty easy even with all the police presents.
Aislinn & I made it to everyone of Rachael's Field Hockey games this season. I can't believe that this is her last year playing Field Hockey. It was kinda sad to watch the last game (Since 2003 I have been watching 1st Micheal then Rachael play the sport) Connor made JV football this year so Saturday mornings (and 1 Friday night) it was watching Goober & the the JV have an undefeated season!
On September 17th Andrew & I had our 30th High School reunion. I was really looking forward to going and reconnect with old friends. It was held at the Irish Coffee Pub(luv that place) and it was a awesome night. A whole weekend was planned (football game, tour of our old school, drinks Friday night & brunch on Sunday)Most of the planning was done thru Facebook to help keep the cost down.Say what you want about FB but It was truly great to reconnect with everyone on line then to see then again on that night was priceless.
In the beginning of October Aislinn saw 2 new Drs. Not totally happy with her neurologist(Dr D) I called NYU to see how long it would take to get an appointment with an Epileptologists (this was 10-5 @2pm) I was told "how does Friday October 7th @ 2pm sound?" (it took me 2 months to get our 1st appointment for the neurologist we had been seeing)I took it, called Andrew to let him know he needed to take the day off to go with me( I have no problems taking Aislinn to her Drs appointments but the one place I do NOT drive is Manhattan! So on Friday morning we set out to the city, made it in with no problems and was filling out our paperwork @ 1:30. At 1:45 we were shown to a exam room & 2 minutes later a man popped his head in, introduced himself (Dr R) and said he would be right back, he was & stayed with us for the next 90 minutes (when Dr D met with us back in May we waited in an exam room for 90 minutes then she breezed in & out in 20 minutes) talking to us about Aislinn, her adoption, her epilepsy and asking about us, our lives. When Dr R steeped out for a minute to get a pamphlet for us Andrew turned to me and said, " We are staying with this DR and I will take off on the days she needs to be seen by him")We left there with an appointment for January and very happy with our decision. A few days later I took Aislinn to a pediatric orthopedic because some concerns were made as to her unsteadiness as she walks. The Appointment was about an hour away and with long island traffic being what it is I left 2 hours before the appointment time & walked into the office with 3 minutes to spare! After the exam, x-ray and having Aislinn walk around for him (in just her diaper) I sat with the DR and he told me she is PERFECT, she is just a little girl who is learning late how to walk & carrying about more weight then a baby who is just learning to walk and to bring her back in 6 month.I left there happy with what was said but apprehensive about one word he said. It was the word PERFECT. I don't like the word and it u usually is followed with something bad ( or that is how it seems to me) On the Saturday following the appointment Rach had a A game so while Aislinn was napping and Andrew was outside working on the yard I ran to her game a few towns over (a 10 minute drive) While watching her game my cell rang it was Andrew "Aislinns having a seizure & isn't coming out of it" I left the field quickly and was home in under 5 minutes. Aislinn was laying in Andrews arms, saw me said hi. I got the thermometer to take her temp (99.6) and layed her on the couch where she fell asleep. 15 minutes later, she awoke with a scream, stiffened & had another seizure. It was over quickly and she fell back to sleep till 4pm. When she got off the couch, she seem fine, like nothing had happened (its the first time we have ever had two seizures in a day ( little did I know what the next hours would hold for us). about 5:30 she started to get cranky, so I gave her her medicines (in case she fell asleep again) and @ 6pm she was out cold (again on the couch cause I didn't want her out of my sight)She had 8 more seizures thru out the night. The next morning when she awoke & tried to get off the couch (she was up at 5am but didn't look to move till 8am) she couldn't walk and was having a hard time standing. I called the NYU and spoke to the Dr on call (it was the 4th time I had spoken to him in the past 12hrs. He said to take her to the ER. So off we went to Good Sam, blood test, temp of 102.3(she had been getting Tylenol or Motrin every 4 hours since 2pm the day before) X-ray & an EKG (her heart rate was bouncing all over 90-178) IV fluids and a diagnosis of a viral infection. We kept her out of school for the week because she was so weak.Dr R changed her dose of meds and sen me a script to have her blood tested in a few weeks. On October 30 we were back in the ER with Aislinn (saw the same ER DR from two weeks ago) Aislinn was having a hard time standing I(no fever or seizures) just walking like she was drunk very unsteady on her feet. I called NYU again and was told have the ER check her levels sounds like she was toxic (she was). After 2 hrs there we were released. Aislinn had a great Halloween. There was a parade at her school with a little party then when we got home she went out with Uncle Mike & cousins Saorla,Fianna, & Seamus for a hour around the block & got a slew of Candy.Aislinn has had 4 more seizures since then. We are trying to find the right dose of medicine for her.
With all this going on what do I decide to do? Sell Tupperware! Aislinn's medical bills plus medicine are kicking our butts so to earn some extra income but still be available on a moments notice in case she has a seizure at school or is sick this seem like the best fit for us. Now anyone who knows me is probably laughing their arses off because I am the quietest person of all my friends. I'm the one at a party who is flitting from group to group, listening but not speaking to anyone. So this should be a challenge. I did well my 1st month of sales but the true test will come from it I can keep it going. Getting up in front a group of people is way outside my comfort zone but I keep saying to myself, This is for Aislinn!
Hunter & PJ were christened on November 13. The church was a ceremony (so it was quicker & cooler then Aislin's was) and it was followed by a really nice family party.

I hosted Thanksgiving once again this year but instead of my family this time it was Andrew's. Our nephew Matthew is going to school in NYC so Andrews parent are coming down from Upstate & Diana & her gang are coming from Maryland. Matthew called and asked if he could bring a couple of friends also for Thanksgiving. I said of course (good thing Andrew brought the camper back home last week). Aislinn enjoyed her 1st Thanksgiving with all the food (this kid can eat) there wasn't anything she didn't try. We are looking forward to Christmas with her to see what she thinks of all the lights & decorations. We decided not to put up a big tree this year but maybe a smaller one. Time will tell!

Make a picture slideshow

2011-09-08T13:12:00.003-04:00

Hurricane, Earthquake no power~ oh my !

I can't believe that it has been over three months since my last blog post. Its been a crazy life here for us these last few months. Aislinn went to "school" thru the summer for a half day program. In September she started a full day program, She leaves the house at 8:40 & doesn't get home till 4pm. Its a long day but she needs it for all the services she is getting. PT was upped to 3 times a week, Speech 3 times & OT twice. She loved it or as far as we can tell she does. When the bus comes in the AM she is all smiles & rushes to get on & in the afternoon she is all smiles getting off. She gets more steadier on her feet each day but her words are still slow in coming.We started to use the PECS system(Picture Exchange Communication System) beside signing & that is taking a bit of her frustration away. We have had many Drs appointment over the summer, Dr D the neurologist, Dr Silverman ( who was pleased by Aislinn's progress & thinks by the next time she sees us Aislinn will be talking up a storm, Dr Rogu to finish up her shot & for Coxsakie.
Speaking of the Coxsakie, at the end of August the week of the 23 I was sitting at the computer when everything started to shake in the house, I didn't know what to think. Turns out we had a earthquake ( it hit in Virgina but we felt it on Long Island. Then a few days later we got hit with Hurricane Irene only by the time she got to us it was a Tropical storm but did some nice damage & we were with out Lights for 6 days. Good thing we like camping, we were lucky to have Andrew's brother lend us a generator so I didn't lose the 2 freezers of food, plus I was able to make a pot of coffee every morning for myself & charge our cell phones. On the 4th days of no lights Aislinn was Awake & crying @ 4:30am, both Andrew (he hadn't left for work yet) & I ran for her room. Nothing I did would sooth her so at 6 am I dressed her & put her in the car, got coffee for me & a bagel for her & we drove (it was the only time she wouldn't cry or whimper) I knew something was wrong( she is never like this) so @ 8:30 I calls the Drs office & I brought her in. At this point I had notices small blisters on her hands, while sitting in the Drs office I saw a few on her leg. When the Drs came in they took her temp (she was running a low grade) but he confirmed what I figured it was (coxsakie) the bottoms of her feet were covered in blisters as was her throat & mouth. Poor wee pet, once we gave her motrin, then tylenol a few hrs later she was she chipper self enjoying all the ices she wanted. The weekend after the storm we went to visit Grandma & grandpa upstate. The damage up there was much greater then us. Whole towns were destroyed. Andrew & his father took the chipmunk & misty for a drive trying to get to our trailer (all roads going up the mountain were closed . Two small bridges by my outlaws were closed due to damage. Since there was a house full at his parents, Aislinn slept in the same room as Andrew & I. Now normally is she wakes early in the AM (5am) I see her on the moniter , she plays with her Violet then puts her fingers in her mouth & back off to sleep she goes but since her cot was at the end of our bed @ 5 Am (in the dark I hear ma ma ma & she is tapping my foot. So to try and keep her quiet I take her out & bring her into the kitchen for a cup of milk & some cheerios. Since she is raring to go for the she start shouting as I am saying shhhhhhh. Thankfully there is an screened in porch with toys on it (they were out of the basement due to walk fro the storm, I put Aislinn our on the porch & let her play & screen to her hearts content. Since she was up with the birds she might as well make noise with them! Aislinn got to meet her newest cousin when we watched him a week after he was born while his dad was in a family wedding. Peter James (PJ) was born on July 23 (kerri went early & I was camping the weekend he was born & missed his entrance) Andrew was away this day so it was just Aislinn, I & PJ. She was really funny looking at him then me you could see the little wheels turning in her head. Ailsinn met my godmother (also known as the wicked witch) when we went to see her in the city for dinner one Sunday night. I was nervous as to how my godmother would be towards her (she is a strange bird) but AIslinn charmed her with her smile & Hi ya !

A few other things that Aislinn experienced
Went to her first wedding (just the church) to see cousin Kara get married,(then went home to a babysitter so mom & dad could enjoy a night out!)
Daddy's bowling dinner (think fancy wedding) She was good & passed out in the car on the way home (11:30pm)
Histo bowling fundraiser for Taylor (Grainne came & babysat her so I could help out & daddy could bowl)
Carleigh's 3rd birthday party
Fireworks (not impressed) Misty on the other hand didn't like them
Her 1st FCC event
We took her for a walk on the beach ( she loved the sand & the water)
Met our social worker Caren for our post placement report
Took part in the walk for Epilepsy her on Long Island. We raised $390!
I can't believe we are home 6 months with Aislinn & the kids are back in school. Rachael is a senior, Connor is a sophomore but what blows my mind is that Micheala is graduating in May from College & student teacher this semester.

I am looking forward to all the holidays this year and before you know it they will be here but the thing I am most looking forward to is my High school reunion. The class of 81 will be celebrating on the night of the 17th. Andrew & I are both going (we graduated together)!

As always be good & be safe

Free digital slideshow made with Smilebox

2011-06-20T10:58:00.006-04:00

Aislinn's Christening Day

Make a greeting

Today, on our three month anniversary of being home from China & we had Aislinn Christennied.

The day was beautiful. Aislinn got up(6am) ate breakfast & a bath then I laid her back down for a bit so I could get ready. Michael ran to pick Rachael up & when she got here she got Aislinn up & started to dress her. We were suppose to be at the church @ 10:30am for the 11am mass, we pulled into the parking lot @ 10:38, not to bad considering there were 9 people (not counting Ailsinn) getting showered & ready for the day. There was 2 other baby's (both under a year) being baptised. The church was packed. We were blessed that a lot of our families were there, besides the gang from my house, both my sisters & families were there,Andrew's brother & his family, Siobhan, Mckay & Goober, Aunt Ursula & Uncle Gasper, Aunt Nancy & Uncle Joe, Gaga, Sammi, Ruthie & Ronnie were all there. Andrew Rach Michael Aislinn & I had to wait (with the other two families) in the back of the church for the priest to ask us a few questions, for Aislinn to be blessed & then we were able to follow the priest into the church & back to our pew. Aislinn did really well when he poured the holy water over her head. Mass was over in just under a hour. When we got our front we took just a few photos cause we only had an hour to get all the food to the hall for her party. We got home & Rach quickly changed Aislinn into her party dress & Andrew changed into a different suit (the one he had on was to heavy for the hot weather). We loaded all the food into the car & drove the 2 minutes to hall.

Aislinn had a blast walking all over the hall and walking up to everyone & saying Hi Ya with the tilt of her head & a smile. Talking about smiles over 4oo hundred photos were taken of her & not a one is she smiling. My chipmunk that use to light up when she saw a camera now refuses to smile when she sees one. Guess I took to many photos of her! LOL

Aislinn finally got to meet some of the family that hadn't seen her yet, Micheala made (once again) a delicious cake & cupcakes for the party plus she also made cake pops for her favors.
After such a hectic week it was nice to sit & relax with the family after it was all over.

As Always Be Good & Be Safe

2011-06-18T03:04:00.005-04:00

Aislinn is really keeping me on my toes
.

Aislinn is being Christened tomorrow on Fathers Day. I've had my to do list winding down. All the food was bought to be prepared on Friday, Aislinn outfit was all set, as were mine and Andrew's. Hero's ordered, balloons ordered, Micheala is making the cake, cupcakes & favors, DJ was confirmed,Banner & donation was brought to the church & the hall was called to give our headcount all that was left was to clean the house for the family that was coming for the weekend. So on Thursday I started to rip apart the house. Aislinn was in school, Carleigh & Hunter were napping, Tommy & Kenzie were watching a movie when I got a call from the school that Aislinn had a seizure. Protocol is for them to call 911 & have an ambulance take her to the closest hospital but when the nurse called me she asked if I wanted to come get her. I said Yes. I called our pediatrician & they said take her straight to Good Sam, my next call was to KerriAnn to come watch the kids. When I got to the school Aislinn was sitting on her teachers lap, her cheeks were red & she started to cry when she saw me. The nurse stated that her fever was 99.1 right after the seizure & 100.2 just a few minutes before I got there. When she when to school that morning she was a little clingy but as soon as she saw the bus she was all smiles & saying Hi Ya as she walked quickly to get on the bus. It took me about 20 minutes to get to Good Sam. I do have to say I really like this Pediatric Er. I walked in & was whisked into the back within 3 minutes of walking into the door. The staff was great with her,They quickly examined her, started an IV on her took her temp (it was now 102.4 & weighted her~ baby dumpling is now 28 pounds!)
Blood was drawn & a chest xray was ordered. At this point Aislinn had fallen asleep in my arm so they said the would give her a few minutes to sleep before the Xray.I asked why the X-ray and was told they wanted to rule out Bronchitis & Pneumonia Now Aislinn has had a bit of a cough, kinda like a tickle in her throat when she lays down at night. When we were at the Dr's in May he said it was "post nasal drip", so I didn"t think anything of the cough.( my father in law had Bronchitis last week when we were in Maryland for Matthew's graduation, so I figured that what it was going to be). About a half hour later we took Aislinn for the chest Xray, She sat really well for it & the results were back rather quickly. Dr Rogu came and said Its Pneumonia! WHAT? How the H*ll did I miss that? The Dr was quick to point out that it was easy to miss since she wasn't showing any signs of the pneumonia. I guess from the look on my face she could tell I was upset with myself.She said they were going to start IV antibiotics on her right away & when it was done she could go home with a script for more meds & she was to be seen by Dr Nick. By this time Andrew was there.Aislinn was all smiles for her daddy & while they hooked the Meds to her IV Andrew & I tried to keep her entertained & keep her arm straight. About 9:30 We were told they were going to start her discharge papers so I sent Andrew home. 20 minutes later they came and took out the IV (the tech who did the IV did a great job, no marks or bruises on her arm from the needle but her arm was all red from all the tape they put on her arm to keep it straight.) When we got into the car & I plugged my phone in (my battery had gone dead about an hour into the evening) I had over 20 messages from the family. When I got home I sent a few text messages & made a few phone calls, fed Aislinn some oatmeal for dinner & we were both out for the Count within a hour.

Yesterday was suppose to be a day to do all the cooking for Aislinn christening & finish cleaning up for the company. GaGa ( my gf Jo) called me about 7:45 to say she was on her way over to start cooking (thank god I bought all the food last week & remembered to take the meat out of the freezer Thursday morning). She brought coffee & bagels with her but before we could cook Aislinn had a appointment to be checked out by Dr Nick's office. After her appointment we ran & got our last minute stuff (fresh veggies) & then we started to cook. We spent the afternoon making Sausage & peppers, Baked Ziti, Italian Meatballs, Swedish Meatballs, & Beef & Broccoli.

Our nephew & Aislinn's godfather Michael got here about 10pm along with his brother Matthew. Uncle Mike, Aunt Diana, & Andrea came in about 3am & Grandma & grandpa will be in this afternoon.

Can't wait till tomorrow!

As always be good & Be safe

2011-06-11T21:09:00.008-04:00

Busy Busy Busy

I can't believe we just passed our three month anniversary since we got Aislinn. The changes we see in her everyday is a joy. She is getting more comfortable everyday in the things she does. When we got her she couldn't stand on her own & now she walks all over, climbing up & down the stairs, onto the couch & sitting on the windowsill to watch outside. She continues to sleep really well & eats everything we put in front of her. Her verbal skills are still limited but she is understanding a lot of what we say & communicates to us what she wants.

We went camping Memorial day weekend for 5 days (it was also Andrew's birthday). We headed up to Andrews parents on the Wednesday night. On Thursday I ran to W*lm*art fr a few things for the chipmunk, Andrew hooked up our trailer then we were off to Steve & Denise's. We were only there about 30 minutes when huge storm blew thru.So as its pouring rain & the wind is whipping I am in the trailer with Aislinn , Misty & Andrew's parents while Stew-Be is outside still trying to get things set up! After about 20 minutes the rain stopped & the sun came out. I quickly baked a cake for his birthday & we sat out under the stars. I was just about to bring Aislinn in to the trailer for the night when a neighbor of Steve's came over to see ow everyone was & mentioned that the area was under a tornado watch! Well that's all my mother in law had to hear! We all were just settled in the trailer when the winds started to really pick up. Maria grabbed the table & sorry to say all I could do was laugh. The storm lasted a couple of hours & we finally all got some sleep. The outlaws left the next morning but not before Aislinn got her first ride on a quad. Aislinn loved camping & got more adventurous everyday!

This digital slideshow made with Smilebox

Aislinn got to meet alot of Andrew's family at his Aunt Virginia's golden jubilee. Aislinn was really good during the mass (Thank god for Cheerios) & was the center of attention @ the luncheon.
Its all about the cake!
Aunt Virginia thanking everyone

Aislinn started school this past week. I have been on the fence about this but I do know that it is what is best for her. We have a lot of catching up to do with her. Its a 5 day a week 1/2 program. She will have OT, PT & speech. Last week I went to the school for a walk thru & met her teacher, the nurse Ot & pt therapist. Everyone seem excited about Aislinn coming in. The Bus pick her up on Monday a little after 12 & she was home a bit before 4pm.She is tired after school but seems to enjoy it. They spent the week giving her a chance to explore her new surrounding but all in all her report has been positive.

On the bus for the 1st time

All set to go

We are in Maryland for our nephew Matthew graduation party & 18th birthday tomorrow. Aislinn was in the pool today for the 1st time & loved it!

As Always Be Good & Be Safe

2011-05-24T22:09:00.002-04:00

Rachael's Jr Cruise

Last Friday was my Stinkerbell's Jr Cruise.Could it really be 4 years ago that it was Micheala's Jr prom While we were in the ER with Aislinn I had called Siobhan to tell tell I wouldn't be around to take photos of Rach getting ready & with her friends. I also told her not to tell Rach why I wasn't there (I didn't want to ruin her special night worrying about her godchild or me)but of course once again Siobhan didn't listen to me & told Rachael. When she came walking into my house all dressed, hair perfect & looking stunning I started to cry! We quickly took some photos of Rach in front of our house then I gave my camera to Charlie (McKays boyfriend) & asked them to take as many photos as he could! He took almost 300 photos of Rach & her friends before they got onto the buses for NYC & their cruise around Manhattan.
Rach with her friends Jess & Kim
Siobhan with Micheala & Rachael.

As always be good & be Safe.

2011-05-21T12:08:00.006-04:00

How to take a few years off Mommy's life

So much has been going on, but once again I haven't had a chance to get to the computer to get it all into the blog but this I needed to get down as soon as possible. Aislinn had been doing great, she gained 2 pounds at her last Drs appointment, passed her hearing & eye test, was approved for services & starts school in 2 weeks. We are home 2 months, getting into a nice comfortable routine, starting to be able to breath again & then BAM Aislinn has a seizure.
Thursday night after I got done with work Aislinn & I took a walk around the neighborhood afterwards I fed Aislinn dinner (Andrew was finishing his last night of Thursday bowling) & got her ready for bed. By 8pm she was in & asleep by 8:15 & I was in bed by 9. At 10 Aislinn started coughing, I was watching on the video monitor & after a few moments she settle back down again. Around midnight, she was awake again & banging her toys about the crib. I got up to talk with her & got her settled back down quickly. Andrew still wasn't home so I put the TV on for a bit, around 2am I heard her again (I must of fallen asleep since the TV was off & Stew-be was in bed) I got up went in to change her, got her a bottle (thinking maybe she was thirsty) & sat with her reading a book. After 25 minutes, she was back in her crib. At this point I was trying to figure out what was going on. In the 10 weeks we have had her & the 2 months we had been home she never woke up like this thru out the night, The cough is from allergies (the dr said Claritin last Friday when we saw him),there was no fever & she was in great form when we had been reading the book, so I had no clue as to why she was having trouble with sleep. I feel back to sleep and a bit before 6 She was whining in her crib, Andrew got up to check on her ( I was watching in the monitor)he straighten her crib, put on her music & she laid back down. Normally I would of gotten up with her but due to her lack of sleep thru out the night plus we were meeting with the director of the school she is going to that morning I was OK with her being in the crib & I grabbed a few more zzzzzzz. At 7:45 I got up, all was quiet in her room so I popped my head in ( when we open her door in the morning she is all smiles, tilts her head to one side and say HIYA!) her room but she seem to be still sleeping, so I quickly got ready for the day & went back to her about 10 minutes later. When I got to the crib she was still laying on her stomach, her eyes open, but not making eye contact with me, I put down the side of the crib, & brushed the hair from her face & she didn't move. I called for Andrew & lifted her out of the crib. We placed her on the bed, her body was stiff, her neck turned to the left, eyes open & her breathing was very shallow( I didn't think she was breathing). I screamed at Andrew to call 911, & he ran for the phone, our Neighbor Larry was just coming out of his house So Andrew shouted for him (Larry is an MTA cop & volunteer fireman), he came running & I called 911 (Andrews hands were shaking) While I was on the phone with 911 her little body started twitching. Within minutes the police and exchange Ambulance was here, 6 guys come running into the house & up the stairs, I'm downstairs to get her medicines for the EMT (knew I would be asked but can never pronounce them) & I called the pediatrician I'm on the phone with the DR all the people they just went upstairs are coming back down with Aislinn & Andrew & running for the ambulances and moments later pulling away from the house. I quickly threw some clothes into the diaper bag (chipmunk was only in a diaper) a few bottles and her adoption paperwork (not sure what we would be asked in the hospital). Larry's wife Laura came over and offered to drive me to the hospital (at this point I was fine~ Calm~ I got upset when I first took her from the crib but then quickly got over it when I saw how bad Andrew was shaking) so I told her no thank you & left to drive to the hospital. We live about 10 minutes from one hospital that is part of the North Shore LIJ health system & 15 minutes from another that is part of Catholic Health Services that has an Pediatric ER (they had to take her to the closet hospital. As I walked into the ER I could hear her screaming, when I got to her she was in a total meltdown & poor stew-be was as white as a ghost. They took her information, said a blood test would be needed. I informed them that Aislinn has Epilepsy and what medicines she was on and asked if an EEG would be done on her, I was told no (she was already scheduled for one on June 28th) that they didn't see a need for one since it was and that it was probably a febrile seizure .While they were putting the IV in her for the blood drawn I went out to the waiting room to speak with my sister Jamie (Aislinn was still in daddy's arm & screaming) When I saw jamie I lost it. I have never been so scared in my whole life. At this point I had no clue as to what the next step would be, how long we would be there or if my daughter of 10 weeks was going to be ok. After I calmed down & spoke to Jamie for a bit, I told her to go home & that I would call her in a bit to tell her what was going on .I went back to Aislinn & Andrew & she was sitting quietly on her daddy's lap. A few minutes later the ER Dr came over & asked me when was the last time Aislinn had her medicine. I stated last night (she get her meds 2xs a day) He then looks a me at says "well there are no levels of medicine in her system." How could that be possible~ I go over what we did the day before & state she didn't have her dose of med this AM to which the Dr said ' Missing one dose would still leave a read on the test" give her a double dose of her medicine and you can go home" While this hospital might not good for some things (they took care of both my parents number of times pediatric medicine isn't there specialty~ this is also the hospital that after Andrew fell off a 20ft ladder & was rushed to the ER they were looking to let him go without so much as an X-ray). We were out of the hospital by 11am. The Chipmunk fell asleep as soon as we got her into her car seat.. We stopped to get bagels & see Aunt Kerri before getting home. Aislinn woke up when we pulled into the drive, ate a half of bagel, & was laying down asleep again by 1pm. While she was napping (& the video monitor was in my hand all afternoon) I made 2 phone calls, one to the pediatrician & the other to the neurologist, at both offices I was told I would hear back with in the hour & I did. Our pediatrician told me the levels of her med could of read 0 was because 1) we don't know how long she has been on these medicine, 2) her body could be getting use to it and the fact that she is growing could factor in (when we were in his office on the 13th her level was at a 1 & he was hoping that if she stayed symptom free the neurologist might be able to wean her off of at least one one the medicines)When the neurologist called she first asked "How was I doing?" she then went on to ask what happened. She upped Aislinn one medicine for now and is taking a wait & see approach (till after her EEG). She also stated that she was on call for the weekend so that if anyone happened I was to call & bring her back to the hospital (she did state that if I opt to call the ambulance they would once again take her to the closest hospital. I told her lesson learned, not that we have a clue as to have we are dealing with~ if this happens again Aislinn will be put into a car (after the seizure is over) and driven the extra few mile to the Pediatric ER for care.

Aunt Tina & Uncle Pete stopped over to check on the lil munk as did Aunt Kerri.. Rachael stopped over & I cried when she walked in (she was dressed for her Jr Prom). Aislinn slept thru all the visits. Around 5pm I woke her, she ate dinner, got a bath, and was back in bed for 8pm. As exhausted as I was I didn't get much sleep on Friday night but the Chipmunk woke up this morning as of nothing happened.

As Always Be Good & Be Safe

2011-05-11T00:56:00.002-04:00

Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-05T09:52:00.002-04:00

Playing catch up

My poor blog has been so neglected. I keep starting updating it but then the chipmunk wakes up from her nap or I'm so beat at nite to put two words together. We are heading camping this coming weekend , so I am hoping for a bit of rest ( who am I fooling, my days of rest are long gone)!We have Aislinn 2 months tomorrow and she has come so far ( in our eyes but not the neurologist eyes) Our appointment was for Monday, we arrived a half hour earlier, filled out our paperwork, Aislinn was weighted & measured (she hasn't gained any weight or grew since we got her) and were in the exam room for 10am (our appointment time) & told Dr D would be with us in a few minutes.. My sister Jamie came with me for the appointment and we kept Aislinn entertained for the next hour as we waited, Dr D came walking in @ 11:02 & was done with us by 11:20 (it was the 1st time she had seen Aislinn) She threw allot of medical words at me (thank god Jamie was writing everything down) asked a few questions and that was it. We have another appointment in August & Aislinn is scheduled for an sedated EEG in June. From pass experience with neurologist I know they are very.......... clinical. She (the DR) is tops in her field but I wasn't thrilled with her, time will tell as to whether or not we stay with her or change Drs.
Aislinn had to have blood taken. We took her to the hospital lab since we knew a lot of blood was going to be drawn for all the test Dr Nick & Dr Silverman wanted down. It took 4 of us to hold her down while they found the vein & she screamed but once we let up on her she was fine watching what the tech was doing. They took 14 vials of blood from her & afterwards we went to breakfast. She also had a sedated MRI (which was more traumatic on me then on her) & the results came back good. . At her last appointment with Dr Nick she still hadn't gained any weight or grew. When he came into the room, he asked how she was doing with her walking. I took Aislinn off the table & let her walk for him. Dr Nick is please with her progress so far, after we get her levels back from the lab we will begin shots which will be the Friday the 13th! Aislinn has also started getting evaluated for services. So far we have been told she might benefit from a full day program to help her catch up. I not to keen on that idea but want to do what is best for her. When all the evals have been done (speech, OT, PT & a psychologist) we will then meet with the school district and go from there.

As always be good & be Safe

2011-05-04T08:55:00.002-04:00

Aislinn's 3rd Birthday

I've been having computer trouble so I am a bit behind with my post. Aislinn's 3rd Birthday was April 23rd (Easter weekend). We were Upstate at Stew-Be's parents house for that weekend so the Saturday before we had my family over for a celebration.We had both my sisters & their families here, my cousins, & Uncle Donald, Anne & the twins, Siobhanm Connor, Rach & her BF Mer plus Micheala & Charlie.The weather here on Long Island hasn't been nice at all so we couldn't let the(9) kids outside, so at times it got a bit crazy but it was fun. Aislinn's godfather Michael was suppose to make it in from Maryland but at the last second couldn't. We ordered pizza & I made a tray of Baked Ziti & salad. Aislinn's birthday cake & cupcakes was made by Micheala and were delicious.Aislinn did really well with all the company and attention and was in bed by 8pm.Everyone else hung till 10pm. When the last of the guest had left & Andrew & I had a chance to sit down, we were watching the baby monitor & Aislinn was very restless in her sleep (wasn't looking to get up just a lot of tossing & turning, turning on her Violet dog & banging her foot.
On Sunday night Aunt Jamie, Uncle Mike & the crew came over for dinner(since we had so much food left over).Since the night before was a bit crazy and we never let Aislinn eat her own piece of birthday cake we did it after dinner & she loved it.
On Good Friday, Andrew, Aislinn, Rachael & myself left for upstate. Aislinn really loves car rides, checking everything out as we drive thru the city & mountains.When we got there around 9pm Gpa was there with Michael to meet us (gma,Aunt Diana,Andrea& Matthew were on there way back from Aunt Gloria's)After we unpacked & Aislinn sat with Gpa for a bottle (trying to get on on a sippy cup but having no luck with that) she was off to bed. On Saturday Uncle Pete, Aunt Tina & Lauren surprised us by driving upstate. After dinner,Aunt Ursula & Uncle Gasper came over. Aislinn got loads of presents & loved being the center of Attention from everyone. Again she goes to everyone but still makes sure either Andrew or I aren't far.
I wonder at times what is running thru her little head. So many changes in such a short time.

As Always Be Good & Be Safe

2011-04-06T23:19:00.004-04:00

ONE MONTH A FAMILY
Today mark 1 full month of us being a family. At times it feels like Aislinn has been with us forever. She is still sleeping all night in her crib & taking a good nap everyday. We haven't found a thing she doesn't like to eat. Her & Misty are getting along really well. When Aislinn is on the couch drinking her bottle Mist is laying right next to her & when she is in the highchair Misty is under the chair to catch anything she drops.Everyday she is getting a bit more steady on her feet and has been taking steps by herself. Still no talking but she can let us know what she wants so we haven't been having trouble with communication.The weather here hasn't been the greatest but the few nice days we've had she enjoys being outside & taking walks. She took a five mile walk with Auntie Siobhan on Monday when we were over there for dinner. It was a bit cold but we bundled her up with a blanket hat & gloves & they were off. She loved it!!! She goes to most people but quickly locks eyes on Andrew or I to make sure we are still there. At times I am waitng on the other shoe to drop since we have had such a easy time with her so far.
I had all the rugrats for the first time yesterday & with the exception of being really tired come 6pm it went really good. Carleigh, Hunter & AIslinn all went down for naps at the same time (2hrs) so it was just Tommy,Kenzie & I for that time. If I can get the girls to take naps like that (at the same time) it might not be so bad.
Below are a few photos of the Chipmunk from the past month.

She's a ham for the camera.

Tommy(5)Kenzie(3)Carleigh(2) Aislinn & Hunter(1)

Aislinn in a box, Love rubbermaid boxes and so does the Chipmunk!

As always be good & be safe

2011-03-31T16:30:00.006-04:00

Adjusting to home life
We been home now for a little less then 2 weeks and in those 2 short weeks we have done alot. Aislinn is adjusting great. On our first full day home we had more visitors. Aunt Kerri & Uncle Pete came over with Carleigh & Hunter, Gaga & Pama came with a ladybug umbrella from Disney with Aislinn's name on it in Chinese, Kate came over with Tommy & Kenzie plus a load of presents for Aislinn. Kenzie was to cute, she hugged me & held on saying Aunt DeeDee I missed you while you were in China over & over again. Rachael came over for Dinner and after we took Aislinn out for a walk.Grandma & Rachael helped with her bath then it was bedtime (7:30).Daddy went back to work on Monday so Aislinn & I took a ride to have lunch with Grandpa's sister. Then took a ride to the state park but the chipmunk slept thrru the drive. On Tuesday Gma & Gpa went back home so Aislinn and I took a drive to the outlets to Stride rite shoes to get her a good pair of walking shoes. Wednesday was Aislinn first visit to the pediatrician, Dr Nick was please with how she looked and told me not to worry about anything, we would do her shots over a few visits and recommend that we meet with a pediatric behavioral specialist & a neurologist.Thankfully Aunt Jamie came to the appointment with Daddy & I so she took notes on everything that DR Nick said. After the appointment we had some running around to do & popped in on the twins & Anne to a quick visit. On Thursday Andrew & I had a wake to go to plus I was meets some friends for dinner & StewBe had bowling so Aislinn had her first night with a babysitter. Rachael was more then willing & excited to get & spend some time with her godchild. When we left Aislinn was sitting with Rach & drinking her bottle. The funeral home is only up the block so after paying our respect & talking with Steve & Denise for a bit I drove Andrew back home to get his car & popped into the house for a moment. Rach was doing her homework & Aislinn was in bed asleep (did I say that she is sleeping between 10 & 12hrs a night & in bed by 8pm) My friends couldn't believe that I really made it to since I was only home for 5 night with Aislinn. It was great to get out with them now that I too was home from China & have them answer my questions. I only texted Rach 1 while I was out (was exception a call about my Uncle who was in the hospital~ Oh yea, Aislinn also made a trip to the ER not for her but for me to see my uncle who was rushed in that day) and was home by 11:15. Friday morning Aislinn & I along with Aunt Jamie went to the funeral mass for Steve's dad (Aislinn was good) then we stopped and had breakfast. On Friday Night when Daddy came home from work we packed the car got Rachael & drove to Maryland to see Diana & the family.We were nervous as to how Aislinn would be on the 5 hour drive but she did well, just checking out her surrounding eating cheerios & napping. We got to Diana's a bit after midnight, Aislinn woke up smiled at everyone & after 30 minutes I put her down in the packNplay & she was back to sleep till 8am.On Saturday night we went to see our Nephew Matthew in his HS production of the Sound of Music. Again Aislinn did really well and when she fussed Cheerios came in handy!I had called both specialist to get appointment, the Neurologist doesn't have a opening till May 2nd but the behavioral specialist had a cancellation for Monday @ 10. Again Jamie came with me to the appointment , Dr Silverman was very thorough and wants us to take Aislinn for a few test (blood & a MRI) so they need to be scheduled. I also met with the school district to start the paperwork to have Aislinn evaluated for services (speech, psychical & occupational therapy)Dr Silverman said that Aislinn development is more like a 12 month old then almost 36 months but that she feels that this will change rather quickly with services and our love.
On Tuesday I started back to work with Tommy & Kenzie (Carleigh & Hunter come back next week) Aislinn did well with the other kids & Kenzie was a big her (she says Aislinn is her best friend!)

As always be good & Be safe

2011-03-29T13:54:00.004-04:00

Planes, Trains & Automobiles Our Journey for home started out at 6AM on the 18th. I had checked out the night before so when we went downstairs we popped into the cafe to get Miss Aislinn some breakfast & for mama a cup of coffee. Then we were off to the China Hotel to pick up another family. The ride to the airport was quick and before we know it we were boarding the plane to Beijing. In Beijing we were greeted by Emma (our guide from Xi'An), then off to the Poly Plaza for one night. Andrew ran to McDonald's to get burgers then we all took a nap. For dinner,Emma met us in the lobby and we walked to a Chinese restaurant for a bit to eat. We were glad to be able to spend this time with Emma, she was a great help our first few days with Aislinn. We then walked to Baskin Robins to get some Ice cream. Saturday Morning we were up & out of the hotel for 5am. Another quick ride to the airport. In the Airport, Aislinn had a blow-out diaper so off to the ladies room I went. When I walked in there I was surprise that there wasn't any baby changing station, I wheeled her into the handicapped stall~ took some of the toilet seat covers and laid them on the floor (no I do not have a changing mat) then laid her on the floor to change her, all the while saying to myself "she spent almost three years of her life in an orphanage" We got our boarding passes & were told to hurry that the plane was ready to board. We still had to go thru security & customs plus take a train the the proper terminal.When we got on the plane we realized we weren't sitting next to each other. Since Andrew works for the Airlines (American) & to save money ( boy did we) We decided to take a gamble and travel on Andrew's employee passes. Luckily it paid off for us. We flew First class from JFK to Chicago then Business from Chicago to Beijing, Business back from Beijing to Chicago & Economy from Chicago to JFK(at that point I would of flown cargo I just wanted to get home) but going back to our flight from Beijing, at first all three seat were separated in business but the flight attendant asked a gentleman if he would move & he agreed so Aislinn & I sat together & Andrew was one row behind us. She only slept for 90 minutes on that flight but all in all she was good. Since the seat extend out into a "bed" she was content to lay upside down with her feet up in the air to drink her bottle, play with her toes, look at her books & hold her dog. She also ate well on the flight, every time they would bring something by she would sit right up & go ummm (she even ate a shrimp) She also liked going into the laboratory & looking at herself in the mirror and trying to "kiss the baby". We landed in Chicago @ 7am, After leaving the plane and getting all the way downstairs Andrew realized that he left a bag on the plane so Aislinn & I waited while he ran back up two flights of stairs. When he got back down we continued on to Immigrations. after clearing immigrations, picking up our luggage, customs & rechecking our bags we got onto a train to get to the right terminal. After getting to the terminal we had to go thru another security check (funny all the security checks in China we didn't have to take off our shoes & nothing was said about Aislinn's bottle~ in Chicago they questioned the 2 ozs that were in her bottle from the plane) it was close to 9am. It took a few minutes to find the gate our flight to JFK would be going out of. At this point we knew there was a really good chance that we wouldn't be getting on that flight @ 12:25pm due to our standby status but I had check (before we left China) & knew that there were other planes going out of Chicago to LaGuardia ( the travel distance between the two airports is about 12 miles JFK is on the south shore of the Island & LGA North) I had Andrew Question about getting onto a flight into LGA and we were sent to gate 1(we were at gate 29) we rushed to gate 1 & they were boarding. Andrew talked to the gate agent & was told to wait. After about 10 minutes I heard Andrew talking to her again & his voice was getting a bit loud (I was at this point praying that he wouldn't get himself arrested cause the longer they "talked" the louder the voices were getting) I then heard the words ~ long journey~ China~ our first~ then all of the sudden tunes changed. They got us the last three seats on the plane but they were three separate seats. The gate agent said give me one minute & was able to get some passengers to move their seats and we were on the flight. When we were seated (all the way at the back of the plane) I looked at my phone & had a text message from Micheala, I quickly texted her, my sisters, & friends to tell them not to meet us at JFK at 3:45 that there was a change plans & we were coming into LGA @ 12:30. Just as I was about to shut off my phone it vibrated. A quick "I can't talk, about to take off plz call Mr. & Mrs. M with he change of plans". Michela did that & our flight was off. This was the economy seat so the seats were tight but at this point I didn't care and the flight was only going to be 90 minute. It was a smooth flight & Aislinn slept for part of it. When we landed around 12:45 & I put my phone on I had a dozen text messages from everyone that was expecting to meet us at the airport. Since our luggage was on the plane to JFK we didn't need to go to baggage and continued to the entrance where we were met by Andrew's Mom & Dad. While we were saying hello I got a text from my G/F Lori stating that she was at the airport & where were we. I texted her back & went with my mother in law to the ladies room to change Aislinn's diaper. While in there I decided to go before the ride back home (cause you can never tell with traffic on the L.I.E~ it could take 40 minutes or 4 hours) when I came out of the stall there talking to my MIL & Aislinn was Lori, Pat, Jeanne-Marie & her daughter Olivia. These women have been a life line during our wait & to see then at the end of this journey was awesome. After chatting with them for a few minutes we left to walk to the car & Andrew's brother Peter (who drove them there since my FIL's arm was in a brace from a fall while walking Misty Upstate). Aislinn got right into the carseat with out a peep & we were off. Half way home they decided to stop at a roadside hotdog stand, At this point Aislinn started to whine a bit ( I blamed it on being tired,but once we started to feed her a hotdog she was all smiles again. We dropped my BIL off at his house them we were on our way to ours. When we arrived my sister Jamie & her family was here. They had decorated with balloons & a sign & had flowers for me. My mother in-law went into the house to get Misty & she ran ride out to Andrew who had Aislinn in his arm. He bent down to Misty and Aislinn petted her. Our neighbors also came out to welcome us home. After we were home for a bit Andrew & our brother in law Mike took a ride back to JFK to get our luggage. My sister Kerri came over(without her kids) while Andrew was gone to meet her newest niece. Saorla, Seamus & Fianna were so excited to finally meet their little cousin, when Seamus got close to Aislinn to say hello she held off and slapped him (hitting & biting are 2 things we are trying to work on with her). After Andrew got back with our luggage Jamie's gang left & my mother in law was making Corned beef & cabbage for dinner (since I didn't get it in China). We asked Kerri to stay for dinner so she called her husband & they had dinner with us. Aislinn ate some of the corned beef & the potatoes. By this time it was almost 6:30 & the poor wee chipmunk was done ( in 27hrs she had only slept a little more the 2hrs). So it was off to her 1st night in her new crib. She went down with no problem, fingers in her mouth ( when Andrew's parents saw this they said Andrew use to do this as a baby too) her purple dog and her lullaby cd. About an hour later Rachael, Micheala & Siobhan popped over to see us, they were disappointed that she wasn't up but asked if they could go up & peek in on her. I said yes ( I knew this child would sleep thru anything.) We chatted for a bit then they left. By 9:30 we were all in bed. At 10:30 Aislinn woke up crying with a dirty diaper, afte a quick change & the CD put back on she was fast asleep till 1am when she woke screaming . I ran into her & picked her up, brought her down stairs & gave her a bottle which she quickly drank, another diaper change and she was back down till 6:30am.

4am in Beijing and getting ready to leave

Our Welcome home sign

Grandpa thinks I'm all that

Meeting Misty for the First time

Our Welcome home

2011-03-18T08:54:00.007-04:00

Happy St Patricks Day

Today was a free day for us so after breakfast we went for a walk. The weather has gotten cooler here so we didn't stay out for long. After Naps for everyone we stayed in the room waiting on Kelly our guide to bring us Aislinn's Visa ( the last piece of paper that we needed to bring her home)We finished packing while we waited (said I wasn't going to do it but bought a new suitcase here) then went for one last dinner at Lucy's, abit more shopping and one more walk in the park.When we got back to our room Andrew ran a bath for Aislinn while I ran down stairs to check out ( we are leaving for the airport @6:30am), poor Aislinn was so tired ( it was after 8pm & she is usually in bed by 7pm) that while giving her a bath she kept putting her fingers in her mouth & tried to lay down in the tub then would cry when her face was underwater. OK we laughed & yes I know that makes us bad parents at least I didn't run for my camera to take photos. I can't believe we leave for Beijing tomorrow then home the next day. This time has flown.

To my family & friends back home~ May you have a safe & enjoyable St Patricks day & to my sister Jamie & her husband Mike~ Happy 10th wedding anniversary! I can't believe its been 10 years since we all traveled to Ireland & watch you become Husband & Wife.

2011-03-15T23:50:00.004-04:00

Today was an early day. We had to be up & out by 7am to go for our consultant appointment @ 8AM. The unknown of this journey has been the worst part.They have you prepared for the "worst case scenario and Thankfully nothing has gone wrong. When we arrived at the consultant appointment a bit before 8 we were told we had to wait. Normally not a big deal but no breakfast for the chipmunk plus no strollers allowed made for some antsy parents & children. After about 30 minutes we were allowed to proceed to security then into a room to sit. A few minutes later a nice woman came in to talk to us & answer some questions that some of the parents had, then asked us to stand & repeat a few words, said congratulations. We just had to wait to be called to check over all our paperwork & that was it! Painless & easy (all that worrying & fretting over nothing) It was then back onto the bus to the hotel to have breakfast. In the afternoon we took a walk to go buy another suitcase (cause I didn't want to fret anymore about luggage requirement, with Aislinn needing a ticket we were allowed another check in back. We also sent out all our laundry to be done so I won't have to do it when we get home! Below are some photos of the other day from the Chens' Ancestral Temple a Guangdong Folk Art Museum.

2011-03-15T09:28:00.004-04:00

Free day & Red couch

Today we had a free day so in the morning our travel group got together to take our group photo & the red couch photo. Last night we went and brought Aislinn a traditional dress in purple(granny Annie's favorite color) to wear for the pictures.We also bought her a few pairs of squeaky shoes (Andrew can't wait to see how Misty does with them). While we were taking the family photos Aislinn was fussy (it was nap time) so when it was time to put all the babies on the couch for the photo Andrew said "she is going to cry" but she didn't, she just looked at the others that were crying with a look on her face as if to say "whats their problem"LOL

2011-03-14T22:15:00.015-04:00

Another busy busy day Today after breakfast we met the group to do some site seeing. We got on the bus and drove to the Yuntai Garden. They are situated at the entrance of the picturesque Baiyun Mountain in Guangzhou China & is the largest and most elaborate garden in China .

We then went to Six Banyan Tree Buddhist Temple. The first thing we saw entering was the laughing Buddha. then the Hua (Flower) Pagoda. While there we had a Buddhist blessing done for all the children by a monk and afterwards we burned joss sticks. It was a hot & humid day but all in all a beautiful outing. We drove back to the hotel after that changed the chipmunk then met again with our guide Kelly to go to the hospital. Aislinn needed more medicine so we took a cab to the hospital. Kelly registered us at the desk then it was off to the 5th floor to see a Dr. I almost didn't make it onto the elevator because It was so crowed, but when we got off Kelly said to me "In China you have to be aggressive in such situation otherwise you will be standing there all day! We didn't have to wait to long to see a Dr. A few questions were asked, then a new script was written for Aislinn. Back down the elevator where Kelly asked us to sit & wait on her while she had it filled .

So we waited, and waited. It was an an interesting place, everything for children under one roof. After Kelly had gotten our medicine we got back in a taxi (had to cross the road ~good thing i am use to traffic in Manhattan)and drove back to the hotel. After dinner (Subway) we treated Aislinn to some ice cream & shopping!

2011-03-13T08:05:00.002-04:00

One week as a family

I can't believe that we are a FAMILY 1 week already.Each day, like a flower, Aislinn opens up a little bit more. Some of the things we learned this week about her are:

She LOVES to eat. No matter what it is. Grandma is going to have to put extra pastas in the pot on Sunday!~ She is a great sleeper. No clue if this will continue when we get home but as of right now she goes down a little after 7pm & sleeps to almost 7am (the other day it was till almost 8am) plus she takes a nap~ OK I know I just jinxed myself!~ She is stubborn when she wants to be~ her smile lights up the room~She is very flexible & she loves her fingers.But most of all We learned this week how much of a daddy's girl she is going to be. Speaking of her daddy I do have to say Andrew has taken to parenthood like a duck to water. Before we came to China, everyone said I would have troubles with Andrew. That after 23 years of it being just the two of us he would have a hard time adjusting. Well from the first moment she has preferred Andrew (I'm just the wicked witch of the east who happens to be in her life) and he has fed, changed, bathe, played,taken for walks (without me) without a second thought & he does it like a natural.

2011-03-13T03:23:00.003-04:00

White Swan

Today was a busy morning. After we checked in last night Aislinn went to sleep very quickly & we weren't far behind. At 8am we went down to the breakfast buffet and enjoyed great breakfast. Our group met in the lobby at 10 to walk to the clinic for our medicals. Aislinn weighed 26 pounds & is 36 inches tall, she also had to have a TB test and only issued a small peep from it. We then went to Lucy's for lunch. Walking around this island is beautiful.People are very friendly.Calling you into their store, trying out their English on you. We headed back to the hotel to put the chipmunk down & soon were fast asleep ourselves. I can't believe tomorrow we will be a family 1 week.

2011-03-12T03:19:00.002-05:00

Good Bye Xi'An & Thank You

I gave up trying to upload any of my photos since I am having such trouble with the connection from here. On Friday we walked some more around Xi'An, down little side roads & alleyways to the drum tower. Then walked to Pizza hut for lunch with Kim,Ava & Chris. At 3:30 it was check out time and off to pick up Aislinn's passport then off to to the airport for our flight to Guangzhou. The flight was crowded & bumpy & within the first 20 minutes Aislinn had a blow-out of a diaper. All I can say is 20years of changing diapers with a standing baby came in handy(my Linen closet is bigger then the bathroom) but Aislinn did really well on the flight with the exception of the last half hour (she was exhausted).She fell asleep while as we landed. We got our bags quickly, met our guide then it was off to the White Swan.

2011-03-10T08:59:00.004-05:00

Day 6

Another good night with our little chipmunk (she likes to store food in her cheeks). Today was another day of touring. We went to the Shaanxi History Museum & walked around for a bit, afterward our driver took us to this beautiful water fountain.The entire square is composed of waterscape fountains that's Dubbed the "largest musical fountain square in Asia", this beautiful symphony of water, music and light is set against a dramatic backdrop of the thousand year old Big Wild Goose Pagodais
(the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda) which was built during the Tang Dynasty. Afterwards it was back to the room for a nap & then walk to the stores for some supplies. I made Andrew take Aislinn out for a bit this evening for a walk while I tried to pack our bags for our flight tomorrow night. Before bed we took another stroll around so I could get some photos of the bell tower at night.
Goodnight from Xi'An

2011-03-09T07:15:00.002-05:00

Day 5
We are getting into a bit of a routine here. Aislinn woke a little after 6 today so we were down to breakfast by 7:15 & back up in our room & down for a nap by 8:30.After she woke it was off to see The Terracotta Army. It took about a hour to get there & oh so worth it. The figures, were discovered in 1974 by some local farmers and date to 210 BC. The figures vary in height, according to their roles, with the tallest being the generals. The figures include warriors, chariots, horses, officials, acrobats, strongmen and musicians. Current estimates are that in the three pits containing the Terracotta Army there were over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which are still buried in the pits. (yes I borrrowed this information from wikipedia) There was three different pits that we walked thru. Afterwards we went to Subway for lunch.
We also went to see where they make these figues to be sold & some beautiful prints.
Goodnight from Xi'An

2011-03-08T07:11:00.002-05:00

Day 4
We had another good night with Aislinn with the exception of her waking up about 2:30am. She stood in her crib we didn't acknowledge her & she laid back down & in a few seconds was sucking on her fingers and back asleep again till after 7. Breakfast was a repeat of yesterday, anything you put into her mouth she eats & if your not quick enough she is tugging on you arm for more. After breakfast we went shopping in this outrageous "mall" to buy Aislinn a stroller. There must of been like 12 floors to this place (it reminds me of a flea market only higher end.) After we got her stroller we went to a grocery store to get a few staples. Then it was a quiet day with nothing else to do. After Aislinn nap, Andrew had made himself some Ramen pride noodles as a snack & of course she wanted some. Tonight we went to pizza hut for dinner (best meal so far) and then to DQ for ice cream and Yes Ailsinn ate & loved Pizza & the ice cream!
Tomorrow we are off to see the Terracotta Army & we are looking forward to that.
Still not luck up;oading my photos to blogger or shutterfly but was able to get a few onto Facebook~ Go Figure!
Good night from Xi'An

2011-03-07T07:03:00.003-05:00

Moving right along

Ailsinn woke up close to 7 today, we got her dressed and went down to breakfast. I do have to say she eats well. I fed her fruit, yogurt,a pancake and she sat and ate it all. Afterwards Andrew ran to the bank with Kim & our guide then it was off to the civil affair office to be interviewed( did we want her? would be abandon her? why did we want her?) Also to fill out more papers (think buying a house, sign here here here here here oh and here). We then went back to our hotel where both Aislinn & daddy took a nap. Next it was off to the police station for her passport photo. Tonight Aislinn had her first McDonald's hamburger & fries (sorry Nik). Not much options on food here (KFC, McDees, pizza hut) that you can eat in your room.Just before dinner Aislinn had her first bath & not a tear!
Speaking of our room, its on the small size but the view makes up for it! Xi'an is the capital of the Shaanxi providence. Our hotel the Bell Tower hotel is in the heart of Xi"An (think Manhattan~ Time square). The hustle & bustle is crazy, horns blaring, the bells towing & Music.
Now that most of our paperwork is done tomorrow we are going shopping (need to get a stroller~ Stew-Be's arms are getting sore) & doing some sightseeing.
Aislinn went down to bed a little while ago hopefully it will be another quiet night.
Love From Xi'An
( blogger is still giving me trouble uploading picturees : (

2011-03-06T17:16:00.008-05:00

Aislinn Day

Our flight too Xi'An was for 7:30 am so we were up @3am & dressed(I never slept) hot facebook &download some of our photos. Then were were off to the airport with the other families. Our flight from Beijing was a little rocky but good, we landed made a pit stop at the restroom then went to get our luggage & meet our guide. Our hotel is right outside the Bell tower

After settling in we and the other family went to the bank to exchange our money. Of coure we would have trouble with that. After the bank it was back to the hotel to get our gifts & bag & head off to the civil affairs office. It was a quick ride and when we got out there walking into the building was two nannies with two little girls.
We rode up in the elevator with theem and into a small room. Besides us there were 2 other families getting thier daughter. Kim who got little Ava & another couple from an different agency.Kim & I have been chatting online for a couple of months since we found out we would be traveling together.
Aislinn went straight to Andrew and he lit up like a christmas tree. After much chaos & a chance to thank Aislinn Foster mother & have some questions answered we were off to have a photo taken. Aislinn was as quiet as a mouse up until this point (she wanted no part of having her photo taken). They finally got it & it was back to the hoetel to do our paperwork. Emma our guide came into our room for the paperwork, when I started filling, writing & signing I broke out in tears & started sobbing (blame it on lack of sleep, getting sick or the finality of the end of this rollercoaster of a ride) & I know it won't be my last one.
Andrew ran to KFC to some chicken & mashed potatoes. Aislinn loved the potatoes afterwhich I washed her up and got her ready for bed. We laided her in her bed about 7:15, Andrew talked to her for a few minutes then left her alone. A few mintes later we went back to check on her and she was sound asleep, with her fingers in her mouth. I turned in a few moments later and didn't get out of bed till 5:30, (slept on & off but slept more then I have in the last few weeks).

to be continued.....................................

(blooger is giving me trouble posting photos going to try & get them on the shutterfly account or FB.)

2011-03-05T09:09:00.007-05:00

Travel Day

I can't believe how quickly our travel day came & surprisingly I was organized, packed & ready when the car service picked us up at 10am.Our flight from JFK to Chicago wasn't till 2:45 but you never know with Long Island between construction accidents or just plain traffic I wasn't leaving anything to chance. We were in the airport before 11am breezed thru security & went to our gate to wait. A few of Andrew's coworkers popped over to shoot the breeze with him and before we new it we were on the plane to Chicago. We had a three hour layover, grabbed a Starbucks & settled in for the flight. Our flight took off at 7:55 (Chicago time) after a few movies, some pretty good food, a glass of champagne, some baileys on the rocks I fell asleep for a good part of the flight(as did Andrew). We landed abit after midnight found our guide, drove to the hotel and were in bed for 2am. We were out touring at 8:30am with 4 other families. First up was Tian An Men Square, the Forbidden City Follow by a really good lunch & a tour of Jade factory. Finally we were off to the Great Wall. Tomorrow We travel to Xi"An and it"s Aislinn Day!

Beijing

2011-03-04T18:28:00.001-05:00

BEIJING

After many hours of travel, 2 great plane rides we arrived in China a little after midnight Beijing time. By the time we found our bags & guide, then drove to the hotel it was 1:30am. About to head out to breakfast, then touring. Will update more later.

As always Be Good & Be Safe

2011-03-02T06:27:00.002-05:00

If I'm dreaming don't wake me up

Well, we are down to the last day before travel. Our bags are pack & under the weight limit, laptop & camera is charged, paperwork all together, Aislinn room is done Misty is at the outlaws & I am still not sleeping but all in all I am calm.
Andrew & I have are thankful & blessed to have the love and support of our family & friends thru this ever winding and bumpy journey.
As I sit here and have a few minutes before the start of my last day of work there are a few thank yous that I want to say.

First to our families~ The love & support you all have given us have never wavered thru all the ups & downs.We can't wait for Aislinn to meet her grandparents, Aunts, Uncles cousins & extended family. She will be blessed to have you all in her life.

Next come our friends~ Whether you've held me when I"ve cried, laughed with us, listened to us complain about this wait and our frustrations with this journey, your love & friendship is a treasured gift & Aislinn will be lucky to have so many Aunts & Uncles.

To my Rugrats~ there has been a lot of them over the years. Each & everyone of them I treasure. The things I have learned from them will hopefully make us better parents.

To the Colony Six/ Chili Girls~ You ladies have been my lifeline thru these years. Your love, guidance, friendship, advice & packing list are gifts I thank god for everyday.

To my blogging buddies~ When I started this blog at the beginning of my journey I "met" some really interesting people. Thru their blogs I got a peek into their lives and I have learned alot. To read a question on a blog, then read the 20 different replies no two alike has been eye opening. I've gotten some great ideas for decorating, cooking & how to get your kid to eat, photography, great websites for everything from clothing to hair accessories. These strangers have lifted my sprits when I have posted with their kind words, advice & wisdom.

Also a big Thank you goes out to LuLu for staying at our house while we are traveling. You Rock! LOL

2011-02-28T12:19:00.005-05:00

Rare Disease Day

Today is Rare Disease Day.Now you may be asking yourself "what is considered a Rare Disease?

A disease or disorder is defined as rare in the USA if it affects fewer than 200,000 Americans at any given time. There are nearly 7,000 rare diseases affecting nearly 30 million Americans. In other words, as many as one in ten Americans are suffering from a rare disease. Today, February 28th 2011 marks the fourth International Rare Disease Day . Hundreds of patient organisations from more than 40 countries worldwide will be organising awareness-raising activities and converging around the slogan “Rare but Equal”.

About a month ago my good friend JoAnn called & asked if I wanted to go into the city with her & Teresa (Jo's daughter) & hold a photo of a Histio warrior at the Today show as part of Rare Disease Day. I have been a part of Teresa's whole life and am in awe of all she does for to bring awareness to an unknown disease. Teresa's oldest daughter Taylor has Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis~

Taylor is a beautiful 9 year old girl~Who is very active & fun-loving , she loves to play sports especially soccer. The fight, strength & poise this little girl shows daily as she fights this battle is unbelievable. The last two years we have participated in a bowling fundraiser for histiocytosis & in September we were part of a balloon release.

We fight Histio because ... she fights, with a smile on her face and a laugh in everything. We fight because she shouldn't have to but does anyway. We fight for every hug, smile, laugh, kiss and discovery. We fight so that one day kids like her can say "I am cured."

On the plaza @ the today show, Maureen, JoAnn, Eddie,Teresa Jenny & me

Alone we are Rare.
Together we are Strong

As Always Be Goos & Be Safe

2011-02-21T12:25:00.001-05:00

Packing for China or in other words~ How to get 44 pounds of Shite into a 10 pound bag!

Well packing has started. I've checked my list, not once but twice. Right now I am just trying to pack Aislinn's stuff, I will do Andrew & mine bag next weekend. Between the clothes (no I'm not taking "allot") PJ's, shoes, diapers, bottles,Medicines (hopefully we wont need any of it but better safe then sorry)a blanket & little stuffed dog, I got all into the case, closed it & weighed it, 25 pounds~ not to bad. Poor Misty is going crazy, she sees the suitcase out and is whining,crying & barking at them. She know that when the cases come out we usually go upstate to see Andrew's parents. We wonder how Misty will be with Aislinn? For 6 years its been just her who has had our undivided attention, going everywhere with us, sleep on the bed & when we sit to watch TV she is on one of our laps. She is great with all the kids that have come into our home, as long as they share their Cheerios & let her sit by them! Time will tell~

As Always Be Good & Be Safe

2011-02-13T09:18:00.008-05:00

Its beginning to look like a little girls room.

Little by little Aislinn's room is coming together.There has always been a crib in the room being used by the different rugrats in our lives & we got a daybed from a family member, her dresser was from my & my sisters childhood bedroom, it was brown so I painted it white & added new knobs.

This Winnie the pooh quote has always been one of my favorites. It took me a long time to find this and it was a PITA to put onto the wall. Talk about a labor of love~ For some reason it wasn't sticking to the wall so it had to be put on one letter at a time.

When we first started this journey it was decided that her room would have a Winnie the Pooh theme but since she a bit older I figured instead of all Pooh Bear, we would just do a bit.

The shelves are full with stuffed animals, a Sonya lee doll, Irish Barbie, the pink Stitch & two precious moments dolls that Stew-Be had given me for Christmas a few years back. One is called Balance of Life & the other is Peace & Harmony.

Finally Aislinn Bookcase with some of the books I have gotten for her over the years (it was all organized & tidy but some little rugrats got into it to sit & read the book` after all that's what books are for~ to sit & read) I can't wait till Aislinn is home & we are sitting together & reading.

2011-01-24T16:33:00.002-05:00

TAKE TWO

O.K. We're on again. It was a long emotional weekend, which seem to drag on forever, only highlighted by a gathering of girlfriends for brunch & to shower one before her travel to China, then finish the day up with ice cream last night with my BFF.
When I wrote my agency this morning I stated "I know this is only a minor set back but after waiting so long even a few days seems like a lifetime". Jenny emailed me right back apologizing again for this happening (seems it does happen) & that we should know by today when my new appointment will be.
At noon I checked my email.........Lo & behold there was a email from Jenny with our new CA.
Right now Andrew is trying to work on our ticket.
Looks like we are going to CHINA!!!!

I REALLY DON'T LIKE ROLLERCOASTER RIDE

2011-01-22T23:22:00.001-05:00

This adoption journey has been a rollercoaster ride since the start and it seems it will be until the very end. On Friday I received a phone call from our agency. When I saw the number come across the caller ID I figured they either had the update we request on Aislinn or were calling to fine out if we booked our international flights yet. Boy was I wrong.............. It was Jenny, our travel advisor telling me that our Consulate Appointment had been canceled due to "overbooking".... .....& that a request was sent to China but that they weren't sure when we would get our new Consulate Appointment. Stay Tuned~

2011-01-20T16:05:00.001-05:00

We're going to China!!!!

Yesterday we received our TA (travel approval) & this morning we received our CA (Consulate appointment).
I have set up a Shutterfly account to journal our travels for Aislinn. If you haven't received the link from us thru an email or facebook & would like to follow along send us an email @ deewee1963@gmail.com & i will send you the link.

So much to do.....so little time!

As Always Be Good & Be Safe

2011-01-17T17:15:00.001-05:00

We have been blessed to be in contact with an amazing couple who spent time with Aislinn & have agreed to share photos with us and tell us about her. I can not put into words how grateful I am to have these photos. Thank you Laura & Chad.

As Always Be Good & Be Safe

2010-12-31T21:57:00.004-05:00

2010-12-22T22:11:00.003-05:00

Holiday Greetings
December has been a busy month. It started off with a lovely surprise. About once a month I get together with a bunch of ladies from an adoption group I joined a few years back. We go out to get a bite to eat & chat. These ladies have been a god sent to me thru this roller coaster of a ride and on the first Saturday of this month during our monthly get together showered me with gifts for Aislinn. I can not put onto words how honored I am that these women are my friends.
We painted Aislinn room (ok I did, who are we kidding, Stew-Be was away hunting while I spent the weekend painting and Yes Bambi is safe for another year)Chair rail is up, dresser is painted and clothes are being hung up. Its really being to look like a little girls room.
This past Sunday night we had my family (same crowd from Thanksgiving) over to celebrate my dad's brothers Birthday.My dad & Uncle Donald shared a birthday (December 14th) Dad would of been 77 & Uncle Donald was 80.

On Monday night Saorla had her first orchestra & on the same night my two rugrats had their choir concert. So I went to one high school, ran into my seat (her mom was holding it for me) got to see Saorla perform, bolted out as soon as she was done & drove to the kids high school (two towns over) & made it into my seat just as the light went down! As I was sitting in the auditorium listening to the hiliday music I could help but think of Aislinn. I wonder if she will be interested in any music, sports,or theater? I had really thought she would of been home by now but you can never count on the red tape.
Travel looks like February for us. we FedEx our visa applications out today and our Article 5 (DS230) will deliver it to the CCAA on December 30. Next Step Travel Approval!!!! There is a light at the end of this tunnel.... I just hope it hasn't burned out & due to budget cut isn't being replaced! LOL

Tomorrow night its cookie night with the rugrats, then on Friday it Christmas eve services with them then off to a family gathering with the rest of my family.

From us to you, May you all have a Very Merry Christmas!

2010-12-03T10:24:00.005-05:00

Tis was the night before Thanksgiving

It was the night before Thanksgiving and all thru the house not a creature was stirring... Not even Andrew or Misty! A million things were needed to be done for I was hosting the Holiday again this year.Same crowd as last year joined us for a day of laughs Love & plenty of food.

On Friday Stew-Be & I went upstate to see his parents. We spent a good weekend again with a lot of laughs, plenty of love & too much food. (Back to WW for me)

Only things missing this Holiday was hearing where we are in the paperwork process. The US government has our 1-800 and we are waiting for its approval so we can go onto out next step. Travel is really looking like February.

2010-10-28T09:47:00.002-04:00

Another Anniversary

22 years ago on a rainy Friday evening I married my best friend. Thru all the ups & downs, highs & lows there is no one I would rather be going on this journey with.

2010-10-12T23:23:00.003-04:00

New Photos and a update

We received a couple of photos of Aislinn from Ann @ RedThread with an update.
Aislinn is 37 inches and weights 26 pounds. She looks so big from the last photos we got.
Our appointment for our fingerprints are Thursday. Hopefully once that is done things we move a little quicker! (Hey a gal can hope)

2010-10-09T10:15:00.003-04:00

Wow can't believe its been so long since I have posted. Its been an interesting journey so far. We finally got our homestudy wording right and sent to the USCIS on August 28.On the 30th we received a letter from USCIS (Homeland Security) stating that they have our application and are processing it and we would receive notice when we have a fingerprint appointment. Every day I checked our mail box a number of times thru out the day, waiting to see if we got our appointment. Finally on the 24th of September I opened the mailbox and there were 2 letters from USCIS. We have our appointment for October 14th @8am!!! Another three weeks but at least we had it. I had asked a few people if we could try and do a walk in & I was told no. So we will wait for our appointed time. On Saturday September 25 we received another letter from USCIS stating that they needed more information from us, proof of citizenship for both of us and proof of marriage! Really? And proof that the agency we used are Hague accredited.This part of the "WAIT" has been worst then the last 4 years. All I keep saying to myself (between my many melt downs) is " it is all worth it, when all is said and done Aislinn will be home with us"
Until that time I have been busy deciding about colors for Aislinn's room. I've painted the dresser that was "ours"( my sister & I) white, just need to get some new hardware for it. I bought a comforter set for the daybed & curtains for her room.
We sent a package to Aislinn using Ann from Redthread China. I can not say enough good things about her & her service. I wrote a letter to her foster mother and has some treats sent to her,candy & cookies for the foster family & for Aislinn, pajamas, a blanket, a doll, a camera (so hopefully some photos will be taken of Aislinn & that we receive this back when we travel)& a photo album. In the album I put photos of Andrew & I plus our family.

This is Joe. Back in June he delivered our LSC to us. I wasn't home( was at Goober's moving up ceremony) but my sister Jamie(thanks J)came to my house to wait for the package. She explained to him what was in the envelope and asked if he would pose for a picture!

2010-08-16T14:33:00.002-04:00

LOSING IT

Here we are half way thru August and still no closer to Aislinn. I was told all along that the I-800 is much more detailed the the I-600 but I didn't think it would be this detailed and we are only trying to get the wording on the homestudy down. I am making calls and email everyday to my social worker & my agency. The other day I was told I need to have patience. Patience? what do we call these pass 45 days never mind the last 4 years. I thought I was doing good with the wait in general but now that there is a photo........I want to go & get her NOW! Sigh.............

2010-08-04T13:38:00.003-04:00

Happy 50th Anniversary

On July 31st Andrew parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. A renewal of vows and a party were held in Palenville New York. More then 90 family members and friends joined us as we celebrated this special occasion. Family came as far away as Florida. Pete's brother Gasper, & Maria's sister Angela were standing beside them as they renewed their vows just as they stood 50 years ago. Matthew, serenaded his grandparents with a beautiful song. The Cakes were made by Joanna who is married to one of Andrew's cousin.The photo we gave my inlaws of Aislinn was put on the table for all to see. Afterwards we went back to my inlaws and enjoyed a evening of family.

2010-07-31T08:52:00.005-04:00

Waiting

We are still trying to get our homestudy updated for the I-800. Talk about a pain. When we let our paperwork expire back in 2008 (cause I didn't want to drag Granny Annie thru the fingerprinting process again because of her health) I told Andrew that we would start redoing our paperwork when China got to mid March 2007 for referrals. Since Aislinn's referral came as a complete surprise to us (still a bit in shock that things did happen that quickly) we had to scramble to get thing moving. But I knew (that the speed we were going) was to good to be true...the homestudy wording has to be just so, it been going back between by agency & social worker, add in people taking vacation & the heat & you have one very cranky me! LOL.As soon as my homestudy wording is just right then we have to send in our I-800a and wait to be fingerprinted (again!)
I do have to say I have been blessed. I joined a yahoo group for the orphanage that Aislinn was in and received a message from someone(Stephanie) that knew of her and she put me in touch with a woman who is adopting Aislinn's foster sister. Shelly told me about the foster family that Aislinn is in, plus sent me two photos. One of the foster mother holding Aislinn and the second is of Aislinn & her foster sister. Both I will always treasure. I was so excited when these women reached out to me. I love the adoption community.

When we received our referral there was 3 signs for me that this was suppose to be, The 1st was a post I did on the day of her birth. The second was was our original fingerprints expired on April 23,2008 & the third is when her birthday is. My sisters Jamie & Kerri Ann both had children born in July (Saorla & Carleigh) & February (Fianna & Hunter) both of Jamie's girls were so excited to be sharing their birth month with a cousin.Now Seamus will share his birth month with Aislinn

I really haven't allowed myself to buy anything for Ailinn yet in way of clothes but I did buy her a doll, some hair clips & a doll.I know I need to start but not sure what to get. When we have a free weekend Andrew & I need to get into the attic and get down the crates of clothing we have ( hand me downs from some of the rugrat & family) and go from there. The we need to paint her room, paint her dresser pick out a bedding set,& get a carseat & stroller...one would thing I have all the time in the world! LOL Camp Chaos has been kinda quiet this summer, with all the heat, the rugrats have been staying inside even though Stew-Be has the pool up. I have Kenzie & Tommy 3 days a week & my nieces 5days a week. Looking after all these rugrats during this long wait has help me keep my sanity. Hunter, my newest niece smiles at me and everything goes away for me.

I Luv how she looks at her big sister Carleigh

2010-07-06T16:09:00.008-04:00

Back in October when we wrote that message in the sand I never thought that we would have an answer this soon. And to answer the question Our daughter is waitng for us in Hanzhong city . Which is a municipality in the southwest corner of Shaanxi province, in central China.
And now without further ado It is with great pleasure & honor that I present

He Meng Xiang
Soon to be known as
Aislinn Mariah
She was born April 23,2008. Now when I said I believe in signs, I went back into my post to see what I wrote around that time...
This was the first photo we saw. When we locked Meng Xiang file we were sent a update on her..........
She is a gentle and pretty little girl.
She is living with foster family and gets on very well with foster brothers and sisters.
She likes to be held by mom.
She has big and beautiful eyes.
She seems to understand what you said.
She is speaking now and she can say words of “mama (mom)” and “baba (dad)”.
She has formed regular daily routine.
She has good appetite and sleeping.
She is a lovely and easy-going girl.
Weight: 26.4 pounds
Height: 33.49 inches
Teeth: 19

We had Andrew's whole family in for Fathers day weekend and after breakfast on Sunday morning we told hime family. We are trying to get our updates now so we can apply for our I-800. We hope to be traveling by Christmas!

2010-06-26T11:13:00.005-04:00

If I have learned one thing in my life is that...What I want ( or think I want) & What I get...... are two different things... That there is someone else pulling the strings in life and I am fine with that (It might be a WILD ride but its worked out great so far)

Late last year Andrew & I started to talk about looking into putting in a special needs application with our agency. Wanting to make sure we were on the same page, we took our time and had many conversations. One day in early March I stated to researching some of the medical term that are used in special needs while filling out a SN application with our agency on line. Andrew came home & asked me to take a drive with him, I downsized everything on my computer & we left for a few hours. When we got home that evening we found out that we had lost power at some point in the afternoon and I had lost everything I had done that morning. (no I didn't save anything). So I told Andrew that it was a sign and that it wasn't the
avenue we were to take at this time. (standing by my motto of "when the time is right & the stars are aliened the right child will be placed into our arms)
In May, just after mothers day (my 2nd without my mom) we decided to try & put an application in with GWCA. On May 14th I filled out the application and sent it by email. Within a hour I had a reply stating that they would get in touch with us about our application and in the meantime here is a pass code to look at our list of waiting children. I took a quick glance thru the list(not really looking because I wanted Andrew to be with me when I when thru the photos but he was away for the weekend) On Tuesday I received a phone call from our agency, I couldn't answer the call since I was feeding Hunter and let the call go to the machine. When both girls went down for their naps, I grabbed the phone and called Great Wall. Then person I was to talk to was away from her desk so I left a message. 10 minute later the phone rang & it was Cori from GWCA. She introduced herself and thanked me for submitting the online application. As she went on,( I expected questions about why we felt we were qualified to handle the special needs we checked off)her next words took me by surprise...."Donna ,I have a file here that I think you & Andrew are perfect for"...... HUH....she went on to tell me about a 2yr old little girl (again I was like HUH..again & asked if I would like to look over her file? Of course I said yes, we talked for a few more minutes and Cori said she would email the file. As I waited for the file, the rugrats both woke from their naps, my sister got to the house to pick her gang up from the bus stop & Nicky & Gianna were getting of from school so I wasn't able to look at the file till later that night when I was alone. It was Andrew's bowling night so he wouldn't be home till later Wednesday night. After I looked over her file I spent the better part of the night, looking into her special need and researching for an international adoption specialist to look over her file. When Andrew got home I told him about the phone call from GW and showed him the file.He asked what are next step was...I told him about finding a Dr to evaluated the chart & that we had 2 weeks to decide whether we were going to pursue this adoption. over the next few days I was able to locate an international adoption specialist who has a practice just 2 towns over from us. He spent a few days looking over all the information that we had sent him then had a conference call with us. On May 27th I called our agency and told them that we were going ahead with the adoption.We had 72hrs to get our Letter of Intent plus some other major forms back to our agency. Normally not a problem but Andrew & I were leaving in under 24hrs for a weekend of camping. So as soon as the rugrats left I started in on our LOI...I wasn't happy with how the words were reading ( When we had to write a letter when we started this process back in 2006 I remember the letter asking permission to adopt took me days to get right) by the time I had finished it and sent it to my agency it was almost 3am..... I had a MAJOR headache and I had missed a baby shower for one of the Colony 6....While we were away I was in touch with our agency..Our LOI was translated and was being sent to CHINA in the morning also they needed some pictures of Andrew & I that I would have to send to them when we got home on Monday Night.
At this point NO ONE knew of that we had put in an application never mind had a file & sent in our LOI. OK when I say no one I mean no one in our family, Our social worker knew cause we needed to update our homestudy,and the woman who runs the agency who was doing our home study and since we weren't telling anyone and I was losing my mind about our LOI I had to call my G/F Lori.....She was a god sent who calmed me down, told me to take a deep breath and got me on the right path for the LOI. Thank you Lori.. You Rock! And since I can't keep anything from my Stinkerbell I told her.
We were told that our next step is Pre Approval which should take 3 to 4 weeks to get back. On June 9th I received a call from Cori "Congratulations we received your Pre-Approval (PA)! The PA is the CCAA's initial approval and agreement to complete the review of your dossier for He Meng Xiang. Once your dossier is reviewed, approved and you are formally matched with your child by the CCAA, we will receive the Letter Seeking Confirmation for your family" !!! The LSC could take between 70-100 days to receive.... Wow...things are really moving quick here was my thought but that afternoon we got stopped dead in our tracks when my Dr refused to sign my medical papers (we both needed updated medicals). My blood pressure was a wee bit high. I tried to tell him the emotional roller coaster ride that we had been on and of course what started my ride with High blood pressure was brought up... He put me on meds again and gave me 48hrs to get it down otherwise there was no way he could sign off on our papers.....At this point my two sisters knew what was going on cause I was losing my mind.
So for the next 48hrs I didn't drink any coffee, stopped talking to Andrew ( its just easier this way) and really didn't eat anything... When I went to my appt on Friday morning my blood pressure was FINE so we were all set to go! Woo Hoo!!!
On June 14th as I was sitting with my sister Jamie my phone rang, it was GWCA. Once again Cori said "Donna Congratulations we have your LSC here"! Total shock to say the least is what I was feeling at this point, we haven't even gone 7 day from PA and we already have our LSC!
More Later...................

2010-04-26T08:10:00.004-04:00

Another Step Closer..........

I would wait for you FOREVER............Just hope it doesn't take FOREVER!!!!!!!

2010-01-06T12:21:00.004-05:00

A look back at December

I can't believe that another month has gone.I was really dreading this holiday day season . The first with out my mom but December was a busy month . Between shopping & wrapping, making a gingerbread house with the kids, Christmas parties, a major snow storm, family dinners & decorating (I went all out decorating this year ,didn't even set up a tree last year) it all flew by in a blink! Christmas eve was spent @ church with three of my rugrats then off to a gathering at Krissy's house to see Aunt Sal & Uncle Bill and SANTA! Christmas morning I stayed in PJ's till it was time to head over for dinner at Enda & Siobhans house. The day after Christmas we drove down to Maryland to see Andrew's sister & her family for two days then back to Long Island for Stinkerbells birthday! Sweet Sixteen this year!!! No big party for her instead she went to Florida with three of her friends. New Years eve was a quiet event, we stayed home.
As I think back to the events over this past year, I can't believe how fast time is flying (but at the same time standing still.)

As Always Be Good & Be Safe

photos from December here

2009-11-26T21:52:00.002-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving & a LID

Playing a bit of Catch up here. Haven't had a chance to post. We passed another LID on the 26th of November. Marking our 31st month waiting for China to match us with our child and sadly there still isn't a end in sight.
This being our first year without my mom I decided to make Thanksgiving dinner for my family. We were 12 for dinner this year, Jamie, Mike and their three, My Uncle Donald & his son Donny, My Cousin Maureen, her daughter Terri & granddaughter Kaitlyn. Kerri Ann wasn't feeling well so we didn't see her Pete or Carleigh.Dinner was really good (if I do say so myself), everyone bought something so it was a relaxing time for us and it was nice to be with our family.
We also (a couple of weeks later) celebrated my Uncles 79th birthday. Uncle Donald was my fathers brother and they were born on the same day three years apart. So they same gang from Thanksgiving came for a spaghetti dinner. Again it was a nice night.

2009-10-27T08:10:00.001-04:00

30th LID & one question remains...........

2009-10-04T01:13:00.002-04:00

Three Word Sunday

October already??? Where is the year going??? We are getting into a nice routine during the day here with all the rugrats but when everyone comes home from school and all homework is done then there is 8 rugrats (7,6,5,5,3,3,3 & almost 2) running amuck. Now every after noon I can be heard saying over & over again...SLOW DOWN, EASY, SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET HURT, STOP CHASING EACH OTHER, ITS ALL FUN AND GAMES TILL SOMEONE GETS HURT!! Wednesday was no different till the screams and crys from my niece Fianna and Little Tommy. They collided heads, he got an egg on his head the size of a half dollar and she got a shiner!

On Friday night Andrew & I went to go see the NY METS play one of their last home games for the 2009 season,. The tickets were given to us by a friend of mine. The weather called for rain but it was a cool crisp fall night. The seats were splendid ( right behind home plate) the new Stadium was awesome & they won. I got some photos but my battery died at the end of the first inning. Other then that it was.............

For an explanation of TWS go Here

2009-09-27T12:56:00.002-04:00

THREE WORD SUNDAY

2009-09-20T12:06:00.000-04:00

Three Word Sunday

Rachael had her 1st Varsity game on Monday. I made it to the game at half time (I had work till 4pm & the game was 20 minutes from where we live.)When I walked to the sidelines where all the parents were standing I found out the we (the T-Birds) were winning 1-0. As the second half played on many shots where shot on goal but Amanda (Rach's BFF) in her time in the goal reflected all the plays from entering the net. The whole team played very well and won their game with a score of 1-0. As I walked across the field to Rachael , she came towards me with a big smile on her face, I hugged her and asked who scored the only goal............ She said it was me Dee!!!!! OMG I felt bad enough that I missed seeing her play but to miss her scoring a goal made me cry. I missed her second game cause of work but there is another game tomorrow I am going to make sure I'm there for. So my Three words for this Sunday are...........

Also a big congratulation to another of my rugrats Connor. He spent the week trying out for the middle school football team and on Friday found out that he made it! Way to go Goober,so very proud of you and can't wait to stand on the sidelines of your games to cheer you on.

As Always Be Good & Be Safe

2009-09-13T00:43:00.004-04:00

Three Word Sunday
Its funny how on one hand time seems to be flying by. School is back in session for most of the rugrats, fall is in the air,the skies are getting darker earlier and holidays are knocking on our door(Halloween & thanksgiving decorations are out in the stores) But on the other hand (our adoption) time is at a standstill.
Thursday would of been my moms 73rd birthday.I had a quiet day for work(put 1 rugrat on the bus for 9am then take one off @ 2:40& the other @ 3:45) so for most of the day I was home alone and found myself wandering around my moms apt downstairs. A lot of her stuff is gone now but her furniture, books & some picture are still down there. I was dreading the day, My sister Jamie came over with her crew and after I got done with work @ 5:15 we ran to the cemetery to put a balloon on mom's grave. As we were pulling in I had a knot in the pit of my stomach, the seven months since she has passed have gone by in a blink. Having Jamie's kids with us helped when they asked...Where's Granny? Jamie touched the gravestone and said here.... next one asked.....OK but where is her box ?(while we were in the church for her burial Seamus(who was 3 at the time) said to Jamie during a lull in the mass GRANNY IN THE BOX...those of us who heard it chucked over this comment and then finally "where are all the flowers we left her? Simple questions from a child's mind and it reminded me that I wasn't the only one hurting over this and missing her. So my first three words are..........

My second three words needs no background as to why..... Everyone remembers where they were, what they were doing, and how they felt during the days, weeks and months after that date. So Try to take a moment out of your day and let those in your life know what they mean to you

2009-09-06T17:58:00.004-04:00

OH WHAT A NIGHT................
I'm a little late this week with my three word Sunday. I knew what photo and what words I was going to use after I got a phone call from my rugrat Rachael but before I got a chance to put my post together, Andrew & I took a quick trip Upstate.
OK it was suppose to be quick...three hours up, pick up his truck(that has been getting worked on for the last 3 weeks and was finally done) and three more hours down.The trip up to Catskill was quick, no real traffic to speak of, pulled into the car place and our truck was sitting right there waiting for us. From there we headed to his parents house (just down the road a bit) to drop off the car we had borrowed from them. No one was home (they are on vacation) we left the car, grabbed a soda, and started back home for the island........ we got about half way home and Andrew decided to pull off at a rest area for a minute. When he stopped the car his oil indicator came on, as he opened the door there was a strong smell of gas(diesel). .......
Years ago I decided get a membership in AAA. My husband the mechanic didn't think it was necessary . Well last night it came in handy....... We called AAA to tell them our problem. They say since there is gas we had to call 911 before they would send anyone out. So we called and the state troopers and the fire department was called. When they arrived and deemed the situation safe (it had better of been I was sitting in the car the whole time) AAA was called again and a tow truck was dispatched to us and he drove us back to my in laws house, One hundred and one point four miles away. The charge is $4.50 per mile. So if Wifey didn't have AAA we would of had to pay over Four hundred and fifty dollars but since I always believed it was a security to have our 1st 100 miles were FREE!!!!! We finally made it home about an hour ago. On Tuesday morning Andrew will be on the phone with the service department that "fixed" our car in the first place. In the long run I am "SO THANKFUL FOR" AAA and hubby's thankful for a smart wifey.
Rachael tried out for Field Hockey this week. Last Sunday night when I saw her she was a nervous wreck for what is called HELL WEEK (Two practices a day) on Monday after her 1st practice I called to see how she was (still nervous and she threw up) that night she was a little less nervous and very sore, same on Tuesday and then on Wednesday morning I got text from her stating "I MADE VARSITY"!!!!!!!!
Stinkerbell I am so proud of you. You can do anything you set your mind to. I love you.

2009-08-29T14:31:00.004-04:00

Three word Sunday

The other night I took a fall. I was in the kitchen on my bare feet one minute and on my arse the next. How it happened is still a mystery, something on the floor & I slipped, got dizzy and lost my balance? All I know is both of my arms are bruise beyond belief & I took another 10years off of Stew-Be's life. He swears I am slowly trying to kill him,LOL, this being the 2nd time in our marriage that I gave him such a fright(1st time was in June & then phone call that I was being taken to the ER). This is another case of it looks worst then it feels.

Also on a Happier?Better? note We marked another month off of our wait and are Another Step Closer to our dreams.

*For an explation of three word Sunday go here

2009-08-26T11:55:00.004-04:00

On Saturday night, Andrew & I along with a bunch of friends attend a Bowling fundraiser for a little girl who has Histiocytosis. Its one of those "orphan" diseases that not to many people know about. Taylor is the granddaughter of one of my oldest friends.She is a beautiful little 7yr old girl who love sports. I love her outlook on life. After many many test,the Doctors finally were able to give a name to what was wrong with Taylor, A they were driving home from the Dr's, she turned to her parents and said "this is good". Thinking that at her young age Taylor didn't understand what was wrong with her or what the treatments entailed her mother turn to her and asked "whats good Sweetheart"? Taylor replied "what the Dr's just told us because at least know they know what is wrong with me and we can try to fix it".
The fundraiser was a huge success, raising Five thousand dollars for research. There was great food cook cooked by her grandmother and friends, Over 100 raffles and a 50/50. One basket was a "Lobster Basket" (lobster pot, sauces, pasta, bibs & a 50 gift certificate to a local seafood place) All proceeds of this basket when to Taylor's parents to help with all her co pays. Usually I'm not very lucky but Andrew & I won 2 raffles, a bucket full of car wash stuff & a free oil change and the second one was a hair care one, full of samples of high end hair products plus a $25. gift card to the salon.

Today marks our 28 month being logged into China. I didn't realized it was even here till I checked on one of my fellow waiting families and saw their blog marking the 28 month marker.

2009-08-23T00:55:00.001-04:00

THREE WORD SUNDAY
Full week of work this week and the weather has been hot hot hot. We have a small blow up pool that the kids & Uncle Andrew love. This week besides the regular cast of charterers(Sarola, Fianna, Seamus, Tommy & Kenzie) that I watch during the day we had two extra rug rats (Taylor & Sammie) hanging with us & their grandma (My friend for the last 32years). So after a few hours in the pool, everyone got out, Kenzie went for a nap and the other 6 sun bathed. So my Three words for this Sunday are.....LAZY SUMMER DAYS.

When Andrew got home from work, he put on his shorts and hung out in the pool for about 90 minutes to cool off from the hot day.

2009-08-22T12:23:00.003-04:00

Playing catch up........
Wow I can't believe that is already the 22nd of August. Seriously where is the time going.. Our summer has been a whirl wind between work, me getting C.M P. (still not 100%) running upstate to check on Andrews parents after Pops surgery,painting the bathroom , living room, entryway & stairs, a family reunion( Celebrating Andrew's Aunts 50th yr of being a nun), our annual block party with this years theme of Pete's (my father in law's)70th birthday, last week running to Maryland for Matthews outstanding performance & this weekend we have a fundraiser for my girlfriends granddaughter. I'm tired just writing that all. No wonder I haven't had a chance to blog much. Below are a the slides show I threw together of our events

The Family Gathering in Glasco NY

Our 2009 Block party

Sum of my redecorating. I love wallwords. I put strong words up our stairs, an italian saying in my kitchen,one over our front door & around a picture of my mom,2 sisters and me I put the words Live Love Laugh.

2009-08-14T11:00:00.000-04:00

Three Word Sunday.

We are outlaw bound this weekend.Heading Maryland way to see my nephew & godson in a production of Urinetown. Matthew has had parts in Aladdin, West Side Story & Damm Yankees to name a few but this is the first time he has gotten the lead. Andrew, myself & three of my rug rats will be there for what promises to be an excellent show.
Meatball, we are so proud of you. Remember if you have Faith, Luck & Talent. you can achieve anything you set your mind to. Break a leg Meatball!

2009-08-09T15:04:00.003-04:00

THREE WORD SUNDAY

I luv three word Sundays and I missed them since they stopped. They started back up again last week and of Course I forgot to post my three words( my memory is shot, I am blaming it on the Carb*n M*noxide Pois*ning but Stew-be says its just old age).I would of forgotten again but while on FB this morning I saw a reminder about T.W.S and quickly threw this together
I luv this picture of Andrew. It was taken a few months back @ a party. This man, the one I call my husband, my best friend, my Stew-Be . I tease him about his Lack of maturity and his easy going good nature heart but when things are heading south he is the one I want in my corner, having my back, holding my hand and just loving me. Thru the death of both of my parent, the renovation of our house, this roller coaster of a ride called international adoption, cleaning out my mom's apt and the day to day stuff he is always a rock for me. So my three works this Sunday are....
ALWAYS MY HERO

2009-07-26T00:39:00.000-04:00

Another Step Closer

As Always Be Good & Be
Safe

2009-07-09T16:19:00.002-04:00

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY CARLEIGH

Today is the 1st birthday of our youngest niece Carleigh. Wow that time has sure flew. On Sunday we gathered at Pete's parents for a wonderful party.

2009-07-03T23:04:00.004-04:00

Congratulations Siobhan

Its been a busy week for me. A lot of Dr's appts. Still not 100%...my BP is very high, trying to figure out why(don't think it has anything to do with the events of last week) Worked all week and on Wednesday morning I had the privilege to witness my best friend take the oath of citizenship in the federal court house here on Long Island. I am so proud of you Siobhan & honoured to call you my friend.

Looks likes we might have some nice weather here for the holiday. Hope the weather hold nice for Sunday. Kerri & Pete are have a big 1st birthday party for little miss Carleigh!

Have a safe & Happy 4th of July!

2009-06-26T23:43:00.003-04:00

A Bump in the road

One of the things I have to be thankful for on this roller coaster of a ride called international Adoption is the friends I've made along the way and once a month a group of us meet at a diner to relax, eat and chat. These chat sessions usually last between 3 & 4 hours. The things I have learned from this group of women is priceless. Last night was our night out and what started as a routine night ended as a wild roller coaster ride.
I met the girls as always @ 7pm (OK I was running a few minutes late) . Ordered dinner and started chatting right away there was only 6 of this month, one is in China getting her daughter now and one was at the wake of her grandmother. A few other were missing but the six of us were laughing and chatting as always. When our food arrived and we all began to eat, I started to not feel well. My head was feeling strange, and I was having a hard time following the conversation. I drank some water and hoped that as quickly as the feeling came on that it would go away. I didn’t understand what was making feel this way and thought I was the only one. We were all yawning and the comment was made more then once “its not the company”. Where we were sitting in the diner was to the back of the place where they seat lager parties. I had brought my jacket in case it was cool in there. Sure enough we were seated right under a vent and every time they kicked the AC up I’d put on my jacket (as did one of the others) About two & half hours after arriving we all got up to leave, at this point my heart was racing & head was spinning. As we got to the front door I said goodnight to everyone and excused myself to use the ladies room. In there I splashed cool water on my face, still not understanding what I was feeling and saying to myself “Deedee just get to the car & call Andrew” I knew at this point something was majorly wrong. As I came out of the ladies room and walked out of the diner I remember saying to myself” right left right left right left open door four stairs“…..turning at the end of the building I saw my 5 friends and was asked if I was OK. It was then that we realized that we all had the same symptoms. Racing pulse, headache. Feeling a bit drunk, & tired. We called 911 and with a few minutes the parking lot was full of cops & EMT. When the first police officer arrived and started to questions us to figure out what could be wrong, he asked “so what brought you to THIS diner tonight since none of you are from around here”? (since we are from all across the island we try to rotate diners so no one is always driving the furthest) Before anyone had a chance to say anything I heard myself say “ We heard the cops in Nassau county are really hot and figured we would check it out for ourselves) now anyone who really know me knows that I’m not like that, 9 out of 10 time I am the quiet one. An EMT came over to me and started asking me questions & took my blood pressure. 200/93 OMG ! He asked me if I had high blood pressure & I said no just white coat syndrome but since your not wearing a white coat we should be fine. The other five ladies were checked out and the words Carbon Monox*de Poisoning was being said. It was off to the hospital for us 6 but before we even left the parking lot of the diner we were told the air quality was 400 parts per million. “I asked what is it suppose to be?” Silly me…..his answer was ZERO. So of course my next question was…. “What will they do at the hospital?” Again another silly question. An Arterial Blood Gases test (OUCH both of my parents have had this) & hyperbaric oxygen therapy. At this point I decided to shut up.
1) because my head my pounding
&
2) I didn’t want to know anymore.
We were at the hospital within minutes ( only a few blocks to the East of the diner) and by the time all six of us were triaged (I was the last one) Andrew was already there. (I
called him & my best friend right after I called 911) My poor husband who is the most laid back person had a look of fear & worried on his face, never before I have seen it and hope to never again.
I was put on Oxygen (full face mask with an bag) and blood was taken.(not the ABG test) about a half hour later the doctor came in to say Yes it C*M*P and that our levels were high but not high enough to be put into the chamber. We all would have to stay for at least 6 hours on 100 oxygen and another blood test & ekg would be done to see if the levels went down. About 4:30 in the AM they started taking our bloods again and one by one we were released from the hospital. At this point I still had a pain in my head and when I had asked for aspirin I was told that the oxygen would take care of the pain that I didn’t need aspirin. (the other 5 all got aspirin, I didn’t find this out to we were leaving since we were all spread out in the ER).We got home about 5:40 and Andrew headed straight to bed, he had called out of work when I had called him @ 9:40.I jumped on to the computer for two minutes to post this status on my F.B…”OMG Wut a WILD ride last nite♥ I will NEVER complain my life is dull & boring again!!!”
I laid down for a bit but really couldn't sleep. Phone started to ring at 8am and then at 10AM I got 2 of my munchkins for the day. By the time they left at 5:30 I was exhausted. Feel like my body has been run over and my head is very muzzy. I hope after a good nights sleep & the next two days off I will feel better.

2009-06-23T11:06:00.003-04:00

Another Month

Today marks our 26th month being logged in with China.

My fortune from a cookie the other night. June has been a crazy busy month. The weather here on the Island hasn't gotten the memo that it is Summer. Temps have been in the 60 & 70's but we have had rain just about everyday and I'm not talking drizzling, major downpours at times, which leads to stir crazy kids and one very cranky me.For the last 5 weekends we have been away between camping Upstate, Maryland for Michael's graduation party & running back & to Andrew's parents after his dad's surgery.

Now about this song. You can't turn on a radio station with out hearing it. While driving home from Upstate the other night, it came on & I really listened to it. The word have been running thru my head on a none stop loop. Seeing a dream, so close but still so far, shaking faith, these are the moments you remember most. The words are true for life but also ring true for this journey.

2009-05-26T13:59:00.004-04:00

Happy Birthday Stew-Be

Happy Birthday to my hubby Andrew. This past weekend we went camping with 2 of my munchkins. The weather was beautiful and it would of been a perfect weekend except I had bronchitis & the medicine kicked my butt. With all the coughing I got a Subconjunctival Hemorrhage . Sounds bad but its just ugly. On Sunday night we had a cake for him after dinner .

Today also marks our 25th month logged in with China.At times it seems like this dream will never happen. All this waiting can drive you nuts and make you want to quit. But then you watch a dream come true and you start to believe again. On Thursday one of the waiting families from my local FCC group had their dream come true after a 38 month wait. Congrats Kim & Mike

Also Congratulation to our nephew Michael on his graduation from high school tonight. Turtle, we are sorry that we can't be there tonight with you but will see you this weekend to help you celebrate. We love you and are so proud of you.

2009-05-09T17:57:00.004-04:00

I know that all the first are the hardest. Thinking back to the first year we lost my dad it was Fathers day that I had the hardest time dealing with, since the focus was on "dads" I am not looking forward to tomorrow, I'd like to just stay in bed with the covers over my head but I can't. E& S are away for the week and I have 3 of my oldest munchkins (Mckay,Rach & Connor).So no hiding for me.. I've been going thru old photo (as I am still tying to make it thru all my mom's stuff) and came upon these photos. First one is my mom, me & Jamie, Easter Sunday 1968. The other pic is Three generation( Gmom, mom & me) of Hunter women 1969.

Friday Night Micheala has her Spring Formal. After work I rushed over there to take some photos of her & Charlie. I can't believe that she is already done with her first year of college.

and now a few questions.......

Why does bad thing happen to good people?

Why can't I get organized?

Why can't I get off this weight plateau?

Why didn't anyone let me know how addictive Face book was?????

I know there are no answers for these questions, just had to ask.

Happy Mothers Day to all the moms out there, all the one who are celebrating a very special 1st mothers day this year and to all of the waiting moms. Our day will come!

2009-04-26T13:45:00.000-04:00

2 Years.... that's a long time and alot has happened. At times I think of giving up but I won't.
Today also marks the 30th passing of my grandmother. Grandma was my only grandparent (dad's parents passed before I was born & mom's dad passed when I was 4) She lived in NYC right in the heart of Manhattan on 2nd ave. When most kids from the city were coming out to the Island for a few weeks during the summer, I was heading into Manhattan to spend a few weeks with Grandma & my Godmother. Many cherished memories of walking thru the city, visiting the church's in the area, going to Central Park to the playground and riding the carousel.
This afternoon Andrew & are in heading into Manhattan to attend a memorial mass for her and have some dinner with my godmother & cousins. The photo below is of my grandmother and I from the last 60's (yea I am dating myself) I believe taken @ the East River Park.

2009-04-17T13:31:00.002-04:00

OMG Can it be true?

Dear April 2007 LID Families,
Congratulations! We received word from our Beijing office that the CCAA has finished the review of dossiers registered in April, 2007!
Yeah April 2007 is finally out of review!!!!!! Congratulations to all of you .

One step closer to our dream.

2009-04-12T00:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Easter

As Always Be Good & Be
Safe

2009-04-10T12:30:00.001-04:00

One step at a time

Its been two months since I've gently held her hand while sitting at her bedside , 59 day since I heard her say my name, 1416 hours since I watched her slip away into the night. At times I think it was all a dream. I still cant believe she is gone. Life has gone on for those around me and I am still trying to find my footing. There is still anger, regret & fear but the sleeplessness has ended and the nightmares have subsided.

I still haven't finished cleaning out moms apt. At times it is still hard to see some of her stuff. Its the little things like, her note pad on the kitchen table with page after page of when(time & date) she took her medicine. While going thru her clothing finding in at least a dozen different jackets or anything with a pocket, three quarters and a piece of paper with Jamie, Kerri Ann & my phone numbers.

For now I am still taking it one step at a time.

2009-03-26T02:12:00.002-04:00

Another Month Done

2009-03-20T09:48:00.002-04:00

FINALLY

2009-03-17T19:25:00.002-04:00

Happy St Patricks Day

It was a beautiful day here in New York for the St Patricks Day parade. I left the house @9;30 to meet up with the others at the AOH hall. The buses were leaving at 10am. After awhile we got on the road and was in Manhattan by noon. Step off for our group was 12:50 but when we got there we were told that the parade was 1 1/2 hours behind. So it was off to a bar for a few drinks, then our line up on 46th street to get ready for our march down 5Th ave. As we were marching down 5th ave the one thing I kept hearing over and over again from the spectators (besides Happy St Patick's Day) was Thank You for Marching today! I don't know why but this surprised me. We finished up our walk @ 84th steet. Then it was off to find the buses and our drive home. We were back home by 6:30. I was a bit tired but all in all it was a good day and can't wait to do it again. The Photo below are Paul and I before for the parade (Paula is the mother of 5 of the munchkins I watch from time to time) A few of the ladies before the line up, Trying to get everyone lined up and finally its over and looking for the buses.

2009-03-16T10:08:00.002-04:00

A Night with the Nuns
Last Monday night, Saorla & Fianna had their monthly Jr AOH girls meeting & I got to tag along. The March Meeting was held at a all girls Catholic school that has a convent attached. The Jr girls visit the nuns every year bringing Irish soda bread & cakes. The Pipe band comes to play a set and a few of the girls do their Irish step dancing. The girls have been learning how to say the rosary and said the prayers for the nuns. Besides my nieces, two of the munchkin that I still watch from time to time were there doing the Irish Step dancing. Fiona is 7 & Roisin is 10. Even my nephew Seamus was enjoying the evening and watching the nuns saying their prayers.
Tomorrow I am off to Manhattan to march in the 248th St Patricks Day parade.The Parade marched for the first time on March 17, 1762 - fourteen Years before the Declaration of Independence was adopted and today it is the largest Parade in the World.I was suppose to march in my local parade but couldn't. I am really looking forward to marching tomorrow.
Belong are some of the photos from the visit with the nuns.

2009-03-07T16:43:00.000-05:00

Don't Forget

As Always Be Good & Be
Safe

2009-02-26T08:53:00.001-05:00

Moving Right Along

As Always Be Good & Be
Safe

2009-02-18T14:09:00.004-05:00

Trying to get back to normal..........

As I have stated before, Granny Annie's hasn't been in the best of health for a long time but her death has still come as somewhat of a shock to me (and my family.) When I got to the hospital on that Sunday, we realized how quickly her body was shutting down. The words "48 hours left" were said and I didn't want to believe it. Mom was STUBBORN Irish , but I knew how much she missed my dad and wanted to be with him. Jamie, Kerri Ann & I took turns over the next days staying with her around the clock. Kerri Ann & I were with her holding her hand (Jamie was waiting on her husband to get home from work) when she passed away @ 5:20pm.After we left the hospital, it was off to the Funeral home where thankfully mom had taken care of everything (she preplanned her funeral right after my dad passed in 2003). The next five days are a blur.My In-law came in from Upstate and Maryland,& family from Kentucky, Pennsylvania & Connecticut.Someone had asked me if I had had a "sign" from mom that she arrived. Matter of fact I got two (if you want to look at it that way) the first was on Wednesday afternoon, I was home alone and on the phone walking from the living room into the kitchen when all the sudden it felt like I had walked thru a cloud of cigarette smoke. I could smell it and taste it. (no one has smoked in this house since June. The person I was on the phone with said"its a sign from her" The second "sign" was on Thursday afternoon, we had a private viewing (Jamie & Mike,Kerri & Pete, Andrew and myself) and I wasn't happy with how her hair looked,(one thing mom was all about was her hair, it had to always be just so). I said to my sisters I wasn't happy, they agreed and we talked to the staff about having it fixed before the evening services. I left and went to get a trim on my hair. I get to the salon, hair get washed, Theresa starts to trim my hair and the lights go out. (Here on the Island we were having very high winds that day.) They come back on 60 seconds later, only to go back out a few minutes after that. So after sitting in the dark for about 20 minutes and finding out that the power company said lights wouldn't be back on to 7pm, I told Theresa I needed to get out of there, so she finished my "trim" with 6 of her co workers around me with light from their phones showing the way. I started to laugh and was asked what was so funny, I explained where I had just come from and what I had said and that it was my mother doing( the power failure) that she didn't want my hair to look better then hers. LOL.
Now comes the paperwork and cleaning out her apt. Writing the thank you note for the food and flowers . Although she hadn't been home with me for over a month before she dies, I still expect to hear her open the door and call my name.

Below is the beautiful eulogy that my sister Jamie gave on Friday night.

On Tuesday, I lost one of my favorite people in the whole world: my beloved mother, Annie . But mother doesn’t begin to do her justice. In many ways, she was more than a mom to me and my sisters The past several weeks have been such a hellish mix of hospital rooms and funeral preparations that I really haven’t had a chance to stop and remember all of the joy she brought into my life. If you get past the cheesy A-Z structure, I think you’ll get a glimpse of the incredible woman I came to love.
A for Annie. Quite simply, a great lady.. A is also for Aislinn, the granddaughter she never got to meet. A is also for Annie’s Stationery Store, a place where mom and dad made numerous life long friends.B for Books. Annie spent most her final years reading tons of books. She would read several in a week. 10 days before she passed I asked her if she wanted me to get her book out of the library…she replied, ‘ No, I’ve read them all’. B is for Bulfin; Peter Bulfin. Just knowing Peter was in heaven to greet mom makes me feel so much better.C for Carleigh, her newest grandchild who brought such innocent joy to her life. C is for cracker, preferably Ritz. With peanut butter. Only Skippy. Is it any wonder Saorla’s first word was cracker?
D for Donna, her eldest. She loved you Dee more than you’ll ever know. She always marveled at your strength and was worried about your sensitivity. As my parents always used to say, “Donner, get the front!” D is for Disco lessons in the 70s.E for Eggs, 2 sunny side up, fried in bacon fat with the bacon fat on the eggs or egg salad sandwiches. Either way, Annie loved her some eggs.F for Family and Friends: the two biggest sources of pleasure in her life. F is for Fin, a wonderful family whom my parent cherished. Micheala, Rachael and Connor were my parent’s adoptive grand kids who they adored. F is also for Fianna a joy and wonder – her 2nd grandchild the one who could also make Granny laugh. F is also for St. Francis. My mom was a patient at St. Francis as a child. When I started working at St. Francis last year, she cried because she held St. Francis so dear to her. F is also for five finger discount. I won’t say anymore but Aunt Sally knows what I’m talking about.G for grandchildren, next to a VO and Diet coke (in a pint glass, little ice) nothing would make her face light up more. G is also for Granny, someone who will be missed by 4 loving grandchildren.H for her favorite weekly routine: her Hair appointment with Janet. Her hair was so important that she was in labor with me but wouldn’t go into the hospital until her hair was done. H is also for heaven, a wonderful place where mom is finally reunited with Dad as well as many cherished friends, The C, The Co, Marge B, Rocky Gi, Walter A and so many more. H is for Hunter, her maiden name - a name she was proud of. H is hearing or lack therof.I for Ireland, home of her beloved mother and a place she enjoyed visiting. . I is for the Irish Coffee Pub, a warm wonderful place where she always felt at home and made some wonderful friends.J for St. Jude, for whom she had a devotion throughout her life. J is also for James her beloved husband and partner in life whom she is finally united again with,K for Kerri, her baby. She worried about you Kerri more than any of us. I know she will guide you through life because she never wanted harm to come to you. May you live your life with Mom’s guided hand always showing you the way..L for Love…love for her beloved Jimmy, her children and grandchildren. L is also for Liverwurst, on rye, with mustard. L is for library, although at the end, she apparently had read every book..M for Me, her favorite daughter, or at least I like to think so. M is also for Margie her confidant and cherished friend. M is also for mother, she may not have been June Cleaver, but she was ours and we loved her.N for Nancy and John F, two wonderful friends who stood by mom through her darkest times.O for the Oconee…she always liked a good meal in the diner.
P for Pall Mall. After all, she’s the only person we knew who smoked Pall Mall red for over 50 years. P is also for Pathmark, a place she worked for over 20 years. P is for puzzles…mom loved a good crossword, word jumble or word find.
Q for Quality time with her grandchildren “ also known as anything involving a major meal.R for Road trip. Annie loved a good road trip. Whether it was Kentucky, Ohio or even our cross-country jaunt to Seattle, mom loved to go out and travel.. R is for rheumatic fever, a childhood illness that set the course for the rest of her life.S is for her granddaughter Saorla who judging by the walls in her house, you’d think was the single most photographed human being ever. S is also for Seamus, her only grandson who with the devil in his eye loved his granny more than anything. S is also for Squit, who are, though not related by blood, they are definitely our family. Aunt Sal, Uncle Bill, you brought so much joy and fun to my parents over the years. I only hope that my family will always be part of yours even though she is gone. S is also for Shepherd’s Pie, her favorite dish by far. S is for Scotland, homeland of her beloved father. S is also for sense of humor (When doing a report for a class about her her family's heritage, mom told Jamie to tell her teacher she was Irish with a shot of Scotch.)T for Tea from 7-11 – 2 tea bags, two sweet and lows, not too much milk.U for her Unparalleled sense of style. Whether she was going to the supermarket or a fancy wedding, she always had her ‘ face on’ which included red lipstick and her hair styled once a week.V for her VO and diet coke, her beverage of choice. V is for St. Vincent Ferrer, the school of her childhood, the church where she married. W for Weekends at the S...house. Mom would come for coffee & breakfast on Saturday and Sunday and spend precious time with Saorla, Fianna and Seamus. These visits created moments which will never be forgotten.X for her XL , generous heart.Y for Years of wonderful memories. Y is for parties in our yard going over both sides of the fence, especially 4th of July. Y is for Yellow Roses, her favorite.
Z for her Zest for life. When she was about 9 years old, the doctors told mom she’d never live to be 21. She outlived their expectations by over 51 years. If that’s not Zest for life, I’m not sure what is.
Thanks for the memories, Mom. We’ll miss you tremendously.

2009-02-14T06:45:00.000-05:00

2009-02-10T23:28:00.002-05:00

9/10/1936- 02/10/2009

SAFELY HOME
I am home in Heaven, dear ones; Oh so happy and so bright! There is perfect joy and beauty In this everlasting light.
All the pain and grief is over, Every restless tossing passed; I am now at peace forever, Safely home in Heaven at last.
Did you wonder I so calmly Trod the valley of the shade?Oh, but Jesus' love illumined Every dark and fearful glade.
And He came Himself to meet me In that way so hard to tread; And with Jesus' arm to lean on, Could I have one doubt or dread?
Then you must not grieve so sorely,For I love you dearly still, Try to look beyond earth's shadows, Pray to trust our Father's will.
There is work still waiting for you, So you must not idly stand; Do it now, while life remains, You shall rest in Jesus' land.
When that work is all completed, He will gently call you Home; Oh, the rapture of that meeting, Oh, the joy to see you come!

2009-02-08T09:58:00.003-05:00

If you smoke, PLEASE STOP...if not for yourself then for the people that love you. Seem like such a simply request but one that isn't that easy to fulfill. I can remember asking my mother time and time again to please stop smoking and always got the same response, "I've been smoking so long quitting won't make a difference." Granny Annie started smoking when she was a teenager. Back in the mid 50's it was the cool , the in thing, elegant, sophisticated and of course she didn't just smoke any cigarettes she smoked non filter ones, Pall Mall. She switched to a filtered cigarette early in the 90"s and stopped smoking this past June. When I took her to the cardiologist in October for an appointment , he asked her if she was still smoking, she proudly told him "nope not one cigarette since the end of June" To which the Dr responded"That's Great, that was a big first step, Congratulations!!!.
Last Tuesday I received a phone call from the rehab telling me that my mother was in Respiratory distress and that they were calling in an ambulance to take her to the hospital.. She was admitted to the ICU in Heart Failure. Jamie ,Kerri Ann & I knew she didn't any heroic measure to be taken to prolong her life. So we knew a DNR(Do-Not-Resuscitate) was in order but then they asked about a DNI (Do-Not-Intubate) and we weren't sure. After talking it over with my sisters and a lot of praying for guidance I signed both on Wednesday afternoon. She is in End Stage Pulmonary Disease, and this morning I received a call from three of her Dr's all agreeing that there isn't anything left to do. Hospice is being called in to make her as comfortable.
So once again "If you smoke, PLEASE STOP...if not for yourself then for the people that love you"

As Always Be Good & Be
Safe

2009-02-05T13:41:00.006-05:00

Happy 5th Birthday Fianna

Today is the 5th birthday to our niece Fianna. She is a bright energetic little girl who loves to dance, sing and play soccer. Happy Birthday Fianna! Have a great day and enjoy your party this weekend.

2009-01-29T10:50:00.002-05:00

6th

I got Tagged by Jenni

The rules are simple. As follows:
6th Picture Meme!
1.Go to your Picture Folder on your computer or wherever you store your pictures.
2.Go to the 6th Folder, then pick the 6th picture in that folder.
3.Post that picture on your blog and the story that goes along with the picture.
4.Tag 6 other peoples that you know or don’t know to do the same thing and leave a comment on their blog or an e-mail letting them know you chose them.
This Picture of Kenzie and Andrew was just taken last month. I just put all my (almost 6000)Pictures on three disc to get them off the computer.I'm not going to tag anyone but if you want to play alone, let me know.

Went to get weighed in this morning and I stood the same (although I do feel like an elephant) I wasn't surprised with the stand still after 2 big weeks. guess my body is out of shock. LOL

If ya get a chance, check out this link....its cute and catchy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HplZ_taHXLM

2009-01-26T10:21:00.004-05:00

Another month
Today marks another step closer to our precious child & it marks the start of the Chinese New Year..... Gong Xi Fa Cai

Below are a few pics of the last week, making cookies with the kids, the snow and how much Misty & Maddy enjoy it, Rachael's field hockey game and my birthday.

2009-01-22T14:28:00.001-05:00

Down 5.2 this week. How I pulled that number is a mystery to me. I think my body is just do glad to be back on a routine.

2009-01-21T10:32:00.004-05:00

Six Years

Nothing has changed since I posted here & here

Except

2009-01-16T18:22:00.003-05:00

THANK GOD ITS FRIDAY

OMG has it been a longggg week. I have never been so glad to see a Friday nite.Granny Annie still isn't home. On Tuesday I received a call that they were releasing her fro the hospital. When Kerri Ann & I got there after work to get her & we were putting on her jeans we couldn't get them to zipper or button close. They had fit her fine when she wore them 5 days earlier being admitted to the hospital. I asked the nurse if they had weighed her during the last five days. I was told her weigh upon admission was 149(her weight @ last dr's appt about 8 weeks ago was 128). Now my mom's weigh fluctuates between 118 & 130. If her weigh goes over that we (her Dr's & family know that she is filling with fluid and that they need to push lasix). I asked for her to be weighted at that moment before we did anything else. We get her on a scale and her weight was 1531/4. She had gone up over 4 pounds in just 5 days and no it could be food. A call was put into her Dr and I made the decision that she was staying till we know what was going on.Wednesday I received a call from her Dr's that they were pushing more lasix, normally she is on 20 mg twice a day and they were going to double that to 40mg twice a day. On Thursday the hospital called to say she was ready to go home but extremely weak and they recommend that she is put into short term rehab to regain her strength . So that is where she was moved to today and hopefully she will be only there a short time like last summer.
Yesterday it was snowing here and I didn't get a chance to go to my WW meeting like I wanted to but I did run there to at least get weighed in and I am so glad I did! I always do well my first week back on program and to tell the truth I wasn't 100% "on program" with all the running back and forth to the hospital but once again when I stepped up on that scale I was down 15 pounds.

\
And last but not least a big YOU ROCK goes out to my hubby Andrew. As I have stated before Stew-Be luvs bowling. As long as we have been together he has bowled in one if not two leagues a week. On Wednesday night at his Men's hot shot double league, Andrew shot 12 strike in a row..... a 300. A Perfect Game..

2009-01-11T15:55:00.003-05:00

Once again I took a little bit of time off from my healthy life style during the month of December. If there is one thing I learned this time around is that I need the discipline of a weekly weigh in. I've tried doing it on my on but it isn't the same. On Thursday morning I had planned on going back to my weekly W.W meeting after I took Granny Annie to the Dr's. Of course since we are talking my life things never go as planned. As I was getting ready to take her to the Dr's, she was shaking,had labored breathing, her color was off and she was throwing up so instead of getting her into the car, I sat her down and called an Ambulance. Now of course we know how well that went over with her but I didn't have a choice. After 13hrs in the ER they admitted her . We are still waiting on the results of what is wrong, but they did rule out the normal things, like the flu, pneumonia (both which she received shots for) heart attack and stroke, so right now its a waiting game to find out what is wrong and where we go from here. So I never made it to my meeting till this morning to get weighted in and I don't want to know what I gained (I know I gained by the way my clothing is fitting). I plan on getting back into the healthy life style with my weekly weight ins on Thursday Morning and taking it one step at a time from there.

2009-01-03T23:48:00.002-05:00

Feeding America (formerly America’s Second Harvest – The Nation’s Food Bank Network) is the nation’s leading domestic charitable hunger-relief organization. It provides low-income individuals and families with the fuel to survive and even thrive.Feeding America’s network of more than 200 member food banks supports approximately 63,000 local charitable agencies operating more than 70,000 programs, including food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, after-school programs, Kids Cafes, BackPack programs, and senior centers.Each year, the Feeding America network provides assistance to more than 25 million low-income people facing hunger in the United States, including more than 9 million children and nearly 3 million seniors.As part of the Pound For Pound Challenge, Feeding America will use the funds donated to help secure and distribute groceries to its network of local food banks through both national and local efforts.

2009-01-03T15:29:00.004-05:00

HAPPY 4th BIRTHDAY MISTY

The last two presents to be given out this holiday season was to our godchild Ariel & Alexis. Spending time with these two listening to them telling us stories about school, the friends that they have & playing UNO with them was a fun way to end the season. Ariel is in the blue top & Alexis in the pink.

2009-01-02T09:39:00.002-05:00

Its that time of year to make my commitments to myself. Of course there are the same 5 that I do year after year but this time around I wanted to add a few more:

6) learn how to take a complement(this one is going to be hard,From how something tastes that I cooked to the cut and color of my hair or how good I look since losing weight, I can't stand any attention on me)

7) Talk less and Listen more

8) Not sweat the small things.

9) Organize the house & paint the Living room & Bathroom

Happy 18th Birthday Michael!

+

Also, today is the 18th birthday of our nephew. Turtle,Have a great birthday. I can't believe how you have grown before our eyes. A senior in high school , picking out a colleges and on the threshold of your life. We love you and are so proud of you.
As Always Be Good & Be
Safe

2009-01-01T17:34:00.002-05:00

I was so tempted to not go our last night between not feeling 100% and the temps being in the teens. The wind was blowing something fierce,the roads were a sheet of ice and Andrew had to leave for work @ 5am (he choose to go back in rather then taking the extra days off) but off we went to Enda & Siobhan's for a quiet New Years Eve. Micheala & Charlie were going out to a house party so it was just E& S, Connor Rach and her friend Rebecca plus neighbors of theirs. Bill & Angela along with their two daughter Amanda & Meridith. We spent last New Years eve with the same crowd and had a blast.This year was no different, after eating some good food a few drinks, a lot of laughs it was time to play guesstures (think charades on 'speed'.) There was 2 teams and Andrew was the ref. After the stroke of midnight, we hung for a bit longer and then left getting home about 1:30am. I have spent most of the day on the couch with the worst headache and I didn't even drink last night.. Back to work for me in the Am.

May all your trouble last as long as your New Year's resolution

2008-12-31T11:13:00.003-05:00

As another year comes to a close I cant help but think back to the past 12 months and how they have helped me to grow & change (all for the good I hope) . I've lost some weight & friends, gained some knowledge, welcomed our newest niece, made it thru Micheala's graduation, celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary & marked 20 months logged in with China. We are going over to spend a quiet night with friends (Although I am tempted to say home this year its bitter cold, snowing and very windy here on Long Island.)

The following quote comes from Ann Landers:
"Let this coming year be better than all the others. Vow to do some of the things you've always wanted to do but couldn't find the time. Call up a forgotten friend. Drop an old grudge, and replace it with some pleasant memories. Vow not to make a promise you don't think you can keep. Walk tall, and smile more. You'll look ten years younger. Don't be afraid to say, 'I love you'. Say it again. They are the sweetest words in the world."
No matter where you are or where you going tonight have a safe New Years Eve.

One more thing. A Big congratulations to Sara (who blinged my blog) on the referral of her daughter Mia Lin !

2008-12-29T17:09:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday Rachael

We headed to Maryland this past weekend with Rachael & Connor (Micheala stayed home for work and watched Misty) to see Andrew's sister and her family for the holidays. We drove down on Friday and arrived in time for dinner. Spent a relaxing weekend just hanging out with the family talking and laughing while the kids played video games and watched movies. We came home late Sunday evening since today was Miss Rachael's Birthday (and I had work, Andrew is on vacation till Thursday)
Camp Chaos was kinda quiet today since it was just Tommy and Kenzie today and miss Kenzie gave me a 2 hour nap. Tommy loved having "uncle" Andrew all to himself. After work we drove over to E&S's and went out to dinner to celebrate Rachie's 15th birthday. We went to a nice Italian place for dinner and had a enjoyable time full of good fun and great laughs.
Rachael,
You are a strong and sensitive young woman. One who I am so proud of and I cherish every moment that we get to spend together.Stay true to yourself and I will always be here for you. I love you around the world, back again & then some Stinkerbell!

2008-12-26T09:00:00.000-05:00

Another step closer

2008-12-25T23:46:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas one and all

Another Christmas has come and gone, I got up early this morning and decided to bake some cookies. Three different types to be exact, why no clue I just felt like it. Stopped by my sister Jamie's to exchange gifts, ran a few more homes and ending up at the home of Enda & Siobhan. Rach, wasn't feeling well and was still in PJ, McKay was laying in front of the fire reading "Twlight" and Connor was out on his new Bike. After a lovely dinner it was time to exchange gift with the kids. No matter how old they get, they always love (and I keep getting them year after year) Feety Pajama.my gift from them was a portrait of them....

The picture next to the gift from this year was taken of them about nine years ago...Said it before and I'll say it again "Where does the time go"?

Last Year Andrew got for me a Precious Moments doll this year he bought another which name is "Balance of Life"

2008-12-24T23:25:00.002-05:00

Busy times
After last minute running around for some gifts a few exchanges and grocery shopping it was time to make cookies with my three oldest munchkins. We were suppose to do it on Sunday but the girls both had big plans so it was postponed. Rachie friend Rebecca was over to help and Micheala's friend Charlie came by too. We made Chocolate chip cookies, Oreo something or other, Sugar cookies and Italian sprinkle cookies. The house was loud, chaotic, hot, full of Christmas music and laughter. The night was a treasured memory.

On Christmas eve, I spent the day wrapping presents ( of course I waited till the last minute to wrap). Since Andrew was working I went to Christmas Eve services with Siobhan, Rachael & Connor. The Church was decorated so pretty and when they sang Silent Night, they dimmed all the lights with just the candles lighting the church. After Church I headed over to Aunt Sal's house for Santa visit. We go there every year and this year was extra special being Carleigh's first Christmas.