Prime

Amazon finally did it
I've had Amazon Prime for a year now from a promotional program in which I participated. I've been wavering about renewing Prime. They've had various benefits of Prime membership that have come close to swaying me, but I was still on the edge until tonight. I just signed up for Prime after seeing the Kindle Owners' Lending Library where I can borrow books for free from Amazon. We buy a lot of books for our Kindles, so I think we'll save a chunk from that. We'll also save it on shipping.  It's still a luxury, but it's a luxury I know I'll appreciate.

Guy Fawkes Night
We're hosting our annual Guy Fawkes Night for D's colleagues at our house tomorrow night. I made a poster for the occasion. It didn't turn out quite as fabulous as it was planned to be in my head, but hey, it's another use for my Silhouette.

I made the mask using the trace tool, then cut it out in vinyl.  I bought the images for Big Ben and the Tower Bridge. I also bought the fireworks images. I cut them out and then applied glitter to make them more realistic. And I downloaded (for free) an old English font. D's company's name is in the upper right corner, but I airbrushed that out of the picture.  

Famous
RHG called me the other night and said she didn't know we were famous. I said, "huh?" A friend of hers was reading the most recent issue of NW Kids Magazine and recognized our picture. A few weeks ago, the magazine interviewed our adoption agency for a story on open adoption. Our agency gave them our picture. They emailed us and asked us if they could use it.  I said sure and figured it would be a little picture off to the side. Turns out that it's THE picture of the story. If you want to read the story, click on the link to the magazine above, then click on the picture under the "Current Issue" link on the right side. The story on open adoption is on pages 20 & 21. There's also a glimpse of Avery in the table of contents.

Moodiness

Holiday stress is here

I shouldn't be surprised, but Monday marked the return of my usual holiday moodiness.  It's not so much the holiday as the general chaos.  It's not helped by the fact that Eddie has been pooping more in the house after a lovely stint of few accidents over the course of several weeks.  There have been three in house accidents today alone.

It's also not helped by the fact that Eddie is following me around a lot more.  He tends to act strange when Mom is here - either he gets more clingy with me, or he gets clingy with mom, or some other variation.  That he's following me around all the time is driving me more crazy given his nails are so long and he just makes this click, click, click sound constantly.  I know it's so minor.  I shouldn't complain, but if I don't vent here, where will I?  That's right, by yelling even more at Eddie.

Finally, it's not helped by Avery's new found love of saying, "Moooom!" repeatedly in a whiny voice.  I swear, she must say my name 100 times a day. She'll say it even when D is sitting right next to her - as in, she seems to think only I should be asked to attend to her every need. 

Nook

When Avery saw her nook, she was most definitely underwhelmed.  I think she didn't quite know what it was for.  She also seemed a tad bit fearful.  This morning, however, she was thrilled to hear me say she could take her babies and books in there and read to them!  In she went, making sure to tell me that she was safe (hence the reason I think she was scared initially).  It was also a big hit with Elise while she was here for a short playdate this afternoon.  They both went in a closed the door and giggled away.  So cute!

Birthfamily visit

We had a visit with Nikki & Grandma J on Saturday.  It went very well.  Avery and Garrett played and played and played.  Garrett would sing the ABCs and Avery would dance. 

Busyness

Catch up

I can't believe I haven't posted since Tuesday.  It's due purely to busyness (I verified that is indeed a word) rather than a slide into holiday blues or something like that.

A quick rundown of recent events:

• Wednesday: Avery & I met Amber & Josie and Christie & Henry at their Messy Art: Dinosaur Delight class. This was one of the first times I've seen Avery actually remain involved in a craft for more than a few minutes.  I know she must like to do crafts since she comes home with a lot of crafts and drawings from school, but around me, she has close to zero interest in crafts. She likes glitter.  I think that was key.  Following class, we all went out to eat at Red Robin.  Christie gave Avery her BD gifts, though I only allowed Avery to open one since D has strong objections to gifts being opened on any day other than the actual holiday.  It was the book from my first project with Christie: an Urban Babies Wear Black photoshoot.  Anyway, that was awesome.  Also awesome was that Christie gave me a Christmas gift: a Christmas stocking for Avery knitted in the same fashion as the stockings D and I have with our names. I'll post a picture at some point.  It's awesome!
• Thursday: D and I toured a potential preschool for Avery in the morning, so I sent Avery to school for the day.  I'd been to this school before for a 1-hour session introducing Montessori concepts to interested parents.  In January of this year, I put us on the wait list to potentially enroll Avery there for preschool in September.  During the tour, I found I liked the school just as much as I did the first time around; D was sold on the school, too.  We have submitted a wait list contract.  If Avery gets in (based purely on age, gender, and length of time on wait list), then we'll pay a deposit and she'll start in September.  I am very much hoping she'll get in, however, I do realize it won't be the end of the world if she doesn't.   After the tour, I got new tires on my car and did some shopping while I was waiting. In the afternoon, I wrapped all of Avery's presents and tidied up the house.  She has some more presents coming in the mail, but I'm done shopping for her.
• Friday: Avery and I headed to Little Gym in the morning. I was so hungry after class that I couldn't think about anything else until I got some food, so we hit Arby's nearby.  Avery has never taken to any fast food except for fries.  I usually just get her apple slices to tide her over until we can locate food she likes.  This time, I bought her a jr. roastbeef sandwich ($1).  She loved it.  Good to know for the occasional quick, easy meal on the go. In the evening, D and I had date night (we saw Red).  
• Saturday: We have a visit with Avery's Aunt Aly.  It was the first time we've met her.  It went well.  She brought Garrett with her, so Avery and he got to play together.  It is rather striking to me how well they play together and how there is close to no ramp up time in getting reacquainted with each other.  They still look a lot a like and still have many of the same mannerisms.  Garrett, who is not yet 4, is reading already.  I don't find that too surprising since when we last saw him in May, D said he read almost all of a sign posted on the playground.  He can also tell you the specific make and model of almost all cars.  We found out that Nikki, Avery's bmom, is double jointed.  I've started to wonder if Avery is double jointed given some of the things she does with her body look so very wrong to me. Anyway, Saturday night the G kids came over for a sleepover.  It was a very easy evening, with all three kids going to sleep without protest.  Everyone was asleep by 8 pm. D had a flight out at 7 am this morning, so he was gone by the time the kids woke up at 7:15.  Rachele and Jay picked E & N up this morning about 10. Avery and I have been piddling around the house since then. 

Punches

I am not a scrapbooker, but I absolutely love all the supplies one would use to be a scrapbooker.  Right now, I'm obsessed with buying punches (like these).  I have an airplane, a bow, a stocking, a snowflake, a tree, and a large circle.  I have no idea what I'll do with these other than make gift tags, but I still love them.  I want to punch everything with them.  

Paint

Nook update

I painted the nook this afternoon.  Unfortunately, when I bought the paint, I thought I had all needed supplies at home.  I had everything but the pad to go on the roller.  As a result, I painted the whole nook using just a paintbrush.  If I hadn't done that, I think I would have run out of paint, so it worked out all right in the end.  It took me about two hours, which was a bit uncomfortable given the small, awkward-shaped space. 

In a bit I'll take the carpet upstairs to see how it fits.  I'm hoping it's a good snug fit, but I think it's going to be an inch or two too long on either side.  Hard to know because the measurements on the rug I bought were not specific. 

Christmas ... excited?!  WTF?

I'm actually excited for Christmas this year.  I know, I can't believe it either.  Most of it is a result of Avery's sheer enthusiasm.  Some of it is because I feel like I have things a bit more under control this year: I started planning Avery's BD party very early, I have been doing my shopping way earlier than usual, and I'm not putting unrealistic expectations on things. 

The excitement has only increased since our friends Vic & Mike are going to join us for the holidays!  Barring any illness, they're going to drive up from Colorado so they can bring their dog ... who gets carsick.  Yeah, doesn't sound like a fun drive to me, either, but I don't care because I'm just happy they're coming! Woohoo!

Avery and school

For a month or two, Avery went through a phase where she'd cry when I dropped her off at school.  Teacher Carlya said she always stopped about 30 seconds after I left, so I wasn't overly troubled by it.  Nonetheless, it's nice that she seems to be through that phase for the moment.  She happily runs into school - which she did even when she would cling to me when I left - and then yells, "Bye, Mom!" when I leave.  

Avery and sleep

The sleep chart worked quite well, but I fell off the charting wagon when we left for Mexico and haven't got back on it.  She managed to stay in her bed all night on Saturday night, so before bed last night, I got out a star sticker and said she could earn another one if she stayed in bed all night again. She didn't.  Then she asked me for a star this morning and I said no and explained why.  To which she answered, "OK, Mom.  I will try again tonight." 

Birthfamily visit

Avery's aunt (her birthfather's sister) and her grandmother (her birthfather's mom) are coming for a visit - their first time meeting Avery and D and me - on Saturday.  Aly friended me on FB and that got us communicating.  I'm excited to meet both of them.  I'm not nervous yet, but I know I'll be anxious before they get here.  I am so thankful that this visit was set up via FB and email.  So much easier to set things up that way - at least for me.

Beach

Beacheriffic

Avery and I made not one, but two trips to the beach today! The first was during my 4-hour stint of Avery-duty this morning. Avery and I headed down there with her bucket and shovels with the intent of building a sand castle. However, I didn't do a survery of the tools she opted to bring in her bucket, so we were missing the necessary molds to make building a castle easier. We ended up collecting sea shells and rocks and tossing them in the water. Since the water was very calm, we also waded into it to retrieve sea shells from the sea floor. I did not properly estimate the depth when going after a particular sea shell and ended up with waist high water. Not so much an issue when one is wearing a swimsuit, but a little odd when wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Not to worry, though, I got the elusive shell! Avery, of course, quickly chucked it back into the sea.


Our second trip as an impromptu visit to the beach as Avery and I were walking around after dinner. After reading Sara's latest post on things she learned from Sara during the planning of Love Life 5K, I said, "Yes!" to Avery when she asked if we could walk along the beach as the sun set. Actually, first I said no becuase I didn't want to get my feet dirty again. Then I thought better of it and figured why not? We had a good time. I tried to show Avery how to throw properly, but I think she needs Pop Pop to help her with the mechanics. Maybe you'll join us on our next trip down, Dad?

Nappage

After a family lunch at the pool bar at the hotel, D took over for his 4-hour stint. He and Avery headed to the pool while I headed in to take a nap. I love, love, love to nap in our casa. There's something about the brightness of the sunshine outside and the whiteness of the sheets and then stillness of the day.

Community Goings On

As we were walking home from lunch, a homeowner friend of ours heard my voice and popped up onto their roof terrace to invite us in for a chat. It was good to catch up. We also learned that the guy who sold us our casa, who left the company years ago and is also a homeowner, was in town just for the night. So tonight we popped over and paid him a visit after dinner.


We learned there's a rush to get many of the custom beach lots completed since they'll be closing down the road that gives access to these lots. Once that road is closed, I imagine the cost of construction for the remaining lots will be considerably more.


We also learned that they'll be renumbering the casas. Appparently it's to enable the ambulances and emergency personnel to actually find the right casa since the current numbering scheme make no sense at all. You'll find a house in the 100's next to one in the 500's and then jump back to the 200's.

Birthfamily

Avery's aunt, her birthdad's sister, just friended me on Facebook! We haven't met her or Avery's paternal birth grandmother yet. She expressed an interest in meeting Avery and us, so hopefully we'll get to meet them soon. I love that Facebook makes these sorts of connections so much easier to establish. It doesn't build a relationship, but it definitely makes the logistics of establishing one easier.

Eddie

Eddie & the trail

For the past couple of weeks, I've been walking Eddie separately from Turtle.  I take him on a 15 minute loop around the neighborhood that isn't as physically challenging as the trail, then I leave Eddie at home and take Turtle on the trail.  Today I felt badly that Eddie hasn't been on the trail in a while, so I took both dogs.  As we neared the end of the trail, the dogs heard some noise off in the forest and ran after it.  This isn't unusual.  Turtle was gone for 3-5 minutes, then reappeared.  I leashed her up and proceeded to call for Eddie.  Eventually I heard some rustling and could tell he was trying to make his way back to us.  It took him a very long time, but he eventually made his way out of the thick underbrush on the side of the trail.

The rest of the walk home was slow going.  He was breathing very hard and walking slowly.  I cringed each time we walked on cement because his back paws drag a bit along the pavement.  I try to keep him walking on grass as much as possible.  When I unleashed him in the garage and opened to the door to the house, he barely made it inside and then collapsed in the dining room.  I brought him a bowl of water and Rimadyl.  It took probably 30 minutes or so for the panting to stop and his breathing to return to normal.

I think this might finally be my acceptance that he can't handle the trail anymore.  Even before he took off after with Turtle into the underbrush, he was struggling up the trail more than usual. 

He still seems quite happy most of the day.  He doesn't seem to be in much pain when we take the neighborhood loop (vs. the trail) for his walks.  

Despicable Me and sushi

The three of us went to see Despicable Me yesterday.  I would rate it a C simply because I didn't find it very funny, nor did Avery.  Even the scenes where they tried to make the youngest girl adorable couldn't pull off what Monsters, Inc did with Boo.  Also contributing to my general dislike of the film was the adoption aspect of the movie.  I certainly don't expect a movie like that to cover adoption in its true form (that would be nice, but highly unlikely).  And I'm not even fired up about the lack of any sort of truth or sensitivity about adoption.  It was more a feeling that I don't want Avery to think that she can be returned.  I shuddered to think of what message might be planting itself in her as she watched the movie.  She didn't seem to like the movie much, nor was she interested in talking about it.  That, however, is not unusual after we watch a new movie.  It takes a few days before she mentions anything she saw, so we'll see.

After the movie, we tried a new sushi place near the theater.  It turned out to be one with a sushi track.  I've never eaten at one of those, but we decided to give it a whirl.  Avery LOVED it.  She easily at 10 pieces of salmon on her own.  She loves salmon, cooked or raw.  She also loves trout.  Fish in general is great, unless it's fried.  She turns her nose up at fish sticks.  Good girl!

Light

Light Therapy

My light and ion therapy lamp has arrived.  I'm using it for the first time as I type this.  I've had much more energy this week.  In fact, I think I'm bordering on normal-person energy levels!  So exciting.  I've gotten a lot done, at least relative to my sloth-like pace of the previous month or two. 

Gold Star

Now, I'd like to award myself with a gold star.  Since returning from Mexico, I've done an excellent job in keeping the house tidy and free of clutter. This is a huge step for me since it's a change to a lifelong habit of leaving things laying around and then doing a major clean every once in a while.   I think even D would agree with my self-award.  Maybe he'll actually comment on my blog for the first time ever. :)

Adoption Article

This article on adoption is a difficult read.  When the adoption disruption for the Russian boy who was sent back to Russia alone happened, I started reading a blog of a mother who has one biological child and several adopted children from Haiti.  Many suffer from RAD (Reactive Attachment Disorder).  Reading her blog has been eye opening.  In fact, I am 99% sure she is Carol, the woman interview for this article. 

Avery & School

I love how much Avery loves to go to school.  She was asking to go to school as D and I were watching the end of the Brazil game on TV this morning.  I love that she pesters me to take her.  She's always happy to be left there and always happy when I pick her up.  She is, however, a bit more clingy on the evenings after she's been at school.  I have learned to get dinner mostly ready before I pick her up so that she and I can spend time cuddling immediately when we get home.  That makes the evenings go much more smoothly.    

Dance

Yesterday, we met Kerry & Lily (our neighbors from up the street) to do a drop-in dance class.  First we went to the playground in Laurelhurst Park for 30 minutes or so, then we went a little early to the class to watch the older girls do ballet.  When it came time to start dance class, Avery was so excited ... then the music started and she just froze.  She had a very concerned look on her face for a good 30 minutes.  She wouldn't dance, she wouldn't leave my side, she wouldn't do anything remotely resembling a child having a good time.  Finally, the teacher did an activity with scarves.  And just like that, Avery dropped all her reservations and started dancing and smiling and running around with the rest of the class.  I was a little surprised she was so hesitant, but even more surprised that the hesitation left all at once.  In fact, she loved it so much that she continued to dance after the class, even after I left the room to pay.  When I came back, I told her we needed to leave and she started bawling.  And it wasn't bawling like a tantrum as much it was sheer devastation that we were leaving.  We'll definitely be back for another class. I also really liked the teacher.  She was very good about talking to Avery even when Avery was scared.  She didn't coddle her, but wasn't scary, and was simply pitch perfect in her interaction with the kids.  It was impressive.   

Wednesday = Mommy/Daughter Date Day

On Wednesday, Avery and I went to see Wallace and Gromit for free.  Regal offers a Free Family Film Festival in the summers, which I didn't know about until Amber let me know about it.  Avery did very well in the movie.  She sat on my lap the entire movie without complaint and was interested the whole time.  She did ask for M&M's when the movie started, so I had to explain that we don't always buy candy and popcorn when we go to the theater, but she handled it well.

After the movie, we went to get sushi for lunch.  Avery LOVES raw salmon.  Loves. She cannot eat it fast enough.  In fact, she ate six pieces of salmon.  Every bite.  And did so with chopsticks.  Awesome.  I even took video because I was so proud.  I think because we had such a rough start with eating solids, I just burst from happiness that she is now a good eater.  She's still a toddler and has toddler-like moments related to eating, but for the most part, she'll try most things and eats a balanced diet without any pressuring from us.

Here's a video of sushi eating with chopsticks and of Avery after dance class. The video quality isn't the greatest.

Blah

Blah

That is what I feel like lately.  Just blah.  I managed to get a few key things done Monday morning, then spent the afternoon napping. We'll see what Tuesday has in store.  ... I wrote that earlier.  So far today has had me give up while shopping in Target, drive home, and fall asleep for three hours.  Nice.  I'm exhausted lately.  Maybe I'm storing up my reserves for Mexico. 

Freecycle

I decided to get the garage cleaned out of the items I've been accumulating for the purpose of giving away.  Instead of doing mass posts of all items at once, I am posting one or two items at a time.  That is making the process slower, of course, but also less chaotic.  So far I've gotten rid of a printer, a dresser, and a baby swing (with a broken motor).

My goal is to get the garage cleaned out such that the dogs can spend more time out there, weather permitting.  They're driving me crazy.  As I've lamented again and again, I was not meant to have a baby/toddler at the same time as large dogs and that's all there is to it.  It gives me little joy and that is not a good feeling. 

I have been marginally better at walking them daily, which helps the situation somewhat, but Eddie has still started to take on annoying old-man-dog traits: sitting at our feet panting, refusing to listen to where he should go lie down, and generally just being very needy and omnipresent.  Turtle is her usual wonderful self who blends into the background and, if given a daily walk, asks of nothing more.  But the hair.  Oh the hair.  Sigh.  Crap.  I've written yet another section on dog hair. 

Mother's Day

For Mother's Day yesterday, we met Nikki & Garrett & Grandma J (Nikki's mom) at a park for a picnic and swinging.  It struck me at some point how natural the interaction felt to me.  Nothing too weird about it.  I think Nikki & Grandma J deserve all the credit for that. This visit was a lot less anxiety provoking for me, which confirms my observation that I seem to get most anxious when the visits take place here. Not having to prepare the house, even if I don't do much to prepare, takes a load off.  

School

I called about our rate at Avery's school, which I was expecting to go down when she turned 2.5.  It turns out it goes down when the youngest child in her class turns 2.5.  This makes logical sense, but it definitely wasn't explained to me that way.  I was told it would go down in July.  The other thing I learned is this means she won't be in the same class as Lily.  Lily is a week older, but her mom will be  be paying the lower rate when she starts in June, which means that Lily must be one of the youngest in the class.  I can see about getting Avery transferred into one of the other classes, but she loves Teacher Theresa.  After thinking about this overnight, I'm just going to leave things the way they are.  She really likes TT and feels comfortable so lower price be damned!  She can still play with Lily during outdoor time.

Books

I finally finished Stones into Schools.  I think I preferred Three Cups of Tea, but that might have simply been because of the order in which I read them.  Both were excellent reads.  I should have listened to you earlier, Mom. :)

I bought and downloaded The Help last night after analyzing the other books bought by people who bought Three Cups of Tea.  Interestingly, the other book coming up as recommended for me is The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which was recommended at the last Yummy Group.  Perhaps that one will be next.

Adopted

"I adopted"

While we were in Colorado, Avery said, "I adopted" for the first time.  It was out of the blue.  I hadn't mentioned adoption in quite some time.  We don't avoid the topic, obviously; I'm just noting it wasn't a topic of conversation in the previous days.  She said it again while we were driving back from visiting my brother and his family in Wyoming.  Then she asked to hear the story.  I've told her the story of how we became a family probably ten times in her life, mostly while walking the dogs.  So I told her the story again.  She was in her car seat and hugged herself tightly at the end with a big smile on her face.  I know as she gets older, and we talk about the subject of her adoption, that smile won't necessarily always be there.  That's difficult for me to think about, for Avery's sake, not for mine.

It hit me with a thud when she said it, not because of the topic, but because it was a sudden realization that she's becoming aware of the concept.  Am I prepared to answer all of her questions, and to specifically talk her adoption?  I think so.  We talk about adoption a fair amount, not as it relates to Avery, but in general.  We also talk about her birth family a lot.  Typing that sentence made me realize I needed to reach out to Nikki again, so I just sent her a long email with dates we are available for a visit.  Nikki has started working, so she doesn't have as much free time.  She does get on Facebook occasionally, so that is another way we can stay in touch.

Much Better Reentry

You know how I always lament how difficult it is for me to return from vacation?  Not this time!  I had zero reentry problems.  I think the main difference was that Avery went to school yesterday, giving me the chance to get all of our stuff unpacked and get the house back into a state of clean such that we can get back on our routine. 

Dogs

Rachele's dad watched the dogs for us while both the G's and we were in Colorado (grammar experts: did I get the grammar correct in that sentence?  I'm curious, but unsure.  I know I could word it better, but is it grammatically correct?)  He made this great video of their stay at his house. 

Search in blog

I don't have this blog listed publicly.  I don't mind that some people read it whom I don't know personally, having clicked over from the blogs of various friends, but I don't see the point in listing it publicly, especially since it's such a daily log blog.  Anyway, Blogger has this bug where if you don't list your blog publicly, the search functionality for the blog doesn't work.  It used to, but has been broken for a couple of years now.  I often use my blog to look up when something happened with Avery or other things, so not having this search functionality work sucks.  However, today I discovered that if I use the search functionality on the Edit Posts page, it works great!

New labs in gmail: preview and label hierarchy

For those who use gmail, they released two new labs that I particularly like.  First, you can install message preview that shows a preview of a message you right click on.  Handy.

Second, you can install the ability to create a label hierarchy.  Sweet!

Lots

Dylan!
The newest member of our family has arrived. A huge welcome to Dylan! Avery's cousin is the son of my brother and his wife. He was born via c-section yesterday around 9 PM and weighed in at 8 lb 12 oz and is 21" long. I still haven't seen a picture yet, but I understand he has a little bit of dark hair. I just added Dylan's BD to my Google calendar and set it to repeat yearly as I do with all BD's. There's something so satisfying about adding a new birthday.


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Livestrong Challenge
In other news, D will be running in the 2008 LIVESTRONG Challenge this weekend. He is hoping to raise money for a good cause, so if you are able to spare a few bucks, please donate! Here's the message he sent out via Facebook:

Partly as a result of my new found passion for running as a result of the fat loss competition at work, and partly because it’s a great cause, I have signed up at the last minute to run in the Livestrong Challenge 5K at the Nike campus this weekend. Apart from being another great run, this event is designed to raise awareness and funds to help fight cancer and support the people undergoing treatment.

As many of you know, when I was 18 I was diagnosed with cancer and spent 9 months of my life enduring surgery, in-patient chemotherapy, out-patient chemotherapy, incredible nausea, hair loss, weight loss and yet more surgery. Needless to say, it was not a fun time, especially at a point in my life when I was supposed to be partying hard…don’t worry, I made up for it later. The good news is that I survived and have been cancer free for over 20 years. As the doctors kept telling me at the time, if I’d been diagnosed even 10 years earlier I would have died because the treatments that saved me didn’t exist back then. Since I got sick, treatments have improved even more, but still far too many people die from cancer and endure some fairly horrendous and invasive procedures, including way too many children.

So, if you have a few extra bucks this month and are looking for a good cause, please click on the link below to sponsor me in the run and donate to the Lance Armstrong Livestrong Foundation.

Donate

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Meme
I have been tagged for my first meme! I have done many a meme in my time, but I have never been tagged for it via my blog. I am officially part of the blogosphere! Thanks, Christie! So, without further ado, I present to you 6 random things about me:

1. I am particular about my feet. I absolutely cannot wear socks to bed, but I must wear socks in my house at all other times. I cannot stand to have dirty feet. If I get them dirty, I spend the entire time thinking about how and when I will be able to clean them. I don't like to have long toenails. In fact, I prefer to have very short toenails. This presents a problem during the summer months and/or vacations in hot climates as I try to look a bit more presentable in terms of my feet and paint my toenails, however, stubby toenails are not attractive. So I actually have to work at growing out my toenails. I also cannot walk barefoot or in just socks for any period of time. I need arch supports and they must be good. Even my slippers have arch supports. I have been known to wash my feet several times a day during the summer sandal wearing season.
   
2. When I was in second grade, I decided that my book collection was too disorderly. Not aware yet that the Dewey Decimal system existed, I set about numbering my books. I took pieces of paper and, with my grandmother's help, numbered my 100+ books. I taped the number to the side of each book and then lined them up in my bookcase. A few years later, not yet aware of the Readers' Guide to Periodicals, I set about writing down and cross-referencing each topic listed on the side of each of our National Geographic magazines. We had about 10 feet of these magazines if you lined them, so I'm not sure how many years worth that was. I thought this was a perfectly dandy summer activity, but I do remember my friend asking if we could do something else and me just sitting at my little table writing down each of the topics for each magazine on the proper index cards.
   
3. It was around the time I was in fifth grade when the Lebanon Hostage Crisis was going on. I clearly remember thinking how difficult it must be to be a hostage because I was sure that it was quite dry in the Middle East and I was also quite sure that the hostage takers wouldn't give their hostages lotion. That they could be tortured was of little concern to me, but that they might not be given lotion in such a dry climate was absolutely unbearable for me to think about. Obviously, growing up in dry, dry Colorado took its toll on me.
   
4. I almost never watch the local TV news. My life rocks as a result.
   
5. I have gotten better sleep in the past six months with Avery than I did for the previous 2-4 years before her. I also have more energy since having her, and I'm much neater in the house. It's like being a parent has had the opposite effect on me.
   
6. I'm almost always cold. I need a sweater in 70 degree weather. The thought of going into a movie theater at any time of year in shorts or a short-sleeved shirt is absurd to me. I also get very cold immediately after I start eating (which is likely due to the blood rushing to my stomach). I rarely go into a restaurant without a sweater. The only time I am ever hot is when I am lying in bed and then I'm roasting. There is something that happens to my body temperature when I lay down to go to sleep, but if I'm just laying down, I'm cold. It has to be to sleep.
   

Clearly, I am a very complicated person. As I tell D when he's just about had it with my quirks, "If you think you're annoyed listening to my quirks, just trying BEING me!" That usually shuts him up, though mostly just so he can stew about what a weirdo he married.

Since I don't know that many people who blog, I am not going to tag anyone. That must be #7 - I make up my own rules!

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Passport
So, if you're wondering whether a court order and an official adoption certificate can get a passport for a baby, the answer would be a big fat no. After waiting in line for about 30 minutes, and reading carefully all the instructions, it turns out we cannot get Avery a passport until we have her birth certificate. When you adopt a child, the state reissues a new birth certificate once the adoption is finalized, so we have never had a birth certificate for her. We thought the court order granting us permission to get a passport was sufficient, but apparently judges and lawyers know nothing and the postal clerk knows all. We also thought that since we have a court order granting us permission, and it just says you need a birth certificate OR proof of citizenship, that proving she was born in the US would be enough. Nope. You need a birth certificate.

Anyway, this could very well put a damper on our England trip. So, in summary here's the status:

• We cannot apply for her passport until we have her birth certificate
• We got a letter with her adoption finalization papers that said the birth certificate would be sent in about three months, but I recall them telling me the state was backlogged by five months - if it's five months, we'll have to cancel our trip to England I will be a seething ball of rage at the stupidity of this situation
  
• Then there's the delay in getting the passport, so regardless of when we get the birth certificate, we'll have to pay for the expedited service