she has a beautiful smile!

 We've finally seen our little one's smile and it is beautiful.  There is light in her eyes and joy in her life.  She is loved.  And she is gorgeous.  And I want her home.  Now.  Yesterday.  Last week.  SOON.  She is happy and healthy and not growing.  Ha!  Actually, for a child with dwarfism, it's not unexpected.  You can see in the picture of her and her foster mom just how short her little legs are - I'm thinking that I may need to do some more contemplating before I decide what clothes to take with us to China!  But oh what a lovely dilemma!  Not long now!

falling down

Last weekend, Carter and his Big Wheel took a pretty big spill.  It was a rollover accident initiated by an over the shoulder look to see if his brother was still closing on him.  Never look back.  One bloody nose, a split lip, scrapes on both cheeks, and a gash on his forehead later, I'm pretty sure he's clear on that rule!  He was pretty shaken up when it happened, but some Dinosaur Train and ibuprofen and a few hours were all it took to set him right again. 

I also feel a lot like I've been falling down lately -- not so much in the literal sense like Carter has, but in a more figurative sense.  I'm pretty sure I've been mired down in what seemed to be an interminable wait for our LOA/LSC.  And I know I wasn't getting enough exercise.  We have the LOA/LSC and I've been getting out to walk a couple of miles a few times a week.  I think both have helped, and I'm hoping to be back on my game soon.  And the darn crochet.  I can always blame that. 

extra! extra! read all about it!

I had a post for today, but I'd like to interrupt my regularly scheduled promise to blog more often/excuse why I don't to scream from the rooftops that WE GOT OUR LOA/LSC!!!!!!!  Saying many prayers of thanksgiving today! 

You can read more about it on my adoption blog here. 

I'll be back in the next couple of days for that promise/excuse post like I promised.  Ha ha haaaaa.  I crack myself up.

feelings...whoa-oh-oh...feelings

It's not so much the darn crochet keeping me away from my blog these days.  It's feelings.  I'm having a lot of them. 

First of all, I'm just not feeling particularly bloggy.  I'm feeling like there aren't many blogworthy things happening in life right now.  That's not to say that we aren't having everyday adventures or that I'm not perfectly content with daily goings on that aren't blogworthy.  We are and I am.  They're just not anything to write home about. 

Secondly, I'm a bit mired down in what feels like an eternal wait for this next step in our adoption process.  We're waiting on our LOA/LSC (letter of acceptance/letter seeking confirmation).  This is the "arbitrary" step in our process and although our overall length of wait from start to now is much shorter than our other adoptions, it's feeling a lot like it's just dragging and dragging - maybe because it was *supposed to* be so quick?  We are still in the range of "normal" on this step, although more and more people are getting their LOAs at about 40 days waiting and we are on day 80+.  Waiting with an end in sight is one thing.  Waiting when you have no idea how long you're waiting is a lot more difficult - at least to me.  I know there will be an end eventually, but it's killing me not to know when that is.  I would liken it to being eight months pregnant and having no idea at all when your due date is.  Could be next week or maybe two months from now. 

Thirdly, I've been doing a lot of nesting when I'm not busy bemoaning our ridiculous seeming wait.  It's good - it's a lot of purging that should have been done long ago.  It's leaving me wishing that I had more hours in the day and a few less kids to keep track of, though.  I'd love a staycation sans kids right now where I could just let loose on the accumulated clutter and paperwork that have been amassed around this house for a long, long time. 

So those are my three valid excuses for not blogging more often.  I have about a hundred far less valid reasons for not blogging lately, but they're not much worth mentioning here.  I'm going to try to be better about blogging - I really try hard not to have regrets in life, and I know that not blogging will probably be something I regret later on so I am really going to try.

take it off. take it alllllll off.

*Well now, let the record show that I actually wrote AND POSTED THIS on August 30.  It showed me that it posted and I saw it posted and now today I came to write a little diatribe bloggy note, and there was nothing here since "Salmon eye".  Really???  So here it is, but please know that I've not be as neglectful as it may seem.  Nearly so, but not quite.*

Yep.  Here I am not quite three weeks later thinking "has it really been almost three weeks since I posted to the blog?!"  It has, of course.  Time marches on relentlessly in all aspects of life including this one.  A lot has happened in those three weeks.  Some of it has kept me from blogging.  Some of it is the darn crochet.  Some of it is the lack of ability to string together a coherent group of thoughts after spending the summer with several young children....wait, group?...how about lack of ability to string together A coherent thought?!  Some of it is probably laziness.

In any case, on August 17 we trekked to the orthopedic surgeon to have Carter's cast off and get new x-rays.  I was a little worried about how the removal would go.  Kailin jumped in and told Carter that her friend had her cast removed and it tickled.  I wasn't sure that she was as convincing as she needed to be.  The nurse assured him that it wouldn't hurt.  I wasn't really sure that she was as convincing as she needed to be.  I assured him that it wouldn't hurt and prayed that the words of mama would be enough to convince him that it wouldn't hurt and to magically allay any fear of a very loud saw proceeding directly toward his arm.  For whatever reason, Carter wasn't scared.  At all.  In fact, he was.....amused.  He giggled through the saw part and looked on with intrigue when the nurse pulled out an instrument to help her get the cast off.  

He was a little trepidatious about how it looked when the cast and the liner came off.  He said it hurt.  I believed him, but wondered if it was "suture shock" more than actual pain.

 Carter had some x-rays taken and then we waited for the doctor to come in.  Great news - Carter's bone was completely healed!  There was some discussion of a short arm cast for a few weeks, but in the end, Dr. Black felt we could go to just a splint.  HOOOOORAYYYYYYY!!!!!!!  Time for a BATH!

The doctor left and said the "splint fitter" would be in.  The nurse removed the steri strips and with a little alcohol, the remainder of the sutures came right off.  The pain went away.  I was very relieved!

There was a little touch and go when the "splint fitter" came in and said they didn't have a splint for what the Dr. wanted and I was sure we were going to end up in a short arm cast, but we were able to find something that Dr. and nurse approved of and we walked out with a stylin' Peanuts splint and an appointment in 4 weeks when we might be splint free! 

Dr. Black said he doesn't think that Carter will need P/T at all.  That would be awesome!  One plate and five screws and we're good to go! 

The nurse made it quite clear that we were welcome to take Carter's cast with us.  Kailin urged him to take her up on her offer.  I silently prayed that he didn't want the thing - it was smelly and really, what on earth are we going to do with a cast?  Put it in a bag to control the stink and then?????  Carter said he didn't want his "cass".  I thanked the Lord.  BOTH of my older kids implored him to reconsider, "But Carter....you will NEVER see it again.  It will be ALLLLL GONE they plead.  You should take it home!"  HUH?!?!  NO!!!!!  Thankfully my prayer remained answered and we bid the cast adieu and off we went.