Yeah I'm not in the mood.....maybe I'll blog about that tomorrow before work, but let's just say I'm glad the day is over.
On a happier note, I figured I"d write down Tigger's words she spontaneously says appropriately and in the right context as well as some phrases I do a double take on....it's mainly jargon, but I swear they sound like the phrases I will write
True words she can say
Mami/Mama
Mimi (means sleep)
Daisy (my dog)
Luz (light in Spanish)
baby
'mer (comer--eat in Spanish)
no
manos (hands in Spanish)
'patos (zapatos--shoes in Spanish)
book
Yay!
Ya (all done Spanish)
Mas (more Spanish)
doggie
bye
phrases I swear I hear, but it's not constant and I have no idea how!
No quiero (I don't want to in Spanish)
este mio (this one is mine in Spanish)
I like this
stop it
pon alla (put it there in Spanish)
True phrases
ya! bye!
doggie woof woof
Comprehension:
points to pictures
in love with and can point out a dog, frog, sheep, horse
can identify eyes, nose, mouth, ears, head, hair, hands, feet when I ask in Spanish on her body.
Responds and says her real name (not Tigger lol)
And then a whole mess of jargon day in and day out....with expected responses from me, so my mind is slightly boggled at this moment
she used to say Nariz (nose in Spanish) but I haven't heard it in a long time.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Brothers & Sisters tackling foster/adoption theme
That being said last Sunday when Scotty and Kevin (Kevin being one of the Walker family members and his husband) were doing the parenting classes for the fost/adopt program in Los Angeles county and then attend an adoption fair where they promptly fall in love with a girl who is extremely friendly and over the top nice to them, I don't get that "awwwww" moment. I got the antenna moment where my brain is screaming "RAD alert" (RAD= Reactive Attachment Disorder). It seems as though Kevin and Scotty are going to rate her in the adoption fair as who they were compatible with and I was left wondering if that was going to be all there was "to it" or would they even show a kid that was having even some attachment issues.
While I don't think it will be to the extreme, I am curious to see how this will play out....I just saw some sneak peaks into a future episode called "choosing a date" that may show this girl as actually acting out when first visiting/placed.
What do you all think? check out these clips....I wish I could find them without the stupid advertisements before the actual clip, but try to hang in there over into the clips. Remember while I couldn't find a clip of the adoption fair, this girl "Olivia" was very sweet, charismatic, and melted their hearts.
Now watch this: Meeting at the adoption SW office
And then this: Asking advice for sneaking a boy in
Ok so it's TV and media, it won't show everything, but at least I"m glad that they showed the "happy child" when first meeting and then obvious change in behavior even if it's minor compared to what can actually happen and the adjustment factor.
Remember this is also the TV show that did a domestic infant transracial adoption with Kitty and Robert without any indication of paperwork signing, counseling, or social workers so should be interesting to watch how this plays out.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Reality bites! But I'm not really complaining!
Well today was Tigger's first well baby check-up with the new Pediatrician under my insurance. The great thing is that because it was a visit for a well baby, I didn't have to pay the co-pay, woohoo....I was like yeah just like old times (one positive during the time before finalization, Tigger had medical and I never had to pay for Dr. visits or medicine). However, as we were talking and going over medical records and I was discussing some doubt as to whether or not recent coughing was asthmatic in nature, the new Dr. did prescribe out preventative medicine and an air chamber vent, as well as a visit next month to follow up and see if Tigger continues to persist in her asthmatic cough. Then I went to pay for the medicine inhaler and air chamber vent....um $120.....whooeeeee, well yay for insurance boo that I still had to pay ten million dollars for this beginning set of preventative care. I had forgotten how expensive it can be to need certain medicines. Well we started using it tonight....thank goodness she likes it better than the dang nebulizer we had to use all winter long last year. I hope this works and I can feel peace of mind.
In other news, from the 12 month well baby check-up (which her well baby is always a month later so for her about 13 mo) she measured in at 29 3/4 inches.....fast forward now to the 15 month (she just turned 17 months) well baby check-up.....33 inches tall boosting her up in the percentile....the "bad" news? she still weighs the same as she did at the 12 month well baby check-up, plummeting her on the downward percentile path for weight....ugh I hate that, this is the ONE area where you really pray they are average because if not, then you get the lecture on food and nutrition (as if I didn't already know she needs to add more fat to her diet after the whole allergy to milk thing came to light)....this happens if a baby is to chunky or if a baby is too skinny, so yeah Tigger is on the outskirts of "typical" in both height and weight for now. Let's see what happens later on. So of course, I should be expecting a call from a nutritionist as the insurance I have is really big into "preventative" care so I'll be waiting for that phone call on how better to "fatten up" my Tigger.
So welcome to complete motherhood, empty pocketbook and new things to perseverate on (in a healthy way of course). At least Tigger rocked it out in her skinny jeans that her Aunt from FL sent her for Christmas. Girl will not cease to be fashionable.
In other news, from the 12 month well baby check-up (which her well baby is always a month later so for her about 13 mo) she measured in at 29 3/4 inches.....fast forward now to the 15 month (she just turned 17 months) well baby check-up.....33 inches tall boosting her up in the percentile....the "bad" news? she still weighs the same as she did at the 12 month well baby check-up, plummeting her on the downward percentile path for weight....ugh I hate that, this is the ONE area where you really pray they are average because if not, then you get the lecture on food and nutrition (as if I didn't already know she needs to add more fat to her diet after the whole allergy to milk thing came to light)....this happens if a baby is to chunky or if a baby is too skinny, so yeah Tigger is on the outskirts of "typical" in both height and weight for now. Let's see what happens later on. So of course, I should be expecting a call from a nutritionist as the insurance I have is really big into "preventative" care so I'll be waiting for that phone call on how better to "fatten up" my Tigger.
So welcome to complete motherhood, empty pocketbook and new things to perseverate on (in a healthy way of course). At least Tigger rocked it out in her skinny jeans that her Aunt from FL sent her for Christmas. Girl will not cease to be fashionable.
New beginnings
Well yesterday we started our life back to routine after that wonderful Christmas vacation! There's something magical about the holidays and something just so mundane about going back to work.
When I dropped Tigger off yesterday her lip was a pout, but she was a trooper and did not cry when I left her at her daycare. Today we have her overdue 15 month well baby check up. Why are we overdue? sigh because her adoption finalized right before her 15 month was due (she's about a month behind on her appointment due to when she started getting shots) and then I had to switch her to my insurance which her previous pediatrician didn't take and then I had to look up a new Doctor and well, that's just life so finally today, she will have her well baby check-up and hopefully I like the new Doctor. I don't like switching Doctors, but it is what it is and I hope this one is a good one!
I also have some personal goals at work to do this coming year. I volunteered to work on a project yesterday...not quite sure why, well I know why, but I usually shy away from things like that because it reminds me too much of graduate school and I still have the feeling of "getting away" from graduate school and anything that may remotely remind me of it. But it's time to be more involved at work than what I am already so this will be a good thing.
I have personal goals as well. I don't call them resolutions, I call them personal goals. One of them is to shy away from the computer more as there is more to life and organization in my home than just sitting in front of the computer searching about nothing and playing games. Will I still come on to relax? sure, but maybe not as often.
I hope that as the first week of 2011 continues, you all have some direction as to where you want to take your life to.
When I dropped Tigger off yesterday her lip was a pout, but she was a trooper and did not cry when I left her at her daycare. Today we have her overdue 15 month well baby check up. Why are we overdue? sigh because her adoption finalized right before her 15 month was due (she's about a month behind on her appointment due to when she started getting shots) and then I had to switch her to my insurance which her previous pediatrician didn't take and then I had to look up a new Doctor and well, that's just life so finally today, she will have her well baby check-up and hopefully I like the new Doctor. I don't like switching Doctors, but it is what it is and I hope this one is a good one!
I also have some personal goals at work to do this coming year. I volunteered to work on a project yesterday...not quite sure why, well I know why, but I usually shy away from things like that because it reminds me too much of graduate school and I still have the feeling of "getting away" from graduate school and anything that may remotely remind me of it. But it's time to be more involved at work than what I am already so this will be a good thing.
I have personal goals as well. I don't call them resolutions, I call them personal goals. One of them is to shy away from the computer more as there is more to life and organization in my home than just sitting in front of the computer searching about nothing and playing games. Will I still come on to relax? sure, but maybe not as often.
I hope that as the first week of 2011 continues, you all have some direction as to where you want to take your life to.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Hmmmmmm!!!!!!!
Well I guess it was bound to happen some time or another but at this time last year well a year and some weeks ago, I had beautiful long hair with some highlights in it, a year ago I had a cute a-line bob with diminishing highlights....this year, I have a sassy short hair cut AND gray hair? What on earth? I know I had highlights in my hair and growing out highlights but I'm pretty sure I did not have gray hair at all last year.
Granted, I know fost/adopt programs can bring out stress or bring inner turmoil, but really? I thought I had handled it ok. Maybe not. I'd blame it on heredity but neither my mom nor my dad started with their gray hairs until almost 50....even now, my dad's hair is half gray and half brown, but because he has such a head of hair on him, you can see the gray but it's not overpoweing. My mom? well you still have to dig and look through to find her strands. So yeah I think it was brought on by stress I guess. My my, I guess I will have to either make do with it or do highlights again so it won't become a focal point. I'm way too young to have gray hair don't you think?
Granted, I know fost/adopt programs can bring out stress or bring inner turmoil, but really? I thought I had handled it ok. Maybe not. I'd blame it on heredity but neither my mom nor my dad started with their gray hairs until almost 50....even now, my dad's hair is half gray and half brown, but because he has such a head of hair on him, you can see the gray but it's not overpoweing. My mom? well you still have to dig and look through to find her strands. So yeah I think it was brought on by stress I guess. My my, I guess I will have to either make do with it or do highlights again so it won't become a focal point. I'm way too young to have gray hair don't you think?
Friday, December 31, 2010
The year in a quick summary
Happy New Year everyone. I know it's only New Year's Eve, but since I'll be out of commission for the weekend, wanted to bestow wishes to you all!
This year has been amazing, tough, eye-opening, and just all around great. Let's review shall we?
Jan....Tigger had only been with me about 2 weeks or so, I was still getting used to her, anxious and nervous about everything and I ended up in the ER due to not eating well and my electrolytes (ok Potassium) going out of wack making me not able to move....
Feb....Court had a .26 hearing and terminated parental rights on Tigger's bparents. Tigger sits independently
March....Getting used to a work schedule and infant schedule all by myself after going back to work.
April....glad for a break, family from NJ came down to meet Tigger. 60 day appeal period over from TPR.
May....found out there was a paperwork error and so finalization of Tigger would have to wait. My 32nd Birthday! Tigger crawls.
June.....decided not to work summer school for the first time in 7 years so I could spend 10 weeks home with Tigger....money was a wee bit tight but oh so worth it.
July....My grandpa and step-grandma came to meet Tigger and stayed for a few weeks....Tigger loves her great grandpa! Tigger's birthday, an awesome 1st birthday bash leaving me tired! oh yes and visitors from TX with trips to museums and the zoo...much fun was had by all...Tigger pulls to stand.
August....Great-Grandpa still around and just hanging out enjoying our time together
Sept....the start of another [school] year, Tigger has problems with transitioning to the toddler room at daycare
Oct....we decide to let Tigger mature a bit and leave her in the infant room for a few more weeks with transition to the toddler room going slowly, Tigger walks Halloween weekend.
Nov....transition finally takes place and Tigger begins to enjoy the toddler room at daycare. Finalization happens on National Adoption Day! woo hoo
Dec....Tigger and I enjoy some beginning traditions and have a way better Christmas season than last year! While Tigger will always be my Christmas baby, that first year was tough with transitions and Tigger getting used to me and my family.
I hope your year was great. I wish for a wonderful new 2011 year for all of you! Filled with growth, love, maturing, and peace.
Love,
DannieA and Tigger
This year has been amazing, tough, eye-opening, and just all around great. Let's review shall we?
Jan....Tigger had only been with me about 2 weeks or so, I was still getting used to her, anxious and nervous about everything and I ended up in the ER due to not eating well and my electrolytes (ok Potassium) going out of wack making me not able to move....
Feb....Court had a .26 hearing and terminated parental rights on Tigger's bparents. Tigger sits independently
March....Getting used to a work schedule and infant schedule all by myself after going back to work.
April....glad for a break, family from NJ came down to meet Tigger. 60 day appeal period over from TPR.
May....found out there was a paperwork error and so finalization of Tigger would have to wait. My 32nd Birthday! Tigger crawls.
June.....decided not to work summer school for the first time in 7 years so I could spend 10 weeks home with Tigger....money was a wee bit tight but oh so worth it.
July....My grandpa and step-grandma came to meet Tigger and stayed for a few weeks....Tigger loves her great grandpa! Tigger's birthday, an awesome 1st birthday bash leaving me tired! oh yes and visitors from TX with trips to museums and the zoo...much fun was had by all...Tigger pulls to stand.
August....Great-Grandpa still around and just hanging out enjoying our time together
Sept....the start of another [school] year, Tigger has problems with transitioning to the toddler room at daycare
Oct....we decide to let Tigger mature a bit and leave her in the infant room for a few more weeks with transition to the toddler room going slowly, Tigger walks Halloween weekend.
Nov....transition finally takes place and Tigger begins to enjoy the toddler room at daycare. Finalization happens on National Adoption Day! woo hoo
Dec....Tigger and I enjoy some beginning traditions and have a way better Christmas season than last year! While Tigger will always be my Christmas baby, that first year was tough with transitions and Tigger getting used to me and my family.
I hope your year was great. I wish for a wonderful new 2011 year for all of you! Filled with growth, love, maturing, and peace.
Love,
DannieA and Tigger
Thursday, December 30, 2010
I totally need therapy!!!!!
I have some good adoption and [our] family life updates/posts coming up, however, this is another "out there" posts from me.
I don't know why, maybe it's due to resorting to creativity and fantasy world living because I was an only child growing up and that was how I spent my days playing in my room or maybe it's just because I'm crazy but I really get into my 'dramas'. If I'm reading a book series, I become the characters or I get so involved it's like they are family to me. Yes I know, I'm looking up psychologists in the yellow pages as we speak.
When I was growing up, I fell into the world of "little house on the prairie"....I figuratively fell into the TV box and was part of the family. I made up my own character, when I wasn't watching the show my mind thought up scenes in my head where I spent afternoons in, just living the life I saw in that show. In my room, I played in my fantasy world of 'little house on the prairie' and I saved people, I was hurt, I was found, you name it, I acted it out or at least thought about how I would write myself in and I pretended I was a part of that family to the exclusion of my own. (I did say I needed therapy right?!)
I did this with reruns of the old Batman and Robin series (you know, Adam West and Burt Ward who happens to be neighbors with my co-worker....freaky). I was catwoman. I fell in love with batman, I did the moves (of course it was easy with the um balloon words "pow" "shazaam" going on), I still am catwoman sometimes, she's just awesome!
In college it was 'The X-files'. Oh my word. I was Dana Katherine Scully, I was in love with Agent Mulder, I dreamt about them though I shouldn't get into detail as minors may read this (although the more recent news of him checking into rehab for sex addiction kind of killed it), I wanted to kill Tea Leoni for marrying David Duchovny, my friend and I devised a plan for how to get David Duchovny to fall in love with me and leave his wife (did I mention I needed therapy?) and oh let's not forget college where my friend and I (and her brother) filmed an "x-file " episode and I was Agent Scully. I even cut my hair like her and yes friends as bad as it is to admit it, I constructed an entire scrapbook devoted to the "x-files"....it sits in my album/scrapbook rack. Oh yes and because in the very first episode, the pilot episode Agent Mulder painted X's on the road where "strange" occurrences happened, my friend and I bought red spray paint and went out around town to spray paint X's on the road too. That was the night we got chased by the police I think and we ran, but to be honest I didn't know it was the police that was after us...thank goodness he bought that story...I so thought we were going to be arrested!
I was into "without a trace" "cold case" and I am Brenda Leigh Johnson of the LAPD from "the closer", let's face it her hubby on the show "Fritzy" is one fine looking specimen of the male gender.
However, now I'm agonizing with "Fringe". I just saw the last new episode from a couple of weeks back on the dvr tonight and while for the most part I'm not a shipper fan....last time was x-files, this season is killing me with Peter and Olivia. I just want them together already....without distractions of the alternate Olivia who now has totally built a wedge in Peter and Olivia's budding feelings for each other....oh and the way it ended just made me sad. This my friends is agony in the fantasy world. I don't know if this is a good thing or not, but I've suffered through this since childhood and while I know these are TV shows that end eventually, I really get caught up in the storyline and build my own with it...how weird is that? The most heartbreaking ending to a 'drama' episode...see it here!
One good thing that has come from this is that I can write creative blips here and there. Not so much for blogging per say, but for things that need wit, such as church items like "reader's theatre". I've written them for church and for family Christmas gatherings (cousin's readers theatre is usually present), and I love it. It's fun to delve into fantasy land and come up with lines of a story sometimes. But one should come back and not be so into the fantasy life that it takes over one's whole world!
I don't know why, maybe it's due to resorting to creativity and fantasy world living because I was an only child growing up and that was how I spent my days playing in my room or maybe it's just because I'm crazy but I really get into my 'dramas'. If I'm reading a book series, I become the characters or I get so involved it's like they are family to me. Yes I know, I'm looking up psychologists in the yellow pages as we speak.
When I was growing up, I fell into the world of "little house on the prairie"....I figuratively fell into the TV box and was part of the family. I made up my own character, when I wasn't watching the show my mind thought up scenes in my head where I spent afternoons in, just living the life I saw in that show. In my room, I played in my fantasy world of 'little house on the prairie' and I saved people, I was hurt, I was found, you name it, I acted it out or at least thought about how I would write myself in and I pretended I was a part of that family to the exclusion of my own. (I did say I needed therapy right?!)
I did this with reruns of the old Batman and Robin series (you know, Adam West and Burt Ward who happens to be neighbors with my co-worker....freaky). I was catwoman. I fell in love with batman, I did the moves (of course it was easy with the um balloon words "pow" "shazaam" going on), I still am catwoman sometimes, she's just awesome!
In college it was 'The X-files'. Oh my word. I was Dana Katherine Scully, I was in love with Agent Mulder, I dreamt about them though I shouldn't get into detail as minors may read this (although the more recent news of him checking into rehab for sex addiction kind of killed it), I wanted to kill Tea Leoni for marrying David Duchovny, my friend and I devised a plan for how to get David Duchovny to fall in love with me and leave his wife (did I mention I needed therapy?) and oh let's not forget college where my friend and I (and her brother) filmed an "x-file " episode and I was Agent Scully. I even cut my hair like her and yes friends as bad as it is to admit it, I constructed an entire scrapbook devoted to the "x-files"....it sits in my album/scrapbook rack. Oh yes and because in the very first episode, the pilot episode Agent Mulder painted X's on the road where "strange" occurrences happened, my friend and I bought red spray paint and went out around town to spray paint X's on the road too. That was the night we got chased by the police I think and we ran, but to be honest I didn't know it was the police that was after us...thank goodness he bought that story...I so thought we were going to be arrested!
I was into "without a trace" "cold case" and I am Brenda Leigh Johnson of the LAPD from "the closer", let's face it her hubby on the show "Fritzy" is one fine looking specimen of the male gender.
However, now I'm agonizing with "Fringe". I just saw the last new episode from a couple of weeks back on the dvr tonight and while for the most part I'm not a shipper fan....last time was x-files, this season is killing me with Peter and Olivia. I just want them together already....without distractions of the alternate Olivia who now has totally built a wedge in Peter and Olivia's budding feelings for each other....oh and the way it ended just made me sad. This my friends is agony in the fantasy world. I don't know if this is a good thing or not, but I've suffered through this since childhood and while I know these are TV shows that end eventually, I really get caught up in the storyline and build my own with it...how weird is that? The most heartbreaking ending to a 'drama' episode...see it here!
One good thing that has come from this is that I can write creative blips here and there. Not so much for blogging per say, but for things that need wit, such as church items like "reader's theatre". I've written them for church and for family Christmas gatherings (cousin's readers theatre is usually present), and I love it. It's fun to delve into fantasy land and come up with lines of a story sometimes. But one should come back and not be so into the fantasy life that it takes over one's whole world!
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