Names

(Blogger won't let me add a photo today)


Learning our names has been the big challenge lately.

I've made the spelling of G's name into a song and we sing it all.the.time.  He loves it.  Mumbles through the beginning and shouts out the last letters.  That beginning part - just not interested in learning it.

We've talked about our last name, and how we share it because we're a family.

We've talked about G's middle name, and how - with all 3 names together - that makes his "Big Name."

Talk talk talk.  Still, if you ask him his name, it's anyone's guess how he might respond.  Sometimes he'll say "Four."  He may shout out the last letters.  He may just give you his whole Big Name.

Yesterday we were driving & talking about God.  G wanted to know: "Waz God's Big Name?"

 I guess I don't know everything either.

Aspiration

I bought myself a Mother's Day card this year because it said this:

Wouldn't it be nice if one of my sons looked at that card some day and thought, "Wow.  That one TOTALLY describes my mom!"


I'm not there yet.

Designs

Joseph has been at it again.

Each time he finishes one, we admire it...

...what's unique about this one; what didn't work so well; what style it has.

Someone has been watching....

"You like dis one Mama?"

"Which one you favorite?"

"I like dis one. Das my favorite."

"G.  These are beautiful."

Inappropriate Adoption Question #42

The boys & I were at a fundraiser yesterday.

One of the volunteers was especially interested in G.

We were playing ball across the field and she called over to us:


"G.  Is that his real name?"


I looked at her.  She continued:


"... you know, his real name since the beginning..."

That was a new one.

Eye Update

I forgot to mention that, with all we did yesterday, I also made it into work for two hours (thus preserving some of that precious vacation time).  Yay!

I also didn't update you on the eye...

At last week's appointment, one doctor turned to me and slowly emphasized:

"I hope you know... that for the type of injury he had... for the severity of the situation... he is VERY LUCKY."

At yesterday's appointment, we had some disappointing news.  The "debris" that remains in G's eye is sometimes floating & blocking his vision.  His vision has worsened, and I'll need to buy new glasses.  We'll be starting to patch the good eye so that the injured eye is forced to work & strengthen.

I asked this doctor about her concerns with these problems.

She corrected me: "I am not worried about these problems.  Given what his injury was, these are wonderful problems to be dealing with."

Grateful to hear those words.

Vacation Time

G's eye injury is killing my vacation time.  I'm limited in the number of days off work that I'm allowed to take.  Each time I have to drive G to an appointment, more of my vacation time slips through my fingers.  I am very careful about conserving whatever time I can.

Except for today.

We drove to the hospital

and it was a beautiful day

and the zoo wasn't far away

and...

Finally. Some vacation time spent on FUN.




Complete with ice cream.

Besides - Joseph & I have a bucket list of things to do before he goes to college, and ZOO was on the list - so it wasn't just "blowing vacation time," it was "accomplishing a goal."

"Go out to breakfast" is also on the list.  I told Joseph that our morning stop at McDs qualified us to check that item off.  He didn't buy that :)

I appreciated today.

Thanks for stopping by. Sorry I haven't written. Again.

Since I am in a writing slump, I'll give you something else worth reading here.  I'd be interested to hear your reaction to it.

And I'll give you something sweet to look at:

I do have things to write - for example, the time that our neighbor boy "Jacob" made me scream.  Maybe tomorrow....

Direction

Sorry I've been absent.  I've been a little too harried to blog.  I'm guessing you've been a little too harried to read.  Tis the season.

End of school year activities... IEP planning... graduation... doctor visits... lRS audit... birthdays....   Oh?  Did I mention an audit?  Why, yes.  My government friends thought that I'd like to pull up canceled checks from the past FOUR years of this adoption.  Apparently there's something about paying out large refunds that they don't like.

Thankfully, in spite of our busyness, we've managed to cement G's future career path.

"I gonna be a pilot Mama."

"Are you sure?"

"Mm hm.  I gonna fly."

"What else are you going to do when you're a pilot?"

"I go slow inna airpoht.  I jus park - everybody get off inna airpoht."

"Anything else you're going to do?"

"And I say: get onna airpane Jisis (Joseph)."

"Anything else?"

"No.  Das all."

So there you have it.  Watch for G at an airpoht near you soon.

Unbelievable

He was just born a few months ago, but here we are.

Proud of him.

You Are Beautiful

I think -all the time- about how grateful I am to everyone who prayed for G.

I recently read the (good) book Heaven Is For Real.  One bit made me cry.  It's a quote from the author whose son was gravely ill:

"I thought of the times where the Scripture says that God answered the prayers, not of the sick or dying, but of the friends of the sick or dying - the paralytic, for example.  It was when Jesus saw the faith of the man's friends that he told the paralytic, 'Get up, take your mat, and go home.'"

I hope I'm not boring you with this topic. 

I just can't quite get past the miracle that we experienced. 

Thank you.  Again.