Posts Tagged ‘humor’
30 Sharing the news
Posted on: December 3, 2009
So that night there was a party over at Jo and Vincent’s for Matthew and Mary’s birthday’s. We went over not knowing if we should share our news or not. I have never been really patient. Joe and I decided to leave at one point to run to the store for something. While we were there we bought 5 carnations – one blue, 3 pink, and 1 white. We went back to the party, walked in and handed the flowers to my mom. My dad figured it out first. I looked at his face and tears were starting to well up in his eyes. When it finally registered with my mom I think she went into shock. My grandma and grandpa were there too. My grandma couldn’t believe it.
But would I miscarry again?
27 More supporting cast
Posted on: November 30, 2009
You have already met Tony and Gigi and their kids. Now you must meet the Mud Cousins (watch the blog for an explanation on that name).
I have a brother and sister-in-law with 4 kids. My brother’s name is Vincent. His wife’s name is Josephine (Jo for short). Their oldest child is Matthew – he is now 15 (same as Ann). Then there is Emma – 13 (same as Alex). Next is Mary – 11 (she falls right between Jean and Michael). And finally, Jacob – 5.
They live about 3 blocks from us. They carpool to school. They hang out. It’s unbelievable how close they all are.
So one day I was scrubbing my kitchen floors (I think that was the last time I attempted that). The phone – the phone was ringing. It was the kids’ foster mom. I sat down to chat with her and the kids took over what I was doing. Before you know it there was water running all over. All I needed was a lamp post and an umbrella and was suddenly Gene Autry. I was singing in the rain. Although the rain wasn’t coming from above it was just flowing all over below. How was I ever going to get this mess cleaned up? Did I actually have enough towels to sop up a whole kitchen and hallway? It was probably at this point that I decided I was better off doing the work myself. Although I will say now before God and everyone that I am a control freak. But if I let them do it their way it was going to create much more work for me. It’s easier to house break a dog than it is to house break these kids. UGH!
16 The meeting has been scheduled
Posted on: August 10, 2009
So now we are officially matched with Ann, Alex, Jean, and Michael. As we are getting prepared to meet our new children we are told there is a glitch. Some attorney in the law office representing “the mother” has passed away. So, they have rescheduled the final hearing that would completely release the children from their mother’s custody. The way I understand it is they remove the children from their biological parent(s) three times before the parent(s) lose custody for good. So their mother was on her final appeal. But now everything has been delayed. So instead of traveling to get our children we are now traveling to meet them. This was in June of 2003. This meeting them continued throughout the entire summer. And on top of that we had to have supervised visits. So this meant one of the foster parents had to hang out with us or our social worker – Brooke. Although we didn’t like the inconvenience of it all we were very fortunate that both the foster mother and Brooke were very nice people. A matter of fact Brooke spent a lot of her summer rearranging her schedule to fit with our needs.
We could hardly wait for the first meeting.
15 A bit more info
Posted on: August 5, 2009
After reading the descriptions of the four kids Joe and I were very excited. There were so many others with such extreme problems. It made these kids sound like a walk in the park. And we were still encouraged we received even more info.
Ann has a very good daily routine. She rises easily for school without complaint. She also eats and drinks well and does not complain about foods. She loves pizza, hot dogs, and macaroni & cheese. Ann has a very bubbly and sweet personality. She is an active and energetic little girl with a wide smile. She is described as a “good kid” by her foster mother. She is also talkative and inquisitive and very friendly.
Alex is content to sit and draw or color by herself, more than any of her siblings. However, she often does get caught up in the hyperactivity of her siblings and can be quite active herself. Alex comments that she likes to read and likes math in school. Alex loves hot dogs and macaroni and cheese. She has a very sweet and bubbly personality. She is a talkative and bubbly child with a beautiful smile and has cute little freckles across her nose. Her face lights up when she laughs and she is a very easy child to talk to.
Jean has a sweet personality. She is very loving and needs a lot of attention. She may need a lot of assurance and affection. She is very sweet natured and kind child that has a lot of love to give.
Michael is very mischievous and curious, which is often a sign that a child is learning about their environment. He is a good eater as well and he loves eggs and bacon, but hates pancakes. Michael is a very mischievous and active child who loves to run and play. He sometimes gives his sisters a hard time, like many little brothers, but in general they play well together. He is a very inquisitive and funny child and loves to play and watch television.
So, what’s not to love? Right?
14 Without further ado…
Posted on: August 5, 2009
When Joe & I got the fax with the information about our sibling group of 4, here is what it said:
These four siblings are very close to one another and are to be placed together. Their family should be willing to provide these children with love, patience, and understanding.
Ann is a wonderful little girl with a bright smile and cheerful eyes. She enjoys being outside, going camping and spending time with her friends and family. Ann is extremely close to her brother and sisters, and tends to parent and comfort them. She has been diagnosed with mild ADHD but currently does not need medications. She has a mild learning disability and attends Special Education classes. With love and support, she continues to thrive and mature into a young lady who is full of potential for a bright future.
Alex is a cute little girl with a mischievous grin and has freckles dotting her nose. She is best described as being easy-going, quiet-natured and able to “Go with the flow.” She enjoys a variety of activities, from riding her bike and climbing to coloring and drawing quietly. Alex attends regular classes at school but will need extra help with her school work. She is a delight in her current home.
Jean is a very creative little girl who loves to color and draw. She has a friendly smile that can brighten an entire room. Although she was prone to temper tantrums, she has continued to make progress in this area.
Michael is a very energetic little boy with the…(part of it did not print out). Michael has been described as being sweet-natured but also having an ornery side. A very easy-going child, Michael gets along well with anyone.
It all sounds as w0nderful as an ice cold drink of water on a 93 degree summer day.
Don’t forget to check under the hood.
11 Adoption here we come…
Posted on: July 31, 2009
So, Joe & I decided to go the adoption route. But what kind of adoption? My first thought was international adoption. I really wanted a baby and I wanted it NOW! But, then there is the cost and taking time off work. And there are no guarantees. We knew we would have to save up some money. So, temporarily that is the goal. Yes, temporarily was definately the correct word. It wasn’t long before we started looking at domestic adoption. But of course since we were in such a hurry we started considering a bit of an older child. We got ourselves hooked up with an adoption agency and went through “the process” (you know – homestudy, paperwork, blah, blah, blah). Then we started shopping for kids on the internet. Have you ever heard of such an absurd idea? In hindsight I can compare it to shopping for a used car. They talk the kid up and make him sound wonderful but, don’t forget to look under the hood!
10 IVF? No thanks!
Posted on: July 31, 2009
So, more sex and more shots – whoopdeedo! Do you sense the sarcasm? I was about as thrilled as a fish in a frying pan. Then it happened. I was pregnant again. I wasn’t going to allow a miscarriage this time. This time I would sit on my toosh and do nothing. Joe would wait on me hand and foot if that’s what it took. HA! I am sure he would have if it would have helped. But we didn’t even get to test that theory. Yep, you guessed it, another miscarriage. No D&C this time. No vacation either. Just get up and go back to work the next day. But this time Joe & I felt differently. This time we knew we were done. We both had previously discussed our feelings on In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). We just weren’t interested. Not only did we not really feel the procedure was right for us but there was no way we could afford it.
So, what now? Adoption of course. That opened a whole new discussion. There are many options. Which one was right for Joe & Samantha? Hmmmm…this was going to take a whole lot of thinking.
Then comes nothing. At least that is the way it worked for Joe & me. We got married in May and I believe it was October when we decided we would start trying to have kids. So, we tried and we tried and we tried some more. Now, there of those of you who will say trying is fun. But after months and months of calculating ovulation cycles it begins to take all the fun out of it. And then months turned into years. And it begins to suck all the joy out of everything. It becomes another chore – like doing laundry or the dishes. So we move onto the next step – clomid. If you have ever dealt with infertility at all then you are probably familiar with the term clomid. Well clomid was about as useful to me as a trap door on a canoe. In the meantime I am making trip after trip to the OB/GYN and looking at all the pregnant women in the waiting room. Frankly, that sucked. But now I was being sent to a fertility specialist. So, on to the next step – a good ol’ shot of HCG in the caboose. I could go in detail about HCG injections – but I haven’t a clue. I just know I went in and he made me pull my drawers down while he stuck a needle in my fanny. And, technically, the injections worked. I got myself pregnant. No, let me rephrase. Joe got me pregnant. However, that came to an end quickly. It was within weeks that I miscarried. I was a bit upset but all and all I dealt with it very well. I think Joe handled it well also. The worst part was that it all happened right before a planned trip to the ocean. I even had to have a D&C procedure done. That’s just simply when they scrape you out internally. That’s about as fun as running barbed wire through your nasal cavity. We still made our trip to the ocean though. It just wasn’t as much fun as we had anticipated.
So, we came home from our vacation and we started again – more shots, more sex.
8 The Marriage
Posted on: July 30, 2009
Well the day had come. It was May 3, 1997. I was sporting a beautiful, second-hand, ivory wedding gown. We had decided on May because Joe was concerned about being too hot in a tux during the summer (as he would say “He sweats like a whore in church!”) and I had a long sleeve wedding gown. I rode to the church with my parents and my cousin Kathleen who was also my matron of honor. My mom had gone to the trouble to get a recording of Going to the Chapel by Bette Midler (my favorite artsit) which played over and over the entire 20 minute ride.
When I walked down the aisle to the wedding song from The Sound of Music with my dad by my side I smiled. Joe was sweating so bad I swear there was a puddle at his feet. He looked so pale I thought he would throw up right there on the spot. How could I help but to love him. As I continued down the aisle the closer I got to Joe the more his nervousness rubbed off on me. As my dad handed me over to Joe I stood there trying not to let my knees buckle. I was a mess! Tears were on the verge of not just falling from my eyes but bursting and exploding. And then a miracle occured. We were just getting to the part where we place the rings on each others fingers and CLINK the ring dropped. I can’t remember if it was Joe or the Pastor that dropped it but that is just what the doctor had ordered. It lightened the mood. It stopped the tears. Before I knew it the whole ceremony was over. Now it was time to party. And so we did.
Never Ask Why - Life With 6 Kids 
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