Current Reads

I've picked out some good books at the library recently so I thought I would share. I know this is very common but LB definitely gets hooked on certain books and then only wants to read those for weeks on end. It can get a little old but luckily I really enjoy the books he is currently obsessed with. We'll see if the obsession ends before these books are due. If not, I may have to actually pay for them.

It will come as no surprise that his two favorites are airplane books. They are both all about going to the airport, checking in, getting on the plane and taking off. LB reenacts these airport scenes with his fleet of airplanes all day long so getting to see pictures of planes that are "sleeping" at the gates and "going up in the sky" is very satisfying for him.

If we can convince him to stray from the airplane books then he is usually more than happy to read "Shades of People" by Shelley Rotner or "Please, Baby, Please" by Spike Lee. I really think "Shades of People" should be a must read for all little kids because it explains that we are all a little different on the outside but that doesn't mean anything. LB's favorite part is when the pictures show "that even the same family there can be many shades." It's especially cute when the three of us are reading this book before bed and he'll make a point to say that we are a family. Heart = melt. "Please, Baby, Please" is a cute book about a baby that does everything she isn't supposed to do and LB likes shaking his head at the baby, even though he, of course, does a lot of the same things. I like that the baby has brown skin. I find that I have to make an effort to find books with more of a multi-racial cast of characters.

My sister got him a really great book called, "Sheep in a Jeep." LB thinks it is hilarious and it's rhyming so he can "help" me read it. Before the airplane book obsession he really liked two books by the same author, Todd Parr. The librarian at my mom's library recommended them and LB enjoyed "The Peace Book" and "The Family Book," which also explores the fact that all families are different and that's okay. Some people have large families or families with two mommies or some families adopt kids. Todd Parr also has a book all about adoption and I checked it out from the library but wasn't a big fan. I just didn't like some of his wording. I am sure I was being picky but I can't help it. I was a little worried when we had to return the two Todd Parr books but he handled it gracefully. One of my favorite bloggers, Rage Against the Minivan, recently did a post about a situation her adopted son faced on the playground. Another child basically was questioning her son about his "real mom" and that his mom couldn't possibly be since they didn't match. She had it published on The Huffington Post and actually got some negative feedback. The premise of her post was to ask other parents to talk to their kids about how families are different and that not all families will look like their's. It seems like a pretty simple and necessary thing to talk about and I think children's books are a great way to start. Reading a book like "Shades of People" or "The Family Book" is an easy way to bring this topic up for discussion, even with a two year old. I am so incredibly nervous about those playground moments. But I'm doing my best to worry about today and not several years from now. Let me rephrase that, I am doing my best not to worry. Ha! Okay, the first sentence was more accurate.

There you have it. That's what we're reading. Any suggestions?

Studio Samuel

I've met a lot of amazing women through our adoption process. It's no shock that many of these women have come home from their travels to Ethiopia and have been inspired to make a difference. One of the women I became closest to during the wait is Tamara. She brought her son home from Ethiopia just a few weeks before we traveled to bring LB home. She met LB before I did and our boys even shared the same special nanny at our agency's care center. Here is Tamara giving some love to LB before I could. You've got to love the pink onesie with red hoodie ensemble LB was rocking that day!

Through her connections in fashion she has started an amazing foundation, Studio Samuel, that aims to empower women by teaching them a skill and providing them a living wage. If you've seen the video about The Girl Effect or it you are familiar with the Half the Sky movement then you know a lot of people believe the place to start for eradicating poverty in the developing world is women. The Girl Effect says, "Invest in a girl and she will do the rest." Tamara decided to focus on women as well. She's put together a video about her foundation and all that she is hoping to accomplish. She even has Cyndi Lauper on board to help raise awareness.


STUDIO SAMUEL from bridge sessions on Vimeo.


I am inspired by her and hope you are too! If you are so inclined to give to her foundation then please click HERE to make a secure donation. If you make a $50 donation then you can claim a gift of a bag of coffee from Ethiopia. Damon and I took an entire duffel bag to Ethiopia so we could bring home as much coffee as possible. We both shed tears the day we used our final bag. There are other gifts to claim as well.

Studio Samuel will be launching their line during NYC fashion week.

Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend and let's provide some valuable work for women in Ethiopia!

Grandma's Photo Shoot

My parents were in town a few days last week and then headed to NYC to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. They stopped here again on their way back home. None of us complained. LB has been in grandparent heaven. I wish I had a dollar for every time he has said, "No mommy," the past couple of days because he wants nothing to do with me and only wants Greema and Poppy. My mom recently got a new camera and has been learning to use it on this trip. As would be expected, LB has been her primary subject. We visited the airport (his favorite place), the zoo and several parks so she had some opportunities to catch LB in action. Since he is basically always on the move he's a hard one to capture but, in my opinion, she took some great ones.

The last one is my favorite. So much joy.

It's also worth noting that "call me greema" worked! When my parents arrived, LB got the guitar he has been coveting for a while. He didn't put it down for about two hours. He was pretty happy and even said several times, "me so happy." 

Any bets on how long it will take for him to pull "call me greema" out of his pocket again?

Friday Favorite Photo

He's so kind to bunny.

Your Loss is Real

Every now and then I get inspired to write about the time in our lives when we were trying to conceive. But I'm often met with this uneasy feeling in my stomach when it comes time to publish the post. Obviously, part of that is because all those feelings are so deeply personal and awful that putting them out there is scary. The other part is that it seems silly to go back to that time when in the end we did get our dream come true. But I also know that when we were going through that terrible period, I found great solace and comfort in those women who were brave enough to put their emotions out there and to know I wasn't alone. I've decide that if something I write reaches just one person who needed it then all those butterflies currently in my stomach are worth it. Taking deep breaths. Here it goes.

A friend of mine posted on Facebook that she recently started re-watching old episodes of Ally McBeal. I smiled when I read that because I have a lot of fond memories of watching that show. I was actually living in Japan and was desperate for any American TV. The movie rental place near my apartment had all the seasons of Ally and ER so each night I would come home from work and I would either watch Ally or ER and be so happy to hear a little English. I noticed we had Ally McBeal as an option to stream on Netflix so one night, a little over a month ago, I watched the first episode of season 1 and have been hooked ever since. I had to take a brief hiatus during the Olympics but I have a date with my couch, a bowl of ice cream and an episode of Ally tonight. I'm now in the middle of season 2 but there was an episode in season 1 that inspired this post. Most of the main characters in the show are single but there is one married couple. The guy, Billy, is actually Ally's ex-boyfriend from high school and college. He left Ally to be with his wife, Georgia, but all of that happens before the show begins and you learn this in the first few episodes. Now they all work together. Drama! Well, in this particular episode Georgia thinks she is pregnant. It was not planned. (Side note: the idea of an unplanned pregnancy always annoyed the heck of me. PuhLease. We all know how it happens so if you didn't do anything to stop it then what were you expecting. Sorry. Bygones.) As young attorneys beginning their careers, it comes as a bit of a shock. As they talk about it though they both start to get more and more excited about the life they have created. Georgia eventually takes a blood test and finds out that the pregnancy test was wrong and she was never actually pregnant. Initially, they agree they are both sad but decide that the timing was wrong anyways so it was probably for the best. Later on in the show Billy finds Georgia in the bathroom crying. Billy is typically one of my least favorite characters (I prefer the silly antics of John Cage) but the line Billy delivers really hit home. Georgia is feeling silly for crying over a pregnancy that never existed in the first place. He says to her, "The pregnancy isn't real. But the loss is real." I can't tell you how many times I convinced myself that I was pregnant. I would start to calculate when the baby would be due and what it would be like to tell friends and family that we were expecting and would the baby get my blue eyes or D's brown eyes and I could go on and on. And then I wouldn't be pregnant and I would feel like such a fool for allowing my mind to go to all those places. I often thought to myself that it was silly to cry over something that never existed. I never showed myself enough grace to recognize that the loss was real. Thank you, Billy. Now quit being so selfish and give Ally space so she can get over you!

In case you need to hear this today, your loss is real. Whatever it may be. Don't feel silly or dumb for grieving about something that seems so out of reach. I know it's easy for me to say. I write this on the eve of when LB was placed in our arms forever. But I've been there. I'm so sorry you are going through it too. Your loss is real.

Part 2: Heard Around Here

Sadly, I don't have pictures to go with these little tidbits but they are too funny not to document and share.

About a week or so ago, LB was watching a video on Youtube of someone playing an acoustic guitar. He kept saying, "Me have that." I tried to remind him that he has an Elmo guitar but he wasn't satisfied. He wanted the other one. When he realized he wasn't going to get one from me he said, "Call me Greema." Ha! They learn early that grandparents spoil them. So we called my mom and she promised next time she came they would get one. And LB stopped whining.

D gave LB a haircut over the weekend. It was the second time we cut LB's hair using clippers. It just goes so much faster and gives a more even cut. And since it is summer the shorter hair is much cooler. This was the first time LB did not shed a single tear during his haircut. The reason? He kept saying, "Spiky. Same as Daddy." D keeps his hair really short and cuts it once a week. LB loves his Daddy and was willing to endure the haircut so he could be like him. Precious.

A few days ago we were driving by the library and LB said, "That a library. Where the books live."

Last night, D got home from work and LB declared, "Me play toys with Daddy. Mommy do dishes." WHAT!!!?? It's a good thing he is only two and very cute or I would have been seriously offended. D, of course, thought it was hilarious and couldn't stop laughing.

LB and I play with play dough about five times a day. Seriously. He loves that stuff and it keeps him occupied longer than any toy he has. If you add up all the time we do play dough in a day I wouldn't be shocked if it ended up being around two hours. Yesterday, we were on our third round of play dough and he was making some tough requests. He wanted a play dough violin and a play dough Simba. Not easy for this non-creative momma. But I gave it my best. As I was making the violin, he turned to me and said, "I like you, Mommy." It was possibly the sweetest thing I have ever heard. He tells me "I love you" but only when I initiate it. This was the first time he said something like that without being prompted. As my mom said, mark my calendar. August 9th, 2012. He likes me.

This morning I went to get him from his crib and he asked me if his dad was home. I had to break the news that D had already left for work. He looked at me and with perfect inflection said, "Oh Damn!" Clearly, I have some work to do in cleaning up my language. But I'd be lying if I didn't admit to dying of laughter on the inside.

I'm sure a part 3 will be coming soon.

Heard Around Here

LB's language development has definitely been one of my favorite parts of this age. I know it's really common for toddlers to refer to themselves as "me" but I just think it's so cute when LB does it. His running commentary on everything provides for lots of laughs. Here are few things heard around here recently.

"Me splash splash. Me all wet."

"Me same as Buckeye."

"Me a pilot. Me on runway. Me take off."

"Me's helicopter go up up high."

"Go Efiopia! Run Fast! Go Tiki!"

This last photo brought me to tears. We woke up Sunday morning, turned on the Olympics and got to watch the last several miles of the marathon. With about a mile to go an Ethiopian woman, Tiki, made a move and none of the other runners could keep up with her. We got LB his flag and told him the woman running was from Ethiopia, which he knows is where he was born. He started cheering for her and it was a really emotional moment for me. The combination of my son, another Ethiopian and my own history with the marathon made for the trifecta of emotions for me. I'll never forget it!