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10/22/2006
Very busy weekend, and right now I need to finish up report cards. Just wanted to share that church was better. Oh, she was NOT happy that I dropped her off in her new class, and she still had moments of crying, but she handled it, and it was much better for me. So hopefully soon it will be old hat. When I think about it, she is going through very normal separation anxiety...she just never had to separate before. So she is "catching" up on some stages of development! Thank you for the prayers. Off to work... |
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| 10/20/2006
Well, after the glowing report on Wednesday, I should have known things might take a downward spiral. Day care days...Ugh! I cannot help but wonder if this is going to be what the rest of our life is like in group settings! Mark said she was crying before he even unbuckled her yesterday. When I picked her up, the teacher admitted that she was fine most of the time, but there had been some "rough" spots. Then today I think she realized before they even left the house (being dressed and having already eaten should be the clues...we don't do that for Grams' house), and she was down on the floor having a fit. Apparently her day was much like yesterday, okay with "rough spots". I think the worst part is that once she comes home, she is quite a 2 year old. I guess she is angry with us and it is her way of getting back. We tell her to turn right, she turns left. We say to sit down, she stands up. Basically, day care days are "opposite" days. Even going out to eat tonight did nothing to help her mood. (nor ours :) Between this and church, it might be easy to get a little discouraged! But somehow we have to keep trucking along... Oh, and her new word is "school". She likes to say it even though she doesn't want to go there...And apparently "MINE" is her favorite word for today. We probably heard it about 100 times tonight alone. The good news (for me) is that I finally had a few minutes alone. I got to go to the craft fair by myself after school. What a treat! I spent WAY more on bows than I ever should have, but we did need some for BOTH girls. Right? If the girls are in a good mood tomorrow, we will attempt to go to another craft fair. There is usually enough food to sample, we get through it okay. I better go. I don't like there to be gaps in my entry, but honestly, I am too tired to type tonight. (Say that three times quickly!) Have a good Saturday! |
| 10/24/2006
I keep thinking things will slow down enough that I can be caught up, on here, on cleaning and organizing my house, on our budget which is LONG overdue for some work. Instead, I get further and further behind. It is report card time, by the way. Always a bit hectic around here during that time. :) We are doing well. Of course, there is no day care yet this week. But we enjoy the peace while we have it! Maria is doing very well. She has been a lot of fun EXCEPT when she is writing in books. This new habit has been discouraged immediately following her transgressions, but if she can find a writing utensil and a book, she just cannot seem to resist it. I don't recall the other two doing this, so we are in unchartered waters. But for now, that is really our only complaint. She is really starting to talk quite a bit. She has said "book", "night night", "mess", "good girl", "outside", , and "peepee" recently. Speaking of the last one, we have been sitting her on the potty right before her bathtime. She is finally relaxing on it and feeling a bit more secure about not falling in. Then tonight she actually tinkled a little in it. I think it really caught her off guard. She grabbed onto me like "What is happening?" Of course, we all cheered for her. She was quite proud. I realize she is a long way off from wearing underwear, but it is a start! |
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| 10/25/2006
I remember 10 years ago pretty well. Ten years ago today I was at my wedding rehearsal. I had butterflies in my stomach as I looked upon the man who would become my husband in less than a day. All of the decorations were set, relatives were in town, we were ready. I have to grin, because I don't know looking back at how ready I really was. Oh, I was ready to enjoy being married. And I was ready to spend ALL of my time with Mark. Yet I knew so little. When I watch our wedding video from October 26, 1996, I cannot help but smile at the young couple on the screen. A few less wrinkles, a few less pounds, many fewer gray hairs (dear hubby of mine). And what grand dreams we had...dreams of travel and adventure. Okay, maybe not so much for me, since I am not the most adventurous. But just dreams of all of our time together as husband and wife. I look at that younger woman...sure, I had dreams of children SOMEDAY. Who knew it would be two years later that Mr. Hunter would come along? Then Lauren another two and a half years after that? And I sure never dreamed our travels would take us to the country of Guatemala to bring home our little authentic souvenir, Maria Elizabeth. Maybe it is better that I didn't know. I wasn't ready for it then. I might have changed my destiny if I knew some of the trials we would face. The one thing I wouldn't change is the man by my side. Mark Cloud, I love you with all of my heart. I feel blessed each and every day to wake up with you next to my side. I cannot imagine anyone else in the world could handle being married to me, yet you do it with charm and laughter (most of the time). I truly believe our Rocky motto. You've got gaps, I've got gaps...together, we ain't got no gaps." Happy Anniversary, dear husband. I hope to have many more... I have changed out pictures above. It has been hard to get pictures lately. That requires being still which is not Maria's thing to do recently. She is always on the go. We have discovered that Maria has quite a sense of humor. She loves to "tease" us. When it is time to change her diaper (like when she dropped her pants OUTSIDE yesterday to let me know she needed a new one!), she will get a diaper, kind of throw it at me, and run away laughing. Her favorite new game (which she thinks is LOADS of fun) is to go into her room, turn on her music (she knows EXACTLY what buttons to push), then open her door and yell, "Mom" to me. I will say "What?" She will tell me something in her own personal language, then we start all over. She thinks it is a lot of fun. And she finds Hunter and Lauren's antics quite funny, even if we don't always... Please continue to pray for day care days to go better. And pray for our friends who are still waiting to bring home thier little ones. I almost feel guilty enjoying our time, when so many others are waiting and waiting....Thank you for checking in on us! |