Happy Adoption Day, Maddie Rae!

October 30 was Maddie Rae's first adoption day. It was a fun day with lots of celebrating Maddie Rae. We began the day with her Halloween party at the Mom's Day Out she attends with her cousin and BFF Mallaney. I haven't been able to get her into her Halloween costume yet, but Miss Hailey worked her magic at MDO and she wore her ladybug costume with pride.

Maddie Rae and Mallaney modeling their costumes for us. This picture looks quite a bit different from the ones taken last year at this time!

Daddy feeding her wonton soup. Jon is so in love with Maddie Rae, and I'm not sure that he will ever be able to bring himself to actually discipline her! He was always the kind of dad that wanted all boys. He wanted a house filled with testosterone, hunting, football, wrestling, and lots of 7th grade boy smell (that's what I call that "outdoor, wet dog" scent that kids come in with after sweating outside. I coined the term after teaching 7th grade and having to endure an entire hour of that smell times 30 when the kids would come in from outside.) Who knew he would be such a softy for a little girl?! When we first brought her home last year, she was terrified of Jon. She would just scream and scream when he would come in the room, hold her, or look at her. Little by little he won her over, and now you would never know that he was that big scary guy to her.

Cupcakes......and presents. Maddie Rae's adoption day will always be a very special day for me. We will celebrate her birthday because what kid doesn't want a big birthday bash, but to me her adoption day will always be the real celebration. I couldn't help but tear up a little behind my sunglasses today at her little school parade as I saw her confidently march out right next to her cousin and stand in her place with a huge smile. What a stark contrast from the scared little girl that was handed to us last year. She has truly blossomed, and we thank God that he chose us to be her family!

Boisterous

This is one of Jack's vocabulary words, and it is a perfect description of my three boisterous children. Let me preface this post by fully admitting that I was spoiled in Hong Kong. We had a live in nanny/maid, and therefore I never had to take all three kids anywhere unless I wanted to. Well, obviously, we cannot afford that luxury back here in the good ole US of A, so I am back to the normal routine of hauling all three kids around everywhere. It hasn't been TOO bad until last Monday when I scheduled a doctor's appointment for the 2 boys at 2 and 2:30. First mistake: right at naptime. Second mistake: right after the boys have been sitting in school all day saving all their boisterous energy for good ole mom. So here we are in the exam room. Maddie Rae is on the brink of massive meltdown because she can't accompany Jack to the eye exam. Jonah is on the rolling stool pushing himself from end to end in the tiny room. Jack is talking non-stop to the doctor and telling her things like, "I sometimes wear my helmet when I ride my bike," and looking at her like she has 3 heads when she asks if he helps out at home with chores (I'm still getting used to chores myself!). Jonah spouts out our Hong Kong address and phone number when the doctor asks him, to which she tells me "Make sure they learn their NEW address and phone, mom." All this time, I am shooting Jack "looks" and just trying to corral all three of them into some sort of order just hoping and praying that they can all maintain some sense of pseudo calmness until the doctor finishes. But then the finishing scene. I saw it as if in slow motion. Jonah stealthily starts ripping exam paper off the table. Maddie Rae catches a glimpse and starts tearing. Jack can't be outdone, so he begins his destruction. The paper gets wadded up, the paper gets thrown, and suddenly the doctor is being pelted from every direction with paper bombs. I am frantic. I am grabbing whatever I can grab. I am scrambling for a kid and an arm. And the beauty of it all? I have to go back there next Monday with Maddie Rae who has been in our family for a year and has yet to see a pediatrician, be weighed, or have one shot. Mother of the Year award to me, friends.