Finally, some adoption nitty-gritty (revised)

It’s been a while since I got down and dirty here with the nitty-gritty of adoption issues. A long while.
One reason — and seemingly the simplest believe it or not, is the major life changes going on round here for me. From starting my own craft biz geared toward children and also experiencing a serious [...]

Backyard photo fun

Had a recent photo session in the backyard with Maeve in an effort to get some shots that help display some of the handmade goods my mom and I are/will be offering in our etsy shop — grossgrain ribbon hair clips, lampwork bead necklaces and knit caps. Thought I’d share a few here, since it’s [...]

Firsts: Hers, Mine and Ours

A child’s firsts are dear to a parent’s heart. Whether it’s that first taste of baby cereal, an unsure, wobbly first step or the fleeting sound of the first mama or dada, such moments are treasured.
Of course, firsts continue beyond babyhood. There’s the first pedaling of a tricycle or the morning they finally wrangle their [...]

A sticky hypothetical … and some reviews!

I could tell you all about my jaunt to the circus with Miss Maeve last weekend. I could, but then I’d have to tell you how we:
1) broke the dry-underwear streak that had reached a record five days
2) and then again just an hour later
3) and that ill-prepared me grabbed two pair of extra underwear before [...]

Ever the optimist

This morning I was helping Maeve get dressed and when she slid a sock over her toes I noticed a dime-sized hole in the sock. “Oh noooo!” I said, pointing to the spot on the side of her foot.
She looked down, her mouth fell open, and she declared with delight: “Mommy! A wiiindooow!”
Hmmph. Now that’s [...]

Diva in the rearview

Driving home tonight with Miss Maeve in the backseat and my mother at my right in the passenger seat, I commented how quiet Maeve had recently become.
Glancing down at the clock, I reasoned that since it was just about her bedtime, and we’d just spent a good handful of hours out and about doing some good ol’ [...]

Smell the fresh ink?

My latest column is up over at AFTH, and as usual, the link to it remains nestled in my sidebar. But in the interest of saving you a click or two, here’s what I had to say in the Fall installment of Musings of an Adoptive Mama:
Changing Leaves, Changing Minds

Some use the start of the [...]

Faces of First Moms

Nicole over at paragraphein is compiling photos of first moms and has begun crafting a most powerful slide show with a most simple purpose — showing how birth mothers aren’t any different than anyone else. Surely a fact that shouldn’t need explaining or proving. Sadly, though, it does.
She’s continuing to add photographs as she gets [...]

Calgon, take me away…

So I shut my eyes for just a quick minute last evening as Thomas put Maeve to bed … and then I woke up this morning.
Arg.
This means there’s a blip in my NaBloPoMo effort. Double-arg.
Clearly this also means I was more tired than I realized, but really? Twelve (blissful) hours went by and I didn’t [...]

All in a Day

It’s been four months since I went part-time at the newspaper. Since then, I’ve had two days each week at home with Maeve. My mindset is improved, my house a bit better organized and, most of all, my heart is so much happier. After all, it’s two days a week where Maeve and I take on [...]