Oh.. Cat Nip Balls

Oh Cat Nip Balls

This has been an especially interesting week around here. One of those weeks where you say... "You just can't make this stuff up".

Today .. Wednesday .. we took Tamara to her Pediatrician. She cried for a few minutes as she did in Tbilisi and then was fine. We will have to take her in for some extensive blood work in a few days. Although we were told in Georgia that she is up to date on all her shots.. they didn't give us the documentation for them. So we're having her anti-bodies checked to see what.. if any shots she actually got. I will need to try and get these through the agency personnel if possible. Here in the USA we must have proof before she can go to school and I really don't want to give them (more shots) to her unless we absolutely have to. The anti body screening will tell us if she received those shots and if so what the quality level was of the shots she received. If the quality was poor it will show up and then she will have to have those redone. Interesting stuff huh?

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Today is also Bruce and I's 14th Wedding Anniversary... Yup.. it's been 14 years.. can you believe it?

Time sure does fly when you're having fun... doesn't it?

After the Doctors visit we took Tamara out to a Anniversary Lunch.

Friendly's... yeah... The Honeymoon must be over...lol

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Yesterday.. Tuesday was Joey's 3 rd Birthday and Tamara was invited over for a play date.

Joey seems to think that Tamara is his girlfriend.. hum.. she has that effect on boys already. Last week while at Walmart a 9 year old boy asked me her name and then said to his Dad.

"Dad.. I think I'll marry Tamara" ??? Weird huh? Didn't even ask for her number.

Anyway... Tamara and Joey had a great time playing with his water table (gotta get one of those), his bounce castle (gotta get me one of those ;o) and his ride on cars.

Tamara & Joey playing in his bounce castle.

Below.. Water Table Fun.

Below... Joey peeking through one of the bounce castle holes. He was a gracious little host and very much a gentleman. An amazing little boy who doesn't just say Thank You but "Thank you very much". Too cute! He is also the only 3 year old I've ever met that can spell and read. Seriously.. brilliant, cute and a wonderful playmate for Tamara.

Thank You Joey and his Mommy ... we had an awesome time.

As we were leaving Joey said "Bye Tamara.. next time wear a hat"... Ok Joey we will. ;o)

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Monday was a panic day.

I was in a cleaning mode and so when Bruce took Tamara out to play on her swing I decided to vacuum the front half of the house. You know those rooms we hardly use. The formal dining room and living room. They're gated off right now and so Tamara doesn't have access to them. Anyway I noticed what looked like wood pulp in front and side of one of my china cabinets. So I stopped called Bruce in to investigate. We both immediately thought "oh no.. something must be eating the cabinet". This is a china hutch that houses 4 china sets and some spare parts so I wasn't thrilled with the idea of having to empty it out and dispose of the piece.. but I told Bruce. Wait until Tamara takes her nap and I'll do it. :o( He then pulled the cabinet out.. checked all around and found the wood pulp was all along the wall and not under the cabinet. So then we thought.. "oh man they're in our walls". So when Tamara napped instead of my emptying out the china hutch. Bruce was pulling off the trim (baseboard) to see what's going on. Nothing... no evidence of any pest there? Hum... weird. So we move the cabinet back and a yellow ball pops out. An empty cat nip ball. Apparently one of the cats has been playing with the ball under my cabinet. The ball went under hit the wall.. left some cat nip and came back out. The cat would then hit it again and again until all the cat nip was evenly distributed against the wall and the empty ball container got stuck under neath.

Grrr... "oh... Cat Nip Balls"

Like I said you just can't make this stuff up..lol.

Relieved we get to keep the hutch and of course that we aren't infested with some house eating insect Bruce quickly replaced the molding and we back to normal by the time sweet pea woke up. ;o)

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Today.. Tamara also learned how to use mega Lego's. It took her a while and a lesson from Daddy but before long she was building away. She's amazing to watch as she really hasn't seen many toys in her life so everything is a mystery, an adventure and a puzzle to solve.

Later it was time to swing again.

Look Mommy ... Bambi

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Sunday we attended church for the first time with Tamara. She was wonderful. Sitting through about an hour's worth of service. Getting up with Mommy for the children's sermon and finally going up for communion. She walked up with us. Knelled down with her hands in the proper position. Amazing little girl. Considering she went from an orphanage to the foster home and never went to church. Amazing!

Yes... we are very proud of her. ;o)

I'd also like to take this opportunity to say "See Ya" to Pastor Dan and his wife Marsha. This past Sunday was Dan's last day at our church due to a transfer to Tom's River. Many of you may remember Pastor Dan as he was the pastor who renewed Mom and Dad's vows last year at their 50th.

Dan and Marsha will be missed a great deal. We will never forget the silly things Dan did during his sermons. Like during a children's sermon when he asked the kids what did the cows say and the adults said "moo" and of course the time he set the oil lap on fire at the alter almost needing a fire extinguisher to put it out. lol. Yes he has the best props but more importantly he and Marsha have wonderful hearts which they share freely with everyone they meet.

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School's Out

School's Out...

(Put your sound on)

Last night for the first time Tamara woke up at 3:00 am screaming / crying.

I rushed to her side to console her. Still not sure why she did that? I took her to the potty, gave her a drink of water, checked her vitals and back to bed she went. I finally got to sleep around 4:30 am ... Welcome to Motherhood?

This morning Bruce woke me up at 8:00 am to tell me what time it is?

Tamara was still sleeping so I figured I could catch a few more Z's?

Silly Mommy!

Soon after Daddy got Tamara out of bed.. she soon came looking for me.

I mustered enough energy to go through the morning routine of washing, brushing and dressing. Daddy was downstairs making her scrambled eggs. I put her in her chair and heard myself saying " Daddy will feed you today .. Mommy needs 5 minutes to become human again." She protested for a minute and then ate not only her eggs but half of Daddy's. When I returned from my 5 minute coffee break on the front porch she wanted me to sit by her and she proceeded to eat most of my eggs too. Where does she put it?

This morning reminded me of what Sondra keeps reminding me. She told me to try and always get that first cup of coffee in before they wake up. Very good advice.

What I discovered last night while taking Tamara's temperature is that hers is normal.. but mine was not. After taking hers I thought I'd take mine just to see if the ear thermometer really works. I guess I need to take better care of Mommy? A fist full of vitamins, two Tylenol and I 'm back to normal. If you can call this normal? ;o)

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This week Bruce started to take Tamara to our pond to feed the fish. Her throw has greatly improved (actually hitting the water now) and she enjoys feeding the fishies.

Here she is in the yard getting ready.

Tamara with the fish food container. At one point she sat on it.

Coming back with Daddy. You can tell I haven't had much time to garden this year. The Wisteria & Grape vine are taking over. Really need to do some pruning this week.

OK.. Tamara hold Daddy's hand.

Later on we went to Brandon's High School graduation party.

Congratulations Brandon!!!

Below Cousin Katie plays with Tamara blowing Bubbles for her.

Tamara really enjoys her cousins. And Katie has shown an enormous amount of patience and understanding towards her new little cousin. I think it's starting to pay off as Tamara is really enjoying her company. ;o)
I've been a photo buff for years and have had several cameras.. usually have one with me. Therefore I literally have thousands of photos from years gone by. But I realized this week that once again it's time to update. As Tamara gains strength and energy at a very rapid pace it's getting more difficult to get "the shot". Even worse yet is trying to get "the shot" when she's with other children as they never seem to move in the same direction. lol. So it's time to think about an equipment upgrade. Bruce... are you reading this? Mommy needs a new camera. ;o)

This would have been a very cute photo... if my darling daughter had not turned. Tamara decided she needed a pet ball so she dragged this thing around for at least half an hour.

All in all it was a fun gathering. It was nice to see everyone and meet some of Brandon's friends. Nice kids... oops I mean young adults. ;o) . We're all very proud of you Brandon. You've always been a sweetheart and you've grown into a very special young man. Tamara was so exhausted from playing when she got home. After a quick snack she went right to bed. No fussing tonight. When I said Good Night Tamara she blew me a kiss and waved nite nite.

What a sweetheart!

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This week was also the last week of school around here.

So enjoy your summer little ones.

~~~

Georgian Bean Bread

I see spots..

Tamara checks her Blog every morning to see what's going on.

She giggles, points and tries to take over the key board and mouse pad.

Guess she wants to contribute?

One morning soon I may let her.

Here she is wearing my poka doted cheaters.

It's amazing how once you hit 40 .. parts start to wear out a bit?

Hopefully she'll keep us young?

I'll let you know how that works out. lol

We went to the local Carnival tonight. Opening night and it was busy.

Met our good friends Sharon and Jim and their children and grandchildren there.

It was nice to see them and their many, many children.

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Also met our neighbors there.

Little Zach 2-1/2 is one of Tamara's play mates. Unfortunately Zach and Tamara were too little for most rides. Most having a 36 inch requirement.. Tamara is just 34 inches tall.

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Here is Tamara with her cotton candy. She refused to try it. She thought we were crazy for eating what appears to be cotton.

Oh well maybe we'll try it again at the State Fair this summer?

Tamara... hang on
Tamara really loved this ride. Once it started.

Really .. she did.

Mommy holds her in place.

Zachary and his Mommy's horse was ahead of us... no matter how hard we tried we couldn't catch them.

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After the Carnival Tamara was a good little girl and was sound asleep by 9:15. A late night for her but I let her sleep in this morning and she's back to her 1pm nap schedule.

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Today I also made my first attempt at making Georgian Bean Bread one of her favorites while in country. I of course changed the recipe some adding whipped roasted chicken and shredded cheese to the mix. It was a huge hit with Tamara & Daddy each eating two pieces. I think this one is a keeper. Getting your toddler to enjoy chicken, beans and cheese in one bite ... yeah we'll make this one again. ;o) Wonder how it would taste with broccoli? LOL.. Am I pushing my luck?

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Georgian Bean Bread A La Lee

OK... real recipe which I got verbally from Anna involved Filo dough and boiling beans? I needed to find a short cut so here's what I did.

1 cup de-boned / skinned roasted chicken

1/2 can red kidney beans

1/2 can white beans

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Salt / pepper / dash of olive oil and apple cider vinegar (to taste)

*Whip in food processor everything but the cheese. Set aside or place in frig (chill for later use.. can be done a day a head)

1 - 8pk crescent roll Pillsbury

**I'm a huge fan of Parchment paper. Place a sheet on your cookie sheet before rolling out the dough on it.

*Split crescent roll pk in two - 4pc sections. Roll out 1st 4 into a square. Use a rolling pin. Not too thin but make sure the seams seal.

Place filling on bottom layer dough. Spread evenly about 1/2 inch thick. Add layer of shredded cheese. Cover with 4 remaining crescent dough sheet. No need to use roller and seams add interest when baked. Turn up lower layer dough and seal around edges. Bake in Preheated over 375 F for about 15 minutes or until it looks done to you. ;o) If a richer look is desired give it an egg wash before baking. If you're neat about it no one will believe you just whipped this one up. Great when you have a cup of chicken left over from dinner. Usually not enough to do anything with but it really works in this.

Yields 4 servings.

Enjoy!

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Pretty in Pink

Pretty in Pink

Tamara loves wearing pink... definitely a Girly Girl. ;o)

Yeah... Mommy is pleased.

Thank goodness for my years of makeup artistry experience. These days I have Tamara in my lap while doing my makeup.

She sits on my left knee, looks in one light up makeup mirror while I use the other.

Left arm holds her as she pretends to put on powder (clean new make up sponge). Mommy uses her right hand to apply base, liner, mascara (which Tamara now hands to me), blush and finally lipstick. When it's time to do lips she puckers up. Mommy applies a little lip color and she jumps off my lap grabs my pinkie and drags me to the master bath where she gets a tiny squirt of perfume. Rubs her tiny wrists together and I get a huge smile.

OK... ready Mommy where are we going?

Sunday I had to run out and do a few errands during nap time. I left Daddy in charge. When I returned I found Tamara and Daddy on the back deck playing. Tamara woke up crying.. first time. Bruce tells me she dragged him around the house looking for me. They even checked under the bed? One of my favorite hang outs apparently? lol Once she was satisfied that I wasn't home she then took him back to her room and he let her pick out her own outfit. This is the look she chose. Red sweat pants, a navy poka doted top, ped socks and sandals? Her hair needed brushing and she forget to go tinkle... so did Daddy. lol

Thank Goodness I came home when I did. It was time to change and get ready for a party.

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Happy 60th cousin Tony!

Great Party Anna! I have your hostess gift here... forgot to bring it...lol. I'll try to mail it? A challenge these days as I do have several packages I need to get out before Tamara goes to college. ;o)

At the party Tamara had fun with her many cousins, Aunts & Uncles and of course Grandparents. It took her over 2 hours to feel comfortable enough to freely interact. Once she did she once again became a social butterfly. We probably stayed a little too long as she was over stimulated and very tired when we got home. She slept on the way home and went right to sleep at 11pm for Mommy. Good girl.

I let her sleep in and extra few hours and it took 2 days to get her back to her 8pm bed time, 8 am wake up, nap 1-3 pm schedule. She's a trooper!

Below cousin Alan blows bubbles for Tamara at the party. Cousin Amanda takes pictures and Nicky cheers her on.

Below Grandma and Tamara play on the steps. Tamara is gaining strength and muscle tone quickly. I'd say it's probably doubled since we got her.

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A New Day

My nephew asked me today what it felt like to be a Mom. I told him it felt like I got to keep him and his sister for keeps. He then apologized..lol. Very funny Alan ;o) My niece and nephew spent many a summer day at our house when they were younger. It was a pleasure having them. Sort of a rent a kid arrangement. Bruce and I got to be totally silly for one week every summer. Going to kid movies, theme parks, eating kid food. But it wasn't all fun and games with Auntie Lee and Uncle Bruce... we had house rules which the kids happily followed. Right guys..lol

I still remember the morning soon after we had moved into our house. Amanda, Alan and Brandon spent the night with us as we had taken them to the local carnival. Amanda and Alan had already spent several days with us and Brandon had just joined us. That was the year of the ducks (read OH DUCKY) and so we had a duck coop in the yard. Anyway... Amanda and Alan knew before coming down to breakfast I expected them to wash, brush their teeth, comb their hair, dress and make their bed. Brandon had just come down stairs to join them and Alan asked him... Did you brush your teeth? Make your bed? You'd better or else you'll sleep in the duck coop. lol.. I had to chuckle silently as I did say in jest earlier that those were the rules. It's amazing what sticks in children's minds. The look on Brandon's face was priceless. I remembered this as the carnival is in town again this week and we will probably take Tamara. Although she really is too small for most if not all of the rides. I think she'd enjoy it... especially the cotton candy. And so I would like to Thank all our friends and relatives who loaned us their child / children so we could practice ;o) It was always fun for us and now that many of you have grown up a bit I can see that you the children cherish those days/ memories as much as we do.

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Tamara had a busy week this week. And she continues to amaze us. When Bruce pulled out his lawn tractor Tamara watched in amazement. When he finished she ran over and wanted to try it out? The amazing thing is she somehow knows about ignition keys and shifting? Huh? Where did she learn that? Weird.. but cute. No fear here yet.. she still can't reach the gas or break. Which reminds me... did I ever tell you the story about my one and only ride on the lawn tractor? Bruce wanted me to try it so I did. Only to find out the hard way I couldn't reach the break either...lol. Yeah... that video would have been worth a few bucks...lol. Needless to say.. after that it was definitely " a man's job" ;o) lol

Tamara trying out the lawn tractor.
This is what happens when your toddler goes on a string cheese binge. lol..

No Tamara... I think 3 is enough.. you'll ruin your dinner.

She's still too little to open the frig but she likes picking things out. Now she likes to take her sand pail to our 2nd frig and shops for snacks.. putting what she wants in her pail. Too cute.. I guess we need to get her a grocery store play set soon? It's just a matter of time before she wants a shopping cart with wheels. ;o)

The look of a string cheese stick addict.
Tamara had a play date this week with Morgan. Morgan is a few years older but very excited about Tamara's arrival. Here she pushes Tamara in the baby swing. Cute no?

Tamara had a wonderful time and later met Morgan's Daddy whom she seemed to like almost immediately. Bruce said it was after he introduced himself as Morgan's Daddy?

Tamara plays in the sand box. Her first experience with sand.
This week Tamara also transitioned over to the big girl bed which she loves. Mommy is of course a little nervous about it so she's surrounded by many many pillows.. just in case.

1st Night.. Big Girl bed.

All dressed and ready to go for a walk / stroller ride on an especially chilly morning. It's amazing how much stuff you can do before 9 am? Who Knew?
Cute.. huh?
Sitting on the front porch watching birdies with Mom.
A walk with Daddy... she loves it. So does Daddy.
So as you can see week # 2 was a success. Tamara is doing well and looks forward to every new experience... every new day. ;o)

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Love Is All Around

Love Is All Around ...

Happy Belated Father's Day!

This was Bruce's first Father's Day... and he had a ball.

Day started out with him helping with 3 loads of laundry ;o)

Actually it started with a big kiss from Tamara, a card and his 1st Father's Day gift a rocking Hammock built for three ;o)

We then went to my brother's house for a BBQ Father's day celebration.

It took Tamara about an hour to warm up to everyone and then all she did was giggle, play and drag Mommy to the potty Pssst... yup that's what she says.

Below are a few pictures of the races which took place in the hallway.

As you can see Tamara is still wearing her travel bib? There was so much activity no one seemed to notice until we checked the pictures.

Pretty cute I think.

Cousins Nicky and Katie race with Tamara.
The finish line. As you can see the adults had just as much fun as the children.
Thank You Uncle Zoran, Auntie Olga, Cousins Brandon, Nicky and Katie for a fun time and all the wonderful gifts. Tamara had a lot of fun as we all did. She was so excited (over stimulated in the adoption world lingo that she didn't get to sleep until after 11 pm) So Mommy would like to especially thank you. lol. Yeah... one of "those" nights.

~

Below is a picture of Tamara at Kelly and Darren's house. What we planned on to be a quick trip turned into a much longer visit. Here Tamara is riding one of Brody's cars. She seems to think Boy Toys are fun too?

Brody 2 and Braydon 5 were perfect little gentlemen sharing their toys and showing much interest in our little girl. When it was time to go home Tamara of course wanted to stay and play. Braydon offered to watch her if we let her live there. So sweet ;o).

Not a chance kid. lol

So as you can see Tamara loves children and she is very social once she warms up. Our concern is the over stimulation which we then have to deal with once we return home. She seems to do best with smaller groups in a quieter setting. I'm sure that will change with time. After all she's only been home less then two weeks. Wow... that went fast!!!

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Special Thanks to all those who sent Tamara Flowers, balloons, gifts and bonds. She enjoys her little deliveries.

And Mommy said the bonds will help pay for tuition. What's Tuition?

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Itsy Bitsy...

She wore an Itsy Bitsy...

Everything!

Tamara during her first stroll in the back yard. She doesn't like the feel of grass and insisted that Mommy carry her.

Itsy Bitsy Bikini

Tamara plays in her new baby pool. Although we were well stocked on 2T bikinis.. the bottoms kept falling off so now we're well stocked in 18 mo size. She is a peanut.

This week we also had some excitement due to the storm front that barreled through our area.

Below is a picture of the FIRE in our front yard tree. It was struck by lightening and fell on the power lines. Nothing like a burning bush some 30 feet up and about 20 feet from our row of pines which are right next to our house. Eeek!!!

After a few calls to 911 the troops came out in droves.

They assessed the situation, closed the road and we had a mini explosion which took out the power for most of our neighborhood. Luckily is was also pouring so the fire... once grounded put itself out.

Tamara watched the whole thing with us from the front porch. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get her to sleep til after 11 pm that night and she was testy the next day. Her whole schedule was off. Grrrr! Mommy is learning just how important those sleepy times are.. but I couldn't see putting her to sleep until I knew it was safe. :o(

Our stroller broke somewhere between Munich and JFK so we bought her a new one.

I think Mommy may need a bigger car? So much for cargo space?

Here we are strolling along our road.

Tamara loves her sunglasses

This is her Pouting chair... she goes to it was she's been naughty. Something she started?

Mean Mommy won't let her go out in the Summer heat and humidity?

OK... I'm getting up now...

Now she'll let me...
Please... please Mommy?
Tamara excited catching butterflies with her Elfin game.

Thanks Jane & Jessie .. the game is a hit! ;o)

Tamara is a doll.. no doubt about it.

She far exceeds what we had hoped.. prayed for in a daughter. I was told and had read that after a while she will start to test her boundaries and us... well she must be advanced as she has been doing so the last 3-4 days.

My little angel is now somewhat of a picky eater? Hum... so soon? And she does have mini melt downs when she doesn't get her way.. right away? Hum... so soon?

So while little Miss Sunshine practices pushing Mommy's buttons. Something I am told she will probably continue to do for the next 16 years or so? Mommy is finding some humor in her some what predictable toddler behavior. Perhaps the hardest part is that she will cry if I leave her even for a short time (minutes... like 1-2 or less?). On the upside I should lose some weight... I'm calling it the "toddler diet". Tamara prefers what Mommy is eating even if it's exactly the same. Tamara can feed herself and usually will until she sees Mommy picking up Mommy's fork... then Tamara hands me her fork for me to feed her. If it's something she likes she will insist that I give her mine as well. On the other hand if it's something she doesn't like she tries to feed it to me. Nice huh?
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Things they don't tell you about Toddler adoptions. Toddlers want to try everything yesterday. Toddlers already have a little personality. They have very definite likes and dislikes. Toddlers hold grudges.. yes they do.. they may not last very long but they pout, shout, stump their feet and throw things. Tamara doesn't do this often (maybe once a day) but when she does.. she's too cute to ignore. Bed time is getting more difficult.. probably because the schedule has been messed with this week? We'll get her back on track.

So while we work on getting to know our daughter we can see signs in her behavior that are a reflection of what her life was like before. For example Tamara is potty trained. In the past 3 weeks she's had two minor accidents which happen by the potty when she could no longer hold it. She became hysterically upset when this happen and watched me to see if I was going to punish her? Interesting? She also gets very upset if she spills something .. and also watches to see if I'll punish her? Interesting... very interesting.

I had asked the staff while in Georgia how they discipline children in Georgia. Not the staff specifically but the general population in Georgia. Corporal punishment is apparently still the norm there. I suspected as much before even asking. While in the USA it is not socially acceptable nor legal to physically beat children it remains so in many parts of the world. The thought of what must go on in the orphanages around the world is very upsetting. When you visit an orphanage and see the level of discipline / order it takes to control / train the children of which there are many. You see the intense level of structure / schedule that the children become accustomed to. I hesitate in commenting on this method of discipline as their jobs are over whelming and their methods based on hundreds if not thousands of years worth of experience and custom. However the thought of these precious babies being physically punished breaks my heart. And it just reminds me of how important it is to support through training / awareness / understanding as well as providing the orphanage staff with the essential tools they need to preform their every day tasks. The less stressed the staff = less stressed children = better adjusted adults they become = better planet Earth. The math is simple... the task is great.

It reminds me that something as simple as a truck load of diapers could reach out and sooth more then a tiny tush. How stressful do you think it would be to be the official diaper changer in a baby house if you were about the run out or have already done so? 20-30-50 babies need changing and you're down to your last box? Hum... do you think maybe you might loose it for a second? Might raise your voice? Be a little rougher changing the little ones? You may think ... No... never but you might. Especially if it were allowed and if your own parents / primary care giver did years ago.

I'm bringing this delicate subject up as I think adoptive parents and others need to be aware. Again not to criticize the care givers but to help them. Adoptive parents... if they choose to be.. are in a very unique position. They can help the children they leave behind. And in many cases they can see the facility, meet the staff and access the situation. Which can then help the next family going overseas. For the "others" .. education / awareness is power. Please support these parents as many of you have supported our fundraiser.

As for Tamara I suspect she was physically disciplined over the last 3+ years. She's starting to relax in some ways and stress a bit in others. I don't think she knows what to make of us. I can see her little wheels turning.

"hum... if I cry they pick me up?"

"hum... Am I allowed to spill stuff here? Mommy says it's OK... please don't cry"

"hum... there's a draw full of Pull Ups? Maybe I don't use enough?"

Our little girl is amazing. She plays very well with others both children and adults. She shares what she has happily yet can hold her own when need be.

Yes... we're very proud of our little angel. Now if we could just get her talking. Yes I know some day I will be eating my words. I suspect one day soon she will start talking and there will be no stopping her. When that day comes and she won't stop chatting away and asking a million questions non stop. I'll look back on these days and remind myself how lucky we are and how much we longed for those first precious words.

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