Wilson World

It is finished!

2009-05-25T05:02:00.000-07:00

I’m not exactly sure when I broke a mirror, but I am hoping that after this weekend that life will be changing for the better. You see, I have finished my PhD in Counseling and Personnel services and graduated on Friday! And, it took me 7 years to complete the program!

My dissertation is dedicated to my children Victoria and Nicolas with the following words by Carl Jung “Nothing is a stronger influence psychologically on their environment, and especially on their children, than the unlived lives of the parents.” And while the process was very difficult for me and created some hardships for the family during the process, I know that ultimately this degree will benefit more than just me. I know it will have a strong influence on Tori and Nic.

You see, on the first day, of my first class, I was delighted to share that I was pregnant with my daughter Victoria. In fact, that class and the ladies that share the distinction “PhDiva” with me, saw the sonogram of Tori even before Slade! Then, last year Slade and I traveled to Russia and brought Nicolas home to our family. Tori and Nicolas truly are the bookends of my graduate career. Now, Tori will actually know a mommy who is not in school. And, If you want to know what a PhD looks like Tori is the physical representation of my 7 years in the program -- from conception to now!

Throughout my experience I really questioned whether or not I would actually be able to graduate. I juggled a full-time job and part-time student load. I have been in class and had to leave to take my sick daughter to the hospital. I have carried many incompletes that I was not sure that I would ever finish. I was devastated when I did not pass comprehensive exams the first time. Then, after writing a complete dissertation proposal, the Navy had decided to place a moratorium on all human-subjects research and it looked like I would not be able to propose my research anytime in the near future if I kept my subject. Starting over – even on a similar topic – was very difficult. It took a lot of motivation to make that switch.

If that wasn’t enough, on the day of my proposal we thought Slade had a heart-attack. And yet, I attended my proposal meeting. Then, just to top things off, I sustained 2nd degree burns on my right hand just weeks before I was to defend my the dissertation. It is amazing to me that I have persevered. Today, however, I am here to tell you “It is finished!”

Confessions of a 6 year old

2009-05-08T03:17:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love the way kid's brains work? Here are a few recent out takes from conversations with Tori. . .

Tori: Mom, I can't wait to go to the "ho and tell."
Me: Are you having show and tell at school?
Tori: No, the "HO and TELL"
At this point, I'm puzzled.
Me: What's the "Ho and Tell"?
Tori: You know where the hot tub is. I'm going there with Marshall.
Me: Oh, you mean a hotel?
(Side note -- My family is coming to visit us in Maryland soon, and they will be staying at a hotel!)
Later, I just had to get Slade in on this one --- the ho and tell -- now just think about that for a moment -- I sure hope that no one will be "ho and tell" at the hotel :)! I had to ask Slade what he had been teaching our daughter!

Conversation #2 occurred at the dinner table. Sam (mid from the NA) was joining us for dinner.
Tori: Sam you are the first kid done.
Sam: I'm not a kid?
Tori: Well, you're not married.
At which point we all get a nice laugh.
Sam: What about the Pope?
Tori: Who?
I just love the fact that you are either a kid or married. I guess it does feel that way sometimes!

May Day

2009-05-01T17:05:00.000-07:00

Did you know that May Day was actually the festival of Flora, the Roman Goddess of Flowers? This is one of the reasons that people adorn their houses with flowers on May Day. May Day is intended to mark the end of winter, and celebrate the coming of the new season.

Well, for me May Day will always be synonymous with the day that Nicolas became a US Citizen. I cannot forget the day that we landed in Atlanta after a longer than anticipated stay in Russia. We were exhausted but so glad to be back in the United States. If May Day was once the celebration of spring and a new season, I cannot think of a more fitting day to celebrate the new season in Nicolas' life by become a US Citizen -- pretty neat huh?

FROM 2008 TO 2009

Missing Blogger Found

2009-04-30T05:12:00.000-07:00

After weeks of silence, the missing Wilson World blogger has been found. In a phenomenon that that has left authorities baffled, it appears that the blogger had been spending time with her family instead of posting to her blog. These pictures were captured of the blogger's activities during her absence. It appears that the blogger had many events to post about including her daughter's 6th birthday, Easter activities, and Potomac Cruise with friends. It was therefore surprising to find that the blogger had not posted about any of these happenings. Apparently, no one was hurt during the absence; in fact, the family reports that there was a lot of "fun" occurring. It has been reported that the blogger is begging for forgiveness from the courts and has entered a plea bargin with a suspended sentence for mandatory blogging

I dry!

2009-03-25T03:11:00.000-07:00

Ah, the sweet sound of those two words. Those who have been with me in potty training he** know exactly what I mean. It has been 3 days and Nicolas has not had one accident. I must tell you this is one MAJOR accomplishment for my little dude. The last few days he has greated me at the door when I come home with the following. . .

hi mom
come on, come in
mom, I dry!

His sweet little way of letting me know that he went all day without an accident. We then spend a few minutes doing the happy dance. Nicolas jumps up and down; I clap and then we have a big hug. Now, maybe I am counting my chickens before they hatch but 3, count them 1-2-3 days -- I must be in heaven!

Meeting with Dr. Kauffman @ the Fragile X Clinic

2009-03-14T12:18:00.000-07:00

This week we had an appointment with Dr. Kauffman at the Fragile X clinic at Kennedy Krieger. First, it is pretty amazing that we were able to schedule this appointment. When we received Nicolas' diagnosis last summer, I called the clinic, and they put us on the waiting list. The first available appointment was for the winter of 2010. That was 1 1/2 - 2 years from the time that I made the first contact to them. However, Dr. Davoli in the International Adoption Clinic was able to make a referral to the Fragile X clinic for a record review. I was a little neutral about the meeting at first because I felt like -- "what are we going to learn that we do not already know?". Well, I am very glad that we scheduled this appointment.

We met with Dr. Kauffman for about 2 hours to discuss the genetics of Fragile X, learning and behavior. He was very impressed with all the documentation that we already had for Nicolas. He started by asking us the reason the genetic testing was done. (The only way to receive a Fragile X diagnosis is through the genetic test). Our pediatrician had ordered the genetic test within a month of our arrival home from Russia. The main reason he ordered the test was because of the lack of medical background that we had received for Nicolas and his developmental delays. Our doctor had order the test to rule out anything else that might be happening when the Fragile X was discovered. What we learned from Dr. Kauffman was that as recently as last week, he and others with the national organization were meeting with Congress to try to impress the need for testing. Many more children may actually have Fragile X than those who have a diagnosis. I get a little chill just thinking about it -- we received our diagnosis within 60 days of having Nicolas home while many go untested, and our doctor had the wisdom to order the genetic test. If ever there was an example of God's hand working in my life it is this.

Dr. Kauffman was also very impressed by the Towson language study. It really helps to differentiate between the language deficiency of internationally adopted children and the deficiency that he is experiencing due to the Fragile X. If it were not for this blog and Eileen (thank you!), who let me know about the study at Towson University, we may not have such good diagnostic information. Dr. Glennen was able to work us into the study last year. They had already completed their spring intakes, but she was able to work us in before the summer break. This is another one of those instances when I know that God was in control.

The other great news is that Dr. Kauffman is going to begin the assessments to get Nicolas into the clinic. Normally, a two day assessment is conducted by a team of doctors. Scheduling is very difficult so they only schedule an assessment once a month. Since we are already patients at Kennedy Krieger, we will continue to work with them and begin to have individual assessments. So, instead of waiting until next winter, we will begin as early as late spring this year. Our first assessment will be with a behavioral psychologist. I am looking forward to this any suggestions that the doctor can provide us to help with Nicolas' tantrums.

He told us that Nicolas was a high functioning Fragile X. As testament to this we often have friends and even family who wonder if the test could have been wrong. Dr. Kauffman indicated that the test is certain but the fact that people think he is "normal" indicates that he is coping well. The further testing will give us information about anxiety and attention deficit which is common for those with Fragile X.

Finally, he gave us some very promising news. I am even a bit afraid to write it here because I am too scared to be optimistic. A drug used to treat Fragile X was approved for clinic trials which are underway (we knew about this). We were not sure what this meant but we thought that maybe by the time Nicolas was a pre-teen it might be available to us. What we learned from Dr. Kauffman was that the drug trials have been going very well. If they continue to progress, the drug might be available to Nicolas as early as 2 years from now! This drug will treat the disorder not just the symptoms. Very, very promising news for a child who is only 4!

If you pray for our family, thank God for these blessings. I know that he is alive and working in my life! And, continue to pray that we will have stamina for all the doctor's appointments we will experience this year. It does take its toll on me. And, pray that these drug trials continue to go well and the drug would become available to Nicolas.

New Do's

2009-03-10T10:27:00.000-07:00

Tori and I sprung forward with a new look!

Snow Day!

2009-03-03T05:14:00.000-08:00

The winter storm blew through our area yesterday. We got some nice powdery snow -- about 6". This is the type of winter weather that I can handle (forget the ice, yuck). Although I must admit that I am dreaming of green grass and 70 degree weather for March, our snow day was nonetheless fun. I slept in as long as the kids would allow which wasn't much later than normal, but we all ended up piled up in the bed for a bit. We all stayed in our jammies for quite a while after we decided to leave the bed. Then about mid-afternoon, me and the kids bundled up and headed for a nice incline at the neighbors house. I wonder what Nicolas thinks when he sees the snow. The first thing he said was "mess". The kids had a great time in the snow -- sledding down the hill and having snowball fights. Then another neighbor brought a snow tube out -- that was a blast. For next year, I really need to invest in snow suits, boots and waterproof gloves for the kids. We made due, but it was sure cold! I had to end the fun because my shoes were not built for the snow and not being a kid, I had all the cold and wet I could take for one day. When we came in for lunch, we warmed up with campbell's soup. It reminded me of the snowman commercial. I think we all felt like that snowman melting off the cold.

All Dressed Up

2009-03-01T05:58:00.001-08:00

This one is for GranMolly -- I know you've been waiting on this pic!

10% Goal

2009-02-26T09:59:00.000-08:00

I used to find myself just dreading stepping on the scale. I'm sure that just about every American female has had this feeling at one point or another. This past fall, my weight had gotten to the point that I either had to lose weight or buy new clothes. Slade voted against new clothes, so I joined WW.
Amazingly, the weight started coming off. Even during th holidays, I managed to lose a few more pounds. I must admit that from about December 24 - sometime in January, I kept saying, "I'll start again next week" -- too many parties, candies, chips around. Howver, I have been quite diligent again in the past few weeks. Tracking everything I eat and keeping a close eye on what I will and will not eat.
Now, I actually enjoy weighing-in just to see how much I have lost. And, the accountability is great for me because I would never do this at home! At home, there is no one there to tell me what I am thinking. When I weigh-in with someone else giving me the verdic, I feel the shame of "you didn't lose this week" or the elation of "wow, you lost another pound this week". It really does keep me motivated (sometimes it is the gains that motivate me more than the losses) .
On Wednesday, I weighed-in and reached my first goal 10%! I really wanted to lose the 10% before the end of my first WW session, and I just accomplished it. From October until now, I am about 15 lbs lighter. I have just a few more pounds to lose before I am at my ultimate weight, and I am psyched.
Now all I can say is watch out bikini -- I'm gonna be ready for you this summer!

New Tat

2009-02-21T04:29:00.001-08:00

Forget the paperwork -- this makes it official!

Nicolas' First Birthday

2009-02-16T18:23:00.000-08:00

Well it’s not really his 1st birthday but it is most likely his first birthday party. Nicolas turned the big 04 on Friday. Since Valentine’s Day was this weekend and a friend of his was also celebrating his birthday, it was cake, cake, cake all weekend.

On Friday, the fam went to Friendly’s for Nicolas favorite meal – hamburger and fries – and of course, ice cream! Saturday was Valentine’s Day so he got he got a present from Mom and Dad. On Sunday, a friend celebrated his birthday at a bowling alley. Nicolas just LOVES bowling. This was his second bowling party and he is such a hoot when he is bowling. Today, we had a big celebration for Nicolas. We spent the day with the Nelson’s at Port Discovery, had lunch at McDonald's because it is hamburger and fries, and ate cake and opened presents at home. No wonder I am so tired writing this! I leave you with the weekend in pictures. . .

Happy Birthday Nicolas!

Living Like No One Else

2009-02-15T18:29:00.000-08:00

Today, I was walking though the grocery store with a calculator in my hand. This is something that I haven’t done for probably 15 years when Slade and I were first married. Back then, we were so poor that we didn’t have two nickels to rub together. The first time we sat down to create a budget, we found out very quickly that there wasn’t very much money coming in and that we would have to watch every penny. We set aside 20 dollars every two weeks for eating out which meant that we could eat at Taco Bell twice or we might be able to eat at a real restaurant if we pulled all the money for that meal.

Maybe it’s the economy, but recently, we have been having discussions about becoming dept free. Our adoption expenses and the extra time we spent in Russia left us with a pretty large credit card bill. In fact it was probably the most I have put on a credit card since we have been married. Now that I have finished the dissertation and will be graduating in May (for the last time :) ), my student loans will be coming due. We were successful at only using loans for my undergraduate education which means that those loans have been sitting for the past 10 or so years and someone out there is itching to finally get paid (there must be some loan officer somewhere wondering just how long you can stay in school ). Between credit cards and student loans, we have quite a bit to repay.

We are dedicated to paying off the credit card and the student loan as quickly as possible – within the next 18-24 months. Then, the only dept that we will have remaining is the house.
A funny side story – in the process of paying off credit card debt, I recently paid off one of our credit cards. I called the company to cancel the card. They were beside themselves and tried everything to have us keep the card. The customer service rep asked – what will you do if you have an emergency? My response – pay cash. I guess that really is a novel idea!

And, I guess that means that we really are dedicated to living like no one else so that . . . (well, if you don’t know how that sentence ends, you really need to ask me).

Tagged. . . What's on your bookshelf?

2009-02-11T16:19:00.000-08:00

Wow, less than a week on Blogger and I’ve already been tagged by Shannon -- a blogger friend who adopted from Abakan too. A sort of chain letter for the blog world, I don’t always participate in these shenanigans. I must be in a good mood today and need a silly reason to blog, so here goes. . .

Here are the rules of the tag:
Grab the nearest book.
Open to page 56.
Find the fifth sentence.
Post the text of the next 2 to 5 sentences, along with these rules.
Don't dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual book. Pick the CLOSEST!
Tag five (or more) other people to do the same!

Well, you asked for it. . .

Although Tinto focuses on the college attrition process, his model has been successfully employed to suit other student outcomes. Indeed, the underlying dynamic of Tinto's theory of departure -- student integration into the academic and social systems of an institution -- is similar to Astin's (1985) involvement and Pace's (1988) quality of effort, although the importance of the investment of physical and psychological energy postulated by Astin and Pace is only implied in Tinto's concept of integration. Tinto's comparatively more explicit theoretical to the study the college student change process and to administrators who seek to design academic and social programs and experiences intended to promote students' educational growth.

From: Pascarella & Terenzini (2005). What Matters In College.

Remember, my last post -- I just defended my dissertation, what book did you expect to be the closest book to me?

Since I've had such a long blog hiatus, I must say that I'm not sure that I have 5 others to tag and many of those that I read have already been tagged, so I will offer up three more victims to this game. . .

Jennifer
Karey
Carey (private)

Dr Wilson

2009-02-06T05:32:00.001-08:00

The day has finally arrived. On Wednesday, I had my oral defense of my dissertation. Thus, the reason that I have not blogged for over a month. Just too much to accomplish in a few short weeks.
The meeting went well. I was a bit worried as it snowed and the area schools were delayed until 10am. However, everyone made it to the proposal meeting and after 1 1/2 hours of questioning, my chair emerged from the room and announced me -- Dr. Wilson!

OH, HAPPY DAY!

(Sorry no pics -- Slade was in charge of the camera again -- I got to remember not to do that!)

Political Debates

2008-10-08T17:19:00.001-07:00

Are you watching? I have a few things to get off my chest and I know that I am getting old because of these comments:

First, Let me just say that when they host political debates on college campuses in the mid-west, those of us on the East coast are holding our eyes open with toothpicks in order to stay up. The debate started at 9 and was over at 11. I think I made it though the domestic policy issues and by then, well, I'd had enough. I had a choice to make -- another hour of this or my nice warm, cozy bed. I think you know what I chose.

Second, am I the only person in the world who hates the Town Hall format? Like I said, I must be a fuddy-duddy. Just stand behind a podium and talk to the American public. I think they were too busy wandering around the stage and not wanting to appear too stiff that they were just driving me CRAZY. Really, I do not want to see your back-side and the camera people had no idea where they would be going to next so we say their back-side almost as much as their front-side. It just appeared sloppy to me. Were they talking to the camera, the moderator, the audience. Tom Brokaw even had to ask them to move in order that he could read the teleprompter -- come-on now that is just sloppy.

What's up with the stop light? Is this not the craziest thing. I must be have a post-modern moment -- isn't it a bit ironic that there is the odd Stop light in the room that no one is paying any attention to -- that is except Tom. Not only do they not pay attention to the stop light at all, Tom even interrupts them and reprimands them for not "following the rules" -- are we in kindergarten? I guess I am too much of a "J" on the Myers-Briggs. I just want you to stop talking when its not your turn. Is it too much to ask you play nicely and talk when it's your turn. My goodness, I have to teach this conversational turn-taking to my 5 year old. I would have thought that two presidential candidates would have conquered this skill by now.

I must also mention that I am a terrible political pessimist. Really, I have no faith that either of these two POLITICIANS will be able to reform Washington, DC. How many times have we heard that? And all these great programs and no new spending and no new taxes -- sure I'll believe it when I see it.

2008-09-28T05:39:00.001-07:00

Thursday has come and past and guess what -- another trip to the doctor. Honestly, I am going to schedule a standing appointment at the doctor's office for Nicolas. This time, he had a reaction to the antibiotics and ended up with a yeast infection. I knew that girls/women experienced this, but had no idea that boys might too. So, the doctor gave us yet another prescription and off we went. Nicolas is doing much better and I even think his ears/lungs are clearing up, but that will take another doctor's appointment to be for sure.

I never imagined how stressful our daily schedule could be with two children. On Thursday, Slade took Nicolas to the doctor because I had a 4-7 class. Tori also had ballet at 4:15 on Thursday. Nicolas had to get to his doctor's appointment and Tori wanted to go to the school for book night at 6:30. Is it really possible to get all of this done in a day? Obviously, my husband has skills that I never knew about because when I came in at 7:40, dinner was made, the kids had eaten, they both had taken their baths AND all of the above appointments/activities had been met! That is SuperDAD of the year worthy if you ask me -- oh, and now that I know about these super hero powers, I think he will have to use them more often.

Of course, I must also give a some credit here to the Nelson's (our neighbors). Tori has been walking home from school with Michael and David every day and staying with them until Dad gets home. And, they actually get the credit for getting Tori to book night at the school on Thursday. She has even gone to football games with them as Slade and I do our best to balance our schedules. Which comes to the fact that they are truly becoming the three musketeers. It won't be long before people start thinking that Beth has triplets!

So this week, they take a trip to Pet's Mart to pick up some dog food. Beth let's them pick out a special treat for the dogs, and each of them chooses and doggie treat. Tori picked out one that looked like a chocolate chip cookie (no surprises there). So all the kids were clear - these treats were for the dogs. That is until they are half way to the car and Tori has eaten half of the dog treat! Don't worry -- it wasn't harmful and a trip to the emergency room did not follow. I just had to laugh -- my daughter is so chocolate crazy that she is eating dog treats now!

Proposal Date

2008-09-23T18:39:00.000-07:00

Ah, two sweet little words and yes, I have a proposal date my friends!

My proposal meeting will be schedule on Tuesday October 14. On this day I will surely need your prayers and prayers for all my committee members. My dissertation is on the influence of college experiences and leadership development on leadership self-efficacy for students who participate in military education programs. Boy is that a mouth full!
I have a few revisions to make to the proposal, and then I will send the proposal off to my committee for review.

This is the first of a three step process.

First, I will meet with my committee at the proposal meeting. This meeting which is scheduled for 2-hours is an opportunity for the committee to ask me questions about the design and theoretical foundation for the study. Remember, I am just proposing the research. So, they will make recommendations in order to improve my study and approve my moving forward with the research.
Second, I will conduct the research. I will be using data that was collected as a part of the Multi-Institutional Study for Leadership. Since the data has already been collected, it makes the dissertation a little smoother. I will be analyzing a subset of the data for my study. This will include writing chapter 4 & 5 of my dissertation.
Third, I will schedule the dissertation defense with my committee. It is during this meeting that they will decide if I passed the dissertation. The defense is open so friends and colleagues are welcome to attend. My committee members will again ask me questions about the study and my findings. Hopefully -- I will have very good answers to their questions. If all goes well, I will be Dr. Wilson at the end of the defense!

Another Thursday, Another Drs Appointment

2008-09-18T11:10:00.000-07:00

Well, it appears that Thursdays are going to be doctor appointment days in our house. This is mostly because our doctor has late hours on Thursdays, and it makes it a little easier for to get in for an appointment.

A few weeks ago, we took Nicolas in to see the doctor because he had been coughing quite a bit and also started pulling on his ear -- I just knew that he had an ear infection. Well, the outcome of our dr's appointment was that Nicolas in fact had an ear infection. We got an antibiotic and we were off.

This Thursday had been two weeks since that appointment. Nicolas had completed the antibiotics for the ear infection, and it wasn't but a few days and he started with the coughing again. So, back to the doctor we went. This time she wanted a chest x-ray. Nicolas still had his ear infection and the result of the chest x-ray revealed a little mucus in his lungs. So, we got another, stronger, antibiotic, and he also got a nebulizer so that we can give him breathing treatments. At first, he really hated the treatments. I think he was probably a little scared. but now that he has completed several, he is actually ready for it when it is time. I think that he knows that it makes him feel a little better, and I can tell that the nebulizer is helping with the coughing. I do hope that he begins to feel better, soon. It just kills me because he is so active and when he is not feeling well, you can just see the energy drain out of him.

If he is not showing much improvement by Tuesday, then we will probably be back at the doctor on Thursday. If not, another two weeks and back to the doctor. I do hope this round of medication takes care of all the ickys.

Gates v. GM

2008-09-16T03:26:00.000-07:00

I received this message as one of the many e-mails that you find in your inbox everyday. However, because of my constant computer woes, I thought it was just hilarious. While I am sure the backdrop has little truth, the comparisons made are just striking and given the cost of gas it is even funnier. Well, you be the judge:

For all of us who feel only the deepest love and affection for the way computers
have enhanced our lives, read on. At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill
Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and
stated,?"If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we
would all be driving $25.00 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon."
In response to Bill's comments, General Motors issued a press release
stating:If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving
cars with the following characteristics (and I just love this part):

For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash........? Twice a day.
Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car.
Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason you would simply accept this.
Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.
Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive - but would run on only five percent of the roads.
The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single 'This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation' warning light.
The airbag system would ask 'Are you sure?' before deploying.?
Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.
Every time a new car was introduced car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.
You'd have to press the 'Start' button to turn the engine off.

More on the "Project"

2008-09-14T05:32:00.000-07:00

Ok. So, I'm upset and disappointed. I did post on my blog about the Members Project, and I did ask many people to vote. I was not really prepared to flame anyone but there are some who are. If you are interested in reading more, surf on over to the Simple Justice blog.

Etcetera

2008-09-13T14:06:00.000-07:00

So much to say, but I won't bore you with all the details - or at least I'll try. . . .
135 feeds to read. Just finished. Sorry if I haven't been commenting on your site. I feel like I am getting caught up now.
Chapters 1-3 completely finished (in draft form) are in my advisors hands. Wow -- what an awesome feeling! I cannot wait to schedule the proposal date!
I have been "decorating" my office at work. It is finally coming together. I'll have to take a picture to post soon.
It hasn't even been a month of school and Tori has already missed a day to to "illness". I won't go into all the details but just say that everything in my house has been disinfected multiple times, and itch just thinking about it.
What happened to the AmExpress Member's Project? Your guess is as good as mine. Cure Fragile X finished 5th -- yes, 5th in the voting (If I remember math correctly that is in the top 25?) and yet didn't make it to the second round! Ok -- someone please, tell me that the Presidential election will not be run by AmExpress!
Kindercare opened in Gambrills which means that my morning commute is much better. However, this is one more change for Nicolas. I can tell that it is beginning to take it's toll on him. I just want some stability in my life for a few weeks -- hum, that must mean that I am about to experience significant changes :)
For those of you on Facebook -- I finally set up my account today. Look for me, I'd love to add you to my friends list. Oh, and I am also considering starting up my blogger site again. I think I finally have it the way I want it. Maybe I'll just post both places for a while and see which tends to work better -- what do ya think?

Ok. I'm finished for now. That's like two week's worth of posts in one -- what a bargain! Boy and I glad to get that all out of my head!

Visit Us on MSN

2008-01-02T18:29:00.000-08:00

I started moving my MSN Live account to blogger but it was just too much work! Sorry all my Google Friends! Please, visit us at our blog http://sbwlw.spaces.live.com/

Bad Hair Day

2007-07-30T06:57:00.000-07:00

Let's talk about a bad hair day for the next 3 months. I cannot believe the experience that I had at the salon on Friday. I was actually looking forward to getting my hair cut. I had been perusing all the celebrity hairstyles in search of that glamorous, trendy cut. I had decided that I wanted to go blonder and shorter. A nice short shag with a great summer blonde.

Well, I go in, we discuss the plan and off we go with all over color. --And that is when my dreams turned into a nightmare. After trying to go blonde -- I got ORANGE. It was hideous. Now, I must add here that the reason I go to a salon is because I prefer to believe that they are professionals and the hundreds of dollars I spend to get that fabulous look could not be afforded through at 20 dollar bottle of Clairol. So, my stylist proceeds to add toner and then semi-permanent color to my hair trying to "tone down" my now glowing head. When all that does not work, she decided to add in highlights which turn to a nice shade of copper. Now I have orange and copper hair -- am I a calico cat! As I sat in the chair experiencing all this, I said out loud -- wow this is been quite a science experiment today.

Ok. so that's the color and off we go to the cut. I think to myself -- a good cut can overcome some flaws in the color. I want my hair to be "flippy" in the back and cut with the sides flipping as well -- a sort of Meg Ryan look, if you will. So, she starts cutting away. I thought she was finished in the back, and she started cutting again when I objected! It was like she couldn't get the cut right so she just kept cutting. At this point, I couldn't even talk, I was speechless -- just get me out of this place. So I pay the bill -- the color, highlights, toner AND cut -- and we wouldn't have had toner and highlights if she knew what she was doing. So, now I am sitting in my car crying because I have been at the salon for over three hours and my hair is orange and butchered! I cried all night and called my sister-in-law for some comfort, reassurance, anything to feel better. What was I going to do -- I couldn't go out in public like this?

On Saturday morning, I had to call the salon and try to get something worked out. I actually think they were expecting my call. I asked them to color back to my natural color and put in the highlights. Well, that's exactly what they did and surprisingly, they didn't charge. My hair still doesn't look as good as it did when I walked into the salon, but at least, it is not a nightmare anymore. I guess in 3 months it will look better!

We actually did a little travel shopping this weekend after my crisis was finally over. I have been searching for a nice piece of carry-on luggage. I wanted something easy to carry and that was versatile, but also large enough to carry a few days worth of clothes if need be. So, we went to the Mall in Columbia to the LL Bean store, and compared their luggage with Eddie Bauer and a luggage shop. We ending up getting LL Bean's travel pack. The nice thing about this bag is that it also has backpack straps. That was something I really wanted in case I needed to carry the bag and a child through the airport -- It is always a little easier when you have two hands free.

All else is quite on the adoption front for now. However, I cannot even relate to the "no news is good news" phrase right now!

Becca, Becca, Becca

2007-07-26T06:45:00.000-07:00

Slade's home! Yeah. We missed him being gone and the budget meeting went well.
Tori's driving everyone crazy -- especially her teachers at school with Becca, Becca, Becca. Tori just loves her cousin Becca and she's been letting everyone know it. It is basically all she can talk about these days. When are we going to Becca's house. How many days is it. When I get to Becca's house were going to. . . Her teachers at school are now saying -- when is she going to Becca's house so this will stop! Well, Becca just know that Tori adores you and can't wait to play dress up and wear make-up!

We just got some pictures of Tori and Becca at the beach. They are great. --Monkey see, Monkey do!

You've Got Mail

2007-07-24T06:42:00.000-07:00

Guess what we got in the mail Saturday? First Thousand Words in Russian Isn't that just cool. Slade and I started looking though the book and boy does it look like we have our work cut out for us. I think I will make some note cards with the Russian alphabet on them, and we can go from there. For instance, P in Russian actually makes the "r" sound. Maybe we'll at least be able to sound the words out and then we can begin learning our vocabulary. Wow -- it's like were back in grade school!. I think it is important to learn a little of the language before we travel. People always like to see you trying even if you sound like a fool in the process. We talked about trying to find a recording of lullabies in Russian. It might be soothing to hear some familiar songs. Of course, we will probably sound like Tori trying to sing along with the radio -- who know's what she's saying but she's sure making a joyful noise. I suppose that's all that matters anyway.

Well, along with our book, we received -- you guessed it -- MORE PAPERWORK! Don't you just love it? Actually, it's not bad at all just a few agency forms, our visa form, and the travel guide to Russia. The travel guide says that it takes about a week for the dossier to get to Russia (that's good considering it takes about a week for me to send a letter home to Texas! :) and then about a month for the dossier to be translated in Russian. Once this happens, our dossier will be registered with the Regional Ministry of Education in Russia. Then, we will just be waiting on the referral -- about 6-9 months. If I'm counting correctly that means we could get the call as early as February or possibly sometime around May. Wow -- that's a long time. Slade says -- just long enough to write a dissertation -- yeah, yeah, I guess I better get right on that :)
On other news, Samantha is feeling much better. She eating and her energy is up. We should be going back to the doctor soon to make sure the blood work is better.
Surprisingly, the contacts the doctor gave me are actually working out. After about 8 hours I need to take them out, but I wasn't even able to wear the old contacts that long. So, I guess we'll be trying these new contacts out for a while. At least until summer is over, so I can wear sunglasses.

As for my exercise regime -- I didn't exercise on Friday but I did on Saturday and Sunday. I don't usually find the time to exercise on the weekend, but Slade worked on Saturday so I worked out while he was at work. Last night Tori and I took a walk up to the library. It was time to return books. We've been experiencing some very nice weather so the walk was quite nice.

One last note -- I am a baby blogger, so please humor my growing pains! I just learned how to get the picture in the text! I had to download Windows live writer to get it to work. It only took me a few days -- Boy am I a quick learner

Conversations with Tori

2007-07-20T06:40:00.000-07:00

On our drive to daycare this morning, Tori asked me where baby brother was going to sit. She has gotten into the routine of buckling bunny and a doll she calls “baby brother” into the seat belts before she gets buckled into her car seat. This morning, I was in a hurry, so I told her that she would have to hold her babies. This must be what initiated the “Where’s baby brother going to sit.” I explained that we would add another car seat in the back and he would get to sit by her. She really didn’t like that explanation. She said she wanted to be the big sister, and she didn’t need a car seat anymore – brother could have hers!

We have been reading some stories to her to help her understand what it means to be adopted. We picked up some books from the library:
Rebecca’s Journey Home (China adoption)
Tell me Again About the Night I Was Born (domestic adoption)
Waiting for May (China adoption)

She likes Rebecca’s Journey Home the best. The book is about a Jewish family that adopts from China. What she liked most about this book was all the things that Rebecca could be she grew up. Her reaction to Tell me Again about the Night I was Born is “it’s boring.” It was actually funny when she said it was boring because I don’t think there is a book she doesn’t like – well, now we have one on that list. Waiting for May was a bit long but it helped us begin the conversation that Mom and Dad are going on a trip and that Tori will stay here until we return – she’s excited about that, right now.

On the way home from school she told me that she wanted a car that was just glass. I had to make sure that is what she actually said to me – you want a car that is just glass? She said yes; we just passed one; you missed it. I was a bit puzzled, but hey if she says she saw it, then she did. We got a little further down the road and she said – see mom, there’s one. Ah, a car that is just glass is a Convertible! (It doesn’t have a roof – just a glass windshield). Now, I’ve got her language.

Glasses or Contacts

2007-07-20T06:38:00.000-07:00

Glass or contacts – yes, that is my big dilemma today. I like wearing contacts. The only problem is that my eyes don’t like the contacts so much. Last July I lost my sight for a few days and almost had to see an eye specialist. It appears that your cornea gets a little cranky if you leave you contacts in while you sleep. Honestly, it was probably the second or third time in my life that I have left my contacts in while I slept. This time I suppose my eyes just couldn’t take it – either that or I’m getting old. I’m too young to be old so I’ll just say the former. I tried wearing contacts about a month after the episode, but no luck. So, I’ve been wearing my glasses for a year now. It’s not that I hate glasses. I really don’t mind them all too much until it is a nice sunny day and I don’t have any prescription sunglasses. So, I either need prescription sunglasses or contacts that work. A trip to the eye doctor today was not too promising. He gave me different contacts to try out but wasn’t overly optimistic – maybe I should pick out a new pair of glasses just in case, he says. But, I still have my fingers crossed. . . Of, course the end all to this whole dilemma would be LASIK surgery, but considering that we are adopting – there’s really no extra money lying around for “cosmetic surgery” – unless insurance ever decides to cover it.

On the adoption front, everyone is waiting for accreditation. There has been some chatter today that several US agencies have announced that they have accreditation: EAC, Adopt-A-Child, AWAA, Wyoming Children's. You’ll see there is no CHI, our agency, on this list, and I have not received any messages from them saying they have their accreditation certificate. The good news is that agencies are receiving their certificates, so prayers are working.

In world news today, MSN reports that Russian expels 4 U.N. diplomats in spy dispute . They report that “Britain had announced Monday the expulsion of four Russian diplomats and restrictions on visas issued to Russian government officials after Moscow refused to extradite Andrei Lugovoi, accused of killing Litvinenko in London last November.” It appears that Russian officials have now followed suit with the British government by expelling four of their diplomats and initiating their own visa restrictions. You can read the full story at:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19846401/
One more item -- 50 minutes on the ellipitical today. That's 600 calories -- woo hoo!

What's on my mind . . .In case you wanted to know!

2007-07-18T06:37:00.000-07:00

I had to take Samantha to see the specialist in Annapolis again yesterday. Samantha is our 10-year old-beagle. She was not feeling well and was not eating. The doctor had taken her off medicine completely in April, but it appears that her IBD is acting up. This is not good news. The doctor was not impressed with the results that the predisone had the first round, so we had to switch to Imuran. That drug, while it worked, had a negative side effect which led to him taking her off the drugs completely. Now she has also got a urinary tract infection. Poor dog.
We decided to switch her to budesonide. This one is suppose to be better because it has less side effects than the prednisone. I also had to go to a special pharmacy to get the budesonide because they had to compound it especially for dogs. Now, I’m really not one of those crazy dog people who will do anything for their dog. I actually hate taking Sam to the vet because every time I go I know that I’m going to get bad news besides the fact that just to walk in the door, we pay over $100.00. Ok. So maybe I am a little crazy – I just don’t when to stop. I know she’s an old dog and we love her to death. I just pray that this medication will work wonders!
I got back on the elliptical today. It has been about a week since I exercised. I thought if I kept a record of it here that I might have a little more will power. About three weeks ago I calculated my BMI. I couldn’t believe that I was actually in the “overweight” category at 25.8. It appears that my BMI should be between 18.5-24.9, so I made a 4th of July resolution to lose weight – this is akin to a New Year’s resolution but only in July. Why not – I probably have better staying power in July than in January. I hate to exercise in January. It is so cold I just want to stay in bed where it’s warm. I’m not sure that I ever really “like” exercising, but in January it’s worse. It’s like all my muscles freeze up because they’re cold. But I digress. So, I want to lose about 25 pounds by January then there would be no reason for a New Year’s resolution! Now my family who is reading this is saying – 25 pounds – there’s no way that you need to lose 25 pounds. But according to the CDC—that’s exactly what I need to do! So, for three weeks, I exercised for five days a week. I was quite proud of myself. Then last week when I traveled everything got messed up, and it has taken me a week to get back into routine. I only exercised three times last week and will probably only get three times in this week – but I am determined to stick with it.

New Additions

2007-07-16T06:35:00.000-07:00

This was the first week back for Brian and Julie with their new daughter from China. They traveled for several weeks to bring her home. Brian said they had been preparing for baby Madison for 4 years now! Many prayers have been answered with their safe trip home and Madison joining her forever family.

When Slade and I began questioning whether we should adopt, Brian and Julie shared their experiences with us. They were the perfect couple to talk with about the process because they had already completed a domestic adoption and were in the process of an international adoption. They helped us see the pros and cons of each experience. It is now so great to see the completion of their second adoption and Madison is so beautiful.

Just seeing Madison has brought back the yearning that Slade and I have for a new baby. It seems like we have been lost in the paperwork haze for so long focusing on a to-do list of things to get accomplished. Seeing Madison has made it all real again and filled me with the anticipation of bringing our new child home. We also hope to learn more from them about what to expect when we return.

More good news -- when I took Tori into her school this morning we also learned the Ms Emily had her baby! Yeah! A little boy. We can’t wait to meet him!

BLOCK PARTY

2007-07-15T06:34:00.000-07:00

We had a block party this weekend in honor of our neighbors, Justin & Erin and Bo, their boxer. Block parties are a lot of fun in our community. I suppose it is a bit of an oddity to have such close neighbors but it is an oddity that we enjoy. We typically have these get togethers at least twice a year and just love the opportunity to have another party. We live in a cul-de-sac, so we circle up the tables at the end of the block and bring the goodies. The guys grill and the gals chat. We have such a great time catching up on everyone's lives, family, travels, work, etc. At these parties there are always workers and then there are relaxers. I must admit that I am in the last group. While we are not a fussy bunch, it never fails that there will be those who work very hard to set up the perfect event. One of our neighbors is very gracious and usually serves as the host. I hope she enjoys the event as much as the rest of us because she is always taking care of the details!

My favorite part of the block party -- the food. Who can resist all the goodies. I usually bring some sort of dip. This time it was the black bean and corn salsa -- very good. I think that Beth took the prize this time with her Buffalo Chicken dip. It was so good -- it was gone in no time. I have really got to find this recipe. This time they didn't forget the deviled eggs! We always have the grill going and the crowd pleasers are the brauts, asparagus and portabella mushrooms. Wow, and I getting hungry just thinking about all this food! It is a good thing that the dh is in the kitchen now, whipping up some supper!

We are going to miss Justin & Erin. They have been in the neighborhood since we moved in 3 years ago. They have been renting and looking for a place of their own. Real estate in the DC area is crazy, but they have finally found their own home. They are going to have a great place and a wonderful yard for Bo. No more early morning walks with the dog! Tori adores Bo and we are going to miss seeing Erin in the afternoon when they take their walk. Bo always wants to say hello to all the kids (and adults) outside playing.

Justin & Erin we are going to miss you guys -- but you are not going to be too far away. We do expect you to come back for the next block party!

In the Beginning

2007-07-13T06:32:00.000-07:00

Today, I have raised the flag on our mailbox to mail a stack of letters to family and friends to share our great news. I have actually been meaning to send these letters since sometime in March, but I would get the letter completed and then want to add pictures. Well, then as you know life kinda takes over and so the letter must be edited from the last time I touched it. So today, those letters will finally get picked up and out to you all.

Now, I have this new medium to play with -- my first blog! Sure it is exciting now! I hope it does not end up like my exercise program. -- You know, good for the first couple of days, weeks if I'm lucky, and then after a while the space between gets longer and longer. I actually feel a bit guilty. Yesterday, I started searching other blogs, and I am so impressed. I wish that I would have begun this months ago, so I would actually have a good chronology of the entire journey. I suppose that starting now is better than not starting at all.

I have actually been thinking about joining the scrapbooking world to record all of our thoughts and events through the journey. I must say that I am a bit intimidated by the whole thing. Yes, I almost have a doctorate and I am intimated by scrapbooking. I am overwhelmed by everything that can be done. I'm afraid that I would want all the bells and whistles and as a beginner; it would turn out more like a hodgepodge of everything than a cohesive book. Well, I think this blog will help satisfy some of my creative needs. Maybe in the future, I'll start that scrapbook.

Oh yes, at this point you are wondering what is this great news that you have been talking about blogging and scrappbooking?

We are adopting a child from Russia!

Slade and I are so excited to begin the process of bringing another child in our home. It has became clear to us over the past few months that we should consider adopting a child. I think it was sometime in January that I e-mailed -- yes, e-mailed, Slade and asked him what he thought about adopting. He had actually heard a radio program that morning that put the idea in his head as well. It must have been divine intervention! After much consideration, research and prayer, we have taken the step to begin the adoption process. We have been approved through Children’s Hope International (CHI) who will facilitate our adoption of a little boy in Russia. He will be between 8 months – 30 months old when we are able to bring him home.

International adoption is filled with trials. Please pray for us during this process. The laws in Russia are changing and our agency is awaiting news of reaccreditation. In fact, some agency received news of their reaccrediation on July 4th. We hope that our agency will follow soon, too. We have submitted our dossier (documents to present to the Russian government) to our adoption agency and have now begun the long process of waiting for a referral. Depending upon many constantly changing variables, this time will be 10 months or more. Please, pray for the Russian officials as they are reviewing the documents and that the process of re-accrediting agencies will progress smoothly.

I have inlcluded a timeline on the page. Actually, when I created it yesterday, I couldn't believe that we had already been in the process as long as we have. I try not to be a day counter because the process goes a little quicker when I just let life take its toll. It lets us know how far we've come -- and just how long we have to go until our child is home.

The adoption will be emotionally and financially draining for us. We will make two trips to Russia and will have to leave our new child for several months before returning for the second trip. There are also considerable costs to the adoption agency and for the trips to Russia. We, however, are confident that this is God’s will in our life. Please, pray for us that we will not grow weary and that our needs will be taken care of throughout this process. While the adoption can be stressful, please, pray that it will bring our family closer together and allow us to grow. In the end, we know that we will be blessed with a new son and brother for Tori!

For those of you who will receive you letter in snail mail in a few days -- you will see most of this information. To the rest of this world -- welcome to our journey!

Day 1

2007-07-13T06:24:00.000-07:00

We'll this is my very first blog entry. I think I have flashed into the 21st century. There are so many things that I want to record here and so much to add. So back to my design work for now, but more entries later. . .