being an auntie es la bamba!

mia's fort

mia built herself a fort under the stairs here at home. she even makes me feed her in here sometimes. it's nice to see her imagination coming to life. :)

here comes trouble

could the face match the shirt any better? i don't think so.

halloween

my dad

he's my dad. he's the guy who rocked me to sleep until me feet dragged on the floor. he's the guy who used to pretend to spank me when i was in trouble. he's the guy who would sneak me a snack when i said i was hungry at bedtime. he's the guy who was always at my games no matter what time or weather conditions. he's the guy i could always count on when i needed something. he still is. he's my daughter's hero. he was mine first. he's my dad.
happy birthday, dad!

should i be worried?

mini me

my chubby little girl now likes to cross her arms when she does not get her way. i caught her doing it today and was able to snap this picture. look at that grin! i know i have seen pictures of myself in this exact same pose. it's true what they say, you WILL get one just like you. :)

the golden gate bridge

i set mia on a concrete post for a second while i meant to snap a quick picture of the golden gate bridge with my phone. instead, i ended up with a much better view than of that famous bridge. i caught my baby, looking more like a little girl.

happy birthday to me!

politics

with all of this talk about politics and what our government has done to us or needs to do for us over the past several months, it's gotten me to thinking...what really matters to me in all of this? well, you are looking at them...and a few not present for this picture...
i really don't care who wins, as long as our kids don't lose.

my boy

6 years ago today, my life changed forever. 6 years ago today, i stood in a hospital room and gave my heart to a little boy named soren. the first time i laid eyes on him, i knew life was never, ever going to be the same. over the past 6 years, i have loved loving you. i look forward to our days ahead. happy birthday, my boy! God bless you today.

"hi"

model latina?

she likes disneyland

summer

does this face say enough? we are climbing the walls in here today! i am starting to act like kramer! (or kyle...do you remember when we lived in austin and you stayed home for too long? yeah...like that!) we've been eating weird things, staying in our pj's...i'll stop there. we've gotta do something! so, we are going to pretend we are on vacation tomorrow. we are going to disneyland!

we're back

so we are back. we have had a fun filled two weeks off. nana came to visit and we had a blast. it was so nice to spend time with her. mia ended up with several new stuffed animals as well. i think it only took her about an hour to work nana over for her first one! then i started noticing the number growing day by day. ha! that's what nana's are for. mia has been talking a lot lately. especially on the phone. i can understand about 1/3 of what she is saying but, that's okay. her favorite word is "no" now. everything i ask her to do is a "no" even if she wants to do it. like going to the beach, she loves it now. especially since nana took her out there to watch the sunset several evenings. now i try to do the same as often as i can.

not much else has changed. we are still just enjoying our simple life out here. i thank God every time i think about it because i am so much happier now and so is my little girl. we are planning a trip home for the end of september. mark those calendars! i will post something again soon. until then, mia says "no!"

good news

i got some good news this evening...mia's second set of labs came back completely normal. in fact, she even tested negative for hepatitis c this time. so basically that means she might not have even hepatitis c at all. the doctor said she may have tested positive the first time because her mother's antibodies may still be in her system. they want to retest her at 2 and 3 years old and see what those results look like. she did not want to get my hopes up but, i am SO relieved. just to know that my baby does not have hiv and to know that she has a good chance of not even having hepatitis c...i am ecstatic! thank you all for your prayers. i truly felt them. praise God!

our stefani

happy birthday to our stefani! we thank God for putting you in our lives today. you are a wonderful aunt and friend. we hope you know just how special you are to us today and always.

we are fine!

it official! we've been through our first earthquake. we are fine. we live about 40 miles away from the epicenter. i was rocking mia to sleep for her afternoon nap when the house started shaking. at first i thought there was someone in the closet (childhood flashback!)...then i thought there was a work crew doing some heavy duty work outside...then it was over. all i could really think about during this time was, whatever is going on it better not wake up mia! i just got the rat to sleep! it was not until i went downstairs and saw my cell phone, which had a text from jeff asking if i was okay that i realized what had happened. jeff, you win. you were the first to check on me. who would have guessed architect's office was so up on things! mom, you were a close second! ;) so anyway. we are fine. i have talked to a few friends, and they had much more dramatic experiences. especially those who work in a high rise building. anyway. life goes on. overall, i don't think it was a big deal. but, the news would probably like you to think otherwise. i am enjoying all of the live interviews though. lots of people with plastic surgery, many foreigners, government workers trying to take the rest of the day off...haha! i was supposed to clean the kitchen but, forget that. this is good stuff.

i'll back you up

no matter what the outcome of the tests this week...no matter what we have in store for us...He put us together. He already knows. He always will. He does not make mistakes. i'll back you up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChHm0j50mTs&feature=related

(many thanks to all of you out there who are praying. i feel you.)

a call for prayer

i wanted to let you know that mia had to have some tests done this week. while i do not have all of the results yet, some of the news was not the best. she tested positive for hepatitis c. her birth mother contracted it through her extensive drug use and apparently passed it on to mia. we went back in for more labs and are awaiting the results on those. i did find out that her liver is functioning normally at this time. so that is very good news because hepatitis c affects the liver.
the rest is still very much up in the air. in the meantime, i have been doing a lot of praying and researching as much as i can. i know that she is God's child. and no matter what else is ahead, i know that we will not go it alone. i know that the God who created her, is the same God who can come and restore her body to perfect health. i just ask you to pray for us. mostly, for me to remain as strong as i need to be and for mia to be well and without suffering. thank you. i will keep you posted.

my tiny dancer

my girl's got talent, real talent. yep, i see bright things in her future. this is a sneak peek into our nightly routine. don't laugh...just kidding...laugh hysterically! you should! our evenings usually involve me finding a few of her favorite songs on youtube.com and then she gets to dance until her playlist runs out. man, what did i do with myself before her? God is so good. thank you Lord for my tiny dancer. :)

questions

as you might imagine, i have been asked a few questions about foster parenting and adoption over the past 18 months. and don't get me wrong, i love the questions. i could sit and talk about adoption and the foster care system in this country for days. it makes me so proud to tell mia's story. but, someone asked me a question yesterday that really stuck with me.
the funny thing is, it was not even the first time i have been asked this exact question. and my answer has never changed. she asked me, "does it really feel like mia is your child, i mean really?" and i replied, "yes, 100%, from the first time i laid eyes on her, YES!" right mom? now this might not be true for every person who adopts. and i place no judgement on that. but, it's just some food for thought. i read a quote recently...

The family is changing, not disappearing. We have to broaden our understanding of it, look for the new metaphors. -Mary Catherine Bateson

i want to thank all of your opening your minds and your hearts and loving us. i know it seems like a no-brainer, but just when i think that everyone is like us, i find myself reminded that this is not yet a reality in our society. it hits me like a punch in the gut. i may hunch over for a second but, it doesn't take long to feel God's hand pick me up and stand me back up tall. and i know He works through each and every one of you as well. so i humbly thank you today and every day. :)

energia!

i had to take mia to the doctor today for her 18 month check-up. they made her wear this hospital gown and she looked so cute that i just had to take her picture. she wanted to pose by this poster before ripping it off of the door. but, more importantly, she wanted to send out a message... she wants you to know that even though she lives in california, she has not forgotten her roots. habla espanol?

my little helper

just another day in the life of me and my girl. somebody decided to help mom vacuum today. needless to say i had some more cleaning to do after that. we love and miss you...

sweet sloane

happy birthday my sweet sloane! you are the apple of your auntie amy's eye. i love being your auntie. you are a precious girl. may God bless you today and always!

amen...

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness that frightens us. Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
- Nelson Mandela, inaugural address, written by Marianne Williamson

memories

ahh memories...
i saw these pictures today and i just had to give a shout out to my best friends growing up. you know who you are. you two blondies who mastered the art of getting in the car without opening the doors. to my girl jen, you were always a lot more like daisy duke than me, but patiently shared the role with me anyway. and my big brother jacob, you did a really good job of explaining what was happening in these shows since i was a little naive. (thanks mom) kyle, i have to say you always held mr. t in high regard. i think you could relate to him at an early age. ha! all in all, we really did turn out pretty well didn't we? thank goodness jeff and kyle are not currently driving around in a muscle car avoiding the police all day. and jen, we both turned out to be educated, professional, loving mothers. shew! and jacob... well you still find yourself explaining things to me but, that's okay because i secretly like that i still need that from you. funny, my best friends growing up still pretty much are my best friends all grown up. :) i love you guys.

good news!

good news! i AM doing something right...

When your 1-year-old shouts "No!" and throws her spoonful of cereal on the floor, take her act of rebellion as a sign you're doing something right, says Theodore Dix, a developmental psychologist at the University of Texas at Austin. His research has found that defiance between ages 1 and 2 is linked to positive parenting strategies, like giving children some autonomy and being sensitive to their needs. Early defiance even appears to correlate with high scores on cognitive tests. That may be because when young children feel very secure, they're more willing to test the limits and explore the ways the world works, he adds. "I like to think of it as these kids becoming empowered." (Baby Talk, June 2008)

vacancy

yes that is our balcony and yes we would love it if you would like to come visit. :)

terrible two's?

i just had to share this moment with you. luckily i had my camera with me. taking mia to the store has now become just like pulling the clip on a hand grenade and tossing it in my purse. i think the formal definition of a grenade is quite similar.

"A hand grenade is a small hand-held anti-personnel weapon designed to be thrown and then explode after a short time." (Wikipedia)

here she is tonight when i had to run in and grab a few things. going to the store now requires a well drawn out battle plan. unfortunately i do not have the isles memorized yet but, trust me, i will get it down. i've been warned about the terrible two's but, it's my contention that kids are definitely more advanced these days. i am afraid those days are upon us, still i find myself loving every minute of it.

daddy's girl

well, here we go. i never imagined that i of all people, would create a blog. i literally just sat down and decided to do this about 5 minutes ago. i have no idea where this will go. but, just like most everything else i seem to have done for the past several years, i will just press on and walk by faith and do this for You, for me, and for everyone i love.

so today is father's day. this is the first father's day in my 30 years, that i have not been able to wrap my arms around my dad and give him a huge hug. i hope you know that my heart is with you today, daddy. for the very reason that i am not with you today, is because of the confidence and independence that you instilled in me for as long as i can remember. thank you for believing in me. thank you for giving me wings. i am humbled today, by your love. i hope that i make you proud. what a day to have picked to start my blog. not that it should come as any surprise.

i have been asked the following question several times over the past 17 months..."do you ever worry about the fact that mia does not have a father?" and my official reply is..."never. mia has a father and many amazing male role models in her life and she always will. most importantly, mia has a heavenly Father who brought the two of us together as part of His perfect plan. i am not even the least bit concerned." today as i sit here and proudly still consider myself a daddy's girl, i vow to my sweet child, that she will know a father's love, her Father's love, and that is all that matters.