Show-and-Tell #2

Here is my show-and-tell for this week. I stumbled upon this in the grocery store last week. I actually walked by and did a double take. I took the can into my hands and smiled. Memories flooded my mind and I was taken back to much younger years. Taken back to a time when my Grandmom, or Gram as we called her, was still with us. I miss her almost daily. We had such a special relationship and I know she would love that my daughter will share her name.

She always had Dainties hard candies. I remember searching through for my favorites like it was yesterday. Gram would always let me have a bowl to dump some into if I couldn't find what I wanted. I liked to find the pickles, the fish, the red cinnamon squares. So, foreseeing wonderful memories instilled in my kids, I put the can into my cart with a spring in my step.

Well, my spring was soon sprung. I was so excited to get home and share my wonderful treasure with Brian and Sean. I really talked up the surprise and I could see the excitement in their eyes. I took out the can and they just stared at it and then and me, and so on. If we were on a television show there would be crickets now chirping.

I thought that maybe, they didn't recognize good candy from the packaging so I quickly took off the lid and showed them the booty inside. They were still not impressed. I showed them the thin ones with chocolate in the middle, the pickle, the fish and the colored squares. Still nothing. I really thought that I might cry.

Okay, maybe they just needed to taste a piece. Maybe I hadn't been that excited until I tasted it either. Brian took a pickle after I assured him that it was not pickle flavored and Sean picked the fish because it had yellow in it. As the put the pieces into their mouths, I stared at them so I didn't miss their reactions.

Let's just say they were less than thrilled. Brian said it was okay and later threw his away and Sean spit his out right away. I was so disappointed. Their taste buds have been ruined by Airheads and Nerds and Baby Bottle Pops. I cannot imagine the same emotions evoked in them when they are parents and see a bag of glow in the dark sour gummy worms. It just cannot be the same. They don't know good candy when they see it. Oh well, more for me!!!

Danities

my favorites

After searching for some information on these candies. I came across some others that Gram used to have too! Boy did I love the Barley Toy lollipops. I am sure my kids would think they tasted even worse than the hard candy. I will have to see if I can find some of them. I also found chocolate straws! Yum! I love that little things can bring back so many happy memories and just make my day! Does anyone remember having these as a kid?

Barley Toys

Chocolate Straws

The Fertile

I was picking up Sean from school last week and overheard a conversation while I was waiting for him to come out of his classroom. Another mom has a four year old like Sean and a two year old. She was telling another mom that she was pregnant and wasn't really planning this one. She said she was happy but also a little disappointed to be going back to midnight feedings. My heart sank. (sigh)

So, now I cannot help but to hear the rest of the conversation. They are only a few feet away from me and not whispering or anything. The fertile tells her friend that they told all of their friends and family last week. The friend offers congratulations and asks how far along she is. The fertile proudly proclaims that she is five weeks and.... Then she glances up as if to think a minute and then continues to say that she is not five weeks, but six weeks exactly. Today! My heart plummeted a little lower. Ugh!

I sometimes feel cheated of this reckless abandonment. I cannot envision what it would be like to be pregnant and to not worry. I cannot imagine announcing a pregnancy to the world based on a pee stick. No blood test result, no ultra sound seen, no heart beat yet heard, no first trimester passed. The thought of it just blows my mind. I worried each day until they were placed in my arms, and then I worried even more! And I haven't stopped since!

Independent Baby

Justin has developed quite a little independent streak. He reminds me so much of Brian when he is like this. Brian, from a young age, wanted to do everything himself and Sean still wants to be taken care of and have things done for him. Justin wants to feed himself, he tries to help loosen the tabs on his diaper, he tries to put his shoes on by himself, and prefers to hold his own bottle.

I let him try with yogurt today. I gave him the container with only a spoonful left in it. He probably should have been in a high chair, but what fun would that be? He was so excited and kept glancing at me in disbelief like he was doing something wrong. It was so cute! He was also very proud of himself and proudly displayed his delight! You cannot tell by his face, but he did actually get some yogurt into his mouth! My baby is getting so big!

Yum!

deep in thought
Are you sure this is okay?
piggy face
good to the last slurp
messy face side view

One Month Down!!!

Well, that wasn't so bad, now was it? We are one month into our twelve month wait to be matched with our daughter. I hope that the rest of the time goes by this quickly! We have heard that wait times are increasing slightly and some changes have been made as to when the home studies are sent to Korea. But, if the wait time changes by a month or so I am okay with that. I know that whether we wait ten months or fifteen months that there is a baby at the end!

I wish our fertility treatments could have gone like this! I could deal with - yes, you are on the list. We cannot say when, but sometime in the next ten to twelve months, you will be pregnant! Wouldn't that be wonderful!?!

So, we will be submitting our advance processing paper work (I-600A) some time in August and that takes about 8-12 weeks to be approved. So when we get approval (I-171H) we will be close to half way into the wait! Baby steps, baby steps...

The Crime Scene

At first I was afraid to look closer when I saw this mess. I didn't really want to know what was running down my wall! It looked too purplish to be blood, so that was a relief! I got a little closer and still wasn't sure what it was. My first thought was that it looked kind of like bird droppings, yet we don't have a bird. Well, none that I know about anyway! I really hoped that the boys hadn't left a door open and let a bird in.

I got a baby wipe and picked up part of the mess on the window sill. After careful inspection, my fears were short lived! It was a mushy blueberry! I know that Sean was eating them earlier and quickly went to find him.

Me - Sean, why is there a blueberry on the wall.
Sean - (trying to look innocent) I don't know.
Me - Sean, I know you were eating blueberries.
Sean - Well, I only threw the yucky ones!
Me - What?
Sean - I don't like the squishy ones, so I throw them.
Me - Here is a wipe, go clean it up!
Sean - I always have to do this. I hate cleaning squishy blueberries!

I had to walk away before he saw me laugh! It was too funny! He acted like it was his horrible daily job to clean squished blueberries off of walls! I will gladly trade him some toilets to clean or wash to fold in place of cleaning a wall once in a while! He did a pretty good job cleaning up but I do know that this will probably not be the last of his messes that he has to clean up! I also found a few on the floor later in the day and I made him pick them up too! He made a face when he touched them like I was making him pick up poop or something! Kids!

the squished berry

point of impact

where it came to rest

Justin is Thirteen Months!

I feel like his birthday was just yesterday and here we are a month later already! I have no idea where Spring went! Justin is walking like a pro now and can even navigate uneven territory like grass and mulch! He has four new teeth second upper left (5/2/08), second lower right (5/14/08), second lower left (5/22/08) and second upper right (6/1/08)! He is also working on his molars which haven't broken through the skin yet, but there are huge, hard, painful looking lumps on his gums!

Justin still isn't speaking in actual words above his mom and dad and more talk. But, he is communicating more. He yells at his brothers and protests loudly when he is not allowed to do something. He also understands just about everything said to him. He can wave, clap, give kisses, get a ball, pick up a toy etc. when asked to.

He is still really enjoying his brothers. His face just lights up when they enter a room. It is funny because he searches and searches for them when they are not home or when he wakes up before them! Most of the time they are very tolerant of him - especially Brian!

I cannot wait to see what the next month brings!

fresh face!

another silly face
always on the move!
walking with the tongue out still!

The Answers

Wow, a lot of great guesses and a few correct answers! Thanks for playing! Here are the answers to Truth and Lies -

1. True. Yes, all the pledges got a turn to wear the suit and sing the "Passion for Fashion Song." We still laugh about it!

2. True. I did get my brother to eat toothpaste when we were younger. I still cannot believe he fell for it! But he was only about four years old and I was six!

3. True. Yep, I came home with the Tequila and a license plate. The tequila was gone by the end of that summer and the license plate I still have! Oh, I did come home with a t-shirt and some pottery too!

4. False. Nope, I passed with flying colors on my first try. The motor vehicle guy didn't even make me finish parallel parking because he could tell that I knew what I was doing! I backed in and then he said I could just pull out and keep going!

5. True. I did have to save a kid at a condo at the beach. He was only a little over a year and was leaning down to fill a bucket with water. His mom was in a chair sunbathing and fell asleep. We thought maybe she had heat stroke and passed out but she said she was fine.

Truth and Lies

I have seen a bunch of these on blogs and they look like so much fun! There are five statements below. One is false and the rest are true. See if you can guess which on is the lie! Answer to come soon! Good Luck!

1. I was in a sorority in college and had to wear a bright pink jumpsuit from the seventies while singing "I've got a passion for fashion."

2. I once got my brother to eat a tube of toothpaste by telling him there was a prize at the bottom like Cracker Jax.

3. I spent the summer before my senior year in Spain and came home with two bottles of Tequila and a stolen license plate.

4. I passed the written test for my driver's license, but had to take the driving part two times.

5. I had a job as a lifeguard the summer before college and had to save a small boy who had fallen into the pool when his Mom accidentally fell asleep.