Update Sept and October

Hello all.

We have been very busy. Karady continues to say lots of words and puts like 3 to 4 together. She knows exactly what she wants, when she wants it. Phrases like "Don't like that", and "cuz", and "me" are heard every day, all day. "Karady, why did you do that?" "cuz". ANd "Karady put your shoes on", "Me?". She is so funny. She loves to be outside, and hates to come in. SHe has quite an imagination also. She serves me drinks and food in the bathroom while I am getting ready for work. She still has quite a time going to bed. I have learned to guage her moods and start later than usual.

September 15th I had a Hysterectomy. They left my ovaries and she wrapped them in something so they wouldn't get adhesions. I got out on the 17th, after 3 hours in surgery and an open procedure. I was quite a mess, and lots of pain postop. When they finally gave me a pain pump, I was very happy. I had them put me on an antibiotic so I wouldn't get an infection. 3 days out, I reacted to the steri strips, and 10 days after taking my antibiotic, I developed an allergic reaction. I was away from home, and I developed hives and the day I was to return home I woke up to huge lips. I was a little freaked out. I was so hopped up on Benedryl I barely slept all weekend. When I got home I went to the ER and they have me more Benedryl, a steriod and a Ativan shot to help me sleep. Oh what a trip. My recovery otherwise was very good. I slept a lot and read loads of books. I LOVE to read, so that was right up my alley. Karady has been very good. She saw my owee on my tummy and so she understands why I can't pick her up. She also understands that I can't chase her around either. I have had good help with my in-laws and of course my husband and the Sannes have taken Karady to play so mommy can rest. Thanks for all the flowers, cards, and visits in the hospital, and the food people brought. My parents surprised me and visited the day of surgery. That really meant a lot to me. I hear I was quite colorful when I came up from recovery. It's amazing how pain can make you go crazy.

So I returned to work on the 4th, after almost 3 weeks off. I had a light week, and then I went full bore this week. I get very tired at the end of the day if I have had a busy day. I will be so happy to have my endurance back. Everyone tells me I won't miss my uterus.

We had some awesome fires last weekend. It was so nice out. Aunt Jenenne and Cousin Deran were here for a visit. Karady really shined up to them both.

The weekend I was away scrapbooking Karady and Nolan attended Dylan's birthday at the pumpkin patch. It sounds like they had a great time. I am sorry I had to miss it. I am also sorry I missed my dad getting on the little pony, then not being able to get off! We visited the patch again to meet the BM and Karady had fun. It was a long day of my Dr's appointment with Dr. Bradley and a flu shot for Ray. Ray got to climb on the bales and she got hay in her diaper and couldn't stop itching!!

Also the end of august we had a wonderfu visit from Su YOung and Yuni from California. Su was our exchange student in 2002. WE had a great time. We took them to the zoo with charlie and Tammi and they really enjoyed themselved. Su was very upset we didn't call her when we were in San Diego. It seems she is just 2 hours from there. Next time!! she wants Tammi and I to come and visit.

Well just a short update for you !@@

Santa Baby

We had our 18 month appointment on Monday. We are done with shots now until Kindergarten. WHOO HOO> LUlu is a little over 25 pounds and is 32 inches tall. She is only in the 70% range now. SHE used to be like 90 to 98%. WE went to see Santa with the BM also. At first she cried but then she was quiet. She threw her first big fit, just as the BM was coming to see her. She was laying on the the floor in the mall just howling. Not sure what she was upset about.

We finished our shopping, and had a nice visit with the BM and her foster mom. We played again at the Gateway Mall. It was getting late, so we drove through McDonalds and headed for home.

We are bracing for a nasty storm. We are both on call, and I don't work tomorrow. DOn't know if my mom and dad will be able to come. Not worth the risk. We will batten down and cozy up. Be safe if you are traveling. Happy night before Christmas eve.

A Memorable Memorial Day Weekend

WE have been at the Sannes' since Friday spending time here, and having a wonderful time. Karady had many firsts in the past few days. We started with supper on Thursday night, and she swang for the first time. Friday and Saturday we spent outside, mainly Saturday. Karady played in the sandbox, which she loved, and pushed a little tykes car all around the backyard. We got lots of pictures and video. She is getting such a nice tan. She has been such a good girl. SHe has been toughening up her skin with scratches and she tips over her car and has wrecks and gets right back up again and away she goes. Out next visit is scheduled for June 19th. She even has stood on the seat of her little car. I hope she isn't going to be a climber. Her dad has been in SD on a bike trip since Thursday and I have been sending him pictures via cell phone. I think he really misses her because he always wants me to put the phone up to her ear so he can talk to her. The Sannes' are going to let us borrow the car for the summer.
We went to one open house today. After we went to our house and she took a 1 1/2 nap, while I potted up some of my flowers. I saw there was a call from her BM on the caller ID, but no message.
Last night she had a bath with Charlie and once again she was all over the tub with her head under water laughing. No fear of water at all. She is just crazy.
We are mixing her milk about half and half now. I want to be done with formula before next weekend before we go to Duluth. Kris broke her toe, poor thing. That sucks.
Karady love the stairs at the Sannes'. We have to put up the gate otherwise up she goes. I let her crawl up them today, and she made it to the first landing in no time.
Karady has been getting up in the middle of the night, starting last Thursday. She just starts crying. So I hold her, and then she goes right to sleep.

WEll that's all.
TTFN

Happy Mother's Day

Hello all. We had an outstanding today. Yesterday we went to visit Great Grandma Dorothy for her 97th birthday, one day late. I mad an angel food cake and she enjoyed watching Karady get around all over. Her memory and health are very poor.Janenne and Don, Nolan's aunt and Uncle came from Billings, and I had them over for supper saturday. I make chicken and stuffing in the crockpot, strawberry spinich salad and crock pot chocolate cake. Janenne got the recipes for all of the dishes. THey must have been good.

WE met my sister Jodi, Eric and Dylan, and my mom and dad at Red Lobster today. WE got in before the rush. We had a great lunch. THen off we went to Menards and found some nice perennials and annuals. Nolan left with my dad to go see Star Trek while we went flower shopping. THen we went to Plant Perfect and down to Party America to get a few things for the big birthday party that will occur in less than a month. I think I have the menu finalized. Then we went to Runnings to find some vege plants. I just love flower shopping with my mom. WE try to make is a yearly tradition. The plants were so very nice. I wish I had unlimited funds for this kind of shopping. I could go crazy. Karady was so good. We put her in the stroller and she just sat there, as good as gold. SHe would nap when we drove, and could not have been better. Of course we ran out of time and Nolan got out of the movie after 2 hours. HE said it was very good. My dad went car shopping and found an UPlander he seems to like. I am sure that will be a purchase for them very soon. We met dad and NOlan at Kmart and I was going to climb up into the back of the truck, and I sprained my foot. It hurt so bad I thought I broke it. I hobbled to the car and took some Ibuprofin. By the time I got home, it felt better and I was able to limp on it. Thank goodness. I really don't want to be out of commision. WE had leftover chicken and soup and played outside for a little bit. Nolan is snoozing now, and Karady is playing before she has to go to bed. I couldn't have asked for a better day. Thank you NOlan for the CM coverset from Karady, and of course thank you lord for answering our prayers with the beautiful Baby girl. My sister sent me a lovely card, thanks Kris, with pictures of the Kids. I had a nice surprise when we got home; some cute Karen Foster stickers and some matching paper from Tammi for my first mother's day. Karady bought her second mom Tammi some stuff too, so she will get a blated Mother's Day gift. Thanks Tammi, love the stuff.
The BM called me before we left to wish me a Happy MOther's day. She is very excited about the scrapbook she it doing of Karady. I am glad I suggested it. SHe called me because she doesn't have much contact with her own mother, and she said she was thinking of me today.
I hope to get pictures posted with some of my older posts soon. I screwed up and reformated my card and lost a huge amount of pictures. Luckily I had uploaded 99% of them to York recently, otherwise I would have been so pissed. I retook the ones I didn't upload today with my flowers from karady from Daycare, and the ones with Grandma.
I hope everyone had a wonderful day with their mothers, or thoughts of their mothers, or with their children. My first one was unforgettable!!!!!!!!!!!

strollin

Hi all, we have wonderful weather here today. I got called in and so I took Karady strollin and took her with. She loved it. I put on her new purple coat from her BM. Which by the way we had a visit with yesteday. She is doing good. Tammi went to Bismarck with me for company. We always have a great time. She had an eyeopening experience. NOlan couldn't leave town because ROger is gone. Karady is doing good. She is 20 p0ounds and 29 1/2 inches. 95% across the board. She is saying up, not sure if that is short for pup or what. She went scrapbooking with me until her daddy was done with his class. She had a good time. Plays very well and everyone enjoyed seeing her. Nolan said she went right to sleep when she got home, and slept until 8. SHe loves to laugh at herself. She continues to kneel by stuff, and soon she will be pulling herself up. She still continues to scoot all over the place instead of crawl, but she is still quick. She also says Mama most of the time. alternating with dada and up. Also baba.

Well heres to a wonderful day with my family.

TTFN

Back to Reality

Well Happy V-day to all of you----- a day late. So many people say Valen"times" around here. Do they not know how it is spelled??? Maybe they have a hearing problem. Whatever it is, I guess just so the meaning is there.

I was way busy yesterday keeping up with LULU and then getting ready for the wedding. It was very nice, and we had a lot of fun. Our poor church was bursting at the seams. It seems the whole town was invited. Probably the first big Linton wedding I was able to attend. Saw lots of red, and it was a beautiful day for them.

Got a call from the BM. She is at the Hegel's again. I was not sure where she was at, then I saw the name come up on caller ID, and I knew immediately who it was. It seems her mother is back to using, and things are not going well for her. She told me her grandma was moving to Oregon, and she wants to visit her again. SHe is enrolled at Bismarck High now and taking a Child Development class. She has a better grasp on the stages of infant developement now I think. She is saddened she won't be going home to live with her mother. Her mother thinks she chose adoption to "get back" at her. She still does not regret her decision, but she does miss her. I didn't mention the next Dr's appointment in March, but our communication agreement does allow for a minimum of 4 visits a year. Nolan thought maybe we should schedule one. It is such a reality check. I think about our plan and our journey, and after a while you slip into a routine, and then one day you run into a brick wall and reality slaps you in the face again, that we may well have to deal with open adoption for the rest of her life. I know this, but maybe it's more like someone pinches you and says hay the triagle has 3 sides, and the 3rd side fell back into place again. She also spoke of getting out of the system in 2 years, and how hard it is going to be on her own, and she won't live with her mother because they don't get along. The storey was so the opposite a few months ago. The cycle. How do you break it? Her mother has also been spending a lot of time with her father, who I believe is the culprit of the visious cycle. Pray for our BM, that she makes the right choices and gets her life on track. Karady also recieved a very cute card from her. We agreed we hope we get a good social worker at the Village. I have to make pictures to send to her. The Hegel's are very nice, and she has been there before. Small world premise again. When she was with them, she had just chosen us, and had shown our profile to the Foster Mother. She knew immediately who Nolan was, because they own Superior Silk screen, and we do lots of business with them. Good thing it was an open adoption. Kim (the foster mom) was there for us in the hospital on Karady's birthday, and was a good support for us to lean on.

Karady had a sitter, and did very well. She has such stranger anxiety now, it gives me anxiety to leave her with someone new. She was sitting in the kitchen when the sitter walked in , and she let out a wail the minute she saw her. I thought, OH Lord, here we go. Thanks for all the gifts from everyone. She has worn all of her clothes, and played with all the toys, and used the bib.

As you are aware Karady is staying with the Sannes part time while her sitter is on Vacation. Tammi takes her to religion with her. Her goal by the end of the 3 weeks is to make her a convert. She will be able to pray the rosary when she lays awake in her crib at night. Oh well, could be worse.

The picture is really from Friday, but she was all geared up for the day. She had a party at Daycare on Thursday, I am sure she had lots of fun.

Well TTFN, Back to Reality