Life as a Lewis

Picture this. I'm sitting in the living room deliberately ignoring the sounds of distress, fighting, and downright ugliness coming from the family room. Camden has this annoying habit of yelling to me a play-by-play of everything going on (usually he's blaming Rory). When I heard this tidbit come from his mouth, I gave in and went to mediate: "Rory is just being E.V.I.L. to me!"

In anticipation of the McGowans meeting Emma for the first time, I have been feeling nostalgic and have gone back and read all of my posts from February - the weeks leading up to our trip to Korea and then my posts and videos while we were in Korea. It was such an amazing trip; definitely the biggest, most significant event in our life, and we enjoyed every single second. I think I'm ready to do it again. Well, if I had a spare $28,000 laying around. And a housekeeper. O.N. Designs Kit #17

I am clearly a wimp. Grocery shopping with a 23 month old at Walmart and Kroger in the sticky heat seriously wears me out! Not to mention making 8-9 trips up the stairs carrying all the groceries. Oh, well! It must be done! I cannot tell you the amount of time Rory spent in this laundry basket yesterday with an empty Mountain Dew bottle. Who knew that could be so much fun! I let Rory and Camden play in the bathtub for over an hour last night - they were having such a good time I couldn't interrupt them (and I'll do anything for some peace and quiet). We have soccer practice tonight, and then no plans for tomorrow, which is fine by me. Saturdays are my favorite day of the week. Brian is home, and I'm not solely responsible for the kiddos' happiness and keeping the peace! Two Camden funnies. Yesterday afternoon he asked if he could go get the trash cart and move it back under the porch. I said sure and then went out to watch him while he went to get it because it's by

wearing Camden's clothes

. . . in his masculinity

Not much to share today. Yesterday was a pretty long day. Rory's nose is running like a faucet, and she spent lots of time crying as I carried her in the carrier and being miserable. I'm hopeful today will be better, but she still looks pretty miserable. Both kids were in bed late last night, but were up at 6:00 this morning, and with the day stretching out in front of me, I decided they needed a Dunkin' Donuts run (and I needed coffee). They're happily munching away while I take a few minutes of computer time. We had a fun experience at the grocery store yesterday. At the checkout, I saw out of the corner of my eye a woman come in the door and really smile at Camden and Rory, and I didn't think too much about it. We generally get quite a few looks and smiles when we're out. But when I turned around, she said, "hi, I'm Lindsay." I had to think for just a minute, but it was Lindsay from this blog . Now, we've never met before in person, but we h

Six months ago today, we met Rory! I cannot believe that she is already 23 months old, and that it has been 6 months. The time has gone by so quickly. Just in case you're feeling nostalgic like me, here's the video of us meeting her. She has grown so much! I can't believe that she will be 2 in just one month. Yesterday's hearing test was different than I expected, much more comprehensive than I thought it would be. Rory tested below normal on one test, but the rest of the tests were fine. They want her to come back in 6 months to test again. They also did a preliminary language and speech evaluation, and she tested at 18/19 months for expressive language (she's 23 months old), and tested normal for receptive language. I think we're going to talk to our pediatrician when we go for her 2 year appointment and get his opinion on speech therapy. It's hard to know if her delay is caused by learning a different language for the first 17 months of her life or if the

Yesterday was such a good day. Rory was just delightful, and we had a great day together. Camden came home from school in a good mood, and we all enjoyed a couple of games of Uno. Even Brian had a decent day at school. It's nice when everyone has a good day all at the same time. Our good day didn't quite extend into the night, however. Rory has done this three nights in a row now. She goes to bed as normal, and then about 15 minutes later starts sobbing and crying for me. She has never done this before, and she does not typically do alot of crying. Each night I've tried to comfort her, but nothing works but to get her out and put her in the carrier. Not sure what is causing this, and I don't want to start a bad trend, but I'm also not prepared to leave her sobbing in the crib. After the excitement with Rory, I was wide awake and didn't go to sleep until sometime around 2:00 a.m., so I'm a bit tired this morning. Maybe I'm still on Olympic time. In all my

Whew! Do you know how much energy it takes a non-morning person (that would be me) to get two children up, fed, bathed, dressed and out the door all the while trying everything in your power to keep them from having major meltdowns? And just think, next year, we get to do it every single day! I think I'm not ready for school days to start! And I don't know how your toddler is, but my Rory is not really a fan of all the ins and outs of errands and it's a job to keep her in a semi-good mood while we're in route! Before 8:15, we had dropped Camden off at school in POURING rain and got completely soaked (because I'm an idiot and didn't have an umbrella), went to the bank, get gas, and pick up coffee at Dunkin' Donuts (can I just say the Hazelnut coffee with coffee and cream already added is REALLY good!). Rory picked up a fun habit over night. Although she is always happy to give hugs and kisses to random strangers and other friends/family (attachment issue #62)

Well, the weekend is almost officially over, but poor Brian is still in the living room working. A teacher's job really never ends. I cannot tell you the countless hours he spends every day and weekend just trying to keep afloat in the sea of papers, lesson plans, and bulletin boards! I just hate that he never really gets to enjoy a weekend. Our weekend was quiet. Brian wasn't feeling well Friday night so we skipped the football game and stayed home instead. We went to my former boss's house Saturday evening for dinner and had a wonderful time! The food was delicious, the kids played well together, and we enjoyed catching up. While I am very thankful to be a stay-at-home-mom now, I do miss working and miss my friends most of all. Camden has school tomorrow so Rory and I will have a quiet day at home. I'm hoping to put the house back together again (why does it always look like a tornado hit it after the weekend?), as well as work on going through Rory's clothing th

It's sad when at age 32, you're too old and tired to enjoy a shopping trip that ends at 8:30 p.m. Who knew that was late? I was glad to get away for a few hours last night, but I was exhausted, and shopping wasn't quite the pick-me-up that it used to be! I did manage to buy several things for Rory and some new lipstick for me, so it was a success. Oh, and it ended with a Starbucks run so that's always good. And speaking of purchases, I went through a rubbermaid of Rory's clothes last night working on what was going to the consignment store next week and realized that I just bought a duplicate shirt on eBay. Nice. I've avoided selling on eBay this year so far, but I think I might post a few things today. Since they're Gymboree and new with tags, I think I'd do better there than at a consignment store. They're things that Rory was too small for when she came home, but is now too big for. On the agenda today is grocery shopping and a football game this

Rory went and got her doll the other day and pointed to the carrier. Doesn't she look cute! This is the first morning this week we haven't had to be somewhere so I plan to take it easy. The floors are vacuumed, kitchen swept, laundry all caught up (I washed, dried, folded and put away 5 loads yesterday), and supper is already planned (biscuits, bacon, and eggs in case you're wondering). If you're a scrapper, you might be interested to know ScrapbookPictures is having a sale on their prints. I printed layouts that have been accumulating since April (yikes!). I used to print every month, and that definitely helped me keep caught up, but since Rory has been home, I haven't done so well. I printed 80 pages - that's alot since mid-April! In other scrapping news, Dani Mogstad emailed and asked me to be on her CT again. I've been a member twice now, and am so excited. She is one of my all-time favorite designers. Camden and Rory aren't off to a great start thi

Our playdate yesterday with Joy, Ellis, and Sumner was fun. Camden and Ellis ran and chased each other! I took my camera, but had put my lens on incorrectly and none of my pictures turned out (sorry, Joy!). We ran several more errands while we were out, and came home tired! Camden's soccer practice last night was an experience! I think we have the most laid-back coach you can imagine (winning doesn't matter, we're only having fun, who cares if they understand the rules, etc.). I was so proud of Camden. The other boys on the team were very unruly and could not keep their hands to themselves (kicking each other, tackling each other, honking noses, etc. all while the coach is trying to talk), and he did not get involved. I'm not sure he'll be able to resist temptation every time, though! I was shocked to see that he was a full head shorter than the other players. They must grow 'em big in Cheatham County because he is not small for his age. We'll have practice

Camden is using the word "hate" alot these days, so we always ask him to make his point another way. So here's our conversation last night at supper: Camden: I hate it when you give me these little plates. Me: Excuse me? Camden: I, uh, uh, uh, really enjoy it when you give me these little plates, but don't do it again. Right before I fell asleep last night, I rolled over and realized I was singing, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" in my head. No idea where that came from! I'm almost caught up on sleep. I think I've been in bed at 11:00 for the last 3 nights so late-night Olympic must-see TV must be over. We're meeting Joy, Ellis, and Sumner at the mall this morning. I've got to run to Target and the library as well so it will be an extended trip out of the house. Soccer practice starts tonight. Unfortunately, Brian has parent/teacher conferences so I'm on my own. Camden seems really excited, so I hope he jumps right in there and

Well, I've never been pregnant, but this is what is my version. I can't see my feet. I have to hold my "belly" when I bend over. I can hardly reach around my "belly." I have to turn sideways to get the laundry out of the washer. There's lots of poking and kicking.

Most of August's weather has been much cooler with dryer air than normal, but I knew it couldn't last. We're back up in the 90's today. Although, let's be honest here. Since Camden is in school, I probably won't be out "playing" anyway! We had a bit of excitement around our house Saturday night. Brian caught a little lizard, and the kids had a blast playing with it. It's so funny because Camden would have been terrified by the lizard at Rory's age, but Rory was THRILLED with it. It kept biting her finger, and she would just squeal in delight. Here are a few pictures.

I'm sitting here in the quiet, spending time on the computer, not doing too much. But I can hear Brian and the kids outside. Rory and Camden are screaming at each other. Brian is trying to play peace maker. I think I'm having a bit more fun than he is at the moment. He's such a good husband to let me enjoy a few hours of peace. Gina Miller/Shabby Princess Fresh-n-Fruity

Camden had a fabulous time yesterday playing with his new friend Anna (age 4.5 and adopted from China). At one point as they ran by me, I heard him say, "I think we can be best friends forever." When we got in the car to leave, he looked at me and say, "Mommy, do you think I could call Anna on the phone sometime?" This is my child who HATES to use the phone and has certainly never asked to call anyone! The repairman couldn't come yesterday to fix the air conditioning, but is supposed to be here at noon. It is still working at this point, and I'm grateful for that! Rory and I dropped Camden off at school this morning and then went grocery shopping. I think I'm going to put her down for an early nap so that I won't have to wake her up when it's time to pick up Camden. Tonight we're going out to eat and shopping for new cleats for Camden. Soccer practice starts Tuesday night. This morning when Camden threw his p.j.'s in the laundry basket, h

In the spirit of keeping things honest about how things are actually going in our lives and with Rory's transition (cause I'm usually pretty blunt, right?), I've decided to share on the blog about some changes we're making. We've been concerned for some time about Rory and her adjustment to our family. After countless hours of research, lots of prayer, and speaking with professionals, we've decided that we need to take some steps to ensure that we are doing everything possible to help her create a strong, lasting bond to our family. I think it's not necessary to list specific behaviors or our reasons for taking these steps because they really don't matter (although if you're a fellow adoptive parent and want to know for educational purposes, feel free to email me). To be perfectly honest I'm not interested in hearing our friends and family tell us that she's fine; she's just a social baby; that we worry too much. We've heard those co

Short and sweet today cause I'm seriously foggy from lack of sleep! Stayed up late watching the Olympics again. Last night's men's gymnastics was a disaster. I'm not sure I've ever seen so many falls! And who knew those men are essentially wearing onesies with shorts and pants over it. I could have gone a couple more years without knowing that! At least I finally got to see some Korean athletes! Yesterday was a warm day at our house - the air conditioning went out again. Thank goodness it came back on after a couple of hours. I'm calling someone today to come look at it. This is one of the few times I'm glad we don't own our house - someone else has to pay for repairs! We're meeting several other adoptive families at a bounce house this morning. Camden is so excited! I've actually never met these families before, so I think I'll leave my camera at home. Don't want to scare them off by taking 100's of pictures at our first meeting! :)

I read a fun blog post from Big Mama about the Olympics. She cracks me up every time. And speaking of the Olympics, what is UP with those crazy hair clips those gymnasts wear? I remember as a little girl seeing them, and even then I knew they were not in fashion. And now, 20 years later, they're still wearing them. At least the USA team weren't wearing multiple colors! I'm totally staying off the computer if you can't tell.

Okay, I've decided I cannot blog at night. I've been doing it for too long in the morning. I'm still keeping (or trying to anyway) my new computer schedule, but I'll blog in the morning. Today is pretty normal. Nothing going on except trying to get my house back in shape. It's presentable, but I'd like to get it really clean and put together before the weekend. Camden informed Brian this week that he loves us way too much to ever move out of our house when he's a grown up. I guess we better fix up the basement. :) Rory and Camden both slept until almost 7:00 this morning, which was so nice! And Rory woke up and actually played in her crib for a while. Ever since our WV trip, she has been jerking awake SCREAMING at naptime and in the morning. Hopefully, this is a good sign. Here are a few pictures I took last night. Soccer practice starts next week so Brian thought we should actually pull out the soccer ball and practice a bit. Can we say D.R.A.M.A. Q.U.E.E.N

I seriously love the Olympics, but my midnight bedtimes and 5:30 wake times are wearing me out! We're in for another long night tonight since it's almost 9:00, and the Gymnastics and Swimming hasn't even started yet! To all my parenting friends, anyone have a BabyHawk or ToddlerHawk they'd like to part with? I'm searching for one, but trying not to spend TOO much money! As promised, here are pictures from the Titans game. Waiting for the game to begin The game I'd tell you what was going on, but I'm football illiterate Eddie George, for all you Titan fans Brian says Camden spent most of the game eating or looking through the binoculars. Brian and Camden Lauren Grier/Shawna Clingerman - A Girl Like You I'm off to fortify myself with Mt. Dew and popcorn and settle in for another 3 hours of Team USA and Michael Phelps.

We managed to make it out the door by 7:30 this morning, but it was painful! Rory, for whatever reason, woke up at 5:30 this morning and did the whole inconsolable crying thing again. She was pretty awful all day. I think it's a combination of being really tired and also a little bit of the Terrible Two's rearing its head. After we dropped Camden off, Rory and I went to Murfreesboro for our final post-placement visit. We met with our THIRD social worker, and actually really liked her. She was older (a.k.a more experienced), and I felt like she had some good advice for us on Rory's attachment progress. More on that in a different post maybe. I decided that Rory was too cranky to risk errands so we came home, ate lunch, and then she slept. Unfortunately, I had to wake her up to go pick up Camden. Hence, the cranky mood for the rest of the day. Someone from work called today with a question for me, and it made me think about how much I miss work. I miss my friends there. I mis

Our weekend ended on a not-so-great note. I woke up this morning with a stomach bug, which is always fun. Thankfully, it seems to be about over. Brian took Camden and Rory to his parents house for lunch after church, and stayed too late for them to get a nap. He's not quite as conscientious about nap time as I am, and we paid for it! Camden was impossible. Rory was inconsolable and cried for over an hour as I walked her around the house. Then she cried for another hour as I tried to get her to bed and asleep. Not fun! Brian and Camden thoroughly enjoyed the football game Saturday night. Pictures to come later! I'm blogging tonight because I'm pretty sure there will be no time tomorrow. Camden starts Mother's Day Out in the morning (thank heavens he's headed back to school!!), and we've got to leave by 7:40. After dropping him off, I'm headed to Murfreesboro for our third and final post placement visit for Rory. I'm trying to decided if I'm brave enou

That's the sound of relief I'm making that it's Saturday and I've had a bit of a break from the kids, housework, etc. Brian let me sleep in this morning (does 7:30 count as sleeping in?). I think it's maybe only the second time since Rory's been home that I haven't been up with her, and it was wonderful to wake up on my own. And not only did I get to sleep in, but Brian had breakfast ready when I got home, he cut Camden's hair, and even cleaned the bathroom this morning!! It definitely felt like a bit of a break to sit in my p.j.'s on the couch, kid-free (well, Rory was still around) and watch a US vs. Japan volleyball game this morning. Last night we went out to eat and Brian dropped me off at the consignment sale. For those of you who don' t know how it works, you sell your items at the sale, and a perk of being a seller is that you get to go to the pre-sale and get first dibs before the sale is open to the public. Well, you get first dibs alon

Anyone else excited that the Olympics are finally here? I absolutely love watching the Olympics, love the competition, and all the stories behind the athletes. It seems that the hype for these Olympics is even bigger than normal , and I am very interested to see more of China. We planned for years to adopt from China, although Korea has stolen our hearts now. We have friends leaving the end of this month to pick up their child from China, so my interest level in the country is pretty high. I will say that when I think of all of the world problems and poverty, it seems obscene that 42 billion dollars was spent on a sporting event. Even so, I'll enjoy every minute. Brian had a very long day yesterday! He worked for almost 12 hours (which means I was home alone with the kids that long!), and then came home and worked until midnight and was up at 4:30 this morning. His group of 4th graders arrive today. This is his first official school year. Last year he was student teaching until Nov