november is a dumb month

i hate november. i am trying to get over that.
i was hoping my daughter would come home in november and i could be happy in this month again. nope. it got pushed back to the beginning of december. i hate november.
november 2007 was the worst. i got married on november 16 (yea!!!!) because we knew that my husband wasn't going to live to see our planned wedding date.... he didn't. he died november 22. thanksgiving day. i hate november. i hate cancer more.

an adoption shower

I was really blessed this weekend to have some friends throw me an adoption shower. My friend, Lee, was super excited about this and she went all out! Cake, decorations, favors... the whole shebang! Here are some pictures from the event.

The little kids really enjoyed helping open presents for a child their own age! The boy even liked the princess towel! :P

Alicia -aka Yaya- made matching mother/daughter scarves and hats! They are wonderful!

I asked Onni to be my daughter's Godmother. Her response was yes!

My friend Donna made the cake and everyone like it. She does great cakes!

I think everyone had a nice time and I was so pleased to have the support of my friends.

I'm Back

Hi

Sorry I disappeared for a while. Blogspot gave me trouble and I couldn't get on people's blogs for a while.

A lot has happened.

My little girl will be coming home at the end of this month!!!! The first week of Dec. at the latest! I will be in Florida for Thanksgiving.

She is so beautiful! She looks so smart. Her eyes are saying so much in the pictures I have seen.

She is right on target for weight and height for her age. She is delayed in her play skills, but likes age-appropriate TV shows, like Dora and Little Einsteins. She goes to preschool everyday and is learning communication skills.

I have completed most of my list. I met with the pediatrician and it went very well. We have a physical appointment set up for the middle of December. I found a nurse to attend school with her. I met with the school district and we are discussing appropriate placement. I have the phone company coming next week to install a line in her room. I am working on getting a night nurse. I have snow removal all arranged. I hope there isn't too much snow this winter!

too many emotions

I just read a friend's facebook page. She asked us all to keep a college friend's husband in prayers because his plane went down in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Charleston and he has not been located.
I had an intense reaction to this. I've had an intense reaction to a lot of things lately.
I am soooooo happy and giddy and excited to think about my little girl!!!
I worry about her constantly.
I'm frustrated that contracts take so long.
But lately, I am overcome with feelings of sadness. I miss Craig. He was just getting really sick two years ago at this time.

Hermione sighed and laid down her quill.
'Well, obviously, she's feeling very sad, because of Cedric dying. Then I expect she's feeling confused because she liked Cedric and now she likes Harry, and she can't work out who she likes best. Then she'll be feeling guilty, thinking it's an insult to Cedric's memory to be kissing Harry at all, and she'll be worrying about what everyone else might say about her if she starts going out with Harry. And she probably can't work out what her feelings towards Harry are, anyway, because he was the one who was with Cedric when Cedric died, so that's all very mixed up and painful. Oh, and she's afraid she's going to be thrown off the Ravenclaw Quidditch team because she's been flying so badly.'
A slightly stunned silence greeted the end of this speech, then Ron said, 'One person can't feel all that at once, they'd explode.'

things to do

There are lots of things to do before my daughter comes. She is medically fragile, so there are things that need to be done to the house and people to call to prepare for her arrival. I think I'd better make a list.

-get a phone jack put in her room (need to have access to 911)
-call the electric company (to notify them of a medically fragile person in house)
-arrange for a.m. snow removal (I can't be going out to do it!)
-find the appropriate special ed. preschool
-interview nurses for school
-interview night nurses
-get CPR certified (for real :p )
-interview the pediatrician

There is probably more. I just can't think of it at this moment.
+I should get some papers to enroll her in the public schools tomorrow.
+I have an appointment with the pediatrician next Friday.

so much to do! I hope she can come home soon!

Been Matched!

I haven't posted in a while. I've read other blogs, but haven't posted. I have been very busy with a lot on my mind.

I have been matched for an adoption! I will have a 4-year-old girl by the end of this year (I hope!)

This little girl is so darn cute, I can't stand it! She lives in Florida right now and her foster mom can't adopt her for personal reasons. She sounds like a fabulous foster mom, though!!! The little girl loves music, the color purple, visiting the mall, and the shows on NickJr.

She also has spina bifida, is respiratory compromised and has seizures. Once a contract goes through, I will go down to visit and prove I know how to take care of a person with these issues.

I CAN'T WAIT TO MEET HER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MY normal

Jasmine was born cortically blind, with cerebral palsy, a seizure disorder, mental retardation, and microcephaly. She developed hydrocephaly, secondary to her prematurity, for which a doctor put in a shunt. When she was a few months old, doctors put a trach tube to open her trachea for breathing. She turned out to need it permanently because she had tracheomalacia, an overly soft palate, and an overly large tongue. When Jas was five years old, doctors inserted a G-tube so she could receive the nourishment and medication she needed. Despite the medical procedures, Jasmine was happy, lively, and social. Through her many seizure-related hospitalizations, she held onto life and returned home healthier.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
She was my normal. That was my childhood growing up and I wouldn’t change a thing!
When I was thirteen, I got an afterschool job as a mother’s helper with a child with severe cerebral palsy. I stayed with it until I graduated and still worked with her on college breaks.
I chose music therapy as a career because I saw how music therapy helped Jasmine learn. She learned how to communicate and engage with her environment more effectively because of music therapy. I wanted to do that for kids like Jas.
While I was in college, I worked part-time at an Intermediate Care Facility for the Mentally Retarded (ICF/MR) as direct care staff. This meant that I feed (sometimes g-tube), bathed, and dressed the residents who were unable to care for themselves. I also worked with each resident on specific life-skills goals.
When I moved to Rochester, I started my job working with public school students with disabilities. I’m currently placed in a middle/high school that has students who are medically and developmentally challenged. Many students use wheelchairs and all the students have communication delays or deficits.
I also do respite work and through this job, I learned how to take a blood pressure, chart oxygen rates and keep a pain scale chart. (I learned how to suction many years ago – Jasmine had required it.)
Maybe you wonder why I would want to work in a job like this and then have a child with special needs at home, too? Like I said before, it is my normal.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I hope this helps you understand that I have given this a lot of thought and am trying to be patient as I wait for my child to find me.