Second Post-Placement Visit: Check!

Our SW came yesterday afternoon for our second of three post-placement visits. We'll have our final one in February and then our lawyer (who has already gotten an enormous check from us) will do her thing to make Nigel's readoption final and help us with his citizenship. The visit was a breeze, as have been all of our homestudy visits. And she was so pleased with Nigel's growth and development that I almost forgot to feel a twinge of bitterness and resentment about the whole process (why don't birth parents have to do this crap, too, blah, blah, blah). Almost. It'll really hit when I stroke the check to cover the 20-minute visit.


*** Good point, P. Every state is different. I know of one person from our group who's already finalized and one peep who traveled after us that has, too.

Mongolian Spots

Those of you who already have kiddos at home already know about Mongolian Spots. But for those of you who don't, I thought I'd toss up this link and this one so you can learn more. We have our second post-placement visit Wednesday, and as this site suggests, I might ask the social worker to look at Nigel's spots just in case. Nigel has these marks on his bum and pretty much all the way up his back along his spine; two peds have confirmed that they're not bruises. I have a huge fear of someone mistaking them for bruises and calling the cops on us (with good intentions, of course). Anyway.... good to be prepared and to inform those around you.

We're Expecting!

Expecting teeth, that is!



Tooth No. 1 has been up and at 'em for about a week or so. That means Nigel and I had several non-fussy days of loveliness. But, tooth No. 2 is about to pop up and say hello, so Mr. Grump is back. Last night he barely slept.

Nigel's New Playland

Ever since we lowered Nigel's mattress last week (he was starting to pull up) it's like he's rediscovered his crib. It takes him twice as long to fall asleep because he's banging around, singing and laughing twice as much (note the smile behind the pacy in the picture above from when I got him after his nap). And he's also quite fond of tossing socks and pacifiers overboard. But let's not forget my favorite: reaching through the crib bars and scratching the wall with his tiny baby nails so mommy can hear the wretched sound on the other side in the living room. Seriously, it's worse than a dying cat running its nails down a chalkboard!

Another Good Adoption Resource

I found out about this government site today from a listserv I belong to. Good info!

Does Anyone Out There Have....

..... a 2009 VW Jetta Sports Wagon? We're in the market for a slightly larger vehicle (no minivans allowed, though... haha) and I'm a huge fan of VW. If you have one of these beauties, could you please provide me with some feedback? We have a Jetta now and I would love to know if the wagon handles the same way and if you think it's noticeably larger than the sedan.

Also, several people have already blogged about this, but I thought I'd jump on board, too. Visit Toms shoes to help kids in Ethiopia!

Operation Humble Kanye

There are countless reasons why I think Kanye West is a punk. Do you remember this , this or this? So that's why I think Stephen Colbert's efforts to take him down are hilarious! Read more here.