tipping point

When you have a biological child that child has been yours since their existence.  They were yours before you even knew you were pregnant.  It's a little different when you adopt.

When you adopt you're child comes with a history that you don't know about.  They come with months, or years of a life that you weren't apart of.  A different family, a different culture, different routines, a different country (sometimes), that's just how it is. 

However, eventually, there is a tipping point...or maybe it's just something in my mind.  See today marks the day that Oliver has officially been with us longer then he had lived in Russia.  Longer then he lived with him bio mom and longer then he lived at the orphanage.  I became his legal mother when the Russian court said so, I felt like his mama a few days after picking him up, but now, I don't know, I guess stake my claim in terms of time...finally.  But isn't it a little bittersweet?  Doesn't it feel like he's been living here forever?  All that time he was here is just a day more then he was getting by in Russia.  It is what it is, it's our special story.  We are thankful for the time we've had together, and we look forward to so many many more adventures.

nursery

Does a baby need a nursery before they show up or even 6 months into their life?  Probably not.  However, we've got the space, and I'm not busy chasing a preschooler and nursing an infant, so now seems like a good time to get it together.  More importantly I despised the paint color in our guest room and was really exciting to have a good reason to change it.  Jim had different thoughts...but we paid to have it painted, can't the baby use it the color it is.  Umm no, that color is going.  I was forced into it by our painter and I hated it!! 

When we first moved in, not bad.

After it was painted, blah

The other side with the cheap Ikea dresser
I destroyed that dresser while pumped full of steroids
during the rash portion of this pregnancy

         

 We are not finding out the gender of our baby, I can't resist an awesome surprise.  I also like that not knowing the gender means I don't have to be forced into a pink princess room or some sports themed boy room. 

Here is a picture of Oliver's room, which I also
think is fairly gender neutral.

Baby's nursery, painted the same color as
Oliver's room

 It's not totally finished.  Maybe I'll make a mobile, hang a mirror over the dresser, and add a few more book ledges...but it's getting closer.

Shopping list
-Crib, overstock.com (http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/London-Euro-style-Matte-White-Stationary-Crib/5997989/product.html)  I spray painted all the black screws white, so they wouldn't stand out
-Chair, grandmother
-Dresser, craigslist
-Curtains, Ikea
-Shelf, book ledges, picture frames, Ikea
-Changing pad & cover, bed sheet, Amazon
-Embroidery hoops, yard sale
-Fabric, Urban Crafts
-Crib Skirt, fabric from Joanne's
-Paint Color, Atmosphere from Restoration Hardware...color matched in Olympic paint at Lowe's 
-Books, donated by Oliver...learning how to share

P.S. Is baby Tylick going to be a boy or a girl?  Vote on the top right of the page! 

getting educated

Here we are at three-ish months to go until baby #2 makes his or her entrance.  It's time to figure this thing out, or at least figure how to get it out.  Yes, I realize that humans have been doing this since there were humans and we are designed to do this, and blah blah blah, but a little education can't hurt...right?  Plus, why isn't some sort of education required before having a kid?

To adopt a Russian Jim and I had to log 10 hours of education each.  Book reports, online lectures, etc.  That requirement is way more intense these days.  These days, ha, that makes it sound like we adopted ages ago...things just change so fast. 

Anyway, Jim and I signed up for a course through our hospital.  It's a five week course that goes through pre-labor, labor, delivery, natural measures, medication, a tour of the hospital, newborn care basics, and Jim even gets to wear "the belly."  Fantastic.  I'll keep you on the edge of your chair waiting for that photo. 

We had our first meeting on Monday.  I didn't think it was too intense.  Jim said "oh my, there is so much to know."  Oh, let me clear things up for you Jim.  When I say lets go to the hospital, you drive me there.  Once at the hospital you continue to follow my instructions.  At least that's what I gleaned from the class.

Besides this five week basics class, we are going to take a nursing class and Oliver is going to take a sibling class.  Sure, he had like 149 "siblings" back at the orphanage, but that was awhile ago, he needs a refresher.  

shower time

Ah the preschool/elementary school "walk of shame."  You know it.  It's when your kid comes home in that extra pair of clothes that you sent in for accidents.  In my history as a kindergarten teacher the most popular accidents include...

-peeing or pooping in your pants
-drama at the water fountain or sink
-inability to open your milk at lunch thus resulting in a milk explosion
-other lunch related issues
-mud or water found outside at recess or on a nature walk
-sudden rain storm while navigating the streets of Boston
-snack issues
-paint problems
-puke
-bloody nose


There may be more, but at the current time I can't think of them.

Anyway, I went to pick Oliver up from preschool today and he was wearing "those clothes."  I ask, "Oh man did you forget to pee in the potty?"  Nope.  "Did you have a hard time eating your yogurt snack?" Nope.  "Did you get messy outside, did you do messy art, did you have a problem at the sink?" Nope. Nope. Nope.  I turn to his teacher.  Then she tells me a reason I've actually not come across.

HE PUT HIS HEAD IN THE URINAL WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY FLUSHING IT!!!!!! 

That's right, my kid took a shower in the urinal.  His teachers says "He really likes water." 

Yeah I know.  Maybe I went a little overboard with the whole "tub is not torture" series back in 2011.

good mom?

really?

I keep seeing these signs popping up on Pinterest and Facebook and they annoy me every time.  I want to have a clean house AND a happy kid and I kinda think that kids actually like living in a clean semi organized space.  When Oliver gets too many toys out in his toy room, he will stop going in there until we put everything away and "reboot."

I think the sign is implying that happy kids have mommies that play with them and aren't all consumed with housework. True.  I spend a lot of time with Oliver.  We read stories, we build stuff, when it's under 90 million degrees (rare) we play outside, and we also clean together.  After all, doesn't your daughter want a husband that knows how to separate laundry and work a vacuum?  Shouldn't a three year old be able to play on their own for 20 minutes while I clean out some science experiment growing in my fridge?  I actually really love listening to him play alone, being all chatty with his trains.    

Is the sign trying to make me feel guilty for having a clean house? Or is it trying to give others validation for having a messy one?  In either case I'm quite sure being a "good mom" is way more complicated.  Like way complicated.  


P.S. I put up a little poll on the top right side of the page.  Get your vote in.  Is baby #2 going to be a girl or a boy? 

the drop off

08.27.09  - Oliver, age 2 months & 27 days was dropped off at his orphanage.

08.27.12 - Oliver, age 3 years, 2 months & 27 days was dropped off at his preschool

God's got such a sense of humor or timing or both.  Today is just one of those days where you see the full circle and it's simply amazing.

We prepped for preschool, we talked about it all month, we visited, and he could recite the routine... "Mama is going to take me to preschool, I say "bye bye mama," then I go and play with my friends, I listen to Miss. Davis, and then mama comes back."  And amazingly it actually happened all just like that.  Snapped some photos, walked him in, put his stuff in his cubbie, smooch face, bye bye...no tears, because what's sad about preschool?

shiny & gold, no more

Continuing on with the theme of getting baby's room ready, let's talk about ceiling fans.  Ceiling fans are not stylish, they are functional, especially when it's hot.  As much as I'd really love to rip them all out, and replace them with something so much prettier, I know it would be foolish.

However, something really had to be done with this hot gold mess...

the before

 First thing we did was remove the lights and shades, then unscrew all the blades.  We gave everything a good cleaning and then took the removable parts outside to spray paint away their goldness.

Oliver putting all the screws into a
play-doh pancake, so they can be easily painted

 

two thin coats of primer
two thin coats of semi gloss white

Now I was unable to remove the whole thing from the ceiling, I'm just not that skilled.  Instead I made a newspaper tent around it and spray painted it right there on the ceiling...with the windows open, a fan in the window, and a mask over my face.  I'd run in, give it a quick spay, and run back out X3

put it all back together
add new shades

 
Amazing? No, not really. 
Better?  Yes, white is better then gold.