"Hi, Me!"

Hi, Me!!! Seriously. What is that about? Well, that is Abby's latest, cutest, new expression. She has really taken a big interest in clothes lately. Every time she gets something new to wear, she tries it on and says "mirror" so that I can lift her up to look at herself (maybe it is time to get her a full length one?). Upon seeing herself in the mirror, Abby exclaims "hi, me!!" with the biggest grin known to man on her face. I love it!

It has been far too long since I last blogged. I figured out that I don't blog when I am really stressed out which explains the sabbatical over the last 2+ months. Eye Herpes. Viruses. Hives. Home Remodeling. New Boss. Company Layoffs - Again. These have been some of the main stresses, but things are back on the upswing now (and not a moment too soon). Abby had some blistering on the outside of her eyelid back in early September at the tail end of terrible virus in which she lost almost 3 lbs in week. The doctor said it was herpetic but it eventually healed. A few months later after another virus, her left eye became red and swollen. The doctor diagnosed her with pink eye, but when the eye drops not only didn't clear it up but it seemed to be getting worse, her pediatrician referred us to a pediatric opthamologist.

I was simply not prepared to listen to Abby scream and scream while the doctor opened her eye to get a good look at what was going on. Abby did not want to cooperate and squeezed her eyes shut so tight that the doctor and nurse combo could not get her eye open. Out came the mini forceps. Not something you want to see anywhere near your child's eye. We laid her down on my lap with my arms wrapped around her legs. The nurse anesthetized her eye, and the doctor clamped the forcep like thing on her eye to keep it wide open. Meanwhile, mom here was sobbing silently and uncontrollably the entire time.

He put a dye in her eye which showed that she had corneal opacity and abrasions on her cornea. Diagnosis changed from pink eye to herpes. Herpes is never a good thing but it extremely dangerous in the eye. We don't know how she got it, but she seems prone to outbreaks when she is extremely run down or otherwise sick. He put her on anti-virals and steroid drops (for the eye inflammation) and asked us to return in one week. I was to give her drops every two hours. I got great help from Abby's daycare and worked at home much of the week so I could keep her home some and go up to daycare regularly to give her drops. It was harried and hectic. Meanwhile, just days before I had contracted with someone to put in wood floors and new kitchen counters. In hindsight, it turned out to be terrible timing. I broke out in the nastiest rash that covered 75% of my body(don't worry, I won't post pictures as there are laws against that kind of thing). And, I had never had one rash in my entire life before, so I guess when I do things, I do them big. This was just plain crazy. I itched and itched, and there were days that I just wanted someone to set my skin on fire. The dermatologist said it was a rash for the medical journals, but he wasn't quite sure what it was. Music to my ears. Not. He prescribed cream that was $75 for 1 oz. Didn't work. Still itched. They took a biopsy a week later after it continued to get worse. Hives. WTF? But, I was so glad it wasn't anything serious. Pathologist determined with 90% probability it was a drug reaction, and sure enough, I had started a new medication weeks before. I believe the stress of the home remodeling and Abby's eye infection were too much to bear for me. I was happy with my contractor overall, however, we did not communicate that well at times (my fault being a novice at this kind of thing). I came home one day to see that the entire contents of my house were in my front and back yard. I walked in to my house, and it looked like a bomb went off inside. My contractor told me it would be dusty to drill up all of the ceramic tile I had in my house to replace the floors, but dusty was an understatement to say the least. It was simply not livable especially since Abby had the eye issues going on. We stayed with friends for a few nights while my contractors finished up, and I took a day off work to clean. All the dust rose to the second level of my house (high ceilings = bad here), and everything I owned that was left inside upstairs was covered in 3 inches of dust. I LOVE my new floors, and my kitchen looks a lot better as well with new counters and back splash. But, I will do things differently next time and not make assumptions that my contractor should know or will know certain things. But, I was so consumed with Abby's eye that minor home improvement issues just didn't seem that important in the scheme of things.

We went back to the eye doctor the week of Thanksgiving, and he said it looked worse. He thought maybe the drops were too toxic and prescribed new medications for her immediately. This time around I was prepared for the forceps and was able to keep it together during Abby's screamathon. He scared me because he said that if her eye got any worse that he would come in on Thanksgiving and see her. His office even called the day before and checked on her. Fortunately, the new medication began working immediately, and I was more optimistic. She was taking oral antibiotics, ointment, and two different eye drops for a week, so we were basically taking something every hour of the day. Single parenting kicked my butt this week, that is for sure. By the end of the week, I was beginning to finally see BOTH of Abby's beautiful brown eyes, and when we went back to the doctor the next week, he said her opacity had been reduced significantly, and her corneal abrasions were gone. Until Abby is old enough to cooperate for a vision test, we don't know what effect, if any, this has on her vision. The doctor said that the opacity that are still in her eye were not affecting her vision field from what he could see, and we really don't know if this is something she could have been born with or not because he never looked at her eye before she had any infection. For now, the eye looks clear and there is no more swelling. She is more beautiful than ever. If that's possible.

Other stuff happened during these months. Highlights. Abby's love affair with cars is growing. She wants to drive everywhere. I am not kidding. I thought this would happen in about 13 or 14 years, but not now. She just likes to sit in the driver seat, push all the buttons, move the gears, etc. and pretend she is driving to the beach or school.



Sometimes we just sit in the garage for a bit while she "drives". Jeez. If she can't drive, at times, you would think someone was cutting off of both of her arms. Thankfully, she has stopped with the tantrums when I put her in her car seat knowing that I will let her drive eventually.

We spent one wonderful afternoon at the Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch with several other families who had adopted children from Guatemala. It was a nice group of people, and there were about 5 other kids that were Abby's age. Hopefully, we will have more opportunities to get to know them better. It was the first nice day in a long while, so there were several thousand people there. Of course, Abby wanted to run wild and free turning the day into an aerobic exercise for me for three hours as I tried to keep up with her. She ran into the hay maze, and it was so tall that I couldn't see her for a bit although I was amazed by her confidence to run through it so quickly and easily.

Abby in Hay Maze
Fortunately, we posted parents at the exit and entrances to keep the kiddos safe.

Abby's First Pumpkin Patch

She is still loving her My Gym class every weekend and getting more and more confident doing activities. She loves climbing the rock wall, jumping on the trampoline, and doing the balance beam. She has warmed up to her teachers especially Miss Addie who she likes to give a big hug to at the end of class. She dressed up like Abby Cadabby from Sesame Street for Halloween and wore her the costume to My Gym that day as well.

And, she handed out candy at the front door to the bigger kids who were trick or treating. Next year, Abby will be one of them.

Abby and Grams At Fretz Park

Perfect Destin-ation

We took Labor Day week and went to Destin for Abby's first beach vacation. It was perfect. Great condo, oceanfront view, sunshine and 80 degrees every day, and a non-stop smile on Abby's face for a week.

View From Condo

I love it when a vacation comes together like that. Even the airplane rides went better than all previous trips. It really helped having my friend Michele with us to give me a hand. It was the first trip I have had with Abby where I had an extra set of hands on the plane, and it made everything just a little bit better.

Every day was the same. Beach all morning. Lunch and nap in early afternoon, and pool in the late afternoon. It was just great. No beach trip is relaxing with a toddler, but I knew that going in. We stayed in Miramar Beach area which is very close to San Destin and a little less populated than in the heart of Destin.

It was semi-crowded over Labor Day, but once that passed, we had 5 days on the beach with relatively few people. It really helped that we waited until after school started to go there.

Michele and Abby

Abby loved, loved, loved the ocean. I couldn't keep her out of it. She had a blast riding the waves, and laughed hysterically each and every time. There is nothing better than listening to your child laugh knowing that this moment is the BEST moment they have had in their short life to that point. She played in the sand for a New York minute every day, but then she would point and say "Mommy, water, water" and beg to be taken in the ocean.

Abby Playing in Sand

Look, Ma, No Legs!

I could not believe it. Destin is the perfect swimming beach. Little teaser waves, crystal clear water, and smooth sandy bottom. She loved seeing the fish up close, and she also got to see a few dolphins as well. You won't see too many pictures from our trip because I was always in the ocean with her (and I am not keen on pics of myself in a bathing suit going on a blog either :). I was so waterlogged by the end of the trip.

Abby and Mom

If she wasn't in the ocean, Abby would sit on the beach, but only if she could eat Cheetos. Ok, it was vacation. She got her fill of Cheetos every day and then some. Wow, this kid digs her some Cheetos.

Breakfast of Champions

Abby's other obsession in Destin was the public bathroom. Gross. We had just started potty training, and so Abby used this trip as an opportunity to check out each and every public bathroom we came across to do her business. Of course, I encouraged this, but she had to check out each and every stall thoroughly before selecting one, so each trip was a little mini adventure. I couldn't even get her to "go" in the ocean. Oh well. I guess that is kind of a hard concept to explain to a 2 year old.

Abby turned an even more beautiful shade of brown than she already is during the trip. I put 70+ sunscreen on her religiously, and she never burned, but she can get tan in a hurry.

Abby @ Baytowne Wharf, San Destin

So many people came up to me and told me how darling and cute she was (duh!), but they don't call the northern Florida panhandle the "Redneck Riviera" for nothing. It is a well earned nickname. I saw my share of confederate flag boogie boards and mullets. But, the question I heard that summed up everything was a question that I got from people who obviously were trying to figure out Abby's ethnic background. Ready for it. OK. "What is she mixed with?" Had never heard that before. I hope I don't hear it again. I rarely if ever get any questions living in Texas about whether Abby is adopted or what race she is. But, when I travel, I occasionally get a question about where she was born or if she is adopted. But not, "what is she mixed with"? spoken in slow, southern accent. I don't understand how people feel compelled to ask that at all let alone when you haven't even spoken to them before that! How I respond really depends on how people ask, whether we have had a conversation beforehand, and what kind of mood I am in . Sometimes, it opens up a conversation you don't really want to have with a complete stranger. I hope to get better at addressing these questions so that when Abby hears me respond, she always feels loved, wanted, and confident in her own skin. That is all that matters.

Happy Birthday!

Happy 2nd birthday, Lil Abs! I can't believe you are 2.

I thought I would jot down a few things about you at this age, so when my memory fails, and you are writing your elementary school autobiography, we will have something to rely on.

1) You are 31 1/4 inches tall.
2) You weigh 23 lbs.
3) Your body mass index is PERFECT according to your pediatrician, Dr. M.
4) You are the most petite child in your class and in the 5% for all kids worldwide in your age group.
5) You have 75-80 words in your vocabulary.
6) The first word out of your mouth almost every morning is "shoes".
7) You are obsessed with shoes. I think this is my fault. I don't think most 2 year olds have 10 pairs of shoes that fit them.
8) You love purses and backpacks. You love wearing your flowered backpack to school when Mommy lets you. You never want to take it off.
9) You love watching "Wonder Pets". Ming Ming (duck) is your favorite.
10) You love watching baseball (when it means you get to stay up later and not have to go to bed).
11) You are very loving and affectionate with those that you are comfortable with.
12) You are a neat freak. You insist on putting all your toys away and putting everything in its rightful place before we leave the house everyday. I LOVE THIS!
13) You are a great cleaner upper at school according to your teachers.
14) You do not like to sit still during "circle time" at school, but you have started to a little bit lately.
15) You love to color and draw. On paper and walls. Washable crayons are the best invention since TIVO/DVR.
16) You love swimming and the water. If you could wear your bathing suit everyday you would.
17) You love to pretend you are a frog and jump up and down in the bathtub saying "ribbit!"
18) You love dogs and cats and squirrels (yuck). I think you are more of a dog person, but cats are gaining ground.
19) Your favorite foods are broccoli, spinach, carrots, shrimp, chicken and cheese.
20) The first day we bought you a little frog potty for the bathroom, you used it and have continued to use it every day like clockwork the entire week of your birthday. I haven't seen a dirty diaper yet except in the morning after a long night's sleep. It is the first thing you want to do in the morning.

21) If someone asks you old you are, you tell them "two" in really deep voice. Sometime you hold up two fingers.
22) You love your "My Gym" classes on the weekends. You like doing gymnastics and going on the swings there particulary.
23) Your favorite musical artists are Coldplay and Jason Mraz. Especially Jason lately.
24) Your favorite toys you got for your 2nd birthda are your new ABC delivery truck, your traveling drawing set, your "Wonder Pets" schoolhouse, your first doll named "Maddie", and your Snow White tea set.
25) You don't like being dirty. You enjoy a clean environment. Yea!

San Francisco

Abby and I went to San Francisco at the end of July for 4 days. I have a pretty small family, but as it turns out now, a good chunk of them live in the Bay Area now including two of my three brothers. Not a bad place to spend a long weekend if you ask me. San Francisco is definitely one of my favorite cities. We stayed with my aunt and uncle who live in Nob Hill with a spectacular view of the city.

View from Living Room


Not bad digs at all. They had so many toys for Abby to play with because they have five grandchildren, so Abby was in heaven from the moment she arrived. She just loves exploring new things, and she had a great time sauntering up and down their hallways as well. We went down to the Ferry Building in the Embarcadero area for dinner the first night we arrived. We walked around some of the shops and saw Howard Dean in a bookstore. Abby wasn't too interested (although I am sure she will be a Democrat. Of course, it will be her choice. I am just sayin').

We spent the next day mostly in Oakland and Orinda visiting with the rest of the family. Abby, my Uncle Bob and I spent a few hours at the Oakland Zoo. I am not a big fan of zoos, but when you have an almost 2 year old, you do whatcha got to do. I would not recommend this zoo unless your mission in life is to see the zoos of the world, and you just want to check it off your list. Abby did really enjoys the giraffes and the petting zoo though.

Abby and Papa Bob

Sleeping Alligator

It was just nice to get a little one-on-one time with my uncle (sorta. you never really get one-on-one time with a 2 yr old around) and just walk around in beautiful 70 degree weather since we are used to 100+ degree temperatures in Texas at this time of year. We spent the rest of the day and dinner with our cousins and Abby's uncles at my cousins' beautiful home in Orinda. They have three young boys ages 4-9 who had every conceivable type of sports equipment and car under the sun stored outside in a sports shed. They had an amazing sport court installed in an breathtakingly beautiful backyard.

View of Back of House

Sport Court Hidden in Back

Abby immediately ran outside to the sports shed without asking for directions and proceeded to get into every toy riding car and golf cart in the shed. She had a blast playing playing some combination of tether ball and tennis while all the old folks were inside chatting and preparing food.

The Next Olympic Sport? Tether Tennis Anyone?

Abby's First Pit Stop in the Sport Shed

Abby wasn't into socializing or chit chatting when all the fun stuff was outside. Our cousins, Brett, Kyle, and Drew showed us their amazing little house designed to resemble a tree house (without the tree) placed at the top of their terraced back yard. It was the perfect little hideaway for little boys to play with their bugs and other crawly things.

It was really nice to see my brothers who I hadn't seen in about a year and a half and who had never met Abby.

Abby and Her Youngest Uncle Jess

Abby and Her Second Youngest Uncle Josh

One of my brothers recently started his own flower business. He grows a special type of flowering plant that has, among other things, therapeutic powers. He has a great business model having worked in this industry for a number of years. It is not legal to grow this type of flower in all states, but it is legal where my brother lives. He has a lot of good business connections and really knows what he is doing. He has traveled the world since he was in high school and is interested in settling down in Northern California, and this business affords him that opportunity. My youngest brother was just back from a stint in Latin America and was taking classes at a local university to teach English As A Second Language to students and businessmen in the Far East, so we were really lucky that he was in California while we were visiting. We spent some time at my brother's workplace (and temporary home) the following day. The space was perfect for his flowers, and I was thoroughly impressed by all the work that my brother has put into his new business. He has a three story space, and they were using the street level portion of it as temporary living quarters. This part of the space reminded me of a fraternity house that hadn't been cleaned in, well, forever. I could not even put Abby down on the floor. Abby and I are both neat freaks, so this really was a shock to my senses. No big deal because it was just a short term living situation for both of my brothers. The happy ending massage parlor next door and the porn shop across the street really was the icing on the cake :)

The eleven of us had a picnic in the park on Sunday, and that was really a great time for me personally because I got to catch up quite a bit with my cousins and my brothers while still being able to watch Abby and make sure she didn't fall of the playground equipment.

Aunt Ellen and Uncle Bob

Monique and Brett
Kyle

Drew

David

It was a very relaxing time for everyone. Weather was perfect, and conversation was great. This was one of those moments where I really wished I lived closer to these family members. I decided that I would come back and visit at least once a year with Abby especially now that two of my brothers are kind of establishing roots there as well.

We just had a wonderful trip, and Abby really blossomed around so many new people. She was engaging, charming and very talkative with everyone especially her great aunt and uncle (Lala and Papa Bob) who were wonderful hosts for our visit. We spent our last night eating out at a place in the City that Abby really enjoyed. She took her first cable car ride, and I am hoping she doesn't remember a thing. It was so crowded, and the conductor told us I had to sit down with Abby or at least sit Abby down by herself. Unfortunately, there was no room to even move, and Abby freaked out bit. Even with her crying, the young man nearest us (maybe about 30) refused to give up his seat for two blocks. My aunt read him the riot act. Then, possibly the largest woman on the cable car close to 300 lbs who was in her 60s offered to get up, but there was just no where for her to go. It was 5 minutes of anguish for Abby and I. Next time, we will take a cab.

We headed back home on Monday. Our flight was delayed, and I was feeling a little deja vu again that we might encounter another travel nightmare because her nap was scheduled perfectly with the original departure time. We strolled around the airport, and just as Abby was going to finally fall asleep, out of the blue, we run into one of her classmates, Lola, with her dad. They were on the same flight we were, and of course, as soon as Abby saw someone from home she recognized, she bolted out of her stroller, and she and Lola started running and skipping through the airport. It was great that they were having fun killing time, but we paid for it. Well, actually all the passengers on our flight paid for it. We were seated in the middle of the plane, and Abby was so overtired at this point that she literally cried almost non-stop for 1 hour of the 3+ hour flight. No exaggerations. This was simply the worst. I tried everything I could to get her to stop crying, but she wasn't having any of it. About 40 minutes into the crying, a man sitting a few rows behind me tapped me on the shoulder and said "excuse me, is your baby sick?". Not words you want to hear at a time like that. When I said no, he said "CAN YOU PLEASE DO SOMETHING?" I kept my cool and explained that if there was something I could do, I would be doing it. I suggested he use the complimentary headphones that were handed out for the movie. He didn't like my suggestion. This is something many of us have thought before when a baby cries, but I was kind of surprised that he confronted me about it. After he left, and once Abby stopped crying, the man in front of me leaned back and told me Abby 's crying didn't bother him one bit, he has 3 kids of his own, etc. Then, after we landed a short time later, Abby was asleep, and I waited until everyone deplaned before we got off. At least 6 or 7 people stopped by my seat and said "we have all been there", "you're my hero", or words to that effect. I actually felt more like a parent in that moment than ever before for some reason. Unlike my last trip, I didn't melt down or lose my patience. I just endured it and loved on Abby more and more the harder she cried. Abby is a very strong willed little girl. This is bound to serve her well later in her life. Just not on long flight from the West Coast.

5 states now visited by Abby. Next up, Florida.