99 1/2 Years

We found out today that Joel's grandmother passed away. She was 99.5 years old. Isn't that amazing? When we found out about Tesfa we sent her a photo of him. A few weeks later when we visited her she had his photo proudly displayed and said, "I'm really start to love that little guy". We took her photo with his picture-not knowing if they would ever meet.

A few weeks after coming home we headed up to see her. This is my favorite photo from that visit. We saw her just a few weeks ago and Tesfa smiled and showed off for her. I'm so glad she got to meet him and see him over his first year home. I'm so glad that she was in Joels life for so long. And I'm so glad I got to have her in my life.

Jabber, Jabber, Word

We have reached the point where Tesfa is trying to repeat almost everything you say. He went to a baseball game with daddy earlier this week and came home telling me, b ball, bay ball, b ball. Super cute. There is a particular page in a book that Tesfa loves because it has a clown fish on it. He calls it Nemo and kisses it all the time (he's a little obsessed with Nemo). But the book also has the ocean as the background for the clownfish. Tesfa looked at the coral the other day and said "cora" or something like it. So maybe Nemo isn't so bad? He also has a pool that looks like a hippo. So he runs around saying 'hibo'. I am just amazed at how quickly he is picking all this up. He also says 'boo boo' a lot lately. Not surprising since I'll have a bandage on my elbow until he's 12.

So here is his current list of words (of course they are toddler speak and not always pronounced well-but mommy gets him).
Mama, Dada, dog, star, door, car, wow, bubble, coral, hippo, boo boo, skunk (kunk) and doctor. There are probably a few more that I am forgetting.

He also does a nice selection of animal noises and can identify at least 3 colors. Yesterday he woke up and starting open and closing his hand to signify pinching-he wanted a picture of a crab. Is he a genius? I think yes.

And in case you are wondering, no he hasn't said a bad word yet. However we are seeing my family this weekend so anything is possible. When I have been "upset" lately I say Awesome (in a snotty grouchy tone). I figure it would be better to hear Tesfa say that then my usual list of colorful words.

Be Classy

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the things we do for love (slightly icky)

Well as most of you know last week was pretty rough. Now-it could have been much worse-but it could have been much better.

On Friday I went to get a permit for a garage sale and while leaving the building tripped over uneven sidewalk. I play it back in slow motion and keep picturing myself trying to get my footing with no luck. So there I was holding my 16 month old son and hurdling to the ground. All I could think in the few seconds it took was "just don't drop him". So as we lay on the ground crying I looked him over. I didn't see anything except the terror on his face. He kept hugging and kissing me-unsure of what had just happened.

After making my way into the building and getting my elbow patched up I got him in the car. He saw blood on his foot and started carrying on "dugga dugga dugga" and pointing to his injury. He got no sympathy since in fact it wasn't his blood. But it was pretty funny to hear him carry on.

I was so shaken when I got home-actually I was hysterical. I text Joel and told him what happened. When he got home I set off for urgent care. I felt really stupid and wasn't sure if I was over reacting or not, but my ribs were really hurting at this point and I thought I would need stitches in my elbow. Well I got no stitches but had 2 xrays taken. Seriously! Over a fall on the sidewalk! I was told my ribs were bruised and possibly fractured or broken. I had to go back to the dr today because the wounds on my arms were starting to get infected and were really hurting.

Besides being really upset thinking about what could have happened to Tesfa I am also really upset about the response I got from the city official (the one who gave me the bandages in the first place). She asked if I had any witnesses. REALLY? Uh yeah a 16 month old witness. I mean did she think I was making this crap up? I had been in the building and wasn't bleeding and crying and returned a few minutes later dripping blood and trying to keep from being a total mess.

I need your help

If you haven't already please, please, please vote for EOR.

Hot Head & Hypocrisy

Hello my name is Amy and I am a hot head. I get very worked up and sometimes go into an irate ramble. I am most often certain that I am right but try to at least consider another point of view (sometimes after the smoke stops rolling from my ears). What is todays hot topic-News media and Conservatives and well I could go on for quite some time.

But I just don't get IT. How can so many (not all) conservatives talk about Christian values (no gay marriage) but then turn around and ask "Who Cares" when it comes to starving children in other parts of the world. These same people have the nerve to complain about Africans having too many children. Would these conservative values allow a woman the right to birth control, family planning and Heaven forbid the right to choose?

When they go to church what is it that they pray for?

There are three articles in particular that have brought on todays anger. One on a married lesbian couple saving children in Norway(and for the most part their efforts ignored by the media), a black 4 year old little boy was intentionally misquoted saying "When I grow up I'll have a gun" they left out the part where he said because he'll be a police officer, and then an article on the growing crisis in east Africa.
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/cutline/abc-claims-only-american-reporter-covering-famine-violence-180423280.html

http://talkaboutequality.wordpress.com/2011/08/01/if-a-married-lesbian-couple-saves-40-teens-from-the-norway-massacre-and-no-one-writes-about-it-did-it-really-happen/

Bottles & Babies

Well it appears that my son is not a baby anymore. When did that happen and why didn't anyone tell me it would happen so fast (ok you did tell me-it just took awhile to sink in)? Tonight he is going to bed without a bottle. Lately it has taken him two or three nights to finish a 4oz bottle. So tonight we decided it might be time to forego this step of the bedtime routine. He hasn't had a daytime bottle in over a month-except once when he was sick. Pretty sure all the bottles will be packed up by the end of the week. I also put away his baby spoons and bought toddler spoons. Part of me is so excited to see what comes next and the other part would like to push "pause" for awhile (well except for the teething part-that could go in fast forward).