Easter, Part Two

Yes, that's right - we celebrated Easter, Part 2 today. My brother and his family came down today and we had a combination Easter/Mother's Day celebration which was really nice, although it would have been nice if the weather had been a bit more cooperative this afternoon as it was really windy and downright nippy!

RP loves spending time with her cousins, and it sometimes makes me really sad to watch her play with other kids because while they all have each other to play with at home (and yes, fight with - been there, done that with a sibling!) her playmates are pretty much me and the puppies here at home. No, no, no - this doesn't mean I'm thinking of doing the process all over again. I won't lie - I've thought about it. A lot. I love kids and growing up with a sibling was great (just don't tell my brother I said that!) and it would be wonderful to give RP that same opportunity, but right now I just can't. I'm smart enough to know that looking into going through another adoption right now is not feasible, what with being unemployed and all, and there are times when I was working full-time that I felt bad that the daycare people and RP's grandparents spent more time with her during the week than I did. Adding another child to the mix would split what time there was between two, and I don't want to end up feeling guilty that I don't get to spend enough time with either of them.

That being said, RP had a great time with her cousins today despite the fact that she didn't take a nap and had her moments today. It was so cute to watch them all playing together, even when playing turned to disagreeing. All in all - what a great day!!!

Leave it to RP...

As I may have mentioned in an earlier post, RP is still catching up on her vaccinations from being adopted internationally. A week ago today she had her three-year physical and has officially grown 5 1/4 inches over the last year and gained a few pounds. I was concerned that she is still very small for her age, but the doctor was encouraged by the fact that she is now ON the height and weight charts - in the 5th percentile for height, and the 9th percentile for weight. The only concern she had, and it was a minor one, was that while RP is incredible vocal, she is still showing some speech delay in that non-family members should be able to understand 75% of what she is saying, and family members should be able to understand her at almost 100%, which is not the case. I can understand her about 60-85% of the time, depending on where we are, who is around, and what she is talking about, and non-family members probably understand her about 20-50% of the time. She told me to watch this, and if there is still a delay at the end of summer I should have her re-evaluated. Sigh.

Getting back to the vaccines, RP was actually ahead of the vaccination schedule here for some of her shots, but while her medical chart/history showed that she was completely up-to-date on her polio vaccine, her blood work last spring showed that she had never received ANY polio vaccination. Ever. None. Scary - but easily correctable. Last year RP had to have two shots, about 6 weeks apart, to start the series, and she had her third polio shot last week, which is an ugly, painful looking shot to the upper thigh. She also had to receive another shot to the OTHER thigh that same day, and I'm surprised she isn't still the same shade of purple she was that day from screaming - she has quite a set of lungs! After she calmed down (compliments of a red sucker from the nurse!) the doctor informed me that while she tested negative last year for TB, because she was internationally adopted she would like to run another TB test just to make sure - and if this test also came back negative we would be good on tests until RP enters kindergarten.

The TB test was scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on Monday - the Monday after Easter. Yep - I completely forgot until the office called in the early afternoon to gently remind me that I had forgotten, so we went in Tuesday afternoon instead. I told RP that it was just a pinch in the arm and not to worry, but when we got there and RP told the nurse that she was ready for her "pinch," the nurse shook her head and told me that the test is actually a bit painful and would most likely burn a little, and she brought in another nurse to help hold RP still enough for the injection. I felt like the worst mother in the world for lying to the poor child, and she turned a lovely shade of fuchsia during the process, yelling like a banshee! Again a sucker helped sooth the "boo-boo" and we went on our merry way.

This morning when I was getting RP dressed I checked the injection site because we were set to go to the doctor this afternoon to have the test read and get the results, and while I was happy that there was no reaction at the test site, I was surprised and concerned to discover that RP had broken out in a rash from her elbow to her wrist - only on that arm, and the bulk of it surrounded the test site. When we got to the office and I showed the nurse she was puzzled as well and ran to get the doctor. Both of them informed me that they had never seen anything like it before, but it definitely wasn't a positive test result, but rather it looked like RP came into contact with something that caused the breakout and that I shouldn't worry. I was so relieved at this that I was practically giddy - RP, not so much. While she was happy that this trip to the doctor didn't involve any shots/needles, she was mad (REALLY mad) that all she got for her troubles was a sticker. She wanted another sucker.

The April festivities are over!

It seems as if it has been FOREVER since RP's third birthday, when in actuality it has only been about a week and a half! The house is still in semi-disarray, although we are slowly making strides to bring things back to normal.

A LOT has happened in the last week and a half. I turned the big 4-0 (ugh - it's almost as painful to write as it is to SAY!) 6 days after RP turned three, and unlike her birthday it was a really low-key event. My day was actually spent taking RP to the doctor where she had to have not one but TWO vaccinations (still trying to catch her up from her adoption - good news is that one more shot to go in October and she's done until kindergarten!), which clearly was not a fun way to start our day, then we went to Nana and Papa's house to color Easter eggs. THAT actually was fun, although RP got bored with about 10 minutes of egg coloring left to go, and I left the house with a huge blue dye stain on my face that I was afraid would never come out (luckily it did!)! That night RP and I got dressed up and went to dinner with Nana and Papa to our favorite steak house in town which was yummy beyond words! No big parties, no embarrassing signs in the front yard, etc. - and I was happy!

The Easter Bunny came to the house bright and early on Sunday morning, and RP was less than thrilled that I woke her up at 7:45 a.m. to check out her basket, let alone get ready for church. It wasn't until she saw the basket, the toys, and the partially hidden eggs that she got excited, and then she became a whirlwind of activity. I was going to postpone the Easter egg hunt until after mass, but RP found about 1/3 of them before I could even open my mouth. She loved her basket and all the toys, and was thrilled to discover that her eggs contained M&M's and jelly beans, and a few even held money which she promptly deposited in her new piggy bank! Nana and Papa came over in the afternoon for a big lunch/early dinner and Papa helped me finish putting together RP's new trampoline which she has been dying to try! My brother and his family couldn't come down this year for Easter, so we'll be holding our big family Easter this coming Sunday, then we are done with celebrations for a while, and I'm not sure how RP is going to react to having to wait until Christmas now for a chance to rip open presents, but my checkbook is definitely thankful for the break!

I honestly can't believe that April is almost over and it will be May in less than a week. It certainly is true that the older you get, the more time flies, and I'm kind of hoping for it to slow down a bit so I can soak up everything and enjoy the moment without worrying about what is going on next.

RP is officially THREE!

I can't believe that RP's birthday has already come and gone, but sadly, it has. I have to say that despite how stressed out I got myself over her birthday festivities, it all turned out to be a pretty great time! RP LOVED celebrating her birthday, and spent the entire week prepping by singing "Happy Birthday to me!" over and over and over...

The birthday festivities started on Friday morning with RP getting not her normal oatmeal for breakfast, but one of Mommy's pop-tarts. While this may not seem like a big deal, to her it was HUGE, as she has only ever had a bite or two of the pastries and she loves them! After breakfast we took showers, then got ready to head to "Jump Zone" with Miss K and D. RP still takes a while to warm up to people, so when Miss K and D came in the house, she snuggled into my shoulder and would barely look at them, even after we all got in the van and arrived at our destination. Inside, it took RP all of about 2 minutes to warm up to D when he climbed in one of the jumpies with her, and he was her best bud for the rest of the day! Since D is 13, I really didn't want him to feel like he was babysitting RP while his mom and I hung out, but I think everyone had a great time - even Miss K and I got in on the action and climbed up the ginormous slide a few times (and yes, I'll admit it - it was FUN!).

After Jump Zone, Miss K, D, RP, and I headed out for lunch, which was an adventure since RP was overly tired (she was up at 6:45 a.m. and spent a little over two hours at Jump Zone running around like a crazy person!) and by this point pretty grouchy. After lunch she zonked out in the car before we were even 5 minutes from the restaurant, and she took a great nap that afternoon! After nap time, Nana and Papa came over to open presents, and RP was an old pro! Unlike Christmas when she had to personally deliver each scrap of wrapping paper to the garbage bag, RP was like a tornado ripping through the packages and there was literally a sea of wrapping paper all over the floor. She had a BALL and got lots of great presents, all of which she wanted to play with immediately. We then went for pizza, and came home for ice cream cake, and the first of two opportunities for us to sing to her and have her blow out the candles.

Saturday was the party, and RP and I had to run errands that morning, which made for a long day. Even though we managed to condense our running around to one store, it took longer than I expected because the little motorized ATV that I got her didn't work right (the steering didn't work - go figure!) so we had to go through the return process before we could get our last minute items for the party. After the store we ran home to finish decorating, and I completely underestimated how long it would take to blow up all the balloons. I went through two tanks of helium which were supposed to fill 80 balloons, but those must have been pretty small balloons because even with the fairly sizable mylar balloons I bought this year, we didn't have anywhere near the equivalent of 80 balloons in the house, and I ran out of helium with two balloons to go.

RP refused to take a nap for her party, and I learned the hard way that this was a BAD MOVE on my part. She was excited and actually giddy for the party to start, even sitting nicely and posing for pictures in her Minnie Mouse get-up, but she was out of pocket when everyone arrived. As I said earlier, RP takes a while to warm up to new people, and it seems as if everyone showed up to the party within 20 minutes of one another, so she freaked out in a big way, and coupled with no nap, it was a recipe for disaster. Still, we got through it, and with only a few "bumps" in the afternoon, the party seemed to have been a success - RP loved playing with all the kids and getting to hear "Happy Birthday" sung to her again (and let's not forget blowing out those candles!) and I loved catching up with family and close friends!

The house is still in a state of post-party semi-disaster, and with the Easter Bunny coming this Sunday, I'd better get my butt in gear getting everything put away and cleaned up. As much fun as everything turned out to be, I'm glad this happens only once a year - I'm still exhausted from last week!!!

The birthday festivities begin

While RP's birthday is not until Friday, the celebration of her turning three started in earnest today. While at pre-school today there was a classroom birthday party in her honor, and she was THRILLED! The class played games and got to decorate their own cupcakes (always a hit with the toddler set!) and RP's teacher even bought her the cutest little art set as a present.

I can't believe my baby is going to be three years old this week. Where has the time gone? I still remember planning her birthday last year, which also coincided with her baptism. Even her teacher today commented that she couldn't believe how much RP had grown and changed over the last year, and it's somewhat sad that soon RP will be leaving her classroom to join the 3-4 year olds in the pre-school room.

Tomorrow RP is spending the day with Nana and Papa so I can get the house cleaned and organized for her party on Saturday. I finished her cake today, and while it isn't my best work, it didn't turn out altogether heinous (although Minnie turned out more orange than "flesh-colored - looks like she spent too much time in a tanning bed with the cast of 'Jersey Shore!'), so it will have to do for Saturday. Friday we have a fun outing planned with friends in the morning, then presents and dinner in the afternoon/evening. Finally the big party is Saturday, with our family and closest friends attending.

I'm not sure what RP is going to do next week when it ISN'T her birthday, because she has really gotten into the spirit of understanding that birthdays are a special celebration of an individual, unlike Christmas when everyone exchanges presents. Lucky for her she only has to wait another week before the Easter Bunny comes, but then she is in for the long wait until Christmas!

Eff this, and eff that...

I can't believe we've been home from Disney now for over a week. In one respect it seems like we JUST got home, and in another it seems like our vacation was so very long ago. Things here have been busy, busy, busy, as we always are in April as I have LOTS of family and friends with April birthdays (including RP and myself!). RP knows her birthday is coming and is really excited to celebrate. She has been practicing singing "Happy Birthday" and blowing out candles, and will tell anyone who will listen that she is going to be three. We celebrated Papa's birthday yesterday, which gave RP another opportunity to practice singing her song AND Papa let her help him blow out the candles, which was a bonus for her! With all the excitement of vacation, birthdays, and the impending Easter Bunny visit, I have to say RP has been really good (well, to an extent). She has had her moments, and a few meltdowns, but all in all she has been really well-behaved, helpful around the house, and getting more and more involved in imaginative play (today we were jumping into the "pool water" in the family room and swimming!). That being said, I started noticing yesterday that every time she became frustrated with something she would mumble an unrecognizable word under her breath. The more I listened, the more I noticed this trend, and the more it became obvious what she was saying. Finally tonight she dropped something on the floor and muttered "****," at which time I asked her, "RP, are you saying 'f@#*?" "Yes Mommy. F@#*." Then she shook whatever it was that she had dropped, as if for emphasis. In disbelief I said, "RP are you REALLY saying 'f@#*? That is a bad word." "Yes Mommy. F@#*." I couldn't help it and burst out laughing, trying so hard to hold it in that I got tears in my eyes. When I finally composed myself I told RP," Darling, you cannot say that word any more. It is a bad word, and it is naughty to say. Please do NOT say it again. Ever." My little munchkin looked up at me with a crazy look and proceeded to inform me," Mommy says f@#*, so me say f@#*." She looked very proud of herself. "Mommy does NOT say that word (well, hardly ever except when referring to my idiot neighbors) and I don't want to hear you say it ever again. Do you understand me?" Again, RP looked as if she could not believe her ears. "Me no say 'f@#*' Mommy? Me no say it?" "No. Never again." "O-tay." She then went on her merry way, where she proceeded to slip and say the word at least three more times tonight. Let's hope this is the last of it (and trust me, I'm watching what I say more now than ever!) and that it DOESN'T happen at pre-school this week. Yikes.

A visit to the Easter Bunny

Since we are working on getting back to "normal" after our vacation, RP, Nana, and I went to the mall today to find RP an outfit to wear to her birthday party, finish buying decorations and favors for the party, and so that RP could see the Easter Bunny.

Unlike Santa, RP wasn't too thrilled about seeing the Easter Bunny and truly could have cared less. When we got to the Easter Bunny's gazebo at the mall and she saw him for the first time, she was NONE too thrilled to go meet him, let alone sit on his lap for a picture. That all changed when I pointed out that the Easter Bunny comes to the house the night before Easter and leaves presents and candy, particularly M&M's inside Easter eggs that he hides throughout the house. I probably could have left that explanation to "he brings M&M's," because as we all know, she'll do anything for an M&M (proof in point, potty-training is back in full-swing after it's own "spring break" while we were on vacation. She hasn't had an issue yet, and makes sure that I know she is entitled to her M&M's for success on the potty!). After that she went over and felt his furry hand, gave him a few high-fives, then jumped up on his lap and shouted "Cheese!" like an old pro.

After the pictures she hopped down and waited with Nana while I waited for the prints of the picture, and I didn't think RP paid it any more attention, as she was enthralled with the little mall choo-choo train going round and round and round (and yes, she got to ride on the train thanks to Nana and a really slow day at the mall!). However, she seems to be completely captivated by the fact that the Easter Bunny wore glasses. She mentioned this to Papa when he asked her if she saw the Easter Bunny today, then mentioned it again to me tonight when she was getting ready for bed. It is so funny how the littlest detail, which I truly glossed over and honestly didn't even notice, is what stuck out for her out of the entire experience!