Happy Birthday my sweet 5 year old!!!

Well today was the last day of soccer camp for Ping. She loved it. I went to watch the last 30 minutes or so. She got a certificate for participating. I took a few photos and we headed off in the car to Donna's house. Donna asked us to go swimming and I decided that we would. Ping loves to swim, so what better way could we spend the day?

We all had a nice time visiting with Donna and swimming. Donna's daughter Nicole got a job and started immediately, so we only saw her for a few minutes. Donna fed my little rugrats and off to home we went. When we got home, we put Manny and Yamira to bed. They all slept on the way home. Ping woke up though and of course she wanted to open her presents. After she opened her gifts, she and Daddy watched some TV together. She had a good day. Her party is on Saturday. On Sunday, we are taking her into Boston to do a few things. The little ones are going to respite care for a few hours.

Today we got up early and headed out for a few errands. At 1:15 pm, we had an ear appointment. Ping's ear has been bothering her all week. The GP she saw on Monday suggested we try to loosen the wax, but it wasn't working. She still has tubes in her ears, so it was important to me to have her looked at. Her specialist is on vacation, so we saw a Chinese doctor. He was great. Very nice. Wanted to know where she was from. He is from Shanghai. Ping has swimmers ear. She got the wax removed and a script for an antibiotic. We left and went to CVS to drop off the prescription. Bill went to get it tonight, but they didn't have the drops in. We got a call later on that some had come in, so we are getting them tomorrow and going back in a week to take a look at her ear to make sure she is all clear.

Manny and Yamira were not good at all today. At one point, Yamira jumped on an elevator by herself. We nearly lost her. I threw my hand in front of the door and it stopped. She was so sassy today. She did everything she wasn't supposed to and she talked back to me and to Bill later on in the evening. So both of them had a lot of time outs today. I think they got overtired yesterday and so they just could not behave to save their life. Manny just kept touching everything and jumping on everything he is not supposed to.

We spent the rest of the day at home. They all got baths and dinner and were in bed by 8:00 pm. After dinner, Ping got to open a gift from her friend Hope in Texas. She got a beautiful dress from Gymboree and two gorgeous hair bows. She was so excited! Anyway, if the two youngest wouldn't wake up so darn early, they wouldn't be so tired!!!!!

Well I should be heading to bed. Ping's party is tomorrow and I don't want to be asleep. I can't wait to see our friends!!!!


Mama Out!!!!!

Soccer gal.

Go get the ball.

The crew.

Certificate.

Yay.

Swimming fun.

You can't get past me.

Doggy.

Ready to open.

Time for dinner.

What? I am just eating my dinner.

Yay for gift in the mail from the Pierces.

Soccer Camp Part 3

My sweet baby had soccer in the rain and the muggy weather today. Poor thing. She still said she had an awesome time though. I got to watch her for a little while at the end today. I went to Walmart after I dropped her off. It's the story of my life. Why am I always at Target and Walmart? Getting juice I suppose. I needed some Swiffer stuff and razors and a handful of other garbage. I also picked up a few things for Yamira.

After grabbing Ping from soccer, we went to meet a friend who had lent us her stroller and car seat. I bought a new stroller on sale and we didn't end up needing the car seat, so I wanted to get it back to her as soon as possible. I was so grateful she let me borrow those things. I did use the stroller a few times.

After lunch, I put Manny down for a nap. He didn't nap today. I am not sure why. He is always tired around nap time and will fall asleep eventually, but not today. At 3:45 pm, I took Ping for a 4:00 pm free trial Karate class. She said she loved it. Ping really seems to love a lot of things, so it's hard to figure out if she is just saying she loves everything or if she really does love everything!!!!

I am far too tired tonight to get into things, but I got two amazing calls today. The first one was from the children's social worker. She said that their father was willing to terminate his rights and was at the court house. I have no idea why he was at court, or what happened between Friday and today, but he decided to sign an adoption agreement. I said to the social worker, that this could just be how he felt at the moment and that I wasn't going to put much stock in it. However, I got a call this afternoon from the social worker again and she said that there was a pre-trial at court today that she didn't know about and that their dad did indeed terminate his rights. Needless to say, I am floored!!!!! They are legally free. AMAZING. That never happens like that usually!!!!!

So the question that I am sure you are asking is now what? Well that means that we can adopt them if we want to have them in our family. I do want them. Unfortunately, I also spoke with our social worker and she said to "slow down." What does that mean? So now I am a little worried about what she has to say. I won't find out until next Tuesday. So say a little prayer or think good thoughts please. I will let you know when I know. Right now, I know nothing. You can't adopt unless the child or children have been in your house for at least 6 months, so nothing will be moving quickly, that is for sure.

Happy Birthday my fabulous girl. You are now 5 years old!!!!

Mama Out!!!!!

Soccer Camp Part 2

Ping said to me last night that she wasn't going to go to soccer today. She thought it was just a little bit too hot. Needless to say, I said "tough cookies." She went and she said she had a nice time. I dropped her off at 9:00 am. Unfortunately, I didn't watch her then, so I thought I would go back at 11:30 and watch her. I got a call as I was walking out the door and it was Yamira's therapist, so I didn't get there early like I wanted to.

After I dropped Ping off, the kids and I came back here and I fed them breakfast. I then proceeded to clean the kitchen and bathroom. I then made some phone calls regarding activities for Ping in the Fall. I signed her up for a few trial karate classes at two places. I checked into gymnastics for her as well. I did a little research on where to go for vacation and a few other things as well. Yamira watched TV while I did this and Manny played in the playroom. It was so good to get something accomplished. It is so hard to get anything done now. So I feel 1/2 human again today.

I picked up Ping at noon and we headed home for lunch, a nap for Manny and then therapy for Yamira at 3:00 pm. She said it went well. I hope it really did. When we got home, Yamira and Ping got into a huge argument, so both girls got into trouble. The rest of the night went okay. Bill was home for a short period of time because he had fire department training. So I put some Colace in Ping's ear to try to flush it. Then I got all three dressed for bed, clothes picked out, book read and to sleep.

I spent some more time researching vacations, but finally around 10:00 pm, I just had to quit and sit and do nothing but watch TV.

Nothing exceptional today. Just another day in the life of a mother of three!

Mama Out!!!!!

Loving my new shorts Mom.

Rocking this soccer thing.

Ping and Julia, her buddy from school.

Soccer Camp

Ping started soccer camp at 9:00 am today. I got up early, got the three kids ready, threw a banana at them and told them to hurry it up. We dashed off to the field and then headed off to the bank and to the store. After schlepping the stuff in from the store and putting it all away, we headed back out to get Ping. She is attending camp till Thursday from 9:00-12:00 pm. The poor thing was hotter than heck. It was hot out there today and to be running around a field for three hours is exhausting.

Once we got in the car, Ping started to strip off her sneakers and her shin pads and lastly, her soccer socks. She was just that hot and bothered. Yamira told Ping on the way to the house that she was well behaved at the store. Ping said to Yamira "That is great Yamira, you should try to be a good girl all the time. I know you can be. If you are a good girl, you don't have to go into time out as often." Then Ping continued the conversation with "Even if you do go in time out, it's not that bad. It's only 5 minutes. Yamira replied "Yeah, 5 minutes isn't all that bad." The conversation was hilarious. They are so matter of fact about stuff!

Once we got in the house, Ping changed and they all ate lunch. Ping complained to Daddy sometime yesterday that her ear hurt. When she woke up this morning, she told me her ear hurt. She isn't a complainer, so I knew it must be bothering her a great deal. So after lunch, we piled back into the car for a 1:00 pm doctors appointment. The doctor couldn't see any redness, but she couldn't tell if there was water in her ear due to a wax issue. So she sent me on my way with a suggestion to try Colace and flushing it with water. Colace is a stool softener! LOL.

After work, Bill got the Colace for Ping and a colored ink for the printer since I had no luck finding the ink earlier. I was going to go get the Colace, but Manny needed a nap and I couldn't bear to do one more errand with the three of them.

Manny napped and the girls watched a movie. It was quiet for a few short moments. I got Ping signed up for Fall soccer. She seemed to love it today and wanted to continue, so I got her signed up even though registration was awhile ago.

Daddy came home with the Colace and I put it in her ear and had her relax for 15 minutes, but it didn't seem to work well. I will try it again tomorrow. If that doesn't help her, then I need to call her ear doctor. Hope I don't have to do that.

The kids were all in bed and asleep by 8:45 pm, which is later than I wanted, but it happens.

My good friend Maura called me tonight and we were able to do some much needed catching up. Now I need to head to bed because my baby just found me and she wants me upstairs now!!!!

Mama Out!!!!!!

Burning the midnight oil

Is it burning the midnight oil or is it the morning oil since it's closer to 2:00 am? Regardless, I am here getting caught up since the house is so quiet. Why wouldn't it be quiet at this hour, right?

Thursday was a great day. It was hot, but I met my girlfriend Mindy and her daughter Ciara at Dean Park in Shrewsbury. I picked a nice shaded area to sit and the kids played for hours. When I got home, I gave the kids a bath. It was early in the day, but they were needed. Dean has some great sandboxes and the kids were sitting in them. Needless to say, when I went to change Manny's diaper, he had more sand attached to him than the sandbox! Bill was surprised when he came home to find them in their pajamas! They had dinner and headed to bed around 7:30 pm or so. They were tired from running around all day outside. I was tired too as I fell asleep face first on my bed while laying down with Ping. I was a tad annoyed that afternoon because I got a message when I got home from the playground that I didn't appreciate. The kid's have a visit from 2:00 - 3:00 pm the next day and I was just getting that call today? I was very annoyed by that. My time is far too important to be telling me about a visit one day before it's due! I had plans for Friday, but canceled them so that they could go and see their dad. I should never have done that.

On Friday, we had a home visit from the kid's social worker at 9:30 am. That went fine. She is very nice. We were interrupted constantly, but that is just the way life is with three kids. It kills me, but I have no choice in the matter. I put Manny down for an early nap after a quick lunch, so he wouldn't be in a terrible mood for his dad.

At 1:30 pm, I headed off to the DCF office for the visit. I went upstairs and the social worker for dad whisked them right in to where their dad was with a "Here is dad, go play with dad, give him a hug and a kiss." I thought that was very wrong to do. I didn't see dad. I went downstairs and sat in the lobby while Ping colored. My friend Jillian met me there and we chatted until the kids came. When the kids came downstairs with dad's social worker and his supervisor, they immediately started grilling me about a bit Manny had on his arm. This really angered me. They didn't ask like they wanted clarification, they were rude about it. Jillian agreed. First of all, the two kids had been changed by dad. He put them in outfits he brought them so that he could take their photos supposedly. Then he gave Yamira a toy phone and Manny some toy figurines with guns. They were appalling. That and dangerous for a 2 year old! So the kids greeted me in clothes I wasn't familiar with. Then the grilling began. Yamira bit Manny days ago. The father was supposedly freaking out. Like he should freak out with his background? Whatever. Anyway, I told them the story about Yamira biting Manny. Then the supervisor started to tell me how I should have let the ongoing work know. Well first of all, I told Umass at a doctors appointment and I told the kids social worker! If he didn't find that out, it is not my problem. Then she tells me that I need to keep the lines of communication open? Excuse me? This worker had been on vacation for 2 weeks, calls me the day before to tell me about a visit, I cancel plans to make the visit and I am suppose to communicate with him???? I was furious. I walked out of there so upset and angry. I immediately got in the car and called the kids social worker. She told me that she was called to the room where the kids were and was asked what happened. She told them that she knew about the bites and that Yamira put the bite on Manny. She questioned Yamira alone and Yamira blamed me and then she blamed her social worker and then she admitted she bit Manny herself. So everything was out in the open. So why did the ongoing social worker and the supervisor come at me and tell me that they were not told about the bite marks. They lied. They out and out lied!!!!! Talk about frustrating. I am not done with this yet. On Monday, if I get a quiet moment, I am going to make some calls and let people know that I am aware of what they were up to. That and a few other things that need to be said!!!!!

Jillian, me and the kids went to Target after the visit. I needed to get some things for Ping's party. I then dropped Jillian off at her car. She went to get her two boys and then came over to our house for dinner. We had a nice time.

On Saturday, we attended a birthday party for 5 year old twins. They go to school with Shayla. The weather was horrific. The downpours and flooding was awful. There was a tent, so we stayed under there. We did some arts and crafts and then the kids got in the pool since the rain stopped. Ping and Yamira swam for a long time. We then headed home, fed them dinner and put them to bed. Bill and I passed out as well. We were exhausted.

Well today is Sunday. I was going to finish this post last night, but got too tired, so I will include today. We went to a bbq in Billerica. We met with some others who have adopted. All of them were domestic adoptions. Ping and Yamira are the oldest. The others are under two. It was a small crowd and it was hot, but we had fun. After leaving the party, we went to the Burlington Mall to go to Build -A-Bear. Ping made a really cute Mint Ice Cream bear she named Minty and Yamira made a bear named Fudge and Manny made a bear named Coconut. We took Ping there because it's her birthday on Thursday and I knew she would love it. We haven't been there in a long time. The kids had a blast. They were all over the place too. Hard to concentrate when they are all over the place.

Well that is it for now. Ping starts soccer in the am, so I best get to bed so I may get up in the morning and get ready.

Hope you had a great weekend!

Mama Out!!!!


Manny having fun in the sandbox.

Yamira, Ping and Ciara in the sandbox with assorted kids.

Yamira and Manny sliding.

Yamira loving the box that a gift was sent in from Ayi Christina.

Time out is exhausting.

The three crazy kids.

Lily and Alana's 5th birthday party.

Pool party.

Ping loving her Hello Kitty gift from Phong, Siany and Megan in Texas.

Gift to Manny from his dad.

Manny sliding.

Michele, Ping and Yamira in the little pool.

Ping getting Minty stuffed.

Yamira getting Fudge stuffed.

Manny getting Coconut stuffed.

Manny picking out a heart to put in his bear.

Marveling and the stuffing.

Yamira washing her bear.

Manny washing his bear.

Ping washing her bear.

The happy results.

Daddy in front of the store.

Ping holding Minty.

On our way home.

Strawberries, yum.

Hotter than hell

I am so grateful that we have central a/c. If we didn't, I surely would be a puddle on the floor. It's been in the high nineties the last few days!

Yesterday I didn't want to go out because it was hot, but I needed to do a run for dishwasher detergent, juice, chocolate milk and a few other things. I was melting from the store to the car with the bags. It takes a little extra time getting in the car now. I have three that need to get in and buckled. I was so furious at the store yesterday. Over the loud speaker, they announced that there was a dog in a car that had been removed and was at the service desk. I went up to look of course. I then promptly told them that they should not be reuniting dog and person, but calling the MSPCA. I was so angry. I am glad I didn't see who the dog's jackass is or I would have run him over with my cart among other things. I also told them to call the police. They said they did, but when I got to the car, I still called the police myself. They said that the dog officer had been alerted and was on his way. Seriously? He is the biggest ass. I am not sure the lazy dog officer could put down his coffee cup for such a mission. Can you tell that I have met him? Lazy and indifferent. I can't help but wonder what happened to the little dog. He was a Jack Russell and adorable. If they let me, I would have brought him home with me.

Unfortunately, we had to leave the house again at 12:30 pm for a 1:00 pm appointment at the Faces clinic at Umass. Both Manny and Yamira had doctors appointment. Going to Faces is one of those things you have to do when a child comes into your care. They are both fine. Manny has a rash and so a prescription was called in for that. He is a little underweight and not exactly at his height potential, but he is fine. Yamira is great on weight, but a little low on height. We were there for nearly two hours. Once home, I knew that there was no way I was going back out. I stopped at CVS for the prescription, but they hadn't filled it yet, so I decided to go back today to get the prescription.

The rest of the day was spent playing inside and watching movies. There was no way we were going out to play with the heat being so intense. It's not good for anyone's lungs to be out in that!

Today was equally hot. They say it was cooler, but it wasn't in the Worcester area. I had to get up early. The funny thing is for the first time since the kids have been here, they slept in!!!!! Figures. We all got up and ready by 8:15 am because I had Early Intervention coming at 8:30 am to evaluate Manny. He passed with flying colors. I am not surprised. He is very bright. So he didn't qualify for anything. I can bring him to playgroups, but I can't bring the other two, so that is out until sometime in the fall when the girls go to school.

The ladies were not here long, maybe a little over an hour. The kids played in the playroom and then it was time for lunch. I fed them and we headed back out into this heat for a 1:00 pm appointment with Yamira's therapist. She saw Yamira alone today. I battled Manny the entire time in the waiting room. It was a miserable time for me. Not much fun for him either I suppose. Once we left there, we came home.

I got out the Play-doh for the kids. Ping was thrilled, but the others didn't stay with it long. Bill came home, we fed them dinner and then it was off to bed. Manny didn't nap today and when he does not nap, he is a terror!

Ping is a hoot. Twice she has said to me "and how is that working out for you Mama." Sassy little beast. I have been saying that a lot lately, I guess she is getting it from me. It's funny when you words come out of the mouth of your child. She is too funny for words.

Yesterday didn't go well. Today went better. I hope tomorrow will be a good day. We are heading to the playground early in the am!

Hope you are staying cool my friends!

Mama Out!!!!!!

July 4th Weekend

We had a really decent weekend. On Saturday, after we did a few things around here, we headed to New Bedford. Not somewhere I would normally go, but they were having a big Arts and Crafts festival with music and food. I didn't care about the music or the food, but wanted to walk around and look at the crafts. The area was cute. The streets were cobblestone which was not easy on the stroller, but the weather was gorgeous and we had a nice time being outside. I bought Manny a hat and a red bear, Yamira an aqua colored bear and Ping got a stuffed giraffe and a bell that was painted like a ladybug. It was just really nice to be out and about. The drive was long, but we had a good time and it was worth it.

On Sunday, we went to Donna and Brad's house. They were having a little pool party, so we headed there for 2:30 pm or so. I was in the pool for a good part of the day. Ping was in the pool from the minute we got there till the time we left. She literally even ate pool side. She kept her feet on the steps while she ate. I told her I was not going back to China to get her new feet. She just looked at me like I was crazy. I am, I admit it. Her feet were beyond prune, they were like dehydrated fruit! She had a ball though. Yamira swam for most of the time we were there as well. Bill got in the pool for a little while too. Everyone ate with the exception of me. I have been feeling so nauseous lately. I can't stand it. I had a little macaroni salad, but that was it. It was really nice out and we had a great time.

Today Bill was home due to the holiday. I stayed in bed for a long time today. I was tired. I will be up for most of the night for sure. I usually am. It was a good day even though it was pretty boring. Bill did a little bit of mowing, I worked on the bills and some other things at my desk. Bill also is doing the laundry. All boring, but necessary stuff. One of those things is catching up on the blog which is what I am doing now!

All in all, it was a good weekend and the kids behaved pretty well. I am so grateful for that. I hope you had a great long weekend!

Mama Out!!!!!

Silly girls horsing around.

Ping being a goofy bird.

Ping and Yamira.

The crew.

Ping in the pool.

Manny in the boat.

Yamira floating around.