Shamrocks and Shepherd's Pie

For months, I have been getting home from work either after dark or right around dusk. Daylight savings time has given me a new lease on my evenings. And getting home today at 4pm was an extra treat. While Sheref and Ella finished her homework, the rest of us, Willie included, headed to a park close to our house. At the park, I learned several things:

1. Willie is really annoying when another dog is anywhere within his range of vision.

2. Lucy is a hypochondriac. She came running up to me no less than THREE times while at the park to show me her "injuries," 2 of which were apparently microscopic since I couldn't even see them. She kept asking me, "Is it going to heal?"

3. Charlie likes to play with wood chips as much as any other toy he has.

Oh, wait. I already knew all those things...

Here is what I really learned:

My children, contrary to what I have believed for years to be true, are indeed NOT the loudest children on earth. The 3 girls who were at Spinney Park this afternoon are. My kids might still be second...

Anyways, we had a fun time. All the park merriment was followed by a St. Patrick's Day party at our house. Well, that's how I billed it to the girls, at least. Apparently the party fell short of the girls' expectations. As Lucy was finishing her green-themed dinner, she said, "You mean that's IT? That's the whole party?"

Irish lass. Well, at least ~ 1/16th Irish!

Another diluted Irish beauty

Jinjin loved playing on this bouncy thing. He was absolutely delighted when he saw it and just giddy when I set him on it!

Even Willie had fun, or as much fun as one can have while tied to a tree.

Shamrocks for the girls. Only Mamas and leprechauns know the recipe...

Toasting St. Paddy's Day over shepherd's pie and shamrocks.

14 Things About Jinjin at 14 Months

1. He loves to clap. Particularly for himself...

2. He loves bathtime.

3. He likes to make his sisters laugh.

4. If we say "Charlie, pray" and make the motion of putting our hands together to pray, he quickly does the same and gets this really serious look on his face. So cute.

5. He has mastered the art of the sippy cup.

6. That said, he still loves his morning, nap and bedtime bottles!

7. He is so freakin' cute.

8. He L.O.V.E.S. his new walker toy. Pretty sure he would have started walking 2 months ago had we bought him a walker toy.

9. He can shove an entire donut-hole in his mouth with lightening speed.

10. He gets super mad when he is sitting in his high chair and runs out of food. Sort of funny, but mainly just loud...and annoying.

11. He has rockin' hair. Pretty sure I've put this on previous "X Things about Jinjin at X Months" posts, but, come on, it's true. His faux-hawk is super awesome.

12. Did I mention he shoves entire donut-holes in his mouth? He then gets mad when you fish it out of his mouth, because obviously 14 month olds should not eat such big bites. Oh, wait, 14 month olds shouldn't eat donut-holes at all, right?

13. He flirts with Asian women. I'm totally not kidding.

14. He is an awesome little guy!

Bad Word Mommy

The other day, Lucy told me I was a Bad Word Mommy. She didn't say it in an accusatory tone. No, it was stated more as an obvious, undeniable fact. Like the sky is blue, grass is green, water is wet, and "you're a Bad Word Mommy."

Lucy is very smart, perhaps the smartest Unal, and yeah, she's right: I am a Bad Word Mommy.

At Rose, Lucy and Charlie's "school" (daycare sounds way better when you call it school), they have a concept of "Potty Words." If you say a "potty word," you have to go sit in the bathroom. Truthfully, I sort of think this is an odd, and very possibly inappropriate, method of teaching, but whatevs. Rose and Lucy seem to think it's fine and normal. Say a bad word, go and sit by yourself on the toilet. Once again: whatevs. I can only control and stress about so much. Otherwise it's a very fine school.

However, "potty words" aren't just what I would consider bad words (for my family, just shut up...I know what you're thinking -- my threshhold might, just MIGHT, be a bit warped). "Potty words" also include "butt," "dumb," "stupid," "loser"...you get the picture. As I told Lucy the other day, some people and things are just.plain.dumb. It's ok to state the truth.

Like, for instance, "you are a Bad Word Mommy."

Park Day!

I usually leave this up to my wife, but she was on call today so I thought I'd try to post a few pics we took on our trip to a local park!

Is it different?

Is it different having an adopted child compared to a biological child?

This is a question I anticipated being asked a lot. In truth, no one has actually posed this question to me. Still, I've thought about it quite a bit. Whether or not it is different is not something I ever worried about. I knew I would have no problem loving an adopted child, and I think deep down I knew it wouldn't really be all that different for me.

Two "stories" here:

1. A resident in our department, who is very sweet and nurturing, someone you would anticipate being a great mother, said, when asked by another resident (who does not yet have children) about her newborn daughter "do you just love her so much?" -- "Well, yeah, I guess. You know, I don't really know her. I have to get to know her first."

2. Katherine Heigl, the actress, whom I used to consider silly and generally uninteresting, now is a subject of interest to me since she adopted a baby from Korea. She gave an interview to Redbook recently, in which she said, in response to being asked about bonding with her daughter: "My mother is a realist, and she's had biological and adoptive children, and she said it's no different: No matter what, they're putting a stranger into your arms. You don't know them yet. And she said don't be surprised if it takes a while to connect to her in that motherly way — don't feel bad, and don't think there's something wrong with you or your relationship with this child."

These two "stories" sum up how I feel about my initial moments of motherhood with all of my four children. And I think this is normal. I know there are people who say they instantly fell in love with their newborns, and I guess this could be true. Honestly, I sort of doubt it, but I can't judge other people's feelings. Maybe it lies in your definition of love. My definition of love says you can't love, like really LOVE, someone until you know them.

So I don't really feel differently about Charlie than I did about Ella, Rose or Lucy after knowing them for 4 months. I think differently about each of them, because of course they are 4 different people. Ella came about, and was born, differently than Rose and Lucy. Rose and Lucy, though born at the same time and of the same circumstances, are different people, with different strengths, weaknesses, likes and dislikes. Charlie is no different. He came about in different circumstances, came to us in different circumstances, than Ella, Rose and Lucy. So when I look at Rose and think about Rose, I think different things than when I think about Ella. Ditto Charlie. Each of my children has a different story. And that is wonderful.

So, no, it's really not that different. Loving all our children is wonderful, and we are very blessed.

Ella's Biltmore Birthday

As I wrote in a previous post, Ella and I took a 2 night getaway to Asheville, NC during her birthday week. We stayed at the Biltmore Inn on the Biltmore Estate. I had been to the Biltmore Mansion a few times before, but had never stayed at the Inn. Ella had been to the mansion once before, but was really excited to go back. She was particularly excited about the prospect of a horseback trail ride...

Ella in our room overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountians on the day we arrived

Ella in front of the Biltmore mansion

Ella and Mama on the veranda of the Inn

We had afternoon tea...

Tea service...

...included some of these goodies...

"dressed" with some of these goodies...

Ella was excited to eat at this restaurant, in a former horse stable...

Speaking of which, she (we) thoroughly enjoyed the trail ride

Ella did such a great job riding. Her horse, Joker, kept stopping or veering off to the side. I would have thought Ella might freak out at this, but she kept her cool, knew just what to do, and easily got Joker to do what he was supposed to. So proud of this kid!

Rose and Lucy, of course, were not super thrilled that Ella got to go on a trip by herself (read:

without them!). When Ella and I dropped them off at school that morning before we left, they both cried. I took Ella on a "road trip" when she was 6, to Minnesota to see my friend Iggy and then down to Chicago to visit my friend Kathleen. The trip was not for her birthday, but I decided that we'd still use the age of 6 as a benchmark. We've decided that Rose and Lucy get to go on their own special trip with Mama for their 6th birthday.

Happy 10th Birthday, Ella Nurshen

Ten years ago today at 10:18am, this wonderful little girl came into the world, a few weeks early and weighing in at 5lb 14oz. Ella and I drove to Asheville, NC this morning to spend a few days at the Biltmore Estate for a birthday getaway. In the car en route to Asheville, I narrated for her the events of the day she was born. We made special note of the time when the clock turned 10:18am, and all day I've been telling her "this is what we were doing at this time 10 yrs ago..."

Ella is a beautiful girl, inside and out. She is sweet, creative, loving. We are so grateful to have her in our lives and love her beyond measure. Happy Birthday, Ella Nurshen!!