Sunday, December 26, 2010

Christmas 2010

This year, in a completely unexpected move of randomness, my family decided to spend Christmas away from home. Helpfully, Trevor's family owns a cabin in the Middle Of Nowhere, full of cozy and cheer and good smells, so we went there. It was an adventure in sleeping arrangements for our girls, in challenging the stamina of our denim (sooner rather than later changed into pajama pants) with the mountains of food dipped in chocolate, in getting in the most games, in not getting too tipsy for the sake of the children who are trying to sleep, in watching enough movies to constitute a proper winter holiday, in building fires indoors and out.

We had a great time.

The perfect tree!


What it lacks in size, it makes up for in heart.

Sprinkling reindeer food (oats, cornmeal and glitter). Just after sprinkling, Marta stomped it into the snow, and made Berit cry in horror.


We all had matching PJs!

Reading "'Twas The Night Before Christmas"

You totally can look cool when you match all the other guys in the house. It's not cult-like at all.



Aunt Andrea. *LOVE*

We thought sleeping together in the cubby would be lots of fun for the girls, but they both ended up ditching their digs in the night and I was left to squeeze into Marta's sleeping bag in there, by myself.

Not weird at all.

Nick + BINGO + matching outfits + bad jokes = Christmas

Santa found us at the cabin!










Signed photo of the Eagles + story in which Andrea truly believed Mom knew Joe Walsh from high school yet didn't realize he was in the band


More matching outfits. Classy ones, too.

Do we think the neighbors might be nervous?

Ridiculous amounts of sugar, courtesy of Jodie Faber, who looks gorgeous right now and none of US can fit into our jeans.



Again with the sugar.



Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Wait

So for now, I am waiting.

Last night we received information about a baby - four babies, actually, who need families. One baby in particular captivated both of us. Both of us. Without ribbons or bows, with her little humbleness and life and need, with her medical condition and all.

And because the information was sent at 5:30 p.m. and everyone apparently left the second someone pressed "send" on their e-mail, we did not get to speak to our caseworker until this morning. Sleep, eh. Right.

While walking through Meijer today, my caseworker called and I cried in the sugar aisle, and she told me not to get attached. Right.

There are other families who are interested in this little one, and while we are first on the list (we've been waiting the longest), our immigration is not sent in because of our recent move - so that puts us in a weird limbo. We'll still be considered but OhMyGodGetTheImmigrationIn.

We also have to come up with our many, many thousands of dollars Right Quick. So, there's that, burning a little hole in my brain because it should not be this way, when a baby needs a home and there is a home to be had.

And she's just there, just out of reach. We are attached. And yet we wait.

I'm waiting to pick up Marta from school, my to-do list for the day completely ignored, my house a mess, my groceries purchased this morning while talking on my phone and steering my cart with my elbow in the little coffee holder still in bags on the counter. Laundry undone. Dust bunnies taking over.

I sit here in front of the computer, hoping something will come up, though nothing is supposed to, nothing has been promised, there is nothing to wait for. But it's my link to the baby, so I dare not move unless I have to.

On January 3 our information will go to a review board who will decide about this little one's forever family. And so. The waiting.

Monday, December 20, 2010

Parties, Both

Finally, she enters her life's match - a spring floor covered in mats, surrounded by trampolines. Shock.

Marta, what was your favorite part of your party?
"My My Little Pony Cake."
(Did you take a picture of the cake? NO. Did you? NO. Sh*t.)





Party time at Grandma and Pop's house!



Marta, what was your favorite part of your party?
"My unicorn cake."
Yessssss.

Giving hugs to everyone at once, while we sang "Happy Birthday." Also known as: My favorite picture of Marta on her third birthday.



Unicorn snow globe. They dance.