a girl and her pups and a possibility!

Motherhood is hard, really hard, and exhausting. I knew that it was but I don't think I was really prepared. Naptime is my favorite time of day and I am embarrassed to say I nap right alongside with my Elliott for a little bit. Well actually it's not my favorite time of day that would be when my sweet boy wakes up. When I come into the room he looks so happy and is all smiles that his mama is here and coming to get. Today was the first day that I felt like we were getting into a normal routine. I know I am blessed to be a maternity leave and things will change drastically when I go back to work but for today I was glad. The day was enjoyable and calm and relaxing. Eating has been a struggle as Elliot only likes chicken nuggets, pizza, and grilled cheese.  I decided a few nights ago to order Chinese food and try to sneak vegetables into lo mein since he loves lo mein noodles. It worked wonderfully. They got to the point where I didn't even have to sneak vegetables and he wo...

Today marks one month since Elliott was first placed in my arms. In that month my life has completely changed, for the better of course!  The little boy who ran into my arms was happy then and easy-going and is still that way today. He loves being on the go and he really loves his mama. And his mama is head over heels in love with him. In one months time he has adjusted to the dogs, the cold, and the craziness that is my life. My poor baby has gotten more bloodwork then I care to relive. He has gotten three vaccines and one finger practice. He is healthy and has already grown in both height and weight. As Christmas approaches, I love teaching Elliott all about the birth of Jesus. The little people nativity set has helped with this. He really is easy going and I am forever thankful. We will be traveling to Buffalo next week for what I hope will be a white Christmas. I can't wait for my family to meet him. Of course I'm not looking forward to another plane ride but luckily thi...

Now that the trip details are all written out, it is time to get to the fun things – all about Elliott two weeks home! Current weight 23 pounds with his clothes and shoes on and about 32 inches tall.  He is currently in18 month clothes which is much smaller than I thought so little shopping had to be done ;). He even has a little bit of room to grow in 18 months. Personality is 90% happy and easy-going and 10% stubborn as a mule. If you want something and does not get it, look out because a full-blown tantrum will result. Unfortunately for him his mother is a teacher so he doesn't get what he wants. Favorite foods are grilled cheese, cheese pizza, and chicken nuggets. Least favorite foods are vegetables, vegetables, vegetables. Favorite activities are being outside and bathtime. Absolute least favorite thing to do is sleep. Elliott has no interest in TV but loves anything that lights up and is musical. Favorite toys are stacking cups, little car that he rides on that play...

After our wonderful visit with the Gupta family, it was finally time to pack up and go home. My mom and I spent the morning at the mall's spending the last of our rupees. If you see me around town looking like an Indian with my attire, don't be alarmed, I so enjoy their clothes and I might have one a little crazy. Abhi came over to say goodbye and also do some last-minute shopping with us. We had lunch in the hotel which we ended up having to take back to our room because Elliot was not having it. Saying goodbye to Abhi...... This was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I am getting choked up just thinking about it. She is like a sister to me. I love her dearly. God put her in my life for a reason. We were only together a few short days but I felt like I had known her forever. We all cried and at one point I had to put myself in the bathroom because I was a complete mess. Abhi, you are an amazing woman with a heart of gold. You are doing God's work my fr...

On Monday 11/18 my mom went shopping with Abhi back to Dilli Haat while I stayed in with my little Mumbai monkey. I wanted to let him sleep and relax without being on the go. This proved to be a good decision as I was able to have lunch with Kristian and her family. I cannot say enough how much I enjoyed having her there. Even though we didn't spend every waking moment together because we were both extremely busy, it was wonderful just knowing she was only a couple floors away if I needed her. We ended up texting each other a lot that week. We had a nice relaxing lunch in our hotel and we hoped to get together later that afternoon but unfortunately that did not work out. I hate goodbyes so it was probably for the best. When Abhi and my mom returned, Abhi brought over some homemade goods and fundraising goods to help boys with polio. They paint with their feet. She also had bought some stuff while traveling around India for the purpose of raising money for these boys. I think my ...

Up until this point everything we had done in India I was adoption related. We had not seen any of the alley except from a cab. My mom and I were both going stir crazy. I at least had my son to bond with my mom needed to get out. My best friend Erika's father was from Delhi and his family still lives there. She had arranged it so that they could help us out. Well because my little monkey played around with the phone her poor family have been trying to reach me for days. By the time we arranged a sightseeing trip it was last minute and since they own a factory they sent one of their workers to take us around. Her name was Aarti. She was absolutely amazing and we love getting to know her and spending the day. She took us to an outdoor market called Dilli Haat. It was a place where you could bargain for goods from all around India. My mom was very good at bargaining but she had nothing compared to Aarti. She was tough and would not let us buy anything if she felt it was overpriced. W...

On Friday November 14th, I woke up dreading the day. I first had to get Elliott's visa photos taken, then get his TB skin test read, then go back to the embassy to drop the photos off.  Abhi picked us up at 10. We laughed when when we saw the cab bc it was as small as a Ford fiesta for three adults and a baby and all that comes with we ended up loving the driver and we hired him for the rest of the time haha. She took us to get Elliott "clicked" at a cute outdoor area. Nothing was open until 11:00, but by some miracle the photo place said they would take the photos. They were ready within 15 minutes, and adorable I might add!!  This was also the first time we had been out in Delhi. It was a very nice area though the amount of dogs was sad. After the photos we went back to the mad center. Angel Abhi stuck again and we were done in less than 15 minutes. Elliott was all clear. We also picked up the med reports for Kristians three beauties as they were not ready when they ...

My interview for Elliott's US visa was Thursday 11/13 at 9am.  Abhi could not believe it was that early but that was the time I was given and that was the time I would go!  Due to security, drivers are not allowed to stop in front of the embassy. We we're let off about 1/4 mile from the embassy. Abhi said the appointment would be 15 minutes and no food or drink would be allowed. I left the diaper bag in the cab(this would later prove to be the dumbest thing I EVER did). We found the gate and held up our US passports, these got us to the front of the line. Of course Elliott was extremely attached to Abhi(wink, wink) so I had to insist she go with us. We went through security and through all sorts of lines, bypassing them all. When we got into the interview building we were told to take a seat. What was supposed to be 15 minutes turned out to be almost an hour. This unfortunately meant Elliott missed his snack time. He started screaming, actually that is an understatement. If y...