Why I have three children....

I am mom to three kidlets. Ages 15, 11, and.... 6 months. Yes, that is a bit of a gap it's true. And no, we didn't set out to space the kids quite like that. HOWEVER.... I would highly recommend it! I'm thinking perhaps everyone should wait a decade in between children- you'd be amazed at the perspective you gain! When Bun was 5 weeks old and I was SO TIRED I GOT INTO BED ON THE WRONG SIDE AND ALMOST CRUSHED MY SLEEPING HUSBAND, I laughed and said, "Oh well this stage passes fast, and hey! When did you start sleeping on this side of the bed? 17 years ago? oh..." When Beau was 5 weeks old, things like that didn't seem quite so funny.
So why did we do it? Why did we go for #3 when #1 and 2 were finally potty-trained, sleeping through the night, and learning to drive? The answer is featured in the photo above. Beau and Beanie. We were warned that we would be questioned about our adoption quest especially because we already have two children. Our answer was, "We're on this quest BECAUSE we already have two children." We know we love this parenthood journey, we love these two delightful people who call us mom and dad, we know that two was not our luckly number. We knew there was a #3. And no matter how much time it took, how many times our hearts broke, how crazy it seemed to even try, we KNEW there was a #3. It was plain and simple.
BUT... the "knowing" and the "doing" in this case were not quite in sync. We KNEW there was #3, but the "how to get her here???" Not so simple- kind of long and complex actually. I'll try to sum it up next time in the "How I got three children," post.
Now you know, the Canuck and I are addicted to our kids. We spent almost 7 years trying to get our next "fix." And wouldn't you know it! We're addicted to her too!

Enduring Crap.

I don't even know how to begin this post. It's just my take on that age-old question, "WHY?" and at the same time, a tribute to a favorite uncle.

The Canuck and Beau left Saturday for a trip to Vancouver, B.C. Our uncle is ill, our dear, sweet, funny, caring, favorite uncle is suffering the kind of illness that only has one ending. The boys left early, drove quickly, and made it there in time. In time to hold a hand, express love, and even to have a laugh. The Canuck said that he will never be the same. He left part of his heart in B.C.

I'm thinking about our uncle's cancer and thinking. Why? Why does crap like this happen? And I am sorry that I can't make it sound more eloquent than "crap," but the only other words I can think of are "putrid crap." I'll stick with "crap."

And cancer isn't the only crap around. We all have had to suffer some kind of crap in our lives.

I could write volumes on that subject alone!

But I won't.

I just want to address the "why." I finally understood something a while back, or maybe I should say, I finally found an explanation I could live with. This occurred during a rough patch in our family planning. After a very exciting and happy Father's Day announcement regarding a newest family member, we were devastated a month later by a very heartbreaking and sad reality of a miscarriage. (ugh- this was after 2 years of this intervention and that intervention and $$$$$$ spent..... CRAP I tell you!) Why did this happen?

I had friends tell me maybe I wasn't meant to have more kids. I just couldn't buy into that line of thinking- like God was saying, "HA! NO KID FOR YOU!" I felt like God knew my sorrow and empathized with me. During a particularly spiritual moment, I realized that we came to this earth knowing it wouldn't be perfect. I suppose I always thought of that in terms of people- people wouldn't be perfect. But I don't think it's that limited. I think this world is not a perfect place, not just the people in it. Even the molecules get messed up and it just snowballs from there.

Our wonderful uncle has cancer. Why? Because this world is not a perfect place. And we have to deal with that.

We love you Uncle John. Even though this place isn't perfect, you were certainly the perfect uncle. Thank you.

AHHHHHHH!!!!

Words you can't type on the computer... #1- Bouncey Bun. You MAY think you're just labelling a little video of your baby jumping in the Cirque De Soleil contraption called a jumparoo, but in reality you are setting yourself up for a quick lesson in the depravity of man. Follow that? No? Let's start over.
We have a 5 month old baby girl named Bun. It's a reference to her origins. She's the Bun we got without the oven. We also call her our "oops" baby because from the time we found out about her to the time we got to call her our own was 27 hours! Oops! We got a Bun without the oven! (keep up with me people!) Our two other kids, Beau and Beanie were homemade, we had to wait the usual 9 months for them. I digress.
The Canuck (father to all three Bs) has what we call "jumpy legs." His legs do not stop moving, ever. Even during sleep. (believe me, this took some adjusting to in the first year of our marriage!) He has passed this down to all his children- whether by nature or nurtre. They all have jumpy legs.
Bun is the luckiest one of the three. She gets to use her jumpy legs to bounce in her jumparoo- this is the crazy thing that looks like the love child of a baby swing, johnny jump-up, and walker... She can sit in it and bounce to her heart's content!
I video taped Bun bouncing earlier this week. She was having so much fun and I wanted to share the joy. I labeled the clip, "Bouncey Bun." In my mind, this was the perfect way to describe the movie. AHHHH!!!!
If you know anything about YouTube, and even if you don't, you should know this... The website autmatically posts "similar" videos next to the video playing. I suppose this is to bring up, "other things you might enjoy..." AHHHH!!!!
Next to our sweet baby, getting her afternoon exercise, were several clips involving bouncing and buns. not a single baby. not a single jumparoo. all bouncing buns. mostly clad in NOTHING. AHHHHHHHH!!!
Note to self- think before you type! Even if naked bouncey buns don't SEEM video-worthy... apparently that is not an opinion shared by others. go figure. AHHHHHHH!!! What kind of joy are they trying to share! AHHHHH!!!
The moral of the story is- I re-named the video to Jumping Baby. and I just can't seem to shake this feeling.... AHHHHHHH!!!!
BUT... If you go to YouTube, look up Jumping Baby. She's really cute!

This waiting room is rated R.

Dear Girls-
As the mother of a 15 year old boy (let's call him Googly Eyed Fluff Brain), I am asking that you cover up, sit up, and shut up. This request stems from an experience I had at the dermatologist with Googly Eyed Fluff Brain last week. As we sat in the waiting room, two girls (also 15, let's call them "Might as Well Be Nakie" and "Almost Nakie") came in to wait too. Might as Well be Nakie sat in the not-so lady like manner of one foot perched on the seat next to her and Almost Nakie was sitting more slouchy by her. They flipped through the "Cheerleader" magazine (I know, right- the dermatologist office stocks "Cheerleader" magazine in its waiting room!), and all the while discussed the drama of having "too big" of pom poms this year and what kind of writing their warm ups were going to have. (It's cursive by the way) Clearly none of this was secret because they were talking as if addressing an entire auditorium- without a microphone. It wasn't the shorty short shorts that got me- although sitting with one leg practically thrown over your head while wearing shorty short shorts IS...um...revealing... It wasn't the tank tops with plunging necklines that got me- even though that is also revealing... It wasn't the very loud discussion that got me... What got me??? Googly Eyed Fluff Brain did - his eyes almost never left Might as Well Be Nakie and if they did, it was to look at Almost Nakie. It gets worse, Almost Nakie started fishing around in her shirt and just when I thought "Oh Dear LORD one of her girls is going to jump out!" she pulled out a cell phone. (keeping it warm??? who knows- oh wait, no pockets in the shorty short shorts and her with no purse. Gotta keep it somewhere.) GIRLS! PLEASE! These young men do not NEED more material for their imaginations! Would it be sooo hard to wear shorts that reach your thighs? Could you just maybe sit in a chair the way it was designed to be sat in? If you have to get your phone from your "special place," could you please do it a little less vigorously and maybe turn to the side?? I am not trying to sound like a prude, but I am a mom and I want my son to appreciate girls. I want him to respect them. I want him to go to the dermatologist office and not hope for a peep show in the waiting room! And while you are contemplating my requests, I will be fitting Googly Eyed Fluff Brain with blinders.
Thanks.