Two Moms & Two Grandmas Too!!!

What a whirlwind weekend we had here in Pittsburgh! September is the month of birthdays in our family, so there was yet another celebration! At this rate I will NEVER lose any weight because who can turn down a piece of cake?? I really need to call Jenny Craig because I am seriously out of control!!! Oh well, life is short, so what the hell: EAT CAKE!!
Anyway, Mary Lou turned 25 yesterday (believe that one and I'll tell ya another one), and my Ma...well let's just say that she is still a Spring Chicken because if I reveal her true age on the internet she will undoubedly kill me. Of course Callie is still celebrating turning 4, so she was so happy to blow out MORE candles.
If some of you weren't aware, Callie has the extreme luck to not only have two Moms, but to also have two Grandmothers. Yep, my Mom is gay too...pretty cool huh? Well let me tell ya that I didn't think it was very cool when she told me that she and my Father were getting a divorce after 30 years of marriage and that she was leaving him for a woman. At that time I was pretty pissed off, and I have been told that my Mom's new love was a bit frightened of me. Go ahead and laugh, I do all the time because I am not one to be feared. I am just a crazy lipstick lesbian that would never fight because that might mean I could break a nail! Not happening! However, my Mom and her partner have been together almost 12 years, and I ADORE her now. She is my Other Mother and I call her Ma. Callie calls her Nana, and they are inseperable pals.
I didn't get great shots over the weekend, but I did get a few. My Ma is the one with the dark hair, and my Mom is the blonde. Enjoy!

How about a little cheese with that WHINE?!?!?!?!

Okay....for the last three days my sweet Princess has been turned into a mean whiny witch. What's up with that?? Instead of speaking, or verbalizing what she wants or needs, she instead moans, groans, and occasionally fakes a sorry excuse for a crying fit. She has even been whining about going to school, which she absolutely LOVES. I don't get it!?!
Being the analytical Mom I am, I tend to drive myself (and I am sure poor Mary Lou) absolutely crazy trying to figure out WHY she is doing this. (Hmmm, maybe the reason Callie asks "WHY" a zillion times a day could be that I ask the same thing). So, anyway, I have asked her why she is sad, why she is grumpy, and why she doesn't want to go to school. I always try to validate her feelings rather than brushing them off or ignoring them. Of course though, her answer to all of these questions is "I dunno."
Next I think maybe she isn't feeling well. She has had a runny nose, so maybe she is getting a cold. I ask her if she feels okay and she tells me her throat hurts. Now let me just tell you that this child would tell you ANYTHING just to get some grape flavored Motrin. She has claimed that her arm was going to fall off if she didn't get some medicine. Yep, that's right, a 4 year old Motrin addict. Do they have AA meetings for that?? Nevertheless, I did get the flashlight and look at her throat. Perfectly pink with no red in sight. She then told me she was kidding, and her throat felt fine. Just what I suspected.
So, I am stumped. I am also ready to jump out the nearest window if we don't find the magic wand that turned my sweet Princess into this mean Witchy girl that I don't know. As I type, she has entered my office and as I reach for a hug she says in her whiny little voice, "No Mom...no hugs today." I grab her and tickle her a bit getting a slight giggle, but the Princess has left the building and I hope she comes back before I send this little witch off on her broom to Grandma's house!

Wake Up Call

So it is 6:30am and the quiet morning is broken with the sounds of a four year old little voice saying...."Mama".....We both refuse to move and hope she decides to go back to sleep. Why is it that she chooses to wake up at the butt crack of dawn on days when we didn't get to bed until late??? The voice gets louder...."MAMA." I am only thankful that she is calling for Mary Lou rather than me, so I keep my eyes closed tightly and hope that Mare will crawl out of bed.
"MAMA.....MAMA... GUESS WHAT??"
Finally Mare gives in and she heads to Callie's room. Although I feel guilty (well, maybe for a minute because typically it is my name she calls at these ungodly hours) I slip under the covers and catch a few more zzzzz's.
So when I finally decide to peel myself out of bed I find poor Mary Lou sipping coffee which I am sure she desperately needed because I know she wasn't in bed earlier than 2am. I ask what our little angel wanted at such an early hour, and you'll never imagine what she said.
Wait...to really appreciate this let's take a step back so that I can explain. Over the past few weeks we have been looking at pictures of her new found family. She is like a little old lady in that she remembers no ones names!! So, we go over it again and again. It is actually funny when she thinks Sydney is her!! Anyway, here Mary Lou is at 6:30 a.m. asking Callie why she called her to her room. Callie's answer....
"Guess what Mama...MIKAELA!!!"
Here Callie was so proud that she remembered Mikaela's name that she pulled her Mama out of bed to tell her. So Mare's wake up call today was one word....MIKAELA!!! Go figure!!!!

Say Cheese!!

Okay....I REFUSE to let this computer get the best of me, so here is my 2nd attempt at adding some pictures. (Thanks Karen for helping a poor blonde out!) These shots are from our weekend in New Jersey.

Here's Callie and Sydney reluctantly posing for the camera

Rub a Dub Dub, Callie and Olivia in the tub

My partner (Mary Lou) and Sweet Baby Emma

This is a fav- Olivia in a Princess outfit, wearing a bike helmet on a scooter-

that's my kind of girl!

Callie and Mikaela cheesing

Beautiful Kyron just looking sweet

Syd and Cameron having quite the conversation

Toni and Hollie celebrating 13 years together!

CONGRATS!

No butts about it....this is a FAV...Callie and Olivia getting

ready for the tub

Well, I think I actually did it! Sorry that some of the kids are missing, but to see them all you can visit Lifeasarainbow or roleplayingwithkids. They have some of the best shots of the new fam all together! All I can say is I am so blessed!!!

Is This Thing On???

So here I am starting my own blog! WOW! I have been a lurker for so long that I guess it is time to just jump out and do this right?? Did I mention that I am computer illiterate, blond, and originally from West Virginia.....that's three strikes right there, so you will have to bear with me as I learn how this whole thing works. (No offense to anyone from West Virginia, but I am sure you are aware of all of the jokes out there)

Hmmmm.....so what do I say on my very first blog? What are my intentions in becoming a part of the "blog world?" I guess I am here because I have recently found a new family. Let me start at the beginning. My partner and I were blessed four years ago with an angelic little girl. With the help of an unknown donor, our dream to have a child had come true. Recently, while watching Dateline, we heard about The Donor Sibling Registry where families can connect and children can meet their half-siblings. My curiosity got the best of me, so I registered online and well, the rest is history. Within days I was contacted by an amazing woman in Utah that had a daughter close to my own little girl's age. She also had twin boys, and I couldn't wait to hear all about them. As if she wasn't amazing enough, I was then contacted by another wonderful woman from New Jersey, and she passed along pictures of her beautiful little girl and her special little twins. I also learned about a couple from Maryland that also had two little ones at home. I can't explain why it felt as if I had known these families my entire life, but that is exactly how it felt.

We had the opportunity to meet each other just one week ago, and I was granted another wish; I was given the big family I had always wanted. Again, the connection is difficult to explain, but when I think of them I am filled with love. Four families made the trip to New Jersey, and ONE giant family emerged. Nine children played happily together (well, most of the time), and although the kids were the actual siblings, I think all of the women feel that they have new sisters to love as well.

So that's where I will begin. If I can ever figure out how to post pictures, I will share a few with you. (I know...I'm blond remember?!?)