A must do for all moms

Kids love toys. Kids love to spread their toys everywhere. Mom gets sick of having such a big mess of toys everywhere. Here's something that will help. I have loved this system and you will too. It's called organizing. ;)

Instead of having a couple big totes filled with all of Max's toys. I have separated them into separate bins by categories.

TA-DA!!!

This has been so wonderful! I give Max one tote to play with at a time. When I think he's done playing with a certain tote. I clean up all the toys and put them back into the tote and pull out another one. This has worked out so well for us! Max loves to play with the tote themselves too! He loves to take the toys out and then put them back in. He plays great with this new system.

This makes things so much nicer. Now I don't have so many toys everywhere. Max still likes to spread them out everywhere but it's not as bad and clean-up is easy. It also makes it a lot easier to sanitize everything. I just do one individual tote at a time. It helps me to not feel so overwhelmed by toys!

Now Max plays with one thing at a time. I love it! It also makes it easier to see what he actually likes to play with. I just keep rotated the bins through out the day for him to play with.

He still has one big tote for his bigger items. This is still easy to clean-up. I'm able to keep track of everything so much better. Things don't get lost so easily now. This is a must do for all moms. I promise you will love it! It will also help to establish that you must clean up what you have been playing with before you get to play with something else. :)

Anything that helps us moms from going completely insane is a good thing! ;)

Even daddy is loving this new system. All though, yesterday, he did mix up a few of the toys and put them in the wrong tote. I then had to yell a lot and hopefully, he wont be doing that anymore. ;) lol!

phrase of the week

When Shaun was working at Fidelity investments in New Hampshire. He had a Chinese women with a thick accent, who would call about her investments. She was a funny lady. One day she started telling Shaun about the people she worked for and then she said with a feisty attitude and thick Chinese accent, "What do they think I am? Cheap Chinese labor!....I don't think so!!"

Shaun and I have adopted this phrase. Every now and again we'll say it. Like the other day when Shaun asked me to do something for him. I turned to him and in my best Chinese accent I said, "Cheap Chinese labor!......I DON'T THINK SO!"

It makes us laugh every time. :)

adoption questions

Here are some discussion questions from www.itsaboutlove.org. Which is a website for LDS social services for adoption.

1. Do you and your spouse have similar feelings about adoption?

2. Yes___ No___

   Are you and your spouse excited about the prospect of becoming parents through adoption?

3. Yes___ No___

   Are you realistic about the joys, heartaches, struggles, and rewards that can accompany parenthood?

4. Yes___ No___

   Are you ready to let go of the idea of having children through pregnancy?

5. Yes___ No___

   Do you understand that adoption will not cure the pain of infertility?

6. Yes___ No___

   Do you and your spouse have a solid, healthy relationship?

7. Yes___ No___

   Are you ready to be a parent to a child who doesn’t have biological ties to you?

8. Yes___ No___

   Can you provide a loving atmosphere in which a child may thrive?

9. Yes___ No___

   Are you prepared to deal with a child’s questions and possible feelings of loss?

10. Yes___ No___

    Are you prepared for the rigors of the adoption process?

11. Yes___ No___

    Are you prepared for the possibility that adoption can result in conflicting, complicated emotions?

    
    

    
    

    I'm not sure that I can give an absolute Yes to all of these questions. defiantly something to think about and discuss.

    
    

    I've been looking on line for more information on adoption. It really is so overwhelming for me. It seems so hard. It's giving Shaun and I a lot to think about, to worry about, to be concerned about, to be excited about, and on and on.

    I'm really concerned about the financial cost. It's something that Shaun and I would have to save up for. Which only would prolong the process even more.

    There's also a lot to consider about what age you're willing to adopt. For me, I really want Max to be the oldest child. For several reasons.

    There's so many variables to consider here. It's defiantly going to be a long process. Max is only one but I would like to have another child before he's 10! We still have the option of in-vitro. Both ways are going to cost a lot of money and be a challenge. We'll have to have a lot of faith and be praying a lot. It will be interesting to see what happens with our family. Whatever does happen, We will always be a family. Together forever. :)

    
    

    
    

    
    

    
    

    
    

    
    

Adoption and In-vitro

We have to have another child. Max needs a sibling. How boring to be an only child. I know our family isn't done growing. May sound easy enough? Not for Shaun and me.

I need to make an appointment with the infertility center and get more information about doing In-vitro with the embryo's we have frozen.

We also need to start the adoption process. It seems so overwhelming to me. It wont be a problem for Shaun and I to adopt a child and love them as our own. It's the process that scares me. It seems so emotionally and financially draining. I really don't know where to begin.

They say that you should tell everyone you know that your looking to adopt. So I'm letting everyone know that Shaun and I would like to adopt. It seems so weird to say that. Hey everyone, If your looking to, or know someone who wants to give up a baby, Let me know. ?!?! It just feels so impersonal to me. It's a good thing to get the word out.

Maybe it could happen naturally this time. I don't know. I do know that we need more children. Some way, some how.

Let the process begin. As soon as I can figure out how, what, and when.

I wish it didn't have to feel so overwhelming and demand so much from us. That's the price you pay. Those are the cards Shaun and I have been dealt. We can do this! We've already been blessed with our Max. I would go through the same long process. With all it's ups and downs. The pain and heartache. To get my Max. I guess that's the beauty of it all. It may be so hard. It may push me beyond what I thought I could do. but you learn that anything is possible with help from above. :)

Maybe by posting this blog post will get me started in the right direction. It just seems so hard.

I need to stop talking and start doing. It could be a long road ahead.....

Maybe I'm not ready just yet. The only problem is, I feel that when I am ready, It would be nice to have the process all ready started.

For now, we'll be enjoying each other and our little family. Hoping that eventually, another will join us. Because I feel that there is another.....

The ZOO

On Saturday we went to the Phoenix Zoo. I love the Zoo and had a great time with Shaun and Max. Here's some photo's of our day at the Zoo.

This picture does not capture just how beautiful and huge this Golden Eagle was. So amazing.

Just LION around.

Isn't she lovely

Love bird Rhino's. These two are HUGE! Really cool to see. So cute snuggled together.

The ugliest animal.

Amazing color! So vivid.

The wildest of them all.

Green Spandex

NO, NO, NO, NO!

I would never be seen in green spandex

but these guys are hilarious in green spandex!!

Makes me smile plus Max's stats

For Max's birthday he got some BIG cars. (thanks Sammy) As I was going through his toy box. I found that he had an identical LITTLE car. So now, daddy and son have been reunited. ;)

Every time I see them it makes me smile. I even have to giggle a little.

The mommy car must have purple eyes and all yellow tires. ;)

Daddy car giving a piggy back ride.

Now for Max's 12 month stats:

Weight- 23 lbs 9 oz (75 percentile)

Height- 33.25 inches! (Still over the 95 percentile.) He has grown 11.75 inches this year!

Head circumference 19 (not sure what percentile this is)

Max's doctor said that he looks really good. He's a very tall healthy boy! He also talked to me about giving "time outs" now. For one minute. I've been trying this out. It's really hard not to laugh! Max has a problem with biting. I for see lots of "time outs" in his future. He looks so funny sitting in the corner. It's hard not to crack a smile or two.

He wont sit still in the corner. I have to keep putting him back in it. Then he'll look away as I'm talking to him. shifting his eyes downward. Trying not to keep eye contact so he doesn't have to listen to what I'm saying. I wish I could describe the look on his face better. It's quite comical.

Max is not walking yet. which is not a problem. He'll do it on his own time. We joke that it's because he's so tall, It's harder to fight the force of gravity. He needs more time to balance himself out. :)

Shaun says that it's because he's a guy. Why does he need to over do anything. He can get around just fine by crawling. haha!

I read on a baby website that children who walk later have a more mellow temperament. I'm thinking this is not the case with Max. It's not like he has a bad temper. He's just not a mellow kid. :) He's a mover! He crawls super fast and wants to be into anything and everything! He does NOT sit still.....ever.