Muddy Hands

"So, Bailey had some muddy hands this morning..."

In this instance "muddy" referred to the "mud" that a person creates. 

Gross.

That wasn't the way I expected to be greeted this morning.

I wasn't the lucky one to discover this firsthand, but I was at the breakfast table when Jenny realized that the clean up job wasn't quite finished.  "Mud" was still caked under and around Bailey's fingernails. Of course we noticed AFTER she just ate her last bite of banana. 

I just threw up in my mouth. Be right back, need some mouthwash.

Evidently, this is something kids do as they continue "exploring". This morning, unfortunately, there were some extra treats in her diaper. Here's hoping that this phase is very short-lived. 

In other news, it was "consignment week" here in Douglas County. JBF, CLC, MOPS, yada yada yada. Jenny gets this look in her eye when these sales come along. I think her goal is to buy some of the clothes, books, and toys Bailey will need for the next 3 years in a couple 4-day spans each year.  It's impressive to watch, though this year I was on Bailey duty.  So I was only able to celebrate the spoils after the fact.  

For those of you that haven't been to one of these consignment sales, you're missing out.  Imagine a TJ Maxx store, but twice the size, and is full of just kids' stuff, mostly clothes and toys. One of them is held at a convention center!  Racks and racks and racks of clothes.  Oh, and they're RIDICULOUSLY cheap (or they are if the consignor actually wants to sell the stuff) and good quality, some brand new. Add in a mess of shoppers, half-price sales, Baby Bjorns, confused & overwhelmed husbands, and you've got yourself a good old-fashioned consignment sale.  Many of them don't allow children.  If not for the fact that husbands have two arms to carry stuff, we should probably be banned as well.

One of the "spoils" was a "Racin' Rody" - Bailey slowly warmed to it until this happened:

For all you social workers out there, she fell onto very plush carpet. There were no tears, I swear. :-)

One more recent video; one of our favorites:

We've been asked for more pictures, so here you go!

Bailey said "iPad"...Mission accomplished!

I'll let you figure out who loved it when Bailey said "iPad" during a "hair" session and who groaned...

It's been a long time since our last post.  I blame Abby - every time I get ready to write, she's using the laptop as a pillow.  Cutest writer's block ever, right???

We've had a lot of fun this summer experience new things with Bailey and spending a lot of time with friends and family. We have been able to see some other families with children from DRC, including some that were at the transition home with Bailey. This little girl below is one you might recognize from our "No more waiting" picture. She and Bailey had a special relationship in the transition home so it's fun to watch them together now. We think that this little girl "adopted" Bailey as her little sister and loves to take care of Bailey when they're together. It's so precious!  

I've lost track of all the words she's saying and all the little personality traits that reveal themselves each day. She's such a fun, sweet little girl!  

The other side of the coin - yes, there is one - the tantrums, the fussing at the word "no", and so on. You know, normal 19-month old behaviors. So for those of our friends that think we're making it up because they haven't seen it in action yet, I'm sure it's coming to a dinner or play date near you soon. :-)

We love that Bailey's showing us the good, the bad and the ugly. It tells me she's comfortable around us. She's ready, willing, and able to push our buttons, to test the boundaries, to be a kid around her parents.  

She's got such a sweet spirit, as you can see in these pictures. She loves discovering new things and playing with whatever is around. One of the new things she's enjoying, much to my enjoyment, is golf. YES!

Here are some more pictures from the summer.

The zoo...

Our inflatable pool in the backyard...

and my favorite, golfing!

 She still has a very one-sided relationship with big sister Abby,

and has decided that spinning around with clothes on her head is one of her favorite things.

This skirt is the new "hotness" in her wardrobe. She absolutely loves it! If there was a first day of school for her this year, I'm sure this would've been the outfit of choice.

In other news, Jenny and I have begun the, "Sooooo, when do we begin the process for #2?" conversation. You'd think this conversation would just scare the crap out of us, me especially. Sure, we have no idea how we'd pay for it, we feel like we're finally figuring this whole "parenting one child" thing out, and we're just 8 months into our lives with Bailey. But, we're not done, and we don't want to be done. 

We can always argue that any time is not the "right" time. So, are we supposed to wait on adoption #2 until we're comfortable?  
How do I reconcile this justification of comfort with the reality of the calling we feel we have on our lives and all the children in orphanages around the world that don't have families and don't experience the love and care they crave, need and deserve. Who am I to say "not yet" because I want to let all of my first world problems cloud my perspective and my priorities.  Maybe we're being challenged to sacrifice our comforts and conveniences and get moving.  

All that to say - would you please pray with us and for us?  We don't want to be reckless but we don't want to sit on the sidelines either. We want to be obedient, as uncomfortable as that may be. Thanks for your prayers as we think and pray through all of these possibilities.