Ruby's 1st Days...

...with me in China.

Here are moments from our first days together as Mother & Daughter.
(again, long video, so play, then pause, k?)
She was so little, I'd almost forgotten she had ever been that small.
I'm so happy to be able to share this footage with you.
It just reminds me so much to enjoy every moment with Ruby,
even the difficult ones.
Because all moments in our lives,
be they good or bad,
are fleeting at best.

And before any of you comment on how RETARDED I sound doing my
'Chinese sounding baby babbling noises',
don't.
I'm fully aware of how ridiculous I sounded.
LOL
I guess at the time it just made sense.
Now?
Nearly two years later & some quiet time to mull it over?
Not so much!
LOL
My apologies go out to the Asian community on the whole...
...for any/all insults/cuss words derived from my nonsensical babble.
Was completely unintentional.
I promise!
;)

What To Do, What To Do...? *UPDATED*

...a few weeks ago I signed Ruby up for a class at our local YMCA.
It's called 'Teeny Tiny Tumblers', and she LOVES IT!
The class is every Friday morning at 9:30am.
We've gone three Friday's in a row thus far
&
not only does she love class, she loves her teachers
&
has made some cute new friends.
Why the conundrum you ask?
This week, I've been feeling slightly under the weather,
low grade fever, coughing to beat the band,
&
occasional vomiting here & there.
Fun huh?
(apologies to those of you drinking your morning coffee as you read this)
So, with me feeling like this,
I could still go but I'd have to sit off on the sidelines
and someone else will need to go through the circuit with miss Rubes.
That someone else was going to be my Mother.
Phone just rang,
was her,
she's not feeling well,
she'll be staying home.
UGH!

So, here's my thing, do I GO to the class knowing how shitty I feel & risk getting anyone sick OR
do I go & ask one of the teachers to go through her circuit with her as I sit on the sidelines AWAY from the kids & watch
OR
do I break Ruby's heart all together & tell her that we're not going today?

See, here's the thing about me.
One of my BIGGEST pet peeves is with parents who
send their kids somewhere
(school, extracurricular activities etc)
KNOWING that their kid is not only sick, but POTENTIALLY CONTAGIOUS!
Those parents I can't stand, cuz it's THOSE parents of SICK kids
that get otherwise HEALTHY children SICK!
C'mon people, this is NOT rocket science... at least you'd think, right?!

Because of this strong dislike of those types of parents,
I REFUSE to be one who sends Ruby ANYWHERE if she's feeling slightly under the weather.
Period.
So, therein lies the conundrum...
...it's ME who isn't feeling good, NOT Ruby.
So, do I go & ask a teacher to do her circuit with her?
Do I not go?

My thoughts this morning as I mulled it over in my head were this;
I HAVEN'T gotten Ruby sick with whatever it is I have,
and we LIVE together 24/7.
SO, am I safe to go knowing that the potential for me getting someone else's kid sick
is most likely minimal?
OR, do I assume that the reason RUBY didn't get sick is BECAUSE we're always together & her immune system is smarter because of it?

Grrrrrrrrrr, at times like these, I wonder to myself;
"What would JOHNNY do?"

*UGH*


***********UPDATE***********

We went, we participated a total of 5 minutes,
Ruby wanted NOTHING to do with Class,
(even though BOTH her teachers, Ashley AND Lucy,
said they'd be happy to take her with them through the circuit)
it ended up just being one of those Friday's.

She did manage to score a picture from her friend Jack...
...he drew it himself & walked it up to her & said:
"Here Ruby, I made this for you last week."
*melt my heart*

PS: A big HELLO to Ashley, (her teacher) who is now a reader of the blog!

Because I've never posted it before...

...Got'cha day.
Nov 20th, 2005.

(It's very long, so after clicking 'play',
immediately click 'pause' & then please try to be patient,
until the whole movie has finished loading.
I promise you, it's worth the wait...)

Ruby Reads A Book...

...in her own way.
*smiling*
I just love this kid!

#1 Corn...

Who knew there was a #1 corn?!
This child teaches me something new,
EVERY DAY!
*grin*

Someone call the short bus...

...I apparently need a RIDE!
*sigh*

Ok, I'm going to share something with all of you
&
you are ALL welcome to laugh,
I did.

Took a shower this morning,
as do most all of you I'm assuming,
t'was an uneventful shower as far as showers go,
but I was warm & clean, life was good.
I get out,
get dressed,
brush my hair,
etc...

About an hour goes by,
I was on the phone with a friend
&
kinda noticed that my hair hadn't dried as it normally did.
Hmm, that's odd...
maybe I need to towel dry it again?
So, reaching up to feel what the deal was,
I noticed that my hair just didn't feel normal.
"What the??"


Attempting to run my fingers through it was the last straw...
HELLO AMY,
RINSE THE DAMN CONDITIONER OUT OF YOUR FREAKIN' HAIR,
WILL YA!?!#%$$%

Seriously,
I know the MS has given me permanent, irreversible brain damage
but
THIS IS TOO MUCH!
*LAUGHING*

BEEP BEEP!
Gotta go, there's my ride!

Grocery Shopping Divas...

...yes we DID wear this to the market today, aren't we rockin'?
hehehe
(Sadly, for as cute as I thought I looked,
trust me when I tell you that people who stop to comment
were focused solely on my little miss Ruby Roo
& definitely NOT her smiling Momma...)
As it should be.

The "Muffin Man"....

...is SO CUTE I COULD EAT HIM UP!



Thank you Jen for letting me ogle your son for what seemed like only minutes,
but what I'm pretty sure was more like the better part of an afternoon...
hehehe



I JUST LOVE HIM SO MUCH!!!!!!


I mean seriously, JUST LOOK AT THIS FACE!

Mister Mikhail, Auntie Amy LOVES YOU SO MUCH!!!
Come back soon so I can kiss you a zillion times, ok?

Things NOT To Do In Front Of Your 3 Year Old...

...bases loaded, Jason Varitek's up at bat.
Without thinking, Momma spurts out:
"Baw chicka wah wowwww"
(porn music)



Sorry but it's AUTOMATIC!
I LOVE THAT MAN!
*my hormones go WILD*
moving on...

Ruby, notices Momma's little song & proceeds to attempt her own version of it:

"...chicka chicka beh bow!"

GOOD LORD WHAT HAVE I DONE!

*sigh*

(Ruby's laughter can be heard throughout the apartment...)
Kristen nearly pissed herself & last I knew,
was still on the floor in the fetal position...

...GOOD TIMES!

(Clearly I'm just days away from earning that "Mother Of The Year" award)

NOT!

"You Remind Me Of Mint..."

So tonight, while watching the Sox game,
Ruby is all curled up on the chair with Kristen.
They're both snuggy bug under a toasty blanket & all of a sudden,
Ruby turns around, looks up at Kris & says:
(with a very serious expression on her little face)

"You remind me of mint..."

Kristen looks puzzled,
I'm beyond perplexed,
& Ruby's smiling as if she the sole keeper of a secret
too precious to share with another living soul.

I'm all, "Huh?!"
Kristen starts laughing,
Ruby starts laughing,
& I start laughing...

...& the Sox are still ahead.

Life is pretty darn good.
*smile*

Sometimes...

...you JUST GOTTA play a joke,

on NONNO!

Move Over Dora...

...Old Mac'Donald's movin' in
& he's bringin the whole dang farm WITH HIM!
Man oh MAN do I miss the fun filled days of 'EVERYTHING DORA!'
Nope, not anymore.
Now,
around every corner
&
in every spare nook & cranny of my slowly DYING brain,
there's a moo moo here & a quack quack there.
Here a squeak, there a baa, everywhere an oink oink.


And here's the kicker-
Old mister MacDonald didn't even ASK prior to moving in on my territory.
Not even so much as a 'please'?
What gives Mac?
You think just cuz you arrive with zoo in tow that it gives you cart blanch to invade my world?
Just cuz the cute short Asian is more in love with you than the moon?
Than the sun?
Than the stars?
Than me?
(NEVER Bear mind you... just those other things.)



How bout' I make up a new verse to your catchy jingle, sound ok with you?
(even if it isn't, consider this payback for the cow pies on my living room carpet!)
*music please...*

Old tired Momma had a migraine,
A-L-E-V-E!

It's a fun little one liner,
I think it'll catch on
&
toddler mothers EVERYWHERE are gonna just RUN with it, full force!

Anyone in the market for a spare cow?
Perhaps some bacon?
Anyone?
Anyone?
...Bueller?
*sigh*

Aw, the hell with it, let's everyone just vote for NORM!
*do it, I double dog dare ya!*

A Must Have...

...for the future engineer/thinker in your house,
is this little number.
My Ruby Tuesday is beyond OBSESSED!
Plays with hers for HOURS & can solve two, of the six puzzles, independently.
Amazing since it took me WAY LONGER THAN IT SHOULD HAVE
to even solve ONE!
Sad, isn't it?

"Not So Much..."

...it's funny the things you 'think' your child is going to love.
I was WAY off on this one!
My girl would rather surround herself with
'Little People' & Melissa & Doug Puzzles
than get wet from jumping in rainy day puddles.
Splashing in puddles?
What the hell was I thinking?!
Who thought THAT was a good idea?
Certainly not MY daughter... ;)
*smile*
And I wouldn't have her any other way.
Pardon me as I have some little people/puzzle time to attend to with my girl...
*grin*

A Windy Day...

...at Castle Park.

Reason #1,257,684,599 why I love my daughter...

Tradition...

...is a fun over sized birthday hat.

What A Difference A Year Makes...

Last year...

& this year!

Why do they have to grow up so fast?

3... 2... 1...

3 years old today...

2 years since I first saw her beautiful face...

1 amazing daughter who lights up my life more than the sun.

Happy Birthday Ruby, I love you.
XoXoXo
-Momma

It's Not Easy...

...BEING GREEN!

2 boxes white cake mix: $6.00
2 tubs white butter cream frosting: $6.00
1 bottle green sugar sprinkles: $3.50
1 bottle green food coloring: $4.00
2 packets silver cupcake liners: $2.00
1 '#3' candle: $2.99

Seeing this smile after letting her have at the frosting covered spoon?

PRICELESS!!!

3 Year Checkup...

...Height: 37.5 in
Weight: 30.5 lbs
Eye sight: excellent
Hearing: excellent
She's in the 50% for kids her age according to the American charts.

WOW!

It got me to thinking about where I was two years ago today.
I was curled up on my couch very sad that I still had not received my referral,
and at the same time, somewhere in China,
a birth mother was in both physical pain as well as emotional pain
as she anticipated bringing this little life into the world.

Ruby's paperwork says her birthday is Sept 7th.
Well, you know something, even though here for us it's Thursday Sept 6th,
in China it's already Friday.
Friday, September 7th, 1:55am.

So, as I type this I wonder to myself where that birth mother is?
What is she doing? Has her heart & mind thought yet of the precious little baby she had to abandon?
My heart says yes, she has thought of her.
I have to believe that.
And then I turn my thoughts to Ruby's foster mother...
...since we still have contact with her FM, I know for a fact that she is thinking of Ruby & misses her terribly. It's a nice thing to know for sure.

Happy Birthday little one.
Momma loves you more than there are words in all the dictionaries,
in all the languages,
in all the world to express it.

How blessed I am to be YOUR mother... so very very blessed.

Wednesday's Without Uncle Steve*...?

Ok, I know, I know... technically unless it's Tuesday, every night is a night without Uncle Steve unless we have a family weekend gathering, and then all bets are off.
So, that being said, tonight I decided to not only make a fabulous dinner for myself & Ruby, but to invite my father to join us (my Mom wasn't keen on the menu) and not only did we have a great time, but you know I took pictures & am prepared to share with you all the recipe, which is not only simple, but TASTY!

I give you:
Fresh Haddock Fillets with Ginger Soy peppers & shallots over sushi rice.
(aka: sticky rice according to Ruby)

Ingredients:
2 fresh fillets of haddock (skin on)
1 red pepper
1 orange pepper
3 good size shallots
2 cloves of garlic
soy sauce
fresh hunk of ginger, diced
(ginger powder can also be substituted)
1 cup uncooked sushi rice (prepared according to directions on package)
extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper to taste.

Directions: In large skillet, go several times round the pan with some EVOO.
Thinly slice both peppers & shallots and finely chop the garlic.
Add all veggies to pot & stir occasionally.



Prepare 'sticky rice' (aka: sushi rice) & have ready on back burner.



Once veggies start to cook, add to skillet several shakes of SOY sauce
& salt & pepper as well as ginger.

Once veggies are done, remove from pan & cover over, set aside.


In same pan, go few more times around with some EVOO and gently place fish SKIN SIDE DOWN, lightly salt & pepper & cook for five - eight minutes.



Once time's up, gently turn fish over to cook on the other side, for approx 4-5 minutes.



When done, plate the meal as follows:



Generous helping of sushi rice in center of plate.
Big spoon full of sauteed soy ginger veggies over rice being sure to add some of the sauce from the pan to coat the rice a bit as well.
Last but not least, place a piece of fish on top of that & garnish with the stray pepper or shallot & drizzle some EVOO on top of fish as well as a few additional shakes of soy sauce.


Serve with wine or beverage of choice & ENJOY!



THIS WAS SO DELICIOUS EVEN RUBY CLEANED HER PLATE & ASKED FOR MORE FISH!


hehehehe smart girl my baby is!

*Uncle Steve would not ever partake of this dish either as he LOATHES FISH.
Another good reason to have this meal on a WEDNESDAY!
*smile*

Why I'm A Sucker For Younger Men...

(Pssst, Mikhail... look over here at Auntie.)

(Good job little man! Now, go get auntie some iced coffee...)

(Aww you know I'm just kiddin', Auntie drinks TEA!)

(Yes, I'm well aware you drink boob... sorry luv but can't help you out there kiddo,

Auntie's nothing but a big empty fridge that smiles a lot!)

(Hey Mikhail, anyone ever tell you that you do the comb over better than your grandfather?)

(C'mere & give Auntie a smoochie wooch!)

...nuff said?
*smile*

Thank you to my best friend in the world,
Jen, for bringing her HANDSOME SON MIKHAIL down to visit with his Auntie Amy.
Man that kid is just so ADORABLE IT'S ILLEGAL!
I nibbled on his cheeks, his neck, his arms etc...
...but he does get you back if you keep your chin still long enough for him to zone in.

He can, he does, he's strong, he's teething, he's FIERCE!
I LOVE THAT BOY SO MUCH I CAN'T STAND IT!
Thank you Jen for letting me just eat him up from time to time,
I so needed my 'handsome boy fix'.
Life is good...

XoXoXoXo
AUNTIE LOVES YOU LITTLE MISTER MIKHAIL!
*HUGGGGGGGGGGGS*

PS. Happy 5 months little man!

What's Better Than Birthday Presents ON Your Birthday...?

...Birthday presents, BEFORE YOUR BIRTHDAY!

Introducing Miss Ruby's new RIDE!



She's over the moon for it & rode it around Toys R Us like an old pro!
*grin*
Thank you to her Nannie & Nonno for putting the worlds biggest smile
on her sweet little chubby cheeked face.
Seeing that smile, was MY gift.
She's such a beautiful little girl...
...& she's growing up just a little too fast.

The Things We Do For Love...

Bear plays 'dress up' on a daily basis with miss Ruby,
most times it's clearly under duress.
I can't lie, I don't suspect he enjoys it all that much,
but I also think that he just loves her in such a way that
he'll tolerate just about ANYTHING she tries to do to him...
even if it means wearing a bucket as a hat,
being forced to wear her DOLLS keds,
& sustaining surface wounds from having his fur brushed in an all too violent,
yet loving manner.

Now THAT'S true love.

Tuesday's With Uncle Steve...

...albeit posted on a WEDNESDAY!
hehehe


It's nearly 1am and I'm just now posting to the blog about this week's Tuesday night menu...
We had a delicious soup that is an Uncle Steve recipe
& I bravely took a stab at recreating it.
Lots of work, definitely from SCRATCH, but I think it came out yummy!
& apparently so did everyone else.
General consensus around the table?
YUM!
Which is good cuz it's a FREAKIN' LABOR OF LOVE !

Here is the recipe:

Cheddar Broccoli Soup



Ingredients: (keep in mind that I doubled the recipe)



1 T butter, melted
1/2 Spanish onion, chopped
1/4 cup melted butter (I used unsalted)
1/4 cup flour
2 cups half & half
2 cups chicken stock
1 pkg frozen broccoli
1 cup shredded carrots
4 strips thick cut bacon, chopped (I used the low sodium bacon)
8 oz grated sharp cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS:
Saute onion in butter, set aside.
(I finely chopped my onion with a hand chopper but you could also just hand dice it as well.)

Cook bacon and set aside as well.
Cook melted butter & flour combo using a whisk over medium heat for approx 5 min. Stir constantly and slowly add the half & half (this is called making a roux).
Add the chicken stock whisking all the time & then simmer for 30 minutes.

Add the broccoli, carrots and onions. Cook over low heat until the veggies are tender.
(Approx 20-25 minutes)
Add salt & pepper and bacon.

*above is soup PRE blender*


The soup should be thickened by now. Pour in batches into blender and puree (if you don't have a blender you can use a hand mixer as well & mix it directly within the pot on high speed).
Return to pot over low heat and add the grated cheese.

*& now here's soup POST blender*

Stir until well blended & serve with hot buttermilk biscuits.

ENJOY!

Giggle Girl...

...loves to play with her Auntie Kristen!
(& it shows!)

BEST BIRTHDAY GIFT...

...EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'd like to publicly thank my cousin Steve (Ruby's Uncle Steve) for surprising me this year with, what will go down in history as, THE BEST BIRTHDAY GIFT EVER!


(that is, until he decides to perhaps one day buy me a car, till then, this one stands as such!)
So, what was this fabulous gift you're all wondering?
Ok...

See this pic? It's a pic of my hand reaching out to touch,
THE STAGE!
That's right, FRONT ROW PEOPLE!
Oh, what's that?
What stage you ask?

THIS STAGE OF COURSE!

Gee, I wonder why I was in Boston tonight... let's see,
oh, I remember!
Wait, let me back up...

For those of you who don't watch last comic standing,
WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?!@#$%
For those of you who DO,
OMG GUESS WHO I LAUGHED WITH TONIGHT?
WHILE SITTING IN THE FRONT ROW?
AND GOT A HUG FROM AFTER?
AND CHATTED WITH AS WELL?
RIGHT HERE AT BOSTON'S OWN COMEDY CONNECTION?!



ONLY THE FUNNIEST COMIC THIS SEASON ON LCS:



GERRY DEE!!!!!!
Had so much fun I nearly WET MY PANTS, AGAIN!!!!!



Gerry, thanks for the most fun night EVER!


You'll always be getting my votes till you're crowned:



LAST COMIC STANDING!
*smile*



Give Ally some hugs from us, she's precious!

-Amy & Ruby Cate