Michelle Smiles

Teaching my children to question authority, except mine.

Why can’t my doctor tell me that?

September17

Sabrina had her 1 year check up today.  Her ped continues to be pleased with her adjustment and progress.  He feels she is right where she should be developmentally.  He had only 1 criticism.  I apparently feed my daughter too healthily.  I thought I was being a good mommy.  She gets lots of fruit, veggies, and proteins.  She gets some starches and a very little bit of sugar too.  Her ped was slightly concerned that she only gained 1/2 a pound in the 6 weeks since our previous appointment.  She moved up in the %tiles for height and head circumference but didn’t move much on the weight chart.  So he wants us to include more starches and fats in her diet – bread with butter, potatoes with butter, pasta with butter.  I’m so brainwashed by our fat is bad, starch is bad society that I wasn’t feeding my daughter properly.  I feel awful!  I thought I was doing a good job.  (Wish my doctor would prescribe more fats and starches in my diet.)  So Sabrina will be eating well and we have to go back in 3 months for him to check in on her weight gain.

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Okay, more about the interview I referred to earlier today.  I wasn’t looking for a job…but I decided if I came across something part time that I could either do from home (and didn’t involve a webcam and nickname like Bambi) or do in the evenings I might consider it.  With the house in PA not selling, maintaining 2 households is a little less than comfortable financially.   I wasn’t under any delusion that I would make enough to significantly contribute to the household but picking up a few bucks to keep me in shoes would be nice.  So I saw an ad and applied.

Basically, the job is teaching prep courses for standardized tests – specifically in my case the LSAT.  They claim you need no background in teaching because they will teach you how to teach their course.  First step is disclosing to them how you scored on said tests (LSAT, SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT, etc) back in the day.  Then if your scores qualify you, there is the audition I mentioned in my earlier post.  If you do sufficiently well in the audition, they ask you back for an interview.   If you do sufficiently well in the interview, you have a chance to revisit the comedy of errors that was your college life.  What does that mean?  Because I took the tests more than 5 years ago (more? ha! I can do multiples of 5 with the years since I took a standardized test), I have to re-qualify by retaking the test I want to teach.  Not only do I have to retake the test, I have to score in the 90th %tile.  I managed to do it back when I was 21 but I could also drink football players under the table back then and I wouldn’t attempt that these days either.  Don’t they know about mommy brain?  I’ve lost more brain cells since starting this adoption than I ever did from drinking a football player under the table.

They sent me home with a practice test and told me to call when I have 3 hours and am ready to take the real thing.  Pass the Clearasil…and has anyone seen my retainer?

Seriously, I think this job sounds like great fun and a great way to keep mommy brain from setting in permanently.  It fits in well with our lives right now so cross your fingers that I can ace this test for a second time in my life.

posted under nashville | 18 Comments »

Tricia is at is again…

September17

At what you ask?  Being her normal, generous, giving self.  I so want to hang out with her – it is a shame we continually missed each other in Guatemala.

Tricia is asking for people to rally around a family that has adopted 7 (?!?) children.  The father has recently been diagnosed with cancer and the family could use some support.  Dad is an executive chef who has put together a cookbook – which you can get if you donate at least $13 and Tricia will be giving away some Starbuck’s gift cards as well.  So it is a win-win.  You get some fabulous recipes and maybe some free Starbuck’s all while supporting a family going through a rough time.  Click here to read more about it on Tricia’s blog. 

posted under adoption | 1 Comment »

If you were a tree…what kind of tree would you be?

September16

I hate job interviews.  Okay, perhaps I am overstating it a bit.  I mostly look upon them with amused disdain…unless I really need/want the job – then you can throw anxiety in the mix.  No one enjoys them but my major complaint is the questions interviewers ask.  Interviewers that stick to their standard list of questions (which we have all rehearsed answers to on the way to the interview) make me crazy.  Seriously, when you ask someone to name their biggest fault, do you really think they are going to be honest and say that they are chronically late and notoriously good at the bare minimum?  No!  They are going to say something along the lines of “I’m a bit of a perfectionist and sometimes I have to learn that some of the tiny details don’t have to be perfect.”  Or if asked about a time you had a conflict with a co-worker and how did you resolve it, no one is going to say “I anonymously called her boyfriend and told him she was sleeping with a guy at work and then keyed her car.”

The best interview is really a conversation.  It allows you to see the interviewees personality and how that person might fit into the organization.  It also puts the interviewee at ease thereby upping the probability of some spontaneous utterances that weren’t rehearsed in the shower before the interview.

Why do I spend time spewing forth about job interviews?  Because I have one today.  No, no, no, I am not going back to work in the traditional sense.  I simply came across an opportunity that would allow me to work a couple of evenings during the week and a couple of weekends here and there all while making a few bucks and keeping my mommy brain from atrophying past the point of no return.

About 10 days ago, I had the first interview – or audition as they called it.  I have to say it was a much more interesting way to kick off the interview process than any other I’ve ever participated in.  Basically, 9 of us had to each do a 5 minute “how-to” session.  We had to teach something non-physical.  (Mine was How To Start A Blog – ha!  Thanks for the idea Amy – and the reference if they call.)  It was really interesting to watch the presentations.  It gave a decent snapshot of the person and his/her presentation skills.  (I was a little shocked to find that I was the oldest person in the room by at least 8 years. When did that happen?!?)

I got a “call back” and am hoping to find that the more traditional interview is as interesting as the first piece.  Wish me luck!

posted under nashville | 14 Comments »

State Fair

September15

We are going where today?  Sabrina asked.

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What is a fair?

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Huh.  Okay, let’s go.

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We ventured out to the TN state fair today.  It was different than the Ohio state fair – smaller and practically in down town Nashville.  But it was a gorgeous day and we had fun.

I had the biggest corn dog I’ve ever seen (enough with the phallic jokes) – I couldn’t finish it.

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Sabrina showed off her new “give me 5” skills

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And she enjoyed looking at the animals in the petting zoo – Daddy didn’t want her to actually pet anything.

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Self portrait of mommy and daddy – glad that the weather in TN isn’t always hotter than hell.

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posted under nashville | 9 Comments »

Trainwreck? Yes.

September14

I don’t watch MTV (okay, once in awhile I might see the Real World) and I didn’t watch the VMAs this year.  I don’t like Britney Spears – never have.  But I had to watch Britney’s performance on YouTube because I kept hearing about it.  I have to say, the girl definitely phoned it in.  She seemed quite uninterested in the performance.  If it was because a comedian’s jokes hurt her feelings, I say suck it up and prove her wrong by putting on a killer performance.  But who am I to judge as I sit on my couch?

My issue with all of the criticism?  In what plane of reality are people calling her fat, heifer, huge, disgusting, etc?

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The woman just had 2 babies in 2 years.  Perhaps the bikini wasn’t the most flattering wardrobe choice and no she doesn’t look like she did at 19 but she is by no means fat.  No wonder we all have body issues.  There are plenty of true criticisms to make of Britney.  I’ll just throw out a couple: questionable parenting, seemingly not so bright, bad fashion sense…but don’t go calling the girl a cow.

Referral-versary

September13

Tonight marks the 1 year anniversary of the phone call and email that changed our world.

Steve and I were just sitting on the back porch and I reminded him that right about that time (10:15pm) we were getting The Call last year.  Hard to believe it has already been a year…and hard to believe it has only been a year.  The referral wait was so hard – toward the end I had a bit of a meltdown.  The initial elation was greater than I ever anticipated.  Then we watched her get bigger in the photos and worried about what we were missing.  We planned our visits and kept guessing when she might be home.  I packed up and moved to Guatemala for the last 2 months.  She finally came home on June 5th.  What a wild ride the process was.  I met some wonderful women and made some amazing friends along the way.  Was it worth it?  Of course!  She is the light of my days.  Would I do it again?  If money wasn’t an issue and Guatemala wasn’t in such turmoil?  You bet.  But for now, I’m not worrying too much about #2…I’m just enjoying every day I get to spend with my daughter and hoping she doesn’t grow up too fast.

2 weeks old – Sept 06

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3 months old – Dec 06; first meeting

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Feb 07, 2nd visit trip, 5 months old

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Antigua, May 07 – 7 months old

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One year old – home Sept 07

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posted under adoption | 13 Comments »

Holy Crap I love our pediatrician!

September13

I called in the medical record number from Sabrina’s blood work this morning to the doctor’s office so that they could get the results.  (Several people emailed me…no I didn’t change my mind on having titers done.  Our pedi didn’t feel it was necessary and I decided to go with him on that.  He did want to do some standard blood work he does with all IA kids when they come home:  Hep B, Hep C, HIV, Anemia, lead levels, etc.)

I’m sitting here minding my own business and the phone rings.  It was her doctor – the actual doctor not a nurse – calling to say all of the results looked perfect.  We have an appointment on Monday for her 12 month check up but he still took the time to call and say everything looked good and asked if I had any questions.  I was floored – you would think a rock star called me.  Ha!  Part of me thinks it is sad that I am so shocked that he took the time to call but the rest of me is just so impressed because it is so rare to get personal contact from a doctor in this day and age – especially from a big practice like this one.

Thanks again Melany for the referral!

posted under nashville | 5 Comments »

Brown Thumb

September12

I have killed 2 of my new herb plants in record time.  I bought them 6 days ago at the grocery store.  They looked perfectly happy and healthy.  I was excited to have some fresh herbs again.  I put them in bigger pots.  I watered them.  I loved them.  And what do they do?  They croak.  Look at this:

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The basil looks okay but the parsley and rosemary are done for.  I’ll admit that I’ve killed parsley before – but never in 6 days.  And I didn’t know you could kill rosemary – my rosemary plants have always been so happy in the past.  Just to prove that I don’t kill everything I touch, I repotted these 2 plants the same day and they are perfectly happy:

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(Cathie if you are reading this, that is the tiny little plant you gave me the first Easter Steve and I were together.)

In other news, it was a gorgeous day in Nashville today!  Sabrina and I took advantage of it and went to the park.  Sabrina decided she was a big fan of the swing.

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posted under family | 11 Comments »

9/11

September11

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I can’t believe I am 35.  Wasn’t I just 17 last week?  Sigh…

My 34th year brought more changes than any previous year to my life.  I became a mom and lost my dad.  I spent 2 months living in Guatemala.  I moved farther from home and I’ve ever lived.   And I am lucky that I did all of those things with my wonderful husband by my side.  As long as we are together, everything else is okay.

Speaking of my husband,  I thought I would show off my birthday present.  Steve bought me a fun, shiny present in Pittsburgh Labor Day weekend.  (Matching earrings also – hoping Sabrina gets out of her pulling on my jewelry phase soon.)

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I spent an hour chatting with my BFF on the phone this morning and have plans to browse at Target this afternoon.  This evening I’ll hang out with my hubby and daughter.  Sounds like a good day to me!

posted under family | 33 Comments »

Life in the land of no Steelers

September10

Sunday was a little sad for us.  It was the Steelers opener and we couldn’t see it.  We do have some Steelers bars mapped out…but we have to find one that is more of a bar and grill so we can take Sabrina with us.  We were going to visit one yesterday but the game started with such a lopsided score we figured it wouldn’t be an exciting game to watch.

We are starting Sabrina early.  We don’t care what religion she chooses, what school she attends, but she will be a Steelers fan. dsc04052.JPG

She woke up from her nap to learn the Steelers won the game so she clapped

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This photo just cracks me up because she looks all hot and sweaty.

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posted under family | 16 Comments »
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