What we've been up to...

Despite my belief that not very many people read this blog (and I'm assuming most of them are family members) I still feel slight anxiety when I haven't posted for a long time. I don't necessarily count the photo heavy posts as real posts although I'm sure the few people who read this are much happier with the photos of cute Mr. Littles than my rambling, photo heavy posts feel like cheating somehow.

So...what we've been up to:

Mr. Littles:

He is about to turn 3 in a couple of weeks! THREE! How does that happen? I know how much of a cliche it is to say "It goes by so fast!" but it really goes by SO FAST. I'm sure there's some sort of phenomenon about time speeding up when we age because of the way we interpret and process experiences and events (I think Ben mentioned something he heard on NPR once. Nerd.) but really it just seems that a few months ago he was barely talking and walking and so much more compliant.

Seriously, look at this face!

He's more a bean pole of a little boy these days than a chunky, thick roll of a baby. 

He's also hell on wheels. He's a whirling dervish of a boy who likes to run and jump and throw and yell and sing. Terrible Twos my ass...Two was fantastic! Three is about to be a bumpy ride. 

But underneath all the tears and anguish (mine) is the realization that I have a beautiful, strong willed, developmentally appropriate three year old. And that, as always, is a privilege and a delight. Even on nights like tonight, when I have a cold and am tired from an incredibly busy day at work, I know how lucky I am that I get to experience the hardship of raising a 3 year old toddler.

Me:

I started a new job 2 months ago. I moved from outpatient social work at a clinic to inpatient social work on the stroke floor of a hospital in Vancouver, just across the state line. I hemmed and hawed over the decision for a week before just deciding to take the job. I have been so incredibly happy with it so far. It's demanding, I am busy the moment I get to my floor to the moment (usually late) that I leave. It's put a damper on my running and training for the 1/2 marathon (how do other moms manage to run when they work outside the home?) but I am really enjoying the work. It's a challenge and that's exactly what I wanted.

I was asked to be a participant on a Transracial Adoptee Panel put on by Adoption Mosaic. It is quite an honor but makes me nervous too. I think I'm the only adoptive parent and I hope I'm not off-putting to prospective adoptive parents out there but they may not be thrilled with my take on the concept. It's evolved a lot since we first submitted that application a lifetime ago. Regardless, it is an honor to be asked. I love volunteering with Adoption Mosaic and only wish I had more free time to spare.

I am officially involved with Roots Ethiopia as a board member. (Don't go looking for my bio or photo yet, it hasn't been updated.) This means that a trip back to Ethiopia is planned for late May. I'll be going with some other board members and, hopefully, the director of Roots. It will be a work trip to check in on current projects (school sponsorships and income generating activities/IGAs) and to see what other projects we may be able to tackle. In talking with the director it appears that I will be putting my outreach and volunteer mobilization skills to work.

This really is the icing on the cake for me. It's me putting my ass where my mouth is so to speak. I think that Roots is already doing great work in the region where Little Babes is from and I am so proud to be a part of it in a way that is a partnership and not so much of a charity.

Ben:

We'll leave him out of this. He hates to be in the spotlight anyway. He is fully recovered from back surgery and has a bad ass scar to prove it.

Oh yeah...and there was this: