I Know I Shouldn’t Have But I Did.

Frankly I was tired of:

*The wheels on the bus going round and round (I was starting to get dizzy)
*The itsy bitsy spider going up the water spout (doesn’t he get tired)
*Old McDonald on his farm. (how about Old McDonald goes to the zoo)
*B-I-N-G-O the dog (I am sure at this point Bingo knows his name)
*Rowing the boat down the stream (let’s just get in the car and go)
*Being happy and you know and having to show it. (The smile on face is not enough?)

I have done my very best to ensure that the music in the car is age appropriate. I have a CD of children’s song just for baby girl. However, on this particular morning I needed a boost. I needed a song with a hype beat. SO I DID IT. I reached over and pressed “4” on the radio and one of my favorite songs “Empire State of Mind” by Jay Z was playing on the radio. I know, I know, I shouldn’t have but I had to. Once I heard the chorus:

New York, I'm becomin' where dreams are made of
There's nothin' you can't do
out of New York
These streets will make you feel brand new
Big lights will inspire you
Let's hear it for New York, New York,
New York

It was a wrap there was no turning back I could not turn the station. So I did it. I opened the sunroof, turned the music up so I could feel the beat, moved my head to the rhythm, and enjoyed the song. When I looked in my rear view mirror Welansa was moving her head too.

I carried this indiscretion around for about a week. I mean how could I? But then I found out that “Empire State of Mind” has become the theme song for Yankee Playoff Series. Now Jay Z and fellow New Yorker Alicia Keys will perform the song at
Game 2 of the World Series and I can’t forget the 911 Benefit Concert Jay Z did. All of the proceeds went to the New York Police and Fire Widows’ Children’s Fund.

Well, perhaps I can stop feeling so darn guilty.

Family & Friends Weekend

Welansa enjoyed seeing her cousin this weekend. As soon as she saw Kyle she smiled and ran into his arms. I could tell they both missed each other. Not sure why I brought a stroller because Kyle carried her around the entire time. I believe he was using my Welansa in order to get attention from the girls. It was evident that Welansa made Kyle very popular with the young ladies. Welansa even sat on his lap for some of the classes. The teachers didn’t mind.

I had a chance to sit in on a few of Kyle’s classes. Boy does this stuff bring back memories. Welansa and Kyle had a busy class schedule.

Art – She sat on Kyle's lap the entire time, ate an apple, and drew a picture.
Chemistry – She feel asleep. I guess she had enough of the periodic table.
Algebra – She decided to count from 1 – 20 in the middle of the class.
English – The teacher was writing on the board with some colorful markers and Welansa decided she wanted one. The conversation went like this:
Welansa – Mommy I want markers
Mommy – Shh. The teacher is talking
Welansa – Mommy I wants markers
Mommy – The teacher needs her markers
Welansa – I go ask her
Mommy – Okay
Welansa gets off of my lap, walks to the front of the room, taps the teacher on her leg, and says “I want marker, please” Who could resist that face so the teacher gave her a marker and sat her in front of the class while she drew a picture. What confidence !!!

Boarding School is a lot of responsibility and requires children to be very independent. I imagine that most parents miss their children. Would you allow your child to attend boarding school?

Kyle was home schooled by my mother for the 1st part of elementary school. He has always been advanced academically so when he transferred into a regular school setting he acted a fool. He corrected the teachers if they used improper English, cracked jokes, talked all the time because he already knew the material, and did not apply himself. He needed to be challenged. Now he is among his peers and has no time to be acting a fool. Although I was told that he is still correcting his teachers and on most occasions has been right in his corrections.


Welansa & Kyle in English Class

Welansa in Math Class

Missing Her Cousin

Almost everyday Welansa asks about her cousin Kyle. The conversation goes like this EVERYTIME. The script never changes.

Welansa – Mommy where is Kyle?
Me – Kyle is at school in CT
Welansa – With his friends?
Me – Yes Welansa with he friends

Welansa – Mommy where is Auntie Roz?
Me – Auntie Roz is at work
Welansa – With her co-workers?
Me – Yes Welansa with her co-workers.

I am not sure how she goes from Kyle to Auntie Roz. Auntie Roz is Kyle’s mother. This weekend is Family Weekend at Kyle’s boarding school so tomorrow I am going to surprise Welansa and take her to CT to see her cousin. She is going to be so happy. I am taking the Amtrak (wish me luck with this trip) and riding home with my sister who is leaving today.

It's His Fault

Well it finally happened. Welansa had her 1st major fall tonight. My girl is truly a super toddler (I know I am bias). She rarely gets sick and we have kept the bumps and bruises to a minimum. Besides the one scar on her knee, I think she has a pretty good track record until tonight. My arms are always full of stuff when we walk in the door. Tonight was no exception. I had my brief case, pocket book, Welansa’s baby bag, and a shopping bag (thank God Welansa can walk). I think all of the stuff weighs more than I do.

When I opened the door my cat (Pa Pa) ran out of the house. On most occasions I would not rush to bring him in but the other day I saw 4 little kittens in the yard and I did not want Pa Pa to start a fight with them. I sat everything at the top of the step and told Welansa to stay right there and in true fashion she stood there and said “and don’t move”. This girl knows her mommy well. I put the cat in the house and while closing the door Welansa lost her footing and fell down the entire flight of stairs.

My heart stopped and I let out a big scream. I know I should not have panicked but it is hard to stand there in silence when you watch a piece of you take such a hard fall. I can’t explain how I felt to see her fall and land at the bottom of the step. Of course she cried and the first thing I did was to check for any bruises or bumps. Thank God she was okay. No bumps no bruises. But I was extremely nervous the remainder of the night. After a 2 minute cry she was back to herself as if nothing happened. I was advised by my mom not to let her go to sleep for a while. Not sure if this is true but nonetheless I allowed her to stay up past her bedtime. As a special treat I allowed her to watch Dancing With the Stars. She loved watching the dancers and tried to emulate some of their moves.

As for Pa Pa I was so pissed off at him. But when you see that cute face you can’t stay mad at him for long.



I'm sorry!




Please forgive me!

Celebrating Referrals

October 11, 2007, was the first time I laid eyes on my daughter. The subject line read “Introducing Welansa”. Are you kidding me, there was no need for an introduction.

I had been waiting for THIS moment. All of could do was stare and smile. I was over the moon. I am not sure if I did any work that day. I spent most of the day introducing Welansa to family and friends via email. It would be 3 months and 8 days until I could hold Welansa in my arms.

I am sure every family celebrates “referral day” in different ways. My mother and sister love to shop so they celebrated the occasion by going to Macy’s to buy baby clothes. I love to plan and organize so I developed a spreadsheet, which included a task list of items that I needed to complete in order to finish the nursery. I purchased several items for the nursery but refused to set it up until I got the referral.

I would love to hear how you celebrated your referral.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

October 3, 2007

October 3, 2007, was an ordinary day for me so I thought. I did my usual, which included work and home. I was home watching America’s Next Top model taking my braids out when I got “the call”. It was totally unexpected. The agency I used does not have a “waiting list” instead they have a committee that selects the child for your family. I was okay with waiting for my referral. I learned to savor my childless moments knowing that my life was going to change forever.

Besides, I believe some how some way that God blesses us with the children we are suppose to have. Thus, I could not rush God it would be in his own time. So after a five-month wait I was contacted by my agency. I don’t have caller ID on my home phone because no one really contacts me at the number. I thought it was my agency checking to see how things were going. Little did I know it was to give me information about a 4-month-old girl by the name of Welansa from Dire Dawa, Ethiopia. My heart stopped and during that moment this little baby entered my world and changed me forever.

Unfortunately I would have to wait eight LONG days to see her face for the first time. When I opened the email it was love at first sight.