Tis the season for ...

A PAJAMA DRIVE!

Every year my family gets together to brainstorm for our annual holiday adoption. Normally we adopt families and supply them with everything they need for a Christmas dinner, but last year we changed it up with a crazy Christmas toy drive. Children in the community of Moorpark/Simi Valley were the receipents. We gifted our donations to First 5, the non-profit organization where I work, and were able to provide over 50 gifts to children in need in the community.

This year we're keeping it different and fun for us, and have decided to do a pajama drive. Our goal is to put together as many gifts baskets that will include a new set of pajamas, a new blanket and book - for as many babies, toddlers and kids as we possibly can. The jury is still out who we will gift the donations to, but there are talks about First 5 again (there are a lot of families in need this year) or the Ventura Co. Homeless Shelter.

We've had amazing friends in the past who have helped contribute to these drives. Due to the high volume of families in need, we would love any help our friends and family would like to offer. Here is what we will be gathering:

* New girl/boy/unisex pajamas for infants to children 10 years of age.
* New fleece throws (The little cheap ones!)
* Unused/new homemade fleece-tie blankets
* New children's books
* Help with gift wrapping

Even JUST ONE pair of new pajamas or new blanket makes a huge difference to these children. So far we have 15 complete gift sets. We plan on dropping off the Pajama gift sets by December 20th.

If you want to participate, we would love it! Email/text or message me on Facebook if you'd like to join the cause.

Happy Holidays ya all!
The Curtis Clan & Otwell/Stevens Family

Real Conversations III

Stephanie: "Hey babe, you here, its important."

Shaun: "Sorry, I'm here. I might throw up."

Stephanie: "Why? Did you see Rosie ODonnell in cutoffs?"

Shaun: "I was on the 3-D machine, I would rather see that. I had to get it to work, and that I did, but not well."

Stephanie: "Oh, I'm sorry babe. Close your eyes, or focus on one thing, like an ice skater. I learned that watching the Cutting Edge. You're welcome."

Insert Proud Mama Moment (Here)

Sully came up to me in the kitchen while I was cutting potatoes for breakfast this morning. He said "Uh oh, Mama! Poopies!" and pointed to the back of his pants.

Yay!

We high fived, a lot. See, knowing when you have a poop in your pants is something we've been working on for awhile now. This-is-a-big-deal. Its a potty milestone.

If he were in the toddler scouts, this would definitely be a badge.

I've been waiting for this moment for a few months since we busted out the potty for training. We haven't been huge sticklers about it, because I think he's still young in my opinion to go hardcore with the potty training, but we let him dictate when he's interested with it, and when he's not. I completely, 100% believe that children will let you know when they are ready to conquer huge transitions, like potty training. Its the same philosophy and approach I had when I was a nanny and then a teacher. I feel the same about his bottle. Yes, my child still gets a night time bottle. And he also gets to sleep with us when he wants. (GASP) But on his own, he's been phasing both out, without a whole lot of reinforcement from Shaun or I. He's decided on his own that he doesn't need his bottle, for the most part. And a lot of nights will opt for his bed instead of ours. It's not laziness or fear of the dreaded toddler/parent confrontation that molds our parenting style, quite the exact opposite in fact. I want him to be in a secure, confident place as he conquers these milestones. Its the same reason I let him pick out his clothes and what he wants to eat or what he wants to play.

Confidence baby.

Life is hard enough man. I'd rather work on things like him not running away from me in the park like a bat out of hell, picking up his toys or throwing that apple he's done with in the trash rather than on the floor. We tend to forget sometimes that they are still babies. I think we force too much on children way too young, but I'm digressing. That is a whole other post and tangent for a morning when more time is involved.

We've slowly have been trying to incorporate things like the potty chair out where he can get to it and practicing with his bears, flushing the toilet, talking about his big boy under-roos I put over his diaper and how cool they are - and lastly, recognizing when he has gone potty and being able to tell us. Finally! Hopefully a smooth transition is in our future down the road.



I never thought we'd be so excited about poop!

Real Conversations II

We were watching a UFC fight.

Shaun: "I would just punch them in their butthole if I was fighting. Game over"

Stephanie: "You'd be Shaun "Butt Puncher" Curtis"

Shaun: "Yeh, but I'd win. Nobody wants to be punched in their butthole."

Stephanie: "Well ...."

Pinch

Shaun asked me the other night if this is how I pictured our lives.

Sully and I played at the park under the looming rain clouds coming our way in the distance. And I thought about that question. I sat in the grass, and as I watched him, I felt the need to have to almost pinch myself. And as if on cue, I could feel the warm welling of wetness behind my eyes and my throat pinch shut just ever so slightly.

Because no, this is not how I pictured our lives.

This is so much, well, better.

I spent years attempting to bribe and strike a deal with the universe if it would just allow the stars to align and give us a shot. Those stars know my promises. They bare witness to some of my lowest points in life. Infertility is a ugly beast. A lot like a rain cloud that looms over you constantly, or in the distance.

There were times I had convinced myself that maybe there was some other plan in store for us. Maybe, being parents, just wasn't in the cards for us. There were times I was bitter, that I was angry, that I felt hopeless. Despair is one hell of a set of blinders. I couldn't see what our lives could possibly, at their best, be.

The night Sullivan was born, after everyone left, I held him, practically all night, in disbelief. Looking back, I'm certain I was in shock that all this had actually just happened to us - it felt so surreal. (I spent most of my pregnancy in shock that there was a legitimate kid in there). I told Shaun that night it was worth it. If Sullivan was our parting gift for coming in last place in the baby race, I'd go through it all again, without hesitation.

And so I sat yesterday, watching this child that at times is someone so new to me, and yet someone that I have always known - and I smiled. And I'm still at times in disbelief. Because he is amazing. Because he is hilariously funny. Because he is such a gentle soul. Because people smile when they see him. Because I am able to call him mine.

Because he makes my life so much better.

They say children are a reflection of their parents. You get out of them what you're willing to put in. I look at him and I see everything that is good about our lives. The bad no longer seems worth dwelling over. And if he is in fact my mirror reflection, than I have to say we're a couple of hilarious, happy, wacky kids.

Touche universe.

I have a lifetime of living up to my end of the bargain. But that's okay. I get a lifetime of looking at this face - it's just too damn easy to love.

But just for good measure - pinch.

Yeh, life is good baby.

Real conversations ...

Shaun: "Hey babe, if you're a zombie you'd want me to kill you right? You wouldn't want me let you wander around and eat people right?"

Stephanie: "Is Sully a zombie?"

Shaun: "No, Sully and I made it, but you didn't."

Stephanie: "Am I a cool fast zombie or a slow stupid zombie?"

Shaun: "Slow."

Stephanie: "Yeh, just put one in my head."

Shaun: "Okay."

Catching up

Things have been kind of a whirlwind the past couple of weeks. Sully has been slammed with a viral infection, an ear infection and 4 teeth coming in at once. I can count on one hand the number of times he's been REALLY sick, and by far, this was the worse. He had to get his ears drained and cleaned, and from the sounds of it, that may have to be a normal thing we do every other month. (Insert sarcastic Yippee here). Its just the way his ears are. Shaun received his first promotion at work (Congrats babe!) and hopefully up for another one by the end of this year.

We've also been elbows high into the house hunting business. We've seen about 20 homes, only one of which we really loved. At first it didn't look like we were going to be able to put in an offer, but some things changed, and now we're getting ready to place an offer afterall! We're hopeful, but guarded. We've watched enough House Hunters and Property Virgins over the years to know anything goes, so we won't be popping any bottles of champagne until we actually have keys in hand. This is such an emotionally exhausting process!

So needless to say, I totally forgot I had a few pictures from our friend's daughter's birthday earlier in October. They're really our surrogate niece and nephew. Because mom is a very private person, I felt weird putting up pictures of her kids, and I haven't had time to ask her, so I took matters into my own hands. E looks like one of Michael Jackson's kids.

I laughed.

I loved the picture though. I watched D when he was Sully's size, and the fact that he's almost old enough to watch Sully, well, it makes me just feel downright old. But Sully loves these two and had fun eating birthday cake with E and running around with D.

Halloween festivities and pictures to come soon! I seriously just wrote this entire blog with pictures in like 4 minutes flat! This seems like a very exciting post with all the exclamation marks! Too bad its not.