Funny

Here lately we have noticed that Maddie's personality has blossomed so much. She is quite the entertainer. She brings much laughter to our household and hours of entertainment.

A funny story: We went as a family to eat at a local Mexican Restaurant. The restaurant is quite small and we are regular customers. This particular night we were 1 of only 3 families dining there. After we got our food, Maddie announced that she needed to potty and wanted Keith to take her. Once he put on the potty she announced that she needed to poo-poo and wanted him to leave her alone. He propped the door open and returned to the table. Maddie proceeded to sing LOUDLY while on the potty. She eventually finished and HOLLERED "DADDY" over and over until he appeared. We were laughing so hard we were almost in tears. She strutted out of the bathroom and proudly announced - "I poo-poo'd Momma!" These are the memories that need to be documented so we can tell her all about them when she grows up.

Another example is the video attached. She LOVES to dance and was entertaining all of us. Enjoy - as we get to everyday!!!

SUCCESS!!

I made one more attempt to file for Maddie's social security card at our local Social Security Administration office. My social worker had called and spoke to someone at the local office to clarify what items I would need to bring with me in order to successfully file. To my surprise they were the same documents that I had brought with me to my first visit. Armed with the same documents I tried once again.

Upon arrival the office was completely FULL. We took a ticket and waited until our number was called. I crossed my fingers I would not get called by the same clerk as last time. Thankfully we did not and was eventually called by some nice young girl. I presented the same documents and gave the same explanation of what they were. Within 5 minutes she had completed entering some information into the computer and out came a confirmation that Maddie will be issued a Social Security Number. The number should be issued this coming Tuesday and we will receive the card within 2 weeks. SUCCESS!!

I am not sure what changed from the first visit to the next but I accomplished what I set out to accomplish! Maddie will now be able to reap the benefits of our robust social security and medicare system one day - LOL!

Glad this task is complete and can be marked off. We have one last hurdle and that is to file a petition with the court to have Maddie's adoption recognized in the State of Louisiana and finally a Louisiana Birth Certificate issued.

A Quick Trip

We recently took some time and got away for a long weekend over the 4th of July holiday. We ended up north of Houston at the Woodlands Resort, which is host to many activities. My parents were able to come and enjoy the weekend with us.

Although we caught the rain effects of the Tropical Storm that hit Mexico we still managed to thoroughly enjoy ourselves. We even carved out some time to play tennis - a favorite activity of mine and my parents. This was the 1st time my mother has played tennis in some 5-7 years. She still has it! and was so happy that she will be able to actually begin playing tennis with her tennis group again after a long hiatus.

Maddie enjoyed the pool and so did Lizzy. Christopher enjoyed many hours of playing cards with all of us - winning most of the time.

Before heading back to Sulphur we dropped Christopher off at the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine. He spent 10 days at this conference (along with 600 other students) exploring the medical field and physician specialty possibilities. This experience definitely made an impact on Christopher and was the deciding factor for his continued pursuit of this career path.

We recently had our 6 month post placement visit. Our social worker came and visited our home and got to witness Maddie in all her glory. I discussed the difficulty in getting Maddie a social security card and the crazy directives that the Social Security Office gave us. Our social worker contacted the local Social Security office and discussed what we would need to bring in order to successfully file and receive a card for her. I am attempting one more time to venture to the Social Security Office this week. Cross your fingers.

Christopher will be traveling to camp this weekend for a three week stay. Maddie will certainly miss him. "Girls rule" in our house for the next 3 weeks! Lizzy, Maddie and I are sure to have some quality girl time.

Maddie has been doing great and her speech improves every day. She is learning her colors, the ABC's and counting to 10 and beyond. Bed time is a challenge!! She does not want to miss anything that goes on in our household and refuses to go to bed. She is still sleeping in our room (which contributes to the problem). I am hoping to move her to her own room after the summer. Her room is upstairs, so we have been reluctant to do so but I think she is ready.

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer!