Step into my blog for "Funny Fridays"

As I was belly laughing my way through some Pinterest finds, the idea of "Funny Fridays" popped into my brain. I am certain I am the first person to think of this (for those new to my blog, think sarcasm).

I get that this isn't "surrogate" based stuff. Baby business can be pretty deep and emotional. Who couldn't use a laugh here and there?

*Disclaimer: all found on Pinterest

Have a great weekend!

Melissa

"Poem In My Pocket" Day

My friend Kristal shared with me that today is Poem In My Pocket Day. It's pretty self-explanatory... find a poem and wear it in your pocket. Share it if you so desire.

If I worked in an office setting, at the strike of noon, I would stand on my desk in a perfectly messy and cluttered cubical and read a poem about jammed copiers and unfiled paperwork aloud for all of my co-workers to enjoy. The good news... I no longer work in an office setting.

Instead of an office poem, my daycare kids and I will share fun poems during circle time this afternoon. Kids have very clever minds. It's fun to hear how their minds think, best part of my job!

I searched the web high and low for a perfect poem to share here. Go figure I could not find one that included two gay men, twins and a surrogate. But this one is sweet:

A Dream,

by Lain L.

Our friendship started differently
than most friendships I've had.
We had to search each other out
because of something sad.

A precious child to fill your hearts
is what you're longing for.
Infertility has made it hard
to open up that door.

And so a search began for you
to find a helping heart.
So similar to my own search
not knowing where to start.

For me the search is special
it requires such great care.
A couple to help have a child...
the fruit my search must bare.

Now we've found each other
so much more real it seems.
Through faith and hope and honesty
we're moving toward your dream.

But the dream we have,
it is the same,
a dream that's filled with firsts.
First smiles, first laughs, first steps, first words....
all starting with a birth.

Often times I find myself
wondering what it's like
to have to trust a stranger
with such a precious life.

And though I can't imagine
all that you've been through,
I've been so blessed in my life
I'm drawn to helping you.
And I hope you know I'll do my best
to bring a child to you.

Some people call us Angels
us surro-moms to be.
But I don't feel Angelic,
I just feel like me.

Our journey is just starting,
and no one knows the end.
I pray it brings to you a child
and brings to me a friend.

Share a poem today!

Finally dreams come true for Bill and Giuliana

This story brings a smile to my face and joy to my heart! I love following this couple. The heartbreak they have suffered is incredible. Their dream of having a baby is finally coming true and I couldn't be happier for them.


Prayers for an uneventful pregnancy and a very happy ending!

Happy 3 months

Just 3 months ago in the wee hours of the morning a family was born. A magnificent family. A family I hold close to my heart and think about everyday.

Even though I had nothing to do with how cute and sweet Ella and Ely turned out, I can't help but have a proud and blissful feeling soar through me when I talk about them or show friends and family their pictures. I have 2 pictures in my kitchen and will show anyone that comes into my house. 

Since this is a public blog, I don't feel comfortable posting many pictures of the babies. But today I feel I must share their sweet faces with the world. A fair warning though... view with care because you may just fall in love with them.



Happy 3 months beautiful babies!!!

Melissa

Gay penguins?

Recently there was some controversy in one of our local elementary schools about the book "And Tango makes three"*. A child, not sure of the exact age but obviously of elementary age, checked out this book from the school's library. The parents were appalled that the school would even carry a book like this and confronted the school board about it. The superintendent and few school board members decided to remove the book from the school library. Soon after, the book was placed back on the shelf at the school. The reason being that the superintendent and the 2 school board members did not take proper action in regards to their decision to remove the book. The entire school board is entitled to vote on this - a couple boneheads can't just make this decision and call it good.

It's fairly obvious that in my duration here on earth that we will always being battling same sex relationships. I am not much a fan of debates. In fact they make me very uncomfortable. But this crap just irritates me.

What I want to say to these parents. "You don't like the book, fine.  Don't read it! Don't let your kids read it! But you do not have the right to banish the book therefore not allowing kids/families that stand behind same sex relationships a chance to read it. By taking the book off the shelves, do you feel you are doing your part to save the world from the evil of gayness? Go back to your cave."

A lot of people are against same sex marriages and let's not even mention the unfathomable thought of a same sex couple raising a child(ren) together (horror I tell you, just horror). Some of the most caring, good-hearted, funniest and smartest people I know are gay. Folks that can't see past the sexual preference status are missing out on knowing some truly amazing human beings. Yep, that's right...  gay peeps are human beings!

This post isn't to start any debates. It's just a way for me to express my thoughts on this disgusting topic. I should also say that I have never read this book, knew nothing about it until I heard it on the local news. I have every intention of buying this book and (wait for it..) READING it to my children. I never want my children to think ill of another human being because of their sexual preference.

I have a motto in my daycare: "if it doesn't effect you, move on". I wouldn't mind sharing my motto with these parents and many others. In no way does a person's sexual preference effect anyone else, so move on and find something else to be upset about. There is plenty of true evil in this world that we should be focusing on, whether a person is gay or straight is not one of them.

A Pinterest find...

Lastly, what I would really like to say to these parents is "screw you" but that would be sinking to their level and I am not about to do that. Instead I will pray for these kids to not follow in the judgmental footsteps of their parents.



*Starred Review. PreSchool-Grade 3-This tale based on a true story about a charming penguin family living in New York City's Central Park Zoo will capture the hearts of penguin lovers everywhere. Roy and Silo, two male penguins, are "a little bit different." They cuddle and share a nest like the other penguin couples, and when all the others start hatching eggs, they want to be parents, too. Determined and hopeful, they bring an egg-shaped rock back to their nest and proceed to start caring for it. They have little luck, until a watchful zookeeper decides they deserve a chance at having their own family and gives them an egg in need of nurturing. The dedicated and enthusiastic fathers do a great job of hatching their funny and adorable daughter, and the three can still be seen at the zoo today. Done in soft watercolors, the illustrations set the tone for this uplifting story, and readers will find it hard to resist the penguins' comical expressions. The well-designed pages perfectly marry words and pictures, allowing readers to savor each illustration. An author's note provides more information about Roy, Silo, Tango, and other chinstrap penguins. This joyful story about the meaning of family is a must for any library.-Julie Roach, Watertown Free Public Library, MA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Melissa

Baby fever

I got a fever... it's baby fever! Right now it's still a slight fever but I can feel it seeping into my thoughts lately. My kids have been major pooheads lately so I have no idea where this fever comes from. Maybe it stems from the millions of babies and pregnant women I see. Also reading blogs of upcoming arrivals has probably stirred something.

Really I know I do not want anymore kids but thank goodness that man I married is taken care of!!!!

A helping hand

In a society that often takes things and situations for granted, it's so nice to have an encounter with a goodhearted person.

I recently had a daycare spot open up. I received a call from a woman last Sunday looking for immediate care for her 5 month old son. We arranged to meet the following day.

She ("K") arrived at my house Monday afternoon during the chaos of 2 of my families leaving. Once the families left, I asked "K" about her daycare needs (like hours, days, etc). She said "well, I probably should have mentioned it yesterday..." she went on to tell me that her hours are mixed and that she works until 7 pm some days. My daycare hours are 7 am to 5:30 pm. I explained that unfortunately we would not be a good fit due to the need of late hours.

I continued oohing and ahhing over cute baby "C" until I realized how upset this mom was. I could tell she was trying her best to not cry. At that point I knew I needed (and wanted) to help her somehow so I told her that I could make it work temporally. I would watch "C" and she would continue to search for a daycare that fit her needs.

Her situation is a little different. Her husband works out of town during the week. "C" had never been to a daycare because his grandma had been watching him. But grandma accepted a position somewhere else and was no longer able to help.

"C" started the next day. He arrived at 7:30 and seemed quite happy. After about an hour he did a 180 and remained upset the rest of day. He barely ate, didn't want to sleep, didn't want to play. It was one hell of a bad day (from him and me). Nothing I did seemed to soothe him. I really questioned my decision to help. The following days weren't as bad but they weren't very pleasant.

Yesterday "K" told me that she had found another daycare and would be starting next week. As much as I enjoy helping others, I was pretty relieved to hear this.

Today "K" called me to say that she was given the day off so she and "C" would stop by later to pay me and say goodbye. When she stopped by she brought me a thank you card and a gift certificate to a local steakhouse.

This was very thoughtful of her. It's a good feeling to do the right thing and have someone be very thankful for it.

The big furry guy is coming

The Easter Bunny will be stopping by our house soon. I heard through the grapevine that my darling daughter (dd) is going to lose her mind when she sees what he got her.

See, my dd has what is known as the dreaded "One Direction Infection". You may have no idea what this means so I'll share with you. It's when a teen girl has a severe infatuation with the newest boy band, One Direction. My dd has the most severe case I have ever seen. She doodles their names, her iPod Touch is constantly streaming their music, she goes into a weird trance when the newest issue of J-14 arrives in the mailbox. Oh yeah... she's got it bad. I don't blame her though. These young men are adorable! Her favorite is Louie but personally I think Harry is the cutest.

Anyway, that funny bunny will leave one ticket for her to see this band. The best part is that I happen to have 3 tickets of my own and the seats are right next to hers. What luck!

In June, my dd, her bff, her bff's mom and myself will be heading to Chicago for the concert. She is going to go crazy when she sees this ticket and I can not wait for her reaction. My dd rarely does anything without the power of drama so I imagine the screaming will shatter my eardrums but I am more than happy to give her this super awesome, fun memory.

This won't be her first concert. A couple of years ago she saw Hannah Montana w/Jonas Brothers. Last year she saw Taylor Swift. I can't remember what row she was in but it was very close to the stage and she caught a guitar pick.

This is gonna be fun!

ETA: I have had some readers concerned that my dd will see this post. No worries... she doesn't follow my blog.

His wife made him do it...

Before going grocery shopping yesterday I stopped by the library to drop off one movie and one book. The drive-thru drop off is located behind the library. I (and many others) consider this drive-thru similar to that of a "10 items or less" lane at Target. This lane is shaped as a U and is fairly short in length.

My first clue to not attempt a quick drop off should have been the wide open trunk I spotted in front of me. Did I mention it's a one-way U shape? Once you're in the lane, you're at the mercy of those before you. So I pull up slowly behind Mr. Open Trunk Guy feeling slightly annoyed. Now mind you, he is standing at the drive-thru drop off. Of course he is - how else would he get the bagsssssssssssss and binsssssssssssssss of books out of his trunk and on to the conveyor belt that only accepts books one by one.

While I am waiting, I try to avoid eye contact with this guy. I am embarrassed for him because: 
1.) there are now at least 3 cars behind me and one waiting in the road to turn into the drive-thru
2.)I can only imagine how he ended up in this position.

Husband(H): Good morning dear
Wife(W): Oh good, you are finally awake (giving him the stink eye)
H: Ah, yeah
W: Here's your weekend to-do list. I'm going shopping. Ta Ta

H looks at his list. "1. Return books to the library. I kindly loaded them into your trunk". Seems simple but that last line should have been a sign that there would be more than just a few books. H doesn't bother to look in the trunk before heading to the library. H pulls into the drive-thru whistling a happy tune. H opens the trunk and nearly poos in his drawers at the sight of 75 books staring back at him. But that doesn't stop him from loading every single one on to the conveyor belt one by one.

When done, H sheepishly closes his trunk, dashes to the driver's seat (for his safety, probably locks all the doors), makes a mental note to check the trunk next time and then drives directly to the bar.