tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273383952009-11-23T16:16:48.836-05:00Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956114780055557451noreply@blogger.comBlogger347125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27338395.post-42965779420714434092009-11-23T16:09:00.003-05:002009-11-23T16:16:48.843-05:00

You win some and you lose some. Thanks to everyone who voted for me in the Sam-E contest. Considering I started late, I think I ended up with a respectable number of votes but it just wasn't enough to put me anywhere near the top 20.So I'm not going to be blogging there. And, even though coming back to The Open Window is a tempting thought, I'm not going to be blogging here either. You can,

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956114780055557451noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27338395.post-86080240146625415812009-10-14T14:36:00.004-04:002009-10-14T14:46:44.970-04:00

There have been nothing but crickets on this blog for a long time. So long, I wonder if anyone still has me in their feed readers. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I thought about blogging again. Even after closing down The Open Window, the urge to write and share pieces of Slugger's and my life was still there. I missed all of you. I missed how easy it was to share thoughts with my

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956114780055557451noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27338395.post-14777039957379520582008-04-26T03:35:00.005-04:002009-03-23T17:16:18.544-04:00

I got a call from my lawyer today. Slugger's adoption certificate was signed on April 16, 2008. We are finally, blissfully, and officially a family. Slugger and I went out to dinner tonight and we came up with the top ten reasons that it's a good thing the adoption is final. I wish I could remember them all, but I do know that I'll always remember the tenth one. Slugger came up with it and he

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956114780055557451noreply@blogger.com90tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27338395.post-20833720631429691712008-05-17T23:16:00.006-04:002009-03-23T17:14:09.646-04:00

One of the things that make me so proud of Slugger is how proud he is to be adopted. He's never shied away from telling anyone that he was in foster care and he's so open about his adoption. It would be easy for a child to want to keep that to themselves so they don't feel different in any way. But Slugger is proud and completely comfortable with that part of his life. If he's questioned about

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956114780055557451noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27338395.post-43344240033309596312008-06-14T22:02:00.008-04:002009-03-23T17:12:25.856-04:00

Slugger has this pair of shoes.They are nasty. A scarecrow would refuse to wear these shoes.On Monday, Slugger starts day camp. Camp is really active and I decided it was time to buy him a new pair. So today we went shoe shopping and found a totally awesome pair of Under Armour shoes.When we got home, we decided it was high time to give those other shoes a proper burial. Slugger lovingly put the

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956114780055557451noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27338395.post-90515206159897618082008-06-23T12:45:00.009-04:002009-03-23T17:11:41.827-04:00

This past weekend I took Slugger on our first real family vacation. Last summer, he was too easily overwhelmed, but now he seems ready for a break from routine. For days before we left, Slugger expressed his anxiety about the vacation. I was glad it was just he and I that we weren't straying too far from home.First we visit a friend's house. We went there a year ago, after Slugger first moved in,

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956114780055557451noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27338395.post-72528714223602222412008-06-24T15:57:00.007-04:002009-03-23T17:10:51.300-04:00

Over a year ago, I was debating about whether to initiate a search for Peanut or not. I miss him so much, but I was afraid of the results of the search. What if he isn't happy and still wants to come to America? He's not available for adoption, so there isn't a darn thing I could do about that. What if he thinks I abandoned him and he's angry with me? What if, what if, what if... the what ifs

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956114780055557451noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27338395.post-33941192582084240682008-07-09T09:41:00.001-04:002009-03-23T17:09:38.997-04:00

For Peanut, on his 11th birthday.i carry your heart with mei carry your heart with me (i carry it in my heart)i am never without it (anywhere i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling)i fear no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet)i want no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)and it's you are whatever a moon has always meantand whatever a sun will

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956114780055557451noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27338395.post-31799191211209481792008-08-03T01:04:00.008-04:002009-03-23T17:08:48.552-04:00

Mimi, my maternal grandmother, lived just blocks from my house as a child. My favorite cousin and I would hop on our bikes and ride over to spend the day. We'd hop on the swing set my Papa had built -- so much higher and better than those pre-fabricated sets you see today. Rather than wood, Papa had welded thick metal pipes together and sunk them into the ground with concrete. The swingset had

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956114780055557451noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27338395.post-15364374021297257012008-08-11T18:00:00.007-04:002009-03-23T17:07:28.435-04:00

Normally, Slugger goes to day camp. But we were supposed to be on vacation two days this week (which didn't happen thanks to a little stomach bug I had). So, we pulled Slugger out of camp for the week.I made a deal with Slugger. As long as he lets me work and if he takes on a couple extra chores each day, then we would spend and hour or two each day doing something special. So far, so good.

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956114780055557451noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27338395.post-38492365787184432362008-09-03T16:49:00.006-04:002009-03-23T17:06:41.912-04:00

Last school year, Slugger should have won an Oscar for his acting performances. He would pretend to be sick in order to get out of school and then experience a miraculous recovery as soon as I brought him home.Sometimes I believe he had a nervous stomach -- and at his age it's near impossible to distinguish between nerves and actually being sick. For example, whenever they had a substitute

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956114780055557451noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27338395.post-67755670648860734922008-10-03T22:09:00.004-04:002008-10-03T23:01:57.038-04:00

I started Peanut Pants when I was part of the way through my Russian adoption process. I didn't really know what would come of blogging. I didn't really have any expectations at all. But, in time, I was pleasantly surprised. My blog led me to some wonderful friends. People who I have rejoiced with, cried with, and understood... all without ever meeting most of them. I never would have expected

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956114780055557451noreply@blogger.com67tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27338395.post-51561575550172863662008-09-21T15:47:00.001-04:002008-09-21T15:47:53.465-04:00

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956114780055557451noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27338395.post-42234613894115026912008-09-19T16:05:00.004-04:002008-09-19T16:48:32.574-04:00

One of Slugger's chores is to get the mail. When he brings it in, he has a habit of going through it and reading off what each one is from. Today he handed me an unassuming white envelope. He tried to read the return address, but after stumbling with it he just said "it's from the White House."Even though it's been years since I filed my I-600A* and I received my I-171H as an early Christmas

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956114780055557451noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27338395.post-59030485422242557862008-09-16T15:31:00.002-04:002008-09-16T15:37:59.498-04:00

Politically, I've rarely agreed with this man in the past. But when someone speaks the truth, it's worth repeating: "McCain has gone in some of his ads -- similarly gone one step too far," he told Fox News, "and sort of attributing to Obama things that are, you know, beyond the '100 percent truth' test."He said both candidates need to "be careful" about their attacks on each other. "They ought to

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956114780055557451noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27338395.post-29923669550141799772008-09-04T19:35:00.005-04:002008-09-04T22:20:05.551-04:00

The Open Window is a topical blog. I write about adoption, my son, and anything remotely related to it. Rarely do I voice other opinions. But I have them. Ooohhh, how I have them. But, in the pretense of keeping things polite, let's pretend that this post isn't about politics, either. Instead, think of it more like I invited some opinionated people to my party and I can't help it that they're

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956114780055557451noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27338395.post-75354124931607847742008-08-18T21:51:00.002-04:002008-08-18T22:17:07.438-04:00

It took more that four months, but Slugger's new birth certificate finally arrived. When I received an envelope from our vendor attorney in the mail, I knew immediately what it was. I was glad, because not having that little slip of paper is problematic for us. Slugger absolutely hates having to use his previous adoptive families last name in certain scenarios (like at the doctor's and at the

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956114780055557451noreply@blogger.com44tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27338395.post-15678398819935495752008-08-09T22:18:00.003-04:002008-08-09T22:29:57.902-04:00

Photo credit: Pictlux on flickr Earlier today I asked Slugger if he knew who Michael Phelps was. He didn't. I filled him in and then read him part of this article

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956114780055557451noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27338395.post-82421245620443286902008-08-04T18:05:00.004-04:002008-08-04T18:09:04.414-04:00

Last week, we got our proofs from our Celebrating Adoption photo session back. There were so many great choices! But this...... this is my absolute favorite.

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956114780055557451noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27338395.post-3462382373790477342008-07-25T20:36:00.001-04:002008-07-25T20:38:15.112-04:00

"Pee belongs in a toilet."I'll leave you to fill in the blanks, but I will say this much. The above words had NOTHING to do with an accident in Slugger's bed.

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956114780055557451noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27338395.post-71249802127727784892008-07-24T19:18:00.003-04:002008-07-24T19:20:27.900-04:00

Torina and Yondalla have totally nailed this. If you're considering adopting from foster care and you're getting sucked in by all the cute faces on the photolistings, these are a must read.Torina from Busy IntersectionYondalla from Thoughts from a Foster Family

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956114780055557451noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27338395.post-42198028771756688442008-07-22T17:25:00.003-04:002008-07-22T17:40:23.267-04:00

The other day Slugger and I went out for breakfast at Cracker Barrel. (Which, for some reason Slugger pronounces Crackle Barrow. He also says pan-a-cakes instead of pancakes, but that's a whole other story.)Slugger had some breakfast sausage leftover and he decided it would make good fish bait.As it turns out, fish don't care for breakfast sausage.

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956114780055557451noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27338395.post-59309677673583401222008-07-20T21:30:00.003-04:002008-07-20T22:35:29.183-04:00

When I was trying to adopt Peanut, I took a look at the Celebrating Adoption website. I think it's such a great program and I envisioned Peanut and I getting our first family photos done. Unfortunately, there was only one photographer that participated in my state and, when I looked at their website, I was underwhelmed. Kudos to them for signing up for the program, but I knew I wouldn't be

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956114780055557451noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27338395.post-74357496474103899612008-07-19T23:07:00.003-04:002008-07-20T00:03:05.656-04:00

This morning I picked Slugger up from camp. He ran into my arms and nearly knocked me over with the force of his hug. Several of the counselors I know and trust told me how great Slugger had done; after two rocky days in the beginning of the week, he straighted out his act and behaved really well.He was happy and full of stories, but very much ready to come home. When I asked him if he wanted to

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956114780055557451noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27338395.post-61968108915467196162008-07-17T11:09:00.002-04:002008-07-17T11:13:52.892-04:00

I haven't heard anything from Slugger's camp in two days, so he must be settling in and behaving better. I so hope that he's having fun! I sent him his water bottle (we forgot it) along with a letter and some treats for him and his bunk-mates. He probably received that yesterday.Today, I went to the mailbox and found a letter from him. Here's how it read:Dear, Mom, I love you so much and I want

Maggiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956114780055557451noreply@blogger.com11