Comments (0)

By Annie, November 15, 2012 9:00 am

I have two daughters, one by adoption and one by birth; both mine.

When we welcomed Elise into our world, we had been in the adoption process for 21 months. We had been fingerprinted, background checked, undergone a home study, assembled a foreign dossier, signed risk waivers, told to give up, then been given a miracle on August 25, 2008 – a 2 month old baby girl in Vietnam. We traveled to Vietnam four months later to meet our daughter on December 18, 2008 and bring her home.

We were in a foreign land, picking up a stranger who we were now able to call our daughter. I’d been given pictures of her when she was 2 and 3 months old, and I just assumed I’d be meeting the baby in the photos, but when we pulled up to the orphanage and saw the caretaker holding a baby (the only humans in that area), I remember thinking, I guess that’s her. And when she was placed in my arms for the first time, I held back tears because I didn’t want the Vietnamese caretakers and officials to think I didn’t have it together.

My husband and I were in a foreign country, surrounded by strangers while having our first family moments together. We didn’t understand the language, and we were thankful we didn’t have to drive around! We also couldn’t wait to get back to our Tapestry family, so they could finally rejoice with us.

* * * * *

When we welcomed Maggie into our world, I had been pregnant for 9 months. I held felt her kicks and seen my belly grow as she grew. And when she was born on May 11, 2011, I remember thinking, “Well what do you know? There really was a baby in there,” as my husband said, “She looks like me.”

As Maggie was placed in my arms, I had the same feeling of wanting to hold back tears as I did with Elise. Only this time, we were surrounded by nurses and doctors and family and everyone spoke English, and we didn’t have to survive a 16-hour flight before we could celebrate our child with family and friends. We could celebrate immediately.

Two girls, two different stories.

Both mine.

One daughter has a flare for the theatrics and aspires to be a pop star. The other follows after the pop star trying to emulate her every move. She adores her big sister which means we are well on our way to raising two divas. As I manage my divas, they don’t notice their differences. They just notice that they fight over the same toys and love the same mommy and daddy (they fight over that, too). The beauty of their story is our Tapestry community. You don’t know your differences when you are surrounded by other trans-racial families. You just live life together, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Comments (0)

By Annie, August 28, 2012 9:00 am

As I see everyone posting their first day of school photos on Facebook and Twitter, I wonder how my little ones will do this year. But before you get to the first day of school, you have to meet the teacher.

Elise’s teacher called to see if there was anything I had questions about the school before attending orientation. The teacher mentioned she had read in the paperwork that Elise was adopted, and that she hadn’t had anyone who was adopted before. (Yay for me!) The teacher wanted to know if I had any concerns or questions about the school year, and it turns out I did. This school has a certain procedure that I knew could be an obstacle for Elise.

As our conversation continued, I knew the teacher didn’t understand what I was trying to say. It felt like she was being dismissive, so I was persistent because I know my child’s history, and I knew what I needed to communicate. The teacher and I ended up on the same page, but navigating parent-teacher relationships has been a trial and error process for me as a mom (and I was a teacher for eight years). Usually, I’m offering perspective after a teacher has a question, but I’m learning to be proactive.

I can almost guarantee that now that I’ve had this conversation with the teacher Elise will have no problems, and the teacher will think I’m a little kooky. And that’s fine. I’d rather be kooky than have a situation in which I have to be called to the school.

So as your children get ready for school, what is it that their teachers need to know (and is appropriate for them to know)? Is it food, rest, or sensory related? Leading up to school, does your child seem a little out of sorts? If so, ask your child what they’re thinking about or feeling. If they won’t tell you or shrug you off, just reassure them that you are available whenever they want to talk.  But please don’t tell them it will be fine and to stop worrying about it; engage them in a conversation instead. And engage your teachers in a conversation. You are your child’s best advocate, so help them get off to a good start this school year.

Comments (0)

By Annie, August 15, 2012 8:22 pm

Scott acted as photographer this year, and he got some great photos of the girls. Enjoy!

Comments (1)

By Annie, June 17, 2012 7:46 am

DaDDY

My Dad’s name is Scott.

He is 5 years old, big tall and weighs 5 pounds.

His hair is long and brown and his eyes are blue.

He is smart because he knows everything.

At his job, my Dad writes.

My Dad is really good at for his boss.

My favorite memory with my Dad is playing hide and seek and doing work and playing games and going to bed, brushing teeth, doing conditioner, doing bath and trying to stick his hair up.

His favorite food is egg sandwiches.

My favorite this to do with Dad is a game.

It makes Dad happy when I ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­listen.

Dad always tells me what to do.

If he could go on a trip, he would go to Colorado.

And he would take all of us.

I’m just like my Dad because I play hide and seek and do work and that’s all we do.

I really love it when my Dad plays with me.

If I could give my Dad anything, it would be hugs and kisses.

What I love most about my Dad is playing with him.

Love,    Elise

And Maggie shows her love by taking Daddy’s things.

And Happy Birthday to my Dad! Yay for medicare and senior citizen discounts!

Comments (0)

By Annie, April 11, 2012 12:00 pm

Over the Easter weekend, my parents, my youngest brothers, and my sister, her husband, and their daughter came in. My brother and his wife who also live up here joined us. Elise loves when all her family comes to see her. She didn’t even mind loaning out her room to Uncle Andrew and Uncle Ben. She probably wishes she could sleep on an air mattress in mom and dad’s room every night.

On Saturday, we took the girls to the Easter Eggsperience at Irving Bible Church. Elise did everything: petting zoo, egg hunt, face painting, carnival games, and bounce houses. Maggie participated in the egg hunt with some help from her daddy. The girls had a good time, so we will be taking them back next year.

Here are some pictures of all the fun they had over the weekend.

Comments (0)

By Annie, March 26, 2012 8:37 pm

Click here to view this photo book larger

Comments (0)

By Annie, February 11, 2012 11:48 am

How did we already get here? Only three short months until we have a one year old. Someone asked me to compare Elise and Maggie at 9 months, and I am happy to oblige. I have Elise’s 10 month stats, but there is still a difference.

Elise – 4/1/2009, 10 months                                          Maggie – 2/10/2012, 9 months

Height – 26 1/2 inches, 20%                                          Height – 29 inches, 90%

Weight – 14 lbs, Below 5 %                                             Weight – 19.5 lbs,  60%

It may only look like a couple inches and pounds, but it’s the difference between Elise wearing 3-6 months clothes and Maggie being an inch away from outgrowing 12 month clothes. Maggie is super tall; she’s grown 10 inches and gained 12 pounds since birth. Since Elise came home at 6 1/2 months, she’s gained 14 pounds; their growth rates are a little different:)

And Maggie wants to do everything her sister does: she’s pulling up, cruising, and feeding herself. She’s even eating her crib while she’s working on some new teeth, and she’s working on shaking her head no, waving, and saying mama and dada. We are afraid she may run before she walks to catch Elise; they really enjoy each other. I have the pictures to prove it.

Comments (0)

By Annie, January 16, 2012 11:21 am

Last week, the girls and I made a trip to Houston to play with cousins and meet the new baby cousins; my sister-in-law and cousin-in-law both had baby girls in December. Elise’s loves babies, and Maggie seemed curious while at the same time having no idea a baby is actually alive. She probably just wanted to chew on them.

Then, Claire and Vivian; Me, Elise, and Maggie; Ashley, Olive, and Audrey; and Ashley’s sister Melissa all took a trip to the Houston Children’s Museum. Thank goodness Melissa came because we needed the extra help, and all the girls had fun playing with her.

All the girls, adults and kids, had fun on our girls only trip, but our little cuties wore us moms out.

Comments (0)

By Annie, January 9, 2012 10:00 am

Sad to say that I didn’t make it past 9:45 pm on New Year’s Eve. But that’s better than the night I fell asleep at 7:00 even before Elise, in my defense, Maggie had been up for several hours the night before. So the McClellans, just hung out on New Year’s Eve, and weather permitting we hope to have started a new tradition for New Year’s day – the zoo! Maggie may have smiled at the penguins, but she didn’t really notice anything else. Elise though had a blast which made it fun for everyone.

Comments (0)

By Annie, January 7, 2012 10:00 am

Just some pictures of the girls enjoying the holiday break