Just Another Rambling Post

This will be another rambling post. I've been awake since a little after 4am so I'm tired. I'm on my second cup of coffee, so I'm awake but I'm still not feeling the best.

1)  Yesterday Brittney had her first day of work at Perkins. She went in at 9am. According to her, it went well. The girl who is training her is an older friend from cheer so that made it fun.

2) Yesterday Steve grilled for First Bank & Trust in their tailgating area before the SDSU football game yesterday. He enjoys it and does it for most home games. He left around 9:30 yesterday morning. His mom had tickets to the game so they went together after the tailgating.

3) Yesterday I was home with the five younger kids plus my active nephew, who is almost 5. By the time Steve got home last night, I was ready to let him take over the parenting for awhile. Thankfully, he helped get the kids fed. We basically just turned them loose on the leftovers in the refrigerator. I'm pretty sure Taylor made a 'nacho cheese sauce on a hot dog bun' sandwich for herself and her little sister. What ever works ;) Then the kids and I just crashed in my bed and watched a Monk marathon on TV for the rest of the evening.

4) The baby shower on Friday evening was ok. Sophia, Taylor and I sat at a table with some of Rachel's (Sophia's bio mom) sisters. They're a little different but a lot of fun. Sophia loves them and they love her. In a way, they are kind of like kids in that they all seem to compete for my attention. The shower had an interesting beginning when Ben's (the new baby's dad & Rachel's husband) mom tried to get me to sit at her table after I was already pulling out a chair to sit with Rachel's family. She was getting pretty adamant about it but I can hold my own when I need to. I just nicely but firmly assured her that I was "just going to sit right here."

Then we played a few games. The second one involved trying to think of as many song names with the words mom, mother, mama in them as possible. The game itself was ok but then Ben's aunt, who was in charge of said games, proceeded to read a list she had printed off the internet of every song name. Did I mention, EVERY SONG NAME! It took forever and no one cared. By the way, I probably shouldn't be typing when I still have a headache. I tend to be a bit more crabby. Or honest. Or both. Anyway, after we finally finished the games, we had cake. After the cake, we had the drama. I wish I meant we watched a play. Nope. My life is sometimes better than any tv show. The two families, Ben's and Rachel's, hate each other and they don't disguise it at all. They kept it mostly under control at least until after the cake. One side of the family was continually throwing dirty looks and making snide comments towards the other people. Then others continually got louder and more obnoxious. The shower began at 7pm and in less than an hour, an entire side of the family was outside in the parking lot of the church, one in tears and the others threating bodily damage to the others who were still inside. I was trying to calm everyone down. I think it's a bit ironic that for someone who avoids drama at all costs, I find myself in the middle of it quite often.

Best part of the baby shower for me was when the dad, Ben, put the baby in the car seat and then sat it on the edge of a table. Sophia, who isn't even 4 years old yet, announced in a very loud voice to everyone, "You can't sit a baby on the table like that! It isn't safe! Put it down!" She was right. It definitely wasn't safe. Probably doesn't bode well for the child but who am I to judge.
.
5)  Riley has had sporadic (and very appropriate) written contact with his bio dad, James, who has been in prison since before the boys came to live with us seven years ago. James was released on parole last week. We've since had a phone call that lasted about a half hour and are probably going to have a visit with him before too long. He only lives two hours away.

6)  Zeke has been freaking out behaviorally a lot lately. I think it's a combination of :
*hormones (he's 11 years old chronologically, an age of lots of changes),
*a discrepancy in his age vs ability (his mental age is probably about 7 years, his emotional/social age is probably about a 3 year old and his physically abilities really vary),
*reaction to information from Riley about his bio dad and a letter he read from his bio dad (He doesn't have the mental ability to really comprehend the bio situation very well. Either do I, really, and I'm a functioning adult),
*reaction to my being gone last week (completely unplanned extended trip so I couldn't prepare him ahead of time. That seems to trigger past times of not knowing if and when he would see someone again).
.
Told you it would be a rambling mess today.
.