Happy Easter Everyone. We All have given birth to a Baby Giraffe. Life is Back to Normal

Happy Resurrection Sunday to all my Christian readers.  Happy Easter to everyone else. 

Fresh Flowers (c) 2015
P.Lynne Designs

I normally do not write anything on a Sunday.  Sunday for me is a day of rest, going to church, and being with friends and family.  I am going to be honest about the reason behind writing in this moment. (Grammarly is going to have a field day with that last sentence.  I do not care at the moment, LOL)

Ladies, do you feel like you have just given birth to a 6-foot baby?  I do, and I will tell you why.  In case you have been living under a rock since February, April the giraffe finally had her baby.  It is a boy, and all the world can now say, “Awww, isn’t him cute”.  (Yes Grammarly, I meant to say that.  It is not proper English, but I meant it-It’s called baby talk). 

There have been plenty of, “when is she having that thing?” “I could have given birth to 4 kids by now.”  We were pacing more than Oliver, the father of said baby boy giraffe.  We were giving tips on how April should have her baby, April baby showers (after all, what would you get a giraffe who has everything), and tips on feeding.  

Folks, I have some news that will startle anyone …. wait for it…. still waiting?  It’s going to be good… Still waiting ….

ANIMALS THINK DIFFERENTLY THEN HUMANS!!!!

There I said it.  Think of it this way, you would not want someone to come into your home, be on baby watch, tell you how to have a baby, and then tell you how to take care of it.  Would you?  Animals are on that natural rhythm cycle that only God has given them.  God knew when this baby was to be born.  Yes, it is fascinating to watch.  I was watching myself for a while.  At the times I was watching, April was pacing back and forth.  Was she in pain?  You bet she was, and she said it through body language.  Oliver, the father was pacing back and forth, like human males do when they want to know what is going on with their child.  The difference between a human birth and a giraffe birth is a human female carry the baby for 9 months.  Giraffes, on the other hand, carries their baby for 15 MONTHS!!! Ladies, how would you like to be pregnant for that long?   My tummy hurts as I write this. Those of you who had kids, can you see yourself carrying a baby for that long?  I asked my mom two seconds ago, and all I heard at the other end of the phone were crickets, LOL. I can only imagine the look on her face when I asked that question.  So relax now, Oh wary one, you can go back to normal life as you know it to be.   

Easter Frantic-How not to take a picture and how to make a basket.

I already have it posted on Instagram, but this is what My Easter Saturday looked like….

Easter Saturday with the kids
(c) P.Lynne Designs

I decided about 20 years ago to make Easter baskets for the kids.  I started first with my baby sister and my oldest nephew (who are now 29 and 21), then it went to the niece and nephews from there.  I love doing it, but you will never see this practice in my shop, P. Lynne Designs, at least not yet.  It is worth every penny that I spend, and I love doing it.   I have scaled down the production, but for my sister and nephew, I had candy, something specific to them personally, and a stuffed animal.   This year, for the niece and nephews, no stuffed animal was included, something specific to their personally, a fire truck for the boys, and the girl got a mermaid doll and some candy.  We did not dye eggs this year.  This is the reason why I decided to make Easter baskets:

Have you seen the price of an Easter baskets lately?  No, seriously, you can pay a credit card bill for the month for the amount you pay for this stuff.  This year, everyone’s stuff came from Dollar Tree.  This is not a sponsored post, but man, I could kiss the person behind the “everything’s is $1” concept.  In recent years, I would go to Target and go for it, and I will admit that next year’s baskets will contain part Dollar Tree/part Target items (The Target Dollar spot is really legit).   

·        

Sorry for being a little with this picture...
(c) P.Lynne Designs

Get a basket, any basket (one was a Longaberger basket, one was a baseball fabric basket, and two pail buckets)

·         Go to the party store and get PAPER filler for grass, none of that plastic mess.  

o   Plop at the bottom of the basket. 

·         Fill with candy, a few eggs (make sure you boil and dye first), a couple toys they like (please do not put a whole basketball in there)

o   If they are older (pre-teen, teen, or adult), put something age appropriate for them.

·         Wrapping is optional (this is not a Christmas or birthday present), and let them enjoy. 

The best part is if you are a grandparent or aunt or uncle, you do not have to see them on a sugar high, send them home with parents.  Your job is done.

So, Happy Easter, everyone, you gave birth to a baby RAFFY, and you children are on a chocolate Easter Bunny sugar high.   You survived shopping for new Easter clothes (I will tell you about my bad Easter Dress hunting later), and now you can rest and enjoy your dinner that took only 14 hours to cook, but hey, it is all worth the effort, isn’t it?

The cuteness is Real

(c)2015 P.Lynne Designs - Please note: I did not get
permission to publish actual child's face, so I went with
This one.

Two little hands ready to grab anything.  Two little feet just learning how to walk.  All of that and a head full of big, fat curls, not worrying who loves him, who cares for him, and who he turns to in time of need, but he is just a baby.  All he wants is his paci (pacifier), his Ba (bottle), his giraffe, and his mommy and da-da (daddy).

All I know is he is my nephew, a 1-year-old, who I just met, named Kirer, Ki-Ki for short, and he is the cutest little boy I have ever seen.  Yes, as his aunt, I have seen lots of cute little ones, and the ones that came before him (meaning his cousins, father, and grandfather) were all cute as babies, but he is my present cute baby boy. I cannot believe that I am a great-aunt.

Yes, you heard it right, great-aunt.  My nephew is the father, my brother is the grandfather, and my parents are great-grandparents.  Now, I know what you are thinking if you have been following this blog for a while.  Yes, I am single, and still looking in the love department and in the baby department. 

So, I talk was trying to find the actual story that I wanted to reference to on being single, but I found this one instead, and I could not help but to reference to my then great-nephew-to-be in the last paragraph because his uncle was 2 at the time.

Back to whatever I was talking about.

It is days like this that make a person wonder why they were chosen to be in a baby’s life, especially if you are adopting.  I often think why now.  Sure, I want children, and I want to be that person that a child can come to.  I am a young great-aunt, a young aunt, but I will be an older parent.  I just published a post on this blog about being in a nesting mode, and I love it.  For those who are in a rush to do anything in life, do not rush it, for it will come, IF it was meant for you.  I was hoping to share this moment with a special man in my life, but you take what you can get.  I am looking forward to mother, and hopefully we (child) can manage rather a man comes into our lives or not.

In the meantime, this aunt is enjoying the cuteness in all of her nephews and niece.  I just you as my readers to do one small favor.  Pray for us and Disney World, because 13 people will be going there and the cruise line in December.  8 adults and 5 kids.  I have a feeling that Disney Word will never be the same again, but it will be fun. 

Am I nesting?

(c) 2015 P. Lynne Designs

Ok, this is sort of personal, so if you do not feel like getting a big dose of Patricia 101, you can skip this post, and I do not mind.

So, I am part organizer, part lazy person.  I hope you understand where I am coming from.  There are some days where I can look at my condo, my little humble abode, and work my business.  I do nothing but the bare essentials to the house and feel like the world could go suck on something if one person says anything about the house.  I mean it is my house, my life, I am a grown woman, single, and there is nothing you can do about it.  Trust me, I can leave a dish in the sink for a week if I wanted to.

Lately, I have had this burst of energy, and everything in my house has annoyed me.  What has me annoyed?  It is not organized, and I have been starting to toss things, planning for new things (for organizing), wanting to change the furniture, wanting new blinds, bed linens, Towels.  I want a new craft room, planning to redo the kitchen, you name it.  Oh, did I mention that I am preparing to have someone to look at my house?

I will have people looking in my house for two reasons:  the first is I am preparing for a baby/child.  In order for a social worker to deem you fit to welcome a child into

your home, it has to be a safe environment.  This means inspection.  Did I mention that the room that the baby will be sleeping in currently looks like a disaster zone?  It is supposed to be my craft room, and I have basically dedicated that task to my office downstairs, so I am now in the process of making it look like the bedroom it is supposed to be.

The second reason is when I find a new home, this one is going up for sale, which may happen before or after the baby gets here.  Once I move out, my father has to sell the condo and according to new association rules as of October 2015, an owner must live in the condo or sell it.  Well, my parents are perfectly happy in their home, and this home was bought with me in mind.  I no longer want to live here, and they could have my nephew move in, but there have been too many idiots making too many mistakes (like not paying the association fees).  So the condo association decided the “no more tenants” rule needs to be in effect for this condo complex.

So, like the title says, am I nesting?  In case you are wondering, nesting is what a woman in her third trimester does to prepare for birth.  She has a burst of energy to clean, do DIY projects around the house, decorate, and basically change things around.  In my case, I am not pregnant (or preggers as sometimes call it).  I cannot get pregnant.  I am adopting a baby, a child, who may be “in vitro” (womb) right now, newborn, toddler, preschooler, or school-age (up to age 12).  I have no idea until I see her (yes it is defiantly a girl).  I want to make sure that when this kid comes, rather it is in this house or my new one, that she is comfortable and happy. 

So is it wrong for me to prepare right now?  I know I have classes to take for this, make sure that I am financially stable, and that I am not going to go cra-cra on her if she defies me.  I want to make sure she is loved and I know that it is not going to be easy to be a parent.  Heck, it is not easy being an aunt, so why would I expect anything less as a mommy?  It is hard enough when you are raising someone you waited for 9 months to see, it is even harder when that child in not your biological child.  I am up for the challenge.

So, am I nesting?  You bet.  Adoptive mothers to be can nest too.  I may not be in my third trimester, but I have all the signs of a woman, who must prepare for a baby and move in one unfailing swoop.  “Lord, help my finances during this time because they need it.”  I am only in phase one, the “decluttering phase”.  Phase 2 is around the corner.  Happy  Nesting Everyone!!! 

Day 9: a little birdy told me….

After posting day 8, I realized that other than day 2, I really have not posted anything that contained the holidays or even Christmas for that matter.  Do not get me wrong, I LOVE the Christmas season, both for the reason, which God loved us so much that he sent His son in the form of a baby, God reincarnated, to save us from ourselves, and for the pretty lights, decorations, eating, and presents. 

(c) 2015 P. Lynne Designs

I want to focus a minute on the first half of my statement, God Reincarnated. Keep in mind, I respect all religions, but I am Christian, and these are some of my beliefs.  How many people who are parents, or in my case, soon to be a would-be parent, can send their child out into the world to save a whole world from themselves?  I know I could not, and I am sure many parents could say the same, even if, to quote Darth Vader, “Your Destiny”. See something good came out of that evil nut’s mouth, LOL.  Anyway, back to seriousness.  God knew how this world was going to be when he created it.  He knew before that time what Lucifer (who became the Devil) was trying to do.  So, this all was pre-planned from the very beginning, before all of this.  He had to do something and do something fast. (well, in his own time).  Could He have stopped it?  Yes, but there is something called, “Free Will”.  Free will is a totally different subject for a different day and something I will have to consult my pastors on because I do not understand it all.  I just know that it is something that always have been there from the very beginning (and one of the reasons why the devil has been allowed to roam freely throughout the universe). 

This is the reason to have Jesus come as a baby.  God probably knew that if Jesus came as a man from the beginning, he might not have been as well received.  He still wasn’t, because Herod, the current king wanted to kill all the baby boys, so he could remain on the thrown. God protected Jesus and his Earthy family from all of this.  So you might be asking yourself, why not the baby girls?  Well, back then, and even some cultures now, girls were not received as highly as baby boys, plus Herod knew Jesus was a boy.   All of this happened after he sent the Wise Men to go see the babe, but they were warned by God in a dream to go another direction, because He knew what Herod was up to.

Back to the commercial side of Christmas for my last part.  I love decorating and see the lights (see day two on what I think of your electric bill, LOL).  The best part, besides the cooking and the baking, is seeing the reaction of the children’s faces when they first see the decorations and opening their presents.  Here is a quote from a website called “Why Christmas”:

“One of the main reasons we have the custom of giving and receiving presents at Christmas, is to remind us of the presents given to Jesus by the Wise Men: Frankincense, Gold and Myrrh. Frankincense was a perfume used in Jewish worship and, as a gift, it showed that people would worship Jesus.”

I think that is a good enough reason to have them.  

Babies watching babies

(c) 2011 P. Lynne Designs

Status report from my Facebook page….” Sad news and a question. I was reading trends a few moments ago, and this is one of the reasons why I don't need to read nor see the news, but a 19-month old died in Houston, TX, because her siblings (two 3-year-olds) put her in the oven and she was severely burned. The oven was on. Now my childless self-wanted to know what was so damn important (sorry for the language), that the mother and the boyfriend had to leave these 4 children alone in the house? Nothing was that important. Ladies, unless you are passed out on the floor, there is NO REASON to leave a child under the age of 12 along in the home. NO REASON. if it is that important, CALL A BABYSITTER OR RELATIVE to watch your kids. Heck, take them to a police or fire station. Anything just does not leave them at home alone. Kids are too smart for their own good these days. Having them sit in front of a television set or computer while you are out for 5 minutes or longer does not cut it for these kids. There is so much stuff for a child to get into. You cannot have a baby watch a baby. There is a blog post coming, so I will continue my rant there. Be blessed.”

This is probably one of the hardest blog posts I have written on My Ambiance Life.  It comes with sadness, because I wear my heart on my sleeve, and I am a compassionate person, among my many flaws.  It is a flaw that I proud to have, and I feel that this is one of my character strengths, but it also comes with a price, I cry too easy.  Even though I have not cried about this particular case, I have cried about others in the past with the same ending…. Child dies while another sibling is caring for them, because parent is so in love with SO (Significate Other), too lazy to call or text an adult, or too crazy to call or text another adult to watch their children.  The child who is doing the watching usually is a sibling, who is next to the child who dies.  In this case, it is two 3-year old twins (I assume), and I guess, as the most cases are) the 19-month was crying, and they were trying to find a way to quiet the child.

Now there was supposed to be a fourth child in the home, and I wonder where was that child and how old that child was.  If that child was slightly older than the two 3-year olds (age 4-8), that would explain why the mother put that child in charge, but it still does not excuse for the absenteeism of the mother and the boyfriend.  It happens all too often.  A few weeks ago, an 8-year old was put in charge of a 1-year old, I believe, and the 8-year old beat the baby to death, again trying to quiet the child.

As I explained in my post on Facebook, I am childless, and even I know not to leave someone that young in charge of a baby (yes, at 19-months, they are still babies in my eyes).  I am not saying that a child cannot watch another child, but as an adult, you need to be within earshot range to grab the child and go into protective mode, should they get into harm’s way.  Some of the helpful ways that an older sibling under 12 can be helpful are:

·         Listen out for the baby when they should be waking up from a nap.

·         Alert parent when the baby is hungry or needs a diaper change.

·         Entertain the baby with you nearby, not out at the corner store.

·         Feed the baby with you nearby.

·         They can also briefly hold the baby while sitting down.

Again, I do not know nothing of this case, and my prayers go out to all involved.  I am not sure if the mom briefly left the children before, or if this was a first.  Either way now is not the time to criticize her (despite my rant on Facebook).  She has a long road ahead of her, by first laying her child to rest, then dealing with children services, who have no sympathy for the neglect of a child.  After all, even if she and the boyfriend were in the house, which could happen too, it was neglect in children services eyes.  People have left children before, and it will happen again in some other part of the country.

My prayer for parents has always think before you act, and this includes leaving children with others, especially with another child.  Make sure that child is responsible for taking care of that child, and it should be a child over the age of 13.  I did not mention 12 because that age is so awkward.  You are not a little child, but you are not a teen either.

I feel better, and I hope that everyone starts doing a little more thinking.  

Mom. Mommy. Mama. Mother

I was watching The View yesterday
, when the ladies, who were Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Paula Faris, Michelle Collins, and Raven-Symone, was discussing the topic of motherhood and what to call women who are unable to have children, including those who choose not to have them for whatever reason.

It made me think about the post I wrote back in 2012 called “Monday Morning being single and childless” (May 7. 2012).  In that post, I talked about what my life would be like, if I had done all the things I wanted to do, if God had allowed me to get married and have a baby or two.  I also talked about reasons why going the 9-month mommy route was not available to me after age 29, as well as not getting married at a young age.  I still hope the find that husband, and I hope I will enjoy whatever family God presents to me, and that I do not feel like an outsider of that family.  It is very important to me that my future step-children accept me as part of their father’s life.  If not, that is the way it has to be.  I am marrying their father, if asked, not them.  I am also praying that my own father will still get to walk me down the aisle.

OK at this point I am getting off track, you can read the post by clicking on the link….

Back to the topic…

This is to the mothers reading this; “Never assume that just because a woman does not have children that she does not know what she is talking about.  I am an aunt with no kids.  There are also teachers, pediatricians, nurses, and other concerned women, and well-meaning women who have the mothering instinct.  Just because we did not carry YOUR CHILD in our belly for nine months or do not have adoption papers, that does not mean we cannot offer advice, or correct your child when the time comes.  We are trying to keep your child out of harm’s way, and at that time we have your child, they are our child.  Once we release your child back into your custody for the day or week, then we have no say so in the discipline part, but we still reserve the right to interact with your child.”

To the Women who feel bullied by mothers….

“Please live your life and do not pay attention to what they have to say.  You have advice and want to give it, give it.  If the mom (or dad) accepts the advice without question, great, you have won the battle.  If the child needs to be disciplined, do it, but please tell the parent the problem and how it was solved, especially if you are a teacher.  I know we all might want to smack the child, but please refrain from doing so.  Offer other corrective measures.  There is nothing worse than miscommunication between your version and the child in question’s version.  Children will exaggerate to avoid being on punishment with their parent. Stand your ground.  If they (the parent) says you do not know what you are talking about, just move on.  It not that serious.  I am sure that person does it to everyone.  I feel your pain.”

I am still looking into adoption, I was given some advice on the age of the child by everyone who I talked to.  When I first looked into it, I was told that I was better off not being a mother by more people, especially family.  The only reason I can give was they are mothers themselves, and some had wished that they did not embark on such a task.   If they had to do it all over again, they would not have done it.  That does not mean they do not love their children they have now, it is just that they wish they would have been given more time to think about it, before getting pregnant. I also feel like that the women who gave me this advice, wanted to know why I want to give up the freedom I have now, for someone who would not appreciate the time that I would be spending with them.

To them, I would say:  “One of the reasons why I went into business for myself is so I would have the time to spend with my potential child.  I am preparing for that time.  It is a time that any employer would and could not let me have once a child comes into the picture.  I would not or could not ask an employer to allow me that privilege because that would mean that everyone in that company would have to be given that same right.   It would not be fair to them or me. Believe me, I could not have it any other way, although I do miss getting a weekly paycheck.  I still get plenty of interaction from my church family, my biological family, my women groups, and customers.  One of the things that still hold true is when it comes time to adjusting my schedule, and I had to do that a lot lately by taking off a month to recoup, and revamping my business and my personal life.  It should not be any different when I apply for adoption.” Also, some family members have changed their tune since advising me on going the mommy route.

Look, everyone should be called a mother or a father.  What is the difference, besides seeing a child 24/7/365?  You should be prepared to care for a person younger than 18 (21 if special needs).  You are the provider of that person’s food, clothing, shelter, health, and they should depend on you for comfort, advice, and to teach them from right or wrong.   You should be able to go from zero to 60 in 2.2 seconds when that child cries out in the middle of the night or when they are in trouble.  You should be able to defend your child in any situation.  There is some emotional attachment to all that I mentioned above, and you shall not harm them.  Anyone can give birth, but it takes a lot to be a mother (or a father).

As mention in both my public and private writings (yes, I keep a personal journal) I am so ready for the challenge with or without a man.  I would love to have a father figure in my future child’s life.  I would have some requirements for that man to fulfill, such as being on the same page with me in the care and well-being of my child.  None of that funny stuff.  Both the child and I need to trust that person, and I will get more into detail when the time comes.  That is why ladies, you cannot have just any old man, who loves and calls you baby, but hates YOUR baby.  That is another subject for a different day.

So back to The View topic; when a woman with no children wants to say something about your child or has advice for you, please do not dismiss it, we are only exercising our maternal nature that God has given all of us.  Take or leave it.