Noisy Cat

First, let me say that I know I desperately need to get some new kid pictures out here, and especially update the picture at the top of the page. I don't even like that picture much, but I don't have many with the two of them together. I am going to work on that this week.

Now, about the title: The Noisy Cat has become Natalie's code word for "please leave me alone now". It started as MY way of slipping out of her bedroom at night. Tigger was always around, and always noisy at bedtime. I think it started back in the days when Liam was struggling with bedtime so much, and we tried the Super Nanny approach which meant that we sat on his floor and moved farther away each night until we were outside the door. Except...we could never seem to get any farther than right outside his door, where we would sit... for a long time. So Tigger would come around and I would pet him, for lack of anything better to do. Long story short...now Tigger is programmed (Pavlov's cat) to come around lookin' for love at bedtime, and when he's lookin' for love he meows great big, noisy meows. Natalie has no patience for Tigger or his loud meows. So it worked well when I wanted to leave her room after tucking her in, I would tell her I had to "get the Noisy Cat" out of her room.

Well, Natalie has never really wanted lingering good nights anyway, and now she hardly wants a snuggle at all. If I stay much more than a minute now, she will tell ME "go get the Noisy Cat." The funny thing is that she tells me that even if Tigger is in the backyard, and not near her room. She even told me that the other day in the middle of the day when she wanted me to leave the room so she could get into something. "Get the Noisy Cat" is my directive to leave the room. It's good. I like it. It's much more tactful than - go away, Mom!

On the adoption wait: No news. I was hoping to hear of a referral this week that might bump us into #1 in line (I know that sounds like a game show or a contest or something). Instead, Liam brought home his pick from the school library last week, and I'll quote Dr. Seuss from the book "Oh the Places You'll Go!"

"The Waiting Place....for people just waiting. Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come or a plane to go or the mail to come, or the rain to go or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow or waiting around for a Yes or a No or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting."

Excellent book. Thank you, Dr. Seuss. Some days the Waiting seems larger than life, and I'm ashamed at how much energy it takes away from other things.