Fun At The Camden Waterfront

Out of all of the bloggers in the area, THEY choose us! There was a call for local bloggers to review the Camden Waterfront. Unfortunately, due to other plans, we couldn't see all of the attractions. We had been to the Battleship New Jersey in the recent past. We were both very impressed with the ease of access. While there are many many steps, I did notice that many accommodations have been made for wheelchair and stroller access. Great pains were taken to make this a safe and enjoyable tour and I loved the fact that when we went, there were some little girls that had an Alex's Lemonade Stand right by the entrance gate. We've also been to see the Riversharks play and it was a blast! Very family friendly and lots to see and do (in addition to the baseball game). They have a kids play area with one of those moon bounce thingies and I noticed they now have a carousel and I'm a sucker for a good carousel ride! Now, on to what we did do on Sunday. We happened to get up early so we headed off to the Adventure Aquarium. What an amazing morning it was! Parking was a breeze and quite inexpensive (compared to other venues) at $7.00. Because it was so early, we scored an awesome spot and headed in. Now, if you are like Marc and I, you are up early because the kid(s) are up early. I strongly recommend going on the early side to beat the crowds. Unfortunately, Marc and I are not the best of photographers so we couldn't figure out how to get photos without getting the flash in the glass. We did manage to score a few decent shots.... Here's Dylan and I checking out a huge octopus. Yes, Dylan and I were both duly impressed and grossed out :)

They have this incredible exhibit where you can touch these little sharks and stingrays. While I wasn't comfortable letting Dylan touch them (I was worried he'd try to grab at them) he was quite happy just being this close to them... While Dylan is only 10 1/2 months old, he really enjoyed the outing. He loved being able to get right up on the glass and get close and personal with the fish. They also had this uber cool tunnel where you walk through and are just surrounded by fish. It was quite impressive to have these big sharks sailing over your head. They have a whole area outside where you can see penguins doing their thing.. And a show with these beautiful big seals.. Who looked like they could use a good belly rub (can't we all use a good belly rub?) Toward the end of our trip, we came across this little lovely. Can someone please tell me what in the world this is??? I know it's some sort of alligator or crock but it had both Marc and I totally weirded out... Unfortunately we didn't have time to see the Children's Garden which has more exhibits but we definitely plan to return when we can spend the entire day. As we left, we enjoyed a few moments by the water. The breeze and this beautiful view of the City of Brotherly Love...

Sorry for the screwy alignment at the end - I've played with it but blogger is just doing it's own thing (for a change).

So.....

Working on a redesign of the blog - stay tuned. Ignore the girl behind the curtain ;0)

You Are Not Forgotten

You are not forgotten All of my infertile friends Ones waiting on tests to start a cycle Ones waiting on surgery to start a cycle Ones waiting on menstration to start a cycyle Ones waiting that are in limbo Ones in the two week wait Ones deciding whether or not to continue Ones deciding how or if they want to build their family Ones doing IUI Ones doing IVF Ones doing donor egg Ones doing donor sperm Ones doing FET Ones doing the paperchase Ones waiting on referral Ones waiting for the call to bring their baby home Ones waiting for a natural mother to choose them to parent their child Ones waiting and wondering when it will be their turn I love you all. I know how hard this weekend can be for many. Please know that you are not forgotten.

She's at it again!

My friend Heather that is. I just got an email from her that she's doing the Lance Armstrong ride again this year. If you have a little to spare, please make a donation to this worthy cause! Here's Heather's email & story (printed with her permission).... Well, I’ve made my decision. I’m proud to announce that I will be participating in the LIVESTRONG Challenge Philadelphia this September. I’m going to ride my bike 100 miles and raise at least $2000 for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. The Lance Armstrong Foundation was founded in 1997 by cancer survivor and champion cyclist, Lance Armstrong. Their mission is to inspire and empower people affected by cancer through advocacy, public health and research programs. As you may know, my brother passed away 33 years ago from Neuroblastoma, the same cancer as Alex Scott from Alex’s Lemonade Stand. I am also doing this ride for my mom who is a breast cancer survivor. I am doing the ride for both of them, and for all of the other families who have lost someone and fought the disease. I know that with the support of my friends and family, I will far exceed my fundraising goal. I’m asking for your help in achieving this. Please consider making a donation to benefit this amazing organization. You can donate online at www.livestrongchallenge.org. Thanks for taking the time to read this and thanks, in advance, for your support. Your friend, Heather P.S. Please pass this email on to all your friends and family all their support is appreciated. Follow This Link to visit my personal web page and help me in my efforts to support Lance Armstrong Foundation

Applying Flame retardant Suit

Today Dylan took his first step toward officially becoming a Jew. He was circumcised. At 6:30 this morning we went over to the surgery center. There we were met by the wonderful Cantor K, our Moyal. We went over things with the anesthesiologist and the urologist and then they took Dylan to the OR. There, in the presence of the Moyal, he was put under a general and the circumcism was performed. As the surgeon worked, so did the Moyal. After, the surgeon came out and told us he was done and that everything had gone smoothly. Cantor K came out with him and brought us into a separate room where he recited prayers, we had some manachevitz (at 8:15 a.m. - hey - it's happy hour somewhere right!) and then we went back to see Dylan. He cried coming out of the anesthesia but as soon as we gave him a bottle of juice, he was fine. We came home and he slept for a number of hours. To see him right now, slamming his bottle on the floor, crawling, getting into general mischief, you'd never know what happened today. Before you flame me, please know that Marc and I put a great deal of thought into this decision. One of my blog friends who is very much anti-circ wrote me a heartfelt and well thought out email as to why I shouldn't have this procedure done to my son. As she took so much time in writing it -I took a great deal of time in making this decision. First and foremost - this is one of the most sacred rites in the Jewish religion. While we do know that there are Jews who are anti-circ, we are just not one of them. The second and most compelling argument to do it was first hand accounts by parents we had met who had made the decision not to circumcise their son only to have it done when they were older because of infection. Please don't tell me it's rare, I have spoken to so many people IRL this has happened to for it to be a fluke. My sister-in-law is a pediatrician and has told me war stories. The last straw was Dylan's teacher. Her son had a circ at 12 years old due to a terrible infection that had the poor kid out of school for an entire month. On a wholly shit note... not only did Dylan have surgery today but he climbed up two steps in the house today! Can you say - time for another gate or two :)

Hot Damn!

First, let me apologize for being a shitty blogger lately. My head has been squarely up my ass lately and, thanks to what I feel is a nice case of "post-adoption depression" I can barely form a coherent sentence these day. I've been working on a post about this and promise - as soon as I can make it halfway understandable, I will publish it. However... I did have some lovely news to share... We got Dylan's state issues birth certificate! It came in the mail today. I was so excited. One more step to finalizing all of the paperwork. I am just waiting for my agency to tell me if we have to readopt or just file for our COC (Certificte of Citizenship) to complete Dylan's adoption. Today Dylan is 10 month old Today marks 5 months since they placed Dylan in our arms. He's crawling like a pro, eating grown up foods, pulls himself up on everything (incuding the cats) and is getting ready to start taking his first steps. How time flies.