Father's Day

Four years ago this weekend, Ramy and I found out that I was pregnant with Rebecca.  We used Father's Day as the opportunity to share the news.  I had bought a little UCLA onesie for Ramy for that Father's Day.
Even though I didn't think I could possibly love Ramy any more than I already did, seeing him as a father has made me realize over and over just how wonderful he is.  I knew he would be a great father, but I couldn't have imagined just how amazing he would be.  I am awed by his patience, sweetness, and adoration. 
The adoration Rebecca has for her daddy is unrivaled.  When she puts on a dress (and she refuses to wear anything but dresses), the first thing she says is, "Daddy's gonna love this!"  Next, she runs to the stairs and then leisurely preens and prances down the stairs, modeling her look for her daddy.  Daddy recognizes the importance of his response and never fails to exclaim appropriately.  The love between them is so precious, and I know that it will make such a difference in her life.

Dance Recital

We're so proud of our little ballerina on her first real dance recital!  She did wonderfully!  Unlike the other two, most of what Rebecca did was actually part of the dance (although she added her own interpretation frequently).

It's my graduation day!

It's hard to believe that the day has finally come!  It's been a marathon, and I'm glad to be crossing the finish line.  I've been so blessed to have been surrounded by love and support for this whole process...and for my whole life.  I'm grateful that my precious parents cheered me on and made me believe I could do anything from the time I began kindergarten through today.  I'm astounded by the steady encouragement and endless, loving patience that my sweet husband has shown me.  I'm uplifted by the looks of admiration and pure love I receive from my daughter, who has no idea what psychology or a Ph.D. is but believes that mommy can do anything.  I'm touched by the friends who traveled to be here with me to celebrate my graduation.  I'm thankful for all the friends and family who have prayed for me along the way. 

Now it's time to party!  In case anyone wants to view it, the graduation will be webcast here:
LLU Graduation webcast

Fun

Three of my best friends arrived Wednesday night for the graduation festivities.  We've been having a blast!  Last night, we went to the Orange County Performing Arts Center to see The Lion King onstage.  Rebecca loved almost all of it - she got a little scared with Scar and the hyenas, but she loved the rest.  Pics coming soon!

It was a fast and busy week!  I picked up my graduation regalia on Thursday.  That made it seem quite real!  I guess they really are going to let me out of there with some letters behind my name!  I'm praying that next Sunday will be cool, because the gown is polyester and the hood is heavy.  Plus, I'll be wearing a velvet tam on my head. 

On Friday, Nanny Rebecca took Rebecca to Disneyland for their last day together.  Rebecca had a blast and got to meet Tinkerbell and the other fairies in Pixie Hollow.  She came home with a Tinkerbell wand. 

Yesterday was a cram-packed day.  Ramy's sister had a yard sale at their mom's house as part of a big city-wide yard sale that was going on.  Ramy headed over there a bit earlier than did Rebecca and I.  She and her cousins had a sno-cone stand.  Rebecca did more supervision than sales.  She had a fun time playing with Hannah and Kirsten and Jessica.  She likes to love on Hannah especially (they were born the same day!). Luckily, Rebecca was so busy playing with her cousins that she didn't notice some of her toys that were being sold! 

After the yard sale, we went to a party in honor of one of Ramy's cousins who had his First Communion yesterday.  Rebecca enjoyed playing in the jump house there, although she preferred the big kids to stay out while she was jumping.

We tried to convince her to take a nap, but no such luck.  However, she fell asleep in the car on the way to dinner with Nanny Rebecca and her husband Steve and did not wake up all through dinner.  She slept the rest of the night!  We took them out since Nanny Rebecca's last day with us was yesterday.  It is hard to believe that it has been two and a half years that she has been with us and that now we're saying goodbye.  It is a hard adjustment, but it is time.  I'll be home with Rebecca this summer and then she's ready to start preschool this fall.  Nanny Rebecca will be going to nanny for a family with two little boys and another baby due in October.  Yikes! 

Happy birthday, Grammy!

Long weekend

Ohhh, how I have enjoyed this long weekend. It's a shame that we have MLK Day just after the holidays, then a month later we have Presidents' Day, and then we get nothing for three months! Ramy's day off was Friday, and I was able to get off at noon. So for us it was an even longer weekend! Glorious! We met up for lunch at CPK, according to Rebecca's request. We relaxed at home and enjoyed the smell of the nice, clean house (the cleaning ladies had been here on Friday, which made the evening even better). We all got sleepy around 3:00 p.m. and took naps. I didn't wake up until after 7:00 p.m.!

On Saturday morning, Ramy got up early and waxed my car with a new waxer/buffer thingie. We ate breakfast at Bravo Burger. That night, after we got home from church, we rented movies. Rebecca watched Alvin and the Chipmunks, while Ramy and I watched Brothers. Around 9:30 p.m., Rebecca realized that Puddle, her beloved stuffed golden retriever, was lost. Ramy was already asleep (since he had awakened so early), so Rebecca and I searched the house for what seemed like forever. Rebecca was completely distraught...and dramatic. She stood in the hallway weeping and exclaiming things like, "I nov Puddle sooooo much!" "What if monsters get her?" "She is going to be really scared!" "I am very sad! I need my Puddle!" Finally, Ramy remembered that Rebecca had taken Puddle with her when they went to Grandma's house. He called and sure enough, that's where Puddle was. Rebecca was beside herself, and I knew that she was not going to sleep well until we got the blessed dog back. So she and I drove over to Pomona to rescue Puddle. She cuddled that dog with her all night long. I know Ramy, his mother, and most everyone else thought I was out of my mind. However, I just think that there will be a day in which I don't have the ability to make things all better for her...but for now, I do, so I did. I think we all slept better once Puddle was home!

Sunday morning, we slept in and then went to breakfast. I worked on a little organization project of all Rebecca's arts and crafts supplies and needed some containers. I mentioned wanting to go to South Coast Plaza to the mall, and then I mentioned that there is a Container Store next door to South Coast Plaza. Ramy took the bait! So we went. I love South Coast Plaza. I love watching people walking around with bags from Chanel and Fendi and Louis Vuitton. Sunday evening, we got to work on parsing some things out of the garage. Ramy's sister Myrna is having a yard sale next weekend, so it was a good time to do a purge. I have been sneaking toys out of Rebecca's room and toybox, but I did get busted once. I came across a bag of her first outgrown clothes. I still kept some, but I also got rid of some. I came across her first Easter dress and the sweet little crocheted booties that she had that she wouldn't keep on her feet. Awwwwwww! (Of course, all those things were kept!).

Yesterday, I bought some casual clothes (I had no shorts and tees. Where did they go?) and we went to Target. Otherwise, we've just been relaxing and enjoying hanging out. It's been so nice to have a chill weekend together, with no commitments or things we had to do. Very relaxing...

...which is good, because June is going to be one crazy month! Because of the holiday today, the rest of my week would have already been busy. I see almost all of my individual clients on Monday, so I have to distribute them through the rest of the week. Unfortunately, today, I have to go retrieve one of our new clients from Patton and then transport them down to the STRP we are sending her to near San Diego. So it's a roadtrip kind of workday for me and one of my colleagues. I also have a client who is in a little bit of a manic episode, so I've got to get her in to see the doctor this week. One of my clients is going to court soon, so I'm expecting a subpoena for that just any time. Then I have testing reports to get finished and reports for the court to do. Not to mention all the hours accounting that I have to do for my internship.  I have no idea when it is all going to get done. 

This is Nanny Rebecca's last week with us. It's very bittersweet. Rebecca knows that Nanny Rebecca won't be coming to take care of her every day any more but that we will still see her and talk to her sometimes. She is sad and will miss Nanny Rebecca, but she's also excited that Mommy is going to be home with her all summer. (Mommy is excited about that too!).

Next week starts the graduation festivities! My mom arrives on Sunday night, and then my friends come in on Wednesday. I'll only be working Monday, Tuesday, and half of Wednesday next week. I can't wait! Let's get this party started!