dedtired, Maison is pronounced like Mason. I don't know why the kids decided to put the i in there and I'm sure that it will be a pain in the future when people can not or will not seem to spell it right. I named my oldest Jaime instead of using the spelling Jamie and she still has problems getting people to spell it right. It took years for her own grandparents to remember it right :-) Also, she's had times when she WROTE her name on a form, and whoever transcribed the form to typewritten text CHANGED it to Jamie, as if she didn't know how to spell her own name!!! Anyway, Maison is a sweetheart and I think you are right that he will be a dog lover! How can he help it?

Mercy, have you got a lot on your plate! I admire your cheerfulness & perseverence. I think people have a wrong impression about "mental illness"; they think someone who has a brain disorder acts crazy, when really they usually act like anyone else, & their symptoms often do not include "acting crazy". As you say, bi-polar people can be fractious, argumentative, & unreasonable....& that sounds like a lot of other people as well. I think I might work on that part of the problem first. If he can realize that your daughter really does have a disorder, that she's not just being difficult or using her problems as a crutch, he can calm down & develop more reasonable expectations of her. & I think you're going to *have* to inhale, exhale, take a step backwards, & look after yourself. No one person can solve everyone else's problems, & if you kill yourself from the stress of trying, those grandchildren never *will* get to know & enjoy their grandmother. As far as your hubs's mother rejecting him... That would hurt anyone. but if he can look at the situation from the perspective of his adult self, he'll realize that she couldn't have been a good mother to him then (that's the reason he was adopted), & she still can't be a mother to him. She just doesn't have it. I'd say if he was brought up to be a good person & a responsible adult, & if he's found some uncles who adore him, he's a lucky person indeed. Take care.

Leslie...I somehow missed this today.... What a cutie... Isn't Jaden the one you posted a picture of him in a pair of hands? If this is the same one...boy he sure has grown. I got some pictures of Marcus last week. But for some reason...something isn't working together anymore...When I put my camera card in and follow all the steps to get it to photobucket...it won't work..Can't remember for sure but I think photobucket won't upload it, says it's not jpg or whatever it needs to recognise it. Only way I can do it is to print the pic. and scan it...bummer...that's what I had to do before digital camera.

Darling child! And, it looks like she won't need braces! Our DGD kept the curls as her hair started coming in less blond and less curly. She struggled with hair in her way until she was four, and her locks were long enough to be donated to charity to make wigs for cancer patients. Her cousin had battled cancer from age three; now 'clear', but with stunted bone growth and profound hearing loss from treatment.