Where Were You?

There are some events that you will always remember EXACTLY where you were when they happened. September 11, 2001 is obviously one of them. I had just returned through JFK airport from Amsterdam the week before. I flew to Houston on September 10, 2001. The morning of September 11, 2001, I was in my hotel room in Houston getting some work done before a mid-morning meeting with a client. I had the news on but the volume was turned down and I couldn't see the tv from where I was working. At some point I realized what time it was and stepped away from my work to get dressed for the day. I passed by the TV and saw the images. Both planes had already hit the twin towers.

I immediately called my parents. They didn't even know yet which is unusual since they are avid news watchers. I was traveling constantly at the time. My office was a plane ticket, a cell phone and a laptop. I wanted my parents to know I was safe in Houston. When I was on the phone with Mom, the news of the pentagon hit was announced. As soon as I got off the phone with Mom, I immediately called my friend Andree'. Her husband was traveling as much as I was at the time so I wanted to know that he was ok. I didn't even know Jon then, we met a few months later.

I did not have a rental car so I just hung out in Houston for a couple of days waiting for a car or a flight. Like most everyone else, I just sat glued to the TV watching the images and trying to understand it all. I can't even begin to imagine what it was like to be in New York on that day. I was finally able to get a car and drove home since there were still no flights. I will never forget going to the airport to retrieve my car. The silence was deadening. You don't realize how loud it is in the parking garage of an airport until it's quiet. For some reason, even after watching the events unfold for a couple of days, the silence of the airport shocked me. I threw up in the garage before getting into my car.

I know that I am posting this at the end of the day but my thoughts have been with those that lost their lives five years ago. My thoughts are with those that lost loved ones. My thoughts are with those that witnessed it first hand and are still haunted by the memories.

Jewelry Party A Success

The jewelry party last Thursday was great fun. It was a great excuse to spend a couple of days with my sister and a couple of hours with friends that I don't see nearly enough. Thanks to everyone who came or sent orders. Here's a look at all the pretty things we had on display.

What I did not mention in my previous post is that I have actually decided to be an independent representative for this jewelry company. So Thursday was actually my kick-off party. Besides having fun with my sis and friends, I earned a few hundred dollars plus a few hundred dollars in FREE jewelry. What girl doesn't like free jewelry? I've never imagined myself doing anything like this but I fell in love with the jewelry and the people and decided what the heck. When I get a chance, I am sure that I will be updating this blog with a link to my website and some additional updates. In the meantime, if you are curious what it's all about, just shoot me an email at the address on the side. Just don't ask me how I am planning on doing this along with my current somewhat demanding job - I'm figuring that out as I go.

Officially Great

Although I think Jon and I have always been pretty good at the Aunt and Uncle gig, we are now officially GREAT. Jon's niece had a baby girl last Monday, 8/28 which makes us Great Aunt and Great Uncle. Since I was out of town all last week, I didn't get to see her until yesterday. She is absolutely beautiful and making all the squeaky baby noises that I love so much. Here she is at just a couple of days old being held by her Great Grandmother (Jon's Mom). I told you she is beautiful.

Dinner With Andree'

I was out of town AGAIN last week, this time in Seattle. However, I got to spend a little time with my friend Andree' - totally took the sting out of being on the road for the fourth week in a row!!! Gosh it was so great to see her. I met Andree' in 1987 when we were both fresh out of college. Is it really possible that I am old enough to have been friends with someone for almost 20 years that I met as an adult??? Can't be.

It was a great visit although too short. I spent the night at her house Thursday night and then left for the airport around 1:30 Friday afternoon. She and her husband have four beautiful (and very entertaining) kids which have grown so much since I last saw them.

I couldn't wait to hear about the 60 mile 3 day that Andree' had just completed. OH MY GOSH. It's hard enough to wrap my head around walking 60 miles. I had not even considered the entire element of sleeping in a tent (which you set up yourself) for two nights and using port-a-potties!!!!! That adds an entire dimension of discomfort that I had never even considered. I guess I imagined that after walking 20 miles, I would be hanging out at the Four Seasons recharging for the next day. Apparently not. I totally admired her for doing this before but now I am just in awe. Seriously if you know ANYONE participating in one of these events, support them any way you can. Donate money, watch their kids while they train, give them pep talks, take a walk with them while they train, whatever you can do. The Seattle team raised over 6.8 million dollars towards breast cancer research. WALK ON!!!!

Dr. Ivy Makes House Calls

Here she is in her full Dr. attire before heading over to Mom's for her post surgery check up. Looks like she is prepared complete with prescription pad. I called Mom after Dr. Ivy was there to make sure she was still in one piece. I've been "treated" by Dr. Ivy and I can tell you that she is fairly thorough with her questions. However, every symptom I've reported including upset stomach, allergies, sore throat, mosquito bites, has been met with the same conclusion by Dr. Ivy. "I'm going to have to cut it out."

Let's Hear It For The Girls!!!!!!

Specifically two very good friends of mine, Mary and Andree'. I am blessed to be able to have both of these women as friends. Earlier this year, Mary was diagnosed with breast cancer. They caught it early so the prognosis is good. She has handled this diagnosis with all the courage, humor and faith that makes her so special. You may have noticed comments on here from "Mary(get your mammogram)" and "Almost done with ratiation". That is Mary. Today, August 24th, was her last day of radiation treatments. Woo Hoo!!!!! Hopefully she does not read this for several days as she is headed to the beach soon to recharge.

That brings me to Andree'. Her mom is a breast cancer survivor but unfortunately she recently lost a cousin to the disease. This weekend she is walking the Seattle Breast Cancer 3-Day 60 mile walk for the cure. She has been training for months. She has four very active kids and her husband travels frequently for work so she was already pretty busy before she started training. Oh yeah, and she had to have surgery herself during the training but that didn't stop her. Her team has raised OVER $16,000.00 for breast cancer research.

Mary and Andree' have never met in person. Well, they may have met at our wedding but I doubt it since everyone was so focused on me....and maybe Jon, but mostly me. Yes people, that is sarcasm. Anyway, they may have never met in person but they have been in each other's thoughts for a while now. Andree' is dedicating mile 24 of 60 to Mary (last day of radiation treatment). I think Mary said it best in a recent email to me..... "Godspeed Andree'!!!!"

Happy Bleeping Birthday!!! **UPDATED**

Tomorrow is Mom's Birthday. And boy does she have some BIG plans for the day. At 5:30 tomorrow morning my Dad is taking her to...............................the hospital for surgery. How's that for a birthday celebration? Over a week ago, Mom broke her ankle in two places. Yep, she busted it up something bad. How did she do this? Well, being the crazy fun Grandmother that she is, she took the Grandkids to the water park on the last day of their summer vacation. Apparently while she was performing some type of dangerous water park trick she fell and broke her ankle. So, she has been off of it for over a week now waiting for the swelling to go down. Tomorrow she will be getting a brand new ankle complete with a titanium plate, screws, pins, nuts, bolts, whatever it takes.

I know the past several days have been tough for her. Picture if you will, the energizer bunny on speed (and without the annoying drum). That's Mom. She is ALWAYS doing something. And it's not that non-productive, spastic type of frenzy that I MIGHT manage to work myself into once a year or so. Nope, it is focused and productive. Frankly, it can be downright annoying sometimes. There is always something to be cleaned, cooked, ironed, straightened, mended, sewed or there is someone to have lunch with, someone to be visited, a meeting at church, a party to go to....you get the picture. Taking it easy is not in her nature. I am not sure that she has totally given up her usual ways. Rumor has it that she was recently seen sitting down, with her foot propped up and holding a yard stick with a towel wrapped around the end so that she could clean the corner of the bathtub. No, I will not reveal my source although I can say that I do consider the source VERY reliable.

During all of this, Dad has been taking very good care of her. He has been doing the grocery shopping, cooking, and waiting on her hand and "foot", mostly foot. Although he apparently missed a speck of dust in the corner of the bathtub, we will let it slide. A couple of days ago, Mom was frustrated about the fact that she would have six weeks of recovery time after the surgery. It was shortly after this post and Dad told her "not to worry, six weeks would go by in no time." She told him if he said that again, she was going to send me to scratch his eyes out. Ahhh she may be down but she's not out. Good one Mom!!!!

So Happy Birthday Mom!!!! Do we get to sign your cast?

UPDATE - The surgery went fine although the ankle was shattered really bad. She stayed in the hospital overnight but made it home today. Lee-Anne, hilarious comment about the butt paste. It won't help the ankle although the cast was irritating Mom's skin and my Dad suggested butt paste for that earlier today. I kid you not.

If You Are Looking For An Adoption Update...

I've heard from some friends and family recently that they check here for adoption updates and haven't seen anything specific lately. The fact that I ramble on about butt paste and disco parties is my way of saying that there really isn't an update. Originally we thought we would be meeting our child this year. Yeah, as in 2006. Oh, that is funny. Then here, I mentioned that it might be 2007 since wait times were expected to increase between 2-4 months. Oh, an increase of 2 - 4 months, those were the days.

At one point I thought that we had experienced our last Christmas, last Mother's Day, last Father's Day, etc. with just the two of us. I TRY not to look at things like that anymore. I am trying to cherish the "just the two of us" time. My birthday was Sunday. I turned 42. Luckily Jon and the friends we were with only made me blow out 1 candle. I could not help but wonder who will be there next year.

We spoke with our Agency today. I really appreciate the effort our Agency is taking to keep us informed. Unfortunately all they are able to tell us is that the current wait is approximately 13 months and the wait can get longer or maybe even shorter. Well that clears that up, doesn't it. There are many complicated reasons for the increase in wait times. Some of it is fact, some of it is speculation. I'm not in the mood to explain it here. I found a way to reset my expectations from a 6 month wait to a 12 month wait. I am in the process of resetting my expectations to an 18 - 24 month wait just in case. I'm not there yet. I know that a child (biological or otherwise) is a blessing, a gift and not something that I am entitled to for any reason. It hurts to admit that but I know it is true. That doesn't mean that my head is not full of "whys". It is.

So, all I can say is if you are reading this, the only update is that we likely still have another year. I've been saying "another year" since last October. Some people must think I am a crazy lady that thinks she is adopting. I'm either running in place or someone is moving the finish line. You will know if there is any news. I wish I could tell you more.

Also, I have said it before but I will say it again. Please refrain from using any of the following:
1. It will be worth the wait
2. Everything happens for a reason
3. It will be here before you know it
4. This is happening so that you can be matched with the child that was meant for you
5. Maybe you will get pregnant before then - ( Yes, we may get pregnant. Goodness knows we aren't doing anything to prevent pregnancy. This adoption is not a substitution for a pregnancy and no we aren't doing this to "save" a child. It is how we chose to grow our family. Period.)
6. Everything worthwhile is worth waiting for
7. Anything similar to the above

If you do say any of these things to me in the near future, I will want to scratch your eyes out. Of course I won't actually do that since with all the delays I will have to be fingerprinted again. But I can't promise that I won't fantasize about it.

Oh, but feel free to leave lots of comments about how I don't look a day over 41!!!!

Have Buttpaste...Need Baby

(EDITED FOR CLARIFICATION)

I guess my Mom wanted to top the stellar present that she gave Jon last Christmas. When she was here recently she presented Jon with a 16oz jar of Boudreaux's butt paste. 16 ounces!!!!! That is a lot of butt paste!! ( It was sort of a gag. Right Mom? A useful gag though. Looks like Jon is going to be changing some diapers!!!!) A few years ago Jon and I tailgated at the Cotton bowl with my parents and the Boudreaux Butt Paste RV was parked near my parent's RV. Jon thought that was the funniest thing he had ever seen. I am pretty sure we have pictures somewhere.

Just in case you haven't heard of this miracle butt paste, people swear by this stuff. It's not just for diaper rash. I had a rash on my finger that nothing would get rid of except for the Miracle butt paste. Of course, we are partial to this particular recipe since it comes from just up the road from my hometown. If you ever have the pleasure of meeting my Mom and complain about ANY type of skin ailment, she will have some butt paste on you faster than you can say Boudreaux. Although the company was recently bought by a company in Indiana, I really hope they keep the production in south Louisiana. Seriously, with Boudreaux in the name, it really can't come from anywhere else.

When I saw the size of this jar, I thought "great, now we can worry about the butt paste expiring along with our fingerprints." But, it seems like it is good until May of 2009. Too bad, I could have orchestrated an essay contest where people could write me explaining why I should bequeath the butt paste to them. Actually, that could get quite scary, never mind.

So, the nursery may not be started and our daughter doesn't have a name (besides LuLu) but at least Mom can stop worrying because we are loaded up with butt paste.

Traded Our Disco Shoes For Some Rock and Roll

Last night we went to the Tom Petty concert with some friends. Even though it was an outdoor concert and it was about a bizillion degrees outside, we had a blast. Very good show. We saw The Rolling Stones last November which was excellent but even despite the sauna situation last night, I think I enjoyed last night's concert more. Yes, he just released a new album but I only counted a couple of songs that were "new". Lots of the old favorites. My voice is a little shaky this morning from singing and screaming. I am sure if everyone would have been quiet and Tom could have heard me, he would have invited me onto the stage. Oh, and Stevie Nicks joined him on stage!!! I wasn't aware that she was joining the concert in some cities so it was a very pleasant surprise. They sang a few songs together including "Stop Dragging My Heart Around." She stayed on stage with her tambourine for most of the concert and took a bow with the rest of the band at the end.
Anyway, I AM TIRED. The last couple of weeks have been nonstop with the nieces/nephews and then a crazy week at work last week. Next week is shaping up to be a "two city" week so I think I am going to be taking it easy this weekend.

Highlights and Lowlights of Camp Jon And Karen

Ok, you may be tired of hearing about it but I couldn't help myself. Thanks to Julie for the idea (she did one of these a while back) and her suggestion on some very helpful software. And for "Anonymous" that asked why there weren't any pictures of me on the last post.... Well if you watch close, you will see me in all my Disco glory!! Fortunately for me, the lovely act of falling flat on my you know what as Jon tried to spin me around the dance floor wasn't captured on film. Trust me it was lovely. I should have done a practice run in those platform shoes!!

Cost Of A Disco/Dance Party

Age inappropriate costume for a 4 year old.....$5.00



Gold Glitter Hat.....$4.99




Inflatable plastic guitar.....$1.99



Disco Ball Earrings.....$1.99



Disco Ball Hanging In Your Living Room.....$23.99



Your Husband (wearing a Mr. Kotter wig) and nephew "rocking out like they mean it".....



PRICELESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. I think this was around the time that my Dad announced "I think I hear The Homestudy People knocking on your door." Luckily it was just the extremely loud beat of the music.

Update from Camp Jon And Karen

We are still at it with the kiddos, we have just been having too much fun to post. Actually it's too difficult to wrestle the laptop from the 11 and 15 year old. I realized from some of the comments on the previous post that I should let you know there isn't really any camping done at Camp Jon and Karen. There is usually a kid sleeping on the floor, so I guess that might count as camping. Today is the last day so last night we celebrated with a disco/dance party. I will just let the pictures tell the story.


Even Dad was "getting his groove on."



More to come....

Camp Jon And Karen Day 1 (told by Ivy)

(I asked Ivy to tell me about her day yesterday. Most of it was spent driving here - they got here around 6:30pm. This is how Ivy remembers it.)

First, yesterday I woke up in the motorhome and we drove here. We played and colored. I took a nap and Ashlee' did too. It was a long, long trip. Pappy ate an Ice Cream Sandwich when we stopped. I ate a turkey sandwich. We couldn't find the campground because we went the wrong way. We parked and Mamare brought us to your house. When I got here I hugged you. We had a tea party but I drinked apple juice. We had goldfish at the tea party. Karen gave everybody a tee shirt. That's it.

2006 Camp Jon and Karen Countdown

Ok people, it's almost here. That's right, in less that 24 hours the happy campers should be arriving. My parents are bringing the nieces and nephew in their R.V. and should arrive late Wednesday. So, not only do the kiddos get to travel in style but it also helps us out with the kid to adult ratio. (Despite what our homestudy says, Jon and I really don't have a clue.)

Which reminds me, some of you asked if you could send your kids. I'm afraid we aren't able to accept any additional campers as we should probably keep the adult to kid ratio at 1 to 1.

As chairman of the planning committee, I can tell you that I have a few things planned but those will remain a secret for now. I am sure there will be pictures and stories so stay tuned. Despite my BS post yesterday about not obsessing over the referrals *, I am considering putting each of the kids, my parents and Jon on a rotating 3 hour referral watch. I already have all the important sites bookmarked so it wouldn't be too tough for them. (Well I would have to teach Ivy to read a couple of key words but how hard could that be? I'll start her on the flash cards first thing. ) Then I could have 24 hour round the clock referal watch. Brilliant. Besides, without three kids to look after, my sister Hope might be a little unreliable in the next few days.

Speaking of pictures, I thought it would be a good idea to capture a "before" shot. You know, so that we can properly assess the damage, I mean fun, that we have. Here are three of the four kiddos (they are picking up my Brother's daughter in the morning.) My BIL took this before they left today.















* I am currently allowed to obsess since we are now in a severe referral alert status. My new resolution only applies to anything less than a severe status. OK, and maybe a high status.....

I've Created A Monster.....

and I love her. It's my sister Hope. It was almost exactly a year ago that Jon and I were starting our adoption process. I was at her house for a visit and I exposed her to the world of adoption blogs. At that point I had found one - yes one, China adoption blog. Don't laugh, I was new to all of this. The blog belonged to a family that had just returned from China with their daughter. We sat at Hope's kitchen table, both with tears, and looked over the blog. The next morning Hope confessed that she stayed up very late the night before reading the entire thing. Anyway, her blog habit has progressed from there and I couldn't be happier. It's not about her reading the blogs, it's her involvement in this entire process. She doesn't even have to ask if there any updates because I swear she knows them before me. Don't get me wrong, all of our family and friends are nothing but supportive about the adoption. I am grateful for all of their support. They just haven't reached the obsessive status that Hope has reached - and I wouldn't recommend it either. In another few months, you will probably hear about her support group for "Sisters of Adoptive Parents".

Last month when referrals came out, I was down with bronchitis and didn't even get around to announcing the referrals. I mentioned that to my sister and she said "Oh, please I've seen every one of them." I asked her how (because clearly she must be dependent on me for all of her information. ) She says "I've seen them all on The Salsa Girl's blog." Yes, M3 you are "Salsa Girl" and trust me it is a term of endearment.

A couple of weeks ago, I was called her from whatever airport I was in and mentioned that I had been so busy I had not even checked in on the latest rumors. No problem, Hope knew exactly what they were. But here is the best part. If there is a good rumor, she gets all excited and tells me. If it's a bad rumor, she will say "Don't listen to that, it's just a rumor."

I've decided I can no longer watch all the rumors like I have been doing the last couple of months. It may help other people but for me it's just not healthy. I'm sort of an "all or nothing" type of person. I do not think certain rumor sites are bad. In fact, Hope will be the first one to tell you that she has learned so much about the process via the popular rumor site. I can use just about any acronym out there and Hope knows exactly what I am talking about. I also think the site does a good job of educating folks on issues such as the extension for the 171H.

However, with an LID of 3/14, we have a ways to go and I just can't do that to myself. This is also why I've been blogging and commenting less - I am afraid I'll get totally "sucked in." I'll still check on the rumors off and on (especially when referrals get close) and I am sure as we get closer to a referral, I'll be hitting refresh every five seconds. But for now, I am going to let Hope be my filter. I'll still be checking all my favorite blogs so I can celebrate each and every referral. But I am going to take a break from the "12 month, 18 month, 24 month" game. It's anybody's guess and no amount of speculation is going to change that fact. When I started this process, I decided to trust our agency and the process. As much as it hurts, I have to continue trusting.

HEY YA CHARLIE BROWN OUTCAST HEY YA SONG

Check it out. I love this song and either it's the wine I've been drinking or this is really funny!

Wireless In Rhode Island

For anyone who scoffed at my need for a wireless connection at any airport, I have a little story. I arrived at a certain airport at noon last Wednesday for my 1:14 pm departure. After everyone boarded, they decided that the plane (regional jet) was over it's weight limit. They make a lame announcement which basically says "we are over our weight limit and we need some people to get off the plane". Yeah, Mr. Airline Employee that's going to work. So "Little Miss Helpful Let Me Tell You How To Do Your Job" (aka - me) sitting in the front row tells the guy "I think you need to tell people a little more info if you want them to volunteer. You know, tell them if you are offering any vouchers, tell them when they will be rebooked, things like that". Blank stare from Mr. Airline Employee.

Of course no one volunteers, so I said I would sacrifice my 110 pounds - HAHAHAHAHAHA. Six other women (who are now my new friends) volunteer also. Then the chaos begins. The gate agents start pecking on their keyboards looking for alternate flights for us and what do you know, can't seem to find any. "Little Miss Wireless" (aka - me) fires up my laptop, logs onto my favorite travel website and proceeds to find flights for myself. I also tried to help my new friends but they were all traveling together and it wasn't easy to find six seats. Yes, I was one of "those" people - but hey I wanted to get home. The gate agent tries to tell me that there aren't any seats on the flight I found and I say "yes, actually 3F in first class is open and that will work just fine for me." The seven of us then proceed to re-negotiate the original voucher offered and got them to increase that a bit as well. Only fair since I did a bit of the work.

It took TWO hours to get all of that settled and then still had a couple of hours before the new flight. So I headed to the airport bar with my six new friends and had a couple of drinks. They were a hoot!!! So if you ever get stuck at the airport just give me a shout and I will hook you up!!

P.S. - Angela, Mark is of course excluded from any frustration that I appear to have with Mr. Airline Employee and his co-workers. Mark is the pilot, the one that gets me home safely. I say THANK YOU every time I pass the cockpit door when getting off of a flight - even if it is late.

Have You Seen This Show?

I'm in my hotel room, flipping through the limited channels and trying to get some work done and I came across this show "Honey*we're*killing*the*kids" on TLC. Two words. TRAIN WRECK. Oh my goodness. (I know what did I expect with such a dramatic title.) Think Super Nanny but all about diet and exercise.
Is this show old news, am I the only one that hasn't seen it? Sure, it's mostly common sense, things we all know but don't necessarily always do. They study what your kids eat and also the amount of exercise they get vs. how much time they spend watching tv and playing video games. Then the whammy, they run this data through some fancy schmancy computer model and show what the kids will look like when they are 40. Scary. Not in an attractive vs. unattractive way but more about how healthy they will be. Who knows how accurate these computer models are but at 40, they looked at least 55. The main star/host is Dr. Lisa Hark, well known nutritionist. She takes the family through a three week program where they transform their eating and exercise habits. She showed how much sugar they should be consuming in a week and then showed how much they are actually consuming each week. Ouch. They just threw out all of their junk food - huge plastic bin full. Not good. Hmmm. I just realized I am basically watching a TV show about how bad it is to watch too much TV. Wait, is that the hotel gym calling....... Nope it's still the TV.
Have you seen this show?

Funniest Thing Ever Heard At 35,000 Feet

I've logged a few miles over the last 15 years or so. I've heard and seen some crazy stuff while flying the friendly skies. I once heard a two hour conversation between a minister and a Las Vegas stripper - I kid you not. Too bad I didn't have a blog then!! Anyway, I was on a flight yesterday and as the flight attendant comes down the aisle to take our drink order, the woman next to me orders a strawberry daiquiri. HA!! Would you like that before or after the five course meal you are going to be served? This wasn't even a "real" airplane. It was a regional jet. What do those things seat, like 60 people? You can't even stand up. Sure, the thing is equipped with some (hopefully) sophisticated navigation equipment and your seat cushion will somehow magically become a flotation device in the event of a water "landing" but sorry, no blender.

Pathetic

I take it personal if I find myself in an airport or hotel that doesn't have a wi-fi connection. Recently, my wireless card is having trouble at home and I haven't figured out the problem just yet. In the meantime, do I just stay tethered to the office? Oh, heck no!! All I need is a loooooong ethernet cable and I am good to go. Here is the new look leading from the office to the bedroom (or anywhere else in the house.)

And thanks to the layout and modest square footage of the Jon and Karen Abode, I can actually cover the entire house with this if necessary. Sure we aren't going to pass any baby proof inspections but I'm sure we Jon will have the wireless issue figured out before our homestudy update.

I remember years ago when Jon first suggested getting a wireless router. Don't quote me but I think my response was something like "how pathetic would I be if I couldn't just stay in one place when I'm online"? I think I just answered that question.

Camp Jon and Karen Postponed

For the past few summers, my sister's three kids have visited sans parents for a few days. Oh you would not believe the craziness. We stay up late, skip baths, eat ice cream, go to movies, go to the zoo. We've even been known to go as far as breaking out a T for Teen XBox game. (OK, we had my sister's approval on the XBox game.) Basically they stay with us for a few days and then we send them home completely off schedule, all hopped up on sugar and spoiled rotten. Hmmm remind me to think twice before sending "LuLu" to anything called "Camp Brian and Hope."

We have a large closet under the stairs in our house which we've always called "The Harry Potter Room." One year, I let them each take a wall and paint it how they wanted. Ivy was only 2 at the time. I can't tell you how many times I said "Ivy, you can not do this at your house." I'll have to post some pictures of "The Harry Potter Room". Can't find any and too tired to take any right now. It's pretty cool.

Anyway, camp Jon and Karen 2006 was scheduled to begin Saturday and end next Thursday. Since I've been under the weather this week, we have decided to wait until the end of July. Very disappointing - we were all looking forward to it (especially my sis). However, I need to be 100% so I can pull out all the stops while they are here. Now I have more time to think of something extra special to do while they are here.

Be Careful What You Wish For....

Early last week Jon came down with a nasty cough, sore throat, congestion, fever, the works. Jon never misses work and he stayed home for three days. He was sick. Miserable. I wanted no part of it so I started popping the Airborne as soon as his symptoms appeared. I am a big fan of the Airborne and I do believe it has helped in the past. I had to fly to Kansas City on Tuesday and did not want to get sick while out of town. Also, there are few things that compare to the fun of congestion at 30,000 feet. I kept thinking "please just let me get back from Kansas City before getting sick." What the heck was I thinking, why didn't I ask for more than that??? So, I loaded Jon up with Chicken soup, gatorade, herbal tea, every OTC severe cold remedy ever made and headed to Kansas City.

Got back Thursday night and woke up last Friday morning after apparently being invaded by the snot squad. Resigned myself for a weekend sick in bed. Unfortunately, yesterday (Monday) I was getting worse instead of better so I went to the Doctor. I'm not really all that picky but I need to be able to either breath through my nose or my mouth, either one is good with me. Attempting to fill my lungs with air resulted in a lovely display of caughing and gagging and my nose wasn't much help either. Had to sit through a short lecture about how I am not treating my allergies and therefore I am jeopardizing my immune system and getting sick more often. Blah Blah Blah. Can I please just have the prescriptions??? I know it doesn't make any sense. I continue to ignore my allergy meds which could have prevented this from becoming bronchitis but I am now begging for the magic pill(s) to make me feel better. OK, I promise to rethink that strategy. I will take better care of myself. As soon as I emerge from the snot.

A New Book For "Lu Lu"

Jon's Mom (MIL) came over last Sunday (why are all of my posts a week late?) and brought this adorable book. It is a collection of poems all about bathtime. Carl Sandburg is represented along with some lesser known poets. Remember "Miss Susie Had a Baby, She named him Tiny Tim?"
Yep, that is in there as well. As cute as the poems are, it's actually the pictures that I love and is exactly what attracted MIL to the book. There are tons of beautiful pictures of children scattered throughout the book. They don't all look like me and they don't all look like "you". Yet, they look like all of us. Children of many races will identify with at least one of the pictures in this book. It's subtle yet very effective.
Thanks MIL - very thoughtful!!!!

Katie Watch

Monica and Paul are hours away from meeting Katie. What a great Father's Day. They have been updating their blog since arriving in Beijing earlier this week. Hopefully there will be some some news on Katie soon. Wonder if she still has all of that hair?

Three Months Down...

As of yesterday, we have been logged in for 3 months. At one point that would have meant that in three months we would be seeing a picture of our daughter. Today it means that we have been logged in for 3 months. Nothing more, nothing less.

Not sure if this is a good thing or not, but it seems that I am coming to terms with the longer wait. It seems, I've lost my sense of urgency to get things done. I guess that is why Madarin Monday is turning into Monthly Mandarin. And you know what, it's been nice. I realized I'd lost my sense of urgency when talking to my Mom last night and she was asking when I planned on starting the nursery since she wants to help. I couldn't believe when the words "probably in January" came out of my mouth!!!!! When we started this process last year, I would have thought that the nursery would be totally done by now; not to mention the guest bath which is also on the list. Last time I passed by the guest bath, the nausea inducing maroon and white striped wall paper and nasty carpet were still there. Guess it isn't going to magically transform itself. (Note to self: get Mom to help with guest bath remodel.)

That's not to say that I won't have anything done with the nursery by January. I am sure that bedding will be bought, paint will be selected, decorating ideas will be decided, and I will have a detailed plan of attack delegating all the tough or boring tasks to Mom and Jon. But unless referrals start tripling their current rate, I really don't picture assembling it all together until the first of next year. Is that bad?

Of course, even though I have not formally started the nursery, "Lu Lu's" closet currently looks like this. Yeah, she has a couple of dresses.



I also just remembered that she has a raincoat. I don't remember the last time it rained here.

We have Jon's childhood dresser that I am going to attempt to transform and my Mom has a rocking chair for us. Also, thanks to my sister we already have a crib. I tell you the best thing about becoming a Mom after your sister and most of your friends is all the free stuff you get. Free stuff works well with the adoption budget. My sister has loaded us up. And the timing is perfect - they are contemplating a move in the next few months. You know how people start getting rid of stuff instead of moving it all? Oh yes, we are cashing in on the opportunity. One morning when my brother-in-law was staying with us on a business trip, I came downstairs and it was like Christmas morning in our living room!!! Clothes, a crib, a carseat,plastic crap toys, books. (I'm not being ungrateful, the term "plastic crap" is a running joke with my sister. And she asked before she sent the plastic crap toys our way. ) Since we don't turn down anything free these days, we said yes. Not to mention that "Ivy's Magic Faucet" was included. That will have to be a whole different post....somehow I started out talking about being LID for 3 months and now I am talking about "Ivy's Magic Faucet." Time to stop rambling.

Sometimes Mother Nature Is Ugly

When I returned from Chicago last Wednesday night, I couldn't believe how much the latest baby doves grew in four days. Then by Friday, they were standing and starting to flap their wings so I knew it was a matter of time before they flew away.
Saturday morning they were in the nest when I went downstairs to make coffee. By the time, I came back to get some coffee, they were both gone. I have no idea why, but I decided to peek into the nest. I didn't like what I saw. In the nest was a broken egg and a baby bird that had clearly just hatched. "She" was about the size of my thumb, had no feathers and the eyes weren't yet open.

First of all, where did this egg come from? Minutes ago, there were two birds leaving this same nest. I've been watching doves for a couple of years now and I know that the mama bird sits on the eggs for at least a couple of weeks. It didn't seem like there was time for any type of "emergency delivery". Was this an unexpected late third egg from the same Mom? If so, did it hatch or was it broken by one of the other birds. Don't know. I do know that you usually don't see the babies when they first hatch because the mama dove sits on top of them for quite some time. I didn't like the looks of this.

I obsessively watched the nest Saturday. There was a dove that came and took away the broken egg pieces but that was it - never came back again. There was another dove that looked as if she was busy moving in next door to the existing nest - she was no help. I didn't want to intervene too early because if the mama bird was coming back, I certainly didn't want to discourage her. It was excruciating to watch. Finally by late Saturday, I couldn't take it anymore. This bird was abandoned, left behind, alone. Yes I know it's a bird and you can color me dramatic but the metaphor was not lost on me. (Great big shout-out to Mom who totally "got it" without me having to point it out when I told her the story on Sunday. I love you.)

I did some googling to figure out what I could do. Luckily doves are vegetarians so I wouldn't have to mush up any worms. All the pet stores were already closed so I made a "homemade formula" that I found online. I thought if I could get her through the night, I would look for more expert help on Sunday. I used a straw and got her to eat a little. In my extensive 15 minutes of online research, I learned that baby Doves actually stick their beak inside the mama bird's beak to eat - not the other way around. Therefore, the usual syringe trick doesn't work so well with doves. Not like I had a syringe around the house anyway. So I used a straw that she could get her beak into (trying to simulate the mama bird's beak) and I was able to get her to eat a little. A couple of hours later I got her to eat again. I also learned that without their feathers, they need to stay very warm. Luckily it was about 100 degrees during the day. I didn't want to remove her from her nest so I covered her up for the evening.

I checked on her about 6am Sunday morning and she ate quite a bit. She seemed pretty active - and her eyes were still closed. An hour later, when I came downstairs Jon told me that she was in her nest but she was no longer alive. Yeah, I felt awful. I knew this was a possibility from the beginning but she was so active when I fed her earlier I was hopeful. I had already named her "Squirt".

So we left her in the nest and buried her in our garden and also added a bird bath to the garden in her honor. OK, actually Jon bought the bird bath on Saturday but we set it up on Sunday after we buried her. She was the fifth bird hatched in that nest this year. There was already another bird waiting next to this nest - I guess she thought she was next. I swear there is a sign-up sheet somewhere. The new mama bird built another nest next to the original spot and she is now on our patio and hasn't moved since Sunday. I guess we will have another couple of baby birds before long.



P.S. Please do not leave me any comments telling me that I "could have done this", or I "should have done that." I don't watch Animal*Planet, it was Saturday night, I did the best I could and I already feel awful. If you do have some assvice, wait a week and email me.

Naming Babies With Ivy

Since the day my niece Ivy found out about the adoption, she has been asking what we are going to name our daughter. The answer "we haven't decided yet" doesn't sit well with Ivy. It never has. I have had more than one phone conversation with Ivy that went something like this:
Ivy: So, have you decided what you are going to name your baby
Me: No, not yet
Ivy: Hmmmm (said in a very disappointed tone)

Occasionally, she will tell me about someone who just had a baby and suggest the name that they used. Our inadequacy to decide on a name is really getting to Ivy.

When I was home for Mother's Day, I was sitting next to Ivy on the way home from church. Apparently the baby name topic was on her mind. She turns to me and suggests that when we get to her house, we get out all of her babies. She would tell me each of their names and maybe one of those names would work. I told her that sounded like a good idea. Now I have to tell you that Ivy has LOTS of babies. In fact, we just discovered recently that she actually runs a daycare out of her bedroom called "Lots of Babies Daycare". Who knew?

So, as soon as we got to her house she went to her room and with the help of my mom, she separated all the girl babies from the boy babies. This is when we discovered that her baby "Candy" is actually a boy. Again, who knew? (For the record, we've had a boy name picked out forever. It's the girl name that we are stuck on.)

Then she brings me in her room and one by one she points to them and tells me each of their names. She also suggested that I get a piece of paper so I can write them down.

(Tried posting a picture of the list here but blogger isn't letting me post pictures. Is it just me?)

Here are the names:
Shoo Shoo
Gi Gi
Fay Fay
Butterfly
Sick Baby (as soon as Ivy tells me the name, the looks at me and says "But I don't think you want to name your baby that.") "Probably not" I tell her.
Sleepy
Big Baby
Lu Lu
Santa (yes, Candy is a boy and Santa is a girl)
Berry
Carseat Baby (which had to be scratched from the list because all of a sudden Ivy remembered that carseat baby is a boy.)

I gently told Ivy that I wasn't sure any of these names were going to work but I told her that until we decide on her "real" name, we will call her Lu Lu. So for now, it's Lu Lu. And Ivy's satisfied....at least for now.

What Happened To Last Week?

Last week came and went as a blur.
However, a few things happened last week that I want to capture. They could each be a post of their own but I’m already behind and attempting to catch up.

Tuesday May 30- I was moving slow as a result of our biking weekend but I flew to Orange County, CA. for the day. Left for the airport around 6:00am and returned home around 11:30 pm. I described the term "day trip" in this post. However, 6 hours of combined flying time is total exploitation of the term day-trip.

It wasn’t a total waste however. I did have a ladybug sighting. My co-worker Rick and I had just settled into our fancy Ford rental car. He says “Oh, there’s a bug on you” and he swats it off of my knee onto the floorboard of the car as if he is doing me a favor. I look down and it was a Ladybug. I started screaming “Dude, what are you doing???” "Are you nuts!!!" “You can’t go around hurting Ladybugs!!!!” Yes, me the self-proclaimed Ladybug cynic was instinctively looking out for Miss Ladybug. I gently picked her up and set her free – out of harm’s way from Mr. Ladybug swatter. I’ve worked with Rick for about six years now, he doesn’t even ask anymore.

Also on Tuesday, my Mom helped out her community by getting an uninsured, under the influence, driver off of the street. Unfortunately it wasn’t by choice and was with the rear end of her vehicle. OK, how completely out of your mind do you have to be to rear-end a white SUV that is traveling around 40mph????? Yes, he rear-ended her while she was moving about 40mph. Which ironically is probably what saved her. He was going much faster than she was and he never slowed down. Mom is perfectly fine - she wasn't even sore which is amazing yet not surprising since she is one of the strongest people that I know. I had been complaining for days about my aches and pains from my bicycle when I found out about the accident. Yeah, I felt like a schmuck.

Thursday June 1 – Discovered that we have two new baby birds in the nest on the back patio.


Friday June 2– I haven’t mentioned this here but a very good friend was diagnosed recently with breast cancer. She had surgery on Friday. The final report isn't in but the doctor's feel that they caught it early. She will have a series of radiation treatments but the doctor's are hopeful. This is a direct quote from her "Get your mammograms!!!"

Also on Friday some good friends left for Russia to meet the little girl that will hopefully become their new daughter. The adoption won't be finalized on this trip but hopefully their second trip will come soon and they can get her home.

Besides the above happenings I estimate that I checked the Rumor Queen's blog approximately 2 million times for some big announcement that never came. If you are adopting or considering adopting from China and you do not yet know about the RQ site, I must warn you. It will be the best and worst thing that you have ever found. You will get addicted and as of now there is no cure for the addiction. I take no responsibility for the addiction that will consume your life.

Day 2. Trails 2. Injuries 1(if you only count flesh wounds). Flat Tires 1

After our 150 degrees noon start on Saturday, we decided to get an early start on Sunday. That really wasn't too hard since we were asleep by 9pm Saturday night thanks to Trail #1. We received a little local advice on some trails from our waiter while enjoying our well deserved dinner and Margaritas Saturday night. It is a good thing we got this advice since Sunday morning, we realized that we lost our Mountain Biking book - I swear I did not throw it over a cliff.

Our plan was to do a longer but nice, easy and partially paved trail. Sweet. Our waiter did however, warn us that this trail connects with a much more intense trail so be sure to stay on the main path. Right. First few miles was great. The trail was crowded which was fine with me because that actually slows Jon down to a much more manageable pace. Then all of a sudden, I notice there aren't many people on the trail. Next thing I know, we are headed down a hill of boulders measuring half my size. Much to my surprise Jon was the first to get a flesh wound on trail #2. Of course, his injury was attributed more to his poor shoe choice than his skills but at least I wasn't the only one injured. Misery does love company.

(Imagine a picture of Jon's bleeding ankle here. Blogger is not letting me upload pictures.)

Trail #2 however, did leave me with several lovely bruises. We stuck with the scary trail for a couple of miles and then headed back to the nice trail. I will say that Jon did a great job of announcing the trail obstacles. "Slight uphill coming up." "Tight squeeze ahead" "Low tree limb" "Loose rock" "Steep downhill cliff of huge boulders". Unfortunately, he was usually so far ahead of me that I couldn't hear him or I was dealing with something he did not feel was worthy of an announcement.

Jon: "Steep hill coming up"
Me: "OK, as soon as I free myself from between this boulder and my bike, I'll be sure to watch out for it. Thanks."
Jon: "You ok back there"
Me: "Oh yeah, doing great"

We rode for 2.5 hours but that did include a much deserved swim break.

Later that afternoon, we headed back to another part of the nice trail. No falls, no injuries to report. After a few miles, Jon however got a flat tire so we decided to call it a day. I would be lying if I said I wasn't somewhat relieved about that decision.

Day 1.Trail 1. Injury 1

Finally getting around to a recap of our Mountain Biking excursion over the Memorial Day weekend.

Being the Mountain Bike novice that I am , Jon let me choose the first trail that we would "conquer". Over a very leisurely breakfast Saturday morning, I started flipping through the pages of our Texas Mountain Biking book. As soon as I found a trail within close proximity and was listed as a level one, I was done. I didn't need to look any further. Let's face it, 98% of my cycling experience has been on some type of smooth, paved surface. And the other 2% was me struggling to get to the nearest smooth, paved surface. The fact that this trail was listed as "family friendly" was an added bonus.

As soon as we finished up our leisurely breakfast, loaded up on water and found our way to the trail it was around noon and about 150 degrees. Glad we got an early start.

I knew I would be struggling to keep up with Jon but I was feeling pretty confident considering this trail was listed as "family friendly". OH MY GOSH. Who's family are they talking about?????? Maybe Mr. Lance Tour de France Armstrong's family - but not this family!!!!!!

I swear, 15 feet from the start of the trail I observed in front of me what can only be described as "The Winding Staircase Of Death." Mother nature has intricately carved several narrow, steep, curving steps out of exposed tree roots and rocks. At 16 feet from the start of the trail - this was my left elbow. Sure it doesn't look that bad in the picture, that's not the point. I was only 20 feet from the start of the trail!!!!!!

Of course Jon gracefully navigated "The Winding Staircase Of Death" with ease so he was oblivious that I was down. Out of pride stubbornness, I tried my hardest to keep it that way. The blood seeping from my elbow pretty much gave it away. It was "just a flesh wound" so we kept on riding.

Luckily, that was the worst part of that particular trail. The rest wasn't easy by any means but wasn't as evil as the first 15 feet... and quite fun I have to admit. Usually when I cycle, my mind is on how many pitiful miles my little odometer is recording. One good thing about mountain biking is that I was so focused on trying to stay alive, I didn't worry about the stupid odometer.

Back Home

We made it back home safely late this afternoon from our mountain biking/sight seeing weekend. "Safely" is a relative term since I am scraped and bruised. We had a great time but I think the trails won. More on that later. I need to leave for the airport in 7 hours for a quick trip to Orange County, CA. and really need to get in a few winks.

Happy Birthday Jon!!!!

Yep, today was Jon's birthday!!! Trouble is I can't say a thing about his age because I will always be 5 years older than him. We are using the long weekend to celebrate his birthday and get out of town. Loaded up the bikes and drove a few hours south for a change of scenery. More to come on our weekend adventures!!

Before Or After?

Since my trip to New Orleans recently, I've gotten questions regarding how the area is doing. It's been 9 months since Katrina. It's also less than a week before the start of another hurricane season. Are things better? The playground at my nephew's school is no longer full of teachers living in tents. I suppose you can put that in the "things are better" column. However, everywhere you look there are images that would make more sense if it was 9 weeks since Katrina hit as opposed to 9 months. These pictures were taken by my brother-in-law just a month ago.

I tell you I admire all the people that drive past these sights every day and still manage to put one foot in front of the other. It would get to anyone.
The drive between the airport and my parent's house takes you past areas that were some of the worst hit. Much of it was under several feet of water for several days. Those areas are still very much a ghost town. It's all hard to take in but there are specific sights that still give me a pit in my stomach.

1. You see blue tarp roofs everywhere. I actually prefer to see the ones that cover most or all of the roof. The small ones tell me that someone had to try and escape or was hopefully rescued from the small hole under that blue tarp.
2. I still can not check luggage when I fly to New Orleans. The scenes of the baggage claim area at the airport being used as a temporary morgue are burned in my memory.
3. I still choke back tears when I see the spray paint on the houses that tell how many people were found dead or alive by rescuers.

On my first visit after Katrina, I noticed that every event was described as "Before Katrina" or "After Katrina". When people talk about events such as this person moved, that person got another job, this person passed away, so and so had a baby, it's all labeled as "Before Katrina" or "After Katrina". Katrina was not just a hurricane but a point in time from which events are measured.

On this visit, I realized that it's been shortened to just "Before" or "After". The "Katrina" is just understood. I heard two people talking in the airport:
"I've been living in D.C."
"Was that before or after"?

My nephew was telling me about a friend that used to live in his neighborhood. Then he added "but that was before".

No Vacancy

I am sure everyone has been on the edge of their seats and have not slept waiting for another update on the baby birds. They actually left the nest about a week ago. A couple of days before they flew away, they were quite active so I knew it was a matter of time. Here is the last picture that I took of the two of them.

Then one morning, one of them flew away and within an hour the other was gone.

However, we are not suffering from empty nest syndrome. The same day that these cuties flew the nest, another Mama Dove moved right in. Just like last time, Daddy Dove (I assume) helped "build the nest". Of course he got off easy since he chose a pre-built rather than new construction. They did make a few modifications and upgrades which Jon was quite happy about since he questioned the quality of the first nest from the beginning. Within a day the new dove was there to stay. And just like last time, no sign of Daddy Dove since the nest modifications were complete. Couldn't he visit once in a while, bring her a worm, something!!!! As far as I can tell, she has barely moved in almost a week.

I'm going to have to consider catching and tagging these birds. The same day the previous occupants flew the nest, someone else moves in??? How does that happen? Were they out scouting for a place to build a nest and just happened upon a vacancy? Is there a 1 800 reservation number for my back patio nest that I don't know about?

Mojitos with Paul

My younger brother is doing some work a couple of hours from here. He had a little break late yesterday and this morning so he headed this way and spent the night with us last night. Paul is 11 years younger than I am so he was only 7 when I left for college. Since I never moved back home full-time, he was 7 years old to me for quite a while.
Although I just saw him last weekend when I was home for Mother's Day, there was there was so much activity we really didn't get to. As adults, there have been a couple of times that we have spent time together without the rest of "the gang" and despite the age difference and geographical difference, we are close. In 1999, when I lived in Sydney, he visited for a couple of weeks and we had a blast. We went whale watching and I'm pretty sure we were the only two people on the boat that weren't sea sick and hurling over the railing of the boat. We also went hiking and got leeches (yes leeches) on us. Nasty. Then a few years ago, he flew into town and we went to the U2 concert together. This visit was short and did not include leeches or Bono but it was good to share a few hours and a couple of Mojitos with him!!

My Mother's Day

(Been really busy so this post is over a week late.)

Now let’s talk about my Mother’s Day. Yep that’s right, thanks to my very sweet husband (don’t worry Jon, you are also sexy) I received my first Mother’s Day present this year. He gave it to me before I flew to New Orleans to see my Mom.
Not only did he think to get me something but he got me the perfect something. This necklace from Red Envelope. I LOVE it. Here's the description from the website:

These twin pendants celebrate one of the most cherished bonds of all—that of a mother and daughter. The top pendant is mother-of-pearl and hand-carved with the Chinese characters for mother and daughter. Underneath, the English translation is etched in sterling silver
Very, very thoughtful and I have worn it everyday since he gave it to me. I love it. Thanks, Jon

The day after he gave it to me, I went for my eyebrow wax appointment. The woman that waxes my eyebrows is from Korea but she also knows quite a bit of Mandarin. As soon as I positioned myself on the torture device, aka spa table, she said something which I did not even remotely understand.

"Excuse Me?" I replied. (Hopefully I managed an “Excuse me” but it could have easily been "Huh?"....Yeah, those Mandarin Mondays are really paying off for me.)

You’re necklace, she said “Mother and Daughter”. "Oh, yes I said." Then I asked her to repeat it about fifty zillion times so I could get the pronunciation remotely close. She also showed me how to write the characters. She wrote the characters and her pronunciation on a Kleenex. I gently folded the kleenex and put it in the side compartment of my purse. There is no way that she can know how priceless that simple Kleenex is to me.

Good News

A friend of mine (that I 've known since first grade) and her husband are adopting a little girl from Russia. Their amazing and adorable son was adopted from Russia as an infant and has been asking for a baby sister for quite some time. I ran into her at church when I was home visiting my Mom this past weekend and we were sharing adoption updates. She was thinking it would be several more months before a referral. Well I received an email today and they got THE CALL!!!! I am sooooo excited for them. They will be making the first of two trips to Russia at the beginning of June. YEAH!!!!!

Mother's Day 2006 - Part 2

After making this box with our wedding photos, I decided to make one for Mom also. Her version had pictures of all of us through the years including a picture of Mom holding me as an infant. To represent her future Grandchild, I put a picture of "I Love You Like Crazy Cakes" (which she had read numerous times to my niece), a picture of a ladybug, the picture of me crying last Christmas when I saw the dress my Mom made for our daughter and a picture of our paperwork. I can't wait to glue a copy of our referral picture somewhere on that box .

Spending Mother's Day with Mom was great. As I get older I realize more and more what an amazing woman she is. I swear when I was 16 she wasn't as brilliant or cool as she is now. Honestly, there are so many things about both of my parents that I took for granted. It seems like a good time to capture a few things that I appreciate about Mom more and more with each passing day.

1. I love that she can laugh until tears run down her face.
2. She has been with my Dad for over 46 years but understands the importance of girlfriends. She has an amazing group of friends. For as many years as I can remember, if you have lunch at a particular restaurant on a Tuesday, you will see a large table of women. One of them may be laughing so hard that she is crying.
3. I appreciate that she never expected my life to be her life. I moved away immediately after graduating from college. (And talked about it long before that.) She has never for a single second made me feel guilty for moving away. Even when I announced one day that I was packing up and moving to Australia, I am pretty sure her response was something like "Great, we will come and visit." And they did. Sure we have both shed tears while saying goodbye at the airport. However, she taught me that remaining close isn't dependent on physical proximity. Just as living close to someone doesn't guarantee a close relationship. There's more to it than that.
4. I am constantly amazed at her energy. I swear there is a super-secret energy source that she has not shared with the rest of the world. Some people look at kids and wish they could "bottle all of that energy." You could say the same thing about my Mom.
5. Growing up there were four of us kids with 13 years difference between the oldest and youngest. For many years, my Dad traveled for work 50% of the time. So she was dealing with potty training, a rebellious teenager and everything in between all at the same time. Although for two weeks out of most months my Dad was out of town, I honestly don't remember her complaining.
6. She is always willing to try something new. She started Yoga in her fifties long before it became "mainstream". (At least in her small town in south Louisiana.)
   
   While home, I also went ahead and gave Dad his Father's Day present which included a great hat purchased from M3's cafepress shop. (Pictures coming) Of course, even though I told Dad it was his Father's Day present, he is always ready with the last word. As he dropped me off at the airport, he said "See you for Father's Day."

Mother's Day 2006 - Part 1

I decided to fly to New Orleans for Mother’s Day this year. I haven’t spent Mother's Day with Mom for at least 15 years. Sure, I always call her and usually manage to send something. And I do travel “home” for many holidays, Mother’s Day just has not been one of them. I decided over a month ago that this year I wanted to spend Mother’s Day with Mom in person. I also wanted to surprise her. Unfortunately, with her social calendar, the element of surprise became impossible and last week I had to go ahead and tell her I was coming. Still a surprise, just a couple of days early.

I also (half-jokingly) told her that I wanted to spend the day with her because "let’s face it, next Mother’s Day is going to be ALL ABOUT ME. "(She didn't take offense, in fact she laughed. Lucky for me, Mom has a sense of humor and is eager for another Grandchild. She also knows that I will always celebrate her no matter what. ) As I see it, here are the possible scenarios for Mother’s Day 2007:

1. We will be home from China. (Hey, a girl can dream can’t she!)
2. We will be in China
3. We will have our referral and will be waiting to travel
4. I will be curled up in the corner with a bottle of tequila. And a lime because, let’s face it, tequila without the lime….well, that’s just tacky.

So, regardless of how you slice it, I will be needing a little extra attention next year.

It was a great weekend. I got to see my parent's new house for the first time. It was really good to see them not living in their MOTORCOACH anymore. (My Dad corrected me when I referred to it as a trailer in this post.) Apparently there is a big difference.

Saturday we went to the local seafood joint and bought some boiled shrimp and crawfish and picked up some Abita Beer. In south Louisiana, nothing says Mother’s Day like boiled crawfish and Abita Beer. And we ate the shrimp and crawfish the way they are supposed to be eaten. In the backyard, on a picnic table covered with newspaper.




















To be continued....

My Favorite Poet

is my nephew Jackson. He received an award in the Young Author's Contest for their parish (county). He won in the category for second grade poetry. I am soooooo proud of him. He went to the awards ceremony last night and read his poem in front of a large audience. I spoke with him when he was on his way to the award's ceremony. It went something like this.

Me: I am so proud of you, Jackson!!!
Jackson: Yeah
Me: Are you going to read your poem tonight?
Jackson: Yeah, in front of hundreds of people
Me: Wow, that's great
Jackson: And it's going to be in the newspaper and on tv
Me: Well, I want an autographed copy of your poem
Jackson: (slight chuckle)
Jackson: When are you going to China?
Me: In about a year
Jackson: A YEAR?!?!?!?!?!?!
Me: Afraid so
Jackson: Well have you picked out your baby yet?
Me: Lame attempt to explain the process without using four letter words
Jackson: Well, when you go will you get me a picture of a panda?
Me: Absolutely

And We Had To Have A Homestudy......

not to mention clearances from every level of law enforcement, reference letters, etc. Then you read that Britney*$pears is pregnant with number two. I know, I know, the skull fracture on her seven month old was the nanny's fault and she had her infant behind the wheel to "protect" him. Please. And don't get me started on her love them and leave them (when several months pregnant) husband of hers. Going to get more coffee.....

Mandarin Monday - 7

I'm sticking with the baby theme this time. No, I'm not going to learn how to say "baby birds". I'm obsessed with them, but it's not quite that bad.

Some of you may already be aware of this site that does daily podcasts in Mandarin. They have done two great podcasts here specifically for adoptive parents. I recommend listening to the second one on the page first (the one fromMarch 6th). Warning: It made me cry, but I'm a known crier. And then listen to Baby Talk #2. I thought they were pretty cool and very well done.

Whew - They Aren't Squashed!!!!

I was really worried that these little birdies would be flat as a pancake after seeing how Mama Dove sits on them. But I guess she knows what she's doing. Finally, I got the picture. I got home late last night and I was happy to see Mama Dove was still sitting on the nest. Being the bird expert that I am, I don't know how long before these babies leave the nest.

I stumbled downstairs this morning for some coffee and was greeted with this lovely sight. So I got up on my chair and was able to snap this picture.

Baby Bird Update

(Updated with correct link to M3's hideous bird thing. Somehow I managed to totally mess up the original. Thanks M3 for the heads-up. Seriously, if you haven't seen this thing it is worth the click.)

I've been in Atlanta since Sunday night. I was home for a few hours today to say hello to Jon, re-pack the suitcase and get a flight to Kansas City. This is where my "wise beyond her years" niece would say with a slightly sarcastic tone "And......how are you going to have a kid". Unfortunately my sister and I both know exactly where she gets her sarcasm. Her Dad. HA!!
Yes, I know that my job will need to either disappear or drastically change. I'm working on it.

While home, I also made time to check on the babies (don't worry, I know they are birds...I haven't completely lost my mind.) I swear Mama Dove sits right on top of the two babies. I admit I'm not an expert on birds of any kind. In fact, my bird knowledge is limited to what I have witnessed outside of my kitchen window. However, I will never understand how she doesn't smother them. I noticed that she flew away while I was downstairs so I ran to get the camera so I could get a picture of the babies. They are quite a bit bigger than just days ago. I guess you could say they are cute. Let's just hope they grow into those eyes and beaks. They are definitely cuter than this hideous creature. Sorry M3.

Anyway, by the time I got back with the camera, this is what I saw. I am not sure if you can tell in the picture but the layer between Mama Dove and the nest....well that is her two baby birds.

I asked Jon to try and get a better picture of them before I get home Friday night. Yes, I am obsessed with getting a picture of them before they fly away.

We Have Babies!!!!

Baby birds that is.... Mama Dove made a nest on our back patio about a month ago. She actually disappeared for about a week after the nest was finished and then returned. She has not moved from that nest in weeks. (I would never make it as a Dove.) Oh, and Daddy Dove....sure he helped build the nest. I guess that is considered "man's work." However, once she started sitting on the nest I have not seen him once. Not even so much as bring her a grub to eat. Very disappointing.

We noticed there were two eggs in the nest the day before Easter. Then yesterday I noticed that she seemed to be sitting higher on the nest but couldn't see any movement in the nest. Well, this morning I spotted two little birds peeking their heads out from under Mama Dove. I don't know how she doesn't squash them - she sits right on top of them. They are tiny - about 3/4 the size of my thumb I am guessing.

I sat there for a while watching and guess who showed up? That's right "Mr. Nowhere to be seen Daddy Dove." Soon after he showed, Mama Dove left. He just kept looking at the nest and then finally he broke down and sat it. I am quite sure there was some Dove signals that went out this morning telling him to get his sorry self back to the nest to give her a well deserved break. I hope she is enjoying her day out.

I managed to snap this picture from inside while Mama Dove and Daddy Dove were changing shifts. It's not that great but I was standing on a chair, holding the mini blinds out of the way with one hand and trying to take the picture with the other. Oh, and I was on the phone with my sister during the entire operation. Unfortunately, it's the back of their heads and you can't tell how tiny they are here. I still couldn't resist.

Aggie Andree' In The House

About a week ago, I announced that we had received our first piece of LSU propaganda. At the end of the post, I put a note to my friend Andree' that we would save room on the bookshelf for an Aggie book. That note was more about trying to prod a comment out of my Dad than trying to get a free book out of Andree'. (Not that we have anything against gifts of any kind of course). My Dad and Andree' have had a rivalry going since Andree' and I were roommates years ago. A little history - Andree' and I went to work for the same corporate giant after graduating from college. We met in the two week brainwashing new employee orientation session and have been the best of friends ever since. We were roommates for quite some time until her husband came along and stole her from me. She now lives way too far away with said husband, her four beautiful kids and her tolerable dog Niblets.



Yesterday, this lovely book showed up on our doorstep. Did you know that Jack and Jill, Hickory Dickory Dock, Little Miss Muffet and all of their other nursery rhyme friends are actually Aggies???? Apparently the entire collection is Aggie Goose, not Mother Goose. Who knew? And it's not Yankee*Doodle but Aggie Doodle. I kid you not. I'll bet you didn't know that when Jack and Jill went up the hill, it was to get to the top of Mt. Aggie. (As defined in the back of this very educational book, Mt. Aggie is an artificial skiing surface where many Texas A&M students have learned to ski.)

My favorite part of this gift was actually the packing slip on the outside of this envelope. (Like a kid that plays with the box more than the toy.) The envelope was addressed to:
Karen (Mom) Lastname
So a great big shout out to Andree' for balancing out the college propaganda. We'll see if Dad has anything to say about this new development.

KATIE!!!!!!

Yeah!!! Monica and Paul (fellow Gladney adopters) received their referral today. Katie is amazing. Oh my gosh - the hair, those cheeks!!!!! They were LID 5/31 so barely missed referrals the last two months so it has been brutal. She just posted Katie's picture. GO. LOOK. NOW.
http://rileysgirl.blogspot.com/

Mandarin Monday - 6

In anticipation of the next Stork arrival, (hopefully this week) Mandarin Monday is back with some new words. I am going to try and stir up some good mojo for a large batch of referrals by having more of a baby theme this week. Two sweet phrases which could come in handy on "Meetcha Day".

I have listed the English, Pinyin and then a pronunciation HINT in parentheses. Remember it is just a HINT since the tones are very important.

Phrases For The Week:
I love you - Wo Ai Ni (Wo eye nee)
Don't be afraid - Bie Pa (Bee a pah)

Click here to hear the pronunciation. You have to click on the phrase and then select the play icon on the mp3 pop up page.

Also, since I am linking to this site, I will mention that if you aren't already aware, there is a CD with many useful phrases that you can purchase. Very reasonable and the proceeds go towards helping other families finance their adoption. I ordered it and have found it very helpful. (OK, so my mandarin stinks but it isn't the CD's fault.)

So go ahead - tell someone you love them...Mandarin Style

First LSU Propaganda

I knew it was coming. However, I thought the first bit of LSU propaganda would come from my Dad. But it seems that my picture taking, cocktail drinking, green behemoth driving brother in law was first with the propaganda. Now we can rest easy knowing that our daughter will learn the most important colors in the world - purple and gold of course. This lovely board book will also teach her to recognize the all important objects such as marching band, flag girls, memorial tower and football helmet. Oh and for bedtime stories and lullabies we have the complete lyrics to the Alma Mater and the LSU fight song.
Brian may have been first but it's inevitable that our daughter will have an LSU cheerleading outfit before she is 3 compliments of my Dad. I've come to terms with that fact. The LSU brainwashing begins early in my family. Hey, I'm not making this up. I have proof. Here is my niece Ivy which I present to you as "Exhibit A."

And here is "Exhibit B". Ivy and her LSU loving brother and sister.

P.S. to Aunt Andree' - Shhhh....don't tell Pappy but I am saving room on the bookshelf for an Aggies book!!!

LID BABY!!!!!!!!!!!! (UPDATED with Photo)

UPDATE: It bugged me yesterday that I didn't have a picture to post w/our LID announcement. Stole this pic this morning from my photo-taking, flickr loving brother-in-law. This is my sister receiving the LID news over IM. I had already left her a voicemail on her cell but tracked her down on IM.

Just when I was starting to make up other nasty, cynical, sarcastic meanings for the acronym LID we received ours today!!!! Our dossier was officially logged in on March 14. We were DTC on 2/23 so just shy of 3 weeks if anyone is counting. I suspected we were LID sometime in March but it feels good to know the actual date. Referrals are given based on your LID date which is the reason that date is so important. Therefore, according to our Agency and China, we have been waiting for 6 weeks now. Funny, it seems like 41.5 years to me. IF* referrals stay around the 12 month timeframe, we should see a picture of our daughter in about 10.5 months. That would put us traveling possibly* in May of 2007. I can remember when things initially started slowing down, I wrote about how I was having a hard time accepting that we may not travel until 2007. Well 2007 is a given at this point. It is what it is. Obviously the sooner the better but last time I checked, Mother's day and Jon's birthday are both in May. China wouldn't be a bad place to celebrate either one of those.

*Yes, Anything can happen but my glass is still half full (sure some people call it denial) and I am holding onto the hope that referrals don't go past 12 months.

Tagged For Weirdness

I've been tagged by Lisa to reveal 6 weird things about myself.

1. My footprint usually has four toes. There are actually five toes on each foot but my pinky toe sits on top of the toe next to it so it doesn't touch the ground. When I think about it (like right now) it drives my crazy and I have to try and pull the pinky toe away from the other toe.
2. I have been to at least 20 countries including 4 countries in Africa but have never been to Las Vegas.
3. I am a high maintenance sleeper. It has to be quiet, dark and exactly the right temperature. Yes, I realize that having a child will either fix this or completely destroy me.
4. The sound of someone whistling drives me crazy.
5. Sometimes I read the end of a book first.
6. Finding an ingrown hair on Jon that I can pull out makes my day.

Now I get to tag six people to share their 6 weird things.
Let's see... How about...
Monica (so close to referral, surely she has some weirdness going on)
Suzanne
Shannon - Bless Your Heart
Glo

Sandy

Julie

If you have already been tageed or you don't believe in this sort of thing, don't sweat it. Otherwise, give us the weird and then pick six people to do the same.

Home Sweet Home

After 18 months of living in their RV, my parents finally have a real house again. They planned on this "temporary" living situation for a few months between the time they sold their house and finished construction on a new house. Sure it's a nice RV but it is typically reserved for fun with the Grandkids, vacations and tailgating. They traveled around a bit in the beginning including a visit to see us - it was an adventure, a chapter, something to say you did. In the beginning, my Mom even put up with my lame Chris*Farley "living in a van down by the river" jokes.

Hurricane Katrina turned this temporary situation into an 18 month ordeal. Through it all, they handled it amazingly well. Considering many in the area still have no place to live, I guess it was tough to complain. I hope if Jon and I had to suddenly leave our home and live in a 38 ft trailer for a year and a half, we could survive it like they did. And it wasn't just any 18 months. Last summer, one of my Mom's best friends passed away, a couple of months later the hurricane wiped out their town and many homes of family and friends, my Mom's brother passed away in January and we had a scare with my Dad's heart in February. Last Thursday they were finally able to close on their new house. I am thrilled for them. They had some furniture delivered yesterday and the movers were coming today to move their stuff out of storage. It is still unknown how long they will stay in that area. It's not an easy place to live right now. Of course I have a not so secret plan which involves them moving to Texas but I don't want to say much yet - I don't want to jinx anything. So for now, it's Home Sweet Home.

How To Get Adults To Participate In An Easter Egg Hunt

We hosted Jon's family for Easter yesterday. It was a good day. Hopefully everyone enjoyed themselves as much as we did. Jon was determined to have an Easter Egg Hunt. Unfortunately, our nieces/nephews on Jon's side of the family are a little past the Easter Egg Hunt stage. The youngest is 14 and hunting easter eggs is not cool. The oldest is in his 20's (I'm afraid to ask Jon exactly how old he is since it will only serve to make me feel really old.) Jon's answer to our aging guest list - get plastic eggs and put dollar bills inside. There was also a "prize egg" that had a larger cash prize. It worked well. In case you were wondering adults will hunt for eggs if there is money inside of them. Unfortunately we didn't snap any pictures but it was pretty funny. In the end we came up one short so there is still a dollar hidden somewhere in our yard. Unless of course one of our guests came back last night to look for the last egg. Diane, was that you? Otherwise, that will be Jon's tip next time he cuts the grass.

I don't think I have mentioned this here but his niece is pregnant and due late summer which is very exciting. Yes, Jon and I are going to be a Great Uncle and Great Aunt before we become parents. That's cool with us - one more to practice on....right, Erin? Therefore in the next year or so we will have a couple of little ones to add to the mix and hopefully can cut out the cash bribes.

Spring Break

Thanks for stopping by. Mandarin Monday is on spring break. I'm not on spring break though - quite the opposite. Buried 10 feet under at work. As a matter of fact it is 11:20 pm and I am taking a break from work to write this. No time to write and even worse, no time to read my favorite blogs.

Besides, we need to give Jon another week to make sure he can order a beer while in China.

Chia Found Dead (UPDATED With Photos)

It was reported earlier today that Chia died a sudden slow and painful death in the kitchen window of his owner. Chia is survived by his enthusiastic (yet obviously neglectful) owner Jon and his wife, "hater of all things Chia", Karen. It is suspected that the death occurred several days ago but was only recently reported to the authorities. A full investigation will be conducted. In lieu of flowers, donations should be sent to your local chapter of WOCPO (Wives of Chia Pet Owners) Support Group.

During an initial search, authorities also found the original box of Chia. Authorities have reason to believe that the owner's spouse could try to "re-gift" this exact Chia. Apparently that type of childish behavior has occurred within her family. Therefore any friends or family that suspect they may be the victim of such a heinous act should immediately contact the authorities.

Autopsy photos were originally withheld to avoid protest within the Chia community. However, at Johnny's request.....

Mandarin Monday - 5

Yes, I know it's Tuesday. Better late than never?
I'm sticking with the "Glass half full" theme for one more post. This week I am going to learn how to order three key beverages.

Words For The Week:
"Water" - shui
"Coffee" - ka fei - (finally a word that sounds familair)
"Beer"- pi jiu

Click here to hear the pronunciation. Beer is first on the page, water and coffee are further down. There are lots of other beverages here also. Feel free to pick your favorite.

I remember when I had to learn all the state capitals. My Dad came up with all of these witty sayings to help me remember them. It worked like a champ. I cracked up when I heard the first part of "beer" is pronouced pee. That I can remember.

P.S. Yes I realize that I should also learn something like milk or formula. Don't worry, we have lots of Mondays to go. All in good time.

Speaking Of Glass Half Full....

I think I have mentioned before that I am artistically challenged. Apparently, when I posted a picture of Ivy's masterpieces, I had Jon's upsidedown. Thanks to Ivy's Dad for pointing that out. It seems my niece drew Jon a cocktail. Duh - It's perfectly clear now. Yes, Dear Sweet Ivy thought her Uncle Jon would enjoy a picture of a cocktail. For the record, she also drew one for her Dad. I guess this is why we did not have Ivy write a reference letter for our adoption (besides the fact that she was 3 at the time). "Dear Adoption Agency.... Yes, Uncle Jon is a great guy as long as he puts down the cocktail glass." Oh, lighten up people I'm joking. He's not always holding a cocktail...sometimes it's just a beer.