Another CAP (Chinese Adoptive Parent) sent this to me today. Take a minute to read through it. I'll wait.
Isn't it funny how something can amuse you and irritate you at the same time? I find it amusing that International Adoption can be boiled down to 14 Easy Steps! It's so easy, even a child can do it! HA! Tell that to anybody who has had to wait for 4 months to get all of their paperwork completed or had to wait on travel approval because China has 700 national holidays a year that shut down the whole process. I love how the article even makes it sound like the whole process takes 4 to 6 weeks. I'm sure the people who have currently been waiting almost 12 months for a referral love that. I thought 7 months was pretty bad, so I can't even imagine.
Oh, I'm sorry! Did I say that article amused and irritated me? I take that back, I guess I'm just irritated.
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Some odds and ends
First of all, I wanted to welcome our new visitors. Bonjour! Please make yourselves comfortable. (I am addicted to my sitemeter. It's like internet crack. But I promised grandmumsy I wouldn't mention crack anymore, so sorry mom!)
Second, The Kid had her first haircut this past week and I was so proud of her! She didn't get upset at all and was such a good little girl. She didn't even mind when the stylist blow dried her hair. The only thing she didn't like was when the stylist pulled out the curling iron. You go, Kid! I think curling irons are a hassle, too.
Miss R and I also attended a Baby Shower. That was fun because most of the people there didn't know that I had adopted (I didn't tell very many people beforehand because I was afraid of THE JINX). And really, isn't it all about making someone else's day all about yourself, or in this case, about The Kid?
And finally, on a totally unrelated note, Auntie J and I went to see David Sedaris Saturday night. If you haven't read any of his stuff, do it. He is without a doubt the funniest man alive. Auntie J and I may not have ended up as his best friends, as we had hoped, but it was still a great time. He even signed two of Auntie J's books and got hamburger grease on it. She'll never wash that book again.
Second, The Kid had her first haircut this past week and I was so proud of her! She didn't get upset at all and was such a good little girl. She didn't even mind when the stylist blow dried her hair. The only thing she didn't like was when the stylist pulled out the curling iron. You go, Kid! I think curling irons are a hassle, too.
Miss R and I also attended a Baby Shower. That was fun because most of the people there didn't know that I had adopted (I didn't tell very many people beforehand because I was afraid of THE JINX). And really, isn't it all about making someone else's day all about yourself, or in this case, about The Kid?
And finally, on a totally unrelated note, Auntie J and I went to see David Sedaris Saturday night. If you haven't read any of his stuff, do it. He is without a doubt the funniest man alive. Auntie J and I may not have ended up as his best friends, as we had hoped, but it was still a great time. He even signed two of Auntie J's books and got hamburger grease on it. She'll never wash that book again.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Easter Video!
I must warn you...I am still trying to get a hang on this editing thing, but the kid's fans demanded an advanced screening of the 'rough cut'. Enjoy!
Monday, April 17, 2006
Easter In Review
All in all, Easter was a great day. The Kid did a great job with the Easter Egg hunt that Auntie J provided. She got really excited when she would find a new stash of eggs and she knew right away that they were supposed to go in her basket. Most of the presents that the Easter Bunny brought were outside presents so it was kind of frustrating for the little peanut, since the weather was crap. "HEY! You get to have all this cool stuff, but you can't play with it today." That combined with just a whole different routine and abnormal amounts of sugar, contributed to not one, but two huge meltdowns throughout the course of the day. The first meltdown occured when she crammed about 57 Cheese Nips in her mouth at once and I told her that was too many. But, I finally managed to get her to take a 2 hour nap and she slept through the night. Yippee!
I'm working on a little video and I hope to have it ready to post in a couple of days. But in the meantime, here is a little video to tide you all over. Enjoy!
I'm working on a little video and I hope to have it ready to post in a couple of days. But in the meantime, here is a little video to tide you all over. Enjoy!
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Monday, April 10, 2006
Spring Cleaning
I finally got around to doing something on this here blog I should have done a long time ago. I removed any references to The Kid's name. I just felt kinda funny about having her name out there for all to see. So far, I don't feel weird about her picture being plastered all over this blog, but her name is a different story. SO. That's why she will be referred to from now on as The Kid, R, Slappy, Stinky Pete or any other name that I deem suitable. And you just want pictures anyway, so why don't I just shut up?
Thanks for your understanding. A momma bear has to protect her cub.
Thanks for your understanding. A momma bear has to protect her cub.
Bathrooms and Babies
First off, my apologies to Jackamo and T-Bone who have already heard this story. Feel free to skip over this one, ladies! Over the weekend, grandmumsy, Auntie J and I took The Kid to see The Easter Bunny at the mall. Things started off great. We got there right around lunch time when I was hoping most people would be feeding their children rather than waiting in line to go sit on Furby's lap. Everybody was happy. I have been talking to The Kid for weeks about The Easter Bunny (know known as EB) because I didn't want her to freak out like she did with Santa. She seemed cool with the whole thing. There was a little girl in front of us in line who was looking into the little pond and The Kid wanted to get down and go look, too. So, I set her down so she could go take a peek. No sooner had The Kid gotten over to the water, when I got to see my own 'water feature'. The little girl was peeing her pants.....A LOT. I had visions of The Kid bending down and splashing in it like she does in the bath, so I swooped her up and decided that she was done looking at the pond. The little girl's dad and brother waited in line while the mom took 'Pissy Missy' to clean her up. I was really hoping that the dad and brother would make it up to EB before Pissy Missy got back, but no such luck. She and her mom came back, just in time to go sit on EB's lap. I made sure The Kid sat on the other knee. At least whatever was on that knee probably wasn't as fresh.
After the visit with EB, we went and got The Kid a new pair of shoes. She got some trendy little sneaks, but it's a lot of shoe. I think I am going to start calling her Slappy instead of The Kid, since she slaps her big feet on the ground when she walks. I am not kidding. For such a tiny little kid, she has GINORMOUS feet. Pretty soon she'll be wearing men's shoes like her mommy. (I kid....I don't own any men's shoes at the moment.)
We followed the shoe ordeal with lunch and then a quick trip to the bathroom. This particular mall has no straps on their baby changing tables. I can tell you this much. Whoever the idiot was who designed that stupid bathroom should be the one to clean it up. After much struggling and wiggling, I finally managed to get The Kid changed. I put her down on the ground for two seconds so that I could wash my hands. In that span of time, she managed to get over to the toddler toilet and SHE WAS STANDING IN IT. Wearing her new shoes, mind you. I shook my fists up to the heavens and thought to myself "HA! What a spirited child have I!"
Later in the day, we are still at the mall and I get the overwhelming olfactory feeling that it is time to take The Kid to the bathroom again. So we trot back to my favorite strap-free baby bathroom. I strip The Kid from the waist down to the ankles and at that precise time, she decides to practice her mad Houdini moves and try to wiggle out of the situation. And without getting graphic, this WAS a situation. She proceeds to smear the baby byproduct all over the counter, herself, the mirror, her clothes and all the while I'm just trying to keep her from falling off and from getting any of it on me. I can handle just about anything, but poop is my weakness. I finally wrestle her back down into a semi-clean spot on the counter and get her diaper mostly back on. She decides to wiggle again and gets her feet (and new shoes) into the sink. Now, the stupid bathroom designer couldn't manage to include a belt in the changing area design, but they could install a stupid toddler toilet and automatic sinks. That's right, folks! Wet feet again. By the time I came out of that bathroom, The Kid was kicking and screaming, I was dripping with sweat and had her in a fireman's carry. I found Auntie J and basically said...."Here. I've just about had it with her today."
Ahhh, well. As a good friend of mine says, 'Your pain is tragedy, my pain is comedy. Let the healing begin!'
After the visit with EB, we went and got The Kid a new pair of shoes. She got some trendy little sneaks, but it's a lot of shoe. I think I am going to start calling her Slappy instead of The Kid, since she slaps her big feet on the ground when she walks. I am not kidding. For such a tiny little kid, she has GINORMOUS feet. Pretty soon she'll be wearing men's shoes like her mommy. (I kid....I don't own any men's shoes at the moment.)
We followed the shoe ordeal with lunch and then a quick trip to the bathroom. This particular mall has no straps on their baby changing tables. I can tell you this much. Whoever the idiot was who designed that stupid bathroom should be the one to clean it up. After much struggling and wiggling, I finally managed to get The Kid changed. I put her down on the ground for two seconds so that I could wash my hands. In that span of time, she managed to get over to the toddler toilet and SHE WAS STANDING IN IT. Wearing her new shoes, mind you. I shook my fists up to the heavens and thought to myself "HA! What a spirited child have I!"
Later in the day, we are still at the mall and I get the overwhelming olfactory feeling that it is time to take The Kid to the bathroom again. So we trot back to my favorite strap-free baby bathroom. I strip The Kid from the waist down to the ankles and at that precise time, she decides to practice her mad Houdini moves and try to wiggle out of the situation. And without getting graphic, this WAS a situation. She proceeds to smear the baby byproduct all over the counter, herself, the mirror, her clothes and all the while I'm just trying to keep her from falling off and from getting any of it on me. I can handle just about anything, but poop is my weakness. I finally wrestle her back down into a semi-clean spot on the counter and get her diaper mostly back on. She decides to wiggle again and gets her feet (and new shoes) into the sink. Now, the stupid bathroom designer couldn't manage to include a belt in the changing area design, but they could install a stupid toddler toilet and automatic sinks. That's right, folks! Wet feet again. By the time I came out of that bathroom, The Kid was kicking and screaming, I was dripping with sweat and had her in a fireman's carry. I found Auntie J and basically said...."Here. I've just about had it with her today."
Ahhh, well. As a good friend of mine says, 'Your pain is tragedy, my pain is comedy. Let the healing begin!'
Mashed Potato face
The Kid has never liked mashed potatoes until I told her they were french fries mushed up and then she couldn't eat them fast enough. 
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Separation Anxiety
I am taking a class that meets on Thursday nights through adult ed. Grandmumsy was kind enough to watch The Kid tonight so that I could go and 'better' myself. As I was gathering my things to leave, I leaned over and gave The Kid a kiss and said 'bye-bye'. WELL! She flipped out. I was so surprised, because she NEVER gets upset when I leave for work in the mornings. She seems to understand that when I leave in the morning, that means I can bring home the bacon AND fry it up in a pan at the end of the day. I guess it was just a change from the usual routine. As I was driving to my class, I couldn't help but feel incredibly guilty. So much so that I almost turned around and went back home a couple of times.
So, what did I do to help with my separation anxiety? I proceed to talk for two hours to complete strangers about The Kid. I'm sure they all want to kick me out of the class now. So much for making some adult friends!
(And just in case you were curious?? Grandmumsy cured The Kid's separation anxiety with a Banana Popsicle. Excuse me while I go hurl in the wastebasket.)
So, what did I do to help with my separation anxiety? I proceed to talk for two hours to complete strangers about The Kid. I'm sure they all want to kick me out of the class now. So much for making some adult friends!
(And just in case you were curious?? Grandmumsy cured The Kid's separation anxiety with a Banana Popsicle. Excuse me while I go hurl in the wastebasket.)
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Sad and Happy all rolled up into one
Auntie J was over tonight for a visit with The Kid and I. I was putting my car back in the garage when I came inside to see both of them with tears in their eyes. It turns out, the kid fell and scraped her knee. Auntie J is a big ol' softie so I wasn't surprised that she was about ready to weep. The Kid on the other hand?? She's usually so rough-and-tumble! I have figured she would be the one telling ME to suck it up and quit crying in a couple of years. As it turned out, she was hurt and Auntie J said she kept saying 'mom-mom-mom' while she was crying. Talk about breaking my heart!! Well, I scooped The Kid up and gave her some lovin' and kissed her boo-boo and for the first time in almost 8 months....I felt like The Kid's mom. Secretly, all this time, I've just felt like I was babysitting somebody else's kid. Kinda like when you move to a new place, you feel like you are staying in your great aunt's house for awhile.
It was hard to feel like I was a mom 8 months ago. I had traveled to another country, had a major travel ordeal, and just made it to China with a few hours to spare to comb my hair and not look like I had been on a plane or in an airport for the last three days. Then we walk into this room and somebody hands you a baby and they are trying to tell you things but you aren't listening because you are HOLDING A BABY, for cryin' out loud! Ever since that day, I had wondered if I would ever really feel like The Kid's mom. Well, I feel like I can now, OFFICIALLY, call myself a mom. Next thing you know, I'll be wearing high-waisted jeans and getting my hair permed.
It was hard to feel like I was a mom 8 months ago. I had traveled to another country, had a major travel ordeal, and just made it to China with a few hours to spare to comb my hair and not look like I had been on a plane or in an airport for the last three days. Then we walk into this room and somebody hands you a baby and they are trying to tell you things but you aren't listening because you are HOLDING A BABY, for cryin' out loud! Ever since that day, I had wondered if I would ever really feel like The Kid's mom. Well, I feel like I can now, OFFICIALLY, call myself a mom. Next thing you know, I'll be wearing high-waisted jeans and getting my hair permed.
A Pony!
Finally! It may have only lasted for about five minutes, but I managed to get The Kid's hair all pulled back.
Saturday, April 01, 2006
Huh??
The Kid has been down for the count for the last couple of days due to receiving four shots at her 18 month checkup (that I was almost 2 months late on...I know. I'm a horrible mother.). That poor little thing. I didn't know she could cry that hard. It must have taken her ten minutes to finally get calmed down. Ever since, she has been running a fever and has been really huggy. Which, I know it's awful to say, but it's been kinda nice since she never has time for hugs or cuddling. Anyway, my friend, Jackamo, who also happens to be a coworker, asked yesterday how she was feeling. I proceeded to tell her that The Kid woke up all smiley and happy again just like normal and that she was her normal 'crack baby' self again. Our manager happened to overhear that last little bit and said "just like her mother." HUH??? I didn't realize I gave off the 'crack' vibe.....
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