Hush Little Baby

Hugs and kisses to the O'Neill family. They sent a beautiful quilt square and wonderful wishes. One of the wishes is a lyric to the lullaby, Hush Little Baby, by Sylvia Long. Now I did not know this before but this lullaby makes mention of a quilt.

"Mama's going to bring your warm bedspread."
"If that quilt begins to wear, Mama's going to find your teddy bear."

Thank you Rob, Cindy and Kathleen!

A Day in the Life of Doofus Girl

O.k., I'm driving home from work thinking of the glorious roasted chicken dinner I was going to prepare for hubs tonight. After taking one bite, hubs would heap praises on me and wonder in amazment how he ever lived without me. Then he would enthusiastically offer to wash the dishes, wipe down the stove and massage my tired teacher feet. Well, not so fast, as Hilary Clinton recently said to the GOP candidates running for reelection. Not one ounce of this midday delusion came to fruition. Apparently, a doofus, that would be me, neglected to take her house keys to work today. So when she came home today, she was locked out of her own home. I know that you are in disbelief---how could doofus girl forget her house keys? To convince yourself that no human being with even the faintest pulse can be so dumb, you ask yourself...

How could doofus girl forget her house keys when she needs them to lock her doors?
Well, no house keys needed if doofus girl leaves through the garage.

Why aren't her house keys on the same key ring as her car keys?
Because when doofus girl was leaving the house, she only grabbed the keys to her father's 11 year station wagon borrowed the previous night due to her own car being in the shop.

How did doofus girl get into the her house?
By confessing her mortal dumbness to her neighbor who took pity on her and allowed her to dial her mama who had just sat down to an evening of Chinese t.v. right before her dumb-ass daughter called.

What happened to the roasted chicken?
Nothing. Roasted chicken has been bumped to Thursday night. Doofus girl and her occasionally sympathetic hubby dined on Pei Wei noodle tonight.

Yes, I said hubs is occasionally sympathetic. This incident did not pass without much spousal ridicule.

First thing that comes out of hubs' mouth when he walks into the house:
"Fifi (our greyhound dog), did you know that Mama's I.Q. is lower than yours?!" Fifi licks him with delight.

"Come on, Doofy (referring to me), I'll take you out for dinner. Don't worry about the damn chicken."

and my favorite...

"It's hard to believe you would forget your keys, given your watermelon head."

Attachment Therapist Gives Tips

Just came back from our monthly adoption group meeting. I continue to learn so much. Here are some tips the therapist shared with us.

*Always be the primary caregiver to your baby (feed, bath, play, etc.)

*Keep stimulation at a minimum when the baby first arrives home.

*Always talk about your child's adoption freely with her. Allow your child to grieve about her loss. Acknowledge her grief.

*Do not pass your baby around amongst family members or friends for the first few months that the baby is home. This will help the baby recognize who is her primary caregiver which will allow for a healthier bonding and attachment.

*Establish good eye contact with your baby and make sure that the baby sees you/hears you at all times unless she is sleeping.

*Don't try to wake your baby up from night terrors (not the same as nightmares).

*Allow your child to emotionallly regress so that she may become more dependent on you. This is a very important part of bonding and attachment with adopted children.

*Set up a routine with your child and consistently follow that routine.

*Lastly, do not take any advice from parents that have biological children. Raising biological children is VERY DIFFERENT from raising adopted children.

November is National Adoption Month

November is National Adoption Month! According to the newsletter from our adoption agency, Governor Michael Dukakis first established an "Adoption Week" in 1976. Then President Ford made the idea a nationally celebrated event. In 1990, National Adoption Week became National Adoption Month. Ever since, the president helps to bring awareness to adoption as a way to build a family. This year, November 20 will be National Adoption Day. Our friends' daughter, Samantha, will turn ONE on this date. How auspicious! Happy birthday, Samantha!

So Hubs Tells Me...

So hubs comes home and tells me about an interaction he had with a co-worker the other day. A young man in his twenties stops by hubby's department regularly to shoot the breeze with the geek squad. One day the conversation goes like this:

Breeze Shooter: "Hey, Ron, you're married, right? You have kids don't cha?"

Hubs (cheerfully): "No, we don't but my wife and I are adopting!"

Breeze Shooter (in a solemn funeral home voice): "Oh, man, I'm sorry."

Hubs (not so jovial anymore): "Sorry? There's nothing to be sorry about. Why are you sorry?"

Breeze Shooter (with foot still in mouth mumbles): "Ah, um, sorry, dude."

Hubs (now with back turned to Breeze Shooter already sighs): "Yeah, whatever."

Another zinger to be added to the "well-meaning but inappropriate comment" list compiled by adoptive parents throughout the universe!

Special Thanks

Special thanks go out to my secret pal who sent me a wonderful book to read---Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew by Sherrie Eldrige. Also thanks to my co-worker who gave me her special quilt square and wish today. I love the princess theme!

More Halloween Pictures

Uncle Dong and Auntie Torry

Thank you for the super fabric square and great wish. I love it!

Sunday BBQ

We had a easy Sunday afternoon today with our family and friends. Samantha, Maya and Alissa were the stars of the show. Samantha and Maya got a chance to say hello to each other. My parents were thrilled to be able to meet Samantha and her parents.

Dead Celebrities!

Hubs and I had the most marvelous time last night thanks to our friends, Kristen and David. We tagged along with them to their friends' dead celebrities Halloween party. Hubs and I went as Steve Irwin and the infamous stingray. We even won a best couple costume prize! We saw many "celebrities." Our friends, K and D went as Rita Hayworth and Bruce Lee. The host and hostess of the party dressed as Christopher Reeve as Superman in a wheelchair and Carmen Miranda. Many thanks to Superman and Carmen for the wonderful French champagne and cool trophy!

Yeah, More Squares!

Well, I have to thank my good friends and neighbors. My old college friend, Jim, father of three, sent me two unique fabric squares. He lives in NYC and even went to the garment district to pick out the fabric. My neighbor contributed a huge piece of fabric that can be made into a book. And my co-worker picked out a pretty floral design. Thank you so much for your kindness!

Five Adults and One Good Baby

Nope, the title to this entry does not allude to a sequel to Three Men and a Baby. It is in fact a prelude to a wonderful experience I had today with my friends, Kim, Todd, Kristen and David. Ed and Wendy gave us a rare opportunity to babysit their daughter, Samantha. Samantha was a good sport and accepted us inexperienced parents-to-be with grace and good humor. Of course, it would not surprise me if Samantha did pondered the answers to the following questions as she peered into our eager but novice faces.

Q: Does it really take 4 adults to make me a bottle of juice using a bottle liner?
A: Yes. The first bottle of juice made was leaking like a cracked Hoover Dam. It took Uncle David, the 4th adult, to finally correctly insert the bottle liner and keep the juice flowing through the nipple and not out the side of the bottle.

Q: How many adults does it take to change my wet diaper and food stained clothes?
A: Two with three additional adults on stand-by in the same room.

Q: Just how many diaper sniffs are necessary to detect that I have a dirty diaper?
A: Apparently too many and these adults were still indecisive and rather borderline clueless.

Q: How many hints must I drop that naptime is bad, walking around smiling is good.
A: Way too many! In the crib=crying. Out of the crib=joyful grinning. What part of this equation don't they understand?!

Wendy and Ed, if you are reading this, thank you for entrusting us with your precious Samantha. She is so bright and bubbly. We learned a lot with Samantha today and look forward to the next opportunity to babysit her again. ;-)

Bummed But Back

O.k., when I got the email from CCAI concerning the extended wait for our childmatch, I was a bit bummed but now I am back. First off, I would like to thank the Fellman family for their vibrant square and wonderful wish. I am nearing 65 squares so keep them coming family and friends. This weekend will be a busy one for us. Tomorrow we will be volunteering for the Greyhound Adoption League. So the Fifster will be coming with us to the South Florida Fairgrounds for an exhibition. Sunday, we will be helping with babysitting chores for our friends who recently came home with their baby girl from China. She will be having her first birthday soon!

You Go Girl!

Much thanks go out to my colleague, Julia, who just gave me the most adorable fabric square with spunky girls all over it. The two wishes are wonderful. Thank you!

The Latest From Brazil

Hugs and kisses for Auntie Maria-Helena in Brazil. We received her fabric squares today. The wish is written in both Portuguese and English. Perfect!

Another Sammy Picture

Here's another picture of our first visit with Wendy, Ed and Sammy. I think it's clear who is the cutest!

The Squares Are Coming

Hugs and kisses for the Tsang, Remylus and Resendes families. Their squares and wishes are wonderful! At this moment, I have 60 fabric squares. Keep them coming family and friends!

Thank You Wendy, Ed and Sammy!

Hubs and I just wanted to say thank you for having us over and for the wonderful gifts. I look forward to doing the memory book. Little Miss Bumble Bee has already found a spot in our bathroom and is waiting patiently for Gi. I can't wait for the other waiting families to visit with you. I know they will feel the same joy and excitement that we did. Don't hesitate to let us know if you need an errand done or another home cooked meal. I also make deserts! ;-)

Sammy is Adorable

Hubs and I had a great afternoon visiting our friends who just brought back their daughter from China. Our friends showed us great pictures of their adoption journey and gave us some very good advice. We also got to see the joyful face of their little girl, Sammy. They are a blessed family!

Boo Hoo Hoo Again

It's getting harder to remain cheerful. Just got an email from our adoption agency. It stated that our wait for Gigi is going to get longer still. So, family and friends, forget about a childmatch in Feb or March. Maybe now we are looking at May, June or July at the earliest. I feel certain that we will need to get re-fingerprinted and redo our 171H. The thought of having to deal with the West Palm Beach immigration office again is nauseating me already. I've never seen so many negative incompetent human beings so densely concentrated in one location as I have seen at our local immigration office. And, no, I don't mean the applicants there. I mean the sub human beings that parade around as immigration officers pretending to do their jobs! O.k., I'm taking a deep breath now. I am calm, I am calm, I am calm...I am looking at the positive side---more time to save more money, learn about child rearing, read about bonding and attachment, attend parenting workshops, yada, yada, yada.

Rollerblades

My co-worker, Lea, gave me a wonderfully colorful square with rollerblades on them. Her card even matches the theme of this project. It depicts a group of quilting women. It is titled "The Quilting Society" by Lowell Herrero. Thank you, Lea, for putting so much thought into this.

Small Thanks

Many thanks to the Small family for their cute ladybug/dragonfly square and great wish.

Mama Came Through

My mom and I went out today to look for a square for Gi's quilt. Mama Chang picked this out for her granddaughter. She even wrote a little wish in Chinese for Gi on this card. Always sticking to simplicity, she wished Gi good health and a quick and problem-free upbringing. Thanks, Mom!

Harvest Moon Festival

Our PBChina group held a Harvest Moon Festival tonight in West Palm Beach. A good time was had by all. So many adorable adopted sons and daughters from China. Many of them were wearing their traditional Chinese outfits. There was an entertaining magic show geared toward the young audience. Hubs tasted his first piece of moon cake tonight! Here's some information about the history and tradition of the Harvest Moon Festival.

The Lady - Chang Er
The time of this story is around 2170 B.C. The earth once had ten suns circling over it, each took its turn to illuminate to the earth. But one day all ten suns appeared together, scorching the earth with their heat. The earth was saved by a strong and tyrannical archer Hou Yi. He succeeded in shooting down nine of the suns. One day, Hou Yi stole the elixir of life from a goddess. However his beautiful wife Chang Er drank the elixir of life in order to save the people from her husband's tyrannical rule. After drinking it, she found herself floating and flew to the moon. Hou Yi loved his divinely beautiful wife so much, he didn't shoot down the moon.

II. The Man - Wu Kang
Wu Kang was a shiftless fellow who changed apprenticeships all the time. One day he decided that he wanted to be an immortal. Wu Kang then went to live in the mountains where he importuned an immortal to teach him. First the immortal taught him about the herbs used to cure sickness, but after three days his characteristic restlessness returned and he asked the immortal to teach him something else. So the immortal to teach him chess, but after a short while Wu Kang's enthusiasm again waned. Then Wu Kang was given the books of immortality to study. Of course, Wu Kang became bored within a few days, and asked if they could travel to some new and exciting place. Angered with Wu Kang's impatience, the master banished Wu Kang to the Moon Palace telling him that he must cut down a huge cassia tree before he could return to earth. Though Wu Kang chopped day and night, the magical tree restored itself with each blow, and thus he is up there chopping still.

III. The Hare - Jade Rabbit
In this legend, three fairy sages transformed themselves into pitiful old men and begged for something to eat from a fox, a monkey and a rabbit. The fox and the monkey both had food to give to the old men, but the rabbit, empty-handed, offered his own flesh instead, jumping into a blazing fire to cook himself. The sages were so touched by the rabbit's sacrifice that they let him live in the Moon Palace where he became the "Jade Rabbit."

IV. The Cake - Moon Cake
During the Yuan dynasty (A.D.1280-1368) China was ruled by the Mongolian people. Leaders from the preceding Sung dynasty (A.D.960-1280) were unhappy at submitting to foreign rule, and set how to coordinate the rebellion without it being discovered. The leaders of the rebellion, knowing that the Moon Festival was drawing near, ordered the making of special cakes. Backed into each moon cake was a message with the outline of the attack. On the night of the Moon Festival, the rebels successfully attacked and overthrew the government. What followed was the establishment of the Ming dynasty (A.D. 1368-1644). Today, moon cakes are eaten to commemorate this legend.

Windfall

Wow, my counsins in San Francisco recently sent me 15 fabric squares! A big thanks to them. Also received two lovely squares and wonderful wishes from the DeLuna and Schickel families. Many thanks to them also. I think we are past the forty mark now!