Mum, my bed's too small.

Rosie, all 5 ounces of her, has been complaining of late that her bed is too small. She slept in her sisters full size bed recently and loved the fact that she had so much room. The following night when I tucked her in she complained she was squashed in her tiny bed. I pointed out that if she evicted some of the squatters she would have plenty of room.

The child has so many animals in her bed that it drives me too distraction and she won't give up one, not one. She perches herself on the edge of the bed whilst these stuffed "things" take up 75% of the surface area. I finally decided that we needed to make over her room and get her a bigger bed. Since orange is her favourite colour we would paint the room and replace her bed all at the same time. She was quite giddy.

Quite giddy until she realised she would be giving up her bed. Kidlet thought she could keep her bed, along with the trundle and still manage to fit a full size bed in her teeny tiny room. Ohh, not happenening child, unless you are planning on sleeping suspended from the seiling. That put an end to all talk about a bigger bed.


Yesterday Lily convinced Rosie to use her trundle bed for all of her animals and sleep alone in her bed. I really don't like this idea as her room doesn't need 2 beds in it all the time but she thought it was a fabulous idea and before I could say a word Lily said she had an even better idea. Oh deary me.

Lily and her spent hours in her room yesterday just organising and being very busy and this was the final outcome. I will probably twitch nervously for days at the aesthetics of it all but the general idea is brilliant.  Rosie has a bed for her and a bed for her friends.

Almost alone

Why yes all these things did used to reside IN her bed with her. 

So for now it works. At least she has room to actually lay flat on her back, before she could only lie on her side.

Growing like a weed

Just over five years ago a little tiny girl called Nan Qi Min lived in an orphanage in China and spent her days dreaming of a forever family whilst at the same time on the other side of the world her big sister Lily dreamt of having a baby sister. When the universe aligned the two were bought together, forever.

Nan Qi Min and her nanny

Five years ago today in a very cold room in the Civil Affairs Office of Guandong Province PRC I held a very very tiny 12 month old baby girl with a heart condition for the first time. My life would never be the same again, nor thank goodness would hers. She was scared, unhappy but oh so loved. Loved from deep inside my heart. That love has continued to grow and will continue to grow, daily.

Nan Qi Min.
Lily is looking at her with a face that says, Whoa, just my luck this kid can scream.

One year later she was no longer a little girl with a heart condition, she was cured and she was just Rosie. She was still very shy and timid but her confidence was growing and she was a cheeky little imp.Rosie continued to grow and get braver. She still wasn't ready to take on the world but she knew if she had her family her life would be ok. She never ever wanted to be more than a few centimetres away from her family though.

Rosie Qi Min Cope.....getting stronger by the day.
Family day 2009

and as each anniversary of Rosies forever day passed she grew and grew. some might even say she grew sillier and sillier. We say that is how we know she was meant to be part of this family

Family day 2010

Family day 2011. Another crazy Rosie face.
Still carrying her security blanket wherever she goes.


Last year she had finally laid her demons to rest and so we dragged out her Gotcha day outfit and squished her back into it for a commemorative photo op. It was a tad on the tight side. Just a smidge. 

Family day 2012

Today.

Now 5 whole years have passed since that frail, sweaty little body was placed in my arms, screaming. Her confidence has reached new heights and I thank her kindergarten teacher and her swim coaches for it. She realises that people other than me are kind and it is OK to be more that 3 cm away from me as no one is going to hurt her and that she will be returned to me. She still worries about what ever she can think of, she still frets about life in general but my little girl is growing up and isn't afraid of her own shadow anymore.

 Rosie, you are an original, a one of a kind, I love you to the great big sky and far beyond it. You make me laugh with all your little quirks and your wicked sense of humour. I just don't think I could be happier that I am today until I get to tomorrow and then I wonder how I can be happier than I am right now and you show me that I can be.You are as loyal as any junk yard dog and a fierce protector of your family. Thank you for making my heart whole.
Mummy.

Looks who's six

My baby is six. I can't actually bring myself to say it out loud, I am just whispering the word in a way reminiscent of how old ladies used to say the word, sex. It just seems so very very big to me. She is still so tiny so I think it might be a mistake, an accounting mistake, yes that must be it.

Just in case it isn't a mistake I did my annual pre-birthday interview with her last night. Even she seems a little surprised that she is not going to be five anymore, weird little wonder that she is.




 I like to allow the girls to have their birthdays their way. If they want cake for breakfast then they get cake for breakfast. The rest of the year I am a bit of a drill Sergeant and since I DO NOT throw enormous birthday parties that cost as much as a wedding for them I allow frivolous behaviour. She even chose everyone clothes, that was scary. Thank heavens I don't have any orange shirts!Rosie being Rosie had her usual breakfast albeit surrounded by balloons and Happy Birthday banners and wanted to go to Miami Children's Museum for the day.  So we did, right after she opened her prizes.

One of my favourite photos ever of Rosie. I just caught her as she came down the slide as you enter the museum and she was so happy.

Lily caught a fish

Rosei captained a boat

Even the seahorses wore orange in honour of her birthday

A quick visit to the dentist

Thems so large choppers.

Got milk?

Grocery shopping at Publix

EMS workers

Rowing her boat

Kayaking

Climbing the rock wall, the tiny one

That's a big hat, Lilipop

Lily took on the monster wall, and won

Lily thought it was hilarious that the bear was so big

Getting her groove on in the recording studio. She had me is stitches.

A birthday tiara compliments of the art deptartment

Let them eat cake.

Cutting destroying her cake

Lego was her wish. Look at all the pretty colours it comes in now. Oh and when did Lego come in a Winnebago and trailer set complete with a BBQ and bicycle. It's very cool.

Happy birthday sweet girl. I love you to the moon and back. You are such a funny little one and make us laugh all the time. You have this strong need to please and are always checking to make sure I am OK. You are my girl and if I am there you are fine. You will take Lily as a close second but other than that you are not interested. Recently you have come into your own, thank goodness and have even been known to put people in there places. Swimming is the best thing that has happened to you and lucky for us you love it. Your confidence is starting to soar and I know that you are going places. You have a very compassionate side and get upset with anything that you construe as an injustice. School is another favourite place of yours and thankfully it is making sense. It was hard for at first to make any sense out of readiing but recently that has changed. You think math is the easiest subject ever and breeze your way through, just like your sister. Talking of Lily you truly do think the sun rises and sets on her.
I know this year will fly right by, they all do and I my wish for you is that it brings you all your hopes and dreams.
Love Mama.

The littlest swimmer

Today Rosie had her first competitive swim meet. Between her coaches and myself we have been building her up for this moment for almost a month and somehow, somehow, it worked. For the first time ever Rosie embraced a new experience rather than shy away from it. I was so proud of her. She had one tiny moment after the pep talk where she looked absolutely petrified and I really thought she was about to fall apart but she didn't. When the coaches took her to the starting blocks she actually smiled. She has moved mountains today.

Our morning started off with us loading the car and driving the 10 minutes to the pool, (how convenient!). As soon as we were sorted she had to head to warm-ups. I told her she would probably get kicked and that it happens to everyone and that it is no big deal. Yes, I lied but if she was feeling fragile and she got kicked in the face she would cry this way she would shake it off.

Why yes, I am feeling particularly confident

Warm up instructions

See her strap on her suit, how it is gaping? It's the smallest competition suit they make. Coach had to call Speedo just for her. 

Waiting for the heats to begin.

I love this picture of her. This was when her anxiety was starting to show.

Before we knew it she was whisked away to the starting area. I couldn't take photos from our side, because we were behind the swimmers and you are not allowed to take photos of their bottoms. (it's a sad world that we live in) so I don't have any photos of her first race which was the fly. There were only 2 swimmers in her heat and she came in second. I don't have her time either.

I smartened up for the next 2 heats and went to the other side the pool but I wasn't able to tell her so she couldn't find me but as is completely out of character she just did what the race officials told her without looking terrified.

Waiting for her starting instructions

And she's off

Go baby go.

She flew! I told her to swim like she was being chased by a shark but I really didn't think she would. She won and the child that came in second was exactly a minute behind her. This is a sport where hundreds of a second count. Everybody was clapping, I was amazed. I don't even think I moved from my spot as I was so shocked. She got out the pool absolutely beaming, she knew.

Next up was her freestyle and she was ready and raring to go. Poor kidlet was turning blue from being so cold but there wasn't much I could do. We kept her wrapped in 2 towels but once they get called to start they have to leave everything with the coaches and there is a lot of time spent waiting.

No fear at all

Just do it!

 no competitors even close.

She really proved herself and boosted her confidence. Coach told them that they might make mistakes because there is so much to remember, but he drilled them before they went in and they all remembered everything. Some strokes you finish with 2 hands, some with one, some with 2 simultaneously, then there was the don't finish face down in the back, that's only for practice, count your strokes under the flags and finish face up. How do they remember all of it? He even told the parents, don't get upset if they get D.Q.'d., they will possibly swim the wrong stroke cos they are nervous but not one of them did. As I stood waiting at the finish line I was listening to the comments from the parents of kids in other teams and they were all saying the same thing: that guy, meaning Coach Andrew, has a lot of winners today, and he did. His team of coaches are really great they work very hard to make it fun yet teach them right. He told every single child today, it is not about winning it is abut having fun. He takes the pressure off of them but still has more wins than any other team, he is just that good.

 Coach Andrew with coaches Vicky and Lisa. 

Santa stopped by to congratulate the kiddies. Rosie took one look at him and said, he isn't real he's not wearing gloves.
(apparently gloves determine fake from legit in her mind)

Rosie has now competed in an official meet so she has times.
 25 m fly...................haven't got them yet!
25m back................29.71
25m free.................29.08

 I'm really starting to like this "Swim Mum" job.

WHATTTT ? ?

I don't think I mentioned in the post about camping that Rosie got bitten alive. I applied bug repellent to her in a liberal fashion but the little rotter promptly took a baby wipe to her face the second I turned my back. Hah, bet she won't ever do it again. To defend the poor kidlet the stuff I use for times such as camping (makes it sound like I do it all the time doesn't it) or sunsets around water is strong enough to choke a large horse and stinks to high heaven. We didn't notice at all on Saturday that she was bitten but come Sunday morning the child woke up looking like she had Chicken Pox and scratching like she had fleas. At one point she actually asked me if I thought she caught fleas from Pi. I laughed my head off at that one.

It is impossible not to notice the spots. Everyone has something to say and the word I have heard the most is "chiggers". I just thought it was a biting bug but decided today after someone else said, oh they look like Chigger bites, to Google them. What? OMG. How. Disgusting. Are. They. ? .

Take a look for yourself. CHIGGERS Disgusting, no?

So poor little kidlet has some utterly revolting skank again. On a bright side they should be gone in 2 weeks but Christmas photos are scheduled for Sunday. Perhaps you will all be so kind as to ignore the Calamine lotion in this years pictures.

I now have a new reason to add to my list of why, I don't camp.... . . .. CHIGGERS.

You can only see 6 but at the hairline there are loads and of course on the other cheek

under her skin, under her chin, take it from me ( sung to the tune from Ariel)

This nasty crud goes all up in her scalp and ears.

and way down her back.

She also has the bites on one foot and it is really swollen. This kid gets the nastiest skankiest stuff.

No lip synching here

Following a trip to C0stco the girls were having a wonderful time making a toy car out of the empty cardboard boxes. Music was playing and they were in kid heaven. Since the Olympics Rosie has loved the song, "Call me Maybe" because the US swim team adopted it as their theme song so she heard it ALOT. I have it on a playlist and it came on. I had to grab my video as she abandoned all notions of making a car with her sister and just started singing and prancing about. Is it any wonder that I love my life with these two?

Meet and weep

Most schools offer a Meet and Greet the week before school starts so that the kiddos can meet their new teachers and see their new classrooms. Our school doesn't do these, well not for the most part. Last year we had a new Principal and she did but that was the only time. We get to wait until 5 o'clock on the Friday night before school starts and at that time the teacher and room assignments are posted outside the school. This year they a little more modern and posted them on the website, that was a shock.

Lily is heading into 5th. Lily's school is a K-8 and in this particular school she enters middle in 5th. She has no idea where to go on Monday. She has a room assignment and it means nothing to her. Poor child hasn't even been told what gate to go through, yet she remains totally unfazed. She'll figure it out. She isn't the only one who is clueless and in her mind they will all learn together. Cool as a cucumber. The upper academy is a completely different building and she hasn't been in it before but she just doesn't care. Chin up, head held high and off she goes. Unflappable. She doesn't even know if her friends are in her class.

Now lets talk Rosie. Rosie is entering Kindergarten. Since the second she came home Lilys old kinder' teachers have been hoping they would get her. At the end of the last school the kindergarten teachers kept saying she's ours. Rosie really likes them and was excited about it. As excited as Rosie ever gets about going somewhere new. These 2 teachers co-teach a large class but every year there is talk of splitting them up and giving them smaller classes. Last night Rosie did have a Meet and Greet because many of the kids entering Kindergarten have never been to this school before.

We all assembled in the Media Centre and waited for the Principal to announce teacher/room assignments. The "favourite" teachers had been separated and I couldn't decide if this was good or bad. It gave us a better chance of getting them, at least one of them. They called the list for the first one, Rosie was not called and Mrs. V hadn't even looked at us which was most unusual so I was starting to think we weren't going to get her either. By now Rosie has vacated her own seat and is sitting on my lap. Lily suddenly lent over and said, "Mrs Valle just mouthed I have Rosie". I looked up and she was smiling her great big happy smile. Then they called Rosie's name. I told Rosie she had Mrs. Valle and she just said, Oh.

Once all the kids were called they had to leave with the teacher and head to their new classroom. Rosie burst into silent tears and very timidly walked away from us all looking as if she was leaving forever. We just laughed. Not nastily but knowingly. Our neighbours were sitting with us at our table and their little girl is starting this school for the first time, she is all excited. When Rosie started to cry they were so concerned and asked what happened, Nothing we replied, she's just being Rosie.

Once Rosie reached Mrs V she was scooped up into her arms and hugged, End of tears and a big smile. Once we were done with all the rules, the expectations, the questions and the answers we went to pick her up. She was all in the thick of things smiling and having fun. Lily made her way over to her and they carried on together.

Rosie is already worried about next Wednesday when she has to walk into school alone, no more classroom drop offs. (I initially told her that her and Lily would walk into together but now I am not sure since Lily is in the upper academy, so that was a foolish thing to say). I have talked up all the positives and down played all the negatives. I have listened to her fears. We talked about how her tummy feels and I even told her that my tummy gets tied in knots when I have to meet with a new client. (not true at all) and I don't know them.

So she survived Meet and Weep, barely and now we just have to get through next week. After that she will be fine. Her uniform is ready, right down to her socks. Lily has all her new uniform in her closet, she has no idea what she will wear the first day, she'll grab it the night before. Both of them have the backpacks FULL of supplies, ready to go. I have slowly but steadily got Rosie to this point and now there is no backing down. As much as possible when we go out I drive via the school just to make it familiar again.

Send some positive ju ju this way on Monday please, Rosie is going to need it and Lily might need a little too, it's all new to her as well, apart from her friends, she still has them, at least we think she does, she won't know until she walks into her class.

I really can't believe summer is over. I'm going to miss them more than ever. I love these 2 little girls and love having them around.

One sure thing about Monday is this: the need for lots of tissues. Rosie will be a basket case and I  will be sad to see them head back for another year. 

Seeing clearly

About a month ago Lily told me her glasses weren't strong enough AGAIN so I rang the doctor and made her an appointment. Since Rosie is 5 she is also old enough for a comprehensive eye exam so I booked her in for one also. Might as well kill 2 birds with one stone.

If you remember this post here I took Lily to a Dr. who specialises in Ortho K about 6 months ago but I really didn't care for him that much. He did a great exam but his only focus was pushing those lenses on us and that is not somewhere where we want go go right now. I have researched it alot and it appears she is just to young for them. Today we went back to the pediatric specialist that we have always used. The girls love him and that always makes things better. Also in this practice there are many doc's so it's not unusual for them to bring in another specialist for a second opinions right there and then.

Lily went first. Yes, her eyes have deteriorated but not to the point where he is even concerned. She still has mild myopia and so no need for alarm. Phew. The other dude had me ordering a seeing eye dog already. He also doesn't understand why Lily has progressive lenses, he says it is unnecessary and I spent a whole lot of money on something that she doesn't need. (nice, the other Dr only concerned about his wallet. Arsehat). He believes after thorough testing that Lily's eyes are still changing so he wants to hold off on new lenses right now. He says I can buy them if I am THAT concerned but if I do in 6 months I will be buying more. If she really notices a difference then I should take her back.

I feel so much better knowing that Lily doesn't have an aggressive form of Myopia and all of this is normal for her age. She had every test done known to man and her eyes are healthy.

Fancy Nancy all ready to go/

Giggling as always.

Next it was Rosie's turn. I have noticed that when Rosies has to go down steps she really falters before she puts her feet down. If she is playing on the playground and the terrain changes she hesitates and I have always wondered if it is her vision. With that being said she doesn't strain to read books or stick her nose on the T.V. screen so I just wasn't sure. Today I found out that it isn't her vision. She has perfect vision but being Rosie she has some congenital malformation with her eye. Go freaking figure. LOL. Lily said something similar to the Dr. when he told me and he looked quizzically at us. I cracked up and Lily started spouting off all of Rosies, malformations, deformities, defects, whatever you want to call them. He wrote the laundry list down and then said that it has also affected her eye. She has a hazy film inside her eye that could start to change and affect her vision but that it might not. She has to be checked every 12 months from this day forth. My sweet little Ro Ro your grandfather once called you his little reject, I think he might have been on to something. I seriously wonder what the heck you did before you were born that has left you so perfectly "Rosie".


 wow, we could have checked her teeth at the same time she was smiling so big.



 Serious business this eye testing stuff.



yeah, I'm cute.



I didn't like to use the flash in the office. The room was as black as night but I didn't think they would appreciate me blinding my kids momentarily with the flash while they were trying to test their sight. Kinda counterproductive.