Dropping Like Flies

The members of this household are dropping like flies. Yesterday was my turn. I didn't get the bug just an enormous migraine that came out of left field just as I had started a therapy session with a client. I couldn't stop to take meds so I figured I would be OK to wait it out. That plan didn't work and by the time I got to the next client I looked at him and said, I'll see you next week! Thank heavens my people have been with me for years. (many of you have asked what I do that I only work for an hour a day. I am a licensed massage therapist that does deep tissue rehab work. Not the kind of massage that makes you feel good but the kind of therapy that makes you feel good later and keeps you moving. My clients don't say ahhhh its more like ARGHHHH.I used to work for a DR and also in the local hospital before Lily arrived but now I only take private clients. The state of Florida requires us to call them patients but I am a rebel!)

Anyhoo, before we all went down hill, cos Jakey was a tad off colour yesterday too, we had a great start to the weekend and here are the photos.

GRANDPA....I caught a fish (it looks like it's taking a nap but mummy says it's gone to sleep forever. I'm not sure what she means but it couldnt swim very well when I put it back in the ocean!!!!)

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A little lunch

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A walk in the bay

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Back on the beach

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No more pictures PUH-LEAZE (maybe I should have known when my little ham went camera shy that something was wrong!)

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This is how Schnoog spent a majority of Sunday...recuperating

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And I Had It All Planned

I was so happy on Friday to know that the weekend was here. For some reason last week was a tough one and just wouldn't end. I decided if it was a nice day on Saturday I would take Lily to the beach and we would just be lazy bums. So on Saturday morning I got up made a picnic for us and gathered all the beach stuff. We arrived nice and early and had a great time but that is where the fun ends. She nodded off in the car on the way home and I had a hard time waking her up, usually the transition from the car to the house is enough to get her moving. So I left her to come to as I cleaned all the beach toys and put everything away and then I took her upstairs for a shower. Even in there she was lethargic and laid on the bottom of the tub. Afterwards she was still pretty floppy and as I carried her downstairs I noticed that her head was hot. (Lily is peculiar when she gets a temp cos she doesn't get hot all over just bits here and there.) I took her temp and it was 101.5 , up, but no huge biggy. I decided to run to the store and get things for fevery kids. Repeat after me, BAD MOVE. We made it half a block from the house, she was chatty and fine when suddenly she threw up e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e. I pulled off the road checked she was OK and we made a u-ey and came home. The poor kid (plus my car) were drowning in the stuff. I grabbed her and put her back in the tub, started cleaning and no sooner was the end in sight I got round 2. She then started to cry, she doesn't cry, she is tough, too tough, and groan that her tummy hurt. If I tried to touch it she would yelp. I thought things through and decided that perhaps she needed to vomit again and that would help but it didn't help. After and hour and a half of hearing her moan with pain I knew I should call the DR.

Lily is a healthy girl who thank goodness seems to have built quite an immune system whilst living in China and most things don't stick to her. She was very sick when we bought her home but has been great ever since and I have never had to call the pediatrician after hours ever before. I rang and got the service. Within 20 minutes the DR was on the phone and she is a friend of mine, we went backwards and forwards a few times with symptons and such when she said, is that Lily in the background moaning? I told her it was she asked how long it had been going on for and told me to take her to the ER.. I went to put Lily in the car and realised I didn't have a car seat, the stuff was all in the washing machine. I grabbed a blanket for the backseat, buckled her in and off we went. This time we made it 2 blocks from the house and barfola again. I pulled over so the side of the road and within seconds she was all chipper again. She said her stomach still hurt but she felt good. Quandary, quandary, quandary, go home go to the ER. I decided I had better take her to the ER since "P" had told me too but after a few minutes of being their she just perked up more and more. I am not one for wasting physicians time so I went up to the desk explained the situation and we left. We were halfway home and the, mummy my tummy hurts so much, chant started again. Now I was utterly confused and didn't know what the heck to do. I took her home and laid with her on the bed until she fell asleep 3 minutes later. She was groaning in her sleep until after midnight but today she was fine and you would never have known she was so ill yesterday other than the fact that she is a little whingey and has the appetite of an ant but that is OK.

I felt so helpless watching her yesterday. My little girl is always smiling and happy and she was so sad and down trodden. To see her in pain broke my heart. I knew it was nothing "serious" but I am the mummy I am meant to make everything better and there was nothing I could do for her other than hold her hot little body. She was so pale and her eyes had huge black circles around them and she just kept saying, mummy make it stop hurting. I am strangely calm in ugly situations, I have been through some really bad ones and for whatever reason I am always the voice of reason in them. It must be the other me cos lordy knows I panic over everything else.

My car?.....its feeling much better too, it went to the car spa today to get refreshed, spruced up and massaged! It needed it.

They Are Just So Lovely

Next week is the last week of Chinese classes before summer break. I cannot believe that Lily has learnt so much and is doing so well in such a short amount of time. She really loves it now and has the time of her life. I don't even have to sit with her I can go and chin wag with the other mums but if I do that I don't learn anything.

This is one of the songs they have learnt for a Mothers Day performance they are doing next week.I think they are so lovely.


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This is how these two nutjobs said goodbye to each other today.....with Lily upside down and 6 ft in the air! Normal........not this bunch!

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Modern Art and my conscience.

Lily and I went to the park after school and we were the only ones there so she and I played on the equipment together. By now it should come as no surprise to anyone that I climb the equipment with her and slide down all the slides. After a while she went off on an adventure and started calling me to come look. For some reason I knew I needed to get the camera ready so I did. This is what I found.


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More of the statue

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This is the nuttiest statue I have ever seen especially since it was never actually very still. LOL

After we had been there for about an hour loads of other people showed up so I was no longer needed so I sat on a bench and people watched. What I saw left me horrified and I don't think I acted the way I should have. A mother with her child of about 12 showed up and the mother was making/encouraging the very overweight child to exercise. She told the girl to run and she ran for a bit then the mother told her more and chased her. The girl shouted something at the mother which I couldnt hear but I think it was rude so the mother took off her shoe and threw it very forcefully at the girls head and hit it. The kid took off running, unhurt,(physically at least) and the mother yelled for her to come back but she wouldn't. The mother tried to corral her but it was a no go. I started watching closely at this point cos I didn't like the the mothers atitude and then I very obviously whipped out my camera and video taped them. Once the mother caught up with her she slapped her around the face. I nearly threw up. I know that once she had done it she realised I was taping her cos she started making nicey nice with the child. They left shortly after and I was tempted to take down her license plate number but I didn't.I was worried that if I made a fuss the kid would get it even worse after they got home. What would you have done???

So Big

Donna at Double Happiness posted a Friday favourite foto challenge that I had to join in on. I know this isn't a photo but a photo just couldn't capture the moment quite as well. The challenge is to dress your kiddos in the clothes that they were wearing the day you met them. Now as you can see that was a challenge since it was nearly 4 years ago. I posted gotcha day photos a few months ago here so you can see the difference. (those clothes hung off of her back then, they were enormous)


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and yes, I did manage to trip myself over while I was walking backwards and I thought about redoing the video but then I thought that you expect that from me so I left it in!

Re - runs in Bloggyland

Way back in the beginning of my days in Bloggy Territory I posted a video of Lily making fun of my accent. I have been asked, countless times, to do it again. Since all we did today after school was take a trip to the toy shop so that I could get some ideas for her upcoming 5th birthday under the guise that we were buying a gift for someone else, I decided today was the day for a rerun.

I asked her to do it again. Please take notice of her jammies. My mum bought these for her when she ws 18 months old and on her first trip to the UK. They are age 18-24 months and she flat out refuses to give them up. They are her all time faves and since they don't pinch or strangle her I am more than willing to let her have them since my mum is no longer with us and they remind me of her. They make me laugh cos they are so small.




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A close up of the jimjams



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Makes Me Smile....lots

The other day Lily was playing with a balloon and trying with all her might to blow it up all be herself. I never knew something as ordinary as learning to blow up a balloon could be so much fun. Here she is giggling and giggling to her hearts content. This video just makes me smile. I love this kiddo so much, as does her dadda.


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Be Prepared......check

This has nothing to do with this post but I have updated my blog link so, if I have added you and you don't want to be, please email me and I will remove you or if I have missed you and you want in again just email me.

We had a busy errand day today and we accomplished everything we set out to do but sadly that didn't include much room for fun. Not that we didn't have a great time just being together and nothing that we do is very serious, ever.
We are now ready for hurricane season. We are the proud owners of an enormous generator that could power half the block. But that is what the man of the house says we need. Hopefuly this will jinx everything and there will be no storms heading to Miami this year.
We also have a headboard for our bed. It has taken 12 months but we finally have one. It has been on our list of things to do but Miss Picky Knickers, that would be me, just couldnt find one that she liked.
Then it was on to Chopstick's room. We did a bit more in there since I went shopping again yesterday. I had Lily with me and she found the most gorgeous little bunny for her sister and then this morning asked if she could have it. Ummmm, NO.
I have no photos of Home Depot or any of the other places we visited ( I hear you saying thank God for that) so I will leave you with this chocolate faced little girl from the other day. I just love her tongue at the end!

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Phew

After hours and hours of piddling about with the design of my blog and being unable to get the original one back even though I saved the template I have decided to leave it like this. Lily wanted to add some ladybugs to it this morning so that is what we did. I have lost a lot of little doodads but I am sure I can find them over the next few weeks and put them back.

This I can say for sure, never again!

Yuck Updated

I have been trying to change the appearance of my blog for about 4 hours now and I can honestly say, "Me no likey" and I can't seem to get the old one back. I lost all sorts of knickknackeria in the switheroo and am franticaly looking all over the place for it. Tomorrow I shall have another go at this but tonight my eyes are popping out of their little sockets.
I did have yet another good shopping day though which helps to ease the frustration!

Well I have fiddled and fiddled and I can't get it back so this is it for now. Where has all my crap gone? The bloggy moving company must have lost it!

The Big 14. and Science Stuff

Yepper today we hit the 14 month mark. It means nothing other than another month down. Our agency is still sticking to the 17-24 month time frame so I will too at least for now. It hardly seems worth posting that little blurb all by itself so I will shall add Lily's day to it.

After school the midget had Mandarin class and blew me away. She is retaining it, all of it. Me, not so much. Mind you we have done homework every single night this week because she is learning some songs for a Mothers Day recital. From there we flew home at warped speed, (actually anytime I am behind the wheel it is warped speed but that is another tale) and had dinner and then we had to return to her school for a science night. Now since I was bad mummy of the year in the eyes of the school yesterday there was no way I was going to miss this.
One of the many joys of parenting is that you get to go to school again which means any subject that you sucked at or didn't like you have a second shot through them. Now I detested science, lurved biology but not plain old science so I am bound and determined to enjoy it through Lily's eyes. (I doubt if the same will ever be true for Algebra) It was very simple stuff and it will surprise no one to find out she had a great time, see for yourselves.

Erupting Volcanoes

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Lily and 'S' making something or other

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You really do need a bridge on your nose to wear goggles! Preparing for an experiment

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Attempting To Launch A Bottle Rocket

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Take Your Children To Work Day

Since today was take your 'children to work day', that is exactly what Jacob did. Lily has been to work with me on numerous occasions and as much as she gets the biggest kick out of it, it cannot hold a candle to going to work with Daddy.

American Airlines requires all the children that participate in this event to be at least 5 yrs old but Jacob pleaded his case and got approval to take Lily and then he got all the necessary clearances for her to be at the airport behind the scenes. Since he couldn't possibly take Lily to work with him he scheduled a day off, volunteered as a team leader and went to work in that position instead but Shhhh, don't tell Lily cos she really thought he was working.

I made her a little American Airlines uniform complete with fake ID and we were so excited about it until I casually mentioned to her teacher that she would be absent on this day because she was going to work with her Daddy. The teacher quickly informed me that she was not eligible for that as the only grades that get to participate are 3-5. She went on to say that Lily would have to have an unexcused absence. I nearly fell over, this is a national programme for heavens sake! So I looked at her and said very cheerfully, that's fine we'll take and absence and we did.! (mind you the school called me in person to why she was not there and I explained that I had sent a note, blah blah blah. They were not happy and then this evening the principal called as well. Frankly, I have seen how many kids miss class and I am not at all bothered. Once she hits Kindergarten she will not miss school but this is Pre-K and we pay for her to go to this school.

So without further ado meet the newest American Airline employee


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Driving The Tractor

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Zoinks, Sitting In The Engine

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In The Belly, waiting for bags

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In The Blanket Closet. (I'm sure that's not what it is called but you get the idea)

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Looking Very Small

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Next time you take to the friendly skies you might want to stop and wonder who is flying your plane!

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Flying Jump Seat

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Lunch

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Linda, the CSM with Jacob and Lily

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George Hazy, VP MIA operations with Jacob, Lily and Amanda

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Jacob took close to 100 photos today and these are a few of my favourites. She had a wonderful time and fell asleep in the car from all the hard work. I cannot tell you how much I wanted to go. Not just to see her reaction but to be able to see everything she saw today. The airport has such tight security that she got see the stuff that we don't. Judging by the way the world is going I am not sure if they will continue to allow kids to go there and that is why we were adamant that she not miss this chance.

The Queen Has Spoken.

A couple of days after we returned from our shopping trip, I mean vacation, Lily and I were in the car and I spotted a new shoe store. I quickly said "we just have to run in this shop cos mummy needs some new shoes." Lily responded to this by saying, Muuuuum, you have a 1000 pairs of shoes why do you need more?" So figuring she was done for I just kept on driving. I stopped at the store and did get some new shoes later in the week without her. She found them today in my closet and loved them. So I put them on for her and she said, Mummy you don't look good in those. Stripes don't suit you and they don't match your skin". I was speechless! Cocky little devil, who made her queen of the shoes? I pointed out that they match an outfit that I have but she was not about to be dissuaded. I have always had a shoe fetish but I haven't had a chance to wear anything other than totally flat in a long while cos it was hard to chase a maniacal toddler whilst wearing heels! I find it odd that even though Lily finds my shoes offensive she wore them herself for about 3 hours. If retail therapy works I should be cured cos the last month has been a shopping frenzy. I think I have a whole new wardrobe but it was neccessary. All this worrying makes me lose weight.

The offending shoes.


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And The Emmy Goes to.......

Great Scott the Universe has gone quite barmy. My little bitty blog has been chosen for the the "Thinking Blogger Award". Emmie chose me and five of her other favourite blogs to receive this honour.
I started blogging after following other peoples blogs for a few months. The first one I ever read was my friend Lori's. I thought that I could do one myself even though the only other thing I did with the computer was send email and keep patient files. When I started I kept getting comments from people saying, so and so has photos and video, can you do that to yours? Well the answer was a resounding, NO, I cannot. Then I got brave and tried a few things and with Lori's help I made it. I started it to keep everyone in the UK up to speed with the adoption and with Lily. Little did I know back then, (just a few months ago) that I would find so many wonderful people who are also in this process. I have met some of you and feel like I have met many of you. The friendships and loyalty that I have found in Bloggyland leave me speechless. Thank you to all of you that read and follow our journey.
I am now supposed to pick my 5 favourites but suffice to say if I leave comments on your blog you are one of my favourites but in order to play along and not get my coveted (tongue in cheek) award taken away I will name 5 of them and tell you to go and have a peek in you haven't already.

Three and a Highchair. Lori, someone who I know and consider a friend. She is the one that got me started and I love following her blog and appreciate that she speaks the truth and from the heart.

LayDFrog. I met Dannye's blog through a mutual friend and came to find out later that I know Dannye's sister and her nephew. Now if that's not a red thread nothing is! I now consider Dannye and Ray friends since we have officially met.

3D's Adoption Journey Who doesn't love this blog and the 3 D's? Some of the kindest sweetest people and a dog around. One day I am going to Canada to meet them.

Building A Ladder Of Hope Kathy and Joel and wonderful and so kind. Their blog is also written with kindness and they share so much about themselves. On more than one occasion this blog has had me blubbering.

Taiwan Treasure This isn't a China Adoption blog...now that shocked you didn't it? It's still an adoption journey but this one is heading towards Taiwan. Ann's post crack me up and she nearly always writes exactly what I am thinking.

I have tried to leave out the people that I know were already nominated so if you are not on the list that is why. However I have to mention Connie since she is the blog Queen and quite the riot and her journey to her baby just makes each and everyday a whole lot brighter.

Innermost Thoughts.......Not very cheerful

I, by nature, am a worrier. It's my job and I am pleased to say I do it exceptionally well. Up until now I have been fine with this adoption and have taken it all in my stride but this months referrals have done my head in. I have started to worry about whether it will happen. My head is filled with what if's.
What if China closes it's doors to international adoption? What if we have to redo the paperwork again? What if we have to wait another 12 months and what will we do if this process suddenly stops how will we ever deal with that huge loss. On and on my mind races. I dread anyone asking me anything about the process in fear that I freak out on them.
Most of the stuff is totally irrational but I can't help myself. Last night I layed in bed with my mind racing in every direction. I had conversations with myself about how we would tell Lily that her sister was never going to happen and ways to help her deal with it. I have some lovely and fetching black circles under my eyes today as a result of that marathon worry fest.
During our wait for Lily I never felt like this. Mind you I didn't have blogs to keep my occupied or yahoo groups to read and fill my head with gossip. I just sailed along with my head in the sand, knowing that after 12-14 months we would finally have a baby girl and we did. At no point did we ever feel this uncertain even when the SARS outbreak happened and we couldn't travel.
We now have a room that is all ready to go and I leave the door shut as it is a constant reminder of a very real and very sore wound in my heart. Sure, it still needs some work, some personalization, but there it sits ready for a baby who just is not here and won't be here... until. Until when? I just hope with every fibre of my being that the next set of referrals includes a lot more days.
Stay tuned for my regular antics to resume tomorrow but that is what is heavy on my mind at the moment and now that it is on paper it perhaps won't haunt my brain and mind so frequently.

Earth Day

We had big plans for today. The usual crazy Sunday stuff that we like to do as a family but it involved getting up at 5.30am and after the past few weeks let just say that we didn't have the steam. We were supposed to go to a hot air balloon festival and watch the mornings launch of the balloons and then join in the rest of the days festivities.
So once we finally woke up at 7- something we had to go to plan B. We decided that in honour of Earth Day we should do something appropriate so we trekked off to Home Depot and bought the freakish looking energy efficient light bulbs for 85% of the lights inside and outside of our house. I'm sorry, I worry about the planet like the best of them but there is NO way I am having freaky deaky light bulbs in lights where you can see them! When we moved in here we did what we could with all the new appliances and A/C unit that we bought to help conserve energy. Hey, my washing machine weighs the clothes in it and then dispenses the water accordingly. I try to be good but those light bulbs are fugly. Our electric bill is half of what my neighbours is and our house is considerably bigger and it is not cos we don't use electricity it is all our new appliances.

After that mission was accomplished we went in search of a very elusive piece of furniture for the living room. I apparently pushed to hard and to long because at one point this is what I encountered.

Note to self: do not take both Lily and Jacob on a shopping trip when they are getting bored!


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We Are Flummoxed

We came home this afternoon to find a wonderful, yet anonymous package in the mail box and it has left us utterly flummoxed. All we know is that it came from North Conway N.H.. So thank you mystery gift mailer for this wonderful frame and the saying that came with it. I don't know who you are or how you know that I have a "thing" for photo frames but I do and we love it. Lily is convinced that we sent it to ourselves cos the return address was our address. She thinks we just forgot that we did it. Our kid has so much faith in us. If anyone can throw any light on this mystery gift giver it would be appreciated.

The beautiful frame:


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Prior to racking our brains about the gift we were at Jacob's company picnic. I swear these events are not for the employee's but for their kids as they really have so much entertainment for the little ones. Needless to say Schnoog had a great time. This time she even made it to the top of the bloody rock wall and managed to ring the bell. I was really proud of her but I think I held my breathe the whole time. Maybe the next child will be cautious!


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lily is on the left, all the way at the top of this monsterous thing!

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Worn Out

Our little girl has always been a good sleeper. At first she took 2 long naps a day and then went down to one bionic kip in the afternoon. When she hit three and a half we did away with naps and put her to bed a bit earlier. It doesn't matter what time Schnoog goes to sleep she always wakes up between 6 and 630 every single day. The later she goes to sleep the earlier she wakes up, it is mind boggling. For the past 3 weeks bedtime has fluctuated all over the place but the time she wakes up has remained constant. Yesterday morning I had to wake her up a 7 to get ready for school which astonished me and today was the same thing.

When I picked her up from school yesterday we had to stop and buy milk and then once we came home she went upstairs and I asked her what she was doing. She called back that she was getting undressed. Nothing unusual there as she always changes or at least takes her clothes off when she comes home. Then there was silence so I went to see if she was all right. This is what I found. One tired and exhausted little pumpkin had yanked all the pillows off of our bed and climbed in and gone sound to sleep in seconds. She didn't even make it in right. It appears that she climbed up and then konked out cos she is sideways along the pillow. I think we have officially worn her out.


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After an hour I woke her up for dinner. Last night her school had a special event called Build A Book where the kids all make their own story book and we had signed up to go. I would have done anything to stay home with her and avoid another late night but she was excited so off we went.

Lily Starting her Book

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Nearly Done

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Reading Her Book to the Group

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If you listen carefully you can hear Lily saying "soupcase" instead of suitcase. There are only a few Lilyisms left and I love 'em.

Back In The Bloggy Chair

Clean as a whistle. That would be my house right now. There's not a speck of dust to be seen and everything is back in it's rightful place and I can breathe again. Even Lily asked me the other day if we were going to get rats from all the mess? Yes I know that is pretty sad and I now realise that my clean freakiness is spreading to my child. On an upside I have an eversion to cleaning windows so they are so dirty I can't see out!

Where to begin? I have always loved my hubby but now I have a fresh new appreciation for him. He was so wonderful while everyone was here. They are not his family, although he has known them for as long as we have been together and he would and does do anything for them. I love my life and I love Jacob and Lily with all my heart. My life is great and I love the way it evolves. We have a calmness to us in our day to day meanderings which is so wonderful. Yes, we are all nuts but it is a calm nuts. We have structure and routine and for us that is the key to our happiness. I can now sit back and take a huge sigh knowing that our life is back to normal.

One night I sat down at the computer to make a blog entry and my cousins wife had an issue with it so I explained what I was doing and why and she made some comment and that was the end of my blogging for the duration of their stay. I stole a few minutes when they were out but I didn't need to make any friction for my cousin so I left well alone. Stephen and I are very close. As kids we were inseperable and I love him dearly. His kids are wonderful too and I his wife is OK but I expect people to be do-ers and go getters and she lacks the gumption and I am seeing the results in my cousin and it saddens me. I would do anything for him but right now I am at a loss what to do.

Anyhoo, I am back in Bloggyland and can't wait to get caught up. I read a few last night but didn't comment. I have a couple more crazy days ahead of me and then everything will be sane again for a while. We are trying to get the baby's room finished and then I will post pictures. Nanny Rene has made yet another beautiful blanket for the orphanage and also a lovely pink one for Chopstick.

I nearly forgot, it wasn't only Naples that was a shopping Utopia, Orlando was just a brilliant. Lily and Jacob made out really well in both places too but I struck gold.

I'll Be Right Back

Having family to stay is a wonderful thing but couple that with a self confessed germ freak with O.C.D., and you are looking at a recipe for disaster. Everybody left today and I am in clean up mode big time. In fact I can hardly breathe cos I have so much to do so I am taking a very quick break to get everything in order. You know just the normal stuff like alphabetising Lily's bookshelf again and colour coordinating her Polly pocket accessories. I won't be more that 48 hrs and then I shall return. I tried really hard not to let this stuff get in the way when they are here but they are gone and now I can clean....Bwah, hahahahah.