Bringing Meimei Home

2011-12-24T21:30:00.003-05:00

Christmas Eve 2011

It was a busy day today. I'm on vacation time so I went to bed around 1:30 last night. Up at 8:30 today so not too bad. I let Jess stay up late last night (not as late as me!) and she also slept in until 8:30. When Mike got home from his parents this morning, I ran some last minute errands. Some people may be lamenting the lack of snow this year but I was loving running around on Christmas Eve in a sweater. I hate wearing a coat. I made brownies for the nursing home staff, wrapped some things, and got Jess ready. At 3:30 we were on our way to the nursing home to pick my mom up. By 4:30 we were at church. We were early but we wanted to make sure we were sitting up front so my mom could see. It was a beautiful service. The Sunday School kids sang Away in the Manger. I loved when we lit our candles and the lights were dimmed for Silent Night. After church, we went to eat at the Longhorn Steakhouse. Dinner was good but it was late for my mom and it showed. After dinner, we dropped her off and then went home so the kids could open one present. Jason opened a package of magnet balls and Jess opened a bizarre plant kit. Afterward Jess put on her new Christmas nightgown (Kanani got a matching one) and put out the reindeer food she'd made in school. Then she got Santa's snack ready. We just checked to NORAD.org to see where Santa is. He's in Greenland so it's time for her to get to bed before he starts heading down the east coast.

Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, Plymouth, MA

Sprinkling reindeer food

Modeling new pj's

Jess and her Nana

Getting the manger ready.

Ready for church Adding carrots to the snack for Dancer

2011-11-13T15:57:00.008-05:00

Beautiful Day
Today was beautiful - in the 60's and a little breezy. Our tree in the front year lost all of its leaves and Jess loves to throw them in the air and try to catch them.

October

Try as I might, I just can't keep this updated as quickly as I'd like. Life gets in the way, you know? So, as usual, I'm playing catchup.

We celebrated Jess's birthday as a family in September. We had her friend's party in October because I wasn't quick enough to plan it to get it in the right month. We are limited to Sundays because of dance and we're limited to after 12 because of church. We had her party at Big East Gymnastics where she takes lessons. It was a blast. We invited several of her friends from the neighborhood and church as well as all the girls in her class. They swung on the rings, jumped on the trampoline, climbed the rock wall, jumped into the foam pit and cartwheeled. Jess gives me a heart attack every time she does a flip in the air.

I laugh when people tell me their kids can't make up their minds what they want to be for Halloween until a couple days before. Jessica makes her choice in February when my friend goes to visit her mom who works at WDW. So far, Jess has been Tinkerbell, Cinderella, and Belle. We got 2 years out of Cinderella but I think it might be only one year for Belle because this year's costume was a tiny bit tight (it doesn't help that she needs to layer underneath it to go trick or treating unless she wants to go out in a winter jacket over her costume).

Halloween took over much of the month of October this year. We went to a magical munchkins party at Liz's house on 10/1, trick or treating at Jess's school on 10/21, Halloween party at Plimoth Plantation on 10/28, and trick or treating around the neighborhood on 10/31.

At the magical munchkins party, Jess and the older kids had an egg hunt by flashlight. Jess won at pin the tail on the cat as well as getting the most eggs in the hunt.

Jason went to his friend's house on Halloween and I took Jess out. We were out for around 2 hours. We'd planned on going to the mall first but decided to meet up with the neighbors instead. We outlasted everyone. At the very end, we started getting really cold and Jess's feet hurt so we headed home around 8:30.

A couple days after Halloween, we watched a squirrel take Jess's little pumpkin out of the big pumpkin's mouth and carry it over the fence in his mouth. That was one determined squirrel! He dropped it a couple of times and would look at us in the window watching him and then at the pumpkin as if he was trying to decide whether it was worth it or not. Apparently it was because he went back each time and picked it up again. Finally, he did make it over the fence with it. Jess was upset at first that he took her pumpkin but I told her that the pumpkin would rot anyway so at least this way she was feeding the squirrel.

2011-09-23T18:51:00.003-04:00

Jessica turns 6!!!!

Jess had a great day today. Last night I decorated cupcakes to put together to look like a spotted puppy for Jess's kindergarten class to enjoy. I was a little worried about how they'd look in the morning because our kitchen felt so hot but I think they looked fine. She wore her "My Birthday Rocks! shirt to school. I wasn't sure she'd want to because its long sleeved and today was 75 and humid but she wanted to so I let her. She chose to go to Bertuccis for her birthday dinner. We've always gone to Bugaboo Creek but unfortunately they have closed. Bertuccis was very good. She was not too impressed with the card I found that had happy birthday sung by Altered Images. She was like "WHO are THEY?!?!" Oh well. She was much more impressed with her present - the Kanani American Girl doll. The doll's current name is Sarah but with Jess, that could change by the moment. Bertuccis gave Jess a free dessert and sang happy birthday to her which she loved. Happy Birthday, my darling girl!!!!!

2011-09-11T16:59:00.005-04:00

10 Years

It's been 10 years since planes crashed into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon and one crashed into the ground in Shanksville, PA. All over facebook, people are asking "Where were you when...." I know where I was. I was standing in front of the cloak closet in my kindergarten helping a child get his snack. Calendar time had just finished. My para came in and told me what happened; she'd been in the office and had heard the secretaries talking. The office staff set up a tv and staff took turns going to the office to get updates.

I wanted to go to the dedication and consecration of a steel beam from the WTC that was given to the town memorial by NY but Jason was alcolyting so we weren't able to make that. We did go down later to see the memorial (I'll get pics up a little later). At 1:30, I took the kids to Plymouth Remembers. It was a very well done program with singing, prayers, and speeches. There are a lot of things going on in our town today since it is the 10th anniversary; the program we went to was very well attended.

2011-09-02T23:04:00.003-04:00

First Day of School Outfit

Over the past month, Jess and I have gone shopping several times for fall clothes. She has 2 outfits that are now contenders for the first day of school outfit. She modeled both tonight and had me take pictures so she could see how she looked (no full mirror here) and make her choice. Can't post the pics here because something's wrong with the sd drive on my desktop and I can't get the internet to run on my laptop tonight so I'm just posting pics I found online of the separate pieces; you'll have to use your imagination to put them together. The purple shirt I got in the 2nd outfit is darker than the picture I have here but I couldn't find the exact shirt online. Being in New England, it's impossible to know yet what the weather will be like next Tuesday which is the first day of kindergarten. So....Jess decided that if it is warm, she will wear the panda outfit (she can take the sweater vest off if she's hot) and she has knee socks to wear with it (she's never worn knee socks before and didn't know what to make of them). If it's colder out, she'll wear the purple outfit which is long sleeved and has purple tights (couldn't find purple knee socks to save my life). Mike took Jess to meet her teacher on Wednesday. I was sad I couldn't go but it was my students' first day so I had to be at work. On Thursday, she went for her developmental assessment which she said was easy. She is SO excited about going to school. She has a new backpack (purple of course with puppies), requested supplies in backpack (pocket folder, glue sticks, tissues, lysol wipes, and ziplock baggies), new black shoes, and a new thermos (ICarly). She's using her Hello Kitty lunchbox that she had from preschool. I need to make barrettes this weekend to go with the two outfits so she'll be all set regardless of which she wears.

2011-08-17T18:36:00.003-04:00

American Girl Dolls
I took Jess to the American Girl store in Natick today. We spent an hour looking at all the dolls and discussed the pros and cons of each. I'm getting her one for her birthday and I think it'll be Kanani, the girl of the year. I'd planned before on getting her a historical one but she loves to do hair and wants me to show her how to do different things with it. With the exception of Julie who she didn't seem much interested in, a lot of them have short hair or curly hair which will be more difficult for her to style. Josefina seems to have textured hair which is long but I'm not sure if the texture will make it harder for her to style. Kanani's is pretty smooth. I'm a little torn between the two but am leaning toward Kanani. Jess wants one with long hair to play with and was happy when I told her that if she gets one doll, she can still get accessories from the other's collections. She really loved the horse set. We had tea at the Bistro there. It was really cute and the food was really good. They have a selection of "My American Girl" dolls that children who didn't bring a doll with them can bring to their table to have lunch with. Several kids had birthdays while we were there and Jess loved the staff singing to them. I told her after her birthday I'll take her for lunch there again. She wants them to sing to her when we go.

2011-08-17T18:29:00.004-04:00

Jess lost her first tooth!!!

Jess has been playing with a loose tooth for at least a month now. Wiggle...wiggle...wiggle... but it wouldn't come out. Until yesterday. Finally, she pushed it with her tongue and out it popped. She had one coming in behind it (called shark teeth) and now that one will hopefully move into place. Jess wrote a letter to the tooth fairy asking to keep her tooth. We looked up online what the toothfairy does with the teeth and read some FAQs. Apparently Jess isn't the first to ask to keep her tooth. I told her that the toothfairy said in her answer to someone else who asked that she can keep the first one but that she'll need the others when they fall out to help build things in toothfairy land.

2011-08-17T18:29:00.001-04:00

My Birthday

I've been 44 for a month today. I had a great birthday and got exactly what I wanted.

My gift to myself was doing the Team Beachbody nutrition challenge. It was the first 10 days of August and it was run by a friend who's a Team Beachbody coach. For 10 days, I committed to having no caffeine, no sugar, keeping my calories below a certain number, exercising, drinking at least 8 cups of water, and really trying to make better choices. I lost some inches and some pounds and feel a ton better. I'm working on continuing to make better choices and portion control which is a weak spot for me. I drink a shakeology shake every day and that has had one benefit I hadn't counted on. My mother, my siblings, and I all have stomach issues related to eating animal fat. I have not had any problems since starting to drink this shake. During the first 10 days of August, I didn't eat a ton of fat but since then I have had a couple celebrations (birthday dinner at Melting Pot and my mom's birthday dinner at Daniel Webster Inn where I tried raw beef for the first (and last) time) where I've eaten things that would have caused a problem before and I've been fine. So, my ongoing gift to myself is to take better care of myself.

My MIL and SIL took me to the Melting Pot after my challenge was over. For anyone who hasn't tried that place, GO!!!! It's not a quick dinner, that's for sure, but it's so worth it! I think I might take Jess there; they have a children's menu for the entree and I'd just share my cheese and chocolate fondues (no Baileys when she comes though).

People chipped in so Mike, the kids and I can go to the dog show this coming weekend. I can't wait! It's at Coco Keys in Fitchburg and really should be a good time. My friend is leaving Plymouth at 6 and asked if I wanted to follow her. Since I don't have dogs to unload or anything to set up for, I think I'll pass at leaving home at the break of dawn.

2011-07-08T09:13:00.001-04:00

Jess's Cardiology Appt & My Birthday Idea

We took Jess to Boston Children's Hospital's satellite office at South Shore Hospital yesterday for our annual visit to Dr. Rhodes. Jess did great! She was a little nervous the night before and we watched some videos on Youtube. She had an EKG and an echo. Dr. Rhodes said everything looks good; she has no need for meds, no restrictions and we're all set until next year. I'm glad he has us come back every year. I read that coarctations can recur especially in people who had them repaired as newborns. Jess was 3 months old when hers was repaired so that qualifies as a newborn to me in this case. Afterward we went to IHOP for lunch.

Mike asked me again for birthday ideas and I told him the one I had. He's not thrilled but hopefully he'll go along with it. I put some things on a list because he asked me to but, at least from my immediate family, I really don't want things, I want to do something. Jason was totally confused by that idea although he chooses to get Calumet as a present from both my in-laws and us. That appears to be different though because he's asking for tangible gifts from others. My friend's daughter (who also happens to be one of Jess's babysitters) shows dogs. There's a dogshow in Fitchburg in August and I want to go. It's at a hotel that has a Coco Keys water park in it so the kids would have fun. Mike and Jason's first reaction was "A dog show?!" with a less than enthusiastic tone. Jason's attitude changed when he found out it was at Coco Keys.

2011-07-06T16:17:00.002-04:00

What do I want?

Mike asked me what I want for my birthday. You'd think that would be an easy question for me to answer. It always has been - scrapbooking stuff, gift cards for scrapbooking stuff, kitchen ware. This year, what I really want I can't have which is probably why I am having such a hard time coming up with ideas. I want 2 things, neither of which are going to come to fruition; I understand that and I accept it but it doesn't stop me from wanting them.
The first thing I want is to go on a trip with my mom the way she was before the surgery. Whenever I think of my mom, it's always either Before Surgery or After Surgery; that one day is the dividing line in her life and my thoughts of her. I wish so much we could just go back and say "You know, maybe we should see what other options there are besides surgery." We knew about the chance that she may not make it physically back from the surgery, that there's always the chance of death but no one warned us that she may not make it back mentally, about the dangers of anesthesia with the elderly. Since this surgery, I've talked to many other people who were likewise unaware of the mental devestation that can follow anesthesia.

About 8 years ago, I went to Nashville with my mom. We had a great time and I treasure those memories. After that, she wanted to go to Natchez, Mississippi. She had gone with ElderHostel but she wanted to go with me and I put her off. No time, no money, too busy. I feel so badly about that. If there'd been some way to know what would happen after the surgery and I knew that she would have the surgery regardless of what we said, I would have gone away with her for a few days like she wanted and just charged part if I had to; it would have been worth it. Unfortunately, I don't possess a crystal ball or any form of clairvoyance so that trip never happened. I'm usually okay with this; I don't fall apart like I did right after the surgery but every once in a while it hits me. I hear of a restaurant I think she'd like and think "We have to go there." but then I have to factor in things like how far is it, how long it would take to get there and would she be likely to start sundowning while we were out. I see a brochure for a museum or historic site and think "She'd love that." and then remember that there's no way she could handle the physical requirements to get around it (her medications make her very uncoordinated) and whether she'd love it or not would depend on her mood at that moment (her moods fluctuate significantly and quickly).

The second thing I want is something I've wanted for a long time but watching my mom go downhill so quickly has made me want it even more. I want the whole family to go on vacation together. Preferably a cruise or something like that where people can spend time together but don't have to spend every second together and where's there's something for everyone. I want the family to spend time together while we're all still here and able to; I want to build those memories for when people aren't here; I want my children to have memories to look back on with their grandparents. Jason remembers going to WDW with Ruth and Jen. He remembers going to NH with them as well and he has said he wishes we'd go somewhere again. Jess doesn't have those memories. Jason is getting older and spends more time with his friends and away from his family. That's normal; that's growing up. But, I'd like to capture a few more moments where it's family time (extended included) before its too late. But, like with my mom, I do accept that a big family vacation with everyone is not going to happen but it doesn't stop me from wanting it. Guess I should go think of some things that I want that are realistic or I'm going to end up with a Home Dept gift card (so Mike tells me).

2011-07-03T08:54:00.003-04:00

Twinkle Toes
Jess had been begging for these sneakers. She wanted them so badly but I just couldn't see spending $40-50 on a pair of sneakers that she wouldn't be able to wear long, especially at the beginning of summer when she rarely wears sneakers. Jess's grandfather gave her $20 to get something at Canobie. She didn't seen anything she wanted so I told her if she wanted, she could put that money towards sneakers. I had a $10 coupon for Kohls and the sneakers were on sale so they only cost me $11 which I figured was reasonable. She was SO ecstatic to wear them and show them off.

2011-07-03T08:29:00.005-04:00

New Hampshire, June 2011

Jason had confirmation camp at Camp Calumet the last weekend in June. He would have been the only boy so the church asked if he wanted to bring a friend. Dawson joined him and they had a great time. Jason wanted us to drive them up so Mike, Jess and I camped at Calumet for the weekend.

The weather was very cloudy when we got there.

Jess still enjoyed running on the beach even though she couldn't play on it that first day.

We went to UberBlast which is an indoor play place on Saturday in North Conway. It was a lot smaller than we'd expected but Jess had fun.

Saturday afternoon and Sunday we went to Storyland (go in after 2 the first day and go another day free). Jess had a blast. Here she is with Heidi's grandfather. Later we watched a chipmunk jump up beside him and start eating out of his cup.

My baby girl in jail.

Antique German carousel horses. Instead of going up and down, they need to be rocked front and back.

I love the way they put the year on the different photo props.

Jess in Baby Bear's bed.

Jess loved hearing and retelling how she flipped out the first time she saw this spider (she'd been 2).

Jess milking the cow. When we came back on Sunday, it was pretty warm, hence the bathing suit.

Outside the Polar Coaster, there's a huge cylinder of ice.

Jess's favorite ride - the Polar Coaster!

Jess in the water area.

Jess making sure she's big enough for the Polar Coaster.

I told Jess I'd go on this with her if she promised not to spin too fast. She was very good and kept it slow for her old mom!

Jess loves her princesses.

Jess learning to ride her bike at camp.

We went out to eat Sunday night and on the way to the Pizza Barn, this deer jumped out of the woods in front of us.

Our last day, Monday, was hot so Jess finally got a chance to play in the water.

2011-07-03T07:52:00.008-04:00

Canobie Lake Park

For my sister-in-law, Jen's, birthday we took her to Canobie Lake Park. What a great time we had! Jason was especially excited to have someone to go on the rides that Mike and I won't go on.

We got there as it opened so we could get

very minute out of it.

Jess with Abraham Lincoln

Jess getting ready for the swing ride. My mom once told me this was one of her favorite rides when she was younger.

Jen and Jason going over our heads on the roller coaster.

Jess is a danger behind the wheel!!!

Jen and Jason on Sk8ter.

My favorite ride - the Boston Tea Party!!! (which for some reason I kept calling the Mayflower).

The Turkish Twist - this used to be my my favorite ride but I can't handle it anymore :( This picture is of Jen. Jason's standing on the other side of her but it was really hard to get a pic with it going so fast.

Canobie's newest ride - Untamed. Jen swore she wasn't going to go on it but she couldn't deny her favorite nephew! They said it was a really smooth ride. Just looking at it makes me very nervous.

We hung out at the water area for a little bit. It was a warm day so it felt good to put my feet in the water. Jess doesn't like the buckets that dump water so she didn't venture too far in.

2011-06-11T23:35:00.002-04:00

Catching Up
Our computer got a virus and all of my pictures were wiped from the harddrive by the Geek Squad when it was repaired. I was SO upset. So, I figured when I took these pictures I should upload them quickly so that if I lose them on my computer again, at least I know they're somewhere.

The school year is quickly coming to a close. Jason took his 7th grade finals last week. He was given two awards during the awards ceremony - one for reading 1000 pages each term and another for having exceptional insight. 7th grade was a tough year for him. He is finally being challenged academically and he's so used to just sailing by. These teachers made him really work hard which is what he needs.

Jess graduated from preschool. She loved preschool and is sad to see it end. She is excited about kindergarten though. She will be going to full day kindergarten next year. Our town is offering two classes for full day and there was a lottery. I'm so happy she got in. Given what our state requires be taught in kindergarten, I do not feel that all the requirements can be met at a developmentally appropriate rate in 2 1/2 hours. Jason went to private kindergarten because Plymouth didn't offer full day when he was 5.

Jess with Miss Donna, her preschool teacher.

The theme of their skit was going to the circus. Jess was a lion.

Nicky came home for a couple of days. Jess adores her uncle and was glued to his side. Patricia and her boyfriend, Joe, came down on Saturday and the 5 of us went to tea with my mom at our favorite tea room in town.

2011-04-17T17:59:00.001-04:00

The Start of April Vacation April vacation officially started at 3:31 on Friday afternoon. Saturday Jess had dance class which takes up a good part of the day. Last night Jason and I watched The Box - that is one messed up movie! Jason asked if I would touch the box and I said no - how could I be responsible for taking someone's life (if that person were endangering my family that would be another story but just a random person - no). At the beginning of the movie, Jason said he'd do it; by the end of the movie, he had changed his mind. The movie was a lesson in nothing is ever as easy as it sounds. Today was Palm Sunday. I dropped the kids at Sunday School and went to get some Easter candy. Then the kids and I went to church. Since it was Palm Sunday, the entire congregation went in as a procession. After church, we went to see the Easter Bunny at the local shopping plaze. Jason was less than thrilled but he posed for the pic because the alternative was no X Box time. Afterward, I dropped Jason home and Jess and I spent the rest of the day having fun. First we ate at Blue Blinds Bakery. I love their food; I had a capresse sandwich that was awesome and ginger brew (too gingery for Jess's taste). Jess ate my tomatoes and some apple juice. The bakery is owned by the Twelve Tribes which appears to be some sort of cult. After we finished eating, we headed to Plimoth Plantation. The Plantation is ridiculously expensive but thankfully, since we're residents, our annual pass is only $35. We more than get our money's worth out of it each year. We walked through the Wampanoag homesite and talked to some of the staffers working there and then walked over to the English village. We wandered around the houses for a bit and Jess got to see the animals which is her favorite part. She also enjoyed watching the potter making a watering pot in the craft center. We spent some time in their kids area which has puzzles, 17th century games, and a small housekeeping area. Then it was off to the beach. Jess rolled her pants up and off came the shoes and socks. The joy on her face as she played in the incoming waves was wonderful to see. She had so much fun. She's in the backyard next door now playing with our neighbor's daughters. She should sleep soundly tonight! Jason and Jess with the Easter Bunny Jess watching the sheep at Plimoth Plantation. She baa'd at them and the one on the left turned around and baa'd back. It was hilarious. Jess loves writing her name in the sand. Running from the waves Totally carefree

2011-04-02T21:25:00.007-04:00

Exactly how crunchy is instant oatmeal?

I belong to a moms' group and yesterday went to a baby shower which really pointed out to me how much less crunchy I am than some of the other moms. I think people should be able to do what works for them and while I enjoy hearing other people's thoughts and ideas, I did get offended when I was asked during a conversation whether I would have a VBAC were I to birth another child and I answered no, another mom said "OH! MY! GOD!"From the tone she used, you would have thought I said that I enjoy torturing small animals in my spare time. After she said OMG, she rolled her eyes and turned away from me. Fine, whatever (eye rolling is a huge pet peeve of mine). Another mom (who had both a c-section and a VBAC) said that what was most important was that the baby was healthy. The eye roller said "Maybe, but the memory of how you give birth stays with you so that's really important." Ummm....yes, the memory is important but not as important as the baby. I think that if your about-to-be-born baby is in crisis, you take that beautiful birth plan you slaved over for months and throw it in the trash if you need to. I'm not in favor of elective c-sections unless prior history has shown that there'd likely be another emergency section and I think, as long as its not dangerous to the baby, that women should be allowed to try a VBAC if they want. BUT the fact that I would not choose to labor for hours on end again knowing that there is a significant likelihood that I'd still end up with a section does not make me a horrible person. Of course, her eyes rolled again when I said I wasn't having any more children. Two is good for us.

So, after thinking about the shower and other topics of conversation that came up, I came across a quiz online which determines how crunchy you are. I scored as instant oatmeal by a point or two; I was very close to being jello. Not really a surprise. What saved me from being jello? The fact that I did cosleep with Jess and still do when Mike is at work and the fact that I rarely wear makeup. What kept me from being cruchier than grapenuts? Among other things were type of birth, nursing, and education. I don't understand homebirth and I cannot wrap my head around the idea of voluntarily having an unassisted homebirth. I wanted medication. When I was wheeled in for my emergency c-section, I was damn glad I'd had an epidural because if I hadn't already had a line in, they would have put me under general anesthesia which I didn't want. I think its great when a woman who wants an unmedicated birth is able to have one; I knew that was not the choice I wanted to make and was glad I made the one I did. I had no desire to breastfeed either of my children (and before anyone says I couldn't have nursed Jess, there are women who induce lactation to breastfeed children they adopt). The idea that breastfed children are smarter and healthier doesn't hold so far in my house - neither of my kids are sick often. Jason has always done well in school and Jess is excelling in preschool and has hit some end of kindergarten milestones. Are they geniuses? No, but I don't particularly want to be Doogie Howser's mom either (MA is not the state to live in if you do have an extraordinarily gifted child because the first thing to go here in school is gifted and talented classes). I think breastfeeding is great for those who want to do it but I disapprove of the pressure put on those of who don't. (And, I think this doll is ridiculous http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/2011/03/23/2011-03-23_breast_milk_baby_doll_teaches_young_girls_how_to_breastfeed.html. Jess has seen my friend nurse and has pretended to nurse her dolls but she didn't need a special apron to put on with flowers where her nipples would be to show her where to have the doll latch on - can't anyone use imagination anymore?). The quiz also asked whether I ever breastfed someone else's child or let someone else nurse mine. Sorry but this has a serious ick factor for me. Education - I don't homeschool. Unless there is a serious reason to, I will never homeschool. It would require my quitting my job which would require us to move to an area we could get by on with one salary which is not something we'd do except as a last resort (the areas we could afford on just Mike's salary and still pay all of our bills are not places we want to raise our kids). I could homeschool quite well through elementary but would need to hire a tutor for math as soon as the kid hit middle school as Jason has an engineer's mind and I sure as heck do not. Letters and numbers SO do not belong together. He tried to explain Pi to me the other day and all I came away with was a very large headache. I can see pros to homeschooling but it's not for my family. Radical unschooling (and for those who don't know, that is one method of homeschooling; I am not referring to all homeschooling) is one philosophy which I strongly disagree with; it goes against my beliefs as a parent. I believe children do need structure and clear, consistent expectations; I do not believe that it is healthy for them to be in control of all aspects of their lives.

So, here I am ....instant oatmeal. I'm pretty happy with that. I have friends who are very crunchy and friends who are less crunchy than I am. Makes life interesting.

2011-03-28T08:01:00.001-04:00

I'm having a horrible time with my computer shutting down on me but this video and the one below it are from Jess's performance on 3/27/11. Jess is in the youngest class and the first video is them dancing a Miao Tribe folk dance. The second video is the ending of the performance.

006

2011-03-28T08:00:00.000-04:00

2011-03-24T20:34:00.002-04:00

What a Friend We Have in Jesus
From one of my favorite hymns -

Are we weak and heavy-laden;
Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge-
Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Two weeks ago, I went for a mammogram. I have white-coat syndrome in a bad way. Whenever I go to the doctor except for my asthma, my palms sweat, my heart races. I should have gone last March for a mammogram but I put it off and then kept forgetting to make the appointment. I'd think of it as I was driving or in the middle of the night, but did I ever write it on my ever-growing list of things to do? No. Anyway, I made the appointment 3 weeks ago expecting to get an appointment in 6 months like happened last time. Not anymore. I got an appointment in a week (actually could have had it sooner if Mike hadn't been working the other day they had available). I was so stressed in the waiting room that when I filled out the new patient paperwork (I went to another breast care center further away 2 years ago), I answered the questions they asked without really thinking about them. Later I realized that they may wonder why the number of pregnancies I've had and the number of children I have don't match up. What they should actually be asking rather than how many children you have is how many live births have you had because apparently there is a connection between how many live births you've had and breast cancer (I think there's a connection between everything and some type of cancer). The way it was written, a woman from my moms group would answer 2 pregnancies and 1 child which would lead people to think she'd lost a baby. Nope, she gave birth to healthy twins recently BUT she did so as a surrogate so they are not her children. Anyway, I went in and had the pictures done (there was an article in a local paper by a doctor from this center which I found offensive. He said that having a mammogram doesn't really hurt, that the women are just anxious. I'd like to have him get his dick squeezed flat between two plates and see whether its pain or just anxiety. If it had been a woman interviewed, I'd have just thought that she didn't find it as painful since I know some women have said they didn't find it that painful. A woman can have an opinion on whether mammograms are painful; a man cannot really have a valid opinion on that). Anyway, I was told I'd hear in a couple days if I needed to come back; otherwise, I'd get a letter in the mail saying "See you next year." A week goes by so I figure I'm clear. The next day I get a call that I need to go back in for another set of pictures and that I have to go to the hospital, not the satellite office because the radiologist wants to meet with me. The woman who called told me to call my insurance to see if they cover diagnostic appointments. I had a headache from that second on until after I got the second set of pictures. My head hurt so badly I was in bed by 7 or 8 at night because I just couldn't stand it. I started dropping things and mixing things up when I was talking because I was so stressed. I work with several women who've had breast cancer and I was scared. When I said I was nervous about being called back, one friend said that she was called back before. That was not very comforting because she is one of the women who'd had cancer. I prayed a lot. I listened to Gospel songs in the car and sang along with them - Amazing Grace, What a Friend We Have in Jesus, Are You Washed in the Blood of the Lamb, etc. I worried not only about my children but what would happen to my mom if something happened to me. If I wasn't here and Mike met someone else, would that woman want to help out his first wife's mother? Mike does a lot for my mom. He takes her to the doctor so that I don't have to miss work. He picks her up on special Sundays so she can come to church while I'm at the church getting ready for service (bringing kids to Sunday School, helping with Easter breakfast, pageant practice, etc). We take her out to eat. So I was freaking a bit about that as well. The day I went in for the second set of pics I worked half a day. I was looking at a report with a child's name on it but thinking of another child and couldn't figure out why the report wasn't saying what I thought it should. I finally realized that I had the wrong report up and was very glad that I was only working a half day and that it was time to leave. I went in and met the technician who was going to do the mammogram. She showed me what they'd found on the first set of pics and she said that it could be folded tissue (I saw on computer it said nodule?). I changed and had the pics taken (why is it that I always end up on my tiptoes when I'm having this done?). Then I went into the waiting room while the radiologist looked at the pictures. About fifteen minutes later, the tech came back in the room and said that it had been tissue that was folded over and that it wasn't showing up on the new pictures so I was clear and they'd see me next year. I went to the car and prayed before going to pick Jess up from school. It was amazing; as I prayed, I felt my headache dissipate.

2011-03-17T20:58:00.000-04:00

A digital ecard by Smilebox

2011-02-23T15:23:00.002-05:00

2011-02-22T22:29:00.002-05:00

Little girls and hairbows

Tonight I learned how to make hairbows. I've tried before but could never get them to look right. Tonight I decided to try again and keep trying until I got it. What made me take on this endeavor that never worked for me before? My cousin posted a link on her blog to another blog. The blog belonged to a woman who just lost her 4 month old daughter. I was in tears reading her entry. Anyway, in her blog, she said that her daughter loved big bows and would readers put bows on their daughters on Wednesday (the day of her daughter's funeral) in remembrance of her. So, while we were out today I looked for a big bow for Jess. The only ones that weren't meant for babies (on those little headbands that would never stay put on Jess even if they fit her) were out of my budget. I went home and looked online for a tutorial. I found one I hadn't seen before and it looked rather easy - no measuring, no fussiness - just kind of play with it until you like it and its all good. http://www.southernplate.com/2009/09/how-to-make-hair-bows-video-step-by-step.html. Jess and I went back to Michaels and bought ribbon (I can see a new obsession possible here - I had to make myself put several rolls back), plain barrettes, and fraycheck. When Jess went to bed tonight, I laid everything out in front of the computer and made my first bow while the video on the southernplate.com blog played. I hit pause a few times while I untangled my knots or tried different ribbon combinations but I think the final products look pretty good. The pink one was my first one. The two in the picture that are the same ribbon aren't supposed to look the same. I haven't tried making 2 that look the same yet so Jess will just wear these when she has one ponytail or braid in. I'm going to trim the tails some more tomorrow; I couldn't find my fabric scissors and my cutterbees were shredding the fabric. Tomorrow Jess will wear the biggest one, the pink one.

2011-02-12T22:36:00.000-05:00

Busy Day
We drove into Chinatown as we do every Saturday so Jess could go to dance class. After class, we stopped in one of the stores and looked around for a while. I bought Jess a fan and a paper dragon. I realized I'd forgotten to try on her Chinese New Year outfit that I wanted her to wear to the celebration tomorrow but resisted buying a new one. I was tempted but I'm trying to squelch the impulse buying. On the way home, we stopped at Derby Street Shoppes and ate at B. Good. I had the best burger I have EVER had anywhere! Their fries were also very good but the burger was amazing. Hanna Andersson just moved into the shoppes so we walked over there. I'd heard a lot about this store and I wanted to check it out. As soon as we walked in, Jess wanted to know where the television was. Sorry Jess, it's not Gymboree, no tv. I have to admit, I like Gymboree's set up with the tv at the far end of the store away from the door. It lets me look around while still keeping an eye on Jess and she's entertained so she's not pulling at me asking to leave or asking for clothes that aren't on sale. Anyway, Hanna Andersson might be good quality and perhaps if I had 19 children like the Duggars and 10 or so girls to pass the clothes through, I might pay that much money for a cute pair of shorts or a playdress but since I don't and have no plans to have any more children, we didn't spend long in the store. Gymboree has good deals which is usually when I buy clothes there; perhaps HA does as well but not today. After our nonproductive retail excursion, we walked over to Pinkberry and got some frozen yogurt - yum!!! Jess wanted to go to Cold Stone but we can do that 5 minutes from home. Jess got coconut with strawberries and I got blood orange with shaved milk chocolate and a waffle cookie. There was nowhere to sit in the shop (only 3 tables) so we walked to the car and ate in there. We got some nasty looks from people when they realized we weren't moving from our parking space but it was too cold to eat outside so we sat in the car and ate our desserts. On the way home, we did stop at Gymboree so I could earn some Gymbucks. I had gotten a gift certificate when I went to the Teddy Bear Tea last weekend so I used that along with $25.31 of my own cash. When we finally got home, Jess wanted a bath and I wanted to organize her bookcase. We settled down at 8 to watch Best Memories of Disney on the Travel Channel. Jess is dying to go to WDW. She's been to HKDL (doesn't remember it since she was only 17 months old and a bit overwhelmed) and DL in Anaheim which she loved. I'm thinking Disney Cruise maybe next year.

When Jess was done with her bath, we tried on her Chinese outfits. She's going to wear the pink one tomorrow and the purple one on the 25th for her Gotcha Day anniversary dinner. I have to sew one of the frog closures on the purple one and I don't feel like sewing anything tonight so it made the choice easy. It's hard to believe that on the 25th, Jess will have been part of our family for 4 years. Time has flown! This will be the first time Mike's able to go out with us; the other 3 years he's been working. The first year, it was the kids, me and my mom. The second year just me and the kids because my mom was sick. Last year my mom was in the nursing home and unable to come with us but a good friend and her daughter came and we had a blast. Jess chose to go to New Tokyo and sit at the hibachi so we could watch the show. This year she asked to do the same. It'll be Mike, the kids, myself, my friend and both of her daughters. I'm so glad my friend is helping us celebrate this important day; Jess loves her and her daughters. I am a little sad though. I wish my mom could come but I can't take her out at night and I don't think she'd deal well with the noise of the show. A few years ago, she would have jumped at coming to celebrate with us. When she lived on the north shore, there were periods where she came down at least once a month and stayed at the local hotel (we have cats and they bothered her allergies) so she could spend time with the kids. I miss those times and I'm glad Jess has the memories of it, whether she actually remembers it or whether its just from looking at photos of her being with my mom. Jason got to spend a lot of time with my mom when he was younger going to NH, Sturbridge, and the Cape but Jess missed out on that. I wish I had taken advantage of more of those moments to build memories for the kids (and for myself). You always think that there'll be a tomorrow until one day there just isn't.

I was talking to a woman who was adopted domestically and she said she doesn't get the big deal about an adoption day/gotcha day/family day/whatever you choose to call it. Jessica's birthday, like that of most Chinese adoptees, is an estimate. There is no way of knowing the actual date she was born. Obviously, we do know the date she joined our family and I think it's important to celebrate that occasion. Some people go a little crazy and do presents and parties; I choose to keep it a little quieter than that. Just family and friends who love Jess spending time together for a meal. The term Gotcha Day is quite controversial on the Chinese adoption boards. Some people think it sounds like something you say when you're swatting a fly. To me, it brings back memories of my father. I used to wait at the top of the very steep hill I grew up on for him to walk from the bus (he worked in Boston and took public transportation rather than leaving my mom without a car all day) stop to the bottom of the hill. When I'd see him, I'd run down the hill and he'd catch me, swinging me up in his arms, saying "Gotcha!" If Jess should ever tell me she doesn't like the term, I won't use it. But at the moment, she likes it. Jess has lately been pretending she doesn't know what things mean and asking everyone questions like "What's a dog?" "What's a camera for?" "What's ice cream?" My friend told Jess she was coming with us for Gotcha Day dinner and Jess asked "What's Gotcha Day?" I turned it around and asked Jess what it was and she said "It was when the Nannies put me in your arms when you and Jason and Daddy came to China." Yep, she knows what it is.

2011-02-05T09:03:00.003-05:00

Somewhat Monthly Catchup

January was a pretty quiet month. I had a cold that wouldn't give up so it seems like we didn't do a whole lot other than work and school.

We had a blizzard at the end of the month. Jess played for 3 hours with the kids next door in their yard. Jason and I shoveled for 2 hours to get the driveway, truck and front path done. The worst part was the end of the driveway where the plows shoved everything up.

Jess's dance class performed in Malden for an early Chinese New Year celebration. Here she is right before the performance with her friend.

Jason's on our town's wrestling team. He went 2 for 3 at this meet. It's rough for me to watch him wrestle since it looks so painful but he loves it.

2010-12-25T09:12:00.003-05:00

Merry Christmas!

Wishing everyone a safe, happy, and relaxing holiday!

2010-12-25T08:44:00.003-05:00

The month of December has flown by! I'd meant to do an update earlier but never found the time (what a shock!). I had a list of things I wanted to do in December and did most of them. Unfortunately we never made it to Edaville which I'd wanted to do because it's closing this year but there's only so much time and energy. I took Jess to the Festival of Trees at Plimoth Plantation and we watched the play Little Red Riding Hood there. Mike and I took Jess to Jordan's Furniture to see the Enchanted Village. That is special to me because my mom used to take me into Boston to see it at Jordan Marsh. I'm so glad that Jordan's Furniture bought and revived it. We also went to see the Christmas LITE show there which is a laser show done to Christmas carols. Jason, Jess and I went to the Cape Codder to see their light display, visit with Santa, and watch carolers. Jess and I went Christmas caroling with our church to 2 local nursing homes and an assisted living center. The pediatric nursing home was hard but Jess was a big hit everywhere. Jess's preschool had a singalong. Mike and I weren't able to go but one of my friends went in our place which Jess enjoyed. I was sad that we couldn't go but I would have been sadder if my friend couldn't have gone. Jess was an adorable sheep in the church's Christmas pageant. Jason chose not to participate but ended up being called to alcolyte. My mom came with us to the pageant which was very special. We had our first snowstorm right before Christmas. That two hour delay for school was very welcome this week! We went to the children's service on Christmas Eve. Jess presented the baby Jesus to the manger and Jason alcolyted. My mom was supposed to come with us but there's a nasty bug going through the nursing home and everyone was strongly advised not to visit or take people out. I was disappointed she couldn't come but hopefully we'll be able to see her during the week.

Jess setting out the manger.

Jess playing with the toy manger. She preferred the ceramic one.

Jess touring the Enchanted Village. Hard to believe this is the same set that I visited (at a different place though) 37 or so years ago.

My favorite little lamb.

First snowangel of the season. It was later than Jess usually goes out but she couldn't resist the first snow.

Jess got a video email from Santa. She was in awe!

Our tree

And the stockings were hung by the chimney with care....

Getting ready for Christmas service

Jess getting ready to present the baby Jesus to the manger

Every year Jess gets new pj's. This year Suki got matching ones.

Gotta put out the reindeer food (with colored sugar rather than glitter to protect the birds).

I couldn't go to Jess's singalong so she gave me a private performance. Here's Rudolph:

2010-11-27T17:51:00.006-05:00

A Gift of a Day

As many know, my mom has dementia and has been living in a nursing home for a little over a year. Last year at this time I was in such a bad place. My mom was having bouts of paranoia that sent her over the edge. She'd rip apart her room as well as other residents' rooms looking for my daughter, my niece, whoever she thought was missing and needed help. She was hospitalized several times. A year later, she is still very mixed up about life's details (that's not going to get any better and I've come to accept that) but the paranoia is gone. She thinks she's living in a hospital and that she'll be going home after she "gets better". The past month and a half or so have been very good - she's been in good spirits, able to hold a conversation, recognizes my children and myself; it's lifted some of a weight off of me. I was laughing at something at church a couple of weeks ago and my Pastor said that it had been a long time since he'd seen me smile.

The past month and a half have been so good in fact that I had a crazy idea and decided to go with it. I made reservations to take my mom and Jess to the Ritz Carlton in Boston to the Sugar Plum Tea. I invited my MIL to come along and I am so happy she did. In addition to Jess's love of spending time with her Grandma and my enjoying her company as well, her coming with us enabled me to let Jess participate in the activities without leaving my mom alone at the table. Given her not very tight hold on reality, I don't trust that my mom wouldn't forget why she was there and get up to leave the table if she were left alone. Jess decorated an ornament which was hung on a tree that will be donated to the Pine Street Inn (tricky moment explaining to Jess what a homeless shelter was), shook the bells while a man played the piano and sang Jingle Bells, played on a humongous stuffed bear, and took pictures with Clara, the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Nutcracker from the Boston Ballet. The food was wonderful and the service was outstanding. I am so happy that I took the chance and did this.

Jess being goofy. My mom made the cape for me when I was a toddler.

Jess decorating a star ornament.

Dessert course

Jess with the nutcracker and the sugar plum fairy

The bear was a big hit with the kids.

Jess with Clara and the nutcracker.

Shaking the bells to Jingle Bells - one of Jess's favorite carols

Ruth, Jess and my mom

2010-11-06T19:56:00.002-04:00

Parenting
I frequently go to several messageboards and forums (some may even say I spend too much time on these places. Some may say that, but not me*S*). Parenting styles is a common thread on these boards and an area of much debate. Here are my views on parenting:
* I will never be a helicopter parent but I feel that as a parent I have a responsibility to my children to keep tabs on what's going on and guide them when necessary while still giving them the freedom to screw up when there won't be irreparable damage done to them.
* I feel the free range movement is bordering on neglect. Yes, let's all drop our 7 year olds off at the park alone. To make it even more interesting, let's advertise this event on the radio so all the pedophiles and freaks in the city know about it.
* I am not an advocate of homeschooling, the Montessori method or the Waldorf method. I acknowlege people have the right to educate as they see fit as long as the children are taught but I am still an advocate for traditional schooling. I feel "unschooling" is an inappropriate homeschooling method and may well produce children who are far below their peers (this is my blog so I am entitled to voice my opinion)
*I think all children should be vaccinated and that religious exemptions should be done away with.
*I think spanking is wrong. Should anyone ever raise a hand to one of my children, they had better be able to run pretty damn fast.
*I think forcing children to eat foods they don't like or to send children to bed hungry is wrong. This doesn't mean I run a restaurant for my children. It does mean that my picky child has learned to cook for himself.

2010-11-01T20:18:00.003-04:00

October Happenings

October is one of my favorite months. I love going to pumpkin patches, going to hayrides, carving pumpkins, drinking apple cider, and everything about Halloween.

I took Jess to Bog Hollow to get a pumpkin. We took a hayride and she explored the pumpkin patch until she found the perfect one. We almost weren't able to carve it because she became quite attached.

The fire engine at Bog Hollow was from Melrose. Jess was very patient waiting to play with this hose. I felt like I was giving a Behavior 101 lecture to the parent next to me. He kept saying to hs kid "Oh Baby XX (can't remember the kid's name but dad referred to him as Baby Name). Do you want to share? Oh, not yet? Okay." After about 10 minutes I'd had it. He turned to me and said "He hasn't learned how to share yet." I replied that kids don't learn how to share by themselves and need their parents to teach them. The boy put the hose down for a minute and Jess got it. The boy had a fit because he wanted it back but Jess stood her ground. She didn't yell or push but she didn't let go (You go Girl!) The father seemed put out that Jess didn't give in but that little boy (and his father) need to learn to share!

Jess brushing the pony.

Jess and her cousin Alison at Mike's aunt and uncle's birthday party. It was a surprise for them; they were both turning 65 within a few days of each other. The next day we had a surprise retirement party for MIL. I didn't tell Jess about the retirement party until we'd returned to the hotel after the birthday party because I didn't think it was fair to expect a 5 year old to keep the secret and I knew she'd feel bad if she told by mistake. Jess and her cousins danced the night away.

I had no clue Jess could do a split.

Jess had 2 parties on Friday the 29th. First she went to daycare and had a party. Then her daycare provider brought her to preschool where she had another party. She wore her Tinkerbell costume because I was afraid she'd rip or spill something on her Cinderella costume before the big night.

My friend, Cathy, her daugher Megan, Jess and I went out to eat after Jess dance class in Chinatown. Here they're posing with the female foo dog at the entrance to Chinatown. We thought we were going to go out for regular (Americanized) Chinese food but ended up going for dim sum. While there's a lot I won't eat, I really enjoyed having real Chinese food. We chose 6 things off the carts going around. Three of the things didn't end up appealing to me (the beef and chicken were really fatty and the small dumpling type item was filled with odds and ends) but the other three I really enjoyed. Those 3 consisted of leaf wrapped chicken and rice, steamed pork buns, and baked pork buns. I can't wait to go again! When I got home that afternoon, another friend had written on her facebook post asking if anyone wanted to go to dinner in Chinatown. I told her I'd just gotten back but that I'd love to go in a few weeks (next couple weeks are crazy).

Jess carving her pumpkin.

On Halloween, we went trick or treating twice. Here, she's getting ready to go to the mall in the afternoon. We went with a neighbor and her 3 kids and had a blast!

Jess fell asleep on the way home from the mall and stayed asleep while I carried her into the house. She slept over an hour in preparation for her big night.

It was cold out. Typically Jess doesn't use a carriage anymore but I thought it would be good to put her fleece blanket in it and let her wrap up between houses. Between her turtleneck under her costume and her sweater over it, using the fleece she didn't need to wear a jacket or coat. If I'd thought ahead of this, I would have gotten an orange fleece so it would be like Cinderella's pumpkin.

Jason decided not to go out trick or treating this year. Instead he handed out candy. He put a small folding table on the front lawn with a tablecloth on it and the bowl of candy on that. Then he hid under the table with just his hand by the bowl. When people got near the bowl, he grabbed them. He said he didn't do it to any little kids.

Jess with her haul of candy.

The front of our house. The purple light was too low wattage but I liked the skull windows.

2010-09-29T19:23:00.007-04:00

Things Never to Say to an Adoptive Parent

I saw a list on another blog written by an adoptive single dad. I thought I'd make my own list since, like him, I get so many stupid or very personal questions from people who should know it's none of their damn business. I have no problem talking to people who are polite and don't ask questions that any sane person would realize are offensive but damn! why are so many people so damn rude?

1. How much did she cost? We did not buy a child. We paid legal fees, agency fees, and government fees much like my insurance paid for all of the medical fees involved with giving birth to my son. Do not make my child feel like an object. Do not tell me the story about how your aunt's cousin's best friend's step brothers mother's niece was made to pay extra or any other horror stories. Ever play telephone - chances are the details you have are not totally accurate.

2. You're going to get pregnant now that you've adopted. If I do, I'm going to be asking the Yasmin manufacturers for my money back. I know this is shocking to some, but not everyone who adopts is trying to get pregnant. And, if the person has been dealing with infertility and treatments, do you really think you're helping her? Statistics show that the number of women who get pregnant after adopting when they had trouble doing so before is very, very small.

3. Can you get pregnant? Is that why you chose to adopt? Unless you are my spouse, that is SO not your business. Again, refer to #2 - not everyone who adopts wants to get pregnant.

4. Do you know who her real mom is? I am her real mom. You are referring to her birth mother and if you're not close enough to us to already know the answer, you have no business asking.

5. You're just like Angelina Jolie (or any other famous person who adopted). I don't tend to be influenced by celebrities for fashion or hair advice; I certainly did not look to them to see how we should grow our family.

6. She's so lucky. We are the lucky ones. We cannot imagine our lives without her.

7. Don't you want to have your own children? Jessica is my own child. The term you're looking for is biological and please refer to #2 of this list. (When Jason is present, I get "Didn't you want to have more of your own children?)

8. I could never give up my child. You have no way of knowing why the parent(s) were not able to raise their child. I imagine that it must have been a heartrending decision to make.

9. China doesn't like girls (or any other disparaging comment about an internationally adopted child's birthcountry). I want my child to be proud of her birthcountry and would appreciate people not making disparaging comments about it in front of her especially when they really don't have all the facts. Does that country have its problems? Of course it does just like every other country in this big wide world. I love the USA but honey if you think it doesn't have its own share of problems, you're living in a fantasyland.

9. I could never love a child I didn't give birth to. I'm sorry your heart is so small.

10. Why didn't you adopt from the US? We made the choice based on what was right for our family. If you're so interested in domestic adoption, I'd be happy to give you an agency's name and number to call.

11. I love this one - Are you going to tell her she's adopted? Considering we adopted transracially, this question is pretty inane when asked of us. However, if Jess were caucasian and it wasn't readily obvious that she was not our biological child, yes I would still tell her. I think keeping a secret like that is a horrible thing and will backfire badly at some point. I think the fact of being adopted should be addressed matter of factly early on and not saved for a BIG TALK when the parent feels the time is right. We read stories about all types of adoption (as well as different ways families are formed) and look at her scrapbook frequently.

038

2010-09-25T16:21:00.000-04:00

2010-09-25T15:29:00.002-04:00

Jess's first performance
Jess has been taking Chinese Dance for 3 weeks. Today there was a performance at the Oak St Fair in Chinatown. Jess had a blast! Getting her hair into the little buns we were told she needed was not an easy task. I was going to use gel but all we had was Jason's Axe and I didn't want my baby girl smelling like that! I did the best I could, bobbypinning as I made the buns and put about half a can of hairspray on her. When we got to the dance class, I bought the clips we needed. One of the other ladies put them in for her. The bobbypins made it hard to get the clips in but without the bobby pins, the buns would never have stayed. Jess loves her dance class and giggles a lot with the other girls. I talked to one of the moms for a while today while we were in line for a game at the fair after the dance. I'm getting better at understanding the moms' English. We're the only ones in the class who don't speak Chinese.

Jess in costume and makeup doing a dance pose.

Curious George came to the fair.

Jess's hair in buns with the flower clips.

2010-09-23T22:06:00.005-04:00

Happy Birthday, Jessica!!!!

Today my baby girl turned 5. I can't believe how fast time has flown by (cliche, I know). Last night we took my mom out to Friendly's to celebrate Jess's birthday. Unfortunately, my mom really can't handle the family parties anymore since she gets overwhelmed so we decided to take her out separately with the immediate family to keep it simple. Tonight, we met a friend and her daughter at Bugaboo Creek and went to dinner. Jess loves Bugaboo and kissing the moose. I try to block from my mind just how unsanitary that thing probably is because she does enjoy it so much. She got a piece of birthday cake and everyone sang to her. My friend, Cathy, gave Jess some really cool 3D sidewalk chalk. Things are a little tight right now for us with the extra daycare expense so I wrapped up some stuff that Jess needed and gave it to her for her birthday - feet pj's, new jeans, shoes for her Halloween costume. I also got her a pottery kit she's been asking for every time we go to Michaels and a stroller for her doll, Suki, that I said was from my mom. After we ate dinner, we went to the Children's Place and got an outfit for her to wear for her party Sunday. She wants an afternoon tea party. The invites I made were pretty darn cute; I'll have to scan one and post it.

5 year old fashion plate

Jess and her friend Megan

Blowing out her candle at Bugaboo

Birthday wishes from the Moose

Very excited about her "Suki stroller"

2010-09-11T07:41:00.002-04:00

Never Forget
Where were you when the world stopped turning
That September day?
Teaching a class full of innocent children
Driving down some cold interstate......Alan Jackson

I was teaching special ed kindergarten in Weymouth and we were at circle time. My para nad Itook turns going to the office to see what was going on since the secretary had hooked up a tv there. I can't believe it was 9 years ago. It's hard to believe that a day that is burned in my memory is a day that will simply be something my kids hear adults talk about, something that they learn about in their history books. Jason was only 3 so he doesn't remember it; Jess wasn't born until 4 years later.

2010-08-23T14:38:00.002-04:00

Traveling

I share many traits with my mom (we're both stubborn, opinionated, etc) but one of the biggest traits is our love of travel. I've been traveling since I was 6 months old; I can't imagine not being able to travel. Lately, I've been craving travel. I think it's because my mom can't go anywhere anymore although she's always talking about the trips she's going to go on. I am so very thankful for the trips we did do (especially Bermuda and Nashville) and I deeply regret not finding time to do some others that she wanted to do; when I think of that it makes my heart hurt. It always felt like there'd be time to do it later and now later is too late. It hurts my heart that Jess won't have the same type of memories of my mom that Jason has. Jason was talking recently about how he wanted everyone to go away together for a trip. My mother in law talked about going away so I asked her about doing a cruise to Bermuda. She said she was interested. The kids are excited about going away and I would love to have the chance to build some more memories of their grandparents for the kids. I know some people think cruises are boring because you need to spend some time on the ship but I've found these are usually people who've never been on a cruise (a booze cruise or cruise around the harbor is not in any way comparable). There is plenty to do for those who crave activity and those who want to relax. The food is awesome and the shows are fantastic. The excursions once you dock encompass a wide range of interests. I've been to Bermuda twice and would love to return. It's clean, safe, friendly, and just walking around Front Street shopping is fun.

2010-08-19T09:42:00.004-04:00

Our PA Trip

While Jason was at Calumet for 2 weeks, Mike, Jess and I went to PA. We went to Sesame Place which seems more built up than it was when we went with Jason 10 years ago. Jess's favorite rides were the merry go round, Blast off and Vapor Trail (roller coaster). I preferred the raft rides and really enjoyed the lazy river. Our last night there, Mike took Jess over to the Twitterbug playground while I went around the lazy river a couple of times on my own. There were a lot fewer people at that point and it was really relaxing. After two days at Sesame Place, we went to my cousins' for a couple of days. We had a great time with them and Jess loved playing with the babies. She's already asked when she can see them again. From there, we drove halfway home to break the ride up and stayed overnight at a hotel. The next day we went to Mystic Aquarium before finishing our drive home. Jess had fun feeding the stingrays and went on a 3-d movie ride which she liked. She just made the height minimum. We had a great trip!

Cookie Monster and Jess. She's so sweet he can't help but gobble her up.

Jess and Mike on one of her favorite rides. Wherever we go, she always wants to ride the carousel first.

As you come onto the park property, they have several characters "handprints" like a walk of fame. Jess tried her hands in each one. Elmo is the closest to her size.

Jess feeding Maya and Bobby.

Jess feeding the stingrays at Mystic Aquarium

2010-08-12T18:11:00.002-04:00

Elle Magazine Article

I don't read Elle but I was on another website where a specific article was being discussed and I have to say I'm appalled. I am prolife; I believe that life begins at conception. At one point in my life, I was prochoice. I'm not sure when I made the switch although I think it may have been when I got pregnant with Jason. I can't understand how anyone who has been pregnant can be okay with murder. Anyway....this article talks about a woman who had a child through IVF and wanted a second child. She ended up getting pregnant with twins. Sounds great, right? Wrong, she only wanted one child so she aborted one of the twins. Since she had a son already and the twins were a boy and a girl, she selectively reduced the boy (doesn't that sound much nicer than murdered even though that's what it was?). One of the comments online from a prochoicer was that the average American cannot get their head around the fact that something can be wrong but the person still has the right to do it. Wrong....I think smoking is wrong but I accept that people have the right to smoke (although my lungs and I are quite happy with all the nonsmoking areas that have popped up recently). I just can't see the murder of an unborn child the same way.

2010-07-04T15:48:00.004-04:00

Jason Turns 12!

Jason turned 12 on Saturday July 3. We went to see the Chinese Golden Dragon Acrobats at the South Shore Music Circus. They were awesome! Afterward, we went to Moe's for dinner. Jason's main present from us is his time at Calumet. We also paid for most of the tent he got to have his sleepover in and I gave him a gift certificate to Borders in his card.

Jess is demonstrating how to use a Chinese yo yo.

When this girl was done balancing everything, she took one of the sets of glasses apart and poured the liquid that had been in one out to show that they hadn't been empty when was doing her act. Amazing!

This guy's feet went past the scaffolding when he was holding himself straight up. The control he has over his body is wild.

This was Jason's favorite part. The guys juggled their hats and did acrobatics while throwing their hats in the air and catching them before they could hit the ground.

2010-07-02T09:54:00.003-04:00

Annual trip to Dr. Rhodes
As most know, Jess has an ASD and aortic coarctation both of which were repaired very well in China. Each year we go to visit Dr. Rhodes at Boston Children's Hospital's satellite office in Weymouth. The first 2 times we went, we could barely get the ekg done. We couldn't get an echo done those times due to the thrashing and screaming. That second year the tech took it very personally and wanted to keep trying. Thankfully another tech stepped in and said that since the pedal pulse was good and the ekg was good, they were going to forego the echo. Last year we were able to get an echo done with Jess lying on top of me and my holding her. That was a LONG 45 minutes. If I'd known they were going to let me lie down with her on top of me, I wouldn't have drank a large ice tea prior to it. This year went great. The night before I looked up videos on Youtube to show her. The ekg one was of a large man who had to get his chest shaved so we fastforwarded through that part and just watched where they put the stickers on. Then we watched a video of a little boy having an echo done. Jess seemed reassured by the child on the video saying the jelly tickled.

Jess is waiting for the nurse practitioner to put her stickers on for the ekg.

She said the stickers tickled on her sides. After the EKG she got a ring from the prize box.

Jess lay as still as a 4 year old can for the echo. She chose a Wiggles dvd to watch. Jason came with us this time and liked watching the machines showing Jess's heart.

All done and a good report from the doctor! This year was the first they were able to compare the echo to another since last year was the first one completed. He said her EKG was totally normal and the echo showed that the repairs are great. He said they'll really watch that during the adolescent growth spurts since coarctations don't always stretch well. The other thing we'll watch is she has a piece of tissue under the duct that is very small. If it gets bigger, it'll need to be removed. Dr. Rhodes said with yearly echos, they'll be able to see changes and take care of it long before it would be a problem. Sounds good to me! She has no restrictions and is cleared to take gymnastics in the fall.

We told Jess she could choose wherever she wanted to go for lunch. She chose The Moose (aka Bugaboo Creek.

2010-07-02T09:41:00.003-04:00

Renaissance Faire
I took the kids to a renaissance faire in Norton which was being held to benefit an animal sanctuary. We had a really good time. Jason wasn't impressed with the food since it was vegetarian. I tried vegan chocolate cake which wasn't bad.

Here Jess is showing off her dragon tear that a man gave her while we were waiting for my friend and her kids.

Jess cannot walk by people making music and not stop.

Jason helping Jess and my friend's son Ben on the seesaw. The seesaw has saddles for seats.

It was pretty warm this day. The knights stopped a few times so that their helpers could pour water down their suits.

There was a petting zoo with goats and donkeys.

We watched a samurai exhibition which was pretty cool.

2010-06-18T07:33:00.006-04:00

Catching Up

One good thing about summer vacation is that I have time to update my blog.

On Thursday, I took the kids into the New England Aquarium. I had originally planned on taking the comuter rail but was shocked at the price so I decided to drive in. With my GPS I have a much easier time driving in Boston. It cost $18 to park but it would have been $15 for me on the commuter rail plus the kids so we came out ahead. We spent a couple hours at the aquarium and then walked over to a fountain that was spraying water intermittently and to a carousel. We then walked over to Faneiul Hall for lunch at Zuma's. I loved their shredded beef tacos. When we started home, we stopped at the Farmers Market in Plymouth for some awesome strawberries! They were way more expensive than I'd ever pay in a store but they were so good.

Jason said he thought this would be a cool job.

Jess holding an American lobster molt. I learned that usually lobsters eat their molt to replace the calcium they'd lost so it's unusual to get a whole molt. The woman talking to us was surprised that Jess held her pose so long (my flash didn't want to work). I told her it was lots of experience with having a scrapbooking mom.

Jason with the molt. We also learned that not all lobsters have claws. The woman said that if you order lobster tail in a restaurant, you are likely getting a slipper lobster which doesn't have claws.

We wanted to see if this fish was longer than Jess. Jess wouldn't lie down until Jason tried it.

Jess is longer.

We spent a long time going from window to window down the large central tank. Jess and Jason really liked watching the turtle.

Riding the carousel after leaving the aquarium. This is Jess's favorite amusement ride. She rode Carefree Wonder.

Jess loves watching street performers. These guys were singing Knocking on Heaven's Door.

Last weekend our church had a scavenger hunt around Plymouth. The other teams were all adults but I joined with another mom and the kids she had (1 hers, 1 a friend). Here we are checking out our map and list. We didn't know we were supposed to do everything in order. At one point, I had to go to the bathroom and left my team which we weren't supposed to do but when you gotta go, you gotta go. I didn't pick up anything we were looking for along the way so we were still "legal".

One of the things we had to find was a 1990 penny. Of course, none of us had one on us. We went to The Chocolate Bar and the clerk looked through her drawer but she didn't have one either. We ended up going into a bank and buying 2 rolls of pennies and going through them. Then we added a penny to make up for the one we took and sold the rolls back to the bank.

After the scavenger hunt, Jess and I went to a costume party at the house of one of the moms in the meetup group I joined. I had mentioned not being sure what Jess would wear because her costume has so much glitter on it and Liz said not to worry about the glitter.

Jess with Liz's cat, Squeaker.

Nicky bought Simba for Jason when he was a baby. It still talks when you press its paw.

Jess wanted footie pj's. I always hated them as a kid but for some reason she was on a real kick to get them. I had told her she'd have to wait until fall because I couldn't find them but then I came across them at the Children's Place on a big sale. I got Suki a matching pair. Jess loves to put them on but doesn't end up wearing them all night because they make her feet too hot.

Penguins squawking.

2010-06-18T07:20:00.004-04:00

International Fair

We went to the international Fair at Bay Farm Academy which is a Montessori school in a local town. I'd seen a flyer for the school on a restaurant door and thought it'd be fun. I checked out the website for the school. Now, I'm not really a Montessori fan to begin with but I don't think any school for toddlers (school goes to 8th grade) is worth $18K a year (and before anyone says that you'd pay that at a regular daycare, this $18K only covers the school day. If you want extended care or summer care, it's more). Anyway, the fair was a lot of fun and I hope they do it again next year. I'd posted it on my meetup's board and two other moms met me there. The kids starting off by getting a passport. Each area was setup as a different continent and there were crafts to do. Once the craft was finished, the children's passports got stamped. At the end, the kids got a squeeze ball that looks like Earth.

Jess with the world in her hands.

Jess chose the bumblebee for her kiddie yoga pose to try. She did a great job! We checked out their brochures and may see about signing her up for a class.

Jess tried several different foods today. Here she is eating a beef patty from Africa. She didn't like it very much but she gave it a good shot. She tried Zanzibar chicken which she loved. We also tried a drink that had watermelon in it and was very good. Children from the school put on presentations about different countries - what a great job they did!

Jess enjoyed writing Arabic letters in the sand.

The turtle means longevity. Her tattoo lasted over a week even with all the baths she took so it lived up to its meaning LOL

2010-06-18T07:06:00.002-04:00

Southwick Zoo

I hadn't been to Southwick Zoo since Jason was small. I decided to take Jess and we had a blast. I got in free because it was teacher appreciation day but I still spent a lot of money. The one thing I don't like about this zoo is the number of kiddie rides they have. They're pretty expensive and I don't really see the point of having them. I did let Jess go on the carousel but that was it for mechanical rides.

I don't remember ever seeing a white wallaby before.

The guide standing by the tortoise area told us that this tortoise is middle age (100 years). I commented that he wouldn't make a good pet since he'd outlive his owners by so many years. Very seriously, the guide said "Oh, Ma'am, you can't have one of these as a pet. They don't live around here."

Jess rode the camel. She said he walks different. He kept stopping to eat while walking around the pen with her.

Southwick has a deer forest where you go in and can feed lots of deer. They were very friendly and followed everyone around looking for food.

Jess riding the elephant.

There were lots of goats in the petting zoo. It was hard to get food from the dispensor because the bigger goats were all over it.

Jess scolding a baby goat for trying to eat her shorts.

2010-06-18T06:44:00.004-04:00

Trip to Roger Williams Zoo

Every year we go to Roger Williams Zoo in Providence, RI. I think, though, that Jason may be outgrowing it :( He was a bit bored.

For some reason, Jess is always pointing out animal butts. So, we got a picture of the zebra's.

We see this bird every year. It hangs out by the window and follows kids hands/fingers back and forth.

Jess is very good at talking to people and listening to their explanations. She keeps telling me she's going to be a doctor someday but she's not sure if she wants to be a people doctor or an animal doctor.

Jason going for a ride.

Kids riding the elephant.

Every year we take a picture by this dog starting when Jason was really little. At some point, I'm going to have to dig all those photos out so I can make a page where it shows him growing up.

2010-05-30T19:52:00.004-04:00

Strawberry Picking

Jason was at a friend's house and Mike had a gig so Jess and I drove to Natick to Lookout Farm to go strawberry picking. It's early for the season to have started but Mother Nature is unpredictable and when she's ready, you better be ready. We had a great time picking berries and hanging out in the play area. Jess was exhausted and slept all the way home.

Waiting for the train to take us to the strawberry field.

Picking the best berries.

Looks like we got some good ones!

Climbing the haybales

Waiting for the caterpillar train ride to start. I was amazed at how many parents kept pulling their kids out of the train and dropping them back in it while it was moving. The driver kept looking back; it's amazing she didn't run over anyone's feet with how they kept getting in the way.

Bounce house

All tuckered out

Dinner - broiled chicken with spinach, strawberries and goat cheese.

2010-05-21T17:39:00.002-04:00

Registering for preschool

Jess just misses the cutoff for kindergarten in September so I entered the lottery to get her a slot as a peer in the town's public preschool. I'd checked out a couple preschools but thought that several were overpriced, I'm not a fan of Montessori, and I think it'll be good for her (I think it's good for all kids) to be in an inclusion classroom so she plays with all types of kids so we went with our town's preschool. While checking out schools, I came across one that follows the Waldorf method. While I know Montessori works for some people, I cannot see the Waldorf method being in any child's best interest. Thankfully our kids won't have to worry about that since we couldn't afford it even if we wanted to. I love reading blogs. I read quite a number from the adoption yahoo groups I am on. I was surprised at the number of people who say they are homeschooling their toddlers. I read more of their blogs and did some google searches. It seems that I do the same things with my kids that these people do; it's just that I think of it as being an engaged parent, not necessarily homeschooling. When Jason was in preschool, his teacher said she could always tell whose parents were teachers because those kids were always further ahead. We use our car rides to sing songs and make rhymes. I read to Jason for years and we've read to Jess since we were in China. It was funny - when the EI therapist would come to see Jess, she'd start to suggest something and then say "Oh, I see you're already doing that." Jess is right where she should be for the older preschool. She's so excited to start. When we went to register her the other day, the nurse brought her to look at a classroom while I was filling out paperwork and she didn't want to leave the class. I can't believe how my little girl is growing up!!! (or that my big boy is going into 7th grade!)

2010-05-09T20:07:00.003-04:00

Mother's Day

It was a great weekend although it is also bittersweet. Yesterday our church had a Mother's Day tea. Patricia, Michelle, Jason, Jess, my mother and I all went. They had a wonderful spread and my mom was happy to see people from church again. Because she's half an hour away, I'm not able to get her to the church as often as I'd like. The tea was at 2. We stayed about an hour which was good timing. My mom has more difficulty later in the day so we didn't want to stay too late. She wasn't as upset as usual when I brought her back to the nursing home since I was able to tell her (truthfully) that we would be seeing her on Sunday for church and tea at her favorite tea room. Nicky flew in from CA on Thursday night, getting to Tricia's on Saturday. He spent the day with her and Saturday with his friend and then came to our house Saturday night. We didn't tell my mom because I wanted her to be surprised but I was also afraid that if we told her he was coming, she would think it was immediately and would be upset when she didn't see him until Sunday. I'm learning to only give information as needed.

Michelle and Jess at the church tea on Saturday

We went to church on Sunday. Jess got up with the children's choir today. All kids are in the children's choir in our church but Jess has always refused to get up front with them. She kept looking at me but she stayed up there. After the kids were done singing, one of the little girls went down to the nursery and Jess asked to go with her. I've tried off and on to get Jess to go to the nursery without crying for the past couple of years (I won't leave her crying as I want church to be a happy place, not a place that makes her cry and she is good when she's upstairs with me; it's just that I can focus on the sermon and lessons better on my own). She went downstairs until communion when I went to get her so she could go up for the blessing. My baby's growing up!!!! After church, we went to my house to wait for my in-laws and my mom got to see that Nicky was there. She was very happy to see him. Once my in-laws got there, we went to All Things Tea which is my mom's favorite place to eat. She later told me that she doesn't really like going anywhere else to eat but there which is good because I'd already made the decision to only take her there. It's familiar, small and not as overwhelming to her as a regular restaurant. I need to keep her world small and familiar.

Nicky was looking forward to having a cornish pasty (rhymes with nasty, not tasty although they are delicious). The tea room had a set menu since it was Mothers Day but the owners are awesome and made him some pasties (they're on the regular menu). One of the owners asked if Jess the full tea or something else. Jess, being the gourmet that she is, had the regular tea. The asparagus wrapped in dough was her favorite.

Jess, myself, Nicky, my mom, my mother in law, my sister in law
The tea tray

My mom and my kids

Nicky came with me when it was time to bring my mom back to the nursing home which I appreciated. That is always the hardest part for me. She doesn't remember that she lives there and is always asking when she's going home. The activities director was there so I got to talk to her for a couple of minutes. I don't get to go during the week when the regular staff is there (that'll change once school's out) but when I see them in on the odd weekend, I make an effort to stop and talk so that they'll know who I am. The activities director said she thought the tea room would make a good outing and will take my mom on that one since her turn's coming up to go out.

The bittersweet part of Mothers Day - my mom is very rapidly getting worse. A year ago, she was able to live on her own. Now she has a very loose hold on reality. Jessica is so close to her. I worry about how Jess is going to be affected when my mother passes away. Jess has had loss in her life - she lost her birthparents, she lost her country, at some point she is going to lose the grandmother she loves so much and that makes me sad. I miss my mom. While I obviously love her and don't want her to pass away, I miss the person she was before this horrible disease ravaged her memory. I find myself buying things that are nostalgic. For example, I bought sugar wafer cookies. Mike says they're like cardboard. I had never bought those for myself before. But, they were a staple in our house growing up. I bought brown bread in a can. The nostalgia for that passed by the time I got home so it is still sitting in the can but I can't bring myself to throw it away.

Today is also a day I think of Jess's birthmother. While I will never know the exact reasons why her birthparents were unable to raise her, given what I do know I have my thoughts about it. I won't share those thoughts because it is Jess's story not mine to share or not sure. I wish there was a way to let her mother know how loved her little girl is and how I cannot imagine our family without her.

A Poem for her Birthmother by Shana
I imagine you kissed
her sweet face so round
And gently placed her
where she wuold be found

I imagine your heartache
your pain and your tears
I wish I could show you
and soften your fears

I'd show you a girl
with hope in her eyes
A girl who loves stories
and sweet lullabies.

A girl who laughs freely
and loves to play
A girl who sings sweetly
and dances all day

A girl with a future
so sunny and smart
A girl who loves music
and reading and art

A girl who I hope
has your courage one day
I know it took courage
to love and walk away

Her beautiful smile
I wish you could see
She looks like you
and laughs like me

So imagine her laughter
imagine her touch
I wish I oculd show you
she's loved so much

Remember her face
Rememberthat kiss
And when you cry
remember this

Beyond your tears
Beyond your pain
Sometimes the sun
shines through the rain

And I know that she'll ask me
about yuo one day
I'll tell her you loved her
and wishes she could stay

I'll help her remember
and imagine you, too
when she starts to wonder
and dream about you

We'll look at the moon
I'll give you a kiss
and when she cries,
I'll tell her this

Beyond your tears
Beyond your pain
Sometimes the sun
shines through the rain

2010-05-08T18:36:00.002-04:00

Karate Tournament

Jason had his karate tournament last year. He's been doing karate with the same center since he was 4; he's now a second degree black belt. The tournament used to be in November but thankfully they've moved it to May. November was just too crazy!

Jason doing his bow staff forms. He placed 2nd in this.

Right after sparring. He placed 1st.

Proud boy

Jess at the tournament. This is the first year we thought she'd be able to sit through it. She made friends with a little boy and they kept each other entertained.

2010-04-22T21:34:00.002-04:00

Zooquarium

It's April vacation so we decided to take a ride down to Yarmouth and visit the Zooquarium. It was a beautiful, warm day and we had a great time.

The shearer isn't due for at least another 5 weeks. This poor sheep can barely see he's got so much wool. Jason's entire finger was swallowed up by the wool on his back.

Jess is becoming more indepently social. A few months ago I don't think she would have been willing to go into the pony ring without one of us right beside her. She loved her pony ride.

Jason and Jess at the touching pool. She needed a little encouragement but Jess rolled her sleeves up and got her hands in there to touch some of the shells and the starfish.

This toadfish was going back and forth along the side. I think he thought his reflection was another fish encroaching on his territory.

Jess on the dolphin statue. She pretended she was riding it and didn't want to get off.

Taylor Mali on what teachers make

2010-04-17T15:07:00.000-04:00

2010-04-04T18:29:00.004-04:00

Happy Easter
Jess was up at 6:30 this morning. Jason got up soon after and we all went downstairs to see what the bunny had brought. Bunny brought way too much as usual but oh well.

We hung around for a while and then it was time to get moving. I got Jess and Jason to church while Mike went to pick up my mom at the nursing home. We all met at church and got good seats. Jason was torchbearer in the procession. We sang a couple songs I really liked. A lot of the songs we sing are rather slow and not really my favorites. Today we sang Jesus Lifted Me which I love and another which I don't know the name of but Pastor said it is a Baptist hymn. My favorite part of the service is when it's all dark - the windows are all shrouded in black fabric and there's a large black sheet spread in front of the sacristy so you can't see the altar. Right before the procession, there's a drum roll and all the fabric is torn down so light can stream in.

After church we headed to our house to wait for Patricia and Scott. My brother called from Thailand; it was nice that my mom got to talk to him for a while.

Dressed for church

After church, the kids decided to change their clothes.

Patricia, the kids, Scott and my mom ready for dinner.

Jason wearing Jess's bunny ears

After everyone left, we took a walk down to the pond to walk off our dinner and check out what the rain had done.

The part in front of Jason is a beach that's totally flooded.

Jason's standing in front of 2 ponds. There is usually a dry area behind the large tree stretching to the trees behind it but the ponds have joined with all the rain.

2010-03-28T15:25:00.002-04:00

Jess and the Easter Bunny

We went to see the Easter Bunny today at the local shopping plaza where you can take pics with your own camera for free. They always do a great job here. Jess was excited to see him; such a difference from 2 years ago when she was absolutely terrified!

2010-03-15T19:19:00.002-04:00

Princess Tea

I took Jess to the princess tea that was held at a local shopping plaza. The proceeds went to the local hospital's palliative care department. Everyone brought a bear to be donated to the children's bereavement group at the hospital. The princesses were awesome! They danced with the kids and there was a woman who talked to the kids about self-esteem and confidence. One of my friends got the dress for me when she was in WDW. It was beautiful but the glitter got everywhere!

Jess placing the bear we brought with the others to be donated.

Jessica and Belle from Beauty and the Beast

Jessica and Sleeping Beauty

Curtseying

Jess and Prince Charming

2010-02-25T20:20:00.004-05:00

Happy 3rd Gotcha Day Anniversary!!

I cannot believe 3 years has passed since Jessica was placed in my arms by her ayi. The little one who cried so heartbreakingly and clung to me has grown into an independent little girl (although she knows she'll always be mommy's baby). Three years ago, Daddy could only hold her when she was sleeping or she'd scream. Now she's Daddy's Pumpkin and runs to him for hugs. It's amazing how much she has grown.

Minutes after being placed in my arms

Tonight at New Tokyo

2010-02-23T06:34:00.003-05:00

Fun Times

Jason and I get many of our travel ideas from watching Samantha Brown; she gets to do the coolest stuff. On one of her shows, she went indoor skydiving in a vertical wind tunnel in Vegas. I thought that was so cool but figured it'll be a while before we get back to Vegas (although I'd love to go back; it was so much fun and there are many child friendly things to do). At a scrapbooking event I was at I met a woman who was scrapping pictures of her family doing indoor skydiving but it was in NH. Jason's grandparents bought him a gift card for his birthday last summer and during our break last week we finally got up there. Mike and I decided to do it as well. While Jess is technically old enough, we didn't think she'd enjoy it so she came with us but didn't do it. The instructor had me go first so that after I'd done my 2 times, they could shut the wind down for a minute and I could switch out with Mike. I was a little freaked at going first but it was wicked cool. Jess was a little freaked out watching the instructor at first and started crying that she didn't want daddy to go in there. She calmed down afterward and enjoyed watching it.

Jason suited up and ready to go

I'm floating

Up up and away with Jason

2010-02-16T09:03:00.004-05:00

Catching Up

I keep thinking I'll be better at keeping my blog up to date but life just keeps getting in the way. For a while I couldn't open it because of the radioplayer I had on. My computer had had a virus and when we got it back, blogs with radioplayer on them shut it down. I took it off mine so I can finally get back on.

Jason's expanding his repertoire of cooking. I know a lot of people think it's not right that I don't make him eat what Mike or I are cooking if he doesn't like it but having grown up being made to eat things I hated, I just can't do that. However, I have no intention of running a restaurant so the rule is if you don't like what's for dinner, you need to make something yourself. Jason started off pouring cereal, putting tortillas and cheese together and making pb&j sandwiches when he was really little. He graduated to the microwave for pancakes, waffles and chicken nuggets. He makes frozen pizza and is now making tacos. I don't let him make the tacos or anything requiring the stove when no one else is home. One person told me that not making him eat the hot meal we cook shows him we don't really care about him. Mmmm....I don't think so.

A rare moment - playing nicely, no teasing or fighting.

Happy Valentine's Day. Jason went to a wrestling meet while Jess, Tricia and I took my mom out for tea. My mom loves the tea place in Plymouth. I tried the cornish pasty which is new there and it was really good! I think I may be going back sooner than usual to get it again. Plus I need some more sweet cranberry tea.

Jess at the tea room. She got cream cheese and strawberry jam sandwiches, grapes, strawberries, and cookies. After she ate everything, she helped me eat my dessert plate, especially the chocolate covered strawberry! When I'd originally called to make the reservations, the owner asked how many people and I said 3 adults and a child. He asked how old the child was and I said 4. There was silence and then I said that she'd been there frequently. Then he knew who I was and said he was happy we were coming in. Jess is always extremely well behaved there and the owners always give her a little something extra - more grapes, an extra sandwich, etc. This time Jess was helping me eat my chocolate strawberry and one of the owners (husband and wife couple) told me she had a chocolate strawberry on the counter that she couldn't serve because it didn't look perfect but would Jess like it. Jess was thrilled.

2010-01-24T15:48:00.004-05:00

A Long Day

Jason joined the wrestling team for the winter term. Not my favorite sport since the chance of injury is so high but he enjoys it. At the last meet he was in, he had his sternum bruised and was out for a week. He was in the tournament today and came in 3rd place for his weight division. No injuries today except for a sore nose; another child dislocated his kneecap and was taken out by ambulance.

Today my schedule was get up at 6 and get the kids in the car so we could pull out of the driveway by 6:30. Drove 1/2 hour to the tournament. Waited for the coach to get there and then Jess and I drove back home 1/2 hour. I laid down for an hour while she played on the computer and then we drove 1/2 hour again to the tournament. We watched Jason wrestle and left at 11. Drove 1/2 hour to my mom's nursing home to take her to tea which was 1/2 an hour away in Plymouth. Had a wonderful tea at All Things Tea and got a text from Jason that he was done (about 2 hours earlier than we'd thought he'd be). Drove 1/2 hour to tournament to get him, 1/2 hour to the nursing home to drop my mom off and then 1/2 hour home. All in all, I drove about 4 hours today. If it'd been highway, it'd have been shorter but it was mostly regular streets with a much lower speed limit. I'm ready for some mindless tv tonight - thankfully I have Desperate Housewives and Worst Cooks in America to watch.

2010-01-13T06:47:00.002-05:00

More Prayers Needed

The brother-in-law of a friend is a doctor and landed in Haiti yesterday morning for a medical mission before the earthquake hit. He hasn't been heard from since 2 pm. Please pray that he is alive, well, busy helping those who are hurt and will be able to get to a working phone soon to let his family know he is alive.

Update- Prayers work - he is home now safe and sound!

2010-01-11T20:29:00.003-05:00

Addition to Pray for the Child Post

Here's a link to the mom's blog that tells her story. Be prepared....I was in tears reading it.

http://allysjourney.blogspot.com/

Keep praying....it's working!!!!! The mom has heard from a very good immigration lawyer who thinks she may be able to help.

The purple army is fighting to bring you home, Alyssa!!!!

2010-01-10T16:41:00.003-05:00

Pray for the child

A woman I met on a message board went to another country (not China) to adopt a baby. She met the child, loves the child, yet had to leave the child because the agency pulled something shady. Right now nothing more can be said about what agency (except that it was not the agency we used) because she is still hoping that a miracle will happen and that the baby will be back in her arms (no chance of the baby being with her birth family so she's back in the orphanage). Prayer is strong and can work miracles. Please....light a candle, pray that this child will be granted a forever family. And for those of you who think "That's what happens when you go outside the US to adopt.", it happens in this country too. Every child deserves a loving home where they are cherished regardless of where in the world they come from. I look at my little girl snuggled on my bed sound asleep and my heart just breaks for this woman and her child.

2010-01-09T08:11:00.002-05:00

Jess and her carseat

I spend a lot (too much!) time on Rumor Queen (that won't mean anything to anyone who's never been involved in a China adoption). As on many forum boards, there are people from all over the world discussing and debating. One discussion started about the safety of winter coats in car seats and the fact that winter coats in car seats are NOT safe. One poster who says she is a child passenger safety technician (the people who do carseat checks and can show you how to properly install the seat) said that children should definitely not be wearing bulky winter coats. She said the trick to see if your kids coat is too bulky is to put her in the seat with the coat on and tighten the harness appropriately. Then, take the coat off and buckle the harness but don't tighten it. If you can get more than a finger between the strap and the child, it's too loose. If you're in an accident and your child is wearing her coat, it may compress and your child can be expelled from the carseat. After reading this, I went online and did some research. I didn't find much about Massachusetts, but I did see that Children's Hospital of Wisconsin and Texas Department of Transportation both agree with the recommendation that the poster on Rumor Queen made. So....I decided no more bulky winter coat in the carseat. My sitter thought I was nuts. She said that it was too difficult to get kids' coats off and on in the car. I like my sitter and didn't want to have to switch, so I went online and looked for fleeces that are warm. I found a heavyweight fleece at Lands End that was in Jess's favorite color and when it came, it passed the carseat trick. So, all's well.

2010-01-07T20:27:00.003-05:00

Something funny going on

I checked my blog and noticed that some of the words in my posts are highlighted as links. I do not do links this way so I have no idea why this has happened. The only time I do a link is if I put in the whole url. Frustrating.

10 minutes later....okay I figured it out. I downloaded babelfish so I could read an email about Jinan that was in Swedish. When I downloaded this, some ad thing got downloaded as well. I uninstalled it and it seems to be okay now.

2010-01-07T07:27:00.004-05:00

Aggravated and Venting

Just a quick post because I'm still thinking about something from work yesterday and I know that by writing it down, it's easier to move on. And, I figure, if I can't vent in my own blog, where can I vent? I don't know how the subject started because I was working on my plans at the time but somehow they got to joking if a prostitute claims rape, is it really rape or shoplifting. I've heard these jokes from guys before but really have we fallen so low that making jokes about a violent crime against women (usually) is really funny?? I was offended and wish I'd said something but I didn't. I just don't get how people think things like this are funny; in my book, they rate up there with racist jokes which many people I know enjoy telling and I find so offensive. This is a "humor" that I just don't find humorous.

2010-01-05T20:55:00.002-05:00

Chocolate Fondue

I got an electric fondue pot for Christmas. It is so much easier and safer than lighting sterno. Jess liked it which is nice since Mike and Jason won't eat it and I can't really make a pot for myself (okay I could, but I really, really shouldn't). Watch out boys! My baby girl is going to be an expensive date with her penchant for baked brie, poached pear and now fondue. Of course, until she's 21 (make that 31....no 41), we'll be her only dates!

2010-01-02T23:21:00.004-05:00

Elf Yourself

2010-01-02T23:21:00.001-05:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

2010-01-02T23:17:00.002-05:00

Elf Yourself

I know Christmas is over but I just found this (actually I think I did it last year also but I forgot about it until I came across it on someone's blog tonight).

2010-01-01T09:40:00.003-05:00

Goodbye 2009, Hello 2010

What a year! In February we celebrated Jess's 2nd anniversary of her Gotcha Day. I cannot believe she's been home almost 3 years now! Someone asked me last night if I had trouble teaching her English when she came home. Mmmm....no, her speech is quite good and sometimes advanced. When she came home at 17 months, all she understood was Mandarin of course, but children pick up languages very quickly; that is why we should be teaching new langauges way before high school or middle school. Jess knows a little ASL as does Jason which is what I used when we were transitioning from Mandarin to English as it's easier to learn. This summer I had the chance to visit with family I don't know well in CA as well as some I do. We toured San Francisco with my brother and then caught up with cousins from my father's side of the family. We also got to catch up with Sharon, Dan and Keira who were part of our adoption group. The last few months of 2009 have been difficult. My mom had surgery this summer for a twisted hiatel hernia and has gone downhill quickly since then. We don't know if it's the anesthesia from the surgery (read since then that that can accelerate dementia in the elderly), the brain bleed she has, or if this would have happened without either of those things. I'm grateful she still remembers her children and her grandchildren although the details fluctuate (she thought Jess was 6, she thinks I work where I did when I was 16) but it is painful to see how lost she is. A year ago she was living in an assisted living apartment, now she's in an alzheimers unit in a nursing home.

On a happier note, my neighbor had some people over last night and I was thrilled to go. I don't drive on New Years Eve. There are too many crazies out there. Jess took a late nap (got up at 7:30) and I took her over since Mike was working. She took a bit to warm up as usual but after half an hour, she was talking to all the adults and playing with Deb's cat. We left about 10:30 and Jess was not happy about that. She wanted to stay but Jason was at home so I wanted to get back. We saw the New Years in together with noisemakers, hats, and sparkling apple cider.

Here's to 2010!!

2009-12-30T21:48:00.002-05:00

Simply Amazing

2009-12-28T21:05:00.002-05:00

Last Christmas pictures for the year

Every year I get dress a red Santa type dress to wear. She picked this one out and then decided she didn't want to wear it. I found the hat for the doll and said they could look like each other and she went for it. I need to do a scrapbook page of her in her Santa dresses over the past 3 years.

Jess goofing for the camera. What a ham!!!!

2009-12-25T09:54:00.005-05:00

Merry Christmas!!!!!

We were up at 5:30 with Mike this morning so he could watch the kids open Santa's presents. Afterward I went back to lie in bed (didn't really sleep) while Jess played with her Leapster and Jason played his Guitar Hero downstairs. At 8:30 I got up and made pancakes for breakfast. I love Christmas - I love shopping on Black Friday. I love wrapping the presents. I love going to the children's service on Christmas Eve. It's a time when I can indulge myself in buying for my kids. They certainly don't get everything they want but they do get a lot at Christmas, some of it practical, some of it luxuries. I love hearing the Christmas story. I love listening to Christmas carols (especially in my truck since we get country Christmas on the XM radio). I love the magic of Santa Claus. I don't understand people who celebrate Christmas but don't allow their kids to believe in Santa Claus. I do realize, of course, that Santa is not the reason for Christmas; that it is our Lord's birthday. But, there is magic in a child's belief in Santa and I want that magic to last as long as possible.

Waiting for the kids to get up

Santa came!!!

Ready to for the next snowfall

Jess's favorite song is Dominic the Donkey. She told Santa she wanted a donkey for Christmas and he looked a little surprised.

2009-12-25T09:38:00.003-05:00

On Christmas Eve, we picked my mom up at the nursing home so that she could come to church with us. We went to the 5:00 children's service. It was really nice - lots of carols and Pastor's son read a story about the baby Jesus told by the animals. Jason was an alcolyte and Jess carried the baby Jesus to the manger. I would have loved to have gotten a picture of that but I didn't think having the flash go off would be appropriate at that moment. She looked adorable up at the altar gently placing the baby in the manger.

After church we went out to eat, dropped my mom off and then came home to open the family presents. Typically, we only open one but Mike had to work today so to save time this morning, we opened them all last night and the kids just opened Santa's presents today.

The kids on Christmas Eve.

Spreading reindeer food to lead the reindeer here.

Can't forget the milk and cookies.

December snowstorm - 12/20/09

We had a huge storm on the 19-20th. No school on Monday which was very, very nice. Usually I don't like snowdays because we have to make them up but I got so much done for Christmas; that extra time was really helpful. I was coming down with a sinus infection so I didn't go outside. Mike used the snowblower and the kids played in the snow.

Ready for the snow!

Sledding

Cuddling with Jack in front of the wood stove. We're getting a lot of use out of that stove this year.

2009-12-25T09:19:00.002-05:00

Our Trip to Newport, RI

I took the kids to Newport to see Santa at Marble House. While we were there we also went to The Elms Rooftop and Behind the Scenes Tour and we went to the Astor's Beechwood which is my favorite (too bad it just sold for 10.5M). We had a great weekend.

The key to a good car trip with 2 kids.

The Astor's Beechwood. It's amazing that this was considered a summer cottage and only used 2 months a year. They had dancing at the Beechwood after we toured the mansion. Jason was a good sport.

Santa and Jess discussing footwear at Marble House. She was thrown by the fact that he was wearing more of a St Nicholas outfit with the hood and brown suede boots than the hat and black boots.

2009-12-07T20:20:00.005-05:00

Christmas Season Happenings

Tis the season to be busy. But it's a good kind of busy. I took the kids to see Santa again at Colony Place and got a good picture to put on our Christmas cards.

We had our annual church fair and I made cookies for the bake table. I saw them in a magazine and thought they looked really cute. Of course they ended up taking longer to make than I thought they would but they were worth the time.

Last year I made advent calendars for the kids. There are 25 little drawers and I covered each in scrapbook paper. I filled the drawers with m&m's, dove chocolates and pistachios.

When I was little my mom took me to Jordan Marsh to see the Enchanted Village. They stopped having it after several years and the scenes went into storage. It was erected in City Hall Plaza for a short time but that didn't last long. This year Jordan's Furniture bought it and did a great job with it. Right after work on a Friday, we drove to Avon and visited the furniture store. The Enchanted Village was awesome. I love seeing all the old fashioned scenes. After we were done with the village, we went to the laser show Jordan's had - Christmas carols with lasers - that was also great. I wasn't sure how Jess would like that but she loved it! It seems Jordan's also bought the recipe for Jordan Marsh's famous blueberry muffins. I bought one - I wished I bought more; it was very good.

Jess at the Clifford tree at Colony Place

Jess, Jason and the wild thing at Colony Place

Jess, Jason and St. Nick at Colony Place

2009-11-28T21:30:00.002-05:00

Bittersweet Thanksgiving

My mom was able to come to our house for Thanksgiving afterall. It was good to have her there but bittersweet as well. Things went as well as could be expected. The food all came out very good and we had plenty of it. My mom talked about having to get back to her home to go to work; she was very vague about what she thinks her job is. She kept asking us what time her train would be leaving and we'd explain that we were taking her back to the nursing home and that she didn't need to take the train. Her nursing home is called Oak Hill and the train station near where she used to live is Oak Grove which is where the confusion may have been coming from. Jess hugged my mom a lot and said she was glad she was there. After dinner, we took her home and then Patricia, Michelle, Jason and I went to see A Christmas Carol. That was a very good movie and we had a great time. I got up early on Black Friday (3:15 am) and hit Kohls, Borders, Gymboree, Children's Place, JoAnns, Michaels and Bed Bath and Beyond. I stayed away from electronics places and found the shopping to be quite fun. Afterward, we made fattigmon. That's a Norwegian cookie that was made at Christmas. My grandmother made them and taught my mom how to; my mom in turn taught me. Now I'm teaching Jason. He doesn't like to eat them but he said it was a lot of fun to make them. I let him fry them which was a little nervewracking at first. I think I was in my late teens before I was allowed to fry them. Saturday we went to see Santa at Colony Place. It's funny to see how much Jess loves seeing him compared to how she was her first Christmas when she screamed just at the sight of him.

2009-11-07T19:46:00.003-05:00

Is coveting your neighbor's vacation a sin?

I get you're not supposed to covet your neighbor's spouse or possessions but I admit I am very, very jealous of one of my coworkers vacation plans. I think my jealousy started hitting hard right around the time I started making Thanksgiving plans. I know living an hour or more from different relatives makes it difficult to get together on holidays. I planned on having Thanksgiving at my house because I had been hoping to have my mom there and with her health it'd have been too hard to bring her to someone else's house. That's not going to happen at all which makes it just hurt worse. DH's side has plans. Fine, I understand. My sister and niece were supposed to come. Niece wants to go to father's; sister doesn't want to make the drive by herself. So, Thanksgiving will be DH, me and the kids. I'm fine with that, really. Okay, not really but I don't have much choice. Growing up, my mom always insisted I be there for Thanksgiving; it was the family holiday. Since we flew on employee passes, we usually spent Christmas flying or at airports but Thanksgiving was dinner at home with turkey, baked apples, and whatever friends didn't have somewhere to go. My mom's physically still here but mentally she is slipping away faster and faster. This just seemed like a time when I really needed family around. I will still have my family of course, DH and the kids, but I wish there'd be more of us. The nursing home advised us strongly not to take my mom out for the holiday because of the frequent transitions she's had to have over the past 2 months, her paranoia, and her fantasies. So, that sets the stage for my jealous coveting.

A coworker is going on a cruise at Christmas with about 20 people in her family. I know some think I'm crazy but I think that would be the ideal trip - cruises have so much to do that people could do what they wanted and catch up throughout the trip (I'm not crazy enough to think that we should all be doing the same thing all the time). I treasure the memories I have of traveling with my family. I am so glad that my son has those memories of my mother; it hurts my heart that my daughter won't have those memories. I know it'll never happen but that doesn't stop me from wishing.

2009-11-02T18:02:00.002-05:00

All Sunbeams and Rainbows?

I was reading another adoptive mom's blog and she commented about how so many blogs portray everything happy, happy, happy. It is true that many of the ones I've read do deal with the happy stuff mostly. Do I think our journey has been all sunbeams and rainbows? No, real life never is but it has been pretty damn good for which I am forever thankful. On the plane over to China, I wondered if we knew what we were doing. Could I handle 2 kids? Could I handle a child with a heart condition? Of course, when I was pregnant I had the same thoughts - Could I handle a baby? What if he does have Trisomy 18 (Jason had a choroid plexus cyst on the ultrasound show up which can be a marker for Trisomy 18)? The things that have driven me the most crazy - Jess coslept when we came home in March until the following September. I would have been fine with her continuing to cosleep but Mike didn't like it. One of us would stay with her until she fell asleep. She'd cry and cry which ripped my heart out and Mike insisted she stay in her bed, not lie on the floor with me. There were nights where I was so tired from working and trying to keep up with everything that I couldn't take the crying and I'd beg her to go to sleep which aggravated Mike. That was probably the worst time for me. Now she sleeps in her own bed most of the time although she does come in with me some nights when Mike's working and that's fine. The thing that drives me the most crazy now is the sibling rivalry and I don't think that would be any different if I'd given birth to Jason's sibling rather than adopting her. They're both great on car rides when they're alone; put both of them in the car together and they're megabrats. My friend's daughter's occasionally watches Jess. People have asked why I don't leave Jess with Jason. I don't know that they'd both be alive when I got home if I did that. They're both great kids but they do have the ability to drive me out of my mind. I just threatened them both with going to bed immediately. I'm not feeling well and they've been together maybe 5 minutes and are going at it. This is why I focus on the happy times - I don't really want to dwell on the times that I'm pissed off; it just makes me feel bad.

2009-10-30T22:48:00.005-04:00

Catching Up

It seems like all I do is try to catch up - catch up with work, catch up with the house, catch up with my mom's stuff. Some day I'll be caught up but until then I'll just keep doing the best I can.

Three weeks ago I was in a car accident. I was minding my own business driving to my mom's apartment to meet my sister. Guy came across the double yellow line and hit me near the driver front tire. After scraping down the side of my car, I was spun and my rear passenger side door hit a telephone pole and the window smashed. Thank God the kids weren't with me. I've got some residual pain and a shadow of the bruise is still visible on my arm but nothing was broken and there were no serious internal injuries. My phone had been on the seat beside me and when it got thrown it somehow got stuck on speaker. I was in shock when I got out of the car and couldn't figure out how to turn the speaker off which was frustrating the hell out of me. I couldn't get hold of Mike at home or on his cell. I tried my in-laws since I was in their city but they were out. My sister wasn't answering. The fire department called Mike's work and they finally were able to reach him. I reached my sister when I was in the ambulance and told her I was on my way to the hospital. She left a message for my in-laws. What really hurt was that after trying to call Mike, my first instinct was to call my mom. For those who know our situation lately, that obviously wouldn't be possible or appropriate. But, when you're hurt, you want to call your mom.
My door wouldn't open nor would the window so I had to go out the back door. Thankfully we only had the child safety lock on the other door or I would have needed help getting out.

No window. This picture was taken the next day after Mike took Jess's car seat out so you can't see it covered in glass. When I saw her carseat covered in glass, I nearly lost it just imagining if she'd been with me.

Tomorrow is Halloween. Tonight we went to our church's Halloween party and had a good time. Here are the kids dressed up.

2009-10-03T19:15:00.005-04:00

Birthday pics

We went out to eat on the day before Jess's birthday. Here she is ready to go to Bugaboo Creek.

Kissing the moose.

Cake at my mom's on Jess's actual birthday.

Jess and my mom

Jess's Cinderella castle cake for her birthday cake

My little princess

Blowing out the candles

2009-09-23T01:16:00.002-04:00

Happy 4th Birthday, Jessica!!!

I'll post pics later but since I'm wide awake in the middle of the night I thought I'd update my blog. My camera's downstairs and I don't want to wake anyone by opening the gate (Jess still has supersonic hearing when it comes to that).

Tuesday night we went to Bugaboo Creek to celebrate Jess's birthday. She was a little confused about why we were going out on Tuesday when we'd been telling her her birthday was Wednesday. My mom recently moved to a nursing home and we've been told that we shouldn't take her out for a while because it adds to her confusion. So, tonight we'll be bringing a cake to the nursing home to celebrate with my mom which is why we did dinner last night.

Jess loves Bugaboo Creek. She loves the moose outside, she loves the talking animals and she loves having the waitstaff sing to her and bring her the moose puppet to kiss. We brought her presents with us to open. She loves my camera so I bought her a VTech digital camera for kids. She spent the rest of the night taking pictures of everything. She also got some clothes and an art kit. From Jason, she got a Ni Hao Kai-lan doll - dino dreams. For those who don't know who Kai-lan is, it's a show on Nickelodeon that is like Dora the Explorer except she is Chinese and speaks some Mandarin. Tonight Jess will get an easel and some supplies to go with it that I got for my mom to give her. Sunday is her party. It started out as being a teaparty but is now a Cinderella party. She wants to wear her Cinderella dress and picked out a castle for me to make her cake. All of the decorations she picked out were Cinderella. I think I'm going to get some wand kits for kids to decorate if I can find them at Michaels today after work.

2009-09-11T19:46:00.003-04:00

When I woke up this morning, I looked outside at the sky. It was gray and cloudy, much different than it was that morning 8 years ago. There are no words for the horror of that day.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW8puRqE4Sc&feature=related

2009-07-06T10:12:00.006-04:00

Fourth of July
Since our plans to go to Boston fell through, I decided to take the family to Old Sturbridge Village for an 1830's Independence Day celebration. We had a blast! Mike met up with us late afternoon because he had to do a funeral but the kids and I set off early and spent the day at OSV. Jasn and Jess played games like Les Graces (throw a wooden hoop to each other using wooden sticks), Coits (like horseshoes but with circles), and Shuttlecock. Jess loved the animals and the parade.

Around 3:30, we went to the hotel to meet Mike. We stayed at the Scottish Inn. It was very basic and clean (for $53, that's all we expected). We went back to the OSV for the evening festivities. Jason did a sackrace and we listened to the band play. Jess did a cute jig to the music but as soon as I picked up my camera, she'd stop. The fireworks were awesome! Jess absolutely loved them; the look on her face was priceless. Jason said he definitely wants to go back next year.

On Sunday we went back to OSV. We toured a couple of houses and Mike joined Jason in a game of Les Graces and Shuttlecock. Jason and Jess both played tug of war and baseball. Jess got trampled in the tug of war. They tried fishing with bits of bread. Jason caught a fish which got thrown back. On the trolley ride Jason and Jess were picking at each other (what else is new?). I moved Jess to the other side of me which would have been the end of it except that the woman next to me shook her finger in Jess's face and told her to be quiet. Who the hell are you to talk like that to my kid!? Especially when I'm already taking care of the issue! I moved Jess back to the other side next to Jason. The woman yelled at her husband later on the ride so I guess her rudeness isn't reserved for strangers.

Fishing at Mill Pond

Reading the Declaration of Indendence

Right before the fireworks started

Cloud watching

Making the noonday meal

Ready for the riverboat ride

Parade

Playing Les Graces

2009-06-30T20:40:00.002-04:00

Newport, RI
We took the kids to Newport last weekend. We started on the Cliffwalk. Mike and Jess stayed with us to Narragansett then Jason and I went on to Marine by ourselves. When we got to Marine, we decided it was too hot to go the next 2 miles since there were no cutoffs inbetween. That night Jason and I did the ghost tour around downtown Newport - lot of fun!! The next day, Mike and Jason went to the arcade while I took Jess to see the Green Animals. As often as I've been to Newport, I've never seen them (I have seen all the mansions though). I decided to become a member of the preservation society so now I can get into the mansions for free. I want to go this fall on my own and then again at Christmas with the kids to see Santa. What I save on these tours will more then make up for my membership fee. I also got a free ticket for behind the scenes and rooftop tour which I want to go on at the Elms. The Breakers has new rooms open to the public. Lots to see.

Jess with the bears at the Green Animals. She couldn't decide if the big one was a mommy or daddy.

Hanging out in a tree at the Green Animals.

Jason and our wonderful tourguide, Autumn.

2009-06-11T19:57:00.001-04:00

Here's part 2 of all about me:

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies - nope, I sold Campfire Girls Candy
62. Gone whale watching - on the beach in HI
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone - nothing major, just toes
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life.
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee"

2009-06-11T19:53:00.001-04:00

I saw this on Giorgia Danette's blog and thought it sounded fun. For some reason I couldn't get the whole thing on one post so I had to split it into 2. Rules are you bold whatever you've done.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyworld
8. Climbed a mountain-Or was it a really big hill?
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty-Not the torch.
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train.
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run-hmm
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke!
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris"

2009-05-24T18:18:00.003-04:00

Book Banning

As a teacher and a parent, I do not believe in book banning. Jason told me the other day that books 2 and 4 of the Twilight series have been banned at his school. This bothered me a lot. I believe that only a parent should be able to tell their child not to read something unless it comes in a brown paper wrapper or is criminal (how to build a pipebomb, etc). After talking to several people, I now think that the books are banned in his classroom but not by the school. One parent told me her daughter's teacher (different teacher, same grade as Jason) sent a note home saying the children could read the book in her room but that she thought parents may want to check the book out first before allowing their children to read it. Vampire romance is definitely not a genre I'm really into but I am reading the first book now and I will read the rest of the series so that I can give an informed opinion about it. One of my friends doesn't believe it's appropriate for kids up to high school to read and wants to know what I think after I read it. She said some of it is violent. Considering I've given Jason permission to read The Shining, I don't think she and I will see eye to eye on what's appropriate. Basically, if it doesn't come in a brown paper wrapper or from a store with blacked out windows or details how to do criminal acts, I'm okay with him reading it. This allows him the ability to talk to me about what he reads rather than hide it. If a book does get his attention that I feel is inappropriate, I will deal with it - ME, NOT the school.

2009-05-22T19:18:00.002-04:00

Good thoughts, prayers, lit candles welcome

My mom's in the hospital again. She's living with my sister now and woke up with chest pains the other day. Tricia brought her to the hospital. We feared a heart issue but turns out it's not. Still not good news though - her hiatal hernia which she's had for years has twisted. Doctor said that she really needs surgery. My mom and I are alot alike - we are both strongheaded, opinionated, and certain that we are right - made for some stressful times growing up. She wants to go home and think about the surgery; after hearing from Patricia what the doctor said, I want her to have the surgery right now. It seems the doctor feels that while she has a moderate chance of surviving the surgery, her chance of surviving without the surgery is much less. Please pray, light a candle, cross your fingers, think good thoughts or whatever it is you do in time of need.

2009-05-10T12:28:00.003-04:00

Happy Mother's Day!!!

We celebrated Mother's Day yesterday by going out to dinner with my mom, my brother, sister, niece, nephew, DH and the kids. It was nice to have us all together which doesn't happen often with my brother living in CA. Today I took the kids to church and now DH is taking them bike riding. I think I'm going to go get something to eat at Simply Divine if they're open and read my book. DH is making burgers for tonight and I'm making a chocolate pudding pie - yum!!!!

2009-04-05T18:34:00.006-04:00

Playing Catch-up

It's been busy so I've fallen WAY behind in my blog. Here's a quick photo recap of what's going on in the Land of the Sullivans.

Jess came down with hives. No clue where they came from. Poor baby.

Our pond on my way to bringing Jason to karate.

March snowstorm

Jess being cool. One of my paras gave her the sweater.

Kids at Capron Park Zoo.

Jason at fencing. He loves it. I told him that since we're so busy this summer with Calumet, swimming lessons and our trip to California, I'd let him sign up for the late spring session when this session ends.

We went to New Tokyo for our annivesary. It's a Japanese hibachi restaurant. The food was awesome and the entertainment very good.

Jason tried the soup. He didn't like it but that wasn't a surprise.

Jess tried the soup. She liked it; again, no surprise.

The local shopping area has a community room where you can take free pictures with your camera. Jason was less than thrilled about getting his picture taken but he wanted the candy the bunny was giving out. Jess asked if she could go back again the next day because she loves the bunny - what a change from last year!!

We went back the following Saturday and Jess hopped right onto his lap.

2009-02-26T07:58:00.004-05:00

Time Flies When You're Having Fun!!!

Two years ago yesterday, a little girl was placed in my arms halfway across the world. Life hasn't been the same since*S* I was looking at baby pictures of her and it's hard to remember how little she was. I cannot believe how much she has grown. She's running, climbing, into everything (typical 3 year old*S*). She loves the Wiggles, Dora, Ni Hao Kai Lan, and Elmo. She likes to sing and dance. She knows her name is Jessica Kangchan Sullivan and she knows she came from China. She recognizes Keira from our travel group when we go onto looking at blogs (sometimes calls her "Keira with a K" to differentiate from "baby Ciara", one of my friend's daughter). While she isn't as clingy as she was, she is definitely a mama's girl. Lately, her favorite hairstyle is 2 braids (never thought her hair would get long enough for that!). Her favorite word is "Why?" She has questions about everything. She can't wait to go to California and talks about seeing Uncle Nicky there. This year, she loved Santa Claus (terrified the year before) and Halloween. She loves Jason who she refers to as "My Jason". She loves to pretend to talk on the phone and is frequently pretending to call Jason's friends Seamus or Colin, both who are very nice to her.

July 2008

The Little Angel 12/08

Searching for treasure on the map 1/09

Feeding baby Ciara 2/09

Look how our baby has grown!

Our first glimps of our new little girl. She's 8 months old in this picture.Gotcha Day 2007 - a few minutes after she was first placed in my arms

Gotcha Day Anniversary 2008

Gotcha Day Anniversary 2009

2009-02-24T19:25:00.002-05:00

Hug Your Kids
Since we got started in the international adoption process a little over 4 years ago, I've been following people's blogs and websites who are also in the process, finished the process or thinking about the process. I also subscribe to umpteen Yahoo groups related to adoption and of course religiously keep up with what's happening in the Rumor Queendom. I'm nosey; when we drive by people's houses and the shades are up, I look in (much to Mike's chagrin). When blogs are open to the public and they're interesting to me, I read them. And yes, if you have a really loud cellphone conversation right next to me in line at the grocery store, I will listen (I will try not to add my two cents though). When you start to follow someone's blog or site, you get to feel like you know them even if you've never met them in real life or talked to them outside of leaving comments. A little while ago I learned about a little girl adopted from China with Jason's birthday who had a Caring Bridge site and I started reading and following it. Caring Bridge is a service that provides free websites for people who are critically ill so they can keep their friends and family updated. The little girl had leukemia and today she got her wings. I cannot imagine the pain her parents are feeling right now. Time to go hug my kids.

2009-02-06T19:01:00.002-05:00

Year of the Ox

We went to a party in Braintree for Chinese New Year this year. It was fun - the food was good, we watched some children put on cute dances and the martial arts demos were very good. There were more crafts last year. Jason was disappointed we didn't win any of the raffles. I was a little disappointed the masseuse wasn't there that was there last year. The massage I got last year hurt when she did it but my back felt awesome afterward! Jess wore the Chinese outfit Chuck, Sandi, and the girls gave her for her birthday. She was going to wear the red shoes Jen gave her but they are a little too big right now so she wore the sparkling silver ones. She got lots of rave reviews on them. She calls them her sparkly shoes. We went out the first day of CNY for Chinese food at our local restaurant. It was very good as usual.

2009-01-02T23:14:00.004-05:00

New Years Eve Snowstorm

Here are the kids during the NYE snowstorm. I came out to take pics and then went back in where it was warm. Mike nearly totaled my camera by aiming the snowblower at me as I was taking it out. We got about another 10 inches or so and it was much windier than the last storm and much, much colder. I'd be happy to be done with snow for the winter but Jason's hoping for lots more although he doesn't want any snow days because that means school goes longer (I don't want any either for the same reason).

2009-01-01T13:47:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year!!

Hard to believe it's 2009 already! I was surfing the net and came across Project 365 by Becky Higgins. It's a scrapbooking kit where you take a picture every day. I loved the idea but the colors and designs in the kit weren't really me so once Mike gets home, I'm going to take my Michael's gift certificate and get myself what I need to do this on my own. I already took today's picture. The pictures are supposed to be something to represent the day. I took the kids to the Hearth and Kettle for breakfast and snapped a pic of them together. Jason doubts that I'll keep up with a pic every day but I think I can do it!

2008-12-27T19:05:00.002-05:00

The Day After Christmas

On our way home from the hotel, we stopped at Lynn's house. It was her daughter, Ciara's, first Christmas and we wanted to drop off our gifts to her. Jess kept asking to hold Ciara so I had Jason help and was able to get a pic of the 3 of them. Aren't they cute together?

Paula

2008-12-25T08:11:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas!!

Today was Jess's second Christmas home but the first one she really understood. We got up at 7 and went downstairs to open presents. Santa was very, very good to the kids! Jess was so cute. After each present, she'd ask if she could open the next. I think one of her favorite things is her new toy cellphone. She was very excited to get a new Wiggles cd as her old one was skipping a lot. Jason loves his new Mario Kart Wii game; he and Mike are playing now. In a few hours we'll be off to Mike's parents and then to his aunt's for a party. We're visiting a friend of mine after that; it's her daughter's first Christmas. Tonight we'll be staying at a hotel. Jason's excited about going swimming. Santa was very good to me as well. I got gift certificates to a scrapbooking crop that some of my friends are going to; I can't wait!!

Before everyone got to the presents

Mommy's little helper

Jason's always wanted to learn how to juggle

Next year's Christmas card?

2008-12-25T08:05:00.001-05:00

New Favorite Christmas Song

I was on Rumor Queen (what else is new?!?) and found a post about an awesome Christmas song. It made me remember how we were waiting two years ago and so thankful that our little girl is home with us for her second Christmas now. The song is Merry Christmas by Third Day. The guy who wrote it adopted a little girl from China and his family pics are in the video. What a beautiful family he has!

2008-12-22T08:46:00.006-05:00

Fun in the snow and the Christmas pageant

Friday we got out of school at 1 because of the blizzard they were expecting. The snow started coming down at 3 and by the end we got about 12 inches. The kids loved playing in it. Thankfully it was soft and fluffy so the only place that was hard to shovel was at the end of the driveway where the plow had packed it down. Friday night we lost power at 9 and it came back on the following morning at 8. I was just happy that it didn't stay off like in western MA. It snowed through Saturday. Mike had to work and the kids and I decorated the tree. Sunday we had our Christmas pageant at church. Jess went back and forth over whether she wanted to be in it. She wanted to during Sunday's practice but when it was time for the actual pageant she didn't want to do it. Luckily I got some cute shots during practice of my little angel. Jason was a reader and did a great job being front and center.

"Helping" me shovel

Jess's first snow angel

Jess's ornament from last year - Elmo

2008-12-10T18:26:00.002-05:00

Something nice Xerox is doing for our troops
If you go to this web site, www.letssaythanks.com , you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq . You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to some member of the armed services. It's free and only takes a minute.

2008-11-30T07:56:00.005-05:00

Success with Santa

Last week we went to see Santa arrive at the community room at the local shopping center and took a ride on a haywagon with him. He sat right next to us. Jess wouldn't get off my lap but she did wave at him which was more than she was willing to do last year. Reading those Christmas books all year long must have helped*S* We waited in line to see Rudolph. When we got there, Jess didn't want to get near him but as soon as we were out of line, she started crying she wanted to see him. This week we went back to see Clifford. She went right up to him and started patting his nose. Then we waited to see Santa and she went right up to him as well. She told him she wants a dollhouse. Next week Patricia's taking her there to see Curious George.

Jason and Santa

Jason and Rudolph.

Jess and Clifford the Big Red Dog

Telling Santa what she wants

I missed the smile but at least there are no tears.